A new family member

It’s been almost a week since we brought Coco home. And I would say all’s well and fine, to my relief.

Some told me that it is not a good idea to rear a pet dog, since one always end up with a lot of cleaning to do eg. the poo, the sleeping place, the fur everywhere, and of course the dog itself. So far, I have entrusted this job to the “trainer” (my hubby, the one with this fantastic pet idea. He has to train the dog as well as the 2 kids on their new job responsibility). So far, he is doing the job very well, diligently getting up earlier to clean the dog place (the dog still steps all over the poo) and feed him. Not sure if it is coincidental, but hubby is also back earlier in the evening and play with the kids and dog .

I am glad that my daughter is able to conquer her fear for small animals and she is now a happy Dog’s Mummy. She would be carrying Coco or holding on to the leash whenever there is a chance. She would even hang around when Trainer is cleaning up, and even willing to wash the “kaka” (poo). The Dog’s Papa (my son) was also very enthusiastic in the first few days, but as Coco always preferred to play with hubby, his interest has waned a little in the past 2 days. But on the whole, I would say, it is not a bad decision to add Coco into the family. At least, now the family has a little one to fuss over, and the kids have a sense of ownership and responsibility. (Today, the Trainer will train the 2 kiddoes to clean Coco up). I hope with this, the kids also build their confidence.

So, here’s to share with everyone, our new addition to the family!

Dog or No Dog?

The latest topic in the house is about the word ‘dog’. It probably started because I was toying with the idea of letting the kids have a pet since they have never had one, except for some small fishes. Actually, my idea was to get something small and manageable, eg hamster or rabbits. This is to let the kids learn to take responsibility and also to cultivate their caring attitudes towards animals. But recently we saw some puppies at a pet shop while out for lunch, and there you go, it is “dog-talk” everyday.

The puppies we saw were some mix breed of chi hua hua dog and miniature pinscher. My husband wanted to get a small dog that can be brought around even when we travel on trips and that can be trained. And most importantly, it cannot be too expensive (of course $$ is the biggest concern), considering we are going to be amateur dog rearers!

So, we told the kids the conditions before getting the dog. We told them that they need to show us that they need to be able to take care of themselves first before they want to take care of the dog. By that, we meant that, they will need take responsibility for their own schoolwork, toys, other belongings, their own cleanliness etc. etc.

The next thing they talk about is about where to put the dog. My husband suggested the toilet, since we have to train the dog to poo-poo at the right place. He even wanted to let the dog wander around in the house! By now, I am beginning to think this is not a good idea. Eeeks! As it is, I have tonnes of housework to complete after work, some more need to take care of another life in the house, which may be running around the house, messing up the place.

Gee, cannot lah, not good idea… but then, all three of them are already very enthusiastic about it. I don’t want to be the wet blanket. Me and my big mouth…

How to manage one’s temper?

This is something that I have not been able to master for so many years. But it is also something that I feel I am in better control when I am at work, rather than at home. Why? Probably at work, one tend to be more civil, courteous and watchful of one’s action, keeping up with appearances etc. However, at home, since you are all comfortable, and it is like the balloon beginning let off its air, you tend to heave a sigh of relief and let go! Phew! And that is when there is no refrain and you say what you want to say.

So, how to prevent from saying the wrong thing and doing the regrettable at home?

Sometimes, when the kids are at loggerhead with each other, I tend to lose it. Resolution: I resolve to walk away the next time it happen again, never taking sides again, never saying ‘you should this , you should that’.

Sometimes, when my daughter repeats the same mistakes or is being lazy at schoolwork, I tend to lose it. Resolution: I will tell her in a firm tone, making sure it is not in any way, intimidating or seen as scolding her. I resolve to listen to her more and after that reason with her. If explanation not taken, I will find a more suitable time to broach the subject with her.

Sometimes, when I have too many things to do at home and everything seems to be waiting for me to complete, I tend to lose it. I would try to prioritise my tasks. The ‘to-do’ list is never ending and one can never complete them. So, I resolve to take things easy. Outsource wherever possible, otherwise close one eye to all those dirt and grease. (this I learn from my husband!)

This is my very own resolution list for year 2009. (Is it too early for a resolution lists?) Maybe more will come. Just one to keep myself in perspective since I am stepping into another “life”.

Mummy goes to work again!

18th November

I am writing this offline, hoping to post this when I have the internet connection again.
Today, will be my 2nd day back to work, juggling home and work once more. Not like I have never done it, ok lah, not too bad. Things are not too bad, since its school holidays, and the kids do not have homework to do . And also since work momentum has not started yet.

How are the kids taking it? They are quite oblivious to the change, since the only the question that came from them and which I thought was quite cute “ Mummy, did your Boss scold you?” They seemed more adaptable since they are already used to going to the childcare. Hope this continues.

I am trying very hard to look at things on the brighter side. So, let’s hope and keep up the positive tone!

Multi-tasking Mummy

Actually, I think I need to change the title of this blog and the about this blog narration as well. No, it is not that I am turning this into politic blog or a food blog or etc. It is because I have made another major decision, I am going back to work! A job offer came knocking and I have decided to grab it!

It is undeniable that my previous reservations are still there and I have no qualms that I prefer to stay at home and be with the kids. However, rationale I am, I think in times of economy uncertainty like this, we will be more secured with 2 income in a family rather than 1. So, I have decided to go back there again! But I have enjoyed updating this blog and hope to continue to update life’s rants and thoughts and parenting trials and errors.

What about my kids? Well, in these few months, we have come to conclude that my daughter needs to take time to change her attitude as a person and her outlook towards her own responsibility and schoolwork. So, therefore, I have decided to step back, and let her learn it. But of course, kids need lots of guidance and supervision which I hope to be able do, while I am multi-tasking between being an accountant, a house cleaner, a mother, a wife, a teacher or a cook.

Coincidence, I am actually supposed to go back to work today, but with the kids down with chicken pox, I have to defer work to next week. Hope they recover when mummy need to put on that high heels again!

Anyhow, good luck to me in my new job and hope this works out!

The kids get chicken pox!

Strike 4D already! Both the kids have chicken pox! So, this is something for all mothers to take precaution of. Even though your kids may have already been vaccinated for chicken pox, they may get infected with the virus again. Beats me, but it happened!

Last Wednesday, my daughter told me, “Mummy, I have 2 spots here on my belly. “ I didn’t think much of it and sent her off to school. And the next morning, “Voila, what do we have, 2 kiddoes with spots all over the body”. Even my son have those spots with watery stuffs in it, though considerably mild.

So, the doctor confirmed its chicken pox, we are all grounded for 2 weeks at least. And the kids will have to miss the school concert which has been scheduled for this Friday (14th Nov), I guess. It is a real pity since they have already prepared and rehearsed for it. What more, my son is to get the much awaited prize for winning 2nd place in his kindy class.

Well, now, I am cracking my head over how to entertain these 2 kids who have too much time at home and what to cook for them taking note of all the taboos (dark sauces, beans, prawns, chicken, eggs are to be scrapped from the menu). So, it is quite a challenge too. And on top of that, there is a third patient in the house, the papa has a swelling gum due to a major dental surgery on Friday!

So, the things I cooked for the patients range from macaroni, noodles in anchovies soup, promfret porridge, pork porridge, bee hoon soup. I gave them mushroom soup too, but I guess that should not be given as well. Running of of ideas soon!

They have done almost all the things we can think of eg. played dinosaurs, Barbie dolls, build contruction lorries, played Jumpstart, watched Atlantis, Madagascar replay, drew Papa bear, done some holiday homework etc. I guess we will have to reserve the other activities for the many more days to come.

The other Chinese taboos, means the kids can’t take bath, wash hair, go play outdoor, etc etc. Anyway, I thought otherwise, so I let them take their daily bath, with warm water and wash hair on alternate days. I believe they have to be kept clean and cool, so that the blisters don’t get infected or multiply.

Other to-dos means making them a lot of cooling stuffs eg. barley water, liang cha, let them take pearl powder, yellow coconut juice etc. All these must be taken in moderation, in case their cough comes back.

The poor kids kept complaining of itchiness, esp. my daughter since she has some really big blisters. So, I started telling them my very own experience with chicken pox which was much more worse than theirs. And they were rather consoled and started asking, " Did you have them in your hair, eyes, belly button too?, Did you look into the mirror?". So, the Princess Scratch-All and Mr. Tortoise Eat-Slow kept jabbing me with questions about my own quest with the irritable ordeal.

Can’t spend time blogging too long, need to get back to the kids.

Kids Game

The kids thoroughly enjoyed some online games in the weekends. Let them take a break since the exams are over. Well, actually mummy has some hidden agenda. Some of the games eg. Kidsknowit, Starfall is suppose to be educational. But I think at the same time, it is not too stressful type.

My girl loves the memory game at KidsKnowIt, because she could finish all 11 levels twice! But next, I will like to find some more relaxing games for her to balance up. And the little boy likes some leaping frog and dinosaurs (as usual) games. Kidsknowit is probably for children age 7 and above. But my son likes to do whatever his sister does.!

For the younger kids there are other games eg. PBSKids, Noggin.com, NickJr, SesameStreet and many more.

Sometimes, interactive games are good for kids, esp. in this modern age. But we don’t want them to lose control and spend all day in front of the computer. So, I always only allow them an hour in front of it. And we have to be selective in the games they indulge in. I will definitely rule out those violent games!

Why kids become over-reliant on their parents?

In one of my ‘cleaning’ session (yalah, a stay-at-home-mum must do some cleaning mah..), a thought suddenly occurred to me. I was struggling to fix back the stand fan after giving it a thorough cleaning, and I was having such a hard time. I had to figure out what fit where, so that everything sits in nicely. I almost gave up, and was going to just say “ What the heck, leave it to hubby, afterall it is his forte.” But I gave it a few more go, and there it goes, I can do it too. Who says women can’t dabble in technical stuffs?

Well, I was not going to ramble on about the fan, I just suddenly thought the reason why I have that inclination to put off trying. My hubby is the type of person who would come to my rescue, every time I can’t fix anything in the house be it the breadmaker, the curtain railings, the computers, my handphone etc. So, I had actually become over-reliant on him and always take the easy way out! (It is not really a bad thing though since it makes him feel useful! Ha!)

Anyway, I figured the same thing must be the reason for my daughter being too dependent on us. Since I was working most of the time, (before I quit my last job) I naturally always have that guilt, that I never spend enough time with my kids, so all the more I push myself to be the perfect mummy (almost impossible) , trying to achieve everything at home after office hours. I would do the house-cleaning, the laundry, the cooking, the homework coaching, exam mugging etc etc. So, I guess I was trying to be there every time my kids need me. I would be beside her whenever she has problems in her homework (in between laundry task. Familiar for some mothers out there?), reminding her about spellings, or ejaan for the next day, checking all her books to ensure no homework is left undone etc. I guess she had become over-reliant on me, so much so she doesn’t do her own scheduling or planning.

Now that she will be stepping into Standard Two next year, I guess I will have to let go gradually. Parents have to learn to let go as their kids grow up. (heard this somewhere). I will need to sit her down one day (when the mood is right) and try to tell her this. I will give her the due freedom she needs, but in turn, she needs to understand that she has to take responsibility in her own daily life!

So much for the fan!

Hooray! Exam over!

This week, I am tied up with exam revisions with my daughter and son. It is more like me sitting for the exams. That explains for the long period of my not blogging.

Yeah! Today is the last day of exams, and it also means Papa and Mummy merdeka also. Well, there is a lot that I learned from this past one week, not mugging for the exams, but it terms of parenting. Well, we learn all the time, don't we? And sometimes, I think parenting theory probably can be applied at workplace for managing colleagues, bosses etc. Ha!

First, patience is golden, not silence. Kids temperamental varies, and when it comes to the mood, sometimes she may be in a mood for learning, sometimes, she just plain shut off, so we as parents have to be patient. Even when she throws a tantrum, we have to look at things from another perspective, put ourselves in her shoes, is she too tired, does she need a break? When she makes a mistake, we have to repeatedly explain. (Trust me, it is not easy, esp. when my daughter is just out of sync, and do not want to listen). Isn’t this familiar, at your workplace too? Don’t you have staffs, that need constant reminders too, but still make mistakes all over again?

Sometimes, we need to listen to them more. You will be surprise sometimes, what they think/say actually make sense. “Mummy, teacher only let us answer these by choosing the A, B, or C.” It suddenly occurred to me, that she is right, I have been letting her practice on workbooks that probably have higher standards than required – she just needs to answer the objective answers, instead of writing answers in sentences.

Creativeness also plays a part in making parenting less stressful. Maybe instead of the usual reading and writing, we can make learning more fun by thinking up other activities. My kids enjoy scribbling on the white board. At home, we have a white board which they can write their spellings or put their artistic talent to play. This takes off some pressure from the actual learning. Instead of memorizing multiplication tables, we have them in songs which they can hum even when in the car.

When my daughter is having one of her temper, she often loses herself. Sometimes, she screams, or cry , bargaining for less worksheets to do etc. The important thing for a parent to do in such situation is to immediately cool down, take deep breath. I often send her off to cool down (take a stroll around the house, jump on the I-bouncer, face the wall and have some time-off, or take a bath). This serves as a cooling period for me too. And when she is back, she is often better. Then, I will reason with her. Sometimes, she is able to accept my explanations.

Scheduling is important. As my daughter has a jugdging character, she likes to be told her revision schedule, eg. 2 hours of revision and after that it is TV time. If she doesn’t cooperate and we runs off the schedule, her TV time is automatically taken off. If all’s well, a promise is a promise, give her some time in front of the square box!

Just as adult like to receive their annual increment/ bonus during performance appraisals, children also get motivated when we occasionally give them a pet on the back, and tell them “good job done, great effort etc.” Rewards must be measurable, specific, timely and fair. My kids have a weekly star collecting chart which papa promises a KFC meal for good behaviour, or a favourite princess/ooh notebook. A word of caution, the novelty of these rewards can wear off pretty fast and become non-effective, so we have to always think of some other ideas.

So, happy parenting!

Banana Muffin

Sometimes, the kids like to "help" in the kitchen. Today’s post will be just to jot down grandma’s infamous muffin recipe so that grandma feel proud for her contribution to this blog. It is so easy to make and yummy too!

Ingredient:
Flour 250gm
Sugar 200 gm (can be lessen, depending on preference)
Eggs 2 big ones
Sour cream/Yogurt 200 gm (I modified and used fresh milk)
Oil/ Buttter 90ml
Banana – 4 or 5 “biji” smashed
Raisins - optional

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven at 180 degrees (celcius)
2. Beat the eggs until it has plenty of bubble.(My kids go “whoa” and “can already” when it is all fluffy.)
3. Then, add the sugar, oil and milk slowly, one at a time. And continue beating the mixture until light and creamy.
4. When it is well mixed, add in the banana.
5. Lastly, fold in the flour (do not use the beater for this step).
6. Then add in the raisins.
7. Place 14 to 15 paper cups into muffin tins. Spoon batter to fill half of each case.(my daughter is good at filling up the cups. Her small hands are quite steady already)
8. Bake in oven for 40-45 mins or until golden brown.


Though Uncle Chun is far away in Kuala Lumpur. Here is your birthday muffin! Happy Birthday!

Just Do It!

Life decisions are often difficult to make. Sometimes, after we have taken the plunge, we think back and may start to waver. This is made worse when we start pondering the consequences of our actions. Whether it may be for better or worse, sometimes only time will tell. At times, some of us may tend to be affected by what others around us might comment. Or what others may innocently blurt out as passing remarks may make us think and lose sleepless nights.

Anyhow, whether the decision is to make sacrifice of one’s career opportunities for the sake of one’s children or family. Or to make a career switch that is the total opposite of one’s original vocation, one should be truthful to one self and ask some of these questions:
- What are my personal priorities?
- Will I be happier staying at home, with the kids, spending my time understanding their temperament, be there for all the tantrums, homeworks and spellings, hugs and kisses and of course be able to proudly say, “I manage the home well” (never ask for perfection though)
- Will I be able to work at home and be financially independent too? (In Malaysia, this aspect is a bit tough and many mothers are trying hard to break into this trend since society/employers are not supportive of flexi hours, or work-from-home arrangements. I am still trying!)
- If I switch career, what do I like doing most and yet, I can support my current lifestyle? Do I have sufficient knowledge in the field which I am going to pursue? And the ultimate question, will I be happy?

Sometimes, these questions cannot be answered once and stay stagnant. We might change our thinking or opinions as time progress. Maybe in a year or two, when a good opportunity turns up, or when the kids get a hang of school life (no need for mummy to keep tabs on schoolwork) or when it gets plain boring at home (with no topics to blog about!), then it is time to move and make that life decision again. Maybe that decisions may also change in a week or two!

The essence of it is, we make out what our life is, and we face the consequences. There is no need for us to bother what others do, usually do, should do, or will do. Just do it, and just do it our way!

World Apart!

Sometimes, when I look at my two kiddoes, they seem to be world apart, although they come from the same “factory”.

My daughter seem to be the more imaginative and creative one; she could make her own Barbie doll dresses with just a piece of cloth and some ribbons.
My son is the one who is able to follow thru lego instruction booklet and build the most complicated dinosaurs that a 5 year old can make. On the contrary, my daughter would build her self designed houses/animal because she thinks following the instruction is just too cumbersome.

That I would think would define my daughter to be a more “intuiting” child and my son to be a more “sensing” child. One like to imagine her own world, while the other like to stick to the rules.

When first introduced to strangers, my son will seem to be the shy one, but after a while, he is always the one who is able to lure new friends, (usually boys!) with his toy cars/transformers and they will be zooming and kabooming here and there. He can even play with his sister’s friends when they were over for a play session. On the other hand, though my daughter makes friends at school without any problems, but she takes time to warm up to people.

I cannot specifically place them, but I guess at one time or another, they just are more inclined to be introvert or extrovert, but not specifically one or another.

I am not sure if it is age or their personality. My son seem to be more a “feeling” person, more emotional and sensitive to another being. And of course he cries more often. And he likes my hugs and kisses too. For one, grandma trick him for one or two kisses and he always oblige. My daughter seem the more tough one. Even when she lost her beloved handbag last Sunday, she did sob a little but I was surprise, she was able to get over it in less than an hour. I guess Papa’s treat of McD worked. I guess maybe she is more the ”thinking” one.

So, there you go my little mar and venus. Though they seem world apart, the important thing is they are able to iron out their differences and as their parent, I should understand their different personality, and try to tailor my parenting style to suit them.

Super Standard Ones!

Wah, our Education Ministry must think that we have super duper Standard Ones kah? I was going through the Malay subject with my daughter and guess what they are learning?

"papan kekunci, tetikus, pengimbas, laman web, komputer berinternet etc...” on one chapter. Ok, maybe we didn’t have these in our times because of computer system was not so common then.(kebelakangan already,… sign). Bet some of you dunno those terms right?

Then there is another chapter, “ perpaduan, berbilang kaum, kemerdekaan”, figuratives like, “jatuh terkorban, cahaya mata”. Can you imagine what my daughter asked me, “He fell down ah?”

On one hand, the ministry is saying that we must have all-rounded students, on another, we see students needing to learn all these terms by hard, since they are like jumping from ABC, to suddenly needing to learn difficult words and even make sentences with them! From the carefree kindy (I made sure my kids go to kindy that emphasise not only on academic, but also on moral and emotional intelligence), after they step into Std one, it is like stepping into “no fun” land. They have to learn penjodoh bilangan, kata tanya, kata hubung, kata ganti nama etc. And mind you, not the easy ones eg. “buah, batang or biji”, they are now at “sikat, bilah” etc. and not just “ dan, atau” they are even learning “ sambil, apabila, bagaimana, mengapa etc”, all in a matter of days and without much drilling or exercises from the teacher.

Seems to me like, they are cramming all there is to learn into one year, whereas, we used to only start to enjoy the beauty of the Malay Language by reading everyday , “ Ahmad pergi ke sekolah, Ali dan Ahmad ialah kawan baik”. Simple, but at least, I could slowly master the basic which is what is essential instead of just “learning without understanding”.

I am not sure what is the objective of all these. Shouldn’t we as adult, give the children the correct perspective and mindset. Now that many of these Chinese medium students are so petrified of the subject, I am not sure if we achieve anything by jumping the gun and letting a 7 year-old learn what a 9 year-old used to be learning.

I just hope and pray my daughter is not turned off in the other subjects as well. A lot of coaching is needed after school. It is no more just the happy-go-lucky yester years we enjoyed when we were sevens. I pity her at times, but yet, I have to guide her to the needful, even though I don’t agree that she has to memorise or learn not only the name of shapes and colours but also, “how many sides, how many concave areas, how many points”. Gee… learning is not so fun anymore.

Dare to be Different

I hope this is good enough to add to my blog here. Well, probably just some of my rants and thoughts.

Ever since I stopped work, I know there have been many questions as to whether I would stop work totally, as in retire out of the corporate world, be a stay-at-home mother. Many questions loom in many people’s mind including some of my closest relatives who actually has my best interest at heart, I should think so. And of course there are those gossipers who won’t stop at predicting the worst possible reasons there can be.

Since young, I had always done things out of my own inkling. I am not someone who will just follow the herds or the majority. You see even when choosing college or country to further my studies, I had always dared to be different. When most of my close friends chose Singapore colleges, I chose a college in KL, When mostly went on to Singapore university or twinning programmes, I went straight for the UWA tertiary programme in Western Australia. Although I made new friends, but it is just lonely at times. But I guess when I see something ahead of me which I think warrant changes or different action, I will just step into it with no regrets.

I hope I can say the same thing now. Opting out of my permanent and stable job and working from home. I just feel that my family needs me more than my being trapped in a considerably high-paying job which at the end of the day, just makes me so tired out and pressured to even enjoy my family life.

If you ask me how it has been these 2 months at home. Well, I should say, “Very Good!”. At least I think I have managed to really spend time having fun with my kids, doing things we didn’t have time to do together before! We washed the car, played UNO, played jigsaw, made muffins etc etc. I hope the list goes on and I have more to add. I loved it, the kids too! It is so rewarding to hear my son saying, “ Mummy is my no. 1 person!”

And on her revision, my daughter is now more on track, although she is still struggling with her Malay Language. It takes time and a lot of patience. But I can see now, that she actually listens. I am trying to cultivate the smart learning habit instead of rote learning without much understanding. She is beginning to understand the need for her to concentrate in school and during revision time, as I made it clear that these are rewarded with playtime and tv time. She still needs a lot of coaching and reminders. Children are just as human as any of us. We need to be sensitive to their feelings and need for space. So, clear instructions and schedules are drawn out, and if she is able to follow thru, she will get to relax thereafter.

Well, I wouldn’t say that I won’t step out there to work at all. It will be perfect if someone would offer me part time jobs where I can balance both work and family, and be self-sufficient at the same time. If a good offer come by (I am still going for interviews), I will go back there. All I am saying is my priority is my family! I don’t think that is too much to ask for, is it?

It is just that again, I dared to be different. And everyone is asking “You are not working ah?” , “ You study so hard, then now don’t work, wasted lah…”

Well, how many of you out there, dare to be different?

Network Marketing for Easy Money!

Author: Craig Ritsema

Ok, I know what you’re thinking, another marketing guru selling a way to make quick money. Well, sorry, that’s not the kind of easy money I’m referring to.

Network Marketing has been around for a while. Most of us know someone who has a friend or relative who became involved in off-line network marketing. We listened to their sales pitch with our mind already set on how we were going to say no and the best way to get out of the meeting as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Through out the sales pitch we thought to ourselves, what would drive someone to put this much effort into selling these products? Why would they spend all this time promoting their product to their friends and relatives? Would we ever be able to meet them again and look them in the face wondering if they were going to start into their sales pitch?

All in all, this kind of network marketing seemed rather painful to someone from the outside. Not only was it time consuming, but you needed to be a person with the ability to sell. Most people involved this way did not start out as professional sales people, but they knew they would need to learn these skills in order to succeed.

What our friends understood about network marketing is that the first customers are the hardest. Once these customers started recruiting their own customers things started getting easier. Over time, their income would grow faster. They were sold on the product they were selling and definitely the concept of network marketing. They were persistent and determined not to quit!

I could not help but think – could they really be on to something? It seemed impossible, but what if it worked? Our friends did eventually become successful. But I believe it was only because they were determined to make it work. Giving up was not an option for them.

Times have changed and off-line network marketing has turned into on-line network marketing. The concept remains the same:

- Sell someone else’s products and make a commission on each product.

- Sell the opportunity to others so they do the same, while making a commission on their sales as well.

The second sale is what makes network marketing most rewarding and leads to “RESIDUAL INCOME”. This kind of income keeps coming without you yourself having to do the work.

Today, online network marketing has greatly simplified selling other companies’ products. Not only do they generally do the selling for you, but THE WORLD IS NOW YOUR PROSPECT! To become a network marketer all you need is a computer, internet connection and a good product with opportunity that can be sold. POINT AND CLICK IS THE METHOD OF SALES TODAY! Good companies offering affiliate programs for network marketing also provide many ways to learn the ropes and how to sell their products. Anyone can learn how to do it!

If online marketing is so easy, why isn’t everyone doing it? It takes time and persistence. This is the hardest part. Our friends understood this and they were determined to succeed and persevere. Is online network marketing easy? Yes. Does online network marketing take time and effort? Absolutely. Persistence and determination are the key skills needed for today’s environment. The actual work is easy. Do you want to make money? Are you determined and willing to persevere? Then set your mind on success and grab your network marketing gold!

Craig Ritsema operates a successful part time home business and resides in Michigan, USA. For more details visit his site at: http://www.part-time-work-at-home-opportunities.com/

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Since 1998, SFI has been leading the Internet income revolution with its cutting edge affiliate program that empowers even average people to earn $20, $50, even $100 per hour working from their home computer.

SFI has shown millions of men and women from over 200 countries worldwide how to cash in on the Internet. In fact, our system is so successful that OVER 8000 people join SFI every week!

SFI is totally FREE for affiliates to join. And there's absolutely NO OBLIGATION. SFI provides you with FREE Websites, a FREE course that teaches you everything you need to know to make money online ($295 value), and hundreds of exciting products to stock your online store shelves with.

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What is a Home Business?

Author: Craig Ritsema

First, let me clarify what kind of Home Business I’m discussing. There are many different kinds including just about anything that you could do from your home. I’m specifically talking about the kind of home business you do from your computer on the internet. It could be either a part time or full time opportunity. Most online home businesses are involved with promoting another companies goods and services. The kind of goods and services varies greatly. This is the simplest and least costly way to start a home business as most people do not have products of their own to sell. So why should I sell another companies products? The simple reason is because they pay you a commission on what you sell. Here again, how this is done varies considerably from one company to the next. Generally they have created what is called an affiliate program which you can join – either for free or for a fee. You then become an affiliate of that company, kind of like a salesperson, but you are not an employee of the company. Now this is starting to sound like a REAL business! That is exactly my point and that is what you should expect if you are interested in starting your own. Just because it is done on the internet with visibility to the world, don’t expect it to happen overnight – even though that is what most of us would like. A home business can be a success if our expectations are right and we pursue it like any other legitimate business opportunity!

Several things to consider if you are considering your own business:

1. DECIDE WHETHER TO JOIN A COMPANY’S AFFILIATE PROGRAM OR PURSUE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES. There are many different ways to start a home business. My suggestion would be to start with only one opportunity and learn it so that you are not overwhelmed with information and training. If you are just starting out, there is a lot to learn – but it is not difficult – just takes a little time. Support from an affiliate program can assist you with the learning curve.

2. DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND RESEARCH BEFORE YOU SELECT A COMPANY FOR WHOM YOU WILL WORK WITH. No one wants to spend time, effort and money building a business only to end up with promoting a business product which is no longer available, or is not available globally. How and when they pay their commissions should also be considered. Is the company a member of the Better Business Bureau? Are the products something you would buy? Do they have products? How long have they been in business?

3. FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH MONEY YOU CAN SPEND EACH MONTH ON YOUR BUSINESS. With an online business, it does not take much but you need some method to promote with. Setting up your own website is probably the most common way and can be done with a minimal investment. If lack of money is an issue, there are free ways to promote but more time involvement is required.

4. MAKE SURE THE COMPANY YOU WORK WITH PROVIDES TRAINING AND SUPPORT. This can be a huge benefit if you are just starting out. Once you learn, you can find your own niche or specialty and perhaps become the next home business guru. Starting your own home business can be very exiting and rewarding! It can also be a solid source of income for years to come. Don’t expect it to just happen, but it will with perseverance and determination. There are not very many other business opportunities like this which you can start so easily from your home. Take advantage of it!

Craig Ritsema operates a successful part time home business and resides in Michigan, USA. For more details visit his site at: http://www.part-time-work-at-home-opportunities.com

Work from Home

While everyone is preoccupied with the Sept 16h deadline and recent ISA hoo-haa, I am preoccupied with my thoughts, as usual. I am actually toying with the idea of getting involved in the online affiliate marketing business. Recently, I have come across a good resource that could well get me off a good start. This website has all the tips, advices, forums, mentoring etc. I actually like the idea that I will be able to work at my free will, and time, and best of all, I am able to work from home, and have my daughter under my scrutiny as well! (Actually, I won’t want her to depend on me too much!, But I really like to spend more time and build the rapport that any mother and daughter should have. After all, maybe she will only allow me to do that for the next ten years! After that, it is off limits time…)

Actually, there is whole lot of things to do to earn money online. One just has to explore a little but with care, since there is a lot of scam business out there. The website I came across is part of an advertising network where you either advertise or promote the network and the works or sell retail products of SFI Marketing which ranges from nutritional, cleaning, personal care, pet care, telecommunication products, and more.

SFI is a US company that has been around for > 20years) Please read: https://www.sfimg.com/Reference/AboutSFI.sfi

There are also other products eg. IAHBE (International Association of Home Business Entrepreneurs) membership which is a good resource for people who would like to work from home/ internet business opportunity etc. I am actually exploring this currently.

There are several programs in there, depending on the person who sign up to choose at his free will. One of it is, the Eye Earn Program. Get paid to drive your car, wear T-shirts, drink your favorite coffee, walk your dog and more with EyeEarn, a special version of SFI's Network Builder Program. EyeEarn allows you to build a lucrative residual income stream by participating in its personal advertising network. All active EyeEarn members automatically receive one share of the total MaxMalls Sales Pool. The MaxMalls Sales Pool is 80% of the total revenues SFI receives from all of the MaxMalls.com store sales. The more sales MaxMalls generates, the larger your share can become. MaxMalls.com features hundreds of the biggest, most respected and recognized brands and merchants, including Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, iTunes, PetsMart, eBay, and more.

I will like to share this with the people out there who are interested, as I am sure there are many mothers out there looking for opportunity to work from home, or others who will like to earn extra income! So, I will write more the next time.

Tune in again!

Playtime!

10th September, 4pm

I must quickly pen this down, else I might just miss out the details. Today, I had 6 kids ranging from 5 to 9years old coming to have their ‘playtime’ at my house.

It has been a long plan to have my kids’ friends over at our place, but it just never worked out. Since this week is UPSR exam week, and the kids are very free with 3 days of holidays, I thought why not. After all, how difficult is it to handle 6 kids.

It was to be only a 3 hour session since they have other programs at the childcare in the afternoon. Phew! Anyway, I had the activities all planned out and the kids were going to have the time of their life!, and Aunty Lee Sar is going to be the best aunty in the world!

First, my daughter introduced them to our house, bringing them everywhere. See how excited she is to have her friends over! I have to add that there are actually five girls and a boy, my son being the only thorn among the roses. Anyway Yi Hahn is not about to miss the fun, coz he wants to play with all the ‘jie jie’ too.

Then, it is Barbie Doll and Little Pony time. So, out came all the dollies The girls really had their imagination at play, setting up Barbie , Polly and Lila for a Genting excursion. . It is really a girly thing, I am beginning to regret having my son join this playgroup. Anyway, my son came out with all his Batman cars and Transformers too. Not wanting to leave him out, I let him show off his skills at transforming his Iron Hide. And he was brimming from side to side after that.

After that, I think it was some time for highlight of the day. We had some ‘ice- cream decorating’ time. We had chocolate rice, smarties, peanuts, cookies to decorate the ice cream. While the ice-cream melted, the kids heart melted, I think. YI Hahn was so cute with his face smudged with ice cream. You should see the video I recorded of the kids. I wonder if I can post it here (... still need to study how to use ths blogsite)

Then, it is time to show them some crafts. Though only mastered this morning after several SOS calls to my mother, I managed to actually showed the kids how to make small boxes from used greeting cards. The kids started off with some enthusiasm but after that, some of them started getting restless and seemed tired. So, the lesson of the day is, 'kids easily get bored., activities should not last more than 30 minutes'.

The last 15 minutes, was prize giving time which all the kids enjoyed most, (who don’t like prizes). They were delighted after finding their treasure (which were hidden) according to the numbers that were randomly picked by themselves.. Yi Wen picked a number for an eraser and glue present, but I think she preferred the princess notebook that her friend got. Anyway, I told her “you work hard, I have many surprises you know”.(hinting that I would give her another present another day if she show some improvement in her schoolwork)

Well, I had fun, not just the kids. 3 hours is just nice, if it were longer, I wouldn’t have known what else to do with them.

This is one of little luxury that I get to do with my kids, since I am staying at home. I wouldn’t have this chance/ time if I were still struggling at the corporate world. However, I got a call from a recruiter this morning. He has news for me, I am to go for an interview next Tuesday. So, what do I do? Stay at home or join back the the other working mothers? Dilemma…. Anyhow, I will go for the interview and let’s see how this goes.

A nobel cause

9th September 2008

Today, is one of the days Yi Wen will be off from school due to the UPSR exam for the Standard 6 pupils. So, after discussing with her, she agreed that she would stay home with Mummy for the day (instead of going to the childcare. Both my kids are still at the childcare since I have not decided on my next step, ie. stay at home or work again). After all, she gets to wake up at eight/ nine o’clock, Good deal, isn’t it?

I thought I will try her out with my home-tuition method and see if we both are comfortable with this arrangement. So, we started off with her having her favorite breakfast of curry puffs (sort of setting her mood right purpose lah…). Then it is 2 hours of homework and revision time. From 9 till 11 pm, she was to complete some schoolwork and make some mathematics revision. It started off well, with me doing my internet surfing and checking emails (my other plan for staying at home to find other income thru online business etc.) and she doing her homework. However, things started to get ugly when she got stuck at her mathematics questions. She was so easily frustrated,, but I had to be cool, I told myself, I told her patiently and repeated how to tackle the question. But she was already out of sync. But I should say, I managed to be quite cool in explaining my purpose. Room for improvement though.

Then the rest of the day, I tried to make it a fun thing for her. She cooked lunch with me. Talked non stop. Even helped me with taking in the laundry which I rewarded her for good work done. Then, we made muffins together (as promised). She did her painting, though by this time, already very tired, I suppose. Anyway, I got her to take a short nap before we fetch Yi Hahn together

It was overall a good day. I should try this again on Thursday. Revision and then play time. So that she gets accustomed to staying at home with me (in case I really decided to stay at home). Actually the main idea of my staying at home will be to coach YI Wen in her schoolwork (since her results deteriorated last semester). How nobel, yah? Well, I thought if doing 2 things, working and coping with housework and kids is not working out, why not just focus on something. And then, there is the nagging thought of my neglecting the kids’s schoolwork (esp. Yi Wen’s) while I struggle to go to work everyday. Gee… (still at the back of my mind)