And you know what? The good thing is I always feel that everyday is a brand new beginning. A window for me to open up and try harder. A new gush of hope, confidence and positivity. I can either keep lamenting on the past; or I can try my utmost to make the future count. So, I naturally try to do the latter while not forgetting to cherish the present.
It's the same as every year passes me by. I hope, I so earnestly hope, to make this year better than the last. In this month's "Happiness is...", it's about starting anew and hopefully we are off to a great start.
January has been a particularly tough and busy month for us because we have officially moved into our new nest. Yes. we have successfully shifted everything over after two lorry loads and over a dozen car loads of barang barang. Considering that the hubby has been too busy with work to help with the unpacking, I had a sense of achievement after I managed to unpack over 70 boxes of stuff and more importantly, find a home for every single item despite not having a storeroom in the house. Hooray!!!
It hasn't really been easy though because as usual, I always had these three sticking to me in whatever I do. Even when the two sisters are in school, I will still have the clingy koala with me and trust me when I say that he makes the best kind of superglue. Yup, this baby now whines whenever I go more than three steps away from him and even tugs at my leg when I cook or pee.
On some days, we miraculously get a lot of work done. On others, we create more messes and I have to spend even more time tidying up after. For now, I'm trying to teach the girls to help in the household chores so they have been helping me with the mountains of laundry and washing of dirty dishes. Yes yes, no helper so they have to step up and be my best helpers, right?
After so many weeks of designing, planning, executing, in addition to the headaches that come with problem solving, plus making endless trips to and fro and enduring all the renovation works with the kiddos, it's really a relief to see our dream house coming true bit by bit. I keep telling myself that it's all gonna be worth it and I feel so ever thankful to the kids for being my best companions, cheerleaders and confidante. Yes, Mummy is never, ever lonely with you all around! Thank you for putting up with me, my phone that never stopped ringing, my shorter fuse than usual, my busy days and nights, and I'm so sorry if I neglected any of you in any way.
Well, I'm not going to go on and on about the house in this post because I have so much to say and that's going to come in the A Happy Home series. So if you are interested to read more, then stay tuned to all our updates! What I do want to say here is that I'm glad we are slowly settling down and starting anew in our new home. I've a feeling we are going to make so many awesome memories here as a family and I'm so looking forward to that.
In other updates, the little girl has removed her stitches and is recovering well, thank you very much. I know there's going to be a scar left behind and it will always remind me to treasure my kids and be a good mom to them. Thank you, dear Ariel, for being a trooper and for not complaining a single bit since the night you fell. I never thought you would be this brave and it just shows how you kids can amaze me time and again with your courage and determination.
We've also resumed our mom and kids outings because it just gets so boring to stay home all day, right? For a start, we went for our first theatrical show of the year and that is Stick Man at KidsFest 2017. It's now a tad challenging to handle the baby who is starting to learn to walk, likes to jump and crawl all over, and needs an endless supply of snacks to keep him in his seat. It'll get better, I tell myself, it'll all get better soon.
The little sister was told that she couldn't swim for a good two weeks due to her stitches so I made up for that by bringing them for water play. We love the rooftop playground at Compass One because of the very fun slide and the different elements of play for the kids to explore. (read our review of the Ninja Trail here).
With a new year comes a new outlook, new hope and... new strength. It's been raining cats and dogs on so many days and while that gives me a problem because my laundry can't dry after being hung for three days, it also gives me a chance to be more daring by arming all of us with umbrellas and heading out in the heavy downpour. I don't know about your kids but mine love to be out in the puddles and they are very excited whenever they get to carry their own brolly or put on their raincoats. A walk in the rain (with young kids) is definitely an adventure that anyone can embark on, for free!
As for the littlest in the family, well, guess I'll still call him the baby for now but this one is already starting to show signs of independence for instance he doesn't like me to feed him but tries to eat on his own. With his fingers, not a spoon or fork. So we tend to end up with a big mess on the table, his baby chair and especially the floor after every meal. Don't get me started on how hard it is to wash away those sticky rice grains or chocolate stains on his shirts and pants. Nonetheless, I can't deny him of the chance to learn just because cleaning up is a hassle, right? So yes, I'm kind of getting used to the mess and appreciating how cute he looks when he looks at me with a face with of food bits.
It's my favorite festive season - Chinese New Year and yes, we want to wish everyone a prosperous and joyous year of the Rooster! Nothing matters to me more than good health so I hope all of you can stay healthy always and enjoy the company of your loved ones! Gong Xi Gong Xi! 
On the eve of the eve of Chinese New Year, I brought the kids to Chinatown just because I am the one who loves to visit and immerse in the festive ambience in this bustling part of the island. We walked for half an hour before deciding that the secondhand smoke was too much to bear and so after taking pictures with the giant rooster, we decided to go for steamboat dinner as a reward.
Yes, me having steamboat with three kids! It was actually not as easy as it seemed because the baby was on my lap throughout and I had to have one arm around him while I cooked with the other and scooped the ingredients for the girls. Luckily, these two loved to cook too and could help me out so we somehow managed to survive the dinner and went home with full tummies and happy hearts.
CNY, to me, is the time to bond with family and show one another just how much you care. I was happy to be able to spend time with my parents and the rest of the family and we had fun over reunion lunches, mahjong sessions, goodies munching, poker card sessions, movie watching and more!
We had a huge family gathering on the third day of lunar new year at where else but our new home, of course! Thanks to the in laws who cooked many yummy dishes, to the hubby who prepared a steamboat and to the over 55 guests who came over, it was a joyous and memorable occasion for all of us. Even my 84-year-old granny and the hubby's 100-year-old (yes, that's right, a full century!) granny made an effort to come over and we were so very touched!
To end off our last day of January, I took the kids out to cycle tonight when the hubby was still at work, after trying to pump Angel's bicycle tires which took me half an hour to figure out how to use the pump. It was an impromptu supper we had at McDonalds, which obviously delighted the kids, and I was just happy to end off the last night of this long holiday weekend on a high note. Yes, even the baby got to eat a bit of fries and ice cream. It's New Year after all, right? Looking forward to the rest of 2017 and may everyone enjoy the rest of the CNY period!
