Happy 2014

Today is the last day in 2013. What have I done?? Juggling between work, 2 kids and home. Hope 2014 will be a bit more relaxing or at least I can handle the juggling better than 2013.

I am off work between Christmas and New Year. Had a bit too much time on hand. I cleared my store rooms hoping to make more space for more stuff later. :)

I took the kids to my parents', Jungle Gym and watch a movie, Frozen, and had a party with the kids' play-dates. I had my shopping fix one day when I was so bored....I came back with 2 pairs of shoes and 2 handbags!

What is my resolution for 2014?? I have stopped making resolution. I will happily forget about it in no time. For a start, I am trying an new hair stylist for a haircut on New Year's day. And this year, we are not painting the town red. We are doing the countdown at home, away from the buzz in the city like the last 2 years.

B-Daman

I pronounce the boys' toy for 2013 is B-Daman. I do not know how and where the fever started, but he has been collecting these and still collecting them. Each time we go shopping, the question is always 'Can I buy a B-Daman?". Once he started selecting, the next question is "Can I buy more than 1?" Looking at his collection and it is growing...

Lucas took this picture himself!

Merry Christmas

This Christmas is quiet and it is good. We had too much time and didn't know what to do...we just go with the flow and it is now almost over. We watched Home Alone. The kids enjoyed it and were laughing so hard especially on the tricks Kevin played on the 2 thieves.

Merry Christmas all.

Chloe has been nagging on me for days to bake ginger bread. We finally managed to find some time on the eve to bake those cookies. They just wanted to decorate the cookies, not so much in making them or eating them.

Lucas's work. The right cookie in red and yellow is supposed to be the gingerbread man in bikini.

 Chloe's work

 

The yearly pose with the grandparents.

Opening presents on the eve at the grandparents'house

Opening presents on their own home on Christmas day.

 

They end their Christmas Day with a White Christmas, ie bubble bath

Penang

After the 2 nights in farmstay, we drove another 2 hours to Penang, a civilised place. See the different activities the kids were doing.

We were visiting Armenian Street, a very arty street to visit. Shying away from the magician.

She is pretending to be surprised

 Barely 5 mins walk, they have to have their ice-cream break



This is a very famous painting on Armenian Street. We have to queue to take this picture.

Some time playing with the sand while waiting for lunch

This is their all time favourite, TV.

Pleased to find her shop

Her face says it all

Farmstay

The kids are on school holiday. We took them to a farmstay, run by a friend and her husband. Trying to introduce nature to the 2 city kids. It was not bad at all. The first day, they were ok with no complaints. On the second day, they were so warm up and were at ease with the animals and cow dungs. The farmstay is about 3 1/2 hour drive on highway and another 20 mins ride on 4 wheel drive. It is quite high up in the mountain and is not accessible by 4 wheel drive. With the altitude, there is no need for fan or air-con. The nature air is just nice. This farmstay has no electricity. It runs on solar and generator during night time. The water is piped in from the nearby stream. This farm used to be a tea plantation...understandably with the high altitude. The tea plantation company has since gone burst. Without electricity, there is no fridge. So, you can't stock up on meat. There is a cooler box which can keep food good for 1 - 2 days. A very good experience for all of us.

This is our farmstay. We were looking the at cactus. The burnt thing on the background is home made charcoal. Nothing goes to waste here. It is naturally almost self sustain.

This is where we slept. This house used to be the manager's house during tea plantation days. It has kitchen and bathroom and toilet with proper sewerage.

 This is the kids' all time favourite activities. This is the Jacuzzi, the stream with clear water and the water is cold too. And near here is where all three of them got the leech bite.

This is the kitchen. It has gas stove and even gas powered oven. Most of the vegetables we ate are grown in the farm.

Our dining table.

This beautiful flower is literally called Çhicken Shit Flower'(Bunga Tahi Ayam)

Walking uphill to see the eucalyptus tree

Preparing food to feed the poultry and rabbits.

The youngest helper also wants to feed.

 

Pushing the food to feed the poultry in a wheelbarrow.

Feeding the chicks

Everybody loves to feed the chicks.

Feeding the rooster and turkeys

Collected the freshly laid eggs

 

  

Chloe's Christmas Play

Chloe's school had a Christmas play before the term ends. She is the bird and the production is made by teachers and children age 4 to 5. The parents made the costumes and the teacher teaches the kids the songs and the play.

Her costumes as the bird

The 'birds' are flocking together

With Daddy after the show

First Trip with Girlfriends

I took a weekend trip to Bali 2 weekends ago with my primary school and secondary school classmates. Friends I've known for more than 30 years!! We sure had lots of fun and vow to take more trips together.

Sunglasses

I always admired aviator sunglasses. I think they are so cool but I could not find a suitable pair. A few weeks ago, I was determined to get a pair, and I found one that fits me!
I bought it and brought home, put it on the table.
Lucas saw it and wear it. I said you look so cool. Let's take a picture. Chloe took the picture.
Then Chloe wore it and Lucas took a picture of her.
They had fun playing with the aviator sunglasses. So, not only I think it is cool, my kids agree with me too!

It's Confirmed

We always joked about Lucas being the second smallest in his class and this has been confirmed by the school. Last week, the whole class was sent to the school nurse. All of them we measured and weighed. Yesterday, Lucas told me:

Lucas: Mom, I'm the second shortest in the class. Do you know who is the shortest?
Me: No, it is a girl or a boy?
Lucas: A girl. Her name starts with S.
Me: Don't know who.
Lucas: Sandya.I am the lightest in the class.
Me: {laughed}
Lucas: The second lightest is 7g more than me.
Me: So now you are confirmed the skinniest and the second shortest in your class.
Lucas: {smiled}

Shortly after, Chloe was taking the opportunity to be sneaky. I told her she can have 3 gummy bears for dessert. After she finished her third, she asked:

Chloe: Mom, can I have some sugar?
Me: You mean gummy bear?
Chloe: {smiled}

How sneaky of her!

Typical Weekend

This weekend was a lazy weekend. And the rainy weather makes it even better to laze at home. The kids have Arts & Craft on Saturday morning. The teacher comes to the house at 9.30am until 11am. I took the opportunity to go grocery shopping while the kids are doing their arts & craft. Then the kids have swimming at 4pm. In between, we had lunch and a rest. I realised it is much better for the kids when I forced them to take a rest. Lucas will never nap. Instead he reads his book in his room. Chloe will have a nap. Me and Dominic will have a long nap. The older needs more rest than the younger.
There were a Halloween party in the neighbourhood. We took the kids there and it started to rain. He head home and the kids had time for iPad...their favourite pastime.
 Sunday was interesting. I saw an advert on the newspaper on new houses for sale. Made an appointment and went for viewing. The houses were nice and the location was great but it was way way off our budget...I mean way off...like 3 times more than we can afford. Anyway, it was free and it was nice to be doing something different. Then we had lunch and time outside. We went to a Japanese restaurant for dinner. The restaurant had sushi on a conveyer belt. The kids love it. They get very excited when their sushi arrives. Lucas has no problem eating sushi wrapped in crap stick and salmon sashimi. Chloe just want udon noodles.
Tomorrow, it is back to routine...work and school. Oh well....another 5 days to coming weekend.

Diwali

Last weekend was a long weekend. The kids had Monday and Tuesday off. They had 2 birthday parties over the weekend and Lucas tried skating for the first time. The sure had a ball of great time.
When it was school and Chloe had a Diwali party in school. She was very excited to be dressed in Indian costume. This Indian dress was bought 2 years ago and it still fits!

 

Lucases

There are 3 Lucases in Year 2 in Lucas's school. 2 Lucases in Lucas's class, inclusive of himself. The teachers and friends have to call their full name i.e. Lucas + last name.
We were rather surprised of how popular or common the name is. Dominic and I were saying we should have spelled his name as LUKAS.

Then Lucas told me
Lucas: Mom, do you know what my friends call me in school?
Me: Lucas Lim
Lucas: No. They call me Luk.
Me: Luke is the short name for Lucas anyway.
Lucas: Not Luke, but Luk. L-U-K.

I think this Luk will stay with him as these 3 Lucases will always be in the same year until the finish school.

Girl

Even before turning 5, Chloe is already very girly, in terms of behaviour. Many times, when she comes back from school, she will say, 'I did not friend Angeline'. I asked why. She said 'She is naughty and not following instructions'. And other days, she will not friend so and so. Lucas has never say he does not want to friend so and so till today. This must be the girl's thing.

I was catching up with some of Lucas's classmates Moms. And a few of them who have daughters were saying their girls are talking about boys! And they are definitely not very pleased about it but what can they do. Lucas meanwhile could not care less talking about girls. He is into trading Animal Kaiser cards with his friends.

I suppose that is the difference between boys and girls. Girls mature a lot faster. Imagine Chloe taking boyfriend home at the age of 8!!

Lucas is 7!

Lucas turned 7 last Sunday. For his birthday, he invited some friends to an indoor play gym. Then, they had a few rounds of computer games. There were 3 Lucases in the party. That's how common his name is. Nevertheless, he was a very happy boy.
We were trying to convince him that is it time to sleep in his own room. He replied, "I said I will try but I did not promise'.

Opening his presents

 Some of his friends

Blowing the candles

Swimming and Drums

Weekends are slowly packed with the kids' activities. They have their arts and craft lesson on Saturday morning, and swimming in the late afternoon. In between, there is no time to do much except than to chill out at home.

Chloe started her swimming lesson. Coincidentally, the timing is the same as Lucas's. Very convenient for the parents. The lesson is more of an introduction to be comfortable with water than swimming. She refused to put her head under water after her second attempt. I think it will take some time to overcome the water fear. Meanwhile, Lucas is practicing his free style. Last week, I saw the coach teaching him to do back stroke.

Lucas with his swimming mates listening to the coach.

 

Chloe was taught to climb up from the pool and jump to the pool. Daddy has to be in the pool with her.

 



Lucas practicing his drums.

The grandparents were worried loud noise from the drum will make him deaf, and got him a pair of ear muffs.

You are Perfect!

One day, on the way to school, we had this conversation:
Chloe: Mom, are you fat or thin?
Me: Errr...I am medium.
Lucas: No, Mom. You are perfect!
Me: YES, thank you.

Drum Concert

Lucas had his drum performance today. He has been practicing the song for 2 months. When I asked why was he on the same song for so long, he said the teacher wanted him to play that song perfectly.

I must said he did play well today. After his performance, I asked if he was afraid of the audience, he confidently said NO. I guess that is a good practice for him....to overcome any stage fright.

 

I do not have a good picture of him playing, except for the video, and can't upload the video here....:(

 

I'm Not Sleepy

My kids are afraid of sleeping and eating. This has been awhile back, but quite good. Lucas was on cough medication which made him gorgy. He was sitting quietly on the sofa. I asked:
Me: Lucas, are you sleepy?
Lucas: NO, I'm not (sounded annoyed)
Me: OK

His expression when I asked if he was sleepy

 

His expression seconds later...and he was not sleepy :)