Before I was a Mom

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love,
the heartache, the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom .

Author unknown
----

To Vera and Nadya and all the moms out there who feel the way I do about the above. xoxo

Follow me on Twitter!

I finally got round to signing up on Twitter and oh it is soo much fun! Almost additive. If you would like to follow this Tweeter newbie, click here! I will mostly be using this to post the latest on my baby online store and update more frequently on day-to-day (and sometimes banal) events that keep me busy and inspired.

Craft Projects for Kids this Easter

I have been searching high and low for a simple and fun craft project to do with Vera this Easter weekend. Finally found this fun looking project that turns normal white paper envelope into something fun at Martha Stewart crafts here. You can fill the envelopes with treats to give away.

For more craft ideas that really make you wish you had more time as a mom, click here.

Remembering and Giving Thanks this Easter

The little imperfections that make them perfect

This commercial really touched my heart and I thought I would share it here on this blog. I love this quote:

" In the end, it's these small things that you remember. The little imperfections that make them perfect for you. So to my beautiful children, I hope that one day you too find yourselves life partners who are as beautifully imperfect as your father was to me..."

And if you are up for another version of this after seeing the above, click here. (you have to understand Singlish for this "alternative version")

New Pouch Designs have Arrived!

It has been a hectic week for us at Pupsik Studio! With much excitement, we are happy to announce that our new pouch designs have arrived! Not only do we have more colours and designs this time, we are also introducing reversible ones for those of you who like having 2 pouches in 1!

While design aesthetics have always been important to us at Pupsik Studio, we never compromise on other important aspects such as safety, cost and comfort. All our pouches and made from special durable fabric with a slight stretch and triple-stitched together with one of the strongest and best quality thread available in the market. So fussy we are about the safety of our pouches that we actually sent them to be tested by an internationally certified professional body. Needless to say, our pouches passed with flying colours and has been proven to be able to carry weights up to 20kg without any visible signs of stress.

Like our popular collection last year, each pouch is made from cotton (great for the weather in Singapore) with a slight stretch that is oh-so-comfy! Each pouch also come with a pocket feature for you to store little nick-nacks on the go such as cards, tissue paper, a spare diaper etc.
Stylish and sleek, our custom sizing also means that you don't have to mess with excess fabric or rings and buckles. When you don't need the pouch, all you have to do is roll it up in a small bundle to fit into your handbag. There is no other type of baby carrier with such a compact design that allows you to do this!

As the pouch is sized to fit you, this means that the same sized sling can be used from when baby is born till they are 20kg! This is because you change the baby's position (from cradle carry to kangaroo and finally, the front carry) to accommodate baby's growth in the pouch.

We are also introducing some limited designs like the toile design you see above called Vintage Baby Classic. I have long been a fan of toile. If I could, I would probably decorate all the accessories in our nursery out of this classic design. However, due to the cost of producing these toile designs, we are limiting it to a few numbers for sale as we always try to offer our carriers at an affordable price.

If you are thinking of getting a pouch as a gift for a friend that has given birth and are not sure about what size to choose, you can now easily purchase a prepaid return envelope with your order here! This way, your friend can very easily send back the pouch to us for an exchange in the event the she needs a different size at no additional cost!

Here are some pic of our little Nadya modeling in a pouch below. Like Vera (who is now 2.5yrs and is still being carried in a pouch by the way), she absolutely adores being in one and would kick her legs up in excitement everything she sees us approaching and waving a pouch in our hand.

For more designs, please visit our website here! We have a list of Frequently Asked Questions but if you have any additional questions, please feel free to email me at hello@pupsiksudio.com !

Terrible Twos

If you have been following our home videos here and here, you would have noticed that my interaction with Vera very often draws a "No!" response.

Me: Give Mama this, please?

Vera: No!

While it was quite cute when we first found out that she could express herself so assertively, such moments have become quite tiring on days when I run out of patience. Experts call this period when children display such "bad" behaviour as the Terrible Twos.

The Terrible Twos are often characterized by oppositional behavior, mood changes, and temper tantrums. "No" becomes a favorite word. Apparently, this is considered normal parts of child development. The frustration and challenging behavior they display is often due to the fact that a toddler's ability to communicate hasn't caught up with his desire to communicate.

Here are some tips I found here to help manage a child that is in her terrible twos:

1. Make predictable routines part of your toddler's day.
2. Give regular healthy snacks to keep blood sugar steady.
3. Offer limited choices -- two to three options -- to your toddler (for example, "Do you want apple juice or orange juice in your sippy cup?").
4. Set limits (but expect him to test them).
5. Provide a safe, toddler-proofed environment for him.

I also found these 10 ways to tame your kid's tantrums quite useful. Of course, you would need to apply different methods depending on the circumstance...

1. Ignore the Kid. Often they are behaving badly to get your attention so paying too much attention means that your kid will learn that this is an effective way to get you to notice them.

2. Give your child some space. This allows him to get his anger out and hopefully regain self control on their own without getting into a yelling battle with you.

3. Create a diversion. We are getting quite good at this it is ridiculous the things my husband and I say just to create a diversion. Like, "Look! There is a rat there!" Kids usually have quite short attention span so get them interested in something else and the tantrum would stop.

4. Find out what is frustrating your kid. Perhaps they are tired?

5. Hugs. For reassurance especially if you sense they are insecure about something.

6. Offer food or some rest. Often, kids act up become they are simply tired. Imagine how we feel when we don't get enough sleep!

7. Give your kids some incentive to behave. Well, this works for people of all ages I guess.

8. Speak calmly. You lose if you end up acting like you are throwing a tandrum yourself!

9. Look calm and laugh it off if possible. Don't allow yourself to lose control.

10. Get out of there! A change of environment usually changes the behaviour.

What a lovely name

Pweegnant and looking for a name for the little one? This site may be just for you!

Latest Pics for Family and Friends

Dear Family and Friends,

I am growing up well and have hit the birth weight of a 1 year old although I am only 4+ months.

My che che loves to show her love for me when the camera is rolling. However, she does hit and bite me occassionally when no one is looking. Anyway, I believe she loves me deep down inside.

More pics of us can be found here and here.

xoxo nadya

Pupsik Studio is hiring!

We are currently looking for responsible and people-oriented individuals to join us part-time at Pupsik Studio starting 1 April 2009. Hours: 5-7 days a week, min 6 hours a day. Basic pay + commission on sales.

If you enjoy selling beautiful baby products and love meeting people in a large retail environment, please drop us an email at hello@pupsikstudio.com. Do let us know a little more about yourself. e.g. your age, what you currently do and why you would like to join us. Students currently waiting for results and are available over the next few months can also apply.

We will contact all suitable candidates by email.

Do help forward this to someone whom you think may be suitable and interested in this position. Thanks!

Tivoli Couture

I had wanted to share about the lovely creations from Tivoli Couture on Pupsik Studio for the longest time and I am glad I finally found the time to get down to it!

Founded by Stella Rubinshteyn, Tivoli Couture offers a wide range of children luxury items that are not only beautiful, but most importantly functional and practical too! An example of this is the Bandana Binky Bib, a unique and funky product thoughtfully designed by Stella. This is a bandana style bib with a removable attachment that holds babies' pacifiers and teething toys within reach. How cute and convenient!

And I love how they have not forgotten about the zonked out moms and dads with their specially designed lavender eye pillow that promises the ultimate in Rest & Relaxation. The pillows comes in designer's print on one side and reverses to a cuddly Minky back that's gentle on the eyes and rests comfortably to the contours of your face. The pillow can be chilled to relieve migranes and puffy eyes. Tivoli's Cuddle Bottle blanket is another product that is fun, functional and stylish. Made from minky fabrics. the little taggies stimulate baby's senses and entertain. The bottle holder also insulates and keeps the drinks warm longer.

There are lots more lovely products on their website so do check it out! If you are interested in a particular product and would like to order through Pupsik Studio, do drop me an email at hello@pupsikstudio.com.

Winner of the Vinyl Silhouettes Giveaway!

View video above to find out who the lucky winner for the decal giveaway sponsored by vinylsilhouttes is. Thanks to all who took part and congratulations to our winner!

Winner of the Henry Tianus Giveaway

The above were those who joined us for our Valentine's Giveaway sponsored by Henry Tianus !

Please view the video above to find out who our lucky winner is!

Congratulations Ms XX for winning a set of Flower Essence Eye Gel 5ml (worth $22) and Antioxidant Hydrating Cream 5ml (worth $16). You had written to let me know that you have very sensitive skin and have eczema on your face including your eye area. I understand that you have tried many skin care products but find them unsuitable.

I do hope your skin will take well to Henry Tianus' products just as mine did. You can collect your gift at Henry Tianus Suntec City booth (located just outside Carrefour) by letting the sales assistant know that you are our winner! Congrats again!

Ps: Thanks to all who joined in the fun for this giveaway. And not forgetting of course, our ever reliable assistant, Vera, for picking a winner and our lovely apprentice Nadya for being quiet throughout the process.

The winner of the Vinyl decal sponsored by vinylsilhouettes.com will be announced soon!

GIVEAWAY - Personalised Vinyl Silhouettes

For some reason, I can never get enough of decals. I guess my affection for it stems from my childhood obsession with stickers and pretty much everything that sticks. While there are quite a few decal design companies out there, I have not come across anything like Vinyl Silhouettes.

Vinyl Silhouettes is a new decal company that allows you to turn a personal photograph into a wall decal! With a growing popularity in silhouttes, these decals allow you to personalise and customise the look of your room in minutes.

You can choose to do a profile of your kiddo to immortalise his/her head, or go for a full body profile.

More lovely ideas on what you can do can be found here.

Vinyl Silhouettes will be giving a lucky reader of this blog the opportunity to do a custom head profile decal of one of your loved ones: child, pet etc. It can be any color and any size up to 30" tall! To enter, simply email me at ztansl@gmail.com with the subject heading "Vinyl Silhouettes" and tell me what you would like to turn into a decal. I will pick a winner at random on Friday, Feb 20th.

Thanks Vinyl Silhouettes for sponsoring this giveaway!

Nadya's 1st CNY

Someone puuleazzee save me from these adults!

Pupsik Studio Valentine's Day Giveway by Henry Tianus

I was doing my weekend grocery shopping at Suntec City some time ago when I came across a pushcart located just outside Carrefour selling a huge range of skincare products from England by Henry Tianus. Curious, I approached the sales person to enquire about this line of products that was new to me at that time.

The friendly and helpful person manning the booth that day was the owner (Grace) herself and she shared with me a few products which were highly recommended for people with ultra sensitive combination skin like mine. After a nice chat with Grace, I decided to give the products a try and bought the Rosewood Face Scrub and Flower Essence Rose Serum .

That evening, I excitedly applied my new purchases on my skin and was amazed at how well my usually fussy skin took to it. The face scrub did its thing by gently polishing away the dry and dull surface cells to reveal what I thought was a more radiant surface. The rose serum was quickly absorbed by my thristy skin and didn't leave any oily trace at all.

Happy with my new skincare discovery, I visited their online store and found out more about Henry Tianus. Turns out that Henry Tianus recently swept away 4 awards at the UK Natural Health Beauty Awards 2008 including the Best Natural Range, Best Wrinkle Zapper for Antioxidant Youthful Essence, Best Moisturiser for Dry Skin for Antioxidant Hydrating Cream and Best Eye Cream for Flower Essence Eye Gel. In Singapore, their Soothing Blemish Gel was voted the Best Blemish Gel at the CozyCot Holy Grail Award 2008.

I continued to notice a significant difference to my sensitive and easily dehydrated skin (too much air conditioning!) after trying a few other products from their range for dry skin (including the Antioxidant Hydrating Mask and the Antioxidant Hydrating Cream). I would highly recommend Henry Tianus to any person looking for a good skincare range.

In celebration of Valentines Day, Henry Tianus will be giving away a set of Flower Essence Eye Gel 5ml (worth $22) and Antioxidant Hydrating Cream 5ml (worth $16) to 1 lucky winner from this blog! To try and win this, simply email us at hello@pupsikstudio.com with the subject heading "Henry Tianus" and tell me why you deserve to win this giveaway. I will randomly pick a lucky winner for this! It will be fun to join so do email me to win! No harm trying, right?

Henry Tianus will also be offering 40% discount to all readers of Pupsik Studio with purchase of 2 items and above (retail size) purchased at the Henry Tianus booth at Suntec City, Level 1, Outside Carrefour. Items purchased must be of different product. Promotion is valid till 15 March 2009. Simply let the sales person know that you got to know them through Pupsik Studio to enjoy the 40% discount. Don't miss this opportunity to try this amazing product at this special promotion available only to Pupsik Studio blog readers.

Spread the word!

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Gong Xi Fa Cai everyone! xoxo
Vera & Nadya
Pupsik Studio Models and Mascots (+ Ang Pao collecting Machines)

Belle & Dean now available on Pupsik Studio

I am a fan of cotton onesies. Not only are they comfortable for hot climates like Singapore, I find them extremely practical. You can wear them on its own or top it off with a skirt or pants. The best thing is that the snaps at the bottom keep the clothing in place, unlike a regular T-shirt that often runs up to expose the tummy.

I have been looking around for great looking onesies for our online store for the longest time when my prayers were answered by Belle & Dean. They had everything I was looking for in a cotton onesie. Comfort, design, versatility and affordability.

Made from organic cotton that is unbleached and undyed, these 100% organic cotton onesies are suitable for both boys and girls from newborn-24mths throughout the year. All Belle & Dean clothes are designed in-house. Their special prints, mostly of endangered animals and plants, are hand-drawn by Belle & Dean's co-founder, Issy, and screen printed by hand with environmentally friendly water-based ink to give a wonderfully soft and subtle finish.

Pupsik Studio is proud to retail Belle & Dean's most popular line of organic onesie at our online store here. Do feel free to shop around for more designs available in our store and contact us at hello@pupsikstudio.com if you have any questions about this product!

More "Pupsik in a Pouch" pics!

Here are more lovely pictures to share... This one is from Consuelo all the way from Italy. Here is the story of these sequence of pictures in her own words.

(above) This day Linda was little sad... she don't want walk, she want my arms... so I put her in the pupsik sling

in order to accommodate the kitchen ...

After a few minutes she returned smile

and finally the joy of all time!

Consuelo was so happy with our pouch carrier that she recently ordered another 2 pairs to be delivered to Italy. Thank you Consuelo for sending these lovely pics to us.

I hope to be able to share more lovely pictures and testimony I have received so do tune in the coming weeks to have a peek into the intimate babywearing journey of another parent and child!

Winners of the "Pupsik in a Pouch" Giveaway!

Finally, the moment we have all been waiting for...the results of the "Pupsik in a Pouch" giveaway!

First of all, thank you all so much again for taking the time to send in your pictures. It is really encouraging to see how our pouches have been an integral part of your lives as a busy parent and to hear how much your babies enjoy living in a Pupsik pouch! I am a firm believer that carrying your baby in a soft carrier like a Pupsik pouch not only helps your life as a busy parent, it also facilitates bonding with your child and allows them to grow up happier and more confident. It is so wonderful that so many moms, dads and babies out there can testify to the many benefits of babywearing and I am only too glad to have this opportunity to share this amazing product on Pupsik Studio.

Ok, before I rattle on and on about babywearing, lets get straight to business!

Believe me when I say it was so tough selecting 3 winners for the giveaway. After much deliberation, we finally settled on 3 entries which we thought had that little special touch.

The 1st winner is.....drumroll.....Yuling and Andy wearing baby Raeann!

We felt that this entry had extra points for winning because it was a daddy using our pouch and I always say there is nothing more manly than a man slinging his baby and going gai-gai (see pic above). We also love that Yuling shared her pictures with a poetic testimony that rhymes(!):

I love that he loves to sling our girl,
Despite it being too tight (it's meant for me, you see! :p).
We get stares one too many,
But he says, "Let it be".
So we go romping about town,
With Raeann snug in our pouch.
Hands-free, hassle-free,
Like a joey safe and sound.
That's why we love Pupsik,Warm and pretty and so lovely!

Thank you Yuling for sharing these lovely pictures! Congratulations on being our first winner!

The second winner is the entry sent by Kwan Chiao Chyi and her lovely baby Hannah Tan Hui En. (above) Chiao Chyi and Hannah at the zoo. Here is what Chiao Chyi has to share about the Pupsik pouch.

I like the Pupsik pouch because

1. It is fuss free. It takes awhile to get the hang of it but it's really easy once you're used to it. There is nothing to pull and no extra cloth hanging out.

2. My daughter loves it. She sees the world through my perspective. Her favourite was the kangaroo carry when she was 3-5 months old. She could look out at the world with me just right with her. Now her legs have to hang out but she likes it all the same.

3. My hands are free for shopping, browsing and getting stuff even while I'm carrying my baby. I have my daughter close to me while I'm out and about...and she'll always be ready for a hug.

4. The design and material - trendy, stretchy and comfy

What delighted us most about Chiao Chyi's entry was that she shared pictures of her mother and mother-in-law (see pic above) both using the pouch to carry Hannah. How sweet is that? Thank you Chiao Chyi for sharing these lovely pictures! Congratulations on being our second winner!

Our third winner is from Josie Quak carrying Jey. Josie actually took the time to submit her pictures in the form of a collage to share how the pouch has been a part of Jey's life! The collage is lovingly entitled "Pouch Story".

A picture speaks a thousand words...

Thank you Josie for sharing these lovely pictures and congratulations to you, Chiao Chyi' and Yuling/Andy for being our first 3 winners! You have each won for yourself a brand new pouch of your choice from our new collection when it comes up, a 100%handmade travel-sized beansprout pillow with taggies, exclusive T-shirt iron-on by artist mein, and 'I love pupsik' buttons which we hope you will display on your diaper bag to help us spread the word on us! =)

And now for the wildcard! Since all the pictures you sent were so lovely, we thought it would be most unfair if we just settled on 3 winners. So we decided to add an element of surprise in this giveaway by conducting a lucky dip. As usual, we called in our lovely assistant, Vera, to choose 3 entries from a bag. These lucky winners will each stand to win a travel-size beansprout pillows with taggies. And to prove to you that this lucky dip is not rigged, we took a video.

hmm...my "Congratulations" in the video sounds wierd. =) Too bad we can't retake this.

Anyway, here are our lucky winners sharing their pictures and lovely testimony about our pouches.

"I like the Pupsik baby pouch carrier because it is convenient to carry my baby around, and she feels safe and comfortable inside the pouch carrier. :)" Ruby Tok

"Why I like my Pupsik pouch carrier?Because it's super easy to use, folds neatly and compactly and I love the funky stripes pattern on the carnival design. Most of all, my baby girl just simply loves being carried around in it! Also, it's a total lifesaver when she gets cranky in her stroller! " Azlina Hussain

"Just look at us! With pupsik pouch we're ready to go anywhere, anytime! Yippeee!" Norliana Shammad

So that is it! Our 3 top winners and another 3 lucky winners!

And for the rest who shared your babywearing journey with us, we will be posting your beautiful pictures here and sharing some of your testimonies on this blog over the next few days. I hope you will not mind. We would also like to show our appreciation by giving you a special something in the post. It's a little surprise, not something big but we hope you will like it when it arrives. Thank you all so much again for supporting Pupsik Studio!

Deadline Today!

Thank you to everyone who sent us your lovely pictures for the giveaway! I had too much much going through the entries and think it will be a tough job finding 3 winners! The deadline is the end of today, so if you are still wondering if you should send yours, please JUST SEND IT NOW!!

Winners will be announced on this blog next Monday, Jan 19th! So watch this space!

Clothkits

I came across a wonderful website today called Clothkits. A wonderful website if you always wanted to make your own children's clothes, toys etc but can't really sew or read a paper pattern to save your life.

Clothkits make it easy for you to make beautiful quality, well designed clothes without the fuss of paper patterns. All the cutting lines are printed directly on the fabric in a simple format that means even the inexperienced can make garments with ease. In addition to the fabric, their kits contain all you need to complete the project - thread, buttons (or any other necessary haberdashery, and of course well illustrated instructions to guide you through the project.

(Below) Tata! What the finished product should look like.

And if you really cannot handle it, you can simply get it ready off the shelf with the click of your mouse. Neat!

(above) Ready-made birdie dress.

Children Alert!

Starting January 26, Olivia the TV show will be showing on Nickelodeon. A very good friend gave us our first "Olivia" book called "Olivia Counts". I just love the illustartions of this little modern pig originally created by British illustrator Ian Falconer. Apparenty, this half hour show is guaranteed to keep your little one excited and mesmerized!