The Very Hungry Little Reader - an online bookstore for your little readers

Some time last year, amidst the busyness of life, I got together with a friend and started an online bookstore for kids. So instead of going to bed right now (@1.30am), I have decided that I should write a little about our bookstore.

My friend and I both have children and want them to cultivate the love of reading. We both love books and have emptied our savings on books for our kiddos many a time. Good reads in Malaysia are not only rare at times but also pricey. Thoroughly missing the time in UK where libraries are EVERYWHERE! And the children section is packed with books suitable for all ages from birth! Also missing the great deals for new books with offers like buy one get one free. I loved grabbing bargains from charity shops too! Got some books still in good condition for 50p! Don't forget the nearly new sale!!!

Well, we are not in UK anymore are we? But we still want to continue to encourage Che-che O and Master J (and their friends) to love books. So we got our acts together and started The Very Hungry Little Reader - an online bookstore for your little readers.  It is currently found only on Facebook as we have not managed to set up a blog unfortunately. My friend did mention before that most Malaysian parents would be more willing to spend on expensive toys and clothes than books which I have sadly realised to be true! Therefore, the idea of this children bookstore is for us to source for good, quality, popular reads and sell them here in Malaysia at a price lower than our local bookstores. It is our hopes that this will encourage parents to invest more in books which will open up a whole new horizon of imagination for their little ones, stimulate their senses, improve their language comprehension and a whole load of other things!

There is still tonnes to work on. We have more things planned and more new books to upload but we will take one step at a time. Meanwhile, if you and your little reader are feeling a little hungry for some good reads, why not pop into The Very Hungry Little Reader? ;-) See you there!

This Mama Loves... I'm A New Big Sister

As mentioned in my previous post, there were not many choices of books available in our local bookstore to help prepare our little toddler in becoming a big che-che. I am really thankful that the only two available were great finds.

'I'm A New Big Sister' by Nora Gaydos is recommended for toddlers two years onwards. Perfect for Baby O. Illustrations are simple and cute and gives the reader an idea of what to expect when the new baby arrives. Firstly, it tells the reader that things will be a little different now. Then it explains things like the new baby won't be able to play with the big sister yet, or she has to pick up her toys so no one gets hurt, helping around during nappy change and holding baby gently, and to expect crying when baby needs something and lots of cuddling the baby. At the end, the book emphasises that the reader will still be able to spend a lot of time with mommy and daddy when baby is asleep to remind the child that she is still special. There is also a note to parents with some ideas of how to help your toddler adjust to her new role as big sister and a note to the big sister too telling her to lookout for all the many exciting baby milestones together.

Baby O seems to love the idea of being a big che-che from this book as she thinks she gets to read books to her di-di, sing lullabies and feed him. She somehow loves the page where baby does a poo and laughs every time we get to that page. (???!)

The 'I'm A New Big Brother' version is also available.

Read the review of 'What's Inside Your Tummy, Mommy?' by Abby Cocovini here.

This Mama Loves... What's Inside Your Tummy, Mommy?

Some time in my eventful first trimester, I managed to gather enough energy to look for relevant books that will help prepare Baby O to be a big che-che (elder sister). Not surprisingly, there weren't many. Thankfully, there were two (and only two) great books available! The first would be 'What's Inside Your Tummy, Mommy?' by Abby Cocovini. Unfortunately there was only one tatty and torn copy left and Borders reluctantly offered me a 20% discount off and I reluctantly bought it. (Thought they could do better than that. ;-P)



The book gives a simple explanation of how baby is growing month by month with some simple illustrations.

What I like about this large size paperback is that it is designed to be placed on Mommy's belly to give the toddler a visual of what is inside the growing tummy.

Baby O loves this book and reads it almost every night! She can even tell us the 'story' now - "Month number five, baby is like (a box of) milk. He can blow the trumpet with his thumb - pa, pa, pa, paaa." Well, this is the only page that she kinda made up the story and diverted a little.. haha....

Overall, no regrets getting the copy even in its shabby condition. Definitely a keeper!
Next: Review on the other book 'I'm A New Big Sister' by Nora Gaydos here.

This Mama Is Feeling... A Lot Better!!!

I have finally regained enough energy to want to blog! Yes, it was a first trimester that I never had and wouldn't want to go through again! Well, considering that I had a relatively smooth sailing pregnancy before. This time round, you name it, I had (or still having) it. Started with an insatiable appetite! That is not bad but if I don't get food in in time, I will be nauseous to the core! To make it even more interesting, I was hungry every hour or so! Sometimes I overeat as I was so hungry that my food goes undigested and frequently comes out again the same way it went in looking very much like what it was before.. oops.. sorry for the details..

The heightened sense of smell deterred me from entering the kitchen. I could not bear the smell of food being cooked. I could not smell the leftover smells of cooked food. I could not stand the smells of certain foods like seafood. Dear hubby had to tapau (take away) most meals including lunches for us. He had to rush out during his working lunch hour so we won't starve. Poor Baby O was fed everything under the sun then. No more delicious and nutritious homemade goodness. (Am sure she is actually more happy with the tasty salty and sweet food though! Hmm..)

Then there is the need to pee in the wee hours of morning. Like every night. Even though I try to avoid drinking too much liquid after certain hours at night. 

At the same time, I was also having extreme fatigue. I can be talking to Baby O one minute and my eyes will closed the next. But come night time, I can't sleep. Either I'll be awake till 2 - 3 am or I will wake up at 4 - 5 am and can't go back to sleep till 7 am. This baby is really preparing me very early on! I was so tired that the TV became a regular babysitter for Baby O. I felt really guilty as I could barely give her the attention that she needed.

I craved very particular foods which was actually a good thing come to think of it as it made life easier in the sense that we know where to go for say dinner immediately and head straight there instead of usually having to think about where or what to eat. Dear hubby should also be thankful that my cravings weren't that out of the world and mostly obtainable within reach.

This time round the pelvic pain came much earlier compared to the previous pregnancy and that deterred me from doing exercises like walking and swimming which I really should. There were nights when I just couldn't find a comfortable position to lie in to relieve the pain. Thankfully, most times I know what will trigger it and try to avoid those actions (which includes too much walking in malls!).

So I am really, really thankful that I am SO much better now. Shall really enjoy this honeymoon trimester to the max before I get too big!

And time to dig out that What to Expect When You Are Expecting book again... How exciting!

This Mama recommends: What To Expect Series

Went to the mall last night and bought a copy of 'What To Expect: The Toddler Years' (available in most popular bookstores retailing at RM44.00). Oh, yes, I DO need a book to tell me how to 'manage' my toddler! ;-P

The series by Heidi Murkoff and some other moms and healthcare professionals is the next in line after What To Expect : The First Year and What To Expect When You're Expecting. I am hoping to find many tips, advices and suggestions in there for the next two years of raising Baby O just as how I relied on the first two series.

Some friends bought me the 3rd edition of What To Expect When You're Expecting as a birthday present years before we even thought of having a baby. One of the best and most useful birthday gift I must say. This is like every pregnant woman's (and her other half's) pregnancy bible! Even more so for us when we were having the baby in a foreign country on our own with no family around to turn to for advice (which may be a good thing at times to avoid being restricted by too many myths and superstitions! Eg. Consuming lamb during pregnancy will result in having a baby with epilepsy; drink more soy milk to have a fair baby and avoid coffee or baby will have dark skin - refer NOTE below). Every step of pregnancy is detailed in the 2-inches thick book telling you basically, well, what to expect at the different stages in a light-hearted, mother to mother-to-be manner. It provided me with a lot of assurance especially since it was our first time. There were times when I kept wondering if everything was alright with the baby because I couldn't see it physically growing or had any other pregnancy symptoms.

What To Expect: The First Year (another 2-inches thick, over 800-pages book) covers topics such as breast/ formula feeding, what baby may be doing each month, low-birthweight/ special needs/ adopted baby, how to deal with grandparents who are spoiling the baby, and recipes for when baby starts solids. They also give sound advices and suggestions on topics like discipline and when to wean from the breast. Both dear hubby and myself find that when we had some doubts, we could almost always rely on the book for an answer. Which is why the series will grow with us and Baby O.

The only drawback of the series (as with most pregnancy related books out on the shelves of popular bookstores) is that it is catered for the Western community so don't expect to find recipes which includes siew pak choy; or things like confinement food and taboos; or an answer to 'Can I give my baby coconut water?' in it. You may also find that the healthcare system may differ. They also currently do not cover Baby-Led Weaning in their 2nd edition of The First Year. However, the series is definitely a good investment if you want to be more aware of the A to Zs of pregnancy and caring for your baby/ toddler. A good reference with a lot of sense while putting things into perspective especially for those having/bringing up a baby in a very culturally superstitious environment!

NOTE: I am not totally against the many myths/ superstitions/ taboos related to pregnancy. I believe that many a times, these superstitions have a real reason behind it. For example, not to consume lamb meat during pregnancy may be due to the fact that taking too much red meat may cause hypertension which may worsen the condition of a pre-eclampsic woman. Nutrition wise, soy milk is definitely better than coffee which should be minimised anyway. Balance is the key!

This Mama Loves Cheaper Books!

When it comes to books, we really miss England where you can purchase new books for less than £5! Imagine getting whole new books for RM5!! That will be the day. On top of that, there are loads of charity shops where people donate their books to sell and the profit goes to that particular charity (eg. Oxfam) - supports various campaigns to fight poverty; Barnado's - needs funds to help children). I have bought 5 books for £2 at Barnado's numerous times and the books are still in good condition. So imagine my despair when we got back and books are so expensive relative to what we earn! 5 new books can easily hit the RM200 mark. Therefore I'm in constant search for places that sells good quality books cheaply be it old or new, online or in shops and would love to share these places with anyone who loves books but don't wish to spend too much on them for whatever reasons.

Recently I stumbled upon Cheaper Books. They sell used books imported from the US. They have quite a good selection and I like how they show you a preview of some of the pages inside to get an idea of what the contents are. The best part is the books cost a fraction lesser than a new one even though some have a tiny creases here or there. "Where is Maisy's Panda?" by Lucy Cousins with slight peel on corners of cover and two slightly creased flaps on otherwise superclean contents is priced at RM6.90 vs $4.99 for a new one. How good is that? Only problem here is that I'm exposed to the books recommended in Britain whilst we were raising Baby O there so I am not too familiar with the books being offered and will need to look through the list to see what is suitable for Baby O before making a purchase. So it will be great if Cheaper Books can include an age reference for us.

Do you have a good place to buy books? Recommend it to us by giving us a shout!

Mom of many interests

Looking inside this blog (well, maybe when there are more posts later on), you'll probably be able to tell that I'm someone who has a lot of interests. I love to (the basic) cook & learn a new dish, eat & discover a great place to dine, shop & grab a bargain. I also love DIYs, crafts and even computer games! To pamper myself, there's also massage sessions and swirling a glass of wine with the company of Oscar Peterson in the background. I must say, most of these indulgence is a thing of the past especially now that I have a 10-month old in tow.

While surfing around some scrapbooking sites to search for some nifty little DIY templates for my new blog, I came across some blogs that really opened my eyes to how some owners take great pains in the aesthetic aspect, one thing that matters a lot to me. It's common sense - a blog that's pleasing to the eye will attract more readers. So I'd like to congratulate my first featured blogshop(s) for their effort in revamping their sites! These blogshops (Little Red Reading Nook, Hui Wearn Kids Store and Cupcake Chic Children's Boutique) belong to Hui-Wearn. I especially like Little Red Reading Nook, and online children's book shop because of the quality books they offer and at affordable prices. I recognise a lot of these books from being based in the UK previously before returning back to Malaysia a few months ago. I will definitely keep Little Red Reading Nook in mind the next time I go book-hunting for Baby O!