Childlike faith

Two cheeky boys!

I had an interesting conversation with a fellow Mummy, who was a little intrigued that my kids would say their own prayers at bed time, and wanted to find out a little more.

Both Jay and Xav first started praying by themselves early – and this was mainly because they started speaking independently at a pretty young age (18 months for Jay, and about 22 months for Xav). With Jay it was a natural progression, because he was so active when we were saying our bedtime prayers, that we asked him to pray just so he would sit still. Haha! But it worked pretty well, and after a few months of simple prayers, he learnt to “converse” with God (and also give a good hint to us at the same time).

Jay started out praying very simply: “Thank you God for a wonderful day. Bless Daddy, bless Mummy and bless Jayvon. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

And this is almost exactly how Xav prays now. Of cos, he also includes himself and his younger sister!

The moment Jay started understanding that he could really pray whatever was on his heart, it was then that his prayers really started taking ”flight” and showing what he was thinking of.

When he was into his animal phase, where he would be crazy over all sorts of animals and had a stupendous vocabulary of animal names, he would pray for as many animals as he could recite.

Some “memorable” prayers Jay has made over the years (all entirely thought up by himself):

At 5 years old:

(When Nic was in Sydney) “…let Australia not have any … erm… earthquake or… erm… let the earth open up and keep Daddy safe…”

“... bless Daddy even as he is setting up the Christmas tree, give him strength so he can be strong and finish the tree fast...”

“Dear God, thank You for a wonderful day in church. I got so many toys and the teachers got me popcorn and candy floss! Bless Xavier, Mummy and the whole family. Bless Titah and bless Titah's country. Let it not have any volcanoes so no more people will get hurt or die. Bless Titah's country to be as blessed as Singapore as well. In Jesus's name. Amen.”

“… heal Xavier. Let him not cough anymore please God. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

At 4 years old:

“Thank You God  for such a wonderful day. Can You bring us to buy a lot of toys? I'd like the blue dinosaur for Christmas. Amen.”

To me, getting the kids to pray helps them understand the concept of a God who always hears our cries and prayers, and of course when the kids hear the way the hubs and I pray, I suppose that helps to shape how they word their prayers as well. Of course, I would be the first to admit, my prayer hardly ever cover third-world nations, so I suppose his “burden” for them comes from his conversations with my domestic helper on her homeland, and watching documentaries and movies like Slumdog Millionaire.

I am grateful for my two kids, and seeing the world through their innocent eyes and childlike faith also never fails to encourage me (and the cheekiness sends me into peals of laughter the next second).

Tweet

Story-telling time

A busy busy work week coupled with a bout of the nasty flu bug that has since passed on down to my little boy, meant that I have spent the last few evenings playing with the boys with one of their all-time favourite toys.

The mighty iPad.

Apart from the usual puzzle games and drawing apps, the kids love YouTube!

And my not-even-two-years-of-age-yet little boy can swiftly master the swipe to choose the videos of his little heart’s choosing. Recently, he has taken to seeing some of the older videos I uploaded of Jay – in particular this one of Jay “reading” a book (but really telling his own tale)! He was about 2 and a half years old then.

And Xav is so amused by Jay’s storytelling tone and tale that he attempts to repeat the same story!

My not-so-Talkative-Thursday post, featuring my very-Talkative-boy!

Come and share your chatty tale too!

<a href="http://www.sanses.com/search/label/Talkative%20Thursdays"><img border="0" alt="SANses.com's Talkative Thursdays" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg202/tzaiyi/TalkativeThursdays.jpg">

Tweet

Humour from a 4-year-old

It’s Teacher’s Day, a day to celebrate all educators – and a day when most childcare centres close. This time round, Daddy decided to take a day’s leave to spend time with Jay.  Daddy brought him to the beach for a Burger King breakfast followed by some fun at the sandy beach!

For some reason, Jay decided to pick up these little casuarina seeds that littered the East Coast beach area.

Jay: Daddy, look how many acorns I have collected!

Daddy: Wow. There must be at least 70 here.

Jay: Yeah! I am going to collect them all and bring them home!

Daddy: No! You can’t bring them home.

Jay: Haha! I’m just joking.

Daddy: =.=” (and promptly messaged me this conversation via Whatsapp.)

I was so tickled by Jay’s response, I told the hubs to take a photo of him with the casuarina seeds so I can blog. And when Jay heard that, he decided to collect MORE seeds for me. And there you have it. And no, the seeds didn’t come home with Jay.

At home, my little boy had to poop, and while he was on the toilet bowl, he also decided to ask his Daddy some biology questions.

*Graphic details ahead, you have been warned*

Jay: Daddy, why do we need to open our legs for the poo poo to come out?

Daddy: That is where the poo poo is supposed to come out.

Jay: “Ok. So the backside is the poo poo house?”

*pauses and then continues*

Jay: Is it like someone wants to go shopping, they come out of the house? So poo poo wants to go shopping so they come out?

~~

When the hubs told me his very interesting and talkative day with Jay, I must admit I was getting a little green with envy! Jay is at the age where he is engaging, responsive, inquisitive, and yes I admit he may be a tad draining, but I really won’t have it any other way.

Which is making me very glad we have booked a family vacation to Bangkok – and we’re leaving this Friday! A 3-night and 4-day trip with just Jay (with Xav stays back in Singapore with his grandma), and I am looking forward to some quality time with my soon-to-be-not-that-little prince!

Tweet

Conversations with Jay

  Photo credit: Steph Tan Photography

The car ride took us about  40 minutes. Grandpa and Daddy were seated in front, leaving me and my little man in the backseat. And in 40 minutes, my talkative Jay kept up the conversation non-stop.

I am pretty amazed by him, truth be told. Cos he manages to go on. And on. And on. Did I mention non-stop? Hahaha! But as he grows up, I am relishing these times when he would want to relate his whole world and point of view to his mummy. (And silently pray our relationship continues as close even when he enters his *gulp* teen years.)

As we were on the way for art class, he told me his ambition is to now be an artist when he grows up. Nope, no more a paleontologist. Which I admit I am a little disappointed as we had spent a bomb on dinosaur toys it is such a cool occupation. Haha! Ah well, I told him he could be whatever and whoever he sets his heart upon. He told me to remove all the items in the house, presumably because he needed space to “paint.”

Jay: And when you walk into my shop, and you see my painting of, erm, a flower, you will say, “Wooooooooow…. (insert awed pause here), that is so nice, Jayvon!”

Yes. He even imagines the accolades he will receive as an artist. That’s my little talkative boy.

And he continued on how we should all move out of the house (we meaning Daddy, Mummy and Xav) and throw out the furniture as well, as he would need a LOT of space to paint and “do art”… but we were free to visit him at his shop. Nice. (Don’t ask me where he got that idea from!)

Is it tiring to have a talkative boy? An emphatic YES! I also *try* to really listen and follow his train of thoughts, so it is not a matter of “Uh-huh”-ing and “Ah-hah”-ing. Which means a lot of concentration on my part! This may be some kind of retribution, cos the usual roles Nic and I play (i.e. me talking and him having to listen) is reversed with Jay and I! Haha!

And still, I cannot be prouder of Jay. And ain’t that the truth for all us parents? Despite the fact that they can drive us up and down (and up and down) the walls at home, in the restaurant or at the shopping malls… yet they also often floor us with some ingenuous  quip or unexpected gesture (a “I love you Mummy” melts my heart in a heartbeat!)

Parenting is one matter.

Parenting a talkative child? A whole different ballgame to me at times!

Have a Talkative Thursday post? Where you can pour out on anything (the antithesis of Wordless Wednesdays, if you will), and feel free to link up!

<a href="http://www.sanses.com/search/label/Talkative%20Thursdays"><img border="0" alt="SANses.com's Talkative Thursdays" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg202/tzaiyi/TalkativeThursdays.jpg">

Tweet

Listening

I am pretty amazed by my little boy at times.

Last weekend, I brought Jay out for a soap-making workshop. On the way there, on the cab, I had a conversation with him about… germs. Yes. I was telling him about his habit of late of putting his fingers into his mouth. Totally unhygienic! Yikes! And so I was explaining to him about germs, and how it can harm us, as well as talking about handwashing, and the lot.

Then we reached the soap-making class, and while he appeared to be only paying half-attention to the class as she went about explaining…

And after the class, Jay floored me. Twice.

Firstly, as we were strolling hand-in-hand to Takashimaya for a spot of shopping and dinner, he turned to me, and said, “Let’s continue talking about germs.”

Wow.

Secondly, as we were nearing Takashimaya, he told me he was hungry. Which was a little amazing, as he was battling a queasy stomach and low appetite the last few days. He refused even his favourite food like hashbrowns (which explains why I allowed him the lollipop before the class, haha!) And when I expressed a little surprise at his hunger, he told me, “Because of the orange scent. Remember Mummy? The teacher said I will have a good appetite after smelling. So I am hungry now and I want to eat chicken noodles.”

Well, of course I remembered the explanation given about the various essential oils that can be put into the soap, including sweet orange which purportedly improves appetite, but Jay looked so bored, I could hardly believe he actually not only was listening but he actually remembered.

Sometimes we don’t give our kids enough credit. Or maybe it is just me.

As I look into my little boy’s eyes, gosh, I feel like he is growing up too fast! And when he does “grown-up” stuff like this, I feel this even more acutely.

And we also need to remember – that our kids are truly sponges. They pick up on anything and practically everything we do in deeds and say in words. How we react when we are offended, what words we use to edify or demean the people around us, the tone (and in many cases, the volume) of our voice when communicating to our spouse. During my last outing to Universal Studios with some colleagues, I had this majorly UGLY photo taken (and no, I am not going to post that up, so you needn’t ask) cos in between the time when the passerby trying to take our shot, I, how do I put it, was trying to “readjust” my face. And bam! That totally unglam shot captured for eternity. The good part? My colleagues will be able to use it as a stress reliever whenever they are a little down. But one of them commented and said she saw the same silly expression on Jay’s face before, in one of the photos taken. Which, when I think back, is pretty amazing. And scary. And an apt reminder for me to watch myself when in their presence. Haha!

Have a Talkative Thursday post? Where you can pour out on anything (the antithesis of Wordless Wednesdays, if you will), and feel free to link up!

<a href="http://www.sanses.com/search/label/Talkative%20Thursdays"><img border="0" alt="SANses.com's Talkative Thursdays" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg202/tzaiyi/TalkativeThursdays.jpg">

Tweet

Faith and family

Yet another Talkative Thursday post. :) And today, it’s my musing about the issue of faith in my family.

I didn’t grow up in a particularly religious family. It probably has to do with the fact that my parents had a different religion, and so they gave us some leeway and exposure to both Buddhism and Catholicism from young.

But I became a Christian at 18. (And yes, I understand the “irony” of this. Haha!)

And ever since my salvation, I have been heavily involved in my church, be it as a children’s church worker or helping out in the cell group, church has been an integral and important aspect of my life. And that of my hubby’s.

So it is natural it is now a part of my children’s life as well. We go to church every weekend. And occasionally when there are conferences or special events, they would also tag along with us two or three times a week. I do try to make sure the kids get to bed as early as possible – especially with Xavier, who gets to bed by 8 p.m. on some nights. So it can be pretty disruptive to their sleep pattern to follow our hectic schedule, so thankfully I have good alternative care for the kids (in other words… the grandmother!)

Faith is a personal choice, and when Jay and Xav grow up, they would (like how I did) have to choose for themselves who they would love and what they would believe. But as their mummy, I feel it is my duty, nay, joy to envelope them in a culture and environment for them to get to know about Jesus. So apart from attending church, we make it a point to read the Bible, introduce Bible characters, pray, say grace before meals… so that they understand, loving God is not limited to the weekend, but it saturates and permeates life itself.

Recently, I had some conversations with Jay with regards to death and heaven (I know… pretty heavy sounding stuff for a 4 year-old!), and he seems to be able to process the information. Today, as we were walking back after dinner at 112 Katong, just me and the two kids, Jay pointed to an old-looking house and told me:

Jayvon: Mummy, do you know that when houses grow old, God will take them to heaven? And in heaven, they will become big once again?

Mummy: Oh?

Jayvon: Ya ya! Hmmm… God will take, erm, a balloon pump, and blow air into the old houses and make them big and new once again.

So that is his current take on death and the resurrected body! Haha! 

Do you have a Talkative Thursday post? Grab a button and link on up!

<center><a href="http://www.sanses.com/search/label/Talkative%20Thursdays"><img border="0" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg202/tzaiyi/TalkativeThursdays.jpg" /></a></center>

Tweet

The evolving dinosaur art

In the beginning, there was the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

And many, many, MANY variations of this fierce carnivore.

And just a week or so ago, he was learning all about shapes in school. And he created this masterpiece, using cut-out shapes in school.

(Photo lifted off the school’s email newsletter)

And he was on a ROLL. And on Friday, when my cell group meeting had ended, Jay took up some pieces of paper, and in under 10 minutes, came up with these.

An ankylosaurus (clue: the spikes on the back and rounded hammer tail).

 

A brachiosaurus (clue: long neck, crest on head and four toes).

T-Rex (with a neck!)

A pteranodon (with wings and a longish head)

A stegosaurus (with a small head and the plates on the back and spiked tail. Yeah, it looks like the ankylosaurus, but the devil is in the details!)

A triceratops! Love how he interpreted the frill of this dinosaur.

I was pretty blown away by his creativity… but this conversation we had on Sunday, on the way to church stunned me even more:

Daddy: Hey, Jay, do you want to tell Mummy what you told me just now? Remember, you told me that when you were 2 years old, you liked to put your feet inside the holes in the drains? And when I said I remembered you doing that, and asked you why, what did you say?

Jay: Hee hee… because I wanted to grow up to be a cheeky boy!

Daddy: Haha… And then he paused, and told me, “No no I want to be a palaeontologist now!”

We all had a good laugh at Jay’s cheekiness.

Jay: But Mummy…

Mummy: Yeah?

Jay: Don’t tell me to be anything else ok? I want to be a palaeontologist !

Mummy: Hahaha… Okay okay. So you don’t want to be a teacher or a policeman ya?

Jay: I want to be a palaeontologist.

Daddy: Though I’d like you to be a psychiatrist, okay… palaeontologist it is.

Jay smiles, pleased as punch.

~~~

For someone so young… it’s amazing he has his own mind… and can still tell us not to get him to do or be anything else! So I’m supporting Susan’s very first Motivational Monday – and this post is dedicated to the little fella who knows what he wants and ain’t no one going to tell him otherwise!

Tweet

The things he thinks of (and says!)

Jayvon has turned four. And with it, comes the funniest questions and statements his little mind can conjure up!

Here’s a small sampling…

About Jesus and heaven (after our last Good Friday talk…) & Dinosaurs (his favourite topic!)

Jay: When people die, does Jesus die too?
Me: Huh??? What do you mean, Jay?
Jay: Jesus is in our heart, right? So when you die, Jesus drops down?
(I burst out laughing here!)

---

Jay: Is Jesus in the dinosaur’s heart too?

---

Jay: Are there dinosaurs in heaven?
Me: Well, the Bible doesn’t say anything about it, so I don’t really know babe.
Jay: Why you don’t know?
Me: Well, when we get to heaven, you will know ok?

---

Jay: Mummy, do you know why I was laughing so much yesterday before I slept?
Me: Why?
Jay: Because I was thinking about my funny dream! You know what is my funny dream?
Me: What did you dream about?
Jay: I dreamt that Boris (the name of the T-Rex) was eating some plants! Hahahaha… so funny right? Hahahahaaaaaaaaa….
Me: Erm… ok…

---

Jay: Jesus can fly Mummy?
Me: What do you mean?
Jay: You said Jesus went to heaven right? So he can fly? Like the pteranodon? (a large flying dino)
Me: Well, the Bible says Jesus rose to heaven, so it is something like flying but He went higher than any eagle or pteranadon.

 

Well, I can’t be prouder of my little boy… though there are times he can drive me up (and down and up and down) the walls, he is a smart, confident little man! He never fails to crack me up!

Tweet

My first taste of … homework!

I mean… Jay is in pre-school. Seriously. N2.

Hardly the age that I expect to be doing homework with him.

But on the last school day the last week, I was erm, pleasantly surprised to see a little envelope from the teachers.

And a little homework for Mummy. I mean, Jayvon.

 

It was a simple exercise but as I am a rookie homework-Mummy, I probably forgot one vital aspect.

Always do homework early. Always.

 

We started on this project after dinner, and while it went well at first (for the first part – the cutting of the squares, cos Jay always loves using the scissors), when it came to applying the glue and sticking on the parts… it was a matter of whine (his) against will (mine).

After sticking the first 2 squares…

Jay: Mummy, you do for me.

Mummy: You’re supposed to do it, you know.

Jay:I don’t want to do it. I am tired. *cue the fake yawn*

Mummy: But what if teacher asks you tomorrow if you did the work, are you going to say Mummy did it?

Jay: Sigh. Rubs eyes. Looks so tired. Slowly continues the task.

Mummy softens: Alright, I help you with the glue? You tell me which colours to use?

Jay brightens: OK! Green now.

Mummy applies glue.

Jay glares at Mummy: Wrong side Mummy! See! (He wants to stick cut-mark side up)

Mummy inwardly rolls her eyes: Ooops, sorry. Okay, I do properly next time.

Four more squares later…

Jay: Ok, I go watch TV now.

Mummy: HAH? A few more and we’re done, and we can BOTH go and watch TV together.

Jay sighs again, and rubs his eyes.

 

Slowly but surely, we trudged our way and finally made it to the end!

My first homework with Jay.

*pat on the back for Mummy*

Tweet

Understanding Good Friday, Jayvon-style

I met one of Jay’s Sunday School teachers, and she was relating to me how he seemed so disinterested when she was telling the class about Good Friday… and all through it, he looked bored and even tried to distract his friends as well!

Sigh.

But then again, without knowing that incident at school happened, Jay brought up the subject of Good Friday casually with me.

Jay: Why did the bad people put Jesus on the cross?

Me: Because they didn’t like what Jesus said and what He taught the people.

Jay: Why?

Me: Because they didn’t understand Him, baby.

Jay: So Jesus died? He is dead now?

Me: Yes He died. But then God made Him come to life again! He isn’t dead now. He is alive.

Jay: HAH?

Me: Amazing, right? No one has ever been resurrected, and God resurrected Jesus.

Jay: So where is Jesus now?

Me: In heaven, baby.

Jay: Hmm... (pauses and considers) Okay.

Some concepts are hard for a kid to understand. And harder for a parent to explain. Haha!

Tweet

Parenting Lesson #2,174: Observation skill FTW!

If there’s one thing parenting taught me… it is that no matter how long you’ve been a parent, there’s really so much more of your kid to learn all the time!

Jayvon has very keen observation skills. Nic had a friend from Sydney who was in town for a few days, so we decided to bring her to the Night Safari on a Monday night, and took the opportunity to also bring Jayvon –seeing he adores animals so. Peering through one of the exhibits, we were trying to catch a glimpse of the Mousedeer –and through the branches, I excitedly told the group I found it! Laying on the ground, the outline of the body of the animal could be vaguely made out. Busy giving myself a pat on the back, I didn’t hear Jayvon calling out to me “Here, Mummy.” So he continued in the most impatiently tolerant voice he can muster, “HERE, Mummy” and pointed to an area at the corner of the exhibit, where camouflaged amongst the leaves of the ground and the dim lighting… lay another Mousedeer.

But see, it’s not just about the mousedeer.

During our many excursions to the zoo, the bird park, the night safari, we usually get a souvenir for Jay, to help him remember the fun time we spent with him! So he has amassed a small mountain of stuffed animals, tees and other knick-knacks. We got him the elephant cup (on the right) for him during one such trip. And we got him the elephant cup on the left for him at the Night Safari days ago.

Spot any difference? Me neither at first.

Jay: (Holding up the cup) I want to buy this cup!

Me: You already have an elephant cup, Jay. Why buy two? Get another cup? See, lion cup? Or the monkey one?

Jay: (Pouting as he puts the cup back) But this is the Daddy Elephant cup…

Me: How do you know that? It’s the same elephant cup!

Jay: Because got tusk.

Two second pause as Nic & I stare at our son with slack jaws.

We took the cup. Oh. My. Gosh. He was right.

Did you spot the tusks?

We bought the cup. However could we say no?

Tweet

The little storyteller

After dinner at Suntec last Saturday, we chanced upon a stall selling children’s books and toys, and Daddy decided to get these animal tales for Jay. Since then, we’ve only managed to read these 4 books probably twice to Jay.

But he has a strong memory recall (and an active imagination to boot), and so he decided to “read” the story to me.

Jay: Do you want me to read to you, Mummy?
Mummy: Hmm? Sure, baby.
Jay: Okay. Sit up straight and listen to me! No laughing, no fidgeting, Mummy. Di di, listen too.

After swallowing my laughter, I managed to catch a snippet of Jay’s “storytelling” here.

Tweet

The world according to Jay

My son is only three. But he has strong views. Have you ever watched shows where kids shoot off their mouths offer wise and sagely views on everything from marriage to the world economy? In fact, I remember being amused and tickled by shows like Bill Cosby’s Kids Say the Darndest Things!

Till I became a mother myself.

There’re times I find myself chuckling at Jay’s humour, and am proud of the fine young man I am raising up. Other times, I feel like tearing my hair and throwing my hands up in frustration. And wonder where he picks up these phrases from. (Not me!)

For example, he has strong views on animals. And how lions eat “female meat”. And how he considers himself a “Daddy lion” after we watched the Lion King musical, seeing how brave and strong the lions were. And how he would tell me that “some lions like to eat ice-cream, you know.” Hmm… Nice try, baby. Nice try.

And ever since he has started school, he has also picked up phrases that have given me a double/triple/quadruple take!

• “If you are naughty, I ask the policeman to catch you and throw you in jail. Let the lion eat you.” (Now, Grandpa is a retired police officer, so my family has never made such “threats” before…)
• “I don’t care about you!” (Oh. My. Gosh.)
• “I don’t want to talk to you.”

And when he wants to show his displeasure even more, he would reprimand us by frowning, “It’s NOT funny, Mummy!”

But my all-time favourite?

The lip-pout-and-distant stare whenever he doesn’t get his way. Silence is his way to show his displeasure. Classic. Haha!

Tweet

Lessons on politics and parenting

If you’ve followed my blog, you probably would have read I would be meeting the Emeritus Senior Minister in a first-ever MParader Connect Session with him.

I was a bit “shy” at first, and so didn’t want to bring my camera. So the photos are taken using my fabulously white and shiny new Blackberry Torch, but with a none-too-fabulous camera.

But before you think I will go into the DETAILS of what was discussed…

The ESM (wise man he is) has asked us to NOT blog about the details of what was discussed, nor quote him (either accurately or inaccurately). Which I feel is fair enough. He should not be held responsible for words that he may or may not have spoken, and may or may not be accurately represented.

Erm, so the purpose of this entry? Well, after the session (which lasted a very long 2.5 hours!), I had a few thoughts, and given my unique insight as a *ahem* parent, here’s some parable-worthy analogies. Any similarity to people you might know is well, purely coincidental, cos you know… I am really talking about my kids.

1) Kids have their own sense of right and wrong. And a strong sense of who should apologize to them.
Jay, for example, would insist on getting an apology every time we knock over one of his toys, or accidentally bump into him. Or when we knock into Bear-bear.

But try to elicit an apology when he bumps into you? A lot harder.

2) Kids tend to talk a lot. A lot, a lot, a LOT.
I read in a fellow Mummy’s blog (who’s also another Singapore Blog Awards finalist!) that her daughter goes into long monologues… Well, Jay is a Shakespeare fan. He loves his soliloquy and goes into long “conversations” with anyone and anything. But often, he would also break out and insist on hearing an answer from me or Daddy… but then continue on his line of thought without any much regard to what we say.

At play…
Jay: Today we’re going to build our zoo! Let’s build our zoo! Come Mummy, build your zoo. This is your animal, this is my animal… (and proceeds to “split” his loot of animal figurines. Which basically is the ones he loves and the ones he does not.)

Jay: (Sees me lining up the animals…) No, Mummy. Don’t build yet. Do you see me building my zoo? No, right? Not yet. Don’t build your zoo. See? I didn’t build my zoo. Correct? Do you see me building my zoo?

Mummy: Ok. When can I start?

Jay: Just wait. I will tell you.

3) Kids have a weird world-view sometimes. And once they have decided on something, ain’t nothing’s going to change their minds.
Jay has always loved animals, and especially after watching the Lion King, he has it in that little head of his that he is a lion. And not just any ordinary lion. The Daddy Lion.

Jay: I am a Daddy lion! Rawrrrr!

Aunty Teresa: I am a gigantosaurus!

Jay: Hah?

AT: A gigantosaurus! It’s a huge dinosaur.

Jay: I am the king of the world!

AT: The gigantosaurus is the king of the universe, you know.

Jay: Hah?

AT: It’s bigger than a Daddy lion.

Jay: RAWRRRR! I am bigger than you! I can eat you up!

…

Jay: Aunty Zar, I am going to the Science Centre. I am NOT going to bring you. I am going to see the sharks!

AT: Do you know what sharks eat? Lions, you know.

Jay: NO!!! RAWRRR! Sharks will eat YOU.

(thinks for a while, and you can almost see that purposeful smile coming to his face…)

Jay: Aunty Zar, do YOU want to go to the Science Centre with Mummy and me?

 

Well, it is pretty amazing how parenting is relatable to so many of our other experiences. :)

Have you heard? SANses has been nominated in the Best Family Blog category in the Singapore Blog Awards 2011! It’s my first time being nominated, so your vote is much appreciated! You can vote once a day from now till 3 July 2011 – so please vote now!

Tweet

Not for the clean freaks

One thing you quickly learn as a parent… is that tidiness and kids aren’t best buds.

I have a pretty huge living room area. When my friends come over for our small group meeting, I can easily squeeze 20 people comfortable, sitting in a circle. No problem. But this still ain’t big enough for a three year old and his toys.

When it is Jay’s playtime, it means he will usually bring out a ton of toys and stuff and splay them across my living room floor…

 

… and on the couch…

… and he even tries to find some spot on Xav’s bouncer to place some of his toys.

It is a warzone.

If war ever broke out in Toys R Us kingdom, this would be how the place would look like.

Well, to me, it is fine to be as messy as he wants when he is playing. It’s fine, really. So long as he helps to clean up after play. But I think he has found a loophole…

Jay: Mommy, you have legs, correct? Can you help me pick up that giraffe/car/jigsaw puzzle?

Mommy: You have to clean up after you play, remember?

Jay: But you also played with me what.

Mommy: …

Tweet

The lion king meets The Lion King

I was so psyched up this week.

In short…

I got myself a pair of tickets to this show… and Jay was generously sponsored by my awesome cell members.

Of course, given his recently sullen streak, two days before the musical, Jay decided that he did not want to go to no musical. Mommy agreed. And told him I would bring someone else.

Jay: “Ok. You bring someone else. I don’t want to go.”

Mommy: “Hmm… I think I will bring the fox puppet.”

Jay: “No! Cannot!”

Mommy: “Oh, oh, oh! I can bring the toy lion. After all, only the lion king should see the Lion King show.”

Jay: “I am the Lion King. I AM THE LION KING. I want to watch the show.”

Well, with that settled, on 15 March, the three of us trudged down to the gorgeous Marina Bay Theatres. I was soooooo pumped!

And then I realised I brought my camera.

And left the memory card in my laptop. At home.

Which effectively negated the whole photo-taking thing.

But my boo-boo aside, I am pleased to give you six thumbs up. From all three of us!

I was most concerned about Jay. Could he last through the entire musical? Would he love the show? Would he understand? Would he make a nuisance of himself? Would we get booted out of the Theatre?

Well, I am glad to report that… yes, hell yeah, yeap, just a little and thankfully not!

The opening scene, where the animals came to pay tribute to the newborn Simba was, in a word, splendid. Here’s a sneak peek into what we saw.

After that gorgeous opening sequence (and Jay seeing his much-anticipated rhinoceros up close!), the audience broke out into claps, and Jay spontaneously did so too! Oh, the elephants, the zebras, the buzzards… it was all so captivating!

There were times when Jay spoke a little louder than he should. “Why did that naughty uncle lion throw the daddy lion, Mommy? Why? Why? WHY?” Nothing a little gummy bears couldn’t stop though! Haha!

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised to see quite a number of kids (must be the holidays!) though Jay was definitely one of the youngest, if not the youngest one. Some older kids was drooling drooping over their dad’s shoulders but Jay was still happily prancing around (See? gummy bears, I tell ya!). But if your kid loves animals, and a good story, do consider the Lion King!

Tweet

An ode to the mozzie

I was enjoying some MacDonald’s fries with Jayvon last night, and he showed me a scratch mark on his thigh, courtesy of his latest mozzie bite. All of a sudden, he turned to me and told me he wanted to sing a mosquito song and made up this song!

“Mos-mos-mosquito-to-to

When you see a mosquito,

Smack smack it!

You, go away!

Don’t bite me anymore!

You’d better not bite I’m telling you why…”

Towards the end, the tune veered towards “Santa Claus is coming to town”, but other than that it was a indistinguishable melody… His very first "song composition”!

Tweet

Jay and his little brother

I think when my second prince comes along, Jay will have a mighty fine time talking to his little brother!

Here’s his take on certain things…

On sharing his toys:

Mommy: When Didi comes, will you share your toys with him?

Jay: No.

Mommy: Erm, how about the toys you are not playing with anymore?

Jay: Huh?

Mommy: You know, the baby toys you have in the box. Not your animals or puzzles, but those baby toys.

Jay: (considering) Hmm… OK. Can.

On playing with Didi:

Mommy: You will have so much fun playing with Didi next time!

Jay: (smiles widely)

Pause while Jay digests what I’ve said…

Jay: After playing, will Didi go back in? (Pointing to my tummy)

Mommy: No sweetheart, once Didi comes out, he is out. For good.

On Christmas Day & presents-time:

Jay: Why is my elephant puppet wrapped up? (Present courtesy of Aunty Sharon)

Mommy: Because it is a Christmas present, and you can only open your presents on Christmas day.

Jay: When is Christmas?

Mommy: Coming soon, baby. (I doubt he understands the concept of “two weeks later”)

Fast-forward to another conversation…

Jay to Aunty/Grandma/Aunty Umah (or anyone who’ll listen): Mommy says I can open my presents tomorrow!

[This is my fault. Tomorrow does seem “soon” to an almost-three-year-old!]

Tweet

Finally… back in Singapore!

What an awesome past seven days it has been.

Awesomely spiritual, awesomely fun and also awesomely tiring! While my friends and co-workers took extremely good care of this pregnant woman, I must admit that the past few days of walking and sleeping late and all have taken a toll… on my poor back! Having bad back-aches now! Haha! But it is ALL WORTH IT.

Summarizing will hardly do the past seven days justice. But I want to pen as much down before I forget.

The YK District Retreat was from Nov 27-30 at Pulai Springs, JB Malaysia. The theme of the Camp was Eat.Pray.Love, and man, we sure did all three to the max!

I was on the planning committee, and helped in the administrative portion of the camp. Some of us committee members went to JB a day earlier to settle the work before the rest of the campers arrived, and so Nic, Jay and the maid also went in. We spent a good part of the Saturday settling in, checking into the rooms, and also went to Jusco to get some supplies and logistic items for the camp. By the time we returned back to the Resort, it was evening, and we quickly settled for dinner and it was down to WORK.

That first night, we all slept at 3 a.m. The second night was nominally better – 2 a.m.! And we thought the last night would be a breeze, but a decision to change the schedule kept WL, Von & I up till past 3 a.m. printing out the revised schedules and placing them under each camper's hotel room door! The accumulated lack of sleep was all worth it at the finale session, when Ps YK asked the members to share what they had learnt and experienced from the camp. I was so, so touched by the testimonies of the adults, as they shared candidly and frankly about their marriage struggles or fears, and how the entire camp brought the family together, and helped them so much!

Ps Tan even made his way down to JB to share with the couples on marriage, and he was at his mind-blowingly best (as always)! It was the session I most enjoyed, and learnt the most from too!

Most of my CG members shared that they were most impacted seeing 30-, 40- and 50-year olds giving their best during the telematch, as it gave them the opportunity to see how living a life as a Christian should be – living well, and living for God!

It was two years since our last YK District Camp, and while the preparation work is hard hard HARD work, seeing lives transformed and changed make it all worth it!!!

And, in case you are wondering at the sheer number of words I’ve written with nary a photo… well, I did bring my Canon camera, but I was much too busy scuttling about to take any photos. Sad, I know… Sigh!

I managed to whip out my camera more for the next Retreat though… coming up in my next post!

Tweet

Poor Rudolph

 

I was singing Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer to Jay when he started stumping me with hard questions.

Mommy: “… all of the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names, they never let poor Rudolph join in…”

Jay: “Why poor Rudolph, Mommy?”

Mommy: “Erm. Cos the other reindeer didn’t play with him.”

Jay: “Why?”

Mommy: “Because they kept laughing at him.”

Jay: “Why?”

Mommy: “Because he had a bright red nose.”

Jay: “Why?”

Mommy: “That’s how God made him, dear.”

Jay: (changing tack) “Rudolph should play?”

Mommy: “Of course!”

Jay: “The other reindeer shouldn’t play?”

Mommy: “They should play together.”

Jay: “Why?”

Mommy: “Because that’s what good reindeers should do. You play with your friends too, correct?”

Jay: “Hm.”

Finally satisfied! Haha… Who knew a little reindeer could spark off so much interest in my son!

Tweet