The end of this year marks a big change for us. My big girl will be getting ready for primary school, my little one will be starting nursery and of course, we will be welcoming another baby into our family. Just thinking about it makes my heart pound fast and yes, I do feel extremely excited. Probably a little tense too, wondering if I can cope with all of these changes, but that is scanty compared to the exhilaration.
Come to think of it, we have not done much preparation work yet. I've not decided on which school to register Angel though I know for sure it will be one that is within walking distance so that it will be easier for me to send and pick her from school. With two little ones in tow. No, we don't see the need to be parent volunteers so as to get our girl in a better or more elite school. The hubby and I have a very simple perspective - we came from neighbourhood schools and turned out fine, so our girl will too. As for Ariel, the only thing I've done for now is to submit her registration form and asked for a possible start date. Same as for the big sister previously, I only want her to go for half day school so that I can pick her at 12:30pm and spend the rest of our day together. As for preparing for the newborn, we've actually passed quite a bit of our baby stuff to friends, including playpen, rocker and baby chair, so we'll have to consider ways to get the items that we need. Also, we need to think of how to rearrange the furniture and try to squeeze in some space now that we are going to have seven people living in a 4-room HDB flat.
Well, it definitely seems like we have quite a bit of things on our to-do list. I'm not sure if it's due to experience or personality, but I'm actually liking this phase of getting ready for what's to come and relishing the process. Yes, I do think a happy mommy will make a happy baby! So, in this month's "Happiness is...", it's all about taking things one step at at time.
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Taking things one step at a time means we're essentially still doing what we usually do! While the girls know what's to come ahead of them and they are especially ecstatic to learn that a baby is growing in mummy's tummy, we try not to let it disrupt our outings, weekend family time and even sports activities. Here's a look at how June went for us.
We visited Jurong Bird Park not once, but twice in a month! Contrary to what we expected, we actually enjoyed the shows and exhibits much more than we thought we would! We loved how the birds displayed their speed and agility in High Flyers, how the parrots could paint and sing "Rasa Sayang" in Lunch with Parrots, and how the eagles, vultures and hawks flew right above our heads in Kings of the Skies. In case you didn't know yet, the park is having a SG50 promotion where you can enjoy unlimited entry for a year when you purchase a 1-day admission ticket. Value for money!
One of the highlights of the park for the kids has to be Birdz of Play - a bird-themed playground which offers both wet and dry play zones. Not hard to guess which of the two they preferred, right?
One morning, I don't know what got into me but I asked Angel if she wanted to skip school so that we could go visit a museum. So we ventured into town and decided to visit Imaginarium: A Voyage of Big Ideas at SAM at 8Q. The girls really enjoyed the activities, especially all the hands-on art and craft, so we were really glad that we made it before the exhibit ends on 19th July.
We also ventured to the opposite end of the island and visited the Army Museum for the first time to participate in the "Cadets, Fall in" program where kids could undergo a one-hour basic military training experience. The girls, who were among the only four amidst a whole bunch of boys, did a “stand-by-bed” challenge, mini standard obstacle course, and learnt about firing techniques. I was so proud to see the two of them conquering hurdle after hurdle in the SOC, especially meimei who did her very best despite being the youngest to participate.
Yes, we all decided to go short this month! Byebye, tresses! I think the girls rock their new hairstyles and I love how it is shorter, lighter, easier to dry and doesn't make them as hot now that the weather can get quite unbearable. Woohoo!
We've been cutting down and being really selective on the PR events we attend, so unless the kids have a strong liking for that particular activity or character, if not we try to leave all our weekends free for the family. The My Little Pony Friend-tastic Picnic Party was something that interested us not just because the girls loved the ponies, but having a picnic in the park also seemed like our kind of thing (just that we didn't factor in how super hot it would be to have one at 1pm). Anyway, the girls were most delighted to meet Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, added some color on their hair and did a manicure too!
Right after the picnic, we decided to make the most of the beautiful day and visited somewhere we've never been as a family - Haw Par Villa! In fact, the hubby and I didn't even remember when was the last time we came here since it might jolly well have been over a decade. The girls were more excited to spot animal sculptures and take pictures with them rather than listening to our stories on Journey to the West, Legend of the White Snake or the Eight Immortals. Nonetheless, we all thought that the Ten Courts of Hell, which is the main attraction, was a good learning experience for them (no, they were not scared in the least) and we took the chance to teach them about moral values and ethics too.
For now, I am also enjoying my one-on-one time with the little one in the day though two-thirds of the time is usually spent on chores or naps. Still, we try to squeeze in some play time or craft sessions whenever we can. I love seeing her explore using her senses and giving me that huge satisfied smile when she achieves something. Sweet!
There are also days when we just let the kids get wet and laze around - one of the best ways to have fun without spending a cent. One of our favorite hangouts is the rooftop water play area in VivoCity, which also has a playground on the second floor to delight the kids!
We are still very much into movies and well, our kids like to tag along whenever we go and catch a show. Which means, no NC16, M18 or R21 shows for now! Haha. This month, we attended the media preview of Jurassic World and enjoyed it very much. Then we also watched Terminator Genisys just because I used to be quite a fan of the series. Perhaps in a sense to make it up to the kids, I also surprised them by bringing them to a Meet and Greet session with their favorite Hi-5 where they sang and dance all the way! Both of them can't stop talking about it even up till today!
While I don't have an exercise regime and I'm not sure how I will keep myself fit during this pregnancy period, I think walking can be considered as one of the best ways to work out. If so, I'm doing plenty of that! Phew. Our annual pass to the Night Safari expires next week so we also found time to visit the park on a Friday evening. It's funny how we never get tired of walking through the bat cave, trying to spot the flying squirrel or seeing Chawang the elephant for the nth time!
So, I guess it was a pretty exciting and fun-filled month for all of us and we are enjoying the feeling of taking things one step at a time. One thing that is for sure, we will embrace the changes that are going to take place in our family. Like how I tell Angel she is going to graduate from kindergarten, how I let Ariel carry her own backpack like how she would when she starts school, and how the two of them would talk to the baby in my tummy every night saying "I Love You, Baby" and sing lullabies. Definitely moments to cherish.How did the month of June go 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.
