2.5 hours

Sometimes technology just abandons me, I am today's woman who starts her day with a screaming child, over milk.
My kids, my alarm clock.

Barely opening my eyes, usually the Boy will offer his help to scoop out his chocolate milk powder.
'Ibu, Abang nak tolong boleh?".

Yea, and hoping that cooperative atittude lingers until adulthood, every mother's dream.

And then the fajar prayers, while the Boy sipping his milk, looking at me, still barely awake.

But what happens next is a mixture of liquid fast action -laundry-slicing vegetables and meat-porridge for the Girl-dishwashing-blending the Girl's porridge-bathing the Boy-packing the kids' nursery bags-shower for me and the kids-delicate skincaring for the Girl-and still finding time to play Ultraman with the Boy.
All before 9 am

The usual get ups for mothers. But then you'll realise
Yup. No breakfast and no morning exercise.
Self neglect is a sin, and my body is trembling in rebellion.

I have now, sore aching knees.
Still barely 30.
But suddenly awake.

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Lief story

Little Lief.

Many wonder where did I get Hanzalah’s screen name from. It originated from Dutch, meaning Lovable/Beloved. But honestly, I got it from an online store (gasp!). 

Don’t be put off just yet, the story how an online store inspired me is as memorable that I nickname our Mr. H in that way. 

I’d like to believe that I’m an easy going Mother.

So simple that Little Lief had not been wearing socks since he was 1 m.o, to much annoyance to traditional mothers. Its not that I have my own (anti-angin) theory, but its because at 1 months young, Hanzalah had outgrown most of his stockings.  His weight doubled to 6kg, so it left me with sudden overwhelmingly short of socks.

Of course, the ‘aunties’ bunch were not happy. Its not like I intend to.

[Dalam hati rasa..eh anak aku dok Malaysia kan. Why do I need to overbundle him. Tengok anak Areej yang dok uk OK je takdok alas kaki). But to assuage them all, since I’m an inexperienced mother so better to listen to any possible passable logic. So I thought, I’ll buy him Shoes for him to wear during the outings (where the ‘aunties’ bunch can be met). So ada la jugak alas kaki kan.

So I online shopped and came across this gorgeous semi boots:

Lief! Stoer Brand. Comel kot.

Everything is ok, the boots are still in stock and payment for the Dutch flown boots are about to be made. But Angie from mybabypitstop, the online store owner called me personally, and asked me if I’m a muslim.

Of course, I told her.

So she told me, she’s not selling the boots to me.

……………

“because the boot has pig-skin lining”.

Siapa kata..China(wo)man pikir untung saja? Angie could have just sold the boots, and our family wouldn’t have known et all, but thinking that it would somehow detriment our belief in any way, Angie did not. She could have made her sale that day, but she did not. She respects our belief despite 'its all business'.

[Although she offered me different shoes afterwards, I didn’t buy. Picky BUT easygoing mother. But Amy’s still cool about me not buying anything]

Honest business people. Just like the Prophetic tradition.

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one jealous boy

Our daily ritual after Maghrib consist of him playing  and I will be subdued from the day’s work with a book in hand. So for 15 minutes, it was suppose to be an easy affair; him with the toys, I with the books. 

Now not anymore.

The boy gets jealous of the book(s) and will attempt to snatch it away, crying, and will try to nestle his head onto mine so I will stop reading the book. He glued his button nose to my mouth, disabling any contact whatsoever with the poor book while his stumpy hand tears away the book from me.

So read the book to him you say.

But try reading 1941 to him, and try sounding silly when you read part of Blitzkrieg to the little boy, who will look to you longingly, like a lost love regained. Sungguh tidak kena.

Before he snatches the book and kick it out of sight (anyway).

So I stopped doing that. I will have to surrender and put down the book, completely stop reading the book.

And after did I stop, he will run back to his toys and continue to play out of his toy box, completely ignoring the mother.

Until I reach for the book, and up the tantrum circle.

This had been going on for about a week now and I have not been able to read (except when he is fast asleep, which by then, I will be too sleepy to do anything too)

Hanzalah 7 – Ibu  0.

‘Ibu cannot read book. Ibu must not look at something else. Ibu must look adoringly ONLY to me’ the jealous-of-the-book boy say, triumphant from his daily conquer of the Mother.

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HKA 1

Hanzalah.

Dia yang kini bergigi 7,  merangkak laju berkuak lentang, dengan senyuman semanis madu, kini genap setahun hari ini.

Setahun lepas, dalam dakapan ayah, ibu sedang bertarung nyawa menyambutmu.

Kelahiran yang dinantikan, yang dipermudahkan dan diringankan Allah, dengan seorang bayi lelaki seberat 3 kilo dan panjang 54 sm.

Dan kami namakan dia Hanzalah, sempena nama seorang panglima dan sahabat nabi.

Nama yang kami angan-angankan untuk anak pertama kami sejak mula bertemu.

Peribadi ringkas yang berani, dan dia yang tegas memilih antara dua cinta. Dia yang merasakan tertipu dengan dirinya sampaikan dikatakan dirinya munafik, walhal dirinya pantas merasa insaf dan dekat dengan TuhanNya. Itulah dia, Hanzalah ibnu Ar Rabi r.a

 

Dan harapan kami buat Hanzalah ibnu Khalis Amali, semoga terus menjadi seorang yang soleh dan ikhlas.

Semoga hatinya cepat menyerap kebaikan dan kebenaran. InshaAllah.

Semoga dijauhkan dari sifat dengki, bisikan syaitan, perkara yang buruk dan perbuatan jahat manusia. Nauzubillah.

Setiap anak itu dilahirkan dalam fitrahnya sesuci kain putih.

Semoga Allah membimbing Ayah dan Ibu selalu dalam mencorakkan peribadi muslim kepada dirimu wahai anakku. Ameen.

Selamat hari jadi, sayang.

Sanah Helwah, Hanzalah habibi.

Wahai belahan dedua ayah dan ibu.

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wordless wednesday

:) 

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cabang-cabang cinta

Abg Romi and his beautiful family (Nur, after so long, baru dapat jumpa!)  came to our humble abode. Love begets love. That's what I learn from the short but sweet visit. He wrote about our pride n' joy here.

Kekuatan dan ketabahan hati Nur dapat dirasai. Sejuk hati memandang Nada dan Marwa. Semoga menjadi anak soleh yang mendoakan ayah dan umi, ya?

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1 ramadhan

Brought Little Leif for his first Tarawikh experience.

Suffice to say, I think everyone at the last row would remember (while praying) a little boy crawling across the hall as fast as he could away from the defocused mother. Haih. I could almost hear some trying not to giggle.

I even left before the Tarawikh started, after successfully chasing and yanking the babbling baby from meddling with other people's sejadah.
He was trying to match the Imam's prayers.

And the score is: Hanzalah 1- Ibu 0.



Hanzo, you're so grounded.

:)

Missing the funny  Leif now, starting this month he's stationed with a new nanny- no more nanny Macu who's heading back to campus life. Thank you Macu and ayacik for your care :')


Ramadhan Mubarak! May we attain the pleasure of seeking of His pleasure in this holy month :)

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about breastfeeding

This is my opinion about breastfeeding (sorry, this is not a post where I tell you what brand I use for the breastpumps,how I stow it in the freezer, what freezer I use, with pictures etc etc).

1. Break the Market. Please.
Google-lically speaking, there are one or two prevalent brands of breastpumps that really helps breastfeeding.   Its too bad no more marketing brains are trying to break this monopoly, as breastpumps are unnecessarily expensive. Some say its an investment, long term savings instead of buying tins of formula milk. But when you ask working mothers with a monthly household income of RM2000, the lowest range of pump are priced at RM700, they'll say "breastfeeding is for the rich, because we can't afford the breastpump, the freezer, the ebm storage and whatnots". And you said breasfeeding is au naturel. It should be. But it doesn't help when the ones that really encourages milk production are pricey.

You know what I think: I think this is all is a marketing scam. My friend, who is a specialist doctor, who has to work 8-12 hours a day, sometimes for 48 hours when she's on call, managed to breastfed her daughter until the kid is almost 2. And yet she used only Manual Hand Breastpump. There you go. All you need is your own determination. Don't fall in the trap of the marketing bubble.

2. Alienation.
And to those mothers who do not breastfeed, don't feel bad. I'm sure you have your own reasons why. If breastfeeding mothers/relatives/friends pressure you, just shoo them away. They know nuts about you and you kid. There's nothing honourable in them being able to breastfeed, just to belittle others who don't.

If they tell you that you're still fat because you don't breastfeed, tell them its vice versa, without exercise the babyfats are still going to be there to stay. Haha!

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