Not that I'm a great big fan of the Flintstones that I had to use this title, but I'm running out of words - my rubbish; my mumblings.... what else can I write?
Anyway, a quick update for the week. Hardly had chance to sit infront of my laptop except for that quick flashcards printing clearance.
Positive Parenting Style Vs Possessed Style
Okay.. I don't mean to be a hypocrite. I intended to change my style of parenting into the angelic mother but I ended up being more possessed. I wonder how hubby feels every evening he comes back home from work, and he gets his little surprise of "who is my wife today?" Most of the time is bao-qing-tian, never the gentle Goddess of Mercy.
I've been encouraging Aricia "good job! good try! good girl!" But I guess she's still at this age which don't taunt me and test my patience. (What patience?!) Whereas I flare up with Athena at the slightest thing. I don't know if years down the road, I'll be flaring up at Aricia - who seems more determined and strong-headed than her sister.
Brother - Wait! Your turn in 2 years time
Brother warned me "you better not go.. it was so crowded that time I passed by it" He was referring to the Noddy show at Forum. Err... he don't know this is one of the things parents do during the school holidays. Crazily spending time queuing up for a place to watch a show. Oh well.... he'll know it in 2 years time when Iggy's older.
Ear oily
I was commenting that Aricia's right ear seem to clean out yellow colour all the time after her bath. Then KZ told me, that that is very good. If anyone got stung by scorpions, you can use that to rub on the sting before reaching the hospital. Errr..... what scorpion can we find in the wild here? And imagining digging your ears for it?! Yucks!
This is the photo - snapped from my camera - too lazy to scan. Athena looked very happy - of course not forgetting how many photos we had to pass coz' she deliberately made monkey faces.
Done!
On Sunday, we finally (didn't have to go to IMH) found Berries.
I was rather impressed with the attitude of the staff and of course the curriculum covered as compared to Tien Hsia, which sounded more like Speech & Drama.
Annie even offered to show us around the school. Tien Hsia and Morris Allen, when I asked didn't oblige citing "disturbances to on-going classes" as excuses.
So, I've decided to put her on a Monday class instead on the weekends. Coz' I really need to do some things with her during the weekends. And I have stopped teaching her blends for quite awhile coz' end up not much time left. The only setback is.. (choy!) should anything happen to Aricia, I need to mobilize the whole unit again.
Every Mondays 7.15 pm - 9.00pm
K2-P1 Chinese Preparatory (小一预备) Duration: 1hr 45mins
Lesson A (P1 Chinese Preparatory)
* Berries Read & Recognise Programme strengthens reading ability through stories with interesting illustrations
* Develop analytical and oral skills as the child tells stories from pictures using vocabularies he has learnt
* Introducing sentence structures using vocabularies specially chosen to lay a strong foundation of language competency for the Primary One standards
* Writing strokes and sequence of Chinese characters build high memory retention in word recognition and writing skills
* Idioms, Hanyu Pinyin & language exercises with compilation of cartoons to enforce better understanding and stimulate ease of application of the language in daily life
* Introduction to comprehension develop understanding and answering abilities
* Story-telling & game sessions encourage participation and association learning
* D-I-Y programme requires child to complete some exercises at home
With Mondays and Wednesdays and maybe Fridays (well don't know if there'll be any changes in her Speech & Drama day next year) occupied, I have to re-work her time-table. And re-assigned assessment books for each day. Other enrichment lessons?? Was telling hubby that perhaps we should see if the Chinese Speech & Drama will help her in any way or not. If not, we'll pull her out of that and replace it with her Math and/or English + swimming. So ashamed to say that she don't even dare to go into the pool alone.
Last violin lesson
It's rather sad, just like the song 再见
要分离
我眼泪就掉下去
我会牢牢记住你的脸
我会珍惜你给的思恋 这些日子在我心中永远都不会抹去
I hate to say goodbyes. Today's Athena's last violin lesson, with a heavy heart albeit the light violin, I had to say my goodbye to Ms Low. I know I will probably bumped into them someday somewhere in Singapore, but.... it's like I've lessen the opportunity there.
I had my good happy days of chatting with Rag and Hiroe. The children had their fun days of running to the playground, throw their violin aside while the mothers (behind) walk slowly to pick up their their violins and put it nicely, and then they'll start playing together and whine when one has to leave.
I remember the time when Balraj started crying when the girls were so tired and refused to play with him. I told him to ask his mummy to buy "Redbull" next week for the 3 girls. Then he stopped crying, looked at mummy "mummy what's Redbull?" The week after, he did ask his mother to buy. Haha!
I know I've written this before. I'm hoping for a chance for her to pick it up again. It's not for her but for myself now. I've started to like the sound of violin. I will let her learn back again, either back to Ms Low (the school is at close proximity to her primary school) or maybe to Susanna - Jachelle's mummy. I guess I'll have to see which timing permits by then.
I hope to rekindle that interest in her. (It's not that she doesn't know how to play. It's her lazy way of pressing down the strings and bowing that drove me up the wall - that made me can't cope in doing her music revision almost everyday. 2 musical instruments' no joke!) Perhaps I should bring her to the orchestra to re-string her heart into it? SSO's Prom all SOLD OUT! Shucks! I tried to convince her today at the Princess Island Show where a lady was playing the violin; I showed her the video of this girl in NAFA from Sam's blog.Still...
Okay........these are just my thoughts and feelings. And guess what?
Today, that girl finally sank into the idea that she's really stopping violin and "mummy means it." She probably thought I was faking it all along - using it to threaten her.
In the car after her lesson, she was quiet and told me "mummy, I want to continue learn violin. I can play the violin; I only small dunno how to press the strings hard." You say I want to take the violin and knock her head or not? Then inconvenient Balraj and Yui in changing to the next class. Now she's telling me this?!?!
When......weeks ago I asked her, she said "I press the strings my finger very pain. I don't want to learn. Yes, sure I don't want to learn anymore.." But still I don't want her to think that she can give up things halfway.
Hopefully by next year, when she's one year older she finds no threat in her younger sister being favored/loved more than her and start being sensible herself? No need bao-qin-tian to come into me and scream at her everyday.. then I'll let her continue. In the meantime too, I need to prep her chinese up for P1. Learn singing class
Athena was singing, and she really sounded out of tone. I kept correcting her tone until I got so fed up.
"Do you need me to send you to singing school?"
Athena : (thinking that I'll need to pull her out from somewhere to replace another class) then you pull me out from school lah! Then put me in singing school....
Me : (frown) Pull you out from Lutheran??
Athena : Yes.
Me : If you don't attend school, then what will you be when you grow up? Basker?
Athena : (laughing)
Funny songs
I forgot I bought Athena some English songs CDs years back, until I was at mom's place. And you know I kindda feel "yucky" with those young girls dancing and trying to act old. But guess what? They probably ran out of songs and put in funny songs inside.
This one made me laugh
(to the tune of Where Is Thumbkin)
Where are you from, where are you from
I'm from China. I'm from China
Where are you from, where are you from
I'm from China, I'm from China
Anyway, a quick update for the week. Hardly had chance to sit infront of my laptop except for that quick flashcards printing clearance.
Aricia that loving girl??
On Monday (3rd), Aricia was messing up the foam thing that Athena built.
As usual the whiny girl started crying. Upon hearing her sister crying, Aricia surprised us by crawling over to her sister and stood up and 'sayang' her. We thought she was going to slap her sister's head but thank goodness the soft and kind side of her kicked in. Athena found it funny and burst out laughing. Then continued wailing trying to get our attention.
Aricia using her sister's shoulders as her hand support, bend down infront to look at her sister and touched her cheek like trying to wipe the tears off. She did this twice.
Small & quick
Do you think size matters for her agility? I think it does - she may be small but she's really quick. The moment you turn away from her, you'll find her sitting on our coffee table. What makes it more dangerous is sometimes she likes to bend forward; put her hands down for support and then she looks through her legs for that upside down environment.
Now, she has started to climb the high chair on her own. Oh my! I don't remember my pui pui girl being able to do that!!
Christmas tree
After the comical "pressies without the tree", I went down to Concourse after Ari's lesson last Friday to get a tree. Was looking for the fibre optic tree, but they've run out of the height that I wanted. The only left has pathetic (I can't see anything) lights. Not bright enough, I like the one SIL bought years ago.
Anyway, dunno if the guy is blur or I suddenly shrank in height. The guy pointed out a tree to me and told me "that's 5ft", well it did look short to me but when I got home....it became so tall. It's like a big Christmas tree misfitted in a 'small shopping centre' - my corner. That's 6ft!! Think maybe the guy took the wrong tree.. but I'm glad it's still the one with the pine cones and dunno what spilted ends blah blah, as long as the leaves don't drop off. I wanted to get those with snow at the tips but they did warn me about the dangers with a child at home with that kind of tree. Oh no! I cannot spray the bottom part of my hall windows this year with those stencils thing. Ari will end up scrapping them and putting her fingers in her mouth.
On Monday (3rd), Aricia was messing up the foam thing that Athena built.
As usual the whiny girl started crying. Upon hearing her sister crying, Aricia surprised us by crawling over to her sister and stood up and 'sayang' her. We thought she was going to slap her sister's head but thank goodness the soft and kind side of her kicked in. Athena found it funny and burst out laughing. Then continued wailing trying to get our attention.
Aricia using her sister's shoulders as her hand support, bend down infront to look at her sister and touched her cheek like trying to wipe the tears off. She did this twice.
Aricia "singing"
Not really singing but she was mimicking the sounds. Which was what I meant with her "ta -ta- ta"etc..
Not really singing but she was mimicking the sounds. Which was what I meant with her "ta -ta- ta"etc..
Small & quick
Do you think size matters for her agility? I think it does - she may be small but she's really quick. The moment you turn away from her, you'll find her sitting on our coffee table. What makes it more dangerous is sometimes she likes to bend forward; put her hands down for support and then she looks through her legs for that upside down environment.
Now, she has started to climb the high chair on her own. Oh my! I don't remember my pui pui girl being able to do that!!
Christmas tree
After the comical "pressies without the tree", I went down to Concourse after Ari's lesson last Friday to get a tree. Was looking for the fibre optic tree, but they've run out of the height that I wanted. The only left has pathetic (I can't see anything) lights. Not bright enough, I like the one SIL bought years ago.
Anyway, dunno if the guy is blur or I suddenly shrank in height. The guy pointed out a tree to me and told me "that's 5ft", well it did look short to me but when I got home....it became so tall. It's like a big Christmas tree misfitted in a 'small shopping centre' - my corner. That's 6ft!! Think maybe the guy took the wrong tree.. but I'm glad it's still the one with the pine cones and dunno what spilted ends blah blah, as long as the leaves don't drop off. I wanted to get those with snow at the tips but they did warn me about the dangers with a child at home with that kind of tree. Oh no! I cannot spray the bottom part of my hall windows this year with those stencils thing. Ari will end up scrapping them and putting her fingers in her mouth.
The tree decorated by my helper. As you can see, it's really cramped up between the water feature (left of picture - obviously not turned on) & the seat console
Positive Parenting Style Vs Possessed StyleOkay.. I don't mean to be a hypocrite. I intended to change my style of parenting into the angelic mother but I ended up being more possessed. I wonder how hubby feels every evening he comes back home from work, and he gets his little surprise of "who is my wife today?" Most of the time is bao-qing-tian, never the gentle Goddess of Mercy.
I've been encouraging Aricia "good job! good try! good girl!" But I guess she's still at this age which don't taunt me and test my patience. (What patience?!) Whereas I flare up with Athena at the slightest thing. I don't know if years down the road, I'll be flaring up at Aricia - who seems more determined and strong-headed than her sister.
Brother - Wait! Your turn in 2 years time
Brother warned me "you better not go.. it was so crowded that time I passed by it" He was referring to the Noddy show at Forum. Err... he don't know this is one of the things parents do during the school holidays. Crazily spending time queuing up for a place to watch a show. Oh well.... he'll know it in 2 years time when Iggy's older.
Ear oily
I was commenting that Aricia's right ear seem to clean out yellow colour all the time after her bath. Then KZ told me, that that is very good. If anyone got stung by scorpions, you can use that to rub on the sting before reaching the hospital. Errr..... what scorpion can we find in the wild here? And imagining digging your ears for it?! Yucks!
Family photo
I did mention we took a family photo on Athena's birthday right? This is the photo - snapped from my camera - too lazy to scan. Athena looked very happy - of course not forgetting how many photos we had to pass coz' she deliberately made monkey faces.
Done!
On Sunday, we finally (didn't have to go to IMH) found Berries.
I was rather impressed with the attitude of the staff and of course the curriculum covered as compared to Tien Hsia, which sounded more like Speech & Drama.
Annie even offered to show us around the school. Tien Hsia and Morris Allen, when I asked didn't oblige citing "disturbances to on-going classes" as excuses.
So, I've decided to put her on a Monday class instead on the weekends. Coz' I really need to do some things with her during the weekends. And I have stopped teaching her blends for quite awhile coz' end up not much time left. The only setback is.. (choy!) should anything happen to Aricia, I need to mobilize the whole unit again.
Every Mondays 7.15 pm - 9.00pm
K2-P1 Chinese Preparatory (小一预备) Duration: 1hr 45mins
Lesson A (P1 Chinese Preparatory)
* Berries Read & Recognise Programme strengthens reading ability through stories with interesting illustrations
* Develop analytical and oral skills as the child tells stories from pictures using vocabularies he has learnt
* Introducing sentence structures using vocabularies specially chosen to lay a strong foundation of language competency for the Primary One standards
* Writing strokes and sequence of Chinese characters build high memory retention in word recognition and writing skills
* Idioms, Hanyu Pinyin & language exercises with compilation of cartoons to enforce better understanding and stimulate ease of application of the language in daily life
* Introduction to comprehension develop understanding and answering abilities
* Story-telling & game sessions encourage participation and association learning
* D-I-Y programme requires child to complete some exercises at home
With Mondays and Wednesdays and maybe Fridays (well don't know if there'll be any changes in her Speech & Drama day next year) occupied, I have to re-work her time-table. And re-assigned assessment books for each day. Other enrichment lessons?? Was telling hubby that perhaps we should see if the Chinese Speech & Drama will help her in any way or not. If not, we'll pull her out of that and replace it with her Math and/or English + swimming. So ashamed to say that she don't even dare to go into the pool alone.
Last violin lesson
It's rather sad, just like the song 再见
要分离
我眼泪就掉下去
我会牢牢记住你的脸
我会珍惜你给的思恋 这些日子在我心中永远都不会抹去
I hate to say goodbyes. Today's Athena's last violin lesson, with a heavy heart albeit the light violin, I had to say my goodbye to Ms Low. I know I will probably bumped into them someday somewhere in Singapore, but.... it's like I've lessen the opportunity there.
I had my good happy days of chatting with Rag and Hiroe. The children had their fun days of running to the playground, throw their violin aside while the mothers (behind) walk slowly to pick up their their violins and put it nicely, and then they'll start playing together and whine when one has to leave.
I remember the time when Balraj started crying when the girls were so tired and refused to play with him. I told him to ask his mummy to buy "Redbull" next week for the 3 girls. Then he stopped crying, looked at mummy "mummy what's Redbull?" The week after, he did ask his mother to buy. Haha!
I know I've written this before. I'm hoping for a chance for her to pick it up again. It's not for her but for myself now. I've started to like the sound of violin. I will let her learn back again, either back to Ms Low (the school is at close proximity to her primary school) or maybe to Susanna - Jachelle's mummy. I guess I'll have to see which timing permits by then.
I hope to rekindle that interest in her. (It's not that she doesn't know how to play. It's her lazy way of pressing down the strings and bowing that drove me up the wall - that made me can't cope in doing her music revision almost everyday. 2 musical instruments' no joke!) Perhaps I should bring her to the orchestra to re-string her heart into it? SSO's Prom all SOLD OUT! Shucks! I tried to convince her today at the Princess Island Show where a lady was playing the violin; I showed her the video of this girl in NAFA from Sam's blog.Still...
Okay........these are just my thoughts and feelings. And guess what?
Today, that girl finally sank into the idea that she's really stopping violin and "mummy means it." She probably thought I was faking it all along - using it to threaten her.
In the car after her lesson, she was quiet and told me "mummy, I want to continue learn violin. I can play the violin; I only small dunno how to press the strings hard." You say I want to take the violin and knock her head or not? Then inconvenient Balraj and Yui in changing to the next class. Now she's telling me this?!?!
When......weeks ago I asked her, she said "I press the strings my finger very pain. I don't want to learn. Yes, sure I don't want to learn anymore.." But still I don't want her to think that she can give up things halfway.
Hopefully by next year, when she's one year older she finds no threat in her younger sister being favored/loved more than her and start being sensible herself? No need bao-qin-tian to come into me and scream at her everyday.. then I'll let her continue. In the meantime too, I need to prep her chinese up for P1. Learn singing class
Athena was singing, and she really sounded out of tone. I kept correcting her tone until I got so fed up.
"Do you need me to send you to singing school?"
Athena : (thinking that I'll need to pull her out from somewhere to replace another class) then you pull me out from school lah! Then put me in singing school....
Me : (frown) Pull you out from Lutheran??
Athena : Yes.
Me : If you don't attend school, then what will you be when you grow up? Basker?
Athena : (laughing)
Funny songs
I forgot I bought Athena some English songs CDs years back, until I was at mom's place. And you know I kindda feel "yucky" with those young girls dancing and trying to act old. But guess what? They probably ran out of songs and put in funny songs inside.
This one made me laugh
(to the tune of Where Is Thumbkin)
Where are you from, where are you from
I'm from China. I'm from China
Where are you from, where are you from
I'm from China, I'm from China
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