Yay, school is out!

No more schedules for me! For one month at least.

Stuff we have planned for the hols - trips to the Zoo, Bird Park, and Science Centre. We've been to all these places before, but the kids just want to go again and again. We haven't even covered the whole of the Science Centre yet.

The end of semester brought us all a very pleasant surprise - Ray's top in class. Praise to God. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the ranking in her report book. However, since the first semester makes up only 30% of the final grade for this year, she'll have to work hard to maintain her standard.

I can still remember all the frustration we went through with revision for the exams, especially with Mother Tongue. Argh. And so careless! With Maths, and even English. (Some of the P1 kids I know that are attending other schools don't even have exams! But my old school hasn't changed at all.)

We told ourselves not to expect too much, after all there were no exams or ranking in her kindergarten, and this kindy believes in making learning fun, so that children will not develop a fear of education. As long as she understood all the principles and passed, that would be enough.

Initially, we set a certain score for each subject, which if she reached, she would be given a special prize. But she said she didn't want it because she didn't want to work hard. Good grief!

She was given a book by the school to set her targetted grades in, and exceeded all of them beyond our expectations. Her highest percentage was in ---- Chinese! And not English as we expected.

Well done Ray. Have a happy hols, but don't forget you still have to help with chores.

The Maya Padded Slings are so beautiful

I just received a new batch of Maya Padded Slings this week, with an upgraded design (they listened to feedback and redesigned the shoulder area so it's more like the Moms In Mind sling now). It's definitely much more comfy than the Original Maya Wrap.

And I caught myself thinking as I was unpacking them, wish I had another baby right now so I can use those lovely colours!

Gulp. I read once on Asiaparents that women are able to forget the pain and intensity of childbirth, and we go on to have more children, especially after we see or carry a young baby from another family.

Ahhh... But I do not fear childbirth. Perhaps the only thing I would like about having another baby is the labour and childbirth itself. I want to have a successful VBAC, but Paul says chances are slim. My doulas think otherwise.

In any case, what I DO NOT want to go through again are
tandem nursing
the first year of EC
the struggle to lose weight and slim down (I'm still trying to do this!)
re-losing my "freedom" (now that kids are older, I have a little time to myself between sending and fetching them after school)
the worry about finances
guilt from neglecting the first 2 kids

AND not forgetting
Ruvie still so sticky to me
my business
CONFINEMENT (I'm not putting myself under my mom's control again about what to eat etc)
not enough rooms to split between the children
no more car after this one
insurance

Heave big sigh. So thanks but no thanks. We're stopping at 2. For the sanity of all of us. Unless, of course, God wants us to have one more, in which case I can't object. I take my hat off to Barbs, Pat, Serene, Sam, Rita, Pam!

开始缺乏智慧了

左边下部的牙龈好疼啊！

HL说他看到一个白白的东西要长出来，所以我想应该是吧。

看能拖多久才去看牙医。

Update: It was just an ulcer on the gum at the back, behind the last tooth, cleared up after about 4 days. Pshaw! And there I was getting excited over nothing. Lack of vitamin C.

Please pray for Jill

I just got to know that a friend's second daughter, who is only 2 years old, has been diagnosed with a rare type of kidney cancer. I was in tears after I read her announcement on the La Leche League Singapore site.

How heartrending it must be to see her very young child in pain, and have to go undergo all that chemo and take so many drugs to prevent the cells from spreading.

And again I told Rayzel (the first time was the school bus accident which took the life of a young boy), the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. We never know when we will leave this world, so better start getting your life right with God.

Dear Kelly, although I know you live your life in the hospital these days and won't have time to read this (probably don't even know about my blog), we are praying for you and your family. Please do not give up your hope and faith in our Lord Jehovah Rapha.