Membawa anak-anak berterawih di masjid

Sejak Ramadhan starts, we have brought the kids to the mosque during weekends for Terawih. Alhamdulillah the kids behaved as they were supposed to be. It would be a good practise for them to get used to solat and masjid. At first, i takut jugak nak bawak the kids, yelah if they run around and make noise. But Alhamdulillah we could avoid those things :)

A few tips to bring your kids to mosque

1. Make sure the mosque is comfortable. i.e spacious. Kids would not always be sitting on our side. They tend to run around then sit and then run again. So its best to go to masjid yang selesa, luas and kalau boleh ada air conditioned. Kids get cranky cepat kalau panas.
2. For diapers wearing kids, make sure you change to a new diaper before u go to masjid. Manalah tau kan, dah penuh ke..then mula la merengek tak selesa.
3. Since both of kids follow us to the mosque, the brother will follow Mr Hubby and Nadhirah will follow me. So they wont run around. Kalau dah ada geng, memang melilau je mana-mana. So kalau separated, one will sit quietly.
4. Bring some toys or reading materials. Just in case they get bored waiting for us. Solat terawih je pun dah 8 rakaat. Takut lama sangat, the kids will get bored. Dari dia kacau kita solat, let them play with some toys and read some books.
5. For me, i'll make sure i'll be on the last row and the last in the row. So that my kids would see me and they can sit beside me. Karang dia confuse, sumer pakai telekong.
6. Bring water bottle. They may get thirsty, so prepare some water in their bottle. Kalau boleh the type that use straw so takdelah risau air tumpah
7. Wear comfortable cloth. Kalau boleh cotton. shirt with long pants. Kids will get sweaty, when they sweat they will feel uncomfortable.

So, which mosque next? We've tried Masjid Negara and Masjid Bukit Antarabangsa. Yet to try Masjid Wilayah. Maybe next time.

Vitamin for the kids

Breastfed babies are normally will have better immune system. Although i breastfed my two babies, i also started giving them vitamin C. Cold and fever are normal for kids. At least in 2 or 3 months they would catch cold.. But i read an article on the internet saying that there are no scientific evidence that Vitamin C could prevent cold. But at least vitamin C makes it a little harder for your body to become infected with an illness.  At first i started them with Nutrilite Chewable Vitamin C for Kids.

image googled

When they were small, i crushed the tablet and dissolved it in water or  sometimes their milk. And when they can chew, i gave them directly.

But overtime, they didn't want to take in tablet form anymore. So i have to find an alternative and Scott Emulsion is my choice. During my childhood time, i had to take the original cod liver oil. It was yucky. Hanyir. But my mom forced me to.

image googled

So far the kids like the taste. And Alhamdulillah, they didnt get sick too often.

First Aid Pregnancy Kit

I'm sure most have heard the news about PLKN Baby. It is a scary thought knowing that a pregnant teenager entered PLKN without anyone noticing that she was pregnant!!! It's even scarier that the parents did not know about it. Who would expect a pregnant teenager would enter PLKN unnoticed. But zaman sekarang ni, apa-apa pun boleh jadi. Maybe kita tak pernah terfikir perkara macam ni akan berlaku sebab zaman dulu kalau pregnant sebelum kahwin mau kena humban dalam gaung. Tapi sekarang budak-budak makin sosial.

So seperti biasa, dah terhantuk baru tergadah. Only now, PLKN akan mewajibkan setiap pelatih perempuan menjalani ujian kehamilan. Who would have thought this thing will happen in the past? But now, anything is possible.

So as mothers, do we need to include pregnancy test as part of the First Aid Kit at home? Nauzubillah! But anything is possible, right?

Nadhirah, nanti mama jadik bodyguard hang bila besar. Hang menggatal skit, siap!

sila jangan buat muka sedih2 hokay

Adakah anda 'gersang'?

It is reported yesterday, the sex crime in Malaysia has risen 50% since 2005. What is happening to our male population? Gersang sangat kah mereka sampai sanggup melakukan jenayah seks? Sorry for the generalization of 'male population' cause i think its fair. Pernah ada ke kes pompuan rogol lelaki..takde kan? so betul la kot statement, male population dah makin gersang?

For a mom with a daughter, i felt insecure to raise my daughter in this situation. We have to monitor our daughters 24 by 7 if this scenario still in place.

Adakah pendidikan agama semakin berkurangan sehingga seseorang itu tidak dapat menahan nafsu serakah mereka? I believe all religions are against sex crime. It is beyond our norm. Yes, sex is vital and its part of human needs. But it has to be controlled in such a way we can only have sex when you are legally married. Even if we are legally married, sex ada tatatertib nya tersendiri.

Maybe orang-orang kita (men especially) dah over-exposed dengan tayangan gambar lucah (terlampau) sehinggakan tak dapat menahan nafsu mereka. Dah tau tak tahan, kenapa tengok kan? Tapi itulah manusia yang kurang/cetek akalnya.

In today's paper, a girl who met with an accident was raped while she was injured with a broken arm. Kejinya lelaki itu!! And to make matter worst, he even sprayed something to the girls' eyes.

As a mom, it is an alerting situation that i MUST monitor my kids from now on. Not only my daughter but also my son. Jenayah sex kat Malaysia ni dah tak mengenal umur.. budak-budak pun jalan gak. Nauzubillah!

If I die today...

Recently i got to know an ex colleague of mine just lost his husband in an accident. And she couldn't see the husband for the last time, as the accident occurred oversea and his remain was buried there. Bergenang airmata bila dengar cerita ni. He left 2 children aged 7 and 2 years old. Bayangkan perasaan anak-anak bila dapat tau, yang ayahnya pergi outstation tapi takkan balik forever. Tak masuk lagi perasaan si isteri. Mau tak bergenang airmata. Itulah dinamakan ajal maut itu pasti cuma masa yang akan menentukannya. 

If i were to die today, have i prepare enough for my partner and kids to survive on their own? It may sound materialistic but its the reality. Some of the things that we can prepare ourselves for any unfortunate events

1. Wasiat

Mungkin harta kita tak seberapa, tapi jangan lupa buat wasiat untuk waris-waris kita yang berhak. Kalau takde wasiat, harta akan dibahagikan secara faraid. Senaraikan semua harta and akaun bank yang ada dan wasiatkan la kepada waris. More info from JAKIM.

2. EPF

Jangan lupa buat penamaan waris untuk EPF! Banyak tu EPF kalau dah 10 tahun kerja kan. So sedikit sebanyak duit ni boleh meringankan beban waris kelak. Sesiapa yang tak buat lagi yang ini, sila ke pejabat KWSP. Penamaan waris boleh diubah bila-bila masa. More info on EPF Death Withdrawal.

3. Insurance

If you are the main breadwinner, make sure you have an insurance policy. Generasi sekarang dah makin terbuka minda pasal insurance. Mungkin bulan-bulan bayar premium kita tak nampak hasilnya. Tapi kita tak tau apa yang akan berlaku in the future. So this is a 'saving' for the uncertainties of the future. 

4. Education Plan

If you have kids, please take an education policy for them. Some may say, SSPN or ASD is enough. But having education plan for your kids is a better option. Why? because when the depositor died, the insurance company will continue the payment till its maturity. Walla ur kids education fund is already there when he/she needs it.

So have we prepared ourselves, if we were to die today?

Mama nak duit…Walid nak duit…

SPM 2009 results are already out. A total of 7897 students achieved straight As (A+, A, A-) in all subjects and out of that, 214 students achieved straight A+ in all subjects. The number of students getting straight As is increasing each year. For the 7897 students, getting a university placement and scholarship may not be a problem. Scholarships from government, private sectors, GLC, banks, multinational companies are already being advertised in newspapers. But can these scholarships accommodate all the students? How about the other good students who got 6,7 or 8As with a or some Bs. How about average students? Do they still have chances to grab the scholarships?

For a mama like me who has small kids in 2010, what is going to happen in the next 15 years when my son sits for his SPM (maybe SPM is called something else)? The world is getting more competitive, so young parents today need to think of their childrens’ future and most importantly their childrens’ education fund.

Here I list some of the ways that we can use to build up our kids education fund

1.      Education Plan with Insurance Company

Most of the insurance companies have education plan covering kids starting from 1 month old to 25 years old. The plan is usually divided into two portions; 1 portion is for basic insurance coverage (i.e death, accident) and second portion is for savings. One of the main advantages of having an Education plan is that, if anything happens (i.e death or total permanent disability) to the depositor, the insurance company will continue paying for the monthly installment until the maturity period. You may start as low as RM100 monthly and this amount can be added up on yearly basis. On top of that, you may add additional insurance coverage (i.e medical card) for your kids.

2.      SSPN (National Education Savings Scheme)

Starting 2007, anyone who wish to apply for PTPTN loan will need to have SSPN account. We may wonder, why we need to apply PTPTN loan when they charge 1%(currently) on the total loan repayment. The answer would always be because the uncertainties of the future. We may or may not need to apply for PTPTN loan, but who knows. SSPN provides dividens on yearly basis on average of 4%. It may not be a lot, but as the saying goes “ Sikit-sikit, lama- lama jadi bukit”

3.      Amanah Saham Didik

Eligibility for ASD starts from 6 months old. Initial investment is at RM100 and so far there is no limit of total investment. Average dividend payout is 7% (so far). ASD is a growth fund which invests in diversified portfolios but mainly in equity. Its an option if you want a long term investment with low-risk profile. 

4.      Unit Trust

Unit Trust is another form for long term investment. One may ask, can a kid below 18 years old invest in Unit Trust? The answer is literally yes. When you decided to invest in Unit Trust, the primary account holder will be the parent, and the joint account holder shall be named after your kid. There are a number of funds you can choose for investment. IMHO, for education fund its better to choose between low & medium risk funds. After all its your child(ren) education fund.

5.      Tabung Haji

As low as RM2, you can open Tabung Haji account. This is open for Muslim and if your account reaches RM1,300 you can register for Hajj. So besides saving for child’s education, you are preparing some funds for them to perform Hajj. Tabung Haji invested in diversified short & long term portfolios which comply with Islamic ruling. Besides that, TH also invested in their own subsidiaries which focusing on services, plantation, construction and properties. Their dividend payout is averaging at 5%.

These are ONLY some of the ways that you can actually invest/save for your child education in the future. But my recommendations are

i.        Diversify your investment. Maybe you deposit some in Education Plan, Tabung Haji etc. Maybe duit raya/gift you save up in SSPN or ASD. The choices are yours.

ii.      Frequent deposits. To ensure you get the target fund, investment need to be done as frequent as possible. The most would be on monthly basis.

M.A.R.A.H

Having 2 kids has really test my patience level. Tambah lagi both are still growing. Fening mamanya. Nak je naik darah everytime both of them buat perangai. Betul la kata orang tua2, darah muda ni panas je selalu. Patutlah nenek&datuk je leh tahan ngan cucu-cucu. Sebab when they were younger mana tahan ngan anak-anak sendiri.ni yang selalu dengar nenek&atuk manjakan cucu.
Last night when we were having dinner, out of the blue these two kids were yelling "No! No! No!" to each other. Entah apa sebab pun i tak tau. I was in the middle between both of them, naik pening dibuatnya. I dah nak bukak mulut nak marah je, but i decided to keep quiet and let them yelled at each other. Lagi dilarang lagi dia buat, so keep quiet je la.
Sometimes you feel like screaming to them but after that u'll know that you'll regret it. So (sometimes) when i was about to scold them, i'll try to remember these points (kalau sempat lah)
1. Imagine that your kids are being scold by other people. Do you like it?
2. Scolding them may have negative impacts on the kids like scared to be adventurous, less vocal, shy, etc
3. The kids may hate you and may not be coming to you for comfort.
4. You will stressed yourself. "jangan marah-marah nanti cepat tua". Tak pasal kena buat treatment tegangkan muka :)

Itu je.. Apa lagi yek?

Kiss Me

"kiss me
out of the bearded barley
Nightly
beside the green green grass
Swing swing
swing the spinning step
You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress

Oh, kiss me
beneath the milky twilight
Lead me
out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance
Silver moon sparkling
So kiss me"

The best remedy when u come back from a hectic day at the office is....

Kissing..Smooching....your babies, aint it so dis-stressing? Baby's smell is so addictive and you can't get enough of it. How many times do we need to kiss our kids everyday? Uncountable times.

I just love the smell of babies. be it after bath or even if they are sweating after running around. 

I hope that they will not avoid my kiss although they have grown up. After all they are my babies :)

Kissing your babies, give them the assurance that you love them. Its human touch that works the most to strengthen the bond between parents and their children. No matter how old your children are, kiss them countlessly. 

xoxoxoxoxo

Are you a juggler?

Are you a mom, a wife, a worker, a housekeeper and a cook? How do you juggle between these jobs/tasks? Being a FTWM (full time working mom) requires a lot of energy and patience! Kesabaran sgt penting yee.
When you are home after 9-10 hours at d office + getting stuck in d KL traffic, a comfy bed sounds really tempting. But once you reach home, d only "comfort" that you found is d noise of your kids. Do you blame them for getting excited to see you're home? Of course NOt!! But everyday we wish they will behave and leave us alone. Sigh*
This is where patience is important. I do lose my patience once (twice or couple of times?) in a while. kekadang terkeluar jugak temper..but after a while i regret being like that. i tried not to lose my temper but being in tired state made me do so. being at home after work means, you are switched to being a mom, cook and cleaner. Alhamdulillah, i have maid to help out. or else i think i will lose my mind soon enough. After having two kids, i learnt to block out the yelling, noises the kids make. if i attend to each of the yelling, i think i wont survive.

BUT i do love being a mom!

Gedebuk jatuh lagi

Nadhirah is becoming more aggressive and active. N sometimes she can be so garang. I was sitting on a couch watching tv with her last nite. Elok2 je dia duduk suddenly "gedebuk" and followed by a cry.
She fell off the couch!!!! I panicked for a while. Kuat jugak d sound of d fell. Grab her n hug her. I cukup risau bila dia jatuh. Afraid if her brain shaken or worst cud led to bleeding in d brain. Nauzubillah.
After checking her head and body for any injuries..i felt relief but i know i have to monitor her for d next 24 hours. Risau nye if anything happen. I normally check behind her ears for any blood clot or lebam and be alert if she throws up. Having kids of your own making u lil more aware of basic first aid..ala jadi doktor pun ada.
Here an article form babycenter.com if what to do if your babe fell..

Whenever your baby takes a serious tumble — from a couch, bed, highchair, crib, or countertop, for example — you'll need to do a thorough check for injuries, especially if he falls on his head or back.

You'll want to make sure that your baby doesn't have any serious wounds, that he hasn't broken any bones, and that he hasn't suffered a concussion or other internal damage. Falls can be serious, but because your baby's bones are soft, they don't fracture as easily as those of an older child.

If your baby looks okay to you and seems to be acting normally, chances are the fall didn't cause serious injury. Be thankful, but keep an eye on him. Continue to carefully observe your baby for the next 24 hours, especially if he bumped or fell on his head.

And err on the side of caution: If you're uncomfortable with the severity of your baby's fall — you think he had to have gotten hurt — or if your baby is acting irritable or confused, take him to the doctor to get checked out.

Call 911 if your baby experiences any of the following after a fall:

• A loss of consciousness. If your baby isn't breathing, have someone call 911 while you administer infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until help arrives. If you're alone, give your baby CPR for two minutes, then call 911 yourself.

• Bleeding that you're unable to stop with pressure.

• If your baby is breathing but not responsive — he's unconscious after the fall or you're unable to wake him up after he goes to sleep, for example.

Take your baby to the emergency room or talk to his doctor immediately if you notice any of the following:

• Signs of a broken bone, including an obvious deformity, like a wrist that is bent awkwardly, or an arm or a leg that seems out of alignment.

• Signs of a possible skull fracture: A large, soft area on the scalp, especially on the side of the head (above or behind the ear); blood showing in the whites of his eyes; or pinkish fluid or blood draining from his nose or ears.

• Signs of a concussion, such as unusual eye movements or pupils that are unequal in size; persistent vomiting; or excessive sleepiness. Depending on your baby's age, look for a change in how he crawls or walks; weakness or confusion; or problems with speech, vision, or motor skills.

• Prolonged crying or screaming, which could indicate a possible internal injury.


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