We spent the entire weekend with our neighbours!
Saturday was literally non stop.
Wake, breakfast.
Music class for Annika
Tennis for Madison ( which eventually got cancelled because the teachers were busy or something )
I had to work.
Then it was lunch for the kids.
Chris went for a swim and the kids went swimming.
Nap for Annika, while Madison and Lynn watched videos.
After nap time it was off to Bishan Park with 12 kids from 6 different families in our block!
We packed a picnic to share. The kids got to run around, fight and have dinner.
I think the kids had fun! The only trouble we had was parking. That was horrendous.
We finished at 730pm, just as it got dark. Getting home was easy, because we all live in the same block.
Sunday we had a potluck dinner by the poolside. Prior to that the kids were in the pool swimming and splashing around.
Having your friends live in the same block makes it so easy. The adults get to eat/drink while the kids play together... the convenience of having the house just right there is hard to beat.
But of course the downside is that when we spend the weekend with the neighbours we don't see the family as much.. the kids are really lucky to have this choice.
In shopping news...the kids' ski gear have arrived! Pink Spyder jackets and pants to match. Even comes along with a pink back pack! Still waiting for their goggles and gloves to come.
I also hope the Swiss travel System doesn't screw up our train tickets that we've paid for.. it's supposed to arrive 2-3 weeks prior to departure via DHL.
I just heard from another Pat's Schoolhouse mummy that they are going to Switzerland for a family holiday too... apparently not her first trip there. Should have asked her before we booked... she's going to the French Alps to ski instead of Switzerland..
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Preschool: Pat's Schoolhouse
Madison is currently in her 2nd year at Pat's Schoolhouse.
I've been pretty happy with her progress at school and she seems to be enjoying herself. ( Although she still says she doesn't want to go to school almost daily... but she's all smiles and bubbles when I get her in the afternoon )
So next year she's going to be in K1.
This was when the furore started... the school decided to raise its school fees.
Not by tens of dollars, but by a whopping 25%.
Needless to say this rankled quite a few parents.
The other thing the school started pushing strongly for was for the kids to attend preschool for the full day program.
This means the kids are in school by about 830am, and don't finish till around 5pm.
The morning session finishes at 12noon, and the afternoon bit starts around 3pm.
They are also required to nap in between.
Of course they had this fantastic extra curricular program that included Speech and Drama class, math class and music class.
I was quite tempted, who wouldn't be?
But that would mean Madison would spend more time at school than at home. And she'd be napping! Which means she'd be up way past her bedtime at night!
I had a really hard time deciding what to do... in the end I asked my dad what he thought...
And he said.. kids need down time to do their 'own' thing... and discouraged me from having too many organized activities for her. He said organized activity kills creativity.
So that sealed the deal.
I've decided to keep her in the morning program for next year. I hope she'll be able to cope and be smart enough to figure things out on her own!
I've been pretty happy with her progress at school and she seems to be enjoying herself. ( Although she still says she doesn't want to go to school almost daily... but she's all smiles and bubbles when I get her in the afternoon )
So next year she's going to be in K1.
This was when the furore started... the school decided to raise its school fees.
Not by tens of dollars, but by a whopping 25%.
Needless to say this rankled quite a few parents.
The other thing the school started pushing strongly for was for the kids to attend preschool for the full day program.
This means the kids are in school by about 830am, and don't finish till around 5pm.
The morning session finishes at 12noon, and the afternoon bit starts around 3pm.
They are also required to nap in between.
Of course they had this fantastic extra curricular program that included Speech and Drama class, math class and music class.
I was quite tempted, who wouldn't be?
But that would mean Madison would spend more time at school than at home. And she'd be napping! Which means she'd be up way past her bedtime at night!
I had a really hard time deciding what to do... in the end I asked my dad what he thought...
And he said.. kids need down time to do their 'own' thing... and discouraged me from having too many organized activities for her. He said organized activity kills creativity.
So that sealed the deal.
I've decided to keep her in the morning program for next year. I hope she'll be able to cope and be smart enough to figure things out on her own!
Fertile block
There is seriously something going on in my apartment block!
Some of us neighbours have become increasingly close because the kids play together frequently, and also because of the large communal area at the poolside that encourages us to spend time together.
It's truly amazing how close our kids all are in terms of age! Most are under the age of 5, with an even mix of boys and girls.
And now, there seems to be a spate of pregnancies. There is one that is due in less than a month, and a few new pregnancies that have just been announced! Now that I think about it, there's only 1 other mother who isn't pregnant apart from me!
Yesterday, just another mother of 2 told me she's expecting her 3rd next April. Her first is slightly older than Annika, and her 2nd is close to 8 months. So she's quitting her job to focus on the kids for now. It's amazing how relaxed and easy she's taking it all. They are a great family, and the kids super cute.
Another one has 2 boys aged 3 and just 2, and she's expecting her 3rd boy in January next year. She's also another amazing mummy, calm and relaxed about parenting.
There are a few just on their 2nd.. I won't be surprised if the 3rd pregnancy gets announced in the next year or so!!
I think the best part of it all is that it demystifies the 3 kid thing... totally doable!! Right??
Some of us neighbours have become increasingly close because the kids play together frequently, and also because of the large communal area at the poolside that encourages us to spend time together.
It's truly amazing how close our kids all are in terms of age! Most are under the age of 5, with an even mix of boys and girls.
And now, there seems to be a spate of pregnancies. There is one that is due in less than a month, and a few new pregnancies that have just been announced! Now that I think about it, there's only 1 other mother who isn't pregnant apart from me!
Yesterday, just another mother of 2 told me she's expecting her 3rd next April. Her first is slightly older than Annika, and her 2nd is close to 8 months. So she's quitting her job to focus on the kids for now. It's amazing how relaxed and easy she's taking it all. They are a great family, and the kids super cute.
Another one has 2 boys aged 3 and just 2, and she's expecting her 3rd boy in January next year. She's also another amazing mummy, calm and relaxed about parenting.
There are a few just on their 2nd.. I won't be surprised if the 3rd pregnancy gets announced in the next year or so!!
I think the best part of it all is that it demystifies the 3 kid thing... totally doable!! Right??
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