Our Little Precious

Yummy dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:43:00 +0000

This evening, we went for clay pot dinner as Cheryl's grand mother had a craving for the dark-soyed rice.

Tong Chiang is famous for their humble Hakka dishes and their clay pot cuisine.

The food was good and C had 2 bowls of it. :)

Her Valentine's Day piece

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 09:06:00 +0000

The institution that C is with plans their curriculum such that when there are any special occasions on the calendar, the students will be making or drawing a product that relates to the special days.

For this Valentine's Day, C came up with this:

We liked the use of colour and how different materials like aluminium foil is incorporated into the picture too.

A special day

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:38:00 +0000

14 February 2012. It's Valentine's Day and it is more special today because Daddy did something he doesn't usually do.

Daddy had this lovely bouquet delivered to my work place; something he has never done before. Hours before this, my colleague and I were talking about how our husbands aren't the sort who would give flowers so you can imagine the look on my face when I got back to my desk and saw this.

The first time he bought me flowers, we were dating. The second time, we were at the Registry of Marriage. Our customary marriage at the end of 2003 was the third. The fourth bouquet was when C was born and this is my fifth.

I wouldn't lie and say I don't like it... in fact, I love it! :) At first, the hub didn't want to admit that he was the one and the thing that made it more mysterious was, the bouquet didn't come with a card. I had to coaxed it out of him.

Bronze

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:49:00 +0000

During the December holidays, Precious took her Swim Safer Examination and cleared it.

She completed her bronze level and was awarded a certificate which came with a collar pin and a tag. :) Cheryl was very pleased with herself.

Updates ...

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:27:00 +0000

We received several updates from Mrs Lim regarding Cheryl's progress in school.

Cheryl has been learning more about number bonds.

And for English, proper nouns.

These are more like reinforcement as Precious had been exposed to them when she was in Josiah. :)

Last Saturday, during the Parents' Meeting, some parents requested that the school let us know the price list of the food items sold in the canteen and she came back with this list.

Food is reasonably priced and it looks like the amount that C brings to school everyday is sufficient.

Its salty under the sea

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:27:00 +0000

When Daddy saw Cheryl's latest art piece, he thought they were crystals.

Cheryl revealed that they were salt particles.

Nicely done and very apt indeed. :)

Love nature!

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:14:00 +0000

C loves nature, she adores animals and Geography and will be mesmerized with how volcanoes erupt and how clouds are formed.

Her first magazine we got her was at KLCC where we discovered a copy of National Geo. Today, she came back with this copy:

The edition in December had her learning about glaciers and polar bears and this time round, insects. :)

She could not be happier.

Savings

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

C gets pocket money everyday. We give her about $1.50 each day and her grand father often slips her another $2. Daddy told grand father not to do that as C would spend the extra at the bookshop. After repeated reminders, it seems to be working. :)

Daddy told C that she should start saving and only withdraw it from her piggy bank should she need to buy anything. Of course she would have to ask for permission first before she dug into her piggy bank.

This evening, I looked into her drawer and saw this... .

C managed to save a total of $30 in January. :)

Thank you!

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:58:00 +0000

We went out for dinner this evening.

Aunt Di and Uncle Ben gave us a treat. :)

I forgot to take pictures of the yusheng we had but captured the crabs.

A simple fare... :) but we were happy because we were together for our weekly dinner.

Pictures were taken by Aunt Di and I conveniently borrowed. Hehe.

Seriously, we enjoy the company and more than anything, we appreciate the time that we get to spend with each other every Sunday. :)
"Thank you, Uncle Ben, for the lovely dinner and thank you everyone, for the evening well spent."

familiarizing...

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:04:00 +0000

Being parents of a primary 1 child, we are naturally anxious about everything concerning school. When the School informed us of a briefing some time in January, Daddy and I marked down our calendar to remind us that we had a session with C's teachers. The briefing was useful as it gave us more information on how lessons are conducted and what to expect in the coming months. We also learned how Math lessons were taught in school.

Break time just before part 2 of the session started:

Since the School was undergoing renovation, the make-shift canteen was in a container. Thankfully, the place was air conditioned and spacious. This was the first time I had a "tour" of the School as parents were not allowed in the School on the first day of school.

The lockers along the corridor where the children keep their stuff and then the classroom. I was surprised to see that the classroom was rather large but this was good news because this would mean that there was ample space in the classroom to conduct the different activities.

Mrs Lim, C's teacher conducted the Math session on Heuristics. I found the lesson particularly useful because I learned how to solve problem sums using models and there were so many of them. On the whole, I had a fruitful experience and will look forward to attending more of such workshops.

the 7th day

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

It's the 7th day of the lunar new year and this day is known as Everyone's Birthday. :)

Grand mummy prepared a dish of 7 different types of vegetables. It's a dish we have every year.

Yummy! Haha.

And we had our yu sheng. C was grinning when she discovered we would be tossing because she absolutely loves this dish and especially the salmon in it. This is about the only dish where she doesn't pick on her vegetables.

"Huat ah!"

Dragon!

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 09:06:00 +0000

Happy Lunar New Year!

Let all of us be blessed with good health.

Work before play

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:19:00 +0000

Precious did a fair bit of work this evening. She started out with her revision for English Spelling and then went on to practise her Math.

They were simple pattern recognition about addition and subtraction.

Then she went on to complete her Chinese homework.

After the serious work, she spent some time playing with her play-doh. :) Soon, it will be story-reading time and she would call it a night.

'It's a dragon!'

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:24:00 +0000

Cheryl did an art work to usher in the Year of the Dragon.

Daddy teased her and commented that it looked more like an earthworm. Hahaha but Precious said very convincingly that it was a dragon. :)

uniform...

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:53:00 +0000

Several years back, we have developed this culture of dressing in similar styles when it was the new year. Actually, we do it even when it isn't the new year too. Haha.

I always get tees that are of similar designs or colour and this year, we were decked out in the latest craze; Abercrombie & Fitch. :)

:) nice! and I love the cheery colours.

Cheryl wishes her teachers...

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:56:00 +0000

Even in her pre school days, C and I had this habit of sending her teachers little well wishes and this year we continued this tradition.

Last year, we packed our mandarin oranges in the same manner for her teachers at Josiah too. However, when she realised that we had only prepared for 4 teachers, she exclaimed very loudly, "What about the other teachers?" Ha ha!

I had to explain to her that the number of staff in a primary school could amount to as many as 80 people and we would not be able to prepare the packages for all of them. She smiled and agreed that as long as the teachers who teach her received them, she was happy. :) We wrapped up the oranges and put a personalised ang bao at the front. Of course, Precious put her name down.

Math on the Internet

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:12:00 +0000

This evening, C returned with A note from Ee teacher. Precious can now log in a site that the school has subscribed and practise her math.

The website has several math concepts and topics put in place and Precious can go through the topics and solve the problem sums online.

C tried some sums on Money and she had the sums corrected online too.

Each time the online tutor told her that she had done the sum correctly, Precious broke out in a grin. :) We did not have to pay any subscription this year and since Precious liked the exercises so much, I think we will be visiting this site very often.

la la la...

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:14:00 +0000

This evening, C said she wanted to practise singing her school anthem and school creed.

She had music class today and she was happy that she had learned the songs.

The School Anthem

The School Creed

When we purchased our books from the book store, we had to get this disc too and it was good that these important songs are in there because then we can practise singing the songs at home. C is rather diligent, she was looking at the creed and learning the bibical verses.

Life as a pupil...

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

This week, with school in full swing, Precious returned with homework.

Daddy and I whisked her off for ballet after she slighted from her bus ride. She changed into her dance gear in the car and arrived just in time for her class with Ms Blue.

An hour later, she was back and after her shower and dinner, we sat down to complete her homework: Social Studies and Math. Precious also learned her Spelling for next week. :)

So sweet!

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:20:00 +0000

C has been to school for 3 days now and she is managing well. She had been well taken care of by her senior and this very thoughtful Primary 5 girl gave Precious a parting gift.

The girl even wrote Precious a note.

C loved her little doggie and had it with her as she slept.

Tomorrow on, Precious will be on her own. A little weary, she asked to have her lunch box packed. Daddy assured her that she would be fine. :)

a step forward...

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:35:00 +0000

This day came finally. Initially, it was anticipation when we did our registration, then all excitement when we had our orientation and as the date drew closer, we became rather anxious.

The night before, we had a prep talk with C, similar to the one we gave her when she started preschool. We stressed that if she was unsure of things or didn't know where to find some teachers, she had to ask. We reminded her that rules and regulations are now bigger things in a primary school and she must follow them.

This morning after she got back from her dance class, she had a quick shower and had her simple lunch of porridge. We had some extra time and she sat herself down to play her toys. When it was almost time to go down to the bus stop, we got her to dress herself. C put on the uniform herself as we wanted her to know how to do it.

C eating her lunch.

Then we went down to the bus stop.

Father and Daughter...

While waiting for the school bus to arrive, we couldn't resist but took these pictures. :) She has grown so much.

After she boarded the mini bus, we headed off to school.

C arriving at the school gate after an hour of ride. She was ushered off by a prefect who directed them to the school hall.

Parents were not allowed in school so Daddy and I didn't get to take any more shots of her. We only returned to school during the dismissal time to ensure that she knew what to do: she had to look out for the stand of her bus number and then after that, get on board the bus when all the children had arrived.

Daddy and I then drove back where we waited for her at the bus stop again.

C soon got back and she was overjoyed to see us!

Daddy Dearest with his Precious Princess. We were so proud of her.

She then showed us her gift from a new friend she got acquainted with on board the bus.

C was tired when she got back. She related that she had fried rice in school during recess and even bought herself some coloured paper at the book shop. She did some colouring in class as well and read her story book; which she commented was too short and simple. The Reading Period was about a period long and she read her book at least 3 times that day. So when we were packing her bag, she insisted on bringing a thicker book for reading the next day.

Precious' time table.

After our dinner, C went back to her toys before she retired for the night.

As for Daddy and myself, we went to bed late... . And it was a rather emotional episode for us. Daddy, in his tears, commented that C was growing up way too fast and that things would be different now that C is no longer a baby. I guess he fears that his little Princess would not want to be with him / us as she matures. Both of them are so close and alike: they both are gamesters, love the Xbox (so much so that she complained that I wasn't a good game companion) They can go on and on about the different games they have and play on the iPad. She would climb onto him during bed time to rest on his chest while they talk about the day and he would ambush her by rubbing his iron-hard hair against her tummy and they would both laugh and giggle the night away... .

I assured Daddy that though things would change, what we had with her would never. The bond that we foster now will see us through the many years to come. She would not become a stranger because we would not let that happen. We would praise her when praise is due, lecture her when she needs one and always love her, whatever happens.

This is our promise to you, Cheryl.

First swing of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:55:00 +0000

We spent the afternoon at the range.

Coach Philip didn't have that many students today and C was able to spend more time practicing her chipping and putting.

Initially, Daddy was telling me that we might have to do our weekly golf sessions at another venue. Thankfully, Coach was able to work that out with the management and we would be staying put. :)

a (sort of) new bed...

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:46:00 +0000

C was outgrowing her old one... . Not surprising because she had been sleeping in her cot for the past 6 years.

We had the cot converted to a junior bed some years back but the length of the bed could not be adjusted. There was talk about getting her a new bed a long time ago but because we couldn't find something we liked, we had been putting it off. C was growing fast and we finally decided that something had to be done when her head and her feet touched the bed frame of her cot.

We dug out an old bed frame from the store and had it fixed up. The old cot-converted bed was dismantled and put away. Then in the evening, we headed off to Ikea to get her a new mattress and some new sheets. :)

C loved her new single bed; she arranged her favourite mates to let them share her space and then she called it a night. :)

HappyCall Pan Feast to end 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:24:00 +0000

There was no fanciful dinners out, instead we decided to have a feast at home! A HappyCall Pan feast.

Grand Mummy, Aunt Di and Jules prepared the dishes and when it was near dinner time, we started our BBQ. The HappyCall Pan was our latest investment. So far the experience of using the pan has been wonderful. :)

The finger-licking food that we ate. Which was our favourite? Well, they were all good, and I don't know where to start. Haha! There was the beer marinated chicken wings: juicy to the max and then of course, our mushroom, french beans with carrot bacon wraps and the kway tiao which was done to perfection! I guess the company made it even more precious. :)

Everything was cooked in our pans. :)

We also celebrated Uncle Fong's birthday.

So this would be my last post for 2011...

"Happy New Year, everyone and let 2012 be better than 2011!"

It's painful but FUN!

noreply@blogger.com (Mummy N) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 04:13:00 +0000

On the final morning of 2011, we paid a visit to the ice skating rink at Kallang Leisure Park.

C has always wanted to ice skate but Daddy and I put it off because we do not know how to and we are afraid that she would get hurt.

Well, we decided that we should at least give it a try and off we went.

Precious putting on her skates.

And they were both ready in no time. Okay, so we fell and fell so many times! Haha! Daddy took his first time on the rink really seriously and by the time he had gone around the rink once, beads of perspiration was dripping off his face literally. As for C, her bums took most of the fall.

My bruises on my poor knees. Daddy also scrapped his elbows.

However, on a positive note, Princess remains undaunted about her first experience at the skating rink. It does look like we will be hitting the rink more in the future. :)