1) I love my sleep.
Thank God both my children sleep through at night early - Jono at 6 weeks old and Esther at 10 weeks old.

2) Getting ready to go out of the house can take a lot of effort.
Try getting yourself and two kids ready to go out is not easy. Many times Esther would spit up and need her clothes change or Jono would refuse to put on his shoes.

3) I enjoy breastfeeding, it's like milk on tap.
Or maybe I am just too lazy to clean a bottle and make up the formula milk. It also saves a lot of money and is best for babies. But for those who can't breastfeed, don't feel guilty as you do what is best for you and your children.

4) I love my oven, rice cooker and slow cooker.
I cook most of my food in the oven and steam my vegetables in the rice cooker while its cooking the rice because it allows me to attend to my children while dinner is cooking.

5) Having family close by is very important.
Or in another word having family for babysitting is very important. My in-laws are great and so are Dane's siblings who love to babysit the kids. My mum would love to babysit but she lives in Malaysia.

6) I love seeing doctor.
More specifically my obstetrician because I got to see my babies while they were still inside me and to hear that they were developing well. I got really excited to go to my antenatal visits every time even though we could wait up to 1 hour or more to be seen.

7) Children are really a reflection of their parents.
I can see so much of myself in Jonathan, and it's good and bad at the same time.

8) My husband Dane can do everything with the kids except breastfeeding.
He plays and sings with them and they just adore him. I can't imagine raising the children without him.

9) You can fit a truck load of stuff into a nappy bag.
For Example: nappies, changing clothes, nappy wipes, washers, toys, food, change mat, plus my wallet, mobile phone, brush, keys, pen, drink bottle and the list goes on.

10) Holidays is not always relaxing as it should be.
We once had to cut our holiday short because Jono was not settled at all. We often have to fit things around the feeding time and nap time.

Yes, inevitably there are good and bad about having children. However, I highly recommend them as they are just so precious and wonderful gift of God. No regrets here!!

Yes, praise God for our 5th wedding anniversary! 3rd July 2004 was our wedding day and it definitely is one of the most significant days in our lives. We made our vows to each other in front of God and our family and friends. I am really grateful and excited that we have made it to 5 years.

Looking back we are indeed very blessed in this 5 years of marriage. We went through a lots of ups and downs including the birth of our two children and lost our first baby to ectopic pregnancy. We supported each other in every aspect of our lives. I know there's no one I wanted to be other than DANE. We seen the worst and the best of each other and our love has not changed instead it's going deeper everyday. I couldn't agree more that LOVE is a choice. We choose to love each other even though we are not always doing the right thing. Just like the verse in Romans 5:8 : "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." God chose to love us and HE put it in action even though us human rebelled against Him. In today's world, people emphasise love is a feeling and just follow your heart. It's wrong! If love is a feeling then we will never stay faithful because feeling comes and go and cannot be trusted. Unconditional love and sacrificial love that Christ has shown is the love that we should have. I love my husband not because he's good looking, or he's really nice to me (even though he is) . I love him because I choose to and accept everything about him. I know Dane does the same.

Happy 5th Wedding Anniversary!

Undoubtedly, we like any other couples, argue, fight and get on to each others' nerves sometimes. Interestingly, I had a read of my bridal shower gift "word of wisdom" from all the sisters in the church, majority of them all quote Ephesians 4:26:"Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath." I supposed we all knew how easy it is for us to get angry at our partner and go to bed unforgiving. One advice I was told to never go to bed without praying for your husband. YES, any anger or disappointment will be gone when you pray for the person you love. I admit we sometimes just got to bed without praying together and for each other. We should do it as often and as regular as possible.

We celebrated this special day with a night out in our beautiful Brisbane city. We dropped two kids off at the grandparents then off to the city we went. We really enjoyed the time with no kids and the dinner was great. Note we didn't give each other gifts and I did not get a flower because for us the most valuable thing we can give each other is ourselves. In short, we had a great night together. The next morning we had a little sleep in as Jono was at the grandparents for a sleepover. So we only had Esther with us and we had a great time playing with Esther before picking up Jono for his swimming lesson.


I felt so refreshed after our 5th anniversary celebration. It's a time to reflect and reevaluate our marriage. We are happy to say that we are still happily married and are looking forward to many years ahead with God's grace and guidance.

We went away for the weekend to visit Brent and Pip (Dane's brother and his wife) at Ballina. We enjoyed the drive both to and back. Both kids were doing well during the 2 hours drive except we had to stop a few times for Jono's toilet trip. He did so well and told us every time he wanted to do a wee.

Firstly, we met up with Brent and Pip at Byron Bay. We had breakfast there and then we went to visit The Macadamia Castle on the way to their house. We did not pay to get into the actual park cause I felt it was a bit expensive. We only shopped at the souvenir shop and bought some macadamia nuts.

The Macadamia Castle

Jono saying goodbye to King Macca

Byron Bay was nice but cause its winter so we didn't go into the water. We had to stop Jono for getting into the water as he was taking his pants off and wanted to jump in the surf. He loves water since birth. At night after dinner, we had played 2 board games 'Cluedo' and 'Ticket to Ride' while both kids had gone to bed.

At night after we had dinner and both kids were in bed we played 2 board games 'Cluedo' and 'Ticket to Ride'. We all love board games and Brent and Pip are known to have a huge collection of them. Brent was the winner for 'Cluedo' and Pip scored the highest in 'Ticket to Ride'. We had a good time laughing and talking.

The next morning we went to Ballina Gospel Hall for the remembering of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The ministry was about to be a man of God like Elijah. We met some new people and had a fellowship lunch there. After some rest , we headed to North Wall for a walk. We enjoyed the walk and we saw some dolphins there. It was amazing to see God's wonderful creation. We then headed home.

Now, we are home and have to get ready for another week. I took the advice from my wonderful mother-in-law about rubbing some Vicks on Esther's feet when putting her to sleep to help ease her cold. I guess I would try anything to help her feel better soon. We are all pretty tired and it's time to go to bed. Thank you Lord for another wonderful family trip!

Had a busy day today. Firstly, I had to take Esther to the doctor this morning to get her rash checked. Thank God, Dr Mclaren was not too concerned and did not think it is allergic reaction. However, having two kids at the waiting room was painful. Jonathan did not want to sit still while Esther was not too happy in her pram. There was some crying and disciplines but in the end it was a happy ending. Jono got a jelly bean from the doctor for being a good boy and we made it home without any dramas.

Once we got home, I made lunch while Esther was asleep. Managed to feed both kids and put them down for their afternoon naps at about 1pm. Then the fun began, first it was vacuuming, then mopping, and followed by hanging out washing. Had a bit of time before they woke up so I went on the internet after reading some catalogues.

Could not remember when but I suddenly noticed there was a message left on our home phone. It was from a high school looking for a learning support teacher for next term. Even though I know I would not take it up but at least it made me feel that I'm still wanted. This is the third job offer since the beginning of this year. I have no regrets to stop working and stay at home looking after my children this entire year, but I still think about my job sometimes. It is really tempting to say yes when people knocked on your door and wanted to give you the job. But NOT YET, cause I'm staying at home for now.

OK, time to go to bed. I need to have as much sleep as possible as I'm not feeling too well these few days. Need to stay strong and healthy to look after my beautiful family.

It's more than a week since my last blog. I had been busy as usual just doing everyday stuffs, being with my children, cooking, cleaning and going out occasionally. Overall, I think I had a fairly good week. I did feel a bit down for a few days where I was easily anxious and got frustrated. I suspect it's my hormone playing up again. Yup blame the hormone, but I'm OK now. Philippians 4:6&7 says "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." We need to learn to trust God and let Him take control of our lives. I often fall into the trap where I wanted to be in control and then got disappointed when things didn't turn out as I planned. Pray that I will not make the same mistakes again.

Jono and Esther are growing up by the minute. They surprise me everyday. Jono has started counting accurately, able to explain things back to me and has a very good transferable knowledge. The problem is he is a bossy kid, he wants everyone to do it his way and he dares to tell you too. He often says "mum, do this, and don't do this...etc" and he also cracks me up big time when he tries to say some Chinese words every now and then. Last Saturday, we went to a private Christian school open day because we are planning to enrol Jono into their pre-prep program next year when he is 3.5 yrs old. Since the visit, Jono keeps saying he wants to go to school and I really can't wait to see him in a school uniform.

Meanwhile, Esther is growing into a cute little girl . She loves talking and makes lot of cooing sounds. Her smile is so heartwarming it often melts my heart. She has started to play with some soft toys and has increasing interest in everything around her. I sometimes have strangers telling to me how Esther was smiling at them and they thought how cute she is and the like when I take her go out to the shops. Admittedly she is really cute and I am enjoying the attention she attracts.

Other than my beloved children, my dear hubby has been very good too. He has lost some kilos and is still going strong. Dane is doing lots of regular exercise and wanting to keep fit. I am happy for him and is more than happy to have a healthy hubby. We have made some adjustments to life with two kids. We set aside at least 15-30 minutes each night to have a interruption free conversation time. We put our kids to bed and get a few things done around the house then we will lie in bed and just talk. There is one rule which is no talking about kids--- just about us and us alone. I am enjoying this as I know my days are full of kids stuffs and we need to have a break from it to focus on other important things. People says having kids can turn your life upside down and I could not agree more. There are so many things to think about when you have children and you just can't go out and do things as you please. It could take your attention away from your partner and you are easily to neglect the relationship. So it's very important to still maintain the relationship with your partner after having children. We are grateful for Dane's parents and sister who are able to babysit the children to give us a break and go out for dates. Having said that, we are absolutely enjoying our life with kids and could not imagine our lives without them. As to us they are not only a gift from God but an evidence of our love for each other! There is no way children are a burden to our marriage but they are one of the sources of our joy and happiness.

Our first photo as a couple 7 years ago

It's Wednesday today, Jono, Esther and I went to the Playgroup at Village Avenue Community Church. It only took about 5 mins drive to get there. I was a bit nervous as it's our first visit there today. However, I was able to recognise a familiar face - Mrs Skinner. We met a few times at various places. Dane knew her family. Well, starting from there I gradually got to know most of the mothers there and we chatted away. On the other hand, Jono was a bit overwhelmed at first as there were at least 20 little kids around. If you know Jono you would be surprised to know that he was shy (he is normally a very outgoing child)! But it did not take long for him to warm up and after some encouragement he went and play with the toys with confidence.

Sarah who is in charge of the playgroup held a cancer foundation fundraising morning tea. As a result, We got to enjoy some nice cakes and muffins while the kids were playing. Esther was a very good girl as she slept most of the time. We were there from 9:30am to 11:20am. We had lunch at home and after that both kids went down for their naps. I managed to do some vaccuming and tidying up in the kitchen. I made chicken rissoles for dinner and now I'm writing my blog. This pretty much sums up my day. I really enjoying being with my kids and being able to look after them myself. It was hard at the beginning as I was bored at home and really not used being at home full time. However, after I followed through my weekly plan, I have started to enjoy my days more.

Dinner tonight--- chicken rissoles, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables

Being there for my kids really brings me lots of joy. I am able to teach them and guide them every step of the way as they grow up. What better person to look after them and to teach them way of life other than their mum? I carried them for 9 months, gave birth to them and it only makes sense for me their mother to raise them with my own hands. There's no need for babysitter or grandparents to raise my kids. Having said that, I did send Jono to childcare for 2 days a week and 1 day a week with Dane's parents when he was 1.5 yrs old while I was working. However, I make sure Dane and I are still the people who teach him and guide him. We want to be his parents and that's our job! Thank you Lord that I'm able to stay at home for this entire year to be with my kids.

Looking forward to our trip to the library tomorrow! By the way, Jono is doing great with his toilet training. He went to toilet himself twice today without any reminders. Woohoo, we are getting there!

Hurray, it's 7:15pm and both kids are in bed. I'm having some quiet time to myself while Dane's taking a short nap. I had a great day today just being at home with my two beautiful kids. Jono had been SOOOO GOOD and he made me laugh all day. He was so delightful and chatted with me all day long.

My weekly plan is working well so far and I really enjoy doing different things each day. We watched a movie called "Fireproof" last night and it was very moving. The story is about a couple and how their broken marriage can only be fixed with GOD's LOVE and SALVATION. The husband followed a book given by his father called "The Love Dare" for 40 days to get his wife back. At first he found it wasn't working as everything he did was rejected by his wife. He wanted to give up at day 20. He talked to his father and his father finally pointed out that he could only love someone even after being rejected with GOD's LOVE. The Lord Jesus was rejected again and again but He never stop loving us. He gave his life for us and shown us what unconditional love really is. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) The husband eventually got saved and he started reading the Bible and continued the love dare challenge even though the wife was unmoved. At the end, the wife discovered how much her husband loved her and she also saw the changes in him and they eventually got back together. I love the story as it illustrated what real love is. GOD is LOVE!

Praying for tomorrow, may I use my time wisely and bring honour to God in everything that I do.

Since staying at home full time I'm finding that I need some sort of daily routine to keep me sane. Otherwise, I would feel trapped spending my days at home with kids. So I have devised a simple weekly plan:

Monday:
1) Spend the morning playing with Jono at the backyard.
2) Catch up with some housework.

Tuesday:
Jonathan goes to childcare, so I only have Esther.
It's the best time to go shopping, see a doctor if sick, take Esther for her immunisation and health check, go to the dentist, do grocery and go out for lunch.

Wednesday:
1) Take the kids to playgroup and meet with other mums and their children in the morning.
2) Go for a walk in the neighbourhood.

Thursday:
1) Take the kids to the library and do some simple shopping in the morning.
2) Visit friends

Friday:
1) Take the kids to the park or visit friends.
2) Occasional dinner date with hubby while Jono goes to the grandparents.

Saturday:
It’s our Family Day
1) Take Jono to his swimming lesson in the morning.
2) Family outing – parks, swimming, shopping, eating out, visiting friends etc.

Sunday:
It’s the Lord’s Day! We go to church.
Now, I’m looking forward to my weekly adventure!

Hurray, I turned 29 on the 8th May!!! I'm feeling really excited about getting closer to 30, the next stage of my life. Having been married nearly 5 years, given birth to 2 kids, and have worked full time and part-time, I am now staying at home looking after my 2 beautiful children. I realised that I'm no longer young, and I now have a huge responsibility of raising the next generation. However, I do honestly miss my job. I miss the time when I'm Mrs Reynolds and get to work with some lovely teachers and students. My plan is to wait until Esther is at least one, then I'll look into teaching part-time again (maybe 2 days a week). Once the kids are older, I also consider to further my study and maybe have a career change (I'm interested in pharmacy at the moment, but it might change later down the track).

I also celebrated my 3rd Mother's day on the 10th May. This year, I had Dane, Jono and Esther to celebrate with. I'm not fussed about gifts for both my birthday and mother's day. I'm contended with spending these special time with my lovely family. My mum actually handmade me a mother's day card before she left. She was very creative and used things around my house to secretly create the card. I in reverse gave her an album of her and the grandchildren.

I do enjoy my time at home most of the time but I have to admit that I have had hard times too. Especially when the hormones are playing up and the kids are very demanding. What would my life be if I have not got married and have kids? I asked myself. However, when I seriously think about it, I really thank God for everything that I have today. All the way my Saviour leads me, what have I to ask beside? I would not want it any other way. No matter how hard and challenging my life is, I know that my Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ is my strength.

In conclusion, I have had wonderful time for both my birthday and mother's day. I'm now looking forward to celebrate Jono's 3rd birthday in August.

Jonathan helping me made blueberry muffins

Finally have some 'me' time to write my blog. I am having a very busy week. Jonathan is sick with cold and is staying at home with me the 2 days he was meant to go to childcare. So, I was soooo busy looking after 2 kids. Apart from that, I still need to do housework and keep up with my daily errands. I get frustrated sometimes but nevertheless I still enjoy being a stay at home mum. It is really a great responsibility and commitment being a mum. Raising children is not an easy task, I take my hat off to people who have successfully raised their children. I can only pray that I would have enough energy, wisdom and patience each day to look after my children and teach them to be godly young man and woman.