Staycation

We stayed at Amara Sanctuary Resort at Sentosa over the last weekend. This would be our "holiday getaway" for the June vacation as we deem it unsafe and inconvenient to travel overseas and face the possibility of home quarantine or even worse, falling ill from H1N1.

We took the Staycation package with the hotel. It comes with 1 night stay, luge tickets, Songs of the Sea tickets, free breakfast and loads of fun!

The girls took the luge for the second time and had their virgin ride on the skyride. The height was daunting to us adults, more so than to the kids! After that, we went for a walkaround at Palawan beach and caught an interesting puppet show. When dusk fell, we caught the show "Songs of the Sea". It was tacky but the kids enjoyed it nevertheless. Yan yan wanted more of the "fire show".

We knocked out once we hit the sack. The next morning, we went over to a Auntie QC's hotel for a good 1+ hr swim. We then checked out of the hotel, went for lunch and headed home.

It was a short, but fun-filled Staycation!

First Camping Trip III

Rui rui made it through the night camp! She didn't shed tears (except for some after she woke up).

We are sooooo proud of her.

First Camping Trip II

Rui's first camping trip is tonight! We packed her camping bag last night. Here are the things that were packed.
1. 3 sets of clothes
2. A set of pyjamas
3. Sunblock
4. Mozzie patch
5. Mozzie spray (the kids are going to have a day of fun at Sembawang Park)
6. Raincoat
7. Hat
8. Doll (to go to sleep with)
9. Plastic bag (to store soiled stuff)

We are all set. She was all excited last night. So were we!

爱上学的昕妍

这是我刚从学校老师那里听来的。

昕妍非常享受上学的经验。她会仔细聆听老师所说的每一句话， 积极参与课室里的活动。每天上学她都很开心。

最近学校的主题是节日。商老师给小朋友们讲了关于端午节的故事。几个星期后，当老师让小朋友们再看粽子的图片时，只有昕妍认得出，并叫得出“粽子”两个字。

有了这种学习态度，日后希望事半功倍！

Auntie Narti has left

After 3 years and 2 months working for our family, Auntie Narti left for her hometown this morning. As expected, there was drama at the airport, not from the kids but from me! Rui cried but wasn't especially emotional and Yan didn't shed a tear! She was probably too young to realise what farwells really mean. Me, on the other hand, was sobbing and was still shedding tears hours after seeing Narti off.

Narti has been great help in the family. Because of her, Ben and I can work in peace, knowing that we can trust her to take care of the girls and the household. Because of her, Ben and I could sneak off for the occasional late night outings or movies. Because of her, Ben and I could raise our 2 kids comfortably with minimal family support.

We will miss her greatly.

The impending departure of Auntie Narti

We are counting down the days to Narti's departure. She will be leaving us on 14 June.

Rui has been especially emotional these few days. On Saturday, she burst into tears for no reason at all. And last night, she was whiny about every single thing. I asked if she is upset about Narti's leaving us and she started brawling. I guess I guessed right.

Although Yan is too young to really understand the situation and to start getting emotional like Rui, she too would protest when I told her Auntie Narti is going home and Auntie Yayu (our new helper) will take care of her instead. However, I dread the thought of her waking up in the middle of the night and asking for Narti after Narti is gone, something she does occasionally.

There's lots of sadness in my heard about Narti leaving us too. However, as adults, we are not "allowed" to get emotional and cry aloud like Rui Rui or protest like Yan Yan.

That's the price of growing up I suppose.

First Camping Trip

Rui Rui will be going for her very first camping trip in June!

We were informed by her childcare centre that they K1 and K2 will be camping overnight at the centre. They will first have some outdoor fun at Sembawang Park, followed by group activities at the centre, before getting ready for bed, all without parents by their side!

When we first broached the subject with Rui, she told me she didn't want to stay overnight with her friends alone and that she wants to come home. We assured her it will be loads of fun and that it is part of growing up. We told her she will be missing out if she didn't go. Basically, we were telling her not to be so "chicken"!

She agreed finally. However, I am guessing that during the camping night itself, the teacher will be calling us up to pick her up to go home. I hope I will be proven wrong...