Valerie's violin practice

Mummy is so proud of you!!!

My cheeky Venecia

My cheery ah-boy

My dear ah-boy has been quite difficult recently cos he has flu and cough for the past few days. Your poor mummy's sleep has been ever MORE interrupted than before....... Hope to see your usual cheery self again and pray that you will have a good sleep tonite, and so does your cranky mummy!!!

Our rendezvous 10th year wedding anniversary banyan tree celebration

Wow, wow, wow!!!!!!!!

Yes the 1st wow was we finally got away miraculously WITHOUT our children after 6 long years since our firstborn's arrival! At first, I thought we would have to cancel the trip cos our dear Valerie was quite sick early that week and I finally succumbed to the virus as well. Thank Goodness we all gotten well and the other two young ones were also well. So we took a leap of faith and left QUICKLY!! My parents agreed to babysit while we jumpstart our marriage! How romantic and exhirating this trip would be without the constant harrassment from our children!!! Finally I had time to eat in peace without having to cut food into bite sizes, cajoling my children to eat and hear constant mummy mummy all the time!!! I really prefered facing my ah lao more under the moonlight and savouring my long awaited tom yum soup, thai fish cake, curry etc....

The 2nd Wow was our celebration was held at Banyan Tree Villa with our own swimming pool !!!! So can u imagine how much swimming we had!! The pool was right in front of our villa. It was so serene even if I were to be stuck in this villa! Can u imagine having wine by the pool...yes, I abstained wine for two LONG years because I was either pregnant or breastfeeding!!! So that is a BIG WOW for me, THE once in the lifetime experience for me. Yes, this is indeed a very luxurious retreat for me! Thank you my dear ah lao. I appreciate this trip alot!!!

The third WOW was we actually sat down to discuss about our marriage and children. We discussed our differences and needs as husband and wife. After answering the questionaires, I realised I have more needs than him!!!! I was pretty shocked that my hubby actually brought Bill and Pam Ferrel's parenting book as well as a bible to discuss. So I must say I'm very IMPRESSED with my hubby's seriousness!!! We also talked about critical issues concerning our three children, their differences, their developmental needs so that we can be on the same page for our parenting issues. So I must say I was rather surprised that my hubby was keen about the discussion. In fact, it was very interesting cos he was in the pool while I was sitting by the table writing minutes.......very memorable

Lastly, I asked my dearest hubby whether this celebration is only a PRELUDE cos our actual date is on 24th July!!! Hee hee.... He told me to wait for another DECADE!!!

Anyway, A BIG thank you to God who let this happened, my dear ah lao for his meticulous planning, my parents, Yaozong's parents and prayer support from friends!!!!! I'm indeed MORE refreshed, rejuvanted and relaxed as a MUMMY and wife. I sincerely proposed to my hubby to make this an yearly affair so that I'm more recharged, effective and positive as an AWESOME WIFE!!!!

Princess Valerie's violin practice

My dear Valerie, I'm so proud of you that you persevere even when your violin practice becomes more difficult and takes up your TV time. Mummy wants you to know that some things in life needs hard work, positive mindset and never give up attitude.

You can do it and I believe in YOU, my dear girl!!! You are such a bright and understanding girl, do take time and think how much you have progressed since you first started learning violin. You have come so far because you are willing to continue to learn more difficult songs.
Well done, sweetie!!!

Train up a child in THE way that he should go

Look at these pictures and I do wonder what my dear children will become when they grow up.......Parenting is such a heavy responsibility and daunting that sometimes I feel inadequate to do it. God has indeed sent such an inexperienced parent to do this gigantic task! How should I TRAIN them.......

I realised in order to be a good role model for my child to emulate, I need to change and constantly remind myself of my glaring flaws. I learn to think more positively myself as I'm teaching my eldest daughter to have a postive mindset about her ability. I realised that our children are watching us closely and learning can be very subtle. I also learn to control my impending anger especially with irritable situations. I blurted out while driving" Go! Go! Silly driver...." hee hee Yes I do say that when my girl was sitting right next to me and she actually emulated my tone and words few days later.

Most importantly, I want my children to base their self-worth not on anything like appearance, acclaim, status, popularity but on God alone. I need them to know that if we based our identity on other aspects, we will only get disappointed and frustrated. Our real identity is based on Him. And I have to make sure I do that myself cos I usually compare my self worth with secular success that usually brings immediate disappointment and impending depression! I do not want my children to set themselves up to constant world comparison, but to reach their God given potential confidently in their comfortable pace.

Next, I need to pray and seek God more, so that my children see that our God is REAL in this household and they themselves will seek them especially when venture toward adulthood. It was found on a survey done by Shaunti Feldhadn that "that the fact that God might be disappointed in them was a bigger influence than whether their parents would be disappointed." The world is more complicated than our era, our children are learning from media, peers, school, everywhere......So now I have to train my children to know our God, to have personal relationship with Him too before it is too late...I need to lay clear boundaries for them now, before my children embark into teenage identity-creating years. YES and all these just happen in the blink of an eye, so I can't just procrastinate, but be active in my parenting which has a lifelong impact, training them in the way that they should go.... HOWEVER, GOD SHOW ME THE WAY FIRST and NOW PLEASE!!!

Sanity

I NEED SANITY!!!! This homemaker job is NO DOUBT one of the toughest job in the world. Not only this it is a no pay, no leave, no intellectual and social stimulation job, it is also a job that is constantly harassed by your loved ones. No wonder not many mummies do not want to take up this role as it requires lots of self motivation, prayers, self talk to convince oneself it's long term investment. Sometimes I feel like quiting when my patience, love and joy seems running so low. Somehow it seems that your children bullies you perpetually! And it is so hurting and frustrating that u feel so defeated after a long fight especially with a terrible two toddler who insists her rights all the time. Power struggles fights with loved ones are the most exhausting........What I like to do during such low time is get my latte, or escape to the bathroom and have a hot bath, call a friend and complain, watch my Hongkong drama series, pray, or even writing blog. Writing this blog helps me to keep things in a right perspective, to see my life in a bigger picture. So sorry if u feel a little bored here.....hee hee cos It is A way for me to regain equilibrium for my IMMEDIATE sanity and to continue to work " effectively" as a mother and wife.......THANK YOU so much for encouraging friends who believe in me and have assisted my sanity recovery program!!!!!