Wrong bus!

2 days ago, Nadine boarded the wrong bus to go home after school.

Apparently she saw the correct bus, but it was behind the wrong bus that she absent-mindedly boarded. When the bus turned into a different road, she realised she was on the wrong bus. She was calm and steady enough to alight at the Kovan MRT station bus stop, a place that she was familiar with. And she said she then cried, but nobody came forward to help her. Maybe she was sobbing quietly and people didn't notice. But it was heartbreaking when she said nobody helped her.

So she decided to walk home! I asked her how did she know the way. She said we've driven that way so many times, so she knew the way. So proud of her!

On one hand, I was shakened. To think that she had no phone on her and no one came forward to help her. Thank God she alighted at Kovan, and not some ulu bus stop far away from home. On the other hand, I'm so very proud of her to be able to recognise the route home, and to walk all the way. That assures me that she is indeed very independent. I need a stronger heart as she grows!

Father & son twinning

Daddy dressed like he was going to school last week, twinning with his son. Son was not very amused though, but obliged with this photo. Funny duo!

Nadine - towards independence

This term, Daddy and I decided to take the plunge and train Nadine to take the public bus home herself. All by herself.

I went on the bus once with her - she takes 1 bus from outside her school to Nex, then change to another bus. That was the one and only time I went with her. After that, she started taking the bus on her own, whenever Auntie Molly is unable to fetch her, or, since this week, when Zeta goes for her tuition.

Initially, Daddy wanted to get her a phone, in case she got lost and needs to contact us. But I was against the idea. I felt that her eyes may then be glued to the phone, and it'd be more a distraction then help.  Very happy that we stuck with that decision, and so far, she's managing really well.

I'm glad I trained her early, and so proud that she's bold and independent enough to do it! In fact, she loves the "me-time"!

My little girl is growing up so quickly! Soon, she'll be a teenager!!! *Gasp*

Aaron turns 7!

Aaron turned 7 almost a month ago!

It's becoming harder and harder to organize birthday parties for the kids, as they grow older. We decided to take the easy way out - laser tag game at Tag Team East Coast, and then lunch at St Marc's next door.

The kids had a great time battling it out. And after lunch, they continued to run around and play in the field. Boundless energy! The parents - we had a great time catching up over food and coffee.  But forgot to take photos of the parents!

 Next birthday party, we aim to take a nicer family photo, and photos of all the kid friends and adult friends!

At 7, he's no longer so kiddy, and in the last few weeks, he's been able to control his emotions better. Doesn't break out into tears so easily. And at 7, he can think and rationalize way better than most kids his age. He's also shown a great potential to be a tech geek, for the amount of tech knowledge he acquires and retains. He wants to be an engineer when he grows up, and build machines and things that can make life better!

Nadine got her ears pierced

Nadine got her ears pierced during the June holidays. No tears, no scream. Brave girl!

Aaron's 1st Children Encounter

After lots of deliberation, Aaron finally agreed to go for his first Children's Encounter - a 2-day-1-night camp in church.

He initially didn't want to go because he had stay overnight ... and was too shy to bring his smelly blankie. Not sure if it's because of his sister's and friends' enthusiasm, or peer pressure, he finally decided to go. 1st day wasn't great, but he roughed it out and stayed the night, and came back happy. My little brave boy!

International Friendship Day at Montfort

I volunteered at Montfort's International Friendship Day celebrations 2 weeks ago. It was amazing to see the amount of efforts that the Parents Support Group put in to make the event a success.

So many parents put in time and effort way before the actual day to prepare the display items, including this jeepney, that was handmade by a mum!

Montfort is an under-subscribed school. So they don't have parents who are volunteering to try and get their sons into the school. What the school then has to rely very heavily on, are parents whose sons are already in the school. And man, these parents are committed! Can see how they are investing their time because they want their sons and their friends to enjoy school! Many of these parents who volunteer regularly at the lego room, library, prayer room and other school events seem to have become good friends, and seem to enjoy being in school, as much their sons!

Very glad to have sent Aaron to Montfort!

Rock climbing

We had an awesome cell bonding with new experiences on Good Friday.

We went to Tampines Hub for the first time (for our family and many of the cell members). It was a humongous place with sooooooo many activities. And the food court had so many stalls with yummy food.

The kids tried rock climbing for the first time. It was very challenging for them, but they loved it! I think they'd probably do more of it in future!

 

Chef Nadine

Since our Thai cooking class in Chiangmai, Nadine has cooked thai basil chicken for the family a few times. She's actually not bad, just a bit inconsistent with the taste, because she sometimes can forget to add certain ingredients.

Here's her cooking thai basil chicken for the extended family.

March 2018 school holidays

This March, we didn't go away coz I was busy at work and couldn't take too many days' leave. But we did spend some quality time together as a family.

Day 1: We went to the Seletar Animal Farmway Resort.

Nadine enjoyed feeding the rabbits and guinea pigs, while Aaron was totally freaked out by the pigeons. He clung on to Daddy all the time, and wouldn't venture further into the farm. So we didn't even take any photos of ourselves. Just this beautiful peacock who decided to show off his tail.

(Subsequently, in April, Aaron's school went on a learning journey to the Resort! Perhaps it's the presence of his classmates (peer pressure) - he ventured around and saw the rest of the farm!)

Day 2: We went into JB, to Paradigm Mall. 

It was a great place for a family outing. The kids went ice-skating first. The skating rink is so much better than the one at Kallang. The ice is cold and dry, and it was not crowded, giving the kids lots of space to skate around.

After ice-skating, we went for a massage, before getting a yummy lunch at 汤师父, we went to watch Black Panther. So much cheaper to watch movies in Malaysia. They have different prices for adults, children and senior citizens. With the currency exchange, it's really a fraction of what we'd have to pay in Singapore.

After the movie, we shopped around a bit, before having dinner at Kinsahi. Again, a fraction of what we'd have paid for a nice Japanese dinner in Singapore. Such a satisfying day trip, spoilt only by the jam to and fro the customs. I think next time, we'll go by Tuas Second Link!

For the rest of the holiday, Daddy brought the kids out, and they also had a play date at their friends' house. No overseas vacation, but I think they enjoyed themselves nonetheless.