So.. how do I manage to get by with a 5 yr old, a 2.5yr old and a 6mths old baby?
For one, I don’t cook, I don’t fancy it and I doubt I can cook in peace with a baby who needs to be fed at 5+pm and put to bed by 7pm, plus having to ferry the kids around 4/5pm on some days. So we ordered Tingkat for dinner, from Mom’s cooking, recommended by Sherrie. It is really yummy! My hubby even contemplated to get a maid, yet still continue ordering tingkat, so that there is no “mistake” for the food part. Crazy right? But he reckoned that what we pay for the tingkat is about the same with what we pay for our weekly marketing + cooking (electricity/gas/water) + effort. True? They charge $12.50 per pax for 3 dishes and 1 soup.
Lunch? We normally eat out. Yes, I bring all 3 kids, mostly alone, some days with my MIL, to food court or Yoshinoya sorts. I could bring all 3 for shopping by myself, and not just for their stuff, for MY stuff too! I brought all 3 to the swimming pool, all by myself too! The older 2 are really much much better behaved when I don’t have help. Donald, especially, i can really entrust him to take care of Victoria, and help me along. I always tell him that he is a TRUSTWORTHY boy and he feels so proud of himself. 
BECO.. a life saver.
The fact that I could shift Lizzie to the back carry position all by myself, easily and safely, really helped me a lot. Sanity! I can do house work, have my meals, shower the 2 older kids etc, with Lizzie happily sitting and sometimes, sleeping behind! My Ergo carrier lasted me through 2 kids, no doubt that it was a good carrier, I give it due credit, but Beco! Another level up. So save yourself some headache, if you have a velcro baby but got lots of other things to do besides carrying and rocking her, get a BECO! Contact Ashley now through her website!
Of course, not all are plain sailing and easy lah! For one, I had to iron till 2am in the morning, and still can’t finish ironing all the clothes. And realized there is SO SO many things to be washed in the kitchen! Seems every time I walk into the kitchen, there are stuff waiting to be washed. My hands felt so dry. I hardly have time to sit down, most of the time standing and walking, my legs were so tired, especially the days ending with ironing. Once I tried to iron while sitting down… not too fun. ha ha ha! But I tell myself, this period shall pass too!
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I am proud of you mama! You are a champion!
You are fantastic! Two thumbs up for you!
I’ve never really managed for an extended time without someone else cleaning my house (and dh does the ironing) so i’m in awe!
Well done!
wow! u r great!
maybe i shld pluck up the courage to bring my 2 kids for their swimming lesson this sunday on my own, since my hubby is outstationed.
think i shld b able to handle them, since they are older than ur kids.
Well done, Bonita for handling 3 kids all by yourself in Singapore.
Most moms here do it all on their own too without help too.
I think it does help that the older children are at school for some hours.
Although I only have two kids, I do understand how you feel about having lots of chores to do around the house.
Moms here get help in other ways. I have a dishwasher and most moms tell me they can’t do without one. And I have a weekly cleaner that comes to clean up the house fortnightly. Tingkat is one good way too but over here there isn’t anything like that and takeaways are expensive compared to SG.
Ralph is also a velcro baby and it does help to sling him (I don’t own a beco) when I go about doing my chores.
Thanks for sharing, Bonita.
You have given me hope that it is possible to do without a help. Yes it is easier with a helper but it comes with problems: A ‘raw’ one is willing to learn but teaching her can make one vomit blood. An experienced one is usually smarter and easier to teach but she will give another set of problems…
I also agree that children behave better when there is no auntie around in the house.