Down With Dengue

Yes I am one of the suay ones. It was a Monday and as usual I did my morning exercises at 5am+ and proceeded to prepare breakfast. Kor Kor had to go to school earlier that day and everything went well though we had to rush a little. 

But by noon I was totally flat. Couldn’t finish my lunch. Soon I texted Hubby to ask him to come home earlier. That was the start of my five days in bed. I had zero appetite and was puking even when I had not eaten anything. I was feeling terribly achy but not sure whether it was due to the morning exercise or the illness. Bad, bad headache and fever that hovered around 40 deg C despite taking Panadol every four hours. Was also shivering with cold even with a jacket and blanket and no aircon. 

The next day the diarrhoea started. In the afternoon Hubby brought me to the GP and a quick blood test confirmed it was dengue. No surprise actually, as my neighbourhood had more than 20 cases by then. (It’s up to 40 now!!)
Was given medicine for the symptoms but they didn’t really help much. The only improvement was my fever went down to around 38.

Day 5. I still had not eaten much for the past five days. The puking had stopped, thankfully. But the lack of appetite made me feel very weak and I could barely walk. Hubby decided to bring me to Changi General Hospital A&E.

After a blood test and checkup, the doctor decided to admit me as there were signs of liver inflammation (caused by the dengue). Once I was put on a drip, my fever went away! 

The next day was a Saturday. Hubby brought the kids to visit me in the morning and again in the afternoon. But by evening, I was soooooo bored. Actually there wasn’t much the doctors could do other than monitor my platelets level and liver condition… And my platelets were on the rise by then and I had numerous bags of drip inside me so I was feeling much better. The diarrhoea had stopped and though my appetite wasn’t completely back, I ate a lot for lunch cos the fish porridge was yummy! (Sadly, dinner was much anticipated but not tasty enough to recall my iffy appetite.) So I requested to be discharged when the consultant came in the morning. He said I would have to sign an agreement to discharged against advice. OK, as long as I could go home! 

We reached home on Sunday afternoon. I still felt sooooo weak for the next few days, and I really felt dismayed that perhaps I would never feel strong again… Managed to do some housework but could not do much or for long… But the house was really too dirty!! Forced myself to wash the toilets the next day haha. 

Very thankful to Hubby and parents-in-law for taking care of the children when I was sick. He stayed home most of the time and when he had to go to work for a few hours, he sent the kids over to his parents. Frankly speaking, I did zero for the kids for the five days I was sick at home, lying in bed feverish all the time…

After I came back from hospital, Hubby brought me out for yummy food everyday. We had Korean ginseng chicken soup two days in a row! Appetite was not 100% yet but at least I was able to make myself eat. By the second Friday, I felt fully recovered, yay! (But still, 12 days of being sick……. Boooooo)

One good thing from my dengue though…. I lost almost 4kg that week… At first I thought it was water loss or whatever and surely I would gain back the weight from the second week’s bingeing, I mean, recuperation. But I only gained back 2kg, so hey, suddenly I hit my target weight of 50kg haha! Really…… I worked so hard to lose 2kg…. running… dieting…. And I ended up losing more kgs just by doing nothing in fewer days….. That’s life…. Oh well.

Now, I am just very thankful for being and feeling healthy and strong!! 

Early Bedtimes

I have been going to bed before 10pm for more than a month now…..  No prizes for guessing the reason correctly.. 

Last November I managed to get Meimei to return to her own bedroom… by buying her Sofia bedsheets! I was soooooo happy but sadly it didn’t last…. A few weeks later, she wanted to sleep on my bed again…. and this time she wanted me to stay in bed with her too! *CRY CRY CRY*

What, that would mean I wouldn’t have any me-time! How to read my books, watch tv, zuobo???!? Luckily at that time I had just finished watching a long drama (The Legend of Mi Yue, very nice!) and was still recuperating and had no desire to ‘chase’ any drama again in the near future. Anyway I had no choice but to give in to Meimei….

So, the kids go to bed by 9.30pm every night. While Meimei waits on my bed, I take my shower and then immediately reports back to her… Since I wake up at 5.30am every morning, I am too tired to get out of bed after waiting for her to fall asleep. Actually most nights I KO while she is still rolling around and talking to her doll. 

While it feels restrictive to have to be in bed with her so early every night, the bonus is I feel more rested and happier to wake up in the morning. Now I am up around 5.30am and have more time to exercise. I am trying to lose weight so an early bedtime is helping in many ways. Yesterday (Sunday) I got up at 5am and went for a 2-hour run! 😀 So far I have lost 2+ kg in four weeks… Jia you Jia you!

School Routine

Basically, the original routine which I had planned for schooldays FAILED. Firstly, the kids didn’t like having to wake up so early. It was very, very rushed to send them in to bed by 8.30pm, so they were going to bed late AND waking up early. Mornings were a big rush too, in order to accomplish so many things. Which meant we were rushing in the mornings and rushing in the evenings. All the time I had with Kor Kor was spent rushing. It got so bad that Kor Kor requested to stop going to the playground. He wanted to just lounge around at home and read his books and fool around.

I fought it at first. Playground time very important!! But I soon surrendered. It was already very challenging to make them hurry, what more hurry to go somewhere he did not wish to go! And indeed, our mornings improved tremendously. So much more relaxing! Kor Kor was right. Sometimes (often?) we should follow children’s instincts.

But I was not ready to give up their playground time yet. Decided to let them play at the playground on the way home after fetching Kor Kor in the evening. 30 minutes is better than nothing! Of course, it means their bedtime would be pushed back… they now go to bed between 9pm and 9.30pm… But I console myself that Kor Kor is older now and can handle a later bedtime, while the younger two can nap in the afternoon. 

So far, this routine has worked brilliantly. The kids really enjoy their daily playground time, and because we are there so regularly nowadays, they have made new friends too. 

As our mornings are more relaxed now, I have also managed to start exercising every morning. I wake up at 6am, prepare breakfast, eat mine, and go out for a run while they are still sleeping. Usually, when I come back 30-40 minutes later, they still haven’t woken up haha. I then prepare some fruits for them and myself, do some lunch prep, take a shower while they eat breakfast. Then Kor Kor reads/plays a while, dilly-dally a bit, and we start our homework session around 9am. (Didi and Meimei eat more slowly, so they continue eating while we do work.)

Actually there isn’t much homework. He just brings home the work he doesn’t manage to complete in class, plus we prepare for spelling tests (weekly for English, fortnightly for Chinese). I also read to Kor Kor during our 45-minute session. I limit it to 45 minutes, six days a week. Sometimes, he hasn’t fully mastered the spelling lists, but I decide to let it go. He then continues doing whatever he wants while I prepare a simple lunch. By 11.45am we are out of the house.

After school, it’s playground, dinner, shower, milk and short bedtime reading by Daddu, then off to bed. I am glad Kor Kor has been quite responsible in packing his schoolbag every evening. He then leaves any homework etc on his study desk to do the next morning. 

That’s our life for now! Hope you are also doing well in your primary school life : )

Kor Kor Is In Primary One – No Regrets Unschooling

My homeschooled/unschooled firstborn is finally in primary school! Fortunately, despite this being his first time in formal school, he has been adjusting well. No problems sitting in class or paying attention (Didi is the dreamer….. oh no…) or making friends. As for buying food at the canteen or buying books at the bookshop, he was nervous at all but soon got used to it. 

Academics wise……. Haha, ok some issues with his handwriting at first. Torture for him, torture x 100 for me. Untidy, wrong strokes, didn’t erase cleanly, etc. But now, his teacher has praised him for neat work twice, heehee. Anyway, my bad la, didn’t do enough handwriting practice with him before school started. 

Just had his first Chinese spelling 听写。Didn’t do well, oops. I already guessed the outcome when revising with him, hanyu pinyin was the killer. Didn’t teach him any hanyu pinyin before this. 

So, most important question….. Do I regret homeschooling or unschooling him?   Am I going to start drilling Didi and Meimei earlier?? 

Definitely not! See, bad handwriting was corrected within two weeks. So why waste time takan-ing him earlier?? If he were younger when we started working on handwriting, I am sure it would have taken way longer than two weeks. Even worse, if his fingers and arms were not strong enough or ready to hold the pencil properly, it might cause long term damage. 

As for Chinese….. Sigh. Actually, I am quite sure he can read and recognize many more Chinese words than most other P1 students. Unfortunately, he is still weak in hanyu pinyin and that is the main thing being tested for now. So I just remind myself to think long term. One 听写 does not a Chinese scholar make. Or break. *determined*

Of course, it’s still early. Maybe I might regret it further down the road. Most importantly, Kor Kor does not dread going to school at all. He has got used to having to do homework. Yes, homework is stressful, academics is stressful, but I think it’s an appropriate amount of stress for a seven-year-boy. (Well, he is supposed to be seven this year…. just that he’s a year-end baby.) 

We shall strive on! Next update, our new routine!

Inline Skating Lessons At Inlinex

(Not sponsored!)

Time flies. It has been half a year since the boys started lessons with Inlinex at Bedok Reservoir Park. After fifteen lessons, sadly, we have to stop our weekly lessons cos Kor Kor is starting primary school in the afternoon session and his usual weekday swimming and wushu classes will be moved to the weekend. (I already foresee attending one class each day of the weekend to be very tiring. Can’t imagine trying to squeeze in one more >.<)

  

The instructors are all young people, lively and energetic and they get along so well with all the children! My boys not only have fun learning inline skating, they also enjoy playing and bantering with the instructors. 

Each session, the students might get assigned to a different instructor, according to the number of students per level who turn up that session. This might seem less than ideal, but each student has a record book which indicates what he or she has learnt so far, so the instructor is able to provide guidance accordingly. And amazingly, I have been impressed with ALL the instructors my boys have tried! 

I also love the flexibility of the lessons – no need to commit to a fixed day or time. There are six timings every weekend, just show up at any one (or even more than one, if you wish!) Payment is for a term of five sessions, no penalty for missing lessons, no need to inform beforehand if you want to go for lesson. 

Inlinex also conducts inline skating classes at quite a few other venues, including an indoor one at The Riverwalk. Kor Kor is currently attending skateboarding lessons with them as he requested. And to make full use of our time, Didi is attending inline skating classes at the same place while Kor Kor learns skateboarding. 

  
  My biggest headache now is, there are only weekend classes at Bedok Reservoir Park, so HOW am I going to reunite my boys with the lovely instructors there??? 

  

StickerKid For The New School Year!

(Sponsored review)

Just as Kor Kor’s venture into primary school was occupying my thoughts most of the time, I received an offer from StickerKid to try out their sticker labels. Timely, indeed! 

Once I placed the order via their website, the stickers arrived in the mail within the week. The ordering process was very convenient – you get to choose the font, size, background colour, logo, and immediately preview the stickers. 

And of course, once Kor Kor saw the stickers with his name, it was a sticking frenzy!

Specially shaped for shoes! such a great idea!

   

Books…

 

Stationery…

File folders…. everything!!

 

I received the Discover StickerKid pack of 94 stickers (60 small, 20 clothing, and 14 shoe). Seems quite sufficient for our needs so far : )

The small stickers are dishwasher- and microwave-able. (I don’t have a dishwasher YET but this will come in handy when I get one. Yes, when, not if.) And the clothing stickers can withstand hot water washes in the washing machine. (No need to wash separately, yay!)

What I like most is the customization and the easy care for these stickers… almost no special care needed. Which is great considering I have a lot more on my mind with the foray into formal school!

If you would also like to try the stickers, StickerKid is offering a 10% discount. Just use the code 10discountSGSTICKERKID when you order before 31 December 2015. 

When Mummy Is Sick… Updated Version!

On Sunday afternoon I started feeling unwell, headache and sore throat. Carried on in slow-mo, luckily there wasn’t much to do as it was a weekend and Hubby would buy dinner back. But by evening, I was feeling terrible. Was going to nap for 30 minutes before sending meimei to bed, then Hubby said he would do it and told me to go to bed. Yay! So, I slept from 7pm to 7.30am. (Of course I didn’t get up at 6am to prepare big breakfast… I am not a masochist!)

But, I was still not well in the morning, and Hubby had to go to work. Good thing was, after giving the kids a simple breakfast (bread with cheese and their morning milk), I lay down on the sofa and napped for two hours! The kids played on their own without disturbing me at all! This was so different from what happened exactly two years ago, heehee. Then I got up to serve lunch… which was the same as two years ago, LOL. Hurray for processed convenience food! #noguilt.

After lunch, it was their nap/quiet time, so I took another nap. Then it was time to go out for our afternoon appointment, luckily I was feeling better by then. Truly, it’s so much faster to recover when one gets sufficient rest! Thank you, Hubby and kids!

Didi made this for me amd kept asking me to lie down : )

Finally, Kitchen!

I have always admired pretty kitchens, like the one over at Mum in the Making. (Actually, not just her kitchen! Her whole house more like it.)

But you know, some people just don’t have the eye for decor… *hand up* Other than regretting not putting more thought into the decor when we bought the flat, I had no idea how I could possibly transform my kitchen. 

Until Kor Kor’s birthday this year. I was just trying my best to tidy and clean the house, and decided to buy a few new rugs for the kitchen. (Used to use old towels as rugs.)

  
That is when I realize that firstly, a few small touches are all that’s needed to give the kitchen a fresh look. And secondly, while I am envious of prettily done up places, my personal preference is for minimalist and uncluttered – I prefer to keep most things in the cabinets. 

 

A clock and a basket for bananas – which can’t really be kept in cabinets, right?

 
Actually, I do keep the basket back in the cabinet when we finish the bananas hee.

At the other end of the countertop is my chopping boards. That’s all

Minute changes, but it makes a great difference to how I feel while working in the kitchen. And given the proportion of time I (and thus the kids) spend here, a happy kitchen is important! 😀

How To Make More Hours

Was just reading my old posts on routine, and wow, life of a mother of three young kids was really horrid. How did I survive! Routine 5.0 was written more than one year ago, and my life has got so much better as the kids get older. Just a couple of weeks ago I got to sleep in till about 8am everyday!

BUT. Kor Kor is starting primary school in a month’s time. Worse, he is in the afternoon session, so it’s like he hardly get any time at home. So I decided to revamp our routine to maximize what time we have. I still really hope to include outdoor/ playground time, library visits, early bedtime, free play!

Routine for school term from Jan 2016 onwards:

630am Breakfast and wash up

730am Playground & me reading to them

9am Home, showers

930am Free play and homework if any 

1050am Lunch

1130am Get ready for school

1150am Go out 

1230pm Home with the younger two

1pm Nap/quiet time

3pm Snack

6pm Go out to fetch Kor Kor

640pm Dinner

730pm Shower

8pm Milk & bedtime reading

830pm Bedtime

I have started waking up around 6am to prepare breakfast. The boys use an alarm clock to wake up at 630am. They need some help waking up earlier mainly because recently they have been playing and talking till very late after lights out. But it’s ok, they are slowly adjusting to it – forced to wake up early means they KO faster at night and it’s getting easier for them to pop out of bed in the morning. 

We have also been doing early lunches for two weeks and trying out new menus. Instead of the previous three dishes, I am trying to cook a one-pot rice dish and a veg. This will give me more free time with the kids in the morning… since I won’t see Kor Kor the whole afternoon!!

But not rigidly following the schedule yet. Definitely more than an hour at the playground now…. Enjoy while they can! And still going out with friends and for lessons on weekdays… Lessons will be changed to the weekend from Jan onwards. Not looking forward to busy weekends!!

The biggest problem now is how do I survive the early start to the day……. Just this morning I threw away (figuratively) the alarm clock cos had to get up 5-6 times to attend to the kids last night. Plus I am really very night owl… Been reading up on this and of course gonna keep trying… 

Wish me luck!!

Perth Day One To Three

Taking the midnight flight….

It is a 3.5-hour drive to our accomodation for the first three days, and Hubby is our only driver, so we take a break at the biggest free entry playground in Australia!

Apple Fun Park at Donnybrook. It’s a big lovely playground, but so sunny at 9am!

Our home for the next three days is Pemberton Farm Chalets. We choose the four-bedroom chalet as there are seven of us including my parents-in-law. It is spacious and comes with a fully-equipped kitchen. But there is only one bathroom.

It is actually brighter than it looks in the photo

The kids spend most of their time drawing and reading at the dining table since we don’t switch on the tv anyway.

Our 8-seater : )

The farm has animals of course but it is not a working farm, so there are not that many animals.

There is supposed to be a feeding session in the morning, but we didn’t see anyone around when we came out at the stated time. Can feed the animals on our own anytime though.

The chalets shown here are the 2-bedroom ones, right in front of the pasture. Our chalet is more secluded, a few minutes’ stroll away.

On Day 2, we visited the Gloucester Tree.

The Cascades. Nice place but not spectacular…

Lunch at Hidden River Estate Winery

Many sheep outside the winery

The Ngs 😀

We have a very leisurely itinerary, so it’s a good thing the farm has quite a few things to entertain the kids.

Day 3 We took the Pemberton Tram through the forest

Lunch at Lavender and Berry Farm. We choose to dine outdoors to enjoy the scenery while the kids play.

Hmmm, does our trip sound a bit boring so far? Sigh…. ya, indeed it is not very exciting. Anyway I shall do up the posts for the remaining days before I pen down some of my thoughts on the trip.