The BRAND NEW Piggy Family

The BRAND NEW Piggy Family
The cartoon is by Piggy Daddy who is a full time educator and freelance illustrator. Anyone who needs freelance illustrations, please contact us! :)
Daisypath Anniversary Years Ticker
Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers
Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers

Monday, January 21, 2013

Double celebrations


It's our 8th wedding anniversary today. But we celebrated RA's 5th birthday in school. Even though these two special dates are 1 day apart, but we decided to bring forward RA's school celebration cos last Fri, we were informed that there will be an outing to the Science Centre for the Nursery and K1 kids tomorrow, 22 Jan, RA's 5th birthday.

So, hubby and I scrambled to change the cake delivery, re-organise our time cos both of us cannot afford to miss any lessons. I had to take a few hours time off after my afternoon lessons, while hubby had to 'fly' back from Marine Parade to Tampines after his last lesson in the afternoon.

The party finally got going at 4pm and RA's classmates were so hungry that a lot of them asked for 2-3 helpings, I have never seen a 1.5 kg cake wiped out so fast. But it's great that they enjoy the cake cos hubby and I are not big cake eaters.

Since today is a weekday and both of us got to work, we celebrated our wedding anniversary by having a simple lunch together, fried hokkien mee and sambal stingray. haha. So simple compared to the extravagant meals we had before kids. But it is more important for us to spend time alone. With 2 kids and no maid, plus a hectic schedule during school term, we hardly have couple time nowadays.

Hubby took the effort to get me a present from my favourite shop. Sad to say, I have been so busy with work nowadays that I do not have time to plan and get him something nice. Here's to many more years together and hope we will always make time for each other. :)

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Happy birthday to Daddy!


Today is Daddy's birthday. But it is not a good day for Daddy cos he sprained
his back on Fri after bringing Raelynn to toilet in a tight cubicle. It got worse over the two days and he had to lie down most of the time and could hardly drive so he went for tuina at maguang today.

Nonetheless, the 24 hr on duty Daddy still slept with the gals last night though he had difficulty getting up and going back to his own room. He also chose a kiddy Madagascar tiger cake, something that will make the gals happy. When he asked for 3 candles, the cashier thought it was really for a kid's birthday and gave him 3 tiny candles instead of 3 big ones. haha.

Wishing that Daddy will get well soon and stay healthy always. :)

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

2 Jan 13 - RaeAnne's 1st night alone on a big bed


We have been wanting to buy a single bed for RaeAnne so that she can sleep in her own room. Main reason is because Raelynn takes a long time to fall asleep and as a result, she disturbs Cheh Cheh who is a light sleeper when they are both in the same room.

First, we went to Fullhouse, Aljunied, their beds are not bad, a princess heart bed costs only about $350 and it is PINK. But we decided to get two pink Princess Emily beds from Piccolo house since the pink beds were on offer (usual price $799, now $703) because the quality is better (solid wood instead of compressed foam wood). Also, they are modular beds, so they can be converted into a bunk bed when the gals are older, maybe in upper primary. I am sure the gals will be thrilled cos I always wanted to sleep on a bunk bed when I was in primary and Secondary school but my mum just keeps bluffing me next year followed by next year when I pestered her so I never got to sleep in a bunk bed in the end.

We only have 3 rooms in our 5 room flat so it was a long work in progress for the past few school holidays to clear out the study, give away our dining table so that we can move the bookshelves to the living room and convert the study into RA's room.

The bed finally arrived on 28 Dec 2012. First night wasn't so good. RA didn't take to her new bed cos the mattress was too hard (from Seahorse, $39) even though she chose it herself. And because I didn't have time to wash her new bedsheets (having bought them from Aussino just the night before). So the bedsheets was hard like starch and smelled strange too. She asked to sleep in her old bed because she said it was softer, more comfortable and the bedsheets were smoother. After we insisted that she must sleep in her new bed, and hb slept beside her on the floor, she finally KO at 11.40pm. Not an early bedtime that we wished at all.

I took the effort to wash and iron her bedsheets during the weekend. Put lots of softener too. The bedsheets definitely felt and smelled much better after that. She liked her new bed much better after that. We have a book 'My first time in a big bed' and we have been reading this book to RA on and off for about 2 yrs. Last night, we read it to RA again and told her that if she can sleep on her own in a big bed, we will give her the certificate and stickers that are at the back of the book.

She was quite confident and said yes, she will sleep alone. But 5 mins after I kissed her good night, she went to Daddy for SOS and got him to lie down beside her on the floor because she said she heard strange noises. I went in again, asked hb to leave the room, reassured her that there is nothing strange in her new room. She had already slept in it for the last few days and nothing happened right? Even if there are any flying insects, we are just next door so she can walk over and tell us.

She cried a bit when I insisted that she try and sleep alone, but she didn't protest when I left the room again. 15 mins later, when I checked, she was sound asleep at about 11pm. Today, I gave her her certificate and blutacked it on the wall of her new bedroom. She went to sleep on her own again tonight.

Really proud of her and secretly, I do feel a bit guilty as if we are forcing her to grow up at just 5 years old. Actually, we have been procrastinating on sleep training these few years cos there is bonding at bedtime when all 4 of us fall asleep on a queen sofa bed and a cot bed for Mei Mei.

But now that I am working and will still need to do marking after the gals sleep, I can't be lying down and pretending to sleep from 930-1130pm every night cos it really takes too much time. Also, I don't like the idea of them sleeping so late every night cos they don't get enough rest. Also, I know of parents who sleep train their kids when they were babies ie. sleep in a cot in a separate room since the baby is born. Compared to them, sleep training RA at 5 years old is not that exactly young.

We still read bedtime stories to them together but either in RA's room or RL's room when they are drinking milk. After which, they will brush their teeth then go back to their respective rooms to sleep. But to compensate to RA, I spend about 10-15 mins talking to RA, before I tuck her in and leave the room.

I have to spend a much longer time with RL because she still doesn't get the concept of closing her eyes to sleep. Her eyes are always open and she will roll about or play in her little cot bed and KO suddenly around 1130pm when she is really very, very tired. Will need to find a way to make her sleep earlier too.

Slowly, one challenge at a time... ;)

First day at school....

For me, not the kids. Facing a new class of 30 and talking non stop for 2.5 hrs to brief them on the new term, queue position, seating position, toilet location, rules and regulations is no joke. After 1 month of rest, I really had to crank up my rusty bones. Haha.

Luckily, the gals are in childcare so they go to school everyday even when Mummy and Daddy are having school holidays. Imagine having to coax them back to school after a 1 month break. I think they will whine non stop or evey cry for 1 week. So bad of us ya? Hehe. But I do feel guilty sometimes so I let them 'ponten' school quite often this Dec holidays cos we went for RWS staycation, Legoland 2D1N trip then Star Cruise 3D2N. As a result, they keep whining about having to go back to school after we get back. Told hubby that I think one long holiday trip is better than 3 short ones. Less disruptive. But definitely, it will be more expensive. Haha.