Our Daily Lives

Playground @ the Park

Ok this is the first post in our new "online home". Hmmm still getting used to the "surroundings".

Well anyway we had a playdate with the gang - Burpette, Redcrayon and Carlene, and all their brood. It was a fun but really darn hot day (doesn't help that we were fasting too).

But the kids had fun, running, climbing, sliding, digging and doing all sort of nonsense while you are at big park with your little friends. We should do this again and better still its FREE! Heh!

 

 
 

RH Online

More and more parents are now very gungho about bringing their kids younger and younger and to more exotic places and even destinations which you never dreamed of bringing a little bub' before.

Well, this site was asking for contributions from parents who have done just that and I decided to just send in our trip to Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka in March to share our tips with the rest of the mummies & daddies out there who can't seem to escape the wanderlust!

http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/travel-outings/rayan-does-japanadventures-and-outings--124223

 

 

"Wildlife" Weekend

We just had one of those super long holiday weekend with Monday being Singapore's National Day. And of course this being so, we had to make some plans on where to bring the kids.

Day 1:

Hubby working, so we stayed in, both MI and me cos RH slept over at my mum's place.

Day 2:

Super-crowded zoo... the throngs of human at the zoo made me feel like we were the "animals" in the zoo. Btw it was MI and Isa's (our nephew) first time to the zoo.

Day 3:

Out-of-the-way turtle museum at the Chinese Garden.

He LOVED it and so does she....

When RH was about 1-year-old or so, he loves watching the purple dinosaur shows. So we ended up buying tonnes of DVDs of Barney.. Yes, we not talking about the real dino here. There's something addictive about this purple creature especially his parting song that many children's I've met seem to be mesmerized by it.

So is MI. I played the song TWICE and both times, she reacted the same way. Haa..Haa..

Mummy's Helper

There will be a time when they suddenly have a keen sense of awareness and would love to imitate what you do. Well MI saw us doing house-cleaning over the weekend and she basically imitated us the next day.

 

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Price of Patriotism

As the National Day is just round the corner, we are seeing flags everywhere. Maybe there are more this eyar as we have flags from YOG too being put up everywhere in the neighbourhood.

Anyway, this got RH excited and he keeps asking me everytime we past a flag:

RH: "Why Uncle put up the flag, Mama, why?"

Me: "Cos National Day is coming right and we are celebrating it cos we are proud to be Singaporeans right? So that's why we put up the flag to celebrate Singapore."

RH: "Singapore??? (puzzling tone)"

Me: "Yes, Singapore. This flag represents Singapore. Do you understand?"

RH: "Yes!! (excitedly though I don't think he grasp the concept of nationhood and all). I like Singapore Mama. I want to hang flag also."

So, yes, Mummy now end up with a flag and we are figuring out the BEST way to hang it cos there seems to be no place for us to do so outside our flat. And there's no hooks at all at the flat we are in unlike my parents' place. That's on the "to-do" list for this weekend!

 

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BTW, according to the Singapore Arms and Flag and National Anthem Act, it is possible to be fined up to $1,000 for displaying the flag in the wrong manner. We better get it RIGHT!

 

All in a weekend

There are some weekends we are so busy, we hardly spend enough time at home. Last Saturday was one of those days.

We started early by bringing the kids to swimming. That was fun cos after all the water exercise, the two monsters were sooo hungry they gobbled their lunch in super-fast time. So we were actually on time to leave for our next appointment - LQ's birthday!

Yup, she has turned one and we attended a nice nautical-themed party. RH as per normal more than happy to see goodies, cake and his supposed "bestfriend" Jonah. Not too sure if they do at all care about the existence of each other, but they actually held hands everytime they went out to venture beyond the party zone. Quite funny.

M.I was again, another stoner during the party cos her sleep was interrupted. And little Ms Grumpy stayed that way throughout the party.

 

From the party, we went to the hospital to visit on our cousin's kid who attends the same childcare as RH. Poor boy was up whole night vomiting and had to be admitted for mild dehydration.

We round it off with the weekly ritual of bringing the kids over to the in-laws. We got home at nearly 9pm that night and the kids were knackered!!! And so were we...

 

RH on R(acial) H(armony) Day

The school celebrated Racial Harmony Day on Wednesday and parents were suppsosed to dress the child in "traditional custome" and bring along "traditional goodies". So on that day, we woke up bright and early so that we could get some kuih-kuih from the provision shop nearby and of course, to dress RH in his baju kurung.

Ha..haa.. he was bit confused when he saw what he was going to wear to school that day and ask if its Hari Raya : )

When we got to school some kids were already there. A quick peep into the school, I was quite disappointed that many came in nondescript everyday clothes. I mean can't the kids be dressed up to ocassion even if it's just for half a day. I supposed some parents may not be bothered cos it does take some effort to do it but well that's the whole point of celebrating Racial Harmony isn't it - it's all about efforts.

Efforts to get to know one another.

Efforts to understand each other's culture a bit more.

Efforts to be a bit more tolerant.

Efforts to be more aware of the differences.

Efforts to celebrate the similarities.

Well... on the way back to the carpark, there was at least another parent who did dress her little girl - a chubby little one in Korean traditional clothes. Hmmm.. well, effort counts.

 

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The (MIS)Education of RH

Well, when we bought our unit @ BR, there were many considerations which we both listed - HIGH FLOOR, AIRY, SPACIOUS, CLEAN (as we were looking for resale), NEARBY TO PARENTS, DESIGNER INTERIOR (yes, we were delusional, you can't blame us THE 1st time HDB flat buyer) and most importantly CHEAP.

Now, fast forward few years down the road and two kids later, we have a decent home- HIGH FLOOR, AIRY, SPACIOUS, CLEAN (as good as it gets for a resale flat which is about nearly 20 years old), NEARBY TO PARENTS (mine at least), DESIGNER INTERIOR (not really but it's ok cos of the following criteria it meets) and CHEAP (yup $300K and only $5k cash upfront).

So we thought, we are well and good.

Not until we realise that.. our boy is in Nursery 2 this year and is on the way to enter into the dreaded primary-schooling age.

Lo and behold, for those uniniated what it's like to get through the various phases of the Primary One registration here in Singapore -

"Places in the school are allocated accordingly to the order of priority laid out in the various phases of the Primary One Registration Exercise . There will be balloting amongst the applicants if the number of applications to a school exceeds the number of vacancies available in any of the phases from Phase 2A(1) to Phase 2C Supplementary.

The remaining places in each school at the end of Phase 2A(2) will be allocated equally to Phase 2B and Phase 2C. If the number of qualifying applicants in Phase 2B exceeds the places available,the outcome will be determined first by proximity category of residence to the school and then by ballot. Any places not taken up during Phase 2B will be added to the places allocated for Phase 2C." More info on http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/admissions/primary-one-registration/phases/ 

To get to your school of choice and if that means the Top #$%%% Primary School in Singapore, it means the following:

1. One of the parent, better be an old boy or an old girl (why does this sound crass); or
2. Stay within the 1km radius of the school; or
3. Have a sibling who is already attending the school; or
4. Again either parent is a staff member in the school;
5. One can volunteer minimum 40 hours in your school of choice.

Since both hubster and my primary school have been razed to the grounds to make way for new schools by the Ministry, both of us are certainly not teacher-material and RH is our 1st kid, hence no older siblings, this automatically place RH in the one of lower-rung categories - Category 2C (which is like your two phases before the end of the phases).

For those brave, confident and none-at-all-kiasu parents, they may not care and say, well it's just a primary school and the kids will get by. All and good but me, the paranoid me, just wants to have a little control over where I place my child, my firstborn to school and whether it all works out for the future, well let him be the maker of his destiny as I would have already tried my darndest best to provide him the best could just by sheer location.

So now what do I do?

It's two years away, this whole P1 registration process and things may change. So do I leave it to chance?? Heck it and subscribe to the mantra, "He will be fine". 

NAY... I will just download that volunteer form first.... (smiles sheepisly)

 

Household habit

I don't know if it's just a phase they go through, they enjoy knowing that they are capable of performing an action when asked but MI has bee more than happy to shed her pyjamas every morning and drop them in the dirty laundry basket in the utility room.

It's become a habit that she's lost when we go somewhere and she takes off her clothes and there's no laundry bin in sight!!

Hope this continues when she has her own room, ya. Keep up the habit : )

 

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