Chronicles of a Stay-At-Home-Mum

We're home from a short trip to Singapore, 4 days to be exact. Why Singapore, you ask? Well it wasn't really a holiday. If it was a holiday, I would have probably chosen another country rather than this particular one which I visited once every 2 months last year. Actually, I had a business training on Monday and Tuesday so I decided to drag the whole family (this time, including Bibik) for a short holiday. I honestly thought that Houston was going to be Aiden's last trip on an infant seat but I was so wrong!

If you're wondering how easy it is to bring your Indonesian maid into Singapore for a holiday, i'll say dead easy. A friend told me that you need to make sure that your maid's passport is valid over 6 months before the expiry date and also the employer who's name is printed on the visa (in this case, dear Hubby) must be present when she walks through immigration. However, our experience was even simpler. Hubby didn't walk with our maid at immigration - she walked to the officer all on her own, and the officer didn't even check her passport. Just stamp stamp and go!

Anyway, I am still going through all the pictures we took at Sentosa Island, Singapore Zoo, Hard Rock Cafe and Hilton Singapore, so bear with me, yeah? Since this trip was so relaxing as our accommodation was fully paid, we splurged on good food and travelled by taxi instead of the MRT and last but definitely not least, Bibik was around to help out with Aiden, I couldn't help but compare how this trip was so different from all my past trips into Singapore! So for this post, I wanted to put up a chronicle of what I went through when I was a stay-at-home Mummy in Singapore, putting up with what Bibik does in a day while Daddy takes over being the sole bread-winner during that period. I guess, a bit of appreciation for women out there who makes being a homemaker as their primary occupation (apart from driver, referee of children fights, tuition teacher, just to name a few).

Sunday night is usually groceries night. We would walk over to the neighbourhood Fair Price and stock up on chicken, bread, milk, cereal, eggs and biscuits. Since halal chicken are sold in packs (they didn't have khidmat pemotongan ayam either), we would have to bring the whole thing home and cut it ourselves. I was not such a big fan of kepala ayam or kaki ayam so Hubby would usually graciously accept that responsibility while I store our groceries away in the kitchen cabinets, away from Aiden's grubby fingers.

Definitely halal.

Aiyooo this is why I get so disgusted with cleaning chicken. What is this? Vena cava? Aorta?

Thank you Hubby!

In the morning, I would have to wake up extra early since there is no Bibik to make Aiden's morning milk bottle. And Aiden is extremely extremely grumpy in the morning. It is usually easier to be prepared with the warm bottle rather than wait for him to cry and be cranky while I scramble to prepare the bottle. So in goes the warm bottle and after he's done, the pacifier goes in next and he continues his deep slumber. If I haven't done the ironing the night before, I would then proceed to iron Hubby's work clothes while he gets ready for work.

After Hubby leaves at around 8am-ish, I either start on the laundry or I join Aiden in bed. Hey, it is sort of a holiday for me, I don't usually get to wake up late on a work day, and from our CCTV, I know that Bibik includes a day nap in her daily itinerary too!

So, more often than not, Aiden get's to help me with the laundry. This usually takes place around 10am-ish. Not only do I have to do two rounds of laundry - one for clothes and one for the bulky bed linens, I also have to handle Aiden, who's level of curiousity sometimes include going into the washing machine or pressing the stop button in the middle of a spin!

That's how massive my laundry days are. Once the clothes are done, they go into the dryer while the bed linen goes into the washing machine.

Around this time Aiden would need a change of diapers plus another bottle of milk and then I would proceed to kemas rumah. This includes sweeping the floors, making the bed, wiping the TV cabinet and putting the sofa back to its rightful position. Sounds easier than done, especially when Aiden insists on helping me out with the sweeping (and proceeds to step on all the dirt I have sweeped and walks/crawls all over the house). Thank god I do not have to vaccum or mop as Hubby's company pays for a cleaning lady to clean the house once every week.

Around 1pm-ish I start on lunch. Aiden is a picky eater and usually insists on the same thing over and over again. I am no pro in making porridge so we would usually buy two containers of porridge to last him two days and I would just reheat it. Easy peasy. As for me, I would either make a simple nasi goreng or munch on my favourite bread.

Good on its own or with some strawberry jam. Nyum!

If it is fried rice, it is usually leftovers from yesterday's dinner.

So we would both have our lunch in front of the TV. Aiden gets the VIP seat in the stroller while I suap him his porridge. Why the stroller? Because we didn't have a baby chair and it was the only way I could keep him still while I coax his lunch into his mouth.

Thank god for cartoons on local TV. Aiden throws a tantrum whenever I turn on Channel 5 or even Oprah!

This orange stroller is well travelled and banyak berjasa. We left this stroller with the bell boy in Houston last year after we purchased Aiden's new Quinny. And I have to say, this orange stroller is a lot lighter and easier to manage!

After battling with lunch, it is finally time for a bath! Usually our first bath for the day cos I am always so frazzled running from one thing to another and suddenly it is nearly 3pm and I am still in my pyjamas! You must be shaking your head from side to side. I know, I know. I told you, I appreciate ALL you homemakers out there! Juggling back-to-back meetings are so much easier!

Back to bath time - I usually just jump into the bathtub with Aiden cos in the end I get wet anyway, and if we were to bath separately, who is to look after Aiden while i'm in the shower? Bath time isn't easy too when your baby is just starting to walk. Aiden just loves standing in the slippery bath tub so I have to scramble to dry myself off and get into my clothes while keeping an eye on him.

Right after the bath I would draw all the curtains close and cuddle in bed with him. Usually he's so dead tired that he's asleep in ten minutes - thank god.

I then take advantage of the peace and quiet to lipat, jemur kain and do some ironing. I also have to clean up the mess from lunch - spilled porridge and water on the floor, the sofa and the stroller. This is also the time when I would clean his milk bottles. I am quite particular about his bottles. Even until today they are steamed and refridgerated until use. So because there is no bottle sterilizer in Singapore, I have to use boiling water to clean and sterilize them. On other days when I am really lazy, I just sit in front of the TV and try to surf the net. I say try because I end up running into the room every 15 minutes because of Aiden crying. He is a very light sleeper, that boy, and just any bit of noise would jostle him awake. Also I get quite psycho, if he doesn't cry out after 30minutes I would actually imagine that he's crying and start running to the bedroom. And to lull him back to sleep is no easy task. The first time we were in Singapore I actually developed back pain due to all the dodoi to sleep and dukung that Aiden wanted.

And then Hubby arrives home around 6pm-ish. Aiden is usually awake by then, grumpy and refuses for anyone else to hold him other than me. Hubby usually tries to pujuk him by giving him a bath. So while they both are occupied in the bathroom, I start on dinner.

There is no rice cooker so I have to rely on the periuk. First time I used it, we had nasi hangit for dinner.

Thinking back, I never made any fish dishes when I was in Singapore. Chicken was always easier to manage.

This was the best that I could produce with the periuk.

Simple dinner for two with a choice of either white rice or fried rice. In this picture it was especially simple - everything was fried!

Fried chicken.

Fried rice.

And fried egg. Well what to do, I had to make do with whatever was available at the rumah bujang.

And of course, my favourite drink whenever I am in Singapore - coconut juice with pulp.

By the time dinner is over, it is time to do the dishes. Hubby takes over taking care of Aiden although I almost always find Aiden clinging to my leg whenever he wants something or just because he wants me - very manja! And then it is time for me to take my bath and watch a bit of television before I crawl into bed with Aiden and Hubby in tow.

And despite doing all these activities during the day, I still find myself staring into the dark thinking of all the chores I still have to do tomorrow, while my two boys snore through the night.

So will I ever quit my job and do this full time? Maybe not. But maybe when Aiden is a bit more independent, it gets more bearable? I really don't know. All I know now, is that I definitely need a maid!!!