A sweet ordinary day

As I'm going back to work soon, I decided to accelerate my room spring cleaning process over the last few days. Today, I put on some finishing touches by hanging some photoes using some pretty paper frames and clips.

Then, I went to pick Cayen up as usual. Brought him downstairs to ride his bicycle as we were early today. I tried to teach him to use momentum to go up a slope and how to use the brakes while coming down. After we stopped playing for a while, he suddenly told me that he had meetings with Janelle,Alix and some other girls in school. I was quite amused. I decided this was a teaching moment and decided to teach him on how to conduct a meeting. Here's a summary:

- we need a chairperson and attendees. 

- people who arrive late lose their voting rights 

- we need to have an agenda and stick to the timing else people will get bored

- we need to minute down stuff in case we forget 

- if we are unclear of what we heard, we need to clarify 

With this, we proceeded to have a mini meeting on what to eat for dinner and voted for it. So I told him how majority wins. 

Next, we voted for what activity to do this weekend. We brainstormed on some 10 items (Cayson contributed cycling , running and swimming with his sudden gestures). Then, we voted for the best activity and Cayson even "voted" by raising both hands when his suggestion was read (haha). Then we proceeded home and on our way, Cayen said he needed to go to the toilet. He managed to hold it in till we reached home. I think he's finally toilet trained! The Rewards chart had worked its magic in the last few weeks! 

When we were home, to keep him at his seat during dinner, I told him that he should interview Ah Pa on how his day went (I told him the concept last week). Next I shared with him my day (he was quite impressed I did so many things I.e. I brought baby for vaccination, tidied up the room and paid some bills versus Ah Pa's meetings) . Then, he voluntarily shared details of his day in school (which is quite rare so I think this "how's your day" during dinner trick I saw from some article works. 

After dinner, I went to the fridge to get a packet of my favourite green tea. He saw it and wanted to have a drink too. I told him that he can't have green tea but I could make him a surprise drink since he's been so good during dinner - he finished his food and vegetables in a very clean way. Then I told him I would make him some lemon honey to which he was quite cheesed. He said, " you said this is a surprise but you told me! It's not a surprise anymore!" 

Goodness! Ok,  I went to make a surprise drink instead. And he was pacified. I didn't expect it had to be so precise. 

Next, we went into the room and I showed him how I hung up all the photos . He looked at it , turned and hugged my legs, and said ,"I love it ! It's so nice!" I was taken aback , I didn't expect such a positive reaction actually. I just wanted the photos to look less messy. But that's good. 

Then he spotted a pack of namecards that I found during packing. He proceeded to arrange it into a "cake" and said it's for me!  What did I do to deserve such a lovely day? 

Then, when I bathed him, he automatically lifted his head for me to rinse instead of waiting for me to ask (this is the third time this week). I praised him for his initiative and he was pleased about this power! I will have another post on these powers!) Then, I accidentally knocked my head against the door handle and I cried out loud. He promptly came to kiss and hug me to try to make it better. Arh ... So sweet. 

After he got changed and returned to the room, I saw the cat come into the room but I was holding the baby. So I tried to tell the cat to go out but he wouldn't. Think I raised my voice a little too much Cox the baby sensed my change in tone and started crying (babies can sense tonality change even at 4 months!) Anyway, I was trying to avoid getting scratched by the cat so I was very gentle, " Aki, please come out , if you don't , Cayen and Ah Pa would ah choo! Please come out!" 

Cayen saw me pleading and came over to repeat the same but to no avail. I repeated my pleas to cat. Then Cayen said,"it's ok, I will cover my nose if I ah choo" I said, "no, no, that's not the point" I continued to reason with the cat gingerly. I also added a teaching moment, " see , when I speak nicely to the cat, it never bite me. So it's like you and your classmate, you can speak nicely, and he will not bite you.." 

However, since my appeals to the cat didn't make it budge, after a while, Cayen commented , " I think you have no power, I think need Ah Pa" 

"yeah, I think so. Cox Aki's Ah Pa's cat from Japan, she should listen to him" Cayen immediately turned his back and shouted for Ah Pa to come and help. Thankfully Ah Pa emerged from the bathroom soon and managed to get the cat out. Then he said, "this is Yoda, not Aki." Oh ! No wonder Cayen was asking me if it's Yoda or Aki earlier when he heard me calling it Aki repeatedly. He could actually differentiate between the two ginger cats - I didn't know. 

Then Ah Pa brought baby to our bed for some song singing. Cayen heard and came over to perform a song too! How sweet of him to show some brotherly love automatically!

I thought my day would end so smoothly but unfortunately he went out for supper (2 times!) during his sleep routine and threw some toy eggs onto the ground and made a din the second time. Silver lining was that he eventually picked up the eggs after my warning that the toys would disappear next morning. He also voluntarily went to toilet to gargle and brush teeth as he had eaten a cookie (super rare !) 

Think four years old is a magical age. Somehow he has suddenly mastered so many skills in the last two weeks. Or could it be due to his earlier sleep time ? His reduction of Pokemon / TV / iPad? The rewards chart? The various new books on behavior? All of the above ? 

Nonetheless, it was real nice to see all these sweet behaviour manifest itself in the most ordinary of days. To many more good days.