This is a long overdue update on the development of my children.

Well my little Jo is now 3 years and a few months old. She’s becoming quite the entertainer, acting all the time. Sometimes the character she puts on is so funny that me and Nel really have no choice but to burst into fits of laughter. We did that today, and Jo trying hard not to laugh herself, found her mouth twitching from trying to keep a serious face, and wanting to burst into laughter. She talks to everyone now, from children to adults, talking in long sentences with breaks in between to take in deep breaths of air (which sound like gasping for air.)
She knows her alphabets and has been telling stories and pretending to read from books. A particular book she likes is one about nursery rhyme characters. It’s a short book consisting of 2 lines a page. A few weeks ago, I thought that she was reading the book word for word accurately. However, I now realize that she wasn’t reading, but was reciting, coz she’d actually memorized the book! Hahaha….

Oh yeah, last Sunday we were at the old Folks Home, and she just suddenly decided to lie down smack in the middle. I told her to get up, and she replied “ I can’t mum, I’m a mermaid!” Which brings up the topic of obsession. She seems to be “obsessed” right now, about mermaids, pink dolphins and white horses.

As for Nel, she’s really into arranging stuff. She arranges her colors in certain ways, she stacks up toys or cards in certain ways…and they’re mostly in a certain pattern. Most of the time, she rearranges furniture, toys and stuff in the house to create an imaginary playground. Jo absolutely loves that, coz it creates scenes for her imagination. :)

Ask Nel what she likes most and she’ll tell you stories, play, snacks and long walks.
At the playground last week, while I was talking with her friend’s mum, she was secretly climbing the slide tunnel. When I turned around, she was up there about 10 feet above ground, not inside the tunnel but outside. For some it’s no big deal, but I’m afraid of heights, and so I tried to stay calm. She tells me she wants to go rock climbing, I suppose I will have to take her.

She and Camel (our poodle) are best friends when outdoors. You’ll see Nel hair flying in the wind, holding Camel’s leash and running. My mad/hyperactive dog doesn’t mind it at all. haha... Sometimes you see them sitting together on a bench, Nel red in the cheeks from all that running.
Ok…so much more to update..but it’s late.

today i thought...how nice if my life were not as it is....
I wish....that I lived somewhere on an island,
where I do not have to drive another mile,
where I do not have to rush for the next appointment..

today i thought...how nice if I ran a bed and breakfast cottage
homeschooled my children on the island..
had plenty of leisure time..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

but then I'm reminded of what I heard in church last Sunday..... for some reason...I was so touched...I could barely contain my emotions. The message came after a sleepless saturday night when I questioned so many things...such as the meaning to life, the reason for my existence, the purpose of our actions, my goal in life... [no, no, I'm not depressed...i just ponder on these questions sometimes..when life becomes so mundane, hectic and meaningless...]

I'm currently reading about Hudson Taylor's life, trying to get my focus back on track. Perhaps it will inspire me in some way, or change my perspective of life

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
also...of late, I'm getting more adult students. it is encouraging to see these ladies, as old as 50 wanting to learn something new. It is every bit as rewarding as teaching a 6 year old. :) I'm inspired by them, by their love of learning,.... and hope that as a teacher I will be able to inspire them.

too much to do..

i've not written anything in 2 weeks....
.. that's tough for me, coz I like writing.
From writing almost everyday ---
--to only once in 2 weeks.....
All of a suDDeN.....i have nothing in my head.
it's not really like I have nothing in my head,
actually i have tonnes to think about,
TOO much to think about,
too MUCH to do.... and thus,
....nothing to write....


**I need to quit analysing so much, quit thinking so much, quit feeling so much, quit trying to read into everything..how do I shut my mind up???? but then if I quit all these, i'd just be an existing piece of blob...haha...**

me hard working? nah..

Gl recently played a game of tag in which we were supposed to describe each other, based on what we know of each other through our blogs.

Here's how she described me "generous, hard working and a bit hard on yourself, in touch with your artistic and intellectual sides. "

Well, dear G, you were mostly right, except for the hard working part. :)
I wouldn't say I'm very hardworking. :) I do a lot of things, not coz I'm hard working though, but because I like variety. Like I have 3 diff kinda jobs right now (all part time), coz one job would be too monotonous for me. (I dislike monotonous stuff, I detest paper work, I dread meetings...ho ho ho...don't let my bosses read this. ) and sometimes,.... I like to do nothing at all, except to laze around with a book or 2.

Anyway, I'd like to tell you a story from a bit of my life which will give you a little more idea of what I'm really like (most of the time). I still remember this was in Iowa in 1997. I took a research class and one of the assignments was to write a 20 page paper on any research topic. I chose to study Indian music, as in traditional Indian music from India. We were given about 3 weeks to complete the assignment.

I went to the library, grabbed about 20 books off the shelf and borrowed them. Once home, the books sat on my table untouched for many days. As the dateline drew nearer, I began just flipping through the pages of some of the books. Where I thought the information was relevant, I folded the corner of the pages. That was it, and the books remained again untouched, but somewhat scattered around the room, due to my slightly disorganized nature. (I did think however, about stuff which I might write about..it was mostly organized in my thoughts.)

1 day before the paper was due, my neighbour who lived in the basement offered me a free ticket to a football game. I couldn't resist a football game (especially when U of Iowa was going to play against Northwestern)! so I agreed to go. I went to the game, and really regretted it, coz no.1, it started snowing halfway through the game and I only had my spring jacket on. No. 2, the guy had other intentions then just watching the game. (that is a diff story, but I can tell you, I hopped seat to seat trying to get away from him.)

Anyway, game finished, and U of Iowa lost. disappointing. I got home and it was evening and the paper was due first thing in the morning. I still did not panic.

Somewhere around 8 or 9pm, the panic kicked in. I started opening the books to the folded pages and began typing all the important references and information I would have to use. Then my roommate CYee came in, and instead of doing our work, we decided to take pictures to relieve some of the self-inflicted stress. (she too had an assignment due).

About midnight or 1am, I started typing furiously. I rearranged sentences, paragraphs, typed in thoughts and worked like crazy, writing and rewriting. I remember not sleeping at all that night. I got it done in the nick of time, put on my winter coat and walked out in that bitterly cold morning (about 8am) towards the nearest computer lab. That time, though the paper was done, the panic was full blown, coz it'd not been printed yet! and class was at 9am. (I remember trembling in nervousness!)

I managed to get it printed, rushed to class which was on the other side of the river (a good half hour's walk from the lab.) Got there just on time, handed in the paper and slumped down on my chair relieved.

Since then, I've told myself never to repeat such a thing. Sometimes I've succeeded in planning ahead, but mostly I remain last minute, well not so last minute nowadays (last hour?). The results came out and I scored an A-. I know, had I been more hard working, I would've gotten that A. but you know, it's hard to change.....

Does this tell you a little more bout me G? (or did you suspect it already? :) )

My roommate CYee taking a pic amongst my books. (CYee, we had such good times didn't we?? I really miss those days...)

Me, in that horrible hairstyle, taking pics with my clutter of books...at about 2 or 3 am in the morn .)

reading before bedtime

Nel loves to ask her daddy to read, especially before bedtime. Yesterday I had a glimpse of what’s it like coz Nel was in my room. She grabbed a book off the shelf and told her daddy to read it. The book happened to be Gulliver’s Travels, the original classic version, in very very small font.

So both father and daughter rested on the bed as daddy read. I left them and went to shower Jo, prepared her for bedtime. When I got back to the room, I found Nel, half asleep. Her father (my husband :)) was reading, not chapter one, BUT the preface to Gulliver’s Travels, in the most monotonous voice I’ve ever heard. Low.....sleepy...... monotonous voice! He too looked half asleep like he’d just read the history book!!

I said loudly, Nel, “why in the world did you ask your dad to read Gulliver’s travels of all thing?” then turning to my husband I asked “and Hon! Why in the world are you reading the preface???”

Nel woke from her half slumber and said “mum, don’t disturb, I want dad to read so I can sleep!”

I was amused, I’d thought it’s coz she loved stories, but no, it’s coz the voice of her father has the powers to put my little one to sleep! Hmmmm….

I looked at my husband who had not replied to my question, but who’d continued reading in his monotonous voice, showing great disinterest in the preface to Gulliver’s Travels. He read like he was reading a legal document or something, and as his voice became lower, his eyelids almost closing, he struggled to read the very last paragraph in the Preface. And he read it like this:

“Gul-li-vers travels..was, (eyes half closing), like the most of (nodding off here)..like most of Sw…Sw..Swift’s work….(temporary silence) ano..anomy…anonous…anomy..amonynoy.....anonymously and is the….(eyes closed….)….is the…..(reading in his sleep now.)”

That’s when I interrupted again, “Nel, get to your room now, you’re almost asleep." Then turning to my husband I said quite loudly, "Hon, if you’d like to put Nel to sleep, read it to her in her room, and you can both fall asleep there.”

Hahahaha…..

The next day I asked Nel if she enjoyed Gulliver's Travels. She replied "who's Gulliver? did dad read me a story?" Oh, and when popping into Nel's room the next morning, I also noticed that Gulliver's Travels was opened to Chapter one, page one. I suppose that's when the father (my husband) fell into a deep sleep.

I lost it….I lost my temper last night, and poor Jo and Nel were the ones who had to face the brunt of my anger.

I’d just been tired, coz I’ve been down with a cold and headaches. So last night, after dinner, I escaped to my room, picked up a book to read. That’s how I unstress myself, by reading or blogging.

Jo came in, picked up a book about animals and nests and said “mum, read to me, read to me!”

I said “no, I’m not going to read that book to you. We just read it in the evening, and Nel read it to you twice today already.”

She kept bugging and bugging me. Jo’s like that, persistent in what she wants, knows what she wants.

Finally I replied angrily “if you won’t stop bugging me, I’ll leave this room, so stop it now!”

She kept at it, bugging me to read the book.

Finally I stood up and said “That’s it! I’ve had enough!”

I stomped out of the room and headed towards the guest room. Little Jo followed behind, screaming and crying “wait mum, wait for me, please mum….”

I shut the door, locked it and heard Jo screaming outside.

Her dad came up and asked “what’s going on??”

Finally, feeling a little regret, I unlocked the door and came out. Took Jo to the room with me. Jo started venting her feelings, my little 3 year old.

“Mum, I only wanted you to read the book. You walked away! Mum, you don’t like me, you don’t like me.” She said sadly while sobbing.

Jo continued “You read your book, but you didn’t want to read mine. Daddy is a good daddy, he read my book.”

I asked “does that make me a bad mummy?”

She replied “Yes, you are a bad mummy, coz you walked away, and you don’t like me.”

Realising that she genuinely felt hurt, I replied “Jo, I do love you, just that sometimes I Need time to do my own things, read my own books.”

“but you walked away. That means you don’t like me.” Said Jo with a sad face..

I looked at her and said “Jo, …….”

“Jo, I’m sorry I hurt your feelings…I didn’t mean to, I’m just really tired today. Forgive me Jo?”

She nodded quietly.
I suppose with my little girl, walking away is not a good solution. I will have to find a different way to cope when I’m tired the next time.

Nel's graduation

In the past, I could never understand parents who made such a big deal about their children's graduation, particularly children graduating from kindergarten! I thought the parents were "kiasu", crazy and made it too big a deal. i mean, come on! it's just kindergarten for pete's sake!
i used to tell them relax, there's like 12 years of school and at least 4 years of college to go!

Well...I used to think that way, till my own Nel had a graduation ceremony of her own in kindy, just this last weekend. haha.....

So there I was, an over excited mother, armed with her camera, dressed in Sunday best. We made sure to get there early, but ALAS! there were much much more over zealous parents who had booked most of the front row seats! darn I thought.

Anyway..... so Nel and gang went up on stage to present a poem they had practiced for weeks! and she and her classmates also performed a dance item. I was definitely a proud mum. hahahaha....

And then, of course, came the "graduation" ceremony. hehehe...... and oh boy, I'm embarassed to admit that I became just like one of the other parents whom I'd criticized before. I stood up and cheered for my daughter as she received her scroll and teddy bear. I was also a very proud mum when she received the Best in Reading award. I took lots of pictures, and I'm even blogging about it! ( I know...I sound like a bragging mum now!)

I know, some of you are gonna tell me "big deal!" just like how I used to think of other parents.

Thing is this....now I realise those parents were just cheering their children on. WHen I went to Nel's graduation ceremony, I just wanted to be there to let her know that I love her. I wanted to clap and cheer to let her know that everything that mattered to her, matters to me. I wanted to cheer for every little step she takes.

I suppose most parents do that. we boast about our kid's first smile, the first time they roll over, and crawl and take their first steps. Kindergarten is also another step, and so I continue to cheer her on. So bother if people are gonna think I'm "kiasu" or whatever.....hehehe.... We even took her to Burger King to celebrate! hahaha...

*for G, literally translated "kiasu" means, afraid of loosing. Like most mums are "kiasu" and they make sure they send their kids for tonnes of classes so that their children do better than other kids."

update on Jo

As I was cleaning up my blog, I came across this recording I made of Jo's singing when she was exactly 2 years old.
http://www.soundupload.com/audio/s6tab3dwmp

I listen and I'm pretty amazed. :) She's still singing a lot...loves to sing. Also very sensitive to sounds. When a recording is on, she asks about the sounds in the background, if they're flute/strings/drums/guitar... She insists that she likes the guitar and trumpet.

Also found this recording of her reciting verses when she was 2 years and 2 months old.
http://www.soundupload.com/audio/05bo52vk06

She remains as strong will as ever although her tantrums have decreased tremendously! (phew!) They went away because I chose to ignore most of her tantrums and did not give in.

Currently she is crazy about princesses. She insists on wearing only certain dresses and it is quite hard to make her wear something she doesn't like.
She's also fascinated with this book about hibernation, particularly about how the dormouse hibernates. And thus, this mummy (me) has now read that particular book, several times a day for several weeks now!

Yesterday Jo was extremely quiet....and finally I found her under the blanket lying down very quietly. I asked her what she was doing and she replied "I'm a dormouse mum, I'm hibernating. Don't disturb me."

Nel my caring child

For some of you who’ve read my old blog, you’d remember this story I once wrote about the time just before I gave birth to Jo (3 years ago now!).

It was way past midnight and I just could not sleep because I found it difficult to breath and I had terrible back aches. So I went to the bedroom sofa and just sat there. Nel woke up. Realizing I wasn’t on the bed, she asked “are you ok mum?”

I explained to her why I wasn’t sleeping. She went to the bed, grabbed a few pillows and brought them to me. “Here mum, put one behind your back. Do you feel better now mum?” she asked caringly. She passed me two more pillows and told me to put it under each arm, and then brought me her tiny stool and told me to put my foot on it to rest.

Then she asked very gently “do you feel much better now mum?” I felt deeply touched by her actions and thoughtfulness. She climbed right by me and asked “can I stay here with you mum?” I nodded my head, and she fell asleep with her little head resting on my shoulders, her hands holding mine. That was Nel at age 3.

She’s still the same very caring person. Only thing is that she’s now 6. With that comes a whole load of new emotions which sometimes seem a little overwhelming for her. There are days she gets moody and easily frustrated. She gets upset when she notices people whispering while looking her way, she gets very hurt if adults talk about her in front of her, she doesn’t like people laughing at her etc etc etc. However, she IS trying to cope with these reactions…and on certain days she manages to brush these feelings aside. But there are also days she gets hurt and stomps off or cries.

On the positive side, she is very caring and aware of other people’s needs. We still visit the retirement home once a month or once every 2 months. Though always a little shy at first, she eventually goes round holding the hands of the elderly folks there. I can tell you, they love her visits.

Then just yesterday, I had a major headache, more like migraine. Jo was the usual active self, disturbing me, pretending to be an owl and then a lion the next minute. Talking to herself letting her wild imagination run. Nel came in and told Jo to be quiet. Finally hubby decided to take both kids out.

Immediately Jo climbed on her daddy’s back, ready to go out. Nel however, lingered on a little…. She asked “mum…will you be ok here on your own? Are you sure you’ll be ok?”
I said “Yes, Nel I’ll be ok, you go enjoy yourself.”

Then she noticed that the bathroom door was open, letting the glaring light in. She asked “mum, would you like me to close the door and switch off the lights?” I nodded, and she closed the door quietly. She lingered on still a bit…. And then said “Mum, I’ll miss you…your hugs….”

I smiled and said “go with dad, he’s waiting. Enjoy yourself .”

She tiptoed out quietly, shut the door gently and went to the shops with dad.
(so emotional isn't she?......)

I came home yesterday and found a lovely sunflower from my husband. There was also a wedding anniversary card, written and signed by Nel on behalf of my husband, jo and my husband. haha..... :)

hubby and I also had a date at KLCC to watch the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra ....

all for our 8th Wedding Anniversary....

Happy Wedding Anniversary hon...love ya...

last weekend we decided to head to Bukit Cahaya in Shah Alam for some jungle experience. Part of our mission was to visit the 4 seasons house, which is currently featuring Autumn. It did not turn out as planned.

First we walked in the hot hot hot sun. Passed the padi fields...which was interesting (although children were really, more absorbed in their ice cream and the scarecrow.)

Padi is really almost ready for harvesting. So I plucked some and showed kids the husk and rice inside.
Then we walked on in the hot hot sun, towards the animal farm. Viewed porcupines, horses, deers, guinea pigs, birds.

Walked on in the very hot hot sun.....and then we heard it.

Kaboooooooooommmm!!!! Brrrrooooooooooommmmmmmm!!!!

Thunder roared through that forest, warning us of the imminent storm, despite the hot hot sun. Within seconds it started becoming very very windy.

I shouted out to Mil and our kids, "walk faster! walk faster! we've gotta get to the house with Four seasons. It's featuring Autumn now. Walk faster!!"

Alas, our kids saw a hanging bridge, couldn't resist, had to detour to cross that one. They did not cross just once, but several times back and forth!

Crossed it....

more Loud, thunderous warnings resounded through the whole forest............

I yelled "walk faster, walk faster!"

We walked as fast as the little ones could go, youngest being Dudu (2 years) and Jo (3). Mind you these little shorties can walk quite fast and for a good long distance!

Then we saw the sign , Autumn House 50 meters away. It started to drizzle. We saw a small drink stall ahead. I yelled "faster, faster!!" The last of us got under that stall and it POURED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! real heavy heavy rain.

It was dark, windy and rainy. Thank God we had shelter. waited for More than an hour! Rain turned to drizzle, park was closed. Didn't want to risk being shut in there, we decided to walk in the drizzle out.

We had not hats/umbrellas, so I made Little Jo put on this shirt on her head, and we walked......a long way... out. That was our day at the park.

Simple Science project at Tasik Biru

Drove to Tasik Biru Kundang. (If going there, it's near Sg Buluh, in an area called Kuang.)

Somehow the lake is not as blue as it used to be anymore. It's more like green now, and the water is getting a little dirtier. Still it is a nice place for a picnic. THere were lotsa kampung kids diving into the lake, doing summersaults and water gymnastics.


we brought with us.... Lemang and rendang, nuggets for the kids, water and a change of clothes.
(Lemang - rice cooked in bamboo poles. This one's been taken out of the bamboo and cut for us)In the tupperware is the rendang (like beef curry...totally delicous if you can take spicy food)

Our objective of heading to that lake was to have a good time, to relax and help Nel with a simple Science project.


Project was - to discover things that float/sink. For this we brought: egg cartons, styrofoam, bottles, wooden spatulas, rope and tape.


The egg carton went in first. Of course at first it float . Nel placed a rock on it, stepped on it and it eventually sank. Now she knows, paper stuff eventually absorbs water and sink.
(pic missing)

Finally dad helped her create this simple boat (3 bottles and 2 spatulas). She put her dolly on it, and had a fun time pulling her dolly in the little boat...


Nel setting her dolly on sail. Someone told me, it looked like the reenactment of the Baby Moses among the reeds story. haha...


Later we discovered that her dolly didn't need the boat as it can float by itself too.




Next, pulled her dolly in the styrofoam which was spacious with a little hole in the middle for dolly to sit. Nel asked "Mum, this has a hole, but it can float. Why then, does a boat sink when it has a hole?"

Enjoyed the water a little more, and then headed home.


was a beautiful day.....i think kids love learning science this way, instead of being cooped up in a room learning from text books. Am planning for more such projects.

Sepang Gold Coast Beach

Have been on several short day trips recently... mostly nature trips.... I have this believe that part of my job as a mother is to get them to love nature places and to appreciate the beautiful things GOd has made.

Last week we went to the Sepang Gold Coast Beach (about 15 mins from the F1 circuit in Sepang). Someone told me that it was more like a swamp area.... Anyway, we went to check it out. What we found was major development going on. They're building chalets on water...

Anyway there were 2 main picnic areas. Ok, honestly my bro rated it the World's Worst Beach (and that's partly coz he suffered a deep gash in his feet after stepping on an oyster shell, pointing upwards, hidden in the mud. OUCH!!!) . .Anyway, i think it's a wonderful learning place for children. At low tide, the water recedes several kilometers, uncovering the muddy bed of the sea. Thus it became a learning site for the kids.

Some parts were so muddy, we found our feet sinking till mud covered our ankles. Lovely thing is the children found all sorts of muscles, lalas, cockershells, and even beautiful Sand dollars!

I was excited when I found the long sea worms. (That's what I call em.) It brought back memories of childhood. My dad used to be an avid fishing kaki. We went fishing at lakes, ponds and seaside. My job was always to hunt for worms for my dad. I remember digging through mud at low tide to hunt for these very long thin worms. So to see them made me so excited! I'm not sure if my kids were excited as me, but now they know you can find worms under the bed of the sea! haha..

WE also talked to a fisherman there. He told us that before the construction began he used to yield about 4 kgs of lalas (clams, muscles..) Now he's down to only about 1 kg. :(

Anyway....the sunset was quite lovely, and we bought some kites to fly....followed by a really delicous finger licking good dinner consisting of a variety of seafood...

Here's some pics...... A word of caution .....if your kids are going there...you'll need lotsa sunblock, hat, and if you have boots better... coz i think bcause of the construction there...some bricks and stuff get buried in the mud. And bring lotsa water and a change of clothes.

The beach at low tide (notice how far the water receeds..caution, do not go too far out. Fisherman warned us, coz some people had been stranded on portions of the beach before when caught unaware by the rising tide.)

fisherman's son/grandson digging for lalas

L throwing sand into the sun

little Jo looking for her share of shells

sunset

nxt post will be on Kuala Selangor Nature Park (we were there just yesterday)

More on Jo my little gal

Jo continues to be the one with wild imagination and dramatic acting skills. She is less sticky nowadays and makes friends rather quickly. However, she still refuses to go to Sunday School.

Well, last week while waiting for Nel to finish her ballet class, a few little girls stepped in. I told Jo to go make friends, and she promptly went. She walked, a little hesitant at first, then flashed her impish grin and whispered to the girls "The monsters are coming, quick, run and hide in the bushes!!!"

The little girls ask "where's the bushes?"
Jo replies, "behind, behind! runnnnnnn"
So a bunch of little girls and my little Jo run to the back and they hid in the changing rooms. I thought that was kinda funny! hahaha...

Today, Jo decided she loves veges, since we've been reading about how giraffes love their leaves.
Well, she ate one spinach leaf after another. At one point, I stopped her for a moment to put a spoon of rice into her little mouth.

She dramatically spit it all out on the plate and said in a panicky voice "I have to talk to you mum, I have to talk to you!"

I replied "ok, what's the matter Jo?"
Jo said "I'm a giraffe mum, giraffes DON'T eat rice! "

it's been raining almost everyday... i love the rain, love the smell of it outside my window...love the way it cools down the day, love the smell of fresh wind blowing through my window.

I don't like the fact that time flies by so quickly. Just last week, I registered Nel for primary school. Come December, I will go get her her first set of primary books, her first pinafore, her first white school shoes, her first bag with wheels as I've been told they have to carry a lot of books.

After debating whether to home school her or to enrol her in a Chinese school, we've decided to give Chinese school a try and see how it goes. While most kids here start going to kindergarten and all sorts of enrichment programs by the age of 3/4, I only started her at 6. I wanted to hold her back a little longer, spend more time with her....

but time has gone by so quickly...and really, now it's almost time when I will see her only half a day, while the teachers and friends will fill the other half. I am a little anxious, I know silly me. *sigh*

Anyway, today, me and hubby attended the first session of the Marriage seminar. A truly wonderful course, people say. and yes, I enjoyed the first session. The hall was decorated with flowers, soft lights and fabrics. Every couple was seated at their own table decorated with more flowers and candlelight. oh, and there was also yummy desserts served.

well.. Today, they talked about the seasons of marriage.

I'm at what they call the "summer" season. I suppose it's true. Take perfume for instance, i used to love breeze, fruity scents. I still love them...but I'm also beginning to love the warmer, richer scents. These days are filled with activities around the children..and some with the hubby. He has reminded me not to neglect him. haha...

I cherish this summer season....for it will not last very long. I cherish the laughter of my children filling my household, I cherish the sweet voices calling me "mummy", I love the smell of their little heads as I hold them in my arms... i love the feeling of their soft hands in mine...i love everything about them.

As in every family there are "hotter" and difficult days when things go wrong and tempers flare... and there is sometimes tiredness and fatigue.....but overall...I enjoy this season....
and while it lasts, I pray the Lord will grant me wisdom, strength, love, patience and much joy..

we've had a string of birthdays recently...so there's been plenty of cake to eat! haha...

Anyway....can't believe it, but it's gonna be almost a year since my car glided off the road and hit the divider. Till today, I thank God for protecting us, specially after I read of the high rate of deaths and accidents which occur during rainy seasons!

I've another testimony to share here. Last thursday I was at church late coz I was at a musician's practice. Drove home close to 11pm and felt that my car was kinda wobly but didn't give much thought to it. just wanted to get home.

the next morning, rushed, got ready coz it was my turn to send the kids to school. SO I packed the kids in the car at bout 7:50am and went over to pick up my bro's kid. On the way to my bro's place, I passed by my bro's neighbour who was on her morning walk. I honked, she waved.

Arrived at my bro's house, picked Lyd up and drove off to school which is half hour away.
As I drove out my neighbourhood and was about to approach the highway, my handphone rang.
I picked it up, though I don't usually do when I'm driving.

Anyway, it was Crl, my bro's neighbour! She said "You know, there's something wrong, your tire is totally flat! totally flat!!! I heard a strange noise as you passed me, and I checked with my husband, and yes your tyre is flat! So I rushed home, grabbed my handphone and called you!"

I thank God for Crl, coz she ran home just to call me. And the timing was excellent, coz it reached me, just before I hit the highway. I was able to pull up to the side and got down to inspect my car. Yeah, the tyre wasn't just a little flat, it was TOTALLY flat, running on the rim!

I thank God for protecting us yet once again. coz I would've sped..and with that tyre, it would have been dangerous!

So the kids and I waited and my sis in law came to get the children while I made a U and drove home very slowly.

Yeap...God is good. I thank God for His protection...

Meet the TEachers

it's been just so busy since semester started, so busy I now long for a break. Handling kids and work is tiring... but we're coping.

Anyway, I had a few "meet the teachers" meeting recently. Some reports on Nel...

Kindergarten teacher: Nel is a very loving girl. However, she is very very strong willed. If she likes something, she does it with her whole heart, if she doesn't like it, she refuses with her whole heart too. She's also very sensitive, and a very intelligent girl. She has occasionally lost her temper.

(Yeah...I know my Nel, strong headed. On several occasions when in a crowd/class, she has refused to do certain things. WHen I question her privately, her reasons are mainly because she's afraid she won't do it well enough, or that other kids are watching her or would laugh at her... These are usually the main reasons when she refuses to do something. How do I help her get over these feelings?)

Sunday School Teacher: Nel is sometimes strong willed. Today, she refused to come to the front and refused to put her hands up when asked to do so. Is there something wrong at home? has something gone terribly wrong? Perhaps something has entered her!

(my gosh!!!! that last statement got me fuming for a while. A teacher shouldn't be "suspertitious" but find out first why the child acted that way! When I asked Nel at home,
she replied "I didn't want to go to the front, coz I was afraid the teacher would ask me to do something embrassing and all the kids would be looking at me." "I didn't put up my hands because look, all my buttons are popping and coming off, if I put my hands up, my whole dress would be undone."
I looked at her dress, and yup, the whole upper half had come undone. Simple reason...and the teacher read it so dramatically! hrrrmph!)

Ballet teacher: Nel is a very creative and intelligent child. Only sometimes moody. When moody she doesn't respond to commands as other children do. She chooses to create her own dance and moves. However, that shows me she is intelligent with a mind of her own. She just needs to cooperate more. When in a good mood, her dance work is really beautiful. :)

(well, I've been talking to her about this, and yesterday's class the teacher commented that she had improved so much. Yipee. )

So you see my Nel....strong willed, moody, loving, intelligent..at times stubborn, sensitive. I find myself constantly talking to her, reasoning with her.... but most of all, I've come to realise that she needs A LOT of reassurance...

She often says to me "mum, the most important thing to me in the whole world is being with you and dad."

As for my Jo, she's imaginative as ever and strong willed. today in a conversation with and older girl ... E (7 yrs old) : Jo let's keep the toys, I Never loose my toys."
Jo (just turned 3): Oh really E? I loose my toys everyday.. *makes a sad face* what do I do?"

hehehehe.... anyway...gotta go. Working in the noon.....

tday I had the afternoon off. That was nice, as I hardly get Saturdays off. Since it was a cool afternoon, me and the girls went out to sit on the swing. Naturally the girls took off their shoes and went barefooted. Later, while gettin off the swing, Nel picked Jo's shoes for her. Little Jo put on her shoes with a smile and said in the sweetest voice, "Thanks Nel, thanks for giving me my shoes, that's so awesome. "

I told that to my hubby later and we had to giggle about it. hahaha...it's a word we hardly use around here, but she must have picked it up from the tv. :)

Anyway, that was followed by some gardening and catching worms for an upcoming fishing trip.

As for me, I've been busy working, and the kids have been up to mischief as I work. Today I came up to find oily finger prints over my computer screen. The things you find in a house with kids! let's see what I've found in the past...

mouldy rotting cheese under sofa
poop in the bathtub
rotting banana in the kitchen playset
toothbrush in the toilet bowl
empty shampoo bottles all emptied down the toilet bowl again
pepper and salt in my drink
and the list goes on............................

In fact, just last week, while reading, I noticed that there seemed to be an endless stream of ants going in and out of my handbag. I emptied it but nothing unusual came out. Then I checked the tiny side pocket, and lo and behold, I found Jo's half eaten lollipop from a week ago. It was covered with dead black ants, and needless to say, that pocket was filled with ants!! ewwww.....
i killed them all! and showed the lolli to my children. I said "See, lollis attract ants! That's what you get in your mouth when you eat lollis." I thought that would deter them from liking sweets for the rest of their lives. Alas, I was wrong. The very next day I walked into a shop and guess what Jo asked for? a Purple lollipop. Purple remains her favourite color.

ok, the night is here.... time to head to bed, but not before preparing a little for next week's lecture. taaa all.

I've been busy busy. Semester has started and I've been given a new course to teach. That means a lot of reading and research to do and notes to prepare. WOrking part time is not easy. Sometimes I think full time would've have been easier. WHen I was working full time I had the office to myself to do all my work without distractions.

Now I work part time, i barely get by reading a page before one of my kids come disturbing. So I find myself either resorting to the television as a baby sitter, or I find myself working very late into the nights after the kids are in bed. It's not good for my darkening eye bags and achy shoulders.

My schedule is different every day. Sometimes I've forgotten classes totally and parent and kid appear at my doorstep to find me in rags and hair looking like a crow's nest. haha....and sometimes I've scheduled 2-3 classes together without realising it. Then when all these students appear at my doorstep, I ask them why they're at my house. I must be going nuts.

Being a full time mum would be nice, but reality states that I should work to help with household income. CAn't place the entire burden on hubby alone. COst of living is getting incredibly high.

Yesterday after a full day's work (kids and work work), hubby called to ask if I'd join some friends for a bowling game. Though I was feeling so extremely tired....I decided to just go. I did ok on the scores and it was pretty fun.

We got back at almost 11:30pm. Considering I woke up about 5am, you'd know how tired I was. PUt my super duper wakey kids to bed... then went brushed my teeth and washed my own face.

Mechanically I put on my face moisturizer ...and after a while realised it was extra creamy, and smelled different. I looked at the bottle and knew why then. On the bottle it read, "Hair Nourishing cream. Will promote hair growth." Rewashed my face and put on the right moisturizer.

Well, I woke up this morning and checked my face, no, no extra facial growth. thank goodness.
ok... the day awaits, I must go. it's gonna be a heck of a long day. (there's extra classes for my speech students coz concert is this saturday.)
taaaaa..........................

continued from last post..

today Nel came back and said excitedly "mum, I did well in my Chinese spelling test. Some of my friends didn't even know the words. And mum, do you know why I did well? because this morning, daddy woke up early and taught me those words. My daddy can teach Chinese so well! " She said it, like a daughter so proud of her dad's ability. that little effort of my hubby to spend that bit of time with Nel meant the world to her.

How the miracle took place? I don't know. Well, perhaps it's because of the prayer I said last night. BEfore going to bed, I prayed

"Lord, teach me to be a more patient mother...give me wisdom to guide my children when I don't know how to, teach me to have unconditional love and to love them for who they are, and not what they do."

I prayed that earnestly last night...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anyway, yeah, I popped by the library today and chanced upon this book by Tony Humphreys "Self-Esteem: The Key to Your Child's Education." I've now just managed to go through one chapter, but it really is a good book. Here, in just the first chapter I found some really good stuff...let me quote them here..

Success and failure in themselves have no effect on a child's motivation to learn, but the reactions of parents, teachers and other significant adults to success and failure can have a devastating effect.

Parents need to encourage children in their efforts to master an activity. What counts is the effort and NOT the performance.

Parents who put too much pressure on children for academic performance unwittingly damage the child's self esteem.

Parents who are overly protective/hands off, can undermine children's belief in themselves.

The Self-esteem of the child is affected by the parents' relationship with each other. The child who regularly witnesses openly hostile or silent hostility between parents can become chronically insecure.

That's about the gist of the first chapter. Now it's off to snooze land, will continue reading tomorrow. Semester begins, and thus my lecture begins next week. I will be busy busy busy again. but no complains, i thank God for this job, coz it brings in the additional income which I really need.