7 Pleasures For a Happy Mom

As a mother, it is our basic instinct to care for our family and protect our young.

Sometimes, we forget about ourselves, our needs and our wants as a result of that. Many of us probably don't even put ourselves in priority over certain situations which may overwhelm or sink us deeper into emotional turmoil. It is only until the day that we feel our bodies are too battered and our minds overloaded with others' but ourselves that we cry for a break.

I have heard that for moms to perform their roles to its optimum, it is essential that we take care of ourselves before we can take care of others. I think it's a fair statement. Especially for stay-at-home-moms like me. Sometimes, I envy mothers who work because to me, working itself is taking a break from the family. There is socialism (in real life), there are congregational meals with friends or even a quick solo shopping over lunch.

So, what makes you tick? Here's sharing my listing of the 7 simple pleasures I would like to have for a happy, fruitful and positive me!

1. An off-day once a month
2. A leisurely full English breakfast at a quiet coffee house with the hubs
3. Full spa treatment
4. SHOPPING alone
5. Attend a baking class (or several, depending what interests me)
6. Hi-tea with friends, complete with tai tai overalls
7. A short weekend getaway with girlfriends (wishful but hopeful)

There! The simple girly pleasures that would keep me going. It's not over the top, is it? *grin*

I would also love to hear what are the 7 pleasures in your list that you would love to do or are already doing, to recharge your batteries!  It will be interesting to know how another mother's needs may differ from mine.

So, come join me in my first linkie... anytime!

<div align="center"> <a href="http://accidental-mom-blogger.blogspot.sg/2012/10/7-pleasures-for-happy-mom.html" title="The Accidental Mom Blogger"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDBAhUzqbcDbML9qgOdZVqBPWW0HIbUZlKRi01kqzS714-zgRT02ERynkqXpAx5JfdHsHrpShZVUrMWyLVirMdGwPBT566brUYftcXqBNPgjdc5H6AeDJ0xUyn2ZU4JtoJeT8x4l6j0c/s1600/linkybadge1.jpg" alt="The Accidental Mom Blogger" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Till the next post, have a blessed week!

What Goes Behind A Made-to-order Necklace

When I started taking in orders for made-to-order jewelries 6 years ago, it was pretty straight forward. As I worked with crystals and pearls a lot back then, I only needed to know how to string or connect the beads together and never gave much thought on making a creation unique.

A typical example of my first few customized jewelries.  Very simply made. And usually, these kind of designs should be readily available in some accessory stores.

As I went along over the years, I became slightly more adventurous with my choice of beads. I get to go shopping for new beads and parts, at least every 2 -3 months. There's usually more than enough category of beads that I carry - fun, elegant and casual, to task most of my custom orders from home. If it doesn't meet a customer's need, that's where making polymer clay beads come in.

Couple of years back, I experimented with chic looks on my necklaces with beads I purchased online all the way from the USA. This was the time I found out that this style is what I like to do best!

The recent years, customizing a necklace has become an extremely different affair.  Exciting for me when more often than not, to receive requests for pieces to go with a particular outfit or to fit an occasion. If it's a gift order, I would take time to find out the personality of the person and the way she dresses to recommend a suitable design.  Even better, was when a friend attached photograph of the person she was ordering for, which made it easier for me to recommend a design. I seemed to have earned myself "an eye" for making such personalized jewelries to these individuals so far.

 My first bridal customization for a friend.  Specific requests for my handmade white clay roses arm band with matching earrings and a formal crystal cascading necklace for her luncheon dress - after a few meetings to get the perfect fit. Showing above : my first time drafting an electronic drawing of jewelries for easier visualization before I went to get the necessary high end materials.

Not all orders that come through are smooth sailing. I face challenges when some customers are unable to provide a specific theme or look that they want, which makes it difficult to gauge how I should start to pick out suitable beads in the first place. So a lot of time and mental energy is spent tweaking on each mock up until they are able to tell me what they like or don't to come out with that perfect piece for them. At times when I have no inspiration, it would take longer than usual for me to even come up with a design. Thus the need to inform my customers that I would only revert within 2-3 days with their mock ups, just in case my inspiration doesn't flow.

Thankfully, I also have a regular pool of customers who have complete faith in my ability to produce something that they will definitely like. These are the customers who shares my exact tastes and makes my job easy right from the start. They may not know it but it gives me a dose of confidence that spurs me on to come out with new creations.

 A few of my memorable creations - catered for the different personalities.

On average, I take about slightly more than an hour to complete a confirmed design like the ones above - if I am able to sit through without any distractions. It is the discussion and coming up with designs that takes up the most time because it is usually done via email or messenger. Sometimes it can drag for a few days when a customer is unable to reply to my emails promptly or "disappears" on me after a few mock ups. Well, this is probably a little set back for online businesses. While there are non-genuine buyers out there, it is essential for us as sellers, to stay focus and believe in our craft. In any case, I usually will not let a mock up go to waste if its a design I feel my customers want to see. I would take the opportunity to complete the mock ups and post it up for sale in my shop instead so no effort is wasted.

I hope my sharing about customizing jewelries behind my closed doors helps you to appreciate my handmade craft a little more. I am very grateful for having happy customers who come back again for more, with the personal satisfaction of producing an end product is what keeps me and my little hobby business going.

Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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100 and it's still going!

 

This is my 100th post! 

 Yippee!! 

I have never thought I would come this far with blogging.  What started out as a fun blogging adventure has turned out into something that has become a substantial part of my life!

Now, more than ever, everything that I do or encounter would make me think if it's blog worthy. Sometimes, I would format posts in my mind with inspirational quotes to go with and wish that I could link my brain to directly to my blog so that I don't need to spend the extra time typing it out. Most times, my family cannot stand me when I just about take all kinds of photos with instagram in the hopes of fulfilling my favorite Wordless Wednesdays and Photo Heart Fridays posts. Truly, it is giving me a lot of brain workout than I ever had!

So, CHEERS to all the mommies at Singapore Mom Bloggers for being great motivators, listeners and advisors. I wouldn't be blogging today if not for you.

    Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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Building Up Responsibilities.

My children have always been blessed for having their mother (yah ME!) around, picking up after them without having to lay a finger on most chores. Though I try to inculcate essential habits like bringing their cups to the sink when they are done drinking or picking up their soiled clothes on the floor everyday, it seems quite futile. So I end up doing these things for them which they have taken for granted.

We've recently acquired a puppy and it is my hope that my children will learn to be a little bit more responsible by taking care of it's needs whole-heartedly.  When I know that they can do it without much supervision, then I will also know that I can trust them to look after themselves.

It's been said and known, that having a pet in the home teaches a child to be responsible - just like how all parents should be responsible for their children.

I am looking forward to the day they can fully demonstrate this to me. 

 

Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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The Quintessential Dish

There are days when I get lost in the supermarket - lost in a mind of my own thinking really really hard what to cook for my family! Oh believe me, I will look like as though I am staring longingly at a tray of diamonds when I'm actually "cooking up a storm" in my head, staring at the raw food.    So on days when I am not motivated to drop by the supermarket, I will whip up a quick fried rice dish with quintessential ingredients that I store at home.   - frozen mixed vegetables - frozen cooked prawns - waxed chinese sausages - eggs - dried shrimps - onions - chopped garlic - belachan (fermented shrimp paste) And there you go. A dish that takes me less than 30 minutes to prepare and fills my family's hungry tum-tum.  

    Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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A Stickler for Hygiene

Ever since becoming a mom, my personal hygiene level notched up by at least 10 folds. Not only do I advocate cleanliness to my children, I became an obsessive hand washer myself especially so in the kitchen because I don't want to be graded any less than an 'A'.  (you know, the grading that hawker's produce at their stall? Only thing is, I grade myself here.)

I find myself constantly reminding my children that whenever there is soap available, they should wash their hands with it, especially after using public toilets. If liquid soaps are not provided, I would automatically whip out my wet wipes or hand sanitizers for them to do another round of cleaning. OCD? Maybe. The thought of mean looking icky or worst, gooey stuff lurking at the tap handle which we can't see through our naked eyes gives me the shudders.

"This is the way, we wash our hands, wash our hands, wash our hands..."

Even more so now that we have a new addition to our family, keeping our hands clean for the sake of everyone in the family has become even more essential. 

Meet KayCee! (pronounced as Kay-see)

Which is why this post brings about my take on the importance of keeping our hands clean (especially with children because really, we don't know where they stick their hands into when we're not looking).

We have recently switched to using Lifebuoy hand wash products in our home.  The driving force of my decision to use Lifebuoy is that using it would kill 99.9% of germs in just 10 seconds! That gives me peace of mind. This with good home sanitary practice = less chances of my children falling sick. I am loving it!

Incidentally, today is Global Handwashing Day - an initiative by Lifebuoy. This global campaign is aimed at encouraging millions of individuals around the world, especially children, to wash their hands with soap for a simple reason : to prevent diseases and spreading them.

The simple act of washing hands proper can actually save many young lives.  Reports have shown that it affects millions of children around the world who succumb to illnesses because of this lack of hygiene knowledge. What seems like a mild case of diarrhea to us can be deadly for the young ones.  Which is why this year, Lifebuoy is pledging to teach children the importance of keeping their hands clean. This movement by them is certainly applaudable and deserves recognition.

We can all do our part to help Lifebuoy save lives, simply by pledging our support on their Facebook page. Simple as it may be but this cause will help a child celebrate their 5th birthday, one at a time. With every pledge Lifebuoy receives, Unilever will commit to teach a child hygiene education through PSI, a Unilever foundation partner.

Your pledge will go a long way.  Make a difference in a child's live today! Won't you join me too?

     More sources on hygiene can be found here : http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/health-article/7052     Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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*Disclaimer : This post was brought to you by Lifebuoy, in support of Lifebuoy's Global Handwashing Day campaign. All opinions stated here are 100% my own, unless otherwise stated.*

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Building A Dream.

Creating jewelries was never in my to-do list until I had a opportunity to work with it. Just that 2 hours introduction workshop to making earrings sparked my interest overnight and changed my life. This was a good 7 years ago.

I remember I was so eager and excited to keep this new found hobby going. I bought loads of beads to satisfy my creative hunger. Never in my wildest dreams would the thought of "creating to sell" crossed my mind. Well, not until I realized that I was making one too many and not being to wear every single one of them was a cause for concern! 

Some of the made-to-order jewelries displayed in my photo gallery.

Living my dreams was achievable with passion, perseverance and sincerity. 

PASSION

I didn't jump into the "jewelry making craze" on impulse. I truly enjoy what I do. It is a fact for all, that when you enjoy your work, you will put your heart and soul into it. It doesn't matter if my pool of clients are usually the regular ones. It doesn't matter if a person buys just one item and doesn't come back to my shop anymore. It doesn't matter if it's just a visitor browsing through my blog shop. What matters is that I give my best in all my creations that others can see and appreciate. That is a big satisfaction factor.

  PERSEVERANCE 

With a vision in mind, I am able to reach for my dreams. It was not an overnight success. I believe success achieved too quickly may sometimes result in backlash. It took a while for me to discover what I actually want for myself in this cosy business that I have. Little by little, I built up my creative portfolio just by trying and not giving up. Personally, I have far exceeded where I thought I would be and am grateful to all that have supported me.

  SINCERITY

I believe that for any hobby businesses to thrive, sincerity is a major key factor when communicating with your clients and would-be clients.  Because it is an online business, it is very necessary to connect with your customers on a comfortable level. With sincerity comes trust. With trust, everything falls into place. The bonus is that sometimes you not only gain a faithful customer, you also gain a friend.

  Everyday, I am still re-discovering new techniques to better my skills. I am still living my dreams and will keep the faith at keeping it for a long time to come.    Are you also living your dreams or thinking about fulfilling it? Do share!  

Image extracted from : http://quotes.wishbowl.org/dreams-quote-11.html

  Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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A Few Of My Favorite Things

Displays in my home.

    Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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To Stay Sane, Be Insane

Life is never meant to be smooth. We are often challenged. How we face the adversity of challenges and keeping our thoughts positive makes a difference in our undertakings.

At this moment, I am reminding myself these. That there will be times when things are not going smoothly and I know running away from it will not solve or melt matters away. Therefore I figured that it is okay to forget it for a while, enjoy some good dosages of insanity (with my friends on messenger) before going back to the grind.

Except for point 2, everything else is on my want-to-do list! Really! All I need is courage. :p
This image was extracted from  http://thechive.com/2012/06/06/a-little-inspiration-goes-a-long-way-26-photos-2/

Very strangely, it does help me get through the days when I'm having a tough one. It keeps my mind off from matters troubling me.

How do you destress when your days are not plain sailing?

Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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Postmortem : PSLE

I'm interviewing my son today!

As we all know, PSLE has just ended. Now, he has found too much time on his hands! He has finally laid his hands on his favorite computer games after being deprived for the past few months. But I've managed to drag him away from the keyboard to do this for me! Let's see what he has to say about his journey. I'm keeping this post lighthearted with my commentary in [  ].

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>>> From when did you start preparing for your PSLE this year? 

2nd term this year.   [Enough time meh?]

>>> Has preparation been tough for you?

Not really.   [gasp!]

>>> You mean the whole time, you didn't feel pressurized?
 Every once in a while.   [So, I didn't pressure him that much after all.]

>>> What did you do when you felt the stress creeping into you?
I take deep breaths.   [Ok. I shall try that out for myself.]

>>> So, how would you rate this year's papers, from 1-10?   1 being the easiest.

• English -3
• Math - 2
• Chinese - 4 
• Science - 3

[wah... that's quite a good level of self confidence to me]

 >>> Do you honestly think it's tough for you and the rest of the P-sixers, to get through PSLE?
Not really.  

>>> Do you think MOE is taking the right direction to review future PSLE standard again? As in, a lot of people are complaining how tough it is for 12 year olds to get pass this stage in their lives.
Yes.  [hmmm...]


>>> Do you think that it is fair to grade every child according to the 4 subjects? Even though we know that not every child are built to excel in everything.
NO!   [that was a definite no!]

>>> What do you think would make a fairer exam for all?
I think it is fairer to be evaluated by subjects and not in general.  [wah, impressed!]

>>> Ok, well. Now that you have SO MUCH time in your hands, what do you plan to do/or look forward to till December?
- help Megan with her work since her exams are near   [good gor-gor]
- go out with my friends   [really? who are they? you are growing up too fast.]
- help to house-train our puppy  [oh you had better!]
- looking forward to our family vacation and Legoland? [zzzz... one at a time please. Your daddy don't print money!]
- and my exam results! [another round of stress for me. Oh well, what's done cannot be undone.]

We had so much fun doing this interview together because I mostly responded to his answers in jest with big wide eyes like a big bad wolf! (I'm trying to cut down the nagging so this works for now.)  

Hope you had some chuckles while reading this and perhaps gained some insights on what a 12 year old thinks about PSLE.

"Thank you my son, for entertaining me with this interview."

  Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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[Giveaway] on a Wordless Wednesday!

 Know a child's rights!
I'm giving this brand new book away (because I have another one)!
An interesting read for parents, caregivers and children too!

For your chance to receive this book, simply :

• 'LIKE' our facebook page (if you haven't already done so)
• 'SHARE' my page on your wall
• Leave a comment here
• And make sure you are contactable via email!

This giveaway ends this Saturday, 6 Oct 2012.

*Only open to readers residing in Singapore*

    Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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[Guest Post] Fabric Crafting Fun!

Since I started blogging, it has always been part of my plan to feature some awesome mommy crafters I've met at SMB because it feels like I can connect with them in that crafty sort of way.  I am so pleased and absolutely thrilled to finally having Jean from Jean Stitch over to guest post for me today!

I got to know Jean a bit more since we've been interacting and "working" together as moderators in a private group page for the past few months. Jean is indeed a super mom to me because apart from home-schooling her children, she still finds time to do chores, blog, cook, bake and manage her blog shop! (Oh I so pale in comparison!)

Since knowing her, I've also come to appreciate fabric crafts more and almost always amazed at the intricate designs and ideas she puts into her passion.  Truly an inspiring woman to me!

Thank you Jean, for making the time and gracing my first guest post! I hope that all of you will enjoy this tutorial that she is generously sharing for my readers in the hopes that it may inspire you to try your hands at it. (*hint* great handmade Christmas gift idea!)

Here's a little tutorial on how I make my fabric tag. These are pretty easy and fun to make... so let's get started.

These are what you will need to get started:
 

I used plain linen for the front and some of my favorite cotton fabric as the back for the above photo.
(You can also use plain cotton to make, f you have any).

1 piece front and back fabric : 7.5cm x 12.5cm
1 piece soft batting : 7.5cm x 12.5cm
1 piece heart shape to appliqué (or any shape you like)
Embroidery floss (I used different color for each piece)
Hole puncher for fabric Eyelets, Natural Yarn/Twine, Buttons, Ribbons (I used rik rak of different color)

*Use 1/4" seam allowance throughout this tutorial.*

The how to:

• Step 1: Cut out the shape of the tag by snipping off the two corners. Do the same for the back and batting.

• Step 2: Now, start with the embroidery. Write the word you want using a fabric pen. I wrote 'Love'. Using the embroidery floss, I hand embroidered the word through the front fabric and the batting.

• Step 3: Applique is next (shown above). I used the zig zag stitch from the machine to bind it.

• Step 4: Place the back fabric with right sides facing each other, stitch all the way around and leave an opening at the bottom so that you can turn it right side out. Remember to push all the corners out and iron them flat.

• Step 5: Do a slip stitching at the opening before top stitch all around for a neat look. Add the rik rak and button (just for fun of it) and you will see that it changes the look of the tag a bit.
•  
• Step 6: (Not shown here) Use a fabric puncher and punch a hole on top and clipped it tight with an eyelet. Tie a yarn or twine and you will have your fabric tag or bookmark! I am not into scrapbooking but I cannot resist these pretty little things.

If you have any questions at all, please drop me an email at jeanstitch@gmail.com
 

Happy stitching!! ~ jean.

For more of Jean's handmade items or customization, please visit her online store.

 

Till the next post, have a blessed week!