I have been complaining about Popo, her quirks and all. A colleague stared at me in disbelief when I briefly shared that it is tough to live with my mum. I must have sounded like some ungrateful, unfilial brat. I should be frightened during thunderstorms and hide to prevent getting struck by lightning.
Well, it is indeed not easy to live with Popo. I think I have said enuff – one mountain cannot contain 2 tigers. However, we cannot do without her either. With her around,
1. The house is always clean. I cannot imagine me having to pick up the toys, sweep and mop after tucking the kids to bed. Now, I get to enjoy surfing net, watching dramas on my iPad after the kids turned in.
2. I never have to worry about housework. Without me having to ask, the houseworks are well taken care of. The laundry basket emptied by itself, the toilet automatically cleans itself, the dishes at the sink disappears, the bedsheets are always clean.
3. The kids are well-taken care of. They are definitely well-fed. Despite the parents having very little time to spend with them, the kids are growing up well, behaved and disciplined. This allows us to be at peace when at work.
4. She helps us to look after the kids while we run errands, go for couple time and/ or get “time-off” from the kids to spend on ourselves.
5. She helps to look after the kids even when we are at home so that we could sneak a little rest, a moment to stare into the blanks even the kids are bouncing and fighting for attention.
6. She gave the kids love and warmth, when we are not around.
7. There is always food at home. One can never get hungry at my house. During the last gathering, the dining table overflowed with food. It was as if I had magically plates and bowls that kept producing piping hot food.
So I guessed I just have to reduce myself to a cat and give the mountain to her? I think I have to learn to remember her good and the sacrifices that she made for my family. She has no obligations to help me with my kids and family, but she did and so willingly despite all the noises that I made when I show her attitude and threw tantrum at her. Oops, yes I did, at 33 YO, I still throw tantrums at my mum and torture her. See, mothers are noble, must celebrate Mothers’ Day.
Mummy Lim
Saturday, June 2, 2012
What??!!!
I was rushing out of office, trying to get a ride from colleague, who needs to rush home to look after his kids.
I realized these are what I wore home only at my doorsteps. I am mortified.
Mummy Lim
I realized these are what I wore home only at my doorsteps. I am mortified.
Mummy Lim
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Milk?
One day, Popo called me to ask if we should changed Lil Isaac's milk powder simply bcos he is drinking very little.
There used to be a time that he can drink 180ml and more. He would even cry for more after his bottle. I was pleased. Now, he can barely finish his 120ml and he drinks very infrequently, about 4 bottles a day and 1 in the middle of the night. He may drop one or two bottles depending on whether it is a "I dont want milk" mood. The drop took place after he started solids.
Lil Isaac took solids pretty well. He takes 3 meals a day and plenty of snacks in between. His main meal is largely made up of carbo. Popo says that he is a greedy boy. The last I check, he was about 10.9kg, which is probably the 50%tile.
Base on the amount of solids that he is taking, I think it is fine that he is taking less milk but Popo is not pleased. Why? She says that milk babies are chubbier. Hohoho. Well, I do agreed that I would like Lil Isaac to be a little chunkier. Then again, Daddy Lim and I have the fats genes, it is probably a matter of time. Oops!
Mummy Lim
There used to be a time that he can drink 180ml and more. He would even cry for more after his bottle. I was pleased. Now, he can barely finish his 120ml and he drinks very infrequently, about 4 bottles a day and 1 in the middle of the night. He may drop one or two bottles depending on whether it is a "I dont want milk" mood. The drop took place after he started solids.
Lil Isaac took solids pretty well. He takes 3 meals a day and plenty of snacks in between. His main meal is largely made up of carbo. Popo says that he is a greedy boy. The last I check, he was about 10.9kg, which is probably the 50%tile.
Base on the amount of solids that he is taking, I think it is fine that he is taking less milk but Popo is not pleased. Why? She says that milk babies are chubbier. Hohoho. Well, I do agreed that I would like Lil Isaac to be a little chunkier. Then again, Daddy Lim and I have the fats genes, it is probably a matter of time. Oops!
Mummy Lim
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Inspired
Last night, Daddy Lim proudly proclaimed that he is greatly inspired by his princess.
Inspiration 1: Earring
Daddy Lim had his ears pierced long time ago but hasn't put on any studs since he joined the ship yard. After Lil Shauna's attempt to get her ears pierced, Daddy Lim was inspired to put back his. Now, Daddy Lim has studs on both ears but his inspiration remains with only one ear pierced.
Inspiration 2: Rollerblading
Daddy Lim's inline skates disintegrated several years ago, shortly after I bought mine. He didn't replace those skates since the kids came along shortly and we didn't have the opportunity to indulge in rollerblading. I only recently put on my while trying to coach Lil Shauna to rollerblade.
After 3 short sessions, Lil Shauna can now shuffle independently. She cannot blade yet but is moving in small steps. Mad cute. Seeing how his princess started "skating", Daddy Lim is inspired to find back his passion for rollerblading and has been browsing inline skates online. I think it will be soon that I find new skates at home for the BIG boy.
Lil Isaac will have to grow up soon to join the blading league. Errr... I want to spend $$ too. I should look at the kids for some inspiration too, right? Hehe.
Mummy Lim
Inspiration 1: Earring
Daddy Lim had his ears pierced long time ago but hasn't put on any studs since he joined the ship yard. After Lil Shauna's attempt to get her ears pierced, Daddy Lim was inspired to put back his. Now, Daddy Lim has studs on both ears but his inspiration remains with only one ear pierced.
Inspiration 2: Rollerblading
Daddy Lim's inline skates disintegrated several years ago, shortly after I bought mine. He didn't replace those skates since the kids came along shortly and we didn't have the opportunity to indulge in rollerblading. I only recently put on my while trying to coach Lil Shauna to rollerblade.
After 3 short sessions, Lil Shauna can now shuffle independently. She cannot blade yet but is moving in small steps. Mad cute. Seeing how his princess started "skating", Daddy Lim is inspired to find back his passion for rollerblading and has been browsing inline skates online. I think it will be soon that I find new skates at home for the BIG boy.
Lil Isaac will have to grow up soon to join the blading league. Errr... I want to spend $$ too. I should look at the kids for some inspiration too, right? Hehe.
Mummy Lim
Reading
It is a right choice to send Lil Shauna for phonics with LCentral (LC). She can now recognize all the 26 alphabets in both upper and lower case. There are definitely incidents of mistaken identity but she’s doing really fine in my perspective. Seriously, why must they make “b”, “d”, “p” and “q” so similar? Then there is “a” and “e”, “k” and “x”. Aiyo…
She is still far from perfect with her writing. They sometimes look like worms and pretty often, the letters didn’t turn out how they should be but I can see that she is trying hard. She still has a problem reading from left to right. Sometimes, she read (alphabets and numbers) the opposite way.
A few weeks back, I was trying to revise the alphabets with her and she surprised me by sounding ALL of the alphabets. Yes, you heard me right. I was uber impressed as if Lil Shauna just spelled for me the most difficult word in the world. She can now hear the 1st and the last sound consistently. We are struggling with the middle sound. It is not her fault. I cant hear the middle sound sometimes too. But it is actually a matter of technique, once she gets it, she will find it easy, breezy. Maybe we should look underneath the bed tonight… When we are doing her homework for the middle sound and I tried to get her to practice, she will ask me to “keep quiet” if she is not in the mood. Hmm… apparently she is trying to play mother.
Last week, I was helping her with her homework. She is supposed to read the picture aloud. The middle alphabet(s) are given and she will have to fill in the missing 1st and last letter, which isn’t really tough if she knows what the picture is, can hear the 1st and last sound, knows how to sound the letters and also how to write them. Hehe. Once again, she impressed me, especially when she wrote the front and back "t" for “tent” without my assistant bcos I got distracted by the little tiger.
I am also teaching her sight words. These are words that do not follow the phonics rule and there are plenty of them. As the name suggested, we recognize these words by sight. I taught her when I read her the story books and we attempt one word per week. So far, she has learnt “the”, “she”, “my”, “is”, “and”. These are on top of “pink” and “love” that she already recognizes. Geeezzz, how is it possible that most Singapore kids learnt how to read when they are 4? We are a long way from reading.
I was told that the kid will usually take 3 terms to progress to the next level. I think Lil Shauna will learn how to blend a word and thereby reading the word before she will be "promoted". She is currently in the 2nd term. I am in no hurry and still believe that it is more important for her to enjoy herself.
Mummy Lim
She is still far from perfect with her writing. They sometimes look like worms and pretty often, the letters didn’t turn out how they should be but I can see that she is trying hard. She still has a problem reading from left to right. Sometimes, she read (alphabets and numbers) the opposite way.
A few weeks back, I was trying to revise the alphabets with her and she surprised me by sounding ALL of the alphabets. Yes, you heard me right. I was uber impressed as if Lil Shauna just spelled for me the most difficult word in the world. She can now hear the 1st and the last sound consistently. We are struggling with the middle sound. It is not her fault. I cant hear the middle sound sometimes too. But it is actually a matter of technique, once she gets it, she will find it easy, breezy. Maybe we should look underneath the bed tonight… When we are doing her homework for the middle sound and I tried to get her to practice, she will ask me to “keep quiet” if she is not in the mood. Hmm… apparently she is trying to play mother.
Last week, I was helping her with her homework. She is supposed to read the picture aloud. The middle alphabet(s) are given and she will have to fill in the missing 1st and last letter, which isn’t really tough if she knows what the picture is, can hear the 1st and last sound, knows how to sound the letters and also how to write them. Hehe. Once again, she impressed me, especially when she wrote the front and back "t" for “tent” without my assistant bcos I got distracted by the little tiger.
I am also teaching her sight words. These are words that do not follow the phonics rule and there are plenty of them. As the name suggested, we recognize these words by sight. I taught her when I read her the story books and we attempt one word per week. So far, she has learnt “the”, “she”, “my”, “is”, “and”. These are on top of “pink” and “love” that she already recognizes. Geeezzz, how is it possible that most Singapore kids learnt how to read when they are 4? We are a long way from reading.
I was told that the kid will usually take 3 terms to progress to the next level. I think Lil Shauna will learn how to blend a word and thereby reading the word before she will be "promoted". She is currently in the 2nd term. I am in no hurry and still believe that it is more important for her to enjoy herself.
Mummy Lim
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Terrible Fours
We screwed up the kids’ routine as a result of the holiday and the leave that we took before and after the holidays. It didn’t help with Lil Shauna’s frequent tantrum throwing. Ah yee sent me an article after seeing one of Lil Shauna’s meltdowns. It is about the Terrible Fours. Lil Shauna didn’t have much of a Terrible Two as she was very advance in her speech then and was able to articulate her needs pretty well. She is really shy and didn’t behave like a monkey when she was three. Things are however very different at four. She yells, cries, demands and throws a fit when things are not going her way. It is very frustrating both for her and us. It is very tiring alternating between coaxing, threatening and disciplining. Sometimes it works and we arrest a potential tantrum. Other times, we get a nuclear meltdown, she behaved like a spoilt brat and Mr Cane has to make his appearance.
The article says that kids at four are very vocal, smart, defiant and are constantly testing the boundaries. I cannot agree more to that. It teaches a few tricks, most of them about setting boundaries, negotiating and striking an agreement with the kid, reward sticker system, understanding that the cane or time out is behind certain behaviors. I am thinking of starting some reward system. I hope it will work.
Just as we are grappling with her behavior issues and Popo gets to enjoy a few hours of peace with Lil Shauna in school every weekday, we have a Lil Shauna who excitedly chirped that Monday was the last day of school. We asked her why and she said that her teacher told her so. Upon verifying, we found that she is going for an excursion on Tuesday, the big kids are going on Wednesday and there is therefore no school. Today and tomorrow are Meet-the-Parents sessions and the kids are excluded. Thus Monday was really the last day of school. It also means the start of Popo’s nightmare. Imagine keeping 5 kids in the same house and the 3 older girls are constantly bouncing with energy. For times like that, I take comfort that I am a FTWM. Anybody know of any school holiday program that will keep the kids out of the house?
Mummy Lim
The article says that kids at four are very vocal, smart, defiant and are constantly testing the boundaries. I cannot agree more to that. It teaches a few tricks, most of them about setting boundaries, negotiating and striking an agreement with the kid, reward sticker system, understanding that the cane or time out is behind certain behaviors. I am thinking of starting some reward system. I hope it will work.
Just as we are grappling with her behavior issues and Popo gets to enjoy a few hours of peace with Lil Shauna in school every weekday, we have a Lil Shauna who excitedly chirped that Monday was the last day of school. We asked her why and she said that her teacher told her so. Upon verifying, we found that she is going for an excursion on Tuesday, the big kids are going on Wednesday and there is therefore no school. Today and tomorrow are Meet-the-Parents sessions and the kids are excluded. Thus Monday was really the last day of school. It also means the start of Popo’s nightmare. Imagine keeping 5 kids in the same house and the 3 older girls are constantly bouncing with energy. For times like that, I take comfort that I am a FTWM. Anybody know of any school holiday program that will keep the kids out of the house?
Mummy Lim
Disney On Ice
Daddy Lim brought Lil Shauna to Disney on Ice on Sunday evening. We decided that Lil Isaac will join next year and I stayed home with didi. Daddy Lim enjoyed himself very much. He was talking about it more than Lil Shauna after they came home. Lol.
He had a funny story to tell. He mentioned about how he spent $15 on some flimsy Buzzlight Year cap and candy floss. I half suspect that he wanted the Buzzlight Year cap more than jiejie. Daddy Lim has a thing for Buzzlight Year and the Alien.
After the show, on the way to the carpark, Lil Shauna saw some latex Mickey Mouse shaped balloons for sales and wanted one. Daddy Lim agreed to buy for her only to find that the sales does not have change for $10. The balloon cost $6. Daddy Lim insisted not to tip the sales and left with a very sad looking jiejie.
To cheer Lil Shauna up, Daddy Lim agreed to buy her something in replacement and they went to shop in the nearby Kallang Leisure. They found this party flavor shop and Lil Shauna picked a Princessy cup for $10.95. The shop owner uncle starting chatting with them and asked why Lil Shauna was looking so down and Daddy Lim related the Mickey Mouse balloon story. The uncle then enthusiastically pulled out the different kind of balloons that he has and they ended up buying a huge foil balloon, which cost Daddy Lim $25!
Instead of a latex balloon for $6, Daddy Lim ended up spending 4x more. Lol. The only comfort? Lil Shauna was very cooperative on the way back home with her big balloon. Daddy Lim mentioned that she didn’t fuss at all. She just sat quietly in the back passenger seat admiring her big princess balloon. Oh, such aluminum foil balloons last much longer than latex balloons too. Daddy Lim mentioned that he wanted to deflate it and inflate it again for Lil Shauna’s bday. ;p
Mummy Lim
He had a funny story to tell. He mentioned about how he spent $15 on some flimsy Buzzlight Year cap and candy floss. I half suspect that he wanted the Buzzlight Year cap more than jiejie. Daddy Lim has a thing for Buzzlight Year and the Alien.
After the show, on the way to the carpark, Lil Shauna saw some latex Mickey Mouse shaped balloons for sales and wanted one. Daddy Lim agreed to buy for her only to find that the sales does not have change for $10. The balloon cost $6. Daddy Lim insisted not to tip the sales and left with a very sad looking jiejie.
To cheer Lil Shauna up, Daddy Lim agreed to buy her something in replacement and they went to shop in the nearby Kallang Leisure. They found this party flavor shop and Lil Shauna picked a Princessy cup for $10.95. The shop owner uncle starting chatting with them and asked why Lil Shauna was looking so down and Daddy Lim related the Mickey Mouse balloon story. The uncle then enthusiastically pulled out the different kind of balloons that he has and they ended up buying a huge foil balloon, which cost Daddy Lim $25!
Instead of a latex balloon for $6, Daddy Lim ended up spending 4x more. Lol. The only comfort? Lil Shauna was very cooperative on the way back home with her big balloon. Daddy Lim mentioned that she didn’t fuss at all. She just sat quietly in the back passenger seat admiring her big princess balloon. Oh, such aluminum foil balloons last much longer than latex balloons too. Daddy Lim mentioned that he wanted to deflate it and inflate it again for Lil Shauna’s bday. ;p
Mummy Lim
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Cruise Holiday
Once again, we are back bcos all good things will come to an end. Boo! So did I have a break? Definitely! Did I feel recharged? You must be kidding me... It is the same "I need another holiday to recover from this one" syndrome. I am suffering from serious work blues. Nevertheless, it was a good break from work, from routine, from normal life and we definitely did enjoy ourselves.
It was a huge group this time. We brought my mum and my mil, my brother brought his pil and maid too. There were a total of 9 adults and 5 kids, 4 cabins. Nainai didn't do particularly much but I think she enjoyed herself, simply spending time with the grandkids. She and my mum were a great source of help, relieving me of most of the cleaning and feeding Lil Isaac's duties. Most importantly, they helped to chase after the little tiger too. These are the 3 of the 4 princesses.
We are no strangers to cruise, particularly Star Virgo. This is probably Lil Shauna's 4th or 5th sail and Lil Isaac's 2nd. However, as the kids grow, we get different experience each time. It was the same, "eat, walk, swim, sleep" routine for that short 3D2N, same as the previous trips. We did much more swimming though.
Jiejie is also old enough to enjoy the kids' center activities now and even went to the center to partake in activities without mummies but with the 2Fs. I also accompanied to take part in some games with some mascots in the kids' activities center.
We also caught a musical performance and magic show. Jiejie was captivated, didi too but with the help of lots of potato chips. There was plenty of space to roam for the little tiger. Most of the walkway is carpeted, which really suits the still not very stable but desire to roam freely tiger.
Lil Isaac ran so much on teh Sun Deck and then decided that he needed to lie down, right there and then.
We didnt gamble this time round but did enjoy a little drink after the kids turned in.
It all happened to quickly and we are back. I am actually feeling a little depressed to be back. I have to keep my eyes on next holiday in June to keep my sanity. And of course, It is time to start planning for the next holiday. I am just a mortal, I need a hope, something to look forward to in order to maintain sustainability. Daddy Lim, do you copy?
Mummy Lim
It was a huge group this time. We brought my mum and my mil, my brother brought his pil and maid too. There were a total of 9 adults and 5 kids, 4 cabins. Nainai didn't do particularly much but I think she enjoyed herself, simply spending time with the grandkids. She and my mum were a great source of help, relieving me of most of the cleaning and feeding Lil Isaac's duties. Most importantly, they helped to chase after the little tiger too. These are the 3 of the 4 princesses.
We are no strangers to cruise, particularly Star Virgo. This is probably Lil Shauna's 4th or 5th sail and Lil Isaac's 2nd. However, as the kids grow, we get different experience each time. It was the same, "eat, walk, swim, sleep" routine for that short 3D2N, same as the previous trips. We did much more swimming though.
Jiejie is also old enough to enjoy the kids' center activities now and even went to the center to partake in activities without mummies but with the 2Fs. I also accompanied to take part in some games with some mascots in the kids' activities center.
We also caught a musical performance and magic show. Jiejie was captivated, didi too but with the help of lots of potato chips. There was plenty of space to roam for the little tiger. Most of the walkway is carpeted, which really suits the still not very stable but desire to roam freely tiger.
It all happened to quickly and we are back. I am actually feeling a little depressed to be back. I have to keep my eyes on next holiday in June to keep my sanity. And of course, It is time to start planning for the next holiday. I am just a mortal, I need a hope, something to look forward to in order to maintain sustainability. Daddy Lim, do you copy?
Mummy Lim
Birthday Celebration 2
I went JP to collect the cakes and fetch the kids from Centris after work. The bday cakes come in the form of a small round Dora cake and 4 square Hello Kitty cakes. Lil Shauna chose the design herself.
After the cakes, we left for the Amazon, an indoor playground at the Great World City. It was very expensive but the kids had great fun. The adults (ah yee, uncle ichi, auntie LK and myself) had to take turns chasing after the kids so that we get the opportunity to rest and breathe.
Then we met up with my brö's family for a family dinner. By then, I was exhausted. The Chan Family was really nice to come down to meet us and pass us Lil Shauna's bday present. Then booboo and Lil Shauna shared a slice of chocolate. Ok, cake again. Lil Shauna is so fortunate to not have to watch out for her weight.
This is Lil Shauna making her bday wish. She wanted of course, to become a princess. So cute.
Mummy Lim
After the cakes, we left for the Amazon, an indoor playground at the Great World City. It was very expensive but the kids had great fun. The adults (ah yee, uncle ichi, auntie LK and myself) had to take turns chasing after the kids so that we get the opportunity to rest and breathe.
Then we met up with my brö's family for a family dinner. By then, I was exhausted. The Chan Family was really nice to come down to meet us and pass us Lil Shauna's bday present. Then booboo and Lil Shauna shared a slice of chocolate. Ok, cake again. Lil Shauna is so fortunate to not have to watch out for her weight.
Mummy Lim
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Birthday Present
Interestingly, this is the response that I got from Daddy Lim when I wanted to buy roller blades for Lil Shauna for her 4th bday.
“Are you sure? What if she falls down and injured herself?”
And when I suggested to bring her ice skating at the new ring at JCube, Daddy Lim exclaimed,
“Don’t want lah, ice skating is very dangerous. Have you heard of the story about how the skater lost his fingers bcos he fell and another skater skated over his fingers?”
Hmmm.. I thought I am the mother and those words should come from me. Moreover, we both used to roller blade and Daddy Lim, when he was much, much younger, do stances on his roller blade. Tsk, tsk, time does horrible things. Lol.
Anyway, the rollerblade plan went ahead. Daddy Lim was agreeable on the condition that Lil Shauna dons full protective gear when she blades. Woohoo! We got Lil Shauna a pair of shiny pink blades, which she totally hearts. She had problem standing after putting on her blade to test if the size is right. Of course, we got her helmet, knee, elbow and wrist guard, as dictated by Daddy Lim.
I brought her to the void deck to test out her blades 2 Sundays ago. She learnt how to stand. A mere 20 mins trial and we were perspiring like mad. Last Sunday, we brought her roller blades to nainai’s house and she got to try them again in the evening. This time, she started moving very slowly on her own. Mad cute.
She fell a few times but she was well protected and very much enjoyed the session. She was very proud of herself and so am I. At a point while she was moving unsupported, I thought I felt my tears welling. I have never thought that I will teach my own kids to blade. That feeling was just priceless.
Mummy Lim
“Are you sure? What if she falls down and injured herself?”
And when I suggested to bring her ice skating at the new ring at JCube, Daddy Lim exclaimed,
“Don’t want lah, ice skating is very dangerous. Have you heard of the story about how the skater lost his fingers bcos he fell and another skater skated over his fingers?”
Hmmm.. I thought I am the mother and those words should come from me. Moreover, we both used to roller blade and Daddy Lim, when he was much, much younger, do stances on his roller blade. Tsk, tsk, time does horrible things. Lol.
Anyway, the rollerblade plan went ahead. Daddy Lim was agreeable on the condition that Lil Shauna dons full protective gear when she blades. Woohoo! We got Lil Shauna a pair of shiny pink blades, which she totally hearts. She had problem standing after putting on her blade to test if the size is right. Of course, we got her helmet, knee, elbow and wrist guard, as dictated by Daddy Lim.
I brought her to the void deck to test out her blades 2 Sundays ago. She learnt how to stand. A mere 20 mins trial and we were perspiring like mad. Last Sunday, we brought her roller blades to nainai’s house and she got to try them again in the evening. This time, she started moving very slowly on her own. Mad cute.
She fell a few times but she was well protected and very much enjoyed the session. She was very proud of herself and so am I. At a point while she was moving unsupported, I thought I felt my tears welling. I have never thought that I will teach my own kids to blade. That feeling was just priceless.
Mummy Lim
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