And I don't just mean the four of us. I mean getting together with our parents, grandparents, siblings and the extended family. You know, these are the people who matter but also the ones whom we tend to neglect when we are so caught up with our busy lives.
In the month of June, we managed to squeeze out some fun, happy time to bond as a family and here's what we did.
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We whisked the kids away for a short weekend getaway to Hong Kong. The highlight of the trip was our Disneyland experience which you can read all about it here. But other than that, we also had fun meeting up with our friends, eating dim sum, shopping, laughing, playing, chatting and basically just unwinding and being thankful for a good break.
Ever since I moved out of my house to stay in hall back in NTU, and then subsequently got married, I've always tried to find time on weekends to meet up with my parents. Nowadays, we would either eat out, have steamboat at my mum's house, or go to my brother's house (which is where our Canon TVC is filmed!) to have a good time bonding and catching up.Recently, we had a great time playing with the Xbox Kinetic at my brother's place and look, the three girls had a blast dancing away! Seriously, even the 18-month-old was doing everything the big sister and cousin did, including their own hip hop ground moves, which deeply fascinated my grandma, my parents and myself.
The same day evening, my grandma was feeling game for a night outing, so we couldn't possibly say "No" to a 80-year-old who showed signs that she was feeling all alone in the world. We decided to bring her to East Coast Park where we had dinner at the food center followed by a fishy adventure. Yup, we let my parents try out the fish spa - the same one that made me shriek like mad - for the first time. 
Grandma was just happy to be with the kids, watch my mom getting tickled by fishes, and a simple act of feeding the koi had the power to make her laugh. I always say that it is not hard to make kids happy. But that night, I realised that it didn't take much to make the elderly happy too. They just need the same as what kids need from us - time and love.
On the topic of elderly, the hubby's beloved grandma turned a whopping 98 years old this month! Yes, 98! We had a family celebration for her where everyone came together to eat, drink, laugh and be merry. It was heartwarming to see that she was still strong enough to feed herself and guess what, she could blow out her own candles! Ah ma, steady la!
The sweet hubby also took leave and brought us to Universal Studios on a Monday. We got to enjoy the tickets at half price because of some navy officers package and I was glad he took it up as the kids totally enjoyed every moment. It was the very next day after we returned from Hong Kong and we were back at midnight due to a flight delay, but hey, they are our kids and energy is something that runs high in our family.
Last but not least, we also became Friends of the Night Safari last night. Yup, we just decided to take it up so that we can visit the park anytime without needing to beat the crowd or feeling like we have to arrive early and stay late to make the most of our money.I like to think it as a good thing that both my kids totally love animals and being near to them makes them so delighted. While I used to be afraid of walking into the mangrove walk with free-flying Malayan Bats, would hide behind the hubby and jump at the slightest movement, I now walk into it with confidence, poise and joy. Yes, just one of the good things my kids do to me. Happy 20th anniversary, Night Safari!
Let's all remember to find time for the people we love and not be too caught up in our own. It's one of those things that might end up as one of our biggest regrets and I really wish to live a life with no regrets.How was June like for you?
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<a href="http://www.ahappymum.com/search/label/Happiness%20and%20hope"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-g3Umfs0DomU/USuRpH5q5LI/AAAAAAAAOso/C6X-Qart_m8/s150/Happiness+is+button2.jpg" alt="new button" width="125" height="125" /></a>What are you HAPPY for this month?
Happy memories have a special way of touching our hearts every time we think about them. Join in my linky party at the end of every month and let us smile, rejoice and share the simple joys of life. Highlight and press Ctrl + C to copy my button above, include it in your post/sidebar and add your link below. For happiness is all around us.
