I stumbled on this on the web

你可以讓你的孩子住 大 房子，吃大餐，學鋼琴，看大屏電視，但你在割草時，也要讓你的孩子在大太陽下拔拔野草，你在吃飯後，也要讓你的孩子洗洗碗，不是你沒有錢雇人，而是你真心 愛孩子。你要讓孩子知道，即使父母掙不少錢，但早早的白髮，和那位洗衣服的母親沒有本質的差別。但更重要的是，要讓你的孩子學會感恩。
You can let your kid lived in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experienced it. After a meal, let them washed their plate and bowl together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in a right way. You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parent are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that young person. The most important thing is your kid learn how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learn the ability to work with others to get thing done.

We are right for not hiring anymore domestic help!

The kid’s primary school is having a special event to usher in the CNY tomorrow. There will be no normal class. JS and WH are looking forward to it. There are very excited.

Last week, JS only knew there will be a Chinese Calligraphy competition. Nevertheless, she was very excited about it already. It is the first time since she attended this school that she gets to attend this competition. It didn’t involved the afternoon school lower graders.  She has been practicing hard. I gave her some pointers and demonstrated for her. (Not that I am very good in that, and regretted that I have not pick up this skill when I was in school when I was offered a place to learn , as well as didn’t take lesson under my grandfather just like what my brother did). She was in awe with my writing.

Later that week when she knew that there is a open group competition for parents and brought back the form, she urged for me to sign up. She really look up high on me and said “Mummy, if you go, you sure can get number 1″. I told her I am not good enough and giving lots of other excuse like it is impossible for me to write while having to look after baby. She thrown me this statement ” You haven’t tried, how you know you can’t ?”

She is pretty confident with herself too.

  This is her last practice, but it was done with mechanical pencil.  It like her mind mapping like what she is going to write and how she is going to do it.

And since it is a special day, they are allowed to wear red shirts and black pants to school instead of school uniforms.

They got everything prepared early. I have never seen such enthusiasm in them about going to school. This is the first time.

By the way, I just found out that there will be a greeting cards competition for the lower graders in the afternoon.

Before JS went to bed, she keep reminding me to wake up early (since I am a little under the weather and had taken medication). She also urge me again to go school to snap photos. She said “bring the 大炮， OK？”(大炮 is how we referred to our bulky (as compared to the compact camera) EPL2 camera)

I hope I can make it to her school tomorrow morning. I can’t promise, as it is very much depends to JL to see if she is fit enough to get out from the house. She is still nursing a cold.

She made this card for her teacher.

My son is dyslexic , he is a very visual person. He loves books, but he only “reads” the pictures , he loves to draw. He tries to avoid anything to do with writing and reading words.

It surprised me this morning that he took the initiative to want to write diary. It was 11.30a.m , he was half way packing his school bag and he came to me and said ” Mummy, I want to write diary”

Me being the one that always jumps into conclusion was raising a tone and said “WHAT ? What diary? You haven’t finished your homework?”

He “No, not school work. Home diary”

When a child so spontaneously  wanted to do something, I know I shall not stop him. I let him do it.

He chosen to write in Chinese. There were many words that he doesn’t know how to write and asked for my help. I tried to look over his shoulder what he is trying to write but he tried to be secretive and doesn’t want me to read. But by stringing up the words he has asked me, it was just like fixing a puzzles and I knew what he had written.

It was just a short two lines diary. But to me, I find that it is progress in him that he wants to write and that he is penning down his thoughts in words, not picture.

____________________________________________________________________

It’s already 9.45p.m, the other three were already asleep. I asked him to go to bed to. He was in the room for a while and then came out to the study area where I am still working and asked “Can I draw for just a little while more?”

Since I am still not sleeping , I gave him my consent.

He took out his sketch book and mumbled 老鼠。 and then asked me in mandarin that how old were he when it was the rat year. After some calculation, I told him 5. Then he asked, what year was that. Then I said “you minus off lah, now is 2012, minus 5″

He did a quick calculation, quicker then mine and then proceed with his drawing. I somehow had the feeling he is drawing something about the Chinese zodiac.

He had heard about the story about the Chinese zodiac last Sunday, but he couldn’t remember the sequence of all of them, he asked me.

  This is what he had came out with.

Right after that, he came out with this.

This is a heat up for the upcoming field trip to Bufori next month. I told him that part of the activity there is to design his own car.

As I am typing this, he is still sketching , sketching and sketching.

Today JL wasn’t feeling well. When we were in the car, she complaint about tummy ache. Nevertheless, I let her go to school. She cried the moment she got down from the car. I didn’t stop to go in with her. (Which I usually does for the last one year which time she has a mood swing).

I was late picking her up today, all thanks to the dilly dallying brother.  The moment I stepped into the school, I saw her crying. She has never cried during school dismissal time, not once for the whole last year. In fact most of the day, she refused to come home and wanted to stay on and play. Teacher told me she is down with fever and had nose bleed in school.

Brought her to doc, settled her etc etc..

Later in the evening, she had a chat with me.

JL ” I am so sad, everybody in school don’t love me”

Me “Why did you say so. Why did they do”

JL ” they never talk to me, they don’t want to come near me”

Me “Maybe because today you are not well , that’s why they didn’t come to you”

JL ” My new friend don’t love me. I tell her secret and she turn her head away ”

There were more prop from me. The conversation kept going on and she still insist she is sad, she doesn’t have friends, no one loves her in school bla bla bla.

I asked her what about her old friends.  (Most of them are in different class now) , she said they dont friend her either.

I hope this just happen only today . Need to find out more from the teacher as she can be over sensitive and a bit of a drama queen.

This is a thing of a past, this is history. You will never see her with “chut chut” in her mouth anymore.

JE is weaned off from paci yesterday, 3 days before her 2nd birthday.

Among my four breastfed children, only the eldest and youngest used the pacifier. WH and JL never needed any.

It was a breeze, it happened so suddenly, it was not planned, I did not have the intention. It just happened.

17/1/2012 – Just before bedtime, I noticed that there’s a hole in the pacifier, caused by bite.  It was just a small tear. I didn’t mention anything and let her continue using the pacifier

18/1/2012 – In the morning, I purposely poke the tear into a bigger hole and show it to JE. I told her “Look, there’s a big hole in your chut chut because you have bitten on it. We can’t use it anymore, must throw in the dustbin”

I shown her the hole, let her feel and touch it and get her to throw in the dustbin. Which she did not even protest , hold back or show any reluctance.

For the rest of the day, I only reminded her twice twice “You know, you got no more chut chut. You have thrown it away because you have bite (bitten) a big big hole on it. NO more chut chut ok?” She nodded.

I have a pair of spare of home, yes , a PAIR, TWO, but I didn’t take it out. I was just testing the water to see if she is alright to go without one. Shall she be cranky and fussing about only would I bring out the spare new pacifier for her.

She didn’t . She was alright. I was surprised. Because recently she has been quite attached to it. From only needing it during bed time and in car ride, she is basically having it in the mouth the whole day.

Today is day two without the pacifier. She seems to have totally forgotten about it.

I never known weaning can be so easy.

Now the siblings don’t have to risk been hit by the pacifier strap when she is in the fist of anger or frustration. We used to call it her weapon, which she just took it out from the mouth and swing it in anger and hit people around her.

It was not in my plan to wean off so early. I was thinking perhaps I only start after our vacation in May. It will be a long plane ride. The breasts and the pacifier are her comfort items, which I thought would be easier for me to handle her if she has them during the trip.

Now she is left with the breasts which I will not attempt to wean until at least after the trip. After which will be potty training too.

Bedtime question from WH

How many people are there in Malaysia. ( he meant population and he asked the question in mandarin)

I didn’t know the answer, I told him that I will google. I also introduced a new vocabulary to him which is “population”

I did an instant search right there and then ( the beauty of having a smart phone)

I gave him the answer.

His reaction : huh?!! So many

He thrown me another question

That means if we add everyone together, how many kg is that.

Errr…. I seriously can’t give him the answer.

With the maid left, there are many changes in the family which includes little JE’s eating habit. She just stopped her porridge diet once and for all. She become such fussy eaters eating only bird size amount of selected food. I had and still having hard time to make sure she has a healthy and well balanced diet. She has sweet tooth too. We don’t store up many junk food at home, but somehow, she just loves sweets, candies and chocolate. Her favourite being white chocolate strawberries. I need to break that unhealthy habit in her.

Just as my cousins are married and going to get married, but little bro is just into a not very stable relationship. I am not sure about the details. He told me it was over, but I still see him putting effort in rescuing the relationship. He took the initiative to learn to cook from mum. He came over and asked me how to bake. He was at my place baking tiramisu the other day. He asked me what’s the best personalized valentines day gifts for her. The girl was sick the other and he asked mum how to make herbal drink and at the end , my mum was the one to boil it and he delivered it to this girl. I hope the relationship will settle down soon and I do very hope to see my brother has his own family in near future.

Ever since the kids came along, we had only travel twice without the kids, that was 8 years ago, when JS not even one. After that, since the arrival of WH, we had never travel without the kids.

Last year, we started feeling that we need such a getaway. Beginning of the year, we had planned a trip. We thought that we can leave the kids with the maid and get the in laws to come over to supervise the maid. We thought we better make good use of this opportunity before the maid’s contract ends. At least with her around, she knows our routine and the kids are kind of use to her handling and minding, especially JE. Anyhow, our heart still cannot let go of them and the trip did not materialize. (Talk with no action !!)

Then in September, there was some slight changes in the household. We were already maidless then. During that two weeks transition period, hubs feels that he needs a break before he takes on a new journey. He started planning for a getaway for us two, initial plan was to go out of the country (but not somewhere as far as a caribbean honeymoon, we thought of some south east asian country, but again , we feel we will be too far away from the kids, we set our travel destination to East Malaysia) The time we travel was during the peak of the children’s school final exam. Hubs spoke to his second sis if she can come over to stay and look after the kids and send them to school. Of course with the help of MIL to cook for them. (As SIL#2 doesn’t cook, FIL is too old to do the chauffeuring and to leave the kids behind with two old folks is too taxing for them). SIL said she had no problem taking care of the kids.

It was meant to be a trip for just the two of us, but no, we didn’t leave all four kids behind. Our honeymoon includes JE. She was and still is very attached to me and still breastfed, so we thought it might be a little too much for SIL and PIL to care for her.

So off we went for our getaway, which is not much of sightseeing. Our aim was to go makan makan and relax in hotel, hence we chose a five star hotel instead of something lower than that.

The first day, there was a little havoc at home. SIL and MIL got into a fight and PIL were asked to go home. So left SIL#2 alone with 3 kids. That night SIL#1 came over to help out and took leave from work the next day to help out as well. By the way, it was just a short 3D2N getaway. The first night, JS cried (imagine, she was going to be 9 and yet still cry for me) followed by JL. WH was cool about us not around. SIL actually urged us to cut short our trip and come home. We made some backup plan, just in case things still didn’t improve, I will have to go back alone the next day, we called airlines to find out about ticket changes and so forth. JE ticket was tagged along hubs!! Anyhow, the kids survived the 2nd day and the 3rd. And we managed to have quite a relaxing trip.

Outdoor activities are very important for children development. Bringing them in touch in nature should be an essential activities. I dream off bringing my kids for adventurous type of outing. I want to bring them hiking, to the waterfall, to jungle trekking etc. I knew of someone in FB who recently during the school holiday, organized a Nature Quest trip to the river somewhere in Pahang. I am so tempted to join, but I am on my own with four children and two of them still very young. I am sure I won’t be handle them all trekking muddy road, hiking up slopes. I wish my hub could be more supportive in this. Last year holiday was not a good time as he was new at his work, he can’t take leave yet. I want to convince and pursue him for this type of vacation with the kids, instead of just hanging out at malls, going place to “cari makan”. Shall we have the chance, we will have to gear up with hiking gears, perhaps we can go get a dakine