Any Mommies in mid-late 30s or over 40 with small children?

[tamarind]

pantone,
That is a lot of money ! I can undestand why it is not covered by incomeshield, since she was not hospitalized. You mean you also cannot deduct from medisave ?

One good way to earn money when we are old, is to stay with our kids and rent out our flat ! I help my mother to rent out her flat, and it is really easy money without having to do any work. But we need to educate our kids from young that it is OK for us to stay with them. Right now I am showing them a good example by living with my mother

But personally I think I am going to work all the way until the day I cannot move my fingers. If I can still move my fingers, I can still type on the computer and work.

The brand is Kiwi Kleen toilet and bathroom cleaner. I have used it many times, it does not bleach the tiles.

I have organized many sprees from amazon before. They do physically sell items, like books, DVDs, etc. They have their own warehouse.

The hard cover books are cheaper if we buy from amazon, even including shipping. There are many books and DVDs which are not available in Singapore and can only be bought through websites like amazon.

I actually need to order some books from amazon. Any mommies in this thread wants to order anything ? Just email me your orders. I am too busy to post a thread in the spree section at the moment

 

[patpin]

hi tamarind,

I want to buy this book http://www.amazon.com/Before-Was-Born-Gods-Design/dp/1600060145/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241428992&sr=8-1

let me know if you need any other details from me.

 

[stylobb]

Hi Mummies
Hving meetings and lotsa work this week, time flies by so fast..


pantone
Yeap, in his bag, maybe ur boy misplaced it.

Sorry to hear re ur mom, no matter what, once fall sick, medical bills sure mount... v siong for the person as well as for the family...

I bot from Amazon before, and I know tam does it too. I have bot sportswear and DVDs...


tam
In a way, I was laughing at your so long can type on fingers, still work!!
I also think I will work so long as I can... but at times can be so bz I wish I can have a break!
But still need to support family, so still work...

I don't think I will force my kids to stay with me if they want their own lives since I don't do that with my parents or inlaws. However I guess we must be prepared should the old folks needs us one day. Quite stressful especially when we also hv our kids to support..


precious gem
Think it's best to confront your colleague.
If it's something that she has told everyone and it's not true, it will be good to hv a talk with her.

I ever encountered such a person, but I didn't confront her as she bad mouthed me to two colleagues and if I were to, then she wl know it's my two colleages and I didn't want to cause any trouble for them. But I avoided her from then on, cos no point.
It's sad to hear that since some years hv passed, she is still the same, end up she has no friends...

Mummies,
Ever wonder what can we do as we grow older and if we lose our jobs??
I think about it and I cannot think of what job to do....

 

[cracker]

Tamarind
Infact my mum need to be hospitalised for the treatment. yes can deduct medisave but its kept like few hundreds a day.

Kiwi Kleen, will try to get it asap!

Amazon! Wait for me. Browse through the web yesterday, thought of buying Handy Manny series for my DS. It cost about us$1plus only. But after calculating the shipping its like i'm paying about more than $8per book? I dont know if my calculation is correct. I used the vpost calculator, just key in the dimension and weight of 10books it cost me over $50?

Stylo
Sme ppl from scholastic call me yesterday. They said the whole parcel was despatch to the school in March. Anyway he said that will resend that copy to school. My son said he did not receive any book!

What to do when i grow old?
Maybe volunteer work? Or maybe some simple work for half a day, 3 days a week? Like cashier? Librarian? Clerk?

 

[cracker]

Tam
Can i know how do i calculate the shipping cost? Amazon charge a shipping fee from Amazon to lets say Vpost, so there is a sum of lets say US$3.99. And we have to pay the shipping cost from US to SIN based on the base price plus per kg price?

Sorry to trouble you. Just want to make sure that the book doesnt cost too much.

 

[tamarind]

Hi Pinny,
OK I will take note of your order. I will let you know how much to transfer later. It will take at least 3 - 4 weeks for the orders to arrive, OK ?

pantone,
I will be using CGW. Most items from amazon offers free domestic shipping. Like the book which Pinny wants to order. Look for the words "FREE SUPER SAVER SHIPPING".

So you only pay the CGW shipping charge to Singapore. I will be splitting the total shipping charge by the weight of the items. From past experience, a very heavy hardcover book costs about SGD 12 - $15 in shipping charges. A light paper back book costs about SGD 3 (estimated only).

If the item you ordered is very bulky, I will take the dimensional weight instead.


styloBB,
When I am old, I plan to organize lots of online shopping sprees everyday hahaha It is quite fun to accept packages. Then I can admire the books and dresses ordered by other people hahaha. I don't read other people's books lah, just look at the cover only

Of course I still must be clear minded otherwise order the wrong things

I have also decided that I will learn to play the piano after I retire. Then perhaps I can teach piano hehehe

I will also teach private tuition, or teach very young children to read

 

[rona]

wah! so tired!!!

 

[rona]

stylo,
didn't buy the shoes. this time round, there's no many clarks to buy. the sizes very limited, the good sizes, 10, 11 and 12 all out and if they have, its the ugly design. so though i brought my gal there to try the shoes, bought nothing back... the sales gal quite fed-up with me....

 

[rona]

Tam,
i think you should open an enrichment centre and teach young kids to read using your methods!

For me... i'm still thinking. maybe i will die at 60 years old? then no need to do anything liao...

Amazon,
i think i wanna order the oxford reading tree series of books leh... let me browse... think its very expensive. will have to compare prices first? later i ask you to help est the shipping cost to see if worth or not can?

 

[rona]

stylo,
you seldom see your MIL even though she goes over to your place everyday? I think she is trying to avoid you... by leaving 15 mins earlier before you come home! hahahahaaa...

Sometimes you can ask her to stay for dinner lah. think your MIL quite nice to help you guide your kids to read and write. my MIL will never do that even though we stay together...

 

[rona]

Tam,
Kiwi Kleen good huh? will get for my mum. My mum poor thing, use bleach and the likes and scrub and scrub and the in-between still black black... my maid also didn't help. will be changing maid when her contract ends.

 

[patpin]

hi tamarind,

i'm ok with waiting for the amazon book to arrive.

 

[cheerful747]

For info, kiwi kleen is having an offer in ntuc, two bottles for around 5 plus.I actually wanted to buy , but forget the idea as am not sure how my maid is going to pour the whole bottle in the bath room...

 

[fairyprincess]

Rona,

You are back from HCMC? How did you and the kids enjoy the trip? Did you tailor anything?

I am traveling for work tomorrow, so lots of prep work to do...have been busy...

 

[stylobb]

Correction: Let's say you need a job to earn some money, what can you do? Bear in mind that what you want to do, the employer may not want you... sounds depressing or not..haha

rona
It's ok, no worries.

You never ask is it I go home 15 mins later with the same intention...hahaha

I usu eat at my mother's before heading home with food... unless my maid boils soup/cooks the special rice with chix and mushroom...

So, is HCMC modern??

tam
Wah you like to organise sprees, stressful, I think I wl order wrong quantity or size...haha

 

[stylobb]

rona
Yah, no doubt she is nice to teach the kids lah but somehow we cannot click... so I just leave it loh...

 

[cracker]

Stylo
After the excursion, my DS came home with a pot of pandan leafs.

Tam
Go ahead with my order. After the shipping cost, I think its still much cheaper than kkh/pharmacy is singapore. I may not be able to collect from you personally. You stay and work in the west right? Too far from my place. Can i arrange courier to collect from you or can register mail instead? Is it too much trouble for you?

Rona
Your maid really too much. If its my maid, I will suan her and tell her to watch tv while i take over the work instead.

 

[2sleepy]

Tamarind

PM you.

My girl's exam is over today!
I promise to bring her out, just 2 of us, as celebration

 

[shylyn]

Hi all
Just had my dinner..very bloated & full now. Decided to sit down to reply else wonder when I’m able to do so.

Pantone & Pinny
Hi! Think this is my 1st time seeing both of ur post. Care to intro?
I’m mum to a 3yrs old cheeky & active boy. Working full time & he’s attending full day child care near my place.

Rona
How was ur trip? Any Swine Flu precautionary measures taken there? Did u manage to get anything frm there? It has been a few mths since I went overseas…feel like taking a trip now..but with the Swine Flu scare..also dun really dare to venture far.
Even gg around in Sg..also will hv to avoid crowded places.
My hub is also the only son..but I hv made it clear to him that I want to stay on my own..but then again, not sure whether this will change when his parents become older..mabbe get a unit near to his parents..at least still stay in contact but not under the same roof…can u suggest this to your hub as well?
I also hv ordered the Oxford Reading Tree series b4…but cant rem how much it cost..cos I ordered tog w the Mr Men’s series & just the shipping cost me $90 plus! I nearly faint upon seeing the shipping charges…but still, on the whole, still cheaper than if u buy locally.


StyloBB
Luckily u are staying on your own & not w ur mil..sometimes its better to keep a distance..i always envy those daughters in law who can get along well w their mil..can chat abt everything under the sun..for me, mabbe becos I’m not the chatty type, I dun talk much to my mil..usually it’s just polite greetings..
Luckily, my mil is alright..just that I cant stand her way of doing things at times..guess it’s due to diff ways of lifestyle loh..other than tt, she’s very respectful of my privacy..of cos, I also learnt not to invite unnecessary questioning/comments easily.
I also find that being single is carefree and u can do whatever u want..but then again, if given a choice, I will still stick to what I hv now..cant imagine my life w/o my boy..he def brings us a lot of joy & laughter. Though I dun hv much free time/hobbies *high 5* I’m enjoying myself spending time w my boy..it gets to the point that w/o him around, I dunno what to do! That bad eh? Now..I’m trying to read while he is playing/reading/idling around..can let him see that Mummy is also reading for leisure & hope to motivate him to read by himself.

Sleepy
How’s ur case w ur mil? Keeping my fingers crossed that she hasn’t request to stay at ur place..i can understand how u feel…internally, really dun want her to come & stay..but dun dare to say no…mabbe u can tell ur hub that she can stay for a short period of time, after which, has to leave? Hv to convey ur point across…else will be taken for granted.

Hi Precious Gem
Great to hear frm u..been a while since u posted! U indeed hv a lot os plans! Envy Envy…me stuck here in Sg..wont get to travel till dunno when..kekeke..
Ur colleague is very mean to bad mouthed people..how is your organization intending to ‘take care’ of her? Someone ought to do something abt it..else this prob will always be there still.

Taramind
Glad to meet up w u again last Fri..do hope to hv more time to chat longer.
Oh yes..i’m crazy over buying books & edn pdts for my boy..in fact, whenever I go shopping, it’s usually to look for his books, toys etc..rather than for myself. I also agree that buying books is a better investment for a child..oh yes, do u hv any gd books to recommend frm your own library? Inspired by you, I also hv a mini library at home now..now considering getting some cushions to make the place more comfy..
U r ordering frm Amazon again..i’m tempted but then again..yet to hv the time to view the website to see what’s good..
How was the Piano lessons? Is it Yamaha at Frontier CC? I’m intending to sign my boy up for that once he is 3.5yrs old..but of cos, depending on whether he likes/wants it…I think, any classes that we accompanied him to, he will be ok…if we are unable to accompany him, he will not want to take up…hope that he will outgrow this when he is older …so that at least Daddy & Mummy can hv some time to pak tor..heheehh
Hee…read ur posts abt what to do after u retire..kekeke..like u, I like to admire books..but I cant be a spree organizer…get too confusing & frustrating to keep track already…honestly, till now, I dunno how to org frm overseas leh…the task looks daunting! U can hv an enrichment centre of ur own to teach young children to read! We will be your promoter…kekeke..

 

[precious_gem]

I seems to be running into bad luck these days. 2 mths ago, I had a car accident,luckily no one was injured but my car was in the workshop for 2 mths! It took about a month to get the insurance approval, even that after my appeal, then take another month for it to get fixed. So all these while we had to put up at my aunt's cuz we live across the causeway, on the otherside of the border and it's impossible to commute daily by public transportation especially with 2 small children in tow. And it's too expensive to rent a car and the school transport from JB to S'pore cost a bomb too!

Anyway, we have not been home all these while, and finally our car was ready last Thursday, we got so excited and so we pack our stuff and went back home on Monday. By the time we got home, it was already late at night, so as we enter our apartment, when we try to switch on the lights, it didn't light up. That's when I saw a red note at the doorway, actually a notice to terminate our electricity supply cuz we have not paid the bill for almost 3 months. So I called my aunt telling her that we had to spend another night at her place.

The next day, after sending the kids to school, my husband and I took an urgent leave from work to settle the matter, paid the bills and get the place clean up abit. After lunch, we pick up our children from school and went back to my aunt's to pack up a few more things. Then I got a call from my 'mentor' in this course that I am taking right now, and she started screaming at me saying I shouldn't be talking about her behind her back. Honestly, I have no idea what she's talking about. I have nothing but praises for that woman to whomever I talk to and that is why I got her to be my mentor in the first place, so I don't understand what she is upset about, unless someone .... I just can't think about it right now but I am so stress about it especially with they way she was screaming at me. Anyway, I told my hubby that we should spend another night at my aunt's but he insist on going back and so we did.

We were just outside our apartment block, when we stop by a new diner to have dinner. They have an al fresco set up so we sat outside, and there was a big TV screen so we were watching the Discovery channel. Our car was parked about 4-5 cars away from where we were sitting. We finished dinner about an hour later, and when we got to our car, to our shocked, the front window of the passenger seat has been broken into and when we looked inside for missing items, my 2 wks old brand new Acer laptop was missing!!! I still have everything inthe case; the receipt, manual, charger etc. We asked around if anyone had seen anything but to no avail. We went to the nearest police station to make a report and that took a veeerrry loooooong time, and even after that we were told to go to another police station to make a statement and see the investigating officer. We had to wait for hours for that officer and we were not allowed to come back the nest day. By the time it finished, it was almost 1 am. We were so exausted but mainly the kids, so the next day we keep them at home while my hubby went to the workshop to get a new window. The next day, my hubby came back with the new window but it cost a bomb! $250! And if we were to claim insurance, it'll take from 3-5 days! and we will still have to pay $100, SO my hubby decided to pay for it himself.

And this morning, on our way to send our girl to school, someone knock on the left side of our car ....!, just after the custom clearance, by a Malaysian car. It's just one thing after another. I am not sure what is happening but these bad things that has been happening to me is not doing me any good. I am so stress out.

The problem is, I still need a laptop, both for my work and course and also for my daughter school work.

Sorry for all these whining, I just need to let out my steam .... now I think I need a massage or atleast a facial to de-stress ...

 

[precious_gem]

Post Retirement Job

yeah, although I wish I could have an early retirement but I think I am just daydreaming ...
I think it's almost impossible to retire, we'll probaly have to work til we go to our grave, especially me; my two young children are 7 and 3 and my hubby is 53 and I am 41. We both have to work for atleast another 15-20 years to give our children a sound education. Then we will work for another 5 years for our retirement. Of course that's if we are healthy all these while. As it is, I am a diabetic. My medication + consultation cost about more than a hundred every 3 mths.

I did take massages courses a few years back, just incase, something to fall back, I mean, I just need my pair of hands and a bottle of olive oil. I even have Diploma ITEC London for holistic/swedish massage, and a certification in Sports Massage with Singapore Sports Council. I also have a certificate in Indonesian Massage, Pre and Post Natal Massage and Indonesian Sports massage and foot reflexology/massage. I also took short courses on ear candling and facial hair threading from CC/PA. I am trying to find time to take basic hair cutting and hair dressing. But I hope the massage thing will help me atleast to get by, just in case if I am left alone ... me and my pair of hands. I do get alot of request for massages but with an on-going course and 2 small kids, I'm unable to accept them.

Other than that, I could probably settle as kitchen helper in a canteen or food stall or restaurant cuz I'm pretty ok in the kitchen. Maybe I might become a foster parent with MCYS? Just stay at home and look after these unfortunate children, give them love and care.

 

[rona]

Precious Gem,
Sorry to hear about all your misfortunes. I hope things will start to look up from now on. One thing to learn, never never leave things in the car seats... for people to see and take advantage of.

Did you manage to clarify with your mento that you didn't say anything bad about her? I won't be able to tolerate if I'm being framed...

 

[rona]

I'm still struggling with my work load... I'm like drowning in it and still trying my best to stay afloat...

 

[rona]

Just in short...

Hochiminh
I didn't go to too many places. there is the cuci tunnels and the boat ride and the tropical fruit planation and the old old pagoda - these are the basic excursion you can take while you are in saigon. For us, we actually went to just the shopping area and also spent a day at the theme park. Shopping area, mainly the Saigon Square (or Centre??) and the Ban Thanh Market. Saigon Sq or Ctr is an aircon place selling clothes, shoes and fake watches. the prices is slightly higher than Ban Thanh Market but i find hackling for prices a hassle and very time consuming. Ban Thanh Mkt sells more things then Saigon Sq/Ctr. I got the coffee powder and the roasted lotus seed there. Clothing - all of them sell similar clothes and fake t-shirts... really got to hackle... I find the sales service worst then singapore. When you look at their things and didn't buy from them, they give you this black face look and the stare. very rude... there's also a nite mkt outside the ban thanh mkt. it stays open until 11pm, and sells basically about the same things... i bought some chains too though. Food - we ate mostly in small restaurants and i find the prices similar to singapore's prices - which is very expensive considering that this is in Saigon! for example, one fresh coconut at the pho 24 is like $2 - $3, which is similar to the price here... one bowl of pho is between $3 - $4, which is about the same price for a fishball noodles here. We rented a car and driver for 2 days and its S$100 a day. we spend a total of S$800 on shopping and eating alone.

Fairy,
no leh, i didn't tailor anything cos no time... bring the 2 kids very busy. if you go there, go try out pho 2000. I actually like noodles at pho 2000 better then pho 24. lemongrass is quite good too.

There is a theme park just outside of the saigon city. It has all the rides including rollar coaster (got to pay per ride, ranges from $1 to $5 per ride). There is a Snow city and a wave pool. My kids enjoyed themselves there although it was quite hot. We spend almost a day there, by the time we got back to the city, its about 4pm liao.

 

[rona]

Is the Oxford Reading Tree series any good? Thinking of getting some book packs for the kids to read. I'm a really lazy mummy, always buy books but never read together with them! But this series of books very expensive leh. Was thinking of buying the stage 6-7-8 book set and it will cost like US$100+! thinking it may be a good time to get it since the exchange rate is low now, about 1.47 now, of course credit card will charge more lah. Tam if I get the books for USD100, do you think that I should just order and get them to send to me direct? Do I need to use Vpost or anything like that? i'm pretty lost with Vpost... dunno anything about this.

 

[precious_gem]

rona,
I'll be seeing my mentor this afternoon at 4:30pm, she has a very strong personality ... but I keep telling myself I got nothing to fear as I did not do anything wrong. I only spoke to her right hand woman and perhaps that girl is jealous and probably twist and turn things. It's not like I'm trying to take her job ... I'm happy where I am and I am only there to learn from her boss cuz I'm taking this leadership course thing.

Anyway, I have only a few more practicum hours to clock in for my course and if she refuses to continue ... I just stick to my own boss though she sucks! Once that's over and done with ... I think I'll take a short break, go balik kampung to my FIL's kampong in Malacca, and explore Malacca's mysterious island of pulau Besar

or just stay at home get a facial and massage! from my neighbouring boutique spa.

 

[stylobb]

Hi Mummies

rona
Me also bz, been working later than usual, go home and feel so shacked.... feel like a zombie... hvn't been able to really relax, hope to, long weekend cos co closed tmw in lieu of the hol, tho I wish it shut on monday instead since the kids hv no school.

Wl watch "Star Trek" tmw.

I panicked a bit when the teacher at berries says jesse is an intelligent boy but refuses/cannot recognise the chinese words. Been drilling him, wrote the words on cards and expand the number of new words everyday. I find that he can do it when he really puts his concentration on it. I am surprised he can rembr all the words. I do 2 ways: one is to show him the words and he has to read, 2nd is I say the words and he has to pick out the words which I laid on the floor... (somewhat tam's method)... when I introduced 4 new words, he can rembr and read even when I mixed them up... keeping my fingers crossed...

From what you describe re the shopping, sounds like Bangkok like that..

precious gem
Ouch..the laptop... I hate to lose things, and worse, in this scenario.
You must be feeling v frustrated...

Hope you settled things amicably with ur mentor.

shylyn
I think frm day one, I already hv problem w/ mil, we just tolerate each other... hahaha
Since I don't see her much, I just be civil and polite...
I'm also not the chatty type so I hardly strike up any conversation with her, it's good she fawns over the kids... then leave us alone..hahaha.
Ur hb is only son, then must really see how in future..

Wah, like that ah, so devoted to your son, beta hv some hobbies that you like otherwise next time he grows up and meets a gf and marries, you wl feel it lots..haha
I spend time with them but I also leave them to play their own stuff... I don't think I hv to be with them 24 hours....

 

[stylobb]

precious gem
Yeah you mentioned before abt all the courses that you took, looks like you wl definitely make urself useful and be able to earn some money.. for me, I don't know what I can do....sigh.....

tam
I don't think I can gv tuition, firstly I find myself getting more short-fused everyday, secondly I think parents are also picky, they prob. want the teacher to be experience and hv qualifications...
Really gotta plan in case if anything happens.

 

[stylobb]

tam
How do I get my stuff frm u in future? I don't go to ur part of town... do u go downtown??

How is your dad?? Is he eating well?

 

[cherisw]

hi mummies
can i join in to chat wif you all? i hv a coming 3 year old ger.

read that some of you love buying books for your kids...i recently came across this australian site wif v good & cheap books but not sure if they do ship internationally...can check them out. Their end of line sets r really cheap. Acclaimed books & authors too like jez alborough, michael rosen etc.

http://www.scb.com.au/book/fiction_collection_packs/just_jez_10_book_pack/2934

 

[cheerful747]

Good morning mummies, its friday and a mother day's weekend...any plan?

Today am maid of the day...I woke up very early cos my maid cannot manage her laundry be it washed or fold(machine wash)

Her cloths unfold piled up like big mountain and unwashed cloths too.

Just wanna check, how often you mum or maid wash the laundry?The instruction I gave her, max two days, she has to wash one time.

I just wonder weather so hot, cloths cannot dry, somemore I have three drying stand and many bamboo to dry all the cloths in an open space....can die....

 

[fairyprincess]

Welcome Cheri to the thread!

Rona- I think you did quite a lot in HCMC already, so its not bad...yes, ben thah market must bargain hard, and its super hot...but I enjoy walking around it...

Precious Gem- oh no...sorry to hear what you have gone through...car thefts happen within split seconds, so better not leave anything to chance...hang in there...

So the flu situation is easing in S'pore?
I am currently in China for work, and there is no signs of any precautionary measures...countries outside S'pore do not take such a holistic approach to tackling the potential disease....probably only small organized countries like S'pore can do so much like temperature taking for all govt buildings etc etc...

 

[cracker]

Joy
My maid washes laundry every alternate day. She washes her own clothes every night. There are 2 adults and 1 kid in my house.

Shylyn
I'm SAHM with a 4yr old boy in Nursery class.

Precious
Can understand your frustration and worry for car theft and accident. All the lost files and reporting to be done...

 

[stylobb]

Hi Mummies

cheri
Welcome to join us...we shall not ask if you are mature mommy...hahaha

fairy
Singapore has put it to Yellow alert, in fact I went for a briefing yesterday.. things seem ok, only if ppl coming from Mexico, then need to be quarantined.. for US and Canada, need to be monitored...

joy
I hv long weekend cos my office's closed today..hehe...hb bringing me for mother's day lunch woh..then go and watch "Star Trek"....
raining this morning, so cool weather.

I think my maid washes every night... never ask her, cos she will schedule her work accordingly...
I feel quite bad at times cos we have a lot of clothes...

shylyn
I forgot to add it's my poor maid who has to take mil's nagging/nonsense... sigh...

 

[stylobb]

Mother's Day
We are bringing our mothers out for makan - mil on sat, my mom on sun....

 

[stylobb]

Boos - any idea where to get chinese books suited for Singaporeans. Realised that some of the books I bot are from China or Taiwan, some of the words do not 'tally' with what we would normally say.

I'm sitting a a food court now, the wonders of wireless...

 

[rona]

stylo,
shiok shiok! drink more teh for me! hehehee

 

[rona]

stylo,
what are you using to surf the web in the foodcourt? i'm still thinking about a new computer... the one at home is a desk computer and its already 9 years old...

 

[rona]

Chinese books huh? I also don't have much lobang. Can you go to Popular to check it out? I remember they do carry some series written by singaporean teachers or someone professional. I think I got a set but I seldom use leh. CAnnot even finish arnold's berries school book already... me a very lazy mum

 

[cheerful747]

Stylobb

I have contacts for chinese books.She bring in herself and sell.pm me if you keen....

Early in the morning, me already at parkway parade running all the errand and now teach maid how to plan and wash cloths....sigh,,,

Also need to cope with older girl mid year exam when she comes home in two hours time...

Pantone
My family two kids and me, I asked her to wash everyday, unless not much which is unlikely...I asked her why everyday wash still got a lot, she says one time wash cannot finish all and carry over to next day....what excuse is this?What mentality, only she knows....

 

[shylyn]

Happy Mother’s Day in advance to all!!
Tonight will be bringing my mum to hv a dinner celebration for Mother’s Day. Tomo will be having dinner with my mil…myself huh? Wonder what’s in plan from hubby..kekek..last yr, he gave me a Forever friends’ Happy Mother’s Day cup..wrote a simple message from my boy..i’m still using this cup for my daily coffee dosage in the office.

Welcome Chelsi!
My boy is currently 3 yrs old as well! Where do u stay? Are u working or sahm? Thks for your recommendations. I’ll go & take a look later.

Precious Gem
Oh dear..u indeed sound like u r having bad luck with those series of misfortunate events ..i guess every dark cloud will hv its silver linning..just try to think positively..it’s not easy..but def beats crying over spilled milk.
Wow…u know massage? Hv u applied your skills on anyone u know yet? Beside ur hub & kids lah. U can really consider having your own spa centre after retiring..who knows it might b a gd business to venture into.

Rona
Your Vietnam trip sounds fun..but I’m surprised to hear tt their service is worse than Sg! I usually hv gd impression of their service..mabbe it’s false impression..kekek
Do you hv the link to the Oxford Reading tree series 6/7/& 8? Currently, I’m using 4 series for my boy..he really enjoys it..esp e First experiences series..cos using that series of books, I’m introducing him to several experiences like going to the dentist, hospital etc..def a worthwhile buy..I bought it when Amazon is having a sale..cant rem how much..in fact, I dun keep track of the cost …else I will faint looking at all the $ I hv spent on his books! Heheh..
Beries also give out books for mummies to read??

StyloBB
Not sure whether it is a boy thing..cos my boy will also choose what he want/don’t want to learn. He has excellent memory & if he were to concentrate on the tasks given, he can do it..but just that, too playful & short attention span…really wonder how to improve this. Did u ask his Berries teacher why Jesse refused to recognize the Chinese words? I think for boys like him, drilling will only make him more reluctant to learn.
I’m also trying to have some life to myself…like gg out w friends w/o my boy..in fact, been doing this occasionally while my boy is in cc loh..& kenna comments from my dad who said I took leave & yet, didn’t accompany my boy *roll eyes* Other than tt, it’s usually spending time when I’m back home w him..he will demands our attention..been this since he was a bb loh..of cos we cant resist cos he’s simply too adorable to ignore..heheh..

Hi Joy
Usually we wash our clothes every 3 days…kekeke..rather long hor..cos my family only my hub, myself & my boy…in fact, most of the clothes are my boy’s…cos gg to cc uses up a lot of clothings!
U got contacts for Chinese books? What sorta books? Suitable to kids? I’m always on the lookout for gd Chinese books..cos trying to expose my boy to more Chinese. Luckily, my hard work paid off..cos he’s speaking more fluently in Mandarin now.


Pantone
R u working or sahm? Which nursery is ur boy w now?
My boy is currently at MMI full day..he has been with this centre since he was 19mths old..though still will cry when I send him to cc in the morn…sigh

 

[patpin]

Hi Shylyn,

I'm a SAHM with a 3+ year-old boy and a 7 month-old boy.

 

[rona]

shyln,
how thick is the book? your boy doing stage 4 already?? wow! my gal same age as yours but not reading yet... i also have not been reading to her. all you mummies very hard working!

 

[shylyn]

Pinny
Thks for your intro! Your boy also 3 yrs old? Is he attending nursery now? I always admire mummies who can stay at home & devote their time & energy to look after kids...for me, 1 is already a handful! hee...

Rona
The book is not thick..think abt 20pages per book..actually, i'm not hardworking lah..just tt my boy enjoys reading & he will demands at least 1 book per night b4 sleeping..so i'm always looking out for more books to buy to read to him. U can incoorporate reading as part of ur daily activities w ur girl..it does help them a lot in terms of literacy & speech development. Once u made it a habit, u wont find it a chore or add task to do...

 

[tamarind]

rona,
The shipping charge for a box set is usually the same for a book, which is USD 9.98 direct to Singapore at amazon.com. For the Oxford Reading Tree series, each pack is USD 4.99, base charge is USD 4.99. I haven't read that series before, not sure whether it is good. May be you should try one pack first ?

I prefer to teach one child at a time only. I get dizzy when dealing with 2 kids or more ! I may become a babysitter for a child 2 years and older, includes english, maths, and chinese and charge high fees hehehe

I use Kiwi Kleen beach for my master bathroom, it is sparkling clean, and the lines are dazzlingly white. I never scrub my bathroom My maid cleans the outside bathroom, I don't let her use the bleach, and I don't insist that she scrubs. I can see the lines turning black, but I don't care since I don't use that bathroom

Now there is free ticket on Tiger Airlines to HCMC, 2 adults only $210 ! A very good deal but I really cannot find the time to go

precious_gem,
Sorry to hear that your car was broken into. Hope that the idiot thief is caught and punished.


shylyn,
Thanks for offering to be my promoter

Yes the piano lesson is at Yamaha at Frontier CC. Chloe enjoys the lessons very much, one tutor to one student only. I do not insist that she practice everyday. But she does take the initiative to practice on her own.

For 5 years old and below, it is group lesson and needs parents to accompany, should be suitable for your boy

Some book recommendations :
Here are the all time best selling children's books.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0203049.html
1 The Poky Little Puppy, Janette Sebring Lowrey (1942)
2 The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter (1902)
3 Tootle, Gertrude Crampton (1945)
4 Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1960)
5 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J. K. Rowling (2000)
6 Pat the Bunny, Dorothy Kunhardt (1940)
7 Saggy Baggy Elephant, Kathryn and Byron Jackson (1947)
8 Scuffy the Tugboat, Gertrude Crampton (1955)
9 The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss (1957)
10 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J. K. Rowling (1999)
11 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling (1999)
12 Where the Sidewalk Ends, Shel Silverstein (1974)
13 One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Dr. Seuss (1960)14 The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein (1964)
15 The Littlest Angel, Charles Tazewell (1946)
16 Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss (1963)17 Oh, the Places You'll Go!, Dr. Seuss (1990)
18 Dr. Seuss's ABC, Dr. Seuss (1960)
19 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J. K. Rowling (1998)
20 The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (1969)


I have all of them except 6, 12, 15, 18.

Except for the Harry Potter books, all books are essential reading for kids.




styloBB,
Your items are here. But one pair of shoes OOS. I will calculate and email you the amount tomorrow. I will be going to Plaza Singapura on one of the weekdays, you want to meet there ?
My father is eating soft porridge, we don't dare to give him solid food. Just now my maid pushed him to Jurong Point, he insisted on buying lots of food, like barbecued pork, lychee, etc ! He does not understand that he cannot eat those food now, quite sad. What is life without the ability to taste good food ?

Hi Cheri,
Welcome ! Please feel free to chat about anything

Joy747,
We wash kids' clothes everyday except weekends when I wash me and my hubby's clothes. I do the laundry for me and my hubby, I don't let the maid do it. We have a dryer, only have to hang some clothes which cannot be tumbled dry.

I am also interested in your contacts for Chinese books, will PM you later.

I tried to order from www.dangdang.com, the books are good and so cheap. But I was not successful, my credit cards don't work. Using china websites can really vomit blood.

 

[stylobb]

Hi Mummies
Happy Mother's Day!
(Stimes I forget I'm a mummy hehe...)

What a heavy downpour just now!!!

Watched "Star Trek" and "Taken" over the weekend... former was ok, latter was a bit ridiculous but exciting... hb kept criticising it, I said just enjoy the action, not the logic of it..haha..
Oh yes, we went to Oriole for Mother's Day celebration, the food was only ok...

Quite a lot of postings to catch up...

rona
Using a Macbook.... my hb's a fan of Apple stuff... I hv since 'converted' to using one too..hehe...

Erm...I read to the kids every night... it's sth they insist on having...

joy
Ok, I'll email you later...thanks!!!

shylyn
Haha..your dad's comment... tell yrself it's ok to take a break at times to got out, you know...

Oh, you know what jesse did, he confidently told me to get out the entire stack of chinese words that I have written and that he will read them all to me, must say he did pretty well, only cud not read two words out of the entire stack.
I go through the reading with him at least 3-4 times a week every evening.. I really intend to help him improve his Chinese... will be adding more words..

tam
Plaza S'pura is fine for me, let me know which day ok? Thanks.. and email me ur account so that I can pay you...

Hmmm...yah so poor thing, cannot eat the food....

I think you may just hit a niche with your bbsitting idea... not only bbsit but also teach the kid.. haha...

 

[stylobb]

tam
Are all the books you listed available at the bookstores here?

cheri
Btw are you a FTWM or SAHM?

 

[stylobb]

Mummies
On the topic of washing clothes, just curious, how heavy is the load for your washing machine?
Mine is 7kg.

Also those of you with maids who are married, do you give them anything for Mother's Day?

 

[tamarind]

styloBB,
I am so busy over the weekend ! I will email you the total costs later, sorry about the delay. I should be able to meet you later this week.

I think the poky little puppy(all time best seller!), and 2 or 3 other books are not available here, all the rest can be found in bookshops here.

My washing machine is 6 kg. I did not give my maid day off for Mother's Day. Did you ? But I bought her a small gift

I am supposed to be busy working from home this weekend, but still have to find time to do something fun with the kids. We tried out air dry clay. It is very nice ! Much better than play dough.

This photo shows a clay rose made entirely by Chloe.

I gave her instructions and she made it. Rose is my favourite flower and I like the rose she made very much

I was feeling very stressed this weekend, and this is a good way of de-stresssing

 

[rona]

Tam,
Gosh! The Rose is beautiful! Is there an instruction booklet or something? I must say she is a creative and intelligent child! i think air dry clay is quite fun. where did you get it and how much does it cost? is it messy? I can get some for the june holidays to keep arnold occupied cos he also like to do craft.

Books - i don't think i have so many books... only all the harry potter books, No. 9 and No. 18 Maybe i should get the rest of the books as additional reading for the kids beside the keyword series. the Ladybird keyword series, though its good, tend to be a little dry. Arnold could be bored with it. that's why i was thinking of getting one pack of the oxford reading series cos i have received good reviews about it. ok, maybe i order one pack from you first. later i email you the link. or is it too late already? have you ordered?