Pasir Ris Park

This morning we made our way to Pasir Ris Park after hubby heard that they’ve renovated the children’s playground. I was quite blown away when we reached the place.  The children’s play area is HUGE, boasting 4ha. I think it held about 5 to 6 or more different play stations catering to kids of all ages (including teens). This place is awesome. In our opinion (hubby’s and mine) it is better than Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden.

Needless to say my kids had a fantastic time. Here’s some of the stuff they did.

Spider’s web type of thingy?

Up, up, up.

Down, down, down. Wheee!

Fire engine drivers.

For an overview of the children’s play area click on these below.

     

There’s also flying fox for children (not in the pics), ”rock climbing” thingy for pre-schoolers and swings. Quite something else, don’t you think?

What’s more, besides the children’s play area, there’s horse riding, a mangrove boardwalk, bicycle tracks and a beach at the park. (For more info click here.) It was too bad we only had time for the playground today. But as the terminator would say, “We’ll be back!” (cheesy huh? lol.)

Wordless Wednesday - Chicken Pox

Two year old Little Missy when she had chicken pox. She’s recovered from it now.

 To view more WW click here.

This Little Light of Mine

The chicken pox saga in our home is finally over. Phew! We could finally attend church together on Easter Sunday.

Just a quick recap, first Hubby-jr caught it. Two weeks later I caught it despite taking a vaccination jab. Three days later Little Missy was struck. It turned out to be quite an ordeal for Little Missy and me. Chicken pox hit us harder than it did my son as I was (ahem) too far from young and Little Missy on the other spectrum was too young. But in the midst of the ordeal, an unexpected beacon came from my son, Hubby-jr.

When I was stricken with chicken pox…

Hubby-jr: Mommy has chicken pox.

Me: Yes.

Hubby-jr: It’s ok mommy (gently stroking my chicken pox filled face). Mommy will get better. Jesus will heal mommy.

Me: Do you believe so?

Hubby-jr: Yes.

Me: Did you pray for mommy?

Hubby-jr: Yes. (And he decides to pray for me again) Jesus please heal mommy, amen.

Me: Thank you darling.

We had slight variations of this conversation over the next few days. And when my chicken pox starting subsiding, he exclaimed, “mommy is getting better!”

Then when we finally stepped out of the house as a family marking the end of mommy’s quarantine…

Hubby-jr: Mommy has no more chicken pox. Jesus healed mommy.

And without my prompting whatsoever he says, “Thank you Jesus for healing mommy, amen.” It almost brought tears to my eyes.

Me: Did you learn to pray like that in school?

Hubby-jr: No, not yet (he’s expecting them to?), not in school. From mommy.

Me: You learnt to pray from mommy?!

Hubby-jr: Yes!

That left me totally speechless but in an absolutely good way…
… (sorry, I can’t think of how to end this post, just thinking about it still leaves me speechless)…

More About Me…

I’m sort of a personality test junkie. I simply can’t resist participating in a personality test when presented with one. And even though I’ve done the MBTI test more than 3 times already, I’d still do ONE more when asked to. AND whaddaya know? Recently I completed another one (free mah). Someone stop me please!

But you know what? Each time I do these tests I learn a little something more about myself. Well actually… they just spell out some of what I already know intuitively. The tests also make me realise that not everyone is wired the same. So I should just “chill” about the differences, not compare and be more accepting of others and myself.

The last test I did was quite enlightening. It gave a really indepth description (it has been sometime since I’ve read a lengthy one). Most of it was spot on too. What struck me particularly was its description of my type, ENFP, as parents. Here’s just 3 paragraphs.

ENFPs as Parents
ENFPs take their parenting role very seriously, but are also very playful. There’s a bit of grown-up kid in every ENFP, so they get a lot of fun and enjoyment from playing with their children. However, they consider it essential to pass their strongly-held values and beliefs down to their children, and will strive consistently to create a positive, ideal environment for their children’s growth. (That’s largely why I chose to be a stay at home mom.)

The ENFP may exhibit an inconsistency in their roles with their children. At one moment, they might be their child’s best friend, laughing and whooping it up, and in the next moment they may appear the stern authoritarian. This inconsistency seems to be a result of a conflict between the ENFP’s genuine desire to relate to their children on the children’s level, and their compulsion to follow their deeply-felt value system.

The ENFP is able to take care of day-to-day necessities, such as picking children up at the correct times, getting them to softball practice, getting them fed, etc. However, it is a chore for the ENFP and is not a natural strength. The ENFP also has a difficult time disciplining their children, unless a very strongly-held value has been violated.

Disciplining my kids definitely takes a lot out of me emotionally. Each “time-out” drains me. When we got married I told hubby that he would have to be the disciplinarian while I’d the “good” parent. Unfortunately that didn’t quite pan out since I’m the one who is with them all the time. I’ve unexpectedly (I certainly didn’t expect it) become a strict mom. Sigh. Hey, but I am fun OKAY! 

And YES it is a major chore for me to take care of the day-to-day stuff. Definitely not a natural strength. In fact I asked my hubby, “you mean, there are people who find it natural and who actually enjoy doing such stuff?” Dear hubby answered, “apparently so.” I guess that’s what separates the Martha Stewarts from the non-Martha Stewarts.

Tagged! 5 Things About Myself.

Oh, I’ve been tagged by Pilgrim Parent. I’ve to share 5 things about myself that most of you do not know about me. Hmm… this is not going to be easy since I’ve written 102 things about myself already… but here goes.

1. I’m terrified of birds! Yes I think they’re beautiful creatures and I like to admire them… but only from AFAR. Ask me to get near one or God forbid, stroke them… oh my, I’d probably collapse in fear. Once a bird flew into my room, I ran out, shut the door and waited (shaking) till it flew out again. Really, it’s tantamount to finding a rat!
2. Yes, I’m afraid of rodents too.
3. Speaking of birds… I can’t chop chicken that’s still whole and yes I’m talking about a cleaned up chicken sold at the supermarket. Chicken that’s intact with a neck (worse, a head!), Wings, thighs, feet… you get the picture, a whole bird. I’d probably cringe and gag if I HAD to do it. How do I cook dinner every night? I buy cut up pieces. Strangely I can cut those. Yes, I’m chinese and I grew up watching my grandma and mom chop up whole chickens but… I. Just. Can’t. Do. It.
4. In fact I can’t eat chickens whole. Serve me a fried spring chicken or those baked ones from the supermarket without cutting them and you’d probably see me freeze. There was once when I was in Macau our well meaning local host served us fried pigeons, whole (with the head, mind you)!! I almost died. Thank God my friend helped by cutting them into smaller pieces for me.
5. However, I can eat fish whole. I can even eat parts of the head especially yummy fish head curry. Yummm. I stop at eating the eyes though. Goooo…eeey!

There! 5 things you probably didn’t know about me. It may seem like I cheated a little but technically it IS a list of 5 things. Ah well, that’s another thing about me - I try to get away with whatever I can every now and then!

Two Years Ago

Two years ago today, this took place.

I held my baby girl for the very first time. It’s a moment I can never describe and one I will never forget.

Happy Birthday Little Missy. I’m so glad you’re here to complicate my life. No, not just “so glad”… I am extremely blessed. Extremely.

WFMW - Sweet, Non-spicy Curry

I discovered this Japanese Curry Mix. Uh… well alright its more like my brother in law bought it and cooked it sometime ago (i.e. a few years) and we (hubby and I) liked it. After that I tried cooking it at home but Hubby-jr didn’t take to it and so I kind of shelved the recipe.Then very recently as I was cracking my head for a new quick and easy recipe for chicken I remembered this and decided to give it another go. I prepared and served Hubby-jr another dish just in case the curry turned him off. At the sametime I asked him to try the curry. Guess what? He liked it! Hurray, another super easy yummy dish my family likes.

Seriously, it’s really EASY and YUMMY. The curry is not spicy at all and is a little sweet (it claims to have a touch of apple and honey). It goes very well with steamed rice and if you feel up to it, serve it with sunny side up eggs (one per person). Hmm… yum. And if potatoes and carrots are not enough veggie for your family just toss a salad.

To cook the curry, add chicken, potatoes, onion and carrots to water in a pot and bring it to boil. Then remove from the stove and break the curry mix (they come in chocolate like bar) into pieces and plonk it into the pot. Stir until the curry mix is fully dissolved and place the pot back over the stove. Cook on low heat for about 20 minutes after it boils. That’s it. Easy right? All the instructions can be found at the back of the box, in English.

The thing I love most about this recipe is that I can even cook it using my magical Thermal Cooker. I follow the steps up to dissolving the curry mix. Then after bringing it to boil I immediately put it into the thermal cooker (instead of simmering on low heat for 20 minutes). It worked. The vegetables cooked nicely without disintegrating and the thermal kept it hot until it was time for dinner (I cooked it at 2pm and we had dinner at 7pm).

Yummy and easy to cook Japanese curry works great for my family. For other tips that work go here.

P/S: Yes, thankfully I’m feeling quite normal today despite catching chicken pox. I just have very tiny spots here and there but its crummy that I’m quarantined at home.

I caught it

I caught the chicken pox virus… just months away from my 37th birthday! I seriously find this rather amusing

Yes, even after I got myself a prevention jab (which was half expected). The doctor did say I still could get the virus but will experience a milder “attack”. (This is one of the reasons I do not gamble. Given a 50-50 chance I get the worse possibility.)

So far I’m having mild fever and just a few small spots (about 4?)… but more could appear within the next few days. I’m crossing my fingers that it’ll be REALLY mild (then again going by my track record of “luck”…)

Anyway, if you don’t see any new posts within the week… you’re probably right in assuming my symptoms worsened.

Oh well, that’s my life.

Spooked

Yes, my kids had a lot of fun playing with my brand new black storage box. But I must confess the episode spooked me out. When I saw both of them fitted in that box lying down I swear I could feel my hair(s?) standing up. And when I saw how they “disappeared” with the lid down… shudder… I was totally spooked.

I don’t know if I’m warped or if I just have an overactive imagination. I mean, there’ve been enough (too many if you ask me) real life news of murdered children or adults found stuffed in bags to warrant such an image don’t you think? Yes, yes, I was spooked major because that image flashed in my head (a split second was enough to do the job).

I even thought what if they hid in the box and suffocated and I discovered them too late!!! Of course my dear grounded, clear headed, less dramatic hubby had to point out that that was not possible as there were holes at the side of the box.

Well whatever it is, that was the first and last time my kids got to play with the box. Mommy has officially banned that activity. It’s just too spooky for mommy dearest. Well that, and the fact that all the climbing in and out of the box was causing the insides of my brand new box to fray!

The Black Box

 Hello. We just found mommy’s new black storage box.

Hey, I can even lie down in it.

Here’s the lid…

Mei-mei (little sister) get into position. Are you ready?

Here we go…

Little Missy: Easy does it. You’re squashing me.

Hey you, don’t tell mommy where we’re hiding ok?

P/S: This was taken pre-chicken pox.