Shiny Teeth

Last Sunday, I checked DD1's teeth and found gum inflammation. My mother has always been an advocate for healthy dental habits and making regular visits to the dentist, so I became influenced by her to make sure my kids have healthy teeth.

Yesterday I called the nearby dentist office to schedule an appointment for DD1. All praise be to Allah SWT, the dentist had an empty slot this morning. After I confirmed the appointment, I coached DD1 on how to behave at the dentist office, and what to expect from her first dentist visit. She said that although she was scared, she'll feel safe when I am there with her.

After I paid for the dental cleaning fee, the hygienist checked DD1's teeth and gum. She is really good with talking to young children and was very patient with DD1. All praise be to Allah SWT, the gum inflammation occurred at the back of her teeth, so it took about 10 minutes to have her teeth checked and cleaned. After that, the dentist came to check out DD1's teeth and said that she has good healthy teeth. I was so relieved to hear that because I thought it will be costly to have her teeth cleaned. The hygienist gave DD1 a goody bag consisting of a toothbrush, tooth paste and floss. DD1 also got a whistle as a surprise gift and proudly showed it to husband when he came home from work.

Now DD1 does not want to eat as much candy, and wants to rinse her mouth after eating. She also want to keep her teeth 'shiny' so that she can have good teeth to eat her favorite fruit e.g. apple, blueberries, strawberries etc. Allah SWT willing, I am glad that she is not hook on candy and hopefully she'll have good 'grownup' teeth after the baby teeth fall off.

Beach Boys - Surfin' USA

Beach Boys - Surfin' USA

Cliff Richard - Summer Holiday

Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer - Nat King Cole

Chilling with the Kids

It has been two weeks since I stay home with the kids, and I am loving it!

DD1 loves to play games, read books and watch tv programs with me while DD2 enjoys running around the house and exploring strange new things in every room. All praise be to Allah SWT, my pregnancy is also wearing me out, so I am happy to have the summer off from school. We've been having 100 degree F days since last week, so I am just happy to chill out with the kids at home. In the evening, husband brings them to the nearby park to let off some energy while I take a break.

Allah SWT willing, I hope I'll have the stamina to play with the kids until the baby gets here.

Lake Grapevine

This morning, husband and I brought the kids to the Bass Pro Shop to look at fishing and camping equipment. We were quite in awe of the size of this store and the huge inventory of hunting, boating, fishing and camping items sold at this store. We spent about one and half hours there looking around.

Then we brought the kids to the nearby Lake Grapevine so that we could explore the camping area in the Meadowmere Park. To camp at the Meadowmere Park, there is a overnight fee of $22. It is cheaper to park the car at this park for $5 if we want to let the kids swim in the lake. After visiting Meadowmere Park, we drove to the nearby Lakeview Park. While DD2 took a nap and I rested in the car, husband and DD1 rolled up their pants and playing in a shallow part of the lake at the park. All praise be to Allah SWT, they had a good time but we had to leave at around 2pm so that husband can get some rest before going back to work tomorrow.

On the way home, husband and I agreed that bringing the kids to these parks on the weekends and letting them swim in the lake would be fun. Besides, there is no entrance fees to these parks and restrooms are available for visitors. Since he is currently busy with a project, we'll have to wait until maybe next week before we can hang out at Lake Grapevine. Allah SWT willing, I hope we can spend some family time at these beautiful parks before the baby is here.

Visit to Austin, Texas

Last Friday evening, husband and I decided to drive to Austin to bring the kids to visit the capital city. Since I am almost 8 months pregnant, I thought this would be the last road trip that I can take before the baby is here. All praise be to Allah SWT, I was able to enjoy this trip with everyone without much discomfort.

We arrived at a hotel in Temple around 9:30pm, and stayed there for the night. On Saturday, we left at around 8am after the kids ate breakfast. When we arrived in Austin, we went to the Chinatown to get some yummy snacks. Then we went to the Texas State History Museum to check out the museum store.

Since the kids are too young to comprehend the exhibits and 3-D movies, we decided to skip them and went to the Texas Capitol. The museum is just a stone throw away from the Texas Capitol and we were able to find a shaded parking lot just outside the compound. Husband took lots of pictures of the kids around the park while I seek shelter under shady trees.

At around 12pm, we went to the Veggie Heaven restaurant to have lunch. The restaurant is quite small and can accommodate about 26 people. There were 8 customers when we arrived but service was quite prompt. I was quite surprised by the wide variety of menu selection and decided to have Taiwan Lo Mein and Steamed Vegan Bun while husband ate Golden Fried Rice. DD1 and I shared a Creamy Strawberry Bubble Tea while husband had a Thai Ice Coffee. All these yummy food cost just under $20!

After lunch, we departed from Austin and arrived home at around 6pm. All in all, this has been a good trip. Gas price was quite consistent at around $3.50 per gallon and traffic was smooth.

Although it was a pain in the neck to keep going to the restrooms during this trip, it was easy breezy to find them. I am really thankful that clean and sanitized restrooms are plentiful and easy to find in this part of the world! Otherwise, I would have to be confined at home until the baby is here.

If I were not pregnant this summer...

I would be doing one of these fun stuff with DD1 and DD2:

1) visit my sister in Ohio

2) ice-skating

3) vegetable gardening

4) fishing

5) try out different food recipes

Well, I am quite sure that I am done with getting pregnant, so I'll have to wait till next summer then, Allah SWT willing.