Sophie's Sketches

Playground Revisited

2012-01-28T21:19:00.000-08:00

We took the kids for a stroll to the public playground near our place this morning. I used to take Sophie there because there was no playground in our condo and the swing is good for very young toddlers. Sophie remembers the place well and she totally enjoyed running amok. Alfee was also happily exploring and climbing everywhere. Even though it was just half an hour, they seemed to quite satisfied.

The Tiger Who Came To Tea

2012-01-26T21:13:00.000-08:00

Thursdays are the only days Sophie has nothing in the afternoon. It was a deliberate attempt on my part to conduct other home-based activities or attend performances. I plan to take her to at least one performance a month, if there are good performances. So far, this is the first performance for 2012 - The Tiger Who Came To Tea. It is one of the 3 theatrical performances of Kids Fest! Singapore 2012. Next month, we are going for "Stick Man", but we are skipping "We're Going On A Bear Hunt".

On the way to DBS Arts Centre, Sophie fell asleep in the cab so I had to carry her inside. We were a good 45 minutes early so I held her as she napped. It was a little awkward as everyone else was all lively and noisy. Our performance was 3 pm but I woke her up around 2.45 pm to be seated. She was a little disoriented but fortunately, not cranky.

Today's performance is based on "The Tiger Who Came To Tea" by Judith Kerr. I bought her the book a few months ago to prep her for the show. She loves it instantly because the little girl in the story is named "Sophie" as well. Here's the original story...

I was quite impressed by the whole set up and the energy level of the performers today. Despite a small audience (due to weekday), they were all geared up to make it worth our every penny. They were interactive and animated enough to keep the children entertained. The props were very good as well, almost like a magic show. Sadly, no filming is allowed so this is all I captured.

However, I did managed to find a trailer version...

The organizers also gave our colouring sheets and colour pencils to keep the children occupied while waiting for the show to start. That pacified Sophie and made it easier for me to relax a little.

On the way out, the children were given a balloon each. Sophie was overall quite happy, I think she enjoyed the performance.

I asked Sophie to draw me what she likes about the performance and this is what she drew first. She said the girl beside the tiger is her (of course!).

Sophie then drew Sophie's parents. The one on the right (wearing a tie) is her Papa and the one (with two buns on her head) is her Mama.

Last, but not least... the milkman and postman (and the bicycle)!

CNY 2012 - Day 2

2012-01-24T19:40:00.000-08:00

Me and my bright idea! I thought it would be good if we could do something distinctively “Chinese New Year-ish” so I suggested a trip down River Hong Bao. We set off early as usual and took a leisurely walk from Raffles City to River Hong Bao. It was a little sunny but still manageable because it was early. Unfortunately (as usual), we found ourselves staring at closed gates (opened only after 12 pm) when we finally reached there. Thus, we had to do a last minute Plan B – Esplanade Mall.

By the time we were there, the kids were tired, hot and cranky, especially Alfee. I was quite exhausted myself. We settled down at a café and fed Sophie some cupcake (which pacified her immediately) and let Alfee nap a little. Then we explored the food court and got some lunch before we shopped around a little. Papa said this is the best mall we have got in Singapore and I was not too impressed. Still, it is huge and there are many shops. Anyhow, we made our way to River Hong Bao (reluctantly due to the heat) and spent a little while (15 minutes) going around the exhibits. Frankly, I am disappointed. It is not even close to what the media has portrayed it. Maybe it’s just me but I think it is not worth going at all.

Back home, I tried doing some work with Sophie while Alfee made his presence felt . He really distracted Sophie and made it hard for all of us to do work. I guess I have to wait for him to be old enough to join in the WORK!

Dragon Year - CNY Day 1

2012-01-23T21:45:00.000-08:00

I think it started a year or two ago when Sophie started nursery. Everyone is eager to dress their children in traditional (or any kind of) costumes and we, too, got caught up in this pretty irrational practice. The costumes are rarely comfortable and sometimes, they are just simplified versions. Yet, I find it really hard not to let Sophie and Alfee appear in such outfits… maybe they genuinely look adorable!

In any case, Sophie has got a Vietnamese costume on today. In addition to her almost demure look, I let her put on some non-toxic make-up (essentially just powder). The deal was that she had to let Papa take as many pictures of her as he liked! The result – a really beautiful, princess-like little girl and some really good (and rare) shots of her.
Alfee, on the other hand, looked very Chinese (like some martial arts cum Shaolin sort of boy) in his costume.

We handed out early to Ah Gong and Ah Mah’s place. As usual, Sophie would attack the new year goodies and I found it hard to resist myself! Even Alfee wanted to try everything. Maybe we are really deprived since we don’t usually buy any. This year, Sophie was finally taught how to use a residential telephone. We don’t have any land line at home (sounds like we don’t have a lot of things at home!) so she never really got the chance to learn making phone calls.

Usually, we would leave for Naenae’s place after that, but sadly Naenae is no longer with us. Yet, we still decided to go to “Gong Xi Fa Cai” Uncle’s place for visiting. We seemed to have found solace in following the usual routine. Both kids were very well behaved there. The adults shared old photographs and stories with Sophie and entertained Alfee with balls and teddy bears. Although we did not do much of anything else, we really find it heart warming to meet up with relatives during this time of the year.

In the evening, we had dinner with Ah Gong and Ah Mah at their place. My brother and his family came as well, so Sophie was able to play with her cousin, Zixin. It was quite fun to see how they interacted. Sophie was super enthusiastic to come up with games (though a little incoherent at times) and Zixin was happily obliging her. I think it would be great for them to meet more often. Unfortunately, we had to leave for home early before the kids became cranky.

Chinese New Year Eve - Reunion Dinner

2012-01-22T23:09:00.000-08:00

Back home, we washed up and had a simple lunch. Then we crashed in front of the TV and waited for dinner. It had been about a month since I last relaxed and lazed around. We started getting ready around 4 pm since we were meeting Ah Boh and Su Su at 5.30pm.

Last year, Sophie wore a Korean bubble dress for reunion dinner. This year, she had the traditional version (commercialised version). I thought they looked really adorable in costumes, even though I doubt they felt comfortable at all.

This year, we had our reunion dinner at Corpthorne King's Hotel. It really did not feel quite the same without Naenae. She would always smile at the kids and she always made them feel like they were the best children on Earth. She was the anchor of our reunion dinner. We found the food average and service quite disappointing yet reunion dinner is never really about the food, is it? At least, we were able to spend time as a family together.

2012 CNY Eve - Morning @ TBG

2012-01-22T14:36:00.000-08:00

It is the eve of Chinese New Year and we felt a little lost without Naenae. We are still going to have reunion dinner with Su Su and Ah Boh, but somehow it felt different. In the morning, we decided to head for The Botanical Gardens and let the kids play with bubbles. Usually, we would have some breakfast before we roam around, but today, we went straight to our “bubble” spot.

Alfee was asleep by the time we reached the “bubble” spot so Sophie went ahead and played without him. I bought a bottle of Crayola purple bubble juice to test out today. It did not work as well as I had hoped. The colour was staining in its liquid form but not visible as bubbles. It also had a strong paint smell and the non-spill feature made it difficult to take the stick out of the bottle. Thus, we reverted back to our usual bubble juice.

I made a lot of bubbles for the kids even though Sophie almost always insisted on doing it herself. I know she likes to chase the bubbles and pop them. Many other kids came over and started joining her in their quest as bubble destroyers. I do not mind making bubbles for everybody yet I got some strange looks from people sometimes. We met 3 groups of people of different nationalities and their reactions towards us were all different.

First group was a Singaporean family of 4. The father was sitting far away while his two kids played with the bubbles. The mother was embarrassed that she could not stop them from crowding me. There was no verbal exchange between her and me, even her “thank you” went through her kids. The second group was a huge family of tourists. The grandmother was trying to pacify the child who insisted she wanted to buy some bubbles juice. The family soon spoke out loud (maybe hoping we would hear and respond) that they did not know where to buy. Finally, they sent the father to ask us. Lastly, a group of Caucasians (maybe 2 families) with young toddlers approached us. They chatted with Sophie and tried to make conversation with us. They encouraged the kids to play together and they left after saying “goodbye”.

Then our little girl complained she was hungry and tired and declared she needed to eat at Casa Verde. So, we started packing up to go. Just then a little girl came up to me hoping for some bubbles. I smiled and gave her the rest of my bubble juice. She was very happy but I could not say the same for Sophie. Her sense of possessiveness kicked in and I had to really talk her into letting that bottle of bubble juice go. Fortunately, she soon forgot everything with a good hearty breakfast.

ECP Cycling

2012-01-01T23:58:00.000-08:00

Our final destination before we called it a day - East Coast Park. We waited for the shower to ease off a little and Auntie Pei Ee’s cab to arrive before heading off. We have been trying to encourage Little Missy to cycle but somehow, she was either too tired or the bicycle was too high. But again, peer pressure worked. She wanted to play with Xiao Ci and Yun Er some more.

Yet, she fell asleep on the way and we did not know if we should wake her up. In the end, we took a bet and woke her up. She was very grouchy to have her nap interrupted but she complied eventually. I quickly changed her while Papa rented a small bike for her. Poor Alfee could only look on since it was his dinner time and I had to feed him. With much help from Aunite Jessy, we parked ourselves at Old Town Restaurant while Papa took Sophie for her ride.

We did not expect any trouble when we return the bike but the little girl was very tired and reluctant to leave. Fortunately, there were distractions around and her friends were all leaving for dinner. I let her eat her porridge with the girls at Old Town before we headed back home.

The Bark Café

2012-01-01T23:40:00.001-08:00

After the party, we took the opportunity to have tea together at The Bark Café (near Changi Prison, how convenient…) with Auntie Jessy, Auntie Pei Ee and their family. It was quite relaxing and enjoyable despite the untimely shower. Food was decent enough also. It was rather unfortunate that I had to stop Sophie from eating some of the deep fried snacks. She has not been napping or drinking enough fluids lately so I do not want her to take in too much “heaty” food. Besides, it was too near her dinner and she might skip eating again.

Luckily, Auntie Jessy and Auntie Pei Ee were well prepared with some art materials. It got the girls all busy and creative throughout the meal. Sophie was never so into drawing but she always succumbs to peer pressure.

The little man, however, was having some bonding time with Sarah. They looked really cute when they tried to interact with each other. Alfee was much less demanding than her sister so long as he gets some stuff to munch and some time off to work out his little leg muscles.

After the tea break, we did a mini museum tour. It was all about the World War 2 and the Japanese Occupation in Singapore. Not my cup of tea, but I was hoping Papa would try to impart some historical knowledge to her. Alas, that did not happen. We ended up hushing and warning her to lower her voice throughout the short 30 min tour. I suppose she was not ready for such heavy content. Fortunately, the guard was pretty friendly and did not hush us or anything.

Eva's 2nd Birthday@Waterfront Waves

2012-01-01T23:40:00.000-08:00

We reached Waterfront Waves (Bedok Reservoir) around 1.30 pm for Eva’s birthday party. Now Eva, is Auntie Iris’s daughter who is turning two tomorrow (I think). And Auntie Iris is a very capable yet humble ex-colleague of mine. This is her new place and we love the fact that it faces the reservoir. The development is very new so it looks very bright and refreshing.

Unfortunately, we did not make it i time to sing the little birthday girl a birthday song. Papa took a brief look at the food and declared "not hungry" despite the fact that both of us had not eaten anything for lunch. He was too affected by the chilli to even try other non-spicy food. Thus, he strolled Alfee around the compound. Alfee seemed pretty bored as well since he could not go down to run around.

The birthday cake was sinfully yummy. Alfee is always game for new food and taste so I had to feed him some. Our little girl was not too thrilled, however, that her baby brother got fed. Thus, I went on to feed her as well.

It was great that Auntie Jessy, Auntie Cindy, Auntie Pei Ee and their family all went as well. Sophie was much more manageable with familiar faces around and her friends to play with. They played around the exercise area, fully utilising the facilities.

First Day Of 2012 (Morning)

2012-01-01T23:36:00.000-08:00

We kicked start the new year with a “late” breakfast at Thomson Plaza. To be exact, we had some prata and coffee for me, of course. We woke up unusually late (7.30 am) this morning, even though we have been indulging the kids with tiring outings for the past week or two. It was amazing that we took less than 30 mins to leave the house as well. Perhaps we are going to have a good year ahead after all!

After our brekkie, I let Sophie and Alfee ride in their favourite “ambulance”. I used to avoid such rides altogether but I really could not resist watching the kids smile as they pretend they were paramedics. Small things that make their day… and mine… occasionally!

After that, we had to do some grocery shopping before heading home. Papa’s friends were coming over so that we could exchange overdue Christmas pressies. Grocery shopping with Sophie and Alfee can be very challenging, especially if we did not make a shopping list beforehand. They would get cranky over every little "no" I have to say. Occasionally, Papa would make it a mission for them to pick out certain items. However, not when we were in a hurry though, quite ironcally. Still, Alfee is starting to show more and more awareness and interest in his surroundings. Curiosity is alsways good.

I love this stage when Alfee will always smile and look at the camera, unlike Sophie who will deliberately look away or act goofy.

On the other hand, all thanks to Sophie's silly yet bossy nature, Alfee now has a great companion and guardian. Sophie can keep him entertained for hours and she would not hestitate to step in and protect her brother from other older children. And Alfee looks up to her as well, mimicking her every gesture and speech.

Back home, I had to cook their lunch as Auntie Rose is on holidays. Papa watched them in the living room while I drove myself insane in the kitchen. Nowadays, Alfee cannot really be contained in the play yard anymore.. He got really upset and threw himself face down. It was quite comical really. Sophie, on the other hand, would be easily satisfied with some TV time or her dolls.

When things got a little too noisy, Papa will Alfee roam freely. So he was picking up everything that Sophie was playing with.

He still mouths stuff and throws things around so I don't really like to let him hang out in the living room actually. I prefer to keep him the the rooms. But today, he was relatively mild and Papa could take some cute pictures of him.

Anyway, we left the house soon after the kids had their lunch. But despite our best effort, we could only leave around 1 pm (which is already 30 mins later than our appointment). Nowadays, we need 2 strollers to pacify the kids. Personally, I don't like Sophie in a pram but she insists.

Our First Experience At The Istana

2011-08-07T18:01:00.000-07:00

We should have gone to the Botanic Gardens instead, despite the rain. It would have been a more pleasant experience for us. Sophie would definitely prefer that. Sophie’s swimming lesson had been cancelled so we could go out in the morning. I suggested a visit to the Istana as I would like Sophie learn more about Singapore during the National Day period. Frankly, we never like such events because we dislike crowds and the hassle. I planned to make it a quick visit and go home for lunch, but I guess I was too naïve. We ought to be better prepared with picnic gears, rations and wet weather attire.

First of all, the queue was scandalously long with not much ventilation (blocked by tall bushes and PS) and it was very hot and humid. I wonder why we did not notice the dark clouds until much later when we were almost at the security check point. Somewhere at the entrance, we saw an elderly lady with a young boy (Chinese nationals) and they did not have any money with them. Their relatives were already inside apparently. The staff at the entrance insisted that they pay $2 for admission. We almost could not believe our ears. Then she went in with her grandson, only to run back again with $2 for the donation box that says “… go to charity.”. I thought the staff could have just let her in and ask her to pay before leaving the premises later.

When we finally cleared the security checks, we knew we were in trouble because it started drizzling. So Papa quickly approached the tent (selling souvenirs) and bought an umbrella. It was $10 (“... go to charity.” again!) but it broke right after we left the Istana. Afraid that we would be caught in a heavy storm, Papa asked the staff if we could seek shelter there. Instead of being sympathetic or proactive in dealing with the potential problem (many visitors would be caught in the rain), they gave us condescending response like “.. it started to rain already?” and “… you know, you can lah (take shelter here) provided not too many people come in…”. I mean, come on… did we honestly look like we would love to share the tent with them?

So, we asked for directions to the nearest shelter and we were told there was a museum 10 minutes away. We believed him and headed straight along the path. By then, many visitors were trying to leave the Istana before the storm came. We were walking against the human traffic! Along the way, we asked every police officer on duty for directions. Yet none were able to direct us properly. Come on, if they did not know the place well enough and they could not tell us what was going on in there, then the security would be very questionable, right? We kept walking around, lost and tired.

Then finally, we met one police officer who told us the hard truth – no museum, no shelter (except two huge tents) and we had better start running. And ran we did. It started pouring the moment we reached the tent near the fountain.

I felt like crying when Sophie told us then she was hungry. I did not prepare any food or even a mat for her to sit down. We stood and waited for the rain to clear a little but it never stopped. Knowing that Sophie could not be contained like that, I told Papa to take her for a walk in the residence building. Fortunately, Alfee was still very manageable despite his occasion “dive” for milk. When they returned, I knew we had to get out of the place. I carried Sophie and covered her with my nursing cape. Papa took the umbrella to shelter Alfee. We made our way towards the exit.

Along the way, we saw the tents set up for activities. They were small and meant to shelter the staff only. Visitors had to queue in the rain for their turn. Was that the best they could do? No wet weather plan? Tables, chairs and playground were left in the rain, did they not anticipate rain? How much can tents cost to set up? Even pasar malams have shelter! Their activities were meant to be done outdoor with NO SHELTER for visitors!!! How juvenile! Most of the staff (if not all) looked on at the drenched visitors without any compassion. My goodness… It was a pathetic sight! I am sorry, no offense but it sucked big time! I was expecting a lot more from the organisers than that.

I was really upset and exhausted by the time we reached Plaza Singapura. I was so glad to head for home with the kids. Unless there is some compelling reason, I would probably not go there again.

Playtime

2011-08-01T22:48:00.000-07:00

Sophie spent the evening playing with her baby brother. I love to watch how she tried to play the role of a big sister. We had quite a blissful time, read all about it here.

The Rainbow Fish

2011-07-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

Today was Papa’s solo day with Sophie. I had to attend Auntie Serene's wedding lunch at the church and her wedding dinner at night. He took her to Yamaha at 11 am for her music lesson, then let her nap in the car before getting her lunch.

After lunch, they made their way to the show “The Rainbow Fish” at 2.30pm. Unlike their previous experience with theatre performance, Papa was full of praises for this show. He said that it was engaging enough and Sophie did not fidget at all during the show.

There was also a little kiosk for children to do some related craft work ($6) before and after the show. I thought that was pretty smart since the parents would love to keep the little ones busy while waiting.

This was what Sophie came back with – a rainbow fish mobile. It was simple but she did it almost all by herself. She was so proud and happy with her work that she took it everywhere she went.

After the show, Papa had to take Sophie to her lesson at Act 3. They were good together until she came back around 5.30pm. According to Papa, she was well behaved and very cooperative that day. He enjoyed his time with her thoroughly. Upon hearing that, I decided to buy tickets for their next show "The Elves & The Shoemaker" in October.

Heels... Girls Would Be Girls...

2011-07-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

Sophie was so excited when she saw my heels. She quickly unwrapped them and put them on. She tried to walk in them but she could not balance. Thus, she just sat on the coffee table and posed!

Papa said the shoes looked good on her. She reminded me of Cinderella... that would make me... the evil stepsister???

Kite Festival

2011-07-22T19:21:00.000-07:00

Ah Gong is a kite fanatic (at least that is what my mum says) so he told me to take the kids to the indoor kite flying demonstration at Toa Payoh Hub (Kite Festival). I told him we would go together after I came back from NCPS Funfair, but he did not. Instead, he let Sophie take her nap (but she refused) and then he took her there by public bus, all by himself. I thought he was pretty brave.

Anyway, I quickly went down by cab with Alfee to meet them. I found them sitting at the steps of the open space, waiting. Apparently, the demonstrations would only start at 5pm. By then both Sophie and Alfee were very tired and hungry. Alfee fell asleep in Ah Gong's arms while I tried to engage Sophie in appreciating the kites. The demonstration was alright, but the organisers were not very good. They were pretty aloof and could not answer any of my queries. At one point, one of them even invited Sophie to paint on a kite (someone was already painting on it) so I had to restrain her. The other girl would be quite devastated to have her work "destroyed" by an overzealous preschooler. In the end, I had to promise her a kite to paint on before she was willing to let it go.

At home, Sophie took out a piece of paper and started drawing her experience at the Kite Festival. She drew someone flying a kite (Princess design). Then I taught her to spell the words for her sentence.

I can read

2011-07-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I started on our “Wall of Sight Word” with Sophie. I felt that she is ready for some simple sight words recognition and reading. Thus, I introduced some sight words using her sight word readers. She seemed to remember well.

Then I decided to test her and write a few sentences using those sight words and included a few common words like “apple”, “boy” and “ball”. To my surprise, she could read the sentences. So I pushed her further by getting her to do a simple dictation “I see a boy and a ball in a picture.” and she did it. Of course she had to draw the ball, the boy and the picture instead of writing the words.

Yesterday, we tried again. This time, she was able to read better and she even remembered those non-sight words. I am impressed that she has improved so quickly. I believe it is time to encourage more independent reading.

Practising Piano

2011-07-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will be Sophie's third piano lesson. She was given some homework based on her 'ability' and my first response to her teacher was 'You've got to be kidding!' followed by 'No way, she can do that!'. In fact, she was not even willing to try it in class last week.

The rest of the week was stressful for both of us. I am not musically trained so I cannot correct her mistakes. Thank goodness for IPhone! I asked the teacher to let me take video clips of what she needed to practise so that I can help her at home.

Practising piano really requires a lot of discipline and time. I hope Sophie will continue and eventually learn to play the instrument. Meanwhile, we survived this week... Hooray! We will face tomorrow's challenge bravely.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar And Other Eric Carle Favourites

2011-07-10T18:22:00.000-07:00

We first saw the billboard for this show at Act 3 during Sophie's weekly lessons. I decided then I would be taking her there. She has never attended any plays or performances like this before so I thought we should choose a familiar show for a start.The plan was for Papa to watch Alfee with my helper while we spend quality time bonding. Well, we used Plan B. Our helper was on leave so I thought Alfee was better off with me. Papa would watch the show with Sophie while we wait outside.So we headed for Fusionopolis (sorry, I have never heard of this place), Genexis Theatre.

It was unfortunate that Papa did not like the show at all. He said most of the children were cranky and noisy in the theatre. Halfway through, Sophie started crying for me. I presumed she was too bored. Papa also complained that the show was exactly like the books and the DVD animations we bought for her so there was no "wow" factor at all. He maintained that such shows should be interactive because children lose their attention very soon. When I asked Sophie, she just said she liked it but that was about all. She did not ask for more or look for the books at home. She just put it behind her. Frankly I was disappointed. I was hoping she would thoroughly enjoyed herself like everyone else I was told. Should she be excited and raving about it? Now I am worried about The Rainbow Fish because Papa have to take her again. Hopefully, Papa would not fall asleep...

For the rest of our Sunday, visit Alfee's blog.

Spitz - スピッツ / テクテク

2011-07-09T06:57:00.000-07:00

This is one of Papa's favourite Japanese band - Spitz. Somehow, Sophie is particularly interested in this song, especially after she watched the MTV. I like the song too! She kept asking why the girl left and the orange monster cried. She has such a tender heart sometimes.

Readers' Theatre (The Little Red Hen)

2011-06-17T17:16:00.000-07:00

Some time ago, I started a reading club with a bunch of overworked but still very enthusiastic mummies. We made big plans and wanted to carry out meaningful activities for our little ones. But for the longest time, we did not know how to get it going and we procrastinated. So when Auntie Pei Ee suggested doing a Readers’ Theatre with her book, I almost fell to my knees and thank God for the timely intervention.

However, we got so busy with our Sydney trip that I did not have any time to work on it at all. Fortunately, everyone chipped in and helped to make the session work. Auntie Cindy and Auntie Jessy dealt with the food and I concentrated on getting the script ready and the art materials needed for the masks. Auntie Pei Ee was in charge of directing the rehearsals and Auntie Annie was to conduct the circle time with storytelling.

Honestly, I did the preparation only last night. I quickly typed and colour coded the dialogue before printing them out. Then I gathered all the file folders and art materials after I did a mental rehearsal of what we needed to do for the session. By the time I was done, it was past midnight but I was too overwhelmed by excitement and anticipation to sleep.

10 am – the time we were to meet. I took Sophie and Alfee to the function room with my helper. To my horror, the usual yoga group was there. I quickly checked with the security guard who assured me that they would finish soon after 10am. They left at 10.15am. Hot and not too pleased, I started rearranging the furniture. Fortunately, Auntie Cindy soon arrived with Uncle Damian, Clare and Isaiah. By 10.45am, everyone was there except Auntie Annie, Phoebe and Reuben, who were stuck at home because their locks were faulty.

Auntie Pei Ee started the session with storytelling of The little Red Hen and explained to the children what we would be doing fo the day. Then I took over the session and facilitated the group in making the animal masks. All the mummies and daddies got the chance to exercise their creativity as well, assisting the children with their masks.

Aunite Annie was still on her way after we had finished the masks, so we broke for snacks even though our pizza and McDonalds were not there yet. Fortunately, Auntie Jessy cooked some pasta for the children so they were happily wolving down everything together. It was quite a pleasant sight to see Sophie eating without me screaming by her side.

Finally, Auntie Annie came. We gathered the children and did a demo session for them to see what exactly they were in for. The mummies tok the roles of their own children so that they could model after them. It has been a long while since I last did a Readers' Theatre for any audience. It was quite refreshing. I must mention that Auntie Annie made a good hen!

Our Demo RT – Little Red Hen

Next we broke into groups and rehearse with the children. We had to shorten the lines so that our little ones could do it better. Given more time, I was sure they would remember their lines better. Finally, we t te children do it with just one take.

Our Children’s RT – Little Red Hen (One Take)

Not the best, but it was good enough for first timers. The children, especially Sophie, were tired already even befoe that, so they tried their best. After their performance, we did a song for closure.

Old MacDonald Has A Farm (Closure)

It was after that that I managed to feel more relaxed and sit around for chit chat. It was quite enjoyable to run such activities for our children. In fact, we thought about doing this more often in he furture. Of course, we need to have better management of time and we must be more organised. Also, we need to teach the children to be good audience and the right protocol for performing.

Sydney, Australia Day 9

2011-06-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

Our last day in Sydney and we literally "nuared" our day off. We were exhausted and ready to head for home. Of course we would miss the holiday mood and cool weather, but it had been very challenging to entertain the kids for the past week or so. I am sure Sophie would miss the cupcakes as well. Despite all, I am really grateful for the opportunity to spend time with my family. We have enjoyed ourselves!

Sydney, Australia Day 8

2011-06-11T23:21:00.000-07:00

Today, we revisited Circular Quay and the Botanic Gardens. We thought of having a leisurely picnic at the park and spend our remaining holiday all peaceful and relaxed. Indeed, the walk in the late morning was refreshing and quite enjoyable. We came across a huge fountain and stopped for a few shots.

That was when we saw a man basking with his giant bubble making gadgets. We thought it was a shame that Sophie was sleeping and could not catch his performance. As it turned out, he was just a petty man who would not perform or even let tourists take pictures of him unless he was paid. A lady tried to take a picture of him while he was practising and he abruptly burst his bubble and threw his gadgets on the floor before walking away. Poor lady! She ran away in fright!

Once we reached the Botanic Gardens, we went back to the place we like and set up our picnic area. I had dreams of sitting on somewhere like this while watching Sophie paint the scenery. Alas, that did not really happen in reality. She was much too distracted to paint anything. We had a bit of fruit (grapes actually) and Papa decided to buy some lunch for us. He took Sophie in hope that I could have some peace since Alfee was sleeping.

Unfortunately, my peace was shortlived. There were two sea gulls which kept edging closer and closer to us. They were so used to being fed by people that they thought they could get food from me. Luckily, there was no food around so they kept their distance for a while. Then when Alfee woke up so I had to feed him his cereal lunch. That was when trouble followed, suddenly two other huge scavengers birds flew over and the four of them kept coming towards us. They were huge with melicious looking beaks. I had to shoo them away every 5 seconds or so. Soon, they grew desperate and came forth in pairs, surrounding us. I had never felt so threatened by birds before! Meanwhile, Papa and Sophie was held up at the cafe because of the long queue. So, I had no reinforcement at all.

In the end, I packed up and left the place with Alfee without them! I paced up and down the path in hope to meet Papa and Sophie when they came back. After some time, we found one another! What a relief! The food was not fantastic but we were happy to be reunited. We sat down on a beach to eat, only to be "attacked" again by the same birds!!! We took turns to shoo the birds. I think they were smart enough to know that they no longer outnumbered us so they behaved a lot less aggressive than before.

We got out of there before we had to start fighting with those birds. We walked around the Sydney Opera House and took more pictures. Sophie was completely at ease with the ground, sitting and lying anywhere she liked. All I could do was to roll my eyeballs out...

When it started to drizzle, we hid in the library. I also took the opportunity to nurse Alfee. We came across this model of the entire Sydney City underneath the library floor. It was great for Sophie to talk about where she had visited for the past week.

"Home" at last, I managed to "force" Sophie into working on the painting of Sydney, even though I did most of the drawing. She was not keen at all with painting. However, I felt that we must finish what we had started. And indeed, it was finished... by me, unfortunately.

Sydney, Australia Day 7

2011-06-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

By now, we are really missing Singapore. In particular, I miss the play yard that I can put Alfee in and let him play with his toys while I nap beside him. I also miss the DVD collection and books at home that I can use to occupy Sophie. Both of us badly need to have "I" time.

In any case, we decided to make a trip to see Bondi Beach today. We did not intend to do beach activities so we left all our beach stuff at home. The cab ride was not very long but it felt like an eternity because Alfee was wailing in his car seat. Unlike Sophie, he absolutely hates car seat. It is against the law to sit him on my lap and no cab driver would allow it, the driver commented, "... better crying then caught by traffic police..." quite casually.

Bondi Beach was really beautiful and freezing cold! We saw some people swimming and running around on the beach wearing minimally and we were huddling close to keep warm. We did not make it very far before we had to stop and grab a bite to shelter from the harsh winds. The food joint was child-friendly despite its space issue. I think the staff made the difference. There was a few steps to clear before we could enter the restaurant but we did not feel much pressure as the staff helped us all the way in. Though the food was not considered cheap, it was quite good - very local, very fulfilling!

When we felt that we could brave the cold again, we took a hasty stroll down the beach. We came to the cultural centre (or I think maybe our community club equivalent) and stopped again to hide from the winds. By this time, I felt pretty lousy that I could not longer stand the cold very well. Alfee fell asleep so I stayed indoors while Papa took Sophie down to the beach.

When they came back and showed me the video clips taken with our video camera (the files are too huge to upload), I decided I would not stay defeated by the cold. So, Papa carried Alfee while Sophie and I went down to the beach again. Sophie loved the cold winds and soft sand. It was not hot, humid and painful, like that of Singapore sand. I think the cold kind of suited Sophie. She looked really good in a jacket, especially when she did not have wet, sticky hair pasted onto the side of her face.

We heard from the cab driver that in summer, the whole beach is packed with visitors but right now, it is the quiet season. We actually love seaview that the apartments across the beach get. The housing there are pretty much as expensive as Singapore but I think the property tax might be higher. Honestly, we hope to find a better environment for the kids to grow up in. And Sydney looks very promising.

Sydney, Australia Day 6

2011-06-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

We decided we must be more active today to redeem ourselves!!! We went to the Australian Museum. Honestly, we did not have much expectation on that place. We ran out of places to go and the reviews are good, so we just gave it a shot. To our pleasant surprise, it was a great place for the family. The exhibits are totally not like what we get in Singapore.

However, Alfee was asleep by the time we reached the cafe. We had a little breakfast and the little man still did not wake up, so Papa took Sophie for a walk around first while I waited for him to wake up. It was not crowded or noisy so everything seemed very pleasant and inviting.

The dinosaurs section was quite interesting but I doubt Sophie actually learn much. She does not seem to like much about these ancient reptiles except maybe if they were like that in Danny and the Dinosaur.

It was wonderful that the exhibits for children were mostly meant for them to touch and play around with. Sophie enjoyed touching all the "animals" and playing with the puzzles. We found it interesting as well since we are not the sort who reads those small prints in museums.

I like the exhibiton on exotic birds with usual but gorgeous feathers for domination and courtship mainly. It compared those creations of nature to our humanly attempt to amulate and mimick them for the very same reasons. It was a pity that Sophie and Alfee are both too young to appreciate the information.

We like the skeleton section. It is informative and educational for all of us. I made Sophie guess what animals were those based on their skeletons. She has rather good visual discrimination and imagination. she could guess most of the animals correctly (those animals she knows). Papa tried to pedal on the bicycle to let Sophie see how our bones move as we cycle, but I guess Sophie was just keen on cycling the real thing.

We spent a long time in the kids' play area. It was a huge space, complete with diaper changing and nursing facilities.

Children are free to roam and play with the puppets, toys or read the books. At certain times, the staff would also conduct mini workshops like painting for the little ones. Sophie loved the space. She was very reluctant to leave.

When we did eventually left the museum for some snacks. Sophie threw a big tantrum about buying a cupcake! She was determined to eat a cupcake and nothing else could pacify her. I chided her and told the shop assistant to tell her they did not sell any cupcakes. Immediately, she burst into tears so dramatically that the shop owner took out a small cupcake lookalike (muffin) and gave it to her. Although we eventually paid for it, I felt quite bad that THEY felt bad enough to bribe her into behaving. All this happened while Alfee was sound sleep.

Back at the serviced apartment, we ended the day with a couple of good shots of the three most significant people of my life!

Here are some shots from Sophie's camera...

Sydney, Australia Day 5

2011-06-08T23:20:00.000-07:00

I am a little embarrassed to blog about our most uneventful day in Sydney. We almost did not want to leave our serviced apartment. It was first of all, drizzling outside. It was quite a hassle to look for sheltered areas and walk with an umbrella and Alfee in my arms. And of course, it was nice and cozy indoors. We lazed around for as long as our sanity allowed us before we headed out.

I even got Sophie to do some colouring! She did a dot-to-dot apple tree, then she tried to colour it. She was such a rascal at times. She did not want to finish colouring the leaves so she left part of it blank. When I asked her, she said, "... the leaves all dropped, so no more to colour..."

But where could we go? Half of the day was already over. So, we decided we should just take a walk in the shopping area and visit Queen Victoria Building (QVB).

Really, the most exciting thing that happened... Sophie chit chatted with an Amerian mum and her toddler. Strange as it might sound, I think Kiasuism is universal when our offsprings are concerned. In this case, I think they would fondly refer it as 'competitiveness' or 'benchmarking'. The mum was quite impressed by Sophie's Minnie Mouse camera (really...I mean I regret buying because of its low pixel) and asked where she could buy it. Then she went on telling (or boosting) I do not know, how her daughter loved Minnie Mouse after spending her second birthday at Disneyland. Her daughter also called Sophie a 'baby' (her mum smiled at her instead of telling her to be polite) when she saw Sophie with her milk bottle. I agree Sophie has passed her time with the milk bottle but a little sensitivivity would be great.

Sydney, Australia Day 4

2011-06-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

Day 4, we were tired, frankly, we started missing home. Nevertheless, We decided to head for Darling Harbour after breakfast (which was getting later every day). It was a cold day so we worried about the kids a lot as we walked. Thus, we took shelter from the harsh winds at the Sydney Convention Centre. We had some food and warm drinks before taking the monorail to The Aquarium & Wildlife World. We knew we had already spent the morning doing nothing much, but we really wanted to take it easy today.

The monorail was very convenient and child-friendly. It was enjoyable especially since it was not crowded. Eventually,

By the time we started exploring The Aquarium, Sophie was tired. Fortunately, the gigantic Lego displays kept her engaged. We came across a shallow display pool and I stopped to examined the "marine life" inside. As it turned out, the "marine life" was actually not very alive. They were many empty shark eggs on display. We could haveeasily missed it but I found the scene very familiar so I stopped. Then I remembered! It was a scene from Hi-5! I quickly alerted Papa and Sophie to take a closer look at the interesting spiral-shaped shark eggs.

I could help but to compare our Underwater World to this place. I must admit, our aquarium seems better, bigger and more well-maintained. After a quick lunch, we left and headed for Sydney Tower before the sun set. I know I am starting to sound cynical, but honestly, I have seen too many towers and this view was not fantastic. However, it was awesome for Sophie. She has never quite seen the world from up there.

Sophie made a friend (a staff) who found her very smart and articulate. She was not shy or reserved in front from strangers. I mean, of course, she would be wary for 30 seconds... but in general, she is very comfortable talking to everyone. She even started drawing for her new friend. I was happy to see that she could draw a rough representation of the tower and the bridge. I could not find any more photos for the rest of our day. I guess we ran out of excitement and could not find good subjects to take anymore... not today anyway.

In the evening, we did our usual goofing around on the bed. Although I do not really like Sophie and Alfee to clown around, I did find them really adorable sometimes. I guess I am not a very fun loving mum...

Here are some pictures from Sophie's camera...

Sydney, Australia Day 3

2011-06-06T22:48:00.000-07:00

I have no sense of directions so I relied heavily on Papa on where to go and how to get there. We decided today we should go to the Taronga Zoo when the weather was still nice and sunny. We headed out early in hope to catch the free shuttle bus to Circular Quay for the ferry that would take us to the zoo. However, we were 15 minutes early so we walked there instead. It was a long walk but we rewarded ourselves with donuts and hot chocolate at the café while waiting for the ferry.

It was a short ride and we reached the zoo in 20 minutes or so. We are edgy about boat rides because of the kids so we stayed inside, well protected, throughout the ride. When we reached the Taronga Zoo, we had to take a upslope walk to the cable car station. It was hard to walk that much even before we got to see any animals! Fortunately, we got distracted by huge spider webs along the way and a baby python on the pavement.

Near the entrance were two zookeepers with their animals, providing visitors a close encounter with their relatively benign creatures. Sophie was quite b rave to ask if she could touch the blue tongue lizard (I think so) and the python. I have seen this sort of thing on TV so many times, especially programmes like Hi-5, so I really wanted Sophie to have a feel of touching and learning about animals in the zoo. I did not want her just to touch and go, I wanted her to have the opportunity to ask questions and get the zookeepers to talk about their animals. And she did. I was happy.

We made a stop at the Parents' Room and we were so delighted! The room was gigantic with at least 3 nursing rooms, diaper changing areas that could accomodate at least 6 babies, washing area with hot water and microwave oven. I love the nursing room because they provide a toy feature for toddlers in case mothers need to bring both toddler and baby into the nursing room. Instead of coming out to change diapers after a feed, you can use the changing table inside the nursing room as well. it was very clean and no unbearable smell whatsover. There was another play cum waiting area for kids with TV and toys. We thought we could spend the entire day in there.

To be honest, we did not really see many animals in the zoo. We missed the shows and we walked very slowly. Then Sophie was tired, Alfee fell asleep so we covered only a small part of the zoo. It did not help that the sun set early and the ferry left by evening. However, we did have great fun. I was not sure why. Maybe it was cooling and nice to walk around in the zoo without the crowd.

I think the Singapore Zoo is comparable in terms of size and variety of animals, but somehow our child friendly facilities are not always friendly to children and we have never met any zookeepers who candidly share about their animals. To me, educating kids and people on animals is far more important than showing off the standard of the place. I am sorry but I do not see the benefit of water play features in a zoo. The funds should be used on public education and animal welfare.

Sophie was quite fixated to a sculpture and other kids as well apparently. I took the opportunity to explain to her how alike we were to animals. But I doubt she bothered. She just wanted to ride on it and run around with the other kids. I guess it was alright since everyone there was quite nice and they did not play rough.

We could not bypass the gift shop but fortunately, Sophie was not in her "Please can I buy this?" mood. In fact, we were able to walk through with minimal fuss. However, we did have some fun with the Koala just before we left. I was amazed at how silly Papa and Sophie could be... if they wanted to. The rest of the journey back was peaceful and forgetable. We were tired from the walking and pretty hungry for dinner as well.

We headed back just time for to cook porridge. The kids were still tired but they would never rest. They watched TV and played around for a while before going to bed finally.

Here are some pictures from Sophie's camera...

Sydney, Australia Day 2

2011-06-05T19:16:00.000-07:00

We had a good night’s rest and we were up and ready to go out early in the morning to do some exploring in Sydney, or at least around the iconic areas. We fed the kids some simple breakfast before we headed out, just in case we could not find any suitable place to eat. We took a leisurely walk to Circular Quay and found ourselves at Rossini Café for a proper breakfast.

It was the kind of breakfast I truly enjoyed. Papa ordered himself bacon and eggs while I tried the house special (which I have forgotten the fanciful name, unfortunately). All I could remember was the deliciously sweet pastry and aromatic hot chocolate. We took our time at the restaurant - fiddling with Sophie’s new camera, people watching and feeling relaxed and quite happy. I thought we could do more of such family breakfasts back in Singapore. For me, breakfast is sacred. I love the idea of waking up to see all my loved ones gathered at the table, enjoying their first meal of the day.

After filling our stomach, we headed off to explore the area a little. From where we were, we could catch a good view of the Harbour Bridge, also fondly known as ‘coat hanger’. We did not have any intention to actually get across the bridge although Sophie was quite keen. We thought it looked best from far so we walked towards the Sydney Opera House instead. Sadly, but without fail, I would think of Finding Nemo whenever I think of Sydney Opera House. Other than that, the beautiful architecture does not really appeal to me.

Papa offered to watch Alfee and our stroller at the foot of the stairs while Sophie and I went up to take a closer look around. Again we could have took a guided tour inside but I knew it would bore Sophie to tears (or mischief) so we just fooled around with our camera a bit. It was good because I managed to capture some good shots of her. There is something about stairs and kids that I can never quite comprehend. Sophie just enjoyed climbing up and down the stairs, exhausting herself (and me obviously). We (or at least I) went up and down a couple of times before reuniting with Papa and Alfee.

We pressed on, hoping to catch a bit more before it grew dark fairly early at this time of the year. We came to the Royal Botanic Gardens. Sophie made a friend here. Her mum was a Singapore who married an Aussie. They were having a great time playing catching. I love the feeling of being close to nature without the fatigue, sweat and mozzies. I mean, our Botanic Gardens is great and huge but it is too hot and humid to feel refreshed after a stroll. This place is less impressive yet I enjoyed the walk. Of course it helped that we took a mini train ride around the place instead of actually walking on foot. The driver was also a guide, explaining to us the history and species found there. But we were not really listening, sorry!

After that, Sophie volunteered to sit in her stroller (very rare). It seemed like she had finally realised that she could rest and nap in her stroller when she was tired. She did not need admit that she was sleepy, she just had to say she wanted to sit in her stroller. It was moments before she fell fast asleep. We took the opportunity to walk to The Rocks. I cannot explain, but the place did not seem to leave much of an impression on me at all. We stopped at Guylian, a nice café for some coffee and pastry. I could get used to such a lifestyle!

I wanted Sophie to have at least one meal of porridge when we were in Sydney. So I cooked porridge for everyone in the evening the moment we reached our serviced apartment. Papa loved it (maybe very hungry) although Sophie was not too keen. She had her eyes only on the cupcakes from a shop near our serviced apartment. I would love to see her eat more, but she only cleaned the cream on the top. Anyhow, that marked the end of our second day in Sydney.

Here are some pictures from Sophie's camera…

Sydney, Australia (Day 1)

2011-06-04T22:33:00.000-07:00

It was kind of an impulse, a desperate need to take a break from our usual hustle and bustle, and the routine of work, household chores and family commitment. We talked alot about travelling a lot (or more on missing out on opportunitites to travel) but we did not take any concrete actions until barely a week or two ago. Even then, we toggled among Sydney, Perth and Brisbane. We wanted a place relaxing enough for us yet exciting and fun enough for Sophie and maybe even Alfee (although I was doubtful). In the end, we decided on Central Sydney since it is urban, nearer and more child-friendly.

After the decision was made, we barely had time to get ourselves ready. Auntie Jessy, Auntie Cindy and Auntie Annie took time and trouble to nag at me to pack and shop for warm clothes and travel needs. They even helped me watch Alfee as I tried (vey hard) to pack our luggage. Fortunately, Sophie was away for her holiday workshop in the mornings for a week, so I had more 'quiet' time to ponder (or procrastinate) on our trip. This would be Alfee's first overseas trip ( I mean, really, not even JB) so we were nervous. I worried about how the kids respond to the flight in particular.

It is the beginning of winter in Sydney so we need some warm clothes, especially for the kids. For Alfee, we only managed to get thick cardigans. But we also got Sophie a matching red one (too cute to resist - not my usual style though) plus a relatively thick purple jacket. I think she looked really good in jackets and winter wear.

Papa made sure that we got good seats on the plane. It would be a good 8 hours before we reached our destination so we could not afford to complacent. I still remember how uncomfortable it was for Sophie to sit on my lap throughout our flight to Brisbane and back, just a year or so ago. Now she had her own seat. Fortunately, we took the afternoon flight so the kids were not too tired or cranky on the plane. Sophie watched movies and chatted with others on board while Alfee had his mouth perpetually at my breast. I literally stuffed my nipple into his mouth at the first sign of distress from him. As a result, our flight was relatively smooth and peaceful.

Papa researched and found the Meriton Serviced Apartments at Pitt Street the most suitable for our needs, in terms of price and proximity to the major tourist attractions. Although the apartment was small and did not have any view, it served us very well. We were particularly pleased with the cot we rented. Alfee was happily standing and playing in the cot while we went about with whatever we needed to do. In fact, he seeemd to make attempts to stand more there.

The moment we reached the apartment and checked in, we had to quickly settle the kids' dinner. It was in the evening but the sky was pitch dark. Sophie was excited to be still up and about when the sun had gone to bed. We ordered in pasta for ourselves and Sophie and made cereal for Alfee. I kind of regretted buying the tot seat because he did not quite get used to it. In fact, I was better off feeding him in my arms.

Dinner pretty much ended our first day in Sydney. It was a long day and we were quite happy to just go to bed and rest early. The kids must be tired too because they slept very quickly. Papa went out to Woolsworth for grocery while I made them sleep. So far so good... we survived our first day as a family (no maid) in a foreign land.

From Sophie's camera... I am not sure where or when she took the pictures, unfortunately.

Parent Teacher Meeting (PTM)

2011-05-06T07:07:00.000-07:00

Today, I went to Sophie's school for our termly PTM. I planned to do meet her teachers at 1.30pm, then fetch her home at 2.30pm after her dance. As I walked in, she saw me from the glass panel and started telling her friends, "That's my mummy!" and waved at me with a tired but happy smile on her face. She was eating her lunch. I cringed mentally at the thought that she might start to clinge onto me and cry when I had to speak to her teachers. I hesitated and did not approach her, she kept her gaze on me and put a spoonful of rice into her mouth. I could almost hear her say, "Look Mom! I am eating myself!" I signalled to her that I was going to the office, she nodded and went back to eating and chatting with her friends. I was surprised. No intention or whatsoever of throwing herself at me? Woah..

I met 3 teachers today - Ms Valarie (Montessori), Ms Nicole (English) and 高老师 (Chinese). I must admit I was quite worried that they might tell me how "disruptive", "talkative" or "hyperactive" she has been in school. I was mentally going through different ways of apologising to them on her behalf. I only have one question in mind, "Is she ok in school?" For the past year, we have been troubleshooting. First it was the transition to school hours, independence and conforming to authority, then it was the arrival of Alfee and the strong sense of sibling rivalry, finally her toileting became an issue as well. So all I really want to know was is she doing fine in school? Is she happy, at least?

Ms Valarie started on her progress in Montessori class. Apparently, she has been doing very well. They have a checklist of tasks and she has not been skipping any. She is "above average" according to her teacher. She could read a couple of words (without the help of pictures) and she could count to 19. On top of that, she could focus in class a lot better now, compared to just a few months ago. Contrary to what I thought, she actually enjoys reading and she loves to grab a book to read to her friends. She loves to sit her friends down in front of her and read to them like a teacher. She knows her continents (apparently) and she does her work without much fuss.

Ms Nicole, her structured class teacher, said she was able to sound all the letters taught to the class already. I think they have covered half the alphabet. In Cherrybrook, they use The Spalding Method so all the sounds of each letter are taught at the same time when the letter is introduced. She can also read a few words, to her surprise, like "cat" etc without any cues. Lovely to know. Our tutor was quick to add that it is her mummy's hard work. I felt really glad that it is happening the way we all have hoped. Sophie is finally starting to read, for real!

Sophie's Chinese has improved tremendously since the start of her school this year. Her Chinese teacher,
高老师, was beaming when she came into the meeting room. She praised her for being very attentive and able to remember most of whatever she has taught her. She taught we have been teaching her and speaking to her in Mandarin at home. We have been more conscious but we are equally amazed by her progress. In short, she felt that she is very happy with Sophie's learning.

I am very glad to have spoken to Sophie's teachers. I needed very badly to know she is alright in her learning. Although she is not a genius in the making, she is progressing quite well. There is no real worry in any specific area of her learning. She is starting to stablise and focus, and she has friends in the school. In fact, I was told she is quite popular among the children in her class. Phew... we cleared a stage. Let's move on...

Great Day

2011-04-25T22:57:00.000-07:00

This was a great day. Sophie was able to sit at her “office” for a long, long while and finished many pages of her Brain Quest Workbook. She just kept doing without bothering me at all. I was beaming with pride and happiness at the thought that my little girl has matured and stabilised overnight! Or was it the flu medication that made her extremely docile? I do not know but it sure felt great!

Then came the more challenging part, she had to colour the stated objects according to specific colours. Ahhh… my little girl could be such a mule sometimes! She refused to colour the clouds blue because clouds are white! In fact, it was so candid and comical that I just had to post it on YouTube (12 hours to upload this video!).

Working

2011-04-18T22:15:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to buy Brain Quest Workbook for Sophie, but I only bought it a few days ago from a seller at Singapore Motherhood Bulk Purchase. Prior to this, I thought it was too expensive for Sophie to abuse. She was not ready for serious work and I would get upset if the book is vandalised. Now, she is more stable and she can do the activities if I read her the instructions. Yet, the activities seem a little too simple for her now. In any case, it is always good for her to revise, I guess.

Just when I thought it was too simple for her, she mistook "d" for "b" and coloured part of the box. After I corrected her, she was quite embarrassed and kept explaining to me why it should not be "d". I also noticed she was colouring in a peculiar manner. Apparently, Papa has taught her to do so to help her keep the strokes within the box.

Next was the Kumon activity books. I bought these a long long time ago for her to practise cutting, folding and pasting. However, she was never able to follow my instructions properly so I hesitated in giving them to her. Today, she finally showed that she could do it pretty well. I am so relieved! Even though they are meant for 2-year-olds onwards.

I am so glad that she can complete the craft on her own nowadays. Sophie is finally able to do simple cutting, pasting and colouring. This is a great step forward because it shows she can do simple crafts independently from this point on. I do not need to hover and assist as much as before! Horray!

Read

2011-04-14T22:36:00.000-07:00

After dinner, I took out our Sunshine Phonics books and tried to engage Sophie in some reading practice. I am not expecting her to learn how to read this way but I wanted to get her used to prints and understand the link between the spoken and written form of the language. I am surprised that she could actually recognise a few words (probably by memory) already.

Then she decided she wanted to read the sight words reader so I let her. I think it was a lot easier to read that because there were more cues from the pictures.

我哭了 One Take

2011-04-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

Sophie is able to make sense of Chinese characters a lot faster than English words and phonemes.I suppose it involves memorising and decoding so she is able to "read" much quicker.

I believe I might have unconsciously motivated her to "perform" better with my video taking. Sophie loves to show off her "talents" in front of my camera because she gets lots of positive attention and praises from me.

My Foot!!!

2011-04-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was Sophie’s second lesson at Yamaha (Thomson Plaza) with Papa. I carried Alfee and shopped around as we waited for their lesson to end. Then I saw a little kiosk selling foot orthoses and remembered what Dr Lim had said about Sophie’s feet. She has referred me to have her gross motor skills assessed at Mt Alvenia (Physio Department) but added that I could have her feet checked by an orthopaedician for any physical cause to her clumsiness in gait. She told me that they could be found at those kiosks selling foot orthoses in shopping malls. So, I quickly had a little chit chat with the man.

When Papa and Sophie came out, I called them to join us at the kiosk to have our feet assessed. With just a scan to check our weight distribution, he managed to convinced us that ALL our feet pronate. Of course, mine is VERY severe and need insoles or risk having all sorts of pain and bunions. Our problem is largely genetic (unfortunate) but there is hope for Sophie. With those specially fitted foot orthoses (insoles) for 10 years before her bones are set, she can be “cured”. Of course, she needs to keep changing the insoles as her feet grow bigger. That is hundreds of dollars every few months.

We almost caved in and ordered a pair for her since that will solve OUR problem of worrying about her clumsiness and falling. And he did mention that the “cure” is conveniently “… best if she starts wearing the orthoses around 3 years old… ”. Fortunately, Alfee was very cranky and Sophie was sleepy so we decided to come back next week to place the order instead.

In the car, we talked about it and Papa suggested we should see a registered orthopaedician for a proper assessment before we make any decision. He feared that the insoles might cause more harm than help her. Back home, I did some research and found Singapore Sports and Orthopaedic Clinic at Gleneagles Medical Center. I quickly made an appointment to have Sophie’s feet assessed. I thought I also should have my knee checked since I have some knee pain forever. Our appointment was today – 3.30 pm.

I left Alfee with Ah Gong and went to the clinic with Papa and Sophie. As it turned out, Sophie's legs are fine. Everything we reported about her (clumsiness in gait) was just a "learning process" to the doctor. He said that Sophie has to keep learning how to balance and coordinate her limbs over time. As far as he was concerned, Sophie's feet were "beautifully" developed with nothing to worry about. He was surprised that we were referred to a physiotherapist as he thought our pediatrician should be in better position to assess Sophie's feet. When asked if we should still go for an assessment at Mt Alvenia tomorrow, he exchanged glances with his assistant and grunted. We took it as a 'no' (loud and clear).

As for my knee, I was advised to see him only when the pain affects my daily operation. I wanted to "talk" to him more about our concern, but he was not too keen to entertain anxious parents. He had a long queue of patients with broken limbs and other more serious conditions. I felt quite embarrassed that our issues were so trivial. We quickly paid for consultation ($120 each before GST) and my x-rays (approx $70, also before GST), took no medicine (because of my breastfeeding) and left for Mr Bean pancakes and soya milk before heading home to reunite with Alfee...

Pretty Goofy

2011-04-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

I am starting to appreciate Sophie's soft, wavy locks, her huge and bright eyes with long, curly lashes and her irresistible smile. She is turning out to be quite a good looking little girl! A little scary for me to imagine how we have to fend off boys eventually. I guess I will leave it to Papa. For now, however, she always refuses to smile to my camera and ends up with a goofy look!

A Picture Tells A Thousand Words

2011-04-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

Sophie drew a picture of Papa and herself at Singapore Botanical Gardens. In the picture, she is carrying Papa on her shoulders. She said she is "big already... and strong" so she can carry Papa. Behind them, is an apple tree with a fallen apple. In reality, it was Papa who was carrying her on his shoulders. Definitely, he has such positive impact on her that she will always carry with her fond memories of her relationship with her daddy.

Singapore Botanical Garden

2011-04-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

Papa loves taking Sophie to the Singapore Botanical Gardens. In time to come, Alfee will be old enough to join in the fun. Right now, the time belong to Papa and Sophie.

Sophie, without fail, will end up on Papa's shoulders. It is a wonderful way for her to feel like she is at "the top of the world" (Papa is 1.83 m tall after all).

When the morning is almost over, Alfee got his share of Papa as well. Now I know why both Papa and Mama are important to children. They complement each other in loving their children. Even though I do not really enjoy the heat, sweat and mud, I will never have the heart to stop Papa from taking them outdoors.

Swimming Assessment Assessment

2011-04-10T18:58:00.000-07:00

The swimming coach from our condo will assess if Sophie is ready for swimming lessons this coming Sunday. He told us that a child must be able to follow instructions before he or she can learn swimming. I do not doubt she can understand instructions, but to follow them, well, that is not as straight forward. So, we decided to do our own assessment prior to her assessment on Sunday. Phew! Talk about kiasu-ism!

Of course we went to the pool together. I carried Alfee in my arms while Papa gave Sophie "swimming lessons". Well, he was trying out all sorts of positions with the tube and float to help her float.

No matter how he tried to adjust Sophie and the floats, she just kept sinking. She even drank some water in the process. I guess she was a little nervous as well so her body was stiff and rigid. At one point, Sophie was too tired to try some more.

Then, she managed to float a little. She was so tired that she stopped trying to float, as a result, she floated! Of course, Papa also found the perfect way to position the floats for her.

While they were trying to float in the waters, Alfee fell asleep in my helper's arms. She came down to watch Sophie and ended up carrying Alfee instead. She might think twice about joining us in the future.

We are still uncertain if the coach will accept her. Still, we will encourage her to swim because her life depends on it. With our genes and all, she has a weak respiratory system and only exercises such as swimming can help strengthen her lungs. Fingers crossed.

It's Our Time... Papa & The Kids

2011-04-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

We feel a little more relaxed now that we have withdrawn from I Can Read (Bukit Timah Plaza) at 9,30am. With all due respect, I disagree with how the Little Learners programme has been run by the centre and its curriculum. We were offered (just before our feet stepped out of the sliding door of the centre) a promotion to the Little Thinkers programme if we should change our mind and reinstate but we turned them down... and joined YAMAHA instead!!! Finally, we can let Sophie build some good music foundation, something I have always hoped for. I am no musician so I want my kids to be musically trained. And after just one lesson, Papa reported that both of them (parent accompanied programme) really enjoyed it. In fact, I was so inspired that I decided I should buy a piano from Uncle Simon and start learning pop piano.

That aside... now Papa can enjoy some bonding time with the kids on Saturday mornings before we head down to Thomson Plaza for Sophie's music lessons. He has very little time on weekdays for them so he really enjoys playing with them on weekends. And of course, I love it that we can even have a cuppa (as a family) at Thomson Plaza before her lesson!

蝴蝶 Canto Pop Star

2011-04-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

Although this was not the first time Sophie sang a Chinese song, I was impressed that she could sing the complete song without any help. She is begining to show signs that she is a born performer (like me) too.

蝴蝶
蝴蝶，蝴蝶，生得真美丽。头戴着金丝，身穿花花衣。你爱花儿，花儿也爱你。你会跳舞，它有甜蜜。

Now, this is a mystery. Papa is always able to teach Sophie to perform all sorts of gigs with him, for him! Here is her canto pop attempt...

春晓

2011-04-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

Sophie's grasp of the Chinese language has improved leaps and bounds. She speaks Mandarin in short, simple sentences voluntarily now. She is able to translate the English names of some common items to Mandarin as well. I would like to think the credit goes to her school, mainly. I doubt one term at Berries has made much difference although I am sure her teacher is very experienced and effective.

春晓
春眠不觉晓，处处闻啼鸟，夜来风雨声，花落知多少。

我要吃蛋糕 (哥哥不可以吃饼干!)

2011-03-25T21:47:00.000-07:00

Sophie was doing well tonight, partly because she has already learnt some of the words from school. Of course it helps that she likes to name food. After her “success”, she started toying with the book and its contents. I had a good laugh but I tried to stay serious, after all, I am a SERIOUS teacher!

Sophie, My Model

2011-03-25T18:16:00.000-07:00

During the March holidays, Sophie and I collaborated in creating a set of craft instructions for TheAsianParent. Here is our work.

March holiday craft (compressed)

View more presentations from MChainani.

And just today, our second piece of work has been published in conjunction with the week of Earth Day.

Earth day crafts

View more presentations from MChainani.

穿衣服

2011-03-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

Tonight, we tried another book. Compared to the previous one, we took less time. I think Sophie is getting it finally! And with all my scolding and threats, she is putting in a wee bit more effort now in learning. Strange as it might be, she is starting to have more confidence in reading Chinese after our intense session yesterday.

我会自己做事

2011-03-23T21:35:00.000-07:00

I told myself that “enough is enough”! This set of Chinese readers has been sitting on our bookshelf for far too long. My helper touched (wiped) the books more often than we look at them. It cost us almost $200. It is time to “force” Sophie to read them.

I picked the easiest one (repetitive text and familiar subject matter) for her to read. After one full day, she still did not manage to read all the characters. I was a little disappointed but I knew she probably tried her best already. I was so bored I nearlt dozed off as she struggled to read each character.

It's Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T22:19:00.000-08:00

I think the best thing I have done for this year's Valentine's Day is to make and teach Sophie the hand sign for "I Love You". Now we can make the simple yet powerful hand gesture whenever we cannot say it out loud. We did it this morning when she set off for school in her Papa's car. It made her grin as though we now share a special little secret. It took her some time to master making the hand sign but she was very proud when she did eventually.

Today is Valentine's Day. I admit we were a little behind because we are barely done with Chinese New Year crafts. Still, we managed to complete our little display for Valentine’s Day. I dropped the idea of a lapbook because I could not find simple activities for Sophie. It is also not easy to explain the significance of Valentine’s Day. Instead, we concentrated on crafts and the general feeling of “love” for one another.

I am not sure what they are called, but I call it “love capsules”. I thought it would fun for Sophie to put some scraps or beads inside and seal them. True enough, she was very excited. In fact, she started the craft without me. She took a piece of my ribbon and stuffed it inside. Then she showed it to me proudly.

I had to entice her to open it again and put more “stuff” inside. But I think she was brilliant to have started it off with the ribbon inside. The effect is great! I also took the opportunity to let her practice spelling her own name although she could do so already. Good fun anyway!

The end products look better than I have expected. I would not have thought of stuffing ribbons inside. Sophie can be so inspiring at times.

With Ah Gong (very excited about his new handphone) and Ah Mah (kept asking me to switch on cartoons for Sophie) around, I could not get Sophie’s attention long enough to make paper flowers. So, I had to finish them myself. The petals of the first flowers were made of tissue paper while those of the second were made of construction paper. I was teasing out the differences. I like the looks of tissue paper petals but I think the folds of construction paper make more realistic petals. Anyhow, it did not really matter. I still got Sophie sniffing them as though they were real.

We still have lots of art materials left, so I took pipe cleaners and twisted them into two hearts joined.

One can never go wrong with pipe cleaners.

Finally (after Ah Gong and Ah Mah left), I gave Sophie a heart-shaped canvas panel and let her have a bit of open-ended art session. She started with painting the panel purple, then pink and blue and yellow.

Then I provided her with paint, confetti, foam hearts, pom poms, rhinestones, plastic eyes, beads and glitter glue. And she became unstoppable, pasting almost everything in sight onto the panel.

The end product looks a little weird but I guess it is okay since she did this on her own. I am so glad that she has become competent enough to do basic art and craft all by herself!

When all the items are combined, we end up with a display for Valentine's Day. Sophie took out her Disney Princess figurines so we stuck them onto the shelf as part of the display. After all, they are a romantic bunch. I included sweets, cakes and biscuits because those are common gift items for Valentine's Day (of course they are cute too!). And a little book Biscuit's Valentine's Day by Alyssa Satin Capucilli to complete the occasion.

So there you have it! Our little Valentine's Day Special Display. May everyone have a very loved and cherished Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day Special Hand Sign

2011-02-13T21:41:00.000-08:00

Our next Valentine's Day project is a simple one I found in the Internet. I drew an outline of her hand on a beige foam sheet and cut it out. We had to stop at Art Friend just to buy the foam sheet because other colours just would not do.

Next, I folded the middle and ring finger slightly and glued their tips onto the palm of the hand. Sophie took the opportunity to stick all her heart-shaped stickers onto the hand. She has been wanting to use them for as long as she could remember.

Finally, I pasted the hand onto a pink, heart-shaped foam background and decorated it with glitter glue. I even wrote "I LOVE YOU" on little foam hearts and pasted them just above the hand. It might not look very impressive, but it is significant enough to be a must-do craft for Valentine's Day I think.

I took the opportunity to teach Sophie the word "LOVE" by writing the letters on individual foam hearts and attaching them on adorable, mini wooden pegs. However, she hijacked them before I would use them. She took the scraps of foam left from the previous craft and glued them all on a pink foam sheet. Then she proudly declared it to be her gift for her papa.

How adorable she can be at times! Sophie used glue stick so I had to reinforce each piece with UHU glue, but she does not mind at all. And I really enjoy watching her creativity flows.

Valentine's Day - Suncatcher (Stained Glass Effect)

2011-02-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

While making the love bug, we managed to also squeeze in another suncatcher (stained glass effect) with my extra love-shaped frames. This was much easier to manage and the effect was also very good. We used scraps of tissue paper and self-adhesive plastic sheet.

Valentine's Day - Lovebug

2011-02-11T19:55:00.000-08:00

I found a cute little lovebug craft from the Internet and I was sure Sophie would love it. However, I had to make two trips to the craft shop for the Styrofoam ball and pipecleaners because the shop was closed for Chinese New Year the first time I went. Also, the shop does not sell foam sheets so I had only enough to make a pair of wings of the little fella.

Alhtough it seemed easy, there were many steps involved in making the lovebug. First, I cut off the bottom part of a paper cup so that the Styrofoam ball can sit on it (upside down) properly. Then I cut out wings from red foam sheet and manipulated two pieces of pipecleaner so that they form the wings of the lovebug. Then I got Sophie to apply glitter glue and paste on the spots on the wings.

While they were drying, she painted the Styrofoam ball and cup black. Our paint is non-toxic and washable sort so we needed two coats to make them totally black. Meanwhile, I made the feelers with a little heart at the end of each.

When all the parts were totally dry, we attached them onto the cup, with the Styrofoam ball last.

Then I inserted the feelers and pasted on the plastic eyes, nose and mouth. By now, Sophie has lost interest in the lovebug. She had left all the work to me. When she returned, her excitement was renewed because it looked completed. She added stickers onto its body and head before taking off with it.

Valentine's Day - Suncatcher (Improved Formula)

2011-02-11T18:59:00.000-08:00

Utterly embarrassed by our previous attempt, I tried again today with new formula. With my fingers still crossed, I repeated the process up to the point before handing the frames over to Sophie.

I controlled the amount of glue she squeezed onto the plastic sheet. It was as though she also realised it would not work well with too much glue so she was very cooperative. Then I used a hairdryer to blow dry the glitter glue a bit more before pasting the frame over it using UHU glue.

Not to bad as before but the design is also not as nice, I am afraid. I guess I should either use waterproof glue for the frame, dry the glitter glue completely or just drop the whole idea completely.

Valentine's Day - Suncatcher (Blob)

2011-02-10T18:27:00.000-08:00

I thought it was an easy enough craft but it did not out as well as I had imagined. It was meant to be a suncatcher using recycled plastic bags for the translucent effect. I cut out two heart-shaped frames and stuck them onto plastic sheets (plastic bags).

Then I let Sophie have her way with the glitter glue (big mistake). She started squeezing with all her might and flooded the plastic sheet with watery glitter glue (a bit expired maybe).

I did not think much of it and let her continue with pasting little confetti pieces onto the glue. I should have guessed but I was not in my right frame of mind.

I was a little distracted because Alfee was screaming in the background. I had to leave him (so long as he was not hungry) with my helper or we would never be able to do anything.

Next, we glued the two frames together and applied glitter glue around the frame to create a “glam” effect. We even put it against the window to see its beautiful effect. We were quite happy until the glitter glue started oozing out of the frame, right at the end tip of the heart.

Apparently, the glitter glue would not really dry inside the plastic sheet so it would flow out. And the glue we had used to seal the frame is not entirely waterproof so the glitter glue could “bleed” through. So, I spent the rest of the day trying to salvage the suncatcher. I managed to finally contain the leakage but the design has been thus, compromised.

八宝蜜饯

2011-02-09T17:25:00.000-08:00

Our last project for Chinese New Year - "八宝蜜饯" (an idea from Tao Shu Series). It is essentially a set of 8 different sorts of preserved and heavily sugared fruit. Each one has been named auspiciously for Chinese New Year. Here are the 8 preserved treasures - "冬瓜糖" (甜蜜蜜), "椰子" (团圆 - 有爷爷有孙子), "金桔" (吉利), "龙眼" (富贵圆满), "莲藕" (年年都有), "莲子" (多子). "花生" (长寿) and "红瓜子" (喜悦). And we made a set using Playdoh, glitter sand and baby talc powder.

We started making two days ago, but we did not continue after making "冬瓜糖" and "椰子". In reality, both are coated with sugar, so I tried to use glitter sand for the same effect. It was a pity also that I did not have a lot of white and we had to pretty much ration it to go around.

Sophie was too obsessed with the glitter sand to pay attention to my instructions. Thus, we ended the craft, pretty angry with each other.

Today,we tried again. We used light brown for "莲藕". Again, I wish I could make the slices thicker but I did not have enough Playdoh.

We needed some light brown for making "花生" which I thought Sophie did a good job. They looked quite realistic.

I did not have black Playdoh and my brown is running out so I left the red as it was for "红瓜子". I think of all the 8, I am the least satisfied with this. Sophie, of course, has no issue with the colour. She does not even know what they are (regardless of my explanation and pictures).

"莲子" was the easiest to make I think. I mixed a little yellow with the pathetic amount of white we had left. Then Sophie coated each small ball of Playdoh with baby talc powder. It gave them a much more realistic appearance.

The rest "金桔" and "龙眼" were made mainly by me because Sophie lost interest. She was still keen on playing with them but not making them. She figured that it would be much more fun to let me do the dirty work.

Pororo Training Chopsticks

2011-01-26T21:07:00.000-08:00

I took Sophie to Thomson Medical Centre for a follow-up appointment. She is still coughing and her mucus is rather thick although no longer greenish. She still has to be nebulised 3 times daily and take some oral medication from now on for another week or so. Gone were the days I could send her to the TCM for flu, she would need 2 weeks of home rest to recover.

At the pharmacy before we headed for home, I bought her a set of Pororo training chopsticks. I thought it would be good for her to start using chopsticks since she is beginning to be competent in self feeding. I have to admit, they are really cute, too!

Of course I still feed her at home. It is a lot quicker, cleaner and she feels pampered. I chose not to insist on self feeding because she is currently feeling a little insecure over her baby brother. I let her be a baby a little longer. Tis good enough to know she can do it properly at school. And today, I was impressed how quickly she learnt to use the training chopsticks. It made our dinner a little more interesting.

Disney Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Sticker Book Treasury

2011-01-26T18:00:00.000-08:00

I bought Sophie Disney Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Sticker Book Treasury from Singapore Motherhoold bulk purchases after she has finished her Dora The Explorer Sticker Book. (bought from one of the kiosk at Downtown East). I do not personally like sticker books, but I know Sophie cannot resist them. These sticker books are like activity books except that the stickers provided are the answers.

So, Sophie is very motivated to work on them even when they are about counting.

This was slightly harder because it involved addition and substraction. I helped her with linking cubes. I was amazed how she could grasp the concepts so easily just because she could feel and touch the manipulatives.

CNY - Red Lantern & Oranges

2011-01-24T17:38:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year is coming so we are doing lots of CNY related craft. This is the first one we did. I rummaged through my recycled box and found plastic jelly cups. So we painted theinner side red and stuck two cups together to make lanterns.

Although myvideo clip looks very normal with Sophie painting, I must say that she has most definitely grown very steady and competent with her painting. She is no longer slapping paint onto the craft. Instead, she can be meticulously applying coats of paint onto the item. We started doing craft when she was 15 months old. Now, it seems like everything has paid off.

We are not too sure where to display the lanterns. We can hang them on our pussy willow (plum blossom) or create a display of CNY items. We also made some oranges so I guess it is better to set up a display. Hopefully, it would not look too much like a altar.

Show & Tell

2011-01-24T17:08:00.000-08:00

I am not so sure if she would do Show & Tell eventually, but we practised anyway.

More CNY stuff

2011-01-23T18:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we also bought two potted plants which are considered 年花 because they bloom around this time. I do not have green fingers so I try not to touch them. However, we soon found flies congregating around the soil so I had to banish them outdoors.

I bought a 福 for decorating my main door. When I bought it at NTUC, I thought it was quite big and loud. However, it somehow shrunk in size and intensity the moment I pasted it on.

Sophie had a lot of difficulty making the oranges using some sort of net. They come in kits so I thought it would be a great way to kick start our CNY craft work.

Chinese New Year - Pussy Willow

2011-01-22T17:02:00.000-08:00

It has been a week since we do anything for Chinese New Year. The general atmosphere is lukewarm out there, so we cannot really get into the mood. Plus the fact that Sophie is down with fever, so we really feel quite down. However, I managed to convince Papa to take us all to Far East Flora to buy some plants for the new year in hope to lighten up our mood.

Back at home, we tried to put up the pussy willow and hang some ornaments. Sophie was very curious and excited about it. She kept peeling the "husk" off.

I Can Draw A Dog

2011-01-19T17:40:00.000-08:00

This is the second drawing of our "I Can Draw" series. Sophie was not too sure how to differentiate a cat from a dog yet. Still, I think she did a pretty good job. I like the way she insisted she must write her name below. It shows she has high regards for her drawing.

I Can Draw A Cat

2011-01-17T16:49:00.000-08:00

Sophie has almost perfected her drawing of a cat. She also wrote the words "CAT" and "SOPHIE" on her own although she could not spell "cat" yet. I think she needs a bit more practice with colouring.

"Berries" Boring Sunday

2011-01-16T23:03:00.000-08:00

Our helper was on leave so we were on our own today. It was quite a challenge I must admit. We started the day with grocery shopping followed by lunch at The Peach Garden at Thomson Plaza. Then we went home to load the groceries while Sophie took a short nap in the car. Then we were off to CPF Building at Bishan to send her to Berries for her enrichment class at 1.30pm. I loitered around Junction 8 with Alfee while Papa sent her there.

It took me at most 15 minutes to run out of places to go. I used to find Junction 8 a good place to hang around when I was young now it just seems too small, too boring. I was quite relieved to see Papa again and we went out of Junction 8 for a stroll around the neighbourhood. Well, it was boring and hot! By the time we walked one round, we were too bothered to go on and we still have an hour to kill. Reluctantly, we headed to Dome Café at the Bishan Community Club. We had a lousy strawberry smoothie and a slice of very dry cheese cake.

We were all glad that the wait was finally over at 3.15pm. We picked Sophie up and went for a car wash. Sophie kept asking Papa to take her on a car wash (automatic sort) but we could not find any, so we settled for a manual car wash. Papa, as usual, tried to spice up her experience.

We were cracking our brains, trying to think of something to do before dinner when we thought of Sembawang Jetty. We have made reservations at Beaulieu House Restaurant (opp the jetty) for our Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner and we have to put a deposit. Thus, we thought it would be good to go there for a walk before dinner.

It turned out to be a great idea. The weather was good so our walk was very refreshing and enjoyable. There were quite a number of people at t beach but it was not crowded. Sophie was a little sleepy but the outdoors made her less cranky and more willing to cooperate with us. Alfee was also very docile. In fact, the breeze and sea made him sleepy enough to just lean on me quietly.

At one point, we were just sitting around and enjoying doing nothing in particular. Yet it felt good because we are together. Even though my arms were almost breaking from Alfee's weight. He is not very heavy but I guess I am getting older.

Around 5.30pm, we went to the restaurant for dinner. We had hor fun, noodles and satay! I never thought I would get to eat satay without going to a hawker or foodcourt. I have been craving for satay since I was carrying Alfee. Sophie also had her first taste with satay and she liked it. The hor fun was good too - no fish cake and excessive starch in the gravy. Of course, I gobbled as much as possible for as long as Alfee let me, then we took turns walking him. Even so, it was not too bad because he fell asleep very quickly.

After dinner, we headed home and called it a day well spent! We got over the "Berries" boring Sunday...

In Our Blood

2011-01-13T19:44:00.000-08:00

Those who know me well and long, know I love acting. It is a passion that never quite die in me. Apparently, Sophie has got some of my genes after all. I think she is quite a comedian actually. She has a natural desire and talent for acting and making others laugh.

No More Learn Thru Play

2011-01-12T20:14:00.000-08:00

Learn Thru' Play at Ang Mo Kio Hub is closing down so everything is on half price. By the time I (a member)was informed a week later, most of the "good" stuff were gone. No harm done since members get 50% discount during their birthday month anyway. Still, like any other kiasu parent, I went in and bought stuff that I would otherwise unlikely buy. I got sophie (and of course, eventually Alfee) puzzles - assorted designs.

Not sure I want Sophie to start playing with toy or constructed guns, but I must still say she does have good imagination and creativity. Love the way she answered my question...

Activity Kits

2011-01-10T23:34:00.000-08:00

I bought two sets of activity kits, Disney Pretty Princess - Busy Book for Sophie and Read & Play - Ready, Set, Go! for Alfee.

As usual, Sophie monopolized both and surprisingly prefers her brother's set. Frankly, I would too. There are 12 mini vehicle figurines and a road playmat for her to create her own stories.

The other one also contains 12 figurines but they are the Disney princesses and characters which are not very exciting. The playmat is a garden scene, so it is very tamed and "girly".

Sophie enjoys playing "rescue" and "superhero". I just hope Alfee will grow up faster and in time to play with his sister and we would not have to resort to 拔萝卜all the time.

Chinese New Year - A Point Of No Return

2011-01-09T16:47:00.000-08:00

The plan is rather simple and innocent - we want Sophie to have a sense of her Chinese identity and culture. Maybe her Chinese langauge would also improve a little. So, I planned to get a few common items related to Chinese New Year for her. I always have a soft spot for sparklers... This box is particularly loud (whistling sound) and smokey so we could not play indoors.

First Day At Cherrybrook (2011)

2011-01-06T16:59:00.000-08:00

Sophie’s first day in school. Papa would send her to school from now on because she is in morning class now. Ah Gong would still pick her up after school. Her school day starts at 8.20am and ends at 1pm. That means she has to have her snack in school. I am not too sure how she fared today because I did not have time to ask the teachers. We managed to pick her up after school on the way back from TMC though. She seemed fine although she was clearly very tired and hungry. She told me she did not eat the green bean soup during her break. Good news – she came back with no wee wee “accidents” today! I hope she would continue to be “accident” free.

Let Me Do It!!

2011-01-05T16:58:00.000-08:00

Sophie started out trying to show Alfee how the toy works. Then she monopolised the toy and even got frustrated when he grabbed it.

New Year New Haircut

2011-01-04T18:05:00.000-08:00

I took Sophie to Cherrybrook for new school pants, leaving Alfee with Ah Gong. It was unnerving and I had to rush back in time to feed him. After feeding him, I took her out again. This time, I brought her to a neighbourhood salon to have a haircut. She wanted to look like Dora so I asked the hairdresser to trim. I knew if Ah Gong were to bring her there, he would ask her to cut her hair as short as possible. No, I want her to keep her hair long so that she can look and hopefully, behave more like a girl.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T21:10:00.000-08:00

First day of 2011 and we spent it at Auntie Ann's place . Auntie Ann is Mama's primary school friend so that means we have known each other for about 25 years at least. Auntie Ann and Uncle KK (her husband) just moved into their penthouse so we took the opportunity to check out how a penthouse looks like. Sophie definitely enjoyed running about the rooftop patio and climbing up and down the stairs. Of course, she also took some pictures with my IPhone.

Auntie Ann is quite a good cook. We really enjoyed her pasta dish and even picked up some tips on cooking from her. Auntie Eunice (another old friend of Mama's) came with delicious local desserts as well. It was a great gathering for us. Auntie Ann owns a toy shop (Simply Toys) so she has many toys at home. Sophie loves her plush toys so vey much. I am happy that she did not cry or ask to buy some home. In fact, she knew she could only play there.

Uncle KK (Auntie Ann's husband) likes Sophie very much and I am sure the feeling is mutual for Sophie. Both of them sat and watched TV while Papa and Mama ate our dinner. Sophie was reluctant to leave actually but she was very tired. She fell asleep in the car. I think it is good for Sophie to start visiting others and learn how to behave at others' home. So far, we are quite proud of her because she was polite and well-behaved there.

Laugh Of My Life

2010-12-29T21:38:00.000-08:00

Sophie has found a way to make Alfee laugh. Although I do not really approve of her loud “bear”, I do find it amusing as well.

Creative Sophie

2010-12-21T21:36:00.000-08:00

On 12 December (Sunday), we were having dinner at Sushi Teh (Thomson Plaza). Sophie got so bored at waiting that she started playing with her bowl and cutlery. She turned the bowl upside down and used the spoon and fork as escalators. Very creative play… She probably could do more if not for Alfee’s sudden but one hour long outburst which we now refer to fondly as “Thomson Terror”.

On 14 December (Tuesday), Sophie took the inflated sofa Ah Gong gave her and started fooling around with it. Again, she showed her creativity and imagination. At first she called it “banana” then she rode it like a “rocket”.

On 16 December (Thursday), Sophie pestered me to make her little figurines to use as the driver in her toy cars. I made her one driver but soon she was asking for more. She called the driver “Papa” and the second figurine “Sophie”. Then I made “Mama” carrying “Alfee”. That was how our Loy family was created out of purple jumping clay.

Sophie was very happy and played with them for a long time. She even brought them to the dining table and created a min story with them. She used her fingers to act as “Dora” and “Boots” on a stage while the “Loy Family” sat to watch. It was an re-enactment of the Dora Show at Raffles City.

And yesterday, she showed me how she turned the same inflatable sofa into a tuba. Sophie is such an amazing girl even though I find her rather silly at times.

Sophie's 3!!! (...finally)

2010-12-11T20:50:00.000-08:00

The Preparation

Sophie has been a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse fan for as long as we can remember. So when I asked her what kind of cake she wanted a couple of months back, she faithfully declared, "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!". Now, I truly only intended to get her a Mickey Mouse cake, but maybe a simple round one with his face on it. However, I made the gravest mistake by researching into designer cakes. From there, I found Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake toppers and other party "essentials". Before I knew it, we were having a birthday party with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme and ordering a huge cake from Pine Gardens.

Soon I was wrecking my brains for a suitable location and activities for the party. I toyed with the idea of doing it at McDonald's, KFC or some other exotic venues for a while before almost deciding on ExplorerKid at Downtown East. Then the gang fight happened and we cancelled our booking. So in the end, we decided to hold the birthday party at our own function room. For entertainment, we thought of clowning ourselves but it would never work out so we hired a professional magician cum balloonist from Fun Engineerz. We catered our food from Four Seasons as well since I cannot possible cook without causing some sort of food poisoning.

After all that was done, I went hunting for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse goodies. Too expensive! So I tried my best to make the loot bags as close to the theme as possible. It was then Sophie told me she prefers Dora now. My heart sank as I prayed hard that she would still like Mickey Mouse a wee bit longer because it was too late for me to change the cake now. Fortunately, she was still very excited and looking forward to her big day. We even created a calendar to do a countdown with her. And every day, she would diligently cross out the day and look longingly at "Saturday 11 December".

For decorations, I drew "bubble letters" and stuck them on the wall. Initially, I wanted to make a banner with Sophie but it was out of stock so we had to make do with my work instead. This morning, I inflated some balloons to decorate the function room but I gave up because they were quite difficult to manage. Especially since Papa was away with Sophie in the morning. She had to attend I Can Read at Bukit Timah Plaza so I had only my helper to rely on for the party.

Actual Day

It was a challenge to get Sophie ready for I Can Read in the morning because she was so thrilled about her birthday party. We put up the decorations before she headed off with Papa. After her lesson, Papa called me and said that she was too excited to take a nap in the car. Fortunately, she soon fell asleep anyway. While she was blissfully in dreamland, Ah Boh and Naenae came over to help with the logistics and Uncle Simon collected her birthday cake.

Our magician was supposed to come at 1 pm but there was some miscommunication so we had 30 minutes more of "nothing to do" for the kids. I was quite worried that they would get bored. And indeed, some of the kids started asking when the magician was coming. Luckily, we were able to buy some time with our bubble machine.

The birthday girl was so tired of playing, at one point, that she just rested on the floor. Usually I would scream at her but I decided not to... just for today. Not even when she jumped on the sofa with the boys in attempt to "capture" the bubbles.

I wanted Sophie to learn how to give and be a good host so I got her to give out party hats and loot bags to the guests as they arrived. Surprisingly, she did not mind being interrupted in the middle of her play for this.

Initially, I was not confident that the magician would be entertaining enough for the crowd of restless children. However, it seemed like they actually enjoyed it. It was quite a sight to see how they obediently sit in a nice row and watched the show. They were also willing participants in the show, not shy at all. Even the adults had a good time.

Meanwhile, Alfee was enjoying some attention as well. I had to take him home during the magic show to feed him so I missed most of it. Still, I was thankful Alfee was very well behaved today.

Initially, I had wanted the magician to play party games with the children. It would have cost $50 more. But I changed my mind last minute because I thought Sophie would appreciate balloon sculptures more and most of them were too young to play games. I was right. In fact, I think all children love balloons shows somehow. They watched in amazement as the magician whipped up different sculptures on demand.

As the birthday girl, Sophie got a special balloon sculpture - Mickey Mouse. It took a lot longer than I thought for the magician to make, but it was great. Sophie waited quite patiently as well. Too bad the cheek burst the moment we reached home.

And the highlight of the party - the birthday cake! I ordered the Mickey Mouse and friends figurines from amazon and got my friend to ship them in for me. I thought the cake looked really attractive, enough to make the children crowd around it and fight for the first slice. Sophie seemed very pleased with her cake, especially the toys she got to take back. I also received postive feedbacks from the adults as well.

The party officially came to an end after the cake cutting ceremony. We were all exhausted and quite ready to just call it a day. But Sophie was clearly not ready to rest. She protested when Ah Boh, Uncle Simon and Naenae wanted to leave. So we opened the presents with her, in hope to use that as a closure for her birthday celebrations. Sophie was super happy to have received so many gifts. Thank you everyone for making her birthday such a wonderful experience for her!

Last Note

My Sophie has turned 3, finally. It was as though “3” is some sort of magic number and she would miraculously become stable, coherent and capable of regulating her emotions and impulses after today. Everyone has assured us that kids become much better when they are 3. So we have been looking forward to this promised change in her. But has there been any real difference in her today, compared to yesterday? I am afraid not. In fact, she was very much her usual, overly excited self during the party. Now people are telling me ... they get better when they enter primary school... that is another 3 years!

Already Gone

2010-11-23T20:59:00.000-08:00

Papa taught her the song, complete with actions and gestures. Inevitably, she would soon become an Eagles fan as well (she is already a Beatles fan) I think.

Singapore Science Centre

2010-10-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

Papa took us to the Singapore Science Centre in the afternoon. He has always wanted to show Sophie all the "chim chim" stuff that I have problem understanding and explaining to her. We became members almost the moment we arrived there. Now we could go there as often as we like, although I wonder if we would like that that much.

Frankly, I doubt Sophie could understand much although she most certainly played a lot with the exhibits. Even so, early exposure is good for her, I suppose. However, I must admit the Science Centre is now much more impressive than before. I only I could appreciate the exhibits more.

Sophie likes dinosaurs but she was not too excited about the remains unfortunately. In fact, we were a little disappointed that she was not thrilled to see the skeletons.

Deepavali is round the corner, so there is a special rangoli exhibition and free workshop for children. The artist and her assistants were helping children complete a simple sand art with rangoli design. Sophie seemed very keen so we let her try. Usually I would not let her do commercially made sand art kit because it kills creativity. However, the rangoli kit was unique and there was some cultural significance.

It was hard to peel off the paper to expose the adhesive side, thus Papa tried to help Sophie to do it. After a while, Sophie lost interest. She just wanted to play with the glittery sand. She must have found it boring to just peel and sprinkle sand on it, layer after layer.

When we realised we were running a little late for the IMAX movie "Sea Rex", I stepped in to speed up the process. The end product was impressive by nature. I intend to buy more of the rangoli kits from the artist herself for Sophie. I think it cost around $5 per kit that comes with everything you need. But I need to go to her place to buy them because she does not sell them in the market.

At the Omni-Theatre, I could not watch the show with Sophie and Papa because Alfee did not like the noise. I must admit the wait could dampen anybody's spirit. There was nothing I could do with Alfee sleeping in my arms. In any case, I was happy Sophie enjoyed herself though. We probably would go again. Next time, we would try the waterplay station... if the weather is good.

Tuckshop Day (Rehearsal)

2010-08-30T23:20:00.000-07:00

In conjunction with Tuckshop Day, Papa has opened a temporary shop to let Sophie practice buying with coins. We take a lot of things for granted, we realised. Without addition and subtraction or understanding of numbers in their tens and hundreds, money is a difficult concept to grasp. Thus, Sophie has to make do with whatever undertanding she has got about numbers. Anyhow, she was relentless during her tuckshop day activity, according to her teachers in school. She apparently "bought" 2 cups of corn and several pieces of fish cakes from the stalls and gobbled everything up. Of course the teachers returned her money ($2) but I guess it must have been a good experience for her.

Sisterhood

2010-08-28T23:09:00.000-07:00

We are still having a challenging time adjusting to Alfee and Sophie's response to the little newcomer into our family. I suppose Sophie has been THE ONLY "baby" to us for the longest time so now both her territory and status are challenged by a tiny, helpless and noisy newborn. He has yet proven his worth (not much of a playmate or companion to her) and Papa & Mama seem to give entirely too much attention to him. And whenever she tried to get "close" and "personal" to him, Papa & Mama would quickly stop her (from squeezing his head or screaming in his ear for example).

Sophie is definitely trying hard to regain her power in our family. She would never allow herself to be excluded in any way. If you look hard enough, you can see her head on the right side of the picture (attempting to force her way into Papa's arms and Mama's line of camera vision.

In the end, we did take a nice picture of Papa and the kids. Of course, Sophie is naturally between Papa and Alfee (firming restrained by Papa's embrace). Meet the Loy members!

Sophie : " Why is Alfee wearing your shirt?" (to Papa)

Papa : " .... "

Mama : "... because Papa has no fashion sense?" (opps... my thoughts were too loud!)

Elephant

2010-08-26T23:26:00.000-07:00

Sophie's home learning has came to a complete halt the moment Alfee popped. Fortunately, we could still rely on schooling for now. She came home with an elephant mask she made in school. She could name the tusks and trunk when I asked her. Amazing to me since I did not know trunk and tusks until I was more older. Lately, she was also able to identify the chinese characters "da4" and "xiao3" (big and small). She kept pointing them out to me in her books. A big accomplishment, considering how she used to understand and say nothing in Mandarin. I wish I could continue with teaching her but at the moment, I doubt it is possible. Not with Alfee still so young and Sophie still so emotionally unstable.

Baby No More

2010-08-24T23:33:00.000-07:00

We have always seen and treated Sophie like our most precious baby. In a way, we must have impeded her development by not challenging her to behave and operate more like a preschooler. When Alfee is born, we started to see changes in her. She communicates more (partly because she has to in order to make others understand her needs and wants) to people. She also tries to display her abilities more (to get more attention) to us. Then we realised how big she has grown without our noticing. Today, the air-con guys came to service our units when she was asleep. I had to carry her and transfer her to our master bedroom (not too easy to carry 15 kg with a c-sect wound). I looked at my children as they slept side by side and thought to myself, "OMG! My baby girl is a baby no more!" Look at her build, her hands and her feet! She is a big girl now. And somehow, I felt a tinge of heartache because I knew then I have lost the moment with my baby girl forever.

Sophie Gets In Trouble

2010-08-03T23:16:00.000-07:00

Sophie is definitely not like other little girls. She did not cry for me in school (except the day she fell) and she was very comfortable with the school environment since day one. Anyone mummy in the right frame of mind would feel tremendous pride and joy to have such an independent and well adapted little girl. However, I was never so optimistic, in fact I was waiting for the storm after the calm. And yes, the storm has arrived.

Today, her principal called me a couple of times on the phone because she had been "misbehaving" in school and she wanted to know if I would like them to carry through the punishment. Apparently, she spilled the beans during her Montessori session and refused to pick them up regardless of her teachers' reprimand, coaxing and even threats. She would rather skip her recess and her snack than to pick the beans up. Even when the teachers offerred to help and ended up picking them up for her, she taunted them by spilling the beans again and again. When they tried to talk to her, she changed the subject by directing them to her hair clip. She only complied when they told her she could not go home until she picked everything up (with my blessing, of course). Still, they cheated by helping her scoop up almost everything while she was not looking.

And on the very same day, she teased me hours earlier in the car with her pranks. She started by putting her finger in her mouth. That made me frown and I told her not to do it again. Grinning, she did it again, making a noisy sucking sound to draw my attention. When I turned around to glare at her, I found her little finger outside her mouth, at her lips. She did not put her finger in at all! She was pretending!!! I was so mad. When I recounted the incident to her principal, she realised how smart Sophie is and we definitely have a handful to deal with. We both agree that she has a tendency to tease and she is very strong-willed' (I say 'stubborn' but she prefers a more positive word).

"G" Based Activity - Gingerbread Girl & Three Billy Goats Gruff (Follow-up)

2010-07-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

I do not always like reading Sophie fairy tales because they are often too long and the ending sometimes seems a little brutal. However, I found these quite easy to read and the ending relatively benign as well. More importantly, Sophie enjoys them.

Sophie has always been fascinated by gingerbread man although she did not like the taste. I think she finds it amazing that things she read about in books appear in real life to0. Thus, I did not hesitate when I found this cute gingerbread man. Naturally, she was thrilled.

"G" Based Activity - Three Billy Goats Gruff

2010-07-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

We started making a lapbook on "Three Billy Goats Gruff" on 14 July but it took a couple of days for us to finish it. Sophie was keen to make and play with the "Troll" but she was not too interested in colouring.

Sophie really enjoyed telling the story again and again, especially the Troll's line "I'm going to eat you!". She even had difference versions.

"G" Based Activity - Gingerbread Girl

2010-07-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

18 July 2010

This morning, I drew a huge gingerbread man outline with Sophie's body. I was surprised that she did not protest or move around much. We even painted it brown while waiting for breakfast to be ready.

19 July 2010

Usually, I would let the children do collage when we did this with lower primary children. For Sophie, this would be a simple gingerbread figure... with hair?

"G" Based Activity - My Garden / My Greenhouse 5 (Growing Seeds)

2010-07-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

Alright, this is the last time I would blog about the beans. They have grown as much as they possibly could but they lost some roots during the transfer so I reckon they probably would not make it. Sorry Sophie!

"G" Based Activity - My Garden / My Greenhouse 4 (Growing Seeds)

2010-07-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

The beans are outgrowing their little "greenhouse" so I bought some "gel" (did not want to deal with soil) for them to grow further (fingers crossed). Sophie was very excited when we did the transfer but I kept telling her they might not grow. Hopefully she could understand that I do not have "green fingers".

In any case, some roots were destroyed during the transfer so I am not sureif that would affect the growth.

School Theme - Sea Creatures 10 (Underwater World - Sentosa)

2010-07-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

To round up the theme on sea creatures, Sophie's school organised an excursion to the Underwater World in Sentosa. This is our first school excursion and to be frank, I was rather nervous. For the first time, I have little idea of the itinerary and SOP. However, the school was nice enough to invite parents along and let the Nursery parents take the school bus with their children.

Although we were in the afternoon session, we joined the morning children in the combined excursion. We gathered at 8.20 am. Sophie was not too good with crowds and thus, she looked a little overwhelmed when we assembled. Also, she was probably unfamiliar with the rest of the children and most of her classmates were late.

During the routine exercise, Sophie tried to join in (with so did Papa). I have not seen her do the morning exercise as a Cherrybrook pupil and I must say she has gone a long way. She used to be passive and just watched curiously as the others worked out. That was a mere couple of months ago. Now she was able to participate like the rest. How amazing!

This was Sophie's first school bus trip. The distance was not too long but the bus ride made her sleepy. She held the safety belt and bag so tightly because I told her to be very careful on the bus and take care of her belongings always.

I think I am getting way too big to walk with Sophie at her pace. I wobbled and got tired very easily. Howeverr, she still wanted me to carry her whenever she felt insecure, especially if the crowd was aggressive and rowdy.

Sophie was excited to see the fish at the entrance. She kept asking for Nemo (clownfish). Amazingly, she started saying all the Chinese names of sea creatures she has learnt.

Her school teachers bought some fish food for the stingrays and offerred me a piece to try feeding them. It was quite scary since they are huge and very eager to eat from my hand. Sophie was a little startled as well. She clung on to me when I was feeding the stingrays. It was hard to balance with her and Alfee.

Soon we reached the highlight of Underwater World. Sophie was elated to see so many authentic and familiar sea creatures. She also saw divers cleaning the tank so she was thrilled. I learnt something too that day. I thought a dugong was manatee but Sophie's teacher told me it has a dophin like tail (opps!). Oh well, at least now I know it is called "海牛". And Sophie asked me what the chinese name of puffer fish is, so I promised to find out for her. Oh my goodness, it took an hour to find out its name - "河豚鱼" when we came back.

Our last stop before the end of our excursion - Dolphin Lagoon. Unfortunately it started to rain so we had to brave the rain from the Underwater World to the Dolphin Lagoon. Ridiculous... It was a short 20 m (at most) distance and they did not build any shelter to connect the two places. Anyway, the show was short and kind of a letdown. Sophie was stilll excited to see the pink dolphins though so I was happy... even though my face said otherwise.

Learning Chinese

2010-07-15T21:22:00.000-07:00

Sophie has always been reluctant to learn or utter anything in Chinese. It is a worrying attitude considering how important Chinese is later on in her education. After our failed attempt to give her a home tutor, I thought I could also teach her Chinese based on how the trial lesson was done. Frankly I was not too impressed by the tutor from China. She wanted to charge me $45 per hour but her materials were neither original nor interesting. And of course she had to give me poor work attitude (MIA after the trial lesson).

Thus, I started teaching her basic vocabulary each day (late June), coupled with lots of Chinese storytime and reading. I was hoping that that would help her adapt a little better and faster in class (mid July), especially during her Chinese lessons. We started with her name and moved on to facial features, body parts and action words related to hands and feet. When she began schooling, I followed the theme "sea creatures" and tried to introduce some simple terms.

On 9 July (Friday), a miracle happened on our way home from school. She gave me an intense look before saying, "海豚", "海星" and "鲨鱼". When probed, she told me she learnt the terms in class. I was elated and so proud, I almost cried. Then before she slept, she said,"小丑鱼" and "魔鬼鱼＂in a slang. It took me a while to decipher what she actually said, but we were both super happy when we did. Tonight, she surprised me again with "水母", "海马", "鲸鱼" and "龙虾". I am so glad she started school.

"G" Based Activity - My Garden / My Greenhouse 3 (Growing Seeds)

2010-07-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

We checked on our seedlings today and found the green beans and black eye beans growing well, but not the red beans and black beans. In fact, they have got all mouldy and rotten. I guess the seeds have died so they could not germinate at all. I made a point to name the growth - roots. Compared to the green beans in the bottle, the ones in her "garden" are growing much slower.

School Theme - Sea Creatures 9 (Summary Page - Chinese Names For Sea Creatures)

2010-07-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

We did a summary on the Chinese names of sea creatures Sophie has learnt for the past two weeks in school. I must say, I am learning with her. I suppose she is unconsciously witnessing how her mummy is learning together with her. For example, I have no idea what "sea anemone" is called in Chinese so I had to check the internet for its name. Of course, I did not hide my ignorance from her. I told her exactly how I would find out its name and then let her know once I confirmed it is right. Painfully slow but hey, she learnt most of the terms and her interest in learning is sustained. PROCESS... not product!

"G" Based Activity - My Garden/ My Greenhouse 2 (Growing Seeds)

2010-07-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

I was always nervous about planting so I talked to Sophie about the little growth, I lost my words and said "seedling". Oh well, it should have been just "roots". The roots are growing out after just a day so I was very excited (yes, more so than Sophie apparently). I only did the decorations today because I did not think the seeds would germinate at all.

"G" Based Activity - My Garden/ My Greenhouse 1 (Growing Seeds)

2010-07-13T23:13:00.000-07:00

I read Sophie The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle. It was a little long but she was quite engaged nevertheless. After that, I tried creating a little garden and greenhouse for her. It was too easy to make and I was reluctant to decorate it before the green beans germinate. I have no talent for growing anything but we would try again. I also wanted to try growing the beans in glass containers, just to compare the outcome.

School Theme - Sea Creatures 8 (Chinese Readers & A House For The Hermit Crab)

2010-07-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

Even since Sophie was shown the hermit crabs in school, I became obsessed with the idea of reading her A House For Hermit Crab by Eric Carle. However, we did not have the book and it is near impossible to borrow form the library. Thus, I made a trip to Kinokuniya on the day she fell in school, to buy her a copy. It was all good because she loves the story. Although it was a little too long for her, she still managed to sit through it.

I also bought her two Chinese readers for the theme on sea creatures. One was about sea turtles and the other about sea creatures in gerneral. I can appreciate how such books teaches basic vocabulary now. I must admit, I am learning all the Chinese terms together with her.

"G" Based Activity - Gears

2010-07-12T23:08:00.000-07:00

We had this set of gears forever but somehow Sophie could not engage with it. Today, we tried again. Although she was more interested than before, she was still only lukewarm.

School Theme - Sea Creatures 7 (Sea Creatures Mobile)

2010-07-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

This is not my usual style. Normally I would draw everything from scratch but I really did not have much time to prepare for Sophie. Thus, I cheated by printing materials from the internet.

We tried to colour pictures of seahorse, starfish, clownfish, coral reef and clam etc. Then I stuck them to some strings and attached them to a paper plate with pipe cleaners.

I was not very familiar with making mobiles so it took me a while to fix it up properly. Of course Sophie loved to play with it and almost destroyed it before I could finish it.

I found it a little plain so I added some seaweeds and the leftover "jellyfish" from the gooey ghost prints we had made earlier.

Concert - Puff The Magic Dragon 2

2010-07-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

"G" Based Activity - Gummy Counting

2010-07-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

We did a couple of counting with food but I could not document anything. Today, Papa was around to help. Sophie was still not able to count well but we are improving and hopefully she would get better as we move along with more creature counters.

Concert - Puff The Magic Dragon 1

2010-07-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

School Theme - Sea Creatures 6 (Chinese Names For Sea Creatures)

2010-07-10T18:17:00.000-07:00

To think that I used to think it would be impossible for Sophie to learn Chinese, I was so wrong. I probably should have more faith in her. On Friday, she looked at me all serious and intense before uttering 海豚, 海星 and 鲨鱼 (with a slang) in the cab. I was ecstatic even though it took me a while to understand what she said! I had to infer a little because I knew they were doing sea creatures that day. And just before she slept, she said to me (again with an intense look) 小丑鱼＂and "魔鬼鱼.She had to say a couple of times because it was hard for me to understand her slang. But once we agreed on what she was trying to say, we were hugging and celebrating like football fans!

That was all the cue I need to quickly reinforce her learning in school. I whipped out our dusty flip chart and picture dictionary and practiced our Chinese this morning. The school has an amazing influence on her learning. Despite her accident and injury, I am glad she likes school so far.

Family Time (Upper Peirce Reservoir & Sembawang Shopping Centre)

2010-07-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

The weekend after Sophie’s legendary fall in school. We were brutally reminded about her accident whenever we looked at her face. Of course we felt a lot of heartache but we had to pretend we were fine in front of her. It did not help when an ignorant girl pointed at her face and said, “Eee… so dirty!”, laughed and ran off behind her equally ignorant father. I was usually quite tolerant to ignorance (especially with children) but I felt very compelled to tell her off because I believed she was mean and definitely in the wrong. And I totally blamed her father for taking it lightly.

Sophie have not been making much progress on her skate scooter but Papa was ever so encouraging to her.

Papa : … steer your bike… to your left…
Sophie : Who’s on a bike?
Papa : You are on a bike…
Sophie : This’s not a bike, it’s a skate scooter!

After our morning walk at Upper Peirce Reservoir, we headed for lunch at Sembawang Shopping Centre. Usually, I would not let Sophie play at the playground but today, I was all out to make her feel good. I felt that perhaps I have not been letting her play enough so she was too eager to play in school and that resulted in accidents. Yes, I do take responsibility for her injuries. I failed to teach her proper safety procedures at the playground.

I was hoping that Papa would let her climb all the way. It would have been a great triumph for her, especially after her fall. However, I guess we were all still too affected by her accident to let her go.

In any case, I did not get to see her "bravery" at the playground today. Her teachers were telling me how relentless she was at the slide, even after her fall. However, she was very cautious and "gutless" whenever I was around. She was not like that in school. Nope! She was like a hurricane and she would not stop. Maybe she knew I do not like rough play so she was pleasing me.