Our Proposal Story – Blog Train

Posted in Blog Train, Our Thoughts, Perth, Uncategorized by jahbella

Hopping onto the Proposal Story blog train after Michelle Hon and Cherie Lim..

I had missed the How I Met Your Father blog train a few weeks ago (definitely a story I will want to document for the kids someday) so I’m at least going to try and tell our Proposal Story 😉

So here’s the back story…Joel and I had been in a long distance relationship for 3 years, him in Perth and me in Singapore. It was 3 years spent on long distance phone calls and sms-es (Skype was really unstable and glitchy and there was no FaceTime then 😦 ). I also shuttled up and down, visiting him every 6 months and we pretty much spent my visits there travelling around Perth..ok maybe not all around but mainly to Margaret River. Wine! Need I say more :p

The yesteryear

From our 1st trip to Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse while Joel was still studying there

In September 2007, we were back in Perth with his parents, this time to attend his graduation. We decided to take a trip to Margaret River prior to the graduation ceremony, to show his parents what we enjoyed most there.

It was 16 Sep 2007 and we were going to make a trip to Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse that morning.

The view as we approached Cape Leeuwin that day

Joel and I had climbed to the top of the lighthouse on a previous trip. The climb was pretty tedious but the 360 deg view of the ocean was phenomenal. Joel tried to convince me to take a climb up that morning but I reasoned that unless his parents were joining us, there was really no point since we had already done so once ourselves. I was determined not to make that climb and I clearly threw a spanner in his plans. Looking back, I remember him looking visibly irritated and then abit lost (possibly restrategising :p)

After awhile, he suggested that we take a walk towards the rocks and ocean and give his parents some time alone to take in the sights. We walked off towards the ocean and while I was trying to find a spot for us to sit down at and enjoy the view, Joel was quickly walking off in front of me and ignoring my calls. Now it was my turn to get irritated and I decided to plonk myself down on a comfortable rock and wait for him to turn around.

After a few minutes of what looked like fumbling though his jacket pocket (yes all these on hindsight and I am clearly very observant :p), he decided to turn around and sit next to me. Honestly the rest happened in quite a blur, from me being annoyed that he had wandered off, to him going down on one knee and me saying yes). And as they say the rest is history 🙂

We had the presence of mind to document the ‘Proposal view’ after..:p

It rained shortly after the proposal and we proceed to lunch at the Watershed Vineyard. We had the most awesome dessert platter and spotted a beautiful rainbow after the rain..

The sweets we enjoyed for lunch after the proposal..our first dessert as Fiance and Fiancee

Side note – We will be making our first visit back to Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse after Joel’s proposal 9 years ago. This time with 2 kiddos in tow and we are going to show them the spot where Papa asked Mummy to marry him 🙂

A rainbow to signify our new beginning..

JahBella’s Mummy

This post is part of the ‘Proposal Story’ blog train, hosted by The Chill Mom.

Up next is is Angie from GrowingHearts123. Angie is an educator at heart and by profession. She blogs mainly on how she engages her 3 kids with hands-on activities especially the Visual Arts. In her letter to her kids, she shares on how Papa tricked her with an empty recycled ring box!

19Aug2015

What Singapore Means to Me – Regardless of Race, Language or Religion

Posted in Blog Train, Our Thoughts by jahbella

When FinallyMama initiated the “What Singapore Means to You” blog train, I was really excited to take part in it. After all I figured how hard was it going to be for a person who was born and bred in Singapore to pen down her feelings about Singapore. As the day of my blog post neared, I started to panic, not for the lack of something to write but because I realized that it was going to be hard to explain what Singapore means to me.

It wasn’t until National Day came around that I came to the full realization of what I wanted and needed to write about. My inspiration? The Singapore Pledge.

We, the citizens of Singapore,
pledge ourselves as one united people,
regardless of race, language, or religion
to build a democratic society
based on justice and equality
so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and
progress for our nation

Yes, notice the underlined portion? It was exactly this line that fully encompasses what my life has been about and what it means to be a Singaporean to me.

Lets start from the beginning…

I was born to Chinese parents who learnt Malay as they were growing up. I’m not sure if this was because of their Peranakan background or really just by default of what their parents opted for them in school. They didn’t speak a word of Mandarin but were fluent in the Hokkien dialect because this was how they would communicate with their parents and grandparents.

I picked up Mandarin when I went to Kindergarten. I came home after the 3^rd day at Kindergarten and started speaking Mandarin to my shocked parents. My mum eventually picked up Mandarin in her adult years and started listening to Mando Pop. We were also exposed to various dialects such as Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese as we were growing up and so can now fully understand and speak them to a certain extent.

Religion wise, my father is a Catholic and my mum was a Buddhist. Yes this made for quite a confusing childhood when it came to religion and what to practice but on a positive note, this taught us very early on about the existence of other religions and how to be tolerant.

I attended a mission school for 10 years and it was only after leaving school that I realized what my key take-away from that education was. I never noticed the ‘differences’. My friends were well…just that…friends! They were not Malay, Chinese, Indian or Eurasian. They were just like me and we were friends because we got along.

I think that was also what set the tone for my relationship with my husband, Joel. When I first met him, the concept of race never entered the picture at all. For those who don’t know, my husband is Indian. In fact, I have to admit that that fact never quite entered the picture until we were preparing for our wedding. But then again, lots of issues take place during wedding preps, regardless of race, language or religion. So I suppose it doesn’t quite count.

Which now brings me back to the point of What Singapore Means to Me. Singapore is that 1 line in the pledge which we as kids, have found ourselves reciting over and over again. Probably without realizing then that perhaps we do know the true meaning of it.

It also means that my kids will be able to tell people that their father is Indian, their mother is Chinese and that they come from an extremely multi-racial family. (Yes they also have an uncle who is Malay and aunty who is Muslim). I hope that they will eventually be able to speak/ understand English, Mandarin and Tamil and who knows maybe even Malay.

It means that my kids will hopefully never ‘notice’ the difference but yet know they exist and embrace it. “Regardless of race, language or religion”. This is what Singapore Means to Me.

JahBella’s Mummy

This post is part of the ‘What Singapore Means To Me’ blog train, hosted by FinallyMama.

Up next is Yanxiang

By day, Yanxiang is a civil servant who has taught English in a secondary school, and am now working on policies within the larger civil service. Her work allows her to constantly consider the people around her, and society in which she live, and how to better the lives of her fellow citizens.

She recently embarked on the remarkable journey of parenting a little boy named Isaac. Read about her life as a parent and how it involves twice the laughter, twice the tears, twice the excitement, twice the challenges and an abundance of love at thelittlestandusmakesthree.wordpress.com

7May2015

If I were a time traveller…

Posted in Blog Train, my thoughts by jahbella

You know the question that goes “if you could have one superpower, which one would that be?” I’ve always struggled to choose between teleportation and time travelling but well I do suppose they have their similarities. So yes since I’ve probably given this time travelling thing alittle more thought that the next person. I think it’s no surprise that if given the opportunity to time travel, I would be spoilt for choice on when I would choose to travel back to. So at the risk of sounding greedy, I have chosen just 3 ‘time’ to travel back to. :p

1) I would travel back to the day of my customary wedding

Not that I needed the day to be more perfect than it was. What could be more perfect than marrying your best friend right? :p But if there is one reason I want a do over, it is so that I can learn to relax and just enjoy the day. I think most couples can probably attest to the fact that their wedding day was probably one of the happiest day of their lives but also one of the most stressful days as well. If only we knew better to just relax and enjoy the moment with the love of our life.

2) I would travel back to the day we induced Jah’s birth

As first time parents, we were in such a hurry to meet our first born that we were constantly ‘harassing’ our doctor about the possibility of inducing. Plus the fact that Jah was an extremely big baby (3.75kg by 38weeks), yes you can barely tell now right? :p We were concerned that we would not be able to have a natural birth if he came out any later and grew any bigger. Inducing him at 38weeks resulted in a 18hour labour and an emergency c section after all time. So yes if I could turn back time, I would let nature take it course (no pun intended) 🙂

3) I would travel, travel and travel…

Don’t worry I’m not referring to time travelling repeatedly instead I’m referring to travelling more pre kids and travelling more pre Bella. Oh don’t get me wrong, I think we still do quite abit of travelling with 2 kids in tow. But I can’t help but now appreciate the simplicity of travelling just as a couple or with just one kid. Which makes me wish that we had travelled more often and for longer haul. That fear of bringing Jah on long haul flights now seems so minute compared to having to bring two kids on a long haul flight. So yes to parents with 1 kid, I say please please travel and satisfy your wanderlust. It’s not impossible to travel with more kids…just a very different experience. 🙂

If you were a time traveller, what would you do?

This blog train was initiated by Madeline Heng of MadPsychMum. To find out what 20 other mummy blogger cum time travelers would do with their ‘powers’, click on the badge below.

If I Were a Time Traveller Blog Button (3) 500x500

Next up is Jiahui, a working mummy of three who time travels to relive some of the more precious times in her kids’ lives. She blogs at Mum’s the Word. Read on to find out more!

JahBella’s Mummy

16Apr2015

Day in A Life – DIAL with JahBella

Posted in Blog Train, Weekend activities with kids by jahbella

Today I’ll be hoping onto the blog train where Jacqueline of The Little Mom left off and I’ll be taking you through a day in my life – our “Helpless Sunday”. 🙂 Yes it is one of those weekends where we require double the energy (because we no longer outnumber the kids) and we are operating on half the rest or wherever rest the kids will allow us that day. :p

8am – Our day starts bright and early between 7am to 8am when our children’s natural body clock demands that the whole family gets up with them as well. We typically spend the next hour getting everyone ready and are all set to leave the house by 9am.

9am – We have decided to keep things really simple today and find ourselves heading to a playground at a nearby mall. It is Jah and Bella’s first time at this playground.

9.30am – The weather decides to make us scramble alitle and it starts to pour, 2 minutes into our play! We decide to have some breakfast at Swensens, hoping the weather would eventually clear up.

10.15am – Thankfully the weather clears up by the time we are done with breakfast and the kids get to burn off some of that energy. Phew!!

What you don’t see in the playground photos, are the multiple trips I had to make to the toilet that morning. Yes both kids decide that this would be an absolutely fabulous time to do a Number 2, one after the other…and mummy was toilet IC for the day…:/

11.15am – It was time to pick up some lunch while the kids are still in a happy mood and can cope with some waiting. The kids also get their much awaited balloons and are super cooperative! Well except for Bella who melts down when her bread was taken away from her in the car….yes she has been eating since 9.30am….zzzzzz

12.30pm – We settled down for lunch as soon as we reached home and the kids are fed, showered and ready for their naps by 1.30pm. Although it is really anyone’s guess how long Bella would actually nap. We are trying out a new routine today with me being in charge of putting both kids to nap (we usually divide and conquer) but lets see how this works..really crossing our fingers today!

1.30pm – Off I go with Bella in my Rose and Rebellion In-Between Carrier (yes this is slightly bigger than a regular baby carrier so it fits a young child perfectly with lots of space to spare) while Joel watches TV with Jah. Mission Completion! The little one falls asleep in 5 minutes!!! Now to remove her from the carrier and hope she doesn’t rouse…:) There is hope for rest today!

1.40pm – Off to ‘collect’ Jah for his naptime – this one takes a little longer to fall asleep but is less torturing on my back since I just have to lie next to him and hug him to sleep. Asleep in 20 minutes! Nap time for mummy until Jah wakes up. 🙂

4.30pm – Kids are up! Activity and snack time!! Yes, Bella has been tasked to clean the table because she was naughty and drew on the table and floor instead of in the book. Tsktsk!

6pm – Off to get some drive-thru Macdonald’s and to get the kids out of the house for alittle while…

8pm – Movie night after dinner..winding down for the evening before I drag Jah off for his shower and bedtime…Tonight we are watching Percy Jackson!

9pm – Off to bed for the kids (takes me about 30 minutes to put Jah to bed) and then some relaxation time for the parents…

930pm – Some relaxation time for the parents…some entertainment and wine!

Just another weekend (and let’s just say this was one of the smoother days :p)..just another day in the life of JahBella’s Mummy.

This post is part of the Day in a Life blog train hosted by Mum in the Making. Click on the button below to take a 24 hour peek into the lives of different mummies, or link up with your own post!

Next Up on the blog train tomorrow!

Pearlyn is mum to a primary schooler and a toddler. She loves her role as a mother, although she wishes she could nah less sometimes. She blogs about how God has blessed her family at Blessed Family.

31Mar2015

Embracing Motherhood – The Type of Mother I am

Posted in Blog Train, Our Thoughts, Parenting decisions by jahbella

When Dominique of Dominque’s Desk proposed that we did a blog train on Embracing Motherhood, I immediately knew I wanted to write something but I really didn’t quite know what I was going to write about. So boarding the blog train from where Estella of Sooddlydreamlike left off….I will attempt to tell you more about myself as a mother…

I struggle a lot with motherhood. Well to be more exact, I struggle a lot with motherhood as a full-time working mother. Some of us choose to be full-time working mothers (FTWM) while others choose to be stay home mothers (SAHM) and others manage to find something in between. Is there really a right answer to this or a balance between being a mother and being in the workforce?

My kids both started going to infant care at the earliest possible age that any infant care centre would accept them (2-3 months old). I had a lot of mummy guilt over this. I admit that it gets better especially when I know my kids are enjoying school and love being around their friends. While I don’t regret putting my kids in childcare, I think they have gained a lot out of it (another conversation for another time 🙂 ) But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel horrible when my kids are the last to be picked up.

Jah’s first day at Infant care

Bella’s first day at Playgroup and learning to self-feed

Wishing me Happy Mother’s Day outside school

There are days where I just wish that I could stay home with my kids, bring them out for a weekday movie or just bring them wherever they want and just spend some quality time with them. These are the days that really get me down.

There are also days where I question my choice of being a full-time working mother and then I pinch myself. :p Because as much as all the mummy guilt kills me and as much as I want to want to spend time with my kids (especially on their good days 😉 ). I am also fully aware of the ‘type’ of mother I am.

I am the ‘type’ of mother who is not naturally good at the arts and crafts. I am the ‘type’ of mother who will find it really challenging to think of creative ways to teach English and Math to my kids. I am also the ‘type’ of mother who will occasionally need a break from my kids (which I currently get when I’m at work). I hope this doesn’t label me as a bad mother but hopefully just an honest one? 🙂

I am the ‘type’ of mother who loves to plan holidays for my family. I am the ‘type’ of mother who loves to imagine how much fun my kids will have and how much they can learn during our family travels and then try to create those moments for them. And to be honest again, my husband and I will not be able to provide those moments if we were not full-time working parents.

First time agreeing to take a photo without mummy or papa

Family pic!

Enjoying and exploring the green green grass in Perth

Learning to be brave..braver than mummy :p

So the occasional mummy guilt aside, I am this ‘type’ of mother therefore I have chosen to be a full-time working mother. There is really no perfect answer for this. Perhaps one day my approach, experience and skills may change and I will learn and become a different ‘type’ of mother. Until then I am embracing motherhood the way I know how and I think we will be just fine for now. 🙂

Bottomline is I’m the ‘type’ of mother they love and I love being their mother.

This is part of a blog train titled “Embracing Motherhood” and what our individual journey means to us. Click on the badge below to find out what motherhood means to 25 other blogger moms!