Well, that's just a superficial way of saying it, I guess. In truth, it goes way deeper than that and it seems like being a mom brings about this plethora of experiences and makes me feel more emotions than I knew I had. Thankfully, most of them are positive ones and like I've said so many times before, having kids is still undeniably the best thing that happened to me.
In March's "Happiness is...", it's all about how motherhood makes me feel like a child all over again.
The March school holidays came and went in flash. I was really looking forward to it as school holidays mean we get to sleep in and wake up late, have breakfast together, go explore new places of interest and basically just spend every moment of our day together as mom and kids.
I had booked our tickets to Disney on Ice over a month ago and even though it was for the cheapest category ($25 per ticket), which by the way doesn't really matter to the kids because they were happy as long as they had the chance to go, all of us were very thrilled when the day arrived!
We don't have much costumes at home but at least we did manage to dress up the big girl as Elsa, the little one as Little Mermaid and the boy as Officer Hopps. Lol. Yup, simple but so much fun to dress up together and head out to the streets. We took the train all the way to Stadium and I must say a part of me was indeed very much looking forward to this mum-and-kids date night. It turned out to be such a blast and although the toddler did fidget aplenty and sat on my lap the whole time, the good thing was they were generally well-behaved that night (phew!) and all of us enjoyed the show pretty much.
During the holidays, I also planned a day out with my parents and the kids and took the whole gang out to Universal Studios Singapore! It's been seven long years since I last took my parents here and I still remembered how my mom was the one who was most enthusiastic about taking the Battlestar Galatica Cylon ride and she and my Dad took the first row seats. Yup, guess I don't have to wonder why my girls are so bold and fearless when it comes to rides!
I was so happy that my parents got the chance to try out the Transformers ride, Puss in Boots, Enchanted Airways, Sesame Space Chaser, Canopy Flyer, Jurassic Rapids and many more. We also took the front row 'SOAK ZONE' seats at Water World, much to my parents' horror, haha, but all of us did it and got drenched together. That's the whole fun of it, right? Thanks for being so spontaneous, Papa and Mama!
Spending time in theme parks with the kids always makes me feel like young again because not only do I get to go on kiddy carousels, flying dinosaurs and boat rides, I also get the chance to relish the thrill of going on roller coasters. This time, for the first time ever, the big girl and I went on The Mummy Ride, Battlestar Galatica Cylon and Batterstar Galatica Human. ALL on first row seats. Yup, my little daredevil has no fear of roller coasters though she is scared of the dark. It was such an awesome experience spending some much needed one-on-one time with her and I'm glad we screamed our hearts out together!
Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street...
My kids don't really know Big Bird, Elmo or Ernie but I remember that I used to watch plenty of Sesame Street when I was a child. So, it was a nice opportunity for me to let them get acquainted with these characters at the Sesame Street carnival in Changi Airport. My hubby was so surprised that I could spend the entire day in the airport with the kids, a total of over 8 hours!
I didn't put any of them in Smaland but instead, we explored every corner and tested out the furniture together. Yup, basically they see IKEA as this giant playground and can find endless things to play with. We can never resist the temptation of the $0.50 cents soft serve and I love the feeling of eating ice cream together with my little ice cream lovers.
Last but not least, we visited LEGOLAND Malaysia over the long Easter weekend and even though it took us over six hours to travel across the causeway (yes, you read right), the kids had such a blast as usual and this remains as one of their favorite holiday destinations. I was stoked that I got to go on a handful of rides with just the girls only (yes, girl power!) and this Aqua Racer - where we raced down the tunnels and slides superman style - was one of our ultimate favourites! I screamed in joy and thoroughly enjoyed that adrenaline rush while knowing that my princesses were beside me enjoying themselves to the max too.
Talking about milestone, the boy had his too when he went on Beetle Bounce with us for the first time. He was bawling at the start and insisted on sitting on my lap but once we went higher and higher and began to bounce, he couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear too. Awww. this boy just needs plenty of love, assurance and tender loving care from Mama before he dares to try anything new. I'm so glad you did it eventually and enjoyed it, my dear!
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You know, being a mom also makes me feel like a child in the sense that I'm learning every step of the way. I learn to control my temper, I learn to have more patience, I learn what works and what doesn't, I make mistakes, fall and pick myself up, I try to become better and wiser over time. It's definitely not easy and some days will just be harder than the rest, but every bit of effort will be well worth its while.
Yup, emo mama getting emo again. In a few days' time, I'll be turning 35 so let's see if I am able to pen out my thoughts then. Till the next "Happiness is..." post!