Pam's Blog (Life, Marriage & Parenting)

31st December 2022: If I have to describe my year using a colour, it will be grey. More specifically, it is Pantone - Cool Grey 11 C. To make this colour, you need more black than white. It's like my year if I examine it carefully. I was remarking to my helper yesterday how it has been a not so good year for me, and if God had not impressed upon me along the way, I might've been reproachful. Over my adult years, I have chosen to look pass negative events and focus mostly on positive ones. However, I have learnt that in order to grow, I need to be more attuned to my emotions. Throughout the year, I have been sick multiple times. I had the Covid and then long Covid, several bouts of flu and episodes of food poisoning. There were many occasions that I had to postpone/cancel plans. My dad became seriously ill and died. It was a good death nevertheless and I am thankful for his life and where he went. There were some opportunities lost and it made me rethink about how I should spend...

Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman is one of the life manuals I need other than the bible. It is a book that addresses my anxiety and what I would call my hedonistic nature. As an Enneagram Type 7, I have a constant need to feel that I am using my time well.  When I was working, there was an incessant need to keep on going and I did not mind doing the most work and going the extra mile. Before switching to being a stay-at-home mum, I started to feel like I couldn’t take the same amount of workload while suffering from mum-guilt. Eventually, I made the decision to bid farewell to what we would now consider “work” and focus on family life. You may think that I stop having the anxiety that I used to encounter on a daily basis but no, I still do. I want to be doing things with my toddler son all the time – providing outdoor experiences, sensory play at home and following certain bedtime routines. At the same time, I want to remain fit, know what is happening around the world, conti...