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Saturday, July 26, 2014

Evan is 2!

I can't believe how time flies. Evan has turned 2 years old. Just like that - he's no longer my baby boy.




He's the one I currently feel the most guilty about. (Mummy guilt - that's another blog post idea) I've read about the middle child syndrome. I'm not sure if it's true. But sandwiched in between kor kor and mei mei, he's the one I have the least time for. When I was pregnant with Isabel, Evan was still very young and didn't understand why mummy couldn't carry him nor hug him (I suffered several kicks from him, and so did Isabel). When I finally could carry him again, I felt I missed out a large chunk of his babyhood. He had somehow grown to humongous proportions (in my eyes at least). Now he's turned 2!

Nonetheless he's a very happy, feisty and well adjusted little boy. He's the one I'm the least worried about - i'm quite sure he won't get bullied and his self help skills are quite advanced for a child his age.

So what did we do to celebrate his birthday? Well he likes trains, planes and buses. Taking all 3 kids onto the plane again is not something I intend to do for a while. So we brought everyone for a bus and train ride. We took the bus to the mrt station and took the train to dhoby ghaut station.




Getting on and off the train and bus with 3 kids was quite an adventure. I'm pleased to say that commuters did give up their seats for us, and Evan was thrilled to be on board. Hats off to parents who have to commute daily on public transport with little ones especially in peak hour.

We explored the new wing at Plaza Sing and decided to have lunch at Nana's Green Tea.









The lunch set is such good value! The food was pretty decent and the matcha latte passed my taste test. Will definitely dine there again.





There were kiddie activities on the ground floor which kept the boys busy.

After that adventure, Evan keeps asking for more trips on the bus and train.

We also had a family dinner to celebrate Evan and Nai Nai's joint birthdays.





He was extremely happy to sing happy birthday and blow out the candle. My guess is that he's seen his classmates do this many times and was waiting for his turn to arrive. He was so happy he grabbed the Husband's arm whilst munching his cake, leaned his head against it and gave daddy a kiss. Just like that - out of the blue. That's him - very affectionate with a fire in his belly. He does everything with a passion, no in between.





On his actual birthday, we had a simple cake cutting at school with his friends. I ordered a cake from bengawan solo - with an airplane design on it, no less. He was thrilled with the cake. I must say I was pretty impressed - the cake tasted moist and fluffy - i didn't even pay to upgrade to a special filling. Just the regular chocolate cake. The design was done in fresh cream and I find them tastier than fondant cakes. I won't hesitate to order from them again next time.





Happy 2nd birthday my little Spartan boy! Daddy and mummy love you very much!

Monday, July 14, 2014

Back to the office



So everyone's been asking me - "how do you feel about going back to work". (May I add that going back to work isn't a fair question - staying home is very hard work. Hence I've used the title "going back to the office".

If you read through my old posts, after having Marc, I started crying a week before going back to work. I missed him even before I left the house. Yeah - i'm super emo - that's why I married such a strong stable man like the Husband.

Before I had kids, I was certain I wanted to stop work and become a stay home mum. Why? Because nothing beats mummy right? How can anyone replace a mother's love, care and nurturing? I was left in the care of my grandmother when I was young and really really missed my mum when she left for work. I remember looking out the window of grandma's flat, arching my neck waiting for mummy to come pick me. And I resolved not to have my kids feel that way. So when Marc came along, I dreaded going back to work and was consumed with guilt whenever I was away from him. I eventually got over that and managed to obtain approval for a part time work arrangement which I love love love. As he grew, I realised that he flourished with or without me.

After Evan came along, I was really happy to go back to work once my maternity leave ended.




Yes he was quite a terror to look after, but any mum will attest that staying home to look after kids is not easy. I told my friends that going to work is a break for me - and got incredulous looks (except from fellow mums who gave me knowing nods). But a big part of why I was happy to come back to work was the realisation that there's only so much I can humanly do for my kids. They belong to God and He loves them much more than I do. He takes special care of them and watches over them. I realised that whilst a mother's love cannot be replaced, having mummy stay home 24/7 is not always the best. Every family is different - i have friends who are stay home mums with zero outside help in the form of parents and domestic help. They truly have my admiration as it's not easy at all. I'm not sure how I would stay sane as a stay home mum and a loopy mummy is all round bad news for the home. The Husband is very hands on and I think it's apparent that he's much much better at handling the kids than I am. When I'm away, the boys spend more time with daddy and to me, it's crucial for their development. And I'm thankful to say they have turned out quite well as a result of that. I realised that I wasn't short changing them by going to work, albeit for 3 days a week and the mummy guilt eventually left me. I did take a step back in terms of pay and career progression, but you can't have it all. That's another blog post all together so I shan't digress. God has also sent us the right helpers at the right time and I'm really thankful for a reliable helper and parents and in laws who never hesitate to lend a hand with the kids.

So as my third maternity draws to a close, how do I feel about coming back to work? I'd say it's a mix between my past 2 maternities. It's nice to be able to dress up, stay in an aircon office, eat with both my hands, use the toilet without an audience and have adult conversation over lunch. On the other hand, after 3 kids, I've come to realise that they grow so so quickly. Evan turns 2 next week. Before I know it I will be selecting what to wear for Isabel's wedding! With 3 little ones, I just can't find enough time in a day to be a part of their antics. Whether it's Marc's crazy stories, Evan's cheeky grin or Isabel's latest milestone, every minute with them is a privilege.

Choosing to stay home would have been the easiest option - with 3 kids, juggling their feeds and schedules would confound the most skillful circus performer. Yet I know that my calling isn't to be a stay home mum - at least not now, not this season. And being in the centre of God's will is the best place to be.

So how did I usher in my going back to work? Well wouldn't you know it - by eating of course!








Last week it was waffles from Creamier in Toa Payoh. Truly the best I've ever tried. Today it was mazechirashi from Aoki. Seriously good stuff, better than the chirashi we had in Japan! I'd find any reason to eat. ;)

Now to pack my pump - my bags - my snacks - my oils - and to adjust to a whole new routine. Here we go!



Thursday, July 10, 2014

Gardens by the bay - Children's Garden

The weekend is round the corner and the usual question of "where shall we bring the kids" is a common topic of discussion. We visited the children's garden at gardens by the bay a couple of weeks back and the kids loved it. There are 3 main areas to explore:

1) water play area (which is divided into a toddler and older children's play area)
2) toddler playground
3) kids playground

My nephews arrived earlier and tried out the water play area. Feedback was that it was fantastic and lots of fun. Parents - be ready to get really wet. My kids were recovering from a cold so we didn't want to get wet. I did a quick survey and it really does look like lots of fun. We will try it out next time. There were plenty of toilet and shower facilties and even a small snack bar.

Evan tried out the toddler play area and had lots of fun. If the pictures look grainy it's cos of the fine mist from the water play area.












Suffice to say we had to convince Evan that it was time to eat before he agreed to leave the playground.

The older kid playground had tree houses and a network of climbing apparatus - perfect for little monkeys like Marc. I didn't snap many pictures of Marc because I was with Evan. Marc said he enjoyed the playground as well but as usual he was torn between eating and playing and eventually hunger took over.





We had dinner at Verandah, a cafe close to the visitors centre. Food was average, with a mix of both western and Asian offerings. The highlight though was the waffles. Passed my taste test.









After dinner the super trees are really pretty all lighted up. Thumbs up for this playground, especially for younger kids. Perfect if you have kids with and wide age gap like mine.

Mosquito count - zero
Parking lots - plenty if you avoid super peak periods. We went on a weekday evening. Park at the visitor's centre car park for the children's garden.
Shade - well shaded as the children's garden has several plant canopies. The water play area isn't shaded but it was overcast the day we visited and quite chilly - would have been perfect for a sunny day.