Hectic Week

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kyle's Penitence

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Her friends turned 4

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

Introducing Anchorvale Junior Band - Our ABC Gen

Unexpected Audience

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

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

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.