Sketches of Life|Life Lived in Simplicity

I do not like change but change has come to my life often. Oh well, if there is no change, life would be very monotonous and boring.

Just when I am about to settle down with my newborn, homeschooling starts. Before I really establish my homeschooling schedule, the only staff in our CC resigned.

After working there for a few times, hubby offered me to manage the business. Right now, I am training my niece who is waiting for her SPM result to run the business for us till her uni intake.

I am a businessmom!

Come June, there will be another change in my routine.

God sure knows how to keep me on my foot.

God has been very good to us. Again He is our Jehovah Jireh. As you all know that my girls are taking piano lesson and their teacher informed us that we need to get them a piano for them to practice at home. She can even help us to get one on installment. We can’t afford to pay the down payment for a used car, what more for a piano. We told our children, for the time being to be contented with just a battery operated keyboard and pray, in due time God will bless them with a real piano.

Just last month, my girls told us that they can no longer practice on their 54 keys keyboard. Not enough keys! I told hubby about it and knowing our financial situation, I agreed with hubby when he told his children to imagine the keys are there when they practice.

God saw and God bless! My eldest BIL recently moved to the city from living in an estate bungalow. He decided to give away his old acoustic piano because it is big and heavy. He offered it to us and we said “Yes!” immediately. We need only pay for the transportation cost. Isn’t God good! From spending RM5-7k, we need only come out less than RM500.

Next in our prayer list is an 8 seaters or more MPV. The mpk mini laptop keyboard, maybe later if my children decided to study music production. Anyone wanna give away their MPV?

The West used to think that Malaysian still lives on tree. We have not been living on trees for ages. My great great great grandfather came from China also never live on trees. Maybe they are referring to the Aborigines.

But we do have a tree house. And it is right at my backyard, on a Rambutan tree.

My children spends most of their time up there now. They play, learn, eat and sleep there. We even camp a night on the tree house a few days ago. Yup! All 8 of us, slept on the tree house; with two mosquito nets.

Come visit us and experience the fun playing on a tree house.

It has been a very hectic week for me, juggling between family, homeschooling, work and baking Nyonya Pineapple Tarts for sale. On the days I have to work, I pack all my 6 kids and their books to work. On non working days, I’ll be busy baking Nyonya Pineapple Tarts and running errands for hubby. Once my tarts order is fulfilled, I am left with only one day to do spring cleaning. Thanks to one of my brother in laws, I only need to spring clean the toy room, empty my children’s room to make way for other family that will be returning for the CNY celebration, my children’s study area and my own room. Tomorrow is CNY eve already. After CNY is over, I wish to be able to relax in a heated pool where the pool heat pumps is working.

I thought I won’t have any birthday lunch or dinner this year because hubby has to work full day on that day. I almost has to work too on my special day. But thanks to a 3 weeks only part-time worker, hubby managed to leave his shop for a few hours just to dine with me. We had a very late birthday lunch at Kensington. This is the only time hubby would be willing to spend dining in a fancy restaurant.

Today is the 3rd time to many of times working in a cyber cafe. The first time, I brought along my 7.5mo, 22mo and 9yo. It was a bad idea to bring my toddler along. Not easy to handle an active toddler who wants to do everything with you. If possible I do not want to bring my 7.5mo too but I can’t because he is still on 100% Mommy’s milk; direct feed. The rest of my children, I left them at my parents’ house because they have their cousins to play with. 2nd and 3rd time, I left my toddler under the care of her older brothers, sister, cousins and her grandparents.

I have to bring my 9yo with me because she can help me carry her baby brother when I need to entertain the customer/s like printing, photostating and binding.

To keep my 9yo occupied, I got her to start doing Grade 3 AOP subjects. One unit completed, she is allowed 2 hours of computer time. One unit contained 46-52 pages. So, she’ll do half of it for an hour computer time and another half for another hour.

That’s how a mother of 6 can work. With many helpers in hand.

The school holiday is here. I can choose to sleep in till 8am or wake up at the same time when it is school day to go cycling. My eldest likes the idea of going cycling with mommy because all this while she cycled with daddy.

On the first day, we cycled for 3km only as I fear that I will exert my c-sec scar. On the 2nd day, we cycled to the beach and back home the same way. We cycled for 8km. On the 3rd day, we tried cycling further. We made one big round to reach home. From home to the beach to Pulau Gadong, to my parents’ place and back home. It was about 13km ride. My c-sec area hurts.

So, we decided to rest till this day. Might try again tomorrow.

These are all mine. 3 girls and 3 boys, aged 9yo,8yo,6yo,3yo,22mo and 7mo. I raise them up with the help of my husband, MIL, my parents and no maid.

It is VERY challenging, VERY stressful at times but I am VERY blessed to have all of them. They made my life VERY colourful.

All 6 have very different personality. One will help me with the housechores, one can babybit, one can play with the younger ones, one very joyful, one reminds me that i was once a tomboy, and one for me to adore and sucks the fat out of me. hehe.

On good days, I feel I want to have another one! Crazy me.

Once upon a time, I learned how to play the guitar. I went through the torture of getting all my left 5 fingers seasoned. I can play a few simple praise and worship songs. I even play in CG. Sadly, after the children come, I have no time to play the guitar. I don’t even know how to tune the guitar, let alone knowing what is mesa boogie 2×12 cabinet. It got something to do with guitar amplifier, I guess. However, I do plan to pick up guitar again. When will that be? Only God knows.

This happened a few weeks ago.

I was standing on a pile of broken cement and rocks near our farm looking for coconuts. Just when I was about to turn around to head to the house, I saw a black coloured snake (cobra, i think coz i didnt see the head) slithers the other direction a few inches from my foot! It gave me a fright and I ran for my life. Thank God it did not bite me when he passed by my feet.

After that day, I did not go to that spot for about a week.

A week later I went there again to collect the coconut that has fallen from the tree. I even say it out loud, “Snake, you don’t disturb me arh, I am passing by here to collect the coconut.” I was carrying my 5mo at that time and my 6yo came with an old stroller to help me wheel the coconuts.

I braved myself and look around the piles of broken cement and rock. I saw a hole, a snake hole! I have seen snake holes many time but it was always empty. I went nearer to get a better view of it. It looks different that the normal holes that I’ve seen before. There’s something shiny and silvery there. Then I see the snake’s eyes. Apa lagi, told my son to leave the stroller and ran for our life! Hubby wasn’t around that evening.

The next day, I showed hubby the snake hole. We came with bamboo sticks this time but the snake was not in the hole. So, hubby just demolish the snake hole.

I hope, I don’t have to meet his again.