The Little Big Club

The date is set! We've managed to get tickets to see Barney, Bob the Builder, etc at the Little Big Club. Purchase 5 tickets and we'll get a personal Meet and Greet! The lady at the Sistic counter said we need to show our Toys R Us card to get the 15% discount. Well......Eugene couldn't find it and we weren't about to let $3.00 x 5 slide (cheapos). We searched for days and finally admitted defeat, we'd just get a replacement card. On Monday I went up to the Sistic lady (another one) and she didn't even look at our Toys R Us card and gave us the discount anyway. Then I went to see the fine print, purchase the 5 tickets BEFORE 25th May to be entitled to the Meet and Greet session. Sigh, stupid woman, stupid us. We purchased tickets ON 25th May. Little technical glitch there!!!

Anyways, I'm looking forward to the 6th of June, it is my first ever live show in ages, I'm so excited to bring Renee to see it. Only parents would do this kind of thing huh? Bring themselves down to 3 year old level. It is all for the kids.

Pictures of the two rascals

Renee and Russell driving the school bus, a kiddie ride at Plaza Singapura.

Renee at Russell waiting patiently for Eugene to purchase a new computer for my FIL - Suntec City. Renee had just knocked her head onto the seat I was sitting on. See the red mark on her left forehead?

Can't blame her for being restless!

Cake

Renee loves cakes, or rather birthday cakes. Unfortunately (or fortunately) each year, we're only entitled to 1 birthday. Oh yes, when you are 33 and counting, you only want 1 birthday a year, or less if possible. However, Renee doesn't seem to understand that yet. Everytime she sees a beautiful cake, she wants it for her birthday.

Friday after dinner, we walked pass Bengawan Solo and she spotted a cute squarish Mickey Mouse designed cake. "Mummy, I want! I want, I want!!" Then she saw the full size round one and she wanted that instead! Argh! "Mummy, i want to cut" as we all do with birthday cakes. At that point, I wanted to buy bread for Saturday's breakfast so she followed me to Four Leaves. Upon seeing a kiddie drink, she forgot all about the cake. Phew! Now it was "Mummy, I want the drink". Sigh. Had no choice, bought the drink for her and she immediately put down the yoghurt which she had pestered my sister-in-law to buy for her just 5 minutes ago. Kids are fickle huh?

Saturday morning she woke up and first thing she said was, "The cake" pointing her little finger to the ceiling as if having an Einstein moment. It was 7.30am and we tried explaining to her Parkway Parade wasn't opened yet. Hours passed and it was Sunday dinner, we were at Parkway again and this time I promised to get the cake for her. I got her to lead the way which she shyly did. As we got closer to the cake shop, she got more confident and excited and shouted to us, "turn right here!!! papa, turn right!!" She actually remembered the way there. The cake was getting nearer, nearer, nearer, POW! Sold out! Oops. She was sooooo disappointed, cried like there was no tomorrow. We had to think of something fast and Vivian said Polar also has similar cakes. So we trudged there and I prayed so hard there was something there, to no avail. She sobbed to Eugene and I finally thought to an alternative. I suggested marshmellows. What to do? I know they are sweet as hell but best thing to stop a distraught toddler.

I went back to Bengawan Solo on Monday evening to get the cake as the lady told me it would be available then. I was more excited to present Renee with the cake!! Finally she dug into it with gusto and even finished 3 quarters of it - which is very rare, usually she loses her enthusiasm a quarter into what she eats.

Renee with cake in question.

Inflatable slide

I haven't been very hardworking with the pictures, so I just took some random ones. Here are Russell and Renee just last week, playing with the inflatable slide that I got Renee for Christmas. Yes, it is finally out of the box, all 40 balls and all which we have to pick up like mad because Russell loves to throw them out of the pit.


It was rather out of the blue that Renee suddenly remembered the "Slide! Slide!!" and then it was non-stop asking yeh-yeh to blow it up. My poor FIL had to use a silly pump to blow it up. I think it must have taken FOREVER!!


Anyway, the kids love it and it keeps them occupied.

Spending time with the kids

I know I know, I have been MIA for a long time and I thought I'd be able to update my blog last week when I was on "vacation". The whole of last week my in-laws were in Japan so I had to take time off from work to look after the kids. To be honest, I have been rather paranoid being alone with the kids after Russell's fall. I went into the week being really fearful and stressed. Renee is at that stage where if you ask her to do "A" and she'd do "B" and I'd need to ask her to do each task a thousand times. Russell is beginning to take 3 or 4 steps at a time so I had to really keep an eye on him at all times which was totally impossible. He ended up with bruises all over his face, with one on his cheek which my friend mistook for a dimple (haha, the shading made it look like a dimple). Monday and Friday Renee had classes so I had to load the two kids into their car seats and head to United Square. Thankfully, Renee will sit in the car seat when I am driving. The worse part comes with we are on our way home after her class. Russell and Renee will end up taking their afternoon nap and I have to bring them home. I'd put Renee in the pram together with all the bags and carry Russell in one arm, trying to steer the pram into the lift. WOW. Works up a sweat I tell you!

Had to feed the two kids properly so they didn't lose too much weight by the time their grandparents returned. The first two days, I felt like giving up as I realised I was scolding Renee endlessly. So much so, there was 1 day I said to her, "don't do (something, can't remember now)" and she said back to me, "if not, you beat me ah?" wah piang, I burst out crying in front of her. I must have been turning into Monster Mother from Hell. Each day that Eugene returned home, I ended up weeping to him. I felt so out of control.

Luckily the days became easier as the week passed and I can honestly say that Renee and I came to a common understanding and we got along pretty well by the time Friday came. I believe things will change once again once I pass the reins of "caretaker" back to my in-laws.

Yesterday was Mother's Day and I didn't insist on being greeted by Renee but when she finally said Happy Mother's Day to me at 9.30pm, I was so delighted. This morning when my in-laws came by to pick the kids up, Renee started bawling, because she didn't want me to go to work. That was the defining moment for me, I felt like I missed out on being a mother the whole week and instead I was more of a maid, I was looking after the kids too mechanically, just trying to get by the days without injuries, without fighting. It's Monday and I can't wait for the weekend again!