My Thoughts On Being A Mom

Being a mom means having to sacrifice your time, your energy, your career, your hobbies, your health, your beauty, and sometimes even your sanity for the sake of another whom you consider more precious than yourself. With just one child under my wing, already I feel like I've given all I have to give. Yet, daily, I find myself continually giving more and more. And then, when I'm all dried up and tired out from giving, I dig down deep and give some more.

Being a mom also means that I often leave the house with crazy hair, with my glasses perpetually covered in fingerprints, and with zero accessories on. I feel eternally sleep deprived and I can't really remember what it's like getting more than 2 to 3 hours of sleep in a stretch, day or night. The skin on my face is disgustingly dry and flakey because I just couldn't be bothered to make time to tone or moisturise anymore. And since we're at it, I also haven't had a facial in goodness knows how long. Oh, and because I nurse, I don't get to dress up in pretty dresses anymore either. Heck, I never get to wear dresses, period! 

But because I am a breastfeeding mom, I also have the opportunity to experience and understand what selflessness and sacrifice is, too. Because of this, I can honestly say that I am thankful for small hands that grab at my hair, tiny fingers and thumbs that cover my glasses in fingerprints, and baby skin that I have to be careful not to scratch or hurt with earrings, rings or watches. Every day, I put my baby to sleep at the expense of my own rest, and rub lotion on skin that's a million times softer and smoother than my own. And I'm grateful that my clothes are limited by the fact that I am able to fully breastfeed my son and raise him on milk that's made just for him. 

Almost 8 months since my induction into this crazy club, I confess that I've learned it's not always easy being a mom. Sure, roughing it out in the real world all day long is tough; meeting deadlines, preparing presentations and making sales. But I personally think it's tougher when it's your whole world you're caring for 24/7. I don't know how celebrity power moms do it and still look like a million bucks while they're at it. This motherhood thing, it's hard work! Work that comes with no day-offs, no MCs, no public holidays, and no weekends. It's incredibly demanding and unbelievably exhausting. But thankfully, it's supremely rewarding, too. =)

Shen + Pam Turn 2!

2-years-old with an 8-month honeymoon, followed by a 9-month pregnancy, resulting in a 7.5-month-old baby boy. I don't know about you but if you ask me, I think Shen + Pam have done pretty well thus far. =)

Shen + Pam on Sunday, 3 July 2011

just hours before our ROM.

Hypocrite

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust 

in your brother's eye and pay no attention 

to the plank in your own eye?" 

 – Matthew 7:3 (NIV) 

Oh, how quick some of us are to judge our brothers but then proceed to fall right into the very same complacent pit as they did, when we eventually find ourselves in the exact situation.

Voodoo Magic Water

The last time Mama came down to KL, she told our maid to place a bowl of water in an out-of-the-way corner of every room before night falls. So that when we turn on the air-conditioning, our skin (including my son's) doesn't dry out la. She did so without question at first. But after Mama went to bed, she came to me and asked:


Maid: Ma'am...?

Pam Song: Yes?

Maid: I have question.

Pam Song: What?

Maid: Why... *low whisper* ...every room must have water? *lower whisper* What is meaning?

@_@

BWAHAHAHAHA.

Because of air-con la, girl.

Not cos of anything else.

No jampi-jampi here.

Top 3 Learnings From Having A Live-In Maid

1. Nobody knows exactly what you want or how you want it but you. So, if you want anything done right, you've got to roll your sleeves up, get your hands dirty, and do it yourself.

2. Good help is hard to come by. So, be thankful for what – who – you've got. No matter how bad it is, remember – it could have been worse.

3. If it's foreign help you've hired, language will always be a problem. So, be prepared to explain yourself again and again and again. And if it still comes out wrong after that, try again next time.

Contrast

Having me some "cooling" mangosteens

on this hot and humid Sunday. =)

Habits

"Old habits die hard. Bad habits die harder."

– Pam Song, 25 May 2013

iHerb – The Most Awesome Website EVERRRR!!!

Discovered the wonders of iHerb shopping earlier in the year and I've never looked back since. (If you haven't heard of it, OMG HOW CAN???) In fact, I enjoy shopping there so much that I shamefully have to admit that... I'm hooked! (I, urm... placed my fourth order this morning. =p) The stuff there are crazy cheap, I tell you. Like... totally flippin' CRAAAZY cheap. No kidding!

Here's what I ordered during
my first purchase back in March '13:

• Barbara's Bakery, Baked Cheese Puffs, Original, 5.5 oz (155 g) – $3.14
• Summer Infant, Dr. Mom, Oral Care Set, Ages Birth & Up, 3 Pieces – $6.11
• Tooth Tissues, My Dentist's Choice, Dental Wipes for Baby and Toddler Smiles, 30 Wipes – $5.80
• Munchkin, Soft-Tip Infant Spoons, 3+ Months, Six Pack – $4.29
• Munchkin, Easy Squeezy Spoon, 4+ Months – $6.34
• Munchkin, Safety Bath Ducky, 0+ Months – $2.55
• iPlay Inc., Green Sprouts, Cornstarch Hand Teether Rattle, Sage, Stage 2+, 3+ Months – $8.25
• Hugo Naturals, Essential Mist, French Lavender, 2 fl oz (60 ml) – $2.16
• Promax Nutrition, Energy Bar, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, .70 oz (20 g) – FREE (Originally $1.65)
• St. Dalfour, Organic, Pure Ceylon Tea, 0.07 oz (2 g) – FREE (Unrequested and thrown in by iHerb)

As you can see, I bought LOTS of stuff... at LESS THAN HALF the price I would find them locally, be it in-stores or online, PLUS a $10 discount off the total bill. HAH! And yes, they ALWAYS throw in a little freebie for good measure. =p Best part is it all only cost me a mere $34.64 USD.

$34.64 USD!!

DING DING DINGGG!!!

Hello, that's like, RM100 only wei!!

Crazy cheap or what???

So now, my go-to website to purchase natural baby/organic beauty/general healthy stuff from the US of A for me, my baby and my family is iHerb. Some of the stuff are actually available here but are more than DOUBLE in price at the supermarkets and on Malaysian online stores; some aren't even available here so that's uber cool, too. And at the end of the day, I pay there super cheap prices while only coughing up a surprisingly affordable shipping fee (ONLY $4 USD!!!) to get my loot right to my doorstep.

Let me give you an example of how cheap is the "crazy cheap" I'm talking about, ok. See those Munchkin baby stuff up there? (The three most colourful things in the picture that I've so helpfully made obvious for you to see. =p) I put in the work, did my research and found that babydash.com.my sells them, too. And, so you know, babydash.com.my's prices for quality baby goods are pretty much the lowest you'll find in Malaysia already. Now, look how much babydash.com.my is selling those things on discount for:

At iHerb, that rubber duckie costs $2.55 (i.e. ±RM7.50) and it's RM19.70 on discount here. That blue squeezy spoon costs $6.34 (i.e. ±RM19) and it's sold for a mind-boggling RM63 on discount here. And those colourful soft-tip spoons? They're $4.29 (i.e. ±RM13) on iHerb and a whopping RM23.90 on discount here. Haha. Crazy, huh? What's crazier is that I also got $10 off my total bill at iHerb so that effectively means I got 25.9% off whatever iHerb original price I quoted here! How awesome for me!

And now, here's where
it gets good for YOU, too. =p

If you've never placed an order on iHerb before, use my referral code – ZDT612 – and you will receive $10 off your first order of $40 USD or more like I did!! And don't fret if you haven't got that many things to buy. (Although I doubt you wouldn't when you've seen what they've got to offer. =p) You will also get $5 USD off ANY order less than $40 USD... with no minimum purchase amount! =D =D =D

Just so you know, you'll also be doing me a favour by helping me earn online credits when you use my referral code. Haha. Win-win la, right? Cos, really. It's a SUPER steal for you, too. =p Lots of quality health supplements and beauty products there as well. Not just baby stuff. Pages upon pages of everything, all at a discounted price. Can see until go blind. I see the beauty section and baby section for 3 months already still never see finish. Still scrolling. HAHA.


Bestest part of all the best parts is that now, USD is weak. So it's really the perfect timing to buy, buy, buy! So, yes. Go check out http://www.iherb.com now and don't forget to use ZDT612 when you check out so you get your $10 USD discount! Don't say I never share good things with you. =D

Website: http://www.iherb.com/

Referral Code for Discount: ZDT612

UPDATE AT 9:48PM ON SUNDAY, 26 MAY 2013: ARGH! I forgot to tell you one super important detail! *slaps self* Now is the PERFECT time for you to burst your iHerb cherry cos this month, they've got a special promo – "May Special: Extra 5% off for orders below $60 and 10% off for orders over $60.00! Ends Friday, May 31st, 2013." OMG, what you waiting for?? Hop on over to iHerb now!