My Little Princess

We have moved….yet again

mylittleprincess — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 04:56:10 +0000

If you are still reading this blog, we have moved again, this time to http://preciousmemries.blogspot.com/. See you there.

Moving Away

mylittleprincess — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 15:10:27 +0000

I know I have not been blogging much lately. Have been busy and feeling very tired.

I am moving to a new blog. With new beginnings and changes to the family, I thought I will choose a new blog name which will more aptly reflect my writings. See me at Passing Seasons.

Don’t Kick Me Away

mylittleprincess — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 08:20:18 +0000

Usually I only bring my girl to my in-laws on Mondays when I have to work, and occasionally on other days when I have to run some errands. Today, I have planned to go for my long-awaited facial. It has been quite sometime since my last facial, and I was quite looking forward to a good massage and some quiet time to myself. Well, as the saying goes, man proposes, heaven disposes. My wish was not granted by my little girl.

This morning, I was talking to hubby about sending her to my in-laws. Sarah just woke up and she heard our conversation. Then she started saying she wants to go office and work. Huh???? I felt it was unusual but I did not pay much attention. I brought her to the playground, and did some sticker book activity. When it was time to change and go, I told her I am bringing her to Popo’s house. She started crying and said NO. Well, I tried to make it attractive for me to go, saying that her cousins are there, she can watch telly, Yeye will bring her downstairs to see birds, etc etc. Usually, these would have been enough to make her want to go Popo’s house, but not today. She kept crying and pleading with me, saying “I want to stay in Sarah’s house”, “I miss Mommy”. She cried very pitifully through out. I called my hubby and told him,about this and he told my to cancel my facial instead of forcing her. Sigh…there goes my long-awaited relaxing massage.

So I told Sarah we are not going anymore, and did some craft project with her, and she was back to her old cheerful self. And what about me? I was still brooding over it, so after lunch, I asked her the question again, “Mama bring you to Popo’s house ok?” What she said next really really surprised me.

Sarah: No, I don’t want. Don’t kick me away. I want Mommy. I miss Mommy. (I couldn’t believe my ears when she said that, I even made her repeat again.)
Sarah: Friday I don’t want to go Popo’s house.
Me: Oooohh…..but Monday can go?
Sarah: Yes, Monday can go.

I am amazed by this daughter of mine. She actually knows that she must go Popo’s house on Monday, but not necessarily on other days. Another thing which struck me is I have neglected to see from her point of view that my insistence in sending her to Popo’s house means that I am trying to “kick” her away. No wonder, she keeps repeating she loves mommy, she miss mommy. Oh dear, I am so sorry darling, that mommy has been so insensitive to your feelings.

But I have to say this little girl has been very sticky for the past month. Every Sunday, she will make a fuss at Sunday School, and insists I stay with her, when in the past, she will happily run into the class without taking a 2nd look at me. When eating out with friends, I can’t even leave her with them for 5 minutes to go buy food, when this will definitely not be a problem in the past. There are no major changes in our family, and no, I am not pregnant (as Jean told me some old wives’ tales say so). I do hope this is just a passing phase, and hope it will pass soon.

Here We Go Visiting

mylittleprincess — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 07:22:34 +0000

Yesterday, Sarah and I took an early morning bus and travelled down to visit Mamabliss. It was a very pleasant journey. The bus was not crowded and the little girl was well behaved. She sat still and was making up and singing songs for the entire journey. She stopped occasionally to ask some questions about things she saw outside, like when she saw a construction site with tall cranes, she asked “Mommy, what is that?” I can see she enjoyed the bus journey very much. I find as she grows older, she is able to appreciate such mode of travelling. I still remember I used to dread bringing her on buses when she was young cos she will never sit still and was always fidgeting about.

We had an enjoyable time at Pauline’s too. The mommies had a very pleasant chat on topics ranging from homeschooling to baking to how much we have changed ever since we became mommies. Tim and Sarah played very well together too. They spent most of the time in Tim’s room messing with all the toys. I find Sarah can play much better now compared to the last time. She does not insist on having a toy if Tim wanted it, and through out, there was no whining, no fights to break up. Very wonderful. Praise the LORD that our incessant “nagging” has gotten through to her. Oh, and Sarah loves baby Joyce very much. She kept going up to her to sayang her, and as she stroked Joyce’s hand, she said “Sayang, sayang”. Very heartwarming when I saw that.

Time passed by so quickly and we had to leave for lunch. Luckily the kids have no problem parting. They said their good-byes happily and Pauline promised to visit soon. What a wonderful morning we had with our friend from the blogosphere. Thanks, Pauline.

The journey home was just as pleasant, though Sarah was badly in need of her nap as she woke up really early in the morning.

PS. Pauline took some nice pictures of the kids. Check them out at Mamabliss.

Inspiring Moms

mylittleprincess — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 08:36:07 +0000

In the past year, I have come across many blogs written by mommies which have been a great blessing and encouragement to me, both as a christian and a homeschooling mom. Jean asked me how I came to know so many such blogs, I can’t give an answer. I believe the LORD knew I needed such encouragement and support in my calling, and I do praise the LORD for these wonderful moms whose blogs have been a great blessing not only to me, but to many other mothers, I believe.

Here, I will share with you some of my favourite blogs.

HSKubes’ Haven at Home: Tending to Our Sheep . This is my fav blog. They are a military homeschooling family. The mom is a blessed woman full of God’s wisdom. Her posts are very encouraging andhave blessed me a lot. If you have the time, read her older posts, especially those on parenting. She has a 14 yo daughter who has her own blog, Firmly Fixed on the Father. Like her mother, this teenage young lady is full of God’s wisdom. Read the older posts regarding the virtues of a young maiden. How I wish someone has imparted her wisdom to me when I was her age.
The Joy Box. This mommy likes to write series of posts on topics like, The Joy of Motherhood, Overcoming Laziness, Contentment, etc. I particularly enjoy The Joy of Motherhood series.
Less Of Me~More of Him. This is a homeschooling mommy of 3 boys. Search her archives, there are some very good posts on parenting and homeschooling.
The Ong family Homeschool. A homeschooling mom of 4 kids. I like to read her blog for very inspiring and encouraging posts. Not mention, she is a very good baker. Check out her baking blog.
Maxwell Family Blog. The Maxwell family. They have published several books, of which, “Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit” has been great blessing to me. Check out their monthly Corners too.

These are some of my very fav blogs. Do check them out, and I hope you will find encouragement and inspiration in them as well.

Praise the LORD

mylittleprincess — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 08:09:44 +0000

Praise the LORD for leading me back to the path He has for me with regards to the curriculum He wants me to use for Sarah, despite my repeated ‘disobedience’.

Praise the LORD for the blessed lesson time we had have for the past weeks.

Praise the LORD for the joy and enthusiasm that Sarah has during lesson times.

Praise the LORD for watching over Sarah and His protection over her.

Praise the LORD for never failing to send me His encouragement whenever I am feeling down and disappointed with myself.

Praise the LORD for the gradual softening of dh’s heart.

Praise the LORD for blessing me with Sarah and giving me the privilege of being able to spend my days with Sarah and making memories which last forever.

Praise the LORD for the wonderful and godly friends who have encouraged me in my role as a Mom as well as in my christian walk.

Praise the LORD for the abundant blessings He has bestowed on me, His undeserving child.

Preschool Chinese Reading Program

mylittleprincess — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 07:59:39 +0000

On Wednesday, we went to IMM Popular to get this set of preschool chinese reading program. This is the first level and teaches the 1st 100 words. There two more levels which teach the next 300 and 400 words.

This set consists of 8 short story books, 1 CD and a set of flashcards to complement the books, though the flashcards do not come together with the books but have to be purchased separately. Each book introduces about 10 to 12 new words, which are also on the flashcards. So you first introduce the words on the flashcards to the child and let him recognise the word, and subsequently to reinforce by reading the book. I suppose we can also start off by reading the book followed by the flashcards. I like that the stories are very simple, and the words are introduced progressively. I have included some pictures of the first 4 pages of the 1st book here for those who are interested.

The flashcards also come with some picture cards to reinforce the words too.

You can get the child to point to the picture which corresponds to the word, or vice versa.

Pauline, if you are interested, they are published by ‘hong qing ting’ (red dragonfly) and the series title is “xue qian yue du ji hua” (preschool reading plan). Let me know if you need more info.

I am Sarah!

mylittleprincess — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:46:33 +0000

This funny incident happened on Saturday at the Botanic Gardens. We had a picnic cum early Mid-Autumn Festival celebration at the Botanic Gardens with my sisters-in-law and families. While we were walking from the car park to the Swan Lake, we came across this little girl who is about the same age as, or if not, slightly younger like Sarah. She saw Sarah and pointed to her and said “Meimei”. Sarah heard this and said to the little girl “(I’m) Not meimei. I am Sarah”. I had to laugh out loud cos she was really funny when she said that, very indignant and serious. Come to think of it, we always have little kids or toddlers calling Sarah “Baby” or “Meimei”. Does she look that babyish? I always have this urge to go up to them and say “She is not a baby anymore. You are the one who is still a baby”. Of course, in a playful way.

Singlish

mylittleprincess — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:38:46 +0000

Sometimes when we talk, we tend to let a bit of Singlish slip in, like ‘lah’, ‘mah’, ‘leh’, etc. Recently, I noticed my little girl has learnt to speak Singlish! Oh dear! Not that I am ashamed of Singlish. Not at all, it is, afterall, a unique trait of Singaporeans. However, I do feel that we should start our children off on the right path and teach them to speak proper English at this young age. So whenever I hear her speak Singlish, I will remind her not to speak that, and make her repeat the sentence in proper English.

So whilst I am diligently correctly her English, this forgetful mommy will sometimes let Singlish slip into my words. Old habits die hard. And now the tables have overturned, its my daughter’s turn to correct me. Whenever she catches me speaking Singlish, she will say “Mommy, cannot say ‘mah’ (or ‘leh’, ‘lah’). And this mommy will sheepishly repeat in proper English. This has happened quite a few times, and usually I am even not aware I had spoken Singlish. Looks like mommy has to be more mindful of her language :p.

Sharing

mylittleprincess — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 16:32:02 +0000

Not wanting to share, that is. We went to visit a friend today, and I have to say I am very disappointed with Sarah’s refusal to share the toys with her friends. She has this habit of holding on to a toy she likes and refuses to share with friends despite being asked nicely. I tried to persuade her, even disciplined her, she is one stubborn gal.

I am particularly upset cos she was not like this before. She used to be willing to share her toys when asked. But lately, I noticed she has developed this undesirable trait. Part of the disappointment I felt was also with myself. I have allowed myself to slack and failed to be consistent in Sarah’s training. When I shared this with hubby, he was also very upset and disappointed, and this coming from a daddy who usually cuts Sarah a lot of slack, I know some serious work needs to be done.

So from now on, I will do “tomato staking”, a discipline and training tip from Raising Godly Tomatoes. Here, a child is liken to a tomato plant, which if left to itself unattended, grows too fast and becomes unwieldy, but if properly cared for, will produce excellent fruit. The parent is to keep the child close to him/her, and constantly train the child to be as what you want him to be. I know this will not be easy and will be a battle of wills between us, and I pray God will grant me strength, wisdom and patience, as I press on.