End of T1 AY2021/22

Salam my lovelies,

We are well into the final 2 weeks of the first term. Bean is settled into Year 4 and Girl is spontaneously comfortable/bonded with her new teachers and classmates in Year 7. Moving to upper primary and secondary were definitely remarkable milestones (and school fees increment!). Parent Teacher Evenings are lined up for the week ahead so wish me luck!

The Christmas charity is up and we have sold 50 Sarawak Penan Bags to raise RM1260 for donation to Rumah Charis. Syukur alhamdulillah. The gift pledge cards are hung on the school Christmas tree and steady stream of presents are expected until 17 December 2021. Considering the economic outlook is not as bright as we have hoped, the generosity of many never fail to impress us. May this charity be long and blessed.

Last Friday, the very first COVID-19 cases was recorded in secondary school. The Senior Leadership Team, teachers, staff, students and parents have mostly remained calm and orderly. As of press time, there have been no new cases, no cluster has been formed and we will continue to trace and test. The year group in question are being self-isolated and lessons will continue online. Grit on! Our first school case since March 2020, what an amazing feat while it lasted.

Girl and Bean were in school for total of 2 days during their turn in rotation. The community we live in recorded 2 cases by the end of their second day at school and we immediately opted for online learning/work from home module with trips out to the grocer only when necessary. This self- imposed/strict discipline/err on side of caution have worked well for us as 3 more local cases were recorded. The Other Half stalks the community e-bulleting like a hawk and we will remain vigilant, inshaAllah. May Allah swt grant us all the strength, stamina, financial resources and protection while we ride out challenges of Omicron, Delta and annoying political situation in Malaysia.  

A little note to celebrate: I got my Pfizer booster dose!

Here is a quick update on my journey of luxury minimalism. Many of you know that I am an investment-conscious, work-from-home mother with no helper and have limited fund for frivolous spending. I used to purchase luxury purses and shoes using my annual bonus and this habit stuck. In 2020, I started curating my items mindfully, adding only a couple of key classic pieces so that I have a good rotation to choose from.

By 2021, my closet declutter items that were identified had been sent to a local reliable consignment company known as Labagatory. They sold some of my items in record fast time - one noir Hermes Bastia coin purse in Epsom leather which is now obsolete with e-wallet being so prevalent, one red Salvatore Ferragamo belt with GHW which I bought for Christmas and CNY "uniform" but never wore, and one pair of black Salvatore Ferragamo Vara jelly that I never quite broke in because leather shoes are so much more comfortable. I also sold a carmine red Salvatore Ferragamo shopping tote and black Anya Hindmarch work tote to another luxury reseller at Bangsar Village.

However, there were also some items from Carolina Herrera the wonderful people at Labagatory assessed and decided not to take on. I guess these will be donated, same as I had done with the bundle of Coach, Oroton, Braun Buffel, Frankitas and several other contemporary branded intems that were quickly snapped up in my neighbourhood preloved group.  

My consignment success also did not extend to a brand new Balenciaga City Classic. Maybe I will ask if I can dye the distressed lambskin from denim to all black so that I can make it work better with my capsule wardrobe closet but I know that denim colour can work just as well with my casual/weekend pieces. I just need to put in some coordinating effort when dressing myself?

I feel so light and free from having a smaller but cohesive wardrobe and those of you on this journey will agree with me that less is more. I do not understand how I ever "lost" my capsule wordrobe as I always had one since small until my early 30s. Boy, am I glad I hit my resume mode?

Pardon my rambling on. I better get back to decluttering. I bet I have a whole lot more items to donate, if I care to properly assess. I am already looking forward to less clutter.

Stay safe, everyone!

End of AY2020/21 and Summer Break 2021

 Salam my lovelies,

Pardon for the long silence as we trudged on the final term of pandemic-online-schooling. Syukur alhamdulillah Girl and Bean both did exceptionally well in their GL Assessments. Girl graduated in our living and dining room. Bean scored an award for Most Improved Student of his class. The Awards Ceremonies were surprisingly interesting! We applied for access to be granted to The Grandparents so they joined us online to watch both ceremonies. Both of the children's homeroom teachers will be returning to England, alas. They will both be sorely missed.

Girl and Bean somewhat enjoyed their online Sports Day as the novelty had worn off. We will suggest that the programme be updated next year as repeating the same routines and challenges from AY2019/20 annually were not exciting nor engaging for the most part. Morion, their sports house, did not win this year but put up a good fight. Sportsmanship can be tough under pandemic-fatigue as we witnessed first hand.

International Week came and went without much pomp and gala as the overall spirit was dampened by high daily new cases and long-drawn lockdown. Girl's class was assigned Thailand, and Bean's year group was again assigned China (same as when they were in Year 1). Girl's Thai costume arrived after International Week Dress Up Day, and Bean donned his Lunar New Year red costume. There was not much decoration of study space, except reusing all our Lunar New Year deco items for Bean's China-theme. I must remind myself to order Bean's new costumes as he is outgrowing them soon.

We cooked some masa harina pancakes (the recipe is a keeper) and ordered Thai food during International Week. Bean missed his xiao long bao and la mien so much he kept reminiscing his meal at Din Tai Fung KLCC when we could last venture out.

Summer break is finally here and we are spending every single day indoors, same as most Klang Valley dwellers. Our 9.2 acre park is still shut but we enjoy the greeneries and fresh air. This is our first holiday-less indoor long break. We ordered a whole series of The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer and a few more titles for Girl, including a new release from David Edward Williams (David Walliams). Bean is working on his Horrible Histories series, still. His stamina for reading is nowhere near that of Girl's, not that I am comparing.

Personally, I am working on re-motivating myself. I have a lot to be grateful for and reaffirm myself of this fact daily. Although The Other Half and I have been fully-vaccinated, we are not taking our chances and are very aware of the fact that both children have yet to reach their respective vaccination threshold age. We are certainly taking all precautions and coping the best we can with what we have.

On the fluffier side of life, our balcony plants are thriving and they bring much joy. Both children are painting, colouring, crafting and playing online games. They usually transition into movement breaks without cue. Dances and balloon-volley indoors are so fun with them! We must include more of our stationary bike and rower considering we have been eating well could use some extra exercise.

We hope to spend the rest of this summer break in good health and happiness. All school fees have been paid and their books for Y7 and Y4 are arriving from the warehouse. Hopefully, Girl's new secondary uniform will be available as soon as the bookstore is allowed to open (on-site at School and it is not currently permitted under Phase 1). I am still in awe she is going to Y7 and knowing me, I may get all emotional come September.

Ending this post with much love and peace to everyone. Stay safe and healthy. May happiness and joy come your way daily. 

Girl Turns 7

It is hard to believe this little dumpling used to nurse 24/7 and now by the grace of Allah swt she is turning 7. She has her own personality, preferences, talents and such. May you grow up to be a wise, healthy girl and always guided by His Blessings and Love. Amin.

In honour of her kind understanding and good behaviour for allowing me to be admitted to PCMC on the night of her birthday after the afternoon tea party at home, I would like to pray of her heart to blessed with even more light and love. Amin.

Summer in Sydney: Air Asia

I know I have not posted detailed account of our long, wet, summer in Ireland yet, oopsie-a-daisy.

We left for Sydney, Australia as soon as school holidays started. It was our first Air Asia flight as a family so you can imagine my nervousness coupled with streaks of anticipation. We were blessed with an awesome GrabCar driver with Nissan people mover. She provides wifi, water, snacks and and YouTube onboard from home to KLIA2.

As soon as we were dropped off at KLIA2 Departure Hall, we ate our dinner at the first cafe we stumbled upon, Secret Recipe. It was nothing special but kids were thrilled with the cold chocolate treat after dinner. We had to sugar them up to last until check-in and boarding time at 11.30 pm which is way past their bedtime.

As we had lots of time to kill before checking-in (we were first timers at KLIA2 and had no idea how to plan out timing), kids explored the few shops and Malaysian aviation milestone board. I hope they remember something about aviation history in this country, but I doubt it. I bet they only recall the mock palm trees and large screen LCDs.

When our check-in counter finally opened at 8.30 pm, we were nearly the first ones to check-in. We packed really light (thanks to reliable washer and dryer at Meriton Pitt St) and since Bean had just been potty trained, we had even more space in the luggage sans MamyPoko Pull-Up Pants.

Immigration clearance was uneventful, luckily. We then finished up all our water in our bottle just in time for toilet time before boarding. Theboredom stemming from long waiting time nearly killed us so fortunately the shopkeepers were not too fussed about having 2 noisy and active children jump into their rides, touch their early Christmas display and laugh the place down. Cold chocolate drink after dinner, remember?

The boredom of waiting without lounge and creative ways of inventing new games are all eye-opener for us 4. The 2 noisy and crazy travellers were a bit sleepy by 11 pm and started misbehaving from sugar crash. Instead of curling up to sleep, they noisily climbed on every seat at the waiting area. I think I have never glared and hissed that much before my entire life.

By the time we boarded, got our seat belts buckled and settled in, Girl mumbled that she wanted a flatbed (we got hot seats, not knowing earlier that we should have bought flat beds). Point to note if we ever travel with Air Asia again (mentally guesstimating the cost to be equivalent to MAS tickets).

Bean basically suckled to sleep. One other traveller was curious of his age and why he has not been weaned to a bottle of formula yet. Me, being the thick skinned nurse in public mum with lack of sleep just politely replied that I was tired and dozed off.

The sound of creaking trolley woke me up. We refused our pre-booked meals as we were sleeping. Luckily, we have packed travel blankets for the 2 of them but the upright seats with limited recline were not the best beds. Too tired to care, everyone slept and stirred.

In the end, the flight comfort (or rather lack of comfort) had not matter that much because we woke up to glorious Sydney! We were thankful the kids travelled well without incidents. We were just so thankful Bean has been officially potty trained and kept dry without accidents. He wore his Mothercare trainer pants just to be safe throughout the holiday, but his potty training had been relatively easy because he told us when he was ready. I learnt an important lesson from Bean: Often times, it is OK to be led by child.

The Sydney air did us 4 a whole lot of good. It was the change of scenery and circumstances we have been waiting for, for an entire year. Syukur alhamdulillah!

Big Yellow Bus

Bean rode on The Big Yellow Bus for the first time in his life yesterday from The Playschool to a concert hall.

When Girl did the same last time, I was that security/stalker mum but this time, I am that relaxed mum who goes to her appointments knowing that The Playschool will do a safe and fabulous job in caring for the little ones under their charge. 

He had gone to The Playschool in his circus design yellow pajamas (matching set) earlier but in the photo sent by one of the new security/stalker mums on duty, Bean was seen wearing his green London Zoo tee with red shorts.

When he came home, he was wearing the green London Zoo tee with his yellow zoo pajama pants. 

What is with his sense of fashion lately?!

I bet he is going to ask for his shark tee again and calm down once I explain Aunty M can only iron it this Saturday. God bless Aunty M. 

When I asked if he was excited about The Big Yellow bus, he said nothing. Girl was so in love with The Big Yellow Bus back in 2012, 2013 and 2014! 

Let's see if he will notice and report anything after his next ride.

BeansTalk: Pajamas

Bean wore his favourite car design pajama top and matched it against his favourite elephant pajama pants after his shower.

When I saw his mismatched pajamas set, I asked,"So, you have a car top with elephant pants on."

Bean replied,"Is it nice? Do you like it?"

Gotta love his big smile and confidence!

BeansTalk: You Fix

Bean says the funniest things sometimes. We were getting ready to go out one day and he asked each and every one of us what is it that we fix.

Bean: What (do) you fix?

Girl: I fix my dolls.

Bean: What (does) Daddy fix?

The Other Half: I fix your toy car.

Bean: What (does) Mummy fix?

Hampshire Mummy: I fix dinners.

Bean: No. You fix boogers.

We burst out laughing. That is obviously within the job scope of this mother now.

Bye bye, flu! 

Superb Sixth

Happy blessed sixth birthday, Girl! 

We love you to the moon and back, as you probably already know by now. May Allah swt bless you abundantly every single day of your fabulous life. Amin.

BeansTalk: Do Not Focus

Bean loves his bath time and play with his bath toys in the bathtub.

He would pull my hand, happily trot to the master bathroom, and ask for the potty before shower then ask to be lifted into the tub.

Remember the time he did the one thing he was not supposed to do in the bathtub?

Well, he remembers the rules.

He tells me now every time he is about to be lifted into the bathtub in his cute toddler voice, "Do not focus!" with a serious expression on.

That is his phrase for not doing No. 2. 

I am glad he applies the golden rule *hehe*

Yamaha JMC Book 3

Can you believe it? She finally reached this stage. For the first time, the Book Completion Concert was held outside the classroom and in the open hall for all to enjoy.

Girl did not play perfectly but you know what? She did not cry. She fumbled but she played on. She did not criticise her friends. She clapped for all her friends sportingly.

She participated on the stage with her friends and saw how many spectators there were. She just smiled and carried on.

She did not go crazy during the after-concert snack/party. She shared her snacks without hogging all her favourites.  

For all those EQ development, she got me teary with happiness. You are a star to me, Girl. I am so proud of you. 

Caveat: You need more practice! Don't refuse when I ask you to. I am still your mother.  

BeansTalk: I Want To Say Sorry, Mummy

How are you, my lovelies?

I was stung by the busy bee this week. Syukur alhamdulillah, a lot of work got done. Spent sufficient time with Girl and Bean individually. Spent sufficient time alone with The Other Half. 

Bean got into a tantrum at Playschool and I had to pick him up. A very much anticipated lunch-date yesterday had to be postponed (ouch!). He then came home and created more havoc for himself. One stuck head in the IKEA toy kitchen and a cut lip later, he went to bed exhausted. 

Oh, Bean!

Today, he had a good soak and water play in our bath tub. Then he did the incredible and unbelievable. 

He pooped. 

Into his bath water!

Well, now I know his diet and gut all score very high marks in the poop chart. Of course I cleaned every single piece of bath toy and plan to sterilise them, scrubbed and disinfected the bath tub, and explained to Bean he is NOT to poop into the bath tub.

His reply?

"Never ever again. I want to say sorry, Mummy."

*awwwwww*

Friday night is here and I am so glad the day is done. Let's have a great weekend!

Sleepover

Girl is really excited this weekend. She is hosting her first ever sleepover with L.

Notice how I am writing in the present tense? Yes! It is still ongoing and will only end after tea this afternoon.

How exciting! The young ladies have had dinner, story time, supper and sleep. This morning, they woke up bright and early for the playground and hopefully a session to view the city from the Sky Bridge then on to another fun activity near home. 

Have to run now. Life is pretty full being a mum to, momentarily, 3 children! Wish me luck!!

BeansTalk: One More Time

Bean absolutely loves the charity train ride at Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur. It is RM5 per person, so the 4 of us donated RM20 every time.

He loves it so much, that he throws a tantrum every time the ride comes to an end. He would be coaxed off the train, carried away by yours truly whilst he screams at the top of his lungs, "one more time!".

So annoyingly cute! 

Bean'sTalk: I Was Thinking About It

One morning whilst I was rushing to get Girl out the door in time for The Big School, Bean cried for my attention at the breakfast table.

The Other Half sensed he had to offer something highly entertaining and engaging so as to free me from the koala grip of this very strong-willed chap.

The Other Half: Bean, would you like breakfast and the iPad? You can watch Cars 2 if you like.

Bean: I was thinking about it.

I was gasping from disbelief and stopped to count the number of words he said in that phrase he uttered. The Other Half was so proud too. Even Girl was taken aback.

"5! Wow, Bean! You speak English now!"

I drove Girl to The Big School that day, just almost late, but did I grin from ear to ear?

Syukur alhamdulillah for such a great start! May Allah swt send my son His endless blessings. Amin.

Bean'sTalk: Must Say Please

Ms. T related to me how she had caught Bean picking up cornflakes from the basin containing food waste at The Playschool last week.

She had caught him just in time, before he did eat anything! Promptly, she gently pulled this young chap aside to have a word with him. 

Ms. T: If you are still hungry, you must ask one of the teachers to give you more food or drink, ok?

Bean: Must say please! 

Ms. T: Yes, must say "please". Good boy.

Bean: More cornflakes, please!

Ms. T: Yes. Good boy.

Bean then continued eating until he was full and finished his portion of water.

Bean'sTalk: Little Rhino Says No!

Bean is now 2 years and 4 months young. One of his favourite hallmark words to say is "no".

Anecdotes:

Mummy: Please come with me. Let's shower you.

Bean: No!

Mummy: Please come with me. Let's change your diaper. 

Bean: No!

Being cheeky parents, we turn the table sometimes, just to see his priceless reaction.

Anecdotes:

At supper time:

Bean: Peace give me chocky I scream. (read as "Please give me chocolate ice-cream.")

Mummy: No.

Bean: Say yes, Mummy! Say yes!

Mummy: No.

*Bean cries*

As we were leaving home for a busy day out:

Bean: Peace play Teh-Row (Bean was referring to Toy Stories Terror DVD)

Mummy: No.

Bean: Say yes, Mummy! Say yes!

Mummy: No.

*Bean cries*

Mind you, he cries to get things in his favor or his way, not because we let him or enjoy seeing him cry. It is a mock cry, with no tears, mouth wide open for me to count his 20 pearlies. Mock cry to the tune of the baby crying in "Wheels of the bus" ever looping melodious song.

Such a little drama king. 

Snippets: Shahadah

The most beautiful recitation before Girl goes to sleep now includes the Shahadah. 

The first and most important pillars in Islam, and we have been discussing it at her level so she can understand and appreciate its meaning.

"AshaduAllah Ilaha illAllah, wa ashadu anna Muhammadar rasullulah."

There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messager.

She is coming to terms with monotheism concept and is curious as to the character of our beloved Prophet Muhammad saw, as well as Angels and other known Prophets.

SubhanAllah I have to refresh my knowledge and present them in an engaging manner without getting her too excited at bedtime. Some of the books we have in storage will make their way to her as soon as her bedroom lights are fixed, inshaAllah. May Allah swt increase me in every way so that I can raise her (and Bean) well. Amin.

Syukur alhamdulillah. May her (and Bean's) path remain straight and guided by His Mercy. Amin.

Bean'sTalk: Peace & Ta

"Peace give Bean Chocky I scream."

Bean was politely requesting for ice-cream. For breakfast. With chocolate sprinkles. 

That sounds like an extortion to you? No, it was not. It is just Bean trying to convey his wish.

Upon seeing a bowlful of this super delicious treat, he smiled sweetly. Almost a cheeky grin.

"Ta."

Thanks, he meant.

Then he dug right in, finished every single bit.

Oh, toddlerhood is such fun.

Bean'sTalk: Oraight, Sow Wee, No!

Bean has yet to say "alright" eloquently but he has his Manglish version picked up from The Playschool.

It is quite fun to relive this phase (Girl had her star'H' phase) and I love conversing with him just to hear his cute voice.

Anecdotes:

Please put the toy cars back into its box.

Oraight.

Please wash your hands.

Oraight.

Please brush your teeth.

Oraight.

Please say "sorry". (After he has committed toddler crime of snatching objects of affection from others).

Oraight. Saw wee.

Please go to sleep.

No!

Bean deserves a bear hug and tickle in his tum just for being himself! 

Bean'sTalk: All Night Long

Bean now speaks using short sentences and I am going to try typing, recording and/or penning down some of the things he says, for keepsake. 

That is, before, he grows up and start speaking using longer sentences like the rest of us do.

One of the cutest phrases he has been using is "all night long".

Very useful phrase, and a ready description, to his advantage. Applicable  for almost any situation my 27 month-old son would encounter, in our household.

"I want lulu, all night long."

Lulu, is his baby lingo for "susu" aka breastmilk direct from the source. 

"I want Mummy (to) hold me tight, all night long."

I melt into a puddle, right there.

"I want McQueen and Trukov, (to) play (with) all night long."

Characters from Cars and Cars 2. 

Boy!