Multiparenting Cayen & Cayson

Ever bought something on impulse and having no use for it later on ? Ever got rejected by Salvation Army or some other charities for the items you want to give away? Or are you like me who just don't want to see a good item go to the waste simply cox I don't know who wants it? Sgfreecycle is a free group on Facebook where you can just post a picture and short description of the items you want to give away. I have tried it, and within five minutes, I got takers for my 3 giveaways. So if you have something to give or you know someone who will benefit from getting some of these freebies, do introduce them to the site. Here's some tips to navigate the site. For a giver: - give items in good working condition / reparable where possible - if item is slightly damaged or worn, you should indicate the damaged area and state it's "not for fussies" - you can ask people to pick up from you or at MRT. Or you can state the postage required to send the item to t...

Today, Cayen had a perfect start to day. He did everything as told.. Measure temperature, open mouth, show hands, show feet and wash hands... Then he said byebye and then carry his own bag and walk into his classroom .. Lastly his classmate came out to say byebye to us with cayen.. So we believe he has made some friends.  However, as usual, there is a twist to the perfect start ..  he got his second official complaint! (Notice how when he starts to feel right at home, all the antics seem to follow) Offence: Climbing and standing on high table several times yesterday .. Then the teacher had to ask us if he would do that at home... Second happening of the day : all the babies went on strike! Apparently , food served was some mashed potato and vegetable. It must have tasted really bad because al l the kids refused to eat and they all sat there n gave silent treatment to the teacher -and they also poured the mashed potato onto the table or plastered it over the face. (When I hear ...

I was already suitably impressed when he could read most of 1- 9, but I didn't know he could count ! Anyway, his development stages seem to be as follow: - comprehension of new terms - memorising - pronouncing - reading/ recognising alphabets - counting YouTube Video - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Yes Fann, you are also pretty to him .... YouTube Video - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

In the last 19 months, I have come to realise that there are very little toys that can be relevant to a toddler for long. The ironic thing is that the ones that can attract the baby's attention for the longest time in a session and over a period of time tends to be the most unexpected .. And often the cheapest options: 1. IKEA stool When upright like this , it can serve initially as a table when toddler is and also as a seat when he's able to walk. When flip upside down, it serves as a great support tool for the baby who's just learning to walk. It's much sturdier than most toys in the market (as it doesn't have wheels so it doesn't glide too fast) and it's hard to topple when the centre of gravity is on the floor. I have three walkers/ pushcart of sorts, this is his favourite. 2. Plastic cups, spoons , containers, bottles (empty of course) He loves stacking them up, putting and transferring things using these, and pretending to feed hims...

YouTube Video - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Last Friday before the wine event, ah Pa decided to bring Grandpa , Grandma ad Cayen to Swensons. They had the Earthquake , which I believe was a fond and rare childhood memory for most of us .  My parents commented that the last time they had come to Swensons was when we were really young and Swensons was first opened in town. How time flies! And I can't help but feel quite nostalgic that a generation has flew past just like this. To relive some childhood memories , maybe it's time to bring your parents to revisit all the places you went to when you were young. And if you have a kid,  bring them too. 

Yesterday when I went home, I asked Cayen if he had been good (有没有乖乖), he put a finger to his lips and signalled sshh. Ha, I was so surprised that he actually knows what I mean when I say he's a good boy or not, and he associates me with sshh.  This little boy of mine is so cheeky , yet so fun. Here's a picture of my 小不点。he can actually fit inside the Lego box !

For the last two days I have been feeling that my ear is very blocked .. And incidentally my shoulders and neck feel very tight too so I am not sure if it's related. I had carried Cayen for a long while on Sunday. I didn't do anything about it as I wanted to see if it would go away. It didn't. So today I managed to catch a doctor after work. First of all, I couldn't visit my usual doctor as he was closed for the day, I decided to visit a new one that's still open. Went in and gave a full blown description and the discussion soon turned into a long session of parenting tips by the doctor after I told her I suspected strain from carrying my 19mth old son. Think it didn't help that I told her we brought him to the movies, specifically Godzilla.  Key summary of her advice:  - have your kid learn how to swim or at least float as early as possible. His own son nearly drowned when she just turned her head. He was already 4 years old then.  - don't ...

Remember that it was not too long ago that I was glad that Cayen got used to school in the third week and was comfortable enough to walk into his classroom himself.  Then there was the Vesak day break last Tue; his MC from school on Wed; school asked them to not go to school from Thursday to this tue/wed if possible due to confirmed case of HFMD. After staying at home since last Tuesday, going back to school today was a challenge all over again.  He entered the classroom crying. Don't think he ate much as he was really upset. When we picked him up at noon, he looked really upset.. His face was painted with all these accusations and hurt emotions , "why did you all leave me here?", "where did you go?", "what took you so long" and "I miss u" ..  Poor baby, routine derailed when he just got accustomed to it. It's ok baby .. First lesson for you : change is the only constant. You might as well get used to it.  I started my blog-and-tell again...

Last Friday was our first ever Chinese pairing dinner for Stellez Vine and also the first time we brought my parents and Cayen to the event so there were quite a few firsts. It was a 8 course dinner at Seafood Paradise at the Singapore Flyer which includes their signature butter crab. Pairing includes a Groot Constantia Blanc de Noir, Bellevue Morkel Sauvignon Blanc, Swartland Chenin Blanc and Swartland Pinotage.Why we thought of doing a Chinese pairing is to show actually how well wines can go with Chinese food as well. Also, we wanted to showcase that lean crisp whites are actually a better options for typical Chinese banquets since there's a lot of seafood involved.  And indeed, pairing with food really changes the taste of the wines when you have it on its own. The butter crab sauce was absolutely delicious ; we ordered more mantou to try to mop up the sauce. Our neighbouring tables emptied the plates completely.  I also particularly liked the steamed fish with ...

Today Grandpa had an idea to bring Cayen to the beach. However, it was so hot in the morning that we decided to just have breakfast at the market first before going to the beach during late arvo. Market was equally hot so he had his first sugarcane and also a bun. During the afternoon, we finally made it to East Coast and the park was packed with people! We couldn't find a lot at 5pm. When we finally made it to the park proper, cayen was exhilarated to be able to run about freely. Seeing his happy face made the enter journey worth it.  Given that he likes to read about the crab and the sea,  I attempted to let his feet touch the sand but he looked very tentative. I then tried to put his feet in the water but again he was quite reluctant. At that moment, I was quite sorry that we had kept him so sheltered in malls and indoor playgrounds that he actually didn't like sand. Also, his sense of adventure seemed to have dwindled a little too.  Nonetheless, after let...

Poor boy had a bout of stomach virus last night . Puked a total of three times throughout the night and had a bit of a recurring stomachache. Learning: must have probiotics, anti vomit medicine at home as standby . Thankfully , by evening today he was his usual chirpy self again. And he surprised me with his rendition of this song (I rarely sing this to start with). YouTube Video

For those who know me, I used to eat out and hang out a lot before Cayen was born. For those who know me from way back, they might even recall a time where I could party till 4am and wake up at 8am for a swim. However, since Cayen was born, dining and wining was limited mainly to Stellez Vine events   as I already feel quite guilty that I only get to spend so little time with Cayen during week days i.e. 1-2 hours per day. Nonetheless, as he is growing up steadily, I think it's also high time to resume the occasional Girls' night out so that we can continue to stay young and feel young. So on Monday night, I hung out with the Shuz at Catalunya, a place I have always wanted to try for the longest time. I loved my first cocktail - Stairway to Heaven where I need to first sniff from this dry ice concoction before sipping the cocktail. We had a few tapas which were all very delicious and very fine (small portions). We tried a few mains like the lobster rice, some mussels a...