Has it been easy? No, I have lost count of how many nights I went through with so little sleep and woke up feeling so exhausted the next day. I have also been blogging a little less this year, as you can probably tell. I have also stopped trying to be a supermum and when strangers on the streets praise me for being such an awesome mum, I give a weary smile and tell them that I'm just an ordinary person. Because the fact is I'm not a supermum and I can never be. I'm living each day as it passes; I shout, scream and nag more than you will ever know; I'm trying to be a better mom and I know I still have a long way to go.
In this month's "Happiness is...", I tell myself to celebrate the changes that are happening in my life right now and boy oh boy, there are indeed some major changes coming up!
First and foremost, we SOLD our house. Yes, we've met the minimum occupation period this year and have been wanting to shift to a bigger place. Truth be told, I still dream to have a place of my own, be it a HDB or any kind of house, where I can be with my kids and call it a home of my own. The thing is, the hubby's parents are dependent on us so that dream is kind of out of the question for now. The irony is that I don't even ask them to help to look after my kids because I do it all by myself, day in day out, 24/7/365. My mum-in-law works while the father-in-law goes out to look after the brother-in-law's kids every day without fail, so for now, that gives me some breathing space and privacy which I am thankful for.
Still, I have to keep on reminding myself that it's a blessing to have healthy parents and in-laws and I would want my kids to learn about filial piety by looking up to us as role models too. So, a house of my own will have to wait. Many friends applaud me for being able to live under one roof amiably with the in-laws for the past four years, and 9 out of 10 of them said they can never do it, not even for a year. It hasn't been easy on some days as we will always have different ideologies, and honestly I do miss the days in Sweden when we had our own home, but for now, we can only move forward, not look back. So, for those of you who have your own home, even if it's a small, old but cosy house for you, your spouse and your kids, cherish it.
Nonetheless, we are looking for a bigger house because 3 bedrooms are not quite adequate for 7 people, especially now that the kids are getting bigger. We are still on the hunt and waiting for our funds to come in after the sale of this current house before we buy another, so I'll be posting more updates on house moving nearer the end of the year.
It's been half a year since Ariel started going for art class and it's a relief to see that she is enjoying it and wants to continue. So, I guess we'll be sticking to our weekly trips to heART Studio for now. Secretly, I love that it gives us the motivation to go out and since our lessons end in evening, we usually dine out and that means Mummy doesn't need to cook!! Do you know how much I appreciate not having to buy groceries, cook, clean up and wash dishes? Very very much!
I've also been getting used to bringing three kids on the streets, instead of two. I bring a bulky pram when we take the MRT which can fit the two younger ones and the eldest can stand on the kiddy board - which makes everyone happy just that Mummy has to push with all her might. I use a lightweight, foldable stroller if we have less things to bring and if the girls don't need to nap. I ditch things with wheels and stick to a baby carrier when we have to take a bus. It's a big change handling three on the go, I kid you not. Suddenly, I have not enough hands to carry or hold on to everything I need to and two eyes are not enough to keep watch on all of them. One outing is enough to deplete my energy for the day, yet it gives me so much joy and encouragement too. Still, when it comes to stuff like this, practice makes perfect and we just need to find the courage and determination to keep trying.
We've also been exploring different dining options, which is easier when the hubby is not around as he tends to stick to the same places instead of trying out new ones. This month, we tried out Miam Miam, the French cafe-restaurant with a Japanese twist, and also Qi Ji where the girls decided that they love Nasi Lemak. Ariel had a Show and Tell session where she was supposed to share her favorite food and guess what, she chose Nasi Lemak over fishball noodles to my surprise, and said that the Nasi Lemak has to have a crispy chicken wing! Haha.
I have to also remind myself that I'm not the only one dealing with change, so are the kids too. While the baby boy is growing up fast and learning to explore the world, the sisters are learning to play in a group of three, to look after their baby brother and to keep one another safe and happy. Although I know I probably will have to deal with squabbles and fights for a long, long time, I'm also happy to see the love and affection that these three show for one another every single day. In fact, the girls dote on didi so super duper lots and have never even shown a tinge of jealousy despite the fact that he has 'taken over' Mama and is now the koala bear that sticks to me all day long.
So, we've kept the movie outings going ever since Asher was just 8 days old and we've kept it going all this while. For now, we still buy 3 tickets for the 5 of us but before we know it, each of us is going to require a ticket and that's why going to the movies will become quite expensive. Yes, so we're gonna cherish it as much now. A handful of friends were shocked that we brought the kids to watch Jason Bourne over the weekend, but that's how we roll - either we watch altogether or we don't get to watch at all, so the choice was easy. I always remember to teach my kids about filmmaking and how they should not pick up any violence or bad words or undesirable behavioiur from it all, so far everything has been working well for us and we always alternate between an animation/kids-friendly film and a thriller/adult-ish film. I know, not very typical of a family with young kids and babies, but that's just us.
On one Saturday, we also made our way to Universal Studios for a happy family day out, thanks to sponsored tickets from the hubby's course organisers. The baby was happy to go on the Madagascar carousel and Shrek 4-D experience while the girls went on roller coasters and boat rides. For now, it's usually quite impossible for all of us to go on the rides together since the baby is too small, but that's just another change we will have to adapt to, until the kids grow up and we can enjoy a good ride together.
As some of you know, we have also started on having oats breakfast! So far, it has worked better than I expected and I hope that we can continue to come up with creative, yummy ways to eat our oats! I'm being really selective about what blogging projects I take up this year and I really hope to continue only taking up those that truly benefit and interest us. It will be even better if it motivates us to lead a healthier lifestyle!
Talking about that, the girls and I also went for Shape Run 2016 and we ran together for a good 1.8km without stopping! You can read more about our experience here and I am so glad that it turned out to be a precious learning lesson for all of us.
Now, there were two memorable incidents from this month which amused me so much. The first was when the baby fell asleep on a high chair when he was halfway through his dinner. Like seriously? Haha. I know that the girls did it before too but to see it again before my eyes and observed how he slowly dozed off, that was really something that made me laugh and made me so thankful to have this lovely baby.
As for the girls, they found out that BOTH of them can roll their tongues now! Yes, it's something that neither the hubby nor I can do. I've always thought that it's a genetic trait till I read up and found out that environment might play a part in some cases too. Anyway, I'm going to find out if our parents can do this and will be waiting to see if Asher can too!
Dream away. Take the world by the hand. Cause tomorrow's here today!Last but not least, we went to watch our first ever National Day Parade! Okay, it was a preview but more than good enough, right? I was stoked when the Officers' Wives Club told us we could get the tickets just a week before the show and even more thrilled to know that they had arranged a sumptuous buffet dinner, complete with balloon sculpting, caricature drawing and photo booths, after the show. How nice it was to have spent that memorable evening with thousands of fellow Singaporeans, I was so touched that I actually teared when doing the Kallang Wave. I love you so much, my Singapore, my home!
So, let's embrace changes that are happening in our lives and let us all look forward to August where we celebrate our nation's 51st birthday!
