Control freak? Who? Me?

I've been accused of being many kinds of freaks - clean freak is the most common one. Recently, I have been accused of being a control freak. What the ?! How am I a control freak huh? Just because I plan my travel itinery months ahead and have a packing list that wows many and prefers to know every single damn thing in advance doesn't make me a control freak!! Or that I like my laundry hang a certain way and my children to be in bed by 9.30pm. These are normal expectations right? I'm in no way freakish. Insecure maybe. And paranoid. But a control freak I am not.

So those people who think I am a control freak, stop it right now!

Diamonds in the rough

Last evening, when I was sweating it out on the treadmill at the gym and not entirely feeling on top of the world, something beautiful happened that warmed my heart. My older prince entered the gym and gestured to an umbrella that he placed at the door, knowing that I wouldn't talk to him because I was plugged to the MP3. Then he left. I saw him walking home in the dark rainy night with his own tiny green umbrella. He had given me the bigger umbrella. At that moment, I felt so much love for him.

When I reached home, I told him how much I appreciated his gesture. The prince, of course, just brushed it off with his usual laid-back manner. My hubby confirmed that he did not ask the older prince to bring me the umbrella. I could have guessed as much. It just wasn't my hubby's style. I shared with him my pride in older prince and related another incident where little prince told me, "You're a good mom." while we snuggled up before bedtime one day. Four little simple words but what impact it made on me. Hubby listened in silence but I could sense just a little tinge of jealousy on his face.

We always complained about how naughty and lazy our children are but hardly 'catch' them doing the right thing. Our children's thoughtful efforts can easily be overlooked, like blindspots, if we don't take time to notice them. Once we allow ourselves to enter into the world of these little people, we will be pleasantly surprised to see diamonds in the rough. I was dazzled by one last evening.

Let the mane thing be the main thing

I have a full head of long thick hair. Many people have told me that they envied me for having so much hair and never having to worry about going bald. I always tell them that being hairy has its woes, like how incredibly hot it is to walk under the Singapore sun. It's like wearing a sweater on my head in summer. Unlike girls with tamed, nicely-coifed do, I always found it a challenge to style my wavy thick blob of mess. So I end up tying it half-way. This has been my hairdo for years. It's safe and fuss-free. In fact, I've taken such a nonchalant attitude to my hair that I simply couldn't be bothered to blow dry or comb it. In short, I took my hair for granted.

Last Friday, after coming home from a night out with my girlfriends, I washed my hair (although I neglect my hair, I'm still a clean freak!) and went to bed. The next morning, I woke up with a pounding headache. I call it the 'mother of all headaches' as it refused to leave me alone for the entire weekend. At first I thought my lack of sleep could be the cause of it but upon some reflection, I realised that I have been sleeping with wet hair quite frequently. Maybe it wasn't an old wives tale afterall. Maybe we really shouldn't sleep with wet hair. Anyhow, I've decided that in order to prevent myself from future pains in the head, henceforth, I shall take good care of my hair. Making sure it's dry before I go to bed would be the first step. But don't expect me to comb or dye or do anything glamorous with my hair (except for glamorous occasions which, thankfully, hardly ever happens). I intend to keep my hair the way God has intended it to be - beautifully untamed.