Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Role Models


Photo taken: Feb 2013

The moment she was allowed to move the green chair around, she pushed it straight to the keyboard and started playing away.

Lately, this is one of the first few things she does every morning. Usually she stays on it for a good 20 seconds, hitting as many keys as her little hands can reach, until she realizes there is no enthusiastic audience (like when I am busy). If she gets encouraged by clapping or recognition of some form, she 'entertains' for a wee longer.

She watches Chip intently whenever he is practising and will sometimes point excitedly at it while shouting 'piano piano'.

Besides the 'piano', she is also very keen on the guitar, which both the dad and M play to entertain her. She normally contributes to the music by plucking a few strings with them. Haha.

Well, whatever that keeps the little tot happy!

Already, it is very obvious how much she looks up to her brothers.

She wants to do and play the same things as them. If she sees Chip play a set of toy in a certain way, she will immediately start playing them the same way. Whenever the boys are home, she heads straight to be with them, usually placing herself in the middle of their 'actions', be it a chess game or Lego play. If they are reading, she wants to read their books too. She must have realized the boys are more interesting company to play with. Hee hee...

Thankfully, the boys are never annoyed with her. They adore their little sister too much to ever lose patience with her, even with her repeat interruptions or when she unintentionally damage their awesome creations.

And what a lucky girl she is, to have these big brothers as role models.





Thursday, February 21, 2013

Before and After






The boys had a good laugh but didn't recognise the 'model' instantly. Took them at least 30 seconds to realize, after which they laughed again. 












The original. 









Wednesday, February 20, 2013

The Joker



























He loves jokes.
Laughs easily at the slightest humour.
Makes up the funniest lines.
Cracks up with the heartiest laugh.

Everything seems so much funnier when he is laughing with us.





Tuesday, February 19, 2013

2nd

Unexpected.

Despite his stellar performance last year, nothing was given away during the last parent-teacher-meeting.  No ranking or comparison of any sorts. We only knew his results.

Three months later.... one day last week..... he came back with a card from school. 

The annual award ceremony.  He was 2nd for class 2012. 

WOW! That's my boy!  We beamed with pride. 

The boy? He just doesn't want to go onto the stage. There was no other visible emotion. I reckon the school's planned celebration is too distant from the achievement. He has already forgotten how triumphant he felt. 

But I am still going to wear a pretty dress, even if all that I will be doing is sitting amongst the audience clapping away.



Monday, February 18, 2013

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Tough Love

When it comes to the kids' academic development and character building, I am the tiger mum and the daddy is definitely a typical Western parent.

Though E is also a Chinese, having lived abroad with such different experiences, I don't know if he will ever fully understand and appreciate the expectations and motivations of a typical Chinese tiger mum. There is always this tension between us that needs a lot of mutual understanding and trust to resolve.

While I don't object to play dates (unlike Amy Chua), there is a rule in my household which I chant: there is a time to play and time to work.

I don't believe in entitlements, only privileges, which I have no qualms of withholding if one doesn't deserve them. I consider gaming time on iPad and Xbox a privilege that needs to be earned with good behaviour and hard work. Bedtime is non-negotiable and can only be brought forward, not delayed. Chocolates should be treats and not daily breakfast (you know, the darn Koko crunch and the likes). Just to name a few of my other rules.

The kids grumble and complain about them, but I see these rules as the necessary evil. Structure. Order. Routine. All good stuff until the kids are older. It is about instilling good work ethics and teaching them to prioritize. And of course a lot to do with character building. Insisting that they do what is good for them even if they disagree, because mummy knows better than they do, at least for now.

In this respect, I definitely worry much less about their current happiness than E does. To provide a child with a blessed childhood doesn't mean giving him all the candies and chocolates he asks for, for he doesn't yet know that the sweetest treats are not always good for him. In Chip's case, the chocolates and Milo are causing havoc in his body, fueling the endless rounds of phlegmy coughs which last for months. I can only imagine the damage they have caused his lungs, but it appears I am the only one who could imagine.

My days will be so much rosier if I just give in and be the more agreeable parent who hands out whatever the kids want and ignores the consequences, or at least live in disbelief of the possible consequences. I don't need reminders that life is short and childhood is even shorter. So how about this?

Revision sucks? Ok, forget it. Go read your comics.
You are too tired/sleepy/hungry/lazy/just can't do any more (but fine to watch tv/play)? Ok, go play. 
More iPad time? Alright, just 2 more hours. 
Hate fruits/vegetables?   Fine. You had your slice of apple last year.  

There were days when I tried to close one eye, and sometimes even both, to take deep breaths and just let go. But it didn't last long. I just know letting go this way will also kill me slowly. This is just not my way to express my love for the kids. Loving them as a parent, to me, means doing what it takes to prepare them for their future, to make them strong, in every sense of the word.

It is tough and I can only imagine it getting tougher as the kids grow. But if I have to be the only one to dish out tough love, so be it. I just have to be strong enough.





Saturday, February 16, 2013

Chair


The bright blue caught her eye.

She just had to sit on it.

It was not enough to sit on just Blue.

There were Red, Yellow, White and Silver too.



Friday, February 15, 2013

Her Daily Work



With the whole weekday mornings to ourselves, I like to take it easy whenever I have no appointments to make.

As with the boys, I don't do much one-to-one playtime with the Dolly. She is free to explore and play as much or as little with her toys as she fancies. Only when she demands some attention do I join her and even so, I get away as soon as I can.

 But I always keep a watchful eye. When I am lucky enough to have the camera ready just as she does something adorable, I take shots like these....


She found the changing mat and a spare nappy that I keep in my bag. Removed them promptly and got Jessie ready for nappy change. Heard her say 'Lie down! Lie down! Here!' as she patted the mat and nodding to Jessie.


Naming the body parts of Jessie and counting her fingers.

At 17 months, the Dolly is a natural when it comes to pretend play. It must be time to invite all soft toys for a tea party.


Friday, February 8, 2013

Expressing Love



M was reading the stack of books to her at bedtime so I could grab a quick shower before nursing her.

Normally, E would do most of the bedtime reading while I tidy the kitchen after dinner. 

Some nights, she would want me to read more, which I would oblige with just another 2 or 3 books since I would have already read a good lot in the day. 

My little baby loves her books, just like her brothers. We can't be more pleased.



Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Decided

It took me a long while to reach here. The head says this while the heart feels otherwise.

Nonetheless, I know the timing is right after considering all factors.

With both boys in school for a big part of the day, weekends are now even more precious than ever.  My growing mindfulness of how fast the kids are growing up - with the eldest already exhibiting preadolescence symptoms - has cast a shadow of doubt on the ideals.

To lead a meaningful and enriching life (of my definition) is about balancing the wants with the needs and making the decisions, however hard they may be, to achieve this balance.

Above all, it is about prioritizing. My focus should be on living more in the present. With resolve and the right attitude, the future will always be as bright as I want it to be.

So there, it is decided. Just two more months to go and time to enter another chapter.









Her Magic Word


The baby was in the playpen, screaming for my attention. She wanted to be picked up.

I was in one of the rooms doing some quick cleaning. Though it only took a few minutes, it must have felt like an eternity to her.

A minute or so of calling 'mama' non-stop and alternating that with 'up' (meaning to be picked up) and 'this' (pointing at something that she wanted), she probably realised how futile her effort was. All I did was popping my head out of the room a few times to talk to her and disappeared again.

She gave it a last try.

'Yellow! Yellow! YELLOW!!!  Mama, YELLOW!!'  

This was followed by more wailing.

Aww... to be honest, it made me smile to hear that, even with a little heartache.

She must have learnt from our earlier reactions that saying 'yellow' would elicit a positive response from me. She was right.

I was by her side within seconds.




Monday, February 4, 2013

Gems



Taken in Dec. At Gardens by the Bay. 

E and I can't help but smile whenever we look at this, which is probably 20 times a day. 

Such a wonderful reminder of what is truly precious and important to us. Everything else pales in comparison. 






Sunday, February 3, 2013

Another Word

We were reading and came across the word 'cockerel'

I asked Chip to think of another word that means the same. He hesitated for a split second before the cheeky and very 'kaypoh' (read = nosey, overly-enthusiastic) dad shouted 'cock'! 

'I know! I know! 'Penis'. That is the word', offered the 6-year-old. And he was really pleased with himself. 

Haha...   












Friday, February 1, 2013

Trio @ CNY 2013


You know what it is like when you try hard to take a 'good' photo of a bunch of kids.

After numerous 'enough monkey faces!', 'just smile naturally!', 'look here!', 'no lying down!' etc, we finally got this ....



Not bad, we thought. At least all of them were looking at the camera and only one 'performing'. 

 But, of course, we always wanted JUST ONE MORE SHOT. And in that split second, the monkey faces and antics returned!



These photos were taken on CNY 2013. Kids in their new pajamas, except for O, who unfortunately couldn't wear hers which was just way too big for her (my bad - bought 18 - 24 mth by mistake and forgot to check till eve of CNY).


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