Kids, Kids and Kids.

It's Monday.

Nothing happened yesterday. It was a typical Sunday in this household.

Woke up early, sent the eldest for Taekwondo, came home, did laundry, went out for lunch, came back, was on my Kindle for most of the day.. finished off two books! (yes I am a bookworm)

Eldest has a history project that is due on the 12th.. but she finished it off yesterday so she has time to let her teacher check through it and correct it if there are any mistakes.

Have you ever realized that going out, or the prep before going out takes way much longer when you have kids?

Before kids.. going out consists of about 10 minutes where you just change your clothes and **poof** you're out the door.

After kids.... wake them up, shower the youngest, give them some food in case they get hungry on the way out, pack their water bottles, wonder where your phone is, about to leave then your youngest decides "Oh! I need to bring some blocks along with me.." proceeds to sit at her block box and select 10 that she absolutely MUST take with her or she'll die of boredom, get out the door, buckle the small one in her car seat, get in the car, get out of the car, open the gate and door and retrieve your bag or something someone forgot, re-lock everything and then finally.. finally leave.

Honestly, it now takes me about an hour and a half to get things ready before we can leave.

My Eldest will be turning 10 at the end of the year, and my Youngest is 3. 

How do people with more than 2 kids survive?!

Like have you ever accidentally left one kid behind? 

Recently I read about this HUGE family gathering at a makan place, about 30 or so people and when they left... they also forgot to take their 3 or 4 year old son along with them.

Maybe the kid was a devil and a half and they decided to make him someone else's problem.. hahaha 

OMG I AM KIDDING!! 

(but sometimes I feel like doing this to my Youngest as she can really test my patience and sanity levels)

They did go back for him.

You know, after you get married, the first question asked is "No kids yet ah?"

After you have your first kid, the question becomes "when second one?"

Then the second one comes along and the question yet again changes to "Aiya still young can have 3rd one"

If your kids happen to be all boys.. or all girls.. they then say "Oh try la for a boy/girl"

EXCUSE ME?! but the kids are coming out of me.. not you .. so shhhhh

Kids aren't cheap!! The minute they are conceived its like $$$$ on scans, check ups, pregnancy vitamins etc etc..

The minute they are out its check ups, vaccinations, milk, diapers, nappy rash creams, shampoo, soap.. and God help us if the kid is lactose intolerant or can't use certain soaps or shampoos (My Youngest!!!)

My husband has this theory, where the 3rd kid is the most expensive.. your car may be just nice for 4.. then the 5th one comes along and all of a sudden you need to buy a spaceship so that everyone can fit in and be comfy.

Houses usually come with 3 rooms.. so if you have a 3rd child.. there's no such thing as 1 room per kid.. and you'd have to buy another house with 4-5 rooms just in case...

Then there's the headache of saving up for their education.. 

I have been asked "why are your kids ages so far apart?"

My answer is usually "just in case my Eldest decides to study something expensive then we have a few more years to save up for the Youngest"

These people are then usually mind blown. 

What? Don't people do mental calculations anymore? What if you have 4 kids and a year gap between all of them.. OMG I would crumble under the stress of How am I going to let all of them study at the same time?!

Yes I am very OCD and can be ADD and anal about matters like these. 

It's their future we're talking about and we as parents have to come up with some sort of plan!!!

Primary level education already costs a bomb.. school bag.. RM100 (those good ones that dont fall apart after 2 weeks) school uniform cost about RM100 a pair these days (pinafore and white shirt) and you need at least 2-3 pairs... socks.. shoes ( I am honestly cracking my brain to try and figure out how the heck do school shoes cost RM45 these days?!)

Then there's my favourite part.. Stationery. 

Primary 1-3: Pencils, erasers, rulers, glue sticks, scissors, colour pencils 

[I used to buy all these in bulk.. especially pencils, erasers and colour pencils]

Primary 4-6: Pencils, erasers, rulers, pencils, erasers, pencils, erasers.

[I will need to start buying shares in Faber Castell really soon]

I think most Mothers have their own School Stationery Stash. 

It's mainly so we don't have to go out at odd hours just to buy them when our kids happily lose everything in their pencil case at the end of the week.

Books. Also. Cost. A. Bomb.

I paid RM183 for Primary 4 books from the School Bookshop.. and that does not include textbooks!!!

So yes, kids. are expensive

Have them wisely.

You can't return them.

There's no guarantee they'll work right.

There isn't an off switch for when they whine, or cry or just downright refuse to sleep.

But every once in a while they do something that makes you so damn proud to be their parent, it takes all the crappy stuff away.

Kids.

God's way of causing havoc in the everyday lives of adults.