Hubs Family Day

It's Hubby's Family Day. It was a 'own time own target' trip to Hollywood Dinos (mei-mei kept thinking we were going to see Barney).

She was still alright when we were outside but once inside, she ran to daddy asking him to "putect me".

Very disappointing .......not worth the $$. They kept asking me on the other dinosaurs which I've shown them in flashcards. Nope! Not there! And being curious, asked me the names of the dinosaurs we saw. Who's that idiot who gave funny and hard-to-pronounce names??

Photos :

T-Rex
Euoplocephalus
Megalosaurus
(Che-che : Eeks! Mei-mei : Roarrrrr!)

We walked for only less than 30 mins and che-che got lovebites. Can't believe this!

Mei-mei seated on a lion chair.

After that we left for dinner at nearby Arena Country Club. I haven't seen some of his colleagues for quite some time, our kids have grown. Ehh.......I think that was like 2-3 years back when mei-mei was a teeny weeny little baby. ??? (and she still looks small). Met one of his colleague, whom I'm so thankful for for knocking some sense in hubby, girl's in P4 in che-che's school. Girl's shy; Athena's shy. No conversation between them.

For the next 3 hours, I sat next to Ariciasaurus. Very irritating to hear her grunt like a dinosaur throughout dinner. Eat one mouthful; make some noise; another mouthful; make more noise. She found it amusing too and kept saying "I'm dinosaur". On the other hand, it was funny.
Not halfway through dinner, they started some games. I'm surprised that she was listening though she was grunting. MC asked "I need some children 6 years and below". That girl actually stood up from her high chair. First to stand up, naturally mother happy that she's so sporting. Hubby dowan to go up coz' it's the Parent & Child Look Alike Contest. I helped her down she walked up to the front without hubby, the lady asked her to find her parents, she came back for "Papa.. come! Papa come!" and pulled his hand. Kept refusing until he also paiseh coz' the girl was shouting so loud.


They then had to walk to all the tables to garner support. I was the only one walking behind them coz' mummy had to support them too right?? No lah! Photos for my blog more likely. Hee!

Only one shot looks clear. Shucks! Mummy PR-ed too much already.

He received the 2nd loudest claps. All the support from HR Dept.
Mei-mei is so super thick-skinned when MC told them to collect their prizes, she was the first to rush forward and take. Dunno if she did say Thank You to her or not. I thought it looked rather abrupt and rude.
But then............I have a happy ARICIASAURUS. (a small but loud dinosaur) She kept fiddling with the prize and forgot about it until 10 mins later she began making noise again.
Another look-alike contest for the older kids. Umm.... I would have jumped up to take part if che-che qualifies.
A dance competition followed. Mei-mei volunteered (again) - very sporting. Ran out first, came back for che-che pulled her hand "che-che.. come come che-che come and dance." Scenerio familiar? Che-che's just like daddy. Colleagues saw and thought she was very sporting; buay paiseh (like the mother so thick skinned). Che-che refused to go up until MC had no choice but to call names. Heehee! But she very guai lor... still dare to walk out.
when the first girl went on stage, mei-mei went up as well (she don't seem to understand why she was up there I guess). Stood infront of the girl; went back to pull che-che up the stage. Ah ha! My 2 girls will face the audience doing their best in what they always do best in public. > Stand there and do nothing.!!!! Mother paiseh dunno where to hide face. My kids stage fright lah! They dance crazily at home for us but dare not do it in public. I think mei-mei will do it but she wanted her che-che to accompany her; che-che's shy so in the end my 2 kids stood there. Sigh...


Never mind, they got a prize each for doing nothing. So clever right? Trying to console myself. Hahaha. We gave one prize away to another of his colleague.

The dinner ended and we made our way back home. Kids fight (again) behind; switched places with the kids. Che-che's happy seated infront while I carried my ARICIASAURUS, who was once so fierce and now quiet, to sleep.

Mumbling rubbish

Was in United Square in the evening for a workshop by LW. Amongst its tenants in UA are some enrichment centres.

On the third level, parents; helpers waiting to pick up the children. It was crowded! In Macs, basement level, where I settled for my quick dinner-I noticed children doing their homework, mummies pointing and talking to their child. It was noisy (and guilt-stricken) I wondered if the kids will be distracted like my girl. One mummy was seen feeding her child while the girl was scribbling away. I don't want to be like that mummy, even if I want my child to finish her work fast, I would let her eat on her own and let her enjoy her food first. I thought I was crazy making che-che do her work outside. And last year every Wednesdays I'd bring a book and go through some work with her after her dinner before her music class. I was optimising time and these parents are doing the same thing. I carry a red pen in my handbag and in the car, do you?

Speaking of enrichment centres, we are often too spoiled for choice. We have no idea which are the best centres. We rely on recommendations; we rely on advertisements (wonder where the exhorbitant fees go to?). But are they really THAT GOOD? Yes, they produce the results. They show the P6/Sec 4's students' PSLE/O'Levels results in their centre. But more often, you have to take an assessment. They can't guarantee you that your child would be given a place. Then again, an enrichment centre is suppose to help our children and not select. Must have good grades to go in, of course those kids are already smart to begin with + teachers drill drill drill = 279, 283 etc.. results for PSLE.

I did some comparisons over a few schools offering English, sounds like the centres offer almost similiar format to my LILYANN ENRICHMENT TORTURE CENTRE. Parents pay from $280 - $380 per month. Per month!! To think that I'm feeling the heartpain with mei-mei's Shichida class fee. So why pay so much to schools when you can do it yourself? Not forgetting the we face. But if I saved that money, I could use it to buy another pair of Guess jeans for one month and others for the following months. Hee! (but.. by then so busy that I don't even have time to shop)

One mummy asked the teacher conducting the workshop. About a certain centre in UA (no names mentioned), whether it is good and what they do. Nobody had any idea but what the teacher said "it's very assessment paper based. Very unlike here in LW, the children have fun." Actually I do agree with the teacher, children learn through play. Che-che enjoys the lessons (most importantly she don't hug my fat thigh prior to every lessons now) in LW. They can't have strict military centres, I think we parents do a much better job in that so why waste the $$?
School - play
Enrichment centre - play
Home - Military
So why spoil relationship with child and be the bad guy? I'm not trained to be an educator; I don't know how to deliver the lessons in a fun way with my kid.

Aricia's ...

egoistic. Put it in simple terms - she's hao lian. Since she's able to go diaperless, she's been so happy. She keeps asking us to bring her to the toilet, pee a little, asks for sticker, 5 mins later wants to pee; asks for sticker. She outsmart us by getting more stickers = get closer to her rewards.

Then, she comes back home from school today boasting "Teacher A say I am a big girl, cannot wear diapers (I said that too but she didn't listen to me!!). I am in N2 already, big girl. I no wear diapers now. Allegra still wearing diapers, big girl already cannot wear diapers she still wear diapers.
I feigned ignorance and asked her "who's still wearing diapers?"
"Allegra!" points her pointer up in the air.

CNY Baking II - Part A

Huh? Part A? Turned out the portion is really small. I need to bake another 2-3 portion more. Crazy.......not like my oven is big. I see the rotating plate turn until I go giddy. And it's one plate at a time. Argh!!

After my first bake on pineapple tarts, I needed a break from rolling those filllings into balls Yes - I do intend to bake another batch of pineapple tarts, I tried Cashew Sugi Cookies today. I love cashew nuts, infact all sorts of nuts (which kindda explain why I'm so nuts :) ) Not sure how it'll turn out but whatever it is, I still get my dose of cashew nuts.



I was a little smart by toasting, halve some nuts and grind the night before.

I started baking after dinner. Che-che liked it when she smell the aroma of the nuts mixed to make the dough, refused to sleep.

The cookies 'melt in your mouth' and leaves a nice sweet aftertaste. I'm not sure if sugis are meant to be like this, thought it was suppose to be crunchy? Hmm.... I love it no matter what. My taster aka che-che will probably get to try my 2nd batch.

Mission accomplished !成功!





,

Battle of the Sexes

*extracted from lifestyle MSN*

I often say that I spend more time and energy on my one boy than on my three girls. Other mothers of boys are quick to say the same. Forget that old poem about snips and snails and puppy dog tails, says Sharon O'Donnell, a mom of three boys and the author of House of Testosterone. "Somehow it's been changed to boys being made of 'fights, farts, and video games,' and sometimes I'm not sure how much more I can take!"

Not so fast, say moms of girls, who point out that they have to contend with fussier fashion sense, more prickly social navigations, and a far greater capacity to hold a grudge. And as a daughter grows, a parent's concerns range from body image to math bias.

Stereotyping, or large kernels of truth? "I think parents use 'which is harder?' as an expression of whatever our frustration is at the moment," says family therapist Michael Gurian, author of Nurture the Nature. "Boys and girls are each harder in different ways."

Every child is an individual, of course. His or her innate personality helps shape how life unfolds. Environment (including us, the nurturers) plays a role, too: "There are differences in how we handle boys and girls right from birth," says David Stein, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Virginia State University in Petersburg. "We tend to talk more softly to girls and throw boys in the air."

But it's also true that each gender's brain, and growth, unfolds at a different rate, influencing behavior. Leonard Sax, M.D., author of Boys Adrift, believes parents raise girls and boys differently because girls and boys are so different from birth -- their brains aren't wired the same way.

So, can we finally answer the great parenting debate over which sex is more challenging to raise? Much depends on what you're looking at, and when:

Discipline
Who's harder? Boys
Why don't boys seem to listen? Turns out their hearing is not as good as girls' right from birth, and this difference only gets greater as kids get older. Girls' hearing is more sensitive in the frequency range critical to speech discrimination, and the verbal centers in their brains develop more quickly. That means a girl is likely to respond better to discipline strategies such as praise or warnings like "Don't do that" or "Use your words." "Boys tend to be more tactile -- they may need to be picked up and plunked in a time-out chair," Gurian says. They're also less verbal and more impulsive, he adds, which is especially evident in the toddler and preschool years.

These developmental differences contribute to the mislabeling of normal behavior as problematic, a growing number of observers say. Five boys for every one girl are diagnosed with a "disorder" (including conduct disorder, bipolar disorder, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, sensory integration disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder), says Stein, also the author of Unraveling the ADD/ADHD Fiasco. Some kids -- most often boys -- may simply fall on the more robust end of normal. They need more opportunities to expend energy and aggression, as well as firmer limits.

Physical safety
Who's harder? Boys
"Much after-dinner wrestling here," reports Michelle Mayr, the Davis, California, mom of four boys, ages 5 to 12. "I'm constantly fighting to keep my house a home rather than an indoor sports center. Their stuffed animals' primary function is to be added to the pile of pillows everyone is launching into from the coffee table." In general, boys are more rambunctious and aggressive, experts say. Taking risks lights up the pleasure centers of their brains. Many parents find they have to keep a closer eye on what a son is "getting into," or use more bandages.

But letting kids explore -- at the cost of a few scrapes and cuts -- builds character, self-confidence, resilience, and self-reliance, says Wendy Mogel, Ph.D., author of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee. Boys, being natural risk takers, may need encouragement to slow down a little, but maybe girls need to be encouraged to take more risks. Look for opportunities for your daughter to jump off a wall, swim in the deep end, or try the bigger slide.

Communication
Who's harder? First boys, then girls
From birth, a girl baby tends to be more interested in looking at colors and textures, like those on the human face, while a boy baby is drawn more to movement, like a whirling mobile, says Dr. Sax. (These differences play out in the way kids draw: Girls tend to use a rainbow of hues to draw nouns, while boys lean toward blue, black, and silver for their more verblike pictures of vehicles crashing and wars.) In a nutshell, girls are rigged to be people-oriented, boys to be action-oriented. Because girls study faces so intently, they're better at reading nonverbal signals, such as expression and tone of voice. Boys not only learn to talk later than girls and use more limited vocabularies, they also have more trouble connecting feelings with words.

"While most girls share their feelings and details of events, my three sons honestly don't see that as important. I spend my days asking, 'What happened then?' or 'What did he say after you said that?'" O'Donnell says.

Important note: Because boys hold eye contact for shorter periods than girls, parents may worry about autism, since this can be a red flag. "It's a relief for moms to know that this is normal and comes from the way the brains are set up," Gurian says.

Self-esteem
Who's harder? Girls
Developing a healthy self-image is critical to all kids. But as the more compliant and people-oriented gender, girls tend to grow up less confident and more insecure than boys, researchers say. Famed gender researcher and psychologist Carol Gilligan, Ph.D., calls this "the tyranny of nice and kind" -- unwittingly raising girls to be people pleasers.

"This cultural pressure to put others' needs first, ignore one's own gut feelings, and avoid asking for what one wants has traditionally harmed girls," says Jenn Berman, a California family therapist who wrote The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy, Confident Kids. "Despite the fact that she enjoys the positive attention and accolades that people pleasing brings, the more a girl pushes her own needs and desires underground to please others, the more likely her own self-esteem will suffer."

"I see a natural nurturing instinct in my daughter and her friends," says Tracy Lyn Moland, a parenting consultant in Calgary, Alberta, who has a girl, 11, and a boy, 8. "I find myself saying, 'I can take care of that -- you get yourself ready,' when she's trying to mother her brother."

Make no mistake, helpfulness and nurturing are virtues for everybody. But this tendency in girls makes it smart to help her explore and strengthen her inner nature and encourage her to try new things.

Body image is a big part of self-esteem, and though there's certainly body-image dysfunction in boys and men, it remains mostly a female issue. The natural rounding out of the body that happens in puberty clashes with the unnatural slimness girls see in the culture around them.

Be aware of the messages you convey about your own body, diet, and exercise. "It's painfully obvious that girls' negative body image can come directly from seeing their moms look critically in the mirror and complain," says Berman. "Teach your daughter to listen to her body's signals of hunger and satiety. Girls who listen to their bodies tend to listen to their instincts in other areas." Sports are a great way for girls to build confidence and a healthy appreciation for their bodies.


As girls get to be 8 or so, things can get harder: The flip side of being so adept at communicating is that girls exert a lot of energy on it. There can be a great deal of drama around who's mad at whom, who said what and why, and more. Start when your daughter's a toddler to establish an open communication, so she learns she can come to you for advice.

School
Who's harder? Mostly boys
Boys and modern education are not an idyllic match. An indoor-based day and an early emphasis on academics and visual-auditory (as opposed to hands-on) learning ask a lot of a group that arrives at school less mature. In their early years, most boys lag behind girls in developing attentiveness, self-control, and language and fine motor skills.

The relatively recent acceleration of the pre-K and kindergarten curricula has occurred without awareness that the brain develops at different sequences in girls and boys, Dr. Sax says. Music, clay work, finger painting, and physical exercise -- early-ed activities that once helped lively kids acclimate to school -- are vanishing. Few teachers are trained in handling the problems that result.

One area where girls do less well in school concerns spatial learning, such as geometry. Girls may use different parts of their brains to process space perceptions. The key is for parents to present both boys and girls with plenty of no-pressure opportunities to try out the areas that are challenging.

The bottom line? On balance, the general consensus seems to be that boys are more of a handful early on, and girls more challenging beginning in the preteen years. Which means that, as the mom of daughters who are 12, 9, and 7, I have the next ten years cut out for me!

Geez.....I almost >>

fainted yesterday! I used to have fainting spells quite often when I was younger; before I had kids. Then the kids came along, hormonal changes, things looked alright until >> yesterday.

Che-che thought I was kidding with her when I called her to the toilet. Told her to "fan me" while I kept my head down. And she was playing around. No choice lor.. called KZ to standby. She didn't know what to do in the event I faint. Siao lah! Still can tell her "oil, will come around fast, if not call ambulance". Wah.... so alert hor? How to faint like that?

I was really tired after that, I slept for 2 hours straight and knocked out immediately. Che-che was happy (needless to say), didn't tell her to do her work so she was >> watching DVD.

Oh no!! Something wrong with me??

SHE DID IT!!!!

SHE DID IT!

Last evening, my lil' girl finally pee-ed sitting on the toilet seat. KZ sat with her, coaxed her until she was so thirsty. Then finally that girl pee. Her remark was "ay... like mummy, like che-che, like daddy, like Aunty Zet like that" That's really an achievement, to think that we've abandoned the idea of 'forcing her to go diaperless' only the week before.

Today, the first pee in the morning proved to be a tedious affair. Took a realllllyyyyyyyyyyy long time before she did. Credit goes to KZ for coaxing that girl, when I came in wanting to take over she chased me out of the toilet. KZ had to continue. Thereafter, she managed another 2 times. We made sure she was really VERY urgent, that she had to cross her legs while standing/sitting, that made the job easier.

She finally got her reward - a baby stroller to push her Pluto, her Mimi baby and her "che-che's Andrea" (she never forgets about her sister) - from KZ.

CNY Baking I

Spent an entire day baking my first batch of Pineapple Tarts.

I started on my work when the kids were napping, both kids napped for a long time and I didn't have any distractions eg. children not doing their work etc..

Helps that ready-made fillings are easily available so I don't have to stand infront of a stove and stir like siao! Mom used to slave over the hot stove for us.

Really pleased with this first batch, first attempt on this new recipe.


Most importantly, it melts in your mouth. My fillings were generous coz' I was using my scales to diligently measure every filling and dough. I could only round to 10g each. But nobody's complaining, especially che-che who loves Pineapple Tarts. She kept asking for more
Hours of hard work, (butt pain) yields 3 cans + some into our mouths. Actually I could have made another 40 over pieces but ran out of filling and too lazy to go out and buy.
I added M&Ms to the rests of the dough. Hmm......taste funny with this kind of melt-in-your-mouth dough.

Batch II and more coming up - hopefully!

MC

Che-che's on MC today. Didn't feel well the night before, sent her to bed after a dose of Paractemol.

This morning, checked on her and she was not herself. Mei-mei was changed out of her school uniform, she cried (coz' she wanted to play in her porsche). Everyone stayed at home, good for me.. I felt like nuah-ing too. Honestly, I haven't been myself lately too. Reasons? More in later blog entries.

Booked!

Che-che told me she wants to watch Disney On Ice again. Checked with hubby if he's going to bring us for a holiday during the school hols coz' I thought he mentioned something about Shanghai again. Nope! And so it's good news for che-che.

Booked for 3 tickets, this time I managed to get the first row. Yay! I pray hard my lil' girl will behave herself. First time I'm bringing her for a show. Knowing how difficult it is to handle this girl (I'm usually flat out!!) I think something must be wrong with my brlain - coz' I'm only putting myself in deep deep trouble. I can't be paying for KZ to help me take care of mei-mei coz' it's so ex. Then I have to be fair to her too right?

Aricia

Toilet training at home
Hubby was so free to help to bring mei-mei to the toilet. He was so pleased that she was willing to sit on the toilet seat, asked everyone to "Come to see her" ?????? Oi! You mean he wasn't listening to what I've been telling him? And ..... goes to show how hands-on he is with the kids. Well, can't blame him. He's been really busy with work + school.
He was with her for 20 mins in the toilet, coaxed until he buay-tahan. He sounded so positive in his words whereas I'm the total opposite lor! Come on! Give me 2 kids who keep making me fed-up; shout at them; scold them etc.... and facing them the whole day does drive me out. Whatever patience I had is all GONE! No wonder nobody likes to be a SAHM and prefers to work.
20 mins later, he gave up. "Aricia, you must sit in the toilet already. Cannot wear diapers ok?"
The mother heard it, looked at him sacarstically. The child looked at him pretending not to understand any thing he said or she could have mosaic-ed out those words he said.
We (KZ and me) had been perservering for a year plus. Tried to put her in toilet seat/potty way back in June 2008. You say how much of patience we had. We can't do it not to mention for him? Only first time? He expects to see success?

Equation :
Lots of patience & 2 determined adults + 1 even more determined young girl = FAILURE!!

Toilet training at school
School gave up. She cried in school. Tells me she didn't want to go to school the night before but when she's in school she forgets coz' she wants to play in her 'porsche'. Then when it came to toilet training I heard she cried.

Schoolwork
She's been sobbing alot recently when she sat there and didn't touch her work. For a hardy determined girl like her to soften and cry, it does sadden the mummy. Teacher show me what she didn't want to do, I explained she knows how to do that. Either, the Chinese teacher spoke to her in a language which she is not good in and she didn't understand (but... she sees pictures, she's able to understand what she has to do) or she's too affected with the diaper-free thing. School agreed to stop her after I told them she sobbed in the car for no reason after I picked her up from school. She wanted mummy to hug her and she slept in my arms; in the small car while waiting for che-che.

She didn't want me
Usually I take Wednesdays morning to have bonding session with her. But today, she didn't want me. She wanted to play in her porsche. Mummy's sad, mummy's raging hormones is getting her to be more sobby. Darn! My girl dowan me, I can't imagine when my girls get married and I'LL CLING ON TO THEIR LIVES; HOLD KEYS TO THEIR HOUSE AND BUG THEM.... AND .... GET KICKED OUT.

So here I am in a Internet Cafe nearby typing this. This place is my life saviour, on days when I just want to do nothing and do not want to go back home, I come here to surf the net before going off to the shops which opens at 11am.

Aricia

The school is trying to bring mei-mei to the toilet during school hours coz' I've raised up the difficulties I face to them. It started this week, on Tuesday. From what I heard, she cried in school. The school told me "yes, she's sitting." Yah.. I know I got to that part too. "Aricia sat for us too, and she dozed off in her potty", laughing as I said that. "Coz' we asked her to SIT, she sits. But she will never pee/poo."
Hmm... I really hope the school can help me but it goes to prove that I'm not joking when I mention this girl is tough to handle. Very determined girl.

Vocabulary
A conversation between us.
M : "Aricia, you need more strength to push the door open."
A : "Yes mummy. I eat more then I have strengther to open the door."
M : "What? You eat more to have what? It's suppose to be 'stronger' "
A : "I must eat more so I am stronger."
M : "yes.........."
Fragile and 'touch-me-not'
Master Tan says this girl is very sensitive. If she senses that you are angry with her, her face turns red and tears well up in her face. She doesn't cry out loud but sobs. See her also heart pain... But it's because of her sensitivity, she's very sensitive to others' feelings. In other words, she angkats really well. Hubby dotes on her more too coz' she's more responsive to him.

To err is to .....
Everyone makes mistakes somehow and it's forgive-able (unless it's a continuous cycle then it's careless mistake). She made a small mistake in her school work and she gets into a minor "shock", face turns red and her eyes wet. Well, ask me, I say it's good she knows she's made a mistake. Perfectionist? Astounding YES!
When she had to make strips for her Shichida homework. She gladly coloured the paper, haven't gotten to colour the whole portion when she ran into the room to take che-che's scissors and snipped off the lines. KZ, who was in-charge of all her Shichida's homeworks, was out of the room for a short while screamed at her "ARICIA!!!" She quickly ran to me, "mummy...mummy...my homework...." and about to cry. Almost forgetting that my girl is already 3+, I then asked her "why did you cut your paper when you haven't coloured the whole paper?"
A : (kept quiet)
M : Is it becoz' you heard what you're suppose to do from sensei?
A : (whispered) yes
M : what did sensei say?
A : I colour then I cut
Forgive-able for sure. It goes to show that she's been listening to instructions when you think she isn't. Double-standard from mummy? I think so too! I mean, if this were to happen with che-che. I'll nag the house down. But then, mei-mei is only 3+, if she's doing this same mistake when she's 7. I'll definitely be pissed off.

Too pampered?! Neglected?!

Kids these days are really too pampered? Or parents too overly- indulgent or .... I'm super gniao with my kids?

There's always the debate of "should children be holding on to mobile phones?" Schools state, 'your mobile phone lost; your par-sah. We are not conducting checks.' (full stop)

I always say I'm not going to give my children any phones until they're much older. Thank goodness my girl sways to my nags and she also feels that "yah lor... I can always call you from the canteen phone or go to the office or borrow my teacher phone".

Days ago, prior to the start of the new school term, I overheard this conversation. "che-che, can I borrow your handphone? I am charging my phone at home." I was shocked. That girl was probably the same age as my che-che. The 2 girls have phones whilst my poor kids are playing with a fake plastic phone (and they seem so happy).

As technology advances, the kids have Facebook, Twitter and what nots. And to think this old maid me joins in the cyberworld a tad too late. And they play games in FB like nobody's business when I have problem joining one game.

Then I wonder >> how much time are the children spending infront of the computer? Have they done their homework/s yet?

When it was the school hols, the time when I used to jubilate and follow my mom around from dad's office to home (and claim I was helping my dad out in his office. I eat snake...). Decades down the road, my girl follow me 24/7. To be fair to her, she had her fair share of play and some work towards the end of the school hols.
Once I brought her to Timezone in PP prior to fetching mei-mei. I saw girls as young as 9-10 yrs old playing games with their friends; dancing. Woah! Very good leh!! Che-che was with me and then I think if my girls are going to be like them idling time away next time without parental guidance or should I keep a close tab on them- holding on to them tightly (like my mom did).
Perhaps it's much easier for me to say these coz' I'm a SAHM. FTWMs are cursing at me now. Perhaps I'm over-reacting...but I can't help but imagine if my girls mixed with the wrong company.

So are kids pampered or neglected (and get compensated by monetary terms)?

Coming to that, when it comes to pocket money. I gasped when I hear parents giving their children $5 daily. And the kids are only in P1!! I can understand if the child is in Secondary school. I am really very gniao (stingy). If the child saves the money - good. But kids are usually tempted with things in the bookshop and buy rubbish home. I know I did, I used to love those cute erasers and pencils. $5 for a working adult to eat in the foodcourt or hawker centre during lunch time maybe... $5 for food in school which are sold on the average $1 to $1.50 that's too much already. In return, kids do not know the importance/ value of money. This may lead to bad habits - being extravagant.

Macaroons II

Baked a full portion of macaroons. This time round, I decided to use my KA to whip the egg whites. It was much faster and less tiring thus baking was a breeze.

I love the filling. I realise it was too liquidy last week. Nope, it was the correct recipe but I should have left it longer to harden up a little. Too impatient and next time I shall do the filling 2-3 days before and freeze them.

49 macaroons. I tried to make some small for the kids. Realised I can pop the whole thing in my mouth, so macaroons should look big. People eat also more gian right? I so heart macaroons! Has that soft chewy texture, so next in bakelist would be green tea macaroons. I don't think I'll get many guinea pigs coz' people will go "eeks! green tea meant for drinking".
Not much macaroons this time round and I gift to 3 people. Ahem.. my guinea pigs. But at least I know that my filling portion can last me 1 1/2 portions. Or maybe I am too stingy with my filling. Heehee!

成功 or 失败? 成功!!

Dancing

I've been wondering if making che-che learn the piano (and in the future mei-mei, considering violin for her too!) was a wise choice. My idea was to let them learn music coz' I have the selfish mentality that music is better than any other art.
Then I noticed the children love to dance. Infact, I saw that che-che loved to dance about a few years back. Asked if she wanted to learn dancing but she didn't say anything. I was definitely willing to let her learn dancing BUT she wasn't going to drop music.

Che-che would try to choreograph dance by making her little muse - meimei - to dance with her and tell her what to do. Of course mei-mei would gladly follow. You see how they run into the "stage area" from the coffee table and dance, then run back to the table or towards the kitchen. Then run in again. Hilarious! I tried videotaping them down, but the moment they see the camera - they stop!

For the past few days, since Wednesday, they've been dancing. Che-che brought home the Concert DVD and the 2 girls danced. And I must admit, the 2 girls danced rather well. As for mei-mei she knew the sequence without watching the TV. Cute! Their favourite dance items - Copacabana and one dance using hula hoops.
I asked che-che again if she wanted to learn dancing, she was so agile and could shake her buttocks so well. But still... I don't get any answer from her. I give her a choice if she wants to learn dancing but I decide for her to take up ballroom dancing. Hmmm..

Shichida

Mei-mei attended her 2nd Shichida class for the new year; new term. She's in the 4 years-old class now.

The first lesson last week was a full class. 3 other kids from another time slot joined us. And it was extremely noisy. Not used to the cosy, just 3 kids, classes we had for the last 2 terms.
I thought this week should be better. Still noisy, even more noisy like in a wet market. Sigh..... I got a terrible headache. Honest! The classes ended later, which means I don't have time to have a short chat with J and S after their class. We used to have nice chats in the school and then I go off for che-che's Berries class. Now, I can't. Lesson ends at 4.20pm.

But must admit the class is getting more interesting. Hubby haven't complained about the exhorbitant fees yet. I can't bear to withdraw her out should I need to put che-che or her in another class. (must keep expenses down) She loves Shichida, wouldn't want to miss Shichida at all. Months before, I had the choice of abandoning either Ros or Shichida coz' I couldn't cope with the logistics and homeworks etc.. She said she wanted Shichida.

I'm really tired from trying to print new flashcards. Coz' it's an on-going thing but she loves flashcards and will sit still and pay attention. Makes me feel guilty if I don't do anything. Know what I mean? Sometimes she even requests to du-shu and points to all the flashcards. Hmm......

Poor thing

Che-che told me that they were tasked to take care of the P1s during school recess. I thought wah... so soon? Thought P3s get to do it? But it's good training I guess, brings up their confidence. Actually not so for che-che coz' she's rather authoritative towards her mei-mei at home.

And then ............she complained to me. "Mummy, my buddy (which I corrected her later, she's the buddy but that P1 girl is her mentee) very talkative. She's a Malay and I help her buy food at Rasa Sayang. And she talks alot, talked so much until I have not enough time to eat." "She's probably curious about the school and talking about school right? So you will need to spend the time explaining to her." "No, I dunno what she is talking about. And I didn't answer her much."
LOL. So, how come my daughter didn't have time to finish her food?? I'm puzzled
So the very next day, I asked KZ to pack more food so that she won't have to go and buy food and waste more time.

Class

I changed her LW class to Wednesday but now beginning to regret. Coz' it means that I have to deliberately drive home to get her to shower and come out again and then make the mad rush to TM after that for her music lesson. And it's not like I live nearby!!
Marine Parade > Punggol > Marine Parade > Tampines > Punggol
What makes life a little easier is that I've asked KZ to pack che-che's lunch so that she eats on the journey home in the car. I don't have to scream at her to finish her lunch fast. The moment we get back home, she showers and we leave. Should have some time to go through some work with her before that.

I contemplated if I should change centre for her, or timing or look for new alternative/s while waiting for her.

My final choice - NO. Coz' she was so happy (despite she was almost in tears - aiyoh! not again!! prior to the class) and told me she has 2 friends from her school in her same class. And she knows one of them rather well. Hmm.. so can't pull her out and risk having her cry again when she's in new centre.

1st day of school - 2010

It seems like yesterday when I had to walk che-che in to her new school. This year, she is a year older and a year senior than the newcomers. She's a che-che to many mei-meis in school.

I hope in this new year, she is able to work on her confidence. She's too shy to talk to start a conversation with strangers. I hope too, she will not be easily influenced by her peers.

Later in the day when I picked her up, I asked if she missed her friends. She did though she would prefer to watch TV the whole day.

School's IN

You know it's time to go to school when :

1) the TV's almost burnt out from excessive usage
2) you see school bags hanging on the bamboo poles (which I think is too late to wash the bags)
3) you see school uniform on the poles
4) parents tell their children "we're staying at home for dinner coz' you gotta wake up early tomorrow"

and finally
5) the mother cannot tahan already. Kids bickering almost 24hrs.

For mei-mei, it was a daily affair despite the school hols to chaffeur her to school. For che-che, finally I can get that girl off me. I need time and space on my own!!

For che-che she didn't take that long/wasn't difficult to get into bed the usual early bedtime hours. She quickly brushed her teeth and jumped into bed. I closed their room door and heard mei-mei talking to her - disturbing her. Che-che asked her to stop talking, mei-mei continued to yak.
I had her schoolbag packed days before (eh no......the moment I had them wrapped in November). There's school locker so brought the necessary stuffs. She wanted to use the Disney Princess bag (the one that she brought for our recent trip) mom bought her. I don't think that bag is suitable for her; so uncomfortable. Anyway, the old bag still looks new so I told her she can use the new bag after the current one's spoilt.
School uniform re-ironed and hanged. Back to the daily drills, back to hoarding a parking lot in MSCP in Marine Parade in the afternoon.
Everything is done. But oh no! Mother's a blunder. I forgot to check if she could still wear her shoes. She can't wear both canvas and sports shoes. Argh!!!!! No choice she has to bear with it for one day.
As for her hair - she wants to keep long. Which means I'll have to tie for her. Sigh...........

Celebration

Had a celebration for mom during the weekends.

Bro booked a place in Vivo - Serenity. Hmm.........food is so-so. The kids had a great time together, the two young ones kept dancing to the band music.

Here are some photos taken on the night

I like the way the kids positioned themselves for me

"Ohh mummy. Can I drink martini please?"

Kids making faces

Aricia : "Alamak! Must say grace. In the name of the father and of the son....." (making the sign of a cros)

Mom and me