New adventures; 家

12 October is - in the words of my kids - the birthday of our new home #2.

The huat crew

My adorable children

This marks a new journey of our lives where we build a new home for us. OMG so exciting!

22 September

Today, I sent my daughter to school. She was in cheery spirits and it made me happy to observe her. I love her button nose. 

Today, I went for a run with the husband. The sun was hot and it was breezy, there were park-goers and while it wasn't the best run I had (such low energy -ugh-), I felt so thankful to be able to move (albeit like a sloth) and be outdoors. 

Today, I kissed my son goodbye while he was sleeping and I love him so. He is such a rascal. 

Today,  we handover the keys of our first matrimonial home.

We moved in when I was heavily pregnant with baby #2 and we had such naïve expectations of managing a young toddler and a new house - all by ourselves. 

We welcomed our son and this was the only home he ever knew. The husband and I owned this place and enjoyed the quiet space we had. Never really quiet cos he watches TV so loudly, and come to think of it, we never truly owned the master bedroom as it was forever invaded by the children. 

The house was ours, as we understood it's nooks and corners; we messed it up and made it our home. 

Today, we handover the keys of our first matrimonial home.

Craft project I did years ago...

J and his Spiderman phase as he plastered his drawing all over the house

Our view.

Sophistication (ok, not really)

When you are stuck with work late into the night but needed to get home to have dinner because 10pm already and was hungry; you make your way home with work.


Then try to find ways to make the night better by giving yourself a treat; but because working so did not want to get your fingers dirty.

This happens.

Ended up sleeping only at 1+am. So tired!

Milestone

The husband and I have been in talks of moving for a whole year.


It started because of us planning ahead for primary school life, and options of upgrading especially since there are new BTO flats next to our current place. The motions of house-selling/buying has been on-going for several months; and two weeks back we finally crossed a major milestone. It is significant enough for me to put it here for posterity.

It will be fine as we are in it together. Onwards!

While it was such a momentous date, we still continued with our lives; brings to mind how the world is big and regardless of how one is - be it extremely happy, sad, tragic, good or bad, life does go on. So I guess we lived up to that by still being ourselves; i.e. silly.

"Mommy, take a picture of me!"

Family.

Exciting times ahead, as we go through the progress of moving and re-moving.. it'd be fun, somewhat painful, but definitely all good. Woot!

Welcome home

The husband and I were away on our couple holiday of the year! And of course, we're now back.

A welcome note from our children

It's nice to be back, and lovely to know that the children were independent enough to have a rocking good time in our absence.


It struck me that it's just as well that we did this kinda-surprise trip; as the year will be taken up much by real adult responsibilities. Am thankful that we had the holiday and that all is well. I'll slowly document our trip for this year, as I re-savour the lovely holiday we had (hopefully soon)!


Today marks the first day back at school and regular programming for us all, adults and children alike, so hello, reality.

Mid-year mark

Hello June. In a blink of an eye, a whole week has passed and we are well into June.
How has half a year gone by, just like that?


The past 2-3 weeks have been hectic. We have been house-hunting, juggling work and home, keeping the children occupied (because school holidays), making arrangements for work so there is some work and more play, and generally, there's much tension. Perhaps it's in my head, but there is just so much going on.


A perk of school holidays = sleeping in, but the downside of that is also that I don't get in as much activity. It drops greatly from 5-7x a week, to half that. I think that also affects my sanity and well-being. So, a gentle reminder to myself that life is great, I can always just exercise whenever - it's a lifestyle not a pressure - and work is work and no one is going to die.


BREATHE.

6+pm last Sunday. Sun out in full force.

That Sunday evening, I sought refuge in sweating it out in the hot, hot sun and feeling some sense of familiarity as I revisited an old running route.

Life.

In a week's time, the husband and I will be on our couple holiday of this year. I. Cannot. Wait.


Until then... I'm hanging on.

Sweet treats for Mother's Day

Mother was unwell, so we kept the celebrations simple and home-based. Thanks to the husband who made the effort to recommend a joint, ordered the food and delivered it to everyone at home.


For desserts, we were blessed with abundance of them in different forms.


First, the mother went for a baking class and she made this tasty, amazing pandan-gula Melaka -coconut cake.



MOM

Mmmmm

Then, a girlfriend surprised me with this decadent treat from Tarte.

Pretty in pink

Caramel, macadamia, choc tart. Yummeh!

Not pictured, are the 2 tubs of ice-cream from the SIL - peanut butter and matcha flavours from Udders. I was so stuffed from dinner and cakes I did not attack the ice-cream, yet. Hope it's still around next week when I visit the mom again.


It was a simple Saturday with simple food and the surprises made it a thrill and fun. Most importantly, the family was mostly altogether and that's what makes it best. Family love.

A lovely, tasty lunch

The chef-husband strikes...

Chicken (tapau), boiled egg (Japanese half-cooked style, yum),
and cold soba (omg this was amazing)

A simple affair that really made me so happy cos it tasted amazing! Thus, why it deserves an entry of its own. That same evening, we hit the beach for a run (and play) and it was so tasty I had to tell the husband again how lovely it was!

Learning mandarin #sightsathome

A year of learning mandarin has seen us collecting many,
many flashcards...

Sometimes, when the husband is free, he will do such fun stuff like laying out our $$ on the ground and having the children read them out.

Enthu-J

There are so many words... he got tired #relaxedstance

We get value for our money when the girl gets to learn the same words too!

Ah girl

I think the husband and I try to not be tiger parents, but it is sometimes hard. I have learnt that having the children better prepared and supported, is not a bad thing at all as it alleviates the stress we all feel when the push comes to shove.


This learning comes in handy not just for them, but a great refresher for both the husband and I as we familiarise ourselves with basic Chinese words that we ought to know.


#JIANGHUAYU #FOREVERLEARNING

Sick bugs, hello March

It has been one event after another.
First, the boy got pox. Then the helper got pox. Then the boy caught stomach flu. The husband started to cough. The girl caught a viral infection (bad throat and high fever). The husband continues to cough. And I am slightly hit by the bug too.

It'd wash over..

The house is clearing out of germs... kinda, and I hope the husband and I get well soon from our bugs leftover from the younglings.


And this is how we welcome March. Ha!

Jake made a rooster

Someone did some craft at school and brought this home. So simple, so cute, so apt!

Rooster

And this is a funny sight of the boy one morning. Tee hee hee.

Sleeping - tucked like a rooster

Jiggle like a jelly and our night routine

Part of the school routine kick-off is homework, spelling and Chinese spelling. I feel a need to highlight Chinese spelling as a separate item because it does take a ton of effort to accomplish that.


So anyway, last evening, the girl and I revised her spelling and one of the phrases was 'jiggle like a jelly'. It's pretty known that the sister does a mean jellyfish dance/jiggle and we were talking conversationally amidst the spelling and look what the girl wrote:

Number 7.

That cracked us up for a bit... and as much as I hate to be the naggy (boring) Mom who does work with them always, I think it's just a necessary phase of life.

Ting xie

Seeing the sister on her nightly routine of work in the evenings has set the boy off too. I roped him in to do some work with the primary intent of having him do sit down as he is always running or bouncing off the walls (playing). Turns out, I have discovered the innate drive in this boy who wants to do well. He asks for spelling (basic words from his reading classes) and I am very proud of his abilities!

Life.

Just for the record, here is a snapshot of our usual evenings:


Between 6-7pm: I will reach home
7pm: Dinner (the husband will join in if he finishes work early enough)
7.45pm: Shower


8pm: Work - there is always something to do.
Papers to sign, homework the girl couldn't do on her own (still training her to have the initiative to do what she can in the afternoon), spelling or ting xie to revise. The boy will join in on some days to do some writing (he practises ABCs and in the last 2 weeks I began giving him spelling to reinforce what he learns in class). Some days, we revise Chinese words on flashcards from Chinese enrichment class.


9pm: Head to the room
We have a mix of activities - read some books, play UNO, play minion game, chit-chat or play. It depends on what the children prefer and the amount of time we actually are in the room (there is some variance - some days we go in earlier, some days later)


10pm: Bedtime
I do prefer if this was 9.30pm, because there is still some time before they actually knock out. It's a trying process to get them to sleep and I have been trying to bring their bedtime earlier - since day 1! I shall not give up, and I firmly believe that the earlier they go to bed, the more rested they are. Afterall, the wake-up time is fixed and the only time we can manipulate is this bedtime.


It's nearly the end of January and our routine is pretty accomplished. It will be a bit messed up with Lunar New Year (holidays!) coming up, but that will be a break we all welcome.

Playing with guns

The boy revived his love for guns and was on a shooting rampage this weekend. He brought along 3 of his NERF guns everywhere he went and it was pretty adorable (while annoying).


I joined him for some moments and managed to distract/occupy him for some moments as he tried to play the game I set up. It was hilarious watching him trying his best... but not being very good.

Face of concentration

Elmo, the unfortunate target

This marks the week before Lunar New Year!

Routine - version Jan 2017

It is week 3 of 2017 and our lives are slowly, and surely getting back into routine for the new year. It's been pretty fine re-starting the school year with K, and this year, the tricky one has been the boy. He's switched schools and is still adjusting to the new environment. He's not suffering, but he has been expressing his woes and as much as it is upsetting to watch him unsettled, it is also annoying to have to contend to his whines. I know, it's only been a week+, and I cannot wait for him to get into it. It will take a while more, and I believe once he becomes closer to his friends and enjoys playing, he will be fine. The biggest hurdle, to me, is the fact that this boy loves being home. He loves his own space, he loves the room and carpet, he loves the autonomy and needing to conform to the school's schedule is not exciting for him. I truly hope he settles in - and well - soon.


So, just for the record, here is our routine now.


6am: K wakes up, she gets changed and has breakfast the helper prepares. She usually eats some bread and milo, or cake or pancake or something.


6.10-6.20am: the husband and I wake up and start pottering around the house, getting ready to leave for work. The helper packs our breakfast (bread and fruits for him, fruit & yoghurt or bread for me; or I prepare my own oats).


6.40-6.45am: we leave the house and the husband drops K and I at the MRT station. Once, we left home at 6.50am and she was borderline late for school.


6.50-7.15am: K and I take the train to go to school. The trains are usually not crowded at this time, and we have space to stand comfortably. We usually chit chat about nothing; or if we're not talking, she will observe her surroundings and daydream while I read my book; or we revise spelling verbally...


7.20am: we say goodbye at the station and I stand, watching and waving goodbye to her as she heads towards school. I head back into the station and take the train to work.


7.35-7.45am: I arrive at my station and take the short stroll to my workplace.
I rather enjoy this short stroll - the weather is usually cool, the sun is just about peeking out and I see the same sights and smell the same smells daily. It's a mix of workers loading/unloading stocks, people having breakfast, I smell foods being prepared and there is a clitter-clatter noise of shops as they start to open up. The traffic is flowing, but not heavy and there is a sense of clockwork as life picks up, but not peaking with crazy traffic and noise as yet. It's a nice, quiet build-up for the morning.


About 7.45am: Workout time.
I always prefer to exercise in the morning, as it helps my body and mind to awaken properly. This has been the case for years, and it also allows me to allocate this time for myself before the day unravels. With the change in our routine, I embarked on a new plan last year. It's worked out pretty well, once I got used to it and I also had to get innovative at picking the type of exercise that my body wants - a good mix between yoga, running and HIIT. The change this year, is that I got a membership at the gym in the next building to my office, so now, I have an additional option of heading there to work-out if I desire. I still mix working out in the building, just because it's more convenient.




There are some days where I am busier and opt to start work at this early hour. It's very quiet and I park things which require quiet-thinking to this session.


8.30am: Workout done - shower/change/prep for work.
9am: Breakfast/work starts, usually with me logging to read through emails... and my day kicks off.


I usually end my day between 530-630pm and I head home. I have additional duties of picking up one child on Tues/Wed post enrichment class, before going home for dinner. Then starts our usual evening routine of (1) reminding K of her homework to be done (2) reminding both kids to clear/pack their bags (3) pushing them to start washing up (4) targeting to have them in their bedroom by 9pm (5) hope that they fall asleep ASAP so no one is a cranky child the next day.


The end.

Cuddles in bed

Pardon my just-awakened-face

'Give me a face sandwich!'

Simple joys

Enjoying this lazy sight.. before the new year kicks off!

Sick bee

This little bee was so sick and caused so much distress and fatigue the last
few weeks. She's on the mend now so thank goodness for that.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair

That's what they were playing.

Scatter brain K

This is the last week of school for my Primary School daughter. Yesterday evening, we got into a little squabble about her filing.


So, I have been really quite bochap relaxed about how she packs her stuff. In this year, I remember we did a mid-year spring-cleaning where we attempted to pack her things after we bought a shelf just for her. I've then relied on verbally asking if she's packing her bag/materials... and I do notice that things seem to be messy in her drawer but I did not actively check on it.


Last Saturday, it was a day with no activity and I requested that K packed her whole set of drawers. I told her to pack everything properly and neatly because it's nearly the end of the school year and we need to be clear to know where everything is, so we can make way for new materials coming in for Primary 2. She spent the morning stacking papers about her room and I did not check, I just let her run this activity because, well, it's her things, right?

Yesterday night, I happened to look into her bag (I tend to do that occasionally to pick out sweet wrappers, crushed worksheets, loose stationery, check through her books, take out the damp umbrella...) and what do I find? Loose worksheets crushed (not filed into file, just stuffed into bag), and some junk which really riled me up!


It made me so mad that she had not attended to the task properly when time had been set aside to do it. I was mad that she does not care enough to bother. I was mad that it is already the last week of the school year and she is still this haphazard?!



Situation last night

I dished out punishment (no e-time for the whole week!) and set her to work right there and then to clear her worksheets - properly this time.


Sigh. What do I do with this child of mine?! Patience... is key. On this note, I am pretty ready to say 'Goodbye Primary 1!'

Yoga fun with my baby girl

Last Saturday evening, we had no activities planned. The girl was restless and I was feeling lethargic and needing some exercise (none for that day - opted for a movie date with the husband instead). So when the husband brought the son out for a haircut, I had an idea of doing some stretching yoga with the daughter.


I took the phone out and started googling for images of 'mother and child'... boom. Found plenty!



Referencing images

We successfully tried many, many poses

It was pretty fun! I broke out in a bit of sweat from moving about and stretching parts of the body where I needed it, the girl had fun (and so did I), and most of all, we giggled and had fun together. Win win win!