Learning how to add

Last year, I was taught at Aunty Ng's on how to do additions. Mummy wasn't aware about the method taught till several months back when she caught me doing my math and she laughed at me! Hmmmph! I don't like it when she laughs at me and she justified it by saying that it's so cute. Huh? How can one be cute adding numbers? I'll let you see for yourself and you tell me if it's cute or not ya?

Mummy's entry - Bloggers Meet

This is the first time ever we attended a blogger’s meet where there were 6 mummies and 11 kids in total. The purpose was to meet up Vien who is back here from the states with her 2 girls. Thanks to Annie, she helped arranged the meet up.

It is my first time meeting Annie, Barbara and Sasha and my second time meeting Vien. The other mum is Twin and I know her personally as her kids go to the same day-care as mine. I only knew that she was a blogger when Rye Li was like nearly a year old and that also I came across her kids’ names on the blogs I frequently read.

Anyhow, these are the happening mamas on blogosphere and I have been following them for quite some time and hence, it was an honour to finally meet up with them and their adorable, infamous kids (yes, our kids are more famous than their mamas).

We met up last weekend and as much as I would have loved to chat more with them, it was nearly impossible as we had to attend to our kids too. So whatever little time we had, we quickly ate and chatted whatever we could in that 2-3 hours meet. All of us agreed for sure that the next time we meet, we will leave the kids behind! Lol!

Here are some of the impossible pictures that I took. It is so tough to take nice pictures of the kids and sadly, I missed out on some of the infamous kids too.

Rye Li (tiara was borrowed from Denisha) with Ashley, Denisha and Darien

this cute boy is Cruz (a pity I didn't manage to take his twin brother, Fearles)

this is Cassie and at the back is her sister, Belle

These are the group shots we managed to take from Annie's camera (minus the 2 babies which is Haye Li and Justin - they were asleep then). You can see their pictures at Haye Li's blog which I managed to take just before they had their nap.

Conversation of the day!

Rye Li: You beat me, I beat you back

Mummy: You cannot beat people!

Rye Li: Why you can beat me?

Mummy: I am your mummy; I can beat you when you’re naughty. I beat you because you’re naughty. Next time when you are much older and when you become a mummy, you can beat your children when they are naughty.

Rye Li: I want to have so many children!

Mummy: *Laughing* Yea, we shall see about that!

Rye Li: I don’t want a husband; I only want to be a mummy.

Mummy: Cannot! You must have a husband to be a mummy. You cannot be a mummy alone by yourself.

Rye Li: No way! Choi!

[I sound so much like mummy these days!]

Mummy's entry - Little Ms. Bossy!

My Rye Li is also a little Ms. Bossy. I am aware of this with her behaviour in our household and also when she is with her cousins.

The last 1 month, I have been taking her and 3 of her friends (one boy and 2 girls) from the day-care to school every weekday morning. And boy, having four 4 year olds in the car is no easy task. During the first week of school, I saw Rye Li’s true colour and this is probably how she behaves at the day-care all this while too. She is not happy that her friends got to sit in her car. Since her place in our car has always been at the front, next to me, she kept asking me “why my friends no need car seats?” and “I want to sit behind too”, etc. Of course, I didn’t bother giving in to her and her face, was black throughout the short journey to school.

All of them knows Mammamia soundtrack and hence, the 4 kids would be singing throughout the journey as well. The first day, Rye Li joined in. After that, till now, she refused to let me play the soundtrack and I know it’s because her friends know how to sing the songs. Rye Li likes to show off that she knows a lot of things so in this case, she cannot. I didn’t give in to her that first week and let her friends enjoy the soundtrack for the first 3 weeks till I myself got fed up and now they are listening to my radio. :D

There is one girl who is also very strong in character (I believe stronger than Rye Li’s) while the other girl and boy are softer in nature and will usually give in to Rye Li and this other girl. Everyday, for sure Rye Li and this girl will get into an argument and I had to threaten these 2 to stop fighting or else I will leave them 2 by the roadside to apologize to each other. They have been quoting this ever since when I warned them each time to stop fighting. LOL!

When I asked Rye Li why must she always fight with her, she will say “XX always like to do (bully) me, so I fight with her la”. I’m also guessing Aunty Ng (their caretaker at the day-care) has a role here as she always threaten each of them when they do not want to finish their medicine or food at the day-care, that she will give it to either one of them. By the way, this is also the girl Rye Li slapped before when Rye Li was only 2 and a half years old!.

There was one time in the car, Rye Li was sulking big time for something she didn’t get her way with and I told her off. XX (who also speaks quite well, the best of them all), upon hearing me telling Rye Li off said “Rye Li, you cannot have it your way the whole day, you must take turns” and Rye Li immediately rebutted “XX! This is my car okay and I can have it the whole day!”

These 2 strong-headed girls also fight with each other to get the attention of the other 2 kids. One will show off with one thing and the other will rebut with another thing. When I chose to ignore, the arguments can get quite bad and I just have to shut them off by telling them not to fight and warning them. Sigh!

I didn’t want to make it seem to Rye Li that I’m siding with her friends all the time so when her friends do some wrongs in my car, I will tell them off nicely. XX will get the most, as she loves pushing the other kids one side, to get out of the car first or bully the other kids when they don’t listen to her. The very first time I told her off for this, she was surprised and showed her black face and I made her wait while the others get off first. The next day and after that, she will let them out first and told me “Aunty, I let ZZ out first” as if getting my approval means something to her (all kids are the same, they all want the needed attention and recognition). And just to add, whenever I scold XX off, Rye Li will add “XX (is) always so naughty!” and the other girl, the soft-natured one will add on “Ya, XX (is) always so naughty!” The only boy is always to himself or singing if Mammamia soundtrack is on. I’m guessing he is so used to the girls fighting. LOL!

There are times Rye Li will tell me “I don’t want my friends to sit in my car” or “I don’t want XX to sit in my car”. I have to explained to her why I am sending them as well since I need to drop off her mei-mei to the daycare, her friends are just following us to school as their parents cannot send them. Anyway, this is just until end of February as March onwards, her school will start at 8am and the other kids’ parents will be able to drop them off to school then.

This week again, Rye Li got jealous when I was talking to her friends and told me “I don’t want you to talk to my friends” or when I happened to answer one of them “yes, my dear” when they were calling me to tell me something, Rye Li went “Why you said ‘my dear’?, ZZ is not your daughter okay!”

I bet you that once I have stopped sending her friends to school, this girl will miss her friends in our car.

Mummy’s entry – Little Ms. Smarty pants

Some of Rye Li’s countless comebacks…

When I could not answer her endless questions….”you are 33 years old, you must know!”

When we asked her to do something for us….”why you cannot do yourself? You cannot walk ah?”

When we talk to her at bed time…”can you be quiet, I am trying to sleep”

When we threatened her that she will lie in bed alone at night in her room since we need to do our work outside as she refused to fall asleep …”you go do your work-la” [this used to work when we want her to lie still in her bed].

Actually, reverse psychology doesn’t work on her most of the times. She is a bossy kid and hence, she gets into arguments with some of the kids at the daycare. I found out at one stage last year, she didn’t want to join the kids in the garden during playtime and stayed indoors. And when I asked her why, she said “because my friends don’t want to friend me” and I took the opportunity to tell her that she cannot be bossy all the time and that she needs to learn how to play with the other kids without having to win all the time too in games, if not, no one would want to be friends with her and she would be all alone.. And she responded “I don’t want to play with my friends, I want to be all by myself!”

She is very observant and has started to compare things a long time back. She loves asking us “why mei-mei can…..and I cannot?” and there was one time, her paternal grandmother was in town and when we got back home at night, we made Rye Li shower before we got her ready for bed and she went “why poh-poh didn’t shower and I must shower?”.

The most difficult part is when she noticed naughty kids got away with their wrongdoings and she started questioning on this. It is tough to come up with good reasoning when your kids ask so many questions. Now I know why my parents at times asked me to shut up and not question them when I was young. I have been told off too for being such a busybody. And as much as I’m trying not to do the same to Rye Li, I just find myself doing so especially when I do not have reasonable answers for her endless questions.

Of course I need to add that Rye Li listens to reasoning (we just need to drill it into her). She would rebel initially and only after much explanation, she will accept our answers eventually.

It's tough being a mummy! LOL

Mummy's entry - 1st day at kindy

getting ready for school - ok, was bribed with that gummy worm in her hand

I am pleased to report that there were no dramas from my drama princess this morning. She wasn’t eager to go to school either but at least she was listening to me when I woke her up and got her ready for school [I know I make it sound as if we quarrel a lot, we do actually as she loves defying me and I have turned into a really nagging mom!].

In the middle of the night just some time after midnight, she woke up from her sleep and started coughing and then she vomited twice, all her dinner and milk out. It was strange as she wasn’t coughing badly for over a week now. I was kind of worried especially since she would be starting school in the morning. She wasn’t having any fever and I also wondered whether it was an act of hers (she knows how to pretend to be sick so that she gets away] to probably not go to school but throughout the times we were calming her down and cleaning her up, I refused to mention that I would bring her to the doctors (although in my head I know that if her condition worsens in the morning, I would probably have to). But luckily after that episode, there were no more coughing.

stop taking pictures already, can we go now?!!!!

Anyhow, as I was preparing her this morning, she passed me a crystal bracelet (the cheapo ones you can get for RM5) which she has been wearing for a couple of months now. Over the weekend, I told her that she would not be able to wear it to school and that she would have to keep it at home and probably wear it over weekends. She wasn’t too pleased about it and rejected my suggestion and after explaining to her a little more on why she couldn’t wear it to school, I didn’t pursue it after that even though she still said “I want!”. So when she passed it to me this morning, I was surprised that she gave in to me. This girl really needs a lot of reasoning and she would accept it in the end. Only hubby has the patience (most of the time) for her which was why I didn’t want hubby to take her to school just in case she starts acting up.

on the way to school

being my cheeky self - so happened i look like the tweety bird too

Before we left the house, I told her that I would drop off her mei-mei to Aunty Ng’s first and then I would bring her to school. And she replied “I want me first” and I told her if that’s the case, she will have to wait for me at the school and she seems alright with it. In the end, I had to also drop her off first as we were running late.

I brought her into her class, looking out for the other 3 kids from the daycare that will be in the same class. Found them seated together with their mommies nearby and I brought Rye Li to them. I explained to her clearly again that I am sending her mei-mei off to Aunty Ng’s and that when she finishes class, I’ll be outside waiting for her and she is to listen to her teacher. She was cool about it. Didn’t even show any signs of feeling out of place (and didn’t even react to one of her friends crying – on the way there, I asked if she’s going to cry and she said “Cannot cry, after (wards) teacher will scold!”

When I got back to the kindy after dropping the little one to the daycare, I waited outside the school’s compound and chatted with the moms of the other kids at the same daycare. I couldn’t see Rye Li as her class was upstairs and they have already locked the front door but the other moms told me she was fine after I left.

When school ended, the kids were reunited with their parents/caretakers. Rye Li was happy to see me and she was more interested in playing at the playground at the school’s compound. At first when I asked her if she likes school, she said “don’t like!” but later on she said “I like!”

I am very proud of my baby as I was really expecting her to be a cry baby on the first day of her school. Guess she loves surprising me!