Day 5 and 6: Christmas Day, Boxing Day
You know you are getting old when you start skiing and think " hey, a few hours of this should be enough for the day! ". Back in the day we would start and ski till the lifts closed!
By lunch time we were ready to call it quits and had lunch on the mountain at a bistrot. The best meal by far on the slopes ever! I remember lunch time on ski resorts in Melbourne mostly of the 'fish and chip' or 'burger and chip' variety. This bistrot had a large selection of food and great service. Freshly made crepes if desired!
The ski slopes at Les Arcs would have been fantastic if it had snowed just before we arrived. The weather was slightly warm( above 0 degrees Celcius) so the slopes were slightly icy and there were large patches of rocky and muddy terrain.
The second day of skiing was slightly worse.. the slopes had hardened overnight and were significantly more slippery and icy.
We still managed to do a few runs to try and get to the edge of the resort to catch the biggest gondola that would take us to the next mountain. We got there eventually but there wasn't enough snow to ski on the other side. We did take the gondola over and got to see the magnificent views between the peaks.
By mid afternoon it was getting more icy and the slopes more bare, so we decided to call it quits and relax. We had to pack up as we were supposed to drive back to Geneva to catch a flight to London the next day.
That evening Chris and I were so tempted to be lazy and just eat at the hotel, but we decided to brave the cold and step out the 50 steps or so to the nearest restaurant. Was a good decision! The restaurant specialized in Savoyard food ( the region we were in ) so we basically picked dishes that had a thumbs up tick! We chose an escargot pastry dish and a casserole thing that had grain like pasta, mixture of their saucission and lots of local cheese. Like a French version of HK baked pasta. Dessert was 3 or 4 scoops of their home made ice cream and chocolate sauce. Paired with wine of course.
Day 7
It was an overnight change in scenery! Snow had started to fall and it was so pretty! Right about until the time we were checked out and started on our way down the mountain.
We checked out on a Saturday, not realizing that it was routine for people to check in and out on Saturdays for a week. We therefore joined an interminable queue of cars driving down the mountain.
Things only got worse as the morning went on. Snow was falling like crazy, it built up in a matter of minutes. The snow plows barely had a chance. Traffic slowed to a crawl and then came to a complete halt! It was unbelieveable! I got out of the car to stretch my legs and then realized that it was a snaking queue up ahead with no sign of movement after 30 minutes. We quickly decided to hightail it back to Bourg St Maurice ( nearest town ).
Things just got worse. The town was full of people and apparently there were no rooms available in the entire town. Chris quickly called the Radisson resort and reserved a room. It was just after 3 pm when we started our way back up the mountain, and was stuck driving almost an hour behind this wobbly Audi all the way up.
It was a miracle we got there because just after we checked in we found out they had closed the road going up the mountain!
We were the lucky ones. There were 15,000 people trapped overnight on the roads! It was an expensive event though: we missed our London flight, lost our first night at the hotel in London, and paid for an extra day at the Radisson ( Euro530 for 1 night! ) and the car.
Day 8
We HAD to get to London that day.
After a quick breakfast we checked out and started on our way down. It was still snowing lightly but the roads were clear. In contrast the the day before, we got to Geneva in slightly under 2 hours. I thought our troubles were over.
I had quickly searched and bought 2 one way tickets to London on Swissair ( CHF 650 for the 2 of us) and we had returned the car, checked in and relaxing at Starbucks.
An hour before the flight was supposed to take off we get an SMS saying the flight got cancelled! It was futile being furious. There were no other flights available that day! So Chris had to get our checked bags out and I went to find train tickets.
The train ride was over 7 hours long, with 2 changes of stations. We had to get from the Geneva airport to the main Geneva station, take the TGV to Paris Gare de Lyon, then take a LOCAL metro to Paris Nord station to catch the Eurostar to London. We finally arrived in London close to midnight.
It was such a relief to check into the Rosewood hotel ! Amazing how you could spend the entire day just travelling.
Day 9: London
Because of the delays, we basically had this one day in London. We had to use the 2 day London pass that I had foolishly purchased while in Les Arcs. So it was a mad rush to see the London bridge, HMS Belfast ship, Tower bridge and the Tower of Museum.
I wish we could have shopped but we also had tickets to see Cats at the Palladium. It was a good show but not my cup of tea.
That marked the end of our London tour!
Day 10: Getting to Frankfurt
Heathrow airport is a world of difference from the Geneva one!
We got there in good time, checked in and did our security checks seamlessly. That left us with plenty of time to browse the shops, but unfortunately the choice wasn't the best. Heathrow would do better to invest in more retail space considering the excellent airport service. Lesson learnt: Arrive and leave Europe via Heathrow or Paris' CDG airport.
We got onto the Luftansa flight without any problems, and soon arrived in Frankfurt. Got a rental car so that we could go directly to Werthiem Outlet Mall. Distances are really far in Germany! It took us over an hour to get there using the autobahn! By the time we arrived it was 8pm so that left us with an hour to go through the shops. The shopping was not bad; I managed to buy several outfits from Desigual and Polo Ralph Lauren. We were chased out slightly before 9pm so that limited our shopping ( fortunately ).
We stayed at the Marriott for the 2 nights. It is the company hotel for Singapore Airlines so we got to see lots of air crew while we were there.
Day 11 and 12:
New Year's eve-- Frankfurt is rather a ghost town during the holiday season! The trains were empty and many streets deserted. New Year's eve is a half day for the city and shops started closing at 2 pm. This included cafes and bars. We hadn't booked any restaurants for our dinner thinking there would be some fireworks or celebrations in the main street, but I don't think there was any! Being unable to find a decent open restaurant for dinner we finally settled on a little shop selling Chinese food. And I must say it did decent fare. It was a freezing cold night so we called it quits after dinner and went back to the hotel.
New Year's day: It's a public holiday in Frankfurt so everything was closed. We thought we would have a relaxed breakfast then head to the airport to shop.
It was a good thing we arrived in plenty of time. Frankfurt airport is nowhere near the standards of Heathrow. We wasted time getting our VATS ( tax) refund-- incompetent rude personnel run the desks ( the guy told a Caucasian traveller off for not speaking in German : when in Germany speak German!) Then getting through security! They were slowly combing through people despite having Xray and security body searching. There were people missing their flight boarding times, and the security refused to call ahead to the flight desks informing them of their delays. We were lucky to be early, but even then we just made it to the boarding gate just on time.
It was a full flight back to Singapore, and it was a relief to be finally home. The first part of the trip was fantastic, if only we could have spent the extra days in London and skip Frankfurt entirely. It was just that Chris needed to leave Europe via Frankfurt that we didn't have a choice. Still, I did have a great holiday, a much needed reset and rest for the year before we started primary school. I would love to go back to Paris and London for a visit in the near future!
Friday, January 16, 2015
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Europe trip 2014: Part 1 Paris, Geneva, Les Arcs ( part 1)
We came up with the idea of a year-end trip to Europe to coincide with the end of Chris' 6 month long training in Germany.
Another couple was supposed to have come with us and take us to good grub but were unable to make it at the last minute.
I almost didn't make the trip: Madison fell sick, then Liam fell sick.. but the general consensus was that I should just GO ALREADY.
So I did.
I was really excited about the solo 14 hour flight! 14 hours of uninterrupted time to do nothing much! Time flew by quite quickly and before I knew it I arrived in Paris.
Day 1:
I arrived in Charles de Gaulle airport at 7am. Immigration clearance was smooth, so was the baggage claim. Chris met me and we caught the train back to town. He had checked into the apartment the day before. It was an old walk up apartment, with the creaky floorboards and quaint kitchen to boot. Very Parisian.
Got a cup of coffee and found out that Parisians like their coffee scalding hot and quite strong. I scalded my fingers as the coffee was spilling out everywhere. I think Parisians just don't walk around with their drinks. Bought some pastries and found them rather cold but crispy and buttery once reheated in the oven.
We wandered around and visited the science museum at the Palais de la Couverture. Fantastic except that everything was in French. There were many live talks and demonstrations on a Sunday!
Day 2:
Saw the Notre Dame cathedral. I didn't realize it's an actual church that is still being used! We didn't climb up the tower though, that would probably be nice too. Very ethereal being in the cathedral, candles and paintings and all.
We took the train to Sacre Coer, which is the highest point in Paris. Visited the cathedral there and checked out the crypt and its dome. Great views up at the dome, but seriously many steep and narrow stairs to climb. We got a fantastic view of the Eiffel Tower from the dome.
For lunch, as per the Timeout Paris handbook, we went to Ma Cocotte, a Philip Starck restaurant. It's located at a rather unusual place near a bunch of flea and antique markets. Considering we didn't have a reservation, we were lucky to get a table for lunch. It was very busy but service was good. The staff were attentive and quick to get our orders. Food came relatively quickly too. It was interesting to see how much pride the French take in working in the restaurant service. They multitasked and are efficient. We got the fixed prix menu and got 2 courses with drinks for 2 for 56 euros! Reasonable in my opinion. There was quite alot of food for lunch! Absolutely no issue not being able to speak French.
After lunch we did more walking and wandering, but as it was winter it got dark and colder very quickly.
Day 3:
Decided to visit the Paris catacombs. The catacombs are a series of underground tunnels that were created in the early days as a result of mining for stone. The city became unstable as a result of these tunnels and parts collapsed. Subsequently parts of the tunnels were used as cemeteries as the city ones filled up. There are actual human bones lining parts of the tunnels that are open to public for viewing. As you can imagine there are 3 hour queues daily to see the human bones. We waited the 3 hours and it was probably worth it. The entire walk took about an hour to do and we wound up at a different location to where we started!
We had dinner at a local bistrot which had decent food and wine. After wandering around a little bit more it was time to call it a day.
Day 4:
Travel to Les Arcs-- we were booked into the Radisson Blu arc resort at 1950.
To get there: we had to fly to Geneva, hire a car, then drive the 200 km or so to Les Arcs.
When we arrived, the weather was unseasonably good! Blue skies, temperatures above freezing and no snow on the roads. We picked up a rental Volvo CX 60 which had snow tyres and set off.
It was so pleasant as we drove back from Geneva towards France again. We stopped at Lake Annecy to take in the sights and have lunch.
We passed through Bourg St Maurice, the final town before going up the mountain. From there it was a short pleasant drive up to the resort. The roads were good and we were up within 20 minutes.
In my experience, this resort is one of the best I've ever been to. We had a self contained room which had a kitchenette that was fully equipped. It had a Nespresso machine and a few capsules of coffee. The room rate included a welcome pack that had some cleaning equipment and an assortment of tea and condiments.
As it was Christmas eve, the resort had also organised for an outdoor performance complete with fireworks. There was a fire performance, followed by a trapeze act ( in the snow! ) and finishing off with fireworks and Santa zip lining across 3 rooftops!
After the performance we went to the hotel restaurant for dinner, which was unfortunately probably the worst meal of the trip. It was pre-prepared in anticipation of the crowd and it showed. The roasted capon was chewy and the dessert was dry. What made the meal even more passable was that there was a toddler at the next table who whined and cried the entire meal. I felt so sorry for the parents! The kid was probably tired and the Christmas meal didn't have a kids version. I couldn't imagine any kid wanting to eat the tough piece of meat! Dessert was a slice of log cake but that too seemed dry and too sweet. Anyhow... it was a long day of travelling so that was it for us after dinner!
Ski trip to follow....
Another couple was supposed to have come with us and take us to good grub but were unable to make it at the last minute.
I almost didn't make the trip: Madison fell sick, then Liam fell sick.. but the general consensus was that I should just GO ALREADY.
So I did.
I was really excited about the solo 14 hour flight! 14 hours of uninterrupted time to do nothing much! Time flew by quite quickly and before I knew it I arrived in Paris.
Day 1:
I arrived in Charles de Gaulle airport at 7am. Immigration clearance was smooth, so was the baggage claim. Chris met me and we caught the train back to town. He had checked into the apartment the day before. It was an old walk up apartment, with the creaky floorboards and quaint kitchen to boot. Very Parisian.
Got a cup of coffee and found out that Parisians like their coffee scalding hot and quite strong. I scalded my fingers as the coffee was spilling out everywhere. I think Parisians just don't walk around with their drinks. Bought some pastries and found them rather cold but crispy and buttery once reheated in the oven.
We wandered around and visited the science museum at the Palais de la Couverture. Fantastic except that everything was in French. There were many live talks and demonstrations on a Sunday!
Day 2:
Saw the Notre Dame cathedral. I didn't realize it's an actual church that is still being used! We didn't climb up the tower though, that would probably be nice too. Very ethereal being in the cathedral, candles and paintings and all.
We took the train to Sacre Coer, which is the highest point in Paris. Visited the cathedral there and checked out the crypt and its dome. Great views up at the dome, but seriously many steep and narrow stairs to climb. We got a fantastic view of the Eiffel Tower from the dome.
For lunch, as per the Timeout Paris handbook, we went to Ma Cocotte, a Philip Starck restaurant. It's located at a rather unusual place near a bunch of flea and antique markets. Considering we didn't have a reservation, we were lucky to get a table for lunch. It was very busy but service was good. The staff were attentive and quick to get our orders. Food came relatively quickly too. It was interesting to see how much pride the French take in working in the restaurant service. They multitasked and are efficient. We got the fixed prix menu and got 2 courses with drinks for 2 for 56 euros! Reasonable in my opinion. There was quite alot of food for lunch! Absolutely no issue not being able to speak French.
After lunch we did more walking and wandering, but as it was winter it got dark and colder very quickly.
Day 3:
Decided to visit the Paris catacombs. The catacombs are a series of underground tunnels that were created in the early days as a result of mining for stone. The city became unstable as a result of these tunnels and parts collapsed. Subsequently parts of the tunnels were used as cemeteries as the city ones filled up. There are actual human bones lining parts of the tunnels that are open to public for viewing. As you can imagine there are 3 hour queues daily to see the human bones. We waited the 3 hours and it was probably worth it. The entire walk took about an hour to do and we wound up at a different location to where we started!
We had dinner at a local bistrot which had decent food and wine. After wandering around a little bit more it was time to call it a day.
Day 4:
Travel to Les Arcs-- we were booked into the Radisson Blu arc resort at 1950.
To get there: we had to fly to Geneva, hire a car, then drive the 200 km or so to Les Arcs.
When we arrived, the weather was unseasonably good! Blue skies, temperatures above freezing and no snow on the roads. We picked up a rental Volvo CX 60 which had snow tyres and set off.
It was so pleasant as we drove back from Geneva towards France again. We stopped at Lake Annecy to take in the sights and have lunch.
We passed through Bourg St Maurice, the final town before going up the mountain. From there it was a short pleasant drive up to the resort. The roads were good and we were up within 20 minutes.
In my experience, this resort is one of the best I've ever been to. We had a self contained room which had a kitchenette that was fully equipped. It had a Nespresso machine and a few capsules of coffee. The room rate included a welcome pack that had some cleaning equipment and an assortment of tea and condiments.
As it was Christmas eve, the resort had also organised for an outdoor performance complete with fireworks. There was a fire performance, followed by a trapeze act ( in the snow! ) and finishing off with fireworks and Santa zip lining across 3 rooftops!
After the performance we went to the hotel restaurant for dinner, which was unfortunately probably the worst meal of the trip. It was pre-prepared in anticipation of the crowd and it showed. The roasted capon was chewy and the dessert was dry. What made the meal even more passable was that there was a toddler at the next table who whined and cried the entire meal. I felt so sorry for the parents! The kid was probably tired and the Christmas meal didn't have a kids version. I couldn't imagine any kid wanting to eat the tough piece of meat! Dessert was a slice of log cake but that too seemed dry and too sweet. Anyhow... it was a long day of travelling so that was it for us after dinner!
Ski trip to follow....
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
November: visitors, musicals and outings
How is it that November is close to an end?
November started with anticipation:
Chris came back on the 6th for 10 days so I had reprieve for those days. After being a solo parent for the past 4 months it really seems a breeze to have a partner! Actually, to be honest it also means having 2 opinions (which also takes getting used to again!) I think Chris had to adjust to disturbed sleep and being endlessly busy with the minutiae of life with kids!
While he was back we managed to go out with friends for an adults dinner at Mikuni ( the old Inagiku at Raffles City ), he got to play 2 rounds of 18-hole golf with different friends on 2 Sundays.
We also had another visitor, my cousin WY from KL who was here on a 2 week work assignment. She spent the first week at a hotel and stayed with us for the 2nd week. Her request : to see the Night Safari. I offered to take the other 2 kids with us as well so we had 4 kids between us 3. I think the kids really enjoyed the safari but the biggest draw was the hunky fire-dancing hunks at the entrance of the Safari!
After Chris went back to Germany, it was straight back into life. We had the orientation to primary school for Madison- that took an entire afternoon. After trying on multiple uniforms I decided to tailor make the school uniforms: I remember suffering through uncomfortable poorly fitting uniforms so for the moment Madison will get nicely fitting ones. We got her books for the entire year EXCEPT for the Chinese curriculum which apparently only come out sometime in December ( of course.. just to give me more errands to run, and hopefully before I leave for Europe!) Signed up to find out more about the school bus, which OF COURSE also only becomes available sometime in December.
On the 22nd I took Madison to see Monkey Goes West, a musical production by a local theatre company called Wild Rice. It was surprisingly good! I was quite glad I didn't take Annika along, it was over 2 hours long!
This week I've got tickets to Disney's Three enchanted Fairy tales at the MBS : Annika's turn. She asked that we bring Madison along so I guess Madison gets to see 2 musicals! It's also Madison's graduation this Saturday and I've promised to take Annika as my companion.
In other news: of course I got dropped another bomb. W, my longstanding helper of almost-6 years told me she didn't want to renew her contract next year, and would like to be transferred out. I immediately called the employment agency and was told that in order to avoid going through the chaos of work permit application I would have to replace her 60 days before her permit expired. Which means January 2015. Which means I have to start looking ASAP. Of course. When Chris gets back from Germany everything will have been sorted out and life would be fine and dandy!
Well... its a good experience.. I'm learning and becoming more resilient. Actually, once I started embracing the fact that I can't get everything perfect, and more accepting of the way each kid is, I found that they started behaving better. Of course I'm referring to Annika, and I have to say she has vastly improved over the past few weeks. In a way it's probably good that W is transferring out.. Annika has been having severe tantrums with her and I think it's also partly because of the way that W interacts with her. I'm trying to actively spend more time with her, and also with each of the other children. It's been hard, but I think it works.
One step at a time...
November started with anticipation:
Chris came back on the 6th for 10 days so I had reprieve for those days. After being a solo parent for the past 4 months it really seems a breeze to have a partner! Actually, to be honest it also means having 2 opinions (which also takes getting used to again!) I think Chris had to adjust to disturbed sleep and being endlessly busy with the minutiae of life with kids!
While he was back we managed to go out with friends for an adults dinner at Mikuni ( the old Inagiku at Raffles City ), he got to play 2 rounds of 18-hole golf with different friends on 2 Sundays.
We also had another visitor, my cousin WY from KL who was here on a 2 week work assignment. She spent the first week at a hotel and stayed with us for the 2nd week. Her request : to see the Night Safari. I offered to take the other 2 kids with us as well so we had 4 kids between us 3. I think the kids really enjoyed the safari but the biggest draw was the hunky fire-dancing hunks at the entrance of the Safari!
After Chris went back to Germany, it was straight back into life. We had the orientation to primary school for Madison- that took an entire afternoon. After trying on multiple uniforms I decided to tailor make the school uniforms: I remember suffering through uncomfortable poorly fitting uniforms so for the moment Madison will get nicely fitting ones. We got her books for the entire year EXCEPT for the Chinese curriculum which apparently only come out sometime in December ( of course.. just to give me more errands to run, and hopefully before I leave for Europe!) Signed up to find out more about the school bus, which OF COURSE also only becomes available sometime in December.
On the 22nd I took Madison to see Monkey Goes West, a musical production by a local theatre company called Wild Rice. It was surprisingly good! I was quite glad I didn't take Annika along, it was over 2 hours long!
This week I've got tickets to Disney's Three enchanted Fairy tales at the MBS : Annika's turn. She asked that we bring Madison along so I guess Madison gets to see 2 musicals! It's also Madison's graduation this Saturday and I've promised to take Annika as my companion.
In other news: of course I got dropped another bomb. W, my longstanding helper of almost-6 years told me she didn't want to renew her contract next year, and would like to be transferred out. I immediately called the employment agency and was told that in order to avoid going through the chaos of work permit application I would have to replace her 60 days before her permit expired. Which means January 2015. Which means I have to start looking ASAP. Of course. When Chris gets back from Germany everything will have been sorted out and life would be fine and dandy!
Well... its a good experience.. I'm learning and becoming more resilient. Actually, once I started embracing the fact that I can't get everything perfect, and more accepting of the way each kid is, I found that they started behaving better. Of course I'm referring to Annika, and I have to say she has vastly improved over the past few weeks. In a way it's probably good that W is transferring out.. Annika has been having severe tantrums with her and I think it's also partly because of the way that W interacts with her. I'm trying to actively spend more time with her, and also with each of the other children. It's been hard, but I think it works.
One step at a time...
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Swim meet at SSC and Annika can read!
Firstly:
Madison did as promised.
She participated in her 2nd swim meet and did what she was supposed to do: dive into the pool, start swimming straightaway and touch the time pad at the end.
It wasn't about speed or position. It was just about learning what competition is all about and participating.
They had a warm up session prior to the meet and she had fun with her other friends who were also in the meet. After all the kids had their turn they all got to collect a participation certificate and a pin.
I'll let her decide if she wants to participate in any other meets in future.
Next:
Annika is slowly learning to read! I thought initially she was just reciting the words from memory, but I realized last night that she can identify and ?sound out simple words. She's not yet consistent and cannot sit through an entire small book (eg Peter and Jane series) but she's getting there. I think it helps that she is competitive and when I started doing it with Elizabeth around she tries harder.
Liam:
He was quite unwell the past week. He suddenly started having a fever on a Sunday afternoon and didn't shake the fever for close to a week. I was on the verge of taking him to the emergency department to get some blood tests done but he responded to antibiotics. I figured it could possibly be a mycoplasma infection as Eli has been coughing and febrile just prior. (bad doctor mummy)
ANYWAY... he did get better.. and that's all I want.
He's still drooling like a tank, and STILL not chewing properly. He still has this bad habit of spitting food out, but I guess it's mostly because he's not a big eater and starts doing that when he doesn't really like something. He still has an overactive gag and will gag if he accidentally swallows something firmer. I wonder how long he's going to take to outgrow that!
It's November and this month we have visitors! My cousin is here on a work attachment for 3 weeks and another one is coming midweek for a short holiday. And of course Chris is back for a short visit as well.
Not forgetting the primary school orientation in another 2 weeks. I will have to sort out uniforms and textbooks!
Madison did as promised.
She participated in her 2nd swim meet and did what she was supposed to do: dive into the pool, start swimming straightaway and touch the time pad at the end.
It wasn't about speed or position. It was just about learning what competition is all about and participating.
They had a warm up session prior to the meet and she had fun with her other friends who were also in the meet. After all the kids had their turn they all got to collect a participation certificate and a pin.
I'll let her decide if she wants to participate in any other meets in future.
Next:
Annika is slowly learning to read! I thought initially she was just reciting the words from memory, but I realized last night that she can identify and ?sound out simple words. She's not yet consistent and cannot sit through an entire small book (eg Peter and Jane series) but she's getting there. I think it helps that she is competitive and when I started doing it with Elizabeth around she tries harder.
Liam:
He was quite unwell the past week. He suddenly started having a fever on a Sunday afternoon and didn't shake the fever for close to a week. I was on the verge of taking him to the emergency department to get some blood tests done but he responded to antibiotics. I figured it could possibly be a mycoplasma infection as Eli has been coughing and febrile just prior. (bad doctor mummy)
ANYWAY... he did get better.. and that's all I want.
He's still drooling like a tank, and STILL not chewing properly. He still has this bad habit of spitting food out, but I guess it's mostly because he's not a big eater and starts doing that when he doesn't really like something. He still has an overactive gag and will gag if he accidentally swallows something firmer. I wonder how long he's going to take to outgrow that!
It's November and this month we have visitors! My cousin is here on a work attachment for 3 weeks and another one is coming midweek for a short holiday. And of course Chris is back for a short visit as well.
Not forgetting the primary school orientation in another 2 weeks. I will have to sort out uniforms and textbooks!
Monday, October 20, 2014
October update
In the blink of the eye the month is almost over. My dear boy Liam is 16 months tomorrow.
It's been a busy month. At the start Anthony was here to visit, so that was a good distraction for us. I'm so grateful he came for the 2 weeks to be with the kids, and we spent the weekends at East Coast Park. Madison got to use her 2 wheeler during those 2 weekends, and so I'm hoping that once she can cycle she will not forget! I think we went cycling once after but it was seriously a major hassle getting the bikes on and off the bike rack on the car!
Madison has been busy with rehearsals in school for her K2 graduation ceremony. She's had 2 rehearsals at the Jubilee Hall at Raffles Hotel already! Because of that I've had to reschedule music classes for the past few weeks and and spending alot of time at United Square ( where Mandeville Music School is located).
Here's what our week looks like:
Monday: Bazgym for Annika and Vicky at 3pm. Madison goes at 5pm.
Tuesday: Swim class for Annika at 4, Madison has tennis for an hour at the same time. Once a month she has her golf course lesson with coach Shareen.
Wednesday: Berries Chinese class at 3-445pm at Regency House
Thursday: Music class at 1pm for the 2 girls
Friday: Swim class for Annika at 4pm and Madison at 6pm
Saturday: Tennis with Eli at 730am
Sunday : Tennis for Madison 3-5pm
So it's not that bad. And we don't do any other forms of enrichment/academic lessons. They get their mandatory hour of activity and sunshine at least once a day most days.
This month I've been trying hard to be a better parent. I realize that recently I've been really grumpy and impatient with the kids, partly because I'm tired, and partly because I'm a little sick of being 'the' parent around responsible for them. Then I came across this positive parenting thing, and reading articles online about positive parenting techniques made me feel guilty about how I've been doing things. So the past 2 weeks I've been trying hard to be more patient, to respond to the kids with more empathy. And I think it kinda works. Annika especially seems to respond better and she has fewer (? no more!) tantrums. I'm trying harder to explain why I want certain things done, and to make my expectations clearer to her.
My next challenge will be Liam. He's starting to throw tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants
( which is of course most of the time!) and it doesn't help that his speech is nowhere near where the girls were at the same age ( I think!). He's not the best sleeper either but he seems to get that he's supposed to be sleeping. So after an hour of being up at say 4 or 5am he will eventually go back down to sleep with some rocking or shushing. No more feeding at night. (also because he's a poor eater! )
I also don't know why he's got this habit of spitting food out. He's just starting to chew his food but still chooses to spit solids out. He's the only kid that at almost 16 months still needs his food chopped up finely. His older sisters were onto table food in pieces by a year old. Obviously it leads to a leaner 'scrawnier' kid.
I got the letter for Madison's orientation to SCGS. I'm not sure what we'll do next year logistically. I don't fancy driving to school every morning nor do I really want her to have to take the bus at 6am in the morning. Public bus is the other option. That and the other kids schedules! Then the same thing in the after noon at school pick up.
I've signed Madison up for the next mini swim meet at the club. I told her it was for her to practise at it, to show herself that she can do it right this time round. She's been ok. I think it's a good opportunity to build up her courage to do things.
It's been a busy month. At the start Anthony was here to visit, so that was a good distraction for us. I'm so grateful he came for the 2 weeks to be with the kids, and we spent the weekends at East Coast Park. Madison got to use her 2 wheeler during those 2 weekends, and so I'm hoping that once she can cycle she will not forget! I think we went cycling once after but it was seriously a major hassle getting the bikes on and off the bike rack on the car!
Madison has been busy with rehearsals in school for her K2 graduation ceremony. She's had 2 rehearsals at the Jubilee Hall at Raffles Hotel already! Because of that I've had to reschedule music classes for the past few weeks and and spending alot of time at United Square ( where Mandeville Music School is located).
Here's what our week looks like:
Monday: Bazgym for Annika and Vicky at 3pm. Madison goes at 5pm.
Tuesday: Swim class for Annika at 4, Madison has tennis for an hour at the same time. Once a month she has her golf course lesson with coach Shareen.
Wednesday: Berries Chinese class at 3-445pm at Regency House
Thursday: Music class at 1pm for the 2 girls
Friday: Swim class for Annika at 4pm and Madison at 6pm
Saturday: Tennis with Eli at 730am
Sunday : Tennis for Madison 3-5pm
So it's not that bad. And we don't do any other forms of enrichment/academic lessons. They get their mandatory hour of activity and sunshine at least once a day most days.
This month I've been trying hard to be a better parent. I realize that recently I've been really grumpy and impatient with the kids, partly because I'm tired, and partly because I'm a little sick of being 'the' parent around responsible for them. Then I came across this positive parenting thing, and reading articles online about positive parenting techniques made me feel guilty about how I've been doing things. So the past 2 weeks I've been trying hard to be more patient, to respond to the kids with more empathy. And I think it kinda works. Annika especially seems to respond better and she has fewer (? no more!) tantrums. I'm trying harder to explain why I want certain things done, and to make my expectations clearer to her.
My next challenge will be Liam. He's starting to throw tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants
( which is of course most of the time!) and it doesn't help that his speech is nowhere near where the girls were at the same age ( I think!). He's not the best sleeper either but he seems to get that he's supposed to be sleeping. So after an hour of being up at say 4 or 5am he will eventually go back down to sleep with some rocking or shushing. No more feeding at night. (also because he's a poor eater! )
I also don't know why he's got this habit of spitting food out. He's just starting to chew his food but still chooses to spit solids out. He's the only kid that at almost 16 months still needs his food chopped up finely. His older sisters were onto table food in pieces by a year old. Obviously it leads to a leaner 'scrawnier' kid.
I got the letter for Madison's orientation to SCGS. I'm not sure what we'll do next year logistically. I don't fancy driving to school every morning nor do I really want her to have to take the bus at 6am in the morning. Public bus is the other option. That and the other kids schedules! Then the same thing in the after noon at school pick up.
I've signed Madison up for the next mini swim meet at the club. I told her it was for her to practise at it, to show herself that she can do it right this time round. She's been ok. I think it's a good opportunity to build up her courage to do things.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
School woes
Evidently, as the kids grow older the issues change from sleep/eat/toileting problems to school problems!
Madison
Fortunately she's crossed the hurdle of securing a spot in SCGS. So that's a huge relief to me and my bank account. Singapore schools are practically free to citizens so I'll start saving some cash once she leaves Pat's Schoolhouse.
Unfortunately we start school at an ungodly hour of 0720-0730h. Apparently she has to be in school by 0715-0720. And I've heard the traffic to school is legendary.
So transport choices are:
1. Self drive : face traffic, but travel in relative comfort of own vehicle
2. Car pool : as above, but less frequency, but with the issue of dealing with other parents. What is the protocol on sick days? Travel?
3. Public bus : cheap and good, but is it predictable? Someone has to take her there and come back. Apparently the ride is 30-40 minutes long! ( this is for a distance <3km br="">4. School bus: more cost, early start -- apparently pick up is anytime from 0600-0630h! But then she can go unaccompanied and the pressure to get her to school is off me.
5. Other : ?cycle to school Is that even worth considering? Probably not.
Annika
She will be in K1 next year at Pat's, and we've just been kindly advised that school fees are undergoing an upward revision. Of course. Next year's revision will bring half day (AM) fees to $1455 and full day ( till 530pm ) $1733 per month. When we started at Pat's, the half day fees were $850 per month. Thank goodness next year we have a bit of a reprieve because Madison is leaving and Liam doesn't join till 2016.
I looked around on the internet and found that most preschools in this vicinity are charging close to those fees. I presume it's the rental charges that's driving the price increase. I'm not keen on changing schools because Annika loves her friends and teachers, so I guess Chris will have to work harder!!
As for transport, I'm also not sure if I'll still take her or if she will take the bus to school?
Liam
The baby is signed up for Cherie Hearts at Whampoa for next year. I decided to forego Bibinogs for him, partly because of the logistics, partly because of cost ( it has gone up to ridiculous amounts too ) and partly because I feel it doesn't really seem to have made a really significant impact on their Mandarin ability. Berries has done much more. The price is under $600 per month for half day sessions, and I will probably get him to go 2-3 times a week initially. I think Cherie Hearts is probably good at playgroup level, but further on I'm not so convinced. We'll see how it goes.
Thankfully Cherie Hearts is within walking distance so one of the helpers can stroller him across.. (PHEW)
And I still have to figure out primary school for him at some stage...
Madison
Fortunately she's crossed the hurdle of securing a spot in SCGS. So that's a huge relief to me and my bank account. Singapore schools are practically free to citizens so I'll start saving some cash once she leaves Pat's Schoolhouse.
Unfortunately we start school at an ungodly hour of 0720-0730h. Apparently she has to be in school by 0715-0720. And I've heard the traffic to school is legendary.
So transport choices are:
1. Self drive : face traffic, but travel in relative comfort of own vehicle
2. Car pool : as above, but less frequency, but with the issue of dealing with other parents. What is the protocol on sick days? Travel?
3. Public bus : cheap and good, but is it predictable? Someone has to take her there and come back. Apparently the ride is 30-40 minutes long! ( this is for a distance <3km br="">4. School bus: more cost, early start -- apparently pick up is anytime from 0600-0630h! But then she can go unaccompanied and the pressure to get her to school is off me.
5. Other : ?cycle to school Is that even worth considering? Probably not.
Annika
She will be in K1 next year at Pat's, and we've just been kindly advised that school fees are undergoing an upward revision. Of course. Next year's revision will bring half day (AM) fees to $1455 and full day ( till 530pm ) $1733 per month. When we started at Pat's, the half day fees were $850 per month. Thank goodness next year we have a bit of a reprieve because Madison is leaving and Liam doesn't join till 2016.
I looked around on the internet and found that most preschools in this vicinity are charging close to those fees. I presume it's the rental charges that's driving the price increase. I'm not keen on changing schools because Annika loves her friends and teachers, so I guess Chris will have to work harder!!
As for transport, I'm also not sure if I'll still take her or if she will take the bus to school?
Liam
The baby is signed up for Cherie Hearts at Whampoa for next year. I decided to forego Bibinogs for him, partly because of the logistics, partly because of cost ( it has gone up to ridiculous amounts too ) and partly because I feel it doesn't really seem to have made a really significant impact on their Mandarin ability. Berries has done much more. The price is under $600 per month for half day sessions, and I will probably get him to go 2-3 times a week initially. I think Cherie Hearts is probably good at playgroup level, but further on I'm not so convinced. We'll see how it goes.
Thankfully Cherie Hearts is within walking distance so one of the helpers can stroller him across.. (PHEW)
And I still have to figure out primary school for him at some stage...
September thus far...
Month 3 of Chris being away
Chris came back at the start of the month for a week and it was a welcome relief to have another person responsible for the kids.
It was quite funny though, initially. I think we had kind of adjusted to being without him and when he came back it was a little bit weird, to be honest.
Liam has been sleeping with me the past 2 months ( and on the master bed too!) and he's definitely gotten used to it.
The first night when Chris came back Liam was gobsmacked when he came to the bed and found Chris there. I think it was a mutual shock. It was hilarious.
I think the girls were definitely relieved to have a parent not yelling at them all the time.
The rest of the week flew past. We met up with friends to have gigantic Sri Lankan crabs, drinks and dinner with other friends and the rest of the time was spent with the kids.
Madison had her confidence camp at school on the 19th. She was so excited and started packing 2 weeks earlier. She didn't have class during the day, and Pa took her to the opthalmologist for an eye check. ( which she passed, just took the better of 2 hours to do!) He dropped her off at 5pm at school, and spent the night there. The teacher was so kind to post pictures of them going to bed at midnight.
Annika is still the child that gives me grief.. Not a day goes by that she doesn't get in trouble. From the first thing in the morning-- taking forever to get ready, dawdling instead of eating breakfast, to bedtime not going to bed etc. She is a highly intelligent and driven child and is actually more aware than Madison. She has a memory of an elephant and can recall better than her sister. But yet she chooses to do things that she knows will make me angry!
As for the baby, well.. he's the baby. He finally got his first haircut yesterday ( 24/9/2014) at the hairdresser. I'd been trimming it periodically at home but it's getting way too shaggy. Too many people have commented that he's a 'beautiful girl'. Actually all 3 kids needed a trim. Liam is still not really talking yet, but he is really good at indicating what he wants ( my handbag most of the time !) and what he doesn't want ( shakes head vigorously-- most things). He's very good at walking now, which is amazing .. for a minute I thought he was going to be delayed walking.
Anthony is here for a 2 week holiday, and I'm so grateful that he's chosen to give up his time to be with the kids. It's such a relief to have another adult to help spend time with them!
Chris came back at the start of the month for a week and it was a welcome relief to have another person responsible for the kids.
It was quite funny though, initially. I think we had kind of adjusted to being without him and when he came back it was a little bit weird, to be honest.
Liam has been sleeping with me the past 2 months ( and on the master bed too!) and he's definitely gotten used to it.
The first night when Chris came back Liam was gobsmacked when he came to the bed and found Chris there. I think it was a mutual shock. It was hilarious.
I think the girls were definitely relieved to have a parent not yelling at them all the time.
The rest of the week flew past. We met up with friends to have gigantic Sri Lankan crabs, drinks and dinner with other friends and the rest of the time was spent with the kids.
Madison had her confidence camp at school on the 19th. She was so excited and started packing 2 weeks earlier. She didn't have class during the day, and Pa took her to the opthalmologist for an eye check. ( which she passed, just took the better of 2 hours to do!) He dropped her off at 5pm at school, and spent the night there. The teacher was so kind to post pictures of them going to bed at midnight.
Annika is still the child that gives me grief.. Not a day goes by that she doesn't get in trouble. From the first thing in the morning-- taking forever to get ready, dawdling instead of eating breakfast, to bedtime not going to bed etc. She is a highly intelligent and driven child and is actually more aware than Madison. She has a memory of an elephant and can recall better than her sister. But yet she chooses to do things that she knows will make me angry!
As for the baby, well.. he's the baby. He finally got his first haircut yesterday ( 24/9/2014) at the hairdresser. I'd been trimming it periodically at home but it's getting way too shaggy. Too many people have commented that he's a 'beautiful girl'. Actually all 3 kids needed a trim. Liam is still not really talking yet, but he is really good at indicating what he wants ( my handbag most of the time !) and what he doesn't want ( shakes head vigorously-- most things). He's very good at walking now, which is amazing .. for a minute I thought he was going to be delayed walking.
Anthony is here for a 2 week holiday, and I'm so grateful that he's chosen to give up his time to be with the kids. It's such a relief to have another adult to help spend time with them!
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