The kiddos are starting think that HBL is lots of fun! Morning exercise this morning was to play catching (me included) at the playground for 1 hour!! Tired die me!!! 😵
We owned the playground!! No one else was there! The rest of the kiddos were still in school.
The exercise area, on the other hand, was pretty crowded!! Virus 🦠 alert!!! 📣📣📣
Meanwhile… HBL can be lots of fun! Keep chill everyone!!
#hbl #covid_19
HBL here we come!! 💪🏼 The kiddos used their last HBL schedules as a reference and did up their new timetables for this round. It’s much easier this time as they’ve done it before.
Time management is a life skill. Kind of liking this home schooling thingy as I can add on more extra stuff. 😈😈
We’ve done our 1h swimming this morning. Slightly behind schedule but we will catch up! I noticed that the kiddos added a lot of buffer in the planning. There are lots of food breaks. 🤔 And SOMEONE certainly doesn’t take 30 mins for piano practice. More like 5 mins. 😓
Zaobao (早报) picked up on the news and we are on the news!! ok ok.. cheap thrill….
#hbl #covid_19 #zaobao #timetable #baobeis
A medal to commemorate her last year as a table tennis 🏓 player in her primary school. The team emerged as the East Zone Girls’ champ. Perfect score of 5-0 against every school and 3-0 for every match. They could have had a shot for overall national champ. Too bad it was cancelled due to covid.
Well done Kong Hwa Girls’ team! 💪🏼
NOW it’s time to mug for PSLE! Shoo!
While Mama was having team building and Papa was working, we were having our own amazing race at home!!
Jie Jie!! That’s a foul! You are blocking me from getting the the pit stop!!
Jie Jie!! 😡
Rule of the game : whoever gets there 2nd wins the game! Cool ya??
And the winner gets a sticker on the face!! Check out my trophies! *points to stickers on my face*
HEHEHEHEHE!!
Weird… why is everyone giving me strange looks???
They look at me, then point at me and start to giggle. 😒
Hmm…
Oh well, it must be the stickers that enhanced my looks so much that people take notice of me.
Or are they awed by my chariot riding skills??
Ehhh! Someone, tell me!! You there!! Stop laughing!!!
小小宝贝：Jie Jie! What Pokémon are you??
宝贝：I’m Pichu! Because I’m cuter than Pikachu! (Hmmm… okie….? she has great faith in herself… I suppose that’s not a bad thing. ?)
Didi, you are a Dragonite! Because you are a dragon!
小小宝贝：No!! I’m a baby dragon so I’m just a Dratini!
宝贝 : Mama is a Ninetales because she’s pretty! (I’m not a fan of Ninetales but I like the flattery part.) Then what about Papa???
小小宝贝 ：(with a matter of fact look) Snorlax lah! Because Papa snores!!! (???)
Discerning children I have! Children say the darnest things! It’s a good thing that the hub doesn’t read the blog!
I came across the Sentosa KidZ Flea 2 years back when I was doing research on flea market for children. However, we were always unavailable during the dates. This year, I made up my mind to participate in it! I checked with 宝贝 if she would be interested, well, of course she was! Ever since she was introduced to the concept of money when she started Primary 1, she’s now more aware of it. We currently measure prices in equivalence to her pocket money per day.
Sentosa KidZ Flea is an award winning event organised by Sentosa annually and it takes place during the March holidays. It is open to children (age 7-12 years old) for them to sell their handicraft, pre-loved items, new items or even to set up game stalls. It promotes the entrepreneurial spirit in a fun way! They even gave a briefing session to the children to guide them on what to do and also to warn us parents that it’s the “real world” out there. Anything, and everything could happen. So it’s up to us, parents, to decide how much we wanted to step in.
And so, I signed up for a store for 1 day (we decided not to be too ambitious on our first try) for the girls to try their hands at being mini bosses. After their briefing, the 2 老板娘s eagerly set down to conceptualise their stall and what to sell (with some inputs from their creative and helpful parents, us lah!).
And so, they brainstormed at a cafeteria.
They wrote down a list of possible names for their stall. They debated on whether to sell handmade bracelets and necklaces, pre loved toys or their paintings. In the end, they decided that they would sell cute stationery (think smiggle style) and pretty hair accessories. I overheard them saying, “if we can’t sell everything, then we can bring them home and use! yay!!” Duh…. (Priorities, Kids!!) Well, I couldn’t really fault them for their logic. Because if they liked the products enough to want to own them, then so would others..?? So they picked the products (that they liked… they squealed in excitement over the product pictures), debated over the pricing (based on the sale price at their school bookshops and Popular) and finalised the actual quantities they wanted to order.
Most importantly, they decided on who the bosses were. They have already recruited their little siblings to be their sales people and have worked out the wages.
They came up with their logistics list…
And…. their booth design! After lots of discussion, they finalised their uniforms on that day – Pink top (yes, that includes 小小宝贝) and leggings (they compromised on this and allowed 小小宝贝 to wear jeans).
What’s next? Wait for their goods to arrive, take stock and pack them nicely.
Do come down to Sentosa, Palawan Beach area on next Thursday 16 March 2-7pm. Come and patronise our booth! The girls (and boy) will be selling cute stationery and hair accessories at very affordable prices. And part of the proceeds will be donated to Charity! Look out for our little bosses dressed in pink tops and leggings (or jeans)!
Be there or BE SQUARE!
Cheers!
It all started one day when 宝贝 lamented that she’s taking forever to save up for something she wanted. Holding her head between her hands, she was poring over her daily accounts book to see where she could squeeze out more money.
“Well, if you can’t do away with the necessities and save more money, then you will have to make more money. Do you want to make money?”
“YESSSS!”
“Ok. I need someone to distribute flyers. Do you want to do it?”
“You mean stand on the square and give out paper to the passerbys?”
“Yep. I will pay $2 per hour. So, do you want to do it?”
She nodded eagerly. She probably didn’t realise that it’s harder than it seemed. Having done road shows, exhibitions, flag donations, school building donations and even kart kiosks, I know how difficult it was, even for an adult.
“But I want you to do it with me! And Di Di too!”
“Ok fine! I will distribute flyers right beside you!” Walk the talk right?! No sweat. I have thick skin anyway. Di Di aka 小小宝贝 also agreed. Not knowing what he was in for.
So I grabbed some flyers for the tuition centre (Check out Master Class for English tuition for P5-JC2. No point wasting a chance to advertise! Don’t worry, I’m not the one teaching. We have fully qualified MOE teachers hailing from top schools holding the fort.). And we decided to give out flyers outside Parkway Centre, after her dance class.
The BIG Day arrived. Armed with a small stack of flyers, we stood around the basement, among other flyer distributors.
“You only gave me 5 flyers!” She flapped her sheets at me.
“I will give you more when you have used them up. Let’s just do it for 15 minutes first. How much would you have earned by then?”
Frowning in deep thought, “50 cents? Does Didi get that too?”
“Of course!” Meanwhile, Didi was loitering near the ice cream shop display, ignoring us.
“Hokay! Let’s start!”
I did a few demonstrations and received many rejections, as usual. When I finally succeeded in giving out my first flyer, I smiled triumphantly at 宝贝. She was standing behind me, holding her flyers, looking at me doubtfully.
“There will always be rejections. It’s just part of it. It’s ok. Just persist!” Giving her the YOU-CAN-DO-IT sign.
She spent the next 5 minutes drawing circles on the ground with her shoe.
“Eh, hurry up leh!”
“I’m thinking of how to do it!”
“Ok, let me demonstrate again!”
Then the slew of excuses came. “It’s drizzling! I don’t want to stand in the rain!” “That’s my friend! I don’t want to give this to her!” “They don’t want to take it!”
She finally worked up her courage and walked boldly towards a parent, but one foot away, she suddenly turned around and strode back.
“What happened?!”
“I’m too shy! And why is Di di not doing it! He’s just looking at the ice creams!”
Ok fine! I called 小小宝贝over. “Eh! Are you here to distribute flyers or look at ice creams? Do you want to buy things?” He nodded eagerly. “Do you have money?” He shook his head. “So how?”
The little one said, “I must give out flyers to the uncles and aunties.”
“Ok Good! Tell you what, for every flyer you give out I give you 10 cents! Ok???”
“Yay!” Sigh… Expensive wages..
He looked at me wondering what to do next. Sigh. He was oogling at ice creams when I was doing my demonstrations. So, I gave out a few flyers to show him what to do. I pointed him to the parents sitting around the cafes and Macdonalds.
Without a word, he trotted up to a parent who was messaging on his phone, stood beside him and stared at him with his big round eyes, carrying his cute Eeyore bag and handed out a flyer to him. And… the scumbag waved him away!! Couldn’t he see that a little 4 year old was mustering up his courage to do that?!
Surprisingly, he wasn’t daunted. He walked up to another parent and handed the flyer to him. (Somehow he preferred to give out to Daddies). The daddy smiled and took it from him and patted his head.
He turned to me and gave me the brightest smile ever and hopped in glee. Then he went on to give out another one. The daddy walked past him (he was too small) and didn’t see him, then suddenly realised that the little kid was trying to give him something. He turned back and took the flyer from 小小宝贝.
Meanwhile, 宝贝 also tried to give out her flyers after watching her brother do it. Only to be waved away as though she was a pesky fly. (These parents will get their just desserts!!! Will it kill just to take a piece of paper from a child?!)
Then the hub’s call came. OK. Time to leave.
And so, 小小宝贝 made 20 cents.
Everyone agreed to do it again the next week. 宝贝decided that she would give out at least 1 flyer the next time. 小小宝贝 was looking forward to it as he had first tasted the joy of making money!
Some friends widened their eyes and exclaimed, “Waa! Zun Bo!?” Well, it’s a way to teach them the value of money, that it’s not easy to make money and to only spend the hard-earned money on things that they need. It’s also a way to build up courage and approach people. I find that our children are too soft and too dependent on us, parents, to do everything for them. We need to let them do things on their own, do the tough things, albeit in a safe environment. And definitely, facing up to rejections. It’s not easy to take rejections, but I always believe that, with every rejection, we will just emerge stronger and build thicker skins!
Taking the first step is always the hardest. But once, the step is taken, the rest will follow. For 宝贝， if her 4 year old brother can do it, there shouldn’t be a reason why she can’t do it as well.
So if you happen to be around Parkway Parade on Saturday morning, do come over and say hi to us and give some words of encouragement to the 宝贝s!
If you want your children receive free flyer distribution lesson, you are welcome too! But you pay them their wages ok!!
Most people would tell you that it’s absolutely unprofessional to bring your children to work. It’s an unconceivable notion to do that in my previous 2 companies.
However, I’m truly blessed that the current one that I’m at is truly pro family! Of course I don’t treat it as a childcare centre and bring my children there every day, but the bosses are accommodating to allow the once-in-a-whiles. This is especially important for working mothers like me who have to juggle work and the numerous parental duties.
Besides, to let the children see where I work and how I work is part of bonding. They know what I do and who my colleagues are when I leave them to go to work.
And yes, when my parents were on holiday, my hub went on his overseas trip, and I still had to work, I’d bring the little ones to work. My wonderful colleagues would take turns to “childsit” them.
There they were! Having fun at our Open house cum Oklahoma Project Launch event. Future judge and doctor. All this while, I was running around in the office, trying to juggle my time between my clients who had all decided to come at the same time despite my best effort of spacing them out on the schedule. ?
By one of my favourite authors –
“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” Charles Dickens
Look what I’ve found underneath my pillow!
Given to me by my Sweet Valentine! But I can’t open it til 14th Feb. ???
When I asked her about it, she coyly whispered, “Mommy, it’s a SECRET!”
Little things like these brighten up my days.
My lovely 宝贝, if you happen to read this one fine day, I just want to tell you, “I love you lots and lots!!” ???
If you have been following my blog all these years, you will know that I’m not exactly a kid lover. Unlike some of my friends who go child crazy whenever they see one, I don’t. In fact, I try to keep my distance from them.
I was mightily happy with being able to take off whenever and wherever I wanted to. I wasn’t a bad person, just very self-centered. (There! I’ve said it! I hear some sniggers! ? you are supposed to disagree!)
Until one fine day…. I had a bee in my bonnet and decided that, “ok, perhaps it’s time to have a child.” Waaa! A lot of people bought 4D that day…
And she came along… On this very day, 6 years ago. 17 September 2009.
She was a textbook baby! Easy going, good temper, gobbled up everything, slept on the dot. Good fortune I have!! I must have done a lot of good deeds to deserve her!!
It was the best decision in my life, to have her. Being a parent has made me a better person. I used to feel very strongly against some issues but they now seem minute and petty. I think twice now if I want to do something bad (looks around furtively). Even if no one knew that I did it, but I know it and with that, I would have lost the right to teach my child the right thing to do if I can’t even do what I preach.
I also found that I could give up a lot of things for her. And I never knew that I was the self sacrificial kind. But hey! Maybe I had it in me all along! ?
I used to love working so much that I spent 14 hours at work a day. Madness!!! Now I can’t wait to spend 14 hours with her!
All my priorities have shifted. Money doesn’t seem as important anymore. Heck! I was even cutting back on work to spend time with her. I started reading parenting books, cooking books, any book that had to do with her. I even started cooking!! It’s a wonder that I haven’t poisoned all of us yet. (My Home Econs teacher must have been praying for me all these years after I almost poisoned her during food tasting in class. That’s another story altogether.)
She’s the total opposite of me; she’s whatever I’m not. Sweet, sensitive, empathetic and utterly devoted to all of us. I’ve been constantly reminded of that by my friends and colleagues. (you know who you are!) (although I’m sure I’ve those qualities, waiting to be discovered).
brother arrived. The ever devoted sister and self designated teacher to her little brother.
Today she’s 6 years old. And I love her to bits!!
Happy 6th birthday my darling 宝贝！I don’t know where I’ll be if you haven’t appeared. You are my miracle.
