Our Blog Has Moved

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Our new home is at http://ourlittlesmarties.com/. Come and visit us!
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A Very Active Toddler

Little Edison is becoming increasingly active and adventurous nowadays. His natural curiosity opens up a wide array of play experiences for him; especially when he can move around easily without needing to seek help.

Everyday, he will go up and down the stairs using different strategies. It is amazing to see how well he can coordinate his hands and feet in his movements. This has been a good exercise for him.

We allow him to roam freely and venture around the house. I strongly believe that too many restrictions can hinder his physical development. Therefore, we don’t confine him in playpen or play yard. We make him aware of safety by constantly reminding him to watch out what he does and warn him whenever necessary.

Little Edison has always been a brave boy. Occasional tumble is unavoidable these days due to his activeness. But this does not upset him at all. We give him plenty of encouragement and this helps to boast his self confidence.

He loves to show off his new talents to me. Sometime back, he demonstrated to me that he is able to walk backwards. I smiled at him and praised him. He was so proud of his newly acquired skills.

I’m so delighted with his amazing development and growing independence.

The Game Has Begun

Two days ago, I mentioned about my plan to start blogging with Wordpress on a self-hosted site. This is what I’ve done so far:

1. I’ve bought the domain name for my new blog. It’s a dot com! I’ll hold on to the announcement of this new site until all the works are done. So, please bear with me for a little longer. Okie?

2. I’ve chosen a web hosting company for my new blog. Bryan from IXIY Hosting has registered my domain and set-up my new blog in Wordpress.

3. I’ve chosen a Wordpress theme. This is more tedious that I’ve expected. Wordpress has too many free themes to choose from. Thus, finding one theme that meets all my requirement isn’t so simple. At a start, I’ve decided to go for a free theme. Depending on the progress of my blog, I may get a professionally designed theme in future.

Bryan helped me to install my new theme yesterday. I was so pleased to see the results! It was such a breeze having an expert to do all the techie works for me. I don’t have to bury myself with the ‘Wordpress for Dummies’ handbook.

I’ve spent 2 hours reading the Wordpress tutorials last night. It seems to me that Wordpress is much more complicated than Blogger. Or maybe it’s just a matter of getting used to it. I'll have a lot more to learn.

Now, my biggest headache is to plan for the layout of my new blog. I don’t intend to copy this Blogger blog over to Wordpress. I want to create a totally new refreshing look. Thus, I will need a little longer time to achieve what I want.

Last but not least, I’ll need to install the plugins into my new blog before I can start writing. Let’s hope that the subsequent works are going to be fuss-free for me.

Second Anniversary

7 Jan 09 – Today is the second anniversary of a very important date in my life. Two years ago, on this day, I was given the most precious gift in my life. It was my first time; I was so thrilled and excited with this big surprise. Although some of the mothers may have forgotten this date, but I can still remember it vividly.

So, what exactly is the date that I’m talking about? On this day, I found out that I was pregnant. It came so sudden and unexpected. My husband and I were so excited and happy. We quickly announced our pregnancy to our parents.

Coincidentally, this date is also my husband’s birthday! So, it was a ‘double happiness’ for us. On 7 Jan 07, we went for a nice dinner to celebrate my husband’s 31st birthday. After the dinner, we went for shopping. I happened to walk pass Watson’s and so I thought of buying a home pregnancy test kit. I had this feeling that I’ve missed my period for a while.

I really didn’t expect myself to be pregnant. Reason – my menstruation cycle can be quite irregular at times due to stress or lack of sleep. So, I thought that perhaps it’s just another stress factor.

When I saw the two pink lines for the first time, I squeaked with delight. “Dear, I’m pregnant!” Both of us were so happy with our new 'discovery' that night. Our smart little Edison has chosen a good date to inform Daddy & Mummy on his arrival.

As mentioned earlier, today is my husband’s birthday. I’ll be taking half day off this afternoon to celebrate this special day with him.

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To My Wonderful Husband,
Happy Birthday to You! My love for you grows and grows with each passing year. Wish you a great year ahead with lots and lots of luck.--

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Buying My Own Domain

It’s official. I’m going to buy my own domain today. I’ve been toying with this idea for several weeks now, and I’ve decided to go ahead and do it with courage!

Due to the limitations in Blogger, I’ve decided to set-up my new blog in Wordpress. I’m thinking of a new theme for my blog now. I’m not an expert in domain registration and web hosting. So, I engaged professional help with a very reasonable charge.

If you are wondering why I want to buy my own domain when free sites are easily available, let me explain to you. Free site is like a rented house. It doesn’t belong to us. We are restricted by the rental rules and regulations. Own domain is like our own house. We can decorate it as much as we like. It’s something that truly belongs to us.

Secondly, having a dot com or a dot net is much more professional. Compare www.prince-edison.com and prince-edison.blogspot.com. You will know what I mean. I’ve been blogging for a year now. I have a strong passion in it, and I want to bring this interest to a higher level.

Thirdly, it’s so affordable to own a domain. Forgo buying one dress and we can have our own website for ONE YEAR. We are assured of the security of our own website, as compared to those erratic free services. Furthermore, it’s ad-free!

Lastly, we deserve it. We put in so much effort in our blogs with beautifully written posts and fantastic pictures, we definitely want to preserve and secure them.

I’m looking forward to launch my new blog next month. That ‘auspicious date’ is however not confirmed yet. You will definitely be invited to my house-warming party!

My 2009 New Year's Resolutions

This comes in later this year as I was too occupied for the past few days. Today is my first working day in 2009, I feel so refreshed and energized after a two-week break. I spent half an hour after lunch to think about my resolutions for this year.

My resolutions are yet very simple. Honestly, I’m not a naturally disciplined person. Thus, I’m keeping them simple so that I don’t lost focus.

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For myself
Eat well. Live well. Try to exercise. Plan some personal time for myself every month. Take care of my skin and hair (very important!). Drink more water and reduce the coffee.

For my husband
Love my husband. Spend more time with him. Understand and support him. Take care of his health.

For my son
Take great care of Edison. Coach him, teach him and guide him. Create enjoyable learning experiences for him. Organize more outdoor activities for him. Take care of his diet and health.

My blog
Improve my blog and writing. Buy myself a domain. I’ve been toying with this idea for a while. I think I should just do it. I truly want to have a website of my own.

My career
Deliver the best that I can. It’s not the right time for ‘job hop’.

New addition to the family
Probably, I can start thinking about it. (I mean ‘thinking’, not ‘planning’ yet!). I need to build up the courage. It’s really not easy going through the 9 months of pregnancy again.

My wishlist
I want to own a Rolex watch. My husband has agreed to get one for me this year. (Thanks so much, dear!)

2008 has been a remarkable year for me. I’m so happy now. I’m definitely looking forward to an exciting 2009!

Hello 2009!

Wow, this is my first post in year 2009. I’ve been occupied with family visit this week; this explains the lack of posting in my blog.

What’s my resolution for 2009? I’ve been too lazy to think about it now. Perhaps, I should spend sometime to review the events that happened in 2008 and think of something more productive and meaningful for 2009.

Hmm. I wonder what 2009 has in store for me. I know that this year is going to be tough. So, the ‘key’ to survival is to save money and spend within my limit. With confidence, discipline and determination, I’m sure that we can ride out the recession with minimal damage.

2008 has been a really special year for me. I’m thankful for everyone who has played a part in my life – my parents, my parents-in-law, my siblings, my brother-in-law, my colleagues and my friends.

I'm most thankful for being blessed with a wonderful family. I’m thankful for my husband, Venneth, who loves me on my good days and bad days. I’m thankful for my son, Edison, who brings happiness into my life and makes it so complete.