Happy 7th birthday C!

C turned 7 on the 14th of July.

Dear C,

You’ve been looking forward to your birthday celebrations since the beginning of the year, counting down first by the number of months, then weeks, and finally by the number of days. Not because of the presents or party, but because you’ve been waiting to take that teeny-tiny step towards adulthood.

The day has arrived, and you are now officially a 7-year old. “Almost an adult,” you declare, proudly showing off the gaps in your teeth where two adult teeth have started to show. You can’t wait to grow up, but I wish for time to slow down, just a little.

You’ve grown so much over the past year. Sometimes, I forget that you are only 7.

There were the times when I was impressed by the maturity of your speech and actions. Did I tell you that I was extremely proud to hear that you stood up to the bully to protect your friend? Or how comforted I felt when you offered to keep your brother busy when you saw that I was tired so that I could rest?

Then there were the times when I’m reminded that you are still a little girl, one who still believes that the tooth fairy and book fairy is real. I try my best to keep that belief alive, by staying up late to write that note on behalf of the fairies, so that you are not disappointed when you wake. That sparkle in your eye when you see the letter is worth it. I hope that you will always believe that magic exists, in one form or other.

It was not so long ago that I woke up at 5am for your morning feeds. Just the two of us awake, you suckling quietly at my breast. You were a tiny baby then, dependent on me for your every need.

Now, 5am mornings are part of our daily routine again. Just the two of us awake, getting ready for school. But now, you do not need me to brush your teeth, or get changed – you can do that yourself. Then you sit quietly, sleepy and blurry-eyed, while I tie your hair.

You’ve been asking me to teach you how to bundle your hair in a ponytail. I’ve seen you standing in front of the mirror, trying to figure out how to do it properly. I will teach you, and you will keep on practicing till you get it right, just like how you learnt to button your own shirt and how you learnt to feed yourself.

Have patience, my dear daughter. I know that you can’t wait to grow up, to be fully independent. But before you get there, there are so many things that I hope you will learn. Not only to tie your own hair, but to learn from mistakes, to act with grace and humility, to be a person with integrity.

In the meantime, I will put off teaching you how to tie your hair for a little longer. I know that I will miss doing this little task for you, just like I miss the times when I helped you put on your socks, or when I fed you your rice cereal. So, I’m holding back, I want to keep tying my little girl’s hair for a little while longer.

Happy birthday, C!

Love,
Mummy

Happy 3rd Birthday G!

G turned 3 on 31st May, so this post is almost 2 months late (gasp! Where did the time go??)

Dear G,
Last year flew by in a blur. You’ve grown so much over the past year. Your verbal skills have improved by leaps and bounds, and you’re able to express yourself well, be it narrating your own story, recounting your day in preschool, or complaining about your sis :p 

You love to sing, and I would hear you humming to yourself while playing. Your favourite songs? Eensy-Weensy Spider, Alphabet song, and of course, “Let It Go” from Frozen. You’ve also started to learn to play the piano, and your best (and only piece) is Hot Cross Buns. I hope that you will always enjoy music, and be able to sing your heart out whenever you feel like it (like you do when you start belting out Let It Go at midnight in the dark)

You show an affinity for the written word. I would catch you pointing out words in books and street signs, and you love learning how to spell (magnetic letters are one of your favourite toys now). You’ve learnt to spell your name, and simple words like milk, toy, dog. I would often catch you “reading” to your toys at bedtime 😉

G reading

You’ve progressed from a little boy who was afraid of going up the trampoline, hesitant to jump into a ball-pit or even try the balance-beam, to a little daredevil who leaps off into the ball-pit (or off the bed) if given half a chance. Although mummy is so proud that you’ve come so far, try not to give me too many heart-attacks, ok?

Leaping in with wild abandon

You’re such an affectionate little boy, giving us warm hugs when you sense that we are upset. I love it when I get home from work every evening, to see you running to me shouting “Mummy, you’re home! I miss you!” I miss you too, everyday at work.

You really look up to your elder sis, parroting her words and imitating all her actions. I’m so glad that you are such a loving little brother, missing your sister when she is not around, giving her hugs when she is upset, offering to share your sweets with her whenever you get some. Always, always remember this bond that the two of you share.

Sharing a special bond

Of course, there are the tantrums. Terrible twos and threes were not named by chance. You have a stubborn streak in you that drives me up the wall sometimes, yet I can’t stay upset for long. All it takes is “I’m sorry, mummy. Are you still angry?” and a big hug from you. And who could resist that cheeky grin? Please grow out of this phase soon, though. It’s really no fun. I have the proof on video, and I promise to show it to you when you are older.

I know that it’s not easy being the second child, and you have limited time alone with mummy because she has to work and spend time with your older sis for her school work. As a result, you’ve grown up to be more independent, playing quietly by yourself when everyone else is busy. Sorry my dear G, I will try to spend more time with you. And take lots more photos and videos.

Happy birthday my dear G, mummy loves you lots. Stay happy and healthy. Laugh lots, and I hope you never lose that twinkle in your eyes 🙂

Happy birthday G!

Love,

Mummy

We survived Term 1!

Yay! We made it through term 1 of school, and it’s time to take a break. I’ve been looking forward to this week, when I can finally wake up at 7am, instead of the usual 5am routine.

I’m happy to report that all is going well in school, despite my initial worries. From waking up every morning at 5.30am, to completing her school work, to making new friends, C has coped marvellously well so far. In class, each of the students are given responsibilities, and she was proud to report that she was made the English rep of her class. I was amused to see her eyes shining as she told me how she helped to collect and carry the books during English class, and she wore the English rep badge with pride (I’m reminded that she has to wear the badge everyday and it must be in the correct place just above her name tag).

Of course, not everything was perfect. C had to learn how to stand-up for herself against bullies, taking responsibility when she forgot to hand in her work, handling disputes among friends. It was part of growing up, when she learnt that mummy will not always be around to handle unpleasant events.

To be truthful, I was very concerned about bullying, and was shocked to hear her saying that “someone was mean to her in school and threatened to throw her water-bottle away”. It took me a lot of self-restraint not to overreact, and to stay calm while we talked the incident through. It ended happily though, and she was able to resolve it by herself (the girls are best friends now!). That first incident gave her the courage to stand up against bullies on the school bus, to defend herself and a friend against the older girl (proud mum moment :)) It was certainly a reminder to myself to step aside and let her learn, instead of taking matters into my own hands.

Now that we’ve survived term one, it’s time to celebrate 😉 We will be bringing the kids out to have some fun. Have a great week ahead everyone!

Another year, another life lesson

Good morning, everyone!

It’s pretty quiet in here because I’ve been busy with life in general. Since C started primary school in Jan, I’ve been getting used to 5am mornings and early bedtimes. We’ve been working on brushing up C’s Chinese and G’s reading (more updates in later posts)

So, it’s been a year since I posted this list of 37 life lessons. Many things have happened along the way, and if there’s anything I’ve learnt, that’s:

38. Be prepared for change
Changes are inevitable. I can choose to accept and make the best out of it. Or I can choose to resist and be miserable. I’ve learnt that it’s ok to go with the flow (sometimes).

Have a great day everyone. I’m off to celebrate the first day as a 38-year old 🙂

G at Heguru – 2nd year update

Time flies, and I’ve realized that my last update on Heguru was from March last year (!)

G has been attending Heguru classes for a year now. Since Heguru groups the children born in the year 2012 and 2011 together in the same class, he is still doing pretty much the same activities compared to last year.

Course contents
With the new management taking over last September, there were some improvements made to the contents, for example, introduction of Chinese word flash cards. The physical exercises were also fine-tuned so that they were more age-appropriate (last year G was asked to hop on one leg at 1yo… )

Peg memory numbers 1-100 had been fully covered last year. With the start of the new year, we are starting with numbers 1 to 10 again.

The topics covered during the flashcards are not duplicated though, and new sets of cards are introduced every 4 weeks. I’m constantly inspired by the topics presented in class – ranging from guitar chords to types of whales to sources of calcium.

I’ve also purchased a set of 24 booklets recommended by Heguru (12 books for intellectual development, 12 books for number concept). They contain simple exercises to be done with G on a daily basis (a page from each booklet a day). An example of the contents in the intellectual development booklets include identification of parts of the body (vol. 1) to identifying collective nouns (vol. 12). For number concepts, they start with simple counting (vol. 1) to counting number of blocks in 3-D shapes (vol.12).

Heguru booklets

G’s progress
G is turning 3 this May. In right brain training, this is the age when the children start to give “output”. (Previously, when they were younger, below 2 years old, the focus concentrated on “input”, where information was presented to the child). Since the end of last year, I’ve seen G responding to ESP exercises verbally, sometimes shouting out the answers before teacher finished the question. I’ve mentioned previously that I was surprised that G could do the ESP exercises, and I continue to be impressed by his output in this area.

Previously I had concerns that the introduction to colour mandala was not age appropriate. Now that G is a year older, he is able to do the colouring by himself. He is now less distracted by the box of crayons, and able to focus on the image. On some occasions, he is also able to start drawing the shapes on the mandala (but most times, I’m still the one drawing).

He has also grasped the concept of linking memory. Last December, on a whim I decided to try it with G using a set of cards. To my surprise, he was able to name all 10 cards I placed and could recite bits of the story that I told. Currently he is able to do about 15-20 cards (depending on his mood).

One of the areas that he has not made progress, though, is during self-introduction. The cheeky boy happily goes to the front of the class when called, but refuses to say his name or answer questions (he happily chatters on when he is out of the spotlight). Hopefully this stage passes soon…

I’m happy to see that G continues to enjoy his classes, and look forward to more pleasant surprises this year 🙂

Which of your kids’ recent developments have surprised you most?

Chinese New Year 2014 – 守岁

Today is the eve of the Chinese new year (除夕), when families gather for the customary reunion dinner. This year is no exception – I have just spent a few pleasant hours chatting with my family, over a sumptuous dinner prepared by my mum.

Now that dinner is over, I’m back at home, and the kids are fast asleep. I’m trying my best to stay awake past midnight (I’ve been up since 5am, so it’s quite a bit of a challenge keeping my eyes open).

Why am I not in bed? Well, I’m upholding a Chinese new year custom called “守岁” (shŏu suì) , which entails staying up on the eve of the new year. Literally translated, 守 means “to watch”, while 岁 means “year” or “age”. The origins are not very clear, but most versions involve the mythical beast called “年” (nián), which appeared at the stroke of midnight on the Chinese New Year to hunt. In order to stay alive, people stayed awake to watch for the creature, and ward off its attacks by letting off firecrackers.  年 and 岁 both mean “year” in Chinese, so the practice of watching for the beast also came to be known as “守岁”.

Of course, I’m not staying up because I think that a monster is going to attack at the stroke of midnight. Rather, the Chinese believe that when children “守岁”, it will increase the longevity of our parents. With the arrival of the Year of the Horse, I hope that my parents will be blessed with health and happiness in the coming year.

As I come to the end of this post, it has just passed midnight. I hear the fireworks going off, and it’s time for me to go to bed.  Before I go, let me wish everyone health, happiness and peace in the Year of the Horse. Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

Do you follow traditional customs?

A new milestone… but I’m not ready!

All ready for primary 1!

The day has arrived. Come tomorrow morning, C will no longer be a pre-schooler. She will officially start her primary education on 2nd January 2014.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been busy with the preparations for this day. Uniforms were fitted, altered, washed and ironed. Books and stationery were bought and labelled. Bag was packed. Hair accessories were prepared.

There were last minute tutorials – how to tell time, how to calculate change, what to do if she misses the school bus. We did a trial run at the beginning of the week to make sure that she could wake up in time (5.30am!!)

C has been in bed since 8pm, with nary a care. In fact, I think she’s wondering what the big fuss is. I’m still taking deep breaths to calm myself. She’ll be taking the school bus for the first time tomorrow, and I’m worrying if she will fall backwards from the heavy school bag. Will she be able to buy food from the canteen? Will she finish her food in time during recess? Will she be able to cope in class? Will she make new friends?

My logical mind tells me that she is as ready as can be, that she will do just fine. Emotionally, I’m still struggling with the fact that my baby will be turning 7 this year. Why do they grow up so fast?

I’ll be in school with her tomorrow. I suspect that I’ll be the one having a panic attack, not her.

Wish me luck.

2013 in retrospect

Like all the past years, it seems that the year 2013 flew by in a flash. I look at my kids and wonder… where did all that time go?! Thankfully, there are photos and videos to help me do a quick recap of the year. An executive summary of the year’s events:

Major milestones for the kids in 2013:
C graduated from kindergarten.
G took part in his first concert (which I wasn’t able to attend as it clashed with C’s Primary 1 orientation – a big thank you to whoever invented the camcorder!)

My achievements:
A 12-week professional course
A 10-week phonics course
Juggling parenting and a full-time job (and throwing in occasional blogging too!)

Readership on this blog started picking up in 2013, attaining a steady average of about 100-200 views per day (thank you!).

2013 has been a wonderful year, but 2014 promises even more challenges. C will be going to Primary 1 (grade 1 to my overseas friends), a major transition. G has graduated to the nursery class, with new teachers. Work-wise, there will be new responsibilities and new challenges.

No list of new year resolutions for me this time, because I know they will change over the year. I do have one priority though – family. I think this would be enough to guide my path in the next year.

I’m looking forward to 2014. Are you?

Wishing all health, happiness and peace in the coming year. Happy New Year everyone 🙂

The year 2013 in pictures

A timely reminder

I’ve been under the weather the past week, down with an eye infection (I’m now sitting in front of the pc with one swollen eye), and a throat infection leading to a high fever. Today, due to the throat infection, I completely lost my voice – all that comes out is a pitiful squeak when I try to speak.

Obviously, I’m not feeling on top of the world, but not all is bad. A Chinese idiom goes “因祸得福” (literally translated, it means to profit from a misfortune). I actually benefitted from this bout of illness.

Being down under the weather forced me to slow down, to take life at a slower pace. This in turn allowed my children (especially C) to take a break without me breathing down their necks. In an earlier post, I had written about letting my children play, to let them have the time and freedom to explore freely, but in the course of the year, I had reverted to be quite the tiger mum again. Sitting down and taking a rest gave me a reminder to let it go (there is really not much energy left after dealing with a raging fever).

Today, my voice was non-existent. For the kids, it meant no nagging, no screaming, no instructions. Forced to remain silent, I was shocked surprised to find out just how much I nagged spoke each day, and how many times I would have scolded the kids for minor infringements. Because of the sore throat, all I could do was to squeak my disapproval, but no harsh words could come out of my mouth. The kids actually started giggling when they heard me, and at that moment, all my anger disappeared.  I laughed (noiselessly) together with them.

Perhaps, I really needed this reminder.

p/s: I’ll get back to completing that draft on my Bali trip soon (right after that eye gets better).

Graduation

Last Saturday, I attended C’s graduation concert. My little girl. Graduating from kindergarten.

During the introductory speech by her principal, these words flashed on the screen

It’s only just beginning
This is what we dream about
But the only question with me now
Is, do I make you proud?

As I listened, I recalled her first day in school four years ago. While the rest of her 3-year-old classmates were bawling away, she was the only one who strode confidently into class and sat in front. I was the one with attachment issues, peeping into class, secretly wishing that she would be crying for me (alas, she simply turned around and gave me a little wave to say good-bye).

I cried.

First day of school in 2010

Four years down the road, she has grown into a little lady. A feisty 6-year old who has just crossed another milestone, ready to step into primary school. I felt my heart bursting as I watched her perform on stage with the same confidence she displayed four years ago. Then, I heard her name called out to receive her graduation certificate.

Again, I cried.

C ready for her graduation concert

I had not expected to be overcome with emotions on both occasions, but I was. I could not control those tears – tears of pride and joy.

Do you make me proud?

Yes, my dear C. You make me so, so proud. Happy graduation.