Kieran's first weeks in primary school

Just wanted to record some of the more memorable incidents about Kieran's first 3 weeks in school. Hopefully, I'll scrapbook some of these so that when he looks back when he grows older, he'll too, laugh at these little things that he does.

Happy 2013!

We are still kind of settling into the swing of things. A whole new chapter of our lives has started, our usual routine is changed, as Kieran enters into his formal education years.

Primary 1 registration completed

Primary 1 registration is such a huge affair over here in Singapore. Parents start preparing for their children's entry into choice schools even before their children are born. Parents start queuing up for infant care, kindergartens and then applying to participate in parent volunteer programmes at primary schools, hoping to get their children into the the Phase 2B of the registration phases.

We are just so fortunate that we were eligible at Phase 2A2 at a "good" (by Singaporean standards) primary school because hubby was an old boy. However, I think we would not have participated in Parent Volunteer Programme even if we didn't.

I myself came from a neighbourhood primary school and I don't think I fared any worse than my counterparts who were from "top" schools. So our consideration for our boys' primary education was really  a decision made primarily (pun intended haha) based on convenience. We were already at Phase 2A2, and the school is quite near to where we live. We would only be at Phase 2C for any other nearby schools. (Most schools have limited places by the time the registration reaches this phase, and very often, there is balloting for places at this phase.) Really a no-brainer choice for us.

What are my thoughts on choice of primary schools?

1. There is no selection of students at primary schools. Everybody starts on a same level. Top schools may seem to produce more top students at PSLE, but when you look into percentages, they may all produce similar percentage of top scorers. Of course, I don't deny that they will be exceptions.
2. Proximity is a very important factor. Making small children travel long distances tire them out. Where then is the energy left to concentrate on their studies?
3. ALL schools would have both great and not-so-great teachers. Good schools, lousy teachers, not-so-good schools, great teachers. All luck of the draw. We'd be blessed if our boys meet great teachers in their lives. These teachers can come from anywhere.
4. Schools only provide one facet in education. There are many other facets of education. Parents, society etc..
5. Academic excellence is not everything. Life is not just about As.

We are just glad that we are done with the registration so that we can quite fretting and get on with enjoying the rest of the year before we have to start figuring out how we would maintain our sanity and not be trapped  in the mad race.

Birthday month is approaching again!

Yup, May is really fast approaching!! And I can't believe that my boys are growing up so quickly! Kieran will be 6 this year!! And he'll be off to primary 1 next year already!! Words can't explain the bittersweet emotions that run through me as I see them growing up so quickly.

Having said that, I keep thinking that Kiefer's turning 5 this year! :P Well, he certainly doesn't behave like a 4 year old. He talks older, and he behaves older. And he is such a loveable rascal!!

Gotta hug and kiss them more before they stop letting me do that!

Some random funny stuff with the kids

In the car today:
Kiefer: Why is Gong Gong fat fat?
Me: I don't know. Why is Gong Gong fat fat?
Kiefer: Cos he eats a lot!
Me: Then, is mummy fat fat?
Kiefer: nope.
Me: Why?
Kiefer: cos you don't eat MUCH.

I'm just amused by the way this little fella speaks. He language and phrases are so adult and not at all child-like!

Again in the car today:
Kieran: Is my birthday in May?
Me: Yes. 17th May
and then the conversation continued with the 2 of them asking and answering (by themselves) when everybody's birthday is. They got their own birthdays and my birthday right. And then I asked them when's daddy's birthday.
Kiefer: August!
Kieran: I also know it's August. We had the mango cake for daddy's birthday when I was 4 years old.

It's amazing how Kieran remembers things, even though I thought that the birthday that he was referring to was when he was only about 3.

This one is a little TMI but really funny.
Kiefer and I were sitting at the stairway of the house talking and it was rather warm there. He fingers accidentally touched my sweaty armpits and he asked why is it that armpits are sweaty and smelly. :P And then he proceeded to smell his own armpit. The fun part is when I started talking to him about their sleeping habits. They have the habit of talking to each other in bed for at least an hour before they settle to sleep. We put them to bed latest by 930pm, but they'll talk till 1030pm or even 11pm before they finally fall asleep. And so I threatened that I would stick his blankie (Kiefer always sleeps with a nappy cloth) under my armpits if they didn't stop talking when I tell them to tonight! He was laughing but pleading with me not to do it. 
And I think it is working. I'm not hearing too much talking from the room now! :P

They lit up my day.

People always say that kids have the most honest opinions. I certainly hope so. In any case, they lit up my day with a cheerful remark the moment I got home (at 7pm) today.

The boys were at the door way as I drove into the car porch. As I stepped out of the car, Kieran yelled "Mummy, you look so pretty!" and this was followed by Kiefer who went "You look like you are going to a wedding!" All because I wore a girly dress to work (they didn't see me leave the house in the morning).

It was nice to know that I was pretty in their eyes. :)

Time flies way too fast

It's already 5 weeks into 2012. We've been busy, with work, with school with everything. The boys have started swimming and Chinese classes again, thus the week flies by with us running everywhere.

Took this photo last week. I came back from work early and wanted to take a nap. Small fry woke up as I came back and as usual, he'll always want somebody to snuggle with him when he just wakes up. I was just thinking, it'll be really soon that he'll not want to do this any more.

Quantity time not quality time

It was really heartening to hear the boys say that they like having mummy and daddy home with them even though they get more scolding and smacking when we are home. This confirms my belief that children at this age requires quantity time and not quality time with their parents. They have not much idea of quality time. They are just happy with mummy and daddy sitting next to them while they play. We don't even have to be playing with them.

Innocence..

Had this conversation with Kieran earlier at the supermarket:

K: Why must pay money? (pointing to the groceries)
M: Nothing is free.
K: But I am free!
M: puzzled for a while
K: I am free to play with you!

Such is the innocence of a young child. I sometimes feel bad that I have to show/ tell him what is like in the real world. I often wonder if I say tell him too much that we need money to pay for things, will he end up thinking that money is everything? Where is the balance? I see some children with absolutely no sense of worth (as in the worth of money). I do not wish for my children to grow up that way but yet I also do not want them to think that money is everything. Thus every time conversations that deals with buying things or going on holidays come up, I struggle with finding the balance of showing them that we need to save money for such things and yet not going overboard with stressing the importance of money.

And with the recent Japan disaster, we are also having a hard time stressing to Kieran that the earthquakes are devastating and it is sad that people are losing their homes and their loved ones. Kieran sometimes compares the pictures that we show him from the internet to the movies (like Independence Day) and goes "oohh!". We keep telling him that it is really sad that many children have lost their parents and that the earthquakes are real but I guess he is still too young to understand the severity. I know that he has empathy. I see it when he feels sad when he watches movies. However, I guess he still doesn't understand that disasters really do happen. I can also tell that he is worried about death. He keeps asking why people die. We tell him everyone will die one day. When we grow old we die. And then he'll ask if we are old already. To him, we are "old". I hope we are not frightening him too much. :( We just want to stress to him that he and his brother will have to take care of each other when we are all gone.

SAHM vs FTWM

Saw a comment on someone else's facebook status that triggered this post. A person commented on how a SAHM only rests after the kids goes to sleep while the FTWM's work ends at 6+ . Hmm.. so I wonder, where are the FTWM's kids? Don't these FTWM have kids too? If they do, wouldn't they (generally) only get to rest after the kids go to bed? If that doesn't happen, then these would be FTWW (women) not FTWMs!!

Having been a SAHM for a while when both my boys were born and then returning to work when they were about 8 months old, I do see that SAHMs have really really busy days. SAHMs do not have an easy time at home cos they are practically on call ALL the time, tending to the needs of their children. However, I think it would be really unfair to say that FTWMs have it easier. FTWMs do get some reprieve during the hours at work, however, because of the time away from their children, many would try to use whatever leftover hours to make up for time lost with their children. They finish their work at whatever time and then continue to be mums to their children till their children go to bed.

For me, I think being a SAHM is a lot easier than a FTWM as I only have my children to focus on. How difficult is that? I don't have anything else to worry about other than my family. I would gladly return to be SAHM any time. Still, deciding to return to work was a lifestyle choice. I am a FTWM because I see the need to be able to comfortably provide the material needs (and some luxuries) for my family and I do have a good family support to take care of my boys while I'm at work, so why not?

Whether you are a SAHM, a PTWM, or a FTWM, at the end of the day, you are a mum. I don't think whichever gets it easier. Each would have their own challenges and dilemmas. These are all simply choices in life and how one goes about executing the actions in life.

Woah.. time flies

Kieran is going to be 1 year old in 3 weeks time. To think that he was a helpless little baby only a little while ago, and now, he's grown to be a really playful toddler!!!

Kieran is growing up too quickly. If we are not careful, we will really miss his growing years. It's really amazing to see him take his first steps, speak his first words. I will not give that up for anything in the world.

Working and taking care of Spy is hard. But it is really worth it. I cannot explain the joy that he has brought into my life. He is really an amazing gift to us.

I've been a Mummy for 10 months!

Haven't been blogging much recently, not especially at this blog. I've only had time to record Kieran's milestones over at his blog. Everything I do nowadays will always have Kieran in mind. I guess that's what being a mummy is. :)

There has been lots of changes in our lives in the last 10 months. The biggest change of all would still have to be the arrival of our precious little one. He has singlehandedly turned our lives upside down (in a good way of cos)! I can now understand what it means when people say that your life will only come to a full circle after you have children. I am always amazed and thankful for the joy that Kieran has brought to our lives. The name Kiran (was the name of a Hindu poet, by the way) actually means 'light' or 'sunbeam' in sanskrit. I guess in choosing Kieran, we have inevitably also hoped that he'll be the light in our (and everyone's) lives. And yes, he does bring cheer and joy to us!!

After being a mummy, I find all other things fade in comparison to this huge role. Afterall, the baby is really helpless without his mummy. I always look forward to coming home to Kieran. To see the look on his face, the happiness when he sees his mummy step through the door. I guess that's what is called the mummy-baby bond. I think nothing can destroy that bond. It's God's way of making sure that baby will always be safe in the arms of his mummy.

hmm.. i think i'll go check on Kieran now..

We are back home!

2.5 weeks of holiday just flew by like that. Overall, it was a really good experience going on holiday with a 6 month old baby. Kieran was a very good flier. Better than myself I must say. I always get the bad earaches during descend but Kieran was so good that he didn't cry, whine and didn't even needed his pacifier. He was one happy baby. It was a little tiring for us as Kieran took a little longer to adjust to the changing time zones but he did it without excessive fuss.

I like the idea that we will always bring our children with us when we go on holiday. Afterall, they will only be willing to follow us around for maybe the 1st 12? years of their lives and then they will want to be on their own. Many parents are unwilling to bring their young children abroad as they worry that their kids may fuss etc. I think as long as we remember that everything has to go a little slower, you'll have more things to bring along, everything will be fine. I must say that this trip with Kieran was really fun!

Anyway, coming back to Singapore made me feel that sometimes our service industry is really quite lousy. Service people do not bother to go a little further with your enquiries, they even make it your fault that things do not go THEIR way! I was at Suntec's foodcourt just yesterday with Hubb and PP. We had to park the stroller by the walking aisle (next to the stalls) as that was the only place we could put it. There was still ample walking space after the stroller was placed there. However, the clearing attendant came by, casted a dirty look at us and started shaking his head at us, indicating that we blocked the entire passage way!!! It was only him who could not get across. Btw, there was still space if he was willing to go round the other end. In the US, people will go out of the way to make things easier for parents with strollers. It is not our fault that there was no provisions for strollers. Likewise, in Singapore, we often have to carry the strollers up and down steps as there is just no ramps to push the strollers on.

We like going to California all the time because of the fantastic shopping that we get there. We can get very nice (even brandful) clothes for Kieran for only USD1-3!!! For this price, we'll only get crappy clothes here!! I also like the way sales are really sales in there. Shops are willing to really slash prices during one-day sale (i.e. Black Friday). Also, when they have promotions for bulk purchases, you can save up to a few dollars on the items, unlike when our supermarkets do this, it's like "buy 1 @ $x, buy 3 and you'll save $0.10"!!! Very often you'll see the buy 10 items to save ads in US and you do not even have to buy 10 items and you'll get the item at the reduced price!

That's why we've been going back there for the last 3 years.. haha.. to do our annual shopping spree!!! :)

A different life.

I've left this in the draft for so many days and I just didn't have the time to complete it.. I shall just publish it as it is..

Many years ago, I wouldn't even imagine myself married/having kids at this age. I used to think that I would get married at 28 and probably have kids 2-3 years later. It's funny how decisions that you make can actually turn your entire life around. Right now i want to have all my kids as soon as possible. I want to be able to play with my children, run about with them in the parks, before I get too old and lack the energy to do so.

After having K, I find that I've finally grown up. I can no longer be irresponsible for myself. Not only do I have to take care of myself, I have somebody else's life in my hands. How K grows up will depend largely on the values we pass on to him. That is a humungous load/burden/responsibility. Loads of what-ifs float about in my head...

Haven't been blogging much...

Haven't been blogging much these days. I usually only have time to photo blog a little.

K has been sleeping lesser and lesser these days and thus leaving me with less of my own time. Not complaining though. It's really an enjoyment watching K grow and develop by leaps and bounds. He's discovered his fingers and thumbs in the last 2 days and thus trying very hard to figure out how they taste! His fingers are quite yucky and salivery now! It's actually quite gross when he wipes them on me! What to do.. my son!! I love him!

Having a baby really requires one to slow down. Stop and smell the roses (or in this case, the poop). We can still do the things we used to do, just not all the things, all the time. I'm contented to just stay at home the entire day and just watch K grow. I think it's really a mad rush for us, sometimes, to bring K around because we are obliged to do so. He's shuttled from place to place, just because the adults around him have things to do. Or, he's trying to get to sleep and people around him want him to wake up to play! He only has to open 1 eye to peep and everyone around him thinks that he is already waking up and starts cooing at him, insisting that he is awake when what he really wants is to fall back asleep. As such his sleep gets disrupted and then we get upset because he is not sleeping well and say that he is grouchy! What complication!

Everyone says that we have to let baby get used to the noise around him so that he can sleep anywhere and everywhere. How would I like it if someone's blasting the TV while I'm trying to sleep?!! Neither do I go around sleeping in the living rooms of someone's house. So why make baby do that?? Puzzling.

Endurance

When baby refuses to sleep at night, it is really a test of endurance. It's like a battle between the parent and the baby. See who can outlast the other!

I am quite surprised that I could stay up with baby for about 5 hrs last night and still wake up at 9am this morning. This is only the 1st night. Can I do this every night for maybe another week, until I figure out the amt of milk that he drinks in the night?? Whatever it is, I MUST go on.

God is my refuge and strength.