When he is not around

It's a beautiful saturday morning for us. I just love having the morning sun shine in our bedroom through the bay windows. It rejuvenates me, especially with Abba songs in the background. A good time to write a post while the kids are glued to Mamma Mia movie for the 1456th time;).

My man has been away for almost two week. He boarded a plane with an open return ticket...no date was fixed for his return. When he is away, the biggest challenges I have to deal with are missing him, and off course without a live-in helper, managing the kids on my own.

I used to sulk, cry, beg for him to think of ways to escape from doing the trips. And finally I let go. This time around, I just let him go...and constantly pray that he'd be back safely in our arms again.

He's been moving from place to place in Sabah and Sarawak. He said he'd send a postcard from each place. I thought it was amusing first, later I realised he got that idea from Benjamin Button and thought he was just joking. Was surprised to see one in the mailbox. It was addressed to Bea1 not to me. But I laughed at that anyway.

Weekdays are not so bad, though I get all sweaty in the morning to get all 4 ready to leave the house. Dinners are always simple. No pounding for sambal belacan, all is done within 15 minutes. It could be fried meehoon (which is always too bland to hubby), simple pasta with cream-based sauce (that he does not like) or when mama is just too lazy, rice and telur goreng with some vege. Luckily my kids wallop everything.

Weekend is a lot more challenging. Mama is always bored, the kids are even more. It's impossible to have outing to malls. When I think I can manage, I invited guests (with kids) over. But last weekend I thought the apartment was too messy to have that. We stayed in whole day on Saturday.

I baked Jamie Oliver's roast chicken again. A bit dry this time, maybe cause I forgot to lower the temp. of the oven and had it cook longer. Or due to the relatively skinny organic chicken I used. Anyway, kids just love it. Thought it would last till dinner, but they asked to have the rest of the leftover for afternoon 'snack'.

I kept myself busy when the little ones nap. I reorganise the wardrobe. I put away clothes that are no longer or very occasinally used. I can't believe how much 'junk' we have, considering I don't shop that much, I think. The clothes were all pushed under a bed.


I no longer like the Ikea Antonius system that I thought a good (and cheap) idea. I dissembled it, and will persuade hubby to fix it at the yard. He always hate it when I keep changing my mind. That gives us more space for new wardrobe...yet another trip to Ikea waiting;).

We went to the pool on Sunday morning. I just love the pool. In the morning it is partly shaded, just at the right spot where the benches are. Not many families with small kids here, we have mostly bachelors and students, who are mostly in bed due to clubbing or partying the night before. So most of the time we occupy the whole pool area.


A pool fun for kids means tiring time for me, I have to run after them and be very watchful as the adults pool just besides it. Plus making sure that everyone has their hair washed after that. Bea3 and Adel still hate hair-washing.




But when they behave, it is just relaxing to hear the laughs of my girls splashing water and pretending to be mermaids. Or watching Adel pouring water, and being occupied 'experimenting' with it. All in the comfort of the shade under the trees while having bright sun all over.

In the afternoon we squeezed in some time to go the a park nearby. I let them let off pent-up energy there. Later we had dinner at the A&W nearby, while mama thought she should have bought two birds of chick instead of one that day.


Last weekend went quite well, but later a busy week for me, two-day conference in KL and a day-trip to Ipoh but everything went smoothly. Bea1 had tests for both school and KAFA. Being the first time, I took that easy and didn't even ask her to revise.

I was nervous about this weekend though. Parents-in-law came on Thursday and stayed for one night. Mom-in-law asked us to spend the long weekend at the kampung, but I'd rather stay in.

We didn't receive any more postcards. Hubby says besides KK, the other places in Sabah does not have their own. So he won't be sending cards with a pic of Mount Kinabalu again and again;).

Anyway, he just confirmed that he'll be fyling back tonight...yay! Can't wait...but we still have long hours to go. I will get myself busy after lunch...but first we head off to the pool again!