A Line Has To Be Drawn

So when does PV become coercive and abusive? I think there should be a school staff in the PSG committee to govern its decision making, operation and activities. Not all programs or activities run by PSG are beneficial to the school or the pupils. In fact, some may actually benefit certain PSG members directly.

Give Me A Break

I need to hold back on blogging because of our house improvement project... we have boxes and bags of things lying around to be sorted and thrown away. It probably will take me months to settle in, but of course I would make do and blog as soon as I get some well needed and deserved rest.

A Better Teacher

God has made me a mother to help me develop qualities like patience, acceptance and tolerance. He knows I'm filled with self doubts occasionally and allows me to see the fruit of my labour subtly. Yes God Almighty, I have received your gift to me with gratitude and pride. I'll strive to better myself on the way you have intended me to.

I was coaching my three regulars reading today and I found them much more cooperative than last week. They no longer test me and they tried to look at my eyes when they talked to me. They also paused to ask me how certain words are read and they listened hard before repeating after me. That was so much improvement from our previous session.

The kids' faces lit up and they were beaming with pride when I praised them enthusiastically for their effort in reading. I also jumped for joy when they succeeded in sounding the words. That made them smile! One of them who seems hyperactive, even looked straight into my eyes and asked very seriously if I'm going back next week to teach him. In fact, he didn't even ask me for rewards after the session.

Honestly, I used whatever I have learnt from parenting Sophie on these kids. Actually, they love to listen to stories and they really hope to be able to read. The only problem is they need to get over their pride... the thought of being teased for their lacking. I saw traces of Sophie in them... her pride and lack of focus. However, it's her desperation to read and understand the text that motivates her to learn. And that's what the kids need - a reason to read. I'm now even more convinced they need real books. Stories that interest and excite them.

Like I said, God gave me Sophie because I will learn through her. Whenever people compliment my patience in dealing with Alfee, I gave the credit to Sophie. I'm so used to resolving conflicts with her that I don't even realize I'm doing that effortlessly with Alfee and other kids. She's really precious and I so love her dearly.

At Howard's

Without the kids, we could move around faster and we felt less restricted in our movements and whereabouts. This is vital when when we shop for household items and furniture. We seldom got the luxury of not bringing the kids along so we really appreciated this rare moment of indulgence. Fortunately for us, Ah Boh could babysit the kids while we went to get shelves from Howard's Storage. Actually it's neither cheaper or more stylish in design, we just hope that it's more durable than those of Ikea. 

We couldn't leave with a serving of french fries at McDonald's. Frankly, I missed fast food, hawker food and any food out there that's quick but bad for us. For the kid's sake, we seldom eat at fast food joint or hawker centre (hygiene reasons). It's great to go for home cooked food and all, but old habits die hard and I will always have cravings.  

Facial Wash

When it comes to Sophie, I can be a paranoid. I'm worried that she would have dirty, oily skin so I got her facial wash. I don't know what's the best product in the market for her age group, but I think this is mild enough. 

Our Sunday

Rose was on leave so we were on our own today. We left early for Bishan Park this morning because Sophie has got a runny nose and couldn't attend swimming class. By right, she ought to be resting but I guess, that was quite impossible for a preschooler. We did, however, plan to make this a short visit until we stopped to watch a group of children on roller blades at the hyperlink. Sophie was all wide eyed and captivated...

 I found out that they are from Wizzkids and they accept students as young as 3 yrs old. I know Sophie has always wanted to try roller blading so I asked if she could just try out one session. The director, Clarence, was very nice to stay on another 15 minutes after their usual lesson time to coach her personally. He told us that she was very good for a first timer and she followed instructions well. I was really glad too. 

Poor Alfee could only watch his big sister at the fence! At one point, Clarence picked Sophie up and skated towards Papa with her in his arms. I thought it was so cool! She was literally swept off her feet... so princessy. In any case, we probably would sign her up for 4 sessions at Sengkang Riverside Park. 

After that, we rushed off to let the kids nap and get some lunch before Sophie's art class at Takashimaya. Alfee slept through the entire lunch and by the time he woke up, Sophie was already in class. I really like the fact that Sophie love art. And her art teachers are so soft spoken and demure. Fingers crossed, their influence would be strong on her.

Despite that we decided to eat out, we bought food back home to eat. I suppose we were too tired to have public meals. On familiar grounds, the kids were also more manageable and they settled in for the night a lot quicker.

Bad, Bad People

At Paragon today, we met a man in Metro... a father with a pram. A not-so-nice man who probably thought he's the only living soul with a child in a pram in this whole entire universe! He's so self absorbed that when he expected me to shift my seat to accommodate him... and his pram!

Let me explain where I was sitting... Sophie was trying on some shoes so we were at the shoe racks in Metro. I sat on the cushioned seats placed in front of these racks while waiting for her. Then came the MAN... with his pram... and he tried to push it through the narrow space between me (my cushioned seat) and the racks... He said "excuse me" so I shifted my legs to make space but he actually mean he wanted me to shift the seat away for him!!! He stood there waiting until I got up and moved 2 seats away for him . Then he happily moved along without even any acknowledgement!

Sometimes I wonder if I really look like a pushover or something. He expected the furniture to be shifted for him when he could have just pushed the pram around to reach his destination. Instead, the environment must change for him! I dun mind helping but he didn't even thank me! Tsk Tsk Tsk

The second bad person was a Caucasian woman in a shop. Alfee is a screamer and he tends to be very loud. He's a child and there's very little I can do to control that... not that I haven't tried. So, our little man was in the pram and we were walking outside a shop... Then he started playing with Sophie and let out a scream. Normally, I would be horrified by his loud shrill... but today, I was appalled by the woman's behaviour and her looks instead.

She basically cupped her ears and cheeks (big hands) and gave Alfee a traumatized glare. On normal days, I might apologize or empathize with her but she was downright rude! She looked so ugly and frightening that my kids stopped and looked at me. They were scared by her reaction. Papa was so mad, he asked her what her problem was! And I didn't even stop him.

What is wrong with these people? My kids were not in their best behaviour but all they did was they laughed and screamed a little too loudly. Was it necessary to be so harsh on them? Why couldn't these people be a bit more tolerant and less self centered?

Another Saturday

We set off later today even though the kids woke up early. I don't know about Papa, but I was exhausted from the running around for the past few days. Our house is almost ready and we're moving back on coming Friday so we have lots to do. Although we still have our rental until end of the month, we are quite eager to quickly move back and return to our usual routine.

We went to McDonalds for brekkie because Auntie Jessy would be taking her girls there. I thought it would be great to have some company. However, we were almost done with our breakfast by the time they came. We had to leave by 9.30 am because Sophie has got Yamaha JMC lessons at 10 am. At least the girls got to chit chat a little.

After her Yamaha lesson, we went back home for lunch. Nowadays, Rose always cooks sliced fish kuey teow for Saturday lunch. We took the kids to our renovated house to take a look after that. The kids were very excited, either because of the roomy area to chase each other around or the echoey effect of their screams. 

Well, good to know they are happy and looking forward to moving in like us! Sometimes I wonder if I should have waited until they were older before we renovated the house. I mean, what if they decide to throw their toys on the floor and scratch it?

Playing on Sophie's bed already!!!

After a nice nap, we were out again - Botanical Gardens! We really enjoy parks... the kids really love running around in parks. Sometimes, I think it's good to let children just do free play - no instructions, no toys and no artificial structures. With all those removed, our kids interact and communicate with each other more and better. They also come up with simple games to keep each other occupied.

Sophie often plays 'I Spy' and 'Simon Says' with Alfee. They would look at each other and without saying, decide to give chase to each other. They empathise better as well because they can stay focused on each other. When I punish Sophie, Alfee would worry for her and 'sayang' her. And Sophie would tell us what Alfee wants if he cries. Of course they still fight, but they value each other's company more when they have know they are playmates.

When the kids were sufficiently tired, we headed for dinner at Great World City. We wanted to see if there were anything we could get for our house. We came across a balloon sculptor and I thought we could get the kids some nice balloons. Sophie was very happy and asked for a Princess Aurora. However, after waiting close to 10 - 15 minutes for her to finish a Pooh Bear for an existing customer, I was disappointed that she couldn't complete it. Instead, she handed over a display balloon sculpture. I was by then half hearted about spending $10 and 30 minutes for a badly made sculpture so I tried to coax Sophie to leave. But I was prepared to stay on and get that balloon... maybe just forgo Alfee's (another $6). 

However, I literally dragged Sophie away when I saw the balloon sculptor making a simpler one for a Caucasian boy who came much later. I was appalled and annoyed to be honest. Sophie wailed of course and everyone thought I was a bad mother. I felt bad but I really didn't think it was worth it. I made it up to Sophie with a plush genuine pig and Alfee, a Tigger foil balloon. Both were cheaper and definitely more lasting than those latex balloon sculptures.

Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun

Sophie learnt this song when she was still with Act 3. I never knew the whole song, only the part she could remember so it was a pleasant surprise to have found it in YouTube.

Precious Then... Rubbish Now

For the past few weeks, Sophie has been given ONE task... ONE responsibility... Just ONE - brush her hair in the morning after she gets up. And every day, she didn't. She would drew pictures or play with her toys, but she just wouldn't brush her hair!

So I told her that she could only keep her hair if she's willing to take care of it. And I cannot be the one who brushes and blow dry her hair forever. I wanted her to be responsible and accountable for her well being... starting with simple tasks like brushing her hair. She has disappointed me. She thought I would never snip off her locks...

Thus, I dragged her to the hairdresser this evening and cut off her hair. The same hair that I diligently wash, blow dry, and brush daily. She has had her hair long for as long as she could remember (since 2-3 years old). Now she's sad. But I think it's necessity to teach her a lesson!

I know she's devastated but if you think I'm heartless or cruel, think again. She has to learn to take care of herself. It's part of growing up and assuming more responsibilities. If I let her off, she will never understand that it's important to take good care of one self. In order for bigger roles and responsibilities, she needs to do little tasks well. I want to educate and raise her to be a responsible and reliable adult. So here is the plan. After this episode, I'm sure she has learnt her lesson. I am going to give her a list of duties or chores and start teaching her to be more responsible.

Learn well, Sophie! Every deed has a consequence and opportunity cost! This is just a small, small price...

Art Time

Whenever the kids feel neglected (acting up), it's time for Art. I always find them more manageable after an uninhibited session of making a mess (license to make a mess). So, I took out all the glitter glue and scraps for them to do a collage. It wasn't easy to have them work together at the round table. Alfee was eager to try out all the different art materials while Sophie was always talking to me as she worked. But in the end, all ended well... messy but good!