Snuggle up, Sardines!

We’ve been snuggling it out at my parents’ since April. The whole family is currently housed in my old room. Yes, that’s four of us squeezed into the room that I used to have all to myself. “ Four in a room? How to sleep?” Well, *officially*, Munch and I are on the queen-sized bed, Glory’s on her Bumper Playmat on the floor just outside the bathroom, and Celeste is in her playpen, at the far corner of the room. That’s the plan, at least. More on that later.

But it’s not just the 4-in-a-room sleeping that is amazing, I tell you. It’s the 4-in-a-room storage. The walk-in wardrobe and two chests of drawers (that I used to have all to myself, if I may repeat) now hold the entire family’s clothes, toiletries, diapers, toys and books! How is that possible? Well, that’s because I only have like five sets of home clothes and five sets of go-out clothes here. I figured I should let Munch have more space since he’s working and bringing home the bacon and needs to look like a teacher, while I’m just the chauffeur and can ace the housewife look with just any old t-shirt and berms. So I ceded my territory. And the kids… well, Charisma insisted she only brought minimal clothes for them, but still, their share of drawer space is more than twice of mine! So if you noticed that I’ve been wearing the same outfit again and again and again, IT IS NOT MY FAULT! I’m just a great, wonderful, sacrificial mum and wife.

Needless to say, the lack of privacy and space is making munch and me really look forward to moving out again. But the kids are totally loving it here. They get to potter around the garden and make new friends like

Wilbur
and other playground boys (Celeste especially, that charmer.), they get to feed fishes and force wooden ducks to swim. They get to see Gong-gong and Po Po every day (don’t even get me started on indulgent grandparents). And they get to sleep in the same room as Daddy and Mummy. I wonder if we are gonna have to retrain them to sleep on their own when we move out. But truth be told, I’m gonna need the retraining too.

Glory lah.

She started off with sneaking into our bed in the middle of the night. We spoke to her about it, and she abided by the rules for a couple of nights. Then she started to come over to me in the middle of the night, mewing piteously by the side of the bed “But I want you, mummy. I want to be near you.” “Alright, just tonight” I relented. And of course, it happened again the next night. So it became a habit – for her and for me. It is just so nice to hug her close and snuggle under the sheets together. And, because munch falls asleep really quickly and I get lonely in the middle of the night, I actually am glad sometimes when she comes over for a chat and snuggle. She’s so like me in that aspect – she lies in bed for a long time before sleep comes. Celeste is like munch… five sucks of the thumb and she’s out like a lamp. Not that Munch sucks his thumb.

But to be fair to her, Glory really does try to sleep on her own mat. Last night, I heard her praying, “Dear God, please help me to sleep properly. Because I feel that I cannot sleep properly. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.” It was such a funny-sweet-touching moment… my little girl, trying so hard to obey mummy and daddy, and asking the Lord for help!

So did God answer her prayers?

Yes.

She crawled up next to me a few minutes later and fell soundly asleep.

Funny girl having bean curd tart at Serangoon Playground. Yeah. I stalk my old house. We still go back there sometimes, just to gaze longingly at the windows.

Celeste... behind that messy outfit is a serious charmer.
She's had little boys clearing the way for her on the slide, clamouring to lead her up the stairs, inviting her to explore different parts of the playground with them, and one even asked his mummy to wipe down kiddy rides so Celeste could sit next to him.
You've been warned!!

That's her, looking all pleased coz she bummed a banana off a random stranger.
By the way, after she was done with that, she got a second one! agh.....

Maybe she goes around telling people her mummy makes her work too hard, and doesn't feed her enough. You know, the poor little cinderella card always works.

The Truth Shall Set You Free

I am convinced that Glory is secretly a wise old soul in a kiddo's body.
When Celeste crawled into my bed and I acted all miffed up that I didn't have any space, Glory told me to "never mind, let Celeste", as if she was teaching a spoiled child who needed to learn to give in to a younger sibling.
Or like that day,when i left her night-time diaper on for too long, and she warned me that she needed a wee.
Lazy Mummy: "It's ok, darling, you're wearing diaper"
Wise ol' Glory: "But if I pass urine, the urine will come out!"
Lazy Mummy: " It will not! Try!"
Glory obeyed, and true enough, her diaper overflowed.
Wise ol' Glory: (exasperated look) "You see?"
Ugh. Please tell me im not the only mummy who has received a "told u so" from a preschooler!

Or like now, when she's telling me that it's too late to be using the iphone n i should go to bed.
She's really quite the adult right?

Yet there are times I have to admit she's really just a child.
Like when we pretend to devour her body parts. You know, "nom nom nom I'm eating your nose. " but OBVIOUSLY we are only pretending RIGHT? Yet somehow this girl would look all victimised and plead, "Then I will have no nose. Then I cannot smell already. "
At this point, she's really hoping you would (pretend to ) spit out her nose, and tell her you've returned it to her.
Sometimes, just for kicks, I'd refuse to return her a nose or an eye, and to my great amusement, she actually starts bawling pitifully, like she has really lost an eye/ nose/ eyebrow/ arm etc! Slightly evil, but very fun right!

But God hears the cries of His children, especially little ones who are oppressed and mistreated and who have had their little body parts eaten off by hungry mothers.
Last week, at Glory's first Children Church Camp, I suspect God decided enough was enough and delivered Glory from her fear... He must have whispered something to her, coz she had an amazing revelation that helped her overcome her fear!

I was a little bored, and decided to gobble up her eyes. Expecting her usual pleas, I was surprised when she declared firmly "God made me, and God made my eyes stuck. My eyes are stuck to me so you cannot eat my eyes!"

Impressed.
And also very curious whether it was a revelation God gave her personally, or were the teachers actually teaching such random facts like "God made your body parts stuck" during Children Camp.

Yeah! God gave me awesome peepers AND stuck 'em tight to my face so you can't eat them! Ooh- Hoo!

Look what I found!

Found this while packing for the Big Move(s)...

Yes, I'm from THAT era. I knew all the songs from FAS Official Soccer Album. Dream Team Steam... Muahaha!
I went to almost every home match,and even went to Jln Besar Stadium to watch them train.
I even had a lucky panty, which, in case you didn't know, helped Singapore to beat Sarawak.

At the risk of sounding perverse, I even bought and decorated a watermelon for Aunty Semiah(?) to thank her for raising a man like Fandi, and marshmellows for his nephew Faiz(?)just coz he's cute. (the nephew, not fandi.)( although Fandi was cute too.)

Ah those were the days ;)

"Fandi my hero.... we love you and we thought you'd like to know..."