The first 成语 that I taught my kids when they were young was 知足常乐 and it's still something that I emphasize to them from time to time. It means to be contented is bliss and as long as you rid your heart of desires and learn to cherish what you already have - which is usually more than enough - joy will come to you naturally. It's so important for them to understand that from a tender age and even more important for me to remind myself of that as I age over the years.
Our month of July was a fairly straightforward one. We stayed away from crowded places, we had a relaxed one week school term break, we abstained from gatherings though we did meet up with our parents, we cooked and ate at home most of the time, we kept away from tourist attractions though the kids have been wanting to visit the zoo, we had many simple days yet these still warmed our hearts and made us smile because we knew we had all that we needed. In this post of "Happiness is...", it's about seeing the beauty of simplicity.
You know, I stayed in a 3-room HDB flat for over two decades of my life but it had always been more than enough for me. It was not space, belongings or luxuries that mattered to me; it was always about cherishing family ties and being happy to have a place to call home. Now that we have a place of our own, every visit to my parents is something I deeply appreciate and somehow, eating the homecooked food my Dad and Mum whip up always brings back fond memories of childhood.
We don't opt for fanciful meals and since young, my mom has kept her dishes simple and fuss free. Yet there's this taste of home that can't be replicated elsewhere. It's something I wish to do for my kids too and that is why I still make myself cook nearly every day even though I admit I don't have a passion for it. 家还是最温暖的, don't you agree?
These were some of the dishes I cooked last month and to be honest, I find myself repeating the same dish quite frequently. Haha. Unlike the chef hubby who is creative and adventurous when he is in the kitchen, I am the boring one who usually sticks to the same few recipes and it's once in a blue moon that I would search for a new one and create something totally new. Yup, maybe it's a fear of the unknown or that I don't like to complicate things or maybe I'm just too lazy. Haha.
Luckily, the kids have never once complained about my simple cooking and instead, they are just happy to get to eat homecooked food and that is a huge relief for me. Phew! Mealtimes are always happy times for us, how about you? It's an opportunity for the kids to tell me about their day, for us to open our hearts and share stories, and for me to understand them a little better. Yup, mealtimes also means screen-free time in our home which means no phone, no TV, no computers. Just us, the food, and lots of family love.
We have been traveling on public transport even though we still keep away from peak periods because we don't want to end up in a crowded MRT train. Usually, we'll try to find a corner so we can keep a safe distance away from others. These three are so loud when they talk and play games so it's good too in case they disturb the other commuters.
They always ask me why nine out 10 people are looking at their phones and honestly, it can be a disturbing trend. Yet I know it's something most of us are guilty of and something I might not be able to prevent my kids from doing in future too.
But for now, I'm just happy to see them talking, playing scissors paper stone or their favorite game called 'heart attack' because at least they are looking at each other and interacting with each other. It's also fond memories like this which I hope will be etched in their hearts as they grow up and form their own social circles.
As you probably know by now. we love going outdoors and many a time, I find going out with three kids easier than staying home all day with them. So, we have been visiting parks and neighbourhood playgrounds on weekends because a breath of fresh air, a game of tag or a family stroll never fails to do everybody some good. At times, we just hunt for bugs, look for mimosas or admire the blooms.
It might sound very mundane yet these simple moments are the times when we learn to take a step back, to relax, to cherish life and appreciate the things right in front of us.
For those who wonder if my kids bicker among themselves or get into fights, YES THEY DO and nearly everyday. Hahaha. Yup, very normal and ordinary kids. Yet, as a parent, if you learn to look beyond that, there's also this unspoken love between them and it's not hard to sense how much they care for each other. For instance, the big girl will lend the brother her favorite Sylvanian toys, the little sister is the first to dash up to him when he falls and in return, the boy showers both his sisters with plenty of hugs, kisses and love.
I woke up and saw these two still sleeping in bed one day (the eldest had to stay back in school) and it was a sight I would never forget. Such love. It just makes me feel glad that they have each other to depend on for life.
When we are home, we also try to create family bonding opportunities. For instance, we have been playing lots of board and card games together, we watch movies and documentaries, and we also have art and craft sessions or hands-on projects every once in a while. This was a fun afternoon when we had lots of colouring and splashing fun making our 'Water Babies' from scratch.
I finally completed Asher's personalised pearl portrait! Yup, I bought a photo frame online for it and added a picture border for him too, which he had requested for balls, balloons and cars. Haha. Yup, so I made it happen and he was over the moon to see the final product. It's now proudly displayed in our living room alongside the Jiejies' ones too. Yay, such simple craft projects provide me with a sense of achievement and endless joy.
This boy has also started going for his Heguru classes on his own now that parents are not allowed to accompany them. Read our full review here. I'm still having trouble dropping him off because this boy is one of the most clingy kids ever and he tends to kick up a huge fuss and shed tears whenever Mama goes out of sight - yup, it got worse over CB and he whines even when he goes for his preschool too. Still, I tell myself that this is just a passing phase and before I know it, he won't be needing or asking for me this much anymore, so cherish it while I can, right?
In any case, he usually settles down soon and he enjoys his Heguru lessons so much because there are so many fun activities for him to participate in. I love Heguru days because it falls on a Friday which means it's our mum-and-kids night out after their class followed by a movie night at home.
Yes, that also means we get to dine out and I don't cook on that day. I guess it's not too much to say that I deserve a break at times and it's okay to eat out, right? We finally had our craving for Genki Sushi satisfied after waiting for months and the kids were immensely satisfied with their udon soup and chawanmushi. So yummy!
We didn't got out much during the school term break but I did bring them out for an afternoon at City Square Mall. I wanted to visit the outdoor free playground but alas it was closed and our last minute change of plan brought us to the basement level where we went on Zoomoov rides for hours. Yup, hours! That was because I bought the unlimited rides plan for $38 that day which also gave me 14 tokens to keep for future use. So for that afternoon, we went on ride after ride after ride and even came back again after having our dinner and a quick arcade session.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that even the big girl, who is turning 11, still loved going on the rides and it proved to me that most of of the time, it's the company that matters. To these kids, happiness is very simple. It's us the adults who tend to complicate things as we grow up.
I was thankful that I managed to find time to catch up with some good friends last month. People always tell me to 'not to forget myself' because the truth is in rushing to make sure the kids' have their needs met every day, I am the kind of mom who tends to forget myself most of the time. It's really so important to remember we are individuals with our needs and wants too and while our lives might revolve around the kids, our world is made up of more than that. Our parents, our spouses, our friends, ourselves - let's not forget them too.
This was one of the best days in July for me and that was having a 3-generation outing with my Dad and the kids where we went.... indoor rock climbing! It was my Dad's first attempt at it and he was so doubtful if he could scale a wall but it turned out he completed not just one, but several of them, woohoo! Yup, it was awesome to see him reaching beyond his limits and accomplishing more than what he thought he could.
In fact, he inspired the kids to stay healthy and strong even at an old age and to never underestimate yourself and what you can achieve in life. Ah Gong, you rock!
As for the kids, they might not be able to climb to the summit of all the 19 walls yet but they are definitely getting there and improving over time. The girls are the daredevils who are not afraid to try and to fall and while the boy stills needs lots of motivation to get up there. I am absolutely loving this sport as a way to train their determination and resilience and hopefully, we can come back here again someday and scale even greater heights as a family.
So that's about it for our month of July. I sure hope you had a great one too! Cheers to simple living and to the little moments in our lives that make all the difference. Till the next post!