New Mom’s Daily Routine for a Happy and Balanced Life

Posted on May 24, 2023 by Jeannine

Are you a new mom and still struggling to find your groove with your newborn?

Becoming a new mom is a beautiful and transformative experience. As you navigate the joys and challenges of motherhood, establishing a daily routine can help bring structure and balance to your life. In this blog post, we’ll take you through a suggested daily routine for new moms that prioritizes self-care, baby’s needs, and maintaining a harmonious lifestyle. Let’s dive in!

Morning Routine:

Wake Up Refreshed: Start your day by setting a soothing alarm and allowing yourself enough time to wake up peacefully. A good night’s sleep is crucial, so try to rest whenever your baby allows yet as ironic as it sounds, it is suggested you wake up about 30 minutes earlier than your baby. This is for you to give yourself some me-time. Trust me, even 10 minutes of peaceful awake time can give you wonders.

Self-Care Ritual: Begin your morning with a self-care ritual that rejuvenates you. Whether it’s a few minutes of meditation, gentle stretching, or enjoying a nutritious breakfast, make self-care a priority to fuel yourself for the day ahead.

Baby’s Morning Routine: Attend to your little one’s needs, including diaper changes, feeding, and cuddle time. Creating a calm and loving atmosphere will help both you and your baby start the day on a positive note.

Mid-Morning Activities:

Engage in Playtime: Set aside dedicated time for play and bonding with your baby. Choose age-appropriate toys, sing songs, or engage in tummy time exercises. These activities stimulate your baby’s development and create beautiful memories.

Light Household Chores: While your baby naps or plays independently, tackle light household chores. This might include tidying up, laundry, or meal prep. Remember, it’s okay if everything isn’t perfect—prioritize what’s essential and seek support if needed.

Afternoon Routine:

Nourishing Lunch: Prepare a wholesome lunch for yourself, focusing on nutritious ingredients. Eating well provides you with the energy to care for your little one and promotes your overall well-being.

Outdoor Time: If weather permits, take your baby for a walk in the park or simply spend time outdoors. Fresh air and a change of scenery can be refreshing for both of you and can help alleviate cabin fever.

Naptime Routine: Establish a soothing naptime routine for your baby, including a quiet environment, a cozy sleep space, and a calming pre-nap ritual. Use this downtime to relax, catch up on personal tasks, or simply take a moment for yourself.

Evening and Bedtime Routine:

Quality Time: Engage in interactive activities with your baby, such as reading books, singing lullabies, or playing gentle games. This quality time helps strengthen the parent-child bond and sets the stage for a peaceful evening.

Dinner Preparation: Plan and prepare a nutritious dinner for yourself and your family. Consider simple and healthy recipes or meal prepping in advance to minimize stress during this time of the day.

Bedtime Ritual: Create a relaxing bedtime routine that signals to your baby that it’s time to wind down. This might involve a warm bath, gentle massage, pajama change, and a soothing lullaby. Prioritize a calm and peaceful atmosphere to promote a restful night’s sleep.

Establishing a daily routine as a new mom can bring a sense of stability, balance, and fulfillment to your life. Remember, every baby and family is unique, so adapt the routine to suit your needs and preferences. Stay flexible and embrace the beautiful chaos of motherhood, cherishing the special moments with your little one along the way. You’re doing an amazing job, and your love and care make all the difference in your baby’s life.

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla
in collaboration with Zariya Healings.

Unique ways of giving Christmas Present Ideas

Posted on November 16, 2022 by Jeannine

We’re almost gearing towards the end of the year. If you’re starting to make your list ahead of time, like me, isn’t it great to continue on being intentional with your gifts?! Not that material gifts aren’t given and thought of with intention, but by giving someone something for them to experience themselves, that for me is a way better.

So here’s a list and some recommendations of intentional gifts you can give to any age bracket yet still get the same awesomeness reaction.

Memberships

Singapore may look like a tiny red dot in the map but it still boasts of different learning and interesting places to go to and enjoy. It wouldn’t be a great tourist destination after all, right?!

Be a Wildlife Member for FREE and get to enjoy amazing benefits such as up to 30% admission tickets discount! Nonetheless, why not be extra generous by giving a Friends of Wildlife Pass. Both memberships apply on all wildlife parks in Singapore such as Singapore Zoo, River Wonders, Night Safari and Jurong Bird Park.

What’s more impressive is that these passes can also be used to get discounts on parking, dining, tours, etc. Head over to the Mandai Wildlife Reserve website to learn more!

Another interesting membership you could give is for the Science Center, you may or may not like science in school but one thing’s for sure, it would always amaze you no matter what age you are. I remember adding this to our list of places to go to when we first came here in Singapore, back in 2010. Busy finding a job on weekdays and feeling like a tourist on weekends.

I loved our first visit and would never get tired going there especially nowadays that we have kids already. Those grinning smile everyone gets every time something astonishing has been seen is always remarkable. Share this excitement by gifting a membership to the Science Center Singapore.

Want to know what’s more amazing? A member gets to enjoy Complimentary or discounted admission to more than 290 science museums worldwide through the ASTC Travel Passport Program. Visit the ASTC Travel Passport Program for the full list. This is on top of other discounts one could get such as discounts of birthday party packages, dining, and shops.

Tours

We may not have vineyards here in Singapore to experience wine tasting but we’ve got the Tiger Beer Brewery where one can tour it’s factory and see how their favourite alcohol drink is made. Not that to encourage children to drink alcohol but it’s a great learning experience for them to see how science takes place to produce something us humans consume. Then afterwards, of course, it’s dad and mom who gets to do the free tasting! Gift a tour or maybe include yourself too! Here’s how to register.

If you know someone who doesn’t like beer yet fancy some gin, fret not! They’ll surely appreciate going on Singapore’s first Gin Distillery, Tanglin. They offer an incredible tour to their distillery which comes with (of course!) a gin tasting flight! Here’s the link to the Tanglin Gin Distillery Tour to know more details on it. You’re welcome!

Not to worry, the kiddos have their own tour to enjoy too!

Why not feel like a tourist in your home country. We may be foreigners but after living here in Singapore for more than a decade, this has definitely been home to us too. That’s why, when we got relatives in town, we make sure to grab that opportunity to feel touristy.

We love going around and touring the city riding the Singapore Bus Tours, particularly the Night Tour sitting on the top of the double decker bus seeing the Christmas lights throughout the city as the Christmas breeze brush through your face. There’s also a day tour which you can enjoy as well!

Another tour that won’t disappoint kids is Lemuel Chocolate’s Factory tour where you can see the production facility and learn about our bean-to-bar making process. Together with that is being able to design your own chocolate bar with your own personalised toppings!!!

Subscription

Don’t we all have that one fashionista friend?! Here’s a great suggestion that will make you her best of all her best friends! Her Velvet Vase or HVV offers what they call a “Moodbox”. It’s basically, a 1, 3, or 6 month/s (your choice), monthly on-demand stylist subscription service. Let your friend be styled and let her remember of how amazing of a friend are you whenever she receives her moodbox in the months to come! Visit their website to learn more.

One of the best gifts you can give a child to encourage them to be creative and keep that curious mind is to gift them one of the award-winning subscription services, a Tinkerer box! Available different boxes according to your child’s age. They’ll surely enjoy using hands-on, high-quality materials which boosts interest in creating open-ended activities. Tinkerer is really a parent’s partner in helping children develop self-esteem and confidence as they immerse themselves doing their STEAM projects.

Another great way to gift a child which their parent’s would surely appreciate too is a book subscription. One Happy Book is your go-to place for this. Offering a wide variety of subscriptions to choose from. What I love about them too is that their price range is very reasonable and a bit on the cheaper side “actually” given the price of books nowadays.

Gift giving has played a special part of our lives. It’s not only when we receive gifts that we feel joyful but more actually when we’re able to give to others, for me, that’s when the happiness from within is most achieved. Though we’re most used to giving and receiving material gifts, I guess it’s about time to give that a little twist and make it more memorable by being intentional.

It’s not only during the holiday season that we should be intentional in our purchases. Do you know that one added stress in our lives are the junk we actually buy? How to solve this? Only by being intentional with your purchases.

Do you have any other more intentional ideas in mind? I’d love to hear from the comments below.

Let the gift giving begin!!!

Reasons why we need to be Intentional Shopping

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Jeannine

We all love the feeling of being able to purchase something. It’s feels great knowing you’ve worked hard and able to afford the things you want to buy. But is that it? Aside from the financial burden this purchases can give someone, if money’s not an issue, then why do we need to still be intentional in shopping?

Time is precious

May say time is money, I prefer saying it as a precious. Why? Because, it’s not always that we need to associate time with money. If we have enough money, then should that be an excuse to simply let time pass by?

Time is precious as we need or rather would want to use it wisely. There’s more to life than earning $$$. We have a life to live with, a family to spend with, children to see grow, ourselves to relax and do some self-care, etc.

So why should we waste our time in the mall, going around and around shops finding sales? Why would we spend hours and hours online finding stuff to buy when it’s a SALE DAY when we might not even use it anyway?

WHY? Ask this question to yourself before your next trip to the mall.

Be wise with your money

You’ve worked hard for it! I know, you know, we all know. So why spend on stuff when you already have more than enough?

Here’s a scary reality on how much clothing we buy:

As humans, we mostly stop growing at the age of 18-20. This means, whatever height you’re in or shoe size you have, you’ll pretty much be the same in 10 years time. And as for your size, as long as you maintain a healthy diet, then you’ll also stay the same all those time. So why do we need to buy that much clothes?

I love this article by my good friend Natalie Ricaud of Get Organised and Beyond where she wrote about how much clothes do we really need. It’s a must read so do make time to read it!

This might change your mind and be more intentional with your clothing purchases the next time you plan to add some items to your wardrobe.

The Clutter

If you haven’t guessed yet where this article was going when I mentioned Natalie, then you might not know her yet. She’s a professional organiser who has helped clients make their home clutter free! Basically our local Marie Kondo, if you want to say it that way.

Anyways, intentional shopping has something to do with the clutter you have at home, of course! It’s not only your finances that’s on the line here but also that space at your home and the stress you feel when you’re surrounded by stuff you’ve bought that you don’t need at all.

The word “intentional” has been mentioned on this blog for a reason. hahaha… At the end of the day, there’s no reason why we should feel bad about making a purchase. It’s a blessing to be able to afford to buy something and we should never feel rebuff that positive energy that’s coming our way.

We welcome it with intention. There’s much more your money can be of good use. If you feel content with what you have, you’ll never have the urge to buy unnecessary stuff that could only lead you to feel stress at the end. Save yourself from that.

Tips on How to be intentional with your purchases

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Jeannine

I love sale and any freebies!!! Who doesn’t?

There’s this funny story during our first months here in Singapore. We used to live in Choa Chu Kang that time and there’s this store named Etude near the entrance door who would always have a sales lady say, “Gift for you!” to everyone. I knew that in order to get that freebie, I needed to buy something from them. Being the usual me, even with a tight budget, I tried to save a few dollars so I could buy something from them.

The day came and I finally was able to buy something. I was actually more excited to go home and open my “free gift”. hahaha….Can you guess what’s in it?!

…

It’s just a freaking COTTON PADS!!! About 20 pcs of them!!!!hahaha…. My hubby would always tease me until now whenever we pass by Etude and whisper to me, “Gift for you!”

Do you have any experience like that too? If so, I hope you comment below your story. I’d love to hear about it too! Going back to our topic, INTENTIONAL PURCHASES.

With just 72 days before Christmas (as of writing), the biggest celebration of the year is coming again! It may be the joyous, yet also not the joyous to all pockets 🤪 especially if you don’t have a budget. It’s the month were endless parties and get-togethers usually happens and when it does, it’s only natural as human not to show-up empty handed, right?!

It’s during these times that I really make a conscious effort to be mindful of my presence whenever we need to visit the mall. It’s not only you who celebrate of course. December is also when business is good for those store owners, hence, all the “sales” you can think of appear during this season as well.

Here are some tips that can help you be more Intentional with your Purchases:

Make a list and stick to it!

It’s not gonna be easy but it’s doable. To make your life easier, listing the item and budget can help you lessen the stress of finding the one you’d like to purchase.

Shopping hack: Check online before hand. You can just go to the store to verify the fitting (if it’s a clothing or footwear) then purchase whichever gives the best price. More often it’s the one online as you can find some “promo codes” somewhere.

Plan your day out to the mall

I’m pretty sure this won’t be your first trip to the mall you’ll be going. You’ll know where to find the stores you want to go. Avoid window shopping on shops that doesn’t include items on your list. Know that brands have spent $$$ and tons of marketing efforts to lure customers it. Don’t make yourself one of those who get caught with their bait.

Sleep it first

And if they happen to be too persistent that you can’t resist, your last resort is to think over it first. If you still have time to go back the next day for it, then sleep it over first. You might change your mind or find it a hassle to go back the next day just for it (so you get to save yourself from that!!!woohoo!!!)

If not, then maybe have a snack or eat lunch first. You can also finish the other items on your list first. By the time you finish, you might not be thinking of that item anymore.😉

Do budgeting

I’ve been saying how important this is in a couple of my blog posts already and I’ll say it again, make a budget! You’ll be surprised how much less stress you’ll have after you’ve done your shopping. You’ll enjoy the experience, or if you’re me, I call it “a hunt” for that item that fits my budget.

What’s great about this is that you don’t get to go back home with your hands full of bags, and empty pocket, and a mind wondering where to get payment for all of those purchases. You won’t have that mental burden since you’ve allotted already for that.

Resist the temptation of SALES

Don’t be like me on my story who gets lured by that “gift for you”. As I’ve said, brands prepared well for seasons like this. They know what they’re doing and who they are targeting for and how much sales they need to get everyday.

Don’t fall for those ON SALES items that you don’t need. Think of the reasons why you’re doing this intentional purchases in the first place.

And whenever you feel that you’ll miss out the sale if you’re not getting it today. I guarantee you, that will be on sale again the next “sale season”. By the time that season comes again, make sure you have the budget for it. That’s the only way to go to be able to develop that discipline within you and keep your financial health in good shape.

Reasons why teaching kids not to whine is important

Posted on February 23, 2022 by Jeannine

I recently watched this clip about #nowhiningwednesday where she made it into a challenge for herself (at first) and put into a jar a quarter every time she would whine, complain, or criticise. The results was so surprising cause she almost filled up half of the jar!

This got me excited!

As a mom with 2 virtually schooling kiddos, we don’t give money to our girls so just so it would be more fun for them, I put it into writing and made like a scoreboard. haha. These girls are truly competitive that they put so much effort to think before they act or talk. I tell you, our morning has been much much better that I’m so eager to buy some ice cream for snack later as a reward for ourselves.

On contrary, it’s not only the girls who’ve been showing some effort. I myself got some big realisations on how much I do whine as well. Well, not that vocal and showy like kiddos do when they have their tantrums of course, but with my thoughts?!!? oh gosh! Those silent, ugh!, huh!, and the list goes on.If you’re a parent, you know what I’m talking about.🤪

Have you tried this challenge already? I urge you to do so. If you’re an adult who just wants to do this alone, why not try doing it with the jar with loose coins! Not only would it help you realise how much whining/complaining you’ve been doing but you’ll also learn to be more mindful in the days to come. What’s more great about this is having that jar full of coins which you could either share(donate), save(for rainy days), or spend! Why not celebrate with some ice cream like us!

Here’s are more reasons why you should do this with your kids:

You’ll learn to step back and try to look at the bigger picture before you act next time. This will help practice you to catch yourself on whining about things. You’ll get to be more mindful of your actions and find yourself doing the better option on doing things instead of simply whining about whatever that is.
You’ll learn to look from within. Assess if there’s really an issue or something you need to address or its just a simple matter that just is a waste of time for you to think and whine about.
You don’t need to be serious about this challenge. Nobody wants to do something that isn’t enjoyable. The key here is to be consistent on catching yourself from whining and hopefully in the process help you to lessen it. Not into collecting coins? How about the scoreboard like the girls and I are doing?
As I’ve told you, this isn’t for you to feel being restrained from your but to make small changes daily. Knowing this, whining and complaining can’t really be instantly gone from your life. Knowing the right channel to do it while the habit is still within you is a great start. General rule, if it’s a private matter, don’t post it on social media.
Finding the positive in every circumstance can be a great help in making this challenge a manageable one. There’s always a good part on everything despite not us always seeing it. That’s the catch! You need to find and see it!
And last but not the least, practice gratitude. This is very very important. The more we realise how blessed and we are, the more we’ll find this challenge to be easier. Simply look around you and see how you’ve been praying for all those things to be in your life days/weeks/years ago yet, and here you are now! Why not enjoy it!

I hope you get to try this challenge and share your experience with me here in the comments or in my Instagram account @themommywithagoal where I share more positivity and Self-Care daily.

Know that you are enough, blessed, uniquely-made, and a great mom is important. Whining is simply a habit that we’ve all grown accustom to doing, that’s why we do it. Learn how to lessen self-doubt and increase confidence.