Yesterday was a very emotional day for my boys and I. Its been 5 years!!!! How time flies!

I was heavily pregnant with Binbin then. Keatkeat was not even 2 years old. I desperately needed help to clean my house as I was working 12 hours a day, in my retail business, 7 days a week.

It was by chance that I met this other bazaar participant. Her name was Minh. She introduced her helper to me – Rose. Rose is the most hardworking and smart person I have ever met. She looks more than 10 years younger than what she really is. *smile* She used to work in an office when she first came to Singapore. She loves to read and her English is extremely good for a Filipino.

To my boys, Auntie Rose has been with them ever since they can remember. She comes once a week back then and has helped us for 5 years! She does more than what she was assigned. Many chores that were not required of her to do, she will go out of her way to do it. She will stay longer than she is required to, so as to make sure everything is proper and tidy and clean before she leaves each time.

My boys love her and my heart is filled with gratefulness, especially during those times when Binbin was still a newborn and Keatkeat, at 1+, was still quite a handful, Rose has initiated to help me in more ways than one.

She is returning home to her country for good with her husband. They decided to retire and leave hectic Singapore. Doing cleaning for others is her way of passing time, not her way of survival. She does not need these cleaning jobs to fill her tummy with meals, yet she put her heart and soul to it. And hence, she is packed with 2 houses to clean 6 days a week! Referrals went to her like river, she had no choice but to reject. She is really an excellent helper.

Yesterday was her last day with us, but Keatkeat could not be present to say goodbye to her because of school. He was stamping his feet and crossing his arms when I told him yesterday was Auntie Rose’s last day with us. “Oh Man! Then I can’t chit chat with her for the last time!!! So unfair! Binbin gets to chitchat with her for the last time and I cannot!”

Luckily we managed to snap the above photo when Keatkeat was exempted from school because of the PSLE students 2 weeks back. If not, Keatkeat would really have missed the chance to capture the last memory…

Keatkeat and Binbin love to chat with her and get teased by her. They love to disturb help her too. And because she had babysitted or rather children-sitted kids in the past before, thus she knows how to make them really happy. In short, my boys love her to their bones.

So on this very last day, the privilledged ones who got to say goodbye was Binbin and I. Binbin hugged her and so did I. She felt really uncomfortable because of her perspiration from all the cleaning, but Binbin and I did not care, we just want to hug her. *Smile* It was an emotional moment….

Goodbye Auntie Rose, We Will Miss You Very Very Much!

Today is my 3rd niece’s birthday.

The celebration happened on Sunday 18 July 2010, during our usual Sunday get-together with my in-laws.

Allan and I bought her a very sparkling girly pink sling bag, while the boys paid $1 each from their piggy bank to get her a white board (from Keatkeat) and a bigger than A4 size Mickey colouring book (from Binbin).

Its been a really long time since we had FUN for dinner. It was DIY feasting that day.

1. We get to create our very own popiah. Add as much ingredients as we like, until we could not wrap it up. Or the kids put too much sauce that it soaked through the thin wrap.
2. They had mee siam too. Why I said ‘they’ is because I do not eat mee siam. They added whatever yummies they wanted into that delicious gravy.
3. They had fried beehoon too. Matched with unhealthy but super crunchy side-dishes of their choice.

Since I do not eat bee hoon cooked in any form. I skipped mee siam and the fried beehoon. What I enjoyed most was dipping the popiah wrap in the mee siam gravy!!! Yummy Yum Yum!

*Smile*

Ooops! So much about food in this post, whereby the focus should be on the Birthday girl – M.Y.

I noticed that she has grown in personality. Though she still does not mix with the group (the other 5 kiddos) very much, she has tried to join their games in several occasions.

Very much of a loner still, just like she is in school; she likes to doll herself up now… but with much help from her Mom. If not, I do not think its advisable to let her leave the house. *giggle*

Among the many presents, bags were her favourite. Even the paper bags used as a form of gift wrap, she loved it as if they were diamonds. *giggle* Thus leaving the control-games (from her dad) aside, which was completely swamped over by the other 5 noisy ones.

Very different character from the group still, but very much a happy girl on her own….

Happy Birthday M.Y.!

Today is my boys’ Ah Yee’s (aunt aka my sis) birthday.

We had our usual midnight cake cutting celebration to start the day off and ended with a sumptuous dinner at Kuishinbo.

I think this year, the kids enjoyed this day as much as the adults! *laugh*

The experience at Kuishinbo was just too funny! Every half hour or so, the staff at Kuishinbo will ring the bell and start distributing specialties to the first 20 odd  customers who ‘run’ to the counter.

So whenever we hear ‘ring-a-ling-a-ling’, everyone dropped whatever they were chewing on and dash for the counter, without even knowing what food is being distributed! It was more like a ‘Just-Take-It!’ attitude. *laugh*

So the kids’ ears were all high and pointy throughout the 3hour-buffet, just to wait for the ‘ring-a-ling-a-ling’! *laugh*

Binbin whacked that bowl of grapes. He practically had fruit and chawamushi buffet!!! What an expensive fruit buffet he had?! *eyes rolled* Towards the end, when all the adults were ‘heavily pregnant with food’, he was still getting grapes for all of us. *eyes rolled* His reason was “I share what I like with you all, because I love you all!” …….

And Keatkeat cannot get enough sweetness from pastries and freshness from sushi. With so much flour and rice, he was full in no time! So full that he could not even finish his ice-cream! *laugh*

What the kids loved most was the fondue! ‘Chocolate Fountain’ was the name they called it. They were happily poking the fruits and rolling them under the rain of strawberry chocolate.

As for the adults, the birthday girl (my sis), Allan and I hit the seafood!!! The monster crabs, the sashimi, the shells…. With so much choices, I did not forget the chocolates!!! Yum!

I apologize for the lack of photos. I was too busy eating!!! *laugh*

The bill came up to a scary $180+. Then again, its once in a year event, so its still pretty cool for such an indulgence. *wink*

Happy Birthday Ah Yee!
~ from Keatkeat and Binbin.

This is a continuation from the post “Excitingly eeewww”.

When my 6 year old child’s first tooth fell off his gum at sleep, I was excited that it did not go down to the digestive channel, hence he could keep the tooth, so that tooth fairy can come and reward him as promised when he spoke to tooth fairy.

But the second tooth is even more exciting! My child self-extracted his own tooth! I managed to video down the entire extraction process! Simply Awesome!

This is the less bloody shot -

Before:

and After:

To me, Keatkeat is soooooooooo brave! *clap clap clap*

Last Saturday was the first time I brought my children along for an adult gathering. All 4 of us (one of them was not inside that photo link), with my 2 children, had an early birthday celebration for my dearest 19 year long friend, BL.

I would say its my lucky, Binbin was more or less his usual hyperactive self, Keatkeat was much more tamed that day. So all I need to care about was the mischievous Binbin. *phew*

All parents and care-givers know that some days are better (or worse) than others with children around. *giggle* Never predictable.

Just when I was wondering how should I keep them entertained, after stuffing their mouth with lots of yummies, while the 5 ladies have a good chat; Allan called to say he was ready to pick the children up to ‘relieve’ me. *Yippee!*

The boys did not want to leave *laugh* To them, first time having high tea and first time being surrounded by so many talkative aunties was a wonderful experience. *giggle*

Anyhow, they left, ‘cos Mommy wants some ‘undisturbed’ chatty time with my 4 19years long friends. We had a great time of talk over food until the restaurant had to ‘chase’ us out. *laugh*

We left in such a hurry, we forgot to take a group photo. Man! I thought such ‘forgetfulness’ would only happen when my children are around, guess I’m wrong. *eyes rolled*

Today is BL’s day, here’s taking the opportunity to say, thank you for being by my side throughout the 19years, without you, my teenage journey would have been very different. *hugs*

Happy Birthday my dearest friend!

Planning a Birthday celebration for a man who is faithful to what he loves is so easy.

Because he loves to eat crabs, we went for this again, but this time, a different branch : Riverside walk. To me, the branch at Dempsey Hill is still the best. (Read our wonderful experience from this post)

Because he loves to see his boys become ‘superman‘, Ooops! it should be ‘superboys‘, so we asked for the aprons as souvenirs again.

Because he loves the taste of this painstakingly-time-consuming-to-make cake, we bought it again for him. (Read about the cake in my 2008 blog post.)

Because he loves to hear us sing, even though its a little out of tune, we just sang our hearts out… *giggle*

Because he loves us so much….we are blessed.

Happy Birthday to the Papa of my boys!

Every year this day, I would use this little space of mine to blog about the Parents of my boys.

Our years of being a married-couple was only 2 before Keatkeat and Binbin came along, which changed our status to married-with-children-couple.

Many couples said that their marriage turned sour after kids became part of the family. My question is always the same: Was kids part of the plan in the first place? If it was, then weren’t you prepared for what is to come?

Anyhow, Allan and my connection grew even stronger with the birth of Keatkeat and Binbin. Its more fun now to be playful as adults. Somehow having children is like a permission ticket to be and act like kids again.

*giggle*

Our life as a couple, be it married or not, with kids or not, has always been full of:
teasing
praising
admiration
reliability
understanding
laughter
giggles
tickles

I am so happy that none of the above were lost, instead they increased in intensity. *laugh*

We have more fun as a couple with Keatkeat and Binbin around. Sometimes we are more like kids than our kids. *laugh*

Celebrating 10th Anniversary today marks the strong foundation of our love and has proven that this love was strengthen by having Keatkeat and Binbin in our lives.

Happy 10th Anniversary Dearie! *super hugs*

Read my Favourite Anniversary Post here.

It felt real good to be more than a Mommy to just my two boys on Mother’s Day:

Keatkeat bought this flower from his school bookshop at 80 cents. He passed it to me when I fetch him from school, but BEFORE I could get it home, the flower has ‘blossomed‘! Completely unrolled. *laugh*

So in the end I had to fix my own present…. *laugh*

Binbin didn’t give me any Mother’s Day present. His reason was “Everyday I give you a new present in the envelope. You got so many presents from me already.” *laugh* (read here to understand why)

My Eldest niece gave me a star plasticine in a beautiful box, together with a card. I love to over-exaggerate my expressions whenever I receive presents from kids.

‘cos when I over-exaggerate on how Surprise I am and how moved I am, it makes them really happy. That kind of shy-smile is one precious moment I love to capture in my mind.

And I was a Mother to Giant Supermarket! *laugh* I was paying for my drink at the Cashier and this lovely cashier gave me this last stalk of carnation in her basket.

Anyone went Giant on Mother’s Day and received this too? *wink*

Of cos’ not forgetting to celebrate Mother’s Day with the other 3 mothers: My MIL, 1st SIL and 2nd SIL with the yummilicious cake! *YUM!*

Hope you lovely Mothers had a Wonderful Mother’s Day too!