I'm a full-time mummy

We went to our favorite optical shop last week to get our eyes checked and also to get new glasses. My MIL tagged along as well and once we reached there, we had to wait quite a while for our turn (a lot of customers in the shop!).

So we sat there, and goofed around with hubby's sunglasses...

We browsed through the selections of eyewear frames and all. And I jokingly got Ben to select one nice frame for mummy.

And he chose one right in front of him. I laughed at first and then decided to try it on after persuasion from hubby and MIL to just try it on since Ben chose it. And I like it! And then I got him to chose one for his grandma,... and she freaked out when she saw what her grandson chose for her hahhahha!

I can't wait to get my new glasses! I think the one I'm wearing now is almost as old as Ben! Will show you guys the picture of me in my new eyewear when we get it!

And yeah, never laughed at your children's taste! It might turn out to be awesome!

Ben is 3 years old already and I've always been scouting for apps which I can get him to try on so it was a coincidence that I received an email asking me to review a preschool puzzle app. Of course I said yes! Anyway, my review as below...

* Title: Kids Preschool Puzzle & Words
* Price: $3.99
* Category: Education
* Updated: 23 May 2012
* Version: 1.0
* Size: 41.8 MB
* Language: English
* Seller: EduKidsApps
* Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 4.2 or later.

Description from the product page:

"The challenge of this educational game is interesting and exciting: a child will move patterned pieces of paper to complete a picture. When the object is created, its name is spelled on the screen and you can hear the word pronunciation - in any of 14 languages available! Pictures are grouped into 6 categories (Animals, Vehicles, Fruit, Veggies, Numbers, Shapes), so there are 60 wonderful pictures to assemble and learn."

** Note: Free lite version (with one category open: "Animals") will be available on May, 30th 2012

What's good?

* I like the child lock features (you need to tap the screen a few times to unlock/edit certain options in the app)

* I also like the different levels of difficulties when playing the puzzle - allows me to adjust the difficulties based on my boy's learning skills now.

* I like the feasibility in changing the categories (Animals, Vehicles, Fruit, Veggies, Numbers, Shapes) just by pulling down the ribbon icon at the top right of the screen.

* The puzzles are easy to play and solve but my boy couldn't focus long at the app (reasons noted below)

Room for Improvement?

* Language selections showing on each puzzle – for me, I think a puzzle app should show more puzzles instead. Currently the language selection option is sharing the screen with the puzzles. Yes, there might be people who wants to learn other languages but perhaps this can be done with an option at the menu asking user whether the show the language selection on every puzzle or to turn off showing the language selection.

* The puzzles outline should be darker as currently not easy to see (due to the pastel color)

* I would prefer as we solve the puzzle, it shows the puzzle pieces instead of the current pastel color shapes (where the puzzle only revealed when you managed to solve it) I think showing the puzzle pieces as we solved will motivate the child to solve faster as they can see what is being pieced up together now.

You can purchase the "Kids Preschool Puzzle & Words" app from the iTunes App Store.

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the promo code by the sponsor to redeem the application for free from iTunes Store in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine. And if you'd like to read my previous iPad Apps reviews, you can do so by reading this post of mine called "My iPad App Reviews"

Welcome to the Carnival of Tandem Nursing

This post was written for inclusion in the Carnival of Tandem Nursing hosted by Mommying My Way. Our participants have shared their personal stories of the highs the lows and information on what to expect if tandeming is in your future. Please read to the end of each post to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

When I found out I was pregnant with Alyson, I surfed and Googled all the breastfeeding websites and forums to find out as much as I can about the possibilities of continuing on breastfeeding during pregnancy. That's because I was still nursing my 2 year++ old boy then.

I found some tips through some bloggy friends (Dionna at Code Name: Mama for sharing her tips and Twittering me, Dulce Chale for sharing her experience, Mama J for sharing her tips and emailing me and Germaine for referring me to Mama J) and also purchased 2 books which I find helpful: Adventures in Tandem Nursing: Breastfeeding During Pregnancy and Beyond and Mothering Your Nursing Toddler. These 2 books gave me the confidence to continue on nursing my boy throughout my pregnancy! (*Note: It is also because I have no risks or complications at all with my first and current pregnancy then)

Despite my breastmik stopped coming in at my 5th month into pregnancy, my boy nurses on! I cherished the moments I had while nursing him and actually resented the thoughts of my baby in my tummy - as if she is going to come between the wonderful bond I have with my boy. On the other hand, I also felt guilty as if I'm not paying 100% attention to the baby in my tummy as well... weird huh?

When Alyson was born on 2nd Sept 2011, my breastmilk came almost immediately! It was a breeze nursing her and there was not any chance for her weight to drop after the meconium was out as she was on my breastmilk since she was born! (unlike my boy who lost about 300 hundred grams on the 5th day). We left the hospital on day 2 and my problems started that very night.

My 2 year old wanted to nurse too when he saw me nursing the baby. I have no idea how to position my boy and the baby and I actually felt angry at my boy for wanting to nurse! Within the first 2 weeks, I was depressed and I reached out asking for help, telling my hubby and friends and bloggy pals that I am struggling and trying to cope with tandem nursing.

I think the first step of acknowledging and telling people I am struggling in tandem nursing greatly eases my own depression and tensions I placed on myself. Thank God I received advices, prayers, hugs and encouragement from friends and family members and I began to slowly get used to tandem nursing.

A month and a half after the birth of Alyson, I wrote another blog post about surviving my tandem nursing aversion. In that post, I also shared my own tips on how I overcome my nursing aversion. It is a good thing that I keep telling myself the aversion is all in my head and it is a waste and failure on my part if I give up just because of what's playing in my head!

At 3 months into tandem nursing, I wrote another update on my life tandem nursing 2 kids and how I get around to nursing them and using the opportunities to teach my toddler as well while I nursed them.

And now, close to 9 months into tandem nursing, my oh my... let me just pause here for a moment and reminisced back my 9 months journey into tandem nursing...

Wow oh wow...!!!

Never had I imagine I'll get to this stage where I sit back and goes 'Wow oh Wow!!!' 9 months into this crazy spectacular magnificent journey!  

I thank God for helping me getting through and to this stage and I feel happy being able to nurture my children as long as they want.

Ben at close to 39 months old now is down to one nursing a day, before his bedtime, that too for not more than a minute. Of course, there are times I can feel the let-down reflex when he suckles, but most of the time, he does it for comfort, just the act of being able to still nurse from mummy and he always unlatched when I tell him 'OK, enough already!'

As for Alyson, close to 9 months old, she has started her solids 2 weeks before she turned 7 months old and is currently on 2 times solid a day, the rest of her feedings are still on my direct breastfeeding, on demand, whenever she wants.

How long am I going to do this? I don't know... Like I said earlier, I feel happy being able to nurture and nourish my children, so, I will just take this one day at a time...

• My Tandem Nursing Journey: Jenny at I'm a full-time mummy is sharing her tandem nursing journey so far...
• Built for Two: No matter how much you read and plan, things may not always go as you expect. A few things that Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy wished she knew when she was planning to tandem feed her toddler and newborn.
• Tandem Nursing - Magic Cure?: Jorje of Momma Jorje had high expectations of tandem nursing easing her toddler daughter's transition from being the baby to being a big sister.
• Mutually Desirable - Navigating a Tandem Nursing Experience: Amy Willa at www.amywilla.com talks about limit setting and meditations that help her navigate an intense tandem nursing experience.
• My Adventure in Tandem Nursing: Alicia at Lactation Narration tells her story of nursing her daughter through pregnancy and then tandem nursing.
• 4 months in: the good/hard: Becca at Exile Fertility writes about the joys and struggles of having two nurslings 17 months apart.
• Tandem Nursing: One at a Time: When tandem nursing resulted in a nursing aversion, Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children looked for ways to meet everyone's needs.
• Why Nurse a 4 Year Old?: One of the questions Dionna at Code Name: Mama keeps getting is, "but why breastfeed a four year old? What are the benefits?" Today she answers that question.
• My Hurt Feelings: Shannon at The Artful Mama shares how her first son reacted to nursing after the birth of his brother and the gift she received the last time he nursed.
• Carnival of Tandem Nursing: A Letter To Myself 7 Years Ago: Dulce de leche shares the advice and reassurance that she would have given to herself if she could go back in time.
• Nursing Both My Babies: Cassie at There’s a Pickle in my Lifeshares her experience with nursing and transitioning into tandem nursing. She also gives tips for struggles.
• Our Tandem Nursing Journey: Kim at Life-is-Learning describes her journey into tandem nursing and why it is important to her.
• Based on her own experience, Lauren at Hobo Mama dishes about the benefits and downsides to nursing multiple children.