Children Little Museum

Cannot remember how did we come to know about this place, been wanting to visit it for ages with the monkies.. Finally found time to bring them there this weekend..

At the entrance.. Little monkie playing with the styrofoam airplane.. Even the packing is the same as those i played when i was young!

The report cards Grandpa and Grandmama used to receive.. 

The readers that grandpa and grandmama used while they were in school..

The hawker stalls of yester-years.. I think it's also my grandpa and grandmama days.. Not mine..

The tok-kong machine used to make ice-kachang.  They use the hand to turn the big wheel, unlike ours now just press the button.. :P

The bicycles the grandpa and grandmama used to ride.. 

The weird looking "steamer" machine.. Grandmama says sometimes it catches fire too!! Scary!!

This.. is from my time.. See the alphabet erasers? I was so excited when i saw them!! Finally something from my era! hahahaha

Little monkie in "school". See that school bag (school-box)? Grandpa said the case never spoil!! Only the locks on top do.. and when it does, the teacher will use some metal thingy to try and help them "pry" open the school-box..

Towards the End of Term 3 at Yamaha JMC

It’s towards the end of 3rd term in Yamaha JMC and Nick is beginning to show signs that he's a little bored with the program. Usually he will look forward to attending classes, but lately, he's looking forward to Sundays more than Wednesdays because he will learn to dance like MJ in a dance studio!

Should i insist that he finishes his 2 years at JMC or allow him to stop after term 4? Stop after term 4, no certificate leh!

Grace's Birthday Party..

We had a mini celebratation for little monkie at McDonald's.. Her little friends were invited together, we all celebrated her 3rd Birthday!

The birthday room.. 

The Birthday Girl!!

Some of her little friends

While they were playing games.. 

Then it was time for Happy Meal.. The kids choose to sit with their best friends...

Then it was time for the cake..

The Birthday song..

A family picture..

And some photo session with friends..

And after the party ended, we realized we forgot to take a group photo.. haha.. Never mind, there is always a next time.. :)

School Holidays is ALMOST Over!!

And, you cannot imagine how glad i am!! Hahahaha.. 

Yes.. I am so happy it's almost over.. Sam's heading back to school.. Nick is heading to a new Kindergarten to continue his 2nd part of K1 and Grace is quitting childcare!

Am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that he will have more responsible and interested teachers in this new school. His current childcare is still stuck on doing phonics sounds while others are in the midst of learning to read and write in sentences. Our hard work to send him for phonics classes and to read to him every night is beginning to pay off so i hope he can catch up with his peers. 

As for Grace, since there is a maid at home, i don't see a point to send her to childcare since she is constantly protesting. She's staying at SM for now, we will see how it goes since she's been insisting she wants to attend the "church school" with Nicholas.. If the school bus drops her home and she's able to catch Nick's school bus timing, i might consider letting her attend the 2nd Kindergarten. As to why are we not pulling her out of SM, i guess i am too comfortable with her learning pace and is not too willing to make changes. 

Is She All GROWN UP?

Some little conversations with Grace these couple of days that made us laughed till our jaws ached!!.

Nick to Grace "Quick finish your food ok! It is going to rain already!" 

Grace reply : "Huh? But the house got roof what!" ..

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Today daddy asked Grace..

Daddy : Grace love daddy or mummy more?

Grace : Love mummy more.. 

Daddy : Why? 

Grace : Cos mummy go out and work so she earn more money to buy things for me then can bring me go out and play mah.

Daddy : But daddy also go out and work very hard to earn money so that Grace can buy things and go out and play also.. 

Grace : But daddy never earn a lot, a lot of money, then mummy can don't go to work and stay at home and play with me and bring me go out kai kai every day mah.. 

Signs that my BABY isn't a BABY anymore..

Baby monkie is growing a little too fast!  Perhaps, too soon for me..

She now .. 

• no longer on diaper;
• no longer needs my help to do lots of stuffs like pouring water to drink;
• no longer need me to escort her to the toilet to pee or poo... She visits the loo herself, takes off her bottoms, pee and puts them on, flashes the toilet and walks out.. ;
  
• carries a stack of 20+ books to my bedroom every night and demands that i finish reading all of them to her;
• requests for homework when she sees Nick has homework to do;
• does mazes like a pro;
• quietly hides in the study and draws pictures of things she sees or thinks ;
• and others!!

This is the worksheet she did today.. As much as i am happy she can sit down and complete homework like Nick, am still a bit "bu ser de" for her to grow up that soon... :( I still want my daily hugs and cuddles, kisses and "i love you so so so so much, mummy" from her.. Oh, silly me.. 

Growing his ARTY-FARTY Genes..

Nick can be very creative when it comes to building his own "town" with his railway tracks, Lego buildings and making his thomas trains go "up the hills and down the tracks".. 

But when it comes to drawing and coloring, he really cannot make it.  I've been trying to convince him to attend art classes, however, the run-of-the-mill classes offered at community club aren't really tailored for kids of his age plus, i somehow feel that they are "out-dated".. :P

Couple of weeks back, we came across this art school that offers Art for kids as young as 1.5yo, and it seems rather interesting.  Best, they don't quite do "drawing" and "coloring".  And needless to say, such schools comes with a hefty price-tag.. Community club has art classes at slightly below $50 a term for a 3 hour class per week whereas, this charges $324 per term for a 60 min lesson. 

Nevertheless, signed the boy up for the next 4 lessons, hoping to see if he likes it before we decide if we will continue with the whole term in July. 

This month, they are doing canvas painting. On lesson 1, he learnt to use the brush and paint the bigger areas on the canvas. Today (i.e. lesson 2), the learn how to use the ear buds and tap onto the smaller areas. The look of it after lesson 2. 

Looks like not bad hor! :P

Nick's and His String of Requests!

There is something that's been bugging me for some time.. Nick is a slow learner, but a very diligent one.  Since we recognize that he's a slow learner, we naturally spend more time trying to send him on enrichment programs hoping it will help him in one way or another. 

Problem is, after we start certain classes, Nick seems to enjoy learning as he picks up the skills and progress with confidence. By right, i should be glad. But the thing is, i dunno when is the right time to stop these classes especially when he enjoys going for them.  Now, he's (perhaps is me and daddy) swamped with enrichment classes till we sometimes end up trying to think which he has on that day.. 

From Phonics - i can read, to Maths - MPM and Kumon (we manage to stop Enopi), Chinese - Berries, Music with Yamaha, Montessori with Mrs Yap.. We think it's a little too much we can manage.. Not to mention, both Sam and Grace also has their fair share of classes!

Lately, Nick's been asking for more.. He wants to pick up fencing, hip hop and Takwando. And seriously, i think we have over-spent on this boy!. 

Nevertheless, given that he is only 4 turning 5 years old this year, we manage to convince Nick that fencing and Takwando will have to wait! As much as they enforce discipline in a child, we think that Nick still is too young to understand that such skills are meant for exercising and self-protection rather than to FIGHT. Last thing we need is for him to "practice" it on his little sister!

Ok, so for now, we started him on art classes and perhaps trying to look around for hip hop classes.. I hope his string of request stop growing longer, but on the other hand, am glad he's taken interest in them too. :)