The-Upperroom.com

I woke up at 6am that day, Wednesday 2nd Jan. Went over to her bed and saw how that little face in still in deep sleep. My thoughts fleeted back to a similar day 4 years ago when she was 2 years one months old and waking her up for her first day at pre-nursery. It was a sweet memory, same cherubic face, same sweetie but argh! now no longer a pre-schooler! And about to make her first foray into the big bad world all by herself!

She drowsily woke up but immediately perked up when she realised its time for her first day at primary school. We rushed through the morning rituals and dashed down to try and catch the school bus which is due to come at 6.40am.

My phone showed 6.39am when I was walking towards the gate but I saw a huge group of women walking back, I think something was amiss and indeed! We have MISSED the school bus. Not a very good start I must say, we went back and drove her to school. We live 3 bus stops from the school but the queues getting into the school was at least a 10 to 15 mins wait! Then another booboo, I forgot to write her returning bus number on her tag so rushed to try to find her in the sea of girls! *sweat*

After that I did not see her anymore. All the parents were ushered to the hall for briefing and I left halfway so as to bring the little boy to his new kindergarten for his first day as well!

A check with the other parents on the second day revealed that the school kept the parents in the school hall until about 10 minutes to the end of the recess so most of them did not manage to spot their girls as well. I guess there were some grumbles about that so on the second day, we were all allowed to leave in time for recess to observe what goes on!

TADA! Spotted her on the way to recess!

We were also not allowed within 100 metres from the classrooms at all these two days! So with the recess opportunity, the parents made a beeline for the classrooms!

Happy with her new school!

I think the school did a good job with the first two days. It was orderly and the kids were settled in very fast. The brand new school compound is huge and looks fantastic! It was by the pure grace of God that we managed to get her into this school so I think by God’s grace also she will have a great primary school life here!

The June holidays are here! Not so yeah for me as it means one month of WW3 at home! But still to celebrate the start of the school holidays we made an impromptu trip to the National Museum Open House for the Children’s Season. Admission is free during the Open House, if not you gotta pay $5 per person to get in.

This year’s theme is Island Adventures and there isn’t much on the webbie so we really didn’t know what to expect. We went to the Children’s Season at the National Museum last year and till now, the children asked about when they can go again. That’s how much fun they had last year.

With me at the wheel *ahem* (kids automatically say a prayer to ask God to pls not let us get lost when I am driving…), we drove towards the museum from church and the silly guard did not allow me to go into the carpark. Panicking I drove behind and realised viola, i can park for free too at the Fort Canning car park on Sundays! YEAH!

When we walked in, we realised there was a craft session going on. You are supposed to colour your own Island Adventure badge! The badge will be made on the spot! (Spot Talia wearing her own badge later!)

The children colouring diligently away at their own badge.

Our timing was perfect too as there was a story telling session “Island Tales” at 11.30am by Roger Jenkins. He was good! Had the children entralled as he spun tales from the colourful legends from Singapore’s past. But I think my helper enjoyed it more! She was chuckling and beating my thighs from mirth throughout and not surprisingly she told me the best thing for her that day was the story telling! (-_-;)

We went down to Level 1 to “Ahoy! All onboard” which is a mock up of a boat that the early settlers would have taken to come to the shores of Singapore. There were some installations that the children could fiddle with.

The children using brushes to discover gems hidden in the sand!

But what was more interesting was “Island Adventures – Roving Acts” (Every Sat and Sun, 10.45am, 12.15pm and 2.15pm – 30 mins) where mysterious characters from the past will appear to interact with the children and they bring the history of the early settlers vividly to the children. Interesting and educational!

First up was this Indian chettiar. He passed out pots to the children and commanded them to help him polish up!

Then Madam Farquhar came on board the boat. She was eternally sea sick and have lots of knick knacks from candle snuffer to lingerie to show the children.

Then this Indian stowaway appeared and wanted the children to help her find a best spot to hide!

Up last was this pirate banishing a sword and wanted the children to hand over all their treasures!

By this time it was 12.45pm and we trooped out to POMO to have a simple lunch of Thai food. When we got back, we stopped at the Salon Foyer and had some fun at the magnetic wall where the children could stick up past buildings to “explore, interpret and transform Singapore’s landscape”. That only held the children’s interest for perhaps 5 mins and we went into the Salon for “Port City”.

Here the installations were of little kampung houses and a street scene where early hawkers would peddle their wares in the streets.

There is also little fun corner where the children could try their hand at fishing!

The two kiddos immediately wanted to try out street peddling!

Cooking noodles!

Dishing out the noodles!

Pouring out tea!

Pouring out more tea!

Home delivery!

and the little man tried his hand at being a coolie!

And then the “Roving Acts” started again! With brand new characters!

A Chinese letter writer appeared and asked the children to write their name in Mandarin which they all gamely obliged!

An Indian merchant selling spices appeared and taught the children the different spices!

and then this nun came running out and the Indian merchant said the one thing that Talia said was the best moment for her the whole day! He said:”Hey! Why are you out running around dressed like a zebra?” I don’t know what was so funny about this but it tickled the little girl’s funny bone and she laughed and laughed and laughed!

There were altogether 8 characters that would be involved in the Roving Acts but I forgot to take pic of one of them. Anyhow, the kids had a blast of a time. I enjoyed the interactive manner with which this year’s Island Adventures were conducted. The next Open House would be on 23/24 June and I am tempted to just bring the children to go again if we have time!

Thaddeus reading a book we borrowed from the library

i can’t believe that I kept this under “work-in-process” and totally forgotten about it!

The little guy is into reading! In fact, very much into reading.

Just like his sister at this age, he is too eager to get whatever is in his head out as fast as possible and tends to stutter at the beginning of his sentences now. I pray it would all go away in due course as the mouth catches up with the brain!

When he gets upset with anyone of us, he retaliates by declaring that he is not inviting you to his birthday party! And that includes me, after i gently reminded him that if I am not invited, there would be no one to pack his goody bags, after solemnly thinking it through, he said “mummy must pack all the goody bags FIRST even if she is not going to the party!”

The new year began rather quietly for us. The children went back to school with me tailing the boy on his first alone on the school bus. It was a non-event. He immediately took to the teacher and classmates like fish to water.

Dashed to the play area and started having fun!

Started whipping up a big feast too!

Water play? His favourite!

Snack time? A close second!

And so that was his first day back in school! His kindergarten started earlier for the younger kids but Talia only had her first day on Friday. I didn’t even bother to follow them to school! This will be Talia’s fourth and last year at the kindergarten and *drum roll* she will be reporting at a primary school same time next year!

A while ago, just before bed time she started sobbing and told me she wanted to “stay this size!” Until now I have not figured out what triggered the outburst but she has always been more sensitive and emotional. “Stay this size” you can’t my dear in real life, and you will always “Stay this size” in my heart!

Little boy was glad to have a companion in the the school bus again!

See the really tiny uniform they are in? >< There were no uniforms to be sold on the first day and I have not had the time to go down to Funan to get new ones for them. You reckon I can skip buying the uniforms this year?

Hey no! He didn’t just start going to pre-nursery, he started five months ago in January! Embarrassment aside, I have been blessed 2 times over. His first days in school were such an non-event like his sister’s. He took to school like a fish to water and after the first 2 days, I happily left him to take the school bus together with his sister to school without anyone of us following.

Happy and proud that he is finally going to school! His sister’s BIG KIDS school!

Immediately went in and started having fun with the toys!

Joining into group fun!

This is one of his favourite toys!

The playground too!

Snack time too!

Hey! is there anything at all he doesn’t like about school?

During dismissal, he dutifully sat down at his designated bus area and waited alone there. I was right behind this pillar peeking at him!

When we boarded the bus, I didn’t sit with him as well and it took him a while to realise I was sitting in front peering at him and what a grin he gave me!

My baby is a big boy now!

The little girl has now come to a point that she really enjoys her friends, especially girl friends! All the fun is just magnified and multiplied if she is with her friends. Just think lots of giggles, chit-chat, gesticulating, sharing. She even told me that her school bus auntie did not allow her to sit with her best friend on the school bus because they were too noisy! Fancy that!

When we go out on gathering, the little girls will want to hold hands and walk together, sit together, eat together. The poor little boys in the midst (like Thaddeus) would sometimes be ostracised just because he’s a boy, like the girls would refuse to hold his hand!

Hannah and her enjoying a cool break during the mid-autumn gathering!

It’s extremely interesting to see how they interact and play with each other now. Is it any wonder that we are lining up one gathering after another?

Instead of spending time and resources to come up with materials for crafts and home learning *hangs head in shame*, i have gone out and spent good money to buy a lot of little exercise books meant for pre-schoolers.

There are the boring ones where you just trace letters or numerals, there are colouring books and sticker books, there are fully illustrated colourful kumon exercises, and other either add-it, subtract-it, count it maths sorta exercises, mandarin ones which we bought whilst we were in China, English ones which teaches putting letters together to form words, other IQ-enhancing ones which promotes patterns recognition, and a whole lot of others.

I started with just one or two of those really cheap letter tracing ones and Talia fell in love with them. The little guy just wants to do what his sister is doing and surprisingly enjoys colouring! In fact, the children are the ones who insist sitting at the table to “do their work” and I gladly obliged, having a nice 30 to 40 mins of pure bliss relaxing on the sofa!

Hard at work!

The little guy began asking WHY very early, before he was even two. Most of the time, I am being grilled on the most mundane things.

Me:”Let’s go home now”
Thaddeus:”Why must go home?”
Me:”Because its late”
Thaddeus:”Why is it late?”
Me:”Because the moon has come out”
Thaddeus:”Why the moon has come out?”
Me:”Because it’s night already”
Thaddeus:”Why is it night already?”
Me:”Because the sun has gone to bed”
Thaddeus:”Why the sun has gone to bed?”
Me:”Because its late already”
Thaddeus:”Why is it late already?”
Me:”…..”

You get the drift?

Sometimes he would try to answer the questions himself by starting the next sentence with BECAUSE but is unable to complete his sentences properly most of the time, with the BECAUSE hanging in the air…

It really takes a lot of patience to field his WHYS especially when you have to crack your head to answer a string of questions you know will lead to nowhere. Yet I know its important to be responsive and encouraging in this phase, so even I feel like pulling my hair out and run screaming in circles, I smile and try to think of coherent answers to the one million and one WHYS!

But there are instances when it’s really legitimate WHYS and I don’t really have answers for them. One case in point, Talia started ballet lessons and the little man simply does not understand why he has to press his nose against the glass every time to see his sister and a bunch of cute little GIRLS having fun inside a room with a huge mirror. SIGH!

He would wail:”Jiejie goes to ballet class. Why didi cannot go ballet class?” Glupz! call me conservative, but I am not looking forward to putting him in a tutu, at least not NOW! and i think his interest stems from the fact that he wants to join his sister in everything now! So we stopped bringing him along when Talia goes for ballet.

And lately, the WHERES and WHAT HAPPENEDS has reared their heads too! We would be laughing and he would demand to know what happened. How do you explain a joke or what’s happening on TV?

He would also fight to repeat his day to me just as his sister is accounting to me the activities of her day. And two kids speaking at the same time and trying to understand them both at the same time is not easy.

He also has quite a sense of humour, albeit kiddy style! He chuckles easily when he finds something funny and would announced either “funny mummy!” or “funny jiejie!” and most frequently calling himself funny by declaring “funny didi!”

Funny boy!

This is one for the albums for sure, one of the many oh-so-cute pictures I am going to whip out for her wedding picture collage!

This may sound really lame but one of the keys is to start YOUNG! There you go! Once you know this, you are really off to a great beginning!

1. To start, we need to have good warm-ups so we don’t hurt ourselves unintentionally and ruin our chances of being a tennis star! NO NO!

Good job there for the little girl who is really serious about her training and warming up vis-a-vis the little guy who is just doing the bare minimum!

The little chap trying a little bit more but not quite there yet!

Finally pulling up his socks and trying harder!

2. To feel really comfortable holding a tennis racket! I mean you would need to pose for shots with your racket all the time, wouldn’t you! Enough said!

Balancing is important!

Learning to smile while holding the rackets!

3. Practise, practise, practise!

Practise with BIG balls erm balloons…

Practise with smaller balls!

Practise without balls!

4. Lastly, we don’t become tennis stars overnight so humility is obviously important. What could be a better lesson compared to picking up balls to cultivate that!