COVID-19 Circuit Breaker Notes
8 Apr 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 2]
I consider today Day 1 of HBL and last Wednesday a trial. I had it all going very well last week with cooperative children, zero tech glitches, upbeat positive me - basically the stars were aligned and everything went so well. I had a glowing review of HBL.
Today was a slightly different story. I am bushed. And we should all be reminded that every day would be a different day due to many factors: did we sleep well enough last night? Are the children’s dynamics different today? Was the weather too hot? Of course weather affects too!
I was consciously suppressing frustrations to refrain myself from screaming. I failed towards the end of the day and raised my voice hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel showing some anger. Of course we all know the light will come only if we gave more hugs and positive encouragements. But we are Humans too. Not always easy.
Proud of one thing I did today though. Halfway through HBL when we were all defeated by Chinese, I sent them away from the table, “Go continue your Chinese period with Chinese cartoons on Netflix Go!”
“YAY!” Ewan turning to his sister, “We choose Sonic okay? Sonic has Chinese version.” Ewan turning back to me, “Later when we are done, I promise full concentration and cooperation with the rest of Chinese homework!”
**FYI You can toggle between languages in Netflix cartoons. Go Explore! Just to share a few:
Dragon Rescue Riders available in English, British English, Japanese and Mandarin
Beyblade Burst Evolution available in English and Mandarin
Peppa Pig available in English and Mandarin
Sonic Boom available in English, Mandarin and Japanese
The Lego Movie available in English and Cantonese
Talking Tom and Friends available in English and Malay
Dora The Explorer available in English and Malay
Can I Cook The Same Dish Over and Over Again For The Next 27 Days? Well, It's The Only Way To Perfect The Dish.
[and not crack my head everyday with menu!]
[and I don't have to plan groceries list!]
Today, we FaceTimed grandparents. This conversation between grandmother and granddaughter [my daughter] is freaking me out.
Mah Mah: Are you sad school is closed?
Faye: No.
Mah Mah: Oh so you must be happy at home!
Faye: No. I don't like to stay at home too.
Mah Mah: Then?
Faye: I just want to go party!
- Cabin Fever Woes -
What's my 17 year old girl gonna be like? I'm scared. Very scared.
Being studious like this and not yearning to club would be easier to handle! Give me the strength and wisdom when the time comes...
“Hey mom. Don’t wait up for me. Gonna Partay! Ciao!” I don’t even do that to my mom.
A second story for Day 4 because this is too hilarious not to note! Supermarketing had never been this stressful. What has the world come to!? Look at my husband's rants on his Facebook:
I've used up most of our ingredients for the week. It was time for a re-stock. We usually do our supermarket runs as a family but this time, we agreed it wasn't worth the outing. Minimise exposure is key right now! And daddy is the perfect candidate for this because I wouldn't be able to handle the weight of the groceries.
When Meyer posted this on his Facebook, I was lying next to him in bed in the dark. It seemed like we were going to sleep but these questions kept him awake. Obviously nervous as he had put it on his post! *hahah* So we chatted - on the comment section of his post.
Then he jumped out of bed. Hmmm it was 10pm? And got all dressed like a CROOK as his mother put it! *LOL* Covered from head to toe as protection gear! I love his spontaneity and humour. Made me laughed so loud and hard I was curling myself into a ball!
THURSDAY MOVIE NIGHT[S]! Maybe we can make this permanent for the period of this Circuit Breaker. Never will this happen on a regular school day!
Ewan suggested Frozen 2 and Faye squealed in delight! AppleTV: 2 in 1 bundle Frozen 1 and 2 for S$35.
We wanted to watch with the kids [even though this would have been erm our 4th?] but we also had emails we needed to clear. So we brought the laptop in with us. Well, I know… not the kind of parenting choice people would applaud to. Why never give the children a hundred percent!?
We always try! We always do. Sometimes, we want a hundred percent to ourselves too leh.
But anyway, we failed. We ended up enjoying the movie instead of working. Olaf was way too entertaining!
Laptops closed. Thank goodness we got our priorities right 20 minutes into the show.
Clients and bosses, please expect delays during this period.
Everyone’s stepping up at home including the boys and this is one thing that’s worth celebrating for.
If we had a helper, none of this would have happened. I, for one, will be so dependent on her, I wouldn't even bother washing my cup. But because we have none, I think that is why they've started helping out. Or maybe, they've started helping out because they were afraid of getting in the wrath of [an overworked] mommy. Every one decided to chip in in ways they’ve never had. In ways they’ve never tried but thought they should.
I saw the HUSBAND pull out the ironing board and attempted to iron the basket of clothes for the first time! I’ve never in my life seen him ironed before and I’ve known him since 16. I didn’t know he knows how to iron? He doesn’t actually. He did five pieces and that was his limit, “That’s all I can do mom. Sorry. I tried to help you.” It’s okay! I am so thankful for the attempt to even step up during this time.
My SON. He doesn’t like household chores. His favourite chore is probably mopping the floor because he gets to play with the mop spinner bucket. During this time though, he offered to fold his laundry and the sweetest thing he did today was walking into the kitchen looking as though he had no agenda at all! But he took my spatula and continued frying my garlic mushroom without saying a word. I had tried recruiting him many times over the years to help out in the kitchen but he always says, “No. I’ll learn when I’m a teenager ok?” or “I only want to eat. I don’t want to cook. Call me when the food’s on the table!” before scooting off to play. . The boys had been good helping out at home. For that, I give thanks. For this, I don’t mind another month of Circuit Breaker *hahahhaha*
Choy Choy Choy!
Let us take this time to See The Good Side. Let us focus on the 99 good bricks on the wall. Not just the two bad bricks sticking out like an eyesore.
I say this because there are many things that made me angry in a day's work. Family members' bad attitudes, bad manners and even bad habits. At the end of the day when the house is quiet, I decided to just zero in on Gratitude; on the Good.
Meyer asked me today, “Did you ever think you’d be cooking this much?”
My reply was, “NEVER! Never in my life did I think I’ll Even Cook.” Then how my family’s going to have their meals if I don’t cook? *haha* Joker. For real, it didn’t cross my mind I’ll ever cook because I grew up with a helper and the best dish my mom could put on the table back then was Instant Noodles. I thought I’d be the same - May’s Best Dish is Instant Noodles.
Yet becoming a mother had taught me so much more. I have honed a skill I never thought I would have honed! I can't say I now have a Loooooovvveeeeee for the kitchen but I do what I have to. And since I am at it, I’ll try to put my best foot forward. . Tonight’s dinner’s worth a story.
Meyer turned Vegan months ago and I told him I think we can all follow him but mmmm Vegetarian okay? We will slowly get there to live without Milk and Eggs. Just not yet. Now, we are primarily Vegetarian.
But a trip to the supermarket last night left me hanging with no available plant-based meats. My husband had been craving for a good Vegan Burger! So I grabbed a loaf of Burger Buns and thought to myself, “Argh Let’s cheat tomorrow. If we were to eat meat then let it be good quality meat.” I bagged four Culina beef patties in my grocery bag.
Burger Night! Woohoo!
But it turned out, we had Open-Faced Melted Wagyu Cheese topped with Caramelised Onions in Hot Dog Bun instead! *hahahha* Blur me grabbed a loaf of Hot Dog Buns instead! So I told Faye to help me improvise on our patties into sausage dogs while I caramelised those onions.
Boy did it taste good! Ewan called it SUBWAY! Meyer loved it so much, he put 8 Beyond Meat patties in his grocery shopping cart waiting to be checked out. Faye loved her roasted potatoes best. I like it all!
It’s all in the sauce. A very simple sauce I beg you to try on your next Burger attempt - 1/3 cup of mayo + 1 tbsp of mustard + lots of minced garlic. Mix them together and spread it right at the bottom of your buns.
I hardly post food cause it’s not my passion but this one, I’m proud of because it was improvised and because we cheated on meat today.
Today PM Lee announced that our month long Circuit Breaker will be extended for another month till 1st of June. Then Minister of Education, Ong Ye Kung, made changes to our school calendar year and brought forward June holidays to May! Many emotions rushed through me; mostly happy. I am getting used to this arrangement although it requires a superbly high level of time management, patience and skill in the kitchen to whip up new dishes for the menu! I believe we can. We have to.
Randomly, these came up:
- So many people posted on IG that they are taken aback by this extension. When news came out that PM Lee spoke to Jacinda Ardern, PM of New Zealand about their success on the lock down, it was tell-tale signs that we will do the same. Do what the same? Even though New Zealand managed to contain the virus within the first month of lockdown, they continued another month just to ensure they don't prematurely come out of it. Because if they do, they might have to go into a lockdown again. Hong Kong extended their lock down too even with ZERO new case. So hey, why are we expecting to come out of it on May 4th?
- I am glad that with this extension + the decision to make the month of May a school holiday [instead of our regular June], our teachers can also take a break and spend family time with their children without babysitting ours with schoolwork.
- Oh Bubble Tea. We all love our bubble tea. Yes we do. Does it warrant 40 people to rush down to one stall just to have their LAST bubble tea fix? It goes to show how much our people do not understand why this Circuit Breaker has been extended. Four makes a queue. Forty makes a crowd. A crowd is a congregation. Coronavirus loves a good crowd. Seriously, this is not the last cup of bubble tea in this lifetime. We can still drink bubble tea after Circuit Breaker rules are being lifted. Or hey, order in instead of queueing for it!
- Please don't assume that we can all go to Mc'Donald's or the park as we had before after the lifting of this Circuit Breaker. There will bound to be rules on social distancing still put in place. We may not be allowed to hang out with friends and family of more than 10 in a group. The lifting will have to be done step-by-step so please don't complain excessively too. Managing your expectations if you didn't think about this at all and blow your disappointment at policymakers.
I hope everyone knows. That we can only go back to SOME normalcy if we do this right the next six weeks. That there is a POSSIBILITY our children can return back to school in June if we do this right and stay home instead of going to a supermarket run treating it as a family outing. We can only have June back if there isn't a third wave of Coronavirus cases hitting us like a Tsunami.
Otherwise, truth be told, we parents have to handle Term 3 of Home-Based Learning and mind you, it is seven weeks long.
My house is as messy!
One kid would be working on the table and another cutting newspapers on the floor. One kid would be overturning his bag finding one workbook and another overturning her playroom searching for a toy!
My priorities have changed.
Number One: Everyone Gets Fed.
Number Two: HBL Gets Done.
Number Three: No Mishaps.
Basic housekeeping getting the kids to clean up after themselves is still in place but detailed housekeeping definitely took a backseat.
I once suggested that a good working space on the table is important to get work done. Neat and Tidy wins the race but look! I am not walking the talk! This is our table when we are at work all at once. Lego in one pile because Faye takes breaks with Elsa and Anna after writing her love letters [she seems to have the biggest workstation!], daddy’s stuff right across from her, me flanked between two kiddos with my own pathetic little workspace size of my mobile phone and Ewan taking the width of the table including my laptop.
\When we clear the table for meals, it’s only 1/3 of the table free for plates and bowls. This is how we’ve been rolling!
Messy times like these, I wish we had full-time help. Invisible one can? So the house will be sparkly clean, food magically appear on the table at 8am, 12pm and 6pm daily, beds always made and still we get our privacy.
Then I sit and think again… sigh, count our blessings really. This is a good problem to have. We have all we need - roof, love and support.
Dragon Rescue Riders available in English, British English, Japanese and Mandarin
Beyblade Burst Evolution available in English and Mandarin
Peppa Pig available in English and Mandarin
Sonic Boom available in English, Mandarin and Japanese
The Lego Movie available in English and Cantonese
Talking Tom and Friends available in English and Malay
Dora The Explorer available in English and Malay
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9 Apr 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 3]
Can I Cook The Same Dish Over and Over Again For The Next 27 Days? Well, It's The Only Way To Perfect The Dish.
[and not crack my head everyday with menu!]
[and I don't have to plan groceries list!]
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10 Apr 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 4]
Today, we FaceTimed grandparents. This conversation between grandmother and granddaughter [my daughter] is freaking me out.
Mah Mah: Are you sad school is closed?
Faye: No.
Mah Mah: Oh so you must be happy at home!
Faye: No. I don't like to stay at home too.
Mah Mah: Then?
Faye: I just want to go party!
- Cabin Fever Woes -
What's my 17 year old girl gonna be like? I'm scared. Very scared.
Being studious like this and not yearning to club would be easier to handle! Give me the strength and wisdom when the time comes...
“Hey mom. Don’t wait up for me. Gonna Partay! Ciao!” I don’t even do that to my mom.
-----------
10 Apr 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 4]
A second story for Day 4 because this is too hilarious not to note! Supermarketing had never been this stressful. What has the world come to!? Look at my husband's rants on his Facebook:
I've used up most of our ingredients for the week. It was time for a re-stock. We usually do our supermarket runs as a family but this time, we agreed it wasn't worth the outing. Minimise exposure is key right now! And daddy is the perfect candidate for this because I wouldn't be able to handle the weight of the groceries.
When Meyer posted this on his Facebook, I was lying next to him in bed in the dark. It seemed like we were going to sleep but these questions kept him awake. Obviously nervous as he had put it on his post! *hahah* So we chatted - on the comment section of his post.
Then he jumped out of bed. Hmmm it was 10pm? And got all dressed like a CROOK as his mother put it! *LOL* Covered from head to toe as protection gear! I love his spontaneity and humour. Made me laughed so loud and hard I was curling myself into a ball!
Off he went to the market. In his bright orange Holland shirt and no weapon lah.
The live reports I got back from him wasn't good.
"It's Crowded"
"No More Bread"
"Empty Shelves"
"People Don't Practice Safe-Distancing"
"80% Wore Mask"
"Some Anyhow Squeeze Past Me"
"Next Time Come At 6am Lah!"
"This old grandmother, never wear mask, touched every single fruit, put her nose to the garlic and smelled it, overstayed at every section..."
"This old grandmother, never wear mask, touched every single fruit, put her nose to the garlic and smelled it, overstayed at every section..."
*sobs*
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11 Apr 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 5]
Today’s topic is SAFE DISTANCE AT PARKS. NParks did a great job with this interactive webpage, tracking crowd levels in real-time: https://safedistparks.nparks.gov.sg
But if you noticed, it doesn’t include crowd levels at Park Connectors which are also used as a venue for outdoor exercises. Aren’t we lucky we’ve got the great outdoors still open for us but sigh, it may not work if we overuse some of these spaces. Stadium is now closed because of over-usage.
Ewan, Faye and I did a home-based project to track the number of people using our PCN right outside our home. Part of Home-Based-Learning to draw Graphs!
We needed to record this observation to find the best time to head out because we would love to sweat it out too.
From Ewan’s bedroom, we can clearly observe the human traffic and so we used a timeline from when the kids are awake. That is 7am to 7pm. At every hour, we would count the number of joggers, walkers, cyclists, skateboarders and photographers [ya.. it’s a popular spot for animal photography] with an observation time of 5 minutes each hour.
I was flabbergasted at our 6pm review! 92 people passed us by in just a short span of 5 minutes?! That’s crazy many! That’s very crowded considering PCN is only a two-lane pathway! Should safe-distancing ambassadors come over here for observations? Should we take further actions to close PCNs? I personally would like to have it opened because we want to be out too! But if there are still too many people, this Circuit Breaker is only going to be in vain. Then, I'd rather we lock down to make this work. 长痛不如短痛。
If you use the same PCN as I do, these are our humble observation numbers for a day. Anything more than 10 is considered moderate traffic to me and I find it hard to let the kids out even over moderate traffic.
How about you?
Edit [1700 hours] :: Oh my goodness. The Park Connectors in Singapore are really closed from today! Boohooo we saw some tapes outside our home and I went to check it out, spoke with the NEA guys here barricading the place and they said “Closed till 4 May. Too many people. It's too dangerous for the older folks.” Oh Well... I guess.. We just have to bite the bullet and push this through.
We are doing everything we can to #StayHomeSG.
The Daddy of the family said something so real, so original and so funny, I decided to make it into a meme. How do you pronounce this? Me-Me? Meeee? Meh Meh? Hmm anyways, Daddy. He spends most of his day in the office before the Circuit Breaker. Every afternoon, he would come back for lunch with the family to spend good quality time with us. It was perfect! He gets his break from work and we get to have him home. He would be home by 6pm every evening to have dinner with us too. In all, he spends *counting* five hours with us a day? That's quite a lot I must say and that, he realised was his threshold. With this Work From Home arrangement, he sees us from morning till night! I think it is driving him crazy. Look at his face! *hahaha* He didn't realise the house can get instantly messy or the kids can be louder than loud hailers or I can blow my top even at the tiniest petty thing. He didn't realise that this Stay-Home-Work-From-Home sesh can be so draining. But hey! This is my every day!
Mommy. Hello! That's me. I work from home. I should get used to this quite easily because this is my job what. But hey again! I now have ALL my bosses at home. Small boss, Big boss, Small Small boss. Say no more *face palm* I no longer get my four hours quiet time in the mornings when no one "MOMMY! MOMMY!" me. It's always very quiet. I miss them all whenever they are not around of course I do. But when they are around? I wished for just five minutes of quiet time. Oh gosh the cooking. The COOKING! We would visit the gramps four times a week; sometimes for lunches and sometimes for dinners. I didn't have to cook on those days! YES! I consider those my off days from the kitchen. Weekends, daddy would bring us out for meals. Now during the circuit breaker? It's three meals on the table every day for 28 days! God knows if it'll be extended! My apron is cheering me on, "我是你的神奇妈妈".
Hey children, we love you both very much and we are extremely grateful for this time we get to spend together with you. I would cook a million dishes for you and daddy would play Monopoly a gazillion times as long as you want him too [you know he dislikes Monopoly from when I knew him at 16? *haha*]. This is intended just for laughs =)
I asked Ewan if he was liking this stay-home-no-school arrangement. The answer was No. He misses his school field and if you find his meme bizarrely weird, allow me to explain. I saw him once during recess at the field with his friends [in Primary One] and was equally puzzled and amused with the games these boys play. They would open their arms stretched out wide pretending they were Beyblades. Spun around like crazy fellas and banged into each other to Burst Finish [you'll get this if your son plays Beyblade]. They would ermmm crash themselves into the fence, fall back and rugby stack onto each other. I was throughly entertained. So there. He missed crashing into fences! *hahahaha*
As for Faye, I was surprised she said she wanted to go back to school. For one very simple reason. She misses Jodie. With her signature face and double thumbs down pose, here's she and her very first meme.
Actually, it’s all our firsts!
But if you noticed, it doesn’t include crowd levels at Park Connectors which are also used as a venue for outdoor exercises. Aren’t we lucky we’ve got the great outdoors still open for us but sigh, it may not work if we overuse some of these spaces. Stadium is now closed because of over-usage.
Ewan, Faye and I did a home-based project to track the number of people using our PCN right outside our home. Part of Home-Based-Learning to draw Graphs!
We needed to record this observation to find the best time to head out because we would love to sweat it out too.
From Ewan’s bedroom, we can clearly observe the human traffic and so we used a timeline from when the kids are awake. That is 7am to 7pm. At every hour, we would count the number of joggers, walkers, cyclists, skateboarders and photographers [ya.. it’s a popular spot for animal photography] with an observation time of 5 minutes each hour.
I was flabbergasted at our 6pm review! 92 people passed us by in just a short span of 5 minutes?! That’s crazy many! That’s very crowded considering PCN is only a two-lane pathway! Should safe-distancing ambassadors come over here for observations? Should we take further actions to close PCNs? I personally would like to have it opened because we want to be out too! But if there are still too many people, this Circuit Breaker is only going to be in vain. Then, I'd rather we lock down to make this work. 长痛不如短痛。
If you use the same PCN as I do, these are our humble observation numbers for a day. Anything more than 10 is considered moderate traffic to me and I find it hard to let the kids out even over moderate traffic.
How about you?
Edit [1700 hours] :: Oh my goodness. The Park Connectors in Singapore are really closed from today! Boohooo we saw some tapes outside our home and I went to check it out, spoke with the NEA guys here barricading the place and they said “Closed till 4 May. Too many people. It's too dangerous for the older folks.” Oh Well... I guess.. We just have to bite the bullet and push this through.
-----------
12 Apr 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 6]
The Daddy of the family said something so real, so original and so funny, I decided to make it into a meme. How do you pronounce this? Me-Me? Meeee? Meh Meh? Hmm anyways, Daddy. He spends most of his day in the office before the Circuit Breaker. Every afternoon, he would come back for lunch with the family to spend good quality time with us. It was perfect! He gets his break from work and we get to have him home. He would be home by 6pm every evening to have dinner with us too. In all, he spends *counting* five hours with us a day? That's quite a lot I must say and that, he realised was his threshold. With this Work From Home arrangement, he sees us from morning till night! I think it is driving him crazy. Look at his face! *hahaha* He didn't realise the house can get instantly messy or the kids can be louder than loud hailers or I can blow my top even at the tiniest petty thing. He didn't realise that this Stay-Home-Work-From-Home sesh can be so draining. But hey! This is my every day!
Mommy. Hello! That's me. I work from home. I should get used to this quite easily because this is my job what. But hey again! I now have ALL my bosses at home. Small boss, Big boss, Small Small boss. Say no more *face palm* I no longer get my four hours quiet time in the mornings when no one "MOMMY! MOMMY!" me. It's always very quiet. I miss them all whenever they are not around of course I do. But when they are around? I wished for just five minutes of quiet time. Oh gosh the cooking. The COOKING! We would visit the gramps four times a week; sometimes for lunches and sometimes for dinners. I didn't have to cook on those days! YES! I consider those my off days from the kitchen. Weekends, daddy would bring us out for meals. Now during the circuit breaker? It's three meals on the table every day for 28 days! God knows if it'll be extended! My apron is cheering me on, "我是你的神奇妈妈".
Hey children, we love you both very much and we are extremely grateful for this time we get to spend together with you. I would cook a million dishes for you and daddy would play Monopoly a gazillion times as long as you want him too [you know he dislikes Monopoly from when I knew him at 16? *haha*]. This is intended just for laughs =)
I asked Ewan if he was liking this stay-home-no-school arrangement. The answer was No. He misses his school field and if you find his meme bizarrely weird, allow me to explain. I saw him once during recess at the field with his friends [in Primary One] and was equally puzzled and amused with the games these boys play. They would open their arms stretched out wide pretending they were Beyblades. Spun around like crazy fellas and banged into each other to Burst Finish [you'll get this if your son plays Beyblade]. They would ermmm crash themselves into the fence, fall back and rugby stack onto each other. I was throughly entertained. So there. He missed crashing into fences! *hahahaha*
As for Faye, I was surprised she said she wanted to go back to school. For one very simple reason. She misses Jodie. With her signature face and double thumbs down pose, here's she and her very first meme.
Actually, it’s all our firsts!
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14 Apr 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 8]
Erm... sorry I know I should give my daughter the privacy she needed but I just couldn't help but eavesdrop. This is me outside the door and her behind the wall as she chit-chatted on the phone for 18 minutes.
Faye is K2 this year. Her teacher will be calling her once a week during this Circuit Breaker period to check on her well-being. I applaud this initiative because our children need to be protected not only by us but also from us. Good moms or good dads may turn delirious from cabin fever and who knows if they are treating their children right. It is important to check in on them, I agree.
My daughter though, isn't very good with words over the phone. She hardly says a word when we video-call the grandparents and I think she prefers to be in the background of her brother; giving him the reign.
Last week's first call from her teacher had only one-word responses. They couldn't really get anywhere with the conversation but today, it was a full 18 minutes of chit-chat! I gave Faye the phone and pushed her into the room for her weekly check-in. She's shy and I know she will not be able to speak freely at the dining table with daddy, Ewan and I looking at her.
I cannot help it though! I listened in to about three minutes of their conversation outside the door, straining my ears and giggling to myself. The conversation was too cute. I couldn't hear what her teacher asked but I could somewhat guess from her answers. It was nice to hear that she spoke a lot more than last week. Stringing sentences and stories of her morning + the excitable voice when she exclaimed, "I'm going to have nuggets and fries for lunch later!"
She suddenly noticed me and went, "Hey!" closing the door. The reason for this picture of Faye turning out this way - hand closing door.
*hahah* This spying mama and her teenager.
Consider my evesdropping checking in on the well-being of my daughter too?
My daughter though, isn't very good with words over the phone. She hardly says a word when we video-call the grandparents and I think she prefers to be in the background of her brother; giving him the reign.
Last week's first call from her teacher had only one-word responses. They couldn't really get anywhere with the conversation but today, it was a full 18 minutes of chit-chat! I gave Faye the phone and pushed her into the room for her weekly check-in. She's shy and I know she will not be able to speak freely at the dining table with daddy, Ewan and I looking at her.
I cannot help it though! I listened in to about three minutes of their conversation outside the door, straining my ears and giggling to myself. The conversation was too cute. I couldn't hear what her teacher asked but I could somewhat guess from her answers. It was nice to hear that she spoke a lot more than last week. Stringing sentences and stories of her morning + the excitable voice when she exclaimed, "I'm going to have nuggets and fries for lunch later!"
She suddenly noticed me and went, "Hey!" closing the door. The reason for this picture of Faye turning out this way - hand closing door.
*hahah* This spying mama and her teenager.
Consider my evesdropping checking in on the well-being of my daughter too?
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15 Apr 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 9]
We fought last week and both said things like, “I don’t know how to live with you for the next 30 days!” Rolled eyes, raised voice, tears flowed and kids roared.
We made up after a day of Cold War. We are all adjusting to living with each other 24/7 but take heart. We will get this right.
It’s not all that bad this Stay Home arrangement after making up? For one, we are now more tolerant and put in effort to show appreciation to one another. The husband agreed to engage in a Stay Home Yoga session with me today! It’s a big thing becuase he always says No. A simple one since I didn’t want to scare him off but my oh my! I think he actually has inner Yogi prowess in him!
The more experienced me told him after our class, “Ahhh this session is so simple huh. A bit boring. Usually in class, we do tougher and more interesting poses like this one.” I proudly attempted The Crow to hao lian to him and added, “It took me forever to learn how to hang my feet up off the ground. So it’s okay if you can’t do it. You just need practice.”
And then, JAW DROP! He tried and he got it on his first attempt [roll to the end of this video clip]! He even went off the ground quite high! 我丢脸了！哈哈哈哈！
We hereby promise to work out together daily on our mats - alternate days of Yoga and Strength Remix [super sweat super burn kind]. It felt good doing something healthy together as husband and wife today!
We made up after a day of Cold War. We are all adjusting to living with each other 24/7 but take heart. We will get this right.
It’s not all that bad this Stay Home arrangement after making up? For one, we are now more tolerant and put in effort to show appreciation to one another. The husband agreed to engage in a Stay Home Yoga session with me today! It’s a big thing becuase he always says No. A simple one since I didn’t want to scare him off but my oh my! I think he actually has inner Yogi prowess in him!
The more experienced me told him after our class, “Ahhh this session is so simple huh. A bit boring. Usually in class, we do tougher and more interesting poses like this one.” I proudly attempted The Crow to hao lian to him and added, “It took me forever to learn how to hang my feet up off the ground. So it’s okay if you can’t do it. You just need practice.”
And then, JAW DROP! He tried and he got it on his first attempt [roll to the end of this video clip]! He even went off the ground quite high! 我丢脸了！哈哈哈哈！
We hereby promise to work out together daily on our mats - alternate days of Yoga and Strength Remix [super sweat super burn kind]. It felt good doing something healthy together as husband and wife today!
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16 Apr 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 10]
Ewan suggested Frozen 2 and Faye squealed in delight! AppleTV: 2 in 1 bundle Frozen 1 and 2 for S$35.
We wanted to watch with the kids [even though this would have been erm our 4th?] but we also had emails we needed to clear. So we brought the laptop in with us. Well, I know… not the kind of parenting choice people would applaud to. Why never give the children a hundred percent!?
We always try! We always do. Sometimes, we want a hundred percent to ourselves too leh.
But anyway, we failed. We ended up enjoying the movie instead of working. Olaf was way too entertaining!
Laptops closed. Thank goodness we got our priorities right 20 minutes into the show.
Clients and bosses, please expect delays during this period.
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19 Apr 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 13]
If we had a helper, none of this would have happened. I, for one, will be so dependent on her, I wouldn't even bother washing my cup. But because we have none, I think that is why they've started helping out. Or maybe, they've started helping out because they were afraid of getting in the wrath of [an overworked] mommy. Every one decided to chip in in ways they’ve never had. In ways they’ve never tried but thought they should.
I saw the HUSBAND pull out the ironing board and attempted to iron the basket of clothes for the first time! I’ve never in my life seen him ironed before and I’ve known him since 16. I didn’t know he knows how to iron? He doesn’t actually. He did five pieces and that was his limit, “That’s all I can do mom. Sorry. I tried to help you.” It’s okay! I am so thankful for the attempt to even step up during this time.
My SON. He doesn’t like household chores. His favourite chore is probably mopping the floor because he gets to play with the mop spinner bucket. During this time though, he offered to fold his laundry and the sweetest thing he did today was walking into the kitchen looking as though he had no agenda at all! But he took my spatula and continued frying my garlic mushroom without saying a word. I had tried recruiting him many times over the years to help out in the kitchen but he always says, “No. I’ll learn when I’m a teenager ok?” or “I only want to eat. I don’t want to cook. Call me when the food’s on the table!” before scooting off to play. . The boys had been good helping out at home. For that, I give thanks. For this, I don’t mind another month of Circuit Breaker *hahahhaha*
Choy Choy Choy!
Let us take this time to See The Good Side. Let us focus on the 99 good bricks on the wall. Not just the two bad bricks sticking out like an eyesore.
I say this because there are many things that made me angry in a day's work. Family members' bad attitudes, bad manners and even bad habits. At the end of the day when the house is quiet, I decided to just zero in on Gratitude; on the Good.
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20 Apr 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 14]
Meyer asked me today, “Did you ever think you’d be cooking this much?”
My reply was, “NEVER! Never in my life did I think I’ll Even Cook.” Then how my family’s going to have their meals if I don’t cook? *haha* Joker. For real, it didn’t cross my mind I’ll ever cook because I grew up with a helper and the best dish my mom could put on the table back then was Instant Noodles. I thought I’d be the same - May’s Best Dish is Instant Noodles.
Yet becoming a mother had taught me so much more. I have honed a skill I never thought I would have honed! I can't say I now have a Loooooovvveeeeee for the kitchen but I do what I have to. And since I am at it, I’ll try to put my best foot forward. . Tonight’s dinner’s worth a story.
Meyer turned Vegan months ago and I told him I think we can all follow him but mmmm Vegetarian okay? We will slowly get there to live without Milk and Eggs. Just not yet. Now, we are primarily Vegetarian.
But a trip to the supermarket last night left me hanging with no available plant-based meats. My husband had been craving for a good Vegan Burger! So I grabbed a loaf of Burger Buns and thought to myself, “Argh Let’s cheat tomorrow. If we were to eat meat then let it be good quality meat.” I bagged four Culina beef patties in my grocery bag.
Burger Night! Woohoo!
But it turned out, we had Open-Faced Melted Wagyu Cheese topped with Caramelised Onions in Hot Dog Bun instead! *hahahha* Blur me grabbed a loaf of Hot Dog Buns instead! So I told Faye to help me improvise on our patties into sausage dogs while I caramelised those onions.
Boy did it taste good! Ewan called it SUBWAY! Meyer loved it so much, he put 8 Beyond Meat patties in his grocery shopping cart waiting to be checked out. Faye loved her roasted potatoes best. I like it all!
It’s all in the sauce. A very simple sauce I beg you to try on your next Burger attempt - 1/3 cup of mayo + 1 tbsp of mustard + lots of minced garlic. Mix them together and spread it right at the bottom of your buns.
I hardly post food cause it’s not my passion but this one, I’m proud of because it was improvised and because we cheated on meat today.
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21 Apr 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 15]
Today PM Lee announced that our month long Circuit Breaker will be extended for another month till 1st of June. Then Minister of Education, Ong Ye Kung, made changes to our school calendar year and brought forward June holidays to May! Many emotions rushed through me; mostly happy. I am getting used to this arrangement although it requires a superbly high level of time management, patience and skill in the kitchen to whip up new dishes for the menu! I believe we can. We have to.
Randomly, these came up:
- So many people posted on IG that they are taken aback by this extension. When news came out that PM Lee spoke to Jacinda Ardern, PM of New Zealand about their success on the lock down, it was tell-tale signs that we will do the same. Do what the same? Even though New Zealand managed to contain the virus within the first month of lockdown, they continued another month just to ensure they don't prematurely come out of it. Because if they do, they might have to go into a lockdown again. Hong Kong extended their lock down too even with ZERO new case. So hey, why are we expecting to come out of it on May 4th?
- I am glad that with this extension + the decision to make the month of May a school holiday [instead of our regular June], our teachers can also take a break and spend family time with their children without babysitting ours with schoolwork.
- Oh Bubble Tea. We all love our bubble tea. Yes we do. Does it warrant 40 people to rush down to one stall just to have their LAST bubble tea fix? It goes to show how much our people do not understand why this Circuit Breaker has been extended. Four makes a queue. Forty makes a crowd. A crowd is a congregation. Coronavirus loves a good crowd. Seriously, this is not the last cup of bubble tea in this lifetime. We can still drink bubble tea after Circuit Breaker rules are being lifted. Or hey, order in instead of queueing for it!
- Please don't assume that we can all go to Mc'Donald's or the park as we had before after the lifting of this Circuit Breaker. There will bound to be rules on social distancing still put in place. We may not be allowed to hang out with friends and family of more than 10 in a group. The lifting will have to be done step-by-step so please don't complain excessively too. Managing your expectations if you didn't think about this at all and blow your disappointment at policymakers.
I hope everyone knows. That we can only go back to SOME normalcy if we do this right the next six weeks. That there is a POSSIBILITY our children can return back to school in June if we do this right and stay home instead of going to a supermarket run treating it as a family outing. We can only have June back if there isn't a third wave of Coronavirus cases hitting us like a Tsunami.
Otherwise, truth be told, we parents have to handle Term 3 of Home-Based Learning and mind you, it is seven weeks long.
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23 Apr 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 17]
My house is as messy!
One kid would be working on the table and another cutting newspapers on the floor. One kid would be overturning his bag finding one workbook and another overturning her playroom searching for a toy!
My priorities have changed.
Number One: Everyone Gets Fed.
Number Two: HBL Gets Done.
Number Three: No Mishaps.
Basic housekeeping getting the kids to clean up after themselves is still in place but detailed housekeeping definitely took a backseat.
I once suggested that a good working space on the table is important to get work done. Neat and Tidy wins the race but look! I am not walking the talk! This is our table when we are at work all at once. Lego in one pile because Faye takes breaks with Elsa and Anna after writing her love letters [she seems to have the biggest workstation!], daddy’s stuff right across from her, me flanked between two kiddos with my own pathetic little workspace size of my mobile phone and Ewan taking the width of the table including my laptop.
\When we clear the table for meals, it’s only 1/3 of the table free for plates and bowls. This is how we’ve been rolling!
Messy times like these, I wish we had full-time help. Invisible one can? So the house will be sparkly clean, food magically appear on the table at 8am, 12pm and 6pm daily, beds always made and still we get our privacy.
Then I sit and think again… sigh, count our blessings really. This is a good problem to have. We have all we need - roof, love and support.
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28 Apr 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 22]
What is the most eco-friendly way to get essentials in the shortest time?
TOTE BAG for this Vegetarian Boy! See? Tote bags are essential! And definitely good for Earth. Please bring your own bags for your shopping okay? You can use the plastic bags from the vegetables, meat, pasta you bought as rubbish “bins”. Don’t forget to bring your own lunch boxes when you go dabao food too. I remember bringing metal tins to the coffee shop to buy fishball noodles growing up. Don’t you?
MASK ON. Don’t forget to wear your mask [no reusable masks available for big man so he gotta use disposables] the moment you step foot out of your home! Even if you are going to open your letter box. We’ve got BCA coming into our grounds to check for non-compliants.
SPEEDY GONZALES on blades! The fastest way to get to the nearest minimart 700m from our home [and back] is to get there on wheels! Wheels that do not require petrol [Earth says Thank You]. Wheels that do not require parking. Wheels that are attached to your feet which serves as an exercising tool too. Get In Fast, Get Out Fast. I asked Meyer, “Uncle let you shop with blades ah?” He replied, “Ya leh. So good. I thought he might scold me.” Lol why are we always so worried about offending the elderly? We talk like kids!
GO ALONE - that’s the directive. The rest of us waited at home for daddy’s return [even though we would love to jog, blade and cycle alongside him] with onions and cheese, potatoes and eggs to cook our favourite lunch!
Talking about food... Do you have a menu headache? I'm always asking myself, "What to cook today?"
TOTE BAG for this Vegetarian Boy! See? Tote bags are essential! And definitely good for Earth. Please bring your own bags for your shopping okay? You can use the plastic bags from the vegetables, meat, pasta you bought as rubbish “bins”. Don’t forget to bring your own lunch boxes when you go dabao food too. I remember bringing metal tins to the coffee shop to buy fishball noodles growing up. Don’t you?
MASK ON. Don’t forget to wear your mask [no reusable masks available for big man so he gotta use disposables] the moment you step foot out of your home! Even if you are going to open your letter box. We’ve got BCA coming into our grounds to check for non-compliants.
SPEEDY GONZALES on blades! The fastest way to get to the nearest minimart 700m from our home [and back] is to get there on wheels! Wheels that do not require petrol [Earth says Thank You]. Wheels that do not require parking. Wheels that are attached to your feet which serves as an exercising tool too. Get In Fast, Get Out Fast. I asked Meyer, “Uncle let you shop with blades ah?” He replied, “Ya leh. So good. I thought he might scold me.” Lol why are we always so worried about offending the elderly? We talk like kids!
GO ALONE - that’s the directive. The rest of us waited at home for daddy’s return [even though we would love to jog, blade and cycle alongside him] with onions and cheese, potatoes and eggs to cook our favourite lunch!
Talking about food... Do you have a menu headache? I'm always asking myself, "What to cook today?"
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29 Apr 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 23]
This is a sponsored post.
I got more than I bargained for this Circuit Breaker! My client said he has pots and pans for review and asked if I'd like to come on board this collaboration. I have two scratched out pans so why not? We need new pans for sure and I took this up in a heartbeat.
What came wasn't just two pans though. There were seven different sized pots and three small, medium, large pans! Say what? I should be rejoicing but in all honesty, I was scared stiff!
My client's my husband! *hahahah*
May: Daddy, we need to buy two pans. You shopping online now? Can find something worthwhile to buy?
Meyer: Okay can.
May: Cool beans!
Two days later, a big box arrived at our doorstep. Yay! My pans are here! After opening, I shrieked, "These are pots! Not pans! Oh no! Did they deliver it wrongly?" Nope. They were delivered right-ly. Meyer then told me he bought two pots on his own accord to replace our two end-of-shelf-life ones. As I dug deeper into our newly arrived package, I announced, "There are three pots here you know? Not two!"
"OH! Okay. Three then." was the answer I got.
Now.. so where are my pans. My dear husband said the pans are also on their way. I was grumbling at the heaviness of our new WMF pots and then the bombshell was dropped.
"Erm, you know ah, there will be a 13-piece pot and pan set coming next week hor. I bought the set because it's more worth it than buying just two pans." he slurred through his words quickly thinking I didn't catch them all.
"WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I exclaimed. What's the word to describe half cry half laugh? I only wanted two pans. Now, I have 10 steely shiny heavy pots and pans in total because my cabin-fever-suffering-husband keeps putting things in shopping carts. I must say, he totally cracked me up and I was laughing in disbelief the entire day.
I am scared stiff because I think he's trying to make a chef out of me and I am definitely no chef. Yes, I put food on the table that looks presentable and tastes surprisingly yummy too but my passion isn't with the kitchen! Doesn't he know!!!!???? *hahaha*
These look like perfect Mother's Day gift actually! I[heart]you. Thank you for making me laugh so hard Mr Yang. One saving grace, the frying pans are looking rather handsome with a chrome trimming for the base.
I got more than I bargained for this Circuit Breaker! My client said he has pots and pans for review and asked if I'd like to come on board this collaboration. I have two scratched out pans so why not? We need new pans for sure and I took this up in a heartbeat.
What came wasn't just two pans though. There were seven different sized pots and three small, medium, large pans! Say what? I should be rejoicing but in all honesty, I was scared stiff!
My client's my husband! *hahahah*
May: Daddy, we need to buy two pans. You shopping online now? Can find something worthwhile to buy?
Meyer: Okay can.
May: Cool beans!
Two days later, a big box arrived at our doorstep. Yay! My pans are here! After opening, I shrieked, "These are pots! Not pans! Oh no! Did they deliver it wrongly?" Nope. They were delivered right-ly. Meyer then told me he bought two pots on his own accord to replace our two end-of-shelf-life ones. As I dug deeper into our newly arrived package, I announced, "There are three pots here you know? Not two!"
"OH! Okay. Three then." was the answer I got.
Now.. so where are my pans. My dear husband said the pans are also on their way. I was grumbling at the heaviness of our new WMF pots and then the bombshell was dropped.
"Erm, you know ah, there will be a 13-piece pot and pan set coming next week hor. I bought the set because it's more worth it than buying just two pans." he slurred through his words quickly thinking I didn't catch them all.
"WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I exclaimed. What's the word to describe half cry half laugh? I only wanted two pans. Now, I have 10 steely shiny heavy pots and pans in total because my cabin-fever-suffering-husband keeps putting things in shopping carts. I must say, he totally cracked me up and I was laughing in disbelief the entire day.
I am scared stiff because I think he's trying to make a chef out of me and I am definitely no chef. Yes, I put food on the table that looks presentable and tastes surprisingly yummy too but my passion isn't with the kitchen! Doesn't he know!!!!???? *hahaha*
These look like perfect Mother's Day gift actually! I[heart]you. Thank you for making me laugh so hard Mr Yang. One saving grace, the frying pans are looking rather handsome with a chrome trimming for the base.
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4 May 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 28]
Today marks the last day of Home-Based Learning before the kids get their June School Holidays brought forward! May the Force [Fourth] be with You!
Bittersweet. A crazy part of me feels sad that we won’t be logging into SLS for the next 30 days but the other sane part of me rejoices at the same time.
We asked ourselves if our son had been happy being stuck with us at home. Daddy doesn’t think Ewan’s been really happy because we’ve been nagging at him every day, many a times escalating to reprimands and threats for misbehaviours. I don’t know… so I looked back and found these daily well-being check-in answers he’s required to fill in first thing every morning before HBL.
It seems like he IS happy after all. Happy for very simple things which I, myself, tend to overlook. For things that reminded me that we’ve forgotten to stop and smell the roses, appreciate the sound of the falling rain or the fact that the sun rose for us for yet another day. But I think this Circuit Breaker did some of these for me as it did for him.
1. “I woke up and felt Happy.” How many of us woke up feeling like this as adults? How fortunate it is for a child to wake up feeling unafraid of what the day might bring.
2. “I am Happy because I woke up when the sun rose.” It is funny how my kids function. On mornings we need to rush them out of bed to get ready for school, they’d snuggle and waste time. On weekend mornings or even HBL mornings, I have my kids waking between 5.45am and 6.45am. On this day, he was happy he managed to sleep beyond 7am when the sun rose! *haha*
3. “I am Happy because I can see an eagle everyday outside my window.” It’s such a beautiful sight this eagle perched handsomely on this lonesome branch of a beautiful tree outside our home. Whenever Ewan lifts his head from his work to take a breather, his feathered friend will always be there in the far greeting him back with its silhouette.
4. “I feel Happy because my reward is to shower at the balcony.” Simple joys! I told the kids they will get outdoor water-play time that day! Equipped with soap and shampoo, a water hose and swimsuits.
5. “I feel Happy because my mum always gives me P.E. even when there are no P.E. Lessons.” I look forward daily to our one hour of P.E. time as essential breaks in between problem sums, 习字, comprehensions and crankiness too. I am glad he found happiness in those hours.
6. “I FEEL EXCITED BECAUSE I GET TO WATCH A MOVIE TOMORROW EVENING!” I witnessed his very first Excited mood this entire HBL sesh in Capital Letters! We definitely do not need cinemas to make a child happy. Home movies work too.
7. “Actually, I feel Sleepy but there is no Sleepy option.” There. This was that morning he woke up at 5.45am and we started HBL only at 9.45am. Because he wrote this, I decided that nap time will be right after lunch. The kids snored the afternoon away. What option did he click since there was no Sleepy option? Happy.
I don’t know what made me take pictures of these personal thoughts but I think the mother in me wanted to capture his rawest feelings and hold on tight to them through the years that’ll soon pass.
Today on May the 4th, he wrote, "I am Happy because every day I feel Happy."
Bittersweet. A crazy part of me feels sad that we won’t be logging into SLS for the next 30 days but the other sane part of me rejoices at the same time.
We asked ourselves if our son had been happy being stuck with us at home. Daddy doesn’t think Ewan’s been really happy because we’ve been nagging at him every day, many a times escalating to reprimands and threats for misbehaviours. I don’t know… so I looked back and found these daily well-being check-in answers he’s required to fill in first thing every morning before HBL.
It seems like he IS happy after all. Happy for very simple things which I, myself, tend to overlook. For things that reminded me that we’ve forgotten to stop and smell the roses, appreciate the sound of the falling rain or the fact that the sun rose for us for yet another day. But I think this Circuit Breaker did some of these for me as it did for him.
1. “I woke up and felt Happy.” How many of us woke up feeling like this as adults? How fortunate it is for a child to wake up feeling unafraid of what the day might bring.
2. “I am Happy because I woke up when the sun rose.” It is funny how my kids function. On mornings we need to rush them out of bed to get ready for school, they’d snuggle and waste time. On weekend mornings or even HBL mornings, I have my kids waking between 5.45am and 6.45am. On this day, he was happy he managed to sleep beyond 7am when the sun rose! *haha*
3. “I am Happy because I can see an eagle everyday outside my window.” It’s such a beautiful sight this eagle perched handsomely on this lonesome branch of a beautiful tree outside our home. Whenever Ewan lifts his head from his work to take a breather, his feathered friend will always be there in the far greeting him back with its silhouette.
4. “I feel Happy because my reward is to shower at the balcony.” Simple joys! I told the kids they will get outdoor water-play time that day! Equipped with soap and shampoo, a water hose and swimsuits.
5. “I feel Happy because my mum always gives me P.E. even when there are no P.E. Lessons.” I look forward daily to our one hour of P.E. time as essential breaks in between problem sums, 习字, comprehensions and crankiness too. I am glad he found happiness in those hours.
6. “I FEEL EXCITED BECAUSE I GET TO WATCH A MOVIE TOMORROW EVENING!” I witnessed his very first Excited mood this entire HBL sesh in Capital Letters! We definitely do not need cinemas to make a child happy. Home movies work too.
7. “Actually, I feel Sleepy but there is no Sleepy option.” There. This was that morning he woke up at 5.45am and we started HBL only at 9.45am. Because he wrote this, I decided that nap time will be right after lunch. The kids snored the afternoon away. What option did he click since there was no Sleepy option? Happy.
I don’t know what made me take pictures of these personal thoughts but I think the mother in me wanted to capture his rawest feelings and hold on tight to them through the years that’ll soon pass.
Today on May the 4th, he wrote, "I am Happy because every day I feel Happy."
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6 May 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 30]
It’s exactly thirty days today since we went into Singapore’s movement of restriction; doing all we can to circuit break the surge of novel coronavirus cases in our country. We have what 19,000 cases as of yesterday? That’s a frightening number to note especially for a small population like ours.
The reality of travel is slowly becoming a mirage. Even when leisure travel bans are being lifted, will we feel it is safe enough to fly?
Our last trip Down Under was six months ago. December of Twenty Nineteen. We had plans this year to travel: Telunas Island, Phu Quoc, Middle East, Australia and maybe one or two more destinations. Now with Coronavirus a global pandemic, we can only dream of our next trip out.
What can a mom who misses her globetrotting adventures do? Bring her brood to places through photographs while they #StayHomeSG this May School Holiday! As you can see, we prefer a Summer Holiday in beachwear.
We visited the Chicago Flamingo Mural! Would we brave the flight all the way to America with these two in reality? I doubt so.
Oh that beautiful pink beach in Lombok seems far more plausible and won’t take a whole day to get there. Yet, it’s still far-fetched without a vaccine to curb this damn virus.
Surf’s Up! If you are having a bad day, catch a wave. Waiting for our next travel wave.
The reality of travel is slowly becoming a mirage. Even when leisure travel bans are being lifted, will we feel it is safe enough to fly?
Our last trip Down Under was six months ago. December of Twenty Nineteen. We had plans this year to travel: Telunas Island, Phu Quoc, Middle East, Australia and maybe one or two more destinations. Now with Coronavirus a global pandemic, we can only dream of our next trip out.
What can a mom who misses her globetrotting adventures do? Bring her brood to places through photographs while they #StayHomeSG this May School Holiday! As you can see, we prefer a Summer Holiday in beachwear.
We visited the Chicago Flamingo Mural! Would we brave the flight all the way to America with these two in reality? I doubt so.
Oh that beautiful pink beach in Lombok seems far more plausible and won’t take a whole day to get there. Yet, it’s still far-fetched without a vaccine to curb this damn virus.
Surf’s Up! If you are having a bad day, catch a wave. Waiting for our next travel wave.
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7 May 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 31]
The reasons why I am loving this month of May in 2020 more than the other Mays I've known.
The entire month is a School holiday and we have a celebration every weekend of the month to look forward to! Oh and one more thing - my family is stuck with me 24-7 and they cannot run away even if they want to *haha*
I will miss this circuit breaker very much when everyone in the family goes to work and school respectively.
I will miss this circuit breaker very much when everyone in the family goes to work and school respectively.
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9 May 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 33]
“You *tan dio” said the husband in the kitchen this morning “You get a Mother’s Day weekend instead of ‘a day’ because I couldn’t get any food delivery slot for tomorrow. So Mother’s Day lunch is arranged for today. You’ll still get your day off tomorrow.”
So good can!? Even though he doesn't understand what the hype for Mother's Day is, he still made the effort to order in lunch and helped the kids with the card. This morning, Meyer googled right in front of my face, "What's Mother's Day about?" *haha* Made me laugh because ya it's true! What's the big deal? But I just like to celebrate every celebratable occasion.
While in bed this morning, I got woken up by a commotion in the dining room. The children were arguing about the design of my Mother’s Day card [so not very discrete] and the husband was trying his best to manage the situation without blowing his top. I almost wanted to go outside to diffuse the situation but decided to hide under covers and chill. I love the card!
It really felt like Mother’s Day today as they left me alone for two full hours to paint my Starry Starry Night! Oh yes. I claimed the ownership over Da Little Art School DaBox’s latest themed box because I wanted it for myself! The family gave me an A for good effort *haha* I gave them an A-star for the card.
-Ding Dong- My Mother’s Day lunch arrived! Meyer ordered Chatterbox! *haha* I haven’t had Chatterbox in 20 years and erm, it’s nothing special lah huh the chicken or the rice. What made it so good was the 心意 really. And that he bothered to plate it for me because I don’t like to eat off takeaway boxes. So there. I got my special plate while he ate from the boxes! The clever husband bought more than we could eat for lunch and proudly shared, “Don’t need to eat finish ok? I bought so much so that we can make them hot for dinner too. All settled for today!” This is why men are practical creatures!
The kids looked hilarious as they served me like a Queen today. One made coffee for me, delivered from kitchen to dining table [I was so worried she’d fall and I’ll have to clean up] and the other, presented me a spoon! “This is Your Majesty’s spoon.” said the son bowing his head. I couldn’t help but laugh at the way my spoon was given to me!
And because they made me feel so special, any requests from them were easily passed. Off they went to watch cartoons!
I really did feel different today. Especially when I've been cooking every day since the Circuit Breaker. To have one day not having to walk into the kitchen to chop garlic felt crazily liberating!
At bedtime, we had one last conversation.
Ewan: Today is a try-out. Tomorrow, we will make another card and wish you HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY again!
Meyer: Wow! *claps hand* So well-said son. But erm... I don't have anything else planned for tomorrow leh.
Ewan: It's okay! Tomorrow I'm the boss. I plan.
*tan dio is Hokkien for 赚到 or strike lottery
So good can!? Even though he doesn't understand what the hype for Mother's Day is, he still made the effort to order in lunch and helped the kids with the card. This morning, Meyer googled right in front of my face, "What's Mother's Day about?" *haha* Made me laugh because ya it's true! What's the big deal? But I just like to celebrate every celebratable occasion.
While in bed this morning, I got woken up by a commotion in the dining room. The children were arguing about the design of my Mother’s Day card [so not very discrete] and the husband was trying his best to manage the situation without blowing his top. I almost wanted to go outside to diffuse the situation but decided to hide under covers and chill. I love the card!
It really felt like Mother’s Day today as they left me alone for two full hours to paint my Starry Starry Night! Oh yes. I claimed the ownership over Da Little Art School DaBox’s latest themed box because I wanted it for myself! The family gave me an A for good effort *haha* I gave them an A-star for the card.
-Ding Dong- My Mother’s Day lunch arrived! Meyer ordered Chatterbox! *haha* I haven’t had Chatterbox in 20 years and erm, it’s nothing special lah huh the chicken or the rice. What made it so good was the 心意 really. And that he bothered to plate it for me because I don’t like to eat off takeaway boxes. So there. I got my special plate while he ate from the boxes! The clever husband bought more than we could eat for lunch and proudly shared, “Don’t need to eat finish ok? I bought so much so that we can make them hot for dinner too. All settled for today!” This is why men are practical creatures!
The kids looked hilarious as they served me like a Queen today. One made coffee for me, delivered from kitchen to dining table [I was so worried she’d fall and I’ll have to clean up] and the other, presented me a spoon! “This is Your Majesty’s spoon.” said the son bowing his head. I couldn’t help but laugh at the way my spoon was given to me!
And because they made me feel so special, any requests from them were easily passed. Off they went to watch cartoons!
I really did feel different today. Especially when I've been cooking every day since the Circuit Breaker. To have one day not having to walk into the kitchen to chop garlic felt crazily liberating!
At bedtime, we had one last conversation.
Ewan: Today is a try-out. Tomorrow, we will make another card and wish you HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY again!
Meyer: Wow! *claps hand* So well-said son. But erm... I don't have anything else planned for tomorrow leh.
Ewan: It's okay! Tomorrow I'm the boss. I plan.
*tan dio is Hokkien for 赚到 or strike lottery
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13 May 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 37]
“I’m so glad you both got each other this Circuit Breaker. Even more so after tip-toeing out of your room tonight and turning back to see this sight. Do you guys really have to squeeze into each other like that on a Queen-sized bed?”
This must be an unconscious decision from Ewan because he isn’t one who hugs his sister. If I were to dish out a punishment for him, hugging Faye would be the ultimatum *haha* I don’t know… I think he just doesn’t find it macho. But he’s always ready to hug his dad and I several times a day.
As for Faye, she loves these kind of affection. If she sees this picture tomorrow, her heart would be bursting with love. And if Ewan sees this, he would go, “Ewwwwwwwww!”
When I watch them hang out in the day, I felt the same way as I did tonight - “thank goodness you have each other this circuit breaker”. Sometimes they have nothing to do and they walk around aimlessly feeling bored. Sometimes they play so well together, you hear nothing but laughters and squeals. Sometimes they watch out for each other and make sure no one gets left behind when it comes to TV time. Sometimes they fight so hard hurting and screaming at each other which in turn, gets me so so so mad. But it seems like they are all they need for a play partner this Stay Home season. None of them spoke excessively about missing their friends or even wanting to go out. I realised they are quite homebodies.
I imagined a Circuit Breaker with just one kid. To be honest, I think it’s going to be so smooth-sailing. I mean, I don’t have to break out petty selfish disagreements? I don’t have to split my time amongst children? And we would probably be a very peaceful household speaking nicely and politely to each other all day!
But then again, I wouldn’t be witnessing this sight tonight if we only had one. This is my 小幸福.
This must be an unconscious decision from Ewan because he isn’t one who hugs his sister. If I were to dish out a punishment for him, hugging Faye would be the ultimatum *haha* I don’t know… I think he just doesn’t find it macho. But he’s always ready to hug his dad and I several times a day.
As for Faye, she loves these kind of affection. If she sees this picture tomorrow, her heart would be bursting with love. And if Ewan sees this, he would go, “Ewwwwwwwww!”
When I watch them hang out in the day, I felt the same way as I did tonight - “thank goodness you have each other this circuit breaker”. Sometimes they have nothing to do and they walk around aimlessly feeling bored. Sometimes they play so well together, you hear nothing but laughters and squeals. Sometimes they watch out for each other and make sure no one gets left behind when it comes to TV time. Sometimes they fight so hard hurting and screaming at each other which in turn, gets me so so so mad. But it seems like they are all they need for a play partner this Stay Home season. None of them spoke excessively about missing their friends or even wanting to go out. I realised they are quite homebodies.
I imagined a Circuit Breaker with just one kid. To be honest, I think it’s going to be so smooth-sailing. I mean, I don’t have to break out petty selfish disagreements? I don’t have to split my time amongst children? And we would probably be a very peaceful household speaking nicely and politely to each other all day!
But then again, I wouldn’t be witnessing this sight tonight if we only had one. This is my 小幸福.
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20 May 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 44]
We had the Circuit Breaker turned off and now we are slowly turning the switches back on one by one. Are you Camp Yay or Camp Boo for the commencement of school?
Sigh, I sit on the fence on this one.
My family has adapted to staying home, learning from home and socialising from home these two months. Despite all the fights, fatigues and [cabin] fever, the pros of staying home to keep everyone safe seem to beat sending our children out to possible virus-filled battle grounds.
Yet, we know learning doesn’t only confine to the home. There is so much more to learn when you are in the field. There is so much good that can come out of family relationships when we are separated from each other even only for a couple of hours. However, I cannot deny the fact that we have to slowly put ourselves back into society. At the very least, we do that with precautions.
This is a collective effort from every single one of us. Emphasising “Every Single One”. If we do not abide to these safety house rules in school, in public transport or at work, we will trip the Circuit Breaker again.
It’s funny how humans can be such rebels. I bet there will be parents sending their healthy kids to school even though they are unwell themselves. “I’m the one who is sick, not my kid what.” But hey look, past statistics have shown that majority of our infected kids contracted COVID-19 from family members. So please, keep our children home as long as any one of us are coughing or sniffling no matter how trivial your sickness is. I’d be guilt-stricken if my foolishness caused a cluster in my child’s school. Wouldn’t you?
Sigh, I bet there will also be parents waiting outside school gates, chit-chatting shoulder-to-shoulder. I hope to see a new norm when June comes. A new heightened social distancing awareness in everybody to keep Singapore safe.
All that's been said, I am thankful for the rules and boundaries set by our Ministerial Task Force to keep everyone safe. For one, I am very pleased to hear that all students and teachers are required to put on their masks every day at school. My children didn’t own any reusable masks because the ones kindly provided by our government were too big for their small faces. I couldn’t get hold of any in the market for them either because they are such hot commodities! One of you, who have been sewing hundreds of kids masks for donation, offered to sew Ewan and Faye their own masks [two each and using Faye’s old Sea Apple jumper!]. They are such good fits! I intend to use these masks on rotation when school reopens, making sure I wash their masks on a daily basis and not re-use them for the next day. Basic hygiene standards begin at home.
Since the government has decided to move forward, we will too regardless of our apprehensions. Please help me keep my children safe? Because I will do all I can to keep yours safe.
Sigh, I sit on the fence on this one.
My family has adapted to staying home, learning from home and socialising from home these two months. Despite all the fights, fatigues and [cabin] fever, the pros of staying home to keep everyone safe seem to beat sending our children out to possible virus-filled battle grounds.
Yet, we know learning doesn’t only confine to the home. There is so much more to learn when you are in the field. There is so much good that can come out of family relationships when we are separated from each other even only for a couple of hours. However, I cannot deny the fact that we have to slowly put ourselves back into society. At the very least, we do that with precautions.
This is a collective effort from every single one of us. Emphasising “Every Single One”. If we do not abide to these safety house rules in school, in public transport or at work, we will trip the Circuit Breaker again.
It’s funny how humans can be such rebels. I bet there will be parents sending their healthy kids to school even though they are unwell themselves. “I’m the one who is sick, not my kid what.” But hey look, past statistics have shown that majority of our infected kids contracted COVID-19 from family members. So please, keep our children home as long as any one of us are coughing or sniffling no matter how trivial your sickness is. I’d be guilt-stricken if my foolishness caused a cluster in my child’s school. Wouldn’t you?
Sigh, I bet there will also be parents waiting outside school gates, chit-chatting shoulder-to-shoulder. I hope to see a new norm when June comes. A new heightened social distancing awareness in everybody to keep Singapore safe.
All that's been said, I am thankful for the rules and boundaries set by our Ministerial Task Force to keep everyone safe. For one, I am very pleased to hear that all students and teachers are required to put on their masks every day at school. My children didn’t own any reusable masks because the ones kindly provided by our government were too big for their small faces. I couldn’t get hold of any in the market for them either because they are such hot commodities! One of you, who have been sewing hundreds of kids masks for donation, offered to sew Ewan and Faye their own masks [two each and using Faye’s old Sea Apple jumper!]. They are such good fits! I intend to use these masks on rotation when school reopens, making sure I wash their masks on a daily basis and not re-use them for the next day. Basic hygiene standards begin at home.
Since the government has decided to move forward, we will too regardless of our apprehensions. Please help me keep my children safe? Because I will do all I can to keep yours safe.
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20 May 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 44]
This Circuit Breaker is doing the little ones good, boosting their phonics and vocabulary as we sit for an hour every day to read. No, they do not voluntarily pull out good books from our shelves. Mostly light reads out of comics and magazines. So, I had to insist on a designated time each day for us to sit and read books I approve of. Roald Dahl for starters.
Sharing our reading time-table:
Mon, Wed, Fri = English
Tues, Thurs = Chinese
Every night before bed = Chinese
It is widely advised that parents should read to their children but I don’t remember when they say we can stop! *haha* Of course when they are reader-ready to bury their heads into their novels on their own I can then retire being their personal audiobook. I say I am looking forward to that day but I know when that day comes, I may plead for them to let me read out loud again.
Ewan and Faye are aged 7 [soon 8] and 6. I am still reading out loud to them now; from a range of coloured picture books to black and white readers with black and white pictures to novels. Definitely a very thirsty affair for me as I vocalise thousands of words at a time inclusive of animated expressions and discussions! I see fruits of labour though.
As Ewan thumbs through the Roald Dahl book set from the thinnest to the thickest book, the number of words he doesn’t recognise increases exponentially. I take this chance to teach him how to use a dictionary. He will have to write new words and their definitions in his exercise book, refer back to the page the word was at and try to understand what it means in that sentence. He is at “Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator” now and almost every paragraph, we see a new difficult word: balmy, propulsion, triumph, pulpified, lixiviated. For every 5 new words he learn, he gets to earn one sticker. 5 stickers, i.e. 25 new words, will give him the chance to open one of his favourite Beyblade comic from its plastic wrap. This is his motivation and we’ve got 50 words by now. I'm definitely milking it.
Faye, on the other hand, had been slow from the start when it comes to reading. She could hardly recognise her ABCs for a long long while, let alone words. This year, I saw a breakthrough in her reading and she is finally phonically-able! I give credit to maturity, interest and to “In Her Own Time, She Will”. I don’t do any phonics work with my children and only concentrated on reading picture books from as young as they were babies. She found a new love for reading these two months. Every single morning without fail, she would wake to read Panda Junior or Young Scientist for hours before brushing her teeth. I don’t require her to move to Roald Dahl at all because in my opinion, she’s not of age. Definitely not necessary to be pouring her head into books with more words than pictures at Kindergarten level.
But last week, she did a staggering act: Faye picked up her brother’s “Esio Trot” and started reading! She finished it so quickly, she’s now at “Fantastic Mr Fox”. My jaw dropped but I’m not going to take that book away from her. She can continue feeding her thirst for stories as much as she wants.
Because we don't send the kids to enrichmenst, I believe the only way to get them to improve in their languages and composition writing is to Read, Read, Read.
Sharing our reading time-table:
Mon, Wed, Fri = English
Tues, Thurs = Chinese
Every night before bed = Chinese
It is widely advised that parents should read to their children but I don’t remember when they say we can stop! *haha* Of course when they are reader-ready to bury their heads into their novels on their own I can then retire being their personal audiobook. I say I am looking forward to that day but I know when that day comes, I may plead for them to let me read out loud again.
Ewan and Faye are aged 7 [soon 8] and 6. I am still reading out loud to them now; from a range of coloured picture books to black and white readers with black and white pictures to novels. Definitely a very thirsty affair for me as I vocalise thousands of words at a time inclusive of animated expressions and discussions! I see fruits of labour though.
As Ewan thumbs through the Roald Dahl book set from the thinnest to the thickest book, the number of words he doesn’t recognise increases exponentially. I take this chance to teach him how to use a dictionary. He will have to write new words and their definitions in his exercise book, refer back to the page the word was at and try to understand what it means in that sentence. He is at “Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator” now and almost every paragraph, we see a new difficult word: balmy, propulsion, triumph, pulpified, lixiviated. For every 5 new words he learn, he gets to earn one sticker. 5 stickers, i.e. 25 new words, will give him the chance to open one of his favourite Beyblade comic from its plastic wrap. This is his motivation and we’ve got 50 words by now. I'm definitely milking it.
Faye, on the other hand, had been slow from the start when it comes to reading. She could hardly recognise her ABCs for a long long while, let alone words. This year, I saw a breakthrough in her reading and she is finally phonically-able! I give credit to maturity, interest and to “In Her Own Time, She Will”. I don’t do any phonics work with my children and only concentrated on reading picture books from as young as they were babies. She found a new love for reading these two months. Every single morning without fail, she would wake to read Panda Junior or Young Scientist for hours before brushing her teeth. I don’t require her to move to Roald Dahl at all because in my opinion, she’s not of age. Definitely not necessary to be pouring her head into books with more words than pictures at Kindergarten level.
But last week, she did a staggering act: Faye picked up her brother’s “Esio Trot” and started reading! She finished it so quickly, she’s now at “Fantastic Mr Fox”. My jaw dropped but I’m not going to take that book away from her. She can continue feeding her thirst for stories as much as she wants.
Because we don't send the kids to enrichmenst, I believe the only way to get them to improve in their languages and composition writing is to Read, Read, Read.
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1 Jun 20 [Circuit Breaker Day 56]
Today marks the last day of Circuit Breaker. We are breaking the Circuit Breaker tomorrow! The feeling is surreal with a mix of apprehension. Ewan and Faye aren't looking forward to going to school.
The responses I got was, “So sad. I miss home already. Can I don’t go?” said the boy and “Me too. I don’t want to go to school. I don’t need to see my friends.” parroted the girl.
They don’t miss their friends and that’s really quite peculiar. Even more odd when mommy’s home-schooling curriculum is more rigorous than school’s! Ewan was hoping I could home-school him from now on.
Faye is a lot more extreme than her brother.
We packed her school bag and got everything ready in fact - labelling mask bags, pencil case and sanitiser. At bedtime while we were going through personal hygiene procedures in school, she said she prefers to go to school only in Primary One or when COVID is over. She even told me if she goes to school, I should pack her snack box every day! I'm like, "Why? Your school provides food." She explained, "It's COVID! You should pack my snack box. Maybe the school won't provide food because of COVID."
I must say, she is sensible to take this more seriously than most adults but also a little bit paranoid. I hope to give her more confidence but she swayed me instead. Definitely got me thinking twice about keeping her home one more week and eventually go back to school together with Ewan on June 8th.
I decided to wake her up as usual for school the next day and do a one-on-one check-in. If she is still uncomfortable to go, I will respect her decision. She's after all only in Kindergarten.
2 Jun 20 Update: In the middle of last night, she ran over from her room to mine to sleep with me. She hasn’t done this for the whole of this year! I believe she’s feeling very anxious and insecure. In the morning, she shared that she preferred staying home and so we did.
The responses I got was, “So sad. I miss home already. Can I don’t go?” said the boy and “Me too. I don’t want to go to school. I don’t need to see my friends.” parroted the girl.
They don’t miss their friends and that’s really quite peculiar. Even more odd when mommy’s home-schooling curriculum is more rigorous than school’s! Ewan was hoping I could home-school him from now on.
Faye is a lot more extreme than her brother.
We packed her school bag and got everything ready in fact - labelling mask bags, pencil case and sanitiser. At bedtime while we were going through personal hygiene procedures in school, she said she prefers to go to school only in Primary One or when COVID is over. She even told me if she goes to school, I should pack her snack box every day! I'm like, "Why? Your school provides food." She explained, "It's COVID! You should pack my snack box. Maybe the school won't provide food because of COVID."
I must say, she is sensible to take this more seriously than most adults but also a little bit paranoid. I hope to give her more confidence but she swayed me instead. Definitely got me thinking twice about keeping her home one more week and eventually go back to school together with Ewan on June 8th.
I decided to wake her up as usual for school the next day and do a one-on-one check-in. If she is still uncomfortable to go, I will respect her decision. She's after all only in Kindergarten.
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