Out and About

From this week onwards, my work schedule is going to be HECTIC & CHAOTIC!!!

I'm torn between family and work BUT I have to work.

I've been in Shanghai since Monday, back on Friday night or Saturday morning depending on the flight. Then off to Hong Kong and Guangzhou next Monday 21/4 till Thursday 24/4, then KL on Sunday 27/4 till Wednesday 30/4. Finally our holiday in Bangkok and Hua Hin from 1 May (Thu) and back on 5 May (Mon), on leave on 6 May (at home) then to KL again 7-8 May.

I'm not only going to miss the family miserably BUT will be loaded with work. Both which I'm trying to strike a balance and keep all of us sane. I don't know how my hubby is going to cope when I'm not around but he has given his support. THANK YOU, Darling!

So God please help us.

Airport again!

Kids simply love the airport! We took them to T3 again on Saturday evening, they roamed the vast airport like nobody's business.

The next day, we planned to go Vivocity (another great place for kids) but Raeyen had slight fever and we found an ulcer at the left corner of his mouth. Took him to the PD this morning and was relieved that it's a viral infection, the ulcer was not HFMD but a bite by himself. He should be able to return to school tomorrow.

Talking about school, their Kindy will be organising a Sports Day on Labour Day. Kieran was especially excited and we would let them participate, afterall, it's all for good fun. It will end at 11am while our flight to Bangkok (for our holiday in Hua Hin) will depart at 6pm.

Toast for weekend brekkie

The boys just loved these cute little cut-out toasts with butter and cheese! They enjoyed cutting them, I think I gotta buy bigger cutters with cute shapes to keep them squealed for more!

Big Splash of Disappointment

The revamped Big Splash was re-opened lately and the whole family checked it out on a sunny Good Friday (21 March) morning. FYI, it's supposed to be the Playground for the "entire family", till you read our experience.

After we have parked the car, we wanted a cuppa, runny eggs and toasts at Old Town cafe co-owned by Jack Neo and Mark Lee. BUT there was already a queue OUTSIDE the cafe (and I heard that many items were not available, service wasn't good and the hot coffee wasn't hot enough.... looks like our dear Ya Kun is still the best)!

Then we went to the upper floor for this new kiddie indoor playground - Frisk 'n' Romp, thinking that at least the boys might get to play there. BUT it would only open in the afternoon (2 or 3pm).

Since there was not much we could do, the boys rode on motorised vehicles at an affordable costs for 20 minutes. At least, they enjoyed this bit.



Before going home, we were looking for toilets. BUT the only toilets were closed! We ended up using the heavily used toilets at KFC.

The management for Big Splash has forgotten about human's basic need for a functional toilet. What a disappointment and we have decided NOT to visit Big Splash for some time.

Yani's Birthday

We celebrated Yani's birthday on her actual day - Thursday, 3 April. She turned 26 and the kids were thrilled as they got to sing the birthday song and blow the candles.

Spellbound

Kieran's into K2 this year and his English and Chinese spelling started from this term.

It certainly gets tougher as the words are thematic. Next week's spelling list has "food", "healthy", "breakfast", "lunch" and "dinner".

While he got all correct for his past 2 spelling tests (carrot, broccoli, spinach, tomato, cabbage last week and pear, mango, papaya, pineapple and durian today), it was not without coaching in the evenings and weekends. Coaching him on English spelling is tough as his loses focus fast. Once he managed to spell all correct when I tested him, he may have mental block to 1-2 words the next moment - this I cannot comprehend.

As for Chinese spelling, teaching him the "strokes" (bi hua) is also not easy but it is still easier than to guide him on English spelling. In Chinese spelling, he either makes careless mistakes or the strokes look out of proportion.

Sometimes, these moments could make me lose my cool and feeling so frustrated. BUT I never once want to give up on him. I might have scolded him BUT I always remind him that I BELIEVE IN HIM, that he could do it.

Rising cost of living

Many things are getting more and more expensive, let me count what have gone up:

1) coffee
2) eggs
3) rice
4) petrol
5) school fees
6) dairy products
7) transportation
8) movie tickets (first Cathay, now GV)
9) Food Republic dough fritters and "hum cheen pang" ($0.70 to $0.90 = almost 30% increase!)
10) hotel room rates
11) medical fees
12) cod liver oil
13) diapers
14) many more...

The ones that are being hit the hardest are the lower-income earners. Will "someone" do something to help defray such rising costs?

The Return of the HFMD

The HFMD is very dreadful....

The childcare centre has 11 cases 2 weeks ago and just last week, the Kindy has 2-3 cases and 1 chicken pox case. Last Friday, the Kindy called me about Kieran's ulcer and asked if I knew.

I explained how he got the ulcer - he knocked his lips on a toy car while playing hide-and-seek with Raeyen and Yani (our helper). It was good to know that the Kindy has been very vigilant and observant of such sightings in the kids.

However, I don't understand why is HFMD so deadly and scary. It is rampant and seems seasonal. I could only urge all parents and caregivers to be watchful and mindful of hygiene. Inculcating the right values and the importance of hygiene to the kids as well as to practise the same themselves is paramount. It irks me when someone spits, sneezes/coughs without covering his/her mouth.

Girls' Day Out

Took half-day's leave on Friday to go shopping with Ivy.

We had a great day at Vivocity shopping after lunch. Bought clothes for ourselves and the family.

I was particularly happy because I bought 2 empire dresses from Gap, a blouse from bYSI, a shirt for hubby and a bermudas for Kieran, both from Fox. Last week, I got a casual tie-back dress from Women's Secret. Hmm, I should get something for Raeyen before the guilt kicks in. You see, Raeyen receives a lot of hand-me-downs from Kieran - books, clothes and toys. Sometimes, it seems kind of hard to think of what to get him.

Papular?

Kieran saw a paediatric dermatologist on Tuesday and was diagnosed with Papular Eczema on his elbows, kneecaps, thighs, buttocks and left shoulder.

Doctor said it's not contagious nor food-proned and most likely hereditary. Hereditary means he got it from my family (sigh...). Given Elomet cream, QV wash and moisturiser cream.

A Tribute to a Lost Son

On Tuesday, I read an article on The Straits Times with grief.

It was an article about a teen triathlete, Thaddeus Cheong who died last June after crossing the finishing line in a SEA Games triathlon selection race. He was only 17 and suppose to have a bright future ahead.

I cried while reading the interview with his parents and aunt. I could feel their heartache for losing their older son. I told hubby it's devastating for any parent to lose a child for no good reason. In his memory, his aunt wrote a book "Running The Full Distance: Thaddeus Cheong" where proceeds from its sales will go to a fund to build a church for the indigenous people in Sarawak.

Horton Hears A Who

Together with Ivy's family, we went for the movie at Suntec last Sunday.

There were pre-movie activities from The Little Linguist, Belly Dancing and Airbrush Tattoo. Just before the movie started, we went to Carl's Junior for lunch. After lunch, the daddies did their own thing while the mommies took the kiddos into the theatre.

It was a great movie and started well at first (Horton's a great character for the kids to learn that "a person's a person no matter how small") until Raeyen displayed his disinterest by making noise, kicking, etc.... To let the rest enjoy the movie, I took him out of the cinema to coax him but it didn't quite work out. He was moody and restless. I think I will not bring him for a movie until he is a little older.

And to complete the movie, I have to get the DVD when it's out.

My Betula

Bought this pair of Betula Luca from Tobias Mayer online, which arrived a few days ago. It's a great online shopping haven for Birkenstock (and the likes) sandals.

Did you notice I wore this to Disney On Ice?

Disney On Ice

We took Kieran and Raeyen to catch Disney On Ice at the Indoor Stadium this evening. It's Kieran's 2nd and first for Raeyen. This year's theme is on Adventure with a mix of stories from some of the most loved Disney classics, cartoons and animations.

While Kieran is more subdued, we were surprised that Raeyen watched the whole production intensely! He even clapped and waved at the characters/performers!

They even sang the chorus "coz, I can't wait to be King" from The Lion King theme song.

The finale was the best part for the boys as they had the chance of shaking hands with the performers. Kieran said, "the best is still The Lion King!" When I asked Raeyen if it was good, he said, "Yes, it's fun!". If you asked me, my favourite is The Little Mermaid. The props were amazing; among those mentioned, other stories enacted were Lilo & Stitch, 101 Dalmatians and Peter Pan.

Hmm, looks like we'll come back next year if the program is interesting.

Raeyen and his "manja" ways

Raeyen has his unique way of being "manja" to me.

When he wants extra TLC, he would come to me with those kitten-like eyes, purred "meow" and gently bury his little head into my chest.

Every morning when he wakes up, he would give me a nice, wide grin and say, "happy face, mommy".

He also has his own little ways of showing love.

When Kieran got punished by us, he would go to him, take his hand or embrace him and say "what happened?", "it's ok", "don't cry".

While he is getting more and more "challenging" (= more mischievous), he is still very adorable and lovable. Seeing Kieran is almost 6 years old, I can't help not wanting Raeyen to grow up so as to enjoy this moment of innocence and naivity.