I like the new Blogger interface

It's been more than a year since I last blogged and the first thing I can think of is, I like the new Blogger interface.

I have been toying with changing my blog name for some time, since the kids have grown up, but then, now another comes along and gives me a reason to continue. It's tough though, I admit I'm not the most faithful of bloggers PLUS I am more addicted to Facebook then I should be!

Reusing something unexpected as a flowerpot

My husband's old boot! Its partner is somewhere along the row.

Doing my bit for Japan

I happened to watch this show on ChannelNewsAsia a couple of days ago, called Japan 9.0. I pretty much cried all the way through the half-hr programme.

I'm not the kind that writes a cheque to some suitable relief organisation (heaven help me, I don't even have a personal checking account). But I want to do SOMETHING to help. So I was really really glad when God opened up this channel for me to contribute.

In conjunction with Earth Day (which is actually in April but the school has brought it forward) our primary school Temasek Primary will be holding a sale of plants and proceeds will go partially to the Singapore Red Cross for Japan relief efforts, partially to our school fund (for needy students).

My dear neighbour and I (two herb-crazy women) are donating about 50 pots (or trying to achieve) of herbs including basil, mint, oregano, mugwort to the cause. So we're now trying to establish as many cuttings as possible before the date 23 Mar 2011. I'm pleased to put my love for gardening to something fruitful, and that it can bless somebody else, that's just too wonderful for words.

Ten Years

Today, I celebrate ten years of laughter and tears, joy and pain, learning and foolishness, that are Motherhood. To my dear family and friends, who have supported me, encouraged me, and gently chided me through these ten years, I thank and honour you from the bottom of my heart.

Happy Birthday daughter.

An unexpected factor in the breatfeeding relationship

An old friend just had a baby. I learnt on Facebook that she was keen on breastfeeding and so I offered her my help if she had any concerns or problems, or just wanted a listening ear. I didn't want to be too pushy because I wasn't sure whether she could take my hardcore breastfeeding persona.

The cry for help came when the baby was about 6 weeks old. She was sick of pumping, didn't know why the baby kept crying and was seriously comtemplating giving up. She wanted to know whether she would still be able to nurse the baby instead of expressing, because she really wanted to continue to give the baby the best. My greatest fear was that the baby had developed nipple confusion, but thankfully, I found she had a great latch and was definitely still interested in the breast.

I also learnt to my horror, that my friend's confinement nanny had told her not to feed the baby too often, but to try to stretch the interval between feedings to 3 hours (and the poor girl had obeyed). Good grief!! THAT explained why the baby seemed to be crying so much, and why the mother's breasts didn't seem full. She also wasn't very hungry (sure sign of not losing enough calories through breastfeeding, haha).

It was quite a shock to me because I didn't realise that the confinement nanny could be such an important factor in making or breaking the breastfeeding relationship. After all, I have quite a number of friends who had wonderful supportive nannies. My friend's mother-in-law told me she thinks that all confinement nannies should be certified before being allowed to practise, and I quite agree with her.

And the EC begins all over again

With #1, breastfeeding was my main challenge (and a tough one too). By the time #2 came around, I was determined to try my hand at EC (the new thing). I suppose this time it's a given since we already did it full time previously.

This baby was designed for EC. Whereas his jiejie and gorgor pooed in drips and drabs, making catching their poo practically futile, he, for lack of a better word,"consolidates" it into a few times a day, and starts pushing and grunting very obviously in addition to turning red in the face. I recall when Rv was an infant, he peed immediately upon stirring, and thus we had to be intensely vigilant. However this little one is usually able to hold for at least half a minute, leastways till I got to him. We usually make it to the bathroom. Or the little bottle.

My problem is that I do not have enough pocket diapers for use when we go out. At home we're using folded flat + liner + cover, and this combination is hell to put back on when you're at a busy market. I regret altering most of the pockets I made for Rv to become training pants without soakers (WHAT had been going through my head then??). And I am no longer in the sewing mood (nor do I have the time). Dang.

My VBA2C story and thoughts

Well folks, you won't see stuff like "went to the loo and had a show". Here's the gist of it:
Drug-free VBAC, although we had to do a vacuum because right when I was pushing they did the Doppler and the baby's heartbeat had dropped quite a bit. Because of the vacuum, I was transferred to the bed and put in stirrups, but these actually helped to alleviate some of the cramping and numbness in my legs. I birthed lying flat on my back (not semi-reclining!).
No episiotomy, but I did have a first degree tear and a few stitches.
The whole thing lasted for 6 1/2 hrs, from 3.30am to 10am, much shorter than expected. After all, I laboured for 14hrs with Reuvel, before being told that it wasn't gonna happen and they shot me with an epidural and sent me to the OT.
Reflections:
Some of you know just how much I wanted a VBAC when I was having #2. When it didn't happen, and my postnatal discussion with Paul concluded on the note that chances for a future VBAC would be very slim, I told myself then, if I can't have a VBAC, I WON'T have another baby. Then along comes the unplanned #3, whom God used to show me that I really can't give up hope. Anything is possible with Him.
Regrets:
My perfect birth would be birthing standing or kneeling upright, no tears (and no stitches!), and DH catching the baby. But my legs were numb and cramped from lying on my side once we got to the hospital, so that was out, plus I was tired out. But hey! I got my VBAC! And delayed cord clamping! And DH cut the cord! And I could nurse the baby immediately after Paul was done stitching! All these had been in my birth plan for #2. And I laughed and cried simultaneously for 3 minutes straight when they put the baby on my chest and I realised it was all over.
My deepest gratitude to:
Jehovah God - who heard all our prayers.
Ginny Phang - who taught me, 6 years ago, how to breathe and vocalise when the contractions got intense. This was how we got there drug-free.
Pat Chong - who lent me her last minute buddha's leg.
Amy Chin-Atkins - who encouraged me in every single email
to listen to my body and have faith in myself. And sent me the "research evidence" that I needed to put my fears at rest and go ahead with a TOLAC.
Gigy Chong - who was the very first person to tell me, straight to my face and without a doubt, that I would be able to do it. You know how much it meant to me.
Paul Tseng of TLC clinic - who at first discouraged me to go for a VBA2C but in the end, consented to my birth plan. You rock!
DH - who held my hands when it became unbearable and cried tears of joy with me when the baby was finally put on my chest. And who supported and trusted me in my decisions every step of the way.
And then the fourth trimester began d:)

Time to let go

We have been living at our new home for 2 weeks, and tonight is the first night my son is sleeping in his own room, i.e. away from me. For the last 2 weeks, he slept on a mattress on the floor in our room, and before we moved, our beds were all connected in the huge bedroom, Ray's included (talk about the family bed).

This morning when I moved his mattress to his bedframe in his room, I wasn't really serious about shifting him out. But he was 100% ok, and looking forward to it in fact. That's when I realised that I was the one, who couldn't leave the family bed.

Yes, I've been babying my big boy, he turns six tomorrow but I still see him as my toddler. Doesn't help that he looks really babyish, and is short for his age, and is SOOOOOO adorable and lovable, just like a baby bear. I really do love him to bits.

But now another little boy is coming along (sometime within the next 3 weeks), and I have to prepare myself emotionally to move my big boy up to korkor status. I know HE's ready to be korkor, and excited.

I wonder how much sleep I will get tonight, probably check on him every hour or so when I go to the bathroom.

Time to move on

The renovations for our new home have begun and we have an estimated 5 weeks before we move (that is if Murphy's Law doesn't happen). There are a lot of decisions to make, rethink, and confirm.

In the meantime, I am popping my veins over Temasek MagicLand, a fund-raising carnival organised by Ray's primary school (also my alma mater) for the needy students in the school (and I am proud to say that there are quite a number, as well as special needs students). June and I are in charge of the Chinese food stalls at Foodland, only one part of the whole show. This happens on 16 July, and it's open to the public.

I've never been a part of it, MagicLand only having been developed way after I graduated so I am pretty excited (although I'm not sure what to expect). It's challenging to say the least, to organise the food and roster, and in this respect I am bowled over by the generosity of the parents when it comes to fund-raising. We have food, monetary, and time and effort contributions from so many parents! I can only say that I am very proud to be a part of this school.

Once MagicLand is over, I can focus more on house-moving as well as birth plans, with the latter giving me the greatest headache. Paul doesn't want me to go for a VBA2C, on account of my having tried with the boy (who was huge! 3.98kg!). But he says he's open to it IF I go into labour earlier (unlikely) OR if the baby is much smaller (perhaps more Ray's size at 3.28kg). Well, I told him I will give it more thought once these 2 imminent projects are over.

Decisions, decisions!

And I have to decide which of my beloved plants (which have been neglected rather) will be making the move with us. The compost pile will be "inherited" by my parents, and I have been doing some minor reading up on container gardening. My original plan was to build a raised bed at the balcony, but alas! the costs are way too high, so till our situation changes, everything will have to be in pots or troughs. I hate pots!

All the herbs are going over of course, tiny pots which will sit nicely on the low bookcases at the windows. The chilli is already in a pot (I read that chillies and peppers do better in confined soil than open ground), and the red okra will have to be reseeded once I can find the right sized pot (easy) and the time (not so easy). My four o'clock plants are not setting seed (!) and I don't have the time now to read up and make changes, so I will have to ask Amanda for more seeds. They germinate very easily anyway, and grow very fast. Ray's asking for one specimen in her room, but I told her the 4 o'clock will be too big for the bookcase at full maturity. So she's going to try her hand at seeding some new basil.

I will miss my garden, but there's no point in moping over what cannot be changed.

New ways to use your Old stuff

Now the tenants are out (finally!) we can begin renovating in earnest. The next couple of months will be pretty hectic - house reno and moving, MagicLand and regular PV work. And then - the baby!

Here are some cool ways to give your old things a new lease of life

1. Ways to reuse old clothes
- make accessories eg. hair ties, bracelets, belts.
- make bean bag chairs out of huge old Ts
- make gift wraps

2. Ways to reuse old socks
- make sock dolls
- make rags
- use as cushioning for fragile items when housemoving
- make potpourri holders
- make ponytail bands
- make bottle covers for oily condiment bottles
- make bean bags for games

3. Ways to reuse old sheets
- make reusable shopping bags
- make pillow cases
- make aprons

4. Ways to reuse old CDs/DVDs
- make mobiles / suncatchers
- use as bike reflectors
- use as paper plate weights (glue on bottom of plates)
- make retro doorway screen/curtain
- use as mirror for back of computers
- use as carpet protectors
- use as garden markers
- use as invitation cards
- use as christmas tree decorations
- make wall art

Flowers for Teatime

This plant is so-called because the buds all burst into bloom round about 4 o'clock. I have been watching them and it's true.

My Four O'clock plants have decided it's time to showcase their lovely blooms after growing for about 2.5 months.Here is a closeup of the yellow flower.

And here is a closeup of the pink one.
And both can be found on the same plant! Yes, one plant will produce flowers of more than one colour and each flower can have splashes of more than one colour as well. After the blooms wilt, each head will produce one big black seed, which is easy to sow and germinates readily. This plant does not grow too tall (about 1.5 ft max), and is very suitable for container gardening. I am sure bringing this with me when I move to my flat!

Use your Basil!

 



Basil benefits from regular pruning, and since my Thai Basils were beginning to flower (oh no!) I chopped off most of their foliage, leaving only about 2 inches of leaves on each stalk. SO, what do I with all this crop? Two mature Basil plants can give quite a lot of "harvest", depending on what you want to do.

 Herb Garlic Butter
1 250gm block butter (mine is salted), softened
2 to 5 sprigs of basil leaves, stems removed
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
Pinch ground black pepper (optional)

Method:
Finely chop the basil leaves and mix everything together. Spoon into a container (I used a Chinese rice bowl and covered with cling wrap) and refrigerate at least half a day to let the flavours meld. Spread generously on bread and toast it. Yummy!

Pesto
At least 10 stalks of basil leaves, stems removed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
2 cloves garlic (add more if you prefer, but beware!)
3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, more if necessary
Pinch of salt (optional)

Method:
Blend or process all ingredients till you get a smooth thick paste. If you have a tiny chopper like mine, process the walnuts fine first, remove and add to cheese in a separate bowl, ditto garlic, and lastly process the basil with some EVOO. Stir/mix well in the bowl.
Store in airtight glass jar in the fridge, make sure there is a thin layer of oil on the top of the paste to reduce browning.

Update 2012: In an effort to lengthen the shelf life of the pesto in the fridge, I have discovered that the cheese can be omitted from the recipe. We like it even without the cheese (boy can't taste the difference, haha!) but if preferred, it's still possible to add the grated cheese when serving.

Disclaimer: These are recipes I got off the net but adjusted to my own preferences. They're not necessarily the best. If you have your own recipes, that's great! Whatever it is, just use up your Basil. Pruning will ensure you have lots of Basil whenever you need it (it sprouts more shoots and leaves very quickly).

If only I could find more uses for Mint! I haven't even used a single leaf yet!

First Antenatal Appointment at 20 weeks

I will be seeing Paul for the first time tomorrow. Many have expressed their surprise that I haven't gone earlier. "Can meh?" they ask with raised eyebrows and eyes wide open. Why not? I counter, will the police come and haul you off to the clink?

The point is that I am comfortable with my actions, based on what I know. If there is something wrong, I will accept it. This is making an informed decision, and I have all my birthing friends (you know whom you are) to thank.

I have also decided that I WILL go for the developmental scan and bear the discomfort of lying on my back for an hour. This after talking through with HL and a close neighbour and friend, so we can prepare for any possible problems.

Other than that, I'm not thinking much about this pregnancy or the birth. I believe I have made my preparations (short of taking the appropriate bag of baby clothes from Mum!) all those years ago when I was expecting Rv and I have never really forgotten what I learnt.

My mind is turned to some other matters instead - renovation, garden, and my work. A lot to consider, and alas, I can multi-task, but not very well. It doesn't help that even at 20 weeks I have horrid nausea days (like today) about once a week. And normal life has to go on - schedules, meals, laundry, cleaning, voluntary work...

Life is full.

More Gardening Plans

As my fatigue eases off slowly and I make fewer trips to the porcelain goddess, I remind myself that I really cannot let the garden go to ruin on account of the baby. So here are a few plans for some work to be done in the next few weeks, hopefully mostly in the March holidays.

1. Build a low wall around the bed out of bricks and rubble (note to self: buy a bag of cement from the hardware store), this will make for a more effective raised bed to keep the weeds out since I only have the one bed and paths are not necessary.

2. Clear away the old dead annuals in the bed - the french marigolds, the olde spicy basil bush that already has a few offspring growing beneath it.

3. Mix in some finished compost into the soil to build up nutrients. Mulch while waiting to complete point 4.

4. Transplant in the capsicum/chilli plants that have taken a turn for the better, and any new seedlings that we manage to seed in the next week, eg. red okra, ornamental capsicum. (note to self: start seeding!)

5. Divide Mum's thyme plants and repot or transplant into bed. A few clumps would be good.

6. Fertilise all plants with liquid kelp.

Back to bed. My energy has run down.

About my breastfeeding journey

My son has self-weaned, at the grand old age of 5 years and 2 months. His elder sister stopped at 4 years and 2 months. And just when I thought it was more or less over, it seems it will begin all over again, in about 6 months' time.

I was not too thrilled at first, but with the passing of time, we have come to accept this fact (although I suspect HL is still coming to grips with the issue). I am glad that I will not be tandem nursing, because although I do believe in it, it was a really, shall I say, tough experience for both me and Ray. Not long ago, I was just checking to see if I had any milk at all (none, only a few drops of clear, colourless liquid from one side, doubt it's colostrum) and thought to ask the boy whether he would be interested in nursing again after the baby is born and I have lots of milk. "No," came the answer, so I guess that's that. My boy has left babyhood, although you wouldn't think it to look at him. Few are willing to believe that he will be in Primary One come next year, he looks as though he's only three! (His height doesn't help).

So now, I'm just hoping to live and get through this horrible period of discomfort which I've never had so bad before. Let whatever will happen, happen.

Garden fears

Every time the flash storms return, I get rather worried about my garden. Will it be too much for the plants? Will it leach all the nutrients out of the topsoil? Do I need to dig some of them up and bring them into shelter? A couple of species have definitely had to be brought in and these are my spearmint and rosemary cuttings. I didn't realise that both their troughs were flooded and now 1 of the spearmints has given up its ghost and will be joining the compost heap. The 3 rosemary cuttings still look okay, but I'm taking extra precaution because I've killed 1 previous cutting before and now that these have successfully rooted, I'm gonna do everything I can to protect them. The reason I took them out was because we had been having quite a long break from the monsoon storms and they needed some sun. Then along came these storms.

The compost bin is no longer, I decided to put the pile out in the open to reduce the smells. Got a rusty wire netting from my Mum and wrapped cardboard all around it, plus a layer of cardboard to keep the rain out (but I forgot to cover THAT with a polythene sheet so now it's wet and sagging).

I am also preparing the patch of ground between the main bed and the "watermelon plot" (although the seeds never sprouted and have been replaced with coneflower seedlings and young capsicum and chilli plants) for cultivation. After the municipal grass trimmers came, Ray and I dug up the irritating concrete slabs and broken shingles that are buried smack between the thin 4" topsoil and the clay subsoil. Our entire area is like this, so every foot of land has to be tilled. Once this is done, we get our electrical goods cardboard boxes, slit them up and cover the area to be cultivated. This forms an effective weed barrier (blocks out light). I'm hoping it won't take more than a couple of months for them to die out, although we do have some pernicious grass runners.

There's not been much harvest since we got back from our Hong Kong vacation, and I just about thought my okra had gone on strike, but today we counted quite a few new buds, which will certainly blossom into delicious pods within the next couple of weeks. I am not regretting this venture into gardening, it is satisfying and educational (for me) and the kids enjoy spending time just hanging around the back when I'm there. Now to get their father to come out and get his hands dirty.

One of my favourite words - Harvest!

I've harvested (and eaten) about 20 okra pods so far, but this is certainly my first batch of Kailan (Chinese Kale) grown as organically as possible in long troughs with compost-mixed soil.

I'm wondering why they don't look anything like the Kailan we get from the markets, stems are thinner and leaves are, well, rounder. But a tip from some elders last night - Kailan can be eaten whether big or small, if you don't harvest them soon, the worms will be feasting on them next. So I'm taking them and we will feast on them before we leave for Hong Kong (for a long-awaited holiday) this weekend.

Image captured by Rayzel Lim

Any Progress is better than none

We now have 3 areas that constitute our "home vegetable garden". The first is a Germinating station we set up in a corner of our back porch, where seeds are sown and left to germinate under slightly controlled conditions. The second is the Seedling Toughening Up station for our Basil and and Capsicum plants before they are either transplanted into the open garden or given away. And the third is the little plot of land up the slope behind the house that I sprained my waist to hoe up. This is currently housing some garlic, okra, tarragon, ginger, capsicum, sunflower seeds and our old nursery basil.

There's really a lot to learn. Thankfully, "with the Internet the information is all at my fingertips". I take my hat off to all the home gardeners before the Information Age who got so expert at organic home gardening, through experience and hearing from others. I never thought in my whole life that I'd borrow FIVE books on gardening in one go from the library (and I had to limit myself!).

Some of the most important things I've learnt so far include:
1. Grow your garden on raised beds - Singapore is built on red clay, so beneath the topsoil of a few inches it's just hard clay, which although can be improved over time, is really not good for most plants. Raised beds give your plants more "legroom" to grow.
2. Interplant some ornamental plants with the crop plants - these will help to attract the beneficial birds and insects that will help pollinate the crop plants. Certain species, given the honorific Companion Plants, help to keep pests away as well.
3. Avoid chemical fertilisers and pesticides except as a last resort, and even then, sparingly - using these commercial chemicals will send your plants and soil into a vicious cycle of pests and diseases and degrading quality of soil. Search for organic, natural ways of improving your soil, which will ultimately keep your plants healthier with less effort required on your part. And other ways of repelling pests and extermination.
4. Compost - This is the singularly most effective thing you can do for your plants in terms of nutrition, AND it's very pro-conservation by reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfills. Even in Singapore where I am told ALL household waste gets burnt, there must be SOMETHING left over that the government needs to dump somewhere. Composting also recycles nutrients from organic waste back to Mother Earth, so as we take from the garden, we can give something back.
5. Gardening is a family affair - Kids can garden too! They love sowing seeds, remembering to water each day (too many times in fact), checking on the seeds for germination / plants for flowers, transplanting and getting their hands covered with soil. Plus it's a wonderful, hands on way to teach them about conservation and life. Oooh, so profound.

Tomorrow we will, if the weather permits, begin hoeing up another patch of what passes for a lawn, in preparation for planting watermelons. This is because I've read that watermelon plants are
very aggressive and will take over the entire plot of soil. Same goes for Fennel, so I wonder what would happen if I put the two together in the same plot? *evil grin*
Make hay while the sun shines!

A New Journey Into Unchartered Territory

I've never had green thumbs.

Most plants I tried to grow died out on me and the survivors were usually ragged, as if they had been through a blizzard and were not expecting to see the spring.

However, in my search for organic fruits and vegetables for my family, I've decided to put in a little more work into setting up a mini vegetable garden, which, hopefully, can be truly organic (certification by USDA is not necessary).

There's a lot of research to be done, the first part of it online. I envy those who don't need to read up at all and just DO. Like the Moms of two of my neighbours - they just know how to get started and keep growing. I need to go and read up all I can and hopefully, glean some insight into roots and leaves and all. Perhaps I should go dig up my O and A levels texts (yes, I still have them!).

Raised beds, compost, mulch, fertiliser, tilling, drainage, compaction - too many terms jostling in my mind for attention. I'm thankful to have supportive people around me, but I'll be counting on HL to give me the greatest physical support - chunko out the horrid shingle- and rubble-filled strip of land behind our house! I've actually asked the nursery nearby - Greenology - for a quote to till the area and sort it out. But it's "at least $150, excluding soil", so I guess we have some hard exercise planned for this weekend instead.

I am overjoyed that the okra seeds that were sown in a tiny pot last week have germinated, but they do need to be transplanted SOON so we must get the ground ready for it.

To arms!

Hainanese Chicken Rice

A little vague but it's just for my own reference.

1. Wash and drain rice. Leave to stand for 1/2 hr.

2. Boil water

3. Rub chicken cavity with salt. Stuff in ginger, garlic, scallions.

4. Immerse chook in water in pot. Turn to low heat. Leave 20 min.

5. Take chicken out and plunge into ice water bath for 5-10 min.

6. Pound ginger and garlic. 

7. Fry chook fat/skin. Add rempah, fry till fragrant. Add rice, salt and fry for about 1 min.

8. Add chicken stock to cover and cook. Add pandan leaves.

9. Drain chicken and chop into pieces.

10. Dilute sesame oil and soy sauce with some chicken stock and drizzle over chopped chicken.