Happy Mother's Day 2009

Happy Mother's Day to my mum, mother-in-law (in HK) & myself too ... though I'm still feeling down & moody, due to a couple of personal reasons ** sigh **

For documentation purpose, I've decided to do a simple post on what I've received from R1 this year. It's a handmade fabric carnation, which she bought from her school's bookshop. As usual, she got 1 stalk for me & 1 stalk for granny ... THANK YOU, Kei Kei !!

As for R2, NOTHING from him this year. I wondered how come his kindergarten teacher didn't plan for little surprises for the mummies this year ??

Anyway, I'm blessed with a pair of healthy kids ... what more can a mother ask for ??

Handling Anger & Disappointment

I must admit that I'm always facing difficulty in dealing with my anger, constructively & effectively ... especially towards my kids. There was another outburst of my anger earlier & both kids got whipped.

Reason :
R1's Chinese examination is scheduled on next Wednesday. BUT, instead of making use of this long weekend (Vesak Day PH) to do more revision exercises & school homework. Both kids have been monkeying around the house for more than half a day!! They were watching cartoons, playing board game, "catching" session from room-to-room, PSP gaming, doodling & such.

This afternoon, I did explain to them (patiently) that all the above-mentioned activities can be done after R1's examinations & throughout the whole June holiday. The priority now, is to get prepared for the upcoming Chinese papers.

However, R1 turned a deaf ear to all my advices & backtalked "What's the point of getting good results?!" ... I'm upset, really disappointed with her statement. I've been spending majority of my monthly paycheck on them for private tuition at home, several enrichment classes, health supplements, quality milk, magazine subscriptions & surprise gifts & toys (every now & then). But what do I get in return ??? ** sigh **

I just did some googling earlier & found some Tips for Handling Anger & will try to adopt some suggestions from these articles. Hoping that things will turn around real soon ... ...

P.S. My siblings had planned for a simple Mother's Day celebration at home this evening, but I wasn't in the mood to enjoy it at all.

Mugging Away ...

School examinations are here again, most mummies will get stressed up during this period of time ... & I'm definitely one of them !!

To make matter worst, some flu bugs caught up with R1 since Labour Day. She was down with high fever & flu for almost 3 days. However, this diligent little girl of mine, still insisted to attend her writing class, tuition sessions & piano class over the past weekend.

So, in between naps ... she was mugging away, trying to finish up as many test revision papers from school as well as revision exercises from her tutor.

{ Cheeky R2 was checking on his sister's progress ... ha ha ha }

Look !! A loose milk tooth, right in front ... & just only 3 days before R1's oral examinations. What a good timing !! ** faint **

My only concern was ... Will it affect her pronunciation of " S " & " F " during her upcoming oral examinations ?? ... ha ha ha

Anyway, R1 didn't experience much pain as that tooth was already very loose. It came out easily, with a little tug from me.

P.S. The Tooth Fairy has visited R1 that night & took away her baby tooth ... to SCRAPBOOK (in the near future).

In this pocket you will find a teensy, tiny tooth of mine.
So while I sleep where dreams are made,
Let's see if you can make a trade.

In this pocket I will lay, the little tooth I lost today.
Please, dear fairy, tonight as I sleep, leave me a coin.
My tooth you can keep.

Missing In Action ...

Hi hi, I'm back in action !!

I've not been blogging for the past 11 months or so ... and this period of time has been pretty crazy & hectic for me.

There's pretty much changes &/or happenings around me ... so, here's a summary to fill the gap ...


(1) 20 Feb 2009
Happy 60th Birthday, Mummy!

** 祝您福如東海，壽比南山 **

We had a simple buffet party at home, coz my dad strongly disagreed with my idea of throwing a small banquet at a vegetarian restaurant in town. ** sigh **


(2) 22 Jan ~ 2 Feb 2009
My kiddoes & I went on a 12-day trip to HK & China, making full use of the Lunar New Year break (hmm ... will post some pics in my next post, on our trip to Guilin).

Both kids have missed 6 days' of school, and R1 ended up with loads of homework to catch up during the following week. And my poor girl gotta stayed up late till 12am for 2 consecutive days, trying to finish as much homework as possible.

{ These kids hardly get to play together, as we'll normally fly to HK once a year. }

(3) 30 Jan 2009 (the 5th day of Lunar New Year)
Bro *A* & his girlfriend met with a traffic accident that night, while on their way home. He's suffering from a collar bone fracture and abrasions all over his body. The most serious one was at his knee cap area which needed some stitching, followed by one on his palm. There's some pics of his wounds taken, for insurance claim purposes, but will be too gross to include here.

He was discharged from the hospital on 2 Feb 2009, and recuperated at home (under my mum's tenderly care).

Anyway, he's alright now & back to work.


(4) 25 Dec 2008
R1 got transferred into a better school this year. Guess what? I've received this piece of good news on Christmas Day @ 8.45pm, while I'm on my way to a X'mas red wine session. It's the best Christmas gift that I've ever received, THANK YOU !!

On another note, I've to spent double the amount of money on books & uniforms purchases for R1 this year. BUT to me, it's worth it!

{ Granny, R2 & I popped by the new school during her recess break, to make sure that she's alright in a totally new environment. }


(5) 6 Dec 2008
My office has been relocated to Tuas South w.e.f. 6 Dec 2008 ... resulting in lesser beauty-sleep time; as I need to leave the house 45 mins earlier than usual everyday ** sigh, sigh, sigh **

(6) 14 Nov 2008
Yeah!! It was R1's Prize Presentation Day in school and it's meant to reward pupils who did well during the year-end examinations. I'm glad that R1's results have improved, although she still ranked #2 in class.

Needless to say, I took leave from work & be her personal photographer for the day ... ha ha ha.

(7) 7 Nov 2008
I've co-organised my company's annual SUSS Micro-Tec's seminar. It was a full day event at the Suntec Convention Centre.

Being the 2nd key person-in-charge for said event, has provided me much exposure & opportunities to pick up new skills.

Thank God, there's not much hiccups during the event, except for us being 10 mins late for the morning registration ... LOL. Hence, it's still considered to be a SUCCESS!!

(8) 21 Oct 2008
Goodbye ... 105 ...

My family has finally shifted out (officially) of our 22-year-old flat ... no doubt, it houses loads of beautiful memories for the family.

I remembered very clearly that we moved in when I was still in P4 (mid year). My bro & I only came back during the weekends, as we were still studying at Temasek Primary during the last half of that year. It was an one-end to another bus trip, on every friday afternoon & sunday night ... but we've enjoyed it!

Okay, that should be all for now ... and I'll try to update this little cyberspace of mine more often ... I PROMISE !! ... ha ha ha

Hard Work is the Yeast that Raises the Dough

R1 & my hard work really pay off ... from drawing up a study timetable, loads of revision exercises, tuition, 1-to-1 coaching & the "reward" system ... really help to produce good results.

Since my last trip back from China in March, I've decided to put in more effort in R1's school work so as to prepare her for the mid-year examinations. I've been trying my best to tame my temper & give R1 a little more patience ... and I've "sacrificed" my personal time to sit beside her while she's doing her homework &/or revision exercises on a daily basis.

Today, R1 came home with her Report Book, with quite pleasing results (#2 out of a class of 29, #32 out of all 346 P1 students) ... ** smiling from ear to ear ** ... BUT, we still need to strive for better ranking among her peers after the June holidays.

Rachel, well done! Keep it up!

Happy Mother's Day 2008

Wishing all wonderful mummies out there, and especially to my dearest mum & mother-in-law (back in Hong Kong) ... HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !!!

By large, mothers and housewives are the only workers

who do not have regular time off.

They are the great vacation-less class.

~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

As for myself, I've received these inexpensive yet heartwarming pressies from my kiddoes. These really melted my heart ... thank you very much !

From HER,

R1 spent almost 70% of last Friday's school allowance to get 2 of these handmade flowers from the bookshop ... one for me & one for granny (how thoughtful of her).

From HIM,

Last Friday, R2 brought back 1 handmade card, 1 stalk of carnation & 2 cookies from school ... but he couldn't resist the temptation & ate 1 cookie before I reached home from work (ha ha ha ... ).

R1's 1st Pair of Spectacles

眼镜, 眼镜找朋友 ... this is R1's 1st pair of spectacles (i.e. her new acquaintance) & she seems pretty happy to get to know this new friend ... ** Arghhh !! **

Anyway, I'll update this space soon on her new look ... hee hee

R1's school will be conducting a Semestral Assessment 1 "Show & Tell" Presentation for all P1 pupils next week. During said presentation, every pupil will be given 3 to 5 minutes to talk about "My Favourite Toy", and this will form one of the components in their Mother Tongue language examination. ** super stressed out **

While helping R1 with the above preparation, then I realised that her favourite toy is Barbie Doll ... hey, I used to play with that too ... hmmm ... around 20 over years back !!

However, I've bought this sweet-looking, little Japanese dolly - Mell Chan for R1 today. My intention is to motivate her to work harder for the upcoming SA1 exams in early May.

On the other hand, I'm wondering does this trick work ??? So, let's wait & see ... ** keeping my fingers crossed **

Managing Time

It has been 2 weeks since R1 started her own { Study Timetable } at home ... but of coz, it was being drawn up by her mummy ... ME !! ... hee hee.

After I've created the below, I did MSN it to NC for his info., but his first reaction &/or comment towards it was ... "All work & no play, R1 will be going crazy soon !!!" ... LOL

For the past 3 months, she always seemed to have loads of homework to be done BUT not enough time for them. Hence, I thought this method might help R1 to manage her time more effectively.

Surprisingly, this little kiddo has been much excited about it and did try her best to follow as close as possible. (I just hope that this excitement doesn't go away just too soon.) So, I must think of some rewards to keep her going ... hmmm.

R1's First Loose Tooth

When R1 reached home from school today, she came straight to me and smiled and IT WAS GONE -- the wriggly tooth she had for merely a week ! ... and this is not supposed to be an April Fool's joke ... ha ha ha.

This brave little girl of mine, went to her school's dentist (on her own) during recess time to get it extracted ... Whoo Hoo !

R1 is well aware that losing baby teeth is a part and parcel of one's life - a milestone in her growing up years ... and she is so proud of herself !!!

Wanna take a look at her new smile ???

Other than a dimple in a cute little chin,
What's more adorable than a toothless grin?

~Azu "Betty" Espezia

Money Doesn't Grow On Trees

Since R1 will be given pocket money on a daily basis, I thought it's an ideal time to begin teaching her about the value of money & the importance of regular savings.

Otherwise, in a child's world, money comes from Mummy and Daddy's pockets. And when we are tapped, a machine magically spouts dollars after merely pushing a few buttons. It might be natural for them to assume that money is readily available whenever it's needed.

So, on the very 1st day of school ... I took out one of her birthday presents from her ex-classmate - a Chip 'n Dale coin bank - and encouraged her to put all her balance pocket money into it. After which, I shall bring her to deposit her savings into her bank account when it's full ... (sounds good, huh? ... hee hee)

Hopefully, this will help R1 to develop a strong saving habit & to learn how to make smart purchases.

Perhaps even learn why they can't immediately get everything they want - as adults often save their money for items they want to buy - and definitely not "I want ... Buy me this ... !".

R1's First Day of School

For the last few weeks, R1 has been counting down the days until her "big day" - today - her 1st day of Primary 1!

I remembered when she was still a baby, I've been thinking how nice it would be when she starts school where we can get a break during the day ... and the day we envisioned is here ... it's just happening way too fast!

I must admit that this morning was filled with mixed emotions. I'm worried that R1 couldn't take care of herself in school, couldn't cope with her school work or will she get bullied by her classmates, and such. However, I must have faith in her that she can make it.

On the contrary, R1 was excited over many new things like taking a school bus, new uniforms, new books, new school, new friends, and so on ...

{ Daddy NC just called to say ... "I love you, Rachel" }

"Your school bus is here, Rachel ... off you go!"

After school was out - Granny, R2 & myself (the family photographer) went down to wait for R1's school bus to send her back. When we got home, R1 couldn't help but to talk most of the evening about everything she did in school.

Thankfully the day has come and gone, filled with memorable moments - knowing that many more memorable moments are to follow !!

Getting Ready for the "Big Day"

- Today's To Do List -

1. To complete R2's holiday craftwork assignments

2. To complete R2's K1 Scrapbook

3. To double-check R2's holiday homework

4. To iron-on R1's nametags onto her uniforms

5. To iron both kids' school uniforms

6. To get ready R1's stationeries for school

7. To pack R1's school bag for tomorrow

Being a "Mrs Last-Minute" resulted to a whole list of tasks to be done by today ... *faint*.

Homemade with Love

I found these yesterday at Daiso, and thought my R1 will love to bring mummy's homemade lunch boxes to school next year.

{ These moulds are for Onigiri - balls of cooked rice }

"Any good ideas on what to bring to school for lunch?" ... hmmm ... how about a cute Bento Box ??

In fact, making pretty boxed lunches is such an essential skill in Japan where it is hard to find any Japanese woman that has not mastered it!

One plus point about bento boxes is that "the eyes also eat" - meaning that apart from nourishing, the food should also be attractive on a visual basis. Those mothers will pack their children's bento boxes while trying to think of how to make the little ones smile when they open the box.

It helps children to get more interested in what they're eating. I guess most of them will love compartmentalizing their healthy foods in a Bento box!

The art of Bento can make having a meal fun and healthy, as well as another creative outlet for mummies (just like scrapbooking), isn't it?

That's all for now, I shall continue my search around the net for more Bento recipes and will definitely showcase my creations in time to come ... cheers!

Happy Birthday to Daddy NC & R1 ...

Happy Birthday to another 2 darlings of mine ... Daddy NC & Sweetie R1 !!

We didn't manage to arrange for our usual get-together birthday dinner with my family this year; as Daddy NC had a few business appointments today. However, he's gonna make it up to R1 somehow within the next few days ... so let's wait & see.

******************

Besides that, we went to R1's new school for her Primary 1 Orientation this morning @ 9am.

During said orientation, her principal gave an hour long of briefing ... it was boring yet informative. Followed by filling up a couple of consent forms. We didn't make any purchase of books and uniforms today, as the queues were extremely long (typical Singaporean style ... ha ha ha).

The school also engaged Acropolis English Centre to conduct a Reading Test on all new P1 pupils, without any prior notice.

Luckily, R1 fared pretty okay in this assessment ... phew ... but (to me) she still need to work harder when the school term starts next year. Am I stressing her out ?? ... no choice, I'm a "Kiasu Singaporean" too ... LOL.

Once again, some snapshots for today ...

Let's PARTY !!!

I need not do much detailed elaboration of R1's 6th Birthday Party in School today; coz "a picture will tell a thousand words" so I'll let these photos do all the 'talking' instead.

P.S. Mummy actually snapped 221 shots in total this morning !!!

Enjoy ...

"You're Invited"

*Yawning*, *Yawning* and *Yawning* ....

Being a mummy is really taxing. It's a 24-hr round-the-clock job and we can't simply just quit by giving 1 - 3 months' written notice ... ha ha ha

Anyway, I've made a trip down to Bukit Batok McDonald's late last night; to pay for our party deposit and it's CONFIRMED !!!

After all the hassle of calling around, it's time to prepare R1's party invitation cards for her 33 guests next week.

I've managed to get them done by 6am this morning, so that R1 can pass these cards to her little classmates today in school.

She's getting more and more excited over her 1st Birthday Party in School by now.

Today, It's MY Day ...

{ Warning : This is a Long Post }

Things seemed to be getting "on the right track" by itself today ... Yippee !!!

#1
Yesterday (and out of nowhere), I started to ponder on whether should I look for a full-time job after Chinese New Year 2008; in order to keep myself fully-occupied. But I've yet to discuss this sudden idea of mine with NC.

My reason for staying back here is hoping to coach R1 and hopefully she can achieve academically especially in Pri. 1. As I supposed this will be the minimum criteria to meet; in order to request for a transfer of school in the following year.

Guess what?? I received a SMS early this morning around 8am from a so-called "long time no see/hear" ex-colleague *L*. She offered me a contractual HR job in her company, whereby I can start work anytime next week ... was it telepathy?

Anyway, I didn't take up her offer immediately as I ought to discuss it further with NC when he's back next week.

#2
After months of sourcing around, I finally managed to find a reliable, responsible and reasonably-priced web designer for my upcoming e-store project. Thanks to Bunka, as I've got to know him last month while helping at the school.

We had several prior discussions on my new online store concept, and I've finally gave my "green light" to go ahead with the site development today.

Whoo hoo !!! ... and if nothing goes wrong (keeping my fingers crossed), it should be completed by end-Dec 2007.

#3
R1 wanted a birthday party in school this year ... and I've decided (just last night) to make her wish come true.

Granny has suggested on a McDonald's Outdoor Birthday Party for her next Monday - 12 Nov 2007.

This is going to be an "advance" celebration of her 6th birthday; as 13 Nov 2007 will be the last day of the school term.

With not much time left for preparation, such party can really take the load off our minds as their party professionals will take care of the planning, decor, food and games for us ... how nice !

BUT ... I started to panic after many calls to the nearby outlets last night. Many of them in the west area don't organise such parties except for their Bukit Batok Central outlet.

Without much delay, I called the outlet manager but was being told that my requested timing @ 9.30am is too early for them ...

Oh no !! What to do ?? Should I discard the whole idea totally ?? Will R1 be disappointed ?? *stressed*

However, this evening, a kind soul from McDonald's Bukit Batok called to follow-up my booking. I brought up to her my problem on their timing restrictions, and she actually agreed to help to take on my booking.

On top of that, she'll be our Party Hostess to run the show !! ... (Looking forward to meeting her next week to thank her personally)

Isn't this a great day for me? :D