Pregnant again, unexpected, undissapointed

So yes, I'm pregnant again. It's something unexpected as Fatimah is still one and a half year old and is still breastfed. But it's also something undissapointed as me and my husband don't make two as the limit of our children.

I didn't use anymodern contraception post Fatimah's birth so it's not surprising that I got this pregnancy now. I didn't take anypill or injection or spiral to prevent pregnancy but I did this one thing an old woman told me said 'natural' way to prevent pregnancy. She said that if we had a baby that is still breastfed, then breastfed her before you 'spoil' your husband in bed. That will prevent pregnancy.
Well, it's weird. But actually we succesfully practised it when Fahira, my eldest girl was still a baby. When she was about 22 months old,I stop milking her and soon afterward I was pregnant. But unluckily, it was blighted ovum, so we had to let it go. Then a year after, I had Fatimah in my womb.

My daily intake during pregnancy months.

As this is my third (fourth, if the blighted ovum one is included) pregnancy, I hope the experiences I have before would be usefull to apply in protecting this baby.

I hope everything will be allright.
Need your prayers and advices friends ... ;-)

Working Out

A few days ago, when I decluttered some parts of the house, I found my daughter's old hula hoop. It had probably been there for a year, safely hidden behind rolled unused carpets. I handed it to my daughter who immediately asked me how to play it. I have never been succeed swing it around my hip, and usually I will refuse whenever someone asked me to do it. But since this is my daughter's request, I think why not.

Working out is never be my routine. And it has never been written on my daily list. I thought being busy taking care of the house and family all day is considered a long exercise. But may be I was wrong. Eventough I lost about 7 kgs since delivering my second baby, it is not thight in all of my body parts.

Staying fit and healthy is in my list now and off course in the list for my children as well. I already give them vegetable daily and as Fatimah is already 9 months old now, I start giving her finger foods which I begin with well cooked carrot.

So, since the hula hoop reappearance, I play it daily with my daughters. At least, one minute a day. The rhythm of playing will be : place the hoop around my body, try to roll it, it falls, I pick it up, try again, falls, pick, try, fall, pick, try and it's continuing so.

I still never been succeed now, but it's just fun to see my daughters laugh at my ridiculous movements.

And for not a sporty person like me. This is quiet an exercise !

Raising up my children - body and soul

Alhamdulillahirabbil'alamin. I thank God for my loving family, a wonderful husband and two beautiful daughters. And I thank God again for blessing us with enough food, clothes to wear and a place to live. When we all see our lives in every single detail, we will realize that God is very generous.

As I mentioned before, I have two children, both are girls which I feel so lucky to have. And along with children, comes the responsibilities. We must provide food, clothes, education, health care et cetera for them to live properly. And also, one thing that is not less important to be taken care of, is their souls. We, the parents, are the ones who are responsibles for shaping our children's behaviours. Sure, God created them in their own unique forms, but our behaviour, the way we act, the way we speak will be their references in living their lives. We are their role models in every section. So for this matter, I've written down what I am expecting from my girls before they reach age 7 :

• Be able to read (both Indonesian and Al Qur'an)
• Basic calculation
• Be able to swim
• How to self-cleaning
• And make the bed
• Ride bicycle

I will also teach them to be polite, to not be stingy etc. But off course, it's all must be started from myself. I understand, that asking them to do something would be meaningless, if I didn't give any sample. And for sure, some things are hard to be done. Sometimes we know that something is not good, yet we keep doing it. That is the challenge of being a parent : you must be perfect ! Well, at least in front of your children. ;-).

My top list is making them be able to read both in Indonesian and arabic letter. I do teach my elder daughter myself. She is now half-way to complete the task. When I was a teen, one parent ever told me that a child is better be teached by someone else than his own mother. I wondered why, and now I prove it myself. Yes, she was right. Here's the reason : if a child is teached by a teacher, it is less likely she will act spoil. But when it's her mother's turn, she will act real spoil. As a parent, when I encounter this problem, I will response in two ways. Some times I will act strict and chanches are, she will learn seriously or cry or angry or make faces to me. But other times, I will spoil her, let her learn on my lap because I know she does that because she knows that I love her nomatter what. Whatever it is, I believe teaching my own children will create a strong bond between me and my daughters.

And, for physical treatments like swimming, it's my husband's part. Dividing child care between spouse is very important. Giving close relationship from each parent to each child I believe is very important.

In the coming time, my list might be changing, cause we don't know what the future bring. I am just a beginner, so tell me, how do you raise your children?

I am almost blind !

Just my thought

I remember the first time I checked my eyes and then wore my first glasses in 2006, it was revealed that my left eyes was -2.75 and my right one was -1.25. Then the last time I checked my eyes two years ago, my left eyes was -3.50 and my right one was -3.00. And having a little dizzy in my forehead recently may means that my eyes are getting weaker.

     Make my carrotts and tomato juice
     in large amount so don't have any
     excuse having no time making it daily

Actually I have known that my eyes do not see very clearly far before 2006, indeed I think I'm born that way because I remembered seeing the moon as two in my very early years. How cool is that. :(.

I have given birth twice and both were normally. I don't know if there's any medical study about it but our traditional culture believes that giving birth normally will weaken the eyes (and the whole body). That's why 40 days after giving birth you may not watch tv, red books, etc because those will make your eyes weak permanently. And remembering this makes me regret of how stubborn I was. In spite of my thought about being born with weak eyes, still, a lot of things I did actually do hurt my eyes like when I was little, my mom used to tell me to stop reading and start sleeping and I was,  being that stubborn would read under the blanket then. And thought I was a vegetable freak since my early life, reading a lot in dim lights would make my eyes this way eventually.


And as the nowadays way of life is sourrounded by gadgets, I am going to warn all of you to ensure your eyes healthy :

• Never read in dim lights
• Keep your distance when watch tv, computer, laptop and smart phones.
• Have time limit using the above
• For the new mom,  please be patience not to force your eyes until you are in full health condition

And also, don't forget to eat vegetables and fruits with high A vitamin in them. My friend once told me that her neighbour was a woman with thick glasses. And after drinking carrots and tomato juice daily in a year, she went from thick to thin to sometimes-none glasses. I did practise it but you know, I always have excuses of having no time making it daily, so I decided to make a bottle of it so I can drink it daily with no excuse having no time to make it.
And the bottle with brownish yellow liquid you see beside it, is jamu (Indonesian traditional medicine), it is made of brown sugar, tamarind, turmeric, and water, it is good for menstrual pain, body slimming, curing wound in your stomach, anti-inflamation and cleaning woman's intimate. But I've heard that consuming carrot daily will cause your skin yellow and consuming turmeric daily will force your kidney to work more, so I decided to drink the liquids in those bottles every other day. And though the previous sentences need further study about it, I think it is better to prevent than to cure.