Evidence of Xavier watching too much of Pixar's Cars.....
In the middle of watching Formula One race tonight,
Xavier: Mummy, this race has no pit stop.
Mummy: Why?
Xavier: Because there is no forklift.
For those not indoctrinated to the way of Cars, all the pit stop crew members in the Piston Cup race are forklifts.
Evidence of Xavier being a faster learner.....
Keane was kicking a fuss about a toy.
Keane: non stop wailing.....
Xavier: Stop...stop crying then I'll give you this.
Keane: non stop wailing.....
Xavier: I said stop....stop and I'll give you this.
Keane: silence....
Xavier: Ok here you go.
For the non-parents, this tactic is commonly practised by the adults in our household to stop tantrums.
Evidence of Xavier having potential to be a politician.....
Keane: (pointing in the direction of the back of the car from front seat) Giraffe, giraffe!
Xavier: (thinks Keane's pointing at him) I'm NOT a giraffe!
Keane: Giraffe, giraffe!
Mummy: He's not pointing at you Xavier, he's pointing at the "Friends of the zoo" car decal with the giraffe on it.
Xavier: Oh, I thought he was pointing at a real giraffe behind us.....(totally ignoring the earlier statement he made)
Evidence of Xavier being analytical.....
Xavier: Mummy, why is daddy not home yet?
Mummy: Daddy has to work so he'll be back later.
Xavier: But Daddy said he will be out for a while only. A while means he will come back fast but he has been gone a long time.
To laugh or to cry.......I haven't decided. But for now, why worry?
Listen to the voice of a mother of three who would like to share her thoughts and experiences of being a mother of 3 boisterous boys in the small city of Singapore.... Disclaimer: read at your own risk and learn from my mistakes.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
It rained at the zoo......
We had an outing to the zoo on Saturday. We didn't bring Ryan because he just turned one and we always waited till the kids were 2 before we brought them to the zoo. It's some superstitious thing which I don't wish to address.
We left our home at about 8.30am and reached the zoo in good time. It's a 15 minutes drive for us. See how far away from everything else we are? I mean, it's strange to claim that you stay near the zoo but we do. I always tell people that I stay in ulu Sembawang.
We decided to become Friends of the Zoo since Keane is now a paying child (children below 3 get free entry). Annual membership of S$180 gives us unlimited access for 2 adults and 3 kids plus free parking plus 10% discounts at F&B outlets. Not a bad deal. We can break even with 4 visits which we can easily do in a year.
The first thing we did after breakfast was to hit the Kidzworld where there is a water playground for the kids. The two of them definitely had a whale of a time there. There weren't that many kids as it was pretty early. After about 45 mins Xavier cut his heel and had to be brought to the first aid station to wash his wound and put on a plaster. Being the whiner, he was grumbling most of the time. But was pretty brave at the end considering a small piece of his skin was ripped off. Had an excuse to get crocodile slippers as the sandals were too abrasive.
Next stop was the Australian outback. We took part in the feeding session of the wallabies. All of us had fun feeding the wallabies. Still don't quite know the difference between a wallaby and a kangaroo except that wallabies are a smaller cousin of the kangaroo. I wouldn't have known the difference except that I overheard a visitor ask the zookeeper why the kangaroos were so small here. She has obviously seen a real kangaroo. After the feeding, it was a rush to the Elephants of Asia show.
It was still interesting though we were later than most people and ended up with the worse seats in the house. But that didn't stop Xavier and Keane from getting all excited about the elephants and their stunts. It started to drizzle so we tried to move on before the end of the elephant show. After some delay at the amphitheatre where we saw the last part of some dance and song by an Australian group and had some pop corn, we tried to find lunch.
That itself was a challenge but I won't go into the details.
We went home after the lunch. It was a short trip but still entertaining. During the tram ride Keane managed to identify a lot of the animals which we saw. That in itself was rewarding for us as he has shown much improvement since he went to childcare last year. Xavier planned our itinerary but we didn't have enough time to see the komodo dragon, bats and other animals he wanted. But since we're now friends of the zoo, we can go back often without burning a hole in our pocket.
Even though it was a short day, the kids were tired and slept very early that night.
We will definitely make an another trip soon.
Quote Xavier: When we go to the zoo on Saturday and we ate popcorn and we watched the elephant show and we saw animals. My favourite part was feeding the kangaroos.
We left our home at about 8.30am and reached the zoo in good time. It's a 15 minutes drive for us. See how far away from everything else we are? I mean, it's strange to claim that you stay near the zoo but we do. I always tell people that I stay in ulu Sembawang.
We decided to become Friends of the Zoo since Keane is now a paying child (children below 3 get free entry). Annual membership of S$180 gives us unlimited access for 2 adults and 3 kids plus free parking plus 10% discounts at F&B outlets. Not a bad deal. We can break even with 4 visits which we can easily do in a year.
The first thing we did after breakfast was to hit the Kidzworld where there is a water playground for the kids. The two of them definitely had a whale of a time there. There weren't that many kids as it was pretty early. After about 45 mins Xavier cut his heel and had to be brought to the first aid station to wash his wound and put on a plaster. Being the whiner, he was grumbling most of the time. But was pretty brave at the end considering a small piece of his skin was ripped off. Had an excuse to get crocodile slippers as the sandals were too abrasive.
Next stop was the Australian outback. We took part in the feeding session of the wallabies. All of us had fun feeding the wallabies. Still don't quite know the difference between a wallaby and a kangaroo except that wallabies are a smaller cousin of the kangaroo. I wouldn't have known the difference except that I overheard a visitor ask the zookeeper why the kangaroos were so small here. She has obviously seen a real kangaroo. After the feeding, it was a rush to the Elephants of Asia show.
It was still interesting though we were later than most people and ended up with the worse seats in the house. But that didn't stop Xavier and Keane from getting all excited about the elephants and their stunts. It started to drizzle so we tried to move on before the end of the elephant show. After some delay at the amphitheatre where we saw the last part of some dance and song by an Australian group and had some pop corn, we tried to find lunch.
That itself was a challenge but I won't go into the details.
We went home after the lunch. It was a short trip but still entertaining. During the tram ride Keane managed to identify a lot of the animals which we saw. That in itself was rewarding for us as he has shown much improvement since he went to childcare last year. Xavier planned our itinerary but we didn't have enough time to see the komodo dragon, bats and other animals he wanted. But since we're now friends of the zoo, we can go back often without burning a hole in our pocket.
Even though it was a short day, the kids were tired and slept very early that night.
We will definitely make an another trip soon.
Quote Xavier: When we go to the zoo on Saturday and we ate popcorn and we watched the elephant show and we saw animals. My favourite part was feeding the kangaroos.
Monday, June 8, 2009
I'm back......
A full week at work has passed.....I'm now beginning my second week.
Things have been moving fast and I've been trying to keep a balance between work and family. I must admit the family is benefiting from my efforts.
Keane has shown much development in his speech. He is quite good at catching tunes and can sing a few songs very well. His pronunciation needs work but his pitch is very good. Am I beginning to sound like an American Idol judge? I believe he really needed our attention. My recent full time spell at home gave him much of my time and I feel closer to him. He has also shown more restraint in his behaviour, except when he is playing which is typical of most children. He has picked up our singlish phrases like "aiyo" and has the sweetest way of expressing his distress with "Oh NO!"
Xavier has become more matured for his age and is demonstrating his abilities to be an elder brother. Some of the things he said recently made me laugh:
I injured my finger while closing the gate of our main door. Don't ask me why or how I did it since I have no answer. Guess my brain was in sleep mode.
Mom: Oh no, I injured my finger when I was closing the door.
Xavier: It's ok, just put a plaster and go to sleep. When you wake up, it will be ok already!
I wonder if this is a demonstration of the way we show our love while trying to teach him to be strong.
Keane was fiddling with a book recently. Xavier went to him and took the book.
Xavier: Come Keane, read this....Hop...Hop on Pop!
Keane: silence......
Xavier: Come on Keane, just try your best. Hop....say Hop.
Keane: silence......
Xavier: Keane, it's very easy....Hop....say Hop....Hop on Pop!
Keane: Don't want!!! (and off he ran)
I hope this shows that he has learnt a lesson from us. We always try to teach him that to try his best is an achievement itself.
Ryan has started walking on his own albeit unsteadily. He is also showing his own character. He has a habit of snatching toys from his brothers. Whenever he doesn't get them, he will go to his dad to complain and cries till he gets what he wants. All his tantrums are forgotten with his endearing smile which brightens up your day. He has a long way to go......
Recently my focus on work is self discipline. I'm trying to exercise discipline in how I plan my schedule and how I balance my time between work and family. I'm also trying to put in some time for exercise. I tried going for a jog again on Sunday, after a one week break. I'm far from what I call fit. But I'm giving myself a bit of time to get to it.
We're planning a trip to the zoo this Saturday and I hope we do make it......
This week's motivational quote:
Discipline is the bridge between Goals and Accomplishments.
Things have been moving fast and I've been trying to keep a balance between work and family. I must admit the family is benefiting from my efforts.
Keane has shown much development in his speech. He is quite good at catching tunes and can sing a few songs very well. His pronunciation needs work but his pitch is very good. Am I beginning to sound like an American Idol judge? I believe he really needed our attention. My recent full time spell at home gave him much of my time and I feel closer to him. He has also shown more restraint in his behaviour, except when he is playing which is typical of most children. He has picked up our singlish phrases like "aiyo" and has the sweetest way of expressing his distress with "Oh NO!"
Xavier has become more matured for his age and is demonstrating his abilities to be an elder brother. Some of the things he said recently made me laugh:
I injured my finger while closing the gate of our main door. Don't ask me why or how I did it since I have no answer. Guess my brain was in sleep mode.
Mom: Oh no, I injured my finger when I was closing the door.
Xavier: It's ok, just put a plaster and go to sleep. When you wake up, it will be ok already!
I wonder if this is a demonstration of the way we show our love while trying to teach him to be strong.
Keane was fiddling with a book recently. Xavier went to him and took the book.
Xavier: Come Keane, read this....Hop...Hop on Pop!
Keane: silence......
Xavier: Come on Keane, just try your best. Hop....say Hop.
Keane: silence......
Xavier: Keane, it's very easy....Hop....say Hop....Hop on Pop!
Keane: Don't want!!! (and off he ran)
I hope this shows that he has learnt a lesson from us. We always try to teach him that to try his best is an achievement itself.
Ryan has started walking on his own albeit unsteadily. He is also showing his own character. He has a habit of snatching toys from his brothers. Whenever he doesn't get them, he will go to his dad to complain and cries till he gets what he wants. All his tantrums are forgotten with his endearing smile which brightens up your day. He has a long way to go......
Recently my focus on work is self discipline. I'm trying to exercise discipline in how I plan my schedule and how I balance my time between work and family. I'm also trying to put in some time for exercise. I tried going for a jog again on Sunday, after a one week break. I'm far from what I call fit. But I'm giving myself a bit of time to get to it.
We're planning a trip to the zoo this Saturday and I hope we do make it......
This week's motivational quote:
Discipline is the bridge between Goals and Accomplishments.
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