Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Wii Fit

My doting hubby bought it as a surprise present. He knows I am not keen on all the Super Mario and driving games so he got the perfect game which not only combines yoga, strength training and balance games but is also super duper fun to "play" and is very relevant to my current craze of keeping fit. *Muack*  

I feel very "in" with it. Both he and I know that I am very much a geek in my own ways. No wonder we "click". :)

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Chit chat

The sheer happiness and pleasure I derive from witnessing my babies' achievements and milestones is really something invaluable. Just like when I heard Nicholas uttering 'bicycle', 'go there mama', 'toes here' (pointing to his toes), 'wear shoes' etc. 

He is currently in the phase of repeating a lot of the words we say. I remember blogging about Marcus doing the same some time back, so it is especially nostalgic for me to listen to Nicholas now. Just today for instance, he said "battery", "doh" (upon hearing E exclaiming), "come on" and recently he said "let's go", "press", "daddy where" (with the accompanying hand gesture), "apple", "airplane", "nite nite all" and "go away". 

He is really a chatterbox who talks non-stop from the moment he wakes. He would initiate a conversation about his toys to me and Marcus, or participate in ongoing discussions between me and E. He walks up to Marcus to chit chat with him and sometimes sounds like he is either asking questions or scolding his big brother. 

I know I will miss this stage of blabbering mixed with intelligible words when he is older, like the way I missed it with Marcus. For now, I am enjoying every sound he makes, including his crying for my attention as he screams at the top of his lungs "Ma Ma, Ma Ma"! 


Saturday, May 24, 2008

Not pink toys!

I am one of those parents who believe that my kids can and should be allowed to play with any toys they want regardless of their gender. However, my current stand on toys like guns (with the exception of water guns) and ammunition etc is a strict no-no since my boys are still young. I just don't see the need to expose or encourage them to play with toy guns or the like at this stage when there are millions of alternatives to choose. However, I can't say for sure that in future when they may have friends who have such toys or they may want to own a toy gun themselves that I may forbid them to, though I would be an unlikely supporter and certainly wouldn't be recommending it as a choice.

That being said, anyone entering my house would straightaway notice the heaps of toys with wheels that we have and anything else without wheels are still very typical of what a boy would have chosen. Their favourite stuff toys are in the shape of pigs and bears. No dolls and no babies. Though we do have "unisex" toys like music making instruments and puzzles etc.. these are the ones that E and I have picked.

The same goes with colours. I have consciously avoided stereotyping colours as being more/less suitable for one gender than the other. In fact, I love to dress my boys in as many colours as possible (not all at the same time of course!).

So I have bought Marcus a pink toy stroller when he was about 14 months, and E got him a pink t-shirt. I offered to buy him dolls and more feminine looking toys like Hello Kitty to gauge his interest level in the category of toys typically regarded as "girlish". He had always declined my offer.

Once at the toy shops, he pointed at some dolls and said they are for girls, not boys like him. He has also decided that any toys that are pink in colour are for girls. So are pink shoes. It seems like pink is the only colour that he is associating with girls, though he doesn't object when I put on a pink t-shirt on him. He has been fairly neutral and receptive to all other colours which are probably "unisex" to him. He loves red and sometime ago, he would demand we dress him in a red t-shirt everyday for school. Now whenever I ask him what his favourite colour is, his reply is always 'black'. I don't know why since he doesn't own anything that is black, except a few small black cars which he doesn't even play with anymore. 

Friday, May 23, 2008

My 3 y.o. says..

"Mama, this is a very beautiful blouse. I love it!"

"Hmm.. your dress is very pretty, mummy. I like the colour."

"I love you very much, mummy. I love papa, chipsy and auntie too."

"Mummy, I want to spend time with you. Will you play with me please?"

"May I watch Toys Story please? It is my favourite!"

"Will you promise to buy this for me? We can go to Toys R Us to buy it later! Just you and me
!" (accompanied with the sweetest smile)

A recent conversation on the way back from school went as follows:

Marcus: "Mama, you and me will go to the biggest Toys R Us later."

Me: "What for?"

Marcus: "To buy toys for me, of course!"

Me: "Well, I don't have money. Do you have money?"

Marcus: "It is okay mama, you can search for money."

Me: "What do you mean? Where to go to search for money?"

Marcus: "To Mxxx where my papa works! He gets money there."

Alias

E took Marcus to school this morning and his teacher S asked E 'who is Andy?'. She informed E that our boy wanted to be called "Andy" all the time and when she handed him worksheets in class marked "Marcus", he would strike it out and write "Buzz" instead.

Naturally, the teacher was puzzled and I can imagine how unhelpful Marcus would be in explaining the origin of these aliases. So E explained the whole story about 'Toy Story' and how smitten my little boy is with the lead characters.  

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Shanghai & Suzhou

The boys stayed home with grannies while E and I took our vacation to Shanghai and Suzhou. I must admit that as much as we love the boys, we just love our vacations sans kids. The couple time is special and valuable and it reminded us of our courtship days when we travelled and explored. 

Highlights of our trip besides the luxurious 5 stars hotels and business class flights:
Shanghai:- 1. custom-made cheongsums at Maoming St., 2. charismatic walk around Xintiandi and yummy lunch at Zen Xintiandi, 3. Views of the bund and Shanghai from Oriental Pearl Tower, 4. Authentic Shanghainese cuisine at Jesse, 5. Colourful shopping district at Yuyuan Garden bazaar,

Suzhou:- 1. Mouth-watering Beggar's Chicken at Wangsi restaurant at Guanqian jie, 2. Picturesque and incredibly charming Tongli, the water village, 3. Beautiful Humble Administrator's garden.

It wasn't easy being away from my boys for almost a week and I realised how much I miss them and just how wonderful it is to be home. Especially with the daily reporting on TV and newspapers in China of the devastation caused by the earthquake in Sichuan, it just made us count our blessings and be grateful that we have 2 beautiful boys. 

It is yet again another great reminder of the fragility of life and just how important it is for us to cherish our loved ones and what we have. Absence did make the heart fonder and for the near future, I am looking forward to cuddling and kissing my cute little young coconut and spending precious moments with my charming poshie.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Moules Frites

Not quite a Mother's Day celebration since there was no cake, no card and no present. But there was a nice brunch of my choice at a great restaurant - Brussels Sprout at Robertson Quay with all my 3 boys. I had yummy moules frites and E had a delicious duck confit. What is great is the kids get to eat for free so we ordered fish and sausages for the boys and everything was served with fat fries, just the kind I love. With my moules, the frites was free flow, so naturally I was in heaven and overate on spuds!

Even Nicholas stuffed his face with the fries and being more relaxed these days about what my toddlers eat, I indulged him though the fries are seasoned with salt and deep fried (I know about trans fat blah blah.. ). Oh well, I have accepted the reasoning that everything in moderation is fine except that I still won't be handling them chocolates and candies freely of course.

Marcus ate so well too, having finished his whole portion of fries and yummy fish. Needless to say, E and I feasted. :)

I must say that Robertson Quay is a wonderful place to hang out with and without kids. I love the ambience of the place and the wide pavements for kids to roam freely. It is never overcrowded and yet with enough trendy people to watch. There are still so many other restaurants we ought to return to or try, so we are definitely heading back real soon. Already i am drooling thinking of the moules frites.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Yesth!

Baby Nicholas has been saying "yesth!" (for "yes") for about a month now and everytime he says it, I smile. It is truly one of the most innocent and sweetest sounds from him in my opinion. He answers our questions with a "yesth" and "nooo" and usually is accurate of what he means, though occasionally he gets confused if we ask him again. I think it is so adorable to watch a small toddler (and I am not used to referring to Nicholas as a tot and would still prefer to call him my baby) utter their needs in their sweet little voice. If there are no bad consequences to granting him his wishes, I must admit I really spoil this baby rotten. Umm.. or should I say, I spoiled Marcus rotten too.. hmm... I can't remember really if I was more or less lenient with Marcus when he was this young.

Next to the "yesth", I must remember his constant calling of "Ma ma" which he does whenever he sees me and I really mean, whenever! The moment I emerge from another room and he sights me, he would dash from wherever he is towards me with an accompanying "Ma ma! Ma ma!" before collapsing into my arms with another "Ma ma" while looking up lovingly at me with his innocent wide eyes. Aww.. how not to melt with such loving gestures from a little one!

After months of exhibiting such behaviour solely for me, he finally displayed the same affection for E and would scream "Pa Pa! Pa Pa!" the moment E returns from work. Quite a sight to see him dash towards E and collapses into a heap on papa. Makes papa smile the biggest smile of course, which in turn makes me smile. Babies really can bring heaps of joy to our mundane lives, with their simplest acts.

Parenting Thoughts: Disciplining a 3yo

This morning I witnessed him being led to a side table in class and was spoken sternly to by his teacher. I didn't see what happened prior for him to deserve the extra attention but when I saw his little face looking sad and slightly embarrassed by the teacher's "scolding" and maybe even hurt, I must admit it hurts me too. 

I suddenly felt an impulse and wanted to cuddle my baby and tell him that I love him so much. He looked so small and needed protection and I wish I could protect him from all external source of unhappiness. Of course this is my maternal instinct and I recognise that it is unrealistic and unwise to be overly protective too.

While I don't mind the teachers teaching my children the rights from the wrongs, I do mind that the approach is the right one and that I am informed at all times of anything major that my boys have done. 

Luckily I witnessed it today. I asked to speak to the teacher who informed me later that Marcus grabbed a classmate's glasses from his face and threw them on the floor. On purpose. 

When asked, he just said he didn't like the boy to wear them! Huh? I didn't want to scold him fiercely since by the time I found out, it was already after class but I spoke to him at length about his actions. Told E later who also spoke to him when he got home from work.

Something is definitely changing in Marcus recently. He is not exactly rebellious, but definitely more assertive than before and seems more determined to express his needs to be independent. 

He doesn't want to have his hands held when crossing the road and want to take off and put on his shoes on his own. He tells us he can do this and that on his own, and that he doesn't need us to help him. Even if I tell him that it is dangerous, he insists that he will be careful.

Now it feels like a new approach is needed to deal with this emerging phase. I welcome it though, as a positive development towards his growing independence and shaping of his individuality and character. 

It may be more challenging and taxing on us as parents, as we learn along the way to respond to him positively and encouragingly, without damaging or affecting his development in any way.

But it will be worth while in the long run. After all, we want to raise our boys as assertive and independent individuals who can make their decisions at a young age, yet with all the good values and morals which we deem important.

Friends

Whenever I ask Marcus who are his friends in school, he would tell me "Tarun", a Sikh boy in his class whom he seems to be most fond of. As witnessed by E one morning, Marcus ran into class after kissing papa goodbye and immediately wrestled with Tarun cheekily before wrapping his arms around Tarun's neck and repeatedly patting on his turban. It must be their way of playing since both boys laughed throughout.

These days, he would tell me and E that we are/are not his friends for the day. It always makes me smile when he tells me "mama, you are my friend today." And on days, when he says that E is his friend and I am not, I pretend to look hurt and to console me, he usually would immediately add "but Chipsy is your friend today". If I still look sad, the sweet boy may add further "but I love you too.. okie, you are my friend today".


Mother's Day

Marcus came out of class today holding a small bag and a A3 size envelope today and told me with a big smile that he made them for me. Isn't it the sweetest thing to receive handmade pressies from our offsprings, especially when they are such sweet innocent beings who are barely a metre tall.

In the bag is a heart shaped cookie with a small M at the top corner, most likely written by Marcus, and a chocolate cupcake with white icing and sprinkled with sugar beads and decorated with an orange M&M. He made them yesterday and the teachers must have packed them today obviously. There is a A3 paper in the envelope which has a calligraphed poem about motherhood, a picture of Marcus working on some materials during class and a set of his hand prints. Aww..  the picture is now stuck on my bedroom door so we can all admire it everyday and I shared the cookie and cupcake with Marcus who happily devoured them with me. We both couldn't wait to eat them that I forgot to take a picture of them on their own. Only have a picture of the bag. Oops..



To infinity and beyond!

"Mama, I don't need to walk. I can fly." 

"I am not a boy! I am a space ranger. I am a toy!"  

"My name is not Marcus. I am Buzz Lightyear!" 

"I am not your baby boy! I am a big space ranger! I am big and I can fly!"


Ever since my boys started watching Toy Story and its sequel about 2 months ago, Marcus has become increasingly fascinated by one of the lead characters - Buzz Lightyear. He calls himself that now and would correct us enthusiastically when we incorrectly called him Marcus, little boy or any other pet names. And he is not "Bus Lighthouse" as grandma forgetfully calls him.. but Buzz Lightyear!  And he would tell her "Grandma, not bus! But Buzzzzz! tsk tsk tsk!"

Took the boys to Botanic yesterday afternoon and we had lots of fun chasing each other on the grass. I threw a tiny stone and both boys competed with me to pick it up and the winner got to throw it next. They participated with such passion and joy that it was simply so heartwarming to watch. My aircon babies were so drenched with perspiration after just half hour outdoors that they looked like they had a swim in the pond. 

We spent the last hour or so looking around for an imaginary tiger which I made up to motivate Marcus to head towards the taxi stand with me. Told him that there may be a tiger around and he decided that he has to go save the taxi driver from the tiger since he is the space ranger. So he chose some twigs and announced his strategy of poking the tiger's eyes and teeth with the twigs when they meet and how he will throw the tiger around till it dies. Honestly, I am still amazed by his choice of words, like 'dies'. I can't help but wonder why he would want to kill something. 

When I offered to help him fight the tiger, he said "No mama, you can't help me. You are a girl!" Again, he surprised me with his sexism. At this young age! Hmmph.. what makes him think that a girl can't do something that only a boy can. 

So intriguing!

Monday, May 5, 2008

Istana

My first visit to the Istana was with the boys and grannies on Labour Day. E was away on business trip so he missed the greenery. I loved the space which reminded me so much of the beautiful parks in London. That must be what I miss the most of London.

The boys had lots of fun walking and chasing me on the grass and spent a good hour at the playground. Typical local weather that day so it was so hot and humid by 11am that we decided to leave not long after. Well, it was still a great trip given that we all had a good run and workout and the kids had fun. The only pity was I couldn't take any pictures since E took the digital camera.

All the way from London

The grannies finally arrived for their annual visit about 10 days ago and had stayed with us since. Two years ago, they brought a whole suitcase full of toys and clothes for Marcus, who was an only child then. Last year, they brought a the same suitcase full of simliar goodies for both grandchildren and this year, after learning from me that our apartment is overflowing with toys, they brought food! Imagine a whole suitcase of yummy goodies for the boys (E included) and me! Wahaha! All the stuff that we can't get in Singapore or are just ridiculously priced. So now I have all my kitchen cabinets filled with yummy organic goodies which we have already began devouring since they arrived. Hmm.. there are advantages of having loved ones visiting.. Hah!

Marcus wasted no time playing with grandpa. He introduced grandpa to all the Lego toys he has, demonstrated his skills in creating some amazing structures and vehicles and learnt from grandpa how to make more amazing creations. He had grandma read to him every night and challenged her with his inquisitiveness and quick thinking, constantly asking her questions and floored her with half of them. He read to grandma and impressed her constantly with all the big words that he can recognise and tickle her with all his cheeky antics.

Of course, they couldn't kept their hands off baby Chic chic too, who charms, amuses and impresses them. He is incredibly adorable and irresistable with his non stop blabbering and babyish moves, so it is totally expected that grandpa couldn't stop cuddling him and grandma couldn't stop kissing his toes and cheeks. In fact, grandpa and baby seem to have such a good bond that grandpa has become his favourite 'couch' and baby just sinks into his couch comfortably like a baby couch potato as they both watched Animal Planet, Baby Einstein and Toy Story together. The grannies were indeed kept really busy handling both boys from the moment they woke till their bedtime and they might as well since they only get to see their grandkids once a year. I take this as a welcome break as I watch them bond.

  Marcus got an Easter egg.
  Grandpa playing Lego with Marcus.

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