I heaved a huge sigh of relief on 6th October which was the last day of the big girl's PSLE. Yup, it hasn't been easy for her to overcome this major hurdle during a pandemic year packed with confusion, chaos and ever-changing rules. Thankfully, we rode it out and made it to this day and it was a load off my shoulders. The little sister also finished her year end exams which have become non-weighted due to the disruptions to learning all year round. Phew. I am just glad to see that she is looking to entering upper Primary with a positive learning attitude and that her teachers have nothing but praise for her.
As for the boy who is turning six this year end, he has been busy rehearsing for his year end graduation concert! Yes, his school has planned for a mini concert for parents of K2 students and we are very excited about that. It's such a big milestone for him and I still find it hard to believe that he will be starting his Primary school journey in a couple of months. Wow, where has all the time gone?
In this post of "Happiness is...", it's about celebrating the small victories every now and then because more often than not, they lead to something bigger, teach us to appreciate the simple things around us and fill our lives with love, joy and hope.
Children's Day this year was a fun-filled one and I brought the kids to watch Boss Baby: Family Business which turned out to be a highly enjoyable and meaningful show, then we went to the arcade, ate Mos Burger and shopped at Spotlight.
For their gifts, you know how I always emphasize on doing something handmade, right? This year, I made personalised friendship bands to thank them for letting me be their BFF. Hee. The bands might be nothing fanciful but every knot symbolised my love for them and the kids were very touched and thrilled to receive them. See? They decided to wear them out that very day!
We received quite a few food deliveries from kind friends during the PSLE period and every of them was deeply appreciated. Angel felt so loved and was grateful for all the surprises. Thank you all so much for your encouragement, for making our day and for filling our tummies with yummy food!
See how happy these kids were to do a catwalk before we left. Our first modelesque shot in this classic backdrop. Left is their poses shot, right is their true colours. Haha.
Who says picnics have to take place outdoor? We have been loving our indoor picnics and the kids were very thrilled when McDonald's meals arrived at our doorstep. We don't eat fast food that often but once or twice a month, they are over the moon when we get to indulge. These are the fond memories of growing up that will be etched in their minds, right?
Other than picnics, I also hope that they will remember how Papa and Mama try our best to let them have home cooked meals too. They requested for rosti one day and I took the time to make it, knowing that it would make them happy. I'm very thankful when they gobbled down the food I cook with smiles on their faces because it just makes everything worthwhile. Having a happy, home cooked meal always makes me feel triumphant because it's really not easy doing it now that we have a baby to look after.
I remember my post PSLE days were filled with lots of games, fun, playing and doing anything I wanted to. It was a period of relief, celebration and happiness for every Primary 6 kid. So I am just glad to let the big girl enjoy her freedom too!
Besides going out with her good friends on dates (without parents hovering around) a few times, she also finally received a mobile phone on the last day of October. I will be sharing more on how we tackle this issue when I can so stay tuned on that. So far, she has been a gem who doesn't use her phone for more than 30 minutes a day and she hasn't thrown tantrums over it.
There are the good and bad days in parenting and there are the moments that melt my heart. The kids might find me naggy because I can repeat the same thing a thousand times but I'm always glad to see that some of the values I try to instill in them have succeeded to a certain extent.
The little girl wrote this one day and showed me. Yup, 知足常乐 is my motto in life and I always remind myself to cherish what I have and count my blessings instead of wishing for what I don't. It's so nice to know that she understands it too, to be contented is truly bliss, my girl.
As for the big girl, she might be having her PSLE but she didn't forget to write a letter of encouragement to the little sister when it was her oral exams. Awww, those few lines of words spoke volumes of love. Thank you for being so sweet, dear Angel!
We have been spending time outdoor as a family and that includes going to the beach which we haven't done so in a while. The older kids went hunting for sea creatures with Papa while the younger ones and I played bubbles. It was such a simple day yet everyone was happy just to be able to get a breath of fresh air.
The kids and I spent a day at Plaza Singapura and after playing at the arcade, we exchanged our e-tickets for candies and small toys, something which always excites them. Before we left the mall and headed to take the MRT home, they went on a kiddy ride and it was nice to see how they still enjoyed it greatly and the girls were happy to accompany the younger ones.
An incident happened and that was when we were in the train, the boy realised to his dismay that he had left his new toy truck - one that we just received at the arcade - on the kiddy ride car! Oh dear. At that time, I was breastfeeding the baby who was falling asleep and logic told me to just forget about the truck and let the boy learn a lesson for not being careful.
But a part of me said otherwise and I listened to this other voice because at the next stop, I told the kids to alight the train and said "Let's go back to try and find it!" Well, hope might be slim but at least there was still hope, right? I told the boy if we couldn't retrieve it, then at least we had tried. So we took the train back to Dhoby Ghaut and lo and behold, after tracing our steps back to the kiddy car, we actually found it still in one piece waiting for us to pick it up! Woohoo!
The boy was so happy and thought Mama was wonderful for being willing to go through all that trouble for one small cheap truck. Well, I didn't do it for the truck my dear. I did it for you.
We had a belated birthday celebration for my Dad and it was nice to be able to catch up and let the kids spend time with them. This year has been hard for everyone, especially for my mom ever since Popo passed away, and I remind myself to spend more time with them and cherish all these moments while I still can. Family is everything, right?
I know many of you love seeing Ansel's updates so here you go! This boy has sprouted his first two front teeth and his hair is getting really long these days. He gave me a love bite because he just loves to suck and bite everything he sees and he made us laugh out loud whenever he went into a food coma and fell asleep while eating.
He can now pull himself to stand, loves riding on the toy car and laughs at the tiniest things which makes me laugh too. He is my constant reminder that life is simple and that we shouldn't try to complicate it and that joy can be found all around us if only we let ourselves see and feel it.
Being a mom of four has been nothing short of awesome and the best part is seeing how the kids bond, play and cheer each other up. Sure, they might bicker and argue every single day but their love for each other is plain to see. It might sound morbid but seeing them together makes me less worried about having to leave them one day because, well, at the very least, they will still have each other.
For now, I am enjoying having a messy and chaotic house which barely has any peaceful moments. To be able to have four kids and stay home with them to watch them grow, that is my dream and my calling in life. No aspiration? Well, to be frank, I actually don't think many people can do this! So yup, stay-at-home mums, you all have my respect too!
Outdoor time is crucial in our family life and I'm glad our weekends have started to become more normal again. We visited Gardens by the Bay twice and had a picnic while admiring the beauty of the Supertrees. Well, it isn't as easy as it looks sometimes because we have a baby who crawls around, tugs and bites at everything he sees and devours everything in his path. Still, as long as we are together as family, that is all that matters, right?
The only annual pass we own is the Friends of Wildlife membership and we finally renewed it again so that we can bring the kids to visit animals, something that always thrills them! A trip to any of the four parks is always a fun one and I don't think we will ever get tired of this.
At River Wonders, I was happy to go on the Amazon River Quest with the three older kids while the hubby took the baby. Woohoo! It was worth the wait and I hope these kids will know that despite the fact that I had to look after the baby 24/7, I am still the fun-loving mom who likes an adventure, who can let her hair down and put her hands up, who loves them all to them moon and back.
How do you like our latest family portrait? This was taken during Asher's graduation shoot and I was glad we did it together. See, even the baby was smiling at the camera, yay! I still call this big boy my baby sometimes and it's hard to believe that he is entering Primary school in a couple of months' time. Time flies too fast when you are a mom and it's true that the years are really short.
To end off the month of October, we had our long-awaited Halloween party which was themed Back to School! If you have not read about it or watched our video, go here. It was a night of fun, celebration, party and priceless memories. I consider it a huge victory in my book because I managed to pull it off while having a baby stuck with me during the party planning, yay! It was one of the nights that the kids would remember for many years to come and I hope it brings back fond memories every time we reminisce.
So that marks the end of a busy but memorable month of October. Is it just me or did 2021 just fly past? I mean, my baby is turning one year old yet it seemed like I just gave birth, didn't I?
Till more updates soon, enjoy the festive month and have a great new year countdown, people!