Reward

Another busy week and weekends.

I’m beginning to wonder if I can keep up with work, course and family.

Work-free Saturday!

Well, mostly.

We were out bright and early because we wanted to go to the HDB office before gym.

Check out Allie’s dimple and Clarissa’s expressions.

😆😆😆

I feel happy just scrolling through these photos.

Oops fooling around while we got our stuff done.

Simple pleasures.

Before gym started, the hubs said to Clarissa, “Can you pull down your pants a bit?”

He thought her long pants were riding up her calves.

I turned and said to him, “Dear she’s wearing three-quarter pants.” And laughed.

Next to us, I saw a fellow mum trying to stifle a laugh. 😅

We headed home for lunch before I went out for my once a month facial.

Allie was already up from her nap when I got home but I optimistically thought I could do some work in the study room with her reading or playing beside me.

Well, this lasted for perhaps, three minutes.

After I took this photo, my phone camera prompted me, “Someone might have blinked in the previous photo.”

Hahahahaha.

This is the way she laughs ok. She’s not blinking.

I gave up trying to work.

We drove out to my helper’s agency to settle her work permit and had dinner outside.

The traffic was quite slow and as usual the hubs was visibly irritable (and irritated).

He braked as a car drove into our path and Clarissa exclaimed from the backseat, “Daddy, can you please be careful? Wah my hairband nearly fell off leh.”

Hahahaha.

The other day he was complaining about how slow the other driver is and Clarissa said to him, “Daddy, be patient ok?”

😆😆😆

We drove through a traffic jam, and Clarissa asked, “What’s a jam?”

I tried to explain a jam means vehicles are moving very slowly.. but the hubs cut in and said it’s something you put on bread to eat. 😅

“Have you eaten jam before?” We asked her, thinking she hasn’t because she doesn’t like to spread anything on her bread.

She thought for a moment.

“Yes I did! Remember we were at the beach watching the Gorgor Jiejie save people? I ate the doughnut with a lot of jam inside?” She recounted.

Indeed this was the scene she described!

It was at Brighton Beach after our family photo shoot and we sat there watching a big group of school kids taking a life-saving course while eating breakfast.

This makes all the hassle and exhaustion of traveling with young kids worth it.

What we’ve parked away in the recesses of our memory banks, however insignificant we think the experience might be, the kid remembers.

Because of her, now I remember how windy it was, how the clouds filled up the skies beautifully and how blissful and busy I was munching bread and drinking coffee we bought from the supermarket while holding a fidgety baby who wanted to touch everything.

Now I remember how we chatted about the big boys and girls taking the life-saving course, and also how the hubs had to take a dump so I sat on the bench with Allie while taking photos of Clarissa having fun simply walking along the pavement.

Sunday was ridiculous. 😅

Ridiculously busy, that is.

I worked on my course in the morning while the girls played. Took the girls out for their swimming lesson. Continued working on it while the girls napped. Took the girls to my mum’s place for dinner. Continued working on it after the girls slept.

They went crazy at Waipo’s place as usual.

Clarissa the MVP actually took over feeding Allie after she was done eating, so I could eat.

My mum got home from a singing competition with a trophy that said “Consolation prize”. Naughty us asked her if all the contestants apart from the winner and 2 runner-ups received the consolation prize. 😂

Did a video call with Ah-ah who couldn’t be home for dinner.

My mum was chatty as usual and Clarissa came over and said to me, “外婆是聊天怪物。” (Waipo is a talking monster.)

Oops.

We always tease Clarissa about how she’s a biscuit monster, waffle monster and talking monster because of how much she loves biscuits, waffles and talking.

And since it was Chinese Sunday, we got a direct translation of a talking monster since my mum was talking nonstop. 😅😂

We went home with loads of stuff.

Showered the girls.

When it was bedtime for Clarissa, I took her into the room, switched off the lights and told her to sleep.

She asked for a cuddle and I gave her a cuddle.

She rolled back onto the cotbed and tried to sleep while I lay in the dark waiting for her to sleep so I could go back to complete my course work.

15 minutes later, she said to me, “Mummy, I think I haven’t drank milk yet.”

🙊🙈🙊

I’d totally forgotten about making milk!

I felt a little guilty, not only for forgetting something so basic (I do it every night) but also because she’s so sweet about it.

My mind was all on the course work and I just wanted her to fall asleep quickly so I can finish the work.

Sigh.

And the course work was quite tough to do.

Today was another long and tiring day.

But I came home to them.

Hahahahaha.

Bubs #2 eating baby yoghurt for the first time and Bubs#1 showing her how to eat yoghurt.

They made a huge mess and tried to sneak another tub out of the fridge while I was on the phone with my mum.

They make me laugh so much.

That’s all the reward I need.