Time flies.. for other people as well as ourselves!
Madison's cousin Elizabeth is finally 6 months! She's eating solids now and certainly enjoying them tremendously, much like her daddy...
Yesterday we had a mini celebration for her crossing the half year mark. Dinner at home followed by a little cake from Cedele. She got pressies from us as well, which she ripped apart and seemed to like the wrapping just as much as the gift.
I can't wait till she can crawl and walk and then play with Madison. I think the 2 girls will have lots of fun together and be great companions for each other. Elizabeth is already sitting and she is always squirming, trying to get a move and out of her parents' arms!
On another note, we went to see an apartment that was for sale. It's actually in our block but 3 floors up and is tenanted at the moment. But what a shock it was. There were about 4 different groups of people that went to have a look ( as a response to the ad that was put in the papers ) and I think we were all dumbstruck. The tenants really thrashed the apartment. It was a world of difference from our own little place! None of the airconditioners were working, they looked all yellow and disgusting. The wood floor was scratched and faded, when ours still looks almost brand new! The toilet floors were black from not washing.
I was the only one left talking to the real estate agent at the end of the tour. The price was not bad but then, apartments in our block don't really seem to go for that much anyway. Partly because our building has minimal facilities and the layout isn't all that great. But the location is fantastic.
So.. should we spend the deposit money and buy this place, rent it out to pay for the mortgage, or wait for our dream place and have to borrow much much more? It's a real toss up.
We are looking at another apartment directly opposite ours, for the same size but going at a cool 400K more.
The one we really like though, will cost a cool $2.5 mil easily. OUCH. Maybe in our next lifetime?
Monday, November 23, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Playschool and getting sick
Madison is down with a pretty bad cough.
It started probably at home with a mild runny nose, maybe from the grandparents who were sick. That was mild, and after a day or 2 of sniffling she was actually better. We skipped a day of Chinese class so that she would not pass her germs to the other kids. Finally when she was just better I took her to her usual class and to my horror ALL the other 3 kids there were coughing! Of course I couldn't make a big fuss of it, since by default, Madison was the only WELL one!
Of course she started having another runny nose and it has deteroriated to a cough. Sigh. So I started a course of oral antibiotics, antihistamines and TLC. Today my mum decided to take her to the paediatrician.
I can't even imagine what it would be like when she starts nursery and is surrounded by 30 other viruses/bacteria filled kids running around and spluttering everywhere. Right now she is mostly at home so the occasional illness is either from the family or her Chinese class. Or swimming pool. I'm hoping the swimming pool will present her a gradual exposure to viruses and build her immunity up before school!!! ?Fat hope??
I'm not bringing her to class this week. I think her system needs a break from infectious agents, and seeing that the other mothers are not as considerate I just have to look out for my little girl.
I heard one kid even came down with chickenpox in the class! Horrors. Thank goodness we missed that one!
On another note, I've been thinking of getting an electronic keyboard for Madison. I think most toys at her age are not that interesting anymore ( apart from playdoh and Lego) so it's pretty much a waste of money buying them. But musical instruments and books last a lifetime, and they are worthy investments. Yamaha only starts at 3 so I'm waiting till then to enrol her.
The only problem is space. Our teeny tiny apartment was great when we were just the 2 of us, but now things are spilling out from EVERYWHERE! Another device would really add to the clutter, but then time is of the essence. She's only this age for this time and after this her neural connections start dying off!! ( I'd probably be more slack if I had another kid ... but then they could entertain each other!)
So.. still thinking about it... Xmas pressy for this year? I guess we could put it in front of the TV? The balcony? Maybe just win lottery and MOVE!
It started probably at home with a mild runny nose, maybe from the grandparents who were sick. That was mild, and after a day or 2 of sniffling she was actually better. We skipped a day of Chinese class so that she would not pass her germs to the other kids. Finally when she was just better I took her to her usual class and to my horror ALL the other 3 kids there were coughing! Of course I couldn't make a big fuss of it, since by default, Madison was the only WELL one!
Of course she started having another runny nose and it has deteroriated to a cough. Sigh. So I started a course of oral antibiotics, antihistamines and TLC. Today my mum decided to take her to the paediatrician.
I can't even imagine what it would be like when she starts nursery and is surrounded by 30 other viruses/bacteria filled kids running around and spluttering everywhere. Right now she is mostly at home so the occasional illness is either from the family or her Chinese class. Or swimming pool. I'm hoping the swimming pool will present her a gradual exposure to viruses and build her immunity up before school!!! ?Fat hope??
I'm not bringing her to class this week. I think her system needs a break from infectious agents, and seeing that the other mothers are not as considerate I just have to look out for my little girl.
I heard one kid even came down with chickenpox in the class! Horrors. Thank goodness we missed that one!
On another note, I've been thinking of getting an electronic keyboard for Madison. I think most toys at her age are not that interesting anymore ( apart from playdoh and Lego) so it's pretty much a waste of money buying them. But musical instruments and books last a lifetime, and they are worthy investments. Yamaha only starts at 3 so I'm waiting till then to enrol her.
The only problem is space. Our teeny tiny apartment was great when we were just the 2 of us, but now things are spilling out from EVERYWHERE! Another device would really add to the clutter, but then time is of the essence. She's only this age for this time and after this her neural connections start dying off!! ( I'd probably be more slack if I had another kid ... but then they could entertain each other!)
So.. still thinking about it... Xmas pressy for this year? I guess we could put it in front of the TV? The balcony? Maybe just win lottery and MOVE!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
wonders of competition
Madison and I were at the playground this morning.
Initially it was just the 2 of us ( besides the usual gaggle of retirees doing their morning line dancing) and Madison was climbing up and down the slides.
Then a little boy came along with his grandfather and the dynamics of the playground shifted. Initially both of them were pretty shy and hung on to their respective caregivers ( ie the grandfather and me ) but soon enough it became irresistable to interact with each other. Of course they weren't really playing like older kids do, but more like playing close by each other.
It just happened that I took her sippy cup out and offered Madison her morning milk. Usually it's 30 seconds before she flings it to the ground after a brief sip. Today, the grandfather took the boy's sippy cup out too and offered it to him. Just as the 30 seconds were up and Madison was about to fling the cup to the ground ( and get a telling off from me ) she spied the boy drinking from his cup. And the effect was IMMEDIATE. She stopped herself from throwing the cup and continued drinking!! Until the boy gave up and returned his cup to the grandfather!
I was amazed. Maybe it was just coincidence.
On another note, I've been thinking of whether to continue with Bibinogs for Madison. Chinese class seems to be a little repetitious these days and sometimes the teachers seem to spend too much time on snacks and reading and not enough time singing/action based activity. But having said that, I'm not sure if the other schools are any better. I'm thinking maybe location would be quite an important factor in the long run. Bibinogs at the Serene Centre is just off the PIE but traffic these days is terrible. Also it doesn't look like they do Chinese for the local school curriculum so Madison is going to have to attend a school that does.
So yesterday Chris and I went over to the Hua Language centre to see if they had classes for kids Madison's age but they only start at 3. But they seem to do stuff that prepares kids for the local Chinese exams, so I guess Madison will have to swop over at 3.
And finally... our Karcher steam cleaner is dead. Not even sure when it happened. It was working fine before the maid and now it was proclaimed " choked "! And only because I discovered the maid using the steam cleaner WITHOUT steam! I couldn't believe my eyes. This is after showing her a few times what the steam cleaner should be doing! It's going to cost us $400-$500 to replace. Not sure if I should just downgrade her to a mop. That is pretty indestructible and cheap to replace. Only trouble is that it means chemicals on our floor that Madison eats off. Argh.
Looks like more $$$ down the drain....
Initially it was just the 2 of us ( besides the usual gaggle of retirees doing their morning line dancing) and Madison was climbing up and down the slides.
Then a little boy came along with his grandfather and the dynamics of the playground shifted. Initially both of them were pretty shy and hung on to their respective caregivers ( ie the grandfather and me ) but soon enough it became irresistable to interact with each other. Of course they weren't really playing like older kids do, but more like playing close by each other.
It just happened that I took her sippy cup out and offered Madison her morning milk. Usually it's 30 seconds before she flings it to the ground after a brief sip. Today, the grandfather took the boy's sippy cup out too and offered it to him. Just as the 30 seconds were up and Madison was about to fling the cup to the ground ( and get a telling off from me ) she spied the boy drinking from his cup. And the effect was IMMEDIATE. She stopped herself from throwing the cup and continued drinking!! Until the boy gave up and returned his cup to the grandfather!
I was amazed. Maybe it was just coincidence.
On another note, I've been thinking of whether to continue with Bibinogs for Madison. Chinese class seems to be a little repetitious these days and sometimes the teachers seem to spend too much time on snacks and reading and not enough time singing/action based activity. But having said that, I'm not sure if the other schools are any better. I'm thinking maybe location would be quite an important factor in the long run. Bibinogs at the Serene Centre is just off the PIE but traffic these days is terrible. Also it doesn't look like they do Chinese for the local school curriculum so Madison is going to have to attend a school that does.
So yesterday Chris and I went over to the Hua Language centre to see if they had classes for kids Madison's age but they only start at 3. But they seem to do stuff that prepares kids for the local Chinese exams, so I guess Madison will have to swop over at 3.
And finally... our Karcher steam cleaner is dead. Not even sure when it happened. It was working fine before the maid and now it was proclaimed " choked "! And only because I discovered the maid using the steam cleaner WITHOUT steam! I couldn't believe my eyes. This is after showing her a few times what the steam cleaner should be doing! It's going to cost us $400-$500 to replace. Not sure if I should just downgrade her to a mop. That is pretty indestructible and cheap to replace. Only trouble is that it means chemicals on our floor that Madison eats off. Argh.
Looks like more $$$ down the drain....
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