Cranky Domestic Goddess

It’s been four years since I was last pregnant. Frankly, I’ve quite forgotten about the dos and don’ts during pregnancy. So, I began to scour the internet for tips and advice, plus information about the dos and don’ts of pregnancy. I am glad I came across Mamasource, a great site for parenting discussions. It’s also an informative site for me to learn more about toddlers around my boy’s age. Sometimes, I get really paranoid when he behaves oddly or isn’t eating properly. So, the discussion and answers I found at Mamasource helps to ease my mind. The level of discussions in Mamasource is so varied that I don’t have to join another forum to find answers to my questions. You can find questions and answers from finding a daycare for your children to finding a playgroup around the vicinity.

If you’re a mommy who is interested in interacting with the mommies around your area or within your housing community, do join Mamasource for free and find information about parenting from the discussions and tips given by other mamas living around your area.

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We’re having some strong wind and sleet now. Something’s odd with this winter. Instead of solid snow, we’ve either been rained with lots of wet snow or water! The snow on the tarmac in front of my house was gone for 2 days. My poor boy couldn’t go on his Stiga snow racer.

Looks like it’s gonna rain for a few days before the winter weather finally catches up again. In fact, I’m not too keen for the snow because of the kids in my neighborhood. I’m not quite sure what’s in their head. I’ve told them numerous times that it’s not very polite to trespass other’s yards. Friggin kids love to trespass especially when it’s covered with snow. They love all those foot marks in the snow. Just last week, a neighbor’s girl got scolded by me big time. I asked her why had she trespassed my yard for two days in a row. She said she was in a hurry to go home from a neighbor’s house. I told her, if it’s friggin late - DON’T BLOODY GO OUT! The thing that amazed me is that, her parents allow her to roam freely and would let them walk on neighbors’ yards because they think there’s nothing wrong with it. Because they themselves are doing that. I really wonder if they understand what privacy means.

Her immediate neighbor is very angry with their children, specifically Anni and Lassi. They do not only walk on their yard by themselves. They even bring their friends from outside our community to run a shortcut thru this neighbor’s yard. So when these outside kids are alone in our community, they would trespass on their own. It’s friggin frustrating when adults do not teach their little ones that trespassing other’s yards is wrong.

Anyway, so much for my complaint. Let’s hope the weather gets warmer *muaaahahahahhahahahah - evil laugh*

During my uni days in the States, I have always wanted to watch the the National Final Rodeo show with my buddy, Douglas. Somehow, he’s either always somewhere traveling or was busy working, whenever the event was on. It intrigues me to see how the cowboys perform the tie down roping, saddle bronc and bull riding. The show can sometimes turn out scary and “violent” but it is so spectacular that I find it irresistable. Furthermore, I definitely wouldn’t want to miss a chance to watch it live. So this year, my hubby has decided to bring me to the States to watch the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo which is to be held in Las Vegas. The National Final Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada, is Rodeos World Series and Super Bowl all rolled into one. It’s gonna be exciting! He’s going to make an online booking for the National Rodeo Finals tickets for two to be seated at the Lower Plaza Level for one of the sessions in December 2008. We’ll have the tickets delivered to his colleague’s place since we don’t live in the US. I just can’t wait for the time to arrive! We’re gonna grab our cowboy hats and enjoy a wild, adrenaline rush of an exciting and entertaining rodeo show!

We had a snowstorm today! The wind was raging with anger bringing in a snowstorm which we weren’t expecting at all. Yesterday, the news forecast only mentioned about an early morning storm in Helsinki but not in this part of the country which I am living.

The temperature continued to rise above 0C throughout the day. It’s currently 2C. With the temperature rising, it makes the shoveling difficult as the snow got heavier compared to when it is dry. I was outside enjoying 2 hours of shoveling work - shoveling of wet snow!!! My neighbor came out to quickly grab something from the warm storage place. I guess she was thinking I was either nuts or trying to workout to tone my chubby body. Cuz she stopped by on the way and told me the shoveling is good for “muscles”! Dang! Am I so fat?!

Anyway, I shoveled about 50m and called it a night. Then, I took my son for a spin on his sledge. Midway, his dad arrived from work. His dad got him a sweet surprise - a Stiga GT200 Snow Racer. Boy was he delighted to see his new toy! He told me to go inside the house - HOW UNGRATEFUL! - as he only wants his daddy to bring him for a fun ride on his new snow racer!

Aaaaaaaawwwwwuuuuuuhhhhh … both my upper arms and back are aching! My dear hubby is gonna massage my poorly “abused” arms and back tonight. Or else? He can sleep in the guest room! *evil grin*

After going through a virus attack,
losing a hard drive,
fighting off hackers,
upgrading all software,
installing fire-walls,
being threatened with being cut-off by the email provider,
and a host of other problems…

My friend finally got it fixed …

I’m gonna make nasi lemak tonight to satisfy my cravings for hot chicken curry and sambal telur! Also gonna make sambal shrimps - trying out own recipe. Let’s see how hubby is gonna like it. Fried anchovies, peanuts, cucumber and coconut rice. If I can find fresh cuttlefish here, I’ll definitely make cuttlefish sambal! Yummmmmmmmm …

What I’m gonna make is nothing compared to this shown in the pix. I’m salivating already looking at it!

I’m only using salt, coconut milk and pandan leaves for the coconut rice. It’s fragrant!

My friend told me I am going for high cholesterol food this pregnancy! Not very good I know. Gotta cut down on it during mid-2nd trimester. Don’t fancy high BP!

Okiz will post up the pix later!

Well, I had several surprises this morning the moment I got online. First, I saw a message in the forum congratulating me for the pregnancy news (huh!? What news … I didn’t even tell anyone!) Then when I logged on to my msn, Mei sent me an offline message congratulating me of my pregnancy … then when I came to almost a Domestic Goddess, I was greeted with another “congratulations” in the comment of “We’re going to Johannesburg this Spring!“. In fact, none of our friends know that a baby is on the way. Only family members and my forum pals knew about this. Oh ok, two of my good buddies in Malaysia knew about it. And ok, Cindy K knew about it too … *hehe* Yeps, that’s all … no one else!

Initially I wondered how did Rafidah and Mei know about this. Then I realized I actually have mentioned about it in this blog! Duh! I’m still in shock and caught with surprisw by the few who congratulated me. Thank you Rafidah, Mei, Jilin, Ront & H, and Jackie. Yeps, you’re the only ones who knew or realized about the news

According to the Chinese zodiac, this year is the year of the Earth Rat.

The Earth adds solidity to the Rat’s personality. An Earth Rat is conventional and a good achiever who likes to establish roots early in order to make a secure future for himself and his family. These Rats have the typical Rat ingenuity and mental capacity, but a strong sense of reality often alludes them preventing them from going after anything that could be impromptu. Earth Rats are honorable and love to be stabilized. Slowly and steadily acquiring wealth gives them a sense of inner peace. Although they are capable of being stingy with their finances, they do possess warm feelings for their family and friends.

Generally, those who born under the year of the Rat are creative problem solver, imaginative, hyperactive worker respected for his resourcefulness. They are also intuitive with the ability in acquiring and holding on to things they value!

Since I won’t be visiting home this year, I’ll have to shop for cheap computer accessories from here. My country is a haven for computer accessories. Cheap and affordable quality products! *sniff sniff* Lucky me! I had a quick chat with Ronnie today and he told me that I can get equally cheap and affordable SD and CF memory cards, printer inks and dvd-r discs online! So I scoured the net for them. Voila! He was right, I found cheap Epson ink and Sandisk 2Gb SD card exactly the price I normally get back home! It’s quite a saving considering I do not need to buy an air ticket home. I made and instant order and I am able to track my order through the website. I guess dvd-r discs are the my next purchase. My hubby has been burning a lot of home-made videos lately! Therefore, the number of discs are running low. Well, I can’t wait to get my first shipment! I’m so excited about it because it’s my first time buying them online!

For those of you who are not married but wish to give away red packets aka “ang pow” or “lai see” to your loved ones and friends, here’s a great idea. Giving away red packets during this auspicious festivity is a good gesture and has been practised by the Chinese for many years.

The “ang pow” or “hong bao” is the traditional Chinese custom of wishing someone good luck. Similar to conferring on them the gift of auspicious wealth luck.

The “ang pow” can either be carried along with you or placed in the North sector of your home to aid you in your Career. This is especially true when combined with the Gold Coins tied in a red thread.

A perfect gift for a friend or family member. As Chinese custom dictates that an Ang Pow is always given to newlyweds to help them as they begin a new life.

The Chinese characters for “Abundant Wealth” are emblazed in gold on the “ang pow” packet. The 3 Gold Coins are symbolic of the Feng Shui principles of Heaven, Earth and Man. Hang them on your doorknob on the inside.