A New Apron & Cookie Time

I have been trying to drop Megan at my Aunty's place at AMK on Saturdays. It worked well last week and I thought we should keep it going :) So today, we went and Megan had requested to bake cookies cos when we were there last week, 臭臭-姨 wasn't ready for baking.

On our way to AMK, Megan decided to do a checklist and asked me:

"有没有带我的衣服" (did you pack my clothing)
"有没有带臭臭被" (did you pack my smelly-blankie)
"有没有带M&Ms" (did you bring the M&Ms)

It is as if Megan knows me very well, I forgotten one of the above - the M&Ms. She comforted me and said its alright, she will go with 姨 to buy M&Ms from the shops.

I reminded Megan that I have packed her knickers and she must tell someone she needs to pee when she needs to go (we are almost diaper free!). She gave me a really serious look and told me "这个 lao-goh 家没有 potty 的“ (there is no potty in this grandaunty's house)

And yes, the apron she has on is lovingly hand-made by my very own 姑姑！

What I Feed My Child (when I do)

Most of the people who know me well enough knows about my cooking masterplan. It is not that I hate cooking per se, but to cook for a toddler (only for her to reject the nourishing meal you whipped up) is really not all that exciting. But I have plans and boy, did I cook for all the Thursdays in August !

First, it was out to get the condiments and staples (we didn't have any at home, unless instant noodles can be considered a staple in a household). Then to spruce up the food, I went DIASO and got the cute barang-barang. After which, I had to look for my stashed away rice cooker, pots, pans etc.

Now that August is coming to an end. I am secretly happy - cos the plan was to cook for August only. But I do think I am getting better. My rice is no longer soggy, thanks to tips from Irene (even Megan complained that I cooked 'porridge' when it was meant to be steamed rice).

Perhaps I should persevere and continue cooking every Thursday ... perhaps.

Belated National Day Wishes

The park rangers (or what shall we call those people who man the counter at the park?) gave Megan a selection of paper hearts for her to pick a colour and pen her wishes for Singapore's 44th birthday. I told them she is erm, too young at 2 to answer the quizz or write anything legible for that matter. They said its ok and gave her the worksheet and the heart and crayons. She had fun scribbbling on the worksheet, pretending she had 'homework' to do. Then the nice 姐姐 showed her where to pin up her wishes for Singapore. I think it will be another 2 more years before she can understand National Day. We shall wait and see :)

Jacob Ballas Fountains-16 Aug 09

I witnessed Megan's bargaining/negotiation skills for the first time. It was a very hot Sunday afternoon so I didn't join her at the fountains. Came along 2 children, probably 2yo and 5yo. The older kid had 2 watering cans with her. A smaller toy, and a real one which is much more handy.

Megan wanted to play with those and the kid's helper convinced the girl to let her have the smaller watering can. Megan wasn't quite keen in the 'toy' and went to the girl, gave her the smaller watering can and asked for the bigger one. The girl refused. Megan tried to "persuade" her by telling her “很好玩的，这个给你“. That didn't work. So she ran off to the helper, and manja the helper and asked the kakak for help.

I must say I am glad she didn't snatch what she wanted, but I am not so sure if I should be worried about her 'negotiation skills'.

Lunch At Jacob Ballas-16 Aug 09

Ham & Cheese sandwich cost $6.90 -gulp. But she was hungry after all the running at the fountains and I wasn't prepared for makan. And the sandwich came with crisps! Imagine how happy Megan was to see "keropok"...

Playing With Papa

They say a picture = 1000 words.

Noah's Animals Have No Umbrellas

I long forgotten about our Noah's Ark puzzle toy. So while tidying up the cabinets (in an attempt to free up storage space), I found this toy and took it out to play with Megan. I told her the story of Noah's Ark once but it was some time back and she was probably too young to follow. This time round, she seems to be more aware of what it means when it rains, what it means to "protect" and keep the animals "safe".

As we completed our task in bringing the animals onto the ark, Megan asked me a million-dollar question, to which I was so stunned I'd no answers for her "为什么它们没有雨伞" (Why don't the animals have umbrellas?)

I would love suggestions for a suitable answer I could give my toddler :-)

I Want To Be Mama

Megan knows I am working when I am on my laptop but she has a bag of tricks to make me go away from my computer and be with her. She has quietly observed me and discovered which button to press to off the machine-so when she gets really desperate, she SWITCHES OFF the computer when I take a moment away from it. And she will get scolded for this. Now, she understands that she cannot touch my computer without my permission, or SWITCH IT OFF on my behalf. Instead, she will whine, cajole, and amuse me with all her entics to distract me from the computer :) One of her tricks is "I also want to be mama, let me show you how"

I'll Do It Myself

We have entered the 'I-Wanna-Do-It-Myself' stage:

• Megan puts on her own knickers
• Megan puts on her own pull-up pants
• Megan changes out of her clothing, and
• Megan puts on her own leotard and skirt
  

Making Dumplings

It was my grandfather's birthday celebration last Sunday. My aunty was making 云吞 and I thought Megan should help out as well. Basically, my philosophy in parenting this kiddo is to let her try as many real, daily life activities as we could possibly 'tolerate'. Mess is never a concern as my helper is understanding and very tolerant of our activities :P

Playdoh Cake

Megan made these tiny cakes at my aunty's place. I like to think one day, she will be baking me a real cake for Mother's Day.

Amen !

Megan has been revisiting a lot of her toys she used to play with and doing very different things with them. I took out her DUPLO bricks some time back and instead of building structures that goes vertically up, its now all very planar and flat - I don't know the reason behind it, but she seems to have it all in her head. First, it was a BEDROOM with beds for her toy animals/figures. Another creation is a cross. The proportions were rather good I think and she told me it was "Amen". I do think it is well made and thank you God for my wonderful daughter :)