Pancakes, Pancakes!

Day 1 of Zoophonics Holiday Program (titled "My World of Eric Carle") for  Seo Yeon and we started on "Pancakes, Pancakes!" by Eric Carle. Following is synopsis of this book, written in 1970.

Jack wants some pancakes, but first he must gather eggs from the chickens, wheat from the farmer, flour from the miller, milk from the cow, etc. His mother shows him how to cook and flip them, and hungry Jack knows what to do with them next.

Together with 4 other friends in the class, Seo Yeon carried out activities for the 1.5 hour session related to "Pancakes, Pancakes!". Teacher LJ read the children the story and taught them some words like "pancake", "toss", "fork", "spoon", just to name a few, from the storybook. She had each child repeat the word after her.

We did the actions for "toss", "cutting" wheat with a sickle, gathering "twigs" for the fire, sifting the "flour", and mixing the flour and water together. Finally, Teacher LJ went to cook the batter and came back with real pancakes for the toddlers to eat!

A good start to the 5-day workshop even though Seo Yeon wandered around the room a fair bit when there was not much "hands-on" activities. Looking forward to tomorrow already!

Princess Daphne's Birthday Party

Replied to Yvonne's SMS that I would be at Princess Daphne's 1st Birthday Party at 1pm (that's the party start time, according to the invitation). Fair enough, I was there before 1pm (Thailand time). Lol.

Mickey Mouse theme! Pretty (not to mention yummy!) Minnie Mouse representation 2-tiered cake for our birthday girl, Princess Daphne. Daphne was dressed in a sweet pink/brown tutu one-piece. Lovelicious!

It was also a mini-gathering for us mommies, and the kids (though I don't think they get together often enough to recognise each  other). Michelle + Hubby + 2 sons, Yvonne + Hubby + 2 daughters, Myself + 2 daughters, not forgetting the hosts.

En Bi was delighted with the balloons and trying to engage herself with the other kids while Seo Yeon was napping away in Danielle's bedroom. Not to mention that Seo Yeon woke up howling just as I was stuffing myself with a mini-bowl of laksa from caterer, Neo Garden.

We enjoyed the party and hope that lovely Princess Daphne had a wonderful, magical, and terrific day!

Zoo, NHG Family Day, OH NO!

Boy! Tona and Serene were sure smart to have told me that they weren't keen to go to the zoo this Saturday. They must have predicted the throngs that would be invading the zoo since it's the school holiday start + long weekend. Cat was sick, so I wasn't about to ask her. Cynthia, her son just got discharged from hospital, I guess not. Lana, in Australia... plus we just went together when you visited. I don't think my cousin would be buying her an air ticket just to go to the zoo with us. Lol. Sharon, her hubby out of town. I went through my list and decided to go just the 4 of us. By the way, Grandpa and Grandma not interested at all. In fact, the tickets were complimentary from my mother, aka Grandma. A 'get out of the house and let me rest' order.

Hmm... what's this long queue of cars along the road to the Zoo? We realised that these cars were parked, stationary, not waiting in queue. Finally, it dawned upon us, as we got nearer to the entrance of the Zoo, that the carpark was so full that the cars had to park along the road! The kids and I got dropped off first while PapaKim drove the car to Yishun Stadium. Yikes.

The 3 of us had already visited the White Tiger, Pygmy Hippo, the Kangaroos and Emus at 'The Outback', and were resting with the Baboons, and PapaKim was still not here. Never mind that, as soon as we found a bench in the shade to rest on, I immediately fished out the snacks that I had packed for the girls to eat in order to lighten the load I was carrying. Made them drink those yoghurt juice packs that I lugged along as well.

Finally, PapaKim was here.

We decided to finish the rest of the visit on with the help of the tram. Gosh... The weather wasn't helping one bit. The crowd was a challenge! Even the Orang Utan was quite amazed by the crowd and came to hang out near Ah Meng restaurant, quite a distance from their enclosure.
Remind me, never ever to go on a weekend during the school holidays, especially when it coincides with NHG's Family Day event.

But as always, what's most important is, they enjoyed themselves!

Brunch with Jael

Oh wow... what a belated brunch. This should have taken place much earlier. I can't find the right words to describe this meeting with my friend, Jael (a.k.a. the underground artist, lol). We haven't had a real conversation like what we had this morning for ages. I'm just so glad that we both found the time to catch up. 


Seo Yeon fell asleep just by listening to us chattering incessantly. There was just so much to say, share and listen to... What have we missed out all this while?

Jael, I'm glad that you're back in my life now, our friendship refreshed. Thanks for this shot of Seo Yeon.  

Term End at JG Bilingual Playclub

After initially going for Mandarin Playclub, then switching to a Sunday Playclub, we finally settled for a Monday Bilingual Playclub at JG this term. Seo Yeon enjoys it! Teacher Adrian did a wonderful job in welcoming Seo Yeon to the class! We didn't have to wait long to see her doing her usual helpful stints like putting the toys away, looking for the alphabet / colour / magic box.

Week 10 Term End Party happened with me forgetting to bring my share of food for the party. ("What's new?", many may ask.) So, I sheepishly confessed to the teachers but they weren't bothered about it, therefore, I obtained my 'passport' to eat the food guilt-free. Ha ha.

Her favourite song this term is 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' and 'Skidamarink'. Totally enjoyable to watch her repeat the songs and movements at home. Even Teacher 張 also commented on how Seo Yeon sings with so much enthusiasm for those 2 songs.

There's so much on her platter, but she's only enjoying the cookies and the nugget! By the way, party costume with compliments from Cat.

We look forward to another term of fun!

Garden

My friend, Jael, the underground artist, invited me to her exhibition at the Arts House. I went there without the 2 little girls (because the open performance at the cafe inside the Arts House would start at 8p.m. and would therefore be a tad too noisy for them) and thence started my night "off".

Took a cab down with Xinyi and it was like a nice little reunion when we saw Jael there. Except that we were not sitting down and doing the usual eating and drinking, but were instead, admiring art at an art exhibition. Ooohhh.... so class ah?

Above is my personal favourite piece from her "Garden" collection. She had a total of 9 such pieces, each depicting a different word that meant something special to her.

Great job Jael!!! Love your pieces of art!

First Korean Theatre Performance - The Dandelion's Story

When I first received the email from iTheatre about 'ace festival 2010', I was so excited because En Bi was now at a performance-going age. We'll now have a wider choice of performances to select from and watch. Of course, Seo Yeon will have to miss out on most of the fun this year. But come same time next year, no doubt we'll be enjoying performances, altogether.


The show venue was at the National Museum Theatre. Another first. We've never been to the National Museum to watch a performance, yet. Pretty interesting venue. This year, the National Museum of Singapore collaborated with I Theatre's ACE Festival to 'double the fun under one roof'. As part of the Children's Season at NMS, there were some activities for children that En Bi and Estelle were able to take part in prior to the theatre performance.

"Mum, I'm done!" (Backdrop: Wall mural by Miel)

Now, to put the art piece on the wall.

En Bi holding removeable, velcro-strapped, stuffed pieces that can be placed anywhere.

Now, off to the performance!

About the Theatre Performance: The title in English sounds nice, "The Dandelion's Story". However, in Korean, it's "강아지똥", literally meaning "Puppy's Poo". I found the message "Nothing God made is useless" very meaningful and it was an immediate draw for me to want to watch this performance, despite the 'ugly' Korean name.


En Bi enjoyed the performance tons. I believe the same went for Estelle, Kimi, and Shanyce, In fact, I enjoyed the performance though I was a little worried about the language initially. Kudos to the actors from Modl Theater for their efforts put into this English performance. We understood them well enough to get very engrossed in the performance.  And hopefully, we all continue to remember that 'nothing God made is useless'.

Paper Cup Photo Holder

Just a another cool piece of artwork that En Bi brought back from home today. A photo 'frame' that was made of a simple paper cup with a slit down the bottom to insert the photo. The photo in this 'frame' was the family photo we were requested to let the children bring to school at the beginning of the school year. I guess, to make the children feel more at home, they put up the children's family photos on the wall of the classroom. Now that a term is coming to an end, this was quite a creative way to return the family photo home.

Goodbye... and I'm not full of 'praises'

It's goodbye to Praise Kids. Disappointing stint on the whole. I mean, the 2nd talk with the centre supervisor was not really helpful and reassuring. In fact, she told me that I had 'too many requests'. Gosh.

They even sent out a circular to parents to request parents NOT to bring milk/milk bottles to school as the meals provided in school are sufficient for the children. Hmm... Now, you tell me whether this is a cheek-in-tongue reply to my request to let my daughter drink formula when she needs to?

I left with a bad taste in the mouth.

Now, I'm a-wandering with Seo Yeon, looking for the 'perfect' place to go to...

Back to Dance

Back to dancing, with a vengeance! En Bi went back to dance, but at a different branch because the Parkway Centre branch was simply not for us. Though the view in the dance studio was beautiful, the centre itself was cramped and the neighbours were not exactly very 'healthy'.

We stopped because PapaKim said that there was too much on En Bi's plate and we should just cut down on her activities. I reluctantly bid farewell to Dance as I quietly struck it off my list without En Bi knowing.

It was after countless times of, "Mummy,why didn't I go for my ballerina class?" that I finally decided, well, why not? If she's interested in dance and continuously asks me to bring her for class, I guess there's no reason for me to reject her at this point in time. Besides, I didn't request for a withdrawal from the school, so it was just a matter of locking her in for a class.

Luckily for us, we were able to get a slot and here we are today, at her 1st 'homecoming' lesson. She was very excited to see her former teacher, Jessica. But I dampened the excitement a little when I told her Teacher Jessica was sick, and that another teacher would be taking over. After the lesson, I think she still prefers Teacher Jessica because she kept asking me, "Mummy, why is Teacher Jessica sick?". Gosh! Questions questions.



A little segment of her lesson is possible to be shown here because it was 'Open Class' day. Overall verdict: Good move!

Jingle Bells

Jingle Bells, originally uploaded by juneleow.

Wowee! We start a wonderful Saturday again with music classes in the morning at Mandeville. The usual rush to class, usual mad traffic trying to turn into United Square, usual squeezing through the crowd that gathers on the 3rd level, and finally into Mandeville.

I sat in today and really liked the bells segment. The children played the tune of 'Jingle Bells' while Ms. Tang conducted. En Bi played 'C' in her group of 5 children and she really enjoyed it! Although, she would have much preferred to ring the 'pink bell'. Ms. Tang politely ignored her constant request, 'I want the pink one. I want the pink one.'

 Great! She got to tap her sticks today again. *En Bi is pleased*

Long but Fun Day

Zoomed down to Thomson Plaza for a Mother's Day lunch with the extended family. Zipped back near town to La Salle College to catch 'Peter & Blue's Forest Adventures'. En Bi and I were watching this performance with Charlene, Estelle, and Shanice ( and of course, with their mommies). All the girls were pretty much inspired to dance like those performers on stage.

We had to slip into this cool cafe for '15 minutes' to refresh ourselves. The hot and humid weather was really a little too much to handle. But not something that a double fudge mocha can't help to soften and cool down.

Parents' Day

A lovely paper carnation brooch from En Bi! What a pleasant surprise when she took it out of her bag and gave it to us this morning! All smiles from PapaKim as well when he received it. Though he did say, 'Gosh, I'm old. I'm receiving a gift from my child.'


I really appreciated this carnation and pinned it on my blouse the whole day. I believe this is the first 'official' gift from my elder child.


Thank you, En Bi! Seo Yeon, next year I'll get one from you too?


By the way, we recycled this and PapaKim has brought this to Korea to present to GrandparentsKim. We believe they would love these too!

Showdown

Honestly, as Cat pointed out, I'm such an indecisive whiner when it comes to some situations. This post is about my struggle to withdraw Seo Yeon from Praise or not. 

Here's my justification list (in increasing order of seriousness) to withdraw:
- Didn't hand me basic information sheets after registration
  (basically to inform me of centre closing dates, curriculum, etc.).
- Forgot to tell me every Thursday was 'Water Play' day.
  Seo Yeon loves to play with water, you know....
- Not clear about Seo Yeon's Friday arrangement 
  (attends afternoon, not morning, session).
  Thus, didn't hand me her activity files to bring home on Thursday.
- Unfortunately let me spot Seo Yeon's classmate pushing her to the ground
  (after a 'scuttle' for a Pooh tricycle) without addressing the inappropriateness of 
   behaviour with the other little girl.
- Obviously not very skilled at cleaning babies' bottoms.
  3 times I had to clear the 'leftovers'. 3rd time was worst.
- Let Seo Yeon sleep on bare floor near window. No makeshift pillow / mattress. 
  Just a reply that went,
  "She just fell asleep.... Oh, I didn't know that she had a mattress..."
   I PAID FOR A MATTRESS YOU KNOW?!

I whined and whimpered and tried to get everyone's vote on getting Seo Yeon out of the school. I'd find a new thing to say everyday. I'd observe the goings-on in school and conclude that they're just not up to it. 

I slept it out last night. I told myself, I chose this school in the first place because I really liked the environment and they were able to suit my schedule on Fridays. I liked the non-air conditioned classrooms, the outdoor playground, the Christian connection, the teachers and principal seemed sincere, and so on.

So, the only right thing to do was to have a 'showdown' with the Principal and pour out my grievances. I guess it was the only thing to do, to be fair to the school and myself (and to those who listened to me for those few days, THANK YOU!). I should not be expecting them to be able to read my mind about my unhappiness. 

After half an hour in Teacher Vicky's room, I came out feeling much better and sincerely decided to give them another chance as Teacher Vicky did apologise profusely. Never mind that on this same day, I find Seo Yeon's bottom soiled for the 3rd time, I just gave them ONE MORE CHANCE.

Classes on Sundays? What a drag!

We're at Evans on a Sunday morning... Oh... what a drag. When it was time to leave home for Julia Gabriels, I was thinking to myself, 'What on earth did you get yourself into? What were you thinking when you asked for a Sunday morning class? Argh!'

So, I reminded myself throughout the drive to Evans Road that I will definitely ask Sabrina to please, please help me switch to a weekday class. Luckily, very luckily, there was still a slot for us for the Monday morning class. Yay!

That not being the only thing that made the day a little better, on the way to wash Seo Yeon's grubby little hands, I saw a familiar craftwork on the Mandarin Playclub board. Hey! It's Seo Yeon's work, her pumpkin face. So happy and proud, I quickly snapped a couple of pictures of her work.

Thoughts at the end of the day: Duty alone is drudgery; duty with love is delight. I have yet to reach that oooooommmm stage, if you know what I mean.