Tax matters

Tomorrow is the deadline for tax filing. I just filed mine... Maximising all reliefs that are relevant now that we have 2 kids.
Noted the following as i moved along the form...
Its Great that the govt is allowing wife and parents to claim for ns men relief but note if you are a parent with 2 or more sons who are all NSmen the maximum NSman Parent Relief is capped at 750 (relief of 1 headcount) Sad huh? 750 is already a low figure to begin with and insignificant against a typical individual drawing an annual income of 5 digit. Little is being considered for Singaporean parents who potentially contributed more to the security of the country by supporting the conscription of their husband and sons as clearly tax reliefs are not a lot to give by the govt and with less than ideal no. of locals to support the economy and protect the nation i feel it will be the least that the govt could help incentivise the parents.

Wedding

It was the first church wedding for the kids and my first to witness the groom tearing with joy as he watched his own video montage and waited at the aisle as he received his wife! Amazing first lessons of what the couple are doing, what's marriage and finding a boyfriend who loves her as much for Natalie ! ;)


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Class upgrade

Nathan has been upgraded to the next level in school. Though he is the youngest in class, at 19 mths, we could tell that he enjoyed the session and with the opportunity to respond to teacher's questions made class seemed more interesting.

Today he pronounced "h" with its phonics sound and said hit as he struck the piñata. I am so proud of him! This little boy progressed so quickly under his sister's tutelage! Amazing how the desire of wanting to do things together spurred both his physical developments and speech!Now he just needs to learn to concentrate and complete tasks with fewer distractions and learn to manage his emotions better, which will come in due course.


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Location:Tampines Industrial Avenue 1,Singapore,Singapore

Swimming

Natalie is slowly getting the hang of placing her face under water and holding her breathe at the same time. Swimming to her is lotsa fun riding and piggy backing Us. Nathan follows everything that his jie jie does so in many ways advances much faster than his peers! He was able to kick and lie back as he swims from one end to the other. He is more trusting and listens to instructions pretty well. Natalie on the other hand is a little more fearful and dislike getting her face wet. Swimming to her means playing with water where movement is restricted to walking and riding on other moving bodies and occasionally float with full assistance :) got to bring her for swims more often so she will be less fearful of water!














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Writing in the car

Traffic these days are really bad, but it gave me time to update my blog. So I will try to provide an update during the period that chris took the wheels. I will take over after he reaches his workplace and continue with the journey to office. Mornings are usually pretty rush where we end up eating breakfast and doing makeup in the car. Bad traffic with long holdups gave me more time to do other things other than chat with chris. Cause he gets affected by silly drivers and need full attention swerving through lanes. Well i am not bothered as long as the frustration is not directed at me. So blogging is good as it gives me time to reflect on all the good thoughts of my children growing up.

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Staycation at resort world

We organised a stay-cation of 3 days over at RWS and the kids enjoyed themselves thoroughly!

Day 1
Adventure started when we reached the car park and unloaded our bags and the kids. Not knowing where we were since rws consist of 5 hotels, we landed at the Casino area which is quite a distance away from Hard Rock! Security came to our rescue and we were escorted on a buggy which miraculously managed to fit us and our many luggages! The kids enjoyed the ride as we zipped through car parks and went up and down hill!!


Upon reaching, we were fortunate to be given early check in at Hard Rock Hotel. Once we reached the room everything else seemed to automatically experience a vacation slowdown mode.


We were supposed to drop our belongings and rush to UNiversal Studios, but the kids were so happy with the room and refused to leave. Plans had to be aborted and we arranged with Dan and Sarah to meet at S.E.A aquarium instead.

The Aquarium was amazing and the kids were simply attracted to the huge display of colourful fishes. Natalie and Nathan decided to mimic the way fishes were swimming and lied flat on their tummy in front of the tanks thinking that they were fishes too! We were amazed with the reaction!! It was such a natural thing to do.. the attraction to waters and swimming like Ariel with the colourful fishes. They loved touching the sea star! No sense of fear just pure enjoyment even when the fishes are way bigger in size. The tank that kept the manta rays was the best attraction ranked by princess. She said the manta ray is like an umbrella, sheltering the little fishes hiding underneath. The rays will swim so close to you and it felt like you could almost touch it. Nathan wanted to sit and watch the fishes swim by and doing so lying down made it seem like they were really swimming with them.
Yiyi: natalie, do you see those human looking fishes in the tank?
Natalie: yiyi, they are divers!
Papa comes along
Ma: what are those papa?
Pa: fish keepers!
Natalie: those are divers!
Pa: erm u know zoo keepers look after the zoo, so these guys look after the fishes what..
(Eyes rolling...)
Day 2:
Spent the entire day at USS and we were stuck at transformers end for a really long time!! Kids loved watching the "human" roller coasters zooming by and Nathan exclaimed "see mama! See papa! See yiyi! See popo!" A million and one times!
Natalie didn't like the robot at all and kept going through the map to find the route to the castle!
Nat: papa i want to go to the far far away castle! Thats where the princess stays right? I want to go there! (She points on the map). Interesting... She knows how to read her maps!!
Well the day seemed to have past really fast and we didn't even manage to get to the jurrasic park zone! Well there is always the next time!
Day 3: breakfast at coffee bean followed by Free and easy at the swimming pool at hard rock. It was Nathan's first experience with sand and like his jie jie he didnt like the feeling of sand at all! He refuses to step on it and clings tightly to me. Such a cutie ;) well, jie jie had fun building her castles.

We checked out and without papa it was tough but we managed with bellboy's help ;)
This was followed by late lunch at chilies and we continued shopping around till 6ish. Not forgetting the brownie pitstop that we always make at the rws invite lounge before we stroll back to the car.

We certainly had fun at this stay-cation!!

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Artworks

Natalie's art


Age 3yrs12mths


Age 3yrs

Nathan's Art


Age 18months

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Pre-lunch surprise

Received this wonderful pink roses from dearest hubby!! Thanks dear!!


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Morning peck

Nathan gave me a morning peck on the nose when he woke up today! I was pretending to be asleep but secretly watching his every move before he curled up in my arms next to me and fell asleep again! Thanks for making my day cutie! It will be a tough back to work day after 2 weeks as a stay home mum. I think i will miss being home for the kids! Perhaps its time i consider it full-time?


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Piano lessons

Sweetie has started her piano lessons with yamaha and she simply loves it! She enjoys every stage of the routine from group singing to rhythmic clapping to playing on the electronic piano. And not forgetting homework and loads of revisions simply became part of the fun!

Too bad daddy always have excuses to not want to participate! His mindset is so fixated, thinking his poor music appreciation at primary level will hinder her progress or simply his lack of interest made it seem like a chore whenever he had to attend the classes with her. In my opinion, daddy may be too tensed up in class. Reminiscing about what happened during his childhood just adds on the stress. Instead He should relax and for once allow sweetie to take the lead and enjoy the process of being there. I know i did and when i see this young little one joining rest of the koko and jie jie in the medleys, i cant help but feel a sense of pride. Proud that she doesn't show fear in front of the older kids and she could keep up with their tempo, as well as remember all that were taught in class and being so brave to sing in front of a group of adult parents! I know i cant do this when i was 3. So keep it up sweetie!!!












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Staying home with kids

Today marked the first day of my full-time role as a mother. I was so looking forward to this day where its just me and the kids the entire day. To be honest i Was a little annoyed when grandma came knocking on the door and thereafter we squabbled about almost anything! How she wanted to bring the kids out though i said no, how i have prepared their meals etc. Yet she turned out to be such a great help and i felt fortunate that i had her extra pair of hands when Natalie vomited twice without any symptoms and caught me off guard! Somehow our anger disappeared and all efforts were on Natalie to make sure that she was alright. Funny how the situation transformed the dynamics of the team and got us working in concert where the 2 of us insantly knew what was the next best thing to do!

Zithromax

We've observed that whenever natalie had a cough, augmentin usually dont seem to work for her. Instead Zithromax has proven time and again to be a better cure. Making a mental note so she gets the right prescription the first round.

Extract from http://www.drugs.com/zithromax.html

What is Zithromax?

Zithromax (azithromycin) belongs to a group of drugs called macrolide antibiotics. Zithromax fights bacteria in the body.

Zithromax is used to treat many different types of infections caused by bacteria, such as respiratory infections, skin infections, ear infections, and sexually transmitted diseases.

You should not use Zithromax if you have ever had jaundice or liver problems caused by taking azithromycin. You should not use Zithromax if you are allergic to it or to similar drugs such as erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin, Pediazole), clarithromycin (Biaxin), telithromycin (Ketek), or troleandomycin (Tao).

There are many other medicines that can interact with Zithromax. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to any healthcare provider who treats you.

Take this medicine for the full prescribed length of time. Your symptoms may improve before the infection is completely cleared. Skipping doses may also increase your risk of further infection that is resistant to antibiotics. Zithromax will not treat a viral infection such as the common cold or flu. Avoid taking an antacid within 2 hours before or after you take Zithromax. Some antacids can make it harder for your body to absorb Zithromax.
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siblings

There are several benefits of having siblings here are some of them:

Everyday, children with siblings learn to negotiate, or cooperate with another social being. Over time, siblings learn how to compete and what to expect from an opponent. The dynamics changes as they mature in age. This largely depends upon how the parents interact with the siblings as they learn from your behaviours and mimic your personality. Children loves to play pretend and some times naughtiness develops a ripple effect because of this as it only takes 1 to create mischief and the second will have a tendency to follow. However, this also speeds up the development of the younger siblings as they would have some one to constantly play and talk to them, be it scolding received from an elder sibling, the little ones have a tendency to be impatient and pushes themselves further to acheive a task that is way above their developmental milestones. I believe this was what happened to Nathan as he has the luxury of having his sister to coach him and talk to him. Likewise my own little sister has more or ample opportunities to tap on my experience when we were much younger amd thereby led to a her becoming more academically inclined! Haha having come to this conclusion, i played a key role in her being top of the class and school when we were in primary  to secondary school!!

First born children may teach younger siblings about things they did not know they knew. So its a whole new set of skills and opportunities for them to display their leadership skills. The natural leader will emerge among siblings and that individual most likely is the oldest sibling. Negotiating with multiple siblings will allow them to display their strengths and weaknesses. Natalie also learnt people management skills through negotiations and drawing territories on what's hers as she act as the teacher or the boss in the family. 

However, Multiple siblings must constantly compete for their parent’s attention and financial support. Parents who often have to educate multiple kids and enroll them in social activities find themselves in financial strain. Therefore, if there is a significant gap between kids, one sibling may have a completely different experience than the other. One kid may receive more parental attention than the other one did. One sibling may receive more material items than the other. We are trying to achieve a balance in these aspects and finds this difficult as some how aomething special must always be done or given to the eldest as she has experienced more alone time with us! And most certainly because of her age she is able to demand more and speak up when overlooked. Nat's favourite phrase when dad left hee alone was "no one takes care of me" or "daddy has left me alone" and pouts as she complains away.

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Brave boy

Nathan just turned 16th month and it was time for his mmr injection. Per usual, he was not shy at the pd's office and understood instructions to take deep breathes and played with dr's stethoscope. However i must say his tolerance for pain is super high! When injection was administered, this brave little boy did not cry, nor scream.. He meerly said this in a super cool and composed manner "pain" (without the exclamation mark). Popo and helper were awed by his reaction and his maturity! Even jie jie who knew what was going on had clammy palms throughout couldnt believe her ears. Conclusion? "Nathan is a brave boy!" Jie jie commented prior to leaving dr toh's clinic.








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Nathan's first swim

It was Christmas and we thought what better ways to celebrate it than to spend it with yiyi, who has been so busy working the European hours and learning a 3rd language that we hardly get to see her over the weekends.

Prior to this we met, few months back, at nathan's gym and he was irritated when yiyi swop over my role in assisting him with the course. So we are using this opportunity to catch with this 'lost' sibling of mine!

The kids were super happy that day as they spent a good half hour at the wading pool. Being the super kiasee parent who is not confident in water, we don Natalie with a lift jacket float and Nathan with arm floats. Both kids thoroughly enjoyed the water and Nathan the brave little boy has no fear even when daddy's hands slipped and cause him to go under! Or perhaps he didnt even know whats going on when his kiasee mother kept ranting at daddy for lowering his guard!!

Nonetheless, In Natalie's closing words, " it was a wonderful day and i had great fun at the pool!"
























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Bonding

This is what i call a close bond and evidence to justify my decisions in not sending Natalie to a full day childcare facility so she could bond with her younger brother! Loved the closeness reflected in these photos taken by gong gong, who has in the past 1 month visited our place on every weekdays and brought the kids out for some sunshine and playtime!

Although i could not be a stay-home mum i am glad the 2 kids turned out in good shape! Thanks gong gong and popo and mi mi for taking such good care of them, both physically and mentally, cultivating the right values and bringing out the best in them!!












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New year resolution

I have never been a believer of new year resolutions.

Since young i've tried to set them, but with no efforts to follow through. Key reason being, 1 year just seems too long for plans to be accomplished. i am kind of impatient in that sense and obviously it contradicts with my philosophy of living in that moment. take for instance, some people may plan for a trip to the zoo or buy an item that they like... i cant wait. if i feel like going to the zoo i will just do it today or the next. And yes i am guilty of making an instant purchase and dashing into to a good sale and leaving with things that i think i may use but not need. I tend not to ponder over a decision for too long...So making plans in advance of 1 year just doesn't work!

However, that was me in the past.. Sigh...the youthful young me with loads of unexpended energies. Days then seemed so much longer that you could just bum around and submerge in that wonderful feeling of 'stone-ing' (staring into space and let your mind wander). Despite packed activities, There is always time for a book or a hobby. These days you just don't know why time no longer stops for you to even catch your breath. A typical week simply zooms by quickly and by then a month has passed and behold you are into a new year!

Theory of relativity starts to make sense when applied to different generations. Between our parents and our kids, it just feels that time seems longer for the kids and never stopped for us or passed even faster for our parents! We are ageing much quicker than ever! And there is no time even for myself! So yes this year i will set a resolution to remind myself of the things that i missed and wants to do.

Here's the list:-
1. Call Chris to inform him if I am running late ( my dad calls this a "horrible habit" or "rubber time").
2. Leave office by 6 pm on most days.
3. Reach home with kids by 8:30pm ( ie reach mum's by 7pm and finish dinner by 8pm).
4. Try not to doze off with kids by 9pm.
5. Increase our free of kids' time to at least once a friday evening every month.
6. Learn piano with Natalie and keep to a daily practice routine.
7. Spend quality time with kids and less reliance on tv as baby sitter.

Thats all for now.... :)


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Moon

Nat: hi papa see there is a moon! I can see the moon!
Pa: is it a half moon or full moon tonite?
Nat: half moon papa
Pa: so is the moon a circle or a triangle
Nat: (paused and looked at me in a matter of factly manner) its a crescent papa, just like a banana.
(Papa was dumbfounded)


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Bring your kid to work

My company organised a bring your child to work day and it turned out to be the most popular initiative! The kids were welcomed by employees who volunteered to babysit. Event was well planned with carnival games for both adults and kids to enjoy!

Natalie got to meet my boss and CEO stepped out to say 'hi' to her! She adapted really well at the office and because she is such a well-behaved girl all the female young employees loved helping me to babysit. She had her own workstation and played with Kelvin's kid, who was 3 years older and triple her size. Despite her age she has no qualms about scolding the naughty boy and demand for apologies when bullied! I am amazed at her assertiveness and versatility in management of older kids!





















Natalie and Andre at the movies












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Baby's gym

We were introduced to this baby gym by Daniel and Sarah and attended the first 2 lessons. So far Nathan seems to enjoy all the activities!! It was a great way for him to horn his social skills and interact with strangers. Surprisingly this little boy has no problem adapting to the new environment. He was even able to interact with the mummies and daddies who kindly helped us out as he dashed at lighting speed to different corners of the room! Jie jie watched on and took photos of di di, cheering him on as he crawl over obstacles!
Here's teacher Selene instructing him to kick the soccer ball .... And its a goal!!!












His favourite coloured puddles!!








I was a little worried how he would behave on the trapeez... will he cry? and wiggle his little hands out from Selene's grip! .... well my fears were unfounded! This brave little boy giggled and grinned whilst trapeezing towards me!!

























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