Snake and Ladder

I've never thought of playing this game with the boys because I find it real boring. So even when we were given a set a few years ago (by my mum-in-law I think), I didn't bother to introduce it to the kids. It just sat on the shelves collecting dust until Grandma visited in May. She taught Chip how to play the game and got my boy totally hooked! 

He would insist on playing the game everyday, sometimes for as many 10 times with her in one sitting! 

I've noticed that she did it the really simple way of just counting one step at a time when she played with him, though he could definitely be challenged more. (Yeah, that is the difference between Mum and Grandma - one with very low expectations and another always looking for opportunities to stretch the kids!)

So when the grannies left and Chip asked to play the game with me, I would oblige. But usually with a hidden agenda. I took the opportunities to have him practise his addition and subtraction. After all, he is already capable of adding and subtracting double digits up to 100. So this is one way to learn through play.  

Women are GEMS

Got this via email and from Facebook. :> 

~~

Whatever you give a woman, she will make it greater.

Give her sperm, she will give you a baby.

Give her a house, she will give you a home.

Give her groceries, she will give you a meal.

Give her a smile, she will give you her heart.

She multiplies & enlarges what is given to her.

So if you give her crap, be ready to receive a ton of sh*t!

~~

LOL! 

Dressing my Belly Bump

Every week in the last few months, I was asked by friends, neighbours and people I met at the boys' schools if I bought a lot of maternity clothes.

The truth is, I haven't.

I bought a few pieces for the first two pregnancies and kept most of them after the boys were born. Some of the better quality ones remain wearable, and after discarding the ones that were worn out, I still have a decent collection. 

This being my third pregnancy, I didn't want to spend much on maternity wear, knowing fully well that I won't wear them again. I bought only 3 pieces so far, 2 of which were picked up during a sale at Mothers En Vogue. One of them is actually a gorgeous nursing top in an eye-catching deep coral hue. I have worn it a few times already and it doesn't look like the typical nursing wear at all - a fact that I'm very pleased with!

I've been more adventurous and 'creative' (if I may say so) in the recent months too. Instead of limiting myself to just maternity clothes, I enjoy playing mix-and-match with selected non-maternity pieces and accessories that I already own to dress my bump. 

From belting up a loose blouse to wearing empire cuts and maxi dresses, I have had so much more fun dressing up for this pregnancy than before. 

I've even dabbled with fashion reconstruction: snipping off the unflattering (top) part of a dress that I haven't worn in years and combining it with a blouse that is worn out at certain parts. The result: a very wearable dress that shall take me all the way to week 40! 

And finally, I've a few photos of my growing bump. Should take more in these remaining weeks. 

At week 29. Wearing a one-shoulder tunic top.

At week 30 in an empire-cut dress.

Both are non-maternity wear. 

 

Bonding with Grannies

A few photos to remember grannies' recent visit. 

I love it that grandma spent plenty of time daily playing games and reading books with the boys. 

Grandma playing an educational game on My Body: IQ Facts with Chip. She picked it up from a charity shop 2 years ago. We have it ever since. 

Chip happily read every word on the board game when he played with her, most likely because he wanted to impress Grandma. :> What better way to spend time bonding, eh? Play, learn facts, bond with granny and practise reading at the same time!! 

That cheeky boy had repeatedly announced his preference for Grandpa over Grandma. I can't figure out why though I suspect it has to do with the fooling around he did with the former. :>

Surprisingly, we didn't have that many photos of grannies with M. Oops. 

Here is one of them walking hand-in-hand towards Clarke Quay. When I first took this photo, I thought of my late grandma who passed away when I was 7 (about same age M is now). If only I had a photo of us hand-in-hand. 

 

Painting Squiddy

Little Chip wanted to paint a giant squid at home. Then he decided it shall be Squiddy (currently also known as Inky) in the big blue ocean.

Drawn without guidance.

Background painted with water colour.

Cut out white semi-circles for eyes. Outlined and added suckers with black marker. Jellyfish were added with his fingers. (I took the photo before it was finished. Notice the missing suckers?)

It has been a while since I last blogged about the art/craft work we did at home. Shall resume once again! There's more coming up!

Swim Progress

Boys have been going to the pool a lot in the last few months. 

When I feel up to it, they get to go as often as thrice a week in the late afternoon hours after Chip returns from school. Usually E takes them twice in the weekend too. 

The kids have not had swimming lessons for 9 months, ever since our decision to discontinue with the last coach for the lack of serious progress.

Before we scouted for another one, E has taken upon himself to coach the boys more. Now, M can swim the length of the lap pool at one go and Chip can do half the distance. 

Last weekend, the boys started their first lesson with a new coach who makes frequent appearances at our pools. 45 min later, the coach commented that the boys have good basic skills and we just need to focus on strengthening their legs and kicking. Soon, they will be stronger swimmers. 

Though we are not the least bit interested in sending the kids for any swim tests in the near future, I reckon it is still helpful to know what to look out for. 

This time round, I intend to make my expectations on measurable progress known to the coach, especially since I will be available these few months to observe their weekend lessons. I have no qualms to be the pushy parent. 

My Latest Addiction

All thanks to my mum-in-law who was here visiting a few weeks ago. 

She started watching a few episodes of Dong Yi at my place after being introduced to the Korean drama at her sister's. Initially, only M watched with her while I caught the occasional segment of the slow-moving plot and long-winded conversations.

A week after she left, I did the rare thing of turning on the TV at 7pm one day and watched the whole episode with M. A few consecutive days of tuning in later and I am hooked! 

Now, I decline all dinner invitations and reschedule our evening routine just so I can put my legs up promptly at 7pm to follow the remaining episodes. Even my little boys are watching enthusiastically with me, though they don't understand the plot. 

They like this young Prince Yeoning character and would laugh out loud at all his antics and share his joys. To my little Chip, the drama is just full of good queens and bad queens, a king and a very clever prince whose mum he has nicknamed as 'Donkey'!  Haha.....  

I chanced upon this on Youtube recently and watched it twice while Chip was eating his snacks in front of me. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I went all 'awww ..... awww.... soooo cute... awww....' I probably also smiled a bit too much when I was watching it. 

Little Chip heard the music and asked curiously 'Mummy, is that Donkey? Are you watching the donkey with the king again?'  

Umm... I do feel like a silly 16 year old sometimes. But the boys know, since I admitted openly to them, that I like the story between the King and Dong Yi and that is really the reason I watch the drama. In fact, I am so addicted to the love story that I even looked up the facts and read the history and true story that inspired this drama. :D 

It's a shame that I missed so much of it. I am still contemplating the trip to the video store. 

 

Not Just a Rice Bowl

In my circle of friends and acquaintances, there are many teachers. Some are still teaching, others have taken no-pay leave to care for their kids. 

Recently, a teacher complained of the never-ending workload and how her boss doesn't appreciate her effort. She remarked that she has learnt to just do the minimum in school and conserve her energy. So when she gets home, she can focus on teaching her own kids. Though she thinks she is underpaid for the kind of work she is doing, she likes the perks that comes with it (i.e. she can take unpaid leave for extended amount of time after childbirth), so in the near term, she won't quit. 

Frankly, no matter how often I have heard it (from many people), I'm still troubled and appalled by such comments. 

Regardless of the kind of jobs we do, there will always be moments when we feel we are overworked or we meet unappreciative bosses. If not, there will be other kinds of discouragement. So I can understand the human tendency to think of doing the minimum just to get by. 

But in some professions when our dedication and efforts will have a more direct impact on someone else's lives, it is unethical and irresponsible to think this way. Teaching is one such profession when one should always be dedicated regardless of the working conditions, after all, the children are dependent on the teaching efforts. 

Luckily, for every teacher who gives me this poor impression, I meet another few who come across as extremely dedicated. 

I remain hopeful that my children will meet responsible teachers who view their teaching role to be more than just a job to bring in the dough. 

But I also remind myself that we should not be depending solely on school teachers to coach our kids. After all, in most cases, we can't choose the teachers our kids get and like it or not, there are all kinds out there. 

Mega Cool Chess Set

E lugged back this Transformers chess set from the States recently. 

Needless to say, his little boys, who are mega fans of these ultra cool heros, were as excited as pups when they first saw the box. 

In fact, Chip couldn't wait to see the contents and ripped the box the moment he woke up, much to daddy's annoyance! :> 

As usual, E always knows exactly how to win the kiddos' hearts!  

Here's little Chip playing chess. Even he can play the game now. 

I better find some time to learn too before Baby O arrives. 

Rekindling my Love

There is always something so alluring about quality pearls. 

Went through my collection recently as part of the attempt to reorganize my stuff. In the process, I rediscovered the ones that I have 'buried' for years and forgotten.  

Putting them on again brings about an incredible amount of pure delight! 

Now that I am going to have a girl, it gives me another reason to be more serious about building a heirloom that she can inherit from me. A collection that she will be proud to own. 

Ding Dong

How do you alert your village when you need a little helping hand to clean your derriere? 

My little Chip worked out a fine system a year ago. 

(Yes, it started a long time ago, but I only thought of writing about it now because of its triviality. I realized last night that if I don't, I would forget about this adorable minute detail of my baby in years to come. So there... )

He announced at the finality of his 'business' with a 'ding dong'. Sometimes it takes a few more times of 'ding dong' before his butler would appear. 

Daddy is the preferred butler whenever he is home, though I know for sure he doesn't see that as a compliment. :P  When grandpa was here visiting, he was also the preferred choice over grandma. It is funny how the men would come up with all sorts of excuses to avoid being 'summoned'. 

Baby #3: Almost Week 32

My belly looks so much bigger this week. 

It also feels as if Baby O has suddenly grown a lot in the last few days. There is an increased level of pushing, kicking, punching and stretching and her movements are all so much more forceful in this past week. 

Most of her activities are only felt on my right and behind my belly button. Very often, I can see my belly changing shape because of her movements. She is probably running out of space. It is all so odd and exciting at the same time to be able to 'see' her moving! It never fails to make me smile. 

I can't sleep on my right anymore. Whenever I do, she will protest with a big kick that inevitably makes me turn to my left. Sleeping on my back is no longer comfortable after a few minutes too. 

Just the other day, I think I went a little overboard by walking a little too much (probably 3 km from home to school and back, then straight to supermarket and back, and continuing to school and back!) For a part of that distance, I also carried more groceries than I should. By the end of the day when I was ready to crash, I felt an incredible wave of tiredness. My poor legs and lower back really paid the price for the 'workout'. I ought to remember to slow down and take it a little easier now. 

On a more positive note, I've come to conclude that Baby O likes listening to me speak Mandarin!! Whenever I read Chinese books or speak Mandarin to the boys, she will respond with a big push or turn or some sort of unmistakable movements, perhaps as an expression of her approval. Haha!  She doesn't react in this way when I read English books or speak English. I first noticed this pattern of behaviour about a month ago, but I wasn't sure. Now that it has happened so consistently on daily basis, I am convinced. The boys have begun calling her the Chinese baby. :> 

 

 

Bye. For Now.

Last weekend marked a (temporary) closure of a chapter and in a way, the beginning of a new phase. 

It was the last lesson for all my classes before I take my planned break. 

As we sang the goodbye song at the first class last Saturday, I surprised myself when tears began welling up in my eyes. I was so choked with emotions that I had to take a second to compose myself. 

Many of these kids have been with me for over a year. Having worked so closely with them and watched them progress in their learning journeys, it was harder to say goodbye than I had expected.

I hope they will continue to strive and whatever work I've done for them, with them, will make a positive difference in them. 

It had been a wonderful and rewarding learning experience for me as well. Not only had it enriched my life in many ways, it is humbling and inspiring to witness the dedication and devotion of some of my kids' parents. They made me strive to be a better mum. 

What was as unexpected and moving was the thoughtful gestures by some parents who showered me with tokens of appreciation. Thank you so much mummies for the chocolates, flowers, gifts for Baby O and homemade cards! I will treasure them. :> 

Until we meet again next year. 

(I know some of you will read this, do keep in touch!!) 

One Saturday

a few weeks ago.... 

~~~

10am. After a quick breakfast at home, E dropped off Chip at piano class while I took M to check out the new Taekwondo class. Stayed to watch him trying the routine and moves. Left halfway to pick up Chip. Brought Chip back to the Taekwondo class and waited till M finished his class. 

11.30am. Took boys to lunch. Then bus ride to Art class. Both boys joined the same class which took 1.5 hours. In the meantime, I relaxed at a cafe with a Marketing magazine and a cappuccino. 

3pm. Boys done with art class. A short bus ride home. 

3.30pm. Quick snacks for boys at home. All headed to pool for swim. 

5pm. Boys showered. We all took an hour nap.

6.30pm. Headed out to Millenia Walk for dinner with sis and her gals. 

10pm. Home. Got boys ready for bed. Potter around house.

11.30pm. Zzzz. Really tired by then. 

~~~

It has been quite a while since I last packed our Saturday with so many activities. 

In the last two years, I was usually busy with my classes on weekends. So normally there would be a few activities on one day of the weekend and the other day would be kept relatively easy and relaxing. Rarely was there a day with such back-to-back appointments. 

Luckily, we have lots of flexibility to schedule the kids' classes during the week instead of doing this every Saturday. The hardest part to me is not the commuting from one place to another, but sitting around for hours waiting for them to finish their enrichment. I got very restless after a while even though I was armed with reading materials and surrounded by cafes and shops. Ok, I am not the kind who likes window shopping, which I reckon a waste of my precious time. And there is only this much time I can spend on sipping coffees and savouring cakes. 

If I find it painful after just one weekend, I wonder how some of my friends do it. Especially those who have been spending almost their entire weekends, every week for years, ferrying and shuffling their kids to and fro as many as 8 enrichment classes. 

Um... my boys are not even doing that much. Just two classes a week! 

Pâté Love

Tried this with E at the Paradise Dynasty on our date night last week.

Surprisingly, my favourite is the foie gras xiao long bao. Got to admit I scoffed at the combination when I first read about it in a promotion brochure. 

In this delicate dumpling, we get only a hint of the foie gras in each mouthful, but to me, it is an unexpected match made in heaven. :> 

There is something about this sinful pâté which never fails to remind me of my time in Europe. Just that each time I consumed some, I felt an instant guilt and an image of a suffering goose would enter my mind. Which is what's stopping me from running to the nearest delicatessen and treating myself to a posh jar. 

Naive Art Competition 2011

During the June school holiday, M took part in the "I have a dream for Chingay 2012 - Kiddies Wonderland" Naive Art competition. He was one of the 10 kids chosen to represent his school for the competition, out of which four are from Pri One.  

The kids from his school were grouped with special needs children from a certain organization and together, each group had to produce a piece for the competition. As part of their participation, the kids were sent to a 3-hrs sponsored art course in end May which supposedly introduced the Naive Art techniques and there was also where M met his group mates for the first time. 

On the day of the competition, M was accompanied by E and his dad who were sorely disappointed and extremely critical with the way the whole competition was carried out. Even though I didn't expect top notch quality when I realized the event was organized by the People's Association, I was shocked to hear their feedback. 

There were parents who openly worked on their kids' art pieces when their entries were meant for the Under 12 category and the organizers didn't do anything about it. E and his dad were the 'play-fair' sort, so even though they could have done the same, they wouldn't though they were appalled and disgusted by what they saw.  

M's team comprised of only Primary 1 kids, which means they were the youngest in the Under 12 category. The men didn't appreciate the wide age gap in the category which they thought was really unfair. Also, E was convinced from his walkabout that majority of the other participants in that category were way over age 10.

Plus he was sure from the school uniforms donned by other groups that M's team was one of the few that had special needs children. To him, it wasn't fair competition to begin with. 

The part that I thought was the worst - the art teacher who accompanied the 4 teams from M's school left 3 teams (including M's) on their own, right from the start of the competition and spent all the 6 hrs with 4th team. As it turned out, her son was a participant in that team. The finished artwork from that team appeared (to E anyway) to be the only team from M's school that had been coached for the Chingay theme. Hmm.....  

Oh well...... 

Frankly, I wasn't as upset or disappointed as E. Maybe because I wasn't there to witness it myself. But I think it had to do with my expectations of what I like M to take away from that experience. 

I didn't expect him to win any prizes; if he did, it would be a bonus. But it is more valuable that he got to experience what it was like to participate in a competition, learn team work with team mates whom he wasn't familiar with and to work with special needs children. Also, the whole event took 6 hours, which required some perseverance from him to focus for that long, in order to complete the entire piece with his group. So as long as he has learnt something from this experience, it would have met my goals. Good enough.  

The thing is, I am not sure if he did. From my chat with him after the event, he didn't seem to reflect much on his experience. Well, soft skills take time to develop and all experiences are good. 

One thing I have learnt though - I have much, MUCH more tolerance than E in 'some' areas, which I shall not elaborate on the blog. :>

(pictures of the art work to be uploaded when the technical/software issue is resolved)

Chinese Flavours of the Month

Current favourites.

It is so satisfying to have found books that fascinate the kids so much. 

I can see why the boys love the illustrations of this first book. Both were glued to the book when I read it for the first time last week. 

The moment M woke the next morning, he went straight to the living room with the book and examined it for a good 20 min. When Chip got up shortly after, he also picked up the book voluntarily and browsed quietly for a while.  Fantastic sign!!!  :>

Story-wise, I prefer this second book, which offers a great twist. After countless reads, we are still enjoying it. Though the kids are very familiar with the story by now, they still laugh every time we get to the same page. Hah!

These books are definitely miles better than boring readers and passages from the 四五快读.

Back to Art Class

After more than 2 years' break, we've returned to this art class. The boys have attended 3 lessons so far and loving them.  

When M first started at this place in Jan 2009, N was still way too young for their classes. Though I really like the way the lessons were conducted and the results we saw, M only attended for a few months. Despite my encouragement and insistence, he protested a lot after a few lessons because he didn't like the fact that the teachers wanted him to draw certain themes/subject matters. But that was precisely the reason for signing him up.

I recognize how he has always been good at drawing what he likes (i.e. selected subject matters of mechanical nature with incredibly complicated details) but resistant to drawing almost any other themes. 

The objective is not to push him to draw what he doesn't like or to expect that he must be good at drawing just about anything. It is to expose him to the possibilities and encourage him to venture into the 'unknown' and 'uncertain' territories, hence improving his confidence in drawing the unfamiliar. He doesn't have to be a Picasso or Van Gogh, in fact, I harbour no such hopes nor intentions. I know he enjoys drawing and I just hope to widen his exposure and ensure he is not limiting himself and his potential. 

So I was disappointed when he refused to continue his lessons. We let him be and he continued to pursue his own drawing style at home. 

Last year, we agreed when he asked to join the art enrichment weekly lessons offered by his kindergarten for 2 terms. While he had fun, I wasn't supremely impressed with the overall progress. I especially didn't appreciate the uniformity and lack of originality I saw in the art pieces produced by his class. 

N also attended a term of art lessons this year at his kindy. But the outcome was far from promising, so we discontinued. 

I held out for further art lessons, hoping that there will be something more enriching when M enters Primary school. But so far, it has been disappointing. If there is any art curriculum for Pri 1, I'm not impressed. According to M, what they have done so far is even more basic than what many preschoolers would have already tried. Ok, to be fair, I haven't seen a single piece of work from him, and his art teacher was vague in details when I asked about the art curriculum, so I shall reserve further comments till we get the artwork back at the end of the year. 

Anyway, I've had enough of waiting. After some gentle nudging, the boys finally agreed to giving the art class a try during the June school holiday. It's a bonus that they get to go to the same class. 

The pieces from these first 3 lessons so far are amazing. 

Will upload the photos once we can resolve the current technical problems I'm facing. Having difficulty transferring photos from camera to laptop. 

Gunsaurus Exists!

M was so amused when I showed him this picture which E found on the Internet recently.

How fascinating it must be to see that his Gunsaurus character, which he imagined and created and obsessed over a few years ago, actually exists somewhere in the cyberspace! Though after he had created his character raw from imagination, we chanced upon an image on the Internet, this one is the closest to his version. 

We used to get daily stories about Gunsaurus and how he was made etc.  But he hasn't thought of Gunsaurus for a while now, having moved on to other greater and more formidable characters. 

Nevertheless, this reminder offers a positive reinforcement to encourage daring daydreaming and fertile imagination on his part. Who knows, one day perhaps, some of his other creations may become reality and decades from now, he will be the one with the last laugh. 

K.I.S.S.

A friend put this up on her Facebook posts recently.  

Holding hands and making eye contacts, which are so effective in establishing and maintaining the bond in a relationship, have become so underrated by most couples in our modern and super busy society. 

Just over the weekend when I walked through a mall which was packed with people, the examples were everywhere. 

While we get on with our hectic lives, we often take pride in our abilities to multi-task and be super efficient. But we also miss out on the joys of such simple and yet loving acts.

If you are one of those who use an iPad while your spouse tries to have a conversation with you, put it down the next time and devote a few minutes of your life to give him/her the undivided attention. I'm sure it will be appreciated. 

And if you find yourself constantly walking ahead of your spouse when you are out together, remind yourself to slow down and go hold his/her hand. Either power walk hand-in-hand if you really have to march to the next appointment in record time or take a leisure walk for the next few minutes. 

Why Do You Love

A little honest perspective from the 6.5 yr old. 

Why do you love grandpa so much? 

M: Because he teaches me lots of fun things and he tells a lot of jokes and funny stories that make us laugh.

Why do you love grandma so much? 

M: Because she plays with us and cuddles us a lot. 

Why do you love mummy so much? 

M: Because she looks after me and I know she loves me a lot. 

Why do you love daddy so much? 

M: Because he gives us a lot of yummy treats, those that Mummy said we can't have. And he buys us a lot of toys. 

An Afternoon of Running

A rare play date with two other pairs of siblings on the last Friday of the June school holiday.

The kids had such a blast running and chasing the ball and trying to catch the frisbee.

Fooling around for the camera while waiting for dinner. :>

We haven't been to Botanic Gardens or Jacob Ballas for a while. It is tough to go on weekdays because of the boys' school schedule. Weekends are usually spent by the beaches for sand and water play if the boys aren't swimming. 

But after the few hours that day, I have been craving to return for more of the vast greenery. I must really find a way to make such play dates a more regular feature of our routine instead of waiting till the school holidays. 

So... another weekend play date, anyone??

In the Mood for Tulip

I first laid eyes on these 2 years ago through a friend's Etsy account. 

But I have been resisting the purchase for a really silly reason - I refuse to pay US$6 shipping for this tiny pair of earrings. 

The bigger reason is I have way too many pairs of earrings than I have the time and opportunities to wear. Buying another pair just seems too excessive. I know, it is the thrifty side of me talking. 

Once every few months when I remember them, I will go look at them for a few moments. It is kind of satisfying.