Going MIA..

To be MIA is not by choice.. Been busy.. haha.. what's new anyway.. :P

Anyways.. I've recently changed jobs, not really a new job, still in a sister company but totally different boss..

This time round, i have a much brighter boss, infact, very bright.. Not like my previous boss who is absolutely empty up there.. :D And, since i have a much brighter boss, i have more things to do and more responsibilities to take, which is good.. But i miss the monkies badly.

My day to day, i leave home around 7am, reaches office by 8am and the day only ends around 10-11pm..

G misses me loads!! She's been begging me to bring her to work or even quit working altogether.. But seriously, it's tough..

With the lifestyle we want, the things we expect in life, and all those.. I guess continue working is my only option.. *sigh*

Well.. Till my next post ..

Grace Dislikes School..

She's going through a phase where she dislikes school..  

Every morning, she will not fail to try her luck. 

- My teacher say today is a school holiday..

- My teacher say today no need to go to school..

- Today my stomach is pain, can i don't go to school?

- Can i go to work with you today?

- Can i don't go to school today because i love you mummy.. 

When asked why she doesn't likes school, she always tells me they do boring stuffs in school like learn to write A, I, O, P, 1, 2, 3 (ok, maybe is my fault.. But she attended 2 years of pre-school prior to this, so she already is all done with those alphabets and numbers.. She's now into doing additions, mind games and challenging puzzles etc at home when the rest of her classmates are still stuck at ABC and 123, so maybe it explains why she finds school boring and slow.. )

Half of me wants to pull her out of school because i fear she will end up hating school if i don't.

Another part of me feels that there has to be a routine for her because when she heads to P1, she has to go thru school even thou she may not like it. 

Another reason is also because she cannot be stuck at home the whole day wasting time.. She needs to go school and mix around with other kids of her age and play with them..

So what do you think i should do? 

I do know of some parents whose kids to skip pre-school altogether and only attends enrichment programs. But i am not a SAHM where i have the luxury of coaching her the whole day..  I will have to return to work next week and may even have to work late on weekdays, so she might end up being all alone at home if i take her out of school completely.. 

Ok.. Am in dilemma..  Throw suggestions at me please!!.. :D

Me, Myself and I

Gosh.. Been busy of late!! The blog has again been a neglected victim of my "BUSY-ness".. *giggles*

Am now on a 2 weeks break.. And, well.. I AM even BUSY-ier.. 

Before my break, i was busy with work (what's new anyway), monitoring Nick on his work, dropping the kids at the enrichment classes blah blah blah.. 

Now that i am on my break.. I am lagee busy!!

 

Mornings, I try to spend my time with little missy.. Without fail, the 1st thing she does when she opens her eyes is to say "mummy, today you not going to work hor?? You are staying at home with me right?" And since i am at home, she will insist i bathe for her and not the maid.. :(  After that, we will either stroll to the MacDonalds or market for breakfast, then return home to do some "studying" before she heads to school for 3 hours.. When the maid fetches her home, the first thing she asks is "WHERE IS MY MUMMY??" and she will run into the study to check if i had "escaped" out while she's at school.   :P

Usually in the afternoons when the 3 kids are home.. 

Some days, i bring Sam out alone without the 2 younger ones because since the arrival of the 2 younger ones, we haven't really spent a lot of time alone.. Other days, i bring Nick and Grace out to the playground.. And just yesterday, because Sam doesn't have to go to school (means no homework for the day), they 3 monkies and me caught a movie together.. 

On some of the afternoons when i manage to escape out without the kids, i would be in bookshops, spending my afternoons shopping for books.. Or in art shops looking around for scrapbook papers, attending scrapbooking / altered art / stamping and coloring classes etc.. It's really a bliss to be able to spend some time learning a hobby. Nevertheless, hubby's been complaining.. haha.. It's a really very expensive hobby. Each 2 hours lesson will range between 75-90 bucks, after that, i will shop and buy some other stuffs home.. And a simple chop, will cost around 30 bucks, the markers, stamp pads etc also cost an arm and a leg.. 

* my new mimi chop collection!!

I originally had big plans of bringing Nick to Cameron Highlands to pluck strawberries, but fear that Grace will end up crying buckets, i aborted the big plan (daddy couldn't take leave, so i had to bring them alone if i wanted to go)..

Well, another week before heading back to work.. I sure have to fully utilize my time with the kids since not too sure when will the next long break be. :)

Life at 6yo..

Sometimes, it makes me wonder why do they need to make kids at 6yo learn the spelling and "ting xie" of long and complicated words.. 

Nick's spelling words for this coming Tuesday..

1. Water cycle

2. Evaporation

3. Condensation 

4. Precipitation

5. Collection

Ting Xie for the next few Thursdays..  6 words a week.. This coming Thursday, it will be the 5 words on the 1st row..

*Poor mummy has to ask papa how to read them and write the Han Yu Pin Ying on top of the words.. :( 

Crazy Over Angry Bird..

Hubby was so sweet.. He came home with a set of small plush toys.. :) Made my day :)

Angry!!

It's 3 days since the incident and i am still mad!! Really!! It's not me to get mad for so long and over such people especially i don't even know that person! 

We were at Jusco in JB.. Nick has a habit of making us buy him books from the Harris bookshop everytime we try to convince him to go JB.. Anyway, there's really nothing bad about buying books.. But i hate it when they have the so-call book fair at the reading area where the kids reads and some sales people trying to make you buy some so called very good and cannot live without encyclopedias!.. 

And, being 95% English speaking, my kids don't probably speak mandarin as much as most local children do and they also won't be able to understand what those salesman are talking half the time!!. 

Anyways, what made me hopping mad was.. This idiotic salesman, walked up to Nick, spoke to him in chinese while Nick was busy reading his Ben 10 story book. Nick didn't even answered or looked at him (well, mummy say DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS right?), then the next instant, the salesman started verbally abusing the Nick loudly saying he is "STUPID" and "RUDE"!!  The best part was, daddy was seated next to Nick, was too SHOCK to react!!.. 

I was 2 bookshelf away, and i heard that person using those words, so i walked out to make sure that Grace and Nick were near their father only to realized that it was my son that the person was scolding!. 

I walked up straight to the salesman, and told him loudly to mind his language he used on my kids and that my son isn't STUPID!! And why did he say that my son was RUDE to him?? 

He told me that he spoke to the boy and he completely ignored him! So i asked him loudly (weirdly, i was mad and yet calm enuff not to slap him).. "Did your parents not teach you NOT TALK TO STRANGERS?? "

Well, he didn't apologize!! He actually "proceed" to sell me his set of RM2000, reduced to RM900 encyclopedias!  

I simply walked away with probably a lot of steam coming out of my nostral and ears!.. 

And i guess the reason for me to be hopping mad up to now is because i haven't given him a piece of my mind!!..!! 

And!!. Hubby later told me he actually did that to 2 other parents and they bought the set of books from him because he said that their child was STUPID!!

Such an IDIOT!!! ARGH!!!

The Sentosa Luge

It's been some time since we last visited Sentosa Luge.

Us getting ready for the ride! Even Nick and Grace were so excited.. 

But hor, the mummy is having cold feet!!

Nick was just so excited and cannot wait to get onto the Luge.. :P

After Q-ing for some time, well.. Here we come.. :)

While mummy was busy pulling the handle to slow down the Luge, Grace was helping me to push it forward so that it can go faster. She just kept shouting "mummy go faster, go faster.. Must win papa.. Cannot let papa reach first..!!" It was so fast that her helmet almost flew off!

Selfish Mummy..

Last week, before the tsunami and earthquakes in Japan, Nick came out with a big plan to help the children in South Africa.. He wanted to sell off his toys that are in good condition and buy food, cook them and send them to Africa for the children. When we told him it's not going to work because the food will be ROTTEN by then, he was rather disappointed.  We tell him he could send cash and the charity organization will send the money across on his behalf, but he was very certain that we cannot send money as it may not reach the children at the end of the day.. :( We wondered all week where he learnt that from.. 

Last Sunday, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan made the young man pounder again. This time, he wanted to be there for the children, babysit them while their parents rebuild their home.. Such a small boy, with such a BIG ambition. :)

Then, the nuclear plant exploded, leaving the already troubled country in a bigger mess..  Seeing the chaotic situation in Japan, many of us would have wanted to stay away from it as far as possible, but it made him more determine to help those people in Japan.. When asked, he would say he wants to help them to rebuild their homes, look after and play with the children while their parents get busy with all the other things, he wants to pack his toys for the children to play etc.. And he said "i want to join the army when i am older so that i can be there to help them.. ". 

I supposed i have to feel very proud of my son because he's only 5yo and he has such a HUGE heart to walk out of his comfort zone and help others.. But, i am still a mum.. If i can choose, i want to keep him in Singapore, safe from all the dangers around.. :(

The Little Miss PIGGY..

Nick's a homework addict.. He will remind me to give him homework every day..

 A few pages of work after each meal (i.e. after breakfast, after lunch and after dinner).  It's a good habit and i don't mind going thru bookshops every weekends to find work books for him.  

Well, Missy Piggy has started BEGGING for homework everyday.. (i say begging because apart from her normal homework, she has started asking for more more more until i have no more books or worksheets for her..) She has almost reach a point where i have fear of giving to her my books! If that book has 25 pages, she would complete the whole book in 1 sitting. If the book has 60 pages, she will also complete all 60 pages in 1 sitting.. Scary right!!! It makes me worried because, i am afraid this will burn her interest in books in future.. 

Today, i gave Nick a Maths worksheet.. And when i got home this evening, guess who i saw who doing it?? 

Missy PIGGY.. and little Missy "how lian" still has the cheek to tell me easy peasy when Nick still gets it wrong at times..  And for a 3yr 7mth, it's way too early for her to start!! Tsk tsk.. 

Missy Piggy, give mummy a break okie.. Gimme 2 more years to build Nick's foundation before i teach you when you are 6yo okies..... 

The Boy and his Mad Love with the Dinosaurs and Volcanos...

Sometimes, we have absolutely no idea where did the love for all these come from. 

Just like for dinosaurs and volcano, it just comes out of the blue, when he starts reciting all the names of the dinosaurs and telling us the dinosaurs all died because all the volcano decided to "EXPLODE" (he meant erupt) at the same time, the hot lava (yes, he used the word LAVA which i have no idea where he learnt that from) burn them all.. And they died.. :(

Well, it just started that way.. And he can spend hours and hours flipping Sam's encyclopedia even though he could barely read them. 

Last Sunday, we found this at Toysrus.. Feel that it was rather reasonably priced so we bought it for him.. 

Back home, daddy gave him instructions on how to break the hard sand brick to "extract" the dinosaurs out..

See some huge piece that came off? The small plastic hammer that nick is using is not capable of that.. Daddy played cheat after a while and used the real hammer to break the brick as it was taking too long for nick to break the sand block.

My young Paleontology and his assistant (i.e. daddy) at work.

Finally, can u see the dinosaurs? It's is like after 2 hours of hammering did Nick finally see them. 

Then.. 1 came out.. 

Then 2 dinosaurs..

Then 3rd one joined in.

And not long later, all 6 came out. 

*Mummy too excited, forgot to take pictures.. :P

After the dinosaurs appeared, Nick went on to prepare the plaster mix to make the volcano..

Then poured it onto the mould.. Smoothen the base of the volcano..  Then, wait for it to dry. :)

This weekend, we will be painting the volcano.. Stay tune!.. :)

Headache..

The helper just broke the news.. 

She won't be returning back here after this Hari Raya home leave.. :(

Am feeling sad cos she's like our 4th child at home, but also understand her wish of staying close to mama after working here for so long.. 

Tsk tsk.. Need to look for a new helper in July which will be tough cos, it's Hari Raya season, and it can be hard to find 1. 

Wish me luck..

Home 家 ..

This song never fails to touch my heart whenever it's on television.. The kids will also run into the room and sing along to it.

This is HOME truly!! And indeed, is a place i never be alone! :)

Honeymoon Or Family Holiday

Lately, been feeling tired, restless and fustrated..

Knowing i have to bring the kids out and play, yet because we have a P5 child who is having loads of homework and tests, and so we are trying to be as fair as possible.. When he stays at home to complete his homework or study for tests, we too not bring the younger ones out to play (the ikea trip is still on the outstanding list)..

Hubby and me really need a break soon, but the holidays are approaching, and it's also fair to bring the small ones out to play as they also have been very understand on the fact that their brother is having some test and exams, that they are not to turn on the tv or go out and play on weekday evenings..

NATAS fair is on this weekend.. Am thinking if we should go on a family vacation (which means hb and me will have no break), or a honeymoon trip to some beach resort so that our poor ears, brain, and bones can take a break..

It's so tough to decide.. :(

Books Vs Play..

I've been wanting to bring the kids over to Ikea.. It's only a mere 10mins drive from home..

Sadly.. Every evening, i battle between "STUDY or PLAY".. And lagee sadly, study always wins.. :(

The kids have been waiting for a meal at Ikea and PLAYGROUND..

Maybe.. Maybe i should make that wish come true tonight.. :)

The K2 Kids of Today..

It never fail to make me wonder what am i doing to my son's life!  Am i helping him or ruining his childhood..

The K2 boy came home with 3 pages of writing for the weekend. Mind you, 5yo going on to 6.. It's 3 pages of a total 10 words. He tried to negotiate with the helper.. Of 3 pages, 1 for Friday, 1 for Saturday, 1 for Sunday. The helper reminded him he has English and Math at Kumon on Saturday morning and we usually bring them out to play after class. He has Chinese classes on Sunday morning which we would be home till like 2pm and he has to nap and then try to squeeze in time for the wii or psp and tv after nap. 

 

I thought that i am a modern parent. I thought by sending my son for enrichment classes and  from there, learning is fun. He will be able to learn what he needs to earlier in a fun way, before his peers and thus breeze thru Kindergarten, Primary school etc. With strong foundation, that should also help him to finish his secondary school with no sweat. 

Boy, looking at it now.. I think i am so WRONG. 

Every afternoon, son will call me at work.. Telling me he has 2-3 pages of homework and needs my help to complete. Asking me to come home after work and help him. 

I knock off at 6pm sharp, rush home. By 6.15pm, i am at home, son sits beside me with his homework while i "swallow" my dinner. After completing his school homework, he usually takes his English/Chinese revision books and sit down asking me to complete a few pages with him. By 9pm, i will chase him to bed. This routine goes on every Monday - Friday except on evenings where he attends Kumon or his music classes.

In K2, he's reading words that i probably learned at P3 or P4. Chinese is sometimes way too difficult for me that i have to have the dictionary with me. Math, they are learning Mass, measurements, graphs etc.  And at 5yo, they also have Sudoku to do.. 

It's tough being a child today. It's also harder being a parent don't you think so? 

2 Little Monkies = 1 Big Plan

Something big is brewing..

If you don't cooperate with me.. I'll kiss you till you do!!

*Bleh* How?? U going to change your mind?? :P

About Nick..

Nick is going to Primary 1 next year and i am having a nervious breakdown soon! And, i am wondering if i the only one facing this..

Over CNY, i spoke to a friend whose daughter is in P1 this year. She told me that her girl is coping fine in school. No tution, just PCF then now P1.

I called a P1 Prep Class and the teacher told me a child is ready for P1 when they can read "I, You, He, Her, Is, Are, The, This, That". Is sufficient.. (i am more than certain that Sam could read those at K1 and a whole proper book at K2!!)

Am i really Kiasu?? Nick for sure can read more words than just those few, but still, i find him a slow reader.. *rofl*

Catching Up With Plays!!

Am so so excited!!.. I have just managed to buy the tickets for front rows for the 2 shows this weekend!!

So, the 2 younger monkies and me are going to have a great time tomorrow!!

The Gruffalo

The Gruffalo is a mouse. The story of the mouse's walk through the woods unfolds in two phases; in both, the mouse uses cunning to evade danger.

On his way the mouse encounters several dangerous animals (a fox, an owl, and a snake). Each of these animals, clearly intent on eating the mouse, invites him back to their home for a meal. The cunning mouse declines each offer. To dissuade further advances, he tells each animal that he has plans to dine with his friend, a gruffalo, whose favorite food happens to be the relevant animal, and describes the features of the gruffalo's monstrous anatomy. Frightened that the gruffalo might eat it, each animal flees. Knowing the gruffalo to be fictional, the mouse gloats, thusly:

Silly old fox/owl/snake, doesn't he know?
there's no such thing as a gruffalo!

After being quit of the last animal, the mouse is shocked to encounter a real gruffalo – with all the frightening features the mouse thought that he was inventing. The gruffalo threatens to eat the mouse, but again the mouse is cunning: he tells the gruffalo that he, the mouse, is the scariest animal in the forest. Laughing, the gruffalo agrees to follow the mouse as he demonstrates how feared he is. The two walk through the forest, encountering in turn the animals that had earlier menaced the mouse. Each is terrified by the sight of the pair and runs off – and each time the gruffalo becomes more impressed with the mouse's apparent toughness. Exploiting this, the mouse threatens to eat the gruffalo, which flees.


The Gruffalo's Child

The story is about the Gruffalo's daughter who, despite her father's stories, sets off into the woods to discover the 'big bad mouse', which is the only thing her father is afraid of.

Throughout her journey, she encounters the snake, the owl, and the fox from The Gruffalo, each of whom tell her where she can find the big bad mouse. Eventually, believing she has been tricked, she gives up, saying that she doesn't believe in the 'big bad mouse'. When it finally appears, she realises it isn't big and bad as her father described.

In order to avoid being eaten, the mouse invites the Gruffalo's daughter to meet the big bad mouse. It then tricks the Gruffalo's daughter by standing on a tree branch to use the moonlight to enlarge its shadow. The Gruffalo's daughter flees, believing the shadow to belong to the real 'big bad mouse'.

It is a typical 'brains over brawn' plot and follows a storyline and rhyming pattern similar to its predecessor, The Gruffalo. It utilizes a Winter setting in order to make use of animal tracks in the snow, allowing the Gruffalo's daughter to encounter the other animals.

Happy New Year!!

It's been a great great New Year!!

We had gatherings at home on Day 1, travelled to the town with the most water (water = money..) on Day 2 and followed by hotel stay and swimming in water (more more money again) all day on Day 3 and 4!!

Huat arh.. :)

Will be back to update soon!! Till then, enjoy your New Year!!

Peng Chai

Was googling for restaurants to have CNY dinner with dad, mum, sisters, hb and the monkies. Saw that peng chai is on the menu.. Curious, cos normally it's a super expensive dish, so tried to google the recipe. Found this on the web, thus tried cooking it over the weekend since it looked rather simple...

Serves 4 persons
Ingredients
8 pcs preserved chinese mushrooms(superior quality)
8 pcs dried oysters(soften in water)
1 large piece of fried bean curd sheet(cut into oblong shapes)
1 bunch of sea moss(soften in water)
2 pcs of fresh King oyster mushrooms(cut into slices)
50g Chinese cured ham(if not, use pork skin)
4 pcs of dried squid tentacles

Seasonings
300ml rich chicken stock
4 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil

Starch
1.5 tbsp potato starch
3 tbsp water

Method
1. In a large casserole, add stock to boil. When it boils, add the mushrooms to cook first.
2. Cook for 15 mins till the soup turns black. Remove the mushrooms, cut off the stems and discard the stems. Set aside.
3. Next add the rest of the ingredients and seasonings except sea moss and bean curd sheet to cook.
4. Lower heat and cover the claypot to simmer for 50 mins.
5. Remove all the ingredients in the claypot.
6. Using another claypot, start to layer the food starting from the bottom.
7. First layer is squid, then pork, then mushrooms, oysters.
8. Next put the bean curd sheet into the hot pot to cook briefly for 10 mins till soften.
9. Remove and arrange on the pot.
10. Lastly, using a pair of chopsticks, pick up soften sea moss and dip into hot soup to cook for 5 mins. And arrange it the poon choy pot.
11. Add starch mixture to the soup, stir till it thickens. Turn off the heat and pour the sauce over the poon choy.

Serve immediately with rice.

Using pork skin
If you want to use pork skin, you need to change the process of cooking.

1. Heat up claypot with a little oil and saute 2 slices of ginger till fragrant.
2. Add pork skin to fry till its slightly burnt and cooked.
3. Then follow the steps above.

Notes
I didn't add salt cos the dried foodstuff I use are already salted.

If you can, add more mushrooms to make more stock.