Why Do I Blog?

I first started blogging in 2006 for a year before I became pregnant (in a different blog sphere) and life sort of halted for a bit. I then started this blog with the grand intention of blogging about the early days of lovely parenthood. I had visions of a perfect me glowing in a perfectly matching outfit with my little one where we meet my girlfriends and lift our pinkies while drinking tea. :p

Life certainly has a weird way of throwing you off the curve because shortly after the birth of Dumpling, Post Natal Depression hit. It took a while for me to adjust to life with a 2 dogs and a baby. Around the same period, shortly after I returned to work, a total of three departments were made redundant. My department was one of them and so, I had to hunt for a new job all over again after being comfortably “settled” in the previous company for almost 4 years.

It took me a while to get into the whole parenting groove and being a SAHM. Parenting did not come easy and naturally to me. Through a guest post where I shared my post natal depression experience, I had many mums reach out to me via PM and email seeking for my doctor's contact and advice on battling PND. As my PND got better, I was able to enjoy my little one more too.

It was then that I decided to revive my blog. I have not been actively blogging until the recent months after I joined the Singapore Mom Bloggers group where I met many talented mummy bloggers. There was so much great sharing and I love the easy camaraderie.

So why do I blog?

I blog because I want to have a platform where I can reach out and share with other parents and readers out there. Be it the nicer side or the ugly side of parenting, I wanted to have a personal space where I can air my parenting thoughts and to keep those sharing ‘real’ - where I share my struggles and the moments which challenge me. It is also a place where I can share what I hope to be useful tips and ideas for all parents – be it recipes, creative ideas or even fun DIY gifts to make with our children.

More than that, as I sat down to reflect on the "voice of my blog" these past 2 weeks, I realised that at the back of my mind, it is also a place for me to chronicle all the moments that I have with my little one. I want to have some sort of a memoir to pass on to Dumpling (hence the blog title from Day 1).

One of these days when I grow old (and maybe end up being senile), I will still have this blog to read through and pictures to look at even though my aged mind may not be able to remember all those moments. I want to have a place to store all these memories: from the fun that I have with the little one right right down to reflecting on my parenting journey into the teenage years.

I also wish to leave something behind for Dumpling - she can choose to use this as a guide or for some laughs when she is a parent, or simply take this as a trip down memory lane when she is older and hopefully have something to remember me fondly by. :)

And so, a special note and dedication for Dumpling:

“Lu lu (this is the name that you insist on me calling you at this moment), when I finally pass on and am no longer around, whenever you should miss me, you'd only need to read through this blog and remember all the fun we have together. If you end up being a mum/grandma and I am not around to help you, I hope that you can find some inspiration or take a breather by coming here. Perhaps you may even find my rantings and ideas useful and share them with your kid(s) some day. I also hope that you will be able to look at the crazy things we did and think of me fondly (ok, VERY FONDLY) with a smile.

You only need to know how much I love you and how truly blessed I am (and we all are) to have you in my life. You have given me so much and taught me so much as a person, a parent and as God's child. I am truly and deeply humbled. I know I will miss you dearly when I pass on but you will not be alone, you will have all of these lovely memories from this blog to remember me by. I love you.” (Mama Sue - your current nickname for me )

(Featured above: 3.5YO Lu and a "forever 25" Mama Sue. :p

Not drinking tea with lifted pinkies but in matching Shanghai Tang outfits no less. LOL) 

This is part of a blog train which is hosted by Rachel from Catch Forty Winks. The blog train leads us into the lives of other Singapore Mom Bloggers who share, with us, their passion behind blogging and why they blog. 

Next up:

Pamela Tan is a mother of three young children, aged between 2 - 5 years old. She is currently a full-time working mum, with a side-line in selling board games online. Pamela has many varied interests including playing strategy board games, engaging in various outdoor sports, collecting Spiderman action-figures and creating photo collections of her family. Pamela maintains a personal blog at www.TanFamilyChronicles.com and the online board game store at www.MyFirstGames.sg