Tiring but satisfying..

I always feel a little embarrassed to say whenever people ask me how's life at home because I wish I can burst out excitedly and tell them," Awesome!!" (without them getting a tinge of jealousy). I don't wish to rub any salt if I can help it but seriously, I am enjoying myself-doing the things I love and yet having space to do whatever I want, whenever I want.

Here's my rough schedule for most of the days

630am: Eyes open as CT leaves for work early and I usually get woken up by him since I am a light sleeper

Lie in bed for a while more, reading my handphone stuff- check Facebook and Instagram.

7am: Get out of bed officially

715am: Do my quiet time

730am - greet Caleb and talk to him as he takes his milk.Danielle would still be in bed or maybe just woke up.

About 8am- quiet time with the children by sharing bible stories.

Then, I would double check that they finished their homework and see if any needs revising.

830am- Children have their breakfast

9am- Bathe. Then play

940am- Pray with children before they goes off to school

950am - School bus arrives, children goes off to school

10am- Do internet surfing

11am- Plan for what to cook for family. If I have an idea, I would spend my time in kitchen getting the ingredients ready. If no inspiration, I would just watch TV and have lunch in front. Catch US and Australia shows- Graceland, Masterchef, Top Chef

I would usually watch for about 2 hours. Then I would do some reading or playing of games in my ipad.

I would usually use this space to either cook something or do something silly like this!

The children comes home at 330pm. I would spend time with them playing or doing something together before they go off to play on their own.

We did some bookmarks 2 days ago and now. I started on my 1000 pieces jigsaw puzzle project.

Yesterday, I brought them to the rooftop garden as I did some reading while they were cycling and playing

Spending time with them has been tiring but very fulfilling as I get to learn a lot from them and about them each day. It has been a joy to stay at home and hopefully, I can inspire them and train them up to what God wants them to be.

Being at home and being with my children is definitely priceless! I am glad I made this decision and pray that God will take care of all my household needs and bless my family!

Went to the nearby wet market with Danielle

Workout..FINALLY!

I have been putting off my exercise lately because firstly, I don't see the need to since I am at my ideal weight and secondly, ever since I have been staying at home, I enjoy just staying put in the comfort of my home.

Anyway, I finally decided to have a good workout today because I feel I cannot stay lethargic and I should not be so comfortable at home. I need to get my butt off my bed. (yes, my favourite spot in the day as I watch TV in bed while eating lunch, lie on bed surfing the net and just lying down)

Always wanted to go swimming as the last time I swam was probably in April? So grabbed my bike, cycled about 6.8km to the swimming pool...swam 1km. Though I wanted to swim more, I decided I better keep some reserves for my return trip back home. So after the swim, I just dried myself u,  put on my clothes with my swimming costume still on and cycled home.

I figured why bathe when I still have to cycle back. So I packed light- just my towel, goggles and underwater mp3 player to keep me entertained while swimming.

I love my underwater mp3 player which my hubby got for me last year as a present. It's so therapeutic and peaceful listening to music in the water.

Anyway, all in all, I cycled 13.08km. I was burning on the way back as it was noontime and the sun was just out of control at that time.

Went home feeling accomplished and fit! Think the only time I will do it again is when the weather isn't so hot! Ok, back to lying in bed! ;)

Kaityln's party!

Kaityln (mistakenly thought it was Caitlyn all along as the one with the C is more common) turned 1 and we went for her birthday party at my cousin, Wei Ee's place in Jurong.

With Wei Ee and her mum, you can definitely expect a fanfare of goodies and fruits from other countries as my cousin has been an air stewardess all her life and my aunt works in Hyatt, Orchard.

So here's what the children had- lollipop from Japan!

I was also offered this steamcake as I was there early!

All the cousins were all glued to the TV as it was showing Despicable Me 2. That's probably the only way to sit them down quietly. As you can see, we are having a lack of boys in the family!

It was a nice time catching up with my cousins and a quick update of one another's life. 

There's the 3 kg birthday cake which is always the highlight of any birthday party. Guests will usually wonder what cake will it be, what's the picture etc etc.

Ah, there's the birthday girl who is probably still trying to grasp the meaning of birthday and wondering why there are so many 'strangers' in her house.

Finally, a picture of the whole family including the grandparents! The two sisters, Kaitlyn and Angelika definitely looks different. Curious to see if they will stay different as they grow up... ;)

Angel is really quite mature for her age from the way she talks and I must say, she is one hospitable girl who made every guest feel just right at home as she goes around serving them! So sweet.

And there's Danielle who is born the same year as Angel but almost one year apart. Danielle was busy picking out the cream to eat.

 Definitely had an enjoyable time! Next big family gathering will be quite soon in September as we celebrate my dad and aunts birthday together!

Dinner & Dance 2013

Always look forward to going out with hubby for dinner as I get to spend some time with him as well as to eat yummy food. Yes, I admit, I love to eat and that's precisely why I have no choice but to balance that with workout.

There's this quote I saw in Instagram..which resonates my thoughts!

Anyway, my hubby's dinner and dance was in Movenpick Heritage Hotel which is in Sentosa last Friday. The theme for this year's dinner was "Superheroes & Villians". This must be the nicest and coolest invitation card I have ever seen (Bias opinion since I love superhero stuff)

We went there early to get a carpark place in the hotel as well as to take a walk nearby.

Interestingly, the hotel entrance is covered in artificial grass. So its just so tempting to sit down on it.

We went to the Merlion where I grabbed a hot dog as I was hungry and took some pictures before sitting the free train to the beach station and back before our dinner.

Here's what some of CT's colleagues came in..

Not many came in costumes as it is not easy to find one, especially when most would not want to spend the money to rent. So that's why me and CT just went in tees, which we didn't even buy! We borrowed from our friends- Daniel and Rachel (our ex cell group leader and wife) who happened to have Superman Tees and Rachel also happened to come to my place on Friday to collect food from me which she ordered! (God really plans everything well!)

The door gifts for the dinner were superhero masks.

Some of them had lights which of course, we chose since we know our children would love them!

I was looking forward to the food and games. This year's MC wasn't really good. CT was made to go on stage to play one game.

Food was so-so. Only a few dishes were nice.

Love the seafood pumpkin soup which had lots of crab meat.

Another interesting dish was the roast chicken with fried lotus root.

Overall, it was a fun night and we not only won prizes for games but also lucky draw! Went back all smiles!

More time..

It has been a month since I quit my job as a teacher. People have been wondering how it has been for me, have I adapted well into the life as a stay-at-home mum etc etc..

Thank God, I am enjoying every second of it. Whatever I used to dread in the past when I was working, is now a joy! I now look forward to Mondays and rainy days in the morning! I enjoy talking with my children as I learn a lot about them and from them as well.

For the past 2 weeks, I spent cleaning up the house and clearing stuff that I don't need. The killer room was the kitchen where I had to spend 3 afternoons cleaning and neatening my stuff. There's just so many stuff to clean and clear. That zapped a lot of energy from me.

Now, the house is neater and cleaner. I have also been learning recipes from my helper who will be leaving us in November. She is great in all the food which I have not picked up because of the trouble in blending the spices. So once I learn that from her, I think my cooking skill will "level up" (gaming jargon)!

And because I have more time and have been cooking, I decided to start a recipes blog. So here it is!
Love is THE Ingredient

Feel free to bookmark this page or follow the blog if you like to cook or want to learn how to make certain food.

But do take note that I am not good in measuring stuff. So the recipes that I have typed out is not very detailed. But hopefully, a picture speaks a thousand words in this sense so that you know roughly how much to put from my pictures!

So anyway, with that blog running and lately, I have one tuition assignment, just 5 mins cycle from my house, as well as a Christian mother's support group which I joined, I think I am on my way to a fulfilling life as a mother and a wife as I take care of my hubby, children, house and myself of course!

My loud boy

Many people I know or even strangers have commented to me about Caleb that he seems like a very gentle boy. Honestly speaking, he is but of course, the boyish nature comes out and he will start making gun noises and acting really crazy- jumping and running up and down.

He is a very loud boy. His normal voice would be our idea of shouting and I have lost count how many times I have asked him to keep quiet- at home and in public.

So bringing him to the library isn't an ideal place to bring him to but as a stubborn girl who doesn't like anything to hold me back from doing what is right, I just brought both my children to the library on last Sunday evening to borrow some books.

At Compass Point, the library was newly renovated and the design of the place was nice with many cool seats built into the book shelves. However, with this new layout and design, I pity the librarians as it can be quite messy as to where the books go as there's just so many sections now in the book shelves that it can be quite messy and disorientated.

In the library, Caleb was talking and he was loud as usual. He definitely makes his presence known and I kept having to pull him aside to warn him to be quiet and not walk around so much.

My ex-colleagues told me that its because when I had Caleb in my uterus, I was probably shouting at my students and also talking loudly. Haha.. No wonder Danielle is not very loud since she is a December baby- during the school holidays ;)

Anyway, I hope that his loudness can be turned into something useful and positive because for now, I can't see the light at the end of this long tunnel and I have been angry with him for being so loud and obnoxious at times.

Primary One School Registration Over!

Finally, I received this letter last Friday night that Caleb has been accepted to a school nearby my house.

Thank God, my balloting days are over, in terms of Primary One Registration. This school will just be 400m away from my house and it is single session which means I will have the joy of being alone when both of my children go to school.

Though I have a CCA in mind for my children to enrol in, ultimately, I want them to make their own choice, according to their interest. As a parent, I will equip, guide and encourage them. Pray that they will enjoy learning and not get sucked into this whole system of stress and pressure of the Primary School education.

Goodyear Seafood Village

This place has not yet been fully discovered by many as it rests in the outskirts of Old Tampines Road, where not many travel along.

One of my ex-colleagues, Sarah, chanced upon this restaurant when she and her hubby accidentally made a wrong turn and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Went to the place last Friday with my ex-colleagues Sarah, Julie and Thoh Papa for my god pa's belated birthday celebration. When turning into the lane near the restaurant, you would think you are in Malaysia.

This place is good for its curry fish head and Pontian JB Bak Ku Teh.

4 of us, we ordered curry fish head, seafood beancurd, bak ku teh as well as sambal sweet potato leaves.

Every dish was good and tasty. The service was also very prompt.

Especially like the array of condiments to go with the food- raw garlic, sambal chilli, big cut chilli, chilli padi, dark soya sauce, light soya sauce. I went straight for the raw garlic as I have always loved eating my rice and dishes with raw garlic soaked in soya sauce.

Total bill amounted to only $68 for 4 adults which was only about $17 per person. Very reasonable for so many dishes especially the huge pot of curry fish head!

That's me and Thoh Papa who is exactly 40 years older than me! Happy belated 73rd birthday Thoh Papa!

You can check out the address from the receipt above!

Opening hours (Mon-Sun):
Lunch: 11am - 2pm
Dinner: 5pm - 11pm

Weekdays passes by so fast!

Now that I have stopped work, I find the weekdays passing by so fast! I have been fairly busy this week as I am playing for church this Sunday and because its mission Sunday, there's a special item to prepare and rehearse. There is also another new song we are playing which is launching in our new church album in September! The song really rocks and its so technical that we spent some time going through the nitty gritty details.

But overall, it was fun rehearsing and jamming with the band especially when I learn new chords from the practice!

I will also be leading worship for cell group tonight! Havent prepared yet. Will do so after my lunch!

Looking forward now to lunch as I will be celebrating my god pa's very very belated birthday with 2 of my ex-colleagues..

Thank God for the beautiful weather and packed day! I cant wait to see what miracles you have installed for me today to just praise you and love you even more!

Routine..

One of the main goals that I have in mind to achieve as a stay at home mum within this 4 months left for the year is to create a schedule for my children to follow so that they can get into the habit of doing what is important- quiet time, praying, reading as well as doing and revising their homework.

It hasn't been easy as there will be things that crop up in the day or I am just not in the mood to push it strictly. Though I have not been following it strictly, it has been a guide for me and it does help me to enforce certain things in place which I am quite happy thus far. For example, I will do quiet time with the children in the morning when they both wake up and at night, before they sleep. I would pray with them before sending them off to school which helps me also as a mum, to place my trust in God to protect and pour His favour upon them as they are in school.

Now, whenever I am lazy, my faithful daughter, Danielle always reminds me and pushes me to do quiet time. Haha.. So I am glad this routine has helped.

Have been reading some text from Charlotte Mason who is a British educator and an expert in homeschooling,. She has invested her life in improving the quality of education. This is taken from her text which reminds me why I want to stay at home to educate my children..

Education is a discipline, a life and at atmosphere which I hope to achieve with my children and not forgetting to create a wonderful home where my husband can come back to after a hard day's of work and enjoy the company of his children and to the cooking which I have prepared. That is sheer bliss!

Primary One Registration Woes

It has been the time which as a parent, I have been dreading... Last year, whenever parents came up to me and asked me what school will I be enrolling my son in, I always brushed it off by saying, "Aiyah, still long la. I dont wish to think about it.." But now, when the time has finally come, I have no choice but to face it and bear the brunt of it.

Initially, I did think of putting Caleb in my alma mater which is the sought after school in Singapore- Tao Nan Primary. I thought of that not so my son could go into a famous and popular school but because I dont wish to go through the balloting and the waiting..

But finally, I thought the only thing that makes sense is somewhere near where I stay as going to school is a daily affair and if I choose a school too far away, I will probably dread it and regret. I will definitely appreciate the convenience.

So, I chose Horizon Primary which is a fairly new school (about 4-5 years) but yet it has its processes all in place. It is still within 1 km away from my house. Went for the open house and liked it. So I enrolled Caleb during the Phase 2C Registration.

However, I had to face the dreaded balloting as there were only 143 vacancies and about 210 people registered. Went for the balloting alone not so much because I was anxious but because I was curious and wanted to experience it for myself.

The hall was filled up with anxious parents and as for me, I was more curious than anxious. I knew that if I did not get a place here in Horizon, I would get it somewhere else as I had a backup plan already and moreover, as a Christian, I know God loves Caleb more than me. So He would have thought of everything and has a school in mind already for him. So there's really nothing for me to worry.

Finally, Caleb did not get a place in Horizon..

In my own human understanding, to me, Horizon is the best school for Caleb but now that he wasnt selected, I knew God had other plans and His ways are definitely higher than ours as He is infinite. He sees the future. So I was more curious and excited as to what God has planned for Caleb than to be disappointed.

Anyway, this morning, went to Greendale Primary School to register for Caleb for his Phase 2C Supplementary Registration. Greendale is a school even nearer to my house than Horizon. It's actually half the walking time.

Now I just have to wait and see if this is what God wants and leave it to Him!

I just cant wait for this to be over and pray there wont be another balloting....

Revived..

This blog has once again been revived due to more time being spent at home as a stay-at-home mum now, after quitting my teaching job on 31 July 2013.

It's a new phase as I have been working for 10 years, since I graduated from university. So it will be exciting and so far, I am enjoying every bit of it! Able to sleep in, spend more time with the children, cooking, reading, watching TV, lazing, playing my guitar, piano, cycling, jogging, shopping etc etc...

I have lots of stuff to do as I penned down all of it on a piece of paper. Most of them consists of cleaning up the whole house and clearing away things I have not touched for a long time. Love spring cleaning as I am one who loves to throw or give away things so as to live a clutter-free life!

For now, I have cleaned up my whole study room and shoe shelves. Will be doing the kitchen tomorrow which is one major project!

Tomorrow is also Caleb's Primary One school registration Phase 2C Supplementary...which sucks as he was not successful for the balloting under Phase 2C..so I have to try and register him in another school tomorrow.

However, throughout this whole process, I am not worried as I put my trust in God and I know He already has a place for Caleb to study in.. His ways are always higher than ours. The school I will be trying out tomorrow is Greendale Primary School which is actually nearer than the school I had initially wanted him to go.. So if he gets into Greendale, it will be more convenient for me to bring him to school.

Lord, I trust in you and thank you for taking care of us!