Our Little Corner of the World Blog

Things I'm Grateful for Today

2011-10-25T18:05:00.002+08:00

Things I'm Grateful for Today: - Waking up in the morning with "Good Morning Mummy!" - Dedicated teachers who top up cash themselves to get the boys a set of class photo each when I only ordered 1 set. That's so they get a folder each. - A loving hubby who put his family first and striving hard at work to provide for the family. - My dearest mum who makes milo for a daughter who should be

Back from Hong Kong!

2011-07-26T17:37:00.003+08:00

It was a good break from the boys, though a tiring one as the trip is too short. I'm so proud of Kum Lik this time. I think I underestimated my Hubby. He managed 2 days with my mum's help and sent my Mum back on the second day. He managed the 3rd day all by himself. He even brought them out for breakfast and out to gather with the cousins all by himself. On top of that, he also managed a load of

Myths of Today's Parents

2011-07-11T13:40:00.005+08:00

Kids should attend some form of enrichment class to gain knowledge. Your kids are better off running around at the playground bettering their gross motor skills or playing with sand at the beach and learn about gravity as the sand trickles down from their fingers than sitting at a classroom listening to the teacher and doing worksheets.Your kids will be more sociable if they attend school or

Day out with the boys

2011-06-30T14:56:00.003+08:00

Brought the boys out yesterday and came home late. Kum Lik was already home. I was pleasantly surprised to come back to a home with:the dirty pots I left in the sink disappeared. hot water in the vacuum flask.bath water ready.the boys PJs nicely laid out.Please knock me on my head if I ever complain about my man again.

I'm going to Hong Kong!!

2011-06-23T14:12:00.002+08:00

I can't believe I'm going to Hong Kong next month! This trip would not be possible if I don't have:a generous sister who gave me the ticket. she changed it with her miles. a supportive and steady husband who kept encouraging me to go for it.a mum who is always there for us. a friend who is willing to travel with me.My sister announced to the family that she can change for a ticket to HK and if

Documenting Funny Conversations

2011-06-04T15:02:00.002+08:00

Life gets interesting (with and without " ") since the boys started to speak. I'm very proud with their linguistic skills. They can speak in proper sentences at the age of 2, using present and past tenses, singular and plurals, etc. I see that their classmates who are much older than them are barely talking much. I credit these to the books they read and I credit myself and Kum Lik to reading

Champions League 2011

2011-05-28T14:52:00.002+08:00

It's a rematch between Man Utd and Barcelona! How I wish Yuan and Kai are older now and we could stay up to watch this game.

Mr Yuan

2011-03-22T11:54:00.008+08:00

This is Mr Yuan. A 26 months old toddler whoWears a Thomas The Tank Engine backpack for breakfast to match his Thomas T-Shirt.Wears his backpack like how you would wear a necklace to the playground, even when going down the slide.Finds comfort in holding an egg whisk and a baking pan (I managed to take that huge baking pan away) to lull himself to sleep.Insists on bringing a huge old soccer ball

32 and still looking young... too young

2011-02-24T19:05:00.006+08:00

Since I hit the big 3, I lost track of my age. I can feel myself getting old, maybe it's the lack of sleep and the demanding child care that makes me feel old. Lines are appearing at the side of my eyes, neck and hands. I can only blame myself for not taking good care of my skin but luckily that my petite size makes me look young. In fact, too young. I had an old uncle calling out to me at the

We are left with no choice

2011-02-12T11:53:00.007+08:00

So, we admit defeat and went on a desperate maid hunt for a week. Yes, we still need a maid, actually more so now than a year ago when we went maidless for a while. It's really sad that we are desperately in need of help, desperately in need of help to care for a pair of demanding twins. I'm at my wit's end. I need help, I need support. With my in laws struggling to take care of my brother in

A lot of plans don't work out when you have twins

2011-02-09T12:50:00.003+08:00

Our maids have been the number 1 problem in our household. I have survived the demanding childcare for twins during the first year and the 2nd challenging year with mobile babies and now, the 3rd year with vocal toddlers who are unpredictable with fiery tantrums. When I thought all bad things would come to an end with my current maid, it's not. She gave me problems every month, throw tantrums,

How to be a better mom?

2011-02-02T10:46:00.003+08:00

Send your kids away, as far away from you as possible.That way, you have GUILT. And GUILT - will make you give in to their unreasonable demands as you don't want any crying with the very little time you have for them. - be able to tolerate their whining since you know you just have to tolerate for that few hours. Staying home - will just make you a screaming and angry mom who has to face with the

My Little Terror and My Little Sweetie

2011-02-01T20:47:00.002+08:00

Kai is really good at pushing my buttons with his marathon whining which will escalate into terror cries when I ignore him. Today, it's one of those days when he just torture me with his cries. I was carrying him on my lap, face to face, after calming him down from a meltdown when he touched my hair and said, "Mummy's hair". He continued to look at me and touch my hair and said, "Mummy's hair....

Playing with Sunglasses

2011-01-12T10:58:00.003+08:00

That's Kai in Yellow/Blue. Their uncle got them a pair of sunglasses each and I gave it to them when we saw the characters in Tweenies wearing sunglasses too. They had so much fun with it!

Moments of Motherhood

2010-12-15T15:11:00.003+08:00

It's so hard to be a parent, even harder to be a mother. I find it extremely hard to be a mother to a pair of twin boys. We have given up a lot for them, maybe more than many parents I would say. They are our everything. It took us a lot of courage to try for a child again after I miscarried the first time and it was several months (that feels like eternity) before we conceived. The news of

Digital Scrapbooking: Sharing is Loving

2010-12-03T14:57:00.003+08:00

Good things never last. They were happy this way for 1 minute before they start pushing each other off the tricyle. But they still love each other.

K Spells Bus

2010-11-17T20:48:00.001+08:00

K took me by surprise when he spelled out "bus" when I casually asked. To reconfirm that, I asked again and he spelled it out and clear.

Kite Flying

2010-11-15T20:34:00.012+08:00

You don't need to go all the way to Marine Barage fly a kite, we just went to the open field near our place.We didn't manage to get the kite up. It wasn't windy enough. The kite didn't get Yuan excited (as seen in the 2nd picture below), it was the MRT train that passed by that got him all worked up. The boys were looking at the trains while their Papa was running in the wet and muddy (it

A Complete Family

2010-10-31T14:23:00.005+08:00

Being somewhat a little feministic since young, I used to think that a father is redundant in a family. (warp.. I know) But now that I have a family, with kids of my own. I realized the importance of a "Father". A "Father" these days is no longer what used to be just the breadwinner in the family. Today's "Father" assume many roles. He also has to help out with providing care for the children,

Bad Things Didn't End

2010-09-22T15:59:00.004+08:00

I really don't know what to say. Is it really just pure suayness or what? Just when I thought this maid is working out well, she is getting out of hand.She started pulling a long face since the second month and was very rude to me but after disclipling her, all was fine. However, she almost made it a habit to create problems every month and always threaten to quit at least once a month. On some

Our First Visit to the Istana

2010-09-07T13:40:00.005+08:00

Our first visit to The Istana. You will be surprised at the kind of places you start to go when you become parents. Istana is one place I never thought I would go. But we ran out of places to go and a change sounds good. In fact, we almost gave up the idea when we saw the queue outside Istana. We are not big fan of queuing. We probably have ended up at Carrefour if it wasn't for my in laws family

Friends to Stay

2010-09-02T13:29:00.004+08:00

I'm never good at making friends. I have very few friends that I deemed as good friends because I have high expectations of who can be my good friends.But as I grow older and matured, I have come to realized that true friendships are never like that. I have had friends who betrayed my trust, friends who decided to cast me aside for no apparent reason, friends who only come to me for Aunty Agony

The Battle with the Virus

2010-08-30T09:49:00.003+08:00

Caring for the kids had taken its toll on me. Was down with a very bad flu bug in May and even vomitted blood a few times from that bug. Just a few months later, I'm down with a powerful bug that had me running a fever for 6 days. Mothers don't get medical leave, for as long as the kids are born, I never get to rest even when I'm sick and I still have to care for them at night and that's why my

Lost

2010-08-19T15:20:00.004+08:00

Whenever I feel lousy and lost, I feel a need to write. Writing expresses myself and sort out my thoughts. You are probably going to read the most confusing post but this post is not for you, it's for myself. I need to let out.After a stressful 3 days trip to Bintan, I've come to a conclusion that we will never be able to travel again until the boys can sleep through the night and when they could

Digital Scrapbooking: Yuan Sleeping During Lunch

2010-07-29T19:47:00.001+08:00

My Other Blogs

2010-07-22T15:35:00.005+08:00

Introducing...... *drum roll*..... When You Never Expect Two!I have been doing the so called "homeschooling" with Yuan and Kai since they turned one year old. Previously was just flash cards and books but they were able to respond very well after 12 months old and I was able to do more with them. It was a lot more challenging too because their attention span is really short and tantrums and

Mobile blog... test test

2010-07-20T18:35:00.001+08:00

I have downloaded this app called Blogaway on my phone for quite some time now. It allows me to view, edit and post on our blog. I haven't got the time to try it out. But since I am now currently stuck on a non-moving train due to a bloody "train fault", I guess I can try this out.Oh, here are some photos for everyone to view..

Papa's Birthday

2010-07-15T20:33:00.001+08:00

7th Jul is always a special day.- It's Kum Lik's Birthday- It's the day we collect our keys to our first home- It's the day we applied for Yuan and Kai's passport. It's gonna be so easy to remember their date of expiry.We had a simple celebration at home. The boys love birthdays. They like books about birthdays and will always clap their hands when we say "birthday" or hear birthday song. One of

Proper Language to Kids?

2010-07-06T17:20:00.005+08:00

I have been trying my best to use single language to communicate with the boys. This is very hard to do as it's our culture to speak in chunks of English and Mandarin. However, I'm trying my best. But what I don't understand is why do grandparents like to speak in broken English to their grandchildren when English is not even the language they speak?A scene I saw on the MRT when I was still a

Kai and his Thomas Backpack

2010-06-27T20:34:00.007+08:00

Bought a Thomas The Train backpack and Kai loved it. See how happy he is with his backpack.

Momfidence

2010-05-27T14:14:00.005+08:00

Would like to recommend a book to all Mummies. Momfidence by Paula Spencer. This is a great book to read when you are super stressed out as a Mummy. I haven't been feeling very good since the boys turned 15 months old. I think it's because our "Terrible Twos" stage had begun since then. Tantrums and crying were on the rise and on some days, I'm close to banging the wall. I then read a book that

Art Garden at the SAM

2010-05-26T13:38:00.003+08:00

I forgotten about the museums open house and only remembered when they were taking their naps. We were contemplating if we should go and if the museum is kids friendly enough. I saw the Art Garden exhibit at SAM and I thought they will like it. So, I rushed off to pack their bags and prepare their dinner and we made a mad dash down once they woke up. The trip was worth it, we enjoyed ourselves a

When You Have 2 Tods

2010-05-19T21:40:00.004+08:00

This is what happens when you have 2 toddlers who find joy in anything destructive. Was filing our photos when I saw these 2 pictures. Bad photos but they are so cute. Creating havoc while Papa was helping Mummy hang the clothes. It was during Chinese New Year and we didn't have a maid that time. The kids were all ready to go visiting but the parents were slogging with the housework. These photos

A for Alligator

2010-05-05T13:25:00.003+08:00

Had been feeling under the weather for the past 2 weeks and I slacked with their learning. To make up for it, we had an activity packed weekend. We went to the Botanical Gardens, Zoo and participated in a programme for tots by the National Library.I told myself I must perk myself up and get back to where I left off. Today, they learnt A for Alligator and Yuan pointed to "A" and said "A". This is

The Power of the Box

2010-05-05T11:05:00.005+08:00

Kum Lik and I have been quite strict about TV viewing for Yuan and Kai. Many people couldn't understand why we are restricting our kids to educational programmes. Actually, we didn't restrict them, we just control the amount of TV they watch. (wait, am I contradicting myself? haha) There has been many research reports that discourage any screen exposure below 2 years of age. We wanted to follow

Play School?

2010-05-04T12:51:00.003+08:00

My mind was almost set on sending the boys to a play group when they turned 18 months until I visited one play group near my place. The place just didn't feel right. I requested to observe the class for 5 mins. The teacher wasn't too happy about it but she relented and let me observe the class outside. The circle time was boring and the teacher looked uninterested when she sings. I didn't like

Petite Bowl

2010-04-13T13:06:00.006+08:00

We went to an eatery serving baby food at United Square. I had expected it to be a restuarant but only to find out that it's only a small eatery. The food is sold at a premium. We spent about $15 for these 3 petite bowls and the boys didn't even finish it. Yuan preferred the Pumpkin Stew and Kai liked the Creamy Vegetables. Both didn't eat much of the Banana and Fig though Banana is one of their

Endless Meltdowns?

2010-04-08T20:25:00.002+08:00

How do you handle endless meltdowns? When it's one after another? Or when both of them start fussing together? I have no solution. I'm close to having one too.

Growing Journey

2010-03-26T21:20:00.003+08:00

Y&K are growing and learning so fast. They displayed new skills almost everyday and demonstrate their understanding to certain concepts in the most amazing ways. We are often taken by surprise with what they can do and understand. So, never underestimate these young children, they are a lot smarter than we think! I thought I will start noting down the funny episodes and the little progress they

Feeling the Blues

2010-03-23T18:16:00.002+08:00

Have been having the Blues recently. Kum Lik too. Think it's just an infectious virus... I want to shout "Scram!" and hopefully it will go away.

Digital Scrapbooking: Boys and their Shoes

2010-03-18T16:45:00.000+08:00

Digital Scrapbooking - Yuan at the Playground

2010-03-18T15:34:00.000+08:00

It's been some time since I digital scrapbook. Here's one with Yuan at the playground. I love his expressions. It's a pity that the lighting was flat. Those expressions are priceless...

10 Things We Hope to Do to be Good Parents

2010-03-16T21:10:00.004+08:00

It's tough to be parents. It's even tougher to be good parents. I have identified 10 things that we hope to do to be better parents. Things that we learn from books, from our own childhood, from what we see in parents around us. 1. Provide them a safe and secure environment. We agreed not to argue or lose our temper in front of them. It's hard, very hard. Especially during times when we were so

Oversized Babies in a Bath Tub

2010-03-08T19:50:00.003+08:00

Sometimes they can't wait and they just want to squeeze into one bath tub.

Top 3 Irritating Things That People Say To The Boys and What I Feel Like Telling Them

2010-03-07T14:06:00.003+08:00

Why is your Mummy carrying your Brother and not you?What I feel like telling them: Ask this if you can carry 2 bags of 10kg rice, one with one hand for at least 15 mins. If not, just keep your mouth shut.Why is your Mummy feeding your Brother and not you?What I feel like telling them: Sure, I can feed both but don't give me the "dirty look" when I use the same spoon to feed both of them. Oh...

Walking Tods at the Splash Park

2010-03-07T14:05:00.001+08:00

We haven't been bringing the boys to the Splash Park. The last week had been a bad teething week for them. Nothing seems to be able to soothe them so I brought them to the Splash Park, hoping that some distraction would help them a little. They had great fun. They weren't walking the last time they were there and it's fun to see them exploring around walking.Kai in Blue/Green and Yuan in Orange/

All Bad Things come to An End

2010-02-19T11:25:00.003+08:00

My new maid is coming today. After much considerations, we decided to still get a stay in maid. I had insisted to go without one but Yuan and Kai have been very clingy to me. I can't do much chores in the day and in the end, my mum is the one helping out with the housework while I care for them. After a week, she sprained her back and her wrist was swollen. I feel so heartache and seeing Kum Lik

2010 Chinese New Year

2010-02-17T13:33:00.001+08:00

This is the first year we went visiting with Yuan and Kai. Kum Lik and I have not been going visiting for 2 years already. And boy, I have to say we kinda like the 2 years of no visiting. Haha... But now that we have kids, we felt that we should bring them to visit the elders and let them know how is Chinese New Year like.The first day was tiring. Kum Lik and I were dead beat. We only had 2 hours

Updates

2010-01-28T11:47:00.002+08:00

Have been neglecting our blog. Think it's hard to sit in front of the computer to blog eversince I weaned. There are many things I want to blog about, think will just do a summary here. :PBabies Birthday BashIt was a blast. Like I mentioned, there were many imperfections. Our 2-tier cake slid down. I guess I shouldn't have ordered a layered cake for the bottom tier but how would I know? It should

Yuan and Kai's Development

2010-01-02T20:53:00.006+08:00

I haven't been doing a monthly development post on Yuan and Kai's development progress so I thought I may as well do a one year development chart. I used this milestones chart from the Baby Center as a guide. But I had been doing monthly checks on their development from books and online resources. I'm very proud of them as their development seems to be above average.