Mini Hari Raya Post :)

Assalamualaikum and Salam Sejahtera :)

Just a short post to state that I'm alive and well and back from my 10 days break *alhamdullilah* People have been asking for me to upload pictures via FB and Blog but I've had no time to properly download pictures from my various gadgets i.e. DSLR, BB and Tab into my laptop. No time ( malas mode)

At least the pictures in my tab has seen the light of day since it's easier to edit pics (sangat penting supaya sentiasa nampak cun) + consolidate (if not berjuta2 gambar terpaksa di upload) via various photo apps. So please be patient with me :)

*Alhamdullilah* my Aidilfitri was well spent with the lil kiddies and family. Travelling with the 3 tots ain't that bad and even my detractors have to concede that my "loratness" in keeping the kiddies on a schedule is beneficial to everyone (haha).

So here's a little spoiler of pics of our Raya celebration so far... more coming soon ( I hope!)



 The Azlan's on the 1st Day of Aidilfitri

2nd Hari Raya : A pic before starting our journey to Felda Soeharto, Perak :p

P/S: The kiddies are at that age yg susah nak ambik gambar because they are constanly moving. The sucky part is, if the photos are take by ME semua lawa, but when I'm in the pic semua moving... benci!!!

PP/S: We're finally going back to Melaka this weekend. I miss beraya in my kampung. Raya tahun ni rasa lain sangat. It is good but in a very different way.

PPP/S: Tau tak best teramat sangat ada twin girls esp. for a person who loves clothes and dressing up as I do. It is like having your own life size dolls to play dress up with hahaha

Selamat Hari Raya 2012

Assalamualaikum,

Today is my last day at work before I start my long Raya leave tomorrow :) As I do every year, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy and safe Aidilfitri. Hopefully you'll be able to spend it with your family and friends.

I would also like to apologize for my wrongdoings (if any) If I purposely or accidentally wrote anything in this blog that may have hurt your feeling, through my actions/words (i.e terusik, tersepak, tergossip etc). Sorry ok :)

Hehehe do I sound sincere enough? Lan always says my salam Raya mcm tak iklas :p This year I'm gonna stay up all night and mengarang karangan minta maaf that will blow his socks off (or maybe not)

Anyways, stays safe my sayangs, don't speed, jangan main mercun and most importantly EAT IN MODERATION :p. Hopefully whatever good that came out from this Ramadhan will stay with us throughout the next Ramadhan.

Love XOXO

Farhanna 

Of First Dentist Visit and Raya Preparations

Ryan First Visit To The Dentist

Lan and I brought Ryan to the dentist last Saturday. Despite brushing his teeth everyday, I've detected some cavities on his front tooth. I googled and of course a million of horror stories came out.

Suggestion ranges from "tampal" to the more extreme "tooth extraction". I can't make up my mind as some people told me to let  it be since it is "milk tooth" anyway and some scare me with infection stories. So I turn to the experts and made Lan call his dentist aunt for her views. After listening to her explanation, I made appointment with one of the company's dentist, a specialist, since Ryan is only 2 after all.

I was nervous the whole night as I can't imagine my baby boy lying still on the dentist chair. We went to see the dentist and I was all "doc his tooth is decaying (haha)". The dentist looked at me in surprise and asked "do you let him have his bottle at night" to which I'm guilty off :p She was like "never mind we'll take a look". Despite being totally awesome during our "practise dentist visit i.e. 'says ahhhh when dentist says open ur mouth'" Ryan decided to clammed his mouth shut and muka dah cemik nak nangis.

Somehow doc manages to coaxed him to open his mouth and started checking. "His tooth is not that bad la mama. If you continue brushing his tooth and limit his sugar intake, I think we can manage it". I'm like are you sure? coz the front tooth looks yucky (haha) doc explained that the culprit is most probably due to the fact that Ryan use to take "soy based milk" when he was younger since it contain sucrose (a type of sugar) We used  to give Ryan soy based milk because he has asthma but he's on An.Mum now since that is the only growing up milk with no added sugar.

Doc taught us the proper way to brush his teeth and send us home :) Though my fear is a bit unfounded, at least now dah puas hati sikit takde apape hehehe

Lesson learned: Once Iman and Ranya turn 1 we shall stick with "low sugar" type of formula and go on a yearly dentist visit once I can see a whole line of teeth on them :p Ryan will also follow me everytime I go for my 6 months dentist visit. Anyway doc also told us to NEVER start any of the kiddies on Ri.bena though it is rich in vitamin c etc it is a dentist nightmare. Very high sucrose level. Actually nak bagi boleh just in moderation and brush more often I guess.

Hari Raya

I'm in Raya mood already :) Dah pasang pelita and susun2 baju raya hehe. Raya with 3 kids this year *how exciting* I can't imagine the horror of packing for our Perak trip but I'm sure I'll manage. We've done our Raya shopping very early and since most of it is done via online, I don't have to go through the hassle and weekend crowds etc. For things that I can't get in the virtual world, I'll opt for shopping alone during lunch time, serious best (haha) sebab I can choose stuff in accordance to my liking and no lil kiddies meragam. Being in the middle of shopping heaven  i.e: OU, Curve, Plaza Damas, Tropicana and Mid Valley does make it even easier to shop.

Tapi Raya tahun ni is a bit sad for me. This is my first raya nenek-less, and not spent in Merlimau :'( Will miss nenek's cooking and of course her *sigh* oh well at least ada nenek/atuk/moyang in law from Lan's side. It is not the same but it will do. Seems sad that come every raya, I will lose someone dear to me (wan, nek mah, nek jah, pak ngah and pak chik) but that is the circle of life. May Allah panjangkan umur and berikan kesihatan and blessing to my love ones. Let's recite al-fatihah for those who have left us and may allah grant them an easy passage in after life *amin*

Alhamdullilah for my 3 little angels. They drive me crazy at times but they are the reason I wake up every day <3>

That silver lining.....

New responsibilities and new challenges awaits me :)

Rezeki bulan ramadhan and my children's rezeki...

ALHAMDULLILAH, Kau permudahkan-lah segalanya ya Allah....

A day in the life of me...

You have to do what you need to do...

That is what I tell myself, every time I'm too tired to move but still have to finish something, be it work-work or house work. Lately I felt as if my life has been a series of never ending tasks. There is rarely a lull moment. Every little break means a small window to finish another task.I console myself that it will be easier when the twins are a bit older. I remembered feeling the same when I was studying for my masters/moving/Ryan was younger but things did get less hectic for a time. So here's to hoping...

Things are still tolerable at the moment. I thank god that we've managed to get the lil kiddies on some sort of a schedule, which we try to follow as religiously as we could. Having my parents nearby does help us a lot too :)

I get a lot of people asking me, how do I survive not having a maid but still manage with the 3 kids but still able to look presentable and not frazzled in the morning (Ni bukan puji diri, 2 people actually said the same thing to me last month haha) My answer is very simple actually "we're used to it". I think the last time my family had a maid was when I was about 2-3 years old and Lan never had maids before. Our parents trained us to be independent when it comes to doing housework (taula nak guna washing machine, masak, kemas etc)

I admit since having the twins, we (I) have become a bit relax when it comes to mess. The house is kept CLEAN but I admittedly spend less time mopping/scrubbing the toilet floor/making sure Ryan's toys is in the right box etc (bukan OCD just a neat freak). Clothes are sometimes left unfolded for a few days before we managed to tackle everything . The problem is when you have 3 kids under 3 at home, laundry is a never ending process.

I mean when I get back from work, I rather spend the time playing with the kiddies rather than be dusting the furniture or whatever. At least I don't have to think about cooking as we usually have dinner at my mum's place. Currently this arrangement is the most practical since I usually reach Klang around 7pm. After maghrib prayers, the whole troop will head home.

The twins will be carted into their downstairs bedroom at 8.30pm sharp by their daddy and my task is to keep Ryan busy. We'll usually watch Cake Boss together while he makes a lot of mess with his toys (haha) sementara tu I'll either fold some clothes/cook frozen food for the twins or lepak. 9.30pm is Ryan's bedtime for which I'm responsible for, kalau dah tidurkan si kecik ni, sometimes "ter"join sama, sometimes after he's asleep I'll head downstairs to finish whatever task that needs to be completed.

Lan will carry the twins up and then it's bedtime for everyone :) The next day = Lan getting ready first since he needs to be at the office by 8am. We'll get the twinnies ready for school, coaxing Ryan out of bed + bath etc is no easy feat, and hopefully they'll be off to nursery by 7.20am. I'll clean up after them, get ready and go to work and the routine starts again when I get home.

I'm proud to say dalam hectic2 ni pun sempat masak for potluck and Lan's office function for 30 people ok and sometimes even fit in time for my scrapbooking project :)

Yes it is not easy but it is doable. Someone perli nak save duit ke tak nak hire maid. The thing is Lan and I are far from being richla but we're actually paying more (almost double) by sending the kids to nursery than having a maid. Practical la kan, I don't think 1 maid can take care of the kiddies + kemas rumah. Nak ambik 2 maids bukannya I live in a mansion, kan! To tell you the truth, I prefer the privacy of having the whole house to ourself and tak payah pening pasal maid lari, maid bwk bf balik rumah etc.

So we opt for the better option for us (for the moment) which is to send the kids to nursery and do the housework ourself. Worst come to worst I'll get a part time cleaner to come clean the house on weekends but we'll cross that bridge when the time comes... So far things are working for us. Memangla the house is not as neat as I would like it to be but at least it is clean, in a livable and comfortable state and for that I'm thankful.

Anyway, I know why Allah gave me twins, it is because he knows I'm an excellent multitasker (hahah) actually all mums are, so let's give ourselves a good pat in the back :)

Away@Work

Hahaha too funny!!! hysterical even...

My Secret Garden :)

When it come to our house, my husband's pride and joy would be the 1ksqf garden. That is "his territory" as he's responsible with the planting, watering and taking care of the garden. Anyway, this year we're making the garden as our "couple project", a DIY project for us to tackle together (bonding mahh...)

It is common knowledge that both of us don't share much of the same interest other than the kids :p Gardening is just something that we both enjoy doing (among other things haha) I don't really like the getting dirt under my nails part (I confined my activities to watering and trimming plants) but gardening brings back fond childhood memories and reminded me a lot of my late Wan. I remembered how Amir and myself use to "help" her tend her garden, getting hose down with water and picking flowers and fruits to play masak-masak *smile*

My main objective is just that, to create a space where my children can run around making their own beautiful memories together *insyallah* Earlier this year, we commissioned for the contractor to build us a gazebo like structure to house Ryan's playhouse (yes mengada ;p)

Garden view 1 year after moving in : 

As you can see the surrounding area is pretty bare :p

Lan managed to plant some palm trees outside the house, lilies and this purple morning glory like flowers.

 We bought close to 10 types of plants from the nursery and several big tempayan looking vases

 After a week of studying landscaping magazines and websites we decided that we (hubby haha) will dig a small pathway from the balcony to the gazebo using square granite stones and river stones.

A picture of my handsome gardener at work :p

 The result :) now we have flowers planted around the perimeter of the garden and a small herb (kitchen) garden for edible plants at the end of the house.

Last weekend, the kiddies having fun in their mini pool :) can't wait when Iman and Ranya starts walking, then the real fun begins...

Of Big Baby "Skool" and Tiny Babies Developments :)

Hello!! I've been abandoning my dear old blog as I can't find the time to type post even short boring ones. That's the problem with working in a unit that is greatly understaffed but received millions (exaggeration) of proposal/ review etc.

*pfffttt* I'm not gonna defiled my blog with boring work entries. Anyways, I've just came back from a 4 days break. It's just a break (not holiday ye people) to run errands and laze around but I had too much fun I wish it didn't end :p Hubby took some time off at the same time, so we manage to tackle a "couple project" that we've been planning for quite some time. I shall call it the "backyard beautification project" ;p I shall blog about it more later on.

Other than running errands for my dad and working on our landscaping project, I managed to register Ryan at his new Pre-School next year. It is quite early but places are limited as the skool takes only 10-12 4 year old per year. I chose the skool out of convenience, it is nearby Ryan's daycare (in fact it is run by the same person) and though it is situated in the suburbs (another word for KAMPUNG haha) their accreditation's is very impressive. The skool was featured in TV Al-Hijrah for introducing the Al-Bagh.dadi Al Quran recitation method and also in the PAMA magazines twice. It is also registered under KMM or was it KPM? so there's quality control there ;p The teaching medium is 60% BM and 40% English.

For 4 years old classes is pretty much focused on "soft skills" and developing motor skills. There's the normal language classes (i.e ABC, 123, AlifBaTa ), music, arts and craft, manners, Islamic studies (basic doa/aqidah/manners etc). There's also class trips (They went for a visit to Kid.Zania and a fruit farm this year) and some end of the year 2 days 1 night camp + sport day for the kiddies (errkkk sleepover for my lil baby??)  To teach basic manners and sharing, every Friday the kiddies is encouraged to bring their own food and share it with their friends (ala2 pot luck). All these sounds so fun and impressive I signed Ryan on straight away haha

Actually Lan and I did do a bit of kindy shopping. There's some discussion going on about sending Ryan to a kindy in Shah Alam, but my parents vetoed the idea as it is not very practical esp with the array of good kindy that is mushrooming and popping up in Klang + Bukit Tinggi areas. I relented and we decided the skool Ryan is going would be a great choice for him *insyallah*

The main concern on sending Ryan to school is the age factor. You see since his birthday is in December he is actually going to be 3 where  most of his school mate is actually already 4. I worry that he may feel a bit overwhelmed with the ongoing but the teacher comforted me that it won't be a problem. My mum also voiced her concerns over the fact that Ryan is not fully potty trained and he is not much of a talker and may not be able to communicate well with his peers, she thinks that we should wait a year before sending him to skool.

I think differently because I've seen Ryan interact and take instructions in his current skool. My lil man who  is very manja at home is actually the most independent and obliging young man in school (this is not me saying but based on feedback from his caretaker in daycare). 

Since we practise dual language at home (both BM and English) he is able to take instructions and even communicate in both languages. So I think we got it covered *insyallah* Anyway lil kids are like sponge so it is a big mistake to limit knowledge and information at this age, sending him to school early means the more he'll learn and I'm sure he'll enjoy it. Ryan was all super excited during his skoll visit on Monday, he shook hands with all his future teachers, greeted his future classmates and even had a short conversation with the headmistress about how much he love "yellow cars" - charmed the socks off everyone - Atta boy!!!

As for the cost. Monthly fees is not much different from what we're are currently paying but the registration fees is double my registration for Masters fee :p so Lan and I have to start saving.. A LOT :p... It is ok baby, you concentrate, have fun and study hard and make mummy,daddy, atuk and nenek proud. Come to think about it I better start saving for Iman and Ranya's school fees too, though it is 3 years away, bearing in mind it is DOUBLE the cost haha

Iman & Ranya : 6 months Development Chart

• Both are able to roll around from one side to the other so it is quite dangerous to leave them unattended on the bed as they may roll off it
• Both can sit assisted for about 10-15 seconds :)
• They're starting to recognize faces, so they are not very receptive to strangers esp Iman
• Both love eating esp Ranya : I've introduced the girls to rice, chicken, carrot, pumpkin, spinach,corn, avocado, potatoes, sweet potatoes, apricot, banana and mangoes. Fish and biscuits would be next on my list :)
• Iman can hold her own bottle, Ranya can too (she does it once in a while) but mostly refused :p A bit of a Diva being the youngest and all
• Both can make sounds that sounds like maaammmaaa and ammeeekkk... Iman love making the "raspberry" while Ranya love to laugh in a cute barky kinda way
• One interesting thing that I observe between the girls is in terms of developed interaction. With Ryan and most babies under one year old that I've either encountered or babysat, they are usually not that receptive to other babies their own age but the twins are different in that sense. They are able to "play" and interact with each other. Last week Iman was cooing to Ranya who find whatever it is Iman was saying hilarious and they started laughing and amusing each other for a good 5 minutes (which is a long time in babyland :p) How cool is it to have a build in best friend since you're in the womb kan?
• Ok this is a one time occurrence but I swear to god that Iman stood on her own while supporting herself on the walker for about 10-15 seconds. I have yet to try it again sebab kena marah by my dad yg takut cucu dia jatuh hahaha

Wordless Wednesday #18

Note: Last month lepak photos @ Meatworks,Citta Mall with the SeVen7 + honorary member Nia :p

Happy 6 Months Birthday, Princess(s)

Dear Iman Khadeeja & Ranya Fatimah,

I can't believe that you're already 6 months old today :)

Seem just like yesterday when I gave birth to both of you and we first laid eyes on each other for the first time...

It was L O V E

It is not easy to take care of both of you at first but in some ways I believe that both of you understood enough to not make it even more difficult than it need to be.

Thanks for being so considerate darling...

I love looking at both of you "playing" together.

I hope you'll take care of each other (and abang) to the day when I'm no longer here... 

How lucky for both of you to have an "instant" best friend since in the womb 

I truly never cared whether I was pregnant with a girl/boy before, but now that I have both of you here I'm glad because we are now the "ruling party" at home - Girls Rule!!

I can't wait when you are both old enough for us to play dress up.

Super *double* cuteness...

I hope you'll grow up to be anak-anak solehah, healthy, happy, considerate, intelligent and gorgeous girls

*insyallah*

Ohhh and I love that though you may look similar both of you have very different personalities.

I can't wait to find out and learn more about you everyday

Mummy, daddy and abang love you both so much Iman and Ranya

*hugs*