We spent the first half of December holidaying in Switzerland.
It was quite a crazy trip. 9 adults and 4 kids aged 1 to 4.
We left on a Singapore Airlines flight at 0125h, so that was a crazy start already. There was so much luggage, including 4 strollers.
But I cannot complain. My 2 kids were relatively well behaved and settled during the flight. My 2 nieces were however a different story. Especially the littlest one... but it was a long flight. 12 hours direct to Zurich.
When we arrived, Zurich was covered in snow. We were quite unprepared for the severity of the weather. And then there was the transfers that we had to take with the kids and luggage to the hotel. Which was technically close ( less than 10 minutes by foot ) but with our bags and kids we had to take a taxi to the hotel.
Once we arrived at the hotel, we repacked, changed our gear to the warmer clothing then made our way to the main street just outside the train station. We had lunch at the Sprungli cafe ( which was supposed to be world famous ). And that was the start to our numerous hot chocolates we had throughout the trip.
The next day we caught a train to Zermatt, home of the mighty Matterhorn. We had to change trains at a town called Visp. Initially we planned to take it easy, allow ourselves 45 minutes between train transfers. But. When we arrived at Visp, it was snowing heavily, and the train station was open to the elements! We made the 8 minute dash between platforms with bags, 4 strollers and kids. The train ride was 3 hours in total, with the last leg climbing up the mountain towards Zermatt.
Zermatt was beautiful. It was covered in snow, and there are only horse driven carriages and electric taxis allowed on the streets. The main street outside the train station had many shops, especially luxury watch and clothing shops. We were fortunate to have come outside of the school holidays; I can't imagine the crowds when the holidays actually started.
We signed Madison and Elizabeth up for private ski lessons for the first 2 days. In retrospect we should have let them acclimatize first, because they were grouchy and tired during the lessons. By the 3rd day in Zermatt they had adjusted, but were then tired from skiing. The temperatures in Zermatt ranged from -5 to -23 degrees Celcius, which was the coldest I have ever experienced.
We were lucky my parents came along, because they refused to ski and were agreeable to babysit. So while the older 2 were having lessons, the rest of us went skiing. That was truly the best part of the entire trip. Those few hours of complete bliss, up on the mountains, with the powder and next to the majestic mountains. The runs were so long! It took easily over half an hour getting down to the next chairlift or gondola. We managed to cover the entire Zermatt ski trails the 4 days that we skiied.
Food was a big challenge. Initially we were all excited about the meat, sausage and cheese that they offered, but after half a week of the same food we started to baulk at another meal of sausages. In Zermatt we rented 2 apartments so we could make some meals. Trouble was that we didn't have much choice of asian foods at the supermarket.
We were quite sad when Zermatt came to an end.
The next leg went by really quickly. We caught the Glacier Express from Zermatt to Chur. It's a panoramic train experience, where you get wined and dined for several hours while enjoying the views of the mountains. Unfortunately when you have to also entertain the children for those hours, it was much less civilised. We also had a mix up in our ticketing and didn't get to sit in the first class cabins as initially planned.
We were at Chur for 1 day as a stopover after the Glacier Express. It was also freezingly cold. Chur is supposedly Switzerland's oldest town and also quite pretty. We walked around the old town for a bit the next morning. It was generally quite quaint but still too cold. Cobblestone streets and lots of buildings with pointy peaks and roofs.
The final destination was Lucerne. Surprisingly the weather was milder at Lucerne. It was definitely busier and more touristy than the other places we had been. Again we spent time looking at the touristy things such as the Lion Monument, a rock wall with a lion carved into it to commemorate the mercenaries who died during a war. There was also the Chapel bridge. We also walked around the lake to get to the Swiss transport museum, where we spent an afternoon. That was quite interactive and fun for us all.
We did quite a bit of shopping while in Lucerne, buying mostly cheese and chocolate. With globalisation quite a few of the shops that we saw in Switzerland are available here too. In Lucerne, we finally caved in and had dinner at 2 Chinese restaurants for the last 2 nights. It was unbelievably good. ( it's all relative )
We were meant to fly off from Switzerland at 10am, but our flight got retimed to 330pm. That really made our day easier. We had breakfast at the hotel, then made our way to the airport. Because of the delay the airline gave us CHF30 per person in meal vouchers, which we then took our time to spend it all!
Again, on the flight back, my poor sister was stuck with the 1 year old for the entire 12 hours! Madison and Annika were relatively ok... slept through most of the flight and watched TV the rest of the time.
Now.. its the post trip blues and recovery from jet lag! Both kids were sleeping in past 10 am this morning!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Karuna International: Medical mission to Nepal
I think I've just recovered from my recent trip to Kathmandu, Nepal!
My dad organised a medical mission for the second time to Namo Buddha in Nepal this year.
It's a general medical mission, done at a remote medical clinic up at a site called Namo Buddha. It's at 1700m above sea level, so nowhere near the difficulty of Base Camp.
We left for Kathmandu on Saturday morning, on the 27th October. After a stopover at KL, we arrived at Tribhuvan Airport at Kathmandu. There were 10 of us in the group, and we were to be joined by a further 3 volunteers ( 1 doctor, a nurse and a clinic manager ) at Kathmandu ( they flew in a day earlier from Melbourne )
We were met at the airport and then taken by bus to Hyatt Regency 20 minutes away. Kathmandu is hot, dusty and basically a mess... the hotel was like an oasis of peace and cleanliness in comparison. But things are relative. It's not like a 5 star Hyatt that you'd expect.
We went for lunch at a restaurant just outside the Hyatt that had fantastic Nepali food. Momo, Naan, various curries and their famous Marsala tea. We were warned.. the last meat we'd eat for the next few days!
Some of the group left for early shopping, while SY and I went back to the hotel for a spa session!
The next day we took a (larger) bus up the mountain to Namo Buddha. In Nepal, there is no boot space in their buses. Luggage is manually hauled up to the roof and strapped. These transport guys are pretty strong!
The ride to Namo Buddha was pretty spectacular. The first part took us past crowded towns, which gradually stretched out to quieter towns, then finally up windy roads up the mountain. We were also warned about the final stretch of non-road. Understatement. It was a soil trail! How buses and cars drive up there astounds me. We were bouncing around in the bus. Thank goodness for Ondansetron. The views, however, did do justice to the ride. It was spectacular. As beautiful as the Canadian Alps or any other alps in the world.
We were settled into the accomodation, which was basic. Beds, toilet and occasional electricity for hot water and lights. No heating. Food was provided by a central kitchen, which was completely vegetarian.
The first day, we started clinic in the afternoon for the monks living at Namo Buddha. It was a good test of our mission clinic.
The next 2 days were spent seeing villagers that walked to see us. They are cardiovascularly fitter than most of us seeing them! Our main difficulty was language. We were fortunate to have interpreter monks helping us. The casemix was varied too.. we had the typical osteoathritis, vague joint pains, a few gynaecological issues, 3 cysts for excision, a few warts, paediatric impetigo, eczema and malnutrition. Some of the kids were quite small... 4 year olds weighing only 12kg.
I think we saw close to 500 people in the 2.5 days we ran clinic. The last day was probably the best. Everyone was familiar with the workflow, and we managed to do 3 excisions of huge sebaceous cysts too. The volunteers who came with us were amazing. They worked really hard, probably harder than the doctors. These are well- to- do people from home, and it was heartwarming to see them knuckle down to work. They helped us with triage, taking blood pressures, blood sugars, height and weight. And corralled the patients to see the doctors.
Food was literally vegetarian. Rice/ noodles with 2 vegetable dishes. Nicely flavoured, but when you're working hard mentally and physically it doesn't feel like enough. We had our own supplies of cup noodles and snacks, so that helped us through the night. Nights were cold. We had our sleeping bags with us and disposable heat packs that helped. There was no entertainment, so we went to sleep really early! That didn't mean we slept well.. quite horrible to be up several times only to find 2 hours had passed since we went to bed!!
I think most of us were quite glad to return to Kathmandu on the 4th day. By then the Hyatt felt like a paradise. An oasis of luxury. It's funny how things are subjective. It was so fantastic to have choice in our meals. Meat!
We spent the last day on tour to a place called Bhaktipur. It's an UNESCO protected heritage site. I think the best part must have been this wood carving thing that had 24 scenes of the karma sutra engraved on it. It was quite vivid.
After that we went to Thamel, a huge street shopping area. That was amazing. We had dinner at Fire and Ice, most notable because it had free wifi, a large number of Caucasians, and decent Italian food. It was a good way to end the trip. Most people bought tea, cashmere scarves/shawls, hiking goods and leather goods.
The next day we had a leisurely breakfast at the Hyatt, then wandered over to the outdoor street market near us. Did more shopping, and then finally off to the airport.
The trip was really surreal.. time flew by so quickly ( although when it was the night it felt like an eternity ). The return trip via KL was too long. We had a 5 hour layover at KLIA so by the time we arrived home it was closer to 1 am.
I was so tired the next few days. I think I've just recovered and started feeling normal only today. I don't think I've ever felt so tired after a mission trip before. Age? Difficulty of trip?
Would I go again ? I think so! Experience definitely helps.
My dad organised a medical mission for the second time to Namo Buddha in Nepal this year.
It's a general medical mission, done at a remote medical clinic up at a site called Namo Buddha. It's at 1700m above sea level, so nowhere near the difficulty of Base Camp.
We left for Kathmandu on Saturday morning, on the 27th October. After a stopover at KL, we arrived at Tribhuvan Airport at Kathmandu. There were 10 of us in the group, and we were to be joined by a further 3 volunteers ( 1 doctor, a nurse and a clinic manager ) at Kathmandu ( they flew in a day earlier from Melbourne )
We were met at the airport and then taken by bus to Hyatt Regency 20 minutes away. Kathmandu is hot, dusty and basically a mess... the hotel was like an oasis of peace and cleanliness in comparison. But things are relative. It's not like a 5 star Hyatt that you'd expect.
We went for lunch at a restaurant just outside the Hyatt that had fantastic Nepali food. Momo, Naan, various curries and their famous Marsala tea. We were warned.. the last meat we'd eat for the next few days!
Some of the group left for early shopping, while SY and I went back to the hotel for a spa session!
The next day we took a (larger) bus up the mountain to Namo Buddha. In Nepal, there is no boot space in their buses. Luggage is manually hauled up to the roof and strapped. These transport guys are pretty strong!
The ride to Namo Buddha was pretty spectacular. The first part took us past crowded towns, which gradually stretched out to quieter towns, then finally up windy roads up the mountain. We were also warned about the final stretch of non-road. Understatement. It was a soil trail! How buses and cars drive up there astounds me. We were bouncing around in the bus. Thank goodness for Ondansetron. The views, however, did do justice to the ride. It was spectacular. As beautiful as the Canadian Alps or any other alps in the world.
We were settled into the accomodation, which was basic. Beds, toilet and occasional electricity for hot water and lights. No heating. Food was provided by a central kitchen, which was completely vegetarian.
The first day, we started clinic in the afternoon for the monks living at Namo Buddha. It was a good test of our mission clinic.
The next 2 days were spent seeing villagers that walked to see us. They are cardiovascularly fitter than most of us seeing them! Our main difficulty was language. We were fortunate to have interpreter monks helping us. The casemix was varied too.. we had the typical osteoathritis, vague joint pains, a few gynaecological issues, 3 cysts for excision, a few warts, paediatric impetigo, eczema and malnutrition. Some of the kids were quite small... 4 year olds weighing only 12kg.
I think we saw close to 500 people in the 2.5 days we ran clinic. The last day was probably the best. Everyone was familiar with the workflow, and we managed to do 3 excisions of huge sebaceous cysts too. The volunteers who came with us were amazing. They worked really hard, probably harder than the doctors. These are well- to- do people from home, and it was heartwarming to see them knuckle down to work. They helped us with triage, taking blood pressures, blood sugars, height and weight. And corralled the patients to see the doctors.
Food was literally vegetarian. Rice/ noodles with 2 vegetable dishes. Nicely flavoured, but when you're working hard mentally and physically it doesn't feel like enough. We had our own supplies of cup noodles and snacks, so that helped us through the night. Nights were cold. We had our sleeping bags with us and disposable heat packs that helped. There was no entertainment, so we went to sleep really early! That didn't mean we slept well.. quite horrible to be up several times only to find 2 hours had passed since we went to bed!!
I think most of us were quite glad to return to Kathmandu on the 4th day. By then the Hyatt felt like a paradise. An oasis of luxury. It's funny how things are subjective. It was so fantastic to have choice in our meals. Meat!
We spent the last day on tour to a place called Bhaktipur. It's an UNESCO protected heritage site. I think the best part must have been this wood carving thing that had 24 scenes of the karma sutra engraved on it. It was quite vivid.
After that we went to Thamel, a huge street shopping area. That was amazing. We had dinner at Fire and Ice, most notable because it had free wifi, a large number of Caucasians, and decent Italian food. It was a good way to end the trip. Most people bought tea, cashmere scarves/shawls, hiking goods and leather goods.
The next day we had a leisurely breakfast at the Hyatt, then wandered over to the outdoor street market near us. Did more shopping, and then finally off to the airport.
The trip was really surreal.. time flew by so quickly ( although when it was the night it felt like an eternity ). The return trip via KL was too long. We had a 5 hour layover at KLIA so by the time we arrived home it was closer to 1 am.
I was so tired the next few days. I think I've just recovered and started feeling normal only today. I don't think I've ever felt so tired after a mission trip before. Age? Difficulty of trip?
Would I go again ? I think so! Experience definitely helps.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Weekends
Why are weekends always so busy!
I remember weekends being a time to relax. Read the newspapers, have a lazy brunch. Catch a movie and stay up late Friday and/or Saturday night. Recharge for the new week ahead.
Now it seems like its merely a continuation of the weekday. Except busier.
We wake at the same ungodly hour ( why do kids not sleep in till 8 am on weekends??!!)
They still need breakfast quite soon after waking. ( means I still have to fuss around the kitchen getting it ready )
Once breakfast is done it seems the day just zips by.
This past weekend we were invited to the neighbours house for lunch and dinner. It was so nice to have a combined food effort. Plus company. It's like socializing for kids and adults all at once. And we didn't have to leave them at home and feel guilty about it.
There were crazy rain and thunderstorms both afternoons of this weekend so the kids didn't get to do their weekend twice daily swims.
A neighbour, E, took us to an indoor playgym called Royce at Liang Court. I'm generally not a big fan of indoor playgrounds so my kids don't get to go to these places. It wasn't too bad, basically a large room with every toy imaginable. The kids had a good time for an hour. It's a good alternative when outdoors isn't really an option. ( E and myself were quite bored though... Don't know why they don't think of having a cafe within the play area itself )
Friday night Chris had his post-exam 'thank you' dinner for his Surgery department at a restaurant called Suburbia at Sentosa.
Actually I was not that keen on going.. but I thought.. I really should... 1. am becoming too house/kid bound 2. it's his celebration dinner 3. Should not become dowdy ol wife who doesn't attend social functions.
It's just that when you have 2 large groups of doctors from the same department, it's IMPOSSIBLE for them not to talk shop. Which of course happened. And you feel really dumb sitting there trying to understand what or who they are talking about.
Still... I went.. and it wasn't too bad...
This weekend is a long weekend, and I'm off to Nepal!!
I remember weekends being a time to relax. Read the newspapers, have a lazy brunch. Catch a movie and stay up late Friday and/or Saturday night. Recharge for the new week ahead.
Now it seems like its merely a continuation of the weekday. Except busier.
We wake at the same ungodly hour ( why do kids not sleep in till 8 am on weekends??!!)
They still need breakfast quite soon after waking. ( means I still have to fuss around the kitchen getting it ready )
Once breakfast is done it seems the day just zips by.
This past weekend we were invited to the neighbours house for lunch and dinner. It was so nice to have a combined food effort. Plus company. It's like socializing for kids and adults all at once. And we didn't have to leave them at home and feel guilty about it.
There were crazy rain and thunderstorms both afternoons of this weekend so the kids didn't get to do their weekend twice daily swims.
A neighbour, E, took us to an indoor playgym called Royce at Liang Court. I'm generally not a big fan of indoor playgrounds so my kids don't get to go to these places. It wasn't too bad, basically a large room with every toy imaginable. The kids had a good time for an hour. It's a good alternative when outdoors isn't really an option. ( E and myself were quite bored though... Don't know why they don't think of having a cafe within the play area itself )
Friday night Chris had his post-exam 'thank you' dinner for his Surgery department at a restaurant called Suburbia at Sentosa.
Actually I was not that keen on going.. but I thought.. I really should... 1. am becoming too house/kid bound 2. it's his celebration dinner 3. Should not become dowdy ol wife who doesn't attend social functions.
It's just that when you have 2 large groups of doctors from the same department, it's IMPOSSIBLE for them not to talk shop. Which of course happened. And you feel really dumb sitting there trying to understand what or who they are talking about.
Still... I went.. and it wasn't too bad...
This weekend is a long weekend, and I'm off to Nepal!!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Lantern festival weekend, Mission trip for Chris
The past week was good and bad.
Bad because Chris left for a surgical mission trip to Myanmar early Wednesday morning.
I took him and Pa to the airport at 6am Wednesday morning. I actually got a little depressed thinking of the looming week where I had to sort everything out kid related by myself. And co-ordinate going over to meet the rest of the family...
Then that set me off thinking about our plans for next year...
This was just 5 days single parenting.
Next year Chris' boss wants him to go to Germany for an entire year.
Obviously the choices are whether to take the kids and go or to stay here.
I started looking up about expatriate life in Germany and frankly it doesn't really sound fun. That and the cost of having all of us in a European country would send our living costs up. Not forgetting the loss of one income. And what about Mandarin, music lessons, swim and tennis lessons? And of course, Warni? And least but not all, the clinic?
So obviously the answer is to stay here and let Chris go by himself. He could easily travel within Europe to various centres to train if he had to, rather than be bogged down by all of us.
The Good part of the weekend? ( Sans husband )
We had 2 lantern festival parties!
One with the neighbours on Saturday, and the other at C's place on Sunday.
Both were great.
Saturday's party had all the neighbours contribute to a potluck and there was so much food and wine!
It was really nice that the kids ran around, swam and raided each other's houses, while the adults were able to sit down to a relaxed meal by the poolside. And when anyone was done they just said goodbye and went upstairs! The conversation centred around the recent Cecilia Sue case, why that was so no one knew... guy thing??
Sunday morning the kids were at the pool again. I think Madison was in the water for over 2 hours! It's like an endless resort holiday for them. In the evening we had another potluck dinner at C's place with her 3 boys. C's mother was so kind to brew tea and cut moon cake up for us too. The kids got to play with sparklers.. I think the adults spent more time being paranoid about them burning themselves or the house down than enjoying the moment.
Chris got back safely late Sunday night. The kids were all asleep by the time he got home. I think he missed them quite a bit!
Bad because Chris left for a surgical mission trip to Myanmar early Wednesday morning.
I took him and Pa to the airport at 6am Wednesday morning. I actually got a little depressed thinking of the looming week where I had to sort everything out kid related by myself. And co-ordinate going over to meet the rest of the family...
Then that set me off thinking about our plans for next year...
This was just 5 days single parenting.
Next year Chris' boss wants him to go to Germany for an entire year.
Obviously the choices are whether to take the kids and go or to stay here.
I started looking up about expatriate life in Germany and frankly it doesn't really sound fun. That and the cost of having all of us in a European country would send our living costs up. Not forgetting the loss of one income. And what about Mandarin, music lessons, swim and tennis lessons? And of course, Warni? And least but not all, the clinic?
So obviously the answer is to stay here and let Chris go by himself. He could easily travel within Europe to various centres to train if he had to, rather than be bogged down by all of us.
The Good part of the weekend? ( Sans husband )
We had 2 lantern festival parties!
One with the neighbours on Saturday, and the other at C's place on Sunday.
Both were great.
Saturday's party had all the neighbours contribute to a potluck and there was so much food and wine!
It was really nice that the kids ran around, swam and raided each other's houses, while the adults were able to sit down to a relaxed meal by the poolside. And when anyone was done they just said goodbye and went upstairs! The conversation centred around the recent Cecilia Sue case, why that was so no one knew... guy thing??
Sunday morning the kids were at the pool again. I think Madison was in the water for over 2 hours! It's like an endless resort holiday for them. In the evening we had another potluck dinner at C's place with her 3 boys. C's mother was so kind to brew tea and cut moon cake up for us too. The kids got to play with sparklers.. I think the adults spent more time being paranoid about them burning themselves or the house down than enjoying the moment.
Chris got back safely late Sunday night. The kids were all asleep by the time he got home. I think he missed them quite a bit!
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Montebleu weekend
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..
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..
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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