My Daily Routine

Ever since I conceived Rou, I planned to look out for a neighbour who cooks her family's daily lunches and dinners, hoping to ride on this kind soul for my own family's meals. But alas, I only managed to get my act going a couple of weeks prior to popping, and at best managed to knock on some doors on the sixth floor of my block and got to know some aunties who don't cook.

But I KNOW that there is a good cook somewhere around my unit because every evening, my kitchen would be filled with the most delicious smells of foods I can name, most of them Cantonese dishes. Since I can tell what is being prepared by taking in these whiffs, I was pretty certain I'd totally enjoy these familiar dishes I grew up having. I literally sniffed my way to the neighbour's door, with Gabe and a bulging tummy in tow (to up the sympathy factor) but alas, it was not to be. The auntie was not keen on such an arrangement and if there is even the slightest hesitation in the other party, I know it will not work out. And then I popped. And had a month-long gastronomical experience (let's not forget the soups), for whatever auntie cooked was just great. And then reality struck - end of confinement = no more auntie = no more food.

My mum asked her mahjong buddy to feed us for two weeks. She was a great cook! It was two spectacular weeks of all sorts of yummilicious varieties. Meanwhile, I got derod to go around our neighbourhood sticking pieces of paper at lift lobbies, calling out for someone who fit the bill. Then the two weeks were up and I decided to knock on some of the doors on the first floor of my block.

For the last few years, I noticed children running around and the doors downstairs were never closed. There must be someone looking after the kids and feeding them. To cut the long story short, they were very very kind and took up this task of feeding my family. For seven months auntie and her daughter-in-law provided us with home-cooked food, friendship and help when I needed it most. The arrangement has now come to and end and I'm now face to face with my pots and pans once again. Because of that, my daily routine has now become like this:

8.00 Kids wake up. Feed Rou milk.

9.00 Breakfast with Gabe

10.00 Bathe Rou and put her down for a nap

Bathe Gabe once Rou's asleep (takes between 5-15 mins for her to knock out)

Prepare and cook lunch

12.00 Feed the kids, feed myself

2.00 Nap time for both kids

Do the dishes, clean up whatever, my free time

Sometimes prepare and cook dinner

5.00 Kids up from nap. Gabe's tv time.

7.30 Derod returns home. We have dinner.

We go out for a walk/ derod takes the kids out for a walk & I stay home to do the dishes

It's another phase of life as a mother of two! It'll be another phase once Gabe goes to school next January!