Thursday, December 31, 2009

Christmas in Phuket 2009

We have never been fond of going on vacations during the Christmas period, preferring a quiet family affair. But for a change, we decided to take off to Phuket for a 8-days vacation to spend Christmas this year with family members living in Thailand. Besides, we can't go wrong with plenty of sun, sand, sea, spa and seafood. 

While the boys were spending hours by the beach, digging away making their 'volcanoes' and collecting their holiday mementos (in the form of seashells and rocks), I was being pampered at my favorite place - spa at the Banyan Tree - my version of what Nirvana should be.

After those nimble and yet gentle fingers had worked their magic on me, my skin glowed and my mood soared a new high.

The rest of the holiday was filled with plenty more highlights from feasts and parties to adventurous day trips.

Spending Christmas with Aunt H and Uncle E was just fabulous, especially for the kids. The duo showered love and attention generously on the kiddos throughout the period they were with us. They lugged along a mountain of thoughtfully selected presents in their travelling bags for all of us.

Christmas Day was spent riding elephants and watching animals in the zoo before we feasted on another magnificent spread at the Sheraton Grande Laguna, completed with champagne and wines.


Marcus was quite stunned by this stunt.


The boys' first elephant ride.

On Boxing Day, we did the unusual (for our family anyway) and went for a full-day trip on the Andaman Sea that included visiting the Phang Nga Bay, the famous James Bond Island and Hong Island, sea caves and plenty of canoeing.



That was where I had my first close encounter with stalactites and stalagmites. Just amazing!

I had psyched myself up for bats flying above my head before we reached those caves, so I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted instead, by numerous sightings of orange jellyfish and walking fish - the Mudskipper! It was real nice that the kids have the chance to observe these creatures up close.

Though it was tiring, the day trip totally surpassed my expectations and was certainly one of the highlights of this year-end vacation. The remaining days were spent pretty much lazing by the pool and catching up on my reading before we bade Phuket farewell. Marcus had so much fun that he actually shed buckets of tears and was unconsolable for a while on the day of departure.

Back to Singapore, we gathered my family for the best get-together this year - plenty of food, laughter, jokes and family bonding, just before the Countdown.

2009 has been a marvelous year for our family in all aspects.

We are very thankful and are looking forward to another great year!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

School Holidays Roundup 2009

As usual, the boys' school holiday is filled with plenty of indoor and outdoor play.

On days when we were not out and about, they played at home from morning to night. Never bored, never out of ideas of what to do. They are incredibly imaginative, more so than I ever was at that age.

They moved around some furniture and with the help of some lids and boxes, transformed a corner of the living room into their spaceship and ventured into space.

They made a tent on one of their beds with their blankets and pillows and hid inside with a torchlight. I could hear them pretending to be hiding from monsters and witches and their discussion of their escape plans.

They had their fair share of quiet playing time, either alongside or collaboratively.





They did their usual drawing and crafts and reading. And we did an average of 3 hours of lapbooking-related activities a week, mostly in periods of 30 to 45 minutes each time.

Though it wasn't the plan, the kids spent a tad too much time in indoor playgrounds - such as the Fidgets, Atlantic City, JWT, Forum Hip Kids Zone and Safra - up to 4 times a week in some weeks. That's a whopping 8 hrs of tumbling, running and climbing on those padded grounds.







(Above: at Fidgets)

So to make up for it all, we headed to Phuket for a 8 days trip and got back on the 28th! 

Not bad to balance it all up with plenty of Sun, Sand, Sea and Spa! Ok, the spa was for me. But the boys still had fun with the first 3 S's. More on the trip here

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

This Is Our World - in Young Parents magazine




Our World. My World. has made it to the newstands!   *big grin* 







A big 'Hi' to you if this is the first time you are coming to this blog. 

Thank you so much to those who have emailed me through The Tots University. I am so touched by your generous and encouraging comments. 

This is indeed a beautiful Christmas present for the family and we are grateful for it. 

It all got started when Tracy, a writer with the Young Parents magazine, interviewed me in September about my blogs and my views as a parent on education and teaching kids. Throughout the process, Tracy was very kind and pleasant and I am very appreciative of her positive take on my blogs. 

So if you like to read about it, the article is in the Young Parents January 2010 issue, pages 50 to 54. 

The interview itself was pretty straightforward and routine and it didn't involve the kids. So we were all looking forward to the photo-shoot, which came complete with a makeup artist, hairstylist and fancy wardrobe. 

Overall, it was a fun experience for all of us.

The kids were dressed in really cute little Gap outfits. We were a little concerned at first that they would be fussy about what they had to wear, but as it turned out, they were happy to put on what they were provided.

But instead, they were a wee bit hassled with the attention paid to their hair, especially Marcus, who kept tugging and rubbing his head of lightly (and beautifully) gelled hair and grumbling that he didn't like his hair like this. But I love it - I thought he looked so adorable with his hair done that way. 

Chipsy, on the other hand, was so comfortable with the fussing over him and was making lots of faces and roaring at everyone, in his small attempts to impress those around. 

This was what I was dressed in - a gorgeous skirt that sweeps the floor paired with a beautiful red blouse. Luckily I wore my 3 inches heel that day. 

Here I was trying to cheer Marcus up and telling him how charming his hair was. 

They took lots of photos of us in the brief span of time, all the while experimenting to find the 'right' look. 

First, I was there with my hair down and no accessories, other than my own pearl earrings. 

Then it was decided that I needed to be dressed up a bit with more accessories. 

A few more shots and they thought my hair should be tied up. 


When they thought that the mummy finally looks about right, the kids decided they didn't want to cooperate anymore. Oops... 

Fortunately, the professionals in the room were really good with the boys. They cajoled them for a roar, a smile and some cheeky gestures and the kiddos went along. 

I saw some really pretty photos taken of us all but it is a pity that we could not have any copies of them. All these photos in this post were taken by E who accompanied us. 

Well, it was a fantastic experience on the whole for the family. The boys were quite amused to see their photos in the magazine today. This will be a fabulous keepsake. 

So thank you to the Young Parents team. :> 

A Flower For You



M had the idea of making a flower for the birthday girl X (a classmate of his). So we rummaged through my craft bag for inspiration. His little face lit up when he saw this bag of 'jewels' from ELC and decided instantly that they would be perfect. 

It is always lovely to see him patiently select the 'right' pieces and arranged them before carefully sticking each onto the card. 

I love the finished card so much that part of me wanted to be selfish and persuade him to make another card, maybe something simpler for X, so that mummy can keep this. But of course I didn't. I took a photo and typed a blog post to remember this. :>

Monday, December 28, 2009

Craft: Making Coconut Tree with Recycled Materials

Instead of throwing out the ridges of some paper plates I used for crafts recently, I thought I should save them in my craft bag, just in case they become useful one day. I do hate wastages, even if they are just some insignificant pieces of scraps.

So when M decided he wanted to make a coconut tree (again), he looked in the bag and found something useful - those white paper plate ridges! 

After painting them green, he drew and colored the rest of the tree with oil pastels. 

Then we searched around the house for something brown and we found a free KFC brochure which he happily cut up.


I can't be happier with the end result. *smile*

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Christmasy Crafts

The boys have been really busy this month making numerous crafts for the festive season. Mostly cards for family. Some were posted before we remembered to take photos.

Here are the rest.

Above: done by the 5 y.o. Top 2 were his ideas from the designs to the types of materials he would use. He was really incredibly patient - worked 3 hours on 4 cards (2 of them are not here).

A week later, he wanted to make a card with Santa and another tree. So we brainstormed the ideas and he settled for these.

The 3 y.o. wanted to make a snowman. So instead of cutting circles from white paper, I asked him to paint 3 white circles, then we cut them out and pasted onto colored paper. Extra step = more work = more fun! :>



Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Xmas 2009



Here are the little ones wishing everybody a very Merry Christmas

There is a heap of presents under the Christmas tree and we are all itching to open them.
And I am so looking forward to our giant Christmas feast tonight. 

More later. Stay tuned! 

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Leisure Time. My Way.

10 movies in a month! In the month of Nov '09 that is.

That's a new record for me and I am so pleased.

Not too bad at all, since I could enjoy them with a glass of red, in the comfort of home.

While I enjoy chick flicks and comedies, I still favour films which have some intense, thought-provoking themes and good plots. So this round, I have picked movies that I have been yearning to watch but unable to at the time of screening.

Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Tuesdays With Morrie made me cry buckets, and perhaps that is why I love them. The issues addressed in the films are intense and I love the way the characters' emotions are portrayed.

Though I read the book on the latter 6 to 8 years ago, it is still interesting to watch it after all these years. I also appreciate it differently now that I am more mature and at a different stage of life. Having kids do change our perspectives of life tremendously.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Craft: Torn Paper Shark Collage



Done by Chipsy a few weeks ago. 

He wanted to make a shark collage, but couldn't draw the shark. So I did a quick drawing and instructed him to tear the strips of papers I had, bringing his attention to the pointed corners that he needed to cover. Then I left him to work on it for about 20 min.

I think he did well for a 3 years old. Almost all white spaces are covered neatly, with very little overlapping and the narrow corners (like the fins) are surprisingly well covered with little triangular pieces that he carefully tore. 

Sunday, December 20, 2009

School Concert 2009

Very belated post.

The boys were part of the school concert that took place in end Oct.  

E got them to pose for photos before heading to school and they couldn't pose without making some monster faces. Haha!






Saturday, December 19, 2009

Lego Contraption: Part of Polar Express and a Mighty Plane


Above: He is so into making movable parts. This one is part of the Polar Express. E thinks that in another few months, the boy will be ready for the more advanced type of Lego. 

These few photos are of the Lego plane he made a few weeks ago. No instruction manual. Just his own designs. 

As always, he would look into the mega box that contains all the pieces we have accumulated from the 8 to 10 giant boxes of Lego and patiently and painstakingly pick out one at a time to build onto a base or structure that he has created. 

He was so proud of it and played with it all day.





Friday, December 18, 2009

Gesture of Thanks Goes a Long Way



I placed this card on the top of my TV where we commonly place all the new cards that we receive. 

Everyday when I walk past it, it reminds me and brings a smile to my face. A daily appreciation for the kind words and encouraging support from J. Thank you. :> 

It is also a good reminder of how a simple thought and nice gesture of a thank you card can bring so much appreciation to the recipient. 

I should write more thank you notes myself to those who have been kind, helpful, generous and supportive from now on. 

Thursday, December 17, 2009

The Eternal Dilemma of SOME Parents

When parents choose not to be concerned with the academic standards of their preschoolers, it would seem reasonable to expect them to be the least affected when their kids are streamed into mixed or low abilities classes in Primary schools.

However, this is often NOT the case. Read here for details.

If a parent decides, for whatever reasons, that it is perfectly OKAY for his child not to learn much in his preschool years, then he should be prepared that his child will meet kids in primary school who are more advanced academically. 

Is it unfair to differentiate a fast learner from a slower peer at this age? 

In today's education system and the world our kids live in, it isn't. It is the smart thing to do. In fact, I think it should be something that ALL primary schools do. Perhaps the differentiation should begin even earlier as explained by this expert.

If a school can differentiate the fast learners (let's say those who have a good foundation in their Maths and English) right at the beginning, from those who are still grappling with their alphabet, reading and counting, then the teachers can be more effective in delivering lessons to both groups. 

So whenever I hear or read (from blogs of) people's negative comments on parents who are too anxious over their preschoolers' education, I just smile at their obvious ignorance. 

Perhaps these parents aren't aware of the reality: what's expected of our 7-year-old newbies when they enter Primary schools. Perhaps they know, but are in denial!

Whatever the reasons, their kids are the ones who will pay the price later if they can't catch up with their peers - either by being burdened with tuition classes on top of their already crazy workload and/or have their self-esteem and confidence take a serious beating. 

The ironic thing is this very same camp who feels so strongly about NOT pushing their kids academically at an early age (or 'hothousing' or whatever terms they use), may most likely be upset with the schools' effort to group slower learners together and view such moves as demoralizing and detrimental to the child's growth.

Whether they approve or not, kids will end up being grouped one way or another by abilities. Even if we pick a Primary school that does not stream at lower Primary levels, kids will still be streamed later. The Primary 6 PSLE is a national streaming exercise, with consequences that may affect a child's life for years.










Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Finding the Joy Again

M is still taking his piano lessons, but I have not been sitting in with him for a while now. Because of that, I am unaware of his progress and what he's doing in class. We lost some time during the July/August holidays and when he returned, M was reluctant to practise. He was more interested to compose his own music and playing the pieces for us. 

His piano teacher is very encouraging when she chanced upon his music compositions a few months ago. She kept telling us that it is unusual for a 5 y.o. to be so keen in composing and it is a good development.

She has encouraged him to continue with his passion and play it for her every week. Perhaps as a result, it has revived his interest and he is more willing to practise the pieces she teaches on his own. 

Recently, he has been improvising when he plays pieces from memory. And this is according to E (who has been playing guitar for 22 years) who understands music. I don't understand, so I can't elaborate. But I was told it is progress. 

Here are a few pieces of what he has been composing. Though I am not sure if it makes sense. Perhaps not at all. But who cares if the teacher thinks it is great! :> 






Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Monsters, Dinosaurs and All That Bite


Above two pieces were drawn by my 3 years old in a matter of just a few minutes! They are definitely my favourite pieces, so far. 

He said one is an Ulto-Spider (he came up with this name) and the other is an angry robot. He has since spun a whole impressive storyline around the incredibly scary and immensely powerful Ulto-Spider, adding a new 'chapter' daily. It is pretty obvious he is deeply inspired by his big brother. :D  

Above: Can't remember the name of this one now. But I love the details. 

Skeleton of A-Crane-Bottem-Saurus.. The name makes me smile. I think he was intending for it to be named 'a-crane-bottom' referring to the rear end. :P 



M is always asking me to pronounce the name which he can easily blurt out without pausing. At one point, he was so excited about this dino that grows its own pea plant and harvests the peas for its own consumption, that he insisted on writing a mini-book about it, so other children can also read about this amazing creature. But he soon gave up when he realised there are too many other things that he also wants to draw and write about. 

Monday, December 14, 2009

Chinese Should Learn Chinese

I have been following the recent articles online since MM Lee's comments on the way Chinese was taught in the past decades. 

While it is likely that my own children may be stronger in English than Chinese, not once did I wish that the Chinese standards be set lower or that the weightage for the Chinese subject be adjusted lower in the PSLE exams when my sons sit for their exams. 

Of course, time is on our side. My kids are only 3 and 5 now, so I am hoping that if we get their language foundation right, they will be effectively bilingual in time for Primary school. We have done it for their English and I just don't see why we can't repeat with Chinese. It is always a matter of having the right attitude and willingness to put in the effort. 

Even if they do struggle in Chinese in future, I will insist that we (read: mummy and kids) work harder on this language (and subject) and never give up on it. 

Learning the Chinese language is paramount, not just for the economic value of it all. But hey, we are Chinese. We must know our language, which is really the key to understanding and appreciating our culture. 

It would be such a shame to grow up not knowing our roots and to view speaking Mandarin as a chore instead of a source of pride.

I am optimistic that with some determination and perspiration, my boys will love learning and speaking this language as much as they love English. 

Already, my 5 y.o. is enjoying making his little conquests in Mandarin with me - our baby steps to fluency. He may not be fluent enough just yet, but probably already on par with many of his peers. And this is good enough. For now at least. 

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Baby Owl's Love Letter

One morning after breakfast, I noticed this paper on one of our walls.

Unedited. Written by M in September 2009.



It was during the period when he would fuss and grumble about bedtime.
Actually he still does. 

But aww....I  love that boy! 

Friday, December 11, 2009

Piece by Piece



From the 20 pieces Big Digger and Fire Engine puzzles to the 36 pcs Goodnight Moon one, this boy just can't get enough of them. He can piece them together in under 5 min now.

My favourites are the 37 pcs When I Grow Up set and the 45 pcs Giant Farm talkabout puzzle and I love to watch him play with these. 

How can I not be delighted when he jumps up and down shouting 'Mama look! I did it! I did it all by myself!'? 

Such is the kind of joy that only a parent can appreciate. :> 

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Twirls and Swirls



'What can I do with the brush? Hmm... '  thinking out loud. 

Then the 3 y.o. just grabbed a paper and went to work. :> 

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