Candle Light Dinner

We went for Japanese buffet at Kampachi, Equatorial Bangi. It was a romantic candle light dinner. By "we", I mean hubby and I AND the two noisy monsters. hehehe The hotel participated in Earth Hour and switched off the main lights. There were some dim lights and candles. But we didn't get to enjoy the so-called romantic atmosphere as we're busy getting food for the kids, getting food for ourselves, helping didi feed himself or bringing didi to the washroom for big business (whenever we dine out, he LOVES to poo right after he's eaten, even though he's done his business at home. A really weird habit). Anyway, how to be romantic with two bright "spotlights" on the table? :D

And we're terrible earthlings. I totally forgot about Earth Hour when we left the house. So I didn't instruct Kakak to switch off the lights. Anyway, I don't think it's a good idea to leave her alone in the house with candles. I'm sure she'd freak out. Never mind, I'll try to do my part another day.

Back to the dinner, I think the kids enjoyed it the most. As we're not a big fan of raw food, the rest of the food are just normal. XY ate some fried rice, then started enjoying the desserts (wafer rolls, marshmallows, muar chee, fruits and ice cream). Didi ate more 'proper' food (fried rice, vegetables and noodles) before he attacked the desserts. He doesn't really like cold stuff. When he takes cold stuff, he'd tell me it's very cold. He'll leave them for later or eat just a teeny weeny bit at a time. I think he prefers melted ice cream.

~ jie jie enjoying her double scoop ice cream ~

~ didi eating ice cream like drinking soup :D ~

New Bed

The kids have been sleeping in the same room as us since they were born. As XY's already 7 years old, we thought she should have her own room. After looking around (not actively, though) for many many months, we bought the 5 in 1 Multi Option bed, from the SlumberKIDS range (Slumberland). Price = RM1,600 including 2 mattresses. It's a super single bed (3½ feet) with a pull-out bed (3 feet) at the bottom, which can be raised up to the same level as the super single bed.

Although she likes (no, loves) double decker beds, we don't want to get it as we're afraid she'd fall down when she wakes up to pee in the middle of the night (still blur blur mah). She's very interested in the ladder. Every time we're at the furniture shop, the kids would definitely check out (read: climb up and down) the double deckers. :-| They like those fancy beds (car design, carriage design, etc) too, but we don't think they are practical. That said, we still got her "approval" before buying this one. She also chose her own bed sheet with comforter set.

~ obviously a girl's bed :D ~

The bed was delivered on the first week of January. We took the opportunity to "kick" didi out of our room so he can keep jie jie company. I'd still have to put him to sleep. When he woke up in the middle of the night, he'd be crying for me. End up, I'll have to bring him back to my room to sleep. It was disrupting jie jie's sleep so after awhile, I asked jie jie to sleep on her own. She managed to do so, although reluctantly, but she woke up very early in the morning. When she was sick in the third week of January, she slept in our room. And since then, we put that project on hold till the school holidays, when I can train them to sleep in their own room without worrying about them not having enough sleep on a school day.

Now that the 1-week break is over, how did it go? Total disaster, total waste of time. Sigh... they're now sleeping in our room again. To cut the story short, I think didi's still very attached to me. There was a lot of crying during the week. And it got worse as the days passed. Maybe I'm not persevering enough but I've tried for the whole week. No point insisting on it when everyone's not getting a good sleep. And we're thinking, when the kids are in their teens, they'd automatically want their own space. So might as well let them stick to us now. :-)

But I still want to train them to be a little more independent, especially didi. Now the new strategy is to let them sleep on a separate bed in our room. So far so good, although not fuss-free. At least he doesn't have to "smell" me to sleep. I just need to lie next to him, on the mattress on the floor (he's on the bed). The next target is to get him to sleep without me. When oh when will that day come? However, nap time in the afternoons is still the same as before -- sleeping together on the same bed. Coz he said jie jie is in school, so I have to sleep with him. And I don't have the heart to say "No". hehehe

Dictionary

We went to Popular with the intention to buy a Malay (BM) dictionary for XY. I was looking through the BM-English, English-BM dictionary from Oxford and Longman. Decided on Oxford as it seemed more comprehensive. The one I was holding was already unwrapped. So I chose the nicest new one (wrapped in transparent paper) I can find.

As I don't have the member card, I wanted to apply on the spot. But for the Student Membership (the cheapest rate), I need to show XY's student card, which of course I didn't have it with me (who'd carry that around?). In fact, I'm wondering what I should bring the next time I want to apply for the membership card. Will they accept the registration letter from the school?

At the payment counter, the lady in front of me was very kind to allow me to use her card. Otherwise I won't be entitled to any discounts. Then later, I realised the cashier didn't give me the appropriate discount. Luckily we're still inside the bookshop. After asking the relevant person and getting the more senior guy to make the adjustments, I got back RM1.50. Yup, we waited an extra 10 minutes just for that small amount. Needless to say, hubby gave me THAT look. hahaha

And after all that trouble, I actually bought the WRONG book. I took the English-English-BM one. The covers are all so similar, that's my excuse. Sigh... not sure if I can change it but anyway, the shop is not near where we stay. And since I may need to get another one, can you recommend any good BM dictionary (with explanations in English) that's suitable for primary school level?

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go bang my head on the wall... again.
:-(

Poor Attendance

CE has been back to school for 2 weeks now. After the CNY break, it was like starting from square one coz he's only attended 5 days of school in January (due to HFMD) and skipped the whole of February. We let him skip the whole month because we need to travel a lot during CNY and I wanted him to have as much rest as possible. Also to avoid any infection from school. Based on XY's track record when she first started kindy, I knew that was a critical month. So to be on the safe side, I kept him at home. And I'm really glad I did coz he was in 'good' condition throughout the whole month.

I was worried about how he'll adapt after being absent for so long but luckily he's doing fine in school. He doesn't resist going to school but it's quite hard to wake him up in the mornings. He'll usually say "I want to sleep" and today he said "I want to go kai kai". :-| Some mornings, he'll cry. But I think it's getting better as I threaten that he won't get to play games (Wii or computer) after lunch if he cries. And I really mean it. If he cried that morning, I won't let him play those games no matter how he fussed/cried/protested. And I keep reminding him why he doesn't get to play.

As he was away in Feb, I asked the teachers to pass me some worksheets so that I can guide him at home. I don't want him to be left too far behind compared to his classmates. He eventually learnt how to hold the pencil the correct way. I was trying so hard to teach him last year but he just refused to follow. But once he started kindy, he's learnt to grip correctly. He can't control very well though. So his tracing and writing are quite horrible and his colouring is really messy (way out of the line). Anyway, I'm not worried. It takes time and lots of practice.

~ he's learnt to grip the pencil properly since end of January ~

It was difficult to get him to do his "homework" during the self-declared holidays (in Feb). He can tell me the correct answers (which is taller/which is more) but he doesn't want to follow the instructions. He was supposed to circle the answer but he only wanted to colour them. He just coloured whichever objects that he fancied. And I let him be, as long as he's interested in those worksheets. :-) Luckily we still managed to complete all the "homework" in time.

He's wet his pants a few times in school. He hasn't mastered the art of peeing into the toilet bowl by himself. He tells me he goes to the toilet himself, without the teacher's help. He probably didn't pull his pants down properly before aiming. But last Friday, his teacher told me he peed in his pants, inside the classroom. Haiyo... When he's too engrossed in something, he has a tendency to pee in his pants. I guess it's normal, at this age.

Oh by the way, jie jie's ulcer at her chin has almost fully recovered already. Thanks everyone, for your concern. The cream the doctor gave was very effective. Within 2 days, I can see results (drying) already. Now she has some light marks, which hopefully will disappear eventually.

Awaiting The Tooth Fairy

XY's two permanent lower central incisors have started to grow on the inner side but only her left baby tooth was loose. It bled yesterday while she was having dinner but it didn't come out. She complained of pain when she bit on it. So I brought her to the dentist to extract the tooth and to check again (we went 2 weeks ago but the dentist, Dr C, said can still wait, as I preferred her teeth to drop out by itself) if the other one should be extracted as well. This dentist (Dr L) suggested removing both as it may cause her pain later on (when the permanent tooth grow bigger, I suppose).

He injected her gum to make it numb. It was very easy to pull out the loose tooth but I saw him twist and twist with the other one. Although XY didn't feel the pain but I think she can feel the tug so she was going "nggg... nggg..." with her mouth wide open. But I'd say she was very brave throughout the procedure. The dentist asked her to close her eyes but she kept them opened. I was so afraid she'd freak out when she saw the needle or the forceps. The only thing she hated was biting the gauze to stop the bleeding after the extraction. She said it tasted funny. :D

~ the two little teeth ~

Note : Dr L explained that when the permanent tooth pushes out the baby tooth (making it loose), it'll dissolve the roots. Thus the loose tooth doesn't have roots.

She's put the two teeth under her pillow, waiting for the tooth fairy to give her some 'change' (coins). hehehe

~ two baby teeth gone ~

If you look carefully, there are some red/orange patches on her chin. Here's a clearer view...


Yikes! That looks horrible huh. The skin specialist said it's ulcer, some kind of bacterial infection (not known to be contagious though). A week ago, it was just a patch in the middle. We thought she scratched her skin so didn't bother about it till it spread to her whole chin. It doesn't look "normal" so I brought her to consult the doctor. Doctor prescribed a cream (name cannot be given coz that's the clinic's policy) to apply and oral antibiotics (Amoxil). I think the medicines are working as the patches are drying up. Hopefully it'll continue to heal fast and not leave any scars.

Mini Bloggers Gathering

For the first time, I met up with the family of Doreen, Sharine and June. Oh, I've bumped into Doreen at Bali Hai in Oct '08. But this is our first official meeting. :-) Hubby didn't join us coz he had another appointment. Doreen was already at Ko Fu Loft, Gurney Plaza when we arrived. Ryan was such a good boy as he didn't hesitate to share his precious toy cars with XY and CE. Although he was a little shy at first, he warmed up soon after. But he's not camera-shy at all. This handsome lad is ever so willing to pose for pictures, and very good at it too.

Sharine's En En is so pretty and 'see man' (lady-like). It was interesting to see Zheng in action. He's one very cute eating machine (it's better to have a kid who loves food than a picky eater, right?) and he's a pro at the steps. CE was more interested to play with him than the others. Maybe he thinks Zheng's a moving baby toy. hehehe I was very worried for Zheng coz my boy can be quite rough.

Rachael (June's princess) is a very active girl. When she came in, she totally ignored the chair. She was off to explore the steps and the bamboo decoration area, which eventually became the kids' play area. XY soon joined her and played 'catching' with her. They clicked instantly, I guess coz they're the same cannot-sit-still type. hahaha

At one point, the boys were sitting at the table eating while the girls were running around the place. Gosh... what has the world become? :D Although there were only 6 kids, it was enough to create havoc. Luckily Doreen chose a strategic place where we sort of have a bigger area to ourselves (the table next to us was unoccupied). The kids had a blast walking, running and exploring the whole place. Laughing and shouting too. As for the husbands, they are very friendly and very hands-on with the kids.

I didn't take much pictures (not that I usually do :D) as Doreen's and June's husbands came with their BIG toys. They were busy snapping away while we had our meal, chatted or followed the kids around. Actually, we didn't chat much as most of the time we were distracted by the kids. Hopefully we'll be able to do this again and get to know more about each other. To the 3 pretty mommies, thank you for the wonderful company and it was really great seeing you all in person.

These are some of the pictures taken by Alan (Doreen's hubby). Very candid, natural and clear.

~ from left to right : Rou En, Yong Zheng and Rachael ~

~ CE playing hide and seek with Mr Photographer ~

~ 2 cute obliging models (Rachael & Ryan) putting
their heads in between the bamboo sticks ~

~ 'tai kar cheh' with her little friends ~

CNY 2010

Chinese New Year's over and it's now the exam period for school-going children (except kindy, I guess). XY is having an "assessment" today and tomorrow, on 4 subjects -- BM, English, Mathematics and Science. She hasn't done much revision as we were travelling again last long weekend.

This year, I went back to my hometown a little late (on the 12th day of CNY) coz there's a long weekend and to celebrate my mom's birthday in advance (actual day tomorrow). It was also good to split the travelling so the kids (and us "old folks") can have a good rest in between. For the past few CNYs, we drove back to KL from hubby's hometown (down south) on the 3rd day, then catch a flight up north (to my hometown) on the same day. With the hot weather, lack of rest and lots of unhealthy food/snacks, it's very easy to fall sick, especially for the kids. I'm very glad they've been doing fine so far, although they ate quite a lot of cookies, chips, sweets and what-nots.

Here's a summary of our activities during CNY :

Johor, hubby's hometown
Eve of CNY ~ drove back to hubby's hometown. This is also considered late. We usually go back a few days before the eve but hubby was away on a business trip and only came back on Friday night.

2nd day ~ MIL's side of the family came over. There were about 30 odd people in the house. But it wasn't too chaotic as there're only 4 kids below 10 years old. :-)

3rd day ~ FIL's brother and family came over.

5th day ~ left hubby's hometown.

Kajang, home sweet home
6th day ~ visited my aunt and cousin sister in Shah Alam. Also to see the newborn baby girl (my cousin sister's granddaughter). In fact, we've all been promoted. I'm now a grandaunt. How cool is that?

7th day ~ gathering at BIL's house with some friends.

12th day ~ back to my hometown.

Penang, my hometown
13th day ~ mini bloggers meet at Ko Fu Loft, Gurney Plaza. Details in the next post.

14th day ~ small gathering at my house with schoolmates. Then family dinner cum birthday celebration for mom at Starview Restaurant. Can't comment about the food coz I was having stomach discomfort. General comment -- food's ok and the serving's big.

Chap Goh Meh ~ fly back to KL.