I love the March holidays even though it only lasts a week. I mean, a week is not that short too and it is a much appreciated and well-deserved break from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
Even though it is technically for the kids to take a break from school and from the endless homework, I think I look forward to it as much as they do because I truly enjoy having all the kids at home, of knowing that we can switch off our early morning alarms for the time being and having the freedom to do what we want every single day.
I think that is also why I love weekends so much because I see every weekend as a retreat and an opportunity for me to get away from the mundane chores and mom duties. It helps that the hubby is home on weekends because that is when I feel like I can finally take a break, sleep in more and not feel guilty about not cooking but instead let him take over the reins in the kitchen or just eat takeaways.
In this post of "Happiness is...", it's about enjoying getaways and every opportunity that the family gets to spend together.
River Wonders is one of our favorite places to visit even on rainy days as the place is mostly sheltered. It doesn't matter that we've been here umpteen times already, the kids still find every visit fun and interesting as they get to admire the beautiful animals and get up close with nature. We love seeing Kai Kai, Jia Jia and Le Le too and the kids love going on the Amazon Rainforest boat ride. Well, Ansel can't go on that yet so he had to stay with the hubby and the eldest chose to give it a miss too. So sometimes we do have to split up in order for everyone to have fun and the good thing about having a big family in even numbers is that there are quite a few permutations and different ways for us to do so. Haha.
Some of this toddler's milestones include going on rides like the City Airport, Beetle Bounce and Junior Driving School for the first time ever. Yup, he has grown taller and passed the minimum height limit since our last visit and now qualifies for more rides. I was full of excitement and even hysterical when he went into the car himself and kept telling him to step on the pedal, keep his foot there and turn at the bends. He didn't quite manage to do everything but considering it was his maiden attempt, I think he did very well and was a brave little boy.
He laughed so much on Beetle Bounce which reminded me of how Asher laughed and cried on his first try. Haha. Well, Ansel loved it and wasn't scared at all and you should see how wide open his mouth was and how loud he was. It just made all of happy to see and hear him like that and I would never get tired of accompanying my kids on such rides as long as they still want to do it.
This time round, we stayed at an apartment because the cost is just too much different from staying in the hotel. We paid for around S$80 per night for this 3-bedroom apartment which comes equipped with a kitchen so we could make our own breakfasts every day and we even cooked dinner on one of the nights too. Yup, it just makes more sense to stay in apartments when you have a big family. I love how cosy everything was too and we always make it a point to have movie nights on our overseas trips. The playground downstairs was a bonus and kept the kids happy every morning.
Since the hubby was nursing an injured knee, that meant I was the one to accompany the older kids on the rides and despite the long queues, we still had a blast and enjoyed every ride. It's funny that Asher and I are always the ones screaming the loudest while the girls just choose to be cool or laugh it off. Haha.
It's also nice seeing the kids grow up together and even though bickers are still inevitable and will probably always be so, their love for one another is plain to see despite the differences in age. Siblings are one of the best gifts I have given to them and hopefully one day they will realize this too. I love seeing how they shared two Paddle Pop ice creams among themselves - 你一口，我一口 - and it is my dream that they will always appreciate the simple joys in their lives.
The boys also love the kiddy car rides at AEON Mall which the girls have already outgrown but they still like using the remote control to help the little one navigate his way around. You know, just a few years more and all my kids would have outgrown such rides and I'm not sure how I would feel then. I know I will definitely miss having the younger them around and still be able to lift them up, hug them to sleep or kiss them every night. These are the perks of being a mom that I don't wish to take granted and that is why I hold Ansel close to me every day while he is still tiny.
I have kind of made peace with it and instead of lamenting on lost opportunities, I cherish what we still get and for those that we don't but I know that the kids will enjoy, we pay for them from our own pockets and find a way that works for us. For instance, for Disney Magic on Ice, I made use of a bank promotion and booked for us tickets in one of the lower categories so that we can still go as a family. It is always a fun performance to watch because of how we can relate to every story and we love seeing the grace of the skaters as they glide on the slippery ice.
We also went on mini carnival rides at the Rilakkuma Holiday and even though it was more meant for younger kids like Ansel, the rest still accompanied him so that he wouldn't be lonely and having him with them meant they could still find a reason to enjoy kiddy rides, haha. Yes, dear baby, you are so blessed to have three elder siblings who dote on you so much and can't get enough of being with you.
After every retreat, it's still an awesome feeling to be home because that is still the best place to be. Never mind the constant mess with toys strewn all over, the never ending piles of laundry and just lots of things scattered here and there. Having a mess of toys in the living room means that the kids are playing together instead of being glued to their own devices and staying cooped in their bedroom, right? Yup, I choose to see the positive side of things and be grateful for what we have. We play together, sing together, watch movies together, dance together, eat together, do chores together, laze together, read together and just grow up - for me, it's grow old - together.