At last, some progress...

Today, I put my foot down and told the teacher I don't want to keep bringing her back after lunch. Firstly, because the CC is already collecting gym enrichment fees from me cos gym class is starting tomorrow. No point paying for it if she is going to be absent in the afternoons right? So, I told the teacher, today, since I am not going out, we try to drag her timing. I will come when they call if she is crying badly. Tomorrow (Tues), I want her to start full day. To me, there is no point prolonging the agony. Even if I let her go on half day for 2 weeks, come the 3rd week, she will still cry as if it was the first day of school once she is forced to nap in school. So, instead of crying for 1 month, why not let her cry for 2 weeks?

Although the teachers didn't call me, I went to check on her at 1245pm. She hadn't slept yet but the teacher said she was not crying very loudly so the teacher left her be. I went to have my lunch at the CC foodcourt downstairs so that I can be on standby. At 120pm, when I went back to the CC, the teacher said she has already fallen asleep. Maybe she was also drowsy from her cold med cos she has slight runny nose. So, I went back home. But at 250pm, the teacher called me and said she has woken up and started crying. Told teacher to let her have her tea break first. So, I rushed to prepare soup for dinner and put it in the slow cooker before leaving the house cos I know I won't have much time to cook once she is home.

When I picked her up at 4pm, she was not crying at all. Think I am lucky cos there were 2 birthday celebrations, one in the morning, one in the afternoon so that also helped cos she was happily eating cake n holding onto her goody bag which contained a storybook.

Tom, i got to go office for meeting n there's gym class in afternoon so will try putting her for full day. Keeping fingers crossed. :p

Car accident - 1 yr on

Just realised that today (since already past midnight) is the 1 yr anniversary of our major car accident. Although we didn't hit anyone but a tree, both of us ended up with bone fractures (compression fractures in the spine for me and left hand meta carpa for hubby) Hubby had an operation, the metal plate is still stuck in hubby's left hand and he experience slight numbness. By right, he can choose to remove the plate but that means reopening the wound. Ouch! As for me, I'm stuck with chronic backache whenever I carry RL for too long. Hiaz. Feeling like an old woman already. Yikes... :P

But of course, glad to survive the accident and got chance to bitch about it. To be surrounded by our two lovely but naughty gals. :)

Swimming lessons! :)

Just started private swimming lessons at Tampines swimming pool for the gals today. The instructor, Mr Terry Tan, was recommended by Happy Fish. The toddler class is for kids 2-4 yrs old, $250 for 1 kid, $300 for 2 kids. My cousin, Shirley, wanted to enrol her kids aged 4 n 6 too, but we couldn't find a common timing. Sun mornings she cannot cos her kids attend church. She wanted Sat mornings but most instructors are full conducting the group classes so cannot conduct private class, unless we go to the Sengkang swimming pool which I'm not very keen. :P

Anyway, for the first lesson, RA did quite ok. With us around, she is not shy around Terry at all and can follow instructions to paddle, blow bubbles etc. RL has a bit of phobia of water, she will scream if we just drizzle water over her head to make her 'blow out' with her mouth. Instructor said I can actually choose to start her when she is older eg. 4. Ie, just let her play water while Cheh cheh is having lessons. Oh well, will see how, swimming lessons supposed to strengthen their lungs but we didn't have a good start. RA is having a cough and RL having a runny nose. Got nagged by grandparents for bringing them swimming when they are already sick. Duh. :P

Dec School holidays ending for me today. Hubby already gearing up cos had meetings all week. Even on his birthday last Fri, he had whole day meeting. So, I brought some 爱心便当 of curry chicken and fish maw meat ball soup. Tomorrow, he will start his 11 hr work days again. Leave the house at 645am, come back at 6:15pm again. The start of chaotic mornings for me to handle 2 gals to prepare them for school. RL is still on half day until teacher gives the go ahead. RA started her usual drama of 'I don't want to go to school, I want to go Nai Nai house, I don't want Mummy to work. I want Mummy 照顾我.

Hiaz, she really wears down my resolve to continue to work freelance. First of all, Elfa has no half day childcare from Nursery class onwards so if she does not change school, she has to sleep in school which she hates. Even if I want to pull them out and put them at PCF kindergarten, there are no vacancies. Registration for pcf is super kiasu, reg has already ended in April 2011. Even if there are vacancies, their lessons are very short, just 3 hrs. So, I have to cook lunch, then bring the gals back from school, feed them lunch, shower them, eat my lunch and put them to bed. I am not confident I can do this alone without a maid but I don't earn enough to hire a maid. Hope the new year is better cos I thought about it for long time, but don't have any solutions to this problem. :(

Raelynn's 1st 3 days at Elfa CC

Raelynn started going to Elfa CC on Tues since it was a long weekend. First day, brought her back after lunch as advised by Teacher Irene. RA saw me but didn't protest. I bluffed her Mei Mei has diarrhea, that's why teacher asked me to bring her back.

Second day, I wanted to leave her there longer. At least try to keep her there to try to nap, but teacher called again that she is crying badly so rushed to pick her. Today, I was out at work so Nai Nai went to pick her up after lunch. She said she did not cry when she went. Today, RA came back during evening and complained to me why Mei Mei went back earlier than her.

Didn't expect Mei Mei to take so long to adjust since she only took 3 days to get used to Learning Train playgroup. But I guess she never slept outside home or Nai Nai's house before so it will take longer. But hubby is going back to work next Monday. Think I will make a judgement call by end of next week. If I have to keep bringing her back after lunch, might as well convert her to half day instead of full day.

RA's first Yamaha concert

Today, RA just had her yamaha class concert, she's a bit distracted cos so many pp in her classroom (even Nai Nai came to lend her support) but at least she did not have stage fright. Compared to the first time she performed a dance with her playgroup classmates at 2 yrs old, must say she really grew up. Too bad, she is still not ready for unaccompanied enrichment classes though. -_-

Brought her for ballet trial at Crestar, Abacus Plaza but she did not want me to leave the room. How to sign up like that? Anyway, we decided to start private swimming lessons on Sunday morning at Tampines swimming pool. I think $300 for 2 tots is quite steep but hubby said we just go for it. The gals have been having cough and cold nearly every month, we spend a lot of $ bringing them to see dr anyway. Since, swimming supposed to strengthen the lungs, we will try it out and see if it improves their health.

Next yr, she is starting on Yamaha's Junior Musician class so we need to get an instrument for her to practise but I'm not sure which instrument to buy. The full height piano costs $5-8k. If I buy a piano at $3k plus (supposed to last for 10 yrs), will she lose interest? If I buy a digital piano at $1k plus, will I end up having to top up more if she does have the interest. Dilemma.

Happy anniversary!

So fast, we have said 'I do' 7 years ago. 七年之痒? I definitely think it is up to us to make our marriage work forever, hope never to lose that loving feeling even though we are so busy looking after the kids without a maid for the last 6 months and harassed by our 2 night birds gals who sleep between 11-12 midnight daily and shuttle in our busy daily routines. Especially hard on hubby who gets only average of 5 hrs of sleep everyday cos his working hours are super long as a teacher.

Happy anniversary Dada! 辛苦你了! :)

Raelynn scissorhands

Last week, I took my eyes off RL for 3 mins while she was cutting paper with a tiny pair of scissors at ILs place cos I went to the toilet. When I came back, I was surprised to see thin strips of black paper on the floor. Was wondering to myself how could her fine motor skills be so advanced to cut paper so accurately. Then I had a rude shock, the stuff on the floor was not paper, it was her hair! This naughty gal had tried to imitate Nai nai and cut chunks of her hair from both side off. Although there was no obvious ugly hole at the back, but her hairstyle was definitely disproportionately layered so Nai Nai had to remedy the damage. So she trimmed her hair very short and now she looks like 'ah dude' with coconut head hair. There goes my hope of taking a family photo in dec since I signed up with Pic perfect at Suntec in July when taking my ERA photos.

Today, she wanted to cut paper so I took out RA's Kumon workbook for her and tried to teach her to cut. She only managed the first cut so had no patience cutting lines. Then when I tried to help her cut out a pineapple shape, I turned around and saw that she did it again. She cut a tiny chunk of hair off again. I beat her hands and scolded her this time but she didn't even bian zui nor cry. Not repentant at all. Grr... no more real scissors for Mei Mei, only plastic scissors from now on.

Evidence of her holding strands of hair in her fingers and proudly admiring her masterpiece... Maybe, she wants to be a hairstylist in future? :P

RaeAnne's first concert at Elfa :)

Her dance piece was I like to move it move it by Madagascar. She is sick with flu but managed to perform with the help of panadol. But I went to backstage and brought her home shortly after her performance though the concert has not ended so that she can rest more at home. :)

Happy 2nd Birthday to RaeLynn!

Our little Mei Mei (RaeLynn) is 2 years old. She is 82cm tall and 11.5kg. Just 500g more than RA when she was two yrs old. RA was taller at 85/86cm though. :P

In terms of speech development, she can say short sentences. Some of them very well eg. I want 这个. Me, me, Mine. I want Mummy 抱抱. 找奶奶, 找Mummy. I want take/throw/jump, I want 穿裙,I want 穿鞋, I want cheese. 姐姐打. Oops! :P

Physical development - she can climb very well much to ye ye and Nai Nai's constant worries. She will dance and move to the music. She can take aim and throw a ball. She can walk with alternate foot on the staircase if someone holds her hand. Her favourite part is jumping off at the last step. :)

Social development - strangely, she is not as sociable as before. Eg. she will say hi five to certain close family, but no longer does it with school teachers and admin. She will still wave bye bye to everyone she doesn't know though. :)

We had her school bd party early yesterday cos today is RaeAnne's Elfa CC year end concert. Strangely, Mei Mei refused to eat her birthday cake though it was strawberry flavour Elmo cake from Polar. Previous yrs, we always ordered from Prima Deli cos it was the nearest bakery from our home. She did blow out the candle on cue though. :)


Bought 2 presents for her, one Elmo toy guitar that costs $36.90 (b4 30% discount) and a Elmo colouring pencil set that costs just $3 from Toy R Us Warehouse sale. She took only a few glances at the toy guitar but instead both gals clamoured over the $3colouring set. When we brought her to Toy R Us, she picked a pink cow potty seat and refused to let go of it so we bought it for her as bd present from the grandparents since they gave her ang pows. She went around holding her potty seat in her hands using it as her hat or trying to sit on it like a rocking horse. Quite a sight at Tampines Mall and hubby was quite embarassed. Moral of the story, it doesn't take much to satisfy a kid's imagination. ;)

But she stopped using it as a hat after her head got stuck in the potty seat ring when she was playing with it at home. :P

Stayacation at Resorts World

Back from our stayacation with the gals and MIL at Festive Hotel. Checked in on Thurs and made use of the Mastercards promotion 3d2n with 2 free Universal studio tics and 2 free Voyage De La Vie tics at $590. I had to rush out 1 hr after checking in to see the Bedok Residences showflat on Thurs at 430pm.

Came back to Resorts World at 7+pm, gobbled down Pu tien fried bee hoon and fried rice which hubby tapowed earlier. Then booked a spa treatment last minute and enjoyed a green tea scrub and aroma massage at Spa Republic on Thurs night so that hubby and MIL can bring the kids to Voyage De la Vie. Only 2 tickets anyway. They left the show shortly after cos hubby said the show too quiet and the kids were too noisy. Luckily, I didn't join them. Keke.


Next morning, had bread from Breadtalk. Then we went to USS at 10am on Fri. Not that much crowd but still need to queue 5 mins for entry. RA went for 6 rides (boat ride and merry go round at Madagascar, Shrek 4d & Donkey Live show, Dragon kids roller coaster and Mini Ferris Wheel at Far Far away. RL only managed the first two rides but she didn't enjoy them nor does she like taking photos with the characters. She kept crying. Maybe she's too young or she was hungry. I was surprised by RA cos she said she wanted to go for the Dragon ride but I dun think she realised what a roller coaster was. Even I closed my eyes throughout cos I am always freaked out by roller coasters. She had a blank dazed look after the 3 mins 'hell ride' but I am really proud that she did not cry or scream during the ride. After I told her she's so brave, she said "I want mummy 抱抱." kekeke.

RL ko at the park at 3+pm, so we came back. But after we reached hotel room, she woke up cos hubby put her down on the baby cot too suddenly. So, MIL was the only one who managed to catch a siesta while we entertain the gals. Decided to go for international buffet dinner at Hard Rock hotel with MIL since we seldom get the chance to dine out with her. Per pax was $68++ but luckily got 10% discount for Masters card. The kids dine free since below 4 yrs old. Phew! Food was ok, not the best buffet we had. Couldn't load our plates with the sashimi and oyster and other seafood cos MIL didn't like us eating cold, raw food. hehe.

Then at 8+pm, we slowly walked back to USS for the fireworks show. We were just in time, cos it started at 9pm instead of 930pm which we were told by the hotel reception. The fireworks were beautiful, RA enjoyed it but RL was a bit frightened by the loud sounds. Came back at 9+pm and had an early night at 11+pm.

All in all, quite a good experience. Both gals enjoyed climbing up and down the loft bed which freaked MIL out. RA had her fill of her favourite bubble baths at the bathtub. RA had 3 bubble baths in 3 days. Didn't let them go swimming since both were dripping mucus and coughing.

Only comment was there there is not enough food variety at USS and the hotels. In the morning, the one and only Toast box had a long queue cos there was nowhere else for bf. At the huge USS foodcourt, there were only 4 types of food, laksa, wanton mee, chicken rice or kids nuggets meal. For dinner, variety outside was ok but hotels, it was sad. Imagine there was no restaurants serving buffet at our own Festive hotel so we had to walk over to Hard Rock Hotel. :P