A Madhouse

We went to the Toys R Us warehouse sale yesterday with Jean and Grace.  It was a madhouse.  You can read more about our experience at Jean’s.  I saw a really nice big dollhouse when we were in the queue and I was contemplating to get it.  Who knows, just 5 minutes later, they were all snapped up.  I was quite disappointed as I am looking around for a nice dollhouse for Sarah.  She really loves playing with it whenever she sees it, be it at someone else’s home or in a toy store.

This is my first time and last time going to warehouse sales.  It is really not worth the hassle, mental stress and all the squeezing just to save a few dollars or more.   In my opinion, they usually only have a few limited pieces of really good stuff up for sale, and unless you are one of the first few to enter, there is virtually no chance of you bagging any of them.  The rest of the stuff are just common, nothing that you really need to have.  So nore more warehouse sales for me.  Simply not worth it.

From the Protestant Church of Smyrna

I was lost for words when I read this.

Homeschool Gathering – 24 April

**Backdated post**

Its the Zoo outing this week. In the morning, the sky was overcast and gloomy and it looked like it was going to rain. Quickly said a prayer and thank God we were able to enjoy ourselves for the morning. It did not rain, and the weather was really cool and nice, perfect for a zoo outing. It was a short outing though, cos it eventually rained just after noon.

We managed to catch 2 shows, the Animals of the Wild and the elephant shows. Sarah was more interested in playing with Mal rather than watching the animals. It started to drizzle just when the elephant show ended. So we had lunch at the restaurant area, then proceeded to the koi pond before heading home.

A short trip, but it made me very tired. The wet and cool afternoon was perfect for a nap, but I ended up surfing the internet instead. hiaz……

Over the Weekend

**backdated post**

We had a fun time over the weekend going farm hopping.  A fews day before, we told Sarah that we will be bringing her to the farm on Sat, and she was so excited about it that she kept singing the Old MacDonald song.

We went to the farms at the Neo Tiew/Kranji area. Actually our original plan was just to visit the Farmart Centre but my sister-in-law recommended the farms at the Kranji area. There are quite a number of different farms in that area. Our first stop was Hay Diaries goat farm. Sarah was really excited at seeing so many goats. We bought a packet of alfafa grass at $2 to feed the goats. She had a fun time feeding and patting the goats. And I must say the goats here are really very hungry. When they saw us walking towards them with the bag of feed, they almost climbed over the fence trying to reach for the feed. After feeding the goat, we bought a bottle of goats milk, chocolate-flavoured to try. I was quite hesitant about drinking it, but surprising, the goat’s milk does not have a very strong taste. In fact, it is milder than cow’s milk. Sarah seemed to like it and I even contemplated buying some to bring home, but as she did not finish the whole bottle of milk there, I decided better not since no one will drink them if she does not. Both hubby and myself are not milk drinkers.

Grandma showing Sarah the way to feed the goats

Wanting to pet the goats, but afraid, so have to hold on to Grandma’s hand

Next stop was the frog farm. There was nothing much here, except lots of frogs. I found it quite scary and creepy to see so many frogs all together. Gives me the goosebumps. Would not want to come again.

Gives you the goosebumps, doesn’t it. There is another enclosure with even more frogs in it. Eeeks!

Next we proceed to an organic farm, Bollywood Veggies. We came here mainly for lunch, cos my Mom recommended the place. The farm has a nice cosy bistro, and the food, organic of course, is really quite good I must say. But being organic, it is also quite expensive given the servings are small. We were so hungry that we polished off all the food, and forgot about taking pictures.

I had wanted to go home after lunch cos I was quite tired already, but while on the way, we passed by Farmart Centre, and hubby just drove in as he thought since we are already there, why not? It turned out to be fun. We saw more animals, and Sarah fed more goats, and some rabbits, and got up close with a small parrot. The ever-doting Grandma bought a packet of fish feed for Sarah to feed the kois. This little girl has her own way of feeding the fishes. Instead of throwing a handful of the food into the pond, she liked to pick each individual particle and throw in. I turned and told hubby at this rate she is going, she is going to take hours to finish the entire packet of food. Sarah was really engrossed with fishes. In the end the 3 adults decided to help Sarah speed up the feeding, otherwise we really won’t be able to go home .

It is actually quite good to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy the quietness of the countryside once in a while, and I think it was very educational and fun for Sarah too.

For those of you who don’t drive and would like to explore the countryside, there is a Kranji Express bus service serving the Kranji Countryside. For $2, it brings you to 14 different farms in the area. If you like to visit the Farmart Centre, there is also a bus pickup at Choa Chu Kang bus interchange.

Link Between Autism and Vaccinations

I have long read about the link between autism and vaccinations, primarily due to the mercury present in the vaccines. As such, other than those vaccines which are compulsory by law, I do not vaccine Sarah unnecessarily. Today, I read a blog of a mommy who shared her experience with her daughter regarding autism and mercury poisoning by vaccinations. Of course, there is a great deal of controversy surrounding this and no clear answers yet. I wrote this post mainly to remind myself of this issue and to keep in mind her experience.

Fun With Grace

The playgroup was scheduled to go to Science Centre today, but I felt Sarah is too young for most of the stuff at Science Centre, so decided not to go. Instead, Jean suggested we bring the gals to Botanic Gardens for a picnic.

I told Sarah last night that we will be going for a picnic with Grace. This little girl must be so excited about it that she woke up at 6.45am today. Told her to go back to sleep but she wouldn’t. So gave her milk and let her play by herself while I get busy preparing the sandwiches for the picnic.

Homeschool Gathering 10 April

This week, we went to Bukit Batok Nature Reserve.  Though it is very near my house, we have only been there three times, out of which twice was with the homeschoolers group.

Sarah was very excited upon reaching the park that she ran so fast, she fell down and scrapped her knees.  But this did not deter her from enjoying herself.  It was a very hot day, but she did not seem to mind.  She eagerly joined the kids at the playground, playing sand.  I was actually afraid that it will be too hot for her and tried to get her into the shade, but she refused, wanting to play with the kids.  They spent quite some time at the sand area before adjourning to a little stream nearby to catch fishes.  I was pleasantly surprised that there are many small fishes in the stream, even some big crayfishes.  Sarah seemed to like it very much.  I told myself must buy some nets and bring her there more often.  The park is actually a nice place for nature study, especially for birds.  You can find beautiful birds there.  Its good to let the kids get in touch with nature occasionally.

As usual, while the kids have fun, the mommies had a good time chatting.  My girl thoroughly enjoyed herself but came home sunburnt.   Luckily it was not too bad after  I applied some soothing healing lotion on her body.  Next week, we will be gathering at a friend’s house for swimming and play, and the week after, we are off to the zoo!  Looking forward to it.

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Homeschool Curriculum

Went for the homeschool curriculum fair on Wednesday, hoping to find a curriculum suitable for Sarah when she starts Grade 1, and I found this curriculum called My Father’s World.  It is a bible-centered unit studies curriculum which combines the best of Classical eduction and Charlotte Mason.  And I am really excited about it.