Painting At Hillview

Another week at Hillview. It's one of the 'safe zones' we can bring the kids out to. Not really safe-safe but still better than going to a public place where you cannot tell if the person next to you vaccinated or ignoring his quarantine orders.

So yah here we are at Hillview again. This time Meimei brought along the painting toys from home. The kids can go all crazy and wild here without worrying about staining the floors or spilling water all over.

Fireman Roleplay At School

Ahh this has to be 阳阳's favourite activity in school ... Fireman role-play! It's like a little boy's ultimate fantasy to be all dressed up in his favourite character and get into action.

Makeshift Castle

It's another one of those weekends where we are stuck at home and Meimei whips out a fun activity to entertain the kids. Good thing Meimei's resourceful and focused on making the best of the weekend with the kids.

Just a simple castle and the kids were able to play make-believe the whole afternoon. Wouldn't it be good to be a 6 year old again?

If it had fallen to me to figure something out I would have chicken out right at the start and let them binge on Netflix or Disney+ the whole time.

Shopping For A New Sofa

Our Cellini Magnum sofa was tearing at the seats. A combination of years of maintenance neglect, kids' perspiration and spilling of all sorts of liquids contributed to the wear and tear. Its full cow-hide leather so it could have lasted a couple more years with the right care. Oh well with kids I have low expectations that anything will last. I think its a good mindset when hunting for a new one.

Since we were very happy with our Magnum, it's just natural that Cellini is the first place we go to find our new sofa.

We brought Nyaong and Nyama along too to try out the sofas. They are at our place everyday and probably use the sofa more often than I do. Plus it's important that they try and see if they have difficulty getting out of one. Some sofas sink in and wraps around you to give you a good cozy feeling, but those are sometimes hard for older people to get out of due to the inclined back support.

We managed to shortlist 2 models. I'm heart set on getting a wider seat so we can replace the Magnum and the one seater. That'll leave a good space to the right of the sofa to fit the bookshelf. This sofa purchase is key for a reconfiguration of the living room.

Splashing A Snail

The covid situation seems to be under control these days so we started bringing 萱萱 and 阳阳 to the playground for some outdoor fun. Obviously they were super excited. 

The 'unique' experience on this trip was the snail that was constantly soaked in water. 阳阳 spotted the little critter and keep blasting it with water ... all the while smiling and laughing with Nyaong.

Playing "Train" As I Did Before

At Hillview today and the kiddos started playing cars like I did before .... 35-40 years ago. They took the floor rails of the sliding door as sliding rails for the cars.

It goes to show that what's fun before still holds true and you don't need fancy toys or computer gadgets to make the most of the day. I hope 萱萱 and 阳阳 gets to experience more of the play experience, especially in this pandemic where outdoor playtime is so limited.

Kiddo Talk & Pic June 2021

萱萱: mama did u see me just now? Was I awesome!?? I can do freestyle! No board! Usually got people looking at me I shy so cannot do but today I’m not shy so I can!

萱萱: The name “Ally” is so nice.. next time when I have my own baby I want to call it Ally.. *shy look small grin 

萱萱 just slept so I left my spot at the tail of OO's bed to go chill in the study. Shortly I receive messages from Meimei.

Meimei: Ur audio on? Did u hear ur son? Haha

阳阳: Where is papa

          Why he not here

          I will be the leader

(Went over to sit on your spot)

Meimei: He recognizes u as alpha haha

Me: yah a leader that wipes his butt

Coffee Upgrade

This has to be the ultimate upgrade. Connoisseur grade coffee right at home. I have to thank Meimei for her perseverance in getting the Nespresso even though she knows I frown on such things. But the kitchen is her domain so if she can make the space work and pay for the machine, who am I to say yah. Plus I get to benefit from all these coffee goodness.

From a cost perspective it's actually quite economical considering our drinking habits. Before covid I would go to the market to get kopi often at $1 a pack, so that's $3 a morning. Add the regular Starbucks or Coffee Bean latte and you chalk up quite a bit on coffee alone. So even though the Nespresso cost more than $200, its cost evens out very quickly when we use it daily.

So all in all, a perfect addition to home - especially now that we are home most of the time due to Covid.

Rail Track Fun

We bought this track set some time ago and kept it hidden in the children's wardrobe. There is a saying - the more dangerous it is, the safer it is. The children's eyes are so sharp that they can catch any 'changes' to the studying room and notice even the edges of toy boxes in a sea of stuff.

Today we brought it out for playtime because if we don't we might continue to forget about it and when we do remember the next time the kids might already have outgrown them.

As with all things new, 萱萱 and 阳阳 were super excited to play with the rail tracks. We probably need to top up with more tracks as we were lacking a few more to complete another rail route.

Surprise Anniversary Gift From Meimei

I had absolutely no idea Meimei was gonna get me a gift for our anniversary. More importantly, she got me something which is very useful. *kiss thanks DearDear!

A uncle key pouch haha but I love it. Exactly the size I like. I'm surprised she actually got me this, considering she did kinda complained that I carry one like Nyaong. Well what's practical is always welcome, even if it makes you look uncle.

Playing Shop

Meimei bought a card board game of sorts that purports to help teach children how to count money. And because of that 萱萱 has been trying to play shop, buying and selling stuff. Tonight we playing a bookstore. I would call out how each of the books cost and she will try to buy as many as she can with the 'money' she has.

Its a simple game, one she finds interesting ... for now. There isn't much to it, just an element of freshness I guess so I suspect she will drop it once it becomes dull.

Hillview Trip - June 2021

As the kids grow older, Hillview trips are becoming more attractive and fun. I like to bring them there too as its a safe place for them to be 'outdoors' without running the high risk of getting the virus. Within the house they can also go maskless while running around in the garden. Gareth and Garen also seems to look forward to us being there for a play-date sort of day.

Less Of A TV Addict?

Once TV is on 萱萱's eyes will be all on it for however long we leave it on. 阳阳 loves to watch TV too but he'll be bored easily and switch his attention to toys or games. Well at this age, you can't really stop them from doing stuff without a melt-down episode so I'm glad he is not so drawn to the TV. Well the same can be said of 萱萱 now that she is more into doing art. But at the same age, 萱萱 was solely fixated on the TV.

"Finger Pain Pain 姐姐 *Sobz"

萱萱: "Who naughty?"

阳阳: "Me~"

萱萱: "What you do?"

阳阳: "Peel~"

阳阳: "Finger Pain Pain 姐姐"

阳阳: "Very pain *sobz" 

阳阳: "I need a hug 姐姐"

萱萱 Gets In On The Naughty Corner Too

I cannot remember what 萱萱 did wrong by the time I got to writing this post. But it's still worth documenting this event. Hopefully they don't think its nothing to face the wall and take this punishment seriously. I think we have to ration it so it doesn't become a non-event and loses its corrective intent.

To note though is the improved execution with the book on the forehead. So now they have to stick to the wall else the book will fall. A master touch by Meimei.