This week is a very busy one for the family. The family calendar is heavily marked out in colours - one colour for each of us. When I see the number of items on the calendar, I worry that I might absent-mindedly pick the older ones at the wrong dismissal timing or miss out on K's therapy appointment. It has happened before. Many times, in fact. On top of the usual SYF (Singapore Youth Festival) practices for Ch and L, Ch has an after-school supplementary lesson and training classes for a competition she is representing her school for. K is also back on her feeding therapy where she is always looking forward to playing with Aunty Jocelyn (her therapist). 

Hence, I'll be busy shuttling kids and picking them from their various destinations (as usual), attending meetings, and a couple of events that will be taking place this Saturday. The Husband and kids will also be giving me an early birthday celebration. I have a few writing tasks on hand which I will need to submit soon, as I am a part of, and writing for a digital parenting online magazine called Special Seeds. If you have not seen this from my personal Facebook newsfeed, I encourage you to visit the website after reading this post. This ezine is set up by an amazing Mommy team who came together to advocate for our children with special needs (SN) through our voices. It was recently launched on 20th Jan 2016, and is by the special needs parents, for the special needs community and friends who wish to understand us better. The team has been greatly encouraged by the support and positive comments given. If you have already 'liked' and 'followed' the Special Seeds Facebook page, I thank you for your continual support!

Screenshot of Special Seeds website

Half the busy week has past, and I do hope Sunday comes soon so that we can have a good rest after church service. My physical shell is tired. My eyes are weary. And it is taking too long to complete this post just because I'm so distracted with every other thing I have to do concurrently. Sometimes, I wonder what I did every day when I was working. Seems like I am so much busier when I am not working! 

But in the midst of the busy schedules, I consciously remind myself to be thankful for all that I have on my plate. 

I am thankful that I can be the one to update the Husband of what happens each day (be it good or exasperating), the cute things the kids do, the funny things they say. 

I am thankful that I am the first to hear about the kids' day at school, to witness their shaky tooth drop, and be the one to discipline and correct on the spot when a poor behaviour is spotted. When I was still working, I had to rely on my mom-in-law to feed me such details. 

K proud to show her newly acquired skills - showing '4' and doing a water flush for her feeding tube

Sometimes, I get all grumpy and tired of planning the meals. I lose my appetite while trying to think of what is nutritious and palatable for everyone. But I am still thankful that I get to decide what we eat, as that means I can influence the family and help them achieve a healthy eating habit. We had homemade sushi for lunch yesterday and a last minute decision for steamboat for the "chap goh mae" (last day of the Chinese New Year) on Monday. 

Right now, my mornings usually move at a slower pace since half the family is not at home. K and I had time for a short "picnic" a couple of days ago. I acted silly and played the game her way. The "picnic" was just outside my flat, and we had her Pooh bear toy as our invited guest. I sneaked in some feeding therapy and she tolerated the biscuit crumbs which she usually hates. We fed Pooh biscuits and bread, and laughed at K's silly antics. We had fun crawling around the house after the picnic - me chasing after K. I wonder how she always manages to crawl away so quickly. Don't those knees hurt? Mine did for sure!

As much as I would love to see K eat the food we eat, I have to remind myself that any progress is a progress, even if it is a small improvement. To get her to be more willing to accept food orally, I have to consciously seek every moment to sneak some sensory play with food. Yes I know, K plays with food. Sorry if that disturbs you. 

See her disgusted face when she realised Bak Kwa is sticky and oily?

How do I sneak in a feeding therapy or sensory play using food? I wanted to eat some Bak Kwa one morning. While tube feeding K, I asked her to feed me some. (For my non-Chinese friends, "Bak Kwa" is Chinese barbequed meat product similar to jerky. It is a must-have snack especially during Chinese New Year.) 

She took the first slice, and realised the feel was not something she likes. Reluctantly, she fed me that piece. When I asked for a second piece, she was smart enough to hold my hand and asked me to pick up one piece for myself instead. This sweet girl finally managed to overcome her disgust of the sticky and oily feel to feed me a few pieces. I say this is a win-win situation. She got a sensory play, and I got my Bak Kwa. 

Finally after feeding me about 5 pieces, she closed the container and said this (watch the video):


Yes, no "bak bak". Ultimatum served. I get your point, dear K! Nonetheless, thank you for feeding me all those delicious "bak bak" and for a good laugh.