A Homemaker’s Diary

Today is the 1st May, a public holiday for Malaysia. Despite the one day off for Labor Day (which leads to long weekend), Hubby was not at home. Instead he went to our new house (after he bought lunch for me..hehe!) to do the painting job, laboring himself in the hot sun..huhu!

The wiring men completed the messy task of hacking the wall yesterday, plastered everything and Hubby bought paints yesterday afternoon (with my insistence) to paint the wall back to the normal color. We did want to paint the interior to different color scheme but since we don’t have budget for that (and me being very choosy in picking out the color selection), we plan to paint the interior wall later.

Oh, the curtain from Macy is ready and hopefully by next week, once Hubby has cleaned the house, we can call the curtain team and let them hang the curtain up..yeay! After some discussion last night, we think we will go ahead with the plan to install 1.5HP air cond for the master bedroom. We might even buy a dryer so that I don’t have to go out and hang our clothes outside.

The thing is there are a lot of Indon and Bangla everywhere during daytime, doing defect rectification at other houses in the area. Taking safety precaution into consideration, buying the dryer will eliminate the need for me to go out and let myself be seen..huhu! So hopefully tomorrow we will manage to go out and scout for affordable dryer.

Well, that’s it for Labor Day update. I need to rush and take my shower while the son is taking his evening nap..heh! Enjoy your weekend, people!

A few months ago, when I was picking up the children at school, another mother I knew rushed up to me. She was fuming with indignation.

“Do you know what you and I are?” she demanded.

Before I could answer~and I didn’t really have one handy~she blurted out the reason for her question. It seemed she had just returned from renewing her driver’s license at the County Clerk’s office. Asked by the woman recorder to state her “occupation,” she had hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

“What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “Do you have a job, or are you just a ….?”

“Of course I have a job.” she snapped. “I’m a mother.”

“We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation…’housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day when I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall. The Clerk was obviously a career woman. poised, efficient, and possessed of a high-sounding title, like “Official Interrogator” or “Town Registrar.”

“And what is your occupation?” she probed.

What made me say it, I do not know. The words simply popped out. “I’m…a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”

The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair, and looked up as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly, emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pompous pronouncement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

“Might I ask,” said the clerk with new interest,”just what you do in your field?”

Coolly, without a trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply,”I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t) in the laboratory and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). I’m working for my Masters (the whole darned family) and already have four credits (all daughters).

Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most.

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants~age 13, 7, and 3. And upstairs, I could hear our new experimental model (six months) in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.

I felt triumphant. I had scored a beat on bureaucracy. And I had gone down on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than “just another….” Home…what a glorious career. Especially when there’s a title on the door.

**From Chicken Soup for the Soul

Monday is usually a busy day, especially when I have loads of laundry to be hanged outside. Actually I do most of my washing at night, hang them inside in the family hall upstairs and later will hang them out in the sun once I wake up around 11 or 12pm the next day.

But ever since my next door neighbor do her washing during weekend and I don’t feel like fighting for space on our pagar hijau, thus now, my Monday load kind of double up with Friday and weekend clothes.

It is not really a big problem, until it starts to rain in the middle of the hot day..huhu! It’s like one glance to the sky, it’s kind of mendung but since the gloomy clouds are way too far from my place, (mendung tak bererti hujan, kan..keh keh) I was telling myself, tak hujan ni..sempat lagi tunggu sikit lagi baju nak kering, another glance, it’s hot and bright again, (ok, boleh rilek dulu) and all of a sudden it rains, big, big drop of rain..waaaa 🙁 aarghhh..memang tension! Try that with a baby who is about to take a nap, and while you are running around like mad woman trying to salvage the almost-dry clothes, your baby starts his wailing..it ruins your mood for the day!

In addition to that, there are calls from telemarketer tak paham bahasa who insists that they have tawaran istimewa but trying his best to avoid revealing what the deal is all about..oiii..macam banyak la masa aku nak layan ko kat telefon. And when you tell them that you are not interested and don’t have time to listen, their persistence continues with another phone call hours later.

And then Hubby called telling me that budak kedai lighting called him informing that the lighting I chose is not in stock, and guess what, that particular lighting is the one which he forgot to list down as 2 sets in the first place, and the reason I have to go to the shop the second time (check my previous, previous entry)..memang tak de rezeki la gamaknya. Funny part, Hubby said that guy was so scared that I will go crazy and marah him..keh keh!

Well, it’s just another bad day in the life of a homemaker. It could get even worse, but luckily it didn’t..heh! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!

When I was younger,
I used to believe in the concept of one best friend,
And then I started to become a woman.
And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up,
God would show you the best in many friends.

One friend is needed when you’re going through things with your man.
Another friend is needed when you’re going through things with your mom.
Another will sit beside you in the bleachers as you delight in your children and their activities.
Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke, or just be.
One friend will say, ‘Let’s cry together,’
Another , ‘Let’s fight together,’
Another , ‘Let’s walk away together.’

One friend will meet your spiritual need,
Another your shoe fetish,
Another your love for movies,
Another will be with you in your season of confusion,
Another will be your clarifier,
Another the wind beneath your wings.

But whatever their assignment in your life,
On whatever the occasion,
On whatever the day,
Or wherever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and hair pulled back,
Or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself ..
Those are your best friends.

It may all be wrapped up in one woman,
But for many, it’s wrapped up in several..
One from 7th grade,
One from high school,
Several from the college years,
a couple from old jobs,
On some days your mother,
On some days your neighbour,
On others, your sisters,
And on some days, your daughters.

So whether they’ve been your friend for 20 minutes or 20 years,
AND ONLY IF YOU’D LIKE TO,
Pass this on to the women that God has placed in your life
To make a difference.

I can’t help it, but I just love planning for things..heh! It’s like planning gives me a boost to look forward for the future, regardless how far fetched or absurd my dreams are..heh! After all, what is left in my life other than hope – hope for the better.

Actually this entry happens because I start to look around for kain for the coming baju raya..ceh! Imagine it’s not even May and here I am online shopping for baju raya, padahal Raya will be on 19th or 20th September..keh keh! But who cares, I rather do everything early..(beranak je aku tangguh lambat2..haha!)

Oh, I have even booked the caterer for this year Hari Raya open house and akikah. That one mesti cepat-cepat as most people get married after Raya, if all the caterers are not available sapa nak masak for 100-200 people makan and 2 ekor kambing pulak tu..huhu! Last time when I was childless, setakat nak masak for 40-50 people tu boleh lagi la, but now to cook for myself pon kadang-kadang tak sempat. So friends, I will send the invitation in Ramadhan so that you can block the date in your calendar and attend my event..after all who knows if I ever will have another kid, so this might be my one and only akikah ceremony.

Well, I rather stop here and continue my planning for the kitchen cabinet. Has been reading about the choice of hood and hob, the kitchen layout, type of table top etc so that once the budget is in, I know what I really want and need in the kitchen, thus minimizing all the running around to find the items..heh!

Oh, for those interested to buy the Macy RM1 bed, hurry up as the offer lasts for only 2 weeks! BTW, Hubby, I find out that Aussino is having their 7th Anniversary Sale from 21 April to 15 May 2009, we have to go and check out the King size bedsheet for the new bed…jom!