Everything's coming up roses: JM Floral Creation subscription service

When I was young, I wished that I could be admitted to hospital one day, so that people would buy flowers, chocolates and cake for me. But of course, I hoped that whatever I was warded for wasn't something serious! I guess it came from reading all the books that showed these little girls getting loads of presents when they had to go to the hospital (It brings to mind the book Madeline!). Crazy, I know. 

Since then, I've definitely outgrown that irrational hope. After all, there are far nicer circumstances to receive flowers, chocolates and cake! However, I've been warded a couple of times, such as after the delivery of all four kids. And yes, there were flowers (but usually no chocolate or cake) each time. I guess people buy flowers for those resting in hospital, because they are able to bring such cheer and loveliness into any room!

I was contacted by Joyce from Ji Mei Flower to see if I was keen to review their flower subscription service. JM Floral Creation is a subsidiary of Ji Mei Flower, that handles events such as weddings. They recently launched this service, where you can get a bouquet of fresh flowers sent to you on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis. Fresh blooms every week? Without having to stay in hospital? Of course I said yes!

To keep the service affordable, subscribers are not allowed to choose the type of flowers they want. However, this means you get a pleasant surprise each time the Ji Mei delivery truck comes by! For the first delivery, a complimentary jar is provided for your flowers, along with a packet of flower "food" which helps to preserve the freshness of the blooms for a longer period of time. A sheet with helpful tips on how to care for your flowers is also provided. Subsequent bouquets are cut to fit the jar, but all bouquets are wrapped, which means you can also choose to use the bouquet as a gift.

It was a really convenient way of bringing some beauty into the home: all you have to do is to remove the wet cotton wool, wrapping and tape, and put the blooms in the jar! There is no having to struggle with cutting stems, while getting pricked by thorns in the process (which is what used to happen to me). 

Having the folk at Ji Mei do the flower selection also means that you get unique bouquets each time. While they incorporated classic favourites, such as roses, in their arrangements...

... each bouquet usually had something unconventional and special too, such as a lush protea,  or even delicate Phalaenopsis orchids paired with pink hydrangea. I have always pictured these so called moth orchids as tabletop decor, and never would have thought of including them in a bouquet!

Joyce shared that their team tries to innovate when it comes to these floral arrangements, which result in such unique combinations. That aside, I loved how they incorporated some foliage as well, some of which I could dry and use in the future when making wreaths (such as these eucalyptus leaves). Flower arrangement is both an art and a science, and it was interesting to see how some of the bouquets were planned to "grow" and bloom across the week, such as the lilies, which filled our bedroom with such a lovely scent!

I had a quick chat with Joyce, who is an events consultant with JM Floral Creation, to find out more about the team behind these gorgeous bouquets. She usually suggests the preferred combination of flowers, and the team of flower arrangers would then get down to work, each adopting their own style to prepare the bouquets. She shares that she loves flowers and plants, so her job fits her to a T, allowing her to be hands-on about something that she has a passion for. The team get a fair bit of their inspiration online, and rely on their customers' trust to be able to try new arrangements or combinations.

And speaking of passion, these weekly floral surprises have been most welcomed by Lil J, who simply loves flowers. He would rush to the door to take the flowers from my hands, and would spend the next few minutes inspecting the blooms. We caught him even trying to put pollen up his nose! Small J, though a little less enthusiastic, always tells me "you have new flowers Mama, they are boo-tiful!". 

Having fresh blooms in the house adds colour and cheer, and the subscription service takes all the work out of your hands. All you have to do is change the water in the vase every other day. Thank you, JM Floral Creation, for helping to brighten up our home the past month!

For those who are interested, the subscription service is priced at $50 and $65 per bouquet for the standard and premium range of flowers respectively, and this includes delivery charges. The minimum subscription period is for four bouquets, and depends on whether you opt for a weekly, fortnightly or monthly subscription. For more details, or to start a subscription, please contact JM Floral Creation at 69225919 or  email them at florals@jm.com.sg. Alternatively, visit this page, and you can hop over to "The J Babies" to read their review and admire the beautiful blooms they received!

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The lovely folks over at JM Floral Creation are kindly giving away floral subscriptions (of two weeks) worth $100 each, to two readers of this blog! To enter, please scroll down and follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter widget below. Do note that you need to like and comment on the FB post as part of the entry requirements, and that both bouquets in the subscription must be sent to the same address.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: We were sponsored a flower subscription for purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was received, and all opinions are my own.

We have moved!

They say that moving house is one of the most stressful changes in life, and I must say I couldn't agree more! There's the having to pack up all our belongings in the middle of the night, since it was impossible to pack until the kids have gone to bed (and it's amazing how much stuff 4 little people can have). And having to face all the clutter and junk that we've put off clearing for years (of which there is ALOT). There's having to deal with cleaning the new place, and getting things ready over there, and sorting out all the reno issues. 

We've been living in our new home for two weeks, and we've barely unpacked since there's been so many other things to do. There's the reno rectifications, which I have to clean up after each visit by the workmen. There's the old place to pack and clean up, since we didn't manage to finish packing on moving day. My days are spent trying to get into the swing of things, cooking our meals, and just trying to keep the kids alive.

Being in a limbo aside, this whole move has been a time of us receiving so much grace and goodness. The actual move was really smooth, even though we more or less shifted 90% of our furniture over instead of buying everything new. We had a wonderful moving company who charged us really reasonable rates (I raved about them and shared their contact here). We had friends and churchmates helping to babysit and pack, as well as run various errands for us. One even helped us to clean our filthy fridge until it was spick and span (he even cleaned the top and scrubbed every single corner!), and that same friend came to help babysit the kids after the move, so that we could unpack. My parents were amazing and helped so much, so that we could pack as much as we could in the final stages just before the move.  The weather report for moving day looked gloomy, but the rains held until the last truck headed back to our old place to pick up the remaining items, so there were no delays.

Just like most folks, we faced some issues during our renovations, and there was a possibility that our kitchen faucet would not be installed when we moved in, since they had difficulty finding the correct fittings. But thankfully they managed to find the parts in time, and the faucet was up and running the day we moved in. We had friends who were praying hard for us, for the weather, and for things to be ready, and God really answers prayer.

We contacted our telco rather late about our change in address, so our internet connection was only up and running more than a week after we moved in. While it meant I couldn't do any blog-related work, I did enjoy the break. The kids had to go cold-turkey, but one good thing that has resulted from this is that they are now screen-free on weekdays (we used to let them watch stories or videos on Youtube when they drank their milk for tea or supper). 

Most of our homeschool materials are still lost within the mess of boxes, and we've yet to get back into a regular rhythm. But so far, going screen-free has meant I've had to work harder at engaging the kids, and it has resulted in us reading so many more books together. These days, we gather and read, and these times spent huddling over an open book have been wonderful. 

The kids have more or less adjusted pretty well to the move. We had expected the very sentimental Junior J to be rather affected by the move, but he's been really excited and happy in the new place, probably because he really needed room to breathe and be away from his brothers sometimes. Lil J intially kept asking to "go home", but we brought him back to our old home, and I think reality sunk in after he saw the bare rooms. He's now happily settled, with many things (like feeding the fish, and throwing his stuffed toys down the stairs) to keep him occupied. Small J adjusted really quickly, and has discovered all the places to get snacks in the kitchen (he is the foodie in our family).

I've been itching to write about so many things, but for now, it's time to focus more on unpacking and getting things into their right places. We didn't really have time to declutter throughly before moving, so right now I'm in a throw and giveaway mode. I guess moving was good, because it forced us to confront 10 years worth of built up clutter. I'll get down to writing more soon!

All in all, we're good. And God is good. And we give thanks.

Life with four

Life with four has been crazy. 

It's the kind of crazy that turns you into an active volcano, one that is simmering and bubbling and all ready to explode. It's the kind of crazy that warrants me sneaking into the kitchen, for "just one bite of chocolate", until at the end of the day, you realize you have eaten half a huge bar of chocolate. It's the kind of crazy that has you flopped on the bed exhausted from having to babywear most of the day, wondering what on earth you did, aside from keep yourself and four little beings alive. 

These days, there seems always to be at least one kid crying, two kids fighting, and some new mess that needs to be cleaned up. We think Small J is on the verge of dropping his nap, and hence his whole schedule is pretty much messed up. He fights sleep, even though he's tired, and sometimes I find it impossible to make him nap. However, an early bedtime for him is challenging, because the hubby puts all three boys to bed, and can't be in two places at one time. So I try my best to make him nap, and find myself grinding my teeth and trying not to yell in the hour or two that he tosses and plays until he falls asleep. We're still figuring out a way to ensure he gets enough rest, but meanwhile, we end up with a really cranky and whiny kid who is also at the peak of his terrible twos.

Mealtimes are a huge challenge. Just the other day, Small J was melting down after lunch, because he had woken up early. His screaming woke the baby, whom I had to put in her chair because I had to carry the upset toddler. Lil J wasn't eating his lunch, and decided there and then he had to go poo. So I had to leave the crying baby, pacify the screaming toddler (figs did the trick), and clean up Lil J. 

Today, Lil J kept disturbing Small J, and the toddler decided that he couldn't take it any longer and messed up a Perler bead creation that Lil J was working on. Lil J lost it, and both started to go for each other. The shouting and crying woke the baby. I had to drag Lil J to the room to cool down, rush to finish lunch prep, while asking Junior J to help to repair Lil J's creation. Thankfully my dad was around, so he helped to carry the baby, while I had a talk with Lil J. Later, Lil J decided he was too upset to eat. And Small J also decided not to eat, and proceeded to spit every single mouthful I fed him. He then proceeded to demand for a chocolate egg, which of course, he didn't get. He went to bed hungry, after a fair bit of screaming and struggling, and then took ages to fall asleep. 

I catch myself wishing I was an octopus, and envision myself with waving tentacles deftly cooking, wielding the cane, separating fighting siblings, and eating my chocolate... all at the same time. 

But octopus I am not. And so, it has been prayer and prayer and more prayer. And chocolate. Lots of it. And sometimes, outbursts of crying. 

However, amidst the madness there are always bittersweet moments, that help you to think that having four and choosing to stay home isn't that bad. Sometimes it's seeing how Junior J has risen up to the occasion, and helps care for his younger siblings. Or how the older two are now helping to prepare dinner by chopping up stuff. Or those sweet moments where all four are hanging out together, and no one is fighting. There are also those times when you realize that they grow so, so fast. Or the times when you discover that they are making progress in an area that they were struggling. And suddenly, the world stops spinning at a dizzying rate, and slows down for your heart to capture a snapshot to remember forever.

And of course baby smiles. Baby smiles always make things better. 

They say God never gives you more than you can bear, and life these days are a testament to that. His mercies are truly new every morning, and I know things will get better as time passes. Meanwhile, there's always prayer, and more chocolate. :) 

PS: I've hardly the time to blog these days, so for more snippets of crazy, head over here!

Maidless, with multiples: Why and how we survive without a stay-in helper

We have three boys aged six and below, and people who first meet us usually inquire if we have a stay-in helper to help with the housework, especially when they hear that we are homeschooling the boys. They usually respond in two ways when we tell them we do not have a helper: some would say "wow, that must be tough!", while others would advise us to get a helper, to which I would shrug and smile and lead the conversation elsewhere  :) 

Both hubby and I have not had a live-in helper for all our lives. My mum chose to stay home to take care of me and my brother, so we didn't have a helper growing up. The hubby's parents both worked, but they too did not engage a helper. My mum has been constantly advising me to hire a helper, especially with the arrival of Baby J, since she saw how I was struggling to keep on top of housework and how the house was constantly messy. However thus far, we've only started getting a part-time helper to come in once a week, to help with the deep cleaning. 

Yes, the home is usually in a state of chaos, and there's always bits of cut paper and piles of books everywhere. Yes, sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed at how much housework there is to do. But no, we will not be getting a stay-in helper, at least not for now. Perhaps we might reconsider this if we have another baby, or shift to a bigger place that would be harder to clean, but for now, I think we're ok doing without. 

I think the main reason we aren't getting a helper is that we think we are coping ok. I won't say we're thriving and have a lovely, organized and neat space, I won't say there is no stress when it comes to those piling towers of clean laundry waiting to be folded, and perhaps I might like a little more me time, or time with the kids, instead of having to sweat it out in the kitchen, or clean up and wash stuff. But we're more or less coping. Our home isn't a pig sty, we can find the stuff we need, we have clean dishes and clothes, our meals get to the table more or less on time. I still get to hang out with the kids all day. Our part-time cleaner is a gem, and does a really good job getting the home clean. She even rotates cleaning the fans and windows for us! 

That aside, we've heard so many horror stories of helpers who've given all sorts of headaches to their employers: from not being teachable, to stealing, or bringing their boyfriends home when their employers are out. For now, I don't think I am up to training a new helper, and experienced and reliable helpers are few and far between. Most of these aren't available, because the families they work for aren't going to give them up! While I've seen how helpers can be such an asset to the family, we are pretty private people, and are not comfortable with the idea of having someone stay with us. We also don't have the room to house a helper: the house already feels very cramped with three boys bouncing off the walls, and the study that doubles as a guest room houses the in-laws who frequently visit us from Penang. Finally, I think we'll be pretty hard to work for, since I can be fussy (clothes must be folded a certain way so they sit right in the drawers, etc), and the boys can make such messes!

Anyway, yes, so we are maid-less. Now another frequently asked question we get is, how do we cope? With having three littles, homeschool, no helper, and a hubby who sometimes has to work long hours? Well, here are a few ways:

:: We lower our expectations: We won't have a house that is spick and span, and a floor that is spotless. We don't have a home that is magazine-spread worthy. We do have to spend an hour or two cleaning up before guests come because of the chaos of three toy tornadoes. But we don't need spotless, or magazine-spread worthy. We just need a relatively clean home, that is not dusty (the kids have allergic rhinitis, so dust is an issue), we need clean dishes to eat from, we need regular meals. Those lower expectations, we can meet. 

:: We get the kids to help: The kids are expected to clean up their messes. If they cut a pile of paper on the floor, they have to sweep it up. If they spill their drink, they wipe it up. They need to return their used cups and dishes to the sink, and they help to set the table. The older two also help to fold some of the clothes. All three help to do clean-up time. While most of the time they don't do the job perfectly, them having to help out teaches them that housework is useful, and blesses the people around them. While we usually have to finish the job for them, and sometimes they can be more a hindrance than a help, I find that they get better with age and practice, and things eventually get easier, and neater. Finally, Junior J helps to take care of his younger brothers, and he's pretty good at reading to them and keeping them busy, which allows me a breather and gives me time for a toilet break! 

:: The kids are taught to be independent: Junior J packs his own bag for outings, and also takes his own showers. The older two carry their own bags when we are out, and they help to carry their younger brother's things, so that I don't need to carry both the toddler and a truckload of kid's stuff. The older two are expected to feed themselves at mealtime, and we do not allow them to run about during mealtimes. We sometimes still have to feed Lil J part of his meal, especially when he is not well and doesn't have an appetite, but we don't do the "chase the kid around with the spoon" thing, which makes mealtimes a lot easier to handle. The kids are also used to being left to their own devices, and are good at keeping themselves occupied: they play all sorts of games together, they scribble together on boxes, they build train tracks and tell stories. This allows me time to get housework done, since I don't need to keep them entertained all the time.

:: I get all the help I can: Like I've mentioned, we have a part-time helper that comes once a week, and her hard work ensures that our home is in a relatively clean state. That aside, my parents help to babysit the kids if the hubs and I need to run various errands, and my dad brings the kids to the playground in the evenings so that I can cook dinner in peace. We also rely a lot on our appliances to help make things easier: we have a dishwasher, we use the dryer if necessary, I rely a lot on cooking extra portions and freezing them for quick prep lunches. The Thermomix also helps to make mealtime prep easier some days. (You can read more about how our gadgets make things easier here.) Finally, the hubs chips in with the housework too. He loads the dishwasher and helps with the washing up, and used to do the vacuuming before we hired part-time help.


:: We always try to make things as streamlined as possible: We're always thinking of ways to make things at home work better. For example, the kids now use trays (these are from Ikea) when they are painting, which reduces the amount of cleaning up that I need to do after each session. If we are in a rush, we just put aside the trays when we are done, since the trays technically don't need to be cleaned, and I don't need to spend 15 minutes wiping the table. If the kids are constantly asking us for a certain material, we think of how we can make it easily accessible to them. Right now, we are still decluttering our stuff, so that we can be better organized.

:: I take short-cuts if I can: Most mornings are a mad rush if we are headed out for co-op or outings, since the kids tend to take ages to eat their breakfast, and everyone is moving slowly. Again, I try to make everything as streamlined as I can: I try to pack our stuff before the kids wake, and we eat simple breakfasts that require minimal prep. I usually have to cook Baby J's lunch if we are headed out, so this is how I do it in the shortest time possible: I make his soups and sauces in bulk (usually these are just the same sauces and soups that the rest of the family eats, but I spoon out his portion before I add more salt/herbs), and freeze them in this food tray (this is better than using a ice-cube tray, as the compartments are much bigger). In the mornings, all I have to do is to pop these three stainless steel cups into the electric lunchbox for steaming, one containing the frozen soup/sauce, another containing hot water and his pasta/noodles (the boy isn't fond of porridge and likes textures), and a third containing some finger food (like frozen edamame, corn or peas). I end up with a cooked lunch for the kid after 15 minutes (I take out the pasta/noodles first), without having to stand at the stove! 

:: We keep things simple: Meals are a simple affair, and we don't do the rice with a couple of dishes kind of meals. Usually it's noodles, or pasta, or a one-pot something. Our learning activities are kept simple so that I don't need to spend a lot of time preparing (so if you notice, we hardly do any of those lapbooks or flashcards since those require a fair bit of prep!), and we use curriculum that requires minimal preparation. Keeping things simple saves time, time that is crucial because we are so short of it!

So all in all, I think we're coping ok without a stay-in helper. I'm not saying that not having one makes you better or more capable (after all our house is much messier without one!), and many mums I know are doing really well with a helper to chip in for the chores. But for us now, not having a helper works for our family, and we're good to go without for our current season in life! We hope those tips might come in handy for those who are finding it tough going without help (you can also read our SAHM survival tips here), it's tough, but it does get easier!