The economics of Parenthood

Most blogs on parenthood talk about the joys, the goos, the gahs, the gurgles and the coos...but people dont share the truth about parenthood, that it requires a great deal of money these days to be a parent (or at least to be a lazy parent).

Nicholas is now almost turning four months..and he has sucked us dry. Not just on the necessities, the nesting instinct just makes me want to get him the best. Even if hypermarket stuff will do, i just must get him the best toys, the best books, the best stroller, the best car seat..and i tell you these manufacturers really know their customers. Im convinced that 90% of all web sites that claim to be by parents for parents, are getting a cut of the profits.

Diapers alone could drive a person to bankruptcy, much less the milk that they consume. All these web sites that talk about breast feeding and how great it is for kids, and how vital it is to their development (they of course dont mention how traumatic it can be for a first time mom to attempt breastfeeding after 24 hours of pain, bleeding, stitching, and piles) Missed out on one important link to the story - they should just provide on their welcome page a financial calculator!!!!

• Think about it a tin a week, at 35 bucks, so for 6 mths - 1000 bucks
• Bottles/sterilizing equipment/ and the works (must get the anti colic one cuz every1 has blown colic out of proportion and there actually aint no bottle in the world that does not give gas) - 400 bucks
• Swanky diaper bag - 400 bucks (like angelina jolie and brad pitts)
• bottle heaters - 100 bucks
• total of 2000 bucks just to feed a 3kg baby for 6 mths.

Breastfeeding cost = Zero..

Diapers is the other big cost...breastfeeding = less poop = less diapers to use = a richer household

Advice to new parents...love and all is fantastic, but to make sure you can keep the love alive, make sure you are financially ready for a child, else dont procede, much less have more than one!

And to all manufacturers out there, you guys are really milking us dry. It is an abuse of parental love, the reports that you print, and the prices that you then put on products which are suppose to be sooooo beneficial to our children. I assure you if any one sees this blog, i will start my shop, where we will not be taken for a ride by all these shops in KL.

FIFA 2006 : Italy wins and proves there is a GOD!

In the last 5 seconds of a football match, Italy gets a penalty in their favor and converts. Somehow, through all the euphoria of seeing these 11 (down to 10 by full time) gorgeous men win by a hair, you just know the pope had something to do with it.

It amazes me, how life always throws us curve balls. And you just realise that the saying " Man plans and god laughs" is the truest of all the quotes people have come up with.

Life as we know it

Sometimes melancholy takes over. A feeling that hey, ive done all this, now im here, all is good...bought my fridge, my microwave, an apartment, got married, had a kid, what else is there. Alternatively, sometimes when all is good, there is an impending fear that disaster is around the corner. Well the best advice i would give myself is live for today, and that is exactly what i have been doing...updating myself on other blogs on the net.

Over the weekend me and hubs were discussing what we can do as a family. We have been bumming around the house since i gave birth, cause its just so hard to plan an outing, to do anything that we used to do before the baby. No more having coffee with friends, no more dinner in swanky restaurants (its chillies or fridays for us..and in fact the mcD's at Midvalley was like a romantic dinner last friday)..that whole era of our lives is over. It takes about 2.5 hours for our family to get out of the house, by the time we are at our destination, we are shattered, nicholas is hungry, cranky, tired, and hot...and we are ready to go home. Life as parents is something else.

The conversation never found its conclusion, we were too tired to even think of activities. And so the weekends have been. and so the weekends will be..

.......at the end of the long day, with our eyes half open, as we were about to put our heads down, came the angelic sound of whats keeping us alive, and so so so happy..."Ah gurrrr...said nicholas with his famous gerber smile" and we survived another weekend smiling.