A blessing in disguise!

It has been ages since I last updated my blog, mostly, due to I had almost given up on it, since I didn’t feel like writing most of the time, and also due to time constraint.

Recently, I felt like ranting, scribbling here again. This will serve as a reminder, diary, memoirs, short scribbles and what-nots for me or my children to look back on.

Not that I have more time now, but I will try as hard as I can to write in between lunch/dinner preparations, morning breaks, after hanging the laundry or before bedtime etc but I will not force myself, otherwise, it will become another chore. Just as it will be my cooking.

Lately, due to some happenings which is of no relation to me, my mother-in-law has surrendered her dinner cooking duties. For the record, my MIL had been cooking dinner for us ever since ages ago. She cooked dinners Mondays to Thursdays while I handle all the lunches and dinners on other days. It helped a great deal since it gave me some breathing space to do other household chores especially on my full working days. I am more than grateful for her past years’ help, I think it is time for me to manage all meals on my own.

So, starting this week, it is a new challenge for me. There is more groceries to buy, need more recipe ideas, menus to plan etc. However, I am determine that this to not become a chore, but a blessing in disguise. I figured, if I cook , I will have a control over what I feed my family, and I will be able to cut down the oil/salt intake (this is the only downside of eating at my MIL’s). I will be able to ensure no canned food or preserved are used.

This is a good start, making a disadvantageous situation into a blessing with positive thoughts. I will also be able to make the kids help more in the housework, since seeing mummy busy in the kitchen makes them more willing to lend a helping hand.

More to come, this understanding towards my MIL and lovingly preparing the kids’ favourite food, will hopefully, able to send positive vibes to my kids and make them more caring and understanding beings.

Appreciations

My girl has been bringing lunch boxes to school on the days she needs to stay back in school, since last year. SRJKC schools have extra classes for students in Std 5 and 6 three days a week and students in Std 4, 5 and 6 have activities day once a week.

So, I will normally have to make preparations on the night before, wake up at 5 am and cook rice or noodles with dishes for lunch to be in time for the kids to bring to school, as the school bus comes at 6.15am. Starting this year, my boy has to stay back in school every Wednesday for activities. So, he was very excited and kept asking me what was I going to prepare for his first lunch in school (this was in Feb, I think)

I have written previously about how different are my 2 kids. My girl begin the non-expressive person, have not much comments on the food I prepare except if she thinks it is too much and she cannot finish them. Even if it is yummy, she will only comment if I ask her how she likes the food.

But with my boy, he anticipated the first ‘lunch’ day and in the morning, he peered into the wok and after finding out what I prepared, he exclaimed in a very happy voice, “ hmmm…. Smells so nice, what if I cannot stand it, and eat all of it even before lunch!” This was for their favorite chicken curry dish I cooked with fried egg, veg and rice. And later, after school, he mentioned, “I even let my friend try, so that he will envy me….”

So, it is all these simple things that makes me feel all the warmth and makes it worth the while. I bask in glory, by simple gestures like this, and I feel so fulfilled , looking at their beaming faces, while appraising my cooking. (of course, there are some downsides, when some cooking are not to their liking - I encourage them to give constructive comments too , if they do not like certain cookings). Even my girl now, is more expressive, since the other day, she told me she enjoyed her lunch , even though she was just at the gate, after returning from school!

So, here’s to many more cooking mornings!