Potty Training: Part 2

17 months, 1 week & 1 day old.....

We went to My Dear warehouse sale over the weekend and bought a potty for Ethan. It looks similar to the one from Graco shown in my previous post but has less feature. The seat cannot be removed from the potty to be put on the WC. They have at least 10 types of potty in the warehouse but none has a removable seat. So, we chose one that looks like a chair. Actually, hubby made the selection and I'm ok with it. We also bought a safety gate since I have to return the current one to my sister sooner or later. Oh ya! the potty was selling at RM39 only, after discounts.

I let Ethan to sit on it but as usual he can't sit still. The only way I can make him sit longer is to let him play in the bathroom. So, once I know he has started to poo, I stripped him off except with the diaper on and put him on the potty. He cannot tell us yet when he wants to poo so the only way we can find out is from his expression.

He can sit on the potty as long as the water from the tap is running. Hubby thought I was crazy when I asked him to give me the camera and took photos of Ethan sitting on a potty.

From the look on his face, you can tell Ethan thought I'm crazy too.

P/S: Thanks to Sasha for the lovely animation!

Fun Online

There are so many things we can do online now. Online shopping, online games, online casino and the list goes on. No wonder children are so hooked to their PCs now. While the internet is an important communication and education tool, I think there are other unwanted elements it brings to our society nowadays. The worst is porn but there are many ways to block all this evil sites from our children. Even though there are pros and cons on the internet usage, I think the benefits should outweigh the risks if we guide our children properly. I don't mind if they play online games or chatting but they must know their limits.

For the adults, we should know what's good and what's bad. If you think getting a hand on betting is not a bad thing at all, then you would probably be interested to find out which online casino gives you the best deal. You can read the reviews of hundreds of online casinos, if you have the time.

Potty Training

17 months & 4 days old.....

I’ve just started to potty train Ethan at home. I know many kids are fully potty trained by now and their mothers are very proud of their kids. Well, I would be proud too. I cannot explain why I didn’t start to potty train him earlier but I guess it’s still not too late to do it now. Probably, I’m one lazy mum. I think potty training requires a lot of patience and discipline. But I’m ready to do it now.

My mum bought a potty for Ethan when he was a new born. So, I use that for the time being. Whenever he poops, I will quickly put him on the potty and let him finish his business. The first time I put him on the potty, he refused to sit on it, even with the diaper on. After a few times, he can sit longer but needs to be distracted and the ideal place to do that is in the bathroom. He likes to go in there because he will think it’s shower time. Yeah, he loves shower very very much. I let him sit on the potty with the diaper on mainly because there’s no point taking it off when it’s already soiled and I dread to clean the poop-smeared-potty.

The current potty is getting a bit too small for Ethan. I’ve been looking for a potty, which can be used for longer term. I went to many online baby stores, be it local or overseas, and I found the type that I want to buy. It’s potty + stepstool + removable seat like the one shown below (from Graco). I especially like the removable seat, which I can put on the WC when Ethan is older. If you are not sure which type of potty to buy, I suggest you read up some guide for potty training and important features of a potty.

Storage Solution

This a sponsored post.

It will be good to have more rooms or a garage at home especially when we have a lot of stuff. The longer we stay in a house, the more things we will have collected over time. I hate to see things scattered all around the house but that's what Ethan likes to do now. With his toys in the living hall and in the guest cum store room, I seriously think I need better storage solutions. We don't have a garage so, things have to be stored somewhere in the house. Arghhhh!

Could it Be Due to Swimming?

17 months & 3 days old.....

We brought Ethan to the pool on Tuesday evening. The weather was good with sunshine and no rain. It was the first time we brought him to a pool despite being so accessible to the facility. I bought a swim diaper for him before I left for Ukraine but did not have the opportunity to let him use it as it's raining season now. So, when I saw the sun still shining brightly on Tuesday evening, I suggested to hubby to bring Ethan for a dip.

Ethan was a bit scared when we carried him into the pool. He held on tightly to us and refused to sit in the float/trainer seat. So, we carried him and let him sit by the pool side. He had a splashing fun after that. It was pretty cold even though the sun was still shining because it's windy. Less than 15 minutes after that, I saw Ethan's lip turned purplish and he was shivering a bit. We quickly carried him out of the pool and wrapped him in a towel and gave him warm water to drink. He was fussing and wanted to go back to the pool but we do not want him to catch a cold.

Too bad! He got a running nose the day after, which was yesterday. It's been quite a while since he got one. Now, I just hope he will recover fast.

Oh! Getting back to the swim diaper, I searched for it high and low before I found one with a reasonable price at Isetan KLCC. The brand is Water Color and it's selling at around RM30. The sales girl said they only sell it at KLCC even though the brand is available at other outlets.

Where to Get the Best Deal?

This is a sponsored post.

I always think it's better to invest in a house than a car. House always appreciates in value but for car, the moment you buy it, the value depreciates. Many people buy houses for investment and they will either rent it out or sell it. And when some home owners run into financial difficulties, they can take up home owner loan like Home Loans UK for some extra cash. For Magic Loan, they also offer home owner loans but with extra services. Many people do not know which secured home owner loan would be best suited to their particular needs. So, Magic Loan will help them to relieve that concern and to take on the entire responsibility for locating that ideal loan, big or small. They use their extensive network of financial resources to source the most suitable loan in the market. They will also take into account all of your personal circumstances, the amount you can afford to comfortably pay back and tailor-make the loan so that it perfectly suits both your requirements and your means.

Tag: 555

This is a long overdue tag from Malaika's mummy. Thanks for the tag.

5 things found in my room:
- Bed
- Mattresses
- Cabinets
- Diapers
- Toliet

5 things I’ve always wanted to do:
- Go for a cruise holiday
- Slimming treatment
- Stay-at-home 'tai-tai'
- See the snow in winter time
- Tell off the 'woman' in my office that she's a bitch

5 things found in my bag:
- Purse
- Comb
- Tissue
- Mobile phone
- Receipts

5 things found in my wallet:
- All sorts of cards
- Cash
- More receipts
- Mykad
- Mykid

5 things I’m currently into:
- Blogging
- Digital Scrapbooking
- Massage
- Facial
- Parenting

Online Shopping

The shopping malls are mushrooming in our country lately. Whenever I flipped the pages on the newspaper, there are advertisements on openings of new malls. Sunway Pyramid new wing, KL Pavilion, the Gardens at Midvalley, to name a few. No matter what, I still think online shopping is the way forward. Many stores are offering online shopping now even though they still have retail outlets. Not to mention other online shops set up by individuals including stay-at-home-mums. Now, people can even buy merchandises online from pharmacies. I find shopping online is really hassle-free especially when we do not always have the luxury to go out and shop and get caught in the traffic jam. If you have a toddller in tow, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. I guess it's not difficult for one to start an online business now since there are so many companies out there providing services like web hosting, e-commerce software and hosted shopping cart software. All we need is a reliable and good service provider.

Happy 17 Months!

Today Ethan is 17 months old. The more he grows the more I miss his babyhood. The thing I miss the most is the times I cuddled him to sleep in my arms. He will not let me do it now as he likes to move around a lot. Sometimes, I feel he's so grown up especially when he communicates and interacts with us. He can understand what we tell him most of the time and can express himself pretty well. If we ask him 'Where is your ball ball?', he will look at us for a moment as if to interpret what we say and then look for the balls. If he cannot find the balls, he will look at us and says 'Uh Oh!' and turns his wrist. He can tells us what he wants and does not want. If he doesn't want/like a thing, he will say 'Noe Noe Noe' and shakes his head at the same time. Sometimes he frowns too!

Persons he can address are (in sequence of first learnt to the latest word he picked up):

• dau dau (my mum's dog) - jealous! the first person/living creature he can call
  
• poh poh (grandma)
• aah eeee (my sisters)
  
• da deee (daddy)
• ka kak
  
• mei mei (girls younger than him)
  
• ma mei (mummy) - and I'm the last
  

Other new words he picked up are:

• noe noe noe (no)
  
• yae (yes)
• car (also known as brrrrrrrrrr)

Another thing he likes to do is to imitate us. Things he had done so far are:

• put cotton bud to his ear (I clean his ear with cotton bud. Now I have to do it when he sleeps to avoid him putting things into his ear.)
• put the bulb syringe to his nose (after we used that to suck the mucous from his nose)
• used the wooden stick to take balls underneath the cabinet
• fed himself with a spoon (or hand if the attempt with spoon fails)
• pushed his stroller/trolley
• pressed his nose with his thumb and index finger when we say 'eeeeeee smelly'

Other updates are as follows:

• Height: 78-79cm
  
• Weight: 10.6kg
  
• Milk intake: Average 3-4 times/day, 4-6 oz/feed
• Solid: 2-3 times/day (porridge for weekdays & rice with soup at weekends)
• Potty training: started at home but refused to sit for long
  
• Night feeding: once at around 5-6 a.m. (last feed at around 8 p.m. before he sleeps)
• Supplements: Cod liver oil (Scott's Emulsion natural flavour) & Colostrum pills
  
• Daily Snacks: Yoghurt, fruits & biscuits
  

Settle Our Mortgages

This is a sponsored post.

When we bought our house, we took a 30-year mortgage from the bank. Jeeesh! Too painful to think that we have to pay for the house for 30 years. But, we don't have a choice. That's the only way we can own a house and how many people can buy a house without mortgages from the bank? Luckily, we can withdraw money from our EPF and we calculated that we can pay off the mortgage, roughly, in the next 6 years. We were not so lucky because the interest rates at that time was quite high compared to last year. It's really important to get cheap mortgages with low interest rate. Unfortunately, we didn't know much about it at that time. And, it took me quite sometime to realise that a big portion of the monthly payment we made went to the interest. Only very minimal amount went to the principal. Some people go for remortgages to cut down on their mortgage repayment but there are other costs to consider also because I understand that new agreements have to be made with the bank. Also, if you have bad credit history, you need to look for banks that offer adverse credit remortgages.

Tag: 38 Interesting Questions

Judy, thanks for the tag.

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? Ethan
2. What were you doing at 0800? Checked e-mail
3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Still checking email
4. What happened to you in 2006? Gave birth to Ethan
5. What was the last thing you said out loud? Yeah!
6. How many beverages did you have today? One
7. What color is your hairbrush? Brown
8. What was the last thing you paid for? Kitchen sink
9. Where were you last night? Home
10. What color is your front door? Cream
11. Where do you keep your change? Purse
12. What’s the weather like today? Rainy/Cloudy
13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? Chocolate
14. What excites you? Shopping
15. Do you want to cut your hair? Definitely!
16. Are you over the age of 25? Way over
17. Do you talk a lot? Not really
18. Do you watch the O.C.? Nope
19. Do you know anyone named Steven? Yes
20. Do you make up your own words? I don't thin so
21. Are you a jealous person? Yes!
22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. Anthea
23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. *Can't think of any*
24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? My sister
25. What does the last text message you received say? *Can't tell lar, personal*
26. Do you chew on your straw? Used to like it
27. Do you have curly hair? No
28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? The loo
29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? No such person, phew!
30. What was the last thing you ate? Bread and cheese
31. Will you get married in the future? Yeah! next life
32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? Pirates of the Caribbean 2 (on Astro)
33. Is there anyone you like right now? All in my family
34. When was the last time you did the dishes? Yesterday
35. Are you currently depressed? No
36. Did you cry today? No lar
37. Why did you answer and post this? It's a TAG mar!
38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey. Don't want lar

Something to Stimulate Your Brain

This is a sponsored post.

When you are free or down or lost and don't know what to do, I suggest you go to Quibblo and do some fun quizzes. It helps to build up our general knowledge too. I like doing quizzes and puzzles that are found in the newspapers or magazines. But, Quibblo offers a lot more choices for us and we can search for topics that are of special interest to us like for the young ones, they can do teen quizzes. Better still, if you are not happy or have comments about the topics, you can voice it out at their comment/discussion forum.

Meeting New Friend

16 months, 3 weeks & 4 days old.....


We brought Ethan to meet Darren on Monday (15 October 2007). I think that was our third attempt in arranging a meet up and I'm glad it worked out finally. Thanks to Darren's mummy for initiating it. We had a good time chatting and exchanging ideas on child care. Both of us are first time mummies, so there were a lot of things we shared with each other. I hope we can meet more often. I think Darren and Ethan got along quite well that day. Both of them had a great time at the McD's play area. Darren is very friendly and I'm surprised that he wanted me to carry him even though that was the first time he met me.

P/S: Thanks to Darren's mummy for sending the photos to us.

Visitng UK

UK is definitely one of the most popular countries for holiday makers. I've been there twice and visited London, Oxford and also a brief visit to High Wycombe. There are so many other places, which I like to visit as well but unfortunately did not have enough time. The first time I went to London, I stayed with my cousin and he also brought me around for sightseeing. Lucky me, I got a tour guide at no cost and I saved a lot on lodging. Everyone knows hotels in London are very expensive. My first stay there was quite short as I only had 3 days but I managed to visit quite a number of the tourist spots. Personally, I think that the cathedral and museums are worth visiting but the most wonderful experience was watching a performance at the theatre.


Oxford is also a very nice place to visit. Unfortunately I didn't get to see the place they filmed Harry Potter. It was closed. It was a one-day trip and we stopped at Bicester Village for some shopping. Things are cheaper there compared to down town but I still find them expensive compared to the prices in the U.S. especially for brands like Gap and Ralph Lauren.

If I have the chance to visit UK again, I want to visit other places like Birmingham and Manchester. But, I have to look for the hotels myself this time and I hope the hotels in Birmingham and the hotels in Manchester will be cheaper than those in London.

Toys for Ethan

Nowadays when we go out, we will consciously or unconsciously browsing through the toys section and the problem is, we (or Ethan) seldom left empty handed. I guess this is a common problem for parents. At his age, Ethan does not know how to demand for toys when we go out but we happily show him the toys, happily pay for it and happily watch him play. His favourite toys at the moment are balls including balloons. All sorts of sizes and colours. And 'ball ball' is his favourite word too.

The other day, I bought a set of Happy Meal and got a free robot for Ethan. He likes it so much and refused to let go of it even after playing with it for more than 1 hour. That's the first action figure toy Ethan got. I know what to buy for him next. More boys stuff like robots and super heroes figures. I found a lot of these from www.shopping.com and we can search for a suitable one by brand, type, size or price. I think the variety there is far more better than the toys stores.

Another thing I wanted to buy is puppet. He seems to be very interested with the puppets he saw in the Baby Einstein cd. I've been searching everywhere but couldn't find a decent one. I saw it once at a toy shop but it looks more like a glove than a puppet. I wonder now, do people still play with puppets nowadays?

Crocodile Tears

16 months, 2 weeks & 6 days old.....

This is Ethan's latest trick and he has perfected it since he started to practise few months back. He likes to use this trick to get things that he wants and also when he refuses to sleep, especially time for his afternoon nap. He has no problem taking his naps at the daycare or at my mum's place but not at home with us. Once, when I made a surprise visit to the daycare, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the kids sleep without making fuss including my little one. They just gave him a pillow to hug and pat him at the back. He fell asleep less than 5 minutes. I saw the whole process. Magic. My mother also said he will sleep without much problem, only sometimes it takes longer for him to fall asleep. He does not cry like what he did at home. Parents are easier to bully ar?

Other than crying during bed time, he also cries whenever he did not get things he wanted. Handphone, camera, spoon (the big stainless steel one), syringe, mugs, etc. etc. He masters the skill so well now he can do it anytime, at our request. But he will laugh in the end, because he knows it's just for fun. Watch the video.

Financial Planning: Part 2

Part 1 is about my spending habits in my younger days...ahem, although not so long ago. I know it's difficult to save with my spending habits. Putting money in savings accounts does not work and it ended up as a 'transit' account. Money comes money goes. In order to avoid myself from withdrawing money from the bank accounts, I opened another savings account without the ATM card and also deposited my money into fixed deposits. It worked quite well until now.

Apart from that, I also forced myself to save by buying insurance plan. There are many plans out there, but I chose the investment link plan so that I get medical coverage and savings at the same time. Although my company provides insurance package for employees, I still wanted to get one for myself because I might leave the company one day and left without any coverage. It's risky knowing that medical fees are very high nowadays. Furthermore, you pay lower insurance premiums when you start young and the savings generated will be higher. Hubby and Ethan also got their own insurance plan. My latest attempt in savings is Unit Trust. I read quite a lot of comments about it and also asked friends and colleagues on their own experience investing in Unit Trust, before deciding to venture into it. I hope all these will give us a more secured future.

No matter what investment plans are available out there, there are always pros and cons that come with it. So, I think it's best not to put all eggs in one basket.

Another Money Making Site

I don't know what got into me but I've registered my blog with a few blog advertising sites now and probably will do it again. The latest one is Blogsvertise. The rules and registration process are simple. Payment is also through PayPal, so it's easy. They also direct users to free blog resources for those who do not have a blog yet.

I think I'm doing it because I want to have more options and more offers but that doesn't mean I will grab everything lar. The main purpose of this blog is still about Ethan. I will try not to overflood the blog with paid post. With only one site, it's difficult to get what you want sometimes. Furthermore, if one service provider decides to stop all free blogs from doing paid post one day, I still have a back-up plan.

Tooth Chart

16 months, 2 weeks & 4 days old.....

The last time I updated the tooth chart, Ethan was 12 months old. I thought it was the cuspid, but turned out to be the first molar. The first cuspid just erupted, so are the first molars at the lower jaw. That explained his on-off fever & diarrhea last week.

His teething progress are quite similar to the guide given in the chart and I'm quite happy with it. I'm also glad that his teething didn't cause too much trouble especially high fever that requires hospitalisation (touch wood). Hope all the teething episodes will end soon.

I Need a Break

This is a sponsored post.

Since the trip to hubby's hometown during Christmas holiday is cancelled, I suggested that we go somewhere else. Main reason is I have some Enrich points that are going to expire end of this year. Talking about this Enrich thing, I find it not very user friendly. Anyway, since I got the points from my official travelling, not from my own pocket, no need to complain lar. Get free tickets still want to complain ar. I've checked with them and found out that I can get free tickets for 2 persons to Langkawi but not enough points for the hotel and flight packages. So, all I need to do now is look for a nice beach hotel. I really look forward to it because I love beach holidays. In fact, we had our honeymoon at an island. For a change, I would like to try some other places for holidays in the future. I wanted to bring Ethan to see snow and the nearest place would be either Japan or Korea. I don't think we have to travel to places like the US or Canada to see snow. If we do, we need to look super cheap flights to Canada or US.

When It Comes to Meal Time: Part 2

16 months, 2 weeks & 2 days old.....

After checking out various brands and shops for the high chair, I've decided to buy the one from Ikea. It's the cheapest I can find and I think it looks nice too. I saw some other that cost RM100++ but I don't like the design. The good looking ones cost at least RM500++. I don't know how long he can use it, so I don't want to spend so much on a high chair. 'Kiam siap' (stingy) mummy.

We headed to Ikea last Saturday and got it at a reduced price, RM59 without the tray. It costs only extra RM10 for the tray but it's out of stock. Ethan seems to be ok with it. He can finish his meal sitting in the high chair but as usual, we have to keep him entertained lar. If he's bored, he will wriggle and try to climb out. Another good thing about this high chair is it doesn't have the foot rest. Otherwise, he will stand on it and makes it easier for him to climb out. Overall, I think it's a good buy and hubby did not said it's a waste of money :-)

Entertainment during meal time

Financial Planning

I think everyone should be taught financial planning in high schools because it's a very important lesson for one to learn regardless of their career path. The sooner the better. I'm not aware or should I say ignorant about the importance of it until I got married and have Ethan. Most people do, anyway. The first few years I worked, I never saved. Like what most of the youngsters do nowadays, I spent what I earned and with a credit card on hand, the spending became worst. Thank goodness the bad habit didn't last long. I do pamper myself with nice stuff once in a while now but I don't go to the mall and buy things for the sake of buying. I used to buy things which I don't need but bought it because it's discounted. I know there are people out there who survives on credit cards and when the debts get out of hand, they take payday loans or cash advance to settle their debts. I don't know if that really helps to lessen their burden but I'm glad I don't have to resort to that.

Ideas from VisionBedding.com

After visiting VisionBedding.com, it reminds me of one thing. A bed for Ethan. Actually, we have discussed about that and wanted to get an adult single bed for Ethan so that he can continue to use it when he grows up. Another thing is, we will get more space in the room since we are still sleeping in the same room and have not plan to train him to sleep alone. I still want to sleep next to him :-) But, at the same time I'm also worried of the prospects of him falling off the bed. Right now, he has no problem getting on and off the mattress safely. I don't know how he can get off the bed safely since it will be quite high.

We saw some extendable children's beds when we bought the high chair. They are lower than the normal adult bed but can be extended to fit a single size mattress (I think). Prices are reasonable and the designs are nice too. Maybe we should go round other furniture shops that sell childrens bedding first during this coming holiday. Then, we can buy some nice bed spreads, like the one below, to cheer up our little room.

Extra Side Income

I have been doing paid post (with you know who) for quite some time now but the money I made was pathetic, I would say. The main reason is I do not have much time to log on. Then, the good opportunities disappeared so quickly and even when we get to write what we want, we are only allowed to write a maximum of 2 posts per day? That's ridiculous. I was really motivated at first but after a while, the excitement just faded away. Sometimes, the advertisers want a minimum of 300 words for a meager $5. Then, I found out about Smorty last Friday (thanks to Sasha) and registered my blog on that day. I find it very efficient and blogger friendly. Unlike the other blog advertising service provider...ahem....you know who....everything seems to be slow including approval of blog, getting your post approved, getting paid, etc. With Smorty, our blog will be approved in just 72 hours and get paid in a week. Attractive, isn't it? And, the best thing is we can reserve a job for 3 days. That's what I call blogger friendly. Now, my motivation is back. For those who are interested to get paid to blog you may consider Smorty.

Shopping Craze

The shopping itch is getting on me lately. Probably there are sales everywhere now since there are a few celebrations coming. The Hari Raya Aidilfitri in October, Deepavali in November and Christmas in December. Sometimes I can resist myself in buying things but lately, I've been spending more than usual. Other than the normal household stuff and Ethan's milk and diaper, I also bought clothes for myself & Ethan, toys, not to mention other things I bought during the trip to Ukraine.

I've also asked my sis, who will be going to the states to buy some clothing for me, hubby and Ethan. I know Gaps and Guess are much cheaper there. I wish I could go there again for shopping. Not sure about toys though. Maybe should ask sis to check out as well. We will be celebrating Christmas in 3 months time and if we are going back to hubby's hometown for the celebration, it means more presents and big hole in the pocket.

Changing Furniture

Sometimes, I feel so bored looking at my home furniture. Feel like changing it but I'm sure hubby will say I'm crazy. The dining set, which we are using now are around 5 years old and I got it cheap, rocking cheap, at a showroom closing down sale. Oh yeah, not forgetting the queen captain bed too. So, while browsing through the furniturefromhome website, I found that they have a good selection of dining room furniture and living room furniture. Detail information on the furniture is also given. It's very helpful and convenient too, as orders can be made online.