That is because weekends usually mean family time and assuming that the hubby is not away for sailing, even if he takes time off to go for his soccer game sometimes, we still have plenty of time to spend together on Saturdays and Sundays. And yup, with him not being around on most weekdays, it means a lot to the kids. And to me, of course.
So, that is why the kids do not have anything planned on weekends and I don't intend to let them take up any more enrichment classes too. We leave those two days a week free for us to do..... whatever we wanna do. It can be exploring a new playground, doing a family sport, catching a movie, going on hikes, or it could simply mean just being at home (which very rarely happens, in our case) and spending time together as one family.
In July's "Happiness is", it's about cherishing the weekends and making the most of every moment.
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We also made time to visit the hubby's alma mater for an alumni event and I must say it turned out to be more enjoyable than I expected. The girls spent a good portion of the morning looking for mimosas, watching ants and climbing the treehouse umpteen times.
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One of our biggest highlights in July is that we went for a 3D2N chalet stay! Yeap, thanks to the LTC hubby, we get to book a bungalow chalet in Seaview Resorts @ Changi, which is a three-story chalet that comes with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, a BBQ pit, a table soccer, board games, and best of all, we have our in-house KARAOKE SYSTEM that comes with many English, Mandarin and even Hokkien/Cantonese songs!
Oh, and guess what? The beach is right at our door step. Okay, I mean you have to walk on a path, open the gate and down a flight of steps but voila, you are at the beach! It felt like our own private beach and I was glad to have that moment with my kids.
It was funny that I didn't intend to let them play in the sand because we had just checked in and were gonna have dinner soon. But they asked politely and it was hard, or rather there wasn't a valid reason in my view, to reject their pleas. So while the hubby ran off to Changi Village to dabao dinner, my dad and I took the kids down to the beach where they decided to get all wet and sandy.
How long will it be before they start to get tired of the waves, before one empty bucket isn't enough to provide all the fun, or before they start to find it yucky, messy and troublesome like how some of us adults do? Well, I hope the answer is never.
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So, not only did we sing, play and eat all day and night, we also hosted a BBQ session where we invited all the family members to join in. We were surprised that even our 101-year-old grandma came over to join in and I've always been amazed by how this extended family of the hubby's is so, so closely knitted.
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We sang our hearts out, we chatted, we feasted, we played beer pong and we just caught up on each other's lives. Despite the kids and I returning late because we went to watch the NDP Preview, some of the relatives were so spontaneous that they stayed till 1:30am and guess what? My three kids were still singing, dancing and eating supper at 2am. Yesh, they did all that and instead of choosing to fight my battles that night, I joined in the fun and enjoyed what was our last night of stay.
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At the playground, I also let them try what they want do, be it climbing up ropes, running up a slide or hanging upside down from monkey bars. It's not to mean that I don't care or that I'm not watching out for any potential danger, but it does mean that I let them be adventurous, I let them fall, I let them pick themselves up, I let them learn to help one another, I let them know what it means to persevere. It's not just because I want to, but I do think I need to. To build up the grit in them, to let them know life is full of pitfalls, to make them realize that they can be strong, even without me. (Pssst, see the girls in their new Skechers shoes above too, gosh I don't believe that their feet are so big already! Soon they can wear MY shoes!)
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And indeed, it was a madly spectacular show! I was worried if the kids would be bored but no, they were just as engrossed as I was, especially when we were trying hard to spot the Red Lions (and ended up mistaking an eagle for it), when we were wowed by the commandos who walked down the aisle right beside us and 'shot' an 'armed terrorist', when we stood up to sing the national anthem and recite the pledge, and when we were mesmerised by the fireworks display. Everything just felt so good and it was like a dream come true, and I was glad to have my parents and my kids together with me.
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Nothing in this world compares
To this island where it’s home
Where we love and know we’ll never be alone
Because it’s Singapore
P.S. My kids are singing this song a dozen times a day! Yes, we are in the patriotic mood and can't wait for 9th of August to arrive!
Disclosure: Our new running shoes are kindly sponsored by Skechers for the upcoming Shape Run 2017. All opinions are my own.