On days when there are no tantrums, it is pure bliss spending time with the kids :) But I guess, how can one appreciate the good, if one does not first experience the reverse?
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Thursday, 25 February 2010
These days, I deal with tantrums on a daily basis. I feel as if the Sydney trip kind of triggered the emotions in my 2 babies. Lucas has realised that screaming gets him the attention he desires. This boy has really good stamina, just today, he tried to take a swipe at me, I glared and him and told him sternly no. Oh ... the floodgates opened ... he cried and screamed and kicked. I quickly placed him in the playpen, where he couldn't hurt himself, and ignored his crying. It is very interesting, just hide and observe him, you will find that he looks around in the midst of crying to see if anyone is looking (and to take a breather). If he spies you looking at him, off he goes again, if not, the crying reduces to a whimper. When he finally calmed down, after about half an hour, I sat down and read a book with him and he was totally fine, oblivious to his terrible crying tantrum that had just passed.
As for nat, these days, it is just a contest of wills. She wants something, I tell her no, she gets angry, becomes rude, gets scolded ... blah blah blah ... the cycle goes on. I am trying out the naughty chair method, works sometimes, but not all the time.
I know this is just a phase, but sometimes, it gets really frustrating. But I always think to myself, better to go through this now, then to have 2 rude and bratty kids/tweens on hand later. So wish me good luck and grant me patience, please.
These days, I deal with tantrums on a daily basis. I feel as if the Sydney trip kind of triggered the emotions in my 2 babies. Lucas has realised that screaming gets him the attention he desires. This boy has really good stamina, just today, he tried to take a swipe at me, I glared and him and told him sternly no. Oh ... the floodgates opened ... he cried and screamed and kicked. I quickly placed him in the playpen, where he couldn't hurt himself, and ignored his crying. It is very interesting, just hide and observe him, you will find that he looks around in the midst of crying to see if anyone is looking (and to take a breather). If he spies you looking at him, off he goes again, if not, the crying reduces to a whimper. When he finally calmed down, after about half an hour, I sat down and read a book with him and he was totally fine, oblivious to his terrible crying tantrum that had just passed.
As for nat, these days, it is just a contest of wills. She wants something, I tell her no, she gets angry, becomes rude, gets scolded ... blah blah blah ... the cycle goes on. I am trying out the naughty chair method, works sometimes, but not all the time.
I know this is just a phase, but sometimes, it gets really frustrating. But I always think to myself, better to go through this now, then to have 2 rude and bratty kids/tweens on hand later. So wish me good luck and grant me patience, please.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
We are back from Sydney. My advice? It is not a good idea to bring 2 young kids, who are close in age on a long-haul trip like this. There were nice moments, definitely, but the tantrums, crying and puking were far more common, on a daily basis.
We left on the second day of CNY. It started off quite smoothly. The flight was in the night time and we were assigned a bassinet seat. Nat and Lucas were both in a good mood and didi slept right through, 2 hrs into the flight. Nat was well entertained by my DVD player which I brought along for her to watch Little Einstein. I even boasted to my mum that the kids were cool travellers, just like daddy.
Sleep, Food and Weather
When we arrived in Sydney, it was morning. The kids were tired and generally slept on the double stroller most of the day, as we pushed them around, exploring the city. Tip 1: Feb is not a good time to visit, the weather is hot, mostly like Singapore. We enjoyed ourselves a lot more in Melbourne in May last year, mainly because of the cool weather throughout the day. This time round, it was hot, hot, hot!
Food was usually western type bread, eggs, bacon for breakfast, burgers and fries for lunch, although we did try to have a fancy dinner in Hunter Valley. Tip 2: Not a good idea to visit a fancy restaurant with 2 young kids, who threatened to bring the glass cups (nope, no plastic ones available), throw the breakable crockeries on the floor and get drunk on daddy's glass of red wine, after making a swipe for it. Did I mention the din we were making? Tsk Tsk! The kids didn't really like western food and pretty much survived on milk, cereals and fries. Towards the end, we got desperate. We spied an ad for Din Tai Fung in the Sydney guide and made our way there, just so the kids could have some real hot piping chicken soup and rice. They thoroughly enjoyed it, and so did we. Sigh, we really are true blue Singaporeans that cannot do without rice for extended periods of time.
Sleeptime was another exhausting experience for us. With the kids in the same room, they both refused to sleep. Switching off the lights and patting them to sleep didn't really work, as they were too hyped up. It sometimes took us more than an hour before they fell into slumber.
Nature
The nature walks at Botanic Gardens was nice. Nat and Lucas love chasing the seagulls and there were miles and miles of greenery. However, the hot weather diminished any hope/dream that I had of us hanging out for half a day at the gardens reading a book, while the kids chased the birds. It was just too hot. Surprisingly, many local Australians were doing that, while the sun shone down strongly on them.
Our visit to Featherdale Wildlife Park was fun for the kids, they loved it. The nice thing about visiting wildlife park overseas is the close interaction one can really have with animals. Nat and Lucas fed wallabies, kangaroos, koala bears and even roving emus (nat was scared of the big black bird but lucas was quite brave and enjoyed roaming amongst them). The animals are so tame and so comfortable with humans that one has no fear, even when face to face with the bigger size adult kangaroos, which can actually look quite intimidating. Nat even collected her own set of bird feathers (and I have no idea where they are). She was also pleased to see a real live kookaburra up close (the kookaburra song , the one about it sitting on the old oak tree is one of her favourite tunes).
It's been 2 days since we have returned from our trip. Things are back to normal and the kids are back on their usual routine. Interestingly, to me, in just a mere one week, I suddenly feel that they are more grown up. Despite all the stress of the holidays, they are still my little darlings.
We are back from Sydney. My advice? It is not a good idea to bring 2 young kids, who are close in age on a long-haul trip like this. There were nice moments, definitely, but the tantrums, crying and puking were far more common, on a daily basis.
We left on the second day of CNY. It started off quite smoothly. The flight was in the night time and we were assigned a bassinet seat. Nat and Lucas were both in a good mood and didi slept right through, 2 hrs into the flight. Nat was well entertained by my DVD player which I brought along for her to watch Little Einstein. I even boasted to my mum that the kids were cool travellers, just like daddy.
Sleep, Food and Weather
When we arrived in Sydney, it was morning. The kids were tired and generally slept on the double stroller most of the day, as we pushed them around, exploring the city. Tip 1: Feb is not a good time to visit, the weather is hot, mostly like Singapore. We enjoyed ourselves a lot more in Melbourne in May last year, mainly because of the cool weather throughout the day. This time round, it was hot, hot, hot!
Food was usually western type bread, eggs, bacon for breakfast, burgers and fries for lunch, although we did try to have a fancy dinner in Hunter Valley. Tip 2: Not a good idea to visit a fancy restaurant with 2 young kids, who threatened to bring the glass cups (nope, no plastic ones available), throw the breakable crockeries on the floor and get drunk on daddy's glass of red wine, after making a swipe for it. Did I mention the din we were making? Tsk Tsk! The kids didn't really like western food and pretty much survived on milk, cereals and fries. Towards the end, we got desperate. We spied an ad for Din Tai Fung in the Sydney guide and made our way there, just so the kids could have some real hot piping chicken soup and rice. They thoroughly enjoyed it, and so did we. Sigh, we really are true blue Singaporeans that cannot do without rice for extended periods of time.
Sleeptime was another exhausting experience for us. With the kids in the same room, they both refused to sleep. Switching off the lights and patting them to sleep didn't really work, as they were too hyped up. It sometimes took us more than an hour before they fell into slumber.
Nature
The nature walks at Botanic Gardens was nice. Nat and Lucas love chasing the seagulls and there were miles and miles of greenery. However, the hot weather diminished any hope/dream that I had of us hanging out for half a day at the gardens reading a book, while the kids chased the birds. It was just too hot. Surprisingly, many local Australians were doing that, while the sun shone down strongly on them.
Our visit to Featherdale Wildlife Park was fun for the kids, they loved it. The nice thing about visiting wildlife park overseas is the close interaction one can really have with animals. Nat and Lucas fed wallabies, kangaroos, koala bears and even roving emus (nat was scared of the big black bird but lucas was quite brave and enjoyed roaming amongst them). The animals are so tame and so comfortable with humans that one has no fear, even when face to face with the bigger size adult kangaroos, which can actually look quite intimidating. Nat even collected her own set of bird feathers (and I have no idea where they are). She was also pleased to see a real live kookaburra up close (the kookaburra song , the one about it sitting on the old oak tree is one of her favourite tunes).
While daddy visited the wineries at Hunter Valley, the kids and I hung out at the picturesque vineyards, admiring the view, digging for caterpillars and picking pebbles. Along the way, Nat even adopted her own pet rock (something she learnt from tv). Of course, I surreptitiously threw away her pet rock along the way, lest didi Lucas picks it up and attempts to swallow it.
We also had somewhat of an adventurous time at Port Stephens, when we went sand boarding at the sand dunes. I initially thought that there was no way we could do something so "extreme" with kids in tow, but it actually turned out quite fun. We hopped onto a 4WD and bumped our way to the deserted end of the dunes, just 4 of us and the guide. Basically sand boarding is a bit like tobogganing on sand. You sit on a skateboard like thingey and just slide yourself down the dunes. There are gentle slopes and steep ones as well. We positioned the kids between our knees and slid down the gentle slopes with them. Nat even attempted the medium slope together with daddy. The catch is after all the fun and thrill of going down slope, remember one has to trudge your way up. It's real tiring. The kids had fun running around the base of the dunes, chomping on sandy twisties and burying their faces in the sand ... eww!
The other highlight of the trip was our boat trip out to watch dolphins. From the boat, we could see the dolphins up close, frolicking in the ocean. Didi Lucas slept through the boat ride, lulled into sleep by the rocking of the boat. Nat adored the dolphins and screamed in excitement every time she saw one pop out from the water.
The other highlight of the trip was our boat trip out to watch dolphins. From the boat, we could see the dolphins up close, frolicking in the ocean. Didi Lucas slept through the boat ride, lulled into sleep by the rocking of the boat. Nat adored the dolphins and screamed in excitement every time she saw one pop out from the water.
On the last day, we visited the famous Bondi Beach. This is what beach culture is all about. Sunny skies, surfing dudes and icy cold water. The bummer? The kids got all hot and cranky and didn't really like the sound of the rushing waves. Gary and I looked at each other with the same thought, if the kids were not with us, we would just jump into the sea and have a nice long soak/swim.
Good Playmates or Not? Tantrums and Puking, Sigh!
The kids love each other to bits, that is, when they are not trying to kill each other. Nat loves to tease her baby brother. She will tempt him with food or other interesting items and when he attempts to swipe it, she will scream and hide it away. This gets Lucas really pissed and he ends up chasing her to make a grab for the desired item. When this happens, she pushes him, but if she misses, he makes a beeline for her hair. It's quite comical actually, in hindsight. But there and then, it is quite frustrating, Gary and I have had to stop such scuffles many times a day.
Nat is also at the age when she is experiencing different emotional experiences. For her, jealousy is a big issue. Whenever we pay too much attention to Lucas, she gets upset. She has honed her crying skills so well that crying on demand is no problem. When Lucas gets carried, she wants to be carried too, when she is perfectly capable of walking the short distance. When Lucas gets juice, she snatches his cup away. Tantrums are a daily occurence, with both the kids. Over the course of the week, my gentle little boy has been "led astray" by his big sister and become more aggressive. Interestingly, I realise now that this little boy is capable of a even bigger tantrum than nat, when he starts crying loudly, he refuses to be distracted or pacified by anything.
Puking was also a "highlight" of the trip. Gary and I love to drink orange juice and whenever we drink, of course, the kids want some too. Overdo the juice and "in one minute, out the next". It didn't help that after the dolphin boat ride, nat and I both felt seasick and that night, she puked quite a few times, staining the bed linen and carpet. Poor girl, she wanted to be changed everytime she puked until I literally ran out of clothes to change her into. As a mum, it is really worrying to see your child puking away and being so helpless. All I could do was comfort her after each puking session. Tip 3: May not be a good idea to bring young kids on boat rides. Luckily for us, Lucas was fine, I can't imagine dealing with 2 puking kids.
On the plane trip back, Lucas puked a heap of orange juice onto a sleeping Nat. You can imagine the din that occured thereafter. Cleverly, I had packed some spare clothes into the carry-on lugguage so I whisked Nat off to the toilet to change. However, her mood was spoilt thereafter and she glared at Lucas for vomiting on her.
One of my most stressful moments of the trip was during the plane landing at Changi Airport. Lucas must have experienced some discomfort in his ears and he wailed and struggled loudly during the whole process. No matter which way I held him (within the constraints of the seat belt), he wailed ever so pitifully. I can imagine the irritation of the people sitting around me, but frankly, at that moment, I didn't give a damn. Ironically, once we landed and entered the airport, he was in a good mood again, pointing excitedly at the aeroplanes and shrieking as I pushed him on the baggage trolley.
My Kids
It's been 2 days since we have returned from our trip. Things are back to normal and the kids are back on their usual routine. Interestingly, to me, in just a mere one week, I suddenly feel that they are more grown up. Despite all the stress of the holidays, they are still my little darlings.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Friday, 12 February 2010
You know, there are some books that will be instant hit with kids. This book, A Squash and A Squeeze is one of those books. I read aboutit from another mummy blog some time back and had been keeping an eye open for it. I finally found it recently at Kinokuniya. It's catchy and witty and certainly keeps nat interested in reading it again and again. These days, didi lucas has also developed preferences for selected books in the house, such as We are Going on a Bear Hunt and Goodnight Moon. It's no wonder these 2 books are becoming tattered and worn due to constant snatching between nat and lucas.
You know, there are some books that will be instant hit with kids. This book, A Squash and A Squeeze is one of those books. I read aboutit from another mummy blog some time back and had been keeping an eye open for it. I finally found it recently at Kinokuniya. It's catchy and witty and certainly keeps nat interested in reading it again and again. These days, didi lucas has also developed preferences for selected books in the house, such as We are Going on a Bear Hunt and Goodnight Moon. It's no wonder these 2 books are becoming tattered and worn due to constant snatching between nat and lucas.
Saturday, February 06, 2010
Saturday, 6 February 2010
My little man is growing up so fast, soon to be 17 months. It's amazing, I was just telling gary that I can't believe he will be going to Pre-Nursery next year. Didi is a real charmer, to his o'le mum, of course. The quivering lips and droopy eyes if you admonish him with a stern voice; the half smile he throws in your direction when he knows he is being mischievious; the chuckles he loves to give his sister who enjoys amusing him; the "No no no" his fave word, learnt from his big sister; his plonking down on my lap and nestling himself comfortably whenever I read him a story; his slightly sweaty yet baby smell that fills the air as he sleeps close to me on the bed at night; I love them all.
Friday, February 05, 2010
Friday, 5 February 2010
Time seems to have just flown past, today, my baby girl is 3 years old! Looking back, she has brought a lot of joy into our lives. Although, in my recent posts, I often express frustration over her "terrible threes", at the end of the day, I think this excerpt from a story I often read to her holds true:
"I love you any way you feel, no matter what you do,
I love any way you are.
I love you because you're you."
Newborn
6 months +
1 year +
1.5 year +
2 year +
2.5 year +
3 yearsShe often throws tantrums and more often than not, her tantrums are directed at me. Initially, I was puzzled by this, but later I realised that this is her way of getting attention, especially from me. I really don't know what's the correct or best way of parenting, but right now, I am just trying my best to tread a fine balance between the hard approach and the soft approach. It's not easy, but I stand by my principle, I will not raise a bratty and rude kid in this household.
We celebrated her 3rd birthday with her little friends in school, simple, short but probably just as enjoyable to her as the larger scale party we had for her last year, with rented toy slides and all. Daddy took a day off and we spent a happy time with the kids at Vivocity, at her fave place, the water play area and Toys R Us.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Saturday, 30 January 2010
It is interesting how kids interpret things around them. We pass by this army camp almost daily with a sign that says Trespassers will be Prosecuted, you know these signs usually have a picture of some guy holding a gun and another with his hands up in the air. Look closely the next time you pass this sign. For the past few days, whenever I drove past this sign, nat would say something about the "uncle holding his arms in the air and the other uncle giving him food". The first time she said it I looked up and caught sight of a bus ad, but didn't really make sense. Today, when she said it again, I looked up quickly and saw this sign. Interestingly, if you look closely, it really does look like the man holding the gun is actually serving the other guy food on a tray. Check it out!
The other day, my good friend gave nat a pair of pretty dress shoes for her birthday. My daughter is totally obsessed with the shoes, she pranced and danced around in it all day, even slept with it. She calls it her "dancing shoes". We did manage to convince her, with some effort, that dancing shoes cannot be worn 24/7.
As for my little man, he is beginning to say a lot more words. Top on the list is apple, nine, bear, NO (learnt from nat), light, drop. His voice sounds like nat's, today, I was having a nap in the room, when I heard a voice saying "no, no". Oops, I thought to myself, nat is awake ... I trotted out and lo and behold, it was my little man instead. Most nights, he starts off sleeping in the cot, but halfway through, he will always end up on our bed instead. I like to look at him sleeping, especially after his night feed, as he falls back into slumber.
It is interesting how kids interpret things around them. We pass by this army camp almost daily with a sign that says Trespassers will be Prosecuted, you know these signs usually have a picture of some guy holding a gun and another with his hands up in the air. Look closely the next time you pass this sign. For the past few days, whenever I drove past this sign, nat would say something about the "uncle holding his arms in the air and the other uncle giving him food". The first time she said it I looked up and caught sight of a bus ad, but didn't really make sense. Today, when she said it again, I looked up quickly and saw this sign. Interestingly, if you look closely, it really does look like the man holding the gun is actually serving the other guy food on a tray. Check it out!
The other day, my good friend gave nat a pair of pretty dress shoes for her birthday. My daughter is totally obsessed with the shoes, she pranced and danced around in it all day, even slept with it. She calls it her "dancing shoes". We did manage to convince her, with some effort, that dancing shoes cannot be worn 24/7.
As for my little man, he is beginning to say a lot more words. Top on the list is apple, nine, bear, NO (learnt from nat), light, drop. His voice sounds like nat's, today, I was having a nap in the room, when I heard a voice saying "no, no". Oops, I thought to myself, nat is awake ... I trotted out and lo and behold, it was my little man instead. Most nights, he starts off sleeping in the cot, but halfway through, he will always end up on our bed instead. I like to look at him sleeping, especially after his night feed, as he falls back into slumber.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Recently, I have been increasingly frustrated with natalie as she continues to test my patience, in the peak of her terrible threes. But, sigh, who can stay angry with my baby for long, especially when she looks like this.
Didi lucas has no fear of birds, so too with nat. They are like daddy. Mummy is terrified, I stay a mile away.
Recently, I have been increasingly frustrated with natalie as she continues to test my patience, in the peak of her terrible threes. But, sigh, who can stay angry with my baby for long, especially when she looks like this.
Didi lucas has no fear of birds, so too with nat. They are like daddy. Mummy is terrified, I stay a mile away.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Thursday, 21 January 2010
Since she started school, nat has been extremely sticky and clingy towards me. If I even show any interest in other children, she will whine and cry, haha, such a far cry from her days when she always bo chup (ignoring) me. She has also become more rude and rebellious. I had started out yelling and scolding her, but have recently decided to take on a different approach. Be firm but not to raise my voice. Not sure if it works yet, we'll see. I have asked around, seems that 3s are no better than the terrible twos, so for mummies in the same boat as me, hang on, rumour has it, that it gets better by age 4.
Since she started school, nat has been extremely sticky and clingy towards me. If I even show any interest in other children, she will whine and cry, haha, such a far cry from her days when she always bo chup (ignoring) me. She has also become more rude and rebellious. I had started out yelling and scolding her, but have recently decided to take on a different approach. Be firm but not to raise my voice. Not sure if it works yet, we'll see. I have asked around, seems that 3s are no better than the terrible twos, so for mummies in the same boat as me, hang on, rumour has it, that it gets better by age 4.
When she is not whining though, baby girl and I have interesting conversations in the car. Today, she was munching on her coco crunch cereals and listening to kiddy music - "Wheels on the Bus", I think. Suddenly, she turned to me and said "The coco crunch wants to sing too!" For a while, I was unsure of what she meant. Then I realised that she as making use of the chewing motion on her cereals to follow the rhythm of the song. I bent closer to hear her "song" and she burst out in peals of laughter. Haha, such is the fun and silliness we engage in, sometimes.
Today, didi lucas also went to the doc for his vaccination. He is officially 81cm and 11.4kg (not that anyone else is interested, just for my own record, actually). He loves the colourful wall mural at the clinic, which is painted in the Finding Nemo theme and he spent much time amusing himself by touching the "fish". Unlike his big sister, my baby boy tends to stay near me and will listen when I take on a stern voice. He generally does not struggle too much and I love it when he lays his head on my shoulders to rest. I'm glad that with nat off to school, I can spend some quality time with my baby boy.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Monday, 18 January 2010
The start of a new week. I was hoping nat would have adapted to school life but she did cry when I left her in class. This time round, Lucas was with me as well, as I planned to go Botanical Gardens with him. Lucas and I stayed in the car, chewing on cheerios, and spying on natalie. From our vantage point at the top of the slope, we could see her as she came out of class, without being spotted. Poor baby, she was still sniffling away as the class came out for their toilet break. Didi and I looked at each other and decided that despite the crying, his big sis was going to be ok, so off we went to the park.
The start of a new week. I was hoping nat would have adapted to school life but she did cry when I left her in class. This time round, Lucas was with me as well, as I planned to go Botanical Gardens with him. Lucas and I stayed in the car, chewing on cheerios, and spying on natalie. From our vantage point at the top of the slope, we could see her as she came out of class, without being spotted. Poor baby, she was still sniffling away as the class came out for their toilet break. Didi and I looked at each other and decided that despite the crying, his big sis was going to be ok, so off we went to the park.
Didi was happy. I think he is not used to having so much one-on-one attention from me. Both of us chilled in the shade, feeding fish at the pond, while nibbling on remnants of the bread. Thereafter, we had a slow and leisurely walk to the spacious grass area and had a mini picnic. My little man lay on my lap as I read to him some story books, which I had packed into the bag.
We even made friends with another little man, who was out for a walk with his grandma. Thereafter, we made our way back to pick up nat, who was happily settled down in school.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Sunday, 17 January 2010
Sunday is a nature day for us. We started the day at Hort Park, again. However, this time, instead of heading for the Henderson Waves, we walked towards the Kent Ridge Park route. Bad idea for people with young kids, you will soon reach a long flight of staircase and that means no strollers. At first, we toyed with the idea of lugging the stroller up, however, a quick recee by gary and his findings that "the flight of stairs go up as high as the eye can see" banished that idea quickly from our minds. So, back we trudged. It was also mighty hot.
It was not a lost cause, though. Today, we brought our butterfly net (cheap, cheap $2 from Daiso). I was intially doubtful that it would actually come in useful in catching butterflies, it was more to please nat as she had fancied herself as a butterfly catcher and had requested for a net of her own. However, daddy surprised us with his expert catching skills and we caught 3 butterflies in a row. The kids examined the beautiful butterflies up close. Of course, I told nat that the butterflies belonged to the park and we must always release them back into the wild. I added that if she took the butterfly home, its mummy would be very sad. That sold the story to her and she was more keen to release the butterfly than to look at it. Other interesting creatures in the park include millipedes and a breed of black and yellow caterpillars. The kids had a blast peering at the crawlies.
It was not a lost cause, though. Today, we brought our butterfly net (cheap, cheap $2 from Daiso). I was intially doubtful that it would actually come in useful in catching butterflies, it was more to please nat as she had fancied herself as a butterfly catcher and had requested for a net of her own. However, daddy surprised us with his expert catching skills and we caught 3 butterflies in a row. The kids examined the beautiful butterflies up close. Of course, I told nat that the butterflies belonged to the park and we must always release them back into the wild. I added that if she took the butterfly home, its mummy would be very sad. That sold the story to her and she was more keen to release the butterfly than to look at it. Other interesting creatures in the park include millipedes and a breed of black and yellow caterpillars. The kids had a blast peering at the crawlies.In the evening, we headed for the West Coast Dog Run. While we do not own any dogs, I know that this dog run is usually very popular during the weekends. True enough, there were more than 20 dogs, big, small, fat, thin, cute, strange-looking and so on. Didi stared wide-eyed at the different dogs and nat woke up from her slumber to check out the dogs too. Our favourite of the day was a really big Great Dane. Had a chat with the friendly owner who told us that it is a really gentle dog and interestingly, she also has a chihuahua and both live in harmony together.
Gary says I organise too many activities in the weekend but well, it's nice to get out of the house, enjoy the outdoors and destress. Most importantly, the kids enjoy themselves and get tired out so that they sleep well through the night.
Sunday, 17 January 2010
On Saturday, as we were in the car, driving to dinner, I heard a small voice singing in the background. It was soft, it was tentative, but it was definitely a Mandarin song. I strained my ears, and realised that it was one of the cute tunes sung by nat's Chinese teacher in class. I was impressed, my baby girl knew the exact words of the song.
For the last week, she had been saying she didn't like lao shi (chinese teacher). I think that she has a fear of Chinese, due to the unfamiliarity with the language. So, when lao shi sings Mandarin songs or tells stories, she would usually not join in and just watch intently instead. Yet, when it is time to go home, she would volunteerily seek out lao shi to give her a big hug. Probably, over time, she will become more comfortable with the language. For me, in my schooling days, I have always loved Chinese. Never really had a fear of it and always adored most of my Chinese teachers.
At the end of the day, teachers (even pre-school) ones are so important. They shape your life and affect your perceptions of so many things around you. I am grateful that nat has 2 patient teachers, who really seem to interact well and love the kids. This has helped her adapt more easily to her new school.
Discipline
Over the last month, I have had some discipline issues with my baby girl. She is sometimes rude and often demands things from others in a bossy manner. Even at the tender age of 3 (soon to be), I feel that some form of discipline has to be enforced. Her pet phrase is "Go away", when she is angry, another favourite is "I want ...". These are definitely not very endearing acts.
For Lucas, he is generally a good boy. However, when you place him in the car seat, he has a tendancy to whine and cry. Generally, the usually quiet and peaceful car ride becomes chaotic and noisy and can be quite distracting at times.
Yesterday, I finally put my foot down. First, I spoke to nat firmly and sternly, telling her that little girls must not be rude. Ask politely for things and never say go away to others. Her expression was so cute that I was tempted to laugh (but didn't), that would have totally wasted my pep talk! First, she had a look of innocence and was wide-eyed. Then, she looked a bit scared. After my pep talk, I turned away and was silent for a bit. When I next looked at her, she looked remorseful. By the end of the car ride, she told me in a small voice that she would be a good girl.
For Lucas, I also spoke to him in a stern voice, telling him that a good boy must sit quietly in the car seat and not scream and shout. It is truly uncanny, the expression that both Lucas and his sister use are exactly the same. He kept quiet and kept glancing at me from the corner of his eye.
We had a nice and quiet car ride all the way home. Once home, I brought both to a corner individually and gave them a hug and kiss, telling them how much I loved them. This mode of discipline is not something I want to use all the time but with my kids, I do feel that they do need some form of discipline. I definitely do not want a bunch of rude and bratty kids as they grow older.
On Saturday, as we were in the car, driving to dinner, I heard a small voice singing in the background. It was soft, it was tentative, but it was definitely a Mandarin song. I strained my ears, and realised that it was one of the cute tunes sung by nat's Chinese teacher in class. I was impressed, my baby girl knew the exact words of the song.
For the last week, she had been saying she didn't like lao shi (chinese teacher). I think that she has a fear of Chinese, due to the unfamiliarity with the language. So, when lao shi sings Mandarin songs or tells stories, she would usually not join in and just watch intently instead. Yet, when it is time to go home, she would volunteerily seek out lao shi to give her a big hug. Probably, over time, she will become more comfortable with the language. For me, in my schooling days, I have always loved Chinese. Never really had a fear of it and always adored most of my Chinese teachers.
At the end of the day, teachers (even pre-school) ones are so important. They shape your life and affect your perceptions of so many things around you. I am grateful that nat has 2 patient teachers, who really seem to interact well and love the kids. This has helped her adapt more easily to her new school.
Discipline
Over the last month, I have had some discipline issues with my baby girl. She is sometimes rude and often demands things from others in a bossy manner. Even at the tender age of 3 (soon to be), I feel that some form of discipline has to be enforced. Her pet phrase is "Go away", when she is angry, another favourite is "I want ...". These are definitely not very endearing acts.
For Lucas, he is generally a good boy. However, when you place him in the car seat, he has a tendancy to whine and cry. Generally, the usually quiet and peaceful car ride becomes chaotic and noisy and can be quite distracting at times.
Yesterday, I finally put my foot down. First, I spoke to nat firmly and sternly, telling her that little girls must not be rude. Ask politely for things and never say go away to others. Her expression was so cute that I was tempted to laugh (but didn't), that would have totally wasted my pep talk! First, she had a look of innocence and was wide-eyed. Then, she looked a bit scared. After my pep talk, I turned away and was silent for a bit. When I next looked at her, she looked remorseful. By the end of the car ride, she told me in a small voice that she would be a good girl.
For Lucas, I also spoke to him in a stern voice, telling him that a good boy must sit quietly in the car seat and not scream and shout. It is truly uncanny, the expression that both Lucas and his sister use are exactly the same. He kept quiet and kept glancing at me from the corner of his eye.
We had a nice and quiet car ride all the way home. Once home, I brought both to a corner individually and gave them a hug and kiss, telling them how much I loved them. This mode of discipline is not something I want to use all the time but with my kids, I do feel that they do need some form of discipline. I definitely do not want a bunch of rude and bratty kids as they grow older.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Today, I dropped nat off in class, gave her a big kiss and told her I was going to work. Off I went, right to the other end of the school, and spied on my little girl from afar. Like other anxious parents from nat's class, we strained our necks to catch sight of our kids, trooping to the toilet, running at the playground and having fun. The school principal was nice and reassuring, giving us regular updates of who was crying. Nat started off quite alright, but had a minor crying session halfway through. However, she was all smiles again when it was playground time. When I picked her up from class after school, you could see the pure smile and happiness radiating from her face. She was truly thrilled to see me and vice versa.
That night, I asked her what she did in school. Interestingly, the highlight of her day was a worm sighting at the grass patch near the playground. Overall, not a bad day for both my baby girl and me! But guess what? We are both totally wiped out!
Today, I dropped nat off in class, gave her a big kiss and told her I was going to work. Off I went, right to the other end of the school, and spied on my little girl from afar. Like other anxious parents from nat's class, we strained our necks to catch sight of our kids, trooping to the toilet, running at the playground and having fun. The school principal was nice and reassuring, giving us regular updates of who was crying. Nat started off quite alright, but had a minor crying session halfway through. However, she was all smiles again when it was playground time. When I picked her up from class after school, you could see the pure smile and happiness radiating from her face. She was truly thrilled to see me and vice versa.
That night, I asked her what she did in school. Interestingly, the highlight of her day was a worm sighting at the grass patch near the playground. Overall, not a bad day for both my baby girl and me! But guess what? We are both totally wiped out!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Today, my baby girl cried. I think it finally sank in that mummy would not always be nearby during class time. I had told her that I would be swimming with lucas while she was having class. A while later, when I was in the pool with lucas, I heard loud cries. Turned around, and lo and behold, there was my baby girl crying away. I later learnt from the teachers that she had accidentally spilt some milo on herself during tea time and wanted to change out of the shirt. She started looking around for me and when she couldn't find me, that's when she started to cry. I had to jump out of the pool, quickly change into dry clothes to pacify her. Luckily, didi's swim lesson was just done at that time. Hmm ... looks like there may be more crying tomorrow. Oh well, this is just one of those things you have to ride it through. Hopefully, she will settle into class and start enjoying herself with her teachers.
Just look at her face when she went to the playground. She is a pretty sociable girl and I'm sure she'll have fun once she's more comfortable with the school environment.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Monday, 11 January 2010
Today marks the second day of school for nat. She had a good time, which was expected, since parents are still allowed into the class. I think Thursday would be the real test, when we will not be in the class with her anymore. I suspect she may cry and whine a little ... we'll see.
On the way to school, I told nat that in a few days' time, mummy would just drop her off and pick her up later. Mummy would not be in the class with her. She said ok. Thereafter, she kept very quiet throughout the drive all the way to school. As we were about to get off the car, she quietly said "Mummy, will you sit with me in the class?" Only then did I realise that she had been mulling over the fear that I would leave her alone. Oh well, I guess I better try to give my baby girl more reassurance.
The highlight of school today, for me, was witnessing nat's independence in visiting the toilet. When she indicated that she needed to pee, I told her to tell the teacher, and surprisingly she did and trooped off with her teacher to the toilet. I spied from afar. She used the loo and washed her hands at the little basin, then stood at the side, waiting for her teacher. Later, when I asked her if she flushed the toilet bowl after use, she said yes and happily told me that the teacher had said "Well done". At that moment, I really did feel a great sense of pride.
We ended the day with our daily routine of flashcards and reading. Didi lucas loves the book "We are going on a bear hunt" and nat's favourite book is "The foolish tortoise". I finally managed to capture a video of her reading the book. Check out didi distracting her in the background, but nat is very focused when she reads. Enjoy!
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Saturday, 9 January 2010
I just can't resist posting this. The first pic was taken in end Oct 2008, didi's first outing, at Rider's Cafe. The second pic was taken today, in January 2010. Notice something? It's the same shirt! I just can't believe he can still wear that shirt, although, when my maid dressed him in the shirt this morning, I did think it was a slightly tight fit. But hey, the tight look is in these days, don't you agree?
I just can't resist posting this. The first pic was taken in end Oct 2008, didi's first outing, at Rider's Cafe. The second pic was taken today, in January 2010. Notice something? It's the same shirt! I just can't believe he can still wear that shirt, although, when my maid dressed him in the shirt this morning, I did think it was a slightly tight fit. But hey, the tight look is in these days, don't you agree?
Saturday, 9 January 2010
At the grand age of 15 months, didi lucas surprises us every day, with his antics.
Speech
He is getting very vocal, some of his fave words include "more" (learnt from baby signing times), "Oh oh" (learnt from the story, we are going on a bear hunt", "mouse" (learnt from the story, good night moon), "jie jie nat nat" (rarely heard, but rumoured to have said it once or twice), "apple" (can say this clearly) and "ball" (learnt from http://www.starfall.com/).
He is getting very vocal, some of his fave words include "more" (learnt from baby signing times), "Oh oh" (learnt from the story, we are going on a bear hunt", "mouse" (learnt from the story, good night moon), "jie jie nat nat" (rarely heard, but rumoured to have said it once or twice), "apple" (can say this clearly) and "ball" (learnt from http://www.starfall.com/).
Understanding
He can totally understand tones. Just this afternoon, he was throwing a screaming tantrum at the restaurant. I gave him a stern voice and told him to stop. Thereafter, he immediately stopped and pretended to look away. However, he kept rolling his eyes back to glance at me, just to see if I was still angry. That moment was priceless, and I just wish that I could have captured it on video.
He can totally understand tones. Just this afternoon, he was throwing a screaming tantrum at the restaurant. I gave him a stern voice and told him to stop. Thereafter, he immediately stopped and pretended to look away. However, he kept rolling his eyes back to glance at me, just to see if I was still angry. That moment was priceless, and I just wish that I could have captured it on video.
He has a naturally sharing nature. Even when he is indulging in his favourite biscuit, he will willingly share it with you, if you approach him with your lean and hungry look.
His most feared creature is the "dinosaur", again, seen from http://www.starfall.com/, which I have recently been showing the kids. As I run through the alphabets, once I reach D, before the dinosaur even appears on screen, he will quickly hide his face in my chest.
Tantrums
Sigh, just like his sis, he is one fiesty baby. At 1am in the night, when he is seeking milk, you had best jump out of bed and run to the kitchen as fast as your little legs can carry you. His loud crying is enough to wake up daddy, who sometimes carries and soothes him while I make the milk (rare though, most times you will find a pillow covering his ears instead).
Sigh, just like his sis, he is one fiesty baby. At 1am in the night, when he is seeking milk, you had best jump out of bed and run to the kitchen as fast as your little legs can carry you. His loud crying is enough to wake up daddy, who sometimes carries and soothes him while I make the milk (rare though, most times you will find a pillow covering his ears instead).
Fave games
Top of the list is definitely hide and seek. He loves to hide behind the towel rack and remains very silent. When you peek over the rack to find him, he screams excitedly.
Top of the list is definitely hide and seek. He loves to hide behind the towel rack and remains very silent. When you peek over the rack to find him, he screams excitedly.
Flash cards, just like nat. When I take out my stack of cards and announce that it's card time, both nat and didi will stop whatever they are doing and sit patiently in front of me for flashcards time. I usually end up flashing the cards twice, once for nat and once for didi. Nat is so familiar with the cards as she has been through it many times, sigh, looks like I got to wipe the dust off my printer and make some more.
Fave person
Definitely his sister. While increasingly, they are starting to fight over toys, with didi lucas standing his ground and winning some of the fights, you can see the adoring look in his eyes when his sister plays with him. Recently, nat has also begun to read some of her fave books to him. Most days, you can see him chasing her around the house or just following her, as she dances to the catchy songs on TV. What a pair the two of them make!
Definitely his sister. While increasingly, they are starting to fight over toys, with didi lucas standing his ground and winning some of the fights, you can see the adoring look in his eyes when his sister plays with him. Recently, nat has also begun to read some of her fave books to him. Most days, you can see him chasing her around the house or just following her, as she dances to the catchy songs on TV. What a pair the two of them make!
Saturday, 9 January 2010
Keeping in line with our new year resolution of exercising, instead of heading to the cool air-conditioned malls, we set off for East Coast Park instead. Today, we tried something different from our usual stroll in the park. This time round, we rented a bike each, with a baby seat attached. I rode with nat and gary rode with lucas. A pretty shaky start, as we haven't cycled for a while, but soon we got the hang of it and cycled all the way to the pier and watched people fishing. I think the kids had fun, screaming and laughing as we pedalled fast and the wind blew against their faces. Nat enjoyed ringing the bell on the bike. We are really out of shape though, both of us were tired, after just cycling for under an hour.
Thereafter, we let the kids loose at the Polliwogs playgym. The last time we came here, lucas was still quite young, this time round though, he seemed to enjoy it a lot more as he attempted to scale the structures and slides. But, it was another tiring workout for us, at this age, nat is like a pocket dynamo and she literally runs everywhere. Gary and I had to take turns watching her, as it was too tiring handling this job on our own.
Keeping in line with our new year resolution of exercising, instead of heading to the cool air-conditioned malls, we set off for East Coast Park instead. Today, we tried something different from our usual stroll in the park. This time round, we rented a bike each, with a baby seat attached. I rode with nat and gary rode with lucas. A pretty shaky start, as we haven't cycled for a while, but soon we got the hang of it and cycled all the way to the pier and watched people fishing. I think the kids had fun, screaming and laughing as we pedalled fast and the wind blew against their faces. Nat enjoyed ringing the bell on the bike. We are really out of shape though, both of us were tired, after just cycling for under an hour.
Thereafter, we let the kids loose at the Polliwogs playgym. The last time we came here, lucas was still quite young, this time round though, he seemed to enjoy it a lot more as he attempted to scale the structures and slides. But, it was another tiring workout for us, at this age, nat is like a pocket dynamo and she literally runs everywhere. Gary and I had to take turns watching her, as it was too tiring handling this job on our own.
Sometimes, I wish we had cooler weather here in Singapore. I really do love the outdoors.
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