‘Mummy Wee’ turns 1!

It’s been exactly 1 year since I wrote my first post “You have 6 kids?” Everything happened so quickly, and I must say that the past year has been phenomenal. I met many wonderful and inspiring people, did fun things with the kids we would otherwise not have experienced, wrote my bucket list and managed to get some ticked off, and received many emails from readers thanking me for helping them in some way. And the strange thing about writing is that you gain clarity in your thoughts while writing to share with others. Before I go on to thank everyone who has helped me create this blog, let me briefly explain how this blog got started.

I left Prudential after a decade of working as a financial adviser and was trying to discern what my next path should be. Within a week, many different friends told me about blogging. Prior to that, I didn’t even know what the term blogging meant. Ok, please pardon my ignorance. With so many kids, I really didn’t have time to surf the web.

So here I was, with a new baby after a break of 6 years. Friends were laughing and saying I might as well write a book about my experiences raising 6 kids. Precisely! I was busy answering texts from friends needing advice about their kids. They suggested why not start a blog and write it all down so people can just refer to it. Another group of friends were remarking how expensive it must be just paying for diapers and milk powder. Then someone went on to suggest why not be a blogger? You might get free diapers and milk powder! Wait a minute. Seriously? I was all ears. But I had one huge hurdle. I’m a total nerd when it comes to the computer. I only know how to open emails and use Word.

Subsequently, we had dinner with another bunch of friends and the topic of blogging came up again. They even threw up names for me: “Half a dozen”, “Mum of 6”, and simply, “Mummy Wee”. Well, the 1st two domain names were already taken, so I went with the last one. After dinner, the fellas decided to adjourn for a round of drinks at someone’s house. The wives had nothing much to do, and began setting up the blog for me. And viola! Mummy Wee was up and running.

So on this first birthday of what feels like my 7th baby (also needs tending to), I would like to say a very sincere and big THANK YOU to all of you who have helped me on this blogging journey.

To Amber, for setting up the blog template for me. To my eldest, for putting all the information into the template and teaching me how to use it. To Elaine, for doing the beautiful graphics even though you are in Australia. I know I can always count on you. To Gloria, a new but great friend, who supported me from day 1 and got your friends to read my blog too. (She was the one who read my very first draft. She put it down, gave me a blank look, then said very gently. Er, blogging is not writing an essay. You can break this up into 5 posts. And add more pictures). Oh. I see. To Mer & Chang, my 2 oldest friends of 30 years – for giving me constructive criticism and enlightening me on why people read blogs – “for info, honest opinions  and if there’s humour, all the better.” To my dearest friend Sandra, for teaching me the nitty gritty tech stuff and for confirming that #1 was right all along, that the Facebook account should be a page, where we add fans not friends. To my brother-in-law who read my first few posts and said encouragingly, “Very good! But you need to work on your photos. You know they are blur, right?” Well actually, I didn’t know. Prior to this whole blogging thing, I have hardly taken a photo in my life. That was the hub’s arena. I only knew that I had to get the object into the square. So please pardon my photos. I have come a long way. And yes, I do know that there is still much room for improvement. To all the mummy blogger friends whom I have had the pleasure of getting to know (thanks to Pamela) thank you for your advice, encouragement and inspiration. And last but definitely not least, to you, my dear readers. For without readers what’s a blog right?

Last week, #4 asked me, “Mummy, what is your job?” #3 quickly replied, “Blogger lah” (sounds way cooler than telling their friends I’m a SAHM). #4 continued, “But if my teacher ask what does a blogger do, what do I say?” #3 replied even more impatiently, “Get free things and write about it lah.”

Just as my kids think a stay-at-home-mum does nothing the whole day, they also think a blogger does nothing besides getting freebies for their kids. Why does my work seem ‘invisible’ to everyone else? Ah, the sad story of my life 😉 Oh, and just for the record, we still have not been offered free diapers nor milk powder.

Yay! (Kate still doesn’t know what we’re all excited about)

So join us in celebrating this happy day! Jump off your chair, fling your arms wide (be careful not to smack your colleague/child in the face) and yell

Happy 1st Anniversary to Mummy Wee! 

Or, um, you could just quietly type on your computer or phone some nice wishes with smiley faces and send it off to us. Feel free to tell me what you’d like to see (or read) more of in the coming months. Have an awesome, awesome day, everyone!

Thankful Tuesdays:

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has” – Epictetus

Thankful… for the hub’s cooking
Thankful… for #5’s cooking and caring of Kate
Thankful… for #3 in so many ways
Thankful… for sister-in-law #1

Thankful… for our helper

Thankful… for my family

Thankful… for the beauty of nature

Thankful… for my mum-in-law

Thankful… for my father-in-law
Thankful… for all who helped create this blog
Thankful… for #4’s resilience and forgiveness
Thankful… for blogging perks

Linking up with:

~ www.mummyweeblog.com – a blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore ~