to Kirsten with love

Happy birthday, Princess.

July 14, 2011

To my Special Angel Princess,

Happy Birthday! Considering that this is only the second time you’re having a birthday, you rock it like a pro. You soak up all the attention and beam from ear to ear every time we sing you the Birthday Song – I’ve lost count after 35 times.

It feels a little weird that you’re just only turning 2 because it seems like you’ve been 2 for the longest time. It doesn’t bother you that you’re way shorter than everyone your age and the doctor says your height is only in the 10th percentile for 2-year-olds. But that’s cool because inside that tiny body is a big girl.

Your vocabulary is astounding and thanks to your grammar police of a brother, you’re pretty sharp in that department too. I’d love to take credit for that but sometimes, I don’t even know how you pick up words like consolidate and devastating. My money is on Disney Junior but then again, you listen to our conversations and surprise us by asking very insightful questions.

This time last year, I was so sure you were going to be the sweet, demure type. You used to sit quietly and observe all the action around you but in the past 12 months, you’ve somehow managed to find a way to be part of the action. You instigate your brother to climb the grilles and throw all the rice on the floor. And then you make him giggle at how hilarious it is.

When we’re out shopping, you couldn’t care less that we’re not behind you. We’ve tried hiding behind pillars while following you at a distance and you’ve never once turned back to look for us. One time at Ikea, you realized that we were nowhere to be found and you continued sauntering around holding your doggie plushie without a care in the world. Even though you couldn’t see me, I was following close enough to hear you tell your dog “See, we got no more mommy and daddy already, they’re lost. It’s ok, I bring you go kai kai.” In contrast, your brother watches us like a hawk to make sure we’re always within sight so he doesn’t get lost.

I suppose it’s a good thing that you’d be able to survive even if you got lost, but please don’t. Mommy needs you more than you know.

I love everything about you (yes, even the intentional shrieking you’ve perfected just to get your way), but the one thing I love most is how you immediately rush to the rescue every time you see someone hurting. You want to go hug the hobo sleeping at the void deck because he’s sick and you offer your last french fries to the troubadour along the sidewalk. Ok, so I exploit it once in a while to get extra hugs and kisses but that’s pretty much fair play for being your mother.

Have a smashing year ahead, baby girl. And always remember that Daddy and Mommy loves you an awful lot.

by
i embarrass myself sometimes, lists you should paste on your fridge, not feeling so supermom, stuff best described as not safe for parents, unqualified parenting tips

Mom, inadequate

July 12, 2011

Question: Anyone else ever felt as inadequate about being a mom as I do? I mean, I love kids but I’m terrible at teaching them phonics or nutrition or how to make the toilet or being responsible and all that.

Last week, I’ve been trying to get Kirsten to pee in the toilet. I psyched her up about being a big girl and wearing Hello Kitty panties instead of diapers and put her on the toilet bowl. She was all “mommy do” so ok, I figured since kids learnt through imitation, I’d do a live demo for her.

And she just stood there and laughed – nice one, baby girl.

It doesn’t really help that every other mother I know seems to have their act together. They potty-train their newborns and their kids can draw a straight line by 11 months. I’m obviously way behind because I’m 29 and still can’t draw a straight line. After that, they move on to advanced topics like feeding organic vegetables that they’ve grown by hand in their backyard and teaching their kids to perform cardiothoracic surgery.

Then I come across sites like these and I feel so. much. better.

I’ve picked out some of my favorites here. I may or may not have done these at some point.

1. Everyone thinks I’m such a great mom for teaching my daughter how to read already. It wasn’t me. It was the Leapfrog pen. I had no idea she could read.

2. Since it’s summertime, about once a week I take the kids for ice cream… for lunch.

3. I forget to brush my 1- and 2-year-olds’ teeth. I am not sure why it’s so hard for me to remember, but it’s a good thing that these teeth will fall out.

4. At the end if the day, my needs are really simple: To be able to shit in peace.

5. At the end of a long challenging day, I’m apt to call bedtime half and hour early. It’s not like they can tell time yet.

6. I used bandaids to cover my nipples when I weaned my children. See? All gone.

7. I joined a gym just for the free daycare. I drop the kids off and read magazines and blogs in the locker room.

8. Questions of the day: 1) How did the pepperoni get stuck to the ceiling? 2) Why didn’t gravity kick in & make it fall? 3) How did I not notice this? 4) When did we have pizza last?

9. I confiscated my teenager’s stash of pot, gave her a lecture, and have been smoking it ever since myself.

10. Last week, my hairdresser asked how far along I was. I’m not pregnant, but I pretended to be 4 months. I can never go back there.

11.  Mother dropping her kid for a sleepover at my house: “No food dye, no dairy, just soy milk, only organic food, and we don’t eat ANY fast food.” I let them eat all the junk they wanted. They seemed fine.

12. My kids hardy bathe in the summer. The pool totally counts.

13. When my daughter asked me what comes after a trillion, I told her “a gazillion.” Um, we are homeschoolers. Not supposed to just make shit up.

14. My baby is not spoiled, she just doesn’t like you.

15. I confess that most days, I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing. Everyone thinks I have it all together — good wife, good mom, successful career — but I really don’t. I’m ready to stop pretending to be perfect now.

What’s yours?

by
Disney Magic

Yo Ho Ho Let’s Go!

July 11, 2011

Lovely Monday morning to you. This is going to be an exciting week, with the final installment of the Harry Potter series blockbustering its way to our screens. I’ve just reread the book for the 4th time and the trailers are looking epic. Cannot wait.

But first, a quick recap of what turned out to be a fantastic weekend. Yesterday was the launch party of Disney Junior at Sentosa’s Sapphire Pavilion because today, Disney Junior debuts on Starhub’s Channel 311. Getting up before 9 on a Sunday morning is a rarity in our house but when the kids heard the 2 words “Disney” and “Party”, their eyes popped open and they jumped out of bed in double quick time.

It was a beautiful morning for a day at the beach. Balloons, check. Palm trees swaying gently in the wind, check. Soft sand, check. Loads of sunshine, double check.

Plus, there were pirates. Well, just one at first but he was a really cute one.

Before the morning was over, his jolly crew was joined by 2 spritely young buccaneers.

Who took to their new pirating duties with much aplomb. They got busy looking for treasure, digging them up and trying to bury others.

And this is the point where I should probably end with a piratey phrase but unlike them, I don’t actually have any real pirate training so you’ll have to make do with a Yo Ho Ho!

by