Friday, April 30, 2010

Bringing Calmness




I am drawn to the tranquility of parks. So one of my top choices is to head to parks when the weather permits. 

Simply following my boys around the parks when they are exploring the grounds, looking for pebbles and sticks or making their rounds with their scooters/tricycles brings me so much calmness.  



Our next move must be near to the some gorgeous parks with big playgrounds within walking distance. 

How lovely it would be to be able to sip my morning cuppa with nothing but lush greenery ahead of me! 

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

My 9-5 Day

Being a stay-home mum to 2 kids under 6 years old, with no live-in maid or part-time helper and no village help (no grannies/relatives to count on), plus a hubby who travels out of town for work frequently, I must constantly challenge myself to handle plenty in very little time. 

On top of this, I have my weekly classes at From Tiny Acorns. With the kind of hours I am putting in, it is really like a part-time job (except that it is better in many, if not all ways).

My typical day now looks like this (kids are 5.5 ad 3.5 years old):

7 - 9am: Rise, breakfast with kids, morning chores, quick emails
9 - 11.30am: homeschooling and/or play, a little more chores
11.30am - 3pm: lunch, work, errands, socialising, exercise and more cleaning/tidying
3 - 6pm: snacks with kids, homeschooling and/or play, chores or quick emails
6 - 8pm: dinner and family stuff
8 - 11pm: bedtime routine (which takes too long nowadays!), chores, blogging/work/whatever else

So it is hardly a 9-5 day at all!

Yesterday was a fairly typical day. I woke at 7am and haven't stopped running around doing all sorts of stuff till 10.30pm. 

Boys had a really productive day - each did a fair bit of learning with me separately before school and straight after school, we met with K and gals for our Chinese session, before heading out for 2 hours of sand play. Then piano lesson for M and more indoor play with N. 

Sometimes I do wonder if I am working myself too hard. But I am a typical Type A personality (try this test to find out if you are!) and leopards will never change its spots! Not that I want to ever become a Type B personality anyway! But I should learn to relax a bit more.  

A part-time helper would probably buy me some time, but because of our current routine, I can't find a stretch of hours for cleaning to be done while boys aren't home. More importantly, I do get extremely annoyed at most PT cleaners' low standards of cleaning, so I choose not to depend on one. For now at least. After all, I have survived without any help for two years now.

Perhaps I should better utilize the child labour available, like the way E did (by offering M $2 to help working on 200 pieces of his gadgets)  *o*

Above: 14 months old M cleaning our floors for FREE!

At the end of a long day, while I am mostly physically tired and mentally drained, I do feel extremely good knowing that we (boys and I) have had a productive day. And everyday, I do try my hardest to make each day a good one. The days are long, but the years are short!

Very soon, I will have a new routine which will probably be tougher for a start, but I like the challenge. I can't wait! So bring it on, baby!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Listening to Tall Stories - A Parent's Prerogative!


For about 15 minutes this morning, I was sitting at the bed smiling a giant grin at my little Peanut.

The 3.5 years old was all chirpy and excited about his big story that features characters like the Monster Eagle (he made this up a few months ago with amazing details just like M's Gunsaurus), robots, dragons, space machines etc... 

"You know mummy, the humongous monster eagle will fly into the sky and become invisible. It hides behind the clouds and wait patiently. It can change colors like the chameleon, so now it is white, like the clouds. It can camouflage, you know? It is a predator, but predator must also camouflage so that its prey cannot see it and escape from danger. The prey will have no chance to survive, you know ......... " 

So I had to ask him what does the word 'invisible' mean. I know he understands words like 'humongous' and 'camouflage' and all the other words but wasn't sure he really understands 'invisible'. 

"Um... 'invisible' means cannot be seen!. Like air. Air is invisible so it means you cannot see it! If something hides behind the clouds, like the monster eagle, then it becomes invisible! See? You understand mummy? "

Hee hee.....  I was grinning from ear to ear, despite having heard his tall stories of this sort daily. His words are always such music to my ears and I can't deny I enjoy listening to those big words tumbling out of his little mouth.  

Oh my little baby, if only I could archive such experiences and relive them virtually in future. 

IF ONLY....... 

Saturday, April 24, 2010

An Hour of Antiquities


M has been fascinated with ancient Egyptians and their way of life for over a year now. 

When we were in London last year, he announced to everyone in the family that we would all be visiting Egypt this July, together with grandpa and grandma.  

He even made an itinerary of what he would like to see - from the Great Sphinx, the Great Pyramids and a step pyramid, a mummified Pharaoh and the River Nile etc..

We didn't take him seriously enough though to make that wish come true - just yet. He is too young to appreciate a vacation to Cairo and we can't imagine him enjoying himself that much in the hot desert either. He probably would take one look at the Great Sphinx, get so annoyed with the heat and tired from the walking and announce 'OK, let's get back to Singapore now!'. 

So when I learnt about the Quest for Immortality- The World of Ancient Egypt exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore, I figured this would be the next best thing. For now at least. 



I was very pleased that we finally made it just before it ended on 4th April. 

It was a good enough experience for M to be able to come up close and a little more 'personal' with the Egyptian artifacts and antiquities. It was definitely fun to admire walls of hieroglyphics and watch short clips together of how the ancient Egyptians carried out the mummification process and construct their pyramids etc. 

But I must say that I was kind of disappointed with the scale of the exhibition. Of course, I am comparing it with what I have seen in London, and yes I know that my expectations aren't realistic. 

Nonetheless, I am glad we didn't miss it. My only regret is we didn't get to linger longer at the artifacts section or join the guided tours. Well, I shouldn't be greedy. 

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Just You and Me

My 5.5 year old said to me the other day that he would love to go on a vacation with me. 

'Just you and me, mummy'  he said. 

Because it is only during vacations that I get to spend all the time with him. 

So I had to ask him, if he thinks that I am not spending enough time with him at home. 

The reply - no. 

I have been thinking about it since and perhaps he is right. Something has to go and it is pretty obvious what is the first that I will let go. 

A little reminder here. 


Sunday, April 18, 2010

Let's Talk About Plane Crashes!

I was sandwiched between my boys as we watched a programme on the Discovery Channel about plane crashes one night. It was pretty intense with all the scenes of explosions and wreckage. 

They wanted to know why the plane exploded. What made the plane split up and why did the investigators want to retrieve the wreckage? etc etc.. There were lots of questions. 

Then came the unexpected.... 

My 3.5 y.o. said 'Imagine if my daddy was on the plane and the plane exploded and crashed into the ocean, my daddy will die. Like all these people. And that will make me very sad'. 

I am sure he understands what death is all about, as we talked about it before. What was unexpected was the sudden mention of daddy in the scenario which he has imagined. 

He wasn't traumatized in any way but the comment came out more like a reflection of thoughts. I gave him a big cuddle anyway. Perhaps he thought of daddy on the plane because he knows that E travels overseas a lot for work and he had been away in Vietnam at that time.

In a way, I am pleased that he was thinking about what he was watching, instead of just watching it for entertainment value. 

So while I did not set out to introduce this programme to them (we actually chanced upon it while switching channels), it was nonetheless a great learning experience to sparkle their imagination and provide yet another topic for discussion. 

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Oh What Lust!



Kenneth Jay Lane. Oversized and white. I must admit I can't stop thinking about this. 

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

3 o'clock Menu

Despite a hearty breakfast every morning before heading to school at which they are fed lunch, my boys always return home ravenous for midday snacks. 

A typical day of meals for my 5.5 y.o in the last 6 months:

Breakfast - a big sandwich consisting of 2 to 3 slices of toasts and a 150 ml cup of milk
Lunch (at school) - a homemade bento or  2-3 mini bowls of rice/porridge 
3pm snack - whatever I offer, usually served with another cup of milk
Dinner - a serving almost as large as mine (and I am NOT a small eater!)

My 3.5 y.o. usually eats similar stuff with slightly smaller servings. 

Here is a sample of what I serve as their mid-afternoon snacks. 

Homemade pancakes with yogurt. 

Spinach omelette with toasts and smoked salmon

Steamed sweetcorn with cheese and a little marshmallow treat (for those special days)
  

Big bowl of fruits (grapes, apple and avocado)

They also get lighter meals like big cup of yogurt with fruits and crackers with cheese or heavier fare such as pizza, sandwiches, noodles and jacket potatoes on some days. 

I suppose I am relieved and happy that they have a healthy appetite, for now at least. I just wish that the school lunch menu serves better fare. 

I am hoping that I will be able to prepare each boy a bento lunch at least twice a week instead of the current random surprises! Boys love the bentos though and have been asking for it frequently. Well, I need to find ways to juggle my current daily tasks to squeeze in time/energy to prepare them. Until then, I just have to compensate at their other meals. 

Monday, April 12, 2010

Little Things That Make Me Smile

Wanting a piece of action! We were taking a bunch of photos of M with his lego creation when N suddenly crashed into the scene with his mega-smile. 

Showing mummy who is the cutest! 

I still smile everything I see them chasing and giggling. 


Little Chip has always been the one to carry a backpack full of sand toys whenever we go on a beach vacation.


While waiting anxiously for the MRT train to arrive. I love their back views. 

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Watch Me Jump


If we permit, they can do this ALL day, EVERYDAY!

And no matter how frequent I have seen him doing this, I still laugh EVERY SINGLE TIME.





Thursday, April 8, 2010

My kids are not eating well (Part 2)

I finally completed this post which I started drafting over 15 months ago. *embarrassed* 

This is supposed to be a continuation of this earlier post. Actually, I forgot all about this draft until several new readers emailed/left comments in this blog with questions on this subject. It's better late than never....  

Since all your questions fall into a few broad categories, I thought I sum them up instead of answering each question via email. 
~~~

Not all food are created equal! Some are miles better in nutrition than others so I always prioritise, even to this day when my sons are eating pretty well. 

If your child is a fussy eater or eats very little per meal, then it is EVEN more important that every mouthful is quality food packed with nutrients.

It helps a lot to be knowledgeable about the nutritional value of different food, to be able to serve up alternatives if one good food is rejected and also to know what to serve first. 

When faced with the challenges of getting my boys to eat a wide range of food, I used to make a list which ranks food by their nutritional value and set about to introduce the most nutritional food to my kids first. This Yale's University Overall Nutritional Quality Index is a good guide.

Basically, food with HIGH levels of essential fatty acids (EFAs) and monounsaturated fats, whole grains, complex carbohydrates and antioxidants top my list.

My theory is if they eat mainly these super nutritious food regularly, then even if they eat none or little of the other food that are of 'lower ranking' in my list, it doesn't matter. 

It is also useful to know that certain food when served together will optimise the absorption of nutrients, whereas other food combination in a same meal may slow or impede the absorption of key nutrients. 

For instance, to aid the absorption of iron in fish/meat/egg yolks, it is advisable to serve them with food rich in Vitamin C, and avoid calcium-rich food like dairy products within 1.5 hr of consumption. The presence of calcium impedes absorption of iron. 

My boys do eat and enjoy a wide variety of whole grain products from bread to pasta and biscuits etc. 
Besides brown rice, they love all types of whole grains like quinoa, spelt, buckwheat etc.. This Eden Organic Spelt Rigati is an example of our regulars. 

I am a firm believer of 'garbage in, garbage out'. So I do pay a lot of attention to what my boys eat. Whatever a child eats will play a big role in affecting his energy level, and his ability to concentrate, in addition to its direct effect to his overall well-being. 

So whenever possible, I prefer complex carbs and low GI food over refined and processed food. Sugary food is also major culprit in burdening the young immune system. 

In the early years, the amount of iron intake is also crucial to brain growth. While I have never given my kids DHA supplements or cod liver oil, I do make sure they eat plenty of oily fish and food rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. The latter being an essential fatty acid which can't be made by our bodies, and yet is so crucial to our overall well-being. 

Now, there is plenty here. And I hope I have answered all your questions. If not, just ask again. 

Monday, April 5, 2010

You Must Not Hop on Pop!

We finally uploaded this video of Little Chip reading one of his favorite books - Hop on Pop, as he tried to cheer up his Piggy Wiggy who was sad.




Click here.


His last line was so funny! We must really put in more effort to make more videos for keepsake. They would be such great reminders to savour in future when all that is left of this cute phase is our memory.


Sunday, April 4, 2010

The Ultimate Me-Time



I finally did it! 

With my darling hubby's blessings, I booked myself a vacation and went ahead to enjoy without him, and without my boys. B-L-I-S-S! 

I settled for a nearer destination (as compared to my original plan of 10 days at the Big Apple) so I don't have to waste much precious time travelling. 

And I got K.K. to join me, who turned out to be a rather delightful companion in many ways. We spent so much time catching up. It is just AMAZING how much we forget sometimes! 

A jog down memory lane can really stir up some bittersweet emotions. My favorite - the length at which the boy went to, to convince his dream girl that he is THE one, so she would take the leap of faith...  and the globe-trotting and whirlwind romance that followed ....  

So after 4 days of R&R, I am back! Home. Sweet. Home. 

With a body full of aches from daily gym workouts and newfound love for my sweeties at home. 

I knew I could count on E to do a fabulous job looking after both boys ALL on his own. Not only was the house sparkling clean and my boys chirpy and well-fed, the doting dad even managed a trip to Sentosa for 6 hours of fun! How cool is that! 

Absence always makes my heart grow fonder. So if a little trip can do wonders, umm... I think we can expect more 'little trips' in future. *.* 

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