Kid 1 Vs Kid 2 Series [1] - Discovery

Ever since I was pregnant with Little One, I've been thinking of blogging about the differences between Kid 1 and Kid 2 for the different stages.  Little One is almost 2 now and I've yet to write anything on this topic..... Gosh!  So here's the first in the series of comparing what it was like having Kid 1 vs Kid 2 - Discovery.

It all started with a positive reading on a pregnancy test kit..... oh, the excitement we felt!  After all the rejoicing, now what should we do??  We had no contacts for gynaecologists and we had a holiday planned for just a few days later!  Hubs had to contact friends who have had kids to ask about their gynaecologists and within hours of deciding which one to choose, we had an appointment booked for that day itself.  Finally, we decided to be super safe and not fly, thus cancelling our holiday to Taiwan which we had been planning for for months....

With Kid 2, there was the usual initial excitement but what happened after was way less dramatic.  Dug out gynaecologist's number, made an appointment for a few days away and was greeted by our smiling doctor asking how Kid 1 was doing.  Familiar clinic, familiar doctor, familiar nurses, familiar procedures..... things are way less scary when you know exactly what to expect.

Yelling

I'm guilty of yelling at my kids... it's usually when I'm in a hurry, or tired, or frustrated.  Sometimes, the anger just rises until I explode.  Big one will stop in his tracks, eyes fixed on me while i have a meltdown.  It's usually not big one's actions that made me so angry, it was just a trigger that released all the pent up frustrations for stuff that were not caused by him.

After all that yelling, big one doesn't feel good and I don't feel good... sometimes, I have another meltdown after the first.  That's when I feel like I'm a lousy Mummy for yelling, that big one doesn't love me any more... then this came up on my Facebook feed:

Why I Stopped Yelling At My Kids

Should the Kids be Scolded (Part I)

When kids misbehave or throw a tantrum, should the kids be scolded?

While this may seem like a silly questions, especially in a more Asian parenting style where traditionally scolding and caning are generally accepted, what I want to explore and discuss goes beyond the surface... let me explain using an example...

Kid refuses to stop playing games - To scold or not to scold?

I'm referring to electronic games, whether it's on iPads or mobile phones or computers.  Kid refuses to stop after several reminders/threats.  Isn't this a straight forward "SCOLD"?  Well, it really depends... ask yourself a few questions:

1) Who introduced the games to the kid?  Was it you, the parent?

2) Are you guilty of letting the kid play continuously on several occasions without saying anything?

3) Did you explain to the kid when they can play, and how long he/she should play as well as enforce the rules you set for the kid?

The reason why I ask these questions is simple: to me, the kid is not totally at fault.  From the kid's point of view, "Mummy/Daddy let me play games, then all of a sudden, they are scolding me because I'm playing games.  Why??"  These electronic games have become a tool that many parents use in order to get some "me" time, or some quiet time.  Nowadays, I notice that when we eat at restaurants, kids would be armed with an iPad/mobile phone and they would be playing with it throughout the meal.  I find this rather disturbing...

I totally understand why parents use games as a distraction tool, I'm guilty of that at times too.  But, we have to be aware that this tool cannot be used all the time until it becomes a habit.  Kids do not automatically prefer games over interaction with their parents, they are trained by their parents to do that.  When you spend that extra effort to spend time with them (REALLY spending time with them, not PRETENDING to), they really love the attention.  When they get the attention of their parents, they are more well behaved and there are fewer tantrums.  Isn't this better than screaming your head off at a wailing kid who's throwing a mega tantrum at a busy mall with the whole world watching??

Note: This post was originally from another of my blogs and was moved here as this a more suitable platform.

Dinosaur Cupcakes

My big one requested for a dinosaur cake.  As the YouTube video only showed how to decorate the cake, I went in search for recipes for both the cake as well as the frosting.  I even went to raid my Mum's well stocked baking equipment cabinet(s) and brought home a few cake tins.  However, the icing bag with different tips that I remember using as a kid was no where to be found.

After lots of thought, I decided to abandon the dinosaur cake... What if the cake doesn't turn out right? What if the icing is horrible?  Assuming I'm successful, how will I bring the cake to big one's school?  Yes, yes, as you can see, I'm a worrier type...

So, I planned something different.  It still involved dinosaurs, and if it failed, I wouldn't feel so bad about wasting (throwing away) everything I was going to make.  Here's my plan: cupcakes with dinosaur decoration!

Step 1: Make chocolate dinosaurs

Chocolate Dinosaurs

Step 2: Make cupcakes

Vanilla cupcakes

Step 3: Make icing and ice

Iced cupcake

Step 4: Top with dinosaurs!

Dinosaur cupcakes!!

Note: Cupcake and icing recipe can be found here

Big one was very happy to see these when he came home from school!!  A few days later, there was only one dinosaur cup cake left but big one kept saying he didn't want to eat it.  Why?  "I want to keep it for my birthday!", he said.

"Don't worry, you can eat it.  I'll make more of this again for your birthday".  (Birthday is a few months away) *tired but happy Mummy*

Quick and Good for Busy Mums

For all mums out there looking after babies, you'd know how much work there is to be done, especially if you are home alone during the day.  There are baby's needs to tend to, housework to be done... do you still have time to cook?  But as a breastfeeding mum, can you afford not to eat?

For times when baby is not cooperative, I have a back-up plan -- Instant oats!

Instant oats - a life saver for busy mums!

For desperate times, you could just add hot water to instant oats and drizzle on some honey.  But, I like adding in an egg for a little more nutrition.  It'll only take about 5 minutes of "cooking" time:

1. Start boiling a little water in a saucepan on high heat
2. Grab an egg and crack it into a bowl and beat lightly
3. Get ready to pour instant oats into saucepan once the water boils (this shouldn't take long as only a little water is needed)
4. While stirring the oats, pour in egg (I like streaks of egg)
5. Pour your meal into a bowl and drizzle honey to taste and you are done!

For those who don't like washing up (just like me!), there are only a few things to wash:  Bowl (for egg), saucepan, bowl (for eating), spoon (for stirring while cooking and eating), fork (to beat egg).

So there you have it:
Cooking time - 5 minutes
Washing time - 5 minutes