Mary Mary quite trustworthy.

Yesterday, our housekeeper took the day off to make a trip to the embassy for some personal matter and also to remit money since dave is out of town. Daddy's been away for a week now and will be back in a week's time. Mummy's been coping... thanks to mary so we decided to grant her the day off but I told her it would be deeply appreciated (reads no deduction of leave allowance) if she could come back earlier and she did. I'm surprise! She came back at two. Given her unfamiliarity of singapore (she's only equipped with a well drawn map by me from the station to the embassy) and the fact that she walked to the embassy and back to orchard station (I told her it would be costly for taxi as orchard road is a one-way street) and the distance between my place and town and the need to change train and that it rained for awhile, it's amazing that she took only five hours. I was actually both physically and mentally prepared to see her only at dinnertime given that she only requested for two days off in her 10 months with us. At least she could have stop for a relaxing, child-free lunch and a coffee to watch the world go by. I would but mary didn't, she came right back after her errand. Wow! The power of monetary deduction!

Truth is... we wouldn't have deducted her leave allowance even if she returns at dinnertime. We discussed and thought that she deserves this given her contribution to our family. It's probably the least we could do. Deducting her leave allowance wouldn't buy us much anyway but it could buy her son a month of school fees. This truth however was kept from mary as we were afraid she might begin to take advantage of our kindness and conveniently use it for her benefit. Afterall once bitten twice shy. We were badly bitten before so no matter how good mary is, we always remember that she is only... temporary. When the time comes for her to leave, the most she would do is to shed a tear for the baby whom she cared and love for two years, whom she has probably grown very attach to and whom she would probably remember as the first child she love besides her own. Issy practically grows with her from a three month old baby to a 26 month old toddler by the time mary's contract ends. I would definitely hate to witness that day as I can be sure of the tears and wails and struggle Issy will put up for farewell. Yesterday already prove a little uncomfortable for her without mary. And I'm bound to cry too. Let's just pray that we wouldn't be having a wailing party at the airport. Goodness!

* Oh and I'm quite proud of myself and joelle especially. I packed us two backpacks, one containing milk powder, bottles, water bottle and umbrella (which mummy carries) and another with sweaters, pampers, wet wipes and a change of clothes for Issy (which joelle's in charge) and armed myself with a baby carrier (so I have a baby in front and a backpack behind - good balancing), lots of positive attitude and a big smile to put on a brave front. The three of us ventured out for lunch on the MRT of course. I would probably have lost that smile along the way if we were to have taken the bus! Mummy's not a bus person at all. I get sick. Joelle gets sick too. We really do. Best part... mummy still got that smile and children still got their limbs. We all survive!

Roller blading

Daddy is not working today so we decide to do something fun. We go roller blading! It is joelle's first try at this sport and I tell you she's good. I think it's all because she's not too scare of falling. Afterall she has her knee guard, elbow guard and wrist guard on. But forgetful parents forget to bring her helmet! Anyway daddy is her fall instructor. He teaches her how to fall without serious injury. I believe that's the most basic yet important thing to learn in this sport. Mummy is the fun instructor. I show her the funny moves. She really likes it and refuses to rest even when poor old mummy and daddy are crying backache! Why? We have to bend so we can support her right? Anyway she blades... maybe I should just say she glides back and forth many times until daddy lures her to the playground.I'm glad she enjoys this sport cos I hope this shall be the family's fun sport besides swimming. Anyway daddy is not always keen about swimming cos he feels that it's a dangerous sport. A two-seconds mistake can lead to frightening consequences. So we usually have them with us at all times and that can be rather stressful. So I have been trying to find a game or sport that all of us can really enjoy doing and finally this is it! No more boring football (opps... don't tell daddy) to contend with now. Thanks joelle for this realization of mummy's dreams.

Art

Joelle had a great time at mummy's school last weekend. Thanks Juli and Dan for providing the materials. She really enjoys painting. But she seems to have lost that spontaneity in regards to colours. I usually allow her the freedom of expression. No doubt I do ask why the hair is blue or the face is green but never in a judgmental way. I just want to know if she actually thinks or just use colours randomly. I enjoy observing children during art sessions. The way they think, conceptualize and translate onto their piece of work is simply an art itself. I always try to understand joelle's choice of expressions, colours and perspective in her drawings and paintings. Art is a marvelous form of passage into the child's thoughts and ideals. I love doing art with joelle. But for this session, she actually paints according to the colour of the frog on the packaging. Has she grown up?

Banana cake and Cheese bread

This banana cake is good. It's soft, sweet and very very tasty. I add lots of banana. Fussy daddy likes it very much and he request for another the next day. So we made banana cake two days in a roll. Recently we made bread again. This time we thought we should try using cheese and they are really good. I think cheese is very compromising. It taste good any way you want it. Cheese bread will be our regular item now. Hmmm... what's next?

One of those times...

Joelle was running around the house during dinner one night. I was angry and sent her back to the table to finish her dinner. But I notice that she just sat there and stare at her food. I got angrier of course. I asked her why is she not eating and she replied "but you say sit down and don't move!" I tell you this is the moment you wish you can either dunk your face into a soundproof wall so you can scream and cry or fall flat on your tummy and laugh your guts out.

This is not the first time she did something like that. I just didn't find the time or sanity to write it down.

Swimming.

Check out my water babies in their newly bought thermal swimming suits. By the way it was their size that gave them the pink. Yes, there were only pink available in their sizes. I thought it would be rather distracting if I put them together in their shocking pink suits but it's not that bad afterall. People look, I mean who wouldn't, my girls are so cute. Most importantly people see their enjoyment, their laughter, their childhood. I'm happy that they are happy and it's easy to make my girls happy. Go swimming!

A star is born... again?

Joelle had a second break in TV filming two weeks ago. Before anyone scream at me for the delay in writing, do know that there are factors to consider (ethically and confidentially) before writing on what's not been due for airtime. This slot will be shown in november, I heard so I'm still not willing to disclose the organization or product/service she is selling yet. I could only say that she seems to have landed a pretty major role this time.

It was really hard work for all of us. Yes, daddy included. No, this time he was not the cameraman, he was our chauffeur and he took over from me in the late afternoon. We were at location from 9 in the morning to about 7 at night. Long day for joelle cos she woke up at 7 in the morning and went without nap.

How did she fare this time? She did improve I have to say. I think she actually grasped the idea of acting and filming now. Cos this time round, she did not even glance into the camera. Yes, even when the camera was like... inches away from her face! She did good with instructions and expressions but she fared badly in the "NG" part. She simply couldn't understand why she needed to repeat simple actions many times. At one time she begged me to stop making her do the take again. She looked at me with really pathetic eyes (I told you she is a natural) and said "mummy I don't want to do anymore. Please? I'm very tired." I felt horrible cos I couldn't stop anything so I literally forced her to continue. At that point I actually called for backup. Yes, I got daddy back from his tea break to take over from me. I needed a break!

Poor girl... I felt really bad for her but she seemed to enjoy what she was doing. She mingled very well with the cast and she went through the whole shoot with a brave front. she managed to hold out strong till they wrap. I'm actually very proud of her. This time even daddy said she's good. He's sure she will be better at each session. Provided she want to do another. I would encourage her to take on more challenges cos it's great to be mummy superstar. Nah... seriously I thought it would be good for her self esteem and confidence. She would learn to work with people of all ages, sharpen her communication skills, her understanding of team work and hopefully responsibility. Overall I believe it's a great learning opportunity. Would I encourage her to do this as a career? Nope, I still want her to be a doctor. *grins*

My job.

Everyday mary and isabelle will fetch joelle from the school bus. Sometimes mummy will join them. Most of the time mummy will be rushing to get some final work done before she returns. Joelle can be very demanding. She will insistently ask for mummy's school when she returns and my next break will be when she naps. So for those interested, mummy's official working hours are from 8 in the morning to noon (after breakfast usually) and 2 to 4 in the afternoon. And mummy's personal time only starts after they sleeps and isabelle sleeps at 8.30 while joelle sleeps at 9 or latest 10. So am I busy? Well, if you count the working hours only, I probably have the best job in the world! But I'm happy and that's what counts for me.

Cool dudes and friendly startlets.

One of the reason I like to work with daddy is the subject of his camera lens. You get to meet the cool dudes on television and the new up and rising starlets too. But there are more reasons why I would rather be my daughter.
She gets to hug and kiss the cool dudes and friendly starlets! =P

Monthly visit to takashimaya

Once a month, the family will go shopping at takashimaya. We have to thank our able housekeeper, mary for these monthly visits. As she didn't want to forfeit her leave allowance to go and remit her money so she got to depend on dave's off day at the end or beginning of each month to take her to town. We used to accompany her to the bank in lucky plaza but now we would just park and shop around in taka while she crossed over to do her stuff. I think it's better this way. Hopefully she will not betray our trust in her. So I have to say that these monthly routine is becoming more of a family fun thing than a chore. And joelle just loves the donuts there.

Oh.. and thanks to crepin for the lovely outfit from lifebaby and thanks to juli and dan for the really cool shoes! Love it. By the way, isabelle is walking like... 24 steps already. She's almost there. Soon she'll be donning lots of dresses. And if anyone still ask if she's a boy, I'll just... I'll just... ignore them. I guess I won't even bother to reply such silly queries. Yeah?

My joelle.

Just a little note to remind me of joelle's thoughtfulness. Lately she's been quite rebellious and that also means lots of discipline and tears. Whenever I make her tear, I actually tear in my heart. It's painful to love your daughter and hurt her at the same time. But she is four already. She ought to know right from wrong. She should understand consequences and stuffs like that. I don't know if I'm expecting too much from her but I really depend on her for my emotional well being. I hate to lose my grip on her and I definitely hate to become a monster to her. Sigh... this part of parenthood I'd always fear I'm not ready for. And she's only four. What will become of us when she's 12 or 18 or even 21? Sigh... parenthood... another sigh...

Anyway back to her thoughtfulness. I was suddenly ill one day with severe giddiness that led to vomiting. I felt terrible. Joelle saw me vomit and came in to pat me at the back (of course that didn't feel good at that time). She kept repeating "it's ok mummy, just vomit it out. I'm here." Then she called her daddy on his mobile and rushed him home. When I finally emerged from the toilet (reminds me of the time I was pregnant with isabelle! Geez... terrible memories), she came over to hold my hand and said "do you know I wanted to cry because you are sick." I was like... ahwwww.... come here my sweetheart. I wanted to hug her and all those mushy stuffs but I was like... reeking with the horrible aftermath and literally maneuvering my mind to counter spin my giddiness. I must have looked terribly pale or something cos she added "mummy, can you not die?" Well, I did wish I could when I was hauling my stomach out minutes ago but of course I wouldn't scare my little girl with such thoughts right? Moreover I wouldn't bear to leave such sweet little thing behind. Really... life can be so meaningless without kids. The good times... I mean.

Swimming club

Isabelle, welcome to the swimming club!

This favourite place of Joelle is now open to Isabelle. Joelle is cool about sharing this space and Isabelle, who used to be afraid of being in the bathtub with her sister, seems to have overcome that fear cos she's all over her sister in the tub today! I can foresee many more tubbing days ahead. I'm happy they're both water babies. Cool...

Sisters-in-crime.

Look at my girls. Handful right? Sometimes I wonder if I actually have boys in girls clothing! Oh man....

Durian mooncake

Last year I ordered Four seasons durian mooncake and liked it very much. This year I tried Home's favourites durian mooncake and I fell in love with it. It's so pure you think you're eating the real thing actually. Only downfall... the steep price tag. With that amount ($45 for a box of four), I can actually get the real thing and enjoy its pureness more. =P But it's the mooncake festival after all so let's just enjoy that extravagance once a year!

Hot from the oven.

A little insight to what's baking in angie's kitchen the last two months! Of course with the help of my able assistants, mary and joelle. By the way, they are my ardent fans too. They like everything that comes out of angie's kitchen! Bread, cakes, cookies, stews, maki, meringue, soups and all new recipes. Mmmmm... Yummy...

We made little star shaped buns that look so cute. We call them starburst! Even joelle made miniature versions of the same thing. Hers were like bite size. Just pops the entire star in the mouth. Really cute. That was our first try at making bread. A little hard and "floury". But not too bad for starters, definitely plenty of room for improvement. I'm sure we'll make yummier buns next try. Hmmm... practice makes perfect.


Two weeks later we tried again. This time we made garlic bread and raisin bread. Garlic cos I thought it makes a safe choice. You can't go too wrong with garlic bread. Raisin was a request by my "now-getting-more-fussy" husband. He's been a tough critic in angie's kitchen. If ever he praises something, that thing must be a real success. He used to be more accepting of my stuffs. Perhaps he was just entertaining me all those years and now couldn't be bothered to "add the icing on the cake". The truth hurts... especially from him but who cares... I have gain myself two new fans now!

Today we decided on cookies! Chocolate cookies with creamy fillings. Let's just call it chocolate kisses! This is our first try at cookies and it seems quite easy to make and not too bad on the taste department. The filling makes a different. The cookie would be rather dry without the cream. Best of all, you can add any taste to the cream. I wanted rose but joelle prefers simple vanilla so we went for green vanilla filling. We had fun baking this today and be sure there be more to come.

Wasted time?

Some people may be wondering if I'm wasting my time at home with the girls when I could be out doing many other more fulfilling things. Well... in the first place how would you define fulfilling? If you ask me, I would say that my time with the girls are fulfilling. We do many things together, everyday and most importantly, they like me at home and I love being with them. Sometimes, yes, sometimes I do feel tied down by the girls, I do yearn for some time off with my friends or my husband. I crave for restaurant food and shopping without being tugged at. I would not deny that working outside the home has its advantages. But I still strongly believe that working from home is the best for me. Restaurant food may be fanciful but isn't home cooked meals more nutritious and balanced? Shopping alone may be therupuetic but isn't it more fun raiding toy stores with the girls? Moreover daddy would not object to one more dress or one more book for his girls. Everything has its ups and downs. Being a stay-at-home mummy has its good times and bad times too. I have been at it for six months now and I have yet to regret my decision. Would I ever regret my decision to stay home with the girls? I would not know but I sure hope I won't. After all my job will never be mine but my girls... they will always be mine. Whatever time spent on them is time worth spending and it will never be wasted time.

Isabelle is One!