It's a Small, Small World: Kyle and Meryl's

Kyle's Swim Tournaments

2011-09-12T21:31:00.003+08:00

Kyle's Swim Tournaments

2 Sundays ago, he competed in his first ever Inter-club Swim Meet organised by Keppel Club. It was a hasty, last minute decision and there wasn't even time for any training except on the day before the competition. He went for the trial and was in even though he has never trained with the group. We decided that it would be good for exposure and confidence-building.

On the day of the competition, he was very reluctant and got cold feet at one point. He said that he did not want to participate and was 'stressed'. We were not pleased with his attitude which was filled with negativity. Throughout the whole wait and even when it was time to warm up, he was not serious and only thought of playing. I was not sure if it was done purposely to play down his nervousness but it sure did get on my nerves seeing this complacency in him. Needless to say he did not do well against the participants who were poised to win. He managed to clock 1 min for his 50m backstroke and 1.02 for his 50m butterfly. Still it was a good experience for him.

The following week was another competition organised by Sengkang West which I had completely forgotten. This time round, he had a chance to training on 3 occasions with his swimming buddy, Justin, before the event as it was September school holidays.

However, in the morning when he woke up, he complained of a headache and claimed that he wasn't feeling well. We suspected that it might be due to him catching a chill in the night or it could be that he played tennis in the rain the day before. We told him that if he was still feeling unwell when we reached, he will not compete. Miraculously when he reached there and saw his friends, his headache was gone and he even went for warm-ups happily and strutted around the whole place in only his trunks.

His events were backstroke 50m, butterfly 50m and freestyle 100m. He did a fantastic job during his 1st event and came in 3rd missing 2nd place by a mere 1 second as he swerved at one point and touched the rope. Nonetheless, it was an accomplishment for him as he was competing with boys 1-2 years older than him, bigger than him and taller than him! He was smiling from ear to ear when he went up to receive his medal. He was also most cooperative when I took his pictures, posing for me ever so happily ( a far cry from his normal self when he would refused to look into the camera!).

The 2nd event was the Butterfly 50m. He fared badly against the other boys whose strokes were powerful and super fast! For his last event 100m Freestyle, he came in 3rd in his race with 7 other boys. He forgot to do his tumble-turn at the end of 50m and actually paused for a while! I was so worried that he might have forgotten that it was a 100m race. I felt that it was a pity that quite a bit of time was wasted else he would probably do better. Overall best timing of the few races, he did not make it to top 3. But that didn't dampen his spirits as he had already clinched a Bronze and gained invaluable experience.

Oh and he did fall sick that night after the exciting morning event and an evening of pure fun and play with his cousins! He woke up the next morning with a throat infection.

My sensitive girl

2011-09-06T22:38:00.003+08:00

It was a Tuesday night and we had nothing on in the evening so I suggested going to Swensons for dinner. The only problem was that Kyle was having a bit of sore throat and I had warned him that he can only eat baked rice or pasta as he had a swim competition that weekend. As predicted he made a huge fuss about wanting to eat his chicken tenders.

My girl cheerfully opted to eat cream sauce pasta while the boy went on and on about how he loves the chicken tenders, how juicy it is and how his throat is ok. It got on our nerves and I conceded by saying that I will order one and he can only have 2 pieces. Then he went on about why Meryl can get to eat more and he can have only 2 pieces and that mummy is so unfair.

He just couldn't get it when I told him that Meryl wasn't even asking for chicken tenders and the sole reason why I even ordered it in the first place was because I couldn't bear to see him so disappointed. In the end I put my foot down and decided to ban him from it totally.

He didn't get to eat any except for a small bite that my hubby gave him. I kept 1 piece for Meryl. Instead of eating it, she gave it to her brother. I asked her why. This was her reply.

'I want to make Kor Kor happy.'

Then she whispered to me this, 'Mummy, I give it not because I don't like it. I actually love to eat it too but I think Kor Kor really wants to eat it so I give it to him to make him happy.'

I only wish my son can understand how thoughtful his sister is towards him and extend to her the same treatment.

2011-02-08T10:27:00.003+08:00

Meryl's Birthday Bash

The planning started way before the actual event. My girl had without fail fail every other day to ask me how many more days is it to her birthday and this started to increase in its frequency right after the June holidays! She had great plans, which luckily she changed (helped by me) along the way!

She started out wanting to have an all girl's party. It wasn't enough for her just to give out invitation cards to her classmates but it MUST be delivered to their home address. I was hesitant and reluctant cos so much more to do on my side and I was already back to work. Then she wanted to have it at Fidgets where she attended some parties this year. We suggested Safra Jurong and she acceded. Then we started to plan who to invite and again she insisted on all girls only. I had to explain that their brothers will all come before she agreed to have boys.

One day, out of the blue she asked me, ' Mummy, do you prefer to stay at home or to go out?' I told her I prefer to stay home and then she replied with a sigh, ' Ok lor, I think I'll have my party at home.' I didn't even know where she was coming from but obviously the party was very much on her mind!

As the day drew nearer, I decided to hold the party at the function room, complete with a bouncing castle and a play-tent filled with playdoh for the kids to play in. The theme was Hello Kitty. The whole party came with a Hello Kitty bouncing castle, wall decorations, and 2 stand alone pilars made of balloons. I had 2 dozens of helium balloons floating around in the function rooms and then sprayed 'Happy Birthday Meryl' using a X'masy foam on the glass doors. It was the most fuss free decorations I've ever had in years!!

The day came and we had a ball of our time. I think there were about more than 40 kids in total. The buffet was great and the kids had a special menu cooked by Jo. I was busy catching up with old friends and new. Best of all, I was happy that the cleaning up was so quick and simple and I get to stay at home at the end of it and play mahjong!!!

Crazy Holiday 2011

2011-02-08T10:27:00.000+08:00

I was overly ambitious this last holiday. I wanted to get the kids out of the house as much as possible and they did and so did I. I had forgotten to include the logistics and ended up each day with multiple trips ferrying them to and fro the different places and having short breaks in between. I ended up in school most of the mornings than I would like to have during holidays and sometimes ended up spending time playing with their baby cousin before fetching one of the kids from their classes. Below is a summary of what the program was like during the holidays, more or less, cos some I've already forgotten some!

Swimming for Kyle every morning from 9-11 at either Yio Chu Kang, Hougang or Toa Payoh stadium
Swimming for Meryl on Tuesdays
Meryl's 4 days Art Camp at NAFA end of November from 8.30-5.30 pm
Cartoon Drawing classes 3 days at Kallang CC
Meryl's jewellery making class at Kallang CC
Kyle's Tennis class on Saturdays at STTA
Aikido every Friday and Sunday
Badminton every Wednesday at AVCC
1 week Vietnam trip - Ho Chi Minh, Vung Tau
Meryl's birthday Party
Christmas Parties @ Mel's @Pansy
New's years countdown party@Pansy

On the whole it was a crazy 2 month, But on the bright side, my son put on 5kg as a result of his swim class and is sporting a lovely tan (ok, more like chow tar-burnt). and Meryl had a wonderful time at her art camp despite her getting cold feet on the first day. She ended up making friends with the big che che (sisters) that she insisted that I invite them for her birthday. Our Vietnam trip went off wonderfully well and the 2 kids not not suffer, contrary to what their daddy feared, any diarrhea but enjoyed the food and massages that they got there. In fact I was worried that they may have developed an addiction! The family photo shot that I planned also turned out beautiful despite my initial concerns and my hubby's grumblings and for a mere$400, complete with an album of 40 pictures and a big family potrait. The visits to the orphanages and old folk's home was also an experience i think the kids will not forget easily.

Kyle's 1st Crush

2010-10-05T22:54:00.002+08:00

Kyle's 1st Crush

Although he appears pretty boisterous and loud sometimes, Kyle can be painfully shy too. He is at an age where he is feeling self-conscious and very sensitive to what others say/look at him. Take for instance a few Sundays back when we went for Aikido class. We arrived at the HQ only to find that they were conducting grading on that day. Everyone was wearing a vest indicating a number. Immediately my son pulled my hands and asked me to go home in whispers. I told hi that I wanted to stay to see how grading is conducted but he made a fuss. Then he asked me to quickly give him his home clothes so that he could change out of his uniform because he was worried what others would think. My girl on the other hand was non-plussed and went on to see the grading.

Last Wednesday, after we returned back from our weekly badminton session, we shared the carpark lift with a sweet young lady of petite built with a Japanese doll haircut. Her face was fully made-up and she was dressed in office attire. Initially we did not sense anything amiss until we stepped out of the lift. He hid behind my hubby's back while walking along the footpath and my hubby was trying to get him to stop doing that. He got irritated at one point because he did not know what mischief he was up to. It was only when we entered the main lift and he continued hiding behind my hubby with a shy smile that we realised what was happening!

We made a comment about whether he was acting like that because of the pretty girl and he actually giggled. The lady was a little bit embarrassed and tried to smile it off. When we got home, my hubby told him that it is normal to be shy and there will be more to come when he grows older. He was exceptionally quiet and tried to brush off the whole incident. At least now we know what kindof girl he will fall for!!

On the long Break

2010-09-23T21:55:00.000+08:00

On the Long Break

Its been over a year since I last blogged. Many things had transpired during this time. My dad passed away, we sold our flat and went house-hunting, my son went to a Primary school, shifted house, took a 6-month break from work to look after kids after our helper went back home and many more. I should have had more time to blog but that wasn't the case. I was bogged down with many things and was by the end of the day too tired or too lazy to write anything.

One of the biggest change was the move to our new home. Thankfully the transition was smooth for the kids and I and we simply love the new place with the swimming pool and gym and playground right at our doorstep. The view is awesome and I love being home each day and looking after the place and kids (and of course, my hubby). I had the chance to experiment in the kitchen and put my culinary skills to the test again. Thankfully there were no complaints and a few dishes even made to the top of the kids' food list (I pity my hubby though for having to put up with kiddy food). I stoically did all the housework everyday for the first few months when my helper went back until I suffered from lots of 'injuries'. I had thought that it would be a breeze as the house is not very big and my interior design is done in such a way as to minimise cleaning but I was so wrong. Housework finally took its toll on me and it finally sank in that my body is not used to such work anymore when I had to spent about $40-$60 per week on massages just to ease the aches and pains. I then decided that the money could be spent elsewhere, like hiring someone else to do the chores on my behalf. So 2 months before my helper returned, I succumb to employing a part-time cleaning lady... and it was bliss once more...no more cleaning toilets, ironing and moping. I happily cooked for the kids and send them to school with their friends (btw, we chauffer 6 kids to 2 schools every morning, 4 to Cedar and 2 to Ascension) with my hubby as the driver every morning, then have couple- breakfast together or do marketing. On some afternoons, I will practice my driving by ferrying the kids back from school or go to the library.

The kids routine also changed slightly especially since Kyle is now in Primary school. They do not need to nap on most afternoons except on days when we have activities in the evening, like badminton or music lessons. The kids will do their work in the afternoons, play with their toys and then after dinner, do some reading before they hit the bed at between 7.30-8 pm. In the mornings, they wake up at 615 and get ready for school. During the weekends, they go for their Abacus classes and Chinese lesson for Kyle. This year, the kids classes also included swimming on Tuesdays (resumed with their old coach), Meryl's music lessons on Monday evenings and the latest is Aikido lessons at the HQ just 5 mins walk from our place on Sunday. We had decided that Aikido is the most 'non-violent' art compared to Taekwando and Wushu and it is good in teaching them self-defence. What's more, the kids love it! They also get to meet their old friends from Sengkang every Wednesdays when we go down for badminton at the CC.

In the last year, my kids have also grown. Although my girl is still as short and cute ( she is still the shortest in class), her reading has improved by leaps and bounds for both her English and Mandarin. I was overjoyed! Just last year I was lamenting how slow she was compared to her brother who started reading before 4 on his own and could recognise many words. She also had problems differentiating her alphabets and numbers, often mistaking 'b' for 'd' and writing her numbers inverted. I was worried that she could be dyslexic but now I know my worries were unfounded. She comes back from school with 100% for all her reading list and can confidently read to me the story books norrowed from school. The biggest surprise was one evening when she read one whole 'Berenstain Bear' book for me and it runs into 20-30 pages with at least 2 paragraphs per page. Her interest in drawing has waned but she is showing more excitement in learning how to spell or write in Chinese. She has also become better at expressing herself and can talk tens to the dozen and sometimes there is no stopping her!

As for Kyle, he has adjusted very well in school with his old and new friends. He comes home with tales of the games he plays with friends during recess time and stories of what happened in the classroom except what he needs to do for homework. Everyday I will ask him if he has work to do and the answer is always no. Then I realised that he does his work very quickly in school so that he can play. He has little problem coping with his new schedule and demands as his kindergarten had prepared him very well. His performance in school is so far satisfactory and he is conscientious about his work especially passing spellings and doing well for tests. His dad has promised monetary rewards to help 'motivate' him. So far he has been 'earning' money with his recent biggest taking of the year being $50 for scoring full marks for his Math test. He also came in 1st in his class for his English during SA1 and 2nd for the whole level. The only subject he needs to improve on is Mandarin as he finds it too much work. He has also developed a voracious reading appetite during this past year. He has 'devoured' the whole series of 'Tin Tin', 'Berenstain bear' and a few of 'Geronimo Stilton'. I also got him hooked on 'The Wishing Chair' series and he started on 'Secret Seven' and 'Enchanted Wood' series recently. During the holidays he 'discovered' my 'Calvins and Hobbes' comics and enjoyed 'Garfield' as well. Our trips to Toa Payoh library involves a plastic, square trolley which is used to lug the 24 books that we borrow on each trips.

This past year also included many BBQs, playdates and outings with kids' friends, zoo outing (yes, again), many movies and trips in and outside Singapore. The kids had a great time during March holidays at Celestial resort in Ubin and in June we flew to Redang where the kids snorkelled twice everyday for 3 days. In between we also had some 'staycation' in Grand Waterfront Copthorne and Swissotel. All these will be sweet memories for the kids and also for us as we teach them and watch them grow and learn through exposure rather than classroom teaching. The next big thing I need to plan now is my girl' birthday bash which she is counting down EVERYDAY. She has already made plans on her own on Where she wants it and Who she is inviting!! (headache) Luckily for her, her birthday falls in December.

As for me, life has returned to normal after my helper came back in June ( she was almost stranded in Philipines due to improper documentation). Now we get to enjoy more variety of home-cooked meals and of course, her bakings. She has since learnt to make bread and has perfected the art of chocolate muffins. My son and daughter will request for their favorite meals and it will be served. As for me, I have decided to leave the whole kitchen to her and now I hardly ever wash a single dish...phew!!

Kyle, the Entrpreneur

2010-09-23T20:50:00.000+08:00

My son turned entrepreneur 3 days ago and his takings for the day was 90 cents. On the 2nd day, he earned $1+ and today he made 60 cents.

I was mildly surprised when he told me that he 'sold' things to his friends. It was a matter of time. His dad has been telling him to earn his own money and we have also been telling him stories about how we make our own money through selling things when we were younger. Just recently, I read him a news article about a man who created Rochester Park in Singapore and now owns the tallest pub in Singapore. He also started out by selling Christmas cards during his schooling days. What surprised me was the things he sold. On the 1st day, he sold his 'Pocky', 3 for 10 cents and he sold sold rubber bands to his friends for 10 cents per piece. I was appalled!!! That evening my hubby and I had a talk with him on what are the 'right' things to sell. I told him that Pocky should be shared with friends and rubber bands are cheap item that does not fetch such a high price. We lectured him about how 'trust' is an important aspect of a client-seller relationship and how he should be an honest seller. After that he gave me a bunch of rubber bands ( which he had already put in his spectacle case) and decided to sell his brand-new erasers instead the next day.

The 2nd day, he again sold 3 'Pocky' for 10 cents and his erasers. On the 3rd day, he sold his remaining erasers. Everyday he gleefully told me how much he 'made' after school and then happily 'deposit it into his 'ATM' machine bank that we bought for him. For someone who is so 'money-minded', it is surprising that he does not ask for pocket money during school days. To date, I have only given him $1 on less than 5 occasions when I did not prepare lunchbox for him. He brings a lunchbox which contains either bread, cereal bar or biscuits and a packet of milk to school. Although I had suggested giving him a fixed amount which he can save up, he had refused that offer.

His usual 'income' comes from doing well in school, like getting 100% for his spellings or getting above 90% for his tests. Now he can supplement that 'income' through his salesmanship!!

Hectic Week

2009-08-19T23:32:00.000+08:00

A Hectic Week

Never in my life have I imagine that so many things can happen in a short span of a week. I am truly drained of all energy, both emotionally and physically.

The week started fairly uneventfully with the usual lessons in school and then on Tuesday I was on childcare leave as Meryl was not feeling well and had to go to the doctor's. On Wednesday, Kyle also had a short bout of fever in the evening which was rather sudden. As usual he demanded the usual pampering, such as massaging his tummy, applying vicks on the sole of his feet etc. Thankfully, his fever subsided and he was up and going the next day. On Wednesday it was my turn. I suspect that the virus was going around and my throat was again first to succumb. I had fever on Wednesday night and had to forfeit my weekly badminton game and stayed at home to rest. I made myself many kinds of flu tea and the fever subsided and I resolved to go to school the next day as I had planned some remediation lessons with my classes. But fate had a different plan for me.

On Thursday morning, I was awakened by the vibration of my phone at 4.40am in the morning. It was to be the most shocking news of the week...to be continued..

Meryl's Massages

2009-08-11T23:16:00.001+08:00

Meryl's Massages

If you ever have a chance to piggy-back Meryl or carry her in your arms, you can always request for one of her massages as payment. She is Great at it!

This is how it goes; She steps on your back and uses a variety of 'steps' to ease your aches away. (she uses the ledge of our platform to steady herself while doing it)

Her routine includes, 'marching steps', 'walking on heels', 'the twist' (latest)'tippy toes' and a funny one that she stands on one leg and uses the other to 'pound' on the opposite side. I love her 'walking on heels' most as the effect is so good especially on all the vital acu-points.

She has perfected her 'art' to the extent that she can read her books while giving one of her 'foot' massages to me or her daddy!

Meryl's sweet talk

2009-08-11T23:13:00.000+08:00

Night time. Bedtime. Both kids sleeping over in room with me. Meryl started coughing and it was phlemy. I asked her to roll over and kneel down so I can pat her back to loosen her phlegm. After patting, she turned over and said this to me.

"Mummy, tomorrow you remind me to massage your hands ok?

So thoughtful.

Kyle's request

2009-08-06T23:01:00.001+08:00

Kyle's request

Tonight, I showed Kyle my blog about them and read to them what I wrote about their antics. I wanted to acquaint him with blogging as I told him that I would like to start a blog for him whereby he can also try and write about his day's events. He was tickled pink to read with me what I blogged about as he could still recall the events vividly, especially the day when he gave me his $50. Meryl came in halfway and listened to what I read and laughed at all the right places with me. I even verified with her what she said to me that night and she was able to tell me again, verbatim.

After that, he said that he would read me 3 Chinese books (as I had just read him the entry on him making the promise to me) and he did it very well. Then I put them to bed. As I said the goodnight prayer with them, Meryl started doing somersault while repeating what I said. Then Kyle started doing the same thing. I immediately took the cane and told him that I would not hesitate to use it on his buttocks if he does it again.(btw, the canes have all become white elephants as there was no real need to use them)

He asked, "What did I do wrong?'

I told him that he is talking to God and he is being most disrespectful by doing gymnastics in the midst of praying. He then apologised and we finished our prayer without much ado.

Before I left their room, he requested that I 'write it down' in my blog. I ask him, 'Write what?' He replied to write about what he did wrong down. So here I am writing this blog entry!

Daddy's New book

2009-08-06T22:09:00.001+08:00

The Choice

Their uncle and aunt brought the kids out for dinner tonight and the parents tagged along! We had a meal at KFC and then walked around a bit and the kids had ice-cream. Then when we gave the kids a choice, as to where they want to go next, surprisingly, Kyle chose Popular Bookshop over Kiddy Palace! He went straight to his Ben 10 section to browse through Book 9 which was opened by some others ( I had already bought this book but he has yet to earn it from me). Meryl also settled down very quickly on the floor with one of the Princess book for a good 20 mins.

I left them to entertain themselves and browse through the adults non-fiction. I came across a book titled, 'A gift to my children: A father's lessons for life and investing' by Jim Rogers. I had happened to watch an interview given by him that very afternoon on Channelnews Asia while having my lunch at 4.30pm. He is a very successful investor, fund manager and had made enough to retire at the age of 37. He had since penned a few books on investment but this book was a collection of wisdom that he hoped to pass to his children. It struck me that the he uses a lot of his life experiences as examples to teach important values for the young. It was vaguely similar to my hubby's nightly 'Thinking Game' ( a term that Kyle coined for the time the dad spend with them before they sleep) with the Duo. Every night they will 'talk' about a topic and the hubby will ask them questions and they have to 'think' and then answer. The Duo loves this 'Game' and looked forward to it every night. They also compete with each other to see who can 'think' faster and come up with the 'answer' faster. More often that not, they have to explain their answer before the dad is satisfied with it. So as I thumbed through the content of this book, I thought that the topics Jim Rogers touched on would provide a more structured guide for teaching the kids 'Character Development'. The Content includes topics such as 'Swim your own races: Do not let others do your thinking for you', 'Focus on what you like', 'Learning to Think,'Good habits for life' etc.

I bought it as a gift for my hubby hoping that it would be his gift for the Duo.

Meryl's sweet nothings

2009-08-06T21:43:00.004+08:00

On Monday night, I lost my cool when my girl took extra long time to get in bed despite it being way past their bedtime. That night we allow the Duo to stay up till 11 to watch Survivorman on Discovery, as it was Kyle's current favorite show (and only show that he can watch on TV besides Man vs Wild). The girl, as usual, refused to sleep any earlier than the brother. By that time, she was already showing signs of tiredness but was trying to keep up a strong front. So when the show ended, I quickly whisked them to bed but the girl was still trying to prolong the bedtime. By this time, I was getting impatient especially when she whined and insisted that I repeat the prayers as she wasn't paying attention. She took an extra long time to climb up her bunkbed and I refused to start the prayers over again and lost my cool with her. She burst out crying and her dad came to her rescue. I went out of the room to collect myself before going up her bed to explain to her why I was angry with her for wasting time and how it is already so late and that it would affect their rest for the next day. She was appeased and went to bed. After my hubby settled the Duo, we went to do our own things. About 10 mins later, she called for me. I went in, prepared to lecture her again. Instead I was surprised by her.

"Mummy, I want to tell you something.'
"What is it this time, Meryl?' I asked her impatiently.
"I'm sorry I was so rude to you just now." she apologised.
"It's ok, but try not to do it again ok? Mummy is sorry that I shouted at you too'.

At that, she suddenly burst out crying. I realised that it must have taken a lot out of her to apologise to me but I was glad she did. At least she was reflective and realised her own mistake.

On Wednesday night, the dad was out of town and the kids requested to sleep in our room. I agreed and the Duo bunked in with me to 'keep me company' whilst the hubby is away. I was dead tired that night and was in bed by 10 as I did not take a nap in the afternoon. Before sleeping, we talked a bit about the day's events. The I told them no more noise. Meryl turned to me and cuddled my hands and commented that my hands is always 'so nice and warm'. Then she said something really sweet to me, out of the blue.

'Mummy, thank you for everything that you have done for me. I love you sooooo much.'

Of course, it brought a big smile on my face. I have no idea what brought upon such a remark and I have no idea if she really understood what she was saying. All I know is that she one expressive kid who is in touch with her feelings.

Sweet Nothings

2009-08-06T21:43:00.001+08:00

Kyle's Penitence

2009-07-30T23:14:00.004+08:00

Kyle's Penitence

Our library books were overdue and we needed to make a trip down to Compasspoint. The Duo immediately settled down on the ground, pouring through the books they found. It was without much hassle that we chose the books they liked. Kyle chose a book by Dr Suess, 4 books on Berenstein bear and a pictorial fantasy. The only problem we had during check out time was that we had 2 books too many.

After that we proceeded to the Kopitiam foodcourt to have some dessert. That was when Kyle's 'nonsense' started. He wanted to go to Popular bookshop to browse through his Ben 10 books and was very impatient. He started whining and then insisted on playing with my handphone although I gave him strict warning not to. The whining did not stop even after we got to Popular. He discovered that his daddy had gone for a haircut and he whined that he wanted to have one as well. I immediately set him in a corner to tell him off. He wanted Popular in the first place and now he changed his mind. He grouchily submitted and turned his attention to the books. He was soon engrossed in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. He asked to get it and I agreed on condition that he reads 3 Chinese books for me per day. He agreed and I bought.

At the hairdresser's, he met his dad and sister and he again whined that he wanted a hair cut despite our telling him that we will bring him to his usual hairdresser which costs only $7 compared to $10. He made a big fuss and said that he will pay with his own money. By this time, both the hubby and I were of the same mind that we needed a talk with him. He was to stand and face the wall once he reached home.

Once home, we told him what was it he did that upset us and how it had spoilt the outing. Then we spoke to him about the value of money and where it comes from. He is aware that we have to work for every cent we spend. He also claimed that he has worked for his own money by swimming and doing work (written)and has a right to spend it (btw, he had earned about $50 to date). I then told him that that is a reward that the daddy gave him and the dad still has to work for it. With that we let him go.

Minutes later, I was at the table writing a cheque for his insurance policy. I told him how much it cost and that I have to write another cheque to pay for their school fees as well. He stood there for a while and then he made up his mind. "Mummy, I'll give you my $50." he offered graciously. I accepted and thanked him. Following suit was Meryl who wanted to give me her $10 but her brother told her to give me her $2 instead since he had given me $50 already. Of course both were praised for their generosity.

Footnote: Just before sleeping, he asked me how much his Transformer book cost and I told him $10. Then he commented that he gave me more than what I paid for the book, almost regretfully. I then reminded him that his insurance and school fees came up to more that $2000 and he hurriedly nodded his head in agreement!

Our Current Fave books

2009-07-30T00:55:00.002+08:00

The Reading Family

Both the Hubby and I started on the 'Belgariad' by David Eddings sometime in March. It was one of our favorite fantasy epics which we both read during our late teens. In fact my hubby claimed that his English only improved after he started reading the series which consists of 5 books in "Belgariad', 5 books in 'Mollareon' and another 5 in 'Elenium (too bad he only started reading after his 'O's). There were also branch- offs from the series on specific characters from the book. So by his standard, that's a LOT of books he read then! Both of us decided to re-read it Again (3rd time or so for me and him too)! Every night we will commence reading time before bedtime and everyone of us will pick their own books and do individual silent reading, Meryl included. We will then spend about 15-25 minutes reading before lights out. (Btw, I am almost done with the 10th and final book of both Belgariad and Mallorean !)

For Kyle, I introduced him the Ben 10 comic series (currently Book 11) knowing that he prides himself in knowing everything about Ben 10. It was also because he was aware that the books that we were reading comes in a series. Thus when I told him about the Ben 10 series, he was very excited and couldn't wait to collect all ( like mum and dad). However, he has to work hard for it. It was a form of reward for him when he does something well, such as Abacus, swimming or taking initiative to do his work without prompting. It worked Wonders!! He is currently at Book 7 and still needs to earn Book 8 and 9 which I had already bought. Every night he'd pour over the 7 books he has, scrutinising the pictures and reading the words in the dialogue boxes. In fact, more often than not, he would refuse to go to bed until he finished going through the selected books for the night at least once. He seldom bother us when he is reading and is happy to be on his own. Now he has also acquired the habit of bringing along a few books whenever we go out!

As for Meryl, she is into her Princess books. It started when I played them an audio CD of 'The Little Mermaid' in the car. They enjoyed it so much and was able to follow the narrator so well that by the end of 1 week, both could recite the story. I then went on to buy a few more such as "The Lion King', Snow White and the 7 dwarfs', 'Cinderella', beauty and the Beast', 'Thumbelina' etc. Meryl loved to be able to pick up the books and look at the pictures and make Many comments on them. She also loved to just sit there and listen to the cd, lost in a magical world. There are times, when I would play the cd in her room for her and there are times, she was just thumbing through the books during our reading time, on her own. Like her brother, she also insists on bringing books out with her. I am comforted to know that I have managed to impart my love for books to them and inculcate in them this habit of reading.

The kids have an assortment of books ( about 3 shelves full of both English and Chinese books) that I salvaged from book fairs and Popular in JB ( I LOVE Book Fairs!) There are also certain authors that I have introduced them to with a wide selection under their belt, such as 'Curious George' by Hay Reyes, Tony Ross, Dr Suess, 'Berenstein Bears' etc. It helps that they are familiar with the characters in the stories and sustains their interest. I have found it an effective way to keep them asking for more as they are curious to find out what else the characters in the series do. Kyle started with 'Curious George' at about 2 plus and he is now able to read it on his own. There are periods when they are obsessed with certain things and we will then go library to borrow more on the subject. One example was when both of them were fired up about learning the different functions of the body. Books on 'Digestive System', Respiratory System', 'Nervous System' were then hunted down and they poured over it.

One of my favorite place when I visit JB is Popular Bookstore at CitySquare. Here is where I buy All the Chinese storybooks for the kids. They cost about half the price in Singapore! They also have bundles at times which made it even cheaper. For some reasons that I do not understand, the cost of Chinese books (those with big pictures and one sentence below it) is ridiculously high, sometimes between $3-$6. The kids love the bright, colourful pictures and the words are simple enough for them to understand. There is another series that comes with dialogue boxes and the children are suppose to role-play. It was definitely a good way to engage them in reading Chinese. I LOVE it! I usually buy about 3-5 books per trip and then add on to their collection with every visit.

If you ever have a chance to sit in our car, you will notice that the pockets of the seats behind are overflowing with books. This is where I read most of the Chinese books to them when we are travelling from place to place. This is where they listen to their CD( when their mom is feeling lazy) and follow the narrator in telling the story. This is where they Fight most of the time over books as well. Now that I am blogging on this, I am thinking that actually most of their learning to read took place in the confined space of the car, since they have nothing better to do!! In fact, last week, we took a ride from a friend in their car and the 1st comment that Meryl made when she went in was, 'How come you have no books in your car?? Where are all your books?'

Both the kids know that their mummy will not buy toys easily for them ( in fact, hardly ever now) but when it comes to books, she will part with her money willingly...provided that it is not too expensive lah!

Meryl's school report

2009-07-28T23:08:00.002+08:00

Meryl's school report (1st semester)

I had a pleasant surprise waiting for me when I reached home after a long, long day at work. Meryl's progress book! She received mostly Good for all areas such as Intellectual Devt, Self help, Motor Skills, Social Skills, Reading Skills, Writing Skills and Numeracy Skills. What surprised me was the number of Excellent grading she got! I must say that I have lower expectations from her than from her brother thus I was pleased to see that she was excelling in some areas. They were Emotional Development, Language and Literacy skills (speech, hearing and story) and in area of Creative Expression. I showered her with praises and at the same time told her of the areas that she needed improvements in.

Later that night, Meryl's teacher had a tele-conversation with me over her progress in school as I was unable to attend the Parent-Teacher meeting last Saturday. She told me that Meryl was an articulate, expressive and sociable girl in class and was the 'Little Helper', making sure that everyone packed up after class, keep their chairs etc. She was also a 'trend-setter'among her classmates. According to the teacher, Meryl has been singing "Ponyo on the cliff' ( a Japanese cartoon I brought the kids to watch and thereafter they learnt the song on Youtube) everyday and her classmates had caught on and they were also trying to imitate the Japanese cartoon characters and how they walk. However, she will also talk ten to the dozens in class whenever she does her work thus resulting in her always being the last to finish in class. In fact, the teacher mentioned that this was one of the problems she has; lack of focus as she only wants to talk and talk! The only time she can complete her work on time is when the teacher sits next to her.

Recognising words was another area of concern I brought up to the teacher as at her age, her brother was already reading independently with minimal help. Her teacher claims that she is progressing well although she discovered some of her 'tricks'. She will always choose to be the last to go through the guided reading with her teacher and on the pretext of being gracious, let others go before her. But instead of playing while the teacher is busy with the rest, she will be furiously going through the book and trying to catch the story in snippets from where she was, hoping to remember the words when it comes her turn (btw, she has a fantastic memory and can recite her audio books of 20 pages from 1st to last page). That was how she managed to score 9 stars in her recent Wordbank Booklet. No wonder when I tested her at home, she was unable to read some of the words!

The teacher also praised her on her leadership skills (!!! btw she is the shortest in class!!!) Apparently, she will help to issue instructions in class and makes sure that everyone follows suit. I have seen her in her element at home, trust me, she can be very determined and aggressive when it comes to certain things! According to the teacher, she is a natural performer...ha ha...seeks the limelight, will relish every opportunity to sing/act.( I recounted to the teacher a time when we were at Malacca and Meryl saw people performing on a stage and she insisted that she wants to go up to sing her 'Hokkien song'. It was only after much persuasion that we managed to get her to drop the idea. Phew! So far, she had taken part in 3 competitions, a Toddler contest where she came in 1st Runners up , a RC- organised talent song where she got 1st and a fancy dress cum talent show where she sang a medley of songs on stage without any signs of stage fright in front of a whole hall of audience).

Now my job at hand is to help her read better and learn to be more focused when doing her work!

Return of the Bamboo

2009-06-25T23:10:00.003+08:00

Return of the 'CANE'

The cane has been conspicuously absent from my home for the past year as my hubby was all for alternative punishment (see earlier posts on corporal punishments). I remember times when my temper went amok that I went combing through the whole house for something even remotely similar in its function to a cane. For a short while, I found a substitute using the balloon sticks but atlas, it usually could not withstand the force of my anger. And the kids are not SCARED of it as the pain inflicted is too minimal!!

Of late, I found the need for one again. The Duo are getting way out of hand; not responding when called, taking their own sweet time eating their meals (and everything else), fighting (verbally and physically), throwing temper tantrums and being disrespectful at times. My endorsement came from another mom with 3 daughters. Her cane RULES!

Actually I have been threatening to buy one for the longest time but each time, my hubby will talk me out of it. Finally, last Sun, I bought 2 but lost one even before I reached the house. That cane which costs 50cents only lasted 1 use. Either I have super strength or they don't make canes to last nowadays.

I explained to the kids the 2X rules. If I call them and they do not respond by the 2nd call, they will recieve one stroke. If they play with and do not 'respect' the cane, they will also get 1 stroke. I hang it in the kitchen where they can see.

The next morning after I bought the cane, Kyle tested me out. He was to be given 2 strokes. However, when it was time to be caned, he bargained with me on how it was to be executed (how many percent strength i was going to use, to have his pants on, not wanting to pull his shirt up etc) It was really testing my patience and I added 1 stroke each time I counted to 2 and he was still not by the wall. It totalled 8 when he asked me to 'Shut up' and that made it 9 and then the 10th stroke was when he hit the wall with a massager. I really saw red by then and as much as I wanted to keep my cool, I lost it. The cane broke into half on the 1st stroke. The rest of the 9 strokes came in quick successions using the other half.

The next day, I stumbled on a medicine shop which was selling all kinds of stuff and bought another 4 this time (not taking any more chances with flimsy canes). That night, Kyle got 2 strokes ( in his underwear) and this time, he did not dare to bargain and stood by the wall for his punishment. He cried and I told him that I only cane using 10% of my strength and that this will increase with each punishment. My girl recieved 1 stroke but did not cry. Thankfully, all 4 canes are still intact!

Kyle's Accomplishments

2009-06-25T22:27:00.002+08:00

Kyle's Accomplishments in June

Kyle has taken up roller-blading and cycling this June holidays. His interest started with blading when he spotted the blades on one of our grocery trips to Giant. He insisted that he can blade and promptly tried a pair on and showed me on the spot. It looked promising. I ended up with a pair that costs $69.90 which can be expanded from size 32-35 (I can also wear them!).

He picked up blading pretty fast as he was not afraid of falling. This interest was shared by another friend of his, who also got her parents to get her a pair of blades. She was even better and became Kyle's 'teacher'. Now they blade together downstairs or during badminton nights.

Earlier on, I had ask Kyle to learn how to cycle on 2 wheels but he was not keen. He started out by cycling on 2+1 ( i removed one side of the training wheels) and became quite dependent on the 3rd wheel. The breakthrough came last Monday 22nd June.

It was their 2nd Art lesson at SKCC and I wanted to pillion the 2 of them there but Kyle insisted on cycling. I gave in as I did not want to waste time arguing with him (nowadays he likes to bargain and argue about stuff which usually end up in me getting angry and him, upset). I did not realised that his 3rd wheel was spoilt (it was bent and unable to support the bike). In his headstrong attempt to prove to me that he could cycle, he actually did, on 2 wheels!

I could see halfway that he was struggling as beads of perspiration were dripping from his brows and his shirt was drenched at the back. Even though we were running late and I was on my bike with Meryl in front, I tried to give him last minute instructions as patiently as I could. Amidst shouting at him to watch out for pedestrains, I also had to apologise to some of them who were strickened with fear as my son tried to manouvre his bike as best as he could, without banging into them. Still, he did a great job on 2 wheels for the 1st time! I was also totally exhausted, but thankful that I did not have to push the 2 bikes and 2 kids to their art class.

The next day, he practised some more along the corridor and on the 2nd level. His confidence was greatly increased by the success of the previous night. On Wednesday, he cycled to AVCC without much fanfare this time and he is now able to brake and turn smoothly. Hurray!!

As for my girl, I have been telling her that I want her to learn to cycle on 2 wheels soon. Her answer to me was, " Mummy, I will cycle on 2 wheels when I am 6 years old, ok?"

June Holiday

2009-06-19T15:04:00.003+08:00

June Holidays so far

Our 12-day trip to Australia was cancelled as the hubby did not want to run the risk of the kids getting infected even though we were heading for Cairns and not Melbourne. My effort at planning an alternative trip to either Redang or Tioman fell through as ALL were fully booked! The hubby was not keen to go Vietnam or Kuching and hence we were all STUCKED in Singapore. These are some of the things I did, with and without kids. Some are totally self-indulgent but justified .(Hey, I missed out on my holiday okay! I deserve a break.) BTW, I'm blogging all these while sitting through a 3-hr hair perm in JB..haha

Not in sequence, just what I can recall.

Work review
English remedial (2 days) and prata outing with students
Oral exams
Tree-top walk with 2E6
Picnic cum kite-flying, frisbee at Anchorvale Link
Children Art lesson (New)
7th wedding anniversary celebration
Downtown East Explorer kids
Playdate with triple E sisters, Double Q sisters and Zac
Zoo outing
JB shopping with Meryl and QQ
JB day shopping with girlfriends
Massage at the spa
Foot reflexology
Bowling at SICC
Morning cycling sessions with Q and Q
House viewing
Grand nephew's 1 month old celebration at East Coast
Swimming date with Chin Min's kids
Swim Date with Victoria and Velarose

In the pipeline

Night Safari
One night hotel stay at Waterfront Copthorne

Too funny not to blog

2009-06-19T14:52:00.002+08:00

Too funny not to blog

It was bedtime for the kids and I had just spent 5 minutes with them and then left them to sleep on their own in our bedroom. It was expected that they would talk and play a little before they go to sleep. But after a while, my hubby and I could hear a heated argument going on and he went to give them a scolding. This was what I heard after he went in:

M: Daddy, kor kor hit my head.
Kyle tried to explain and then burst out crying as he had also been hit. He had hit his head while they were playing.
M: Who asked him to play the Jedi, fighting and fighting. If you want to play, then don't cry. You are not 1 year old okay...so shameful...I also never cry when you hit me..

Kyle continued crying while trying to describe to their daddy what happened. Meryl continued to lecture him in her most righteous voice while I was doubling up with laughter outside listening to her.

Kyle's 6th Birthday

2009-06-19T14:15:00.004+08:00

Kyle's 6th Birthday

This is going to be Kyle's last year in Ascension. This is also likely to be the last year he can celebrate his birthday in school with this classmates as he'll be progressing to primary 1 next year. Moreover, his birthday coincides with the Primary and Secondary mid-year exams which makes it even more difficult to celebrate in future. So despite the fact that I had 6 classes of papers to mark I decided to throw him a mini party at home on top of the one in his school.

I took leave on the big day and rushed down in the morning to Golden Landmark hotel to get some party supplies, kids' toys/games. tattoos, decorations etc before heading to Bugis to get his cake, some mini donuts from J Co and Chewy bites and cheese sticks for his party. After that the hubby came and picked me up to his school.

We arrived early and waited for his lunch break. The party packs, all 25 of them for the children were already delivered to school earlier on by the school bus. (cannot remember what went in to it except a packet of milo, a box of cereals, wang wang rice cracker and some other stationary. But definitely no sweets!) We took the chance to peep into Meryl's class and saw her sitting right in front, watching a video oblivious to the surrounding and our presence. We informed her teacher that we will 'borrow' her for her brother's birthday celebration later.

At about 1, Kyle and his class returned from the library and the teacher started organising them for photograph taking and then singing of song and cake cutting. Then they were seated in their various groups except for the birthday boy who was tasked to give out the cake, together with the jelly and donuts. After their lunch they had computer class. Instead of whisking him off like last year for a movie or some outing, Kyle chose to stay. Apparently they all loved the computer class. So my hubby and I left for lunch and then I headed home to prepare for the party in the evening.

We invited about 15 of his friends living in our 'kampong' (realised they were mostly girls!). I decorated the place whilst my maid cooked dinner. We prepared beef stew, beef bolognaise and cream sauce to go with pasta, thai dessert of glutionous rice with mango, hotdog stick with quail's eggs and marshmallow, jelly, fruits etc. The kids had fun with the tattoos, foam aeroplanes, helicopter toy and sand art. As usual, the birthday boy was the last to finish his dinner. We had to wait for him to finish, play a bit then cut his cake. The whole party ended at almost 9. I was dog-tired but was glad I did it. At least he can look back and say that he had his share of birthday parties even though it was not done on an elaborate scale like his sister's (whose birthday happens to fall in Dec and one week away from Christmas).

May-nia

2009-06-19T13:45:00.003+08:00

May-nia

May was a month of frantic activities, from mid year exams to Kyle's birthday parties to mother's day celebrations etc. I was so busy rushing from activities to activities, day to day chores to get down to any blogging. So here's a summary of what happened, as far as I can remember since it's been almost 2 months now. Would have posted up pictures if not for the sad fact that I cannot download the photos from my nokia phone to my Imac.

Velarose birthday party at Park green
Busy marking exam papers - 6 classes of Sec 2E compositions and 3 class of Sec 2NA History paper
Preparation for Kyle's birthday celebration at home and in school (this itself requires a new post which I'd update later if time permits)
Celebration of Jon's birthday at SICC - dinner cum bowling
Mother's Day celebration at Waterfront Copthorne buffet lunch
Ascension Kindergarten Open house
Hotel Stay in Orchard
Ah Chor's Birthday Bash
Kyle's roller blading stint
YH Wedding lunch with Meryl

On top of these were our weekly routine:

Tues - Drum and Chinese ink painting

Wed - Kid's swimming lesson

Badminton session

Fri - Kid's swimming

Sat - ballet and abacus

Grocery shopping at Giant

Sun - Dinner at Fil's place

Weekend at Orchard

2009-04-27T18:52:00.003+08:00

Weekend Break at Orchard

Our Saturday started out as usual. Ballet for Meryl at 10 and Abacus for Kyle at 10.30. We then had breakkie at Mac's after Meryl's class while waiting for her brother. Then it was home to change and pack our luggage for our Weekend Escapade at Orchard where we had booked our hotel stay for 1 night.

We reached Orchard Hotel at about 1.30 and were upgraded to a delux room upon checking in. Then the hubby and son went for their buffet lunch and Meryl and I happily went shopping. We window-shopped at Paragon where I went to ogle at all the beautiful bags and then I bought her 2 macaroons from Canele which she wanted. Then it was off to Takashimaya for the Bags and Shoes Affair at their Atrium. It was packed!! I tried keeping Meryl occupied by buying her a donut but it didn't help. She wanted to go back to the hotel ( she was thinking of the tubbath that her brother was probably having then). I had to think of devious ways to keep her mind off that. I promised her a set of Sylvanian if I can get something for Myself first. She happily agreed and was most obliging after that. Unfortunately, I did not manage to get anything for myself but I stumbled on a beautiful black coat from Bennetton at half price which I bought for Meryl. That was my only purchase for the day. After that we took a bus back to hotel as the taxi queue at Taka was super long. At the bus stop, Meryl was on a sugar high and talking incessantly at the top of her voice.

Back at the hotel, Meryl soaked herself in the tub for about half and hour and then we ate pizza and took a nap. We woke up only at about 7 and went to Forum Toy R Us and then to Yotei for dinner. We strolled to Isetan to buy some snacks and all the time, the kids wanted us to go back 'Home'. Back 'Home', the kids had a splashing good time again in the tub and then we watched TV till about 12am. we were knocked out till the next morning 9am. Kyle declared that it was fun and that he wants to do it again and stay for '10 days'! * faint*

Breakthrough

2009-04-27T18:43:00.002+08:00

Breakthrough!!

It seemed like the worst is over. I was getting worried that Meryl may shift her attachment from me to her Tita Jo who has been bunking in their room for the past week.

Last night, I put her to bed and told her that our helper will be sleeping in her own room. She pouted a little and said that she wanted me to be around. I promised her that I'd be around and that her door and ours would be wide open. She gave a few sniffles and then went to sleep unwillingly. In the middle of the night, she coughed and woke up and immediately, my hubby went to the room to attend to her, followed by me. She said that she needed to use the toilet. After that I put her back in bed and left her. Amazingly, she did not protest and went straight back to sleep! It was a great relief for me as I was unsure of how she would react. I guess her trust in me being there for her when she needs me has been restored.

Ice cream

2009-04-22T23:34:00.003+08:00

Tuesday, drum lesson night.

The hubby called and asked if I wanted to bring the kids out to Compasspoint for a walk. I agreed and we rushed back immediately after the lesson on my bicycle. The duo were pestering for ice-cream. We agreed and Meryl was soooooo happy. She exclaimed while we were still in the car park, "Mummy, I love you so much because you are buying me ice-cream.' I jokingly said that it was on account of the ice-ream that she loves me. She was very quick to add that she still loves me even if I do not buy her ice-cream.

We met one of my friend and her kids there and they played together for a while while the adults had a tete a tete, me with my friend and my hubby with her hubby. After that we proceeded to Swensons for ice-cream even though Kyle requested for 7-Eleven. We ordered a 'Topless 5' ($7.90) and the kids get to have 2 choices each. Kyle chose orange and lemon sherbet and Meryl chose strawberry ( because it is pink and she LOVES pink) and blueberrry. I chose sticky, chewy chocolate. W also ordered some fries to go with the ice-cream. The Duo savoured their ice-cream and went 'oohs and aahs' over their selections, each claiming that their choice was the nicest. They ate their fries with the ice-cream and we had a jolly good time. The bill came up to $14.90 and the hubby promised that we will do this again if the Duo are well-behaved.

Paul Potts

2009-04-18T13:07:00.007+08:00

For those who love Susan Boyle's performance, these are another few videos you must watch.

Paul Potts, winner of Britain got Talent 2007
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DelJrP3P7tA

Connie Talbot, 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWNoiVrJDsE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cnRXmMn2Ag&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOfKAPGfd6k&feature=related

Singing and reading

2009-04-17T16:16:00.004+08:00

Meryl reading me a booklet from school that she has drawn according to the text.

The Duo waiting for their school bus and having some fun.

Meryl's Drawing

2009-04-17T16:04:00.003+08:00

No prize for guessing where we were again. Yes, Macdonald's waiting for the brother's abacus class to finish. But this time round, it was upon Meryl's request as she wanted to have fries and nuggets. She started doodling again and this was the end product. The parents are under the trees because it is raining and the mummy is reading and daddy is talking to his friend.

She came back one day and told me that she can draw owls. The next day, she drew this. There is a caterpillar on the tree which then changed into a butterfly. There are many windows in the tree that are housing different kinds of bugs and snake. The 3 birds in the sky are the owls. She also added a pond with swans and fish. Some snakes, ants, mice and snails are also in the foreground. Still have no idea where she learnt to draw all these!

Badminton Kaki

2009-04-17T15:51:00.003+08:00

The Duo's Badminton Kakis

The kids look forward to Wednesdays. It's our badminton night and they get to play with their friends. The regular kids are Qi Hui, Qi Yin and Tee Yang. Someitmes, Benjamin and Chrissie will join us too. They play games such as hide and seek, blind man's bluff, drawing and sometimes, they simply run around and chase each other. The best part is after the game when they get to go Macdonald's for their fries and nuggets! (trying not to make this a routine though!)

Kyle and Tee Yang playing badminton with the Hubby. Kyle has just finished his swim and did not even bother to change.

The Kids' games

2009-04-17T15:33:00.005+08:00

The helper made a 'mini-house' with a door and a window for the Duo out of a box that used to contain a '42 inch tv. They have arranged a kitchen and space for their beds inside the house.

Kyle is having fun modelling toys using LaQ constructions. He has made a truck and a car for Meryl's rabbit family.

What you see here is a bird feeding on a worm, a truck, a car and a frog.

So both kids are happily occupied and the best part is these toys are easily kept into a $2 box bought from Daiso. Very portable.

Susan Boyle

2009-04-17T07:18:00.002+08:00

British Talent Show

It's been a long time since I was so moved by someone's singing. It further reinforces that there is talent in everyone of us no matter how we look, where we come from and what we do. She really rocks!!

See her here :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Growth Spurts?

2009-04-16T12:39:00.004+08:00

Growth Spurt?

Meryl's appetite has been voracious lately. She gobbles up her meals in under 30 mins (same amount as her brother), she munches on biscuits, kueh bahulu, cheese and chocolates. She is hungry in-between meals and she even asks for supper when we go out. She will not say no is we ask if she wants something to eat these past few weeks.

An example of how 'hungry' she is nowadays was during our recent morning walk at Macritchie Reservoir. Throughout the walk, she asked to eat her fruit loops cereal and she got angry when I told her to eat after we stop to rest. She hugged the whole container and ate non-stop. Then for lunch, she still had chicken rice (shared with her brother) and after her rice, she had goreng pisang. Another incident was the night we went to Singapore Expo. At about 9.30 she started complaining that she's hungry and kept hurrying us to to pay up so that she could go eat. She shared a bowl of Malan noodles with her brother (who btw was Forced to eat).

I hope her growth(esp in her height) will correspond with the amount of food she eats now.. or else...

Update on Meryl

2009-04-16T11:54:00.004+08:00

Update on Meryl

Report from School

Ms Yee, Meryl's form teacher called and told me that Meryl is very happy in school and shows no signs of anxiety. She also boards her bus willingly and comes back with reports on what she did with her friends on bus.

Homegrounds

Last few days, I came back late due to meetings in school and according to the helper, she was fine. She takes her snack and drink and then go willingly to the room to nap with her brother, on their own. By the time I came back, they were still fast asleep. She did not express any signs of being upset with me that I came back late.

The past 2 nights were also fine and she only requested to have books and singing. I had no problem leaving the room after I have tucked them in. The presence of the helper was a big help though.

So far so good......

New Swimming arrangement

2009-04-16T11:50:00.002+08:00

New Swimming Arrangements

Last night, Meryl decided that she wanted to join Kyle again in his competitive swimming class. I checked with the coach and he was ok about it. Now we have decided to put her in the same class as her brother since she was able to do the laps and she was able to handle the expectations from the coach.

Kyle : 16 laps
Meryl : 14 laps

Latent Anger

2009-04-14T22:49:00.002+08:00

Latent Anger

Last night all was bliss as the kids were asleep by 9.30pm. At about 12am, the hubby and I were watching a disc when he suddenly stopped and asked if I heard something. It turned out to be Meryl throwing a silent temper tantrum. She was stamping her feet on bed, clenching her fists and making short grunts. When queried, she refused to tell us what was bothering her. We brought her out in case her brother woke up. The hubby and I tried all means to find out what was wrong but she kept mum and continued with her silent outburst. When the hubby threatened to punish her she still did not bulge but instead she starting screaming. That was when my hubby got tough with her. It took us a good 30 mins or so of threatening and coaxing before she verbalised what was bothering her.

'Mummy, remember you said that you will wake up at 5 just now? Why you didn't wake up? And you never bring me down to playground...'

That was in the afternoon and they were playing with their new LaQ construction set together with their Sylvanian toys in my room while I was catching a nap. I told them that I will wake at 5 to see what they have constructed. I did but then fell asleep again after I praised their work as I was really very, very tired. I remembered Kyle asking me if they could watch cartoon and I gave permission to watch for half and hour. Then they came in and asked if they could go to the playground and I okayed it provided Kyle promised to finish his dinner within 1/2 an hour. Then they were gone, with the helper. And I continued sleeping.

The evening was spent with Meryl doing some writing and Kyle playing sudoku and word puzzle. By 9, they were showered, changed, drank their milk, brushed their teeth and then it was storybook time till about 9.20. We did the routine stuff, like pray, sing songs and then in no time, Meryl was asleep.

Therefore it came as a surprise when she woke up in anger. Although she claimed that it was because I did not bring he to the playground I felt that it runs deeper. She is getting more demanding with her expectations from me, wanting my fullest attention and presence. The perfectionist streak in her (as seen from her drawings) cannot accept anything less than what she perceive to be perfect. To her, I have fallen short and she is angry. On top of that, her brother of late has taken to teasing her mercilessly and she has fought back by punching him and calling him names such as 'shut-up face' but still he continued, taking delight in seeing her reactions. She may have bottled up her anger as we do not approve of her hitting her brother.

I will need to moderate her expectations from me and I may need a talk with my son soon.

The MOM Song

2009-04-14T22:12:00.001+08:00

The MOM Song

This is really good and funny and I must admit that I am guilty of doing the same.

Click on the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7R9SFBLvIk

Anxiety Attack

2009-04-13T19:28:00.009+08:00

Anxiety Attack!

' Mummy, I don't want you to go to school. I want you to stay at home with me.'
'Mummy, but why my school so long. I don't want to go to school'.
'Mummy what if you forget...'
'Mummy can you write down in your brain...'

The cries from a distraught Meryl can last up to 2 hours per night and 1 hour in the morning. She seemed to have developed this 'phobia' of going to school and is worried about not seeing me in the morning when she wakes up, right after the March school holidays. SUDDENLY, overnight, she doesn't like school anymore and is complaining that her school is too long when prior to this, she acts up whenever we threatened not to let her go. It was a trying as well as baffling time for both the hubby and I. She would go on and on about how she was worried that she cannot remember things, about things that she cannot bring or wear to school and wanting me to be home ALL the time. Nothing could pacify her except my presence. I tried to ease her transition back to school by letting her sleep with us in the 1st week. She needed to hold me hands before she sleeps and will say things like, 'Mummy I love you so much.' In the morning, when she discovered that I was gone, she would break into her crying spells again.

I also went to her school in that 1st week to see what was affecting her. I needed to see if she was settling well and getting along with her new classmates. There was also a girl whose name kept popping up in our conversation. I arranged to go down to her school that Thursday and informed the teacher that I will be peeping in to see how she is in class. The form teacher was a very nice and experienced teacher and in the course of our conversation, she mentioned that the girl Meryl had mentioned is a very domineering girl and can be controlling. When I reached school, she was having music lesson and happily singing and dancing and whispering to her friends. Not exactly the traumatised girl that I was expecting to find! Ms Yee informed me that she had gotten the girl to apologise to Meryl and that Meryl had 'forgiven' her. I watched her play with the girl in question at the loft. They talked alot, pretended to vacuum the living room, changed diaper for baby and iron the clothes. She was of course delighted to see me when at last she spotted me. She introduced many of her friends to me and chatted animatedly with them as well. I thought things were solved but I was wrong. That night, she again turned into a pool of tears.

I had to keep reassuring her that I will be back home when the school bus reached home. And if she misses me, I am only a phonecall away or even bring my photo with her to school. But she was not appeased. My hubby and I had to resort to writing it down cos she was afraid that we would 'forget'.

My hubby's note looked like this:

It is ok to forget things
Daddy forgets things all the time.
Mummy also forgets things all the time.
Kor kor also forgets thinsg all the time
because we are HUMAN!

My note looks like this:

Daddy will look after Meryl in the morning.
Kor kor will look after Meryl in school.
Tita Jo will look after Meryl when she comes back from school.
Mummy will be home when Meryl comes back from school. (Initially I wrote that I will be back when she wakes up from her nap but she kicked up big fuss and started crying)

Thus began the frenzy everyday for the past 2 weeks. By 3pm I needed to try and finish everything before I rush home on my bike and reach home before her school bus does, usually at 3.15 or 3.20pm. Then I will be knocked out for the next 2 hours with them!

In the 2nd week, I decided not to let her sleep with us but I ended up having to spend about 2 hours with her, holding her hand and putting her to sleep (something which I had never done before with her). Then in the middle of the night, the hubby and I will get a visit from her. She will go, 'Mummy, I don't like your school. Why your school starts so early?' In the end, she either ended up sleeping on our bed or I will cramp in her bed with her till the next morning. In the morning, I will give my routine call home only to find her crying. I was a walking zombie by then cos I did not get my 8 hr sleep per night and even had a pimple outbreak! That weekend, I brought the kids to town and bought her another set of her favorite toy in order to 'bribe' her as I had a full week of meeting next week and may not rush back in time when her school bus arrives. It did work but not as good as another strategy I used.

The 3rd week was better only after I decided to ask my helper to bunk in with them. I will pray with her, then sing her a song (many times) and then stay on her bed but refusing to let her hold my hand for about 5 minutes before I leave the room. She will still attempt to whine and even be on the verge of tears but then the hubby would come in and give her a stern warning and her cries turned into sniffles. In the middle of the night, Jo will also help to 'stall' her nightly visit to our room but she took to waking up in the morning at about 6 so that she can get a hug from me before I go to school. We finally got uninterrupted sleep that week.

This is the 4th week and I thought she would have gotten over that phase. But last night (Sunday after the long weekend) she was all super-glue again. I 'threatened' to confiscate her Sylvanian toys and my helper 'dangled' a lollipop if she promised to be good and not cry but the most effective was when I got my hubby to go in and give her a stern warning. Then it was all peace and quiet. Tonight was better. She skipped her afternoon nap and by 9.30, she was so tired that she fell asleep after we prayed and sing song, within less than 10 mins. I promised to remind her to draw me an owl which she had learnt today.

We had tried to analyse what was it that made her so insecure all of a sudden. The most logical one is she is suffering from a bout of separation anxiety after spending 9+2 days with me during the March holidays whereby we did lots of things together. Then there is also the new environment to consider as she has just been transferred to her brother's school. She never had to travel to school as it used to be a 5 min walk from home but now it takes about 35 mins to reach her school and another 35 mins back. She also had to adjust to new friends - which in my opinion is not a problem as she is a very sociable girl with high EQ. She comes backs from school telling me that everyone wants to hold her hand because she is so cute and how her teachers are calling her 'chilli padi' and even her teacher commented that she is very confident and outspoken and participative in class. Another possible reason could be I have jumped the gun by telling the kids I will look after them myself when my helper goes back home end of the year. Kids need instant gratification and she may not understand that it will be another 8 months before it happens and wants me to stay at home NOW. Right now, I just hope that this phase will pass soon and until then I am keeping my mouth shut and my hands to myself.

Hectic Weekend

2009-04-13T18:31:00.004+08:00

A Hectic Long Weekend

On Friday, we went to Brighthill but gave up going in cos the traffic was CRAZY and ended up in Junction 8 for lunch at Pizza Hut. Then we went home for our usual afternoon nap. We had popiah and sushi for dinner and then headed to Singapore Expo for the Book Sale after dinner. Bought about almost closed to 20 books for the kids, my school kids and some crochet stuff for Jo. Ended up having supper at about 10pm cos Meryl was hungry at Ma Lan Noodles.

On Saturday, I had to go back school for invigilation whilst the kids went for their classes. Then we rushed down to Long Shan Shi to pay respects to my grandma and the cousins and I had a mini-gathering cum 'buffet' there. Then we attempted to go Brighthill again and circled the place 3 times. After failing to get a parking lot, we gave up again and went to collect our Lenovo s10 free gift from Singtel. By then it was pouring and Meryl had a good 2 hour nap in the car. No wonder the hubby was complaining of legache! After collecting the notepad, we decided to head for Giant Tampines to do our grocery shopping. The kids chose a DVD each as we told them that we will stay-in for movies at home tonight. Meryl chose 'Thumbelina' while Kyle chose 'Clone Wars'. We had porridge and then started with Merly's show cos she finished faster. At 9, we retired for bed and by 9.30, the WHOLE family was knocked out.

On Sunday, we all woke up at about 9am. The hubby had plans for an early start to the day and was mildly surprised that we slept till so late despite our early night! In the end, we managed to get out of the house at about 10, headed to Kovan for breakfast, bought stuff and then made our final attempt to Brighthill. 3rd time round and we were finally successful! Hubby had to drop us off 1st and then parked the car outside the temple. I brought the kids to watch some lion dance performance and saw a student there. We finished everything by about 12.30 and then headed for United Square. Both of us ended up spending about $100ish on an encyclopedia on Human Anatomy for Kyle ($14.90), a Sudoku for Kids, travel pack (11.90), a set of Yoshiritsu construction toy that costs $63 after 20% discount and a gift for a new born. None of us seemed to notice that we still have not had our lunch until I mentioned that it was already 2.30pm. That's when Meryl exclaimed that she was hungry. The kids had chicken pasta and the hubby and I shared soup and a chicken cutlet. After the late lunch, we explored the place trying to find hubby's friend's new restaurant, Pasta Bresilia. We ended up having a drink there and the kid got balloons and Easter Eggs from a customer.

We went straight to my father-in-law's place. Meryl only napped half an hour that day. Sleep was furthest away from their minds when their cousins came. When their aunt came back from her flea market shopping spree, all of the kids had presents, including the adults! We then went for a spin in her convertible to the airport, bought bread from Crystal Jade and then back home again. We reached home about 10 and the kids settled into bed by 10.30. Meryl was lapsing into her 'I don't want mummy to go to work' mode so I quickly sent in her dad to reprimand her and Jo to sleep in their room. Then the hubby and I finally had some time to ourselves and we watched some videos on youtube on fishing for GT.

Even typing the events that had happened for the last 3 days is tiring. My intention of doing my work did not materialise cos there was no time. This morning, I really regretted lugging my laptop back during the long weekend cos now I have to lug it back to school. And nothing had been done! Fortunately I am a fast worker and completed it in the morning during my free-time:0)

Swimming Report April

2009-04-13T18:30:00.001+08:00

Swimming Report April

Last week, Kyle resumed his swimming lesson and Meryl insisted on joining him even though her lesson is on Friday. This is the report:

Kyle : 10 laps and 10 breaths
Meryl : 8 laps and 6 breaths ( some holding on to coach and some totally on her own)

Even the coach was surprised that she had the stamina to go on for so long without any complaints. Her usual lesson consists of periodic breaks while he coaches other kids her age at the same time. So she usually swim 2 breaths and then rest for a long long while until her turn again. Tonight was a breakthrough!

Playtime

2009-03-18T10:25:00.002+08:00

Playtime

No Tv to watch as usual. No Bakugan to play. No barbie doll sets for Meryl. Even the new cooking set is still unavailable. Either they have been confiscated or they have been banned for the day or week. Reason? Eating too slowly, 'fighting' wth each other or being defiant.

It's become such a norm that their news toys will inconceivably be in cold storage barely a few days after it has been opened. All because either one of them has flaunted a rule. During such times, they meekly give in and know that they stand no chance if they argue or resist; In fact they know that by doing so, the punishment will be added by a few more days. My helper has been happily putting away their toys and monitoring the piece of paper on our fridge door with dates on it.

So what's left are their usual toys; Stuffed monkeys, giraffes, wombats, old cooking sets, trains and puzzles. But to my amazement, the Duo have concocted a new game in which they are the 'caretakers' of their pets. It included cooking for them, feeding them, bathing them in a 'special' tub and putting them to sleep in letter holders (those with a few pouches on them for letters and stuff) just next to their beds. They were proudly showing off their pets to the hubby this morning and demonstrating to him how they feed and shower them!

March Holiday program

2009-03-17T08:19:00.003+08:00

March Holiday Program

Sat : Kyle and daddy "Dragonball'
Meryl and Mummy "Disney Princess on Ice'.

Sun : IT fair at Suntec (hubby and me!)

Monday evening : Bakugan Battle Brawler at Downtown East after dinner ( cancelled cos Kyle got punished for not napping in the afternoon)

Tues: Ikea 'Smalland' for Kyle and shopping for Mommy at Alexander
Bakugan Battle Brawler (pending on good behaviour)

Wed: JB Shopping Trip with Meryl together with Aunt V's family
Kyle swim class in evening

Thurs: Breakfast at Casuarina Park then Boardwalk at Lower Pierce with the
Duo and some students, catch yabbies.
Catch Care Bear at Hougang Mall

Fri-Sat : Shop and pig out in Malacca with mom and cousins

KYLE"S 2nd MIlk Tooth

2009-03-17T08:15:00.004+08:00

Kyle's 2nd milk tooth

Kyle dropped his 2nd wobbly milk tooth last Friday during his swim lesson while doing his laps. According to him, the tooth dropped out and both he and another girl saw it but it was too late to retrieve it. He tried searcing for it under the waters but to no avail. There goes his visit from the 'tooth fairy' and his $5!

THe New Park

2009-03-17T08:02:00.002+08:00

The New Park just opposite AnchorvaleCC is still under construction. It is situated just next to the Punggol River wth nice shelters and benches around. I can foresee lots ot fishermen in the near future here...the hubby will be one of them!

Disney Prncess on Ice

2009-03-17T07:32:00.005+08:00

It was the BIG day at last. It was the night for the Disney Princess on Ice which Meryl has been looking forward to. She dutifully slept for 2 and a half hours and when she woke up, she insisted on choosing something pretty to wear despite my telling her the red polo dress she was dressing that day was just fine.

Me: The dress is very pretty already!
Her: No, I NEED SOMETHING NICER, this one not nice.
Me: Why must wear something nice?
Her: Must, everyone also wear very pretty one...(huh, where did she hear that from?)
Me: Ok, then how about this one? ( I held up a pink corduroy dress with some pretty flowers)
Her: No this one not so pretty..I want this one (pointed to her purple party frock with can can)
Me: This one is for parties..cannot..
Her: Then I don't know what to wear already.

I decided on a long sleeve top with a pair of blue oshkosh pants but she again decided that it wasn't 'pretty' enough. In the end, she choose the pink dress with the word 'Princess' printed in front. Just when I thought it was over, the next issue was over her shoes. She settled on a pink beaded shoes that she has not worn for a LONG time cos it causes blisters..But for that night, she was willing to put up with the pain!

(Btw she was right! The girls attending the concert were dressed up to the nines in princess GOWNS and the like. Meryl seemed under-dressed in comparison..haha)

She had a great time with her 2 friends at the concert. When the show ended, the 1st thing she said to me was, 'Mummy, can I watch it again?' (No way, it costs a freaking $46 and that is already too much to spend on a kid's whim and fancy) So needless to say, the answer was a firm 'NO'.

Postmortem: The show was actually pretty good..nice choreo, pretty princesses and handsome princes, beautiful costumes and props, good special effects too. So it was money well-spent afterall as she got to relish a night of make-believe in the world of Princesses which btw is what she wants to be when she grows up!

A Series of Maladies

2009-03-17T07:07:00.002+08:00

A Series of Maladies

Meryl has been plagued by a series of maladies for the past month or so; From cough to rash, to cough again then sore throat and the rash is still healing. Most of the time, she is still the cheerful and active girl but there were times I could see her discomfort which resulted in disturbed sleep especially when the rash acts up (she, like me, needs sleep aplenty!).

It struck me just last night that the number of days that she has been sick this year is actually MORE than the TOTAL numbers of days that she had ever fallen sick for the last 4 years!!! She had been the heathier baby and is always the last to fall sick in the family and 1st to recover. On an average, she falls sick about twice a year and is usually for mild ailments such as coughs/common colds or sore throat except for 1 time in 2007 when she had mild bronchilitis. I accrue her slate of good health to having plenty of sleep and the chinese powder that I've been giving her since she was 1. (I ran out of this powder since last Dec..umm..could this be the reason?) But this bout of maladies have left me confounded.

The only reason that I can think for this prolonged illness is the change in environment. She has switched from SKMCC to Ascension where her brother is and her new schedule includes 2 hours to and fro the school on the school mini-van and about 3 half hours in school, all air-conditioned. My explanation to Meryl is that she is new to the school and the viruses there are 'gettin to know her' and 'welcoming' a new victim. Her brother has long been immuned to them cos he is healthy as a fiddle and did not succumb to any of the viruses that Meryl has caught! I guess Meryl will just have to 'fight it out' until her body develops the necessary antibodies (and I better go get my powder soon!).

Kyle the gamester

2009-03-13T21:57:00.003+08:00

Kyle, the gamester

He is always bugging us to play chess with him or snakes and ladders or ludo. One evening, he was so desperate tha he even took the game to the kitchen while Tita Jo was trying to finish her cleaning so that he can play!

Doesn't he look like one of those old men that you normally see below the void-deck playing chess with one leg on the stool??

The Budding Artist

2009-03-13T21:53:00.004+08:00

Another 'Masterpiece' by our budding artist, Meryl Tan.

Her friends turned 4

2009-03-09T21:36:00.002+08:00

Zac mini celebration

Hoi Sin's birthday party.

Meryl's playgroup friends turned 5 by March - Zac, HoiSin and Cheryl. Her's will come only end of the year.

Future Generation of musicians

2009-03-09T21:34:00.002+08:00

Introducing Anchorvale Junior Band - Our ABC Gen

Unexpected Audience

2009-03-08T23:34:00.007+08:00

Tuesday, 3/03/09

First we met Zac and family in Mac's, then we met Alex and family. So we all went to spring a surprise visit on Kyle's drum lesson and he treated an eager crowd of 5 kids, 4 adults to a ear-splitting performance. His 1st one ever.

Downtown East

2009-03-08T23:21:00.002+08:00

Me: How shall we go to Downtown East today?
K : Mummy, I want to take bus!
M : Me too, me too!
Me: I was thinking of driving there, how about that?
K : No, I want to take bus.
Me : But why? Mummy wants to drive..
K : Wait we all crash and die how?

We took the bus.

Kyle did a FANTASTIC job looking after her sister today. He held her hand and waited for her, gave her a little shove whenever she needed it as they climbed up the maze together.

Took advantage of the 1 for 1 offer and put both of them in the ferris wheel, on their own, as I was too stingy to fork out another $6.50. They happily went on in without the slightest fuss and had a great time.

The Artist in Meryl

2009-03-08T21:07:00.006+08:00

The Artist in Meryl

Morning time, at Macdonald's waiting for Kyle's abacus lesson to end.

Meryl started doodling while I enjoyed my BIG breakfast, albeit with some guilt. Her picture slowly began to take shape. There was a big house which she told me later that it was a flat, a girl with 2 ponytails with ribbons on them, which was supposed to be Mummy. It was a sunny day. She added a boy with a hat which she said was her Daddy and drew a butterfly to go along and flowers. I helped her add a bee. The scene then changed to nightime as she erased off the sun, slouds and birds. Listen to her description in the video.

My best investment

2009-03-06T13:43:00.004+08:00

My Best Investment in 2008

It cost me almost $200, weighs about 7kg but it was my best investment in year 2008. I am hoping that it will serve me for another few years before it dies an early death, considering the extensive usage by me.

I use it almost everyday and is a reliable form of transport for me, except when it rains. I ferry my 2 kids on it to and fro the community centre for their various classes and activities, shopping trips to Compasspoint and sometimes just riding around the estate enjoying the evening breeze.

If you haven't guess, this investment is my red bicycle with a baby seat behind and a toddler seat in front, one for Meryl and the other for Kyle. I am more mobile because of it and I've saved heaps since I need not take cabs so often now. Since my arms are more relaxed now (no need to hold it up and try to flag down a cab) my legs have been put to good use. Many people have commented on how well-toned it is!! Ahem!

It takes me a mere 10-15 mins to reach my school everyday and the scenery is breathtaking, especially in the morning. I passed by open fields, a stretch of bushes which boast of white blossoms at certain times of the year and a mangrove swamp, a favourite haunt of the egrets. All these coupled with the cool, clean morning breeze is, I think, a great start to a brand new day. Likewise, after work, I can be back home in a jiffy to be with the kids.

My furthest adventure with the Duo was an impromtu trip down to Jalan Kayu (see earlier post, I think sometime in Dec last year). I had even rode down to Rivervale Plaza with Kyle to do grocery shopping, carting back bags of stuff. Otherwise, it is usually a 5 -min ride for them to and fro the Community Club near my place for their various activities such as drum class, badminton, swimming, ballet and abacus. Even then, they love it. Meryl has even mastered eating while on the bicycle. Now she is requesting for her training wheels to be taken off her own little bike in an attempt to be more like mummy!

Although this bike from the market is nothing like my previous GT, it has served its function well and I am more than happy with it..until a time when it decides to break down on me!

Meryl's Itch

2009-03-05T19:18:00.003+08:00

The Long Night

It was the longest night for me. Although I managed to catch snippets of sleep here and there, it was not enough! I am not one to miss my beauty sleep unless it is really necessary. Last night was one of the rare nights.

Meryl has been having a rash on and off for the past week, apparently a side effect of the antibiotics she took 2 weeks back! She had been complaining of the itch and scratching and crying saying that she couldn't sleep and only 2 nights ago she woke up at 4 am to tell me that she wanted me to apply cream for her.

Last night the rash appeared again (the whole day she was fine!) and she was scratching 'down under' non-stop. I was non-plussed at first thinking that it was again her gimmick at getting attention or even an excuse for sleeping with us on a weekday night. In the end, I conceded that it was for real. I ended up squeezing with her in her bed to make sure that she was alright throughout the night.

I had only her small rabbit bolster which I used as my pillow. She was waking up so often to 'beat' herself and even commented that her 'pet pet is so naughty'. It really pained me that I was unable to relieve her of her pain. The cream and powder did not seem to work so I ended up giving her a dose of antihistamine at about 3 plus in the morning. When asked if she wanted to go to school the next day, she replied 'No' and asked me to bring her to the doctor's the next day. I agreed even though I knew I as unable to.

I called her in the morning and she was ok again. (funny why the problem only surface at night) I made the Hubby bring her to the doc' since I was unable to fulfil my side of the promise. She agreed. She didn't complain of the itch whole day and I am keeping my fingers crossed tonight!

Kyle's Promotion

2009-03-05T19:08:00.003+08:00

Kyle's Promotion

He is no longer with the 'baby' swimming group now. It has been almost 10 months since he started learning swimming with some breaks in between. So far he has learnt freestyle, breaststroke ad backstroke. The one hour session was with a group of about 6 students (including Meryl) and whenever the teacher was busy attending to the other students, he was also busy up to some mischief. Moreover, the teacher aso felt that he should progress now.

Last night was his 1st lesson in competitive swimming in the sheltered pool (olympic size) at AVCC.

The report:

10 X breath of breaststroke
6 X length of single arm ( with board)
8 X length of strokes (with board)
2 X length of freestyle (without board)

He finished at about 8.45 and was still had energy left to pay catching with his friends (Ty, Benjamin, Qihui, Qiyin, Christie and Meryl)! Luckily we had more tha 2 hours of nap in the afternoon.

Kyle swimming his last lap of freestyle before end of lesson

2nd Kite flying session

2009-03-02T23:03:00.003+08:00

2nd Kite Flying session

It was Sunday evening. My hubby was due for an overseas trip. So after dinner, we sent him down to take a cab (I refused to drive cos the kids wanted to tag along) and at the same time to fly our new kites. Their friend Jeremy and Carissa was there flying their new kites too (Jem's mom helped me purchase mine!) That day seemed to be a bad day for kite flying as the wind was not strong enough to keep the kite up in the air. I was running around like a crazy woman and so was my helper with the other Stingray kite. Finally after many attempts , I managed to get it up only to find that my string was too short..sigh..

The kids in the meantime was happily blowing bubbles with another 2 friends (from badminton) and not paying the least attention to the kites. Stayed till the sun had set and went back to rest. Hopefully we will have more luck with the kites on another windier day, after I lengthen my string.

It's Showtime!

2009-03-02T22:55:00.005+08:00

It's Showtime

The kids conducted their own puppet show tonight. They let the puppets do the talking!!

Kyle's close shave

2009-02-26T00:06:00.002+08:00

Kyle's Close Shave

He almost didn't make it tonight. Although he didn't meet my condition, I did not have the heart to stop him as he climbed up the bicycle just before I was about to leave for our weekly badminton session. In the end, I had to give him another form of punishment: No TV or computer the next day and to write 50 lines of 'I will eat my dinner fast.' He agreed and so off we went.

He woke up at 5pm and started his dinner before 530. I was reading the papers and thinking that he would b able to finish it by 6.30 and be in time for his piano lesson. 6.30 came and his plate of fried rice was still more than half-full. He went for his class and came back at 7 to continue his dinner. At 7,30, there was still a quarter of it left. I gave him an ultimatum; No badminton for him if he cannot finish by 7.40. Meryl who started at 645 was already done by then. I still gave him some chances but at 8, I was prepared to leave. He came out crying and begging to go and he got his wish but with terms attached.He had a great time there and played really well with me for about 45 minutes before he went to play hide and seek with the other kids.

Come tomorrow he will have to keep to his side of the bargain and complete his lines. He needs to know that his mummy means business and is not one to be trifled with!

2009 V-Day Escapade

2009-02-25T22:59:00.008+08:00

2009 V-Day Escapade

It started out as another lazy Saturday with the usual routine. Sent Meryl for ballet and then Kyle for abacus followed by lunch then nap. After my nap I was even more reluctant to do anything but then I thought of how sweet my hubby had been, I just had to pull myself out of my post-mahjung slumber! (oops)

For the past few years, Vday had been celebrated with my buying a cake from Jack's place and dinner (cooked by moi) consisting of sirloin steak, salad and potatoes. That was my initial plan for this year as well. Well, it turned out different for once.

I cycled Meryl to Compasspoint to choose the cake (which I feel is still a tradition I want to stick to). On the way, I told her that I was going to buy a mango cake for daddy. She wanted strawberry and insisted on it. So we had a conversation that went like this :

Me: Who are we buying the cake for?

Meryl: Daddy

Me: What does Daddy like?

Meryl: Mango

Me: So what cake should we buy?

Meryl :Strawberry

The 2nd time round, I asked her the same questions and this time she begrudgingly conceded: Ok lor...mango lor..

On the way to Compasspoint, Spotted the heart-shaped kite (above picture) and I had a bright idea! Why not have a mini picnic and fly kite at the same time! So I called the hubby to prepare the stuff needed and arranged to meet them at the field.

See the 2 cakes we bought? We scoured 4 cakeshops before I finally decided to buy these 2 from Breadtalk because MERYL was fixed on her pretty cake. But thanks to her, we had 2 free tickets to K20 movie.

Father and son had a great time of bonding through the kite-flying but atlas, our kite couldn't fly up for some reason. I tried my hand at it but it was only after a kind uncle helped me to cut away the 'tail' and re-tied my string that the kite took off! It was great fun! (so much so that I bought 2 BIG Kites for our next round)

After the sun had set, we went back for dinner and then headed for Night Safari after that as it had been a long time since we used our membership card. We exchanged roles for the night. I became Meryl and my hubby became Kyle and the Duo were the parents. They did a good job 'taking care' of us and 'bringing' us to see our favorite animals.

The night was still young at 10.30pm. Our 'parents' wanted to go Macdonald's but the children wanted roti prata. No prize for guessing who won the battle!

We headed for our fave prata place at Casuarina for prata, my yummiest thosai and pappadum at the end of the meal. It turned out to be an eventful day after all.

Swimming Report

2009-02-25T22:40:00.005+08:00

Swimming Report

The kids have covered freestyle, breast-stroke and now they have progressed to back-stroke. Kyle is most comfortable with freestyle and Meryl is more confident with swimming on her back. She has overcome her initial fear of putting her had into the water and loves swimming.

Daddy's Boo Boo

2009-02-25T22:31:00.003+08:00

Daddy's Boo Boo

Last Sunday, I brought my students to do their CIP for a Biathlon. It was left to my hubby to entertain the Duo. He brought them as usual to my father-in-law house whenever I wasn't aound. They had noodles at their usual haunt and then went to see chinchillas. I happily went for lunch with my kakis and came back expecting my 3 darlings to be back and to get them ready for their nap.

At 1.30pm, they were finally back. My hubby promptly asked them to 'go eat their lunch' to which I told him there weren't any! I had expected them to be fed by the time they were back and he hasn't left any instructions with my helper to cook lunch. Both of us just stared ridiculously at him. I shooked my head and told him the fastest thing I could whip up is oats. The Duo had oats for lunch the day that the mummy was not around to make sure things are done in the PROPER way. I shudder to think what will happen if I leave the kids with him for an entire day!!!

Kyle's Piano Lesson

2009-02-25T22:28:00.003+08:00

Last Piano Lesson

Tonight was my son's last lesson for piano. I asked him again if he wanted to continue but his answer was still 'No'. He gallantly suggested that now Meryl can have her lessons since he already has his drum class. I'd like to hope that during the last 2 terms, he had gleaned something of use during his piano lessons. In future, he cannot hold it against me for not knowing how to play cos I did give him a chance.

Meryl's Quirks

2009-02-25T22:16:00.003+08:00

Meryl's Quirk #1

This afternoon, a thunderstorm was raging in Sengkang. Thunder roared almost every other minute. My son was already long awakened barely half an hour into his nap. Meryl, on the other hand, slept soundly through the din.

It was almost 6.30, 2 hrs and 45 mins into her afternoon nap and I thought I better wake her up for her dinner. I went into her room and lie down beside her. I tried tickling her but she merely scratched the area that I touch her. So I started to caress her face. Again, she brushed it off without waking. Then I tried to pull away her blanket but she pulled it back and wrapped herself even more tightly with it. In the end, to ward away my disturbance, she simply pulled the blanket over her head and continued sleeping!!

It was almost about 10 minutes later that she finally decided she had enough of my nonsense and she got up and got down the bed without greeting me. And what a grouch she was after that!!

#2

It was after badminton tonight and we were doing some leg raises before we take our shower. Suddenly she exclaimed, " I can smell potato chips!" Then she paused or a moment and sniffed again. With a sheepish smile, she added, "Oh, I think its my perspiration!" My helper and I couldn't stop laughing after that!

Kyle's rendition

2009-02-11T00:09:00.005+08:00

Toothless Kyle's rendition of a Chinese New Year song

Which Version do YOU like??

Kyle's baby tooth

2009-02-10T23:48:00.004+08:00

Even as I am writing this, my son is trying to sleep, eager with anticipation at what is going to happen tonight. A visit from the tooth fairy! You see, his 1st milk tooth came out tonight (actually, it was yanked out with a thread by my helper). He has put this tooth in a cloret box whole night and been plying me with questions about how he should leave the tooth, should he put it in a matchbox or leave it as it is under the pillow. He even requested for me to stay in his room the whole night so that I can tell him what happened...

..then my hubby had to come home and tell him that there is no such thing as Tooth fairy. But by now he was undaunted. Hubby came over and asked me if I really want to fan the myth and I told him to play along. So..tomorrow my son will be $5 richer ( along with a new toothbrush) ! Ha ha..

Barbie Dolls

2009-02-10T23:01:00.005+08:00

Barbie Dolls

It was on 17th Jan, a Saturday night, exactly one month after Meryl's birthday in December that she finally got to open one of her birthday presents.( her punishment for throwing tantrum on her birthday-see post in Dec) I chose for her the above; a barbie doll house complete with a kitchenette, bathroom, living room and bedroom, accessories included. It was the most elaborate set I've seen and my guess is that it must have cost a lot! (thank you , whoever you are)

My son was as fascinated by it as my daughter and the best part is that it can be folded up and kept within seconds. Very compact and fuss-free! I believe it will provide my girl with hours of SELF-entertainment....lucky me!

Meryl's 1st day in Ascension

2009-02-10T22:12:00.005+08:00

Just discovered these photos taken on Meryl's 1st day of school and realised how backdated my posts are! Better blog about this before everything is forgotten now that age is catching up on me.

I remember sending her up the bus at 10.30am and she did not as much as give me a backward glance. So excited was she to go to the same school as her kor kor! I then took a train to her school so that I could see her before she went in to class.

By the time I reached the school, the kids had already arrived and were seated in the assembly area. Kyle is in Jasmine this year under Mrs Chuan and Meryl is in Daffodil under Ms Leong. I took Meryl out and went to buy another set of uniform for her before she joined her class again for some singing.

This was what I observed; The teacher flashed the transparency with the words for the song on the OHP and the children had to sing it. My girl, very obviously one of the shortest in class was seated behind some tall kids. She had difficulties seeing the words, so she propped herself up on her knees to get a better view of the words and the teacher. When she still could not see, she decided to stand up altogether at one point. It was so funny seeing her trying to follow all the actions of the song which she was learning for the very first time. There was no awkardness or any inhibitions on her part at all even though it was her 1st day in school. She went up with her class to the 2nd level and did not even bother to look out for us.

Took a peek into Kyle's class while we were there. He was happily seated at the table doing his work without any promptings. In fact, he was so engrossed in his work that he did not even noticed us standing by the door!

Meryl's latest obsession

2009-02-10T13:16:00.004+08:00

Picture of the full set of Sylvanian Family taken at Toys R Us Vivo

Meryl is intrigued by her 2 Sylvanian family sets that she owns. One set was a gift for Christmas and the other I bought for her to complement it. She can spent hours playing by herself, arranging and re-arranging the pieces. So far, she has a Mummy rabbit, 2 babies, a bed, a side table, a slide and some other miniature cute accessories such as cups, saucers, building blocks, bedroom slippers etc.

One evening, while waiting for her brother to finish his drum class, she asked me to join her in playing with her 'family'. I pretended to be the 2 naughty children and 'messed' up the toys. She, 'the mummy' told the 'children' that they must clean up their toys but I didn't do that. She then told the 2 babies to go face the wall and even checked with me if it was 5 minutes (the time she gave for their punishment). After the 5 mins was up, she made them do 'leg raise' !

When I told the hubby about this episode, he was very smug about it and said his form was punishment is working. At least the kids know what to expect when they do something wrong instead of us using the cane each time to threaten them.

Writing lines

2009-02-10T13:08:00.003+08:00

It happened right after dinner just when we were preparing to go for our weekly badminton session. Kyle took out his scooter and was playing with it in the house. I sternly told him that he cannot scoot in the house but he continued. The inevitable happened. He lost his balance and fell over Meryl, hurting her finger in the process. Meryl wailed and Kyle was punished by the hubby (see above) and barred from going for badminton. He was very upset and cried but to no avail cos he 'never listen to his mummy'. After we returned home from our game, he complained that his hand was very painful from all the writing.

Chingay in the Heartlands

2009-02-10T12:43:00.006+08:00

Fire Dragon Display and performance by China Troops after dinner

The Duo waiting patiently with their dad for the Chingay Procession which started only about 11pm!!

Mommy was a road marshall, keeping people off the road.

The beautiful floats

The kids arrived about 10 after their dinner at their grandad's place . They were treated to a spectacular dragon dance by a China Troop with many flash fireworks. IT was awesome. Then they had to wait for the Chingay procession to arrive from Ang Mo Kio and Sengkang was the last stop. They were both bored and kept playing with my 'sword', a light stick that I was holding as a road marshall.They were supposed to arrive at 10ish but it was delayed by traffic conditions till almost closed to 11pm. The kids were thrilled and hubby took lots of pictures and videos (not uploaded!) The kids boarded the floats which stayed for about half an hour to take more pictures. It was almost 12 when we finally got home!

Punishment

2009-01-24T10:46:00.003+08:00

Bridging position
Since end of last year, the kids recieved a different form of punishment.

Old Punishment

When they do something wrong, they will be asked to face the wall to think for about 5 mintes what they had done. Then they will be subjected to a short lecture from either the hubby or myself (They are usually more afraid of hubby). After the lecture, they will be asked how they should be punished. For my hubby, he usually takes away some privileges like watching television or banning them from playing with their favorite toys for a period of time. For me, they have to tell me if their 'crime' warrants caning. Of course, ultimately it is still my call to cane or not. If they need to be caned, they will have to decide which part, hand (left or right) or backside. More often than not, they will be crying and asking for forgiveness even before I execute the caning. After which an apology is expected and then a hug.

New punishment

The hubby wants to 'Spare the rod'. He taught the Duo bridging position, half-squats, leg- raise, push-ups and star jump. He employs up to 2 of these positions when they do something wrong, like fighting with each other, snatching toys, not paying attention, being rude or not behaving oneself when going out.

Kyle hated the leg-raise position most and would cry after less than 5 minutes. His favorite is bridging position as it is very easy to 'cheat' with his backside jutting out to reduce the weight on his arms.

For Meryl, we usually ask her to do half-squats or leg-raise and sometimes bridging. She thinks its fun....most of the time, as she seldom gets punished.

This method is usually accompanied by taking away some privileges as well. However, it works better for the hubby than me. I would have stuck to the good 'ol cane if not for the fact that both our canes had been broken into half.

Time to get a new cane...just in case!!

Lovey dovey Meryl

2009-01-17T09:25:00.003+08:00

Kids slept with us last night (Friday). It is aways something they both look forward to when the weekend arrives. Meryl will sleep on the bed with me and Kyle on the platform with his dad. Last night after reading them a book, they got ready for bed. Both of them fought to sleep on the floor with their dad so I pretended to be upset and started crying. As usual Meryl responded 1st and offered to sleep with me. She even suggested that I sleep inside so that I won't 'fall off the bed' (actually she's the one that will fall off on top of her brother!)

Early in the morning, I felt her moving and then a hand trying to grab mine. Then the hand stretched across and pat me on my chest/shoulder. Noticing that I have also woken up, she whispered, 'Mommy you are more important. More important than my bicycle, more important than my hamster. Mommy, I love you.' Then she continued patting me, trying to put me back to sleep. After a while, she rained little kisses all over my face, on my cheeks, on my lips and even my hand ( just like what I often do with her!) and all the time telling me that 'I am more important.' Ain't it sweet?

Domesticating Meryl

2009-01-15T23:09:00.008+08:00

At the start of year 2009, I did up a 'Task List' for both kids. It is a system whereby they can earn ticks for the chores they do and there are rewards for per day, per week and per month, depending on the number of ticks they accumulate. Some of the tasks includes folding blankets, finishing their meals on time, washing their own dishes, showering by themselves, changing into their own clothes, packing their bags..so on and so forth. The list has 25 items on it and they can earn a sweet/ice-cream/lollipop depending on how many ticks they get in a day. They also get to choose a movie or buy a toy below $10 if they hit a certain no of ticks per week.

Kyle was enthusiastic about it initially but he was always in a hurry to do his own things and needs to be reminded. Meryl, on the other hand, was able to follow through what she was tasked to do, like washing her own dish after each meal.

One morning, after breakfast, which she took a long time, she took her plate to the sink as I was trying to hurry her to get showered to go out. She insisted that she needed to wash her plate. So I stood by the side to supervise her. After she finished, I asked her to get down from the stool but she refused. She told me that she needed to wash her kor kor's plate as well. So I waited again. Kyle as usual had disappeared to do his 'fun' things already, plate forgotten! Needless to say, she gets more rewards than her brother. However, she refused the sweets cos she was punished by daddy and cannot have sweets for a month despite me telling her that she can ea the sweets that she earn under this system!

Kyle's 1st drum lesson

2009-01-15T22:25:00.002+08:00

He was very excited about his drum lesson. After all, it was the one thing that he had requested for since he was 3. We were down at Cristofori at about 7.20 and took a peep at the class. Lo and behold!! Danny (Kyle's swim mate) was there! This make him even more excited as now he has a 'kaki'! He went in at 7.30 and I could see that he was thrilled.

After his lesson, I went in and asked teacher what they had done for the evening. Kyle named me all the cymbals and demonstrated to me the 2 and 4-beat pattern. He was all smiles when he walked out fof the studio.

What is more important?

2009-01-15T22:16:00.004+08:00

One evening, Kyle was fighting with me over the television. He wanted to watch a show on TV after he returned back from schoolbut I said no as he neeed to eat his lunch and take a nap. He refused to comply and made a big fuss and even tried to threaten me. He said that if i do not let him watch, I must buy him a set of Bakugan. Of course I refused and told him that he has no right to tell me what to do. It took him a while, after much screaming (on my part) and with the help of the cane that he finally went into the kitchen, pulling a long and angry face. He also claimed that he doesn't like me and is angry with me.

I was very upset with him by now and threw him this question. "What is more important? Is TV more important or is mummy's feelings more important?'He replied under his breath the former. At this time, Meryl who was already seated at the table and halfway through her macaroni exclaimed loudly," Mummy, you are more important!! You are the most important!" Then she promptly extended her arms and brought my face next to hers and kissed me. The brother was still sulking away...sigh...

The 2 faces of Meryl

2008-12-26T17:54:00.003+08:00

She is the sweetest, most docile and compliant girl with a generous heart and gentle touch especially with babies. She is also fiercely independent and self-reliant and tenacious in the way she handles complex situations and physical challenges. She can walk for miles at Bukit Timah Hill and during the numerous nature walks we do without uttering a single complaint despite the blisters forming in her foot, scale the rocky mountain at Mount Kinabalu with an optimistic and never-say-die attitude in face of the slippery steps and steep paths. She does not demand for things to be bought for her, is extremely well-behaved when she goes out on shopping trips with us and is perfectly accommodating when we give her instructions. She sleeps without any struggle when it is her naptime, anywhere. She is adventurous when it comes to food and will try anything at least once. She is able to reason well and even dish out advice for her brother. She is also commendable in that she will stand up for her brother and protect him when the situation calls for it. She is always standing alongside her brother when he gets punished and hugging him and comforting him after he gets his due. She is also lovable in that she is always so obliging. She is usually the 1st to respond to requests for tissue or dustbin or water from my mom, myself or my husband. She will bring tissue for brother and help him wipe his mouth or tears, she will help me carry my plate to the kitchen and fetch the handphone for my mom. At times like these, she is an Angel.

However, there is another side to her. There is a monster that is lurking within her as the hubby puts it and that monster is Anger. And often it is on the spur of the moment, over the most insignificant things, and despite the fact that she knows she is fighting a losing battle, she failed to rein in her anger. We are still trying to figure out if this is her way of getting our attention or is she testing our limits. Her punishments had included 2 months no Explorer Kids at Downtown East, no parties and no opening of birthday presents for a month for her temper tantrums. Once was over her insistence that I bring her on the Ferris wheel at Downtown East, on her birthday she had insisted on sitting on the cooler box and be pulled and then the last one was for wanting to wear plastic high heels slippers to a Christmas party. On those occasions, she will be quietly defiant at first, pulling a long face, refusing to speak until we are about to make a move. Then she will raise her voice and refuse to bulge. Each episode also included her stamping her feet in anger, clenching her fist, calling us 'naughty' and when in close proximity, she will try to inflict pain on the person. Crying is the last thing that she does which will sometimes escalate into screaming. Then when she finally acknowledges her defeat, she will start apologising which is already too late as the punishment would have been meted out. The interesting part, however, is that she will adhere to the punishment without any resistance. At times, she will even remind us when we forgot the punishment. She will also tell us that she needs to take in 3 deep breath when she gets angry and count to 10. Sometimes I wonder, if she subconsciously 'welcome' these punishments so that she is 'equal' to her brother who always gets into more trouble than her.

December Holidays 2008 Updates

2008-12-26T17:04:00.002+08:00

Nov 2-8th

Meryl's Kids' Pageant competition
Meetings in school
Tying up loose ends in school
Lower Sec History Survival Guide
1E6 BBQ at Downtown East

Nov 9-15th

Back to School from 8-1pm

Nov 16-22th

Playdate at home with Isobel, Joel, Jeremy, Carissa, QiHui, Alex and Alyssa
Beverly Hills Chi Hua Hua with Meryl
Zoo with Kyle and Meryl X2
Badminton, Swimming and Ballet
Hubby on reservist
Magadascar 2 at Downtown East

Nov 23 - 29th

Zoo with Belle and Joel
Beverly Hills Chi Hua Hua with Meryl
Zoo with Qing Qing, Athena and Irvin
Speech and Drama camp (Mon to Fri 2-5pm) - Kyle
Badminton, Swimming and Ballet
Ikea, Courts, Giant, Vhive and Casa Itlay
Crab beehoon with yeye in geylang
Packing of goodie bags for Bridge Walk

Dec 1st to 6th

Monday - Ikea furniure
CSC meeting
Tuesday - packed kids room and study room
Wednesday - shoe cabinet and computer table and cabinet, badminton
Thursday - sofa arrived, spring cleaning, Zac's house, ticket delivery
Friday - swimming, CC tying up loose ends
Sat - ballet, Bridge Walk, dinner at Brewsbaker, packed for trip to KK

Dec 7th - 13th

Sun- arrived at KK, checked into Hyatt
- Dinner at Portview Seafood Restaurant
Mon - Monsopiad Cultural Village RM65 per pax, Taxi Rm80 to ad fro
- Wetlands River Safari Rm190 per pax (free or 2 kids) 1pm - 10pm
- Proboscis monekys sighting, Silver-leaf monkeys and firefly
Tue - Island hopping RM27 per pax for 2 islands
- Manukan Island 10am to 1pm
- Sapi Island 1.30 - 4.30pm
- Pasar Malam
- Fish market
Wed - Hired 7 seater cab RM250 to Mount Kinabalu Mesilau Nature Reserve
- Marketing at Kundasang town
- Mushroom lunch- msuhroom soup, omelette, fried and stir-fry
- Nephenthes Trail to view giant pitcher plants
- Salad buffet
Thurs - Wild Rafflesia sighting RM20 per pax
- Poring Hotspring
- Short nature walks
- Farewell Dinner
Fri - Departed at 5.30am for airport
- arrived airport at 815am
- Home Sweet Home 1.15pm
- Kids swimming lesson at Anchorvale CC
Sat - Ballet lesson
- Elizabeth's birthday party
- grocery shopping

Dec 14th -20th

Meryl's birthday celebration at home
Kyle's sports camp at Keppel Club
Checking into Costa Sand Resort
Preparation for BBQ with students
Escape Theme Park for the DUO
Sec 1 registration meeting on Thurs and Fri
Meryl's birthday bash on 18th
Overnight mahjong

Dec 21-27th

Victoria's birthday party
Sunday Movie at home- Harry Potter
wrapping christmas presents
Kyle's outing with Jiu jiu
playdate at home with Jeremy and Carissa
last minute shopping
Buffet dinner at Shangrila 'The Line'
Bedtime stories movie at Bishan Junction
Christmas party at yeye's house
Underwear thief episode
Christmas party at Wilson's
Boxing day outing to Tampines with kids and Aunt Jen and Ryan
Swimming lesson

ZOO again

2008-11-25T02:14:00.005+08:00

Kyle showering

On board Ferry Pedro - named after the recylcing Otter.

I was serious when I said that I want to make full use of my Zoo pass. Barely 4 days after our last visit, I was there again! This time, Isabel and Joel joined us. We met at the entrance and then visited the white tigers, pigmy hippos and Autralian outback before we headed for the new ferry service across the reservoir. The kids were really excited.

The ferry cost us $15 for 2 adults and 2 kids and took us all the way to Rainforest Kidzworld. It was pocked there even though it's Monday. The kids including the baby Annette rushed in to play except for Joel who needed some coaxing.

My hubby followed us as he was off for the day and only needed to book into army for his reservist later in the day. He took loads of photos on his new toy, Canon PowershotSX10IS. It felt great not having to be the one taking pictures!!

We had our lunch while the kids played till 12.30 before they had their chicky meal with toy. As usual, mine were the last to finish. We rushed off to send Kyle for his holiday Speech and Drama camp which starts at 2. He was late for 1 hour.

Playdate @ Anchorvale

2008-11-25T02:01:00.005+08:00

Since holiday is here, I invited Kyle's playmates from the time they were babies, Isabel and Alex and their siblings who are also Meryl's age and the Duo's good friend, Jeremy whom they meet everyday while waiting for the bus downstair for a playdate at home.

Siew was the first to arrive with her 3 kids, Isabel, Joel and Anette followed by the rest. Altogether there were 10 children including Jeremy's little sister, Carissa who came later. The kids played amongst themselves and were extremely happy to have company. The same goes for the mothers who munched away on home-made scones and biscuits and drinking tea.

The kids stopped by our table periodically for their snacks until it was time to pack away the toys and prepare for lunch. Lunch (watercress porridge) was uneventful and especially quick for some after I dangled Mamee noodles as a reward for those who could finish before 1pm, except for my son...sigh...

After lunch the kids were happy to just watch a Strawberry Shortcake disc whilst the mummies ate their lunch. The playing resumed after my son finished his lunch and the kids were happily jumping on my bed and playing army toys.

At about 2pm, they left and the kids quickly had their milk and settled down for their afternoon nap. Meryl slept all the way until close to 6.

Waterplay @ Kidzworld

2008-11-25T01:51:00.002+08:00

Brought the Duo to the zoo last Thursday after a long long break. I was determined to make full use of my Zoo pass this holiday. I cycled the Duo to the main road to take bus 163 and then we changed to 138. They were kept occupied on the bus by Alice in Wonderland book. We reached the zoo at about 10.30. We did not tarry long to look at the animals but headed straight for the tram to KidzWorld.

Upon reaching, I was lucky to find a table, albeit not shaded, near the waterplay area. Kyle immediately stripped down to his swimming trunks and Meryl followed suit. I reminded Kyle to look after his little sister. It was a pleasure looking at how he held his sister's hand as they explored the grounds.

I took the opportunity to have a nice and relaxing meal of KFC while they played their guts out for 2 hours!! After that we head home in a cab and Meryl dozed off in the taxi before waking up for lunch at home.

Meryl's punishment

2008-11-25T01:45:00.003+08:00

Meryl was banned from sleeping in our room for 1 week. This punishment was meted out because she was caught not sleeping and waiting for us till about 1am. Since she is too excited each time she gets to sleep in our room, we decided to oust her out for 1 week even though it is now holiday time.

She faithfully slept in her own room for the first few nights. One afternoon, I was preparing to settle them for their nap in my room. As I was ushering them in, she reminded me that she could not sleep in my room and compliantly went to her own bed while Kyle slept in our room. Hope she will be as honest when she grows up!!!

CROCS Mania

2008-11-25T01:36:00.002+08:00

Last Friday hopped over to Singapore Expo for the MPH warehouse sale. They were also having a Crocs warehouse sale but I wasn't too keen on cors as i felt that the imitations were as good and much cheaper. I went in to look for my neighbour and saw the hordes grabbing dozens upon dozens as thought it was free for all. I succumbed and bought 2 pairs for the kids @$20 each and 3 pairs of pants @ $10 for Kyle. After choosing the merchandise, my friend asked me to pass it to her as she has a friend working there and he will make payments on our behalf. Shucks!!! I was thinking then that I should have bought more since I don not need to queue to pay. The queue was horrendous!!!

After I went to MPH, my neighbour called and said that her hubby was on his way to choose some shoes. This time, I went in and bought 4 more pairs of shoes ( 2 for moi and 2 more for the Duo) Again we didn't have to queue....shiok!!!

Meryl loved the pink pair opf boots to bits and Kyle was ga-ga over his 'army' crocs too. I told my hubby about the escapade and he was also tempted to get some.

That Sunday, we went back again - for the food fest and him for the Crocs sale. He gave up when he saw that people were queuing just to enter the hall!!! Ridiculous especially when recession is just round the corner!

Words of wisdom

2008-11-10T12:11:00.005+08:00

We were on the way back from airport after sending their granddad off and we were reading a story about a mole who was afraid of the dark. I used the opportunity to remind them of our cycling trip and the sounds we heard in the dark and the animals that are active at night.

Kyle was not convinced as he still have fear of being in the dark alone. We told him that we can always think of beautiful things in our mind before we go to sleep. Meryl chipped in saying, 'It is only your imagination , there's nothing to be scared!' (She is the braver of the 2) Then she added, ' You know, you know why I not scared? Because I know that God is in my heart, He can protect me one. God can also protect you!'

The Bed Fight

2008-11-10T12:03:00.005+08:00

Sun, 2.15pm, Naptime

The Duo were fighting over who gets to sleep on the bed. I suggested that it was Kyle's turn to sleep on the floor this afternoon but he refused to bulge. Meryl also wanted the bed as she had her turn on the floor last night already. I tried pleading with them, coaxing them but to no avail. I used the excuse that I will get backache when I sleep on floor.Meryl was very quick to answer me that when we wake up she will massage my back for me and added that she is Very Good at that. Kyle piped in and claimed that he will also give me a massage. So in the end, I slept on the floor!!

True to their words, when they woke up at 4.30, Meryl reminded me that she needed to massage me. She did a great job of stepping on my back and then using her fist to pound on my shoulders. Kyle also gave me a good massage after Meryl. I was appeased....

Kyle's Swimming Report

2008-11-07T23:58:00.008+08:00

Kyle swimming in his underwear, freestyle.

He has learnt how to swim frog style partially but now learning to swim on his back without support.

Meryl is Officially learning swimming

2008-11-07T23:10:00.006+08:00

Meryl has been attending lessons on and off for a few weeks as she wanted to do what Kyle was doing. Here she is with Alex and Danny. Kyle was down with a runny nose and did not swim that day.

Tonight she agreed to join the lesson again but wanted me to 'talk' to Brother L first. She did not want to put her head into water. So I asked her to tell Bro L herself and they negotiated for a while. She finally acceeded to putting her head a little bit into the water. Then she was happily inside the water.

When I finished my swim, I popped over to the training pool to see Meryl sitting on the side practising her freestyle strokes. She was happy to show me how she puts her head into the water and blow bubbles.

For the last part of the lesson, Bro L got them to swim on their back and Meryl did it very well. Watch the video especially the last portion when the coach let go of her! Finally before we left, I told Bro L that I I will put Meryl officially into the class.

Meryl learning to hold her breath under water with Kor Kor Justin coaching her during one of the sessions!

Kyle's Concert " The Lost Button"

2008-11-04T14:15:00.007+08:00

Kyle with Alex, Belle and Victoria

Ryan quek and Kyle

Jenson

Kyle, Isobel and Joel

Kyle and Elizabeth

Aloysius and Kyle

Synopsis of Musical:

The story is about a Button who has lost its owner. He went around searching for its owner in Candyland, in ToyLand and finally found its owner, a Circus Clown.

The Mad Concert Rush

2008-11-04T10:27:00.004+08:00

Saturday, 1st November 2008

Meryl's schedule for the day (I attended)

10am- 11.15am : Ballet
11.30 -12.15am : Lunch
12.30 - 1.30pm : Nap
1.30 - 2.15pm : Dina's Hari Raya Open house
2.30pm : arrive in school for concert performance
3.00 - 4.30pm : Graduation Concert at Sengkang Methodist Children Centre
5.00pm : Housewarming steamboat party at Aunt Jen's place
Swim after dinner

Kyle's schedule (Tim attended)

Woke up at 7.45am wanting to get ready for concert.
Spent whole morning doing nothing much.
Had lunch and then refused to nap, afraid that he will miss his concert.
Played at Danny and Dina's place till 2.45pm.
Left house at 3pm, picked Alex and family.
Concert at 4.30pm till 6.
Arrived at Aunt Jen's place for dinner and a swim.

Overheard on the telephone

2008-11-04T10:17:00.006+08:00

Doing the 'Backside Kiss'.

It was Friday night and I was having mj session and the kids were bored. I suggested that they call up Chandris and ask if they could pop over to play for a while. So the 2 kids tried calling him on the phone. Kyle helped and finally they got through the line. Meryl took over and asked the person on the other end if she could talk to Chandris. I think the person asked her who she was cos she answered, "I am Chandris' grildfriend!"

Chandris, btw is Meryl's classmate and they often walk back together after school as he is staying just a few floors below us on the next block. There was once I was back early and saw both of them bading each other farewell using 'Backside kiss'. The 2 of them walked backwards till their backside bumped into each other. They did that for a few times until they were satisfied before they headed home. I was curious as to whose idea it was but it is still a mystery how it all started.

A Night Adventure on Bike 3/11/08

2008-11-04T10:00:00.004+08:00

Tonight was Jo's baking night and I had the kids to myself. After their dinner, gave them both a quick shower and then decided on what to do with them. It was a little too late to go visiting so in the end, we decided to go biking on the new highway next to the Sports Complex.

Meryl tried to get her way away by insisting on bringing her CJ7 but I disallowed. She begrudgingly put it back in after a few tries. We headed towards the pavement along the highway and enjoyed the cool night breeze as it rained in the afternoon. The whole stretch of road was quiet as very few cars know about the road. The side was floored by wild vegetations and we were treated to a symphony of sounds from the crickets and toads and whatever creepy crawlies that lurked within. It was away from the city bustle and it was good. The air, the sounds and the sights.

We decided to go till the end of the new road to see where it leads to. I had an inkling that it led to Jalan Kayu and I was right. I asked the kids if they wanted otar and Meryl said she wants. Kyle opted for prata. So we made our way there amidst some obstacles on the incompleted road. The Otar stall was closed and Kyle changed his mind and asked for ice-cream instead. I had my tau hue with gingko nuts and Kyle was given $2 to buy something to share with Meryl, on his own. I had half expected him to buy chips but he chose Meryl's favorite cod fish strips and paid the cashier himself and took back the change and all. They had a good time chomping on the cuttlefish and talking to their dad on the phone telling him about their 'adventure'.

On the way back, we spotted more frogs/toads. Meryl was still busy eating behind me on the bike while Kyle was busy looking out for frogs that came out to the pavement. Our mission was to help them get back to the bushes so that they will not be crushed by bicycles. At one point we saw a pair of mating toads and took some pictures. We saw a total of 7 frogs/toads tonight. Then Kyle decided to race me on my bicycle and he ran and ran and ran till we almost reach home. We reached home about 9.25 and I allowed them to watch their favorite 'Tom and Jerry' for being such good cycling mates!

The Punishment Chart

2008-10-13T23:02:00.003+08:00

No more caning but wrongdoings are still punishable in other ways.
This is what is written on post-its and stuck to our calender, to date. (older ones have been thrown away)

Kyle

2weeks no violent TV for fighting with eacg other
21 Oct + 2 more weeks (05/11)

1 month no frontseat in car
09/11/08

No new toys for 2 months - Losing new bought play-dough at mrt ticketing machine - 03/11/08

I month no Tv - play on elevator
15/10/08

1 month no soft drinks for snatching drinks from Meryl
28/10/08

Meryl

No sweets for 1 month (+1 more week) for putting hand in mouth
21/10/08

2 weeks no violent TV for fighting with each other
21/10/08 (reduced to 1 week for good behaviour)

The punishment will be reduced based on good behaviour such as taking initiative to help each other, eating fast, showing good manners etc.
The kids are well-aware of the consequences should they do anything wrong. They willingly subject themselves to the punishment meted out, as they know that otherwise it will be caning for them. I think Kyle has not watched his favorite show Ben 10 for many many months. He has yet to complain!

Temper Tantrum

2008-10-12T16:30:00.004+08:00

Of late, the girl has been very prone to temper tantrums whenever she felt that her ideas have been thwarted. Today was one such example.

Brought the Duo out to Downtown East Explorer Kids for an hour of fun then we had lunch before going home. Everything went on well and they had LOTS of fun at the X'plorer playing. The lunch also went on uneventfully. They had their macaroni, then ice-cream for Meryl and greentea for Kyle. On the way back, we passed by the kiddy rides and I told them no. Then they wanted to go for the bouncing castle and I also told them no as it was already 210pm. When we passed by the Ferris Wheel, Meryl insisted on having a ride. Again I said no. She was very, very unhappy and she let me know it by pulling a long face. She was not satisfied with my answer that it was late and that when I said NO, it means No.

In the taxi, she continued to show me her black face and after I had strapped her up, she started kicking her legs (lifting it up and putting them down very hard). Her fists were clenched and she will grunt every few minutes. After explaining to her that I had already spent a lot of money for them to play at X'plorer Kids and that we had taken the Ferris Wheel with Nerise and Raine before, she continued to dwell in her anger. So I ignored her totally and spoke to Kyle. We talked about our plans for the holidays, about going Sentosa. That was when she growled a fierce, 'I want!' I turned to her and asked her what is it she wanted but she continued with her leg kicking and grunting. I told her that I do not understand what she was trying to say. She grabbed my arm wordlessly and squeezed them very tightly ( to her, she was using all her strength but of course I didn't feel anything!) Then I asked her if she wanted to hurt me. Again, she grunted and growled and squeezed me some more. That was when I told her that she will be grounded if this continues. Kyle asked me what the word means and I told him,( for Meryl's benefit) that there will be no going out.

I turned to Kyle and we started talking again when she took my arms and squeezed it again. That was the last straw and I told her that she would be banned from Downtown East for a month. She was visibly upset and growled, 'No!'. Then she continued with her leg kicks and all and again, hit my arms. That was when I increased it to 2 months. By this time, we had reached our home. It was then that I told her that I was upset and that she had hurt me and didn't even apologise. The floodgate burst and she cried, saying that she was sorry. Kyle, ever so 'helpful' told her that it was 'too late'. Meryl cried and cried and cried all the way back but I told that the punishment still holds. She will not get to go Downtown East for 2 months. Then I went to write it down on their punishment board. Only with good behaviour in the ensuing days will we decide to reduce their punishment even though my maid pleaded for her that she was tired as she slept very late late night.

Meryl's Story

2008-10-12T16:22:00.002+08:00

Nowadays during our car trips, we have been telling alot of short stories. It usually goes like this. Once upon a time...the end. One night, on the way back from CompassPoint, the hubby challenged the kids to make up the longest story and for a while nobody spoke. Kyle did not want to ...so after waiting for a while, Meryl went....( I will try and remember as much as possbile the exact words she used)

Once upon a time, there a little boy named Kyle. He was very naughty. One day he played at the escalator and played and played. Then the police came and catch him away. Then they brought him to the jail and locked him up. He cried and cried so loud for his mother but his mother cannot hear him. His mommy was very far away and cannot hear him. Then he cried and he cried for his mommy again. (Paused for a while) The XLR8 ( from Ben 10) came and rescued him away from the prison and then he was free again. The end.

I think the story was longer than this but I cannot remember the other details. This was roughly the gist of it.

That Night, she talked and talked non-stop. I had trouble getting her to STOP talking and sleep (They were sleeping with us that night). Then she coughed and coughed after I told them noise out. She claimed that it was because she had told such a long story earlier in the car!

Proud Moments

2008-09-29T11:40:00.002+08:00

#1

After our Wednesday badminton session, I was chatting with one of the program manager, CS about primary school choices. My son came looking for me in the office. When CS saw him, he gave him a packet of gummy bears which he politely refused saying that he is still having a cough and cannot eat it. CS insisted saying that he can eat it later. Kyle took the packet of sweet and thanked him. While I continued in my conversation with CS, Kyle was looking at his packet of gummies longingly. After a while, he couldn't resist the temptation and asked if he could have it then. I okayed it and CS helped him cut opened. He offered the 1st piece to me which drew praise from CS, then he offered CS too, before he ate his. He then polished off half the packet and then gave me the other half saying that it is for Meryl. I was so proud of him as he has demonstrated selflessness in this instance.

#2
I brought Meryl out to Kovan for some errands one afternoon. While I was queuing up at the bank, she entertained herself on the sofa. After I was done, she came up to me and told me that an auntie wanted to give her sweets but she told her no. I told her it was the right thing to do as she needed to get my permission first. We meet the bank officer again who again wanted her tohave the sweet. Meryl looked up to me and I gave a slight nod. She then told the officer that she will take it for her brother and took 1 from her. The officer was surprised that she did not take any for herself and asked her to take one more. She looked at me again before accepting. She thanked the lady and then gave me the 2 sweets to keep without even asking to eat them!

#3
Kyle woke up one afternoon after a short nap. He was still cranky from too little sleep. He insisted on watching his program on the TV even though I said no since he has been banned for 1 month. I had told him that he can only watch documentary or the Chinese CD but he became very angry after that. The dad was promptly informed and he was given another 2 more weeks off TV. After that he INSISTED that I play 'Snakes and Ladders' with him but I refused and he started crying. I then relented and told him that I'll play 1 game only. There was some mucus which was dripping from his nose after his 'temper outburst' so I asked Meryl to take a tissue for the brother. She happily obliged (she loves doing things for her kor kor) and went to take it. Kyle cleaned his nose and then threw it into the dustbin after. Meryl who did not see him throw, returned about 3 minutes later and went to his brother asking for the tissue so that she could throw it away for him! It was really sweet of her.

Blackout 18/08

2008-08-20T19:40:00.003+08:00

We had just finished dinner and the 2 kids were both engaged in their own activities. Kyle was playing on the computer and Meryl was playing puzzles in the living room with me. It was almost 8 in the evening.

The hubby came back from work and we were about to open the gate for him when, lo and behold, darkness engulfed us! I promptly went to the switchbox to see which button had tripped but all was intact. Next I went outside to check if our neghbour's house had lights and it had. Umm...we were completely clueless what had happened.

I contacted Singapore Powers and was told that help will arrive in an hour's time.

We managed to find a box of birthday candle and proceeded to set up a 'candle-lit' dinner for the hubby. The kids were thrilled!! I was flabbergasted! No fan, no lights, no TV ,no computers! For an hour!!

Of course, the hubby and I made use of this teachable moment to drum in the importance of conserving energy yada, yada, yada...and what will happen if there is no more supply...yada yada yada..all the while praying in our hearts that such a day will never come.

To our surprise, help arrived within a mere 10 minutes even before the hubby finished his dinner. 2 men from the Town council came and went on to set things right. They showed us the cause of the 'blackout' - a badly burnt fuse probably caused by loose wires. I was horrified and queried if a fire can be caused this way. One said yes but the other said no unconvincingly. Just keeping my fingers crossed that this will be the 1st and last.

Soon the lights came back on and we resumed our activities with renewed thankfulness.

Enrichment for Kids

2008-08-18T16:40:00.005+08:00

The newly opened Anchorvale CC with 8 slides and a sheltered pool . You can see my block behind the pool.

The hubby and I are of the same mind when it comes to learning; no enrichment classes (at least for now) but to expose them to a wide variety of activities. To date, Kyle who is 5 and Meryl who is 3 1/2 has not attended any classes which is curriculum-based. However, this year, we have decided to include some structured learning into their activities:

Wednesday night - badminton at AVCC 2hrs (family affair)

Wednesday evening -Kyle's piano lesson (indiv)

Thursday morning - Kyle's chess class ( conducted in his kindergarten)

Thursday - Gymnastics in school

Friday night - Kyle's swimming class (Meryl also go swimming for fun)

Sat morning - Meryl's ballet class

May holidays - 1 week Speech and drama camp for Kyle which included singing and acting.

The mummy is also going for a course this August - Hair cutting!!! This is a timed decision due to the hubby and son's penchant for haircuts which they go ever so often, hand in hand. With the escalating prices of things, I need to cut corners, literally, and this is one area that I can help shave costs (at least save $20 per month).

That said and done, proximity is also of utmost consideration. Kyle's piano class is conducted at the block next to mine, his swimming and Meryl's ballet is also at the newly opened CC which is 5 mins ride on bicycle and Kyle's chess and gymnastic is held in school. Luckily for them, otherwise they will not get to attend anything as I hate travelling to anywhere for anything, except for food and shopping!!!!

Mussel Farm Kelong

2008-08-18T15:29:00.012+08:00

Sunday morning and we decided at the last minute to go to the hubbys friend's kelong. After a quick call to confirm the time, we headed for Jalan Kayu to buy otak, bread and some yutiao for our lunch. We arrived at the run-down jetty at about 11am and waited for his friend.

It was low tide and we could see many mudskippers, snails, tiny liitle crabs and hermit crabs crawling all over the beach. It was fun. We even caught 2 hermit crabs which we thought we can rear at home.

At 11.30, hubby's friend arrived with his son and we hopped into a speedboat and off we went. The trip lasted no more than 5 minutes and the kids were absolutely thrilled!

The kelong is a mussel farm and I found out from the uncle there that they just let down the ropes and the mussels and barnacles will attach themselves to it and they will then harvest it after a few months. Then they have to dry the ropes again before they let it down, otherwise the eggs will not be able to attach itself to the ropes.

The kelong is quite a fruit haven. There were rose apple tree (above), orange tree, lime tree and chiku tree and many others that I do not recognise. According to an auntie, they even grew vegetables but for some reason, they stopped. There was also a chicken coop that Kyle and Meryl were happily scaring the chickens and sending them flapping all over the place.

The hubby couldn't wait to start fishing and dumped the kids with me. They explored the place with me running after them lest they fall into the water. Meryl was busy feeding the fish with bread while Kyle was ALL over. In the end, I couldn't care less and let them be.

They had otak(no chilli) with bread for their lunch and I even did some marking whilst I was there. Then I tried to get the kids to sleep on a foldable chair but they ended up fighting with each other over it. By this time, I was also busy fishing and couldn't be bothered. Luckily they were able to self-entertain each other. Kyle played mostly with Patrick Kor kor and Meryl was happy just on her own.

There were heaps of bread (all expired and mouldy) given by confectionary to be fed to the fish at a nearby kelong. The workers were busy removing them from their wrappers and Meryl happily took the bread to feed 'her' fish. We used the mussels as bait for the fish and I managed to catch about 3 but 2 of which were catfish.

Patrick caught this fish and we also managed to catch quite a few of this towards the early evening. Patrick's dad went hunting for fish literally with gun and arrows. He also managed to catch quite a few fish. I was worried for a while when I did not see him surface after a long time.

We only left at about 6 and my 2 kids did not nap at all. Meryl got punished for getting into the speedboat without waiting for us. Once we were in the car, she knocked out almost immediately followed by Kyle. Picked up helper on route to fil's place.

Weekend Rendevous

2008-08-18T14:49:00.004+08:00

My weekends always pass by in a frenzy of activities after we have kids. The list of activities keeps on increasing as we seek out new experiences for them. They include:

Singapore Zoo (esp when Kyle was younger)
Night Safari (since we have the Wildlife card...a waste not to go!Usually weekdays after dinner for an hour or 2)
Farms at Lim Chu Kang- frog, goats, organic vegetables etc (ongoing)
Animal Resort at Seletar Farmway-not been there for a while..must revisit again.
Mushrooms farms-loved the mushrooms, still taste better than when you buy from NTUC
Fish farms at Pasir Ris Farmway- for our aquarium, last visit on National Day
Downtown East - Explorer Kids and Wild Wild Wet
Fishing at Punggol/ Pasir Ris- Kyle will go with the hubby to fish or we go usually after dinner to see pp fish
Cycling at Pulau Ubin- quite a fun thing to do ..rent the buggy to attach to the bike if you have baby too small for the baby seat
Nature walks at Lower Pierce/Macritchie Reservoir-usually in the morning after breakfast
Bukit Timah Nature Reserve-tried out a few routes. Meryl can do solo to the summit
Tree-top Walk at Macritchie- long walk!
Swimming at Keppel and SRC and yeye's place
Kelong - mussel farm off Lim Chu Kang - great getaway
Sentosa picnics- with my family at Tanjung and Siloso beaches
Birthday parties
Grocery shopping at Giants-weekly affair
Lunches at Ikea
Visit gong gong at the Home
dinner at yeye's - my sis-in-law is a fabulous cook!
RC events such as Family day, movie night, funfair etc- I am a very supportive resident in Sengkang

Of course, it's not all about the kids...there's also the occasional mahjong sessions after the kids sleeps...hee..

2 Patriotic Citizens

2008-08-18T14:16:00.003+08:00

It's been amost one week after National Day but on Sat morning, my girl woke up singing 'We are Singapore' and reciting the pledge. My son soon joined in and they were both singing at the top of their voices in no time. It was only 7.45am much to the despair of both the hubby and I who were still very much in dreamland!

Meryl has shocked us one evening when she recited the whole Pledge in Mandarin. Found out that the school taught them that. Then Kyle also started singing some National Day songs and we had been 'treated' to a few weeks of Nationalistic display by my 2 children. On National Day itself, we were all home watching the National Day Parade while having our dinner in the living room. It was pretty amusing to see the 2 stand at attention, without any prompting, when the National Athem was sung on TV and again when the Pledge was recited at the end of the parade. Puts the mummy to shame...ha ha.