I'm a full-time mummy

It was such a nice coincidence that I get to review this storybook app with my kiddos! I was just watching the movie trailer over at IMDB website the other day and my 4 years old Benjamin was laughing along at some of the funny scenes in the trailer and I was thinking, 'Wow! This story managed to capture his attention and got him laughing! This is something!'. Without further ado, here goes my feedback...

* Title: The Croods Movie Storybook
* Price: $3.99
* Category: Books
* Released: Mar 22, 2013
* Version: 1.0
* Size: 494 MB
* Language: English
* Seller: zuuka incorporated © 2013 DreamWorks Animation, L.L.C.
* Rated: 4+
* Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 5.0 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

Description from the product page:

"The Croods Movie Storybook Deluxe transports fans back in time to tell the story of the first family road trip. Grug leads his caveman family, the Croods, on a perilous adventure across harsh terrain as they try to outrace cataclysmic events. Can Grug do it alone, or will the Croods require the help of Guy, a brave outsider? Join Grug, Ugga, Eep, Guy, Thunk, Sandy, Gran, and a cast of prehistoric creatures to find out if they can survive the journey–and each other!"

* The illustrations is clear and vivid, as for storyline, I can't say for certain whether it is exactly the same from the movie as I haven't got the chance to watch any movies for a long long long time!

* One of the cool thing in this app is you can select the Croods Couture and Survival Gear activities, which allow you to customize the outfits for Guy and Eep, and the final selections of your design will be worn by them throughout the story!

* I personally chuckled along and was amazed at the cute and creative animals in the storybook, something out of ordinary such as piranha keets, bear owl and much more! Of course, I do let my boy know these animals can only be found in this story and they are not real.

* I used the opportunity in this storybook app to teach my boy that we have to stick as a family, to respect our parents and to follow our dreams. We should also be careful when we decide on something and not make a decision on impulse.

You can purchase the "The Croods Movie Storybook" app from the iTunes App Store.

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the promo code 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"

Life as a full-time mummy is busy and chaotic, particularly in ensuring my home-schooling continues to be efficient and I am providing my kids with all of the things they need. However, there’s no harm in a bit of daydreaming from time to time, and I’ve recently been wondering what it would be like if we spent a year or so living in a different country, for example Oman! Although this may never become reality – and would certainly make a dent in the savings account – I decided to carry out a bit of research and also think about what families require in order to be happy in their country of choice. For me, Oman is like a dream land of Arabian Seas, hills rising into the sunset and beautiful white stone architecture – a place where adventures begin.

Visa Applications   
Let’s begin with the basics. Generally if you want to live for any length of time overseas you will require a visa. In Oman, it seems that it is advisable to search for a job and a company willing to sponsor you before moving out there, in order to obtain an employment visa. This also means that the company will fill out most of the paperwork, but it will be relatively tricky to change jobs once you arrive. Common industries include teaching, oil, construction and engineering, medicine and project management, so you do need to come with skills.

My first priority is my family and I would never consider moving anywhere without them. Family residence visas are available ensuring that we could all move together, meaning we wouldn’t have to spend any time apart during the moving process. Alternatively if my husband were to move first he could apply on our behalf.

Housing
Having a lovely home in Malaysia is very important to my family and this principle probably applies to most mums around the world. It is a place where memories are made and a secure property where we can all feel safe. Studies have revealed that Malaysia is an up-and-coming area for investment in property, so I would be reluctant to give up our place here. However, if we were to think about it, Oman has a range of properties available, but usually it is only possible to rent rather than buy. Employers tend to be responsible for finding accommodation, and if you prefer freedom of choice, moving overseas is not necessarily for you. It is not uncommon for housing needs to be accommodated on a compound where other expats live too, which probably would make the cultural adjustments easier. I think our happiness depends to a certain extent on living in a good area, travelling to work with ease and having enough space so that we are not on top of each other 24/7. 

Banking
Having easy access to a family savings account and available funds would be a primary concern for me – I want to invest money for our future stability. There are many internationally renowned banks in Oman, which allow standard facilities, plus global ATMS where cash can be withdrawn from accounts in your home country. This would make the lifestyle relatively easy in terms of accessibility to money, a primary concern when you have kids to consider!

Overall, quality of life with a family is dependent upon many factors, and I would definitely want to ensure that we would be happy not only in our work and home conditions but also our leisure time. Oman would have to provide plenty of activities and access to the countryside so that we could enjoy residency there.

If there is one particular thing I could remember well of the many many things I learned from my late father, it is that our name is very, very, very, important.

"Never take it for granted and always take your signature seriously." This is what I remembered my late father telling me long, long ago...

My late father once taught me the 2 different type of signatures he had when he signed for documents, one easy and simple to sign for petty unimportant documents and the other serious-I-mean-business type of signatures which he only used for banking documents and important paperworks.

Because of my dad, I always keep in mind that I will not simply allow my name to be used by others without proper justifications and especially for their personal gains.

Because of my dad, I am extremely wary when people close to me asked for my help to be guarantor and so on.

No matter how lucrative the returns or how honest or great promises given in exchange for my name to be used, I will politely excused myself out of the requests.

I am writing this as I dearly prayed that my loved ones will get the meaning of this. How important it is to hold onto our precious name and not let it be abused.