redcrayon

Pillow Talk

Night.

Trying to tuck Pup in after a long day.

The boy is still in overdrive mode after playing with iPad, coloring, practising violin and reading up on yet more volcanoes.

Pup: Can I sleep on your bed?
Me: Ok...
Pup (scrambles onto our bed with Snoopy in tow): Your bed feels better than mine.
Me: Really? Why?
Pup: Because I have you lying beside me...

*Heartmelt moment 1*

A little later.

I wanted to reinforce the word "favourite" as I just corrected his spelling of it.

Me: Lele, you know what? You, Mei Mei and Jie Jie Jojo are my FAAAAAVOURITE children!
Pup: Why do you say that?
Me: Umm...because I love you and Mei Mei and Jie Jie Jojo.
Pup: Why do you love me?
Me: No reason. I just love you.
Pup: But there must be a reason, everything has a reason.
Me: Nope, no reason at all. I just love you, Mei Mei and Jie Jie Jojo. Even when you and Mei Mei are throwing tantrums, Daddy and Mummy love you. Even when we're very upset with you, we still love you.
Pup: Why when you are upset with me, you still love me?
Me: Well, it's because we love you that we get upset with you. See, when you are naughty, strangers won't get upset with you right? That's because they don't know you, they don't love you, so they don't care if you are good or naughty. Mummy and Daddy love you and care about you, so we get upset when we know you can behave well but you don't. Er...do you understand?
Pup: ...
Pup: Mummy...
Me: Hmm...?
Pup: How much do you love me?
Me (stretching my arms wide apart): I love you thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much!
Pup: What's the number?
Me: It's uncountable. It's infinity.
Pup: Zillion?
Me: More than that!
Pup: Gazillion?
Me: More than that!
Pup: micvfwzubv-zillion?
Me: More than that!
Pup: Mummy...
Me: Hmm...?
Pup: 我爱你...

*Heartmelt moment 2*

Happiness is...

As part of their classwork, and to encourage the children to be more imaginative in their use of words, Yu Laoshi asked Pup's class to draw and describe the feelings of people, objects and things around them.

We thought Pup would go for volcano (火山生气的时候是红色). But he surprised us with this: 大树开心的时候是彩色的 trees are colorful when in bliss...

Note to self: Don't be presumptuous. Don't set limits to the kiddos' creativity and imagination...

New Friend

LQ got a new friend today...

She's named her Kitty Moop.

Kitty is supposed to teach her all about dressing up, including buttoning, zipping, tying shoelaces etc.

I hope she won't neglect Baby Boo now that she has Kitty Moop...hmmm...

Ugly Duckling

Pup's depiction of The Ugly Duckling.

Another piece of his classwork.

We thought he used the water color to great effect. :)

Family Ties

We received a mailer seeking donation for a children's home. It featured a little girl and the heartbreaking story of how she had never met her father and was abandoned by her mother.

LQ saw the picture of the sad looking girl when the Daddy plonked the mailer on the table as we were having dinner.

LQ: Why why why is the little girl sad?
Me: (Not quite knowing how to answer) Why do u say she's sad?
LQ: Because she is sad. Why?
Me: Erm...maybe because she's alone?
LQ: (Brows furrowed) Why she alone?
Me: Hm...because she doesn't have her Daddy and Mummy?
Pup: Why?
Me: (Resigned) Ok...not all children have daddy and mummy. The daddy and mummy of this little girl went away because of some reasons. So she is with an Aunty.
Pup: What reasons?
Me: (Draws in deep breath) I don't know, they didn't write that in the story so I don't know what's the reason.
LQ: Why she alone?
Me: She's not alone. She's with an Aunty.
LQ: Why why why her mummy and daddy went away and she is with Aunty?
Me: Ya, the Aunty takes care of her...
Pup: ... ...
LQ: (Signals to be carried) Can I come down?
As I carried her from her high chair, she gave me an extra tight squeeze.
LQ: I have mummy and daddy, yeah?
Me: Yes...
LQ: (Running towards her toys) And gor gor!

I looked up and saw a slight smile spread across Pup's face.

Pup's Timeline

Of Tests and Exams...

Pup took the first ever Exam in his life in December last year - violin grade 1 exam. It was nerve wrecking...for me.

The violin school had suggested it ostensibly because the more intensive 'training' for the exam will help correct some of his bad habits. As far as I'm concerned, the later tests and exams enter his life, the better it is. We also didn't want his violin classes to become focused on just passing exams. So, I fretted over our decision to let him do it. Pup, however, took it in his stride and seemed to enjoy the additional weekday classes tremendously.

It was a huge relief for me when the exam finally arrived.

It was held at Kawai Music School at Paragon. As it was just 9 days before Christmas, a palpable festive mood was in the air.

Pup got bored waiting so we started talking about Christmas and Christmas trees. When it was finally his turn, he strode into the room tentatively holding his exam pieces. I couldn't shake off the worry that he might not be able to understand the examiner and vice versa. But, the exam was over before we knew it . When Pup walked out of the room a little skip in his steps, I wanted to let out a yelp of relief.

We proceeded to lunch at the Jap restaurant next to Kawai where we spoke nothing of violin and exams. :p

After lunch, while Pup was monkeying around with his binoculars, we bumped into his examiner who came out of the freezing exam room to thaw out. He looked rather much like Santa Claus with his snowy white beard and ruddy cheeks. He was also friendly and chatty, and talked to us about (what else?) Christmas back home in the UK.

The day ended nicely with a traipse round Orchard Road to check out the Christmas deco.

Less than a month later, on the day that he got his violin results (he passed!), Pup had his 2nd exam - this time for swimming. It was a surprise bubble test (yeah, it was a test of how well they can blow bubbles haha) that the coach decided to spring on Pup and his three swim mates. We were mighty proud that he made the test effortlessly, a vast difference from just a few months ago when he didn't even dare to dunk his head under water.

So there, two tests all in the span of a month, and just as Pup stepped into his 6th year.

With Pup entering primary school soon, I guess tests and exams are here to stay. I just hope that we are able to teach him right such that he has the tenacity to face every challenge, success and failure graciously and become a stronger person with each experience...

Do Re Mi

The various states of LQ...