The Fruition Of Parenthood

One of the gratifications of being a parent is to be at the receiving end of a child's appreciation and love. And what better way to experience this thankfulness than on Mother's Day!

This weekend was the culmination of an incredibly hectic week. Craziness at work from Monday to Friday, coupled with intense exams revision for Big Bee in the evenings, and then my weekend work practically started from Friday night till Sunday evening! So, it was an immensely fatigued weekend for me. Still, despite the 12 to 13 work hours per day that I put in over Saturday and Sunday, I always count my blessings that I am in Singapore and not overseas for work, so that I could still spend some time with the Bees at night and snuggle with them at bedtime.

Yet, what was most fulfilling after coming home with flagging spirits and a languishing body on Saturday night was to be presented by 2 very special Mother's Day gifts from the Bees. The girls were really dramatic. They sat me on the sofa, and started showering me with little styrofoam hearts (used for their craftwork). Then, each of them presented a little gift to me - Little Bee gave me an enchanting bouquet made up of a little teddy bear, and Big Bee presented an exquisite bear-y jewellery box to me!

I was so touched. Hubby had the fantastic idea of giving them $10 each to buy me a present in Popular bookshop in the afternoon, and the presents were handpicked by them, which made it even more meaningful and delightful. In addition, Little Bee also presented me with a little craft that she did in school for Mother's Day and a card she hand made earlier in the day. I felt so pampered!

Craft that Little Bee did in school

A card that Little Bee put together on her own

The next day, on Sunday, after dragging my feet home from an entire day of work, Big Bee quickly informed me, "Oh Mummy! I need to give you your Mother's Day card!"

What ensued was an unfolding of a splendid handmade card by Big Bee, which was beautiful. What was most moving was her message in a little book within the card (see below), and this made me realise that this is truly a time for rewards and sweet desserts of parenthood. All those years of nurturing, frustration, unconditional loving and fatigue all rolled into one enrapturing ball of inexplicable sweetness and satisfaction. I couldn't imagine that I would one day receive messages like these from my Bees, but I am delighted and moved beyond words that Big Bee had broken this barrier yet again. This will certainly be yet another memorable moment for me again.

She drew my 3 favourite books in the pop-up orange card, complete with their titles!

She wrote an acrostic name poem for me!

 This also sets me thinking. I used to make beautifully crafted cards for my mum during Mother's Day all the way until university. Somehow, along the way, with all our busy-ness, these cards stopped, to be replaced by little packs of impersonal and meaningless ang pows once I graduated and entered the work force. I wonder how my mum felt? She diligently kept all my cards in a little box and would talk about them to the Bees. 

I think it is time to make a handmade special something for her soon....

Thank You, Ms Blyton

Enid Blyton had been my inspiration, my addiction and my obsession when young. I attributed a lot of my fantasies and my imagination, as well as my love for writing, to her. Hubby was equally fascinated by her delightful stories of enchanted forests and magical trees when young. Needless to say, Big Bee's captivation by her was all-consuming, devouring one or two of her books a day. However, she is gradually moving away to other more "mature" genres like CS Lewis, Shakespeare (the easy-reading, abridged ones, of course!) and other classic books - as well as a whole load of so-called "cool" tween reading like Diary of the Wimpy Kid, which features very high on my list of disapproved books, which probably made her even more drawn to the series!

And I am happy that Little Bee had finally followed our footsteps when she rummaged through our bookshelf last week, and dug out one old Enid Blyton book of her sister's, claiming she wanted to read it.

Thereafter, she took the book and started reading in her room silently. Unlike her sister, she wasn't that enchanted as yet, but I think her interest in reading had been activated by the many Blyton books she sees around her, as well as the many story books she brought back from school on a daily basis.

Let's hope we are cultivating yet another bookworm, for the power of our imagination and creativity can only be unleashed in our minds through reading, and definitely not through those modern electronic playthings like the iPhone, iPad or even good old TV.

My April Baby

Today, I celebrate a full decade of being a parent.

Today, I think back to that fateful day 10 years ago when I first cast my eyes on a tiny newborn and was overwhelmed by the immensity of responsibility over another life.

Today, I want to thank my firstborn for paving the way for an unwitting plunge into parenthood - the myriad joys and bountiful love speckled with little moments of bittersweet anxieties.

Happy birthday, Big Bee - what an amazing and phenomenal journey the past 10 years had been with you.

Looking forward to more decades ahead :)

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

Dearest Big Bee,

The short verse above was written in Facebook on your birthday. Was it just months ago when I first missed my period, and waited anxiously for the pregnancy indicator on that magic stick, only to be shell-shocked that I was pregnant with you - less than a year into your Papa's and my marriage? Was it just days ago when I saw you emerge from my swollen stomach, stunned, overwhelmed, my normally dry eyes brimming with dampness? Was it just moments ago when chubby you celebrated your first birthday, and started to walk? Was it just seconds ago that I could carry you in my arms wherever I went?

And now. Now. Look at you. A strapping young lady almost reaching my height. Instead of arms to lift you into my embraces, my arms surround you in a shoulder hug. Instead of a lap offered to a crawling you as a respite from all your large motor movements, we now sit in comfortable silence side-by-side, our hands - almost similar in size - in each other's laps. Instead of listening to your early evening colic cries, I now turn a listening ear to your daily gossips about school, teachers and friends. Instead of singing lullabies to you, I now chat with you as an adult, an equal, my friend.

Ten whole years.

These are uncountable seconds of boundless joy, love and happiness. Of course, there are also minutes draped in anxiety, in frustration, in tears, in anger. But most of all, these are hours that are indicative of a lifetime of eternal felicity with you, my first born.

An entire decade.

These are days of teaching me to be a first-time parent. For showing the way to nurture my (lack of) patience. For cultivating responsibility in a formerly bohemian me. For demonstrating to me what selfless love really is.

These are months of seeing my beautiful baby gradually but steadily transforming to an adorable and plump toddler, a sprightly yet reserved kindergardener, a level-headed and organised yet fun-loving primary school big kid.

An unbelievable decennium.

So, in this very instance, we are almost equals. I may nag at times. You may rant sometimes. I may be those typical kiasu and petty mums once in a while. You may seethe about how I don't treat you like a young independent lady. I may behave like a crazy teenager at times. And you. Oh my. My grown-up little girl. At those times, you do behave like you are the mother and I am the silly daughter. You are so judicious and mature.

But I hope you will understand that I am just trying my very best to let go and give way. Yet maintaining a precious bond of eternal friendship that means so much to me. Those little giggles. Those wonderful long chats over our solo lunch dates. Those beautiful moments when we just connected over raucous guffaws and exhilarating laughter. 

And I hope we can be the best of friends, till eternity.

A very happy decade of friendship and love to my firstborn. And you are just lovely by being no one but yourself. 

Big Bee from day 1 in her life to 10 years old. The numbers represent her ages through the years :) 

Our Founding Fathers

Life had been crazy, crazy, busy-crazy at work, yet I try not to sacrifice on family time spent in the evenings and over the weekends, which means I also have a lot to blog about!

Big Bee did another Social Studies project for school, with the theme of "The Early Settlers", and this time, she conducted her own research all by herself, with no guidance from me. At Big Bee's insistence, Hubby and I brought Little Bee for her violin lessons, leaving Big Bee alone at home to do some online research. By the time we were back in an hour, she had already completed her research, with her findings nicely typed and formatted on 2 pages of Word document, about Tan Tock Seng! My big girl is indeed growing up real quick, becoming more independent, and not needing her good ol' parents anymore! :(

Here was what she did. She bound the book in a nice little layered notebook, but I did not capture any photos of the final product.

My Family, My Best Friends

Poor Big Bee had to go to school on her birthday, so I brought her for lunch in MacDonald's after school, together with a nice ice-cream session in another cafe. We then had a merry cake-cutting session with a delectable blackforest cake in the evening.

Being with a big girl is really wonderful - it felt like we are friends, and recently, we had been gossiping a whole lot. During our alone-time during my Saturday enrichment class cum lunch with her. During her little birthday lunch with me. At home in her bedroom. And she would gabble on about her friends, politics in class, teachers and the little pressures she faces in her studies. It felt just....marvelous that I had reached this amazing stage in my life when all I could do was sit back, relax with my daughter and just yak about everything under the sun.

Little Bee is fast approaching that stage too - she is now beginning to tell me more things about her school life and friends, being the chatty little girl that she is. But they are still child-like narratives - nothing like the 2-way conversations that Big Bee and I have. However, on one hand, I am faithfully counting down to the day when I could gossip with both my girls, yet, on the other hand, Hubby and I are reluctant to see Little Bee, our youngest baby, grow up. Life is full of strange, bittersweet dilemmas, isn't it?

With the Bees being big girls and able to chill out on their own, Hubby and I had been taking brief 15 to 20 minutes walk in the evenings, so we could hang out with each other, have a little private time and get in touch with ourselves again. What was most heartening in one of the walks was when he uttered that I am his best friend :)


Daughters - my good buddies. Hubby - my best friend. I hope this heartwarming stage of life will be perpetual...

April Delights

Life had been inexplicably hectic at work recently - with me averaging about 3 to 5 hours of sleep nightly. It is getting harder to juggle motherhood and working life, but I refused to be daunted. Furthermore, there are little blessings in life this month - for it is both Hubby's and Big Bee's birthdays!

As we grow older, we prefer to keep our birthday celebrations more and more simple. And this is the same for Big Bee too. When I asked her how she would like to celebrate her birthday this year, she said she would rather spend a quiet birthday with us, and not involve her friends, unlike her big bash last year.

So, we woke up bright and early on Hubby's birthday to have a simple yet heartwarming breakfast by the pool. As the Bees grow older, we find it so easy to just sit back, relax and observe the little interactions of our 2 big girls, letting them run the show, leaving Hubby and I in the backseat. Today's breakfast comprised of scrumptious soon kueh and mouth-watering fa-gao. We munched on good food, observed the shimmering ripples of the pool and admired the verdant greenery around us. Lovely quality family time.

Breakfast by the pool with the Bees

We then plunged into the pool for a little swim, before hurrying off to The Line at Shangri-La Hotel with Hubby's family for an overwhelming buffet lunch. The food in The Line was just.too.much! And I thought it was crazily expensive and not worth its value. However, Big Bee had been bugging me to go there for its chocolate fountain, after reading about it in someone's blog, so I thought this would be a wonderful chance to bond over food with Hubby's family as well.

They were hardly away from this chocolate fountain for long!

We were also lucky that there was a roaming balloon sculptor who created a cute little flower for Little Bee and an amazingly impressive bouquet of balloon flowers - complete with a bow! - for Big Bee, whose birthday was imminent!

We ended off a rather long day with a lazy and peaceful dinner at our favourite Italian restaurant in a charming area, a relaxing trip to the library and completed the day with Hubby blowing his (all-too-many) candles on his cake!

I really love weekends like these :)

Colours Of Nature Part 4: The Enchantment Of MacRitchie

In early March, our little family descended upon the green, lush foliage of MacRitchie for breakfast. We had a sumptuous meal to energize us all for the day before sauntering off to explore the reservoir park.

I always feel at total peace in MacRitchie. For one, this entire place brought back the fondest memories of childhood where we ran cross country without fail every year, evoking saccharine reminiscences of a simpler day and age when all of us were young and carefree, unfettered and insouciant. 

Beyond nostalgia, this verdant park - with its seemingly boundless aquatic edges that stretches into the deep-seated untamed islets of dense forests - infuse a rare tranquillity and serenity in me. It is an exceptional sight for urbanites like us, where we could observe no skyscrapers nor buildings, only miles of emerald green trees, teal blue waters and cerulean skies dotted with virginal white clouds.

On this day, we strolled along the edges of the water, slowly ambling further and further into the luxuriant  jungle, away from the madding crowds. We trekked across muddy tracks and wandered across hidden bridges.

We clambered up colossal, antiquated tree trunks, and observed mischievous macaque monkeys playing in the trees.

We meandered alongside the water's edges, hushing the Bees and then enveloping ourselves in the mellifluous silence, hearing nothing but the resonant orchestra of sighing tree leaves, chirping insects, tweeting birds and the gentle gurgling of the water right beside our feet.

Our senses were sharpened and the Bees began to discern the stunning beauties of nature. Little Bee started counting the ubiquitous fuchsia pink and electric blue damselflies, and we learned the difference between a damselfly and a dragonfly.

Big Bee stumbled upon a devastatingly brilliant dead butterfly floating forlornly on the water's surface, yet the colours on its lifeless wings were still resplendently vivid.

We counted the rings on desolate tree stumps, trying to guess how old these destroyed trees were.

We even did a little reading and some reflective discussions on the importance of preserving nature in this commercial and materialistic world we are living in.

Little beauties in life that are normally masked by an urban life's meaningless pursuits of short-term electronic pleasures - now surfacing to present themselves when our senses are perceptive, when our eyes are truly discerning, when our minds are open.

I am glad we still retain little fragments of these miracles even in concrete Singapore :)

Her First Camp!

Big Bee went for her first 1-night school camp over the March holidays, and this Mummy here had problems adjusting to an empty bed without her in the bedroom! We missed her greatly in the evening, where her absence seemed like a huge chasm in our usual family routine at night. Little Bee missed her the most, as her jie-jie is always her constant companion and playmate, even when they are squabbling!

Still, it was good quality time spent with Little Bee that night, and we tried snuggling more with her to quell her loneliness without Big Bee!

Packed and ready to spend a night away from home!

Big Bee's camp was a leadership training camp for class and CCA leaders, and it spanned 3 days, out of which one night is for the camp. The students had a series of classroom-based leadership training which she didn't enjoy (how can you teach leadership theories to a group of young, active students sitting down in the classroom?), but she liked the applied, out-of-the-classroom experiences a lot more.

I shan't elaborate more as Big Bee had already blogged about her camp in her blog. Check out her 3-part series by clicking the days below!

1st day
2nd day
3rd day

The Felicity Of Ballet

Little Bee went for her first ballet exam on 17 March, and she handled the examination anxiety calmly and coolly, not showing any signs of nervousness. Unfortunately, I had to work that weekend, leaving Hubby and Big Bee to accompany her - I felt so sad to miss her first ballet exam!

We attended her ballet open house 3 weeks ago, and were delighted to see her brilliant smile and sunny demeanour while she performed a little solo dance all by herself. She was ever the ernest ballerina in group dances as well, stretching her limbs and flexing her feet diligently.

A cheery Little Bee post-exams

On the day of the exam, she was excited for her hair to be twisted and coiled into a professional little ballerina's sophisticated bun. And after the exam, she confided in her jie-jie that she made 3 mistakes. Still, it was a great try by Little Bee, who is well into her journey of becoming an adroit ballerina, just like her big sister!

Our New Baby

Introducing Aidan, our newest addition to the family. Born on 6 December 2011, which makes him 3.5 months old as of now!

Little Aidan, our Yorkie!

Infectiously adorable. Yet highly mischievous and playful. Dashing about the house in breakneck speed in one second, deep in sleep the next second. Chewing and biting everything inedible (including our toes to our sofa to our clothes hanging on the door), yet loves being carried and molly-coddled, smothered in our all-encompassing embraces. Pooping and peeing all over the place, yet knowing exactly where his soft, cushiony bed is when he needs his beauty sleep.  

Training potential: Zilch at this moment. So we are letting him enjoy his babyhood just for a little while more before tough training comes on board!

Hubby fulfilled Big Bee's life-long wish for a doggy when I was working this past weekend. In fact, he had always been over-indulging the kids every time I worked on weekends! Once, in January, it was 5 hamsters. Faint. Then, the weekend before, it was a big lego set with a pony and a pink farm house. And the ultimate was a little doggy last weekend. Still, it was refreshing and rejuvenating to play with little Aidan after 3 straight weeks of non-stop working. And it was glorious to see those beams of elation on the Bees' faces. 

Hubby and I used to have a grand total of 3 dogs when we got married. 2 of them (Boy Boy and Vicki) were strays that we picked up - beautiful strays, really. Hubbies' 2 dogs stayed with us, and once in a while, my family's dog, Vicki, would pop by our matrimonial home to enjoy a staycation with her 2 other pals too. By the time Big Bee was almost 3, two of them had passed on and one of them (Angel) was adopted by my mother-in-law's friend - a decision which I sort of regretted agreeing to. 

Angel, our Shettie, was adopted by a family friend with a big garden for her to run about. Boy Boy, our black Pom which was picked up by Hubby and I as a stray, passed on due to old age and organ failure in 2004. 

Vicki, my gorgeous cross-breed stray that my Dad picked up, was with us from 1992 until 6 Feb 2005, when she passed on due to old age. My Mum was her faithful caregiver when she was old, blind and frail without the ability to walk - feeding her with her bare hands everyday. Thank you, Mum!

Having a dog is a lifelong journey. And counting by the number of typical years that a dog may live (16 years), the Bees will be 26 and 22 respectively by the time Aidan reaches old age. That thought somehow made me misty-eyed and melancholic with a little lump in my throat all of a sudden...

In the meantime, puppy toilet training is underway...!

Colours Of Nature Part 3: Escapism In Hindhede

Our little family had been traversing lush, verdant nature parks the past few weeks. One of the more memorable moments was when we parked at the roadside near Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and munched on takeaway MacDonald's breakfast. 

The surrounding environs was full of the ubiquitous macaque monkeys that populated the nature reserves here. As we were chomping away cheerily, all 4 of us chuckled with mirth when we saw how a few adolescent monkeys playfully slid down the windscreen of the car behind us, almost as if it was a playground slide! Hilarious indeed.

The chuckles transformed into piercing shrieks of alarm as the few monkeys scampered quickly to our car, probably attracted by the sight of 4 humans munching on yummy food! One monkey perched on the left rear-view mirror just beside the passenger seat where I was, observing my hotcakes. 2 to 3 other monkeys scurried by the back of the car where Big Bee was, peeping at her Egg McMuffin. It was a sight to behold. We drove off in laughter and excitement shortly after, so that we could finish our breakfast in peace, away from the prying eyes of these monkeys!

After breakfast, we strolled amidst the luxuriant virgin forest and wandered into the Hindhede Nature Park. Under the lavish canopy of the antiquated giant trees, we experienced sweet, cool relief under an otherwise blazing sun. Such is the tender comforts of Mother Nature. 

We ambled off the beaten path and we felt like we were in another age, in another place - far far away from aloof, urban Singapore. We felt at one with nature, we felt at home amidst an intimate land of green. 

We meandered along the dirt path and stumbled into a playground purposely built to fit the loving embraces of Mother Earth. The girls had great fun sliding down the long slithering slide, clambering across a little suspension bridge and swaying on the tyre swings. We also stumbled up steep dirt slopes, balanced on thick fallen tree trunks, and observed pretty butterflies and shy spiders. 

At the end of an hour's walk, we chanced upon a small display of the endangered wildlife species in Singapore, especially in the nature reserves. It was very sad to reflect on the fact that Singapore used to harbour so much diversity of wild animals and insects, which had now dwindled to nothingness due to vile urbanisation. 

The Bees emerged from this journey, revived and rejuvenated, after a morning with the trees. And hopefully, with a stronger understanding of how important nature is to all of us on earth. 

Learning Chinese the Flashcards Way

Little Bee had always been a very kinesthetic learner, which is why it is almost impossible to sit her down and get her to read long passages, especially in Chinese, a language she is still not that comfortable with.

Which is why I think the word cards in 四五快读 had been very suitable for her learning style, because she relished in taking these out and playing with them. I noticed she also learns best if fun-loving her thinks she is involved in play or games. The below pictures are some examples of how she utilised her 四五快读 word cards.

简单的造句

Sentence formation using available words above

词句重组

We use word cards to let her remember high-frequency words like the above. 

She would pour out the copious cards and played all sorts of games with them - 词句重组，sorting, sentence creation. She learns a lot easier and faster this way, and before long, could read longer Chinese passages at the end of last year, like the one below. 

If your child is a kinesthetic learner, flashcards or word cards would be an excellent and fun platform for them to learn!

Of Sandcastles and Sandballs

On an idyllic weekend afternoon
Under a blazing, glowering morning sun
In a little corner of the Siloso beach in Sentosa...

2 avid little girls
Wriggling their toes and fingers
In coarse, taupe-coloured sand
Building sandcastles
Making sandballs

2 lackadaisical adults
Relaxing under the shade of a swaying tree
Languid bodies on a picnic mat
Feeling lucky
Expressing gratitude

For being parents to
2 of the most wonderful and beautiful children
In the world :)