Where Every Child Matters

I first saw the logo of Saint James' Church Kindergarten on a school bus many years back. It left a deep impression in my mind, a little girl and a little boy, holding hands. I thought to myself then, what a happy place for a pre-schooler to be in.

Years later, when my eldest girl Natalie came along and was of schooling age, I did some intensive research on pre-schools, and lo and behold, guess who appeared before my eyes again? :) Our 2 little friends!
Saint James' Church Kindergarten is really a great place for kids to be in. The teachers, especially those in the pre-nursery classes are nuturing and loving. I have fond memories of hiding behind the bushes, watching my kids laughing and having fun in the playground, trooping to the little toilet cubicles for the first time (showing their first signs of independence), indulging in sand play. Our school in Harding exudes warmth and happiness amidst natural surroundings and this is exactly what drew me there in the first place.

Just this week, the school held its annual open house for parents. Throughout the term, the children from nursery-kindergarten  have been working hard on their respective themes. Natalie's class focused on the topic on Spots and Dots and Lucas' class focused on Flowers. I was really impressed by what I saw. The children had done lots of art and craft, stories and songs related to the theme. Looking proudly at my kids doing their song and dance performance, I felt a deep appreciation towards the school and teachers. The kids in this school are given many opportunities throughout the year to "perform", building up their self-esteem and confidence.

My youngest, Samatha will commence her schooling years here in 2014. I pray hard that she too will be blessed and able to enjoy the beautiful experience just like her sister and brother before her.

Getting old

The 20s seemed to have breezed by and we are already in our 30s. 30s brings a lot of new reflections in life. You have a brood of young ones to look after, older parents to worry about, and suddenly one feels lots of responsibilities.

I have been thinking a lot about 2 things recently. Firstly, about helping others. The other day, I saw a TV show about a man who did volunteer work delivering food to needy old people. It struck a chord in me and in the last half a year,  I have roped in Gary to help me with volunteering, once a month. As you go about being absorbed in your daily life, you don't realise just how blessed you until you see these lonely old people in their small and dark little homes. Is this something I would have done when I was younger? I don't know, but what I do know is that down the road, I hope to bring my children with me when I do volunteering, so that they can see for themselves that life does not just revolve around oneself and new toys only.
The other thing that I have been toying with is renewing my interest in music. My mum started me on music lessons (organ) when I was young and although I have not become a great concert organist, I have learnt to appreciate music better. It is also very therapeutic and I remember the hours my mum and I spent on Saturday mornings playing songs at the organ. Nat has recently started piano lessons and practising with her has re-sparked my own interest.As for Lucas, I did bring him for a trial violin class and he seemed to like it :) so I may start him on that later in the year.

I printed the piano sheet of a song that I like and I hope to practise and learn to play it well in maybe half a year. That would be a good personal achievement for me.  Music to me is something that is good to learn at a young age, it helps one calm down and relax and appreciate music. Whether they decide to pursue it down the road would be really up to them and I will support them, whatever their decision.

childhood toys

I had a russian doll when I was young, which amused me for hours. I used to take the dolls out one by one till I got to the smallest one, and then put it all back again, till everything was inside the big doll, and then start the process all over again. The concept of one doll in another was just so interesting. The other day, we happened to come across an image of this doll on the computer and nat was totally intrigued. Since then, she has been hankering after it. However, I must say these dolls are really quite hard to find. I happened to see one through the window of a toy shop last weekend and luckily for me, the price was affordable, so nat got her wish of owning a russian doll. She has been carrying it with her everywhere and loves taking it apart and putting it back together. It is quite nice to see your own kid playing with the same thing that kept you amused so many years ago.

Daddy's girl

It's been a while since we went for a date with our firstborn. So yesterday, with her 2 younger siblings still recovering from a nasty bout of fever, we decided to bring our baby girl to Hort Park. How she has grown. I remember taking pics of her here as a little toddler, and now this little girl, all of 5 years of age, successfully managed to walk the whole length together with us from Alexandra, all the way to Vivocity! I know she enjoyed herself, walking hand in hand with both Daddy and Mummy, and having our full and undivided attention.

Bringing kids out to enjoy nature is such a wonderful experience. I know the weather in Singapore is super hot but seriously, at the end of the walk, you feel super recharged and energetic. Mid-way through, our "terrible duo" were all ready to hop onto the cable car at Mount Faber and meet Mummy dearest at Vivocity, however, I stopped them and we continued on our walk :) Phew! At Vivocity, we had a wonderful Japanese meal and nat wolfed down almost a whole bowl of soba and chawamushi.

One thing I am glad for is that even though Gary is busy at work, the kids are still close to him. Just look at these pics of Daddy and his girl and it warms your heart. When he comes home from work, it is always his firstborn who rushes out with a squeal and gives him a bear hug.

Value these moments with your kids, they do grow up so fast!

Two peas in a pod

How alike do you think your kids look? I did see some similarities in my girls, but I did not realise just how much they looked like one another until today, when I managed to capture both of them sleeping. Sent the pics to my husband and he thought it is the same kid. I love watching the kids sleeping, sweet, peaceful and most important of all quiet ... just enough time for me to catch some shut-eye, reflect and spend some me-time thinking.

Feeling old

Just the other day, I was at my friend's house and her son and his 11/12 year old friends came trudging in and said awkwardly to me "Hi Auntie!". For a while there, I had a case of deja vu. Wasn't that the scene of me and my friends hanging out at someone's house and calling their parents. And yet, today, I am the auntie. Even as a mother of 3 already, I am still not used to it.

Being a mother to 3 beautiful active kids is surely not a walk in the park. Nat and Lucas are going through a stage where they can love each other to bits at one moment and fighting tooth and nail the next. Half the time, I am breaking up fights, managing sulks and tantrums. Interestingly, Nat says she wants to marry someone like Lucas next time, haha, her requirement is simple, to have "flat hair like didi's". So for those who have spiky hair, tough luck, you are not in her list.

I have so much more to blog, but today, the inspiration is not flowing ... so a short entry for today.

We survived the first week, phew!

One week has almost gone by and we are still surviving, quite well in fact. It's been nice actually, I get to do a lot of things for my kids that I normally "outsource" to my maid. We have even had time to continue our daily lessons of English and Mandarin. Haha, no I have not become a supermum overnight, just that we are kind of camped over at my mum's house in the day, so I don't have to worry about the children's meals. Truly, I am thankful for this.

The kids have been real sweet. Nat is my most affectionate kid, always ready to come to me with a kiss. Recently, I started telling her how much I loved her (adapted from a story book about a big rabbit telling a little one how much he loved her). I love you all the way to the moon and back I would say. Then one day, Nat replied with I love you all the way to the carrot that the rabbit in the moon eats. Haha, I was quite pleasantly surprised. Looks like she remembers stories that I tell her after all, this particular one was a folk-tale about a kind-hearted rabbit who lived in the moon.

Lucas is progressing well on his wushu, something which I started him on a few months ago. My little man has come a long way since his first lesson, when he would just plop on the floor and refuse to respond to instructions by his "Master". These days, he is enthusiastic and listens intently during lessons. While I am not trying to tranform him into any kungfu expert, it has certainly improved his concentration and focus and even agility (poor little man is a bit of a klutz, haha, he is our only kid who has fallen off the bed numerous time since babyhood).

Sam, the youngest has quietly entered into toddlerhood as she turned 1 year old in March. Our happiest baby amongst the 3, she is always ready to give a big smile and toothy grin. Yet, this spoilt little baby is also the one who always wants our attention. We often get a laugh observing her as she whines, then looks around to see if anyone is looking. If everyone is busy, she actually plops down in her cot and contently plays with her toys. If she makes eye contact with you, she starts to whine, even conjuring up big fat tears at will such that you have no choice but to carry her. She loves big sis the most and often I see both of them in the cot (nat always freaks me out by jumping into her cot, with her inside). Nat will be reading and Sam will be drinking her milk, side by side. It is a sweet scene and one which I hope to capture on my iPhone and post on the blog.

It's been nice starting my blogging journey again. Not easy though, words seem to flow more easily in the past. But try, I will as I do want my kids to have some interesting stories to read of their childhood days.

2 week break, no maid in the house!

And so, for the next 2 weeks or so, we are on our own. Is it a case of phew, finally ... or yikes ... what am I gonna do? I forsee a tiring fortnight ahead. Yet, ironically, I am also looking forward to it. I have been surfing the net for interesting receipes to cook for the kids. After all, when my maid is around, I am usually too lazy to do anything in the kitchen. I have grand plans to pack up the house, organise my stuff a bit (although I am highly doubtful that I will have the energy to do this). I do intend to continue bringing the kids out to our usual hangouts like the parks, malls, etc. Let's see how it works out, maybe I will thrive or maybe I'll just lock the kids at home, stay in bed and not creep out till my maid returns from her holidays.