Announcement

I have been so busy lately, with our move, that I hardly have time to blog and share. Lots are happening these days and I will share as soon as I get the chance. In this post, I wish to share something with all of you. Before, I started Ripplezblue, I was busy "baking up" diaper cakes and hampers (Hartwarmers), that I created from home. My business was a doing well, and I enjoyed every master piece, I made. But with the introduction of our latest bundle of joy, I was faced with a problem. I could no longer hand deliver these precious creations. That put a very long pause on my business. Not wanting to let it go, I shelved it for a couple of months. In the meantime, I started Ripplezblue, for me to work on from home. It was something, for me, my outlet.

Getting to the point, somewhere in July this year, I heard that my sister was looking to expand her online party store. She was in search of a creative personnel. So we discussed the possibilities of merging my gifts with her party supplies, and it was seem to be promising. We took baby steps into getting this new venture to suit both our styles and talents. After months of discussion and planning, we started it off and had a picnic cum outdoor photo shoot on 1st October 2013. It was a success and I am glad to share with you, that the best is yet to come. 

I would be shifting to my new home (and my new office) in about a weeks time. I am looking forward to sharing much more with you from there.

Do check out our store at http://beautifulrevelry.com/

Bread And Butter

It's been some time now, that Ivan has been making his breakfast  all by himself. I had to step it up when I became pregnant with Iggy. I wanted Ivan to be independent and not depend on me for his basic needs. So ever since day one, he had chosen two slices of bread with a load of Nutella, an overload actually.

 

We all love to have fresh white Gardenia bread, but wanting to eat more healthy, I sometimes mix it up. Expecting Ivan, to react to the change in bread, I was surprised, when he didn't react. He simply opened the wholemeal bread from the packaging and served himself two slices. From there, I explored with other brands too. It was progressing well but the Nutella had to stay as his constant. 

So every morning he would have made himself two slices of Nutella sandwiches. This morning, however, I was totally taken by surprise, when I found him having bread and butter. It was an beautiful surprise, he was trying out new things and this was just another example.

He opened the fridge and took out the butter...

Then he spread loads onto the bread and enjoyed it for breakfast. And this, was a new treat for me. I am so excited and scared at the same time, to see what new experiences are to come.

Packing Up

The Gomez's are moving, we have considered many pros and cons, and found that it was time for us to move into a bigger place. With the addition of Iggy into our lives and the new projects that we are looking into, we will need a bigger venue to hold the gatherings that we are planning. 

Having lived in the North for so many years, I know we will miss much as we move to Central Singapore. I know I will miss the wonderful cool breeze and the park I run in every morning for the past few years. Not forgetting the playgrounds, my first two boys tumbled and scraped their knees on, in their toddler years. The beach that was near home and the shopping malls around us. But with improvement comes change, and that change needs delicate balance, especialy for Ivan.

In order to get Ivan on board with the move, I decided to get him to pack up with us. It was so adorable! He packed up all his CDs and DVDs, into mini boxes and did an inventory for each box too.

Involving your child into such transitions are very important. It helps them anticipate the move and have some control on the situation. Just like us, children don't like to feel helpless and vulnerable. They want to know what is to come next and how they can be in control of their surroundings.

When we viewed the place we were buying, we actually asked Ivan which room he preferred and thankfully, both brothers chose different rooms, making it easier for us.

Ivan also gets to choose his furniture and fittings. The paperwork and sale of the property, is almost done and we are getting ready for the transition. I pray a gets on smoothly. I will update you guys, on Ivan's journey into our new home.

It's Time For A Shirt

It's always outings after outings when my husband gets back in the country for a break. The kids miss him much and want their one to one time alone with him, as much as myself. 

As of late, I have noticed an interesting new thing going on with Ivan. He has been only picking out long sleeve shirts from his shelf, to wear each time we go out. Ivan used to only wear sleeveless t-shirts when he was young, as he had sensory issues. Then we transitioned into the normal short sleeve t-shirts and stayed there for many years. 

The long shelved shirts came much much later on his life. They wear kept for special occasions. But as of this month, most of our outings have been interestingly, attended with a casual smart attire, for Ivan. 

We are glad to see him make changes in his routines and its refreshing to see him try new things.

This one is a very old shirt, which I was surprised, that he could still fit into it.

Here's the same shirt, we wore to church.

And here it is again with a shirt as we head out for pancakes.

Blueberries For Little Bub

Berries are a good choice to feed your little ones with. They are bursting with nourishment. It's berry day for little Iggy today. Mama bought blueberries for him to enjoy, although she doesn't fancy them too much.

Wonderful balls of antioxidants.

 

Puréed to perfection for little Iggy to have for lunch.

Now I mix in a little bit of organic cereal that has the blueberry flavor in them.
Feeling nostalgic, as it looks like my favourite childhood dessert - Pulut Hitam.

What does Iggy think of it?

I little sour I guess. But it's alright.

 Happy eating!

My Persistent Boy

Holidays can be tough on kids who need a constant routine. Parents like me, are always stressed out when the holidays begin, as we need to occupy our kids, and deal with the fuss on the change of routine. And if your child is as persistent as mine, trust me you need a holiday. Here, a snap shot at how the June holidays began for me.

It's a Wednesday morning, into the wee hours of the morning. I had just finished feeding Little Iggy and have started to prepare breakfast for the boys to go off to school. For Ivan, it would be the last day of school.

Upon waking him up, I realized that he seem to be in a bad mood. He had proceeded to brush his teeth, but kept walking in a daze. I told him that he had to wash his face, but he kept walking back to the bedroom ignoring me. He never does that. That's when I realized that he was looking too sleepy for anything.

I had sent him to bed early but, I don't really know what time he had settled down. I used to check on him regularly before, but now with baby, I am exhausted. Looking at him, I knew he was in no condition to go anywhere.

I sent him off to bed, and my heart sank. This would mean that for Ivan the school holidays had begun. His school was having a camp the next two days, which Ivan was not attending, so here we go!

El off to school and Ivan back in bed, I decided to crawl back under the sheets again. But just then, Ivan gets up and says that he wants to go to school.

I told him the bus had left and he could go back to school. But he was not listening, now he was insisting on going to school. I hate days like these. They never go well for me and they seem to go on forever.

I send Ivan back to bed again, turned on the aircon to make it cozy for him, but no, he comes out again asking to go to school.

Finally, I told him that I did not want to be disturbed. And that I would talk to him at 9am. The good thing is, with Ivan once you give him a time to get back to him, he will wait and come back to you later. But he will come back and you have to follow through with the "appointment".

Sometimes, it's the little things like this that drain you...

I Am So Tired

The alarm goes off, and a new day begins. I know I have to get up to settle the boys, but I am just so tired. Tired from the million things that I have to do from dawn to dusk, and then redo it all over again. There are aches and pains that once meant something, now they seem to be a daily occurrence, that I don't have time to entertain.

There is a reason why they used to say, it takes a village to bring up a child. Trying to be that village, will only wear you out. Life can be very unpredictably challenging at times, I do get so angry but then I realize that it's just no use. Even being angry drains my energy.

And so my morning begins with, breastfeeding, the little one. Then eating, as that makes you hungry. Followed by getting up the boys for school. Ensuring that Ivan follows the schedule that is prepared for him. Oh, and then there are another thousand other things. Anyone who says that being a homemaker, is having a good life, obviously haven't tried it. 

I know writing, amongst a few other things, helps me relax and take a breather, thus, this entry. So now I must return to forever-work-land, where I am needed.

Good morning all, wish the day is a good one for all.

Do You Want To Make A Difference?

Every now and then, I have my sister and nephew over for tea. This time we had a rather interesting conversation. I was concerned that I was not reaching out to the number of people I had planned to, and discussed it with her. She had a few valid points that I would look into. In conclusion, I told her something that I wish to share with you all too.

Say you are a young, first-time mum and you have certain concerns about your child's development. Sure you can Google it and fine lots of information and resources on the internet. But would you not rather, have a local site that you can check. One that is not trying to sell you something, or make you sign a package for? Would you not rather, like to read up on what other mothers have gone through, to see where you stand, and decide should your child need help? Say, your child doesn't have any major concerns but hasn't talked yet at the age you feel he should be? Would you not want to know, how the procedure would go? How much these tests would costs? That's what we are providing here at Ripplezblue. We are creating awareness and trying to help families that need them.

Information and experiences shared on our blog, can remain anonymous, should you choose to be. We are all helping each other along this journey. Some of us new comers, while others have been on the journey long enough, to help us look out for nooks and cracks along the way. As we come together to cheer each other along, lend a helping hand and to comfort each tear, we are building a better environment for our children. Our children need us to make the difference. Be their advocate, speak for them. I am very passionate about it, as I am a mother on a mission. What about you?

Plans For The Future

It's time to edit, cut and paste. We started Ripplezblue to reach out and to help raise awareness for special needs within the public.

Things have been going great so far. We have reached out to many mothers and teachers, (must try to reach a couple of dad's at least). Many wonderful people have shared their stories with us too. Some shared openly, others choose to remain anonymous, regardless, the fact remains their experience shared, is to help others.
 

We have started out a promotion, where the best story written in will be given a gift, you can check that out, under the Events.

Also, we have adopted a project at St. Andrew's Autism School, and are eager to see it fulfill its potential.

In order to reach out to more people, we will be adding regular blog articles, weekly. We ask that if you like what you read, please help us share on facebook to reach out to more people.

We have lots of things planned out for the future, to mention one would be a parent's support group.

In line with new things, we have sought out a new place to move by year's end. The Gomez's will be moving to a bigger place to accommodate more meetings, and gathering for parents to meet for tea and draw strength from one other. In the mean time, my study is a big mess with all the boxes and bubble wrap due to all the packing. But I wish it would look as neat as this. With a house full of boys and a new baby, I can only dream that my study would be this neat.

Am off to do more research...