Journal Writing for Kids

Unlike AM who is all chatty and spontaneous, AZ is more reserved and will only be her true self when she is among family and friends. Even then, I realize that she finds that it is pretty challenging for her to express her emotions. This proves rather difficult as she prefers to keep her feelings to herself. Thus, I have to be more alert with every tiny, little sign that might give me clues as to what sort of emotions she is having at that time. Like when hen she is suddenly quiet and refuses to cooperate, I know that something is bothering her. Normally, I have to pull her aside and prompt her with questions before we could really address the issues together.

The Kame Hame Ha reference to Dragonball really put me and my husband to stitches (since AM and AZ probably couldn''t understand it as much).

When she chose this book and told me how much she loved the story, somehow I got the idea of having her doing the same exact thing as the main character in the story did: keeping a diary. The book, Diari Conteng Jimi (loosely translated as Jimi's Doodling Diary) is basically similar as those of Wimpy Kids series. But I guess, the former seems to appeal more as the theme is much much more closer to home. The writer, Fadhli Hamdan has a website, conteng-conteng.com so you might want to head over there and check out his other books too. 

To not intimidate AZ, as the idea of asking her to write down her day-to-day experience on a piece of paper can be a bit tedious, I didn't put any rules as to what can go into the diary. I even chose a postcard sized, Hello Kitty book for her and we didn't even call it a diary, but we call it her creative book. I told her she can decorate one page every day and she gets to use our washi tapes, stickers, colouring pens etc (which we would normally save up for school projects) as long as she promises to take good care of them. And while she is at it, why not write something on it. Things that you like and you don't like. 

So, this is her first page. She has to do everything by herself, from cutting, drawing and writing; that is the main rules. It took her quite a while to think of what to write and decorate. But I really love the fact that she gives a title before she continues telling her story of the day. 

It didn't take long before AM decide to join too. 

This one is by AM as he wrote about traveling to the different countries and Malaysian's favourite drink, teh tarik.

I love it that although they didn't write or draw a lot, each element in the page becomes a conversation starter. AZ continues to tell me about other things that make her smile and AM further explains that the man in the picture is mad because the price of teh tarik is absurdly high, and guess what, it is the truth.

Weaving for Kids

I was looking for ways to improve AM hand writing skills. His handwriting, though readable, they are a bit sloppy and messy. While helping him understands the correct way to hold the pencil while writing, I  felt that he needed lots of practice in improving his fine motor skills. 

There are so many activities out there and you can tailor them according to your kids interests and ages. Younger kids might find paper cutting, sponge squishing or playing with play dough much much more appealing than any other activities. And fret not, there are also other activities which are geared more towards older children/teenagers like this. Although AM is seven this year, he is pretty much OK with any activities. So while I am at it, I figured out I might as well include AZ as she can benefit a lot from this too.

As I was reading more into the subject, I came across weaving. Remember when we used to do anyaman (weaving) when we were in primary school back then? I think I was in Standard One and I remembered my art teacher showing us the different anyaman used in making mats. So why don't we revisit that?

This is the most basic paper weaving. The kids were asked to make their own lines. Since it was their first time making them, they are allowed to make thick lines as they are a bit easier to be cut. The process might look easy but you don't have to go all perfect and gang ho about the kids drawing the lines evenly or cutting them neatly. Cut the kids some slacks and give a lot of positive reinforcements.

 They can practice their scissor cutting skill at the same time.

You need to weave it horizontally across the slits, going over and under them.

Weave more pre-cut paper slits in alternating patterns.

Weaving alone, helps them develop and practice a lot of skills. It helps them with their hand and eye coordination while strengthening their pincer grip which will come in a lot handy as your child starts to write. It is very therapeutic for the kids and you will be amazed at the level of concentration while they are performing the task. 

Once they were done with one, they can't seem to get enough. We started raiding the house looking for more things to weave. This is when the kids become more confident and creative. We found a basket and decided to weave around it with colourful embroidery threads that I owned. 

The kids decided that they want to weave the basket together, taking turns after every row. It took them two days to finish it, taking breaks whenever they felt like it. Notice that the slots are smaller and bigger in number compared to their first weaving project. 

More weaving projects in the future, I hope!

Health Issues During Pregnancy

This pregnancy by far is the most challenging one. It is my third pregnancy and the previous two pregnancies if I can sum up were pretty smooth sailing. I never knew that we are so prone to be contracted by so many diseases and aches. Let's see what I used to have or still have at the moment:

1. Lymph node tuberculosis

Luckily, I was reaching my final treatment days before I knew I was pregnant. I still don't know where I got it since no one in my family had it. I am a full time mom, so not many human contacts I suppose. I travel alone, no public transport whatsoever. The only thing that I can pin point, and I am not even sure myself, I probably contracted the disease when I was taking care of my father at a hospital months prior to being diagnosed. 

The symptoms were pretty mild for me. I wasn't even bothered by it at all. The night sweats and massive weight loss. But, so many things were happening at that point in life, so I thought there were pretty normal for me. Until, I realized that I had a small lump right under my left armpit. It started very small and unfortunately it was steadily growing even after I took months of antibiotics. The big C was in my mind the whole time. I guess that was the scariest part in my life. I had a surgery to remove it and they did a biopsy. And it was TB. Alhamdulillah it was not cancerous, and I guess I was lucky. And that was why I am still thankful to Him. 


2. Hives 

So with most TBs you need to be on meds for months. Shortest being six months but it can go up to 7-9 months. For extra-pulmonary TB like in my case, it is the latter. They gave me Akurit. Stronger dosage for the first three months (Akurit-4)  and the dosage were reduced with the coming months after that. The meds I can take. But I soon discovered, I was allergic to Akurit. When nights came, I had pale, red swollen bumps all over my body. They were hives. They were not so bad during the day because somehow your body naturally produces anti-inflammatory chemicals that lessen the itching sensations. But your body needs to rest at night. Hence, the hives get worse. I didn't know that Akurit was the culprit. So, I did everything to cross out any possibilities. I cleaned my house because I thought it could be the dust. I changed my diet. I drank lots of water. I tried not to get too stressed out but it was really impossible. How could I not be depressed when I had rough nights for months?  I mean, tried sleeping with those itchy bumps all over your body. It really affects your quality of life. When we found out the connection between Akurit and the hives, I was put on Zyrtec twice a day and it was all beds of roses for me again. 


3. Asthma

So when I had to go for my regular pregnancy check ups and with my TB history, my gynae also referred me to a pulmonologist just to be sure that I am really TB free. I was reluctant at first, but she had a valid point. If I still have it, it could be dangerous to the developing fetus. I guess, Allah is still  testing me. I had asthma. After so many years of not having it, now I have it. I was on Foster, twice a day for pre-caution and Ventolin, whenever I had attacks. It was so bothersome initially, but now, meh. 


4. Nosebleeds

I learned in this pregnancy, that I am prone to get nosebleeds. Why? The blood vessels in your nose expand, and the increased blood supply puts more pressure on those delicate vessels, causing them to rupture more easily. With me, it all started when I felt a sudden rush in my body, my face will be flustered and then the bloods started dripping. But the bleeding will stop in a few minutes as I would normally pinch the soft lower part of my nose and keep giving pressure. It was really harmless but it could be really annoying. 



5. Vaginal discharge


Do not be alarmed. It is common and it is normal to have more vaginal discharge as you approach labour. When to worry? When your normal, white, odorless discharge starts to change colour to green, yellow and gray with unpleasant odour. They might leads to several problems so you might want to inform your doctor. Or when you notice that there is blood or even when it is just tinged with blood and you are not even 37 weeks, go to the nearest hospital as it might indicate preterm labour. 

Just keep your panty liners within reach cause there is nothing you can do about it. And stay hygienic. 


6. Constipation and Hemorrhoids

My worst nightmare. Constipation. Somehow, when you are pregnant, your progesterone increases, which in turn relaxes your muscles including your intestines. It means food passes through intestines moves pretty slow. Slow movement means slow digestion which could lead to constipation.

The remedies are:

a. Drink lots of water. 
I'll keep a bottle of water next to my bed, at the kitchen, my coffee table and on my study table. That is my way of reminding myself, more like forcing myself to drink enough water everyday.

b. High-fiber diet.
Basically eat more fruits and vegetables. If you are too lazy or aren't too keen of consuming them, you can opt for fruits or vegetable juices. For me, kiwi helps a lot. It is proven to relieves constipation more than bananas. You know what they say, "A kiwi a day, keeps constipation at bay". 

c. Exercises.
Do exercises that you like. You can do yoga. Walk or swim. Just keep moving. 

Another tip is you need to know your poop. It might sound funny and weird, but it helps you to understand your bowel movement much better. Hence, which further actions to take. 

The ideal stool is Type 3 and Type 4. Type 5-7 means you are heading towards diarrhea. Type 1 and 2 mean you are constipated.

The thing is I also have hemorrhoids at the moment. Though it is pretty common for pregnant women and it might resolve soon after I give birth, it was quite bad for me. I was hospitalized for a few days as mine were quite nasty. And this is the main reason why I wish I should have fixed my constipation problem way earlier. 

Hemorrhoids happens when the blood vessels in your rectum get swollen. They are also known as piles. They might be inside or protrude through the anus. You will feel itchy and uncomfortable and in my case it can be painful. It happens because your stool is hard and the extra straining put pressure on the veins, causing them to swell. 

My piles were the size of a thumb, and in a mission to shrink them to avoid surgery, I was on Daflon 500 mg twice a day. They put Xyloproct at the piles and each time the nurses will push the piles inside your anus as it will help to shrink them. And it was hell for me. The first two days were still bearable, but soon I was begging them not to do it. It was too painful for me and I wish no one should ever go through that experience. 

Five days passes, and although the doctor advised me to go for surgery, I was very adamant to say no to him. I was let go on a promise that I will meet him for a follow up and I have to make sure that the piles will continue to shrink. 

I went home and I had rectal bleeding for few days. But I continue with the meds and it stopped. I also tried these:

a) Apply ice packs like they did at the hospital. Just put water in the disposable gloves, tie off the 'finger parts', cut them and freeze them. You will end up having five tiny ice packs that will fit likek a cushion nicely in between your bum. Creative isn't it? Just be sure to apply the "ïce fingers" for 20 minutes at every four-six hours interval. You can't do more than that as it will make the piles bleed.

b) As you apply the ointment (Xyloproct), the nurse will mix it with sugar. Don't ask me how and why, but the only thing I know is it helps to shrink the piles.. Something with osmosis I suppose. 

c) Soak your bottom in warm water. It helps to ease the itching too. 

d) Stay clean and dry.

e) Do not strain or linger in the toilet. 

f) Buy a donut shaped pillow if sitting is a problem for you.

So far, I was given OK by the doctor. That means no surgery. I just have to make sure that I watch my diet and try to avoid being constipated.

Declutter My Life

I am not sure whether I am reaching my nesting period yet, but right now I've been constantly on the you tube looking for videos on 'how to declutter your home'. Somehow I am so tired of looking at the mess and junks that I have accumulated over the pass few years. I have wardrobe full of clothes, and I probably wear only a quarter of them. I have donated and sold some but I still have A LOT. And then the books, magazines, bills and other documents. And they are just everywhere. Somehow, right now, the idea of living a simplified, minimalistic life seem so appealing. 

Here is a video of a Japanese man who owns, hear me out, a total of 150 stuff in his house.

I mean, less is indeed more. Ever heard of how Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs always dressed exactly the same almost everyday? I mean these are billionaires and they choose to wear the same freaking shirt and pants to work. Zuckerberg with his grey T-shirt and black hoody and Jobs with his famous black turtleneck paired with blue jeans. And these two are not alone. Albert Einstein. Yup, he too. Think of the time saved on having to choose the right outfit to wear. You also save more space and more money. 

When I was doing a research on home designs many, many years ago,  I came across the tiny house movement. Basically, people choose to downsize their lives and live in  a structure which measures less than 300/400 square feet. These houses might be small in spaces, but it is nothing short of function and style. 

This is a 143-square-foot house in the District of Columbia.

Tiny house in Nashville, Tenessee.

8 feet by 20 feet, solar tiny house project with lots of windows and a full glass door.

The tiny house project is not big in Malaysia yet. But it gives me hope, or some sort. If a family of six can live in such a small house like this, I really have no excuse right? Logically, small house means you are forced to decide which stuff is really important in your life. You don't need that extra bookshelves or shoes or bags or pillows or throws etc. You only take what you need and you don't purchase thing unnecessarily. It is possible, but at the moment the idea is a bit too extreme for me. Haha. 

So far, I am attracted to KonMari method of decluttering by Marie Kondo. Marie Kondo is an organizing consultant and she also wrote a book called ''the life-changing magic of tidying-up''. I've yet to read the book. But basically these are what she is saying:

Credit: Chritiane Northrup

Credit: Making Lemonade

KonMari folding method

This video will give you an idea about KonMari method of

 decluttering your closet for a start.

Marie Kondo is basically saying that it is possible to only clean up your home once, and never do it again. I am sold on the idea alone.

Wish me luck!!