WIP: Feline Frenzy

Lately, sitting down to write a blog entry seems to be an impossible task more often than not. I have lost count of the number of times when I was bursting with thoughts that I wish to pen down but circumstances simply do not allow me to sit down to do a proper entry. Now that Arielle's first year is around the corner, I find myself hyperventilating whenever I think about it because I have failed to pen down her growth, her progress, and she is growing so fast!

So, I thought I will change tack when it comes to filling up this space with their progress. I shall do a weekly (Hopefully.) photo blog. So instead of having a verbal diarhhea, I shall let photos do (most of) the talking. That should make updating easier right? And it shall be called, "WIP" - meaning, (our/my) week in photos.

So, this is the first WIP entry. Here goes!

Look what the postman brought us!

Crossing path with a pretty ginger tabby. The Tod scrambled behind me immediately after I took this picture.

One of our playground jaunts at noon time.

The girls are very serious when it comes to watching sing-a-long videos on YouTube.

All decked out in their new PJs. They totally dig the matchy outfit. Only problem was it turned out to be really warm night leading to a major meltdown from baby girl

These days, baby girl sleeps on mattresses lay on floor. She hates the cot.

And so, we have sold off the cot. Does that mean we are closing my oven? Well, let's just say: at least for the foreseeable future.

The first time Arielle get to participate at the playground.

My baby gone black and white.

This kittyt is a lean and mean cockroach-killing machine.

The girls watched on as the cat manhandled a cockroach. This beats NatGeo any day.

Incidentally, we also picked up some library books that centered around cats. And they are a hit with every one in our little household! Looks like we have added Rob Scotton to our list of favourite children's authors.

Moving

Yes, we are moving. To a few streets down from where we currently live.

We came a long long way to finalize this decision, three years,to be exact - with many twists and turns in between. Reason being, we kept changing our minds. About the type of housing, the district etc. But one thing we were certain of after the children came along: We will definitely move; it is a question of where and what.

"Why so bent on moving?" So people asked us. "Especially when the children are already so close to their grandparents." Well, the biggest push factor, we'd say is the fact that grocery-shopping and amenities are not exactly in the vicinity of where we live. And because I am a stay-home mom (and this is likely to stay in the long run) who cooks almost everyday, it is a huge deal. I always joke to friends that because we do our grocery-shopping once a week on weekends; we always end up eating yellowed vegetables on Fridays. Light-hearted as it might sound; it is also a fact.

"Mommy drive the kids around! Then it doesn't matter where you stay," is usually the suggestion friends gave. The Husband's work requires him to move around the island a fair bit on a day-to-day basis and having a second car in the household is something we prefer not to think about.

All things considered, with two young children having a long long way to grow before they become independent and a shared mindset between the Husband and I that we want to raise them as hands-on as possible, we believe it is best that we move to a place where supermarket/wet market, libraries, eateries and MRTs etc are nearby.

That said, if the biggest pro of moving is to be a stone's throw away from amenities; the biggest con is to move away from the In-laws. After all, we are used to that proximity. Which is why, we eventually chose to move to another location within the same town, just nearer to the heartland central. Big love to the In-laws whom, despite having to bear with the pain of the distance it will create, are being so supportive of the move.

At this moment, I dare say we are very happy with our choice and are thankful that God led us to this decision.

So, if nothing goes wrong, we will be celebrating the next Lunar New Year at the new place. Meanwhile, the Husband and I are consciously basking in the final few months of our stay to say our goodbyes to our very first matrimony home.

Girly time

Yesterday, Anya and I got to spend some alone time together - Arielle was at the grandparents' while the Husband had an evening work engagement. Left to our own device, i settled for Causeway Point because a) we have a bus right below our flat that can bring us straight there and back, b) there is a huge library there that Anya has never been to, and c) the mall offers a indoor playground that i can keep her occupied.

But alas! Things did not turn out as well as i thought in the beginning. Heavy rain came pouring while we were waiting for our bus (i did not bother bringing a brolly as I did not have hands for one anyway) and there was not a taxi in sight. And then, because it was still raining (though not as heavily) when we reached woodlands, we could not go to the library since it was at a separate building behind Causeway Point. So, I thought we'd while time away at the playground but it was closed for maintenance.

The last failed part of the itinerary did not go well with my daughter - given we were right in front of the playground, only to be separated by a locked up glass door. It took some coaxing and then a promise of ice-cream for dessert if she put on a good behavior for her to bounce back to her cheerful self. So, instead, we wandered around the mall a bit and together, we picked up a tee shirt for the man of our lives. Thankfully, by then, the rain subsided and we could resume our plans. We spent a good hour at the library and then adjourned to Swensen's in search for dinner and the promised treat.

Anya's kids' meal came with a drink - choice of soft drinks / apple juice / orange juice. Generally, I disallow soft drinks for her and asked her instead, "Do you want apple juice or orange juice?"

Without missing a beat, she replied, "Both."

The food arrived. Hers was fish with corn kernels and potato smiley faces (of stars and a crescent moon) served on an impressive-looking cardboard pirate ship that she could bring home. Mine was some chicken cutlet served with cut fries and coleslaw.

Obviously digging her food, she suddenly bemoaned, "Poor Daddy!"

Slightly puzzled, I asked, "Why 'poor Daddy'?"

She explained, "Because Daddy has to work late then cannot eat dinner. Poor Daddy.." gesturing to her savory spread and shaking her head as she said so.

A little while later, she tapped her finger on my plate and asked, "Mommy, can I have your fries?"

I reasoned, "But Anya, your stars and moon potato are kind of the same as my fries."

In her most prefect-like voice, she countered, "Barney (yes, the purple dinosaur) said must share right?"

Feeling somewhat being caught on the wrong foot, I replied, "Sure, you can have my fries. I'm just saying that they taste the same as your potatoes."

With that, the toddler reached for one of my fries. I thought that ended our whole potato-ey conversation. But no, my child had a point to prove.

"Mommy, you can have my moon (her fried potato shaped of a crescent)." She offered.

"Sweetheart, you only have one moon. It's okay, you can have it. Thanks." I replied.

"No-o-Ooo.. Mommy, you have my moon..!" She said in a huffy tone.

In view that this has somehow turned into a delicate situation, I changed tact. "Okay. Mommy eat your moon then. Thanks for sharing." I took a bite of that potato and then exclaimed, "Mmmmmmm... This is very nice!"

Assuming a worldly-wise air, she replied, "I know!".

With that, our conversation on potatoes finally came to an end.

Noon jaunt

What kind of mother bring her child to the outdoor playgrounds during the hottest part of the day which is right smack at noon time?

Well, I am one. But believe me, it was a desperate measure. Anya has been giving me grief pertaining to naps and sleep. I am not sure if it has to do with her little sister been moved to share her room. We suspect it has a part to play although we are unsure as to the shape nor size of it.

Given that her nap is usually at 2-ish in the afternoon and 12 noon till 1pm is the only hour that I am available; so I really had no other choice. I was, however, prepared that the playground might be too hot for her to set her bare feet (she likes to run barefoot on it) and backside on it and therefore cajoled her to walk there instead of riding on her usual kiddy tricycle.

I was right. The heat was barely bearable when we reached the playground and soon became dreadfully scotching barely ten minutes into play. Unless I wanted to eat up my own child (roasted) up for lunch; I didn't think it was viable anymore. So instead, I made her walk around the estate. Along the way, we monkeyed around, played hide and seek behind the pillars and ran helter-skelter, just to get all those abundant toddler energy out for her system.

Meanwhile, I have to quickly think of alternative energy-burning activities before she gets bored with monkeying around in the void decks. Any suggestions?

What happened on the bus...

Today, I took a bus with the girls and the helper. Arielle was straddled onto me while Anya was minded by the Helper. I boarded the bus first and saw that there were no more empty seats for two side-by-side except for one. So I took one leftover seat behind the two empty seats so that the Helper and Anya can sit right in front of me. Beside me was a young lady in her twenties who was really sweet and shuffled even further into against the wall so that I could squeeze myself, Arielle and a huge tote bag in beside her. Now, for the ease of reading the rest of this post, let's call this stranger Miss. S.

As the bus moved off from our bus stop, Anya turned around to acknowledge me briefly. Then, her eyes rested on Miss. S next to me. For one good minute, my elder daughter, in all seriousness, stared very hard at Miss. S, seemingly sizing her up. I could tell from the movements beside me that Miss. S was squirming uncomfortably under my two-year-old's scrutiny and actually, I could not blame her.

I was making a mental note to tell Anya later on that it is rude to stare at people when she suddenly piped up, "Mommy, is this your friend?".

The Helper and I burst into peals of laughter. In between guffawing, I explained to her that I'm sitting beside this lady not because she is my friend but because I'm simply sharing a seat with her. From the corner of my eyes, could tell that Miss. S who was taking a call at the time, was trying to keep a straight face and not eavesdrop into our conversation while trying equally hard to concentrate on what her caller was saying.

By the time Miss. S ended her short phone call, Anya's attention was already off her and has moved onto pointing out random sight. A couple of minutes later, my daughter started singing. Too loudly. I tried telling her to keep it down but really, this child did not come with a volume control. I gave up, leaning back onto my seat and thought that I heard a stifled giggle coming from next to me but was not sure if Miss. S was really laughing although I could tell that she was looking at Anya.

A quick glance around the other passengers also confirmed my suspicion that we are inviting quite some attention.

Then, at one point, Anya started singing "Twinkle, twinkle, little stars".

Now, this song is special and frequently sang in our little household because this was one of the first favorites among both girls and it was the very first song (other than "Jesus loves me") that Anya could sing.

So back to our bus trip, the moment Anya started singing "Twinkle", Arielle raised both her hands and started to open and close her palms. Then, baby girl proceeded to jiggle her torso forward and backward to her big sister's rendition (quite a feat, considering she is secured snugly in the Baby Bjorn sling in front of me). And when Anya came to the last line "How I wonder what you are", she sang the " are" emphatically, dragging it longer than what was the usual way of singing because, well, that's how we sing it in our household. In response, baby girl did the required action for our version of "Twinkle" - which was to shake her head vehemently as she, too, emphatically sang "AAaaaaRRrRrrr.....!".

Miss. S, by now, has threw away all reservations and was openly gawking to and fro my elder daughter and my younger one. This time, it was unmistakeable that I heard soft laughter coming from her.

I like to say that the free entertainment that my offspring were giving out to our co-travelers stopped here, but no. For the rest of the bus trip (thankfully, only for another five minutes or so), my elder one continued to sing and twirl on her seat while Miss. S watched on with great amusement.

I think this will go down as a memorable bus trip for both Miss. S and I.

In any case, we finally took another family picture tonight and since I did not have any pictures of the whole funny-antics-on-the-bus incident, I shall post our family picture as ending off. :)


P.S. for those who are wondering how we have been: Thanks. We have since recovered fully from the mild but still nasty HFMD. For the past one week, we have going catching up on our social lives with a vengeance, and thus this space continues to be neglected. :P