Four Letter word called FOOD - uks archives...

Assalamu'alaikum..

I haven't been on-line for ages. TM-net sometimes does this thing to me.
Sometimes super efficient, Sometimes punyalah susah nak log on. So excus the
length of this.

My kids have this problem eating as well. Kalau boleh tiap-tiap hari nak
makan roti-canai. Sampai the ustazah in school tries to get roticanai for
the morning snack when my daughter is around.
All green stuff is a no-no. Except for broccoli and cauliflower. Maybe coz I
like to buy the 2 vege as they keep well in the fridge. (Maklumlah orang
business and no maid - masak erratically).
Yes, they love Honey Stars and Koko Crunch....that's okay if they have it
with milk. But gosh!!!!So manis!!!!Then again it has those Atlantis toys
now.....Sometimes they'll hound my husband for his Great Grains (mahal.....)
Why doesn't Quaker Oats came with toys?????
All 3 never did like bubur. Maybe I tak pandai buat. They ate rice from
about 9 months. Softer rice of course. And nasi impit with soup, nasi ayam
(good and healthy). Aisha loves rice though. She rather eat rice alone then
have ikan bilis in it.
An unfailing recipe inherited from my mom is - all things cooked in tomato
sauce and kicap and a bit of honey. You fry the nuggets, eggs, burger,
drummets, egg tofu whatever.... then tumis a bit of bawang. Add tomato sauce
and kicap ( it will percik-percik..so must wipe the kitchen after). If you
want kuah add a bit of water but you must let it dry somewhat or else the
nuggets will not be crispy. Can also add broccoli (!!) or mix vege. Add
honey or sugar (sikit). And last add the fried stuff. The kids love it with
rice. And it is very fast to make. Takes about 10 minutes (while the rice
cooks in the microwave).
As I write they are screaming for pancakes and butter. At least
okaylah...sometimes they make me bake cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip
bread.
I have to eat out a lot - and the kids go to work with me. Sometimes, I can
cook i the morning. Other times its food from the restaurants next door.
Nasib Taman Tun has quite good shops. And Ayamas's chicken rice is quite
good and fresh.
Eating out is a nightmare. They always ask for Mac D's...did you know that
40% of Mc Donald's income comes from Happy Meals?????Must be many mommies
like me who like the free quality toys......and the feeling " as long as the
kids eat". My parents are going on and on about the contents in fast food
are not good for developing bodies and minds. And how each child is too thin
and too 'sihat'.Have they researched the development of their daughter's
sanity????Have you seen the new HAppy MEal ad..the one with the mom happily
going through her laundry coz the kids are happy????A bit more realistic
then the KFC guilty mom ordering the bucket and the kids turn up at the same
restaurant.....

AAAAhhhh...I have a new chairback. Aisha just climbed up on the chair behind
me. How I wish I could do this in the privacy (?) of my office. I can't even
have the chair permanently here...she'll climb up ON the computer.

Back to food. I guess we have to persevere. HAve you ever gone through a
time when your kids would gulp down everything on their plate and lick the
gravy in your parents/in-law's house. So they pack you all the same food, or
you take the recipe and make it from scratch.......and they won't even touch
it at home????Even keropok is tops at the grandparent's place. But lacks the
flavour in our house????
Elisa, your kids seem to thriving, so i guess you have got your feeding
programme right. Thanks for all the tips on food.
And Irene thanks for the tips..you have gone through a lot aye????
Okay enuff said. I have to go pick up all the HAPPY MEAL toys lying
everywhere. Before someone steps on something, breaks it and asks me to buy
another HAppy Meal to replace it.


Luv,
Ina..

UKS again.....written way back then...

(My kids are the first children/babies I have handled as I have
no baby sister/brother. But we try very hard to handle everything on our own
without our parents. My husband thinks we are egoistic.......but they are
our kids. Betul, salah kita tanggung. Semoga Allah bantu.)
Survive???Cope?????
Sanity is history for me.
Half the time I am screaming at the kids. Or crying becoz they just do the
complete opposite. It's just been a psychological roller coaster for the
past 5 years.
Okay.....I have no maid. So the house looks like there is no maid but a
tired, cranky mom. My hubby is a dear. He helps a lot with the housework and
child care.He understood that if I got too tired, the currently
breastfeeding kid would have less milk. And the rest would be reprimanded
for everything. But you always feel guilty about staying home the whole day
and still burdening him with housework or 3 screaming, demanding kids. So
recently I took a once a week maid to clean the house. It was a gift of life
( for that half day she was around).
When I do work at my family's shop ( I do Marketing & PR for Sri Munawwarah
Design), I take the kids to the shops with me. I used to take all the kids,
or at least the breastfeeding one to fashion show practices. We would appear
at the hotel hall with a double pram and another one with food and toys and
colouring books. The models would take turns baby sitting. Crazy woman
kan???? I suppose I have that added advantage (Alhamdullillah) of working
with my family.Lately, we employed a day-help to baby sit the kids at the
shop so that I can do all my running around. But since things got a bit busy
at the shop and we have not enuff staff, she is now helping out in the shop.
And I am back with the kids at home.
This is long, isn't it.
Anyway. Coping is no joke. Especially since I was never cut out for
housework anyway. With one kid, i used to go out to the malls or visit
friends bila tension. But with 3, that is suicide.
The kids differ in interest. Syafiqa is very bookish. so , from age 18
months, she was into colouring and reading picture books.I used to download
all the print centres from disney.com which saved on buying colouring books.
Now she can read (age 4 and half) English, BM and Jawi. so she reads to
herself and her sisters. That helps me a bit.
Ameera (3 years) is very moody. Nothing can attract her attention, except
Disney videos. So she will watch all the Disney classics. To distract her
from so much TV, I get books and colouring books and toys which correlate
with the story. ( EG, Toy Story action figures, Ladybird Books on Toy story
and Toy Story colouring books.) I used the same method on Syafiqa. It keeps
them occupied, but we have to guide them comprehensively.
Aisha just runs around and asks for milk. And climb the chairs. And goes
through the drawers. And pulls out all the ironing i have done.
I also find that if I play teacher and ask them to do the same thing all at
the same time they are quite happy for at least half-an-hour. Then they
fight.
I look to books for a lot of support. Islamic books usualy make mothers seem
like angels. If angels can scream at the top of their voices. So I also read
all the Mat Salleh stuff which is more humane and then correlate them with
Islamic principles.
I recommend The Girlfriend's Guide to Toddlers by Vicki Iovine. I think my
husband got it from Amazon.com.
How can I write so much?????Well, Syafiqa has gone to tadika. Ameera
insisted on following. And the Teletubbies is on the computer ( Aisha is not
watching but she likes to listen to the sounds). Bliss....
Oh yes...you know my goal in life? To get all 3 to have their afternoon at
the same time.

Bye for now...

My first Ummikusayang entry in July 2001.....10 years ago...

Assaamu'alaikum..just joined today...hope to be able to contribute on all
the 'juicy' issues which have been troubling me...I have 3 girls aged 1, 3
and almost 5......if boys are supposed to be more active and nakal....Allah
give me the strength to face another male after the dad......
I have been through a lot.....full time housewife & mom, running a fulltime
business with the kids in-tow. Working from home with kids in my hair.
Running fashion shows (Busana Muslim) and fashion shoots and tv shoots with
kids in tow. No Maid......Baking cakes to sell and smocking dresses...with
kids jumping around.....Running shops filled with customers with kids
hanging at my feet. Having serious meetings with kids demanding ice cream
and vitagen.
Home schooling the kids so that they stop asking me to read to them 26 hours
a day.....
Maybe I should have become a lawyer in the first place.At least I could use
my lawyer skills for more lucrative arguments rather then..."this box of
colour pencils are mine !!!" (The current argument while I write...my second
child has just stuffed colour pencils in a bottle of mineral water......)
Now comes my biggest trauma. Where do I send them to school????? So any
integrated Islamic school in Taman Tun-Bandar Utama vicinity???
Anyone who can help me is destined for syurga......
Wassalam.

Till death do you part...from my archives in uks 2001

Elisa and mommies dearie....

It hurts me a lot to see Ameera change moods..due to missing her
grandfather. It makes me really depressed.

Even on the day my father died..i had to pull myself together to be strong
for the children. Because it would not help to scream and go hysterical
because it would just scare the children.

I took all three of them and showed them my father lying on the bed. And
reminded them of their hamster and how it had died. Syafiqa remembers and
said becoz Allah ambil nyawa dia. But she started to cry... Ameera just
blinked. She kissed her toki though , as did the other 2.

I felt like screaming.......

After that Ameera went through a stage of denial. She refused to talk about
toki or kiss him before he was buried. Anyway, we took them to the grave, to
put flowers and siram air....to read fatihah. Of course Aisha does not
understand anything.

The day after. Ameera asked me why did toki turn into a hamster when he
died. Oh boy! Do i have a confused 3 year old.

Aisha says Toki tidur.....and she gets extremely clingy to my breast.

Syafiqa wants a detailed explanation about how and where toki grew up, how
did he meet nekmi....why did he die.....will we see him in heaven.

But they know where toki is. I bring them to the grave once a week. with
flowers....and doas semoga Allah rahmatinya......

It is the practise in Taman Tun that when someone passes away, the mosque
pasang Yasin on the loud speaker. I always hear the yassin being read and i
always ask my hubby or brothers to go check out who has left us.
I never imagined that the yassin was played 3 times for my father.

Now every time i hear the yassin on the speakers from the mosque, i get
goose bumps. And Ameera just switches off. She will retire into a corner of
the room and play with her upper lip.And she will insist on sleeping in my
mother's room.

Syafiqa sees no problem - she says takpe..kalau sad crylah..then you will
feel better. But she gets nightmares.

I still don't know how to handle the kids. I still have not found the
perfect words to comfort them. But i play it by ear.

I think many people lose their loved ones. I guess i yang sibuk nak
advertise my feelings. But all in the name of sharing my experience with the
kids.
Sorry if i overdid my writing..i do get carried away. The writer in me.....


Azizah....all the best on your new turnpoint. Keep heads up....may Allah
guide you on the best path.... do share withus your experiences.....

Thanx guys for bearing with me.....