Why I would never have 19 kids ..

The Duggars have 19 kids .. NINETEEN. Can u imagine that? Actually, you don't have to. Just watch the series on cable tv every week. Then you can SEE. Lol.

I watch the show with a kind of morbid fascination. I am fascinated that this couple is brave enough to have so many children .. And yet, I cannot fathom ever having that many children of my own. Ever.

I have a mere 5 kids and I feel like running away. Resigning. Throwing in the towel. U get the picture. Lol.

To think about 19 kids ??? There is not enough money in the world to convince me to have just ONE more baby much less another 14.

Michelle Duggar is a noble lady. To have given birth so many times. Wonder how she even takes them to the supermarket. I bring Calista and Charlotte and I feel like slitting my wrists. Especially if Calista decides to be difficult.

As it is, I am just waiting for my younger ones to get older. Waiting. And it seems like an eternity. And I'm getting older. OLDER. I don't want to be 50 trawling Orchard Road window shopping at the Hello Kitty shop. Lol.

Awhile back, Richard Marx was in town for a one night concert and I had to miss it. Charlotte still needs me so there was no way of leaving her at home with my helper (The Hubby was away at the time) .. I was bummed out.

Sigh.

No way 19 kids .. No way.

Awesome friends

Friends since 2002 when we were all posted to the States to live on an airbase .. Those were really good times .. Hanging out at each other's homes .. And being pregnant together at some point as well! Lol. There is nothing like suffering through pregnancy nausea to bring you closer together.

Where would we be ..

Without modern plumbing and the toilet ?? Where ?? Every time I watch a movie set in times BEFORE modern plumbing and toilets, in this case, that Russel Crowe flick, "Robin Hood" which is showing on cable right now, all I can think of is that I'd DIE if I had to live in those times. Man, they used chamber pots I think, or they did it in the forest. I dunno man. I don't want to think about it.

Ewwww.

Or an outhouse when i watch a Western flick. And I am prone to having stomachaches at all times of the day. I cannot imagine creeping out to an outhouse at 2am to take a dump. Die la. Plus not like you can flush everything away. It's basically a hole in the ground .. I'd be too busy throwing up even before I come within a mile of the outhouse.

So yes, I am eternally grateful for being born in these modern times. Where I can flick a switch and the light comes on. Where the toilet is actually inside my house AND modern plumbing means I can shower and pee/poo at any time of the day and night. And have my iPhone playing music to boot. And there is AIR CON. Where would we be without AIR CON? Air con at home, when I sleep .. In my car .. At the malls. Eh, Singapore is blardy hot without air conditioning, come on.

So, if a time machine is ever invented, you won't see me rushing to go back to the past. No way. See the dinosaurs? No, thank you - so not interested. Not if I have to take a pee in the bushes. With my luck, it'd be some poisonous plant .. Lol.

Yay!

My new maid arrived a few days back. And I'm happy to say she's awesome.

And that last one, the one that lasted 9 days in my home before I lost it and screamed at her and sent her packing .. The agent informed me that she was eventually sent back to Indonesia. Goodness! But not before she RAN AWAY from the agency TWICE. Straight to the police no less. Oh thank goodness I had returned her to the agency by then and she was no longer under my name. She was in another household for a few days after mine but was either sent back to the agency or she asked to leave that 2nd household (I didn't ask my agent). In any case, I really have no clue how he is going to repay the humongous loan she had to take to come here! Almost 3.5k !! That is money she HAS to return to the Indonesian recruiter she signed up with to come here. Good luck to her.

I'm just happy I finally have another decent helper :) my girls like her as well, and even Charlotte doesn't mind being carried by her most times.

Of course, she is a newbie with most household stuff but she is eager to learn and enthusiastic.

My Mount Everest of clean laundry is finally being ironed and folded and kept away. Yea!

Till we meet again ..

Missing my friend .. Our lunches, our teas .. Chatting and enjoying each other's company.

Can't wait for you to come back in 2 years' time .. Till then, enjoy your time in Perth! Let's hope I get a chance to visit u there soon.

I admit it

I cannot make it without a maid.

Yes, you laugh. I'm not. I am serious.

I just spent the last 2 hours of so cleaning up the kitchen and mopping and wiping wherever that needs wiping. And I STILL have a MOUNTAIN of clean laundry to iron and keep away. And mind you, I could only start at 11pm or so .. so there I was at midnight, washing dishes and wiping down the kitchen cabinets. I couldn't earlier cos with 4 small kids, someone is always either hungry or thirsty or needs a bath or a clean up .. and that's not including Charlotte who has been rather clingy lately. She frantically runs after me in the house if I walk away to do something ... screaming "mama! mama!" *SIGH*

I personally LOVE my house being neat and tidy and clean .. and while it currently DOESN'T LOOK neat and tidy .. cos I have been maid-less now for more than a week, it's frustrating for me. I can't wait for my new maid to arrive !! .. Should be before Chinese New Year !! ..

I have had pretty good and decent maids these last almost 6 years .. I had 2. And both were really wonderful helpers. A real asset. My girls loved them both dearly. So when it was time to get a new replacement cos my maid wanted to go back to her country to attend university ... we wished her all the best and sent her home just as 2011 ended.

Then my nightmare began. Ok, it wasn't THAT bad .. but there ended my lucky streak of good maids. I finally got a "bad" one.

Now before you think I'm some evil employer .. I'm not. I'm quite decent (lol) .. Anyway, I sent her packing back to the agency just after 9 harrowing days (yes, I'm being overly dramatic here) .. and have been winging it on my own ... The Hubby has been a BIG help (I love my man so) .. but of course, it's not enough .. I am out ferrying everyone around pretty much the whole morning till nearly 3pm .. so if I have no one at home cleaning up and getting food on the table ...we're pretty much screwed. No clean house and no lunch and dinner. Bummer. Then come evening time, we have a dusty messy house and no food and kids that need bathing and feeding and dogs too that need poo time and their meals as well.

*SIGH*

Yes, I can't make it without a reliable maid ... I admit!! I am a failure as a SAHM if I have to make it on my own with just the 4 small kids and only my darling hubby and Claudia to help (Claudia is a BIG help with babysitting AND dishwashing btw)

And it is ended ..

The euphoria of having The Hubby home has gone. Hahaha! Wow .. That took all of one week or so. First weekend he was back .. I was driving us to Vivocity and things were back to normal ie I heard all kinds of "driving advice" while making my way there. Thankfully, while I usually do get fed up, at that point in time, I was still happy he was back and managed to drive merrily there. Bugger man. Bumped into a friend at Vivocity and somehow the topic of cars and driving came up and she said, "Your husband lets you drive?"

Woman .. It's not a matter of him letting me drive. I can drive. My kids know I can drive. My maid knows I can drive. The people who issue driving licenses in Singapore know I can drive. I've been driving for 10 years - accident free. The bugger man just thinks he drives better than me and so therefore, I must take driving instructions from him. And he prefers I drive btw. He just wants to be in charge of HOW I drive. *rolls eyes*

What. The. Hell. Half the time, I'm rolling my eyes upwards while driving cos I hear him telling me to change lane, do this, don't do that. My other friend says I have a lot of patience. It's not actually patience per se. It's more of resignation. If I tick the man off we end up bickering. So usually, 90% of the time, I just ignore him and his doom and gloom sayings like "u drive like that ah, we're going to skid and die" and just try to enjoy the drive. Hard to lar. I am trying very hard most times not to lose my patience. Lol.

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!