Friday, March 30, 2012

Playpen

Photos taken in March 2012
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Holding on to his favourite toy at that time – monkey


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Early morning, in playpen gnawing his caterpillar loop.


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Fascinated with ladybug prints.

 

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After a brief protest of being laid down in the playpen, she gave up. Wearing M’s hand-me-down.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Baby Bookworm

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Nearly every night. A big pile of books, chosen by the baby.

Plenty of nut-smelling and kissing thrown in after every few pages.

The baby must know that love oozes out of my every pore for her, for she returns with the sweetest cuddles and sounds I have ever heard.




Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Roly Poly Cute

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(photos taken in March 2012)


One of my favourite PJs on her.

When Olivia was still a newborn, I didn't buy her any new PJs and only dressed her in the boys' old ones.

I have to admit my heart just ached every night when I was dressing her in a piece of hand-me-down. I wondered how the fabric must feel against her little body and soft smooth skin and if she would feel any discomfort, though these PJs were really in wearable condition. And I found myself apologizing to her and feeling utmost guilt, as if she was being treated as second-best.

At first, I reasoned that there is no need for PJs to be presentable. Anyway, she wears new clothes in the day that are all specially bought for her, so she isn't deprived in any way.

But the guilt didn't go away.

Then one day, after E splurged on some expensive meals (or maybe toys and books for the boys), the bill was enough for me to feel the pinch. I decided I wasn't going to be practical any more.

To be fair, E has never said no to buying anything for the baby. I am always the one who does not mind second-hand clothes, as long as they are of reasonable quality.

Over the next few months, I went from thrifty to extravagant and spent way too much in online stores for all sort of adorable outfits for the Dolly. But it is worth it! Every penny of it!  :>

(She has nearly outgrown this PJ. Boo hoo! So I went back to the store and bought a few more of the same design.)







Monday, March 26, 2012

The Maid(s)

Not long ago, I mentioned how I was going to get my boys to help out more at home, in a bid to lighten my load and train them to be more independent. 

Shortly after blogging about it, I set to work and 'trained' them for different tasks. At first they just had to do easy tasks like fold and put away their own laundry and transfer their dirty laundry from the basket in their room into the bigger basket which I stored in the utility area. 

A little later, I started Chip on simple dusting around the house which he took great pride to complete. And by chance, I discovered that M was actually rather good at cleaning the floor. I made him clean a small area with a rag one day as a punishment for his bad behaviour (I shan't elaborate but the punishment was befitting the misbehaviour). 

After some coaxing, M helped out a few more times and did a fabulous job wiping the the floor.

However, after the 5th time, I had to dangle a bigger carrot. Coaxing and praises were no longer good enough. So I rewarded him with 50 cents after each cleaning. Yes, I paid my son which he swiftly saved in his piggy bank. 

I rationalize to myself that it is still good practice in exchange for a reasonably clean living room. Through this, I can also take the opportunity to teach my boy the importance of hard work and earning his own keep.

But while the boys' chipping in makes a little difference, it doesn't lighten my load significantly enough. It is to be expected, I suppose. 

I talked to lots of friends and neighbours about their recent experiences, hoping to gain some inspiration and motivation from them. Still I couldn't decide.  I also tried out a part-timer who came in once a week for 3 hours. In fact, I tried two helpers in a span of 7 weeks. Both were hopeless and unreliable. Each time after they left, the house was back to its original state by the end of the day. It was as if there was never any help at all. 

I started to feel increasingly frustrated with my lack of time to pay attention to the kids which to me, was a clear signal that I had to reassess my priorities. I didn't even mind the fact that I had virtually no me-time. But having so little time for the boys was getting to me in a big way.

While it is possible to handle the housework and 3 kids and still find time to coach them like I did in the last few months, I know too well that the 'quality' just isn't comparable to before. When I consider my priorities, which places spending quality time and coaching the kids right at the top of my list, I know some form of rebalancing is in need. 

So after months of inner struggle, I made a drastic decision.

I caved in.

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She is coming in a few days' time. 

Frankly, I am nervous and a little apprehensive. OK, I think I am feeling more anxiety than I like to admit. 

Even before she arrives, I am already worried about the potential problems and conflicts that I have to face in a few weeks' time when we have visitors staying with us for an extended period. 

These very same visitors who meddled with the way I managed my former maid 5 years ago, challenged the house rules that I laid out more than once with ignorant comments such as 'shouldn't the maid stop working at 5 pm and be allowed to watch TV during the day time? etc' and gave her gifts and money behind my back and told her not to tell me (which to me violates the basic guest etiquette of showing respect to the host) etc.... The list goes on. 

The weeks long saga caused me so much stress and unhappiness back then. Just being reminded again is enough to sour my mood. Darn. 

I can only be hopeful that the guests will be wiser now, 5 years on, and NOT interfere with my relationship with this new maid. Be the guest and never annoy the host. 

Alas, I can only be optimistic and pray hard that Lady Luck decides to shine on our household this time. May this maid be better and the guests behave right.



Weekday mornings

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We don't do this enough, simply because the little bunny will want to be part of the action.

But when we do manage to find time for it, he loves the game.







Sunday, March 25, 2012

Their P.V.Z. Craze

The kids have been crazy over the Plants vs. Zombies game on iPad for a few months now.

This is the carrot that E dangles whenever he wants the kids to do something which they would normally be reluctant to. It works like a charm and the boys can't get enough of it.

Not content with just playing the game on iPad, they have been creating all kinds of materials. From almanac of plants to booklets on strategies to kill zombies, the boys even started a PVZ comic series.

Every piece of painstakingly created material has a retail price, which they 'market' through M since he is the one with the paying customers. Haha.

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They did sell some and the boys were happy with the money they collected, which motivated them to create more.

But after a while, it becomes obvious that they are better at starting a new booklet than really finishing it. It is simply a case of too many ideas, but insufficient time and persistence to see them through.

Everywhere I look, there are incomplete PVZ booklets of all sorts. Creative boys = Gigantic Mess!

So now, every few days, they need some stern warnings to finish up whatever they have started or risk never to see them again. Unfortunately, such threats don't always work well enough to leave much of a lasting impression.

Before the day is done, the 'mess' returns.




6.5 months

CIMG1768 How can we not be fond of this smiley face? :>

CIMG1787  A rare photo with my dolly.


Saturday, March 24, 2012

Unconditional Affection

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The moment Chip wakes up, he comes into the room to peep at her.

Every morning, rain or shine.

She is a really lucky girl.








Thursday, March 22, 2012

My One Minute Rule

Just the other day, I looked around the house and wondered what else I could change to be more efficient and productive. 

Is it possible to fit even more into my schedule? How can I get things done in shorter time? How to reschedule my days such that I can better utilize my periods of high energy and get the most out of the times when I feel like a walking zombie?

Then I recognize there is this one little habit of mine that has served me well in the last few years - my ONE minute rule. 

Basically, if there is something that I can do in one minute, I will just do it immediately. Be it reading and tossing letters, emptying the bins, tidying up, hanging up clean clothes etc...  

Obviously not everything in the house can be done in one minute. But there are many small tasks that only require a minute or less to complete. When these are tackled as soon as possible, it makes a big difference to how the house looks, which always makes me feel better. 

Such a simple rule to abide by, yet it makes a world of difference. 




Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Still Punching

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Poshie's People


His idea of how grandpa will look like in a few years. Grandpa has better start growing his beard so the boy won't be disappointed. Haha.
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This is of E, but there is little resemblance. E doesn't even wear such clothes. Nevertheless, it was his first proper attempt to draw his papa, after all these years of prompting from us. All his previous 'people drawings' were mostly stick-men and those without clothes. His forte has always been on objects with mechanical details. 
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Saturday, March 17, 2012

Our Wrap and Roll Lunches

Some days, one of the biggest challenges I have is to find enough time to whip up lunch. 

But even on such days, I would still prefer to prepare something at home than to head out to the nearest coffee shops or food courts for takeaways. 

So my solution is quick-to-prepare recipes that only take me 10 min max from cupboard/fridge to mouth.

My trusty wrap and roll lunches! :> 

image from google

I like to think that I'm giving the everyday sandwich a facelift by using tortilla wraps instead of slices of bread. 

It makes our quick and simple lunches interesting without requiring much effort from me. 

Usually, each boy can chomp down two fatly-wrapped ones for lunch, or one per child if I serve them as an afternoon snack.

Though I have been using lots of wraps in the last few years and experimented with all kinds of fillings, my latest favourite which I can't get enough of is a vegetarian version. 

In addition to salad leaves and whatever vegetables that I have sitting in the fridge, I often throw in some sliced red/yellow/orange peppers for its sweet crunchiness and chunks of avocado which always adds a lovely richness that elevates the taste to a different level. 

The little boys can't be persuaded to try my vegetarian creation just yet. But I take comfort in knowing that they are huge fans of all my other relatively healthy varieties which appeal to their omnivorous appetites. 

My goal is to keep experimenting with the fillings, especially with ingredients that the boys would normally shun if they spot them lying about on their plates. 

Stuff like mushrooms (yup, my kids tell me they aren't eating any fungi!), hummus (which they once called brown slime), eggplant (they categorised purplish food as monsters' food) and the list goes on...... 

But I shall persevere. 

We just can't know what we really like until we have tried them. Just like the grouch in Green Eggs and Ham

I repeat (or nag) this at least once a day. 

One FINE day, my boys will take a bite into these 'alien' ingredients and declare them as their new-found love. :)


Wednesday, March 14, 2012

15 months after K2

One of the things that bugs E tremendously ever since M started Primary school last year is the rate that M is picking up Singlish. 

My boy who speaks rather good English with a slight British accent just 18 months ago is now peppering his speech with Singlish phrases and has even managed to string together some 'broken' English sentences. 

He seems rather amused by his ability to speak some Singlish though I am fairly certain he isn't fully aware of how much his spoken English is deteriorating. 

This really irritates E who corrects M at every opportunity. 

While this irks the dad, it doesn't quite bother me. I think it is inevitable that M will succumb to peer pressure and end up speaking some Singlish as part of his attempt to fit in. Kids this age don't want to be different from others. And I know for a fact that M wants to fit in.

As long as he realizes the difference between Singlish and proper English and is able to 'switch' from one to the other with ease, it is fine. 

What truly bothers me is the lack of opportunities in the school curriculum to teach and hone questioning skills and train the students to be inquisitive. 

From what I've heard and understood from M, lessons are conducted in such a manner that there isn't time nor opportunity to ask questions. Teachers just teach content and children are supposed to listen in class and get the work done. According to M, the content taught is also so straightforward that there isn't anything to ask. 

Why? Isn't fostering a culture of inquisitiveness an essential element of education? I get it that the teachers have a lot to complete during the lessons and it is hard managing a class of 30, but it doesn't make me feel any better. 

Sure, I have expected this years ago when I was considering between local and international schools, but I also hoped that things will improve by the time M is in Primary school. Looks like there is still a lot to hope for. 

This just means that we must ensure our boys continue to be stimulated and challenged at home, especially in honing their thinking and questioning skills. 

After all, the more important goal should always be this - to teach a child how to question, so he enquires for a lifetime. 


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Cheerful Cats

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Olivia loves these.

When she was still under 3 months old, she would stare at them with her big round eyes, coo softly and give them her sweetest smile whenever I walked her into the boys' room.

Nowadays, she shouts at them. :> 

There is usually so much excitement in her voice, as if she is sharing some interesting stories of her day. 

My baby is growing up so fast. Too fast. 

Another day passed. And much to my dismay, I realize we forgot to take any photos or videos of her today. Again. 


Monday, March 12, 2012

Limits

E just got back from his 5th business trip of the year.

I am exhausted.

To be alone with 3 kids when E was away would still be tolerable if his business trips were more spaced out. Unfortunately, these recent few trips happened on almost consecutive weeks since mid January and with some durations as long as 8 days.

I was nearly pushed to my limits.

What to do? I still had to march on.

Some days I was so tired by the time the kids were in bed that I felt brain-dead. But I couldn't just hit the sack. Not with the mountain of chores waiting for me.

Whatever I could delegate to the machines, I did. Still, there was plenty that needed my personal attention. Even though I work my dishwasher daily, someone still has to load the dirty dishes and unload the clean ones. At the end of the long day, there is always a full load of clean laundry waiting to be hung and another big pile waiting to be folded and put away.

I get bothered and stressed when the house is untidy or I come across any part of the house that is dirty. I just have this huge urge to clean it immediately. But with the baby napping less in the day now, there is less free time to tackle the housework during the day. Most of the bigger tasks that I can't handle with my one minute rule have to be left till the kids are all asleep. Which means past 9 pm. Sigh.

The thing is, the endless housework doesn't bother me as much as my lack of time with the boys. And this is beginning to frustrate me a lot more than I imagine it would.

Perhaps I have reached my limits.

Maybe it is time to reassess.





Saturday, March 10, 2012

Budding Entrepreneur

Just last week I talked about M's generosity and how he was giving away numerous drawings as presents to his classmates. 

Apparently the demand for his art is so good that friends have offered to pay for them, so they don't have to wait to be gifted. 

In this week alone, he sold four drawings of Transformers for 50 cents a piece. He was really pleased with the $2 that he had made which he thought was very good money. According to him, he can now churn these out very quickly to meet his friends' requirements.

The really funny part of the story is this - his initial price was just 5 cents a piece!! Haha!  (I laughed out loud when he first told me) 

But this boy who really likes his drawings offered 50 cents for each because that was the only coin he had. Hahaha!  Kids are just so innocent. :D 

M didn't tell us any of this the whole week and it was only during some casual chat yesterday that we found out. 

Just the thought of my little boy having the idea of selling his art and actually negotiating a price with his 'customers' tickles me. My little budding entrepreneur!!  

We took the chance to share some 'wisdom' on marketing and pricing and also laid down some rules, just so he doesn't cross the line. 

Let's see how well it goes next term. 

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Vexed about Vaccinations

This has been bugging me for months. 

I find it really troubling to see the already super long list of scheduled vaccinations according to the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule (provided to every parent when the newborn was discharged from hospital) getting even longer. 

All the five clinics I called after Olivia was a month old had informed me of the new list of 'required' vaccinations which made me nervous. My baby must have three doses of Prevnar 13, even if I wait till she is 2 years old. Are you kidding me?!

Back in 2004, as first-time parents, we were clueless and ignorant. We trusted the nurses and doctors too much and were misled into believing that majority of the vaccinations are compulsory. Even the ones marked as optional were sold to us with a fair amount of fear mongering. Hence, M had almost every jab in the schedule, except Rotavirus. 

With Chip, I only started to read up a little more after his second dose of 5-in-1 jab was administered when he was 4 months old. I was confused about the benefits/cons of the 6-in-1 vs. the 5-in-1. However, upon the advice of the pediatrician, we took the 6-in-1 (which included the 3rd dose of Hep B) when he was 7 months. I felt very uncomfortable after that, though he didn't suffer any visible side effects. 

Upon more researching, I realized to my shock that most of the vaccinations are only recommended and not compulsory. Only the Diphtheria and Measles vaccines are compulsory by law. I was furious that we were so misled. 

After much deliberation, we proceeded with the MMR instead of giving Chip single Measles vaccine because every doctor we spoke to insisted that the link to autism is not proven.

I decided to skip most of the other optional vaccines such as Chickenpox and Hep A. But we gave him the one for Rotavirus instead because there was a period when the boys had bouts of diarrhea. I thought I had better be safe than sorry on this one. 

As for Prevnar (for protection against pneumococcal), I waited till the boys were over 2 years old so they only needed one jab for it. 

It may seem straightforward to do the same for Olivia. But it isn't. 

I am annoyed with myself that I had actually forgotten about this whole vaccination issue before I gave birth. And just two hours after my C-section, when I was still feeling a little overwhelmed and when the whole birth experience was still so surreal, I gave my consent to jabbing my one-day-old baby with the BCG and Hep B vaccines. Darn! 

At her one-month-old visit, she had the second dose of Hep B. As the doctor spoke of the side effects, I recalled (with some horror) what I had forgotten and after that, I have been deeply vexed by the issue. Should I or should I not? 

But after weeks of research and months of pondering over it, I decide not to give her most of the vaccinations and to delay the compulsory ones till she is a little older. But I brought her in for weighings and measurements and observed her everyday to make sure she is growing well with no visible issues and problems. 

It's time to see the pediatrician. Decisions need to be made about the three doses of combination vaccines and third dose of Hep B. Maybe she can take just the single vaccine when she is a year old. 




Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Baby Sunflower

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One of my favourites!

There is something so childlike and innocent about it that reminds of me a baby’s pure love.

Brings me so much joy EACH time I look at it.

It has been stuck on the wall next to my bed since the day M gave it to me as a ‘love present’.




Sunday, March 4, 2012

Sliding Puzzles and his Big One Game

Chip came up with three designs of sliding puzzles a few weeks ago.

Each puzzle was made up of eight squarish pieces that slide along and can be arranged to form something. I think his inspiration came from a game that he watched E play. But what I find clever is how he has designed the puzzles himself. It is hard to 'understand' them by just looking at the photos here.

(photo below) This is one of the puzzles, before the pieces are arranged.
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(photo below) After the pieces are arranged. A 'path' is formed.
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(photo below) He even made the instructions that one can follow to complete the puzzle.
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(photo below) Here is another puzzle.
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(photo below) Here is another game which he called the Big One game. To play the game, one has to move the little pieces of paper as dices.
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He was so pleased and excited with this game that he couldn't wait to show it to his teachers and friends. Unfortunately, the day he brought it in for show-and-tell, it fell onto the toilet floor and a fellow classmate stepped on it by accident. I have no idea how it ended up in the toilet in the first place!
Fighting back tears, the poor boy bravely told me later, 'Never mind, I plan to make a new game anyway. This one is not good enough'.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Best Time of His Day

Chippy thinks the best time of the day is when he gets to cuddle his most precious little sister.

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Photos taken in end Feb '12.

He asks to cuddle her everyday and when I oblige, he would drop everything that he is doing, dash to the sofa or bed and position himself. :)

These photos are a little deceiving. Olivia appeared so big compared to Chippy.




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