Kayden's really serious

The boy seriously announced over lunch today that he had requested for a baby from me (see yesterday's post). And he had asked for a boy. He's really serious huh? His GM misunderstood him and tot he asked for another girl plus a boy, haha, faint :P

So he proceeded to feed himself (tho he didnt fully complete the task) and his sister - that was part of the deal remember? :) He loves being the big brother.

I still do go really mad at him these days, cos he really dilly dallys a lot and can just sit and daydream, really! He is only 3! He's also super slow and makes my fuse short circuits a lot in a day. He still whines to get what he wants and throws tantrums. 

He will also run to his GM when I'm angry with him to find an ally. And by doing that, I hop ever madder! 

And yesterday, just yesterday I had a shouting match with him. He was screaming, throwing a tantrum (as usual) cos he wanted to be carried up the stairs. But I didnt want to give in to him as he didnt ask properly - he was screaming. So I ignored him and he screamed even louder and asked for attention from his GM. I got super mad and yanked him upstairs and locked him in Mei's room by himself for 5 seconds. We made up thereafter, but he was still sobbing in his sleep. Made me feel so guilty for 'misbehaving' myself. Didnt parenting books say a parent should demonstrate the right cool behaviour? But there I went, screaming just like him. I felt so bad, I apologised to him in his sleep.

I am like that. I am someone with a very short temper, and all of my actions taken when I am angry, I regret later - usually it is scolding someone. But I will always make up, I will always apologise to the person cos I cant live with the guilt, but sometimes its too late as the damage is done. 

With Kayden and Sophie, I wish I have a whole lot more patience with them. I tend to forget, they are afterall really just babies? 1yr and 3yrs old respectively? They cant behave always in the way that I expect or want. They dont even fully understand what is right or wrong yet. And kids are kids right? They will behave LIKE KIDS. 

In 2009, I hope my temper will be better, my mom says, it (should) get better with age, but I also need to take steps to change myself. I'll try, cos I dont want my kids to grow up remembering that they are always scolded.... Thats not a nice childhood memory is it?

Coming back to Kayden, he is really a darling boy. He loves me a lot, and knows that I love him even when I am mad at him - he asked me a few months back.. "Mama, do you still love Kayden when you are angry with me?"... I was taken aback by his question, but was glad he asked cos the answer is "I DO". He was surprised by the answer, and asked again "Really?" When I said its true, he smiled a big big smile. He's really my sweetheart.

He loves taking care of people - kissing hugging, applying ZamBuk or Dettol antiseptic cream if I have a cut, running to get the ice for Mei when she bumps her head, he is really a joy to be with. But he also goes all serious when deep in thoughts and is often lost in his world of daydream (its just like his Papa).

He is always active, running, jumping, leaping around the house. He loves to read and can be rewarded/bribed with stickers to do something. He hates honey, but loves lime and anything sour.

He's scared of cockcroaches as I still use the same story every nap and sleep time - ie twice a day. He knows he needs to asks my permission for things, and does.

He loves superheroes, and loves to fight. We often have to tear him away from crushing his sister by sitting or lying flat on top of her. He loves to lunge and jump at us on the bed, and loves guns - all remainders of WK's childhood, we didnt get him any weapons as yet (!).

Overall, I just simply love him so much, and I cant imagine a life without him. Bringing him up, is a challenge but I do know he is much simpler to handle compared to his sister who is more stubborn and has a mind of her own. Kayden listens, he usually does, though he does it terribly slowly at his own time and target.

That's whats its like living with him now, at 3 yrs and 3.5 months! Most of the time, I feel its a struggle, like the expression on his face in the photo here, haha :) But its all otherwise quite fun, and I really am thankful for WK for supporting my staying home with them. Thanks bee bik!

Conversation: Another baby please

While putting K to sleep tonight...

K: Mama tummy like a drum (this is a very constant and usual remark from my son, cos my tummy's real big).

K taps my tummy.

K: Mama is there a baby inside?

Mama: No.

K: Can you put a baby inside? I want a baby Nathaniel inside.

Mama: Oh, you want a boy baby inside? One baby Mei Mei, is not enough?

K: Yes, another baby please.

Mama: Can you help Mama look after baby?

K: Yes, I will play with her and feed her water.

Mama: What will you do when the baby cry?

K: I will hug and kiss her.

Mama: What if he continues to cry?

K: (with an incredulous look) No ma, I will hug and kiss baby. He will not cry.

Mama: OK I will think about it, u need to show me u can look after Mei Mei first.

K went on to say, yes, he will not throw tantrums, he will move to Mei Mei's room (he asked me seriously, "Now?" and was ready to bound off to the room next door) and sleep with her instead of sleeping in our bed, look after her, share toys with her, be nice to her, cannot scold her, no fighting and arguing with Sophie etc. He was rattling on and on on the things he will do, and be a really good boy in exchange for a baby brother.

Haha, he's really cute and funny. 

But this Mama's not ready for another baby yet... not now, so soon. But you know, I do think they will all enjoy having another sibling as even Mei loves babies. One advantage of having a baby now is that they will all grow up together as they'll be only 2 calender years apart, but hey, not now... not yet.

Its been 5 years

Last night WK and I had dinner outside without the kids mainly cos the they're still recovering from their bronchitis and it was a wet evening again.

We had been married for 5yrs and only 1 day today.

Amazingly, a short time, we think, as we now already have 2 kids in tow. It does seem like its been longer.

This year, I find that I appreciate him a lot more, especially after a recent family incident that made us closer as a couple with a new goal as a family. It gave me a direction, and for him something to work towards I think.

We didnt do anything special last night, we went for Indian Banana Leaf curry rice at Muthu's Curry in Racecourse Road - our first try at the (spanking new and modern decor) restaurant as in the past, we usually patronise Apolo's. The food was OK (not fantastic) as the curry fish head wasnt spicy nor aromatic as we figured the recipe's been tweaked to fit more a non-Indian palate as most of the customers are Chinese and Caucasian. 

A meal that was not rushed, we could talk about stuff and without having the stress of feeding the kids and keeping them entertained. 

It'll probably be a long time again before we could go out just the 2 of us, as Papa was feeling guilty leaving his children behind in view he already dont get much airtime with them. Its good for me though as its a personal time for me... and I think the kids probably felt the same too, not seeing each other for a couple of hours. Their GM speaks so proudly of them that they are so very well behaved at dinner last night at home, and that they ate a lot. Kayden had Sophie in her high chair by his side and was feeding himself as well as her last night...

The evening ended perfect for me, haha, as I told WK "There was food and shopping, great!" as we went down to United Square to get some presents for Josie's boys whose birthday party's this coming weekend.

I definitely enjoyed my hubby's company and its great to be married to this wonderful man for 5 wholeyears. As all these years, I know for a fact, that he still loves me a lot... And he definitely is good to me. I look forward to the future we are shaping together, and I know there will never be a better father for the kids or hubby for me.

Happy Anniversary bee! I love you and thanks for everything... Yes, even for the lack of flowers, I sincerely werent expecting any... He came back chuckling yesterday noon (from football) that the florist's not open and he couldnt get me flowers... I was shocked the thought even entered his head, and said no need. He was giggling away "No no, I was only intending to buy a stalk" Ah ha! Cheapo, but still a nice thought :)

I browsed 2months worth of photo and this is the only one we have of ourselves.

A rare photo indeed, taken a month ago at the Istana Open House.

And before I go off, Congratulations Dawn and Wee Meng on the man yue of your firstborn Chloe! Thanks for having us at the party and it was great to see little Chloe in your home. Parenthood is an interesting journey, and we're sure you'll enjoy it as much as we do! If you're interested to see my sleeping guide for Soph, do click here (its a mixture of both Gina Ford and other materials) and it worked for our dear girl. She slept 7-7 from 2mths.

And so we did some cutting

Since my last post and Mich's comment, we did some paper cutting on Friday morning as its easy and coincidentally I had some to-be-discarded children's newsletter for him to practise on. He handles the scissors well and could cut according to shapes, but of course, not in straight lines, they're mostly crroked :)




Mei, of course, had to stand-by her brother again as she's not allowed to use the scissors yet. Surprisingly, to me, she was good, really just sat there observing him and waiting for his paper cutouts. At least he was really nice, cut out the Thomas Tank Engine pictures for her :)

We made a paper collage by applying glue on paper and sticking on shredded small bits of paper. After putting it to dry in the sun, we have now 2 pieces of A4 paper collage, which to be truthful, I dunno where it is now... guess the maid must have stashed it somewhere on my messy table... Which's the reason for no pictures of the final product *sheepish*

So then, what do we do with them cos they're just random glue-ing, it wasnt in accordance to any form or shape or color scheme. Mich's suggestion of Xmas cards good, do we then cut it out into Xmas shapes? And then glue somemore on card/color paper? Hmmm.... Oh well, another task for next week. I'll ask the boy, I think he likes the idea of cutting xmas tree shapes out of the collage when I asked last week, anything to do with scissors work for him at this stage :)

Its a new week of being homebound again next week, with one more to go. Its good to be back to a routine of sorts, therapeutic too cos means our lives' not in a limbo... Guess more reading, drawing, and cutting on top of play-doh! Maybe I'll let them make cookies again, let's see how :) If you have an easy and tasty cookie recipe, pls share! The dogs (aka pigs) we made the last time was really flour-y and didnt taste too good... Time to try another!

P/S. This logging in and out thing drives me nuts, used Daddy's account by mistake again! Tsk tsk.

Occupational Disease ?

29 Oct 08 - I finally got to try out Acupuncture. Some TCM sinseh that i happened to drop by without even first checking if he has the proper certificates at People's Park, had the honor of poking needles into my body for the first time in my life.

It all started with a stiff neck (similar to rheumatism pain) more than a week ago. The pain then spread out to the back of my right shoulder. Over the weekend, i thought i heard a 'pop' sound from my shoulder while playing with Sophie. The pain then shifted from the back of my shoulder to the front of my neck and collar bone. It felt like a sprain and a out of place nerve inside your collar bone area. The pain was overbearing and rendered my whole right arm un-operational.

As i usually sprain my neck quite often, i thought it could self heal. So i stopped bathing in the middle of the night and kept my hair dry before going to bed. I literally became a left hander but the pain persisted for another 4 days. A couple of my senior colleagues were kind enough to recommend various types of cures (including western doctors, chinese sinsehs, masseurs..) One lady even printed a report about medical Qigong for me.



I decided to visit one recommended by the Malay office 'uncles' during lunch time. It took me a long while to find the shop and a short while to made my exit as i was not comfortable with what i saw. (It was just a typical Chinese Die Da for falls/sprains) I wanted something more medical. So i walked to People's Park and dropped by the first empty TCM clinic that came by. After talking to the Sinseh, he asked if i wanted to try acupuncture. I thought it sound interesting and so, gave the green light. Very soon, i had 5 needles inserted into my right arm and neck. There was a little bit of pain but otherwise, not as impressive as I've thought it to be. After ten minutes, the sinseh gave me an extremely painful massage on my shoulder and even did the neck twist on me. (I didn't like it but had no choice) Apparently, it was to re-align my spine.


The sinseh prescribed some medicine for me and charged me only $34!! The same level of service would have cost more than $100 in Eu Yan Sang. I was reasonably pleased when i left. The pain was much more manageable 2 days later and I'm trying not to exert too much strength from my right arm. I find the whole experience rather interesting and certainly do not mind going for more acupuncture again.

To kill 3 weeks at home

Oh... I forgot to say, K has to be kept away from school for the next 3 weeks! PD says better to keep him away as any form of virus can easily infect him as his lungs are still recovering from the recent bouts of bronchitis.

So, what, what am I gonna do with him for 3 weeks? 

We cant go out? We cant go to Sentosa or supermarket or library or...

For the past 3 days we've kept busy with reading reading reading... btw, that means, reading from ME. Neither of the kids can read but they love to listen to stories, actually mostly Kayden as Sophie usually's still not able to sit thru a whole book unless they're picture books with only a word or 2 per page, ie where pages can turn quickly.

Hmmm... I guess maybe some art and craft? But u know, secretly, I harbour this thought that, its a waste of resources, as, what is there to do with the completed art? Most of the time it is stashed away, and thereafter a few months, discarded. And putting it up, hanging it, I dunno? How many can I put up? Not much...

Oh well.

Maybe I will let him do some cutting with scissors as thats his most favorite activity. Teacher Diana did say also there will be a lot of scissors cutting in N2 next year, esp to follow dotted lines. Currently, they're only doing free form cutting. 

Painting... I guess... Messy, but... No choice. Play Doh too... Or I could build more train/racing car tracks.... Or bring them to the attic to play, like what Papa say...

If you have any other suggestions, pls leave them in the comment :) Not too tough ones OK... :) Thanks!

PTM - Term 4 Chiltern House

Oh yes, not my favorite type of post as kids are sick again! Hence I shant write too much about them being ill!

Kayden just recovered for a good one week and now has bronchitis again. Guess the hot-cold weather is not helping matters at all! He went down after spending a rainy, then super hot day out at the Marina Barrage on Sunday... Oh well.

So today, spent $180 again on PD for just the boy alone. I really think the kids ought to be doctors, it definitely is where the money is! Whether in good or bad times (whichever direction the market goes) people will always need doctors and medicine. 

But ah ha, before I could even finish my sentence, the boy told me "Ma, I want to be a police man". Darn! But anyways, I really am quite surprised that he knows I was gg to lead the "Kayden should be a baby doctor" conversation. Maybe I've had it once too often, double darn! :) Well, really I only started commenting wow how nice to look after sick babies and children, and wham bam, "I wanna be a policeman". OK end of conversation, this time, Mama can always try again :P

I just came back not too long ago from his current school as I went to meet the teachers for the overdue Parent Teacher Meeting - which is held at the end of every term. I missed the scheduled session 2 weeks ago as K was sick. The teachers are really nice and rescheduled it to the 1st week of school hols instead :) and spent 45minutes with me talking about him!

They had already given me an A4 ring folder of his portfolio last week, complete with pictures of him doing stuff in school and their assessment of each category - Social & Emotional, Physical, Cognitive, Music and Speech & Drama and the Teacher's Summary.

Overall, he had improved tremendously since he first started school. He is great in outdoor games, and loves being outside. Very keen on all sorts of games and PE activities like ring hopping, zig zag running, etc. And loves to gather his friends to join him at the top of the slide as well as pushing his friends on the big swing.

He doesnt hang out with any particular kid as he plays with everyone. He had acquired quite a number of self help skills although still likes to ask for help sometimes, especially for things he definitely could do by himself, mainly for attention seeking (Mama thinks). However, he is really slow - he would be the first to prepare to leave (ie put water bottle in bag and then line up to get out of class) but would be the last person in line. This slow-ness, really drives me up the wall at home as he really takes his own sweet time doing his things. Really super slow.

I was explaining to the teachers that it takes 1.5hours at every meal time, and what more, he didnt even eat by himself but with me shoving spoonfuls of food into his mouth. Yes, feeding time is definitely my least favorite part of child rearing. As they had told me previously, he feeds himself wonderfully in school and could always finish his small portions as he is always looking forward to his serving of fruit at the end of every meal.

The teachers invited me to share with them new events at home as they can help by discussing it in school with the whole class and creates the support context for new changes. Eg conversations with the class on self feeding, or moving to own room, instead of sleeping with parents etc. The school is definitely very supportive of the child's overall well being on not just their academic achievements in school.

He loves story time and has good concentration... He's very attentive listening to stories, and also doing art and craft. He definitely has keen interests and dedication for both. However, room for improvement in Speech & Drama as still do not speak up much, perhaps he is shy as it's a specialist teacher from Julia Gabriel.

He is very driven by rewards. For eg, he will sing and perform well at practice for assembly performance cos there is a reward of stickers and stamps when done well. However, he was the only one who cowers during the performance and choose to do funny things like putting his head on the floor and other stunts. Again, I was worried if this rewards-only behaviour will perpetuate? Will I need to always bribe him? The teachers assures it is a passing phase. Hmmm.....

He loves to build long trains and cars and move them on the track, as well as playing with the kitchen set. He can play well with his peers but sometimes picks their toys when playing but would return when the teacher notices. Amazing thing is that the boys verbalise their unhappiness and dont takes matters into their hands when they're angry with each other. But being one of the youngest, he cant fully explain himself yet like eg "No" only instead of "No, because..." which the other kids do.

His Mandarin, however, calls for improvement as he is still unwilling to speak full sentences of Mandarin and only throws in a few words here and there. However, he loves singing Mandarin songs and is capable of verbalising all the lyrics in Mandarin. Lao Shi says it is perhaps cos it is more difficult to interchange/translate the lyrics to English so he lets it be, however, for conversational items, he still prefers to translate the words and speaks in English all the time. Her suggestion is to have one parent speak to him in Mandarin, if not for all the time, maybe 15mins or 1hour or some specified time in a day to get him more exposure in the language and to build a context for him to speak his native tongue. Yes, his grandparents speak Mandarin fully at home but they tend to switch to English when speaking to him as that is his preferred domain.

As confirmed with the teachers, he always withdraws when put in a big group setting. He will zone-out and just stares if he is unwilling to participate. He'll just observe. This is one thing I realise when his gym teacher told me, after a class one day, that he will sit by the wall when in a big group of 18 kids? But once divided into a smaller subgroups, he will participate actively.

We had already known he has a quiet and shy personality, and it is even more apparent now that he had started going to school and interacting with other children his age. His teachers say this is a passing phase. Owing to this personality, we've decided to keep him in Chiltern as the class size is smaller. 1 teacher to 7 children as opposed to double of that in St James. WK has the same personality, and as he puts it "I disappear in a crowd", he wishes the opposite for his son. We hope at the end of 4 yrs, he will really be a lot more confident and outspoken, which is a widely known result for Chiltern kids. And in comparison, he definitely will get more attention in Chiltern than St James, though both are reputedly good schools.

Overall, the teachers are pleased with his developments and improvements. And I am too. However, I know the Lao Shi sensed my worry of his weaknesses and heed that its all a passing phase, only too soon, he will grow up and will be able to self help all the time. And his abilities' no lesser than that of peers his age.

I know, I need to stop focussing on the what-he-cant-do, and be proud of his strength. Afterall, WK's wish for him to be an outdoorsy boy has come true, and so is mine for him to love books. There really is nothing else important we ask of him that he is not.

In time, he will learn to read (my biggest worry now) and do all the things he cant do now. MA, its time to stop worrying!!!

OK gtg, he just woke from nap.

My gamble

I dont usually gamble... just an occasional Toto Quick Pick (ie random pick by the system) every time there is a big jackpot like the Chinese New Year Ang Pow draw and other random big draws. Somehow, I never did have much luck for such things - and this so had been proven true as I had never won any bets thus far, except for that one time in Melbourne when I won 4 out of 6 numbers, and my prize, you make a guess. Something close to $20? Haha.

But I guess there is always hope? Hope that all the misses are just "investments" for a big win in the future.

Well in my case, I sure hope that my future is today, as I had spent $10.50 for tonight and the upcoming draw hoping to strike a winning number combination. I dunno what the numbers are, as the bet was picked by the system. And also, I didnt know too that there is a big jackpot tonight too, $1.5million. Ah ha, I am really an ignorant gambler. But I definitely wont be an ignorant winner :)

But hey, do you believe in gambling? My other half says, its small $ to buy hope. I guess if you put it that way, its pretty true, how else could everyone make big money with a small $2? But I am also aware of the opposite opinion, I guess its how you view it, and life in general?

Whatever it is, I hope I wont have just wasted $10.50 by end of this week, as my super-rare 4D bets of a whopping $12 over the weekend had gone down the drain.

Now, I hope and live in the hope for tonight, and Wednesday/Thursday night.

Wish me luck!

Update

Tsk tsk, I didnt win. Only 1 number per ticket, that matches the winning combi. Its tough. But wow, the draw this Thursday, another big jackpot - $3million!!! And this time, pessimistic me knows, dream on!

She accessorise!

S$7.90.

That's how much it costs to find out my daughter's a girly girl after all.

Sophie had always loved her brother's toys more - her preference for the Thomas trains, aeroplanes, transformers, etc over normal girl toys like soft toys (other than the one Barney who sings when you press his tummy) and dolls. The only girl toys she like are the pram and the Baby Alive babydoll that I got for her a few months back.

And she hates to have things on her hair - pulling them off as soon as it lands... though getting better in recent months, I shant complain. Forget about hairbands etc, only clips and rubber bands can survive, if at all.

So anyway, on the way back from the Central Library last night, she chose a matching hearts bracelet and necklace set... Its a string of smooth hearts (that looks like Smarties/M&Ms) and is red, fuchsia and pink in color... Simply girly girl sweet!

She took to wearing it immediately and did not continue to tug or pull when I warned her it may break - indeed much to my surprise, as it never occured to me girl accessories will work for her! She wore it the whole evening and night yesterday as well as the whole of today.

Look see... how happy she was this morning, donning it as soon as she can after bath.

And this, Papa's creation...

And yes, the bracelet and necklace's so super gu-niang that Godma SH didnt agree to me buying them last week :) Oh well the taste of a 1yo I guess is just simply different from her momma's generation!

I love how she looks in them and how happy she is when she wears them :) 

Godma - You'll definitely see it tomorrow when we meet :) See ya!

1 week of Singlehood...

14 Sep 08 - I had a week to relive my single-hood days with TT & the kids away in Penang for a week. It was not exactly a re-enactment of what i did in the past when i was single but rather, it provided an insight on how i would be leading my life if i did not have any family commitments.

And now that i'm at the end of the week, i felt lucky enough to have a family of my own and with 2 great kids. What i realised over the week was that without family commitments, i would be slogging away 13-14 hours a day + half of my Saturdays. Not that i am too far off from this statistic, at least for now, my weekends are reserved for the kids. In other words, i would have been living my life doing something that i dislike.. all the time!!




During the week, i was basically ringing up all my buddies, chio-ing them out for breakfast, lunch + dinner. Like how my friend Lek put it across just now, "Wah Lau.... one day dunnoe message me how many times.....You only start looking for us when u needed us.....i want to complain to Theresa...." Haha, well it was time for catching up, so i had to fully utilise every single minute. And although it was great hanging out with old buddies again, i believe at the end of everyday, everyone needs to go home - to a place of comfort and with their loved ones.

TT and the kids will be back tomorrow and I am looking forward to seeing them again. Especially Sophie, who has taken a special liking for her Daddy just before she left for Penang. Hopefully, their Daddy will knock off early from work to see them tomorrow before they go to bed.

Status - Night time training

Following my last post, Kayden had been wetting the bed every morning... 2 nights in a row... So his results are just 1/3 passes. Hmmm.

He pees about 7am-ish, thats when he is willing himself to continue sleeping, I think. So anyway, with a wet bottom and pants, he climbs up to our bed and tries to settle himself there. Lucky both times, I caught him on time before he wets our bed too! :)

Guess will ask him again tonight, if he wants to wear diapers to sleep.... Hmmm.. I am running out of clean bedsheets for him! :P

Fully toilet trained

Last night the kids went to bed slightly later than usual as we went out for a snack of soya bean after dinner. And having missed their usual bedtime, K really couldnt sleep until nearly 11pm! Gosh. I was lying next to him threatening him to close his eyes etc... Bad bad mom.

But anyway, what I wanted to say was, last night was also the first night he went to bed without diapers as he chose not to wear them. He peed around 10+ and was dry the whole night, even when he woke up in the morning, he didnt have to go first thing.

Is this the start of him being totally diaper-free?

I hope so!

I definitely look forward to the money saved on diapers as suddenly in 2 weeks, out goes the poo poo diapers (Huggies/Pet Pet) and now (fingers crossed) the premium night diapers (Pampers Premium). We can pass the leftover stock to Mei, when her bum grows bigger for the XL sizes.

Oooh how true it is that kids will just naturally get into things when they are ready, no amount of force or coercion required, and I am so happy that being at 3yrs 3mths he will be diaper-free.

Hope I didnt just jinxed myself there and he wets the bed tonight!

P/S. Kayden, Happy 3yrs and 3mths exactly today! Mama, Papa and Sophie loves you lots. Our lives are so much more complete because you're in it... Looking forward to your growing up! Love love, kiss kiss! See you in the morning!

(Photo credits: http://content.mainemoms.com/moms/blogs/uploaded_images/potty-704081.jpg )

Crossroad - Chiltern House or St James

This is one of my long overdue post... And for those who are not keen to read of my reviews of some Singapore kinders, please skip this post as it is very long!

I had been meaning to write about Kayden's school for the longest ever. And with the delay, I am now also able to comment on 2 playschools the kids had (are) attending.

At the beginning of this year, in Feb, K turned 2.5yrs old and thus had to 'graduate' from his playschool to Nursery level. Some kinders call it Nursery 1 (N1), whilst others call their program Pre-Nursery. In Singapore, I believe children only need to attend 3 years of structured kinder - ie 1 year Nursery and 2 years Kindergarten before they go off to Primary schools at age 7. Most kinders, tho, offer N1 to kids in the year they are turning 3.

Not having schooled in Singapore and knowing nothing, I set out talking to his playschool teachers and parents to find out about the choices of kinders available. I found that big names are Pat's and Eton, whilst Montessori schools are just as popular as church kindergartens.

His playschool teacher though advised me against sending him to a Montessori as she felt that his character could benefit much from having some structure that a normal kindergarten offers. Hence, I decided not to visit Faith Montessori which came highly recommended by my ex-boss.

So I took a trip down to Pat's at Halifax as my ex-colleague's 3 kids graduated from there and she only had praises for the school. I took a look around and didnt quite like the environment. As I was leaving, I stumbled upon Chiltern House 2 doors down... I went in to inquire and was given an appointment to see the Head of Centre. I was told to bring K.

Chiltern, as compared to Pat's (at my point of visit) was absolutely different. The environment in Chiltern was warm and friendly. The school was very clean and I could smell citronella from their bug repellent as soon as we stepped in. The teacher will bid her class to greet us when we went in to take a look (the lesson was ongoing) as we were given a tour of the quaint colonial black and white bungalow the school occupies. Everyone looked happy and smiley!

Needless to say, I immediately liked the school and was glad to know that they do have some spaces left in the afternoon session. In order for him to attend school, he had to forego all his afternoon naps - but surprisingly, he was adaptable and wasnt much affected with the change. After 7 months, we finally was offered a slot in the morning session and he now attends school from 830am to 12noon. 

What do I like about Chiltern House?

Definitely their curriculum.

• Very strong in languages - both English and Mandarin that the children are prepared well for primary level. By the time they are in K2 (6yrs old), they are able to perform to the standard of lower primary.
  
• Creativity is cultivated with 2 teachers specialising each in Music and Drama comes over from their sister school, Julia Gabriel every week. No need for any enrichment classes on Drama for sure.
• Excellent communication with parents. Every suspected case of HFMD is communicated and they have very stringent checks at the entrance of the school with kids who are ill immediately sent home.

I like too that their classes are small - 1 teacher to 7 students. And the teachers have a very close relationship with parents so much so that there is daily communication on the children (if required). The teachers are personable and know each child (and I think parents too) by name. Everyone is just friendly. Perhaps one may retort that its part of the price we pay as their fees are high. I guess, but somehow, the teachers do also demonstrate that they do have the children's interests at heart...

So you can easily say, I really like the school. I would not be having 2nd thoughts of placing him there if not for the fees , which in my opinion costs a bomb. The fees are nearly $10,000pa, this is already nett of the government subsidy. And in 2010, when Mei turns 3, it means that we will be spending $20,000 on pre-school education!

Is it worth it? I ask myself constantly. Why not just pack him off to a cheaper school? The fees after all costs nearly as much as my annual university fees 10yrs ago!

Hence, when we were offered a place in St James Church Kinder (SJCK) 2 months ago, I signed him up. He is confirmed a placement in N2 next year and will start from January next year. For a start, the fees, $7,000 lesser per year... makes it affordable. Furthermore it is located near our house and is in Dempsey Hill with a nice compound - they have their own fruit orchard and swimming pool!

It is a church kindergarten and definitely is strong on moral teachings. The students are happy in the school and they have the longest waiting list for all kinders in Singapore. Many parents register their children as soon as they are born. We're lucky we got a place really.

However, maybe cos I dunno much about the school, I find that their curiculum a bit short... its just 3 hours daily, and I understand that 1/2hour everyday is spent on meals. He is also attending the afternoon session from 1130-230pm which I found is quite hot, especially if they go down to the playground. Also the class size is also much bigger, with student teacher ratio nearly double that of Chiltern - hence, lesser attention on each kid.

I know that its just as a good a school as any, but I also hear from a lot of parents that Chiltern has a stronger curiculum than SJCK. I understand from SJCK's principal that their curriculum will only see them complete the teaching of the alphabets in K1 and most of their children can read before they leave for Primary. I personally feel that the ability to read needs to start from as young as possible that is why I am attracted to CH's reading program from next year as most children in CH reads from 4.

SJCK is very famous for it being a christian kindergarten but in view we are not of the same faith, overall there is not much draw to the school for me after all other than the fact it is near and cheap.

I have been debating Chiltern vs SJCK for the longest longest ever... And some days, I am for moving him to SJCK as we definitely dont mind having extra $7,000pa savings from schooling - I can send him to tonnes of enrichment classes as many as he likes. But most days, I am halfhearted in pulling him out from his current school as I know that it gives a very good, strong and nurturing environment that produces confident children with superb language skills. Parents of older kids in CH also speaks fondly of the school.

So my debate is still ongoing... I will need to decide end of this month as a month's notice is required for Chiltern if we want to pull him out. The thing is, I cant move him to SJCK and move him back to Chiltern if he dont like the new school as his place in Chiltern will definitely be snapped up. I've checked with Enrolments that they are not able to hold the place for us as they do have a long wait list for next year. So its a one way street. My friend's daughter only survived one week in SJCK with the switch and is now back in Chiltern - but perhaps cos she is already in K1 and thus more difficult to fully adapt.

What does hubby think? He's OK either way... He wants only the best for the kids, and if we need to forego other stuff, then so be it... Its a sacrifice of 4 years as the kid's schooling and academic expenses will drop as soon as they enter primary school - public school! :) - at age 7.

I have asked the boy too... Initially he refused to move, but now is attracted to the school with the swimming pool as I told him that he cant stay on with his current teachers anyway... He was sad to know that he will have to move up to N2, and will get a new teacher next year if he stays in Chiltern. But I guess either way, there wont be any major complains from him as he is afterall ready to move to the new school if Mama decides so. He had gone on a school tour at SJCK with me, but he didnt like it then... neither did I actually.

So anyway, I guess I'll just have to stop being fickle and be brave enough to make a decision. Whichever way, both are very good schools.

Oh... As I was saying, playschools. K attended Growing Up Gifted (GUG) when he was a toddler whilst Mei was sent to Julia Gabriel (JG). The reason Mei didnt go to GUG was because I tot she would be going to CH (she will follow K who was in CH when she came of age) and I wanted to make the progression easy for her when she finally goes to school independently.

Anyway, the difference, GUG and JG... GUG is a bilingual class whilst JG is either Mandarin or English for a twice a week prog. Mei attends the English one with me. JG teachers are way more cheerful and happy... They are so full of energy. The curriculum is fun, really. Once a week, the teachers will dress up and give a play - guess this is the Drama the school is famous for. The classes are fun and well run. I have to say I prefer JG more, but they also costs more than GUG - about $10 more per class the last time I checked.

So these are my take on playschools and kinders. Before I forget, I did also visit Etonhouse, Kinderland and Barker Road Methodist Church Kinder at the beginning of this year.

Solely my opinion....

• Eton = Pricey, but seems to have a good and comprehensive curriculum (I didnt get to see how the classes are run). A school I wouldnt mind my kids attending, haha, i doubt anyone would as I believe it is the most expensive local kinder in town.

• Barker Road = No go for me and my friend, Shi Wei... we checked it out together. She is alumni of the kinder. Somehow the school just didnt seem right. The layout reminds me of a hospital and the teachers and students didnt look excited nor happy. This of course is just a personal opinion. Recently I also spoke to a parent whose daughter is now there, and she doesnt recommend it too - she is sending her younger son to another school, but I didnt ask why... So really cant comment.

• Kinderland (Pandan Valley) = The premises are OK, so is the Head of Centre. But the teachers look so sien at the time of my visit! So we ruled it out.

Comments re the schools are purely my personal opinion... I have heard too of bad reviews about CH, and I guess one man's meat is another's poison... 

I think schooling choices are tough decisions for parents as we all know education is important. But a child's personality and temperament are also important factors that ought to be considered as not all schools are suitable for everyone.

 I just hope I will make a good decision too for my kids, and it better be soon! I think my friends are more or less frustrated with me as I have been having this debate for 2-3 months! Hubby is definitely, haha! I think he just simply cant understand why I am wasting so much time on this same issue!

I guess I am scared of making the wrong decision as I do know that the kids' early years are important foundation years and I want them to be in the right school. My aunt says the most important place is home, and I can agree to that. Just that I feel that school is just as important as the kids spend more than half of their waking hours in school! We'll see, we'll see. I have 20 more calender days to decide.

Another sick post, sigh

Since Sept, the kids have been ill on and off... 

Last Monday, K's cough (which had been mainly nocturnal for one month) turned into a nightmare - fever plus throat infection that required him to be put on the nebuliser immediately plus antibiotics. 

Then Tuesday, Mei was the one coughing away and running a temperature... so off we went, to the PD again... Mei was given the same prescription, antibio Augmentin and nebuliser.

So nearly a week later... how are the kids?

K's still got the irritating cough, tho much lesser now... but Mei, for some reason still had a low grade fever last night - Day 4. The PD had said fever will usually lasts 48hours only with the antibio and all. And tonight, no fever yet but she had vomitted 3 times while asleep... There is just too much phlegm stuck inside and her irritating throat couldnt give her a good rest. When I came back from dinner, dried vomit was plastered to her hair and she was so drowsy, Gigi and I could give her a hairwash plus blowdry with her sleeping through it.

I had finally just put her down again and applied some medicated oil on her tummy and back, hopefully it will help her sleep through the night without more cough... Poor girl.

Its so difficult when the kids are sick. What more with 2, it is a guarantee that they will cross-infect. Papa WK has also got a throat infection while mine was just a mild sore throat and cough I managed to nurse off yesterday.

Really hope they will be much much better tomorrow and totally well on Monday so that they wont have to miss the last week of school term... parties and all!

I hate to write sick posts as it seems to be a staple. Had hold off for a week, thought their sickness this time will pass quick, but looks like this will turn out to be one of the longest run ever. Across the causeway, my nephew was also hospitalised last week for Rotavirus... Tough tough.... Hope all's well soon and the rest of the year, everyone will be in tip top condition!

Chinese traditional clothes

Raided the children's clothes bag in the store as K had to wear a traditional costume for the party Raya/Children's Day party. He went in the above - a CNY garb his grandma got for him this year. Its prob his 2nd time wearing and most likely the last as it fits just nice.

Mei, Mei had the honour of wearing the super sexy (I call it) Chinese lingerie her grandma got during her recent China trip.

And yes :) I do know it wont be long before they scream blue murder when we wear "funny" clothes on them... as it is, it was already a battle to get him to wear the chinese garb to school... He only agreed after I added a t-shirt beneath.

Kids!

Our 1st cookie bake

K's school holds a class party for the kids every 5-6 weeks... ie twice in a term. And there is always a theme... if there isnt any festivities or celebrations, then there will be just regular themes like a color or shapes party (so far) eg blue, green, triangle etc that happens to be their learning theme of the week.

As I dont cook or bake much, usually I'll just buy some snacks off the shelves for him to bring... they will still get their normal meals from the school during snack time, just that they have extra treats to go :)

Think it was a month back, if I'm not wrong, Hari Raya cum Children's Day party, we baked cookies instead, recipe from here.

K helped and we made our 1st batch of cookies ever (and also so far the last)... He loves helping in the kitchen, and the boy has got a good sense of taste - he could tell the ingredients in a soup without seeing - like eg corn, etc. And he definitely will not eat if it doesnt taste nice... and he is only 3!!! Oh well, maybe he can put it to good use, I dont mind him being a chef :)

Anyway, I digress, sorry, we baked the batch of cookies... and ours turned out like below..

Closeup

A fun design :)

The full yield... K made the bottom right ones w colorful sprinkles

Our party box... for 10 boys in his class :)

I was apologetic to his teacher (a Malay) as our dogs looked like pigs instead as we used Cookie Crisps! Uh oh... But she was OK with it... they appreciated the effort more :)

Its nice to bake, cook, sew... do things with my hands... I like to create... I'll definitely do more when I have my own kitchen :)

He finally did it!

Kayden finally did it!!

He poo-ed in the toilet bowl just 15mins ago. WOW :) 

Since his poo saga began at the onset of potty training he had been doing his big business in the diapers. He simply refuse to poo in the potty or the toilet bowl. See, here, here and here.

But today, he agreed to let me put him on the bowl and he did his business is under 3mins. I'm so proud of him. Contemplated taking a photo of his shit (blog-gational hazard) but I doubt anyone would wanna see it... Ah ha :)

I hope this is not just once off, but the beginning of a new journey. Such is the simplicity and wonders of motherhood...

A baby scare

My emotion's been running on overdrive since the past few days if not weeks. My aunt's comment yesterday re baby blues made me consider its possibility. More so my menses are late, though only 3 days so far.

I've thus been in a constant state of worry and instead of seeing the gynae next week for a pap smear, I went in today. I want her to tell me that I am indeed not expecting another baby, not right now.

With a scan and urine test, the results are negative and I whoop with joy. The gynae said I do have an imbalance hormone... so my aunt's kinda right.

With also contraception in mind, and also to fix my hormone levels, I will be starting on the pills. It at least will take my mind off worrying about menses monthly although to start off, our sex life is virtually non-existent. Based on this article, our frequency's only a fraction (20%) of the reported average of 73 times annually in 2005, and that already put Singapore 2nd from the bottom. Lucky we were not surveyed, ah ha, we would have skewed Singapore's results and made the nation last.

So anyway, I digress, I am glad we are not expecting another baby now (maybe in another 2-3yrs), but the sad news is that the pill will slowly reduce my breastmilk, so Sophie will most likely be breastfed only until she is 2 years old... she can finally clear the supply of frozen milk herself.

Currently, she is still fully breastfed. I will definitely miss my bonding sessions with her and we'll have to spend $$$ on powdered milk. But the pros are cool too... no more leaky breasts, and in theory I should get my good night's sleep back!

In regards to the pill, gynae says there's a host of benefit too - clear skin, no menstrual cramps, balancing of female hormones etc - all also happily supported by my aunt who had taken it for nearly 30yrs until she went through menopause. 

Hopefully the pill, when i start in a couple of days, will put my hormones back in check and thus halt my weight gain, and help put the smiles back on my face!

My aunt

The past 2 days have been spectacularly nice as my favorite aunt was in Singapore enroute to her hometown. I lived with her when I was studying in Melb and we were very close.... I am like the daughter she never had, so she says all the time. And I am glad, and lucky to have her when I was studying in Melb... for she was really my away-from-home-mom... We would go grocery shopping, watch movies, shopping, eat out together, party and I never tire in her company.

I've not talked as much as I did for a long time and it really is nice, to have my side of the family around... Eventhough I have not seen nor talked to her since Sophie was born, its so easy to pickup where we left off, like a great female friend. I really can and did share with her my heart, for she listens and does not judge. She really understands. Its funny somehow, but the circumstances of our lives and our views are quite similar - could be because, our exposure of living in a western world made us different from a traditional chinese.... and she could really relate to my personal clashes with some of these cultures and traditions.

I am so glad she had me planned in her travel itinerary, as I now have a certain sense of calmness and peace. My life had been in turmoil for a long while, and she was shocked that I am no longer the same person as I was 3years ago or for that matter for all my life previously... the same comment hubby gave a while back. 

I hope new changes in my life will let me re-discover myself, and get me to where I should be... to be who I am capable of being, and most importantly, to let go of the emotional baggage I have been carrying. To stop self destruct basically. Its time for me to appreciate all that I have received from life, for I, really have been blessed. Its time to smell the roses, and to just be happy and contented. 

Sounds easy? Not to me. Its a continuous challenge for me to put my guard down as my strong suits of independence and strong character just disallow me to be seen or perceived as weak or wrong. Tough tough but its time to change or else I will continue to feel even more trapped being uncontented all the time. She wondered if I am having baby blues? Erh Sophie's 21mths old, and I dunno.... Whatever it is, time to snap out, after all I dont have any major problems, my basic necessities and more are met. I just need to stop being overly sensitive of other's actions... there isnt even a direct impact on me! 

So anyway, back to her, I am happy to have had her company... My MIL too, as they spent a lot of time talking about themselves, me and others. I know my MIL appreciated her company as she did change her daily schedules these 2days so that they have time to chat... Perhaps both of them being Hainanese, there is already a common ground and more so when they are also in the same stage of their lives where their kids are all grown up.

She definitely created a positive energy in the house when she was here, and hopefully, I'll get to see her again at the end of her 1month home trip when she goes enroute back to Melbourne! The kids took some time to accept her but was calling her Por Por when she left... We all bid her farewell just 2 hours ago... and I must say, her presence have done wonders to us all. 

Thank you 2cim. And I will remember your Reiki principles... Do not be angry, Do not worry, Respect others, Respect nature and Live fully, it may be different from what I google, but yeah, it will do. If I can do just the 1st two, its already a gamble won... and thank you, sincerely from my heart. See you again next time, as Kayden would say :)