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Where can I find happiness?

I remember having a happy childhood, surrounded by family and friends. Dad worked long hours but mum was a stabalising presence at home.

As a teenager I went through the typical phase thinking that happiness could be bought, only to discover it is short-lived – until the next purchase.

The greatest challenge came when we started having kids and the past 18 years have by no means been easy. In my toughest and darkest moments, I struggled to find meaning in the sacrifices and sufferings of those early years.


On hindsight, it taught me so much.

It shaped me into who I am today. It made me strong.

Living life at survival mode with the 5 older kids, it dawned on me that happiness could be found in the simplest of things and hey, I lived to tell the tale, share my experiences, and hopefully inspire others along this journey of life as parents.

I have been fortunate to enjoy the past 4 years since Kate came into our lives, seeing the world through the lens of a child. It was a breather for me, to recharge body and soul.

The next few years will be rocky, in many aspects. My parents are past their 70s and this is the first time seeing dad hospitalised. Soon, they will be unable to care for my brother which adds to their burden.

As a mother, your worries never end. Slowly but surely, I will have half a dozen teenagers on my hands. Our childrens’ joys are ours, their sadness, multiplied a thousand times in our hearts. The paths they choose to walk may give us sleepless nights. I need to brace myself emotionally.

I have been pondering things the past few weeks, and worries started to surface.

Someone shared these lines, and it has redefined happiness for me.
Being happy is not having a sky without storms, work without fatigue, or relationships without disappointments.

Being happy is finding strength in forgiveness, hope in one’s battles, love in disagreements.

It is not only to treasure the smile, but to reflect on the sadness.

Being happy is not an inevitable fate, but a victory for those who can travel towards it with your own being.

It is not only to cross the deserts outside of ourselves, but still more, to be able to find an oasis in the recesses of our soul.

In your spring-time, may you become a lover of joy. In your winter, may you become a friend of wisdom.

Happiness is not about having a perfect life but about using tears to water tolerance, failures to carve serenity, obstacles to open the windows of intelligence.

These words shine like a ray of light.

We can find happiness in the bad, as much as the good.

At church, one of my kids asked, “Why is Good Friday good when Jesus suffered and died? It should be called Bad Friday.”

It is precisely because of Good Friday that the miracle of Easter Sunday is celebrated.

As much as laughter and joy will flow, so will tears and pain.

I am not afraid. In darkness and despair, I shall find peace.

And when the storms blow over, the bright hues of the rainbow will be appreciated like never before.

Other lessons (which I’ve learnt the hard way):

Lesson #15: What are we worth, mums?
Lesson #16: What do you do when you get sick of parenting?
Lesson #17: The tragedy of our society

Lesson #19: Are we slowly killing ourselves?
Lesson #20: What does it take to keep a marriage going?

~ www.mummyweeblog.com: A blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore ~
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Chinese New Year 2017

Chinese New Year every year is more or less the same for us. A few weeks before, we start decluttering and spring cleaning the house. I’m getting better at letting go of things, yay! The hubs and I will make an annual trip to Yong Peng to buy his favourite pineapple tarts from a family bakery and seeing the table full of cookies in the red-capped bottles signifies the start of the season for the kids.
Breakfast with her bear

The day before CNY, the excitement picks up as the younger kids dress up for celebrations in school. By 11am, all the kids are home and there’s a buzz around the house. With kids spanning such a wide age range, busy with their own schedules, I can see the wisdom in the reunion dinner tradition and schools and workplaces giving everyone half a day off.

Steamed bamboo clams with garlic

The hubs and our helper start cooking early in the morning and relatives come over for prayers followed by lunch. After which, the older kids head over to my parents’ place to help prepare our steamboat reunion dinner. We have an early dinner with my family and return home by 8pm for Round 2 with the hubs’ side of the family.

Yu Sheng

This year we had a lavish reunion dinner complete with freshly shucked oysters. Stomachs full, it was time for the rather riotous “lo-hei” ritual.

Annual family photo
We take our annual Wee family photo on reunion night as that is the only time everyone gathers at the same time.
Gadgets, gadgets, gadgets
Kate and her cousins, and the ubiquitous gadgets. This is what bonding looks like in their generation.

It’s a long day for the kids as they woke up at 5.30am for school, and we call it a night just past midnight.
Look at those cheeks!

The 1st day of CNY is spent at my parents’ place as that is where my dad’s clan will descend. He is the youngest in a family of 11 kids, so it’s twice as many relatives on my side of the family. Sadly, because we only meet once a year, my kids are not close to their cousins. We get home and the hubs starts cooking again for friends and relatives who come visiting.

On the 2nd day of CNY, we go over to my parents’ place for lunch as relatives from my mum’s side and family friends will gather, as they have been doing from as long as I can remember.

Bak kut teh

By Day 4, the hubs was exhausted from 4 days of cooking. We had friends visiting from overseas, and as the kids were back in school, we accompanied them on the drive up to Meleka. It was a nice 2-day break and we took things really slow.

We like this aunty’s bak kut teh, and it’s quite amusing how everyone at the coffeeshop sat and waited patiently as this aunty cheerfully prepares the claypots for one table at a time.

Memories

Felt like we were transported back in time as we strolled the streets and spent the whole day eating, without background complaints of “Where are we going? Why are we eating again?”

It’s been a good CNY thus far with no tempers raised nor cranky meltdowns, only hoarse voices from too much bak kua and pineapple tarts.

I was asking one of my kids what she liked most about Chinese New Year. Is it the ang pows? “No”. The food? “No.”

“I like that there’s a lot of people around. And relatives. And your friends.”

There’s grounding in family and traditions. I hope that’s something we will pass on from generation to generation.

~ www.mummyweeblog.com – a blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore ~
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The Live Turtle and Tortoise Museum

In my bid to spend more time in nature and to slow down our hurried lives, I took Kate to the Turtle museum. Not only has she never seen giant turtles, she has also never stepped foot in the Chinese Garden. Perfect outing for a Friday afternoon!

I expected the place to be fairly quiet, but was still surprised that there was only 1 other family there, and they were tourists. Must be because the place is so ulu (secluded), and I guess turtles doesn’t seem exciting to kids (nor parents) these days. It is called a museum, but is more like a garden.

They have a really impressive collection of rare species from around the world, but all that was lost on Kate. She just wanted to see them and feed them.

Free to roam turtles

We purchased our tickets along with a bunch of long beans ($2) and entered the garden. As Kate approached the pond, the turtles seemed to know she was bearing food and started climbing out of the pond towards her. Seeing an army of turtles advancing, she ran away terrified!

Relating the story to the older kids at dinner, they were amused, “What kid is afraid of turtles? Kate, as-slow-as-a-turtle, you know?”

Hungry turtles

We moved away to the tortoises kept in the enclosures and she felt much safer. She fed them by dangling the beans and dropping them when they opened their mouths.

First time feeding tortoises

There are many different species of turtles housed in the tanks, and several strange looking ones like this pig-nosed turtle that I pointed out, but she was hardly interested in the amazing facts I was reading out to her.

Pig nosed turtle

She much preferred the open garden, and went back to look for the bigger turtles and tortoises. I encouraged her to go nearer, but she kept a good distance, thinking they might crawl to her very quickly like the small ones in the pond.

I demonstrated how to stick the long beans out, and we watched the turtle chomp on it.

Kate tried to be brave, and edged closer and closer, but chickened out and threw the beans from a safe distance before backing off. I was amused watching her doing that repeatedly.

“Here, for you!”

It was rather hot at 4pm, but Kate thought we were on an adventure and gayly explored the place. She found a (really) little cave and called out to me excitedly to come explore with her. City kids.

She asked to buy another round of beans and spent the rest of the time simply watching the turtles, as they climbed on top of one another to get to the food.

We spent more than an hour there and I’m happy that she is still at the stage where it does not take much to keep her entertained. I’m sure the older kids would have walked one round, fed 1 or 2 turtles, and ask to leave after 10 minutes complaining that it is “too boring”.

Live Turtle Museum
In fact, Kate loved the experience so much that we went back to feed her “turtle friends” 2 more times!
Getting braver..
She managed to face her fears, and hung on to the beans instead of dropping them quickly. On our third visit, I was surprised when she wanted to challenge herself and finally dared to touch the ambling tortoise.

She was exclaiming jubilently, “I touched the shell! I touched the shell!”
and braver!

We bought a cold ribena from the auntie manning the entrance (she sells drinks and ice-cream) and sat here enjoying the silence and serenity.
Just what my soul needed, to wind down from a hectic week.

Great spot for ‘me time’
The Chinese Garden is now top on my list of favourite outdoor spaces to unwind with the kids. They even have lovely picnic spots!
Garden picnic

The Live Turtle and Tortoise Museum is located within the Chinese Garden, near the entrace. Just walk up this slope and it’s housed in the pavillion in the background.
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6 ways to squeeze time for the kids as a working mum

This is the first time I am working during the school holidays! I took Kate along with me to our enrichment centre for Dino camp, but she stayed home last week while we ran our P1 Prep camp.

 So how do I squeeze in time for her and the other kids during the week? It helps tremendously that I don’t have to stick to a 9-5 work week, and depending on the demands of the day, I either get in an hour or two later or leave earlier and resume working at home after they have gone to bed.

 1. Start the day early

 Even though it is the holidays, Kate and #5 are up by 7.15am. Resisting the urge to sleep in, I think of the hours I’ll be away from them and that never fails to get me out of bed. There is nowhere much to take them that early in the morning, hence it’s always some park or other.

 This little monkey shimmied to the top of the pyramid by herself and called down, “Mum, take a picture of me!” She sure is catching up with the older siblings.

Chilling

2. Kill two (or three) birds with one stone

 Instead of rushing to finish breakfast before heading out, we hastily pack a picnic basket with breakfast staples and hop into the car. In that relaxing hour, we get to spend time together, have a proper breakfast and enjoy the benefits of nature.

Xiao Guiling

3. Mobilize the kampung

 It really helps that the hubs works from home and instead of rushing back to pick the kids and getting stuck in peak hour traffic, we arrange to meet at the destination and have time to enjoy the outdoors before heading home for dinner.

 Sometimes we ask the grandparents to join us, or if the kids end up with friends or aunts, we find somewhere convenient for the kids to play or for a quick dinner together.

Southern ridges

We were trekking through MacRitchie reservoir and Kate was convinced that she found a Dinosaur foot!

MacRitchie reservoir

4. Mummy is there in spirit

 When I’m not at home, it doesn’t mean that I’m disconnected from them. Kate’s obsession this holiday is rollerblading. She loved watching Elsa ice-skate during Disney on Ice and has been asking to go ice-skating every other day. After taking her there 4 times (I’m the one exhausted!) I told her she needs to practice with her rollerblades before I’ll consider taking her back.

 She was so motivated that she spends 1-2 hours per day on her blades and when I get home, she is ever eager to show me how much she’s improved. What a great attitude. Looks like I have to take her ice-skating soon, as promised!

Blade girl
5. Find different ways to be involved

 As the kids grow older, they require less and less face-to-face time with you. Any parent of a teenager will tell you that they spend a lot more time in their rooms and communicating with their friends via gadgets. However, this doesn’t mean that we stop being involved in their lives.

 #3 was lamenting that besides filling her time with clocking the required CIP hours and meeting up with her old friends from primary school, she was bored at home as I am not able to take them out nor go on holidays as #1 is not on term break.

 I simply told her to start thinking, and find something gainful to do, make or sell. She started experimenting with home beauty remedies and came up with products to gift her friends, and that led to some orders as well! I encouraged her and told her I was very proud of her efforts.

 These days, with technology, we can still stay connected even while we are at work. For teenagers, to be there for them on a daily basis means being able to reply their Whatsapp messages when they need advice or permission to go out with their friends.

 Sometimes, it’s me who needs advice from them about using technology to make videos or helping me to buy presents online for my staff for Christmas, and that’s how we update one another about what is going on in our lives.

Mix n measure

6. Support them daily

 Even though I only get to see all my kids during dinner, I keep up-to-date with what they are currently interested in and give them words of encouragement and support.

 #2 has just finished her Os and she has the next few months planned out. Last week, she was concentrating on decorating her room as the siblings have just done another round of roommate swopping (yes, it seems to be an annual tradition for them).

 She was happily showing me what she has been working on and I was extremely impressed. Instead of spending money on decorations for her room, she decided to make her own. She bought a wooden board ($4 from Art friend), painted it marble, and knocked little nails in it to form the world map.

DIY Wall deco
She painstakingly wound black thread around the nails, ensuring that they were taut, to form the design. Wow. I loved it, and told her so. Sincere words are food for the soul they carry with them through the day, even without the presence of mummy. Sometimes it is encouragement they need, while other times, it may be words of concern and care.
Using nails and thread

To be honest, I was caught off guard at how much easier it was to go to work, be tired, and spend the weekend resting, and not having to deal with the day-to-day demands of the kids at home.

 However, I am wary that it is all too easy to let this pattern slip into our norm, as the time we have with our children will never be returned, once lost.
Having these pockets of time to be still, to be present to our surroundings is very grounding for me, no matter how rushed my day is nor how tough things can get sometimes.

Idyllic mornings

Even though these days I’m away between 5-9 hours per day, I’m glad we’ve managed to work things around this new schedule and am able to spend a reasonable amount of time with the younger kids throughout the week.

I am thankful to have flexible working hours and support from the hubs in caring for them, but whatever your situation may be, try to think out of the box and perhaps you might find opportunities to squeeze time out for your kids during their school holidays.

Related post:

Our June holidays earlier this year where everyone was running at breakneck pace.


~ www.mummyweeblog.com – a blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore ~ 

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Dream Cruises – Media Invite

I attended the launch of Genting Dream, Dream Cruises’ inaugural cruise ship, which is amongst the largest and most spacious cruise ships in Asia. Having not sailed on a cruise ship in more than 15 years, I was unsure just how spectacular a family cruise holiday could be.

 Needless to say, I stepped off the luxurious 18-deck ship a convert.

Genting Dream

With 6 kids spanning the ages of 4 to 18, I was on the look-out for activities to suit my toddler and my teens. I was delighted to discover that they were not short on entertainment for kids.


 A big hit will be the waterslide park. They have a total of 6 slides, ranging from gravity-defying ones for adults and older teens, to gentler ones for the younger kids.
Waterslide park

I’m sure my teenagers would love spending hours careening through the wild slides. A waterpark on a ship! How cool is that?

Main Pool Deck

For the daredevils, there is a 35m zip line situated 18 decks above the sea, over the side of the ship. Definitely not for the faint hearted! I was surprised to hear my 18-year old say, “Mummy, can we go?!”

 Not forgetting the younger kids, this is probably the most scenic ‘walk the plank’ I have come across. Perfect for photos!

 In addition, they have a plethora of family-friendly activities such as a rock climbing wall, mini-golf, rope course, basketball court and 3D cinema screening the latest blockbusters.

Mini Golf

Of course, there is a kids’ club where the staff are all certified child care professionals. The Little Pandas Club offers activities such as arts & craft, themed costumes, movies, toys, and the venue is also available for rent for birthday parties (minimal charges apply).

Kids’ Club

As guests cruise the sea, they will be entertained and enthralled by “China’s Got Talent” in a 999 seat state-of-the-art live performance venue. A transcendental dreamy production Voyage of a Lover’s Dream, conceived by pop-artist Jacky Tsai will be also be screened (no charge, but pre-booking required).

Voyage of a Lover’s Dream

I thought I heard wrong when they mentioned they have Zouk on board. Jiak Kim Street’s Zouk has also been imported?! With the Zouk concept, besides an indoor dance club, LIVE guest artistes and DJ performances, they also have DJ open deck workshops, an outdoor day and night party deck, movie nights under the stars, a glow in the dark bowling alley and fireworks on the last day!

 They also have two state-of-the-art submersibles, where guests can explore spectacular sights and encounter a dazzling array of fish and sea creatures deep under the ocean.

 I’m impressed.

Media Interview hosted by Diana Ser

The rooms are a pretty decent size, and with a private balcony, you don’t feel claustrophobic. More than 70% of staterooms feature private balconies and there are 100 staterooms with connecting rooms to cater to bigger families (perfect for us!). I was looking at the pictures of the Garden Penthouse and Palace Suites and those look exceptional.

Balcony Deluxe Stateroom

With more than 35 restaurants and bar concepts, guests can indulge in the very best of Chinese regional, Asian and international cuisine. From healthy eating to fine dining, both adults and kids will be spoilt for choice. If the standard of our lunch on board was anything to go buy, I can say meal times would be highly enjoyable for the entire family.

Quality & authentic cuisine
Umi Uma Sushi Bar
Genting Dining room

Wine connoisseurs on board Genting Dream can indulge in an array of rare Australian wines and fine vintages from one of the world’s leading wineries at the Penfolds Wine Vault as special wine tasting events form part of the ship’s overall experience. Ah, perfect for the hubs.

To round off this exceptional voyage, a visit to the Crystal Life Asian Spa must be in order. Being the largest Asian Spa at sea spanning over 1,000 sq.m, this relaxation hub features more than 70 treatment thrones. I’m sure I will step out feeling like a queen!

Sun deck

Truly, a spectacular cruise ship suitable for the entire family. I know where I will be spending most of my time, while the kids are happily occupied somewhere around this massive ship.

 For now, the vessel will depart from Hong Kong or Guangzhou and make stops in Danang and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. A second ship is expected to be ready in November next year, and Singapore is under consideration as a port of call in the company’s new itineraries.

 Currently, they have FlyCruise promotions to Hong Kong or Guangzhou, which can be found on their website.

~ www.mummyweeblog.com – a blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore ~
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Decluttering the KonMarie way – It works!

I’ve been trying to declutter for months.

 No, more like years.

 I tell my kids not to horde their stuff, and we spring clean every year-end. They don’t have a problem with letting go and pass on their clothes, bags, toys and whatnots to their younger siblings or cousins.

 For me, I allocate time to clear out 1 cupboard or shelf at a time but end up getting rid of a miserable 10% and repacking (more like reshuffling) the rest. Of course, everything falls into a huge mess almost as quickly as it took me to put them in order and I feel so defeated I give up soon after, and leave it till the next year.

 After hearing so much about the KonMarie method, I was skeptical but decided to give it a go without much expectations of success.

 And the verdict is, it works!

Hang some, fold some

Start with clothes. As instructed, I attacked my wardrobe first. The big difference is, instead of clearing by location, we are supposed to clear by category.

This meant taking every single piece of clothing from all parts of your house and dumping it in one place. By the time I finished emptying out my 3 closets and giving it a nice wipe, I was ready to head down for some ice-cream and call it quits.

 But the rules read: Do it as quickly and completely as possible.

No turning back. I mustered up all my energy and set my mind to tackle the mountain of clothes on the floor.

Yup, the declutter guru is right. It does give your system a shock to see how much clothes you have, and how much you don’t actually wear because it’s shoved so deep in the depths of your closet that it has almost disappeared into a black hole.

 Showing the ugly side of things…

Embarrassing reality

That’s what happens when the mess starts, and you are too busy to maintain anything in order and it goes downhill from there.


 Excuses, excuses!

 When we moved to our new place, I asked the hubs for ample closets which he acceded to. What I found out however, was that no matter how much storage you have, your possessions will increase to fill all that extra space!

 Does it spark joy? One main criteria that Marie Kondo proposed, was asking ourselves if the item sparked joy.

 What kind of packing criteria was that even? However, it does make so much sense. To be surrounded only by things which make you happy and bring delight to your days. The only exception she makes is if the item is a necessity, you can keep it even though it may not spark joy.

 Well, I cheated a bit and did not run my hands over every single piece of clothing as much as I was supposed to do.

 What I did was to take every piece in my hands, make a quick decision and either tossed it to the keep or remove pile, all the while bearing in mind if it sparked joy.

No space? Just pile

Guess what?

 I managed to pare it down to about 60% of the original volume! Achievement.

 The trick for me seems to be not allowing myself to dwell on each piece. My past attempts have proved futile because with every item, I would try to decide if I would wear it again, lament about how much I spent buying it, or perhaps one of my teenagers would want to take it over soon, and most ended up in the keep pile.

 This time, with this take and toss method, with “Does it spark joy?” running repeatedly in my head, I managed to go through the giant pile in less than 2 hours!

 I decided what needed to be hung (jackets and work blouses) and folded the rest in the extraordinary KonMarie way, where they were supposed to stand, once folded properly.

 Interestingly, this way of displaying a portion of my clothes allowed me to see at one glance every single item I owned, which made getting ready in the mornings a breeze.

 Kate was eyeing my wardrobe, wondering why it looks different. I asked her if she would like her clothes folded in this special way and she said yes.

 This was her drawer before, which was full, and I invited her to go through her clothes and decide if she was ready to hand any down to her younger cousins.

 She flipped through them one by one and got rid of 70% of her clothes in less than 10 minutes! I was astounded how kids have a natural ability to declutter! I asked her a few times if she was sure, and she firmly said Yes. I didn’t dare open her dress closet for fear she would throw out most everything as well, which would leave her with barely enough to wear when we needed to go out!

 I quietly hid the clothes she discarded in another cupboard (just in case she kicked up a fuss for a favourite piece later on) but it’s been more than a week and she seems to have totally put them out of her mind.

 So much to learn from kids. It’s me who’s been having attachment issues!

Kate’s minimalist drawer

The next day, I was so inspired by my brand new ultra tidy wardrobe, I moved on to my shawls. Previously, I stacked them in 2 piles on the shelf but it becomes untidy really quickly even if I lift them carefully to retrieve those from the bottom of the pile.


I decided to fold them and tried fitting them into a drawer and this idea worked perfectly! Not only can I quickly choose the right one to match my outfit, pulling one out does not mess the others in the pack.

 Surprisingly, folding them this way also did not result in creases. As Marie Kondo explains in her book, it is not the folding which cause creases, but the weight which is put on it.
Shawl drawer

The last bit to tackle under my clothing category were my accessories and make-up. Again, I told myself not to dwell on it, and simply picked the items up one by one, make a quick decision if it was going to serve me well (or spark joy), and place under the keep or remove pile.

 I threw out a whole lot of make-up that I hardly use (which is probably close to expiring) and decided not to buy anymore on impulse.

 These see through pull-out boxes are from Muji and I love them because I can see everything in clear sight without pulling out every drawer to check what I wanted.

The fact that I can get dressed and ready to go in under 10 minutes keeps me motivated to maintain everything in order.

Accessories/Make-up
Finally, the bathroom. Kate showers in our bathroom and the counter gets over-run with odds and ends really quickly. The hubs empties his pockets before showering, and between the both of them, you can find anything between toys to receipts on our vanity counter.

 Following the rules, I removed every single item onto the floor, gave it a good clean, and only replaced the necessities.
Our bathroom

After such success, I finally have the courage to attack Kate’s toys. She had acquired the older girls’ toys and I’ve been trying to give them some semblance of order by storing them in see-through boxes.

 The last time I decluttered her toys was during our Chinese New Year spring clean, but I have to be more ruthless this time.

Toy storeroom

Over the past few years, I have been quite diligent in only keeping ‘good’ toys. These include construction toys such as blocks, open-ended toys, craft materials and games.

 This time, I tried to abide by the “Does it spark Joy” method, and managed to put 30% to the ‘give away’ pile.

 This has been my most successful declutter operation to date, and I shall take a break and tackle the other half of the house another time!

Toy shelf

There’s something else very interesting I discovered from the book. She mentioned that some of us have an urge to declutter when we are faced with deadlines. I have been doing that since I was a teenager! When faced with exams or assignments, I feel the need to de-clutter, but couldn’t understand why.

 That’s what I have been experiencing these past few weeks. The more I’m feeling like I have so much to do with so little time, the more I feel I need to declutter my space.

 I do feel calmer and more in control now that my environment is less cluttered.


 Additionally, I have been able to practice more restraint when I’m out, and before buying an item, I will think of all the stuff I have thrown out and the piles on the floor, and will think twice about even buying a book.

 Hope things stay this way.

 Try it! Declutter and experience the magic.

~ www.mummyweeblog.com – a blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore ~
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A Day in the Life of a Mum with 6 kids

For the past 4 years, I was a stay-at-home-mum, and prior to that, I worked from home for a decade so that I could be around for my kids as they were growing up.

 Now that #1 is turning 18 and not-so little Kate is in school for 4 hours a day, I can finally pursue my own work without feeling bad that I have left so many kids at home to be cared for by the helper and a hubs whose eyes are focused on the computer screen most of the day.

 The funny thing is, the kids are so used to the hubs and I both being at home that they find it a novelty that mum goes to work!

 When they see me coming down all dressed (instead of being in home attire most of the time), the teenagers will ask, “Mum, where are you going?”

“To work.”

 “Oh wow, you have work to go to.” They are amused, and I’m sure they are (secretly) proud of me. Well, I hope.

Our Brady bunch

So how do I juggle my days now that I am a working mum?

 As my own boss of an enrichment centre, I am fortunate to have the flexibility of time and can choose to work partly from home. The flip side however, is that even when I’m home, I tend to be on the computer (there is always more to do!) and Kate has pleaded with me on several occasions, “Mummy, can you stop your computer and play with me?” I need more self-restraint to block out time meant for the kids!

 My weekday schedule hasn’t changed all that much as I try to fit my work schedule around the kids’ school day. In the mornings while the kids are in school, I go to my centre for training, brainstorming sessions or to touch base with my staff. I leave at 12noon to pick Kate up and spend the afternoons with the kids as they return home from school. After the younger kids have gone to bed, I get some work done before calling it a night at 12 or 1am, although some nights I’m exhausted and fall asleep while putting Kate to bed.

 My weekend. The day which has changed the most for me is Saturday. I documented our Saturday a year ago, where it was a balance between seeing to the younger and older kids’ different needs while making time for simple activities as a family.

 Now, I work almost every Saturday, to personally run our weekly trial classes as our concept is new to parents and many do not understand what we do even after browsing our website. I have come to enjoy these sessions as we are on this parenting journey together, and it is always nice to get to know the parents of the kids whom we are working with.

Our Little Executives

Saturday mornings: I take Kate along with me, and she attends her class while I speak to the parents. Some days she stays the whole day with me, and keeps herself entertained by playing with the other kids at our centre, or simply playing by herself.

Meanwhile at home, the 4 older kids sleep in on weekends to make up for the sore lack of sleep on school days. My dad has learnt to Whatsapp them directly to see who is at home, and my parents will detour to the market to buy brunch over so that our helper doesn’t have to cook.

 My mum will see to the needs of the kids and ensure everything is ok. She usually spends time chatting with the teens and takes an afternoon nap in their rooms. My parents have been such a life saver for the past 18 years, and even though they are in their 70s, they enjoy their role and the company of the kids.

 Afternoons: Some days, the hubs might come by to my centre with #4 and #5  to pick Kate up. He has stepped up to the plate knowing that I am busy with work. Wish I had done this earlier!

 There are times when I can’t figure out what they get up to when he sends across such pictures, but I’m glad he is spending more time bonding with them. Now that I’m at home much less to supervise him, #5 spends too much time watching TV and playing on the computer, so the more time in nature, the better.

Dad.. we are exhausted

This Saturday arrangement has been working well and occasionally, I get time in between my sessions to meet up with old friends for lunch to celebrate birthdays.

 Initially, when I started to work on Saturdays, I was apprehensive about being away on a weekend when everyone else was at home, but it has turned out really well and Kate has been enjoying her Saturdays tremendously. Time alone with mummy. Fun times with daddy and siblings. Friends to play with or going out for nice meals. What more can she ask for?!

Evenings: I return home in the late afternoon or evening, depending on how many sessions I run, and the hubs would be fixing a nice dinner for the kids. We sit with them for an early dinner (around 6pm) and have a few small bites while seeing that they are all fed.

 Once everything is settled, we prepare to head out to meet with friends for dinner, leaving the older girls in charge.

 Although we have been going out much less as a family these past 2 months due to me working on Saturdays and preferring to stay in on Sundays to rest and recharge, the timing couldn’t be better as #4 has been busy with PSLE preparations and #2 has been spending the weekends catching up on sleep and studying for her O level exams which commences next week.

Occasionally, the hubs will cook up a storm or start a little BBQ and roast some nice meats, and my parents and brother’s family will join us for dinner or we might head out nearby to have dinner together.

Slow roasted BBQ ribs

Night out: It’s nice to relax and unwind from a long week over a nice dinner with 1 or 2 other couples, and there’s usually some interesting event going on somewhere.

Late night: After a heavy meal, I find it hard to sleep so what’s the best thing to do when the kids are asleep and the house is dead quiet? Besides the hottest topic everyone is heated up over these past few days..

 I work. My work is akin to a hobby. I turn to it every spare moment I have, and it brings me great joy and satisfaction.

 If my brain cells are buzzing, I’ll put in some heavy work like reading research papers, writing up rationales of our curriculum or doing some bookkeeping. But if I’m brain-fried, I’ll do relaxing work like blogging or sorting the kids/family admin, which is another never-ending task!

Wine pairing dinner

It may be unimaginable, but I’m happiest now than I have ever been since having kids.

 I don’t know if anyone can relate to this, but there was a period of more than 5 years when I did not have time to meet with friends nor go out with the hubs. It was routine, routine, routine. So much so that now as I make time to re-connect with old friends, my kids are surprised. “Mum, we didn’t know you had so many friends!” Yup, I’m accustomed to such bluntness. Is it just my teens?

Getting the 5 young kids to eat, sleep, and bathe took up my entire day and every ounce of energy. The focus was more like 95% kids, 5% work (to hang on to my sanity), 0% me, 0% fun. I didn’t know any better, but oh well, I survived and emerged stronger.

 After 18 years, I finally have balance.

 Family time with the children, yet ample time away from them which is just as important.

 Work which I enjoy; both meaningful and mentally stimulating, and working with passionate, like-minded educators who bring energy to my days.

 Time with the hubs, good friends, and adult conversations where we chat and laugh ourselves silly, as I have almost forgotten how it feels to enjoy the company of friends without my thoughts constantly revolving around the kids.

 I become more ready to take on the new week.

 I am in a good place now.

 For that, I am thankful.


For more glimpses into our days, this is how my week looks like. It does get pretty crazy around here! The last time I documented my weekday was 2 years ago when Kate was 2, and looking back, things have changed significantly.

Next up on this blog train is Dorothea, a mum of two boys, aged 6 and 4. She writes about life, love, parenting and faith at A Pancake Princess, and is also a regular contributor to The New Age Parents, an online magazine. These days, she also enjoys crafting customised artwork and holding watercolour / calligraphy workshops, and goes by the name of Dottishop. Meanwhile, most of her time is spent chasing make-believe dinosaurs, making messy art, breaking up fights and picking crumbs off the floor – and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Thank you for hopping on board this blog train hosted by the inspirational Justina of Mum in the Making. Click on Day in a Life blog train to take a peek into a day in the life of other mummies!


~ www.mummyweeblog.com – a blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore ~

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Champagne Brunch – Grand Copthorne Waterfront

This is the best Sunday Brunch we have been to in a long, long, time, and no, I’m not saying it just because we were invited and are not paying for it, but because it is really good.

 Even though the kids enjoy the experience of going for buffets, we have stopped having Sunday brunch because we find that generally, the food quality at buffets is lower than when ordering a la carte, and the standard does not justify the price. However, this doesn’t seem to apply to Grand Copthorne Waterfront’s newly launched Borderless Sunday Brunch.

 Why Borderless? Starting with Local and International Fare at Food Capital, adjourning to Grissini for Italian favourites and pairing it all with champagne and cocktails from Tempo Bar, this could by far be the finest Sunday brunch around.

Boston Lobster

We started with the cold selection of Boston lobster, freshly shucked Irish and Canadian oysters, snow crab, tiger prawns and scallop with roe. Fresh and succulent.
We moved on to the far end to check out what Grissini had to offer. Brilliant strategy. Not only did we enjoy the antipasti and pasta cooked a la minute, we discovered there was a BBQ section outdoors, with a selection of premium meats and seafood, grilled to perfection in their Josper oven. We tried the wagyu beef ribeye, Australian rack of lamb, baby spring chicken, Mediterranean octopus and king prawns.
Premium meats & seafood
Cold cuts

There were other sections such as Sashimi & Sushi, Tempura, Salad Bar, Curry & Tandoor, Chinese Wok & Dim Sum and Western delights. This was one buffet where I was so stuffed that I only managed to try about half the offerings. The variety was that wide!

 We concurred that these were our Top 3 favourites – Pan Fried Foie Gras, Laksa and Lobster Linguine. Initially, we shared the lobster linguine but it was so good that we polished a plate each.

Pan fried foie gras
Laksa
Lobster Linguine

The best part is that not only is there a comfortable children’s play area to keep the kids entertained, it is away from the main dining area so we did not have to worry about the kids disturbing other diners.

Kid’s corner

One little word of advice to fellow mums, if you don’t want your child to be on a sugar high, prep them beforehand that they are only allowed to take x number of sweets at the restaurant.

There was a barrel so huge that Kate could easily fit into that was filled with sweets and gummies. Of course, she came back to the table with 2 handfuls of sweets and a beaming smile. I told her she could only have 1 packet and her face crumpled, and the bargaining began..

Where’s Kate?
When you make reservations, do ask for a table at the children’s section if you want to be able to eat while keeping an eye on your kids.

 I found out that Kate loves Bocconcini (baby mozzarella cheese) with cherry tomatoes. I took them for myself (my fave, but they cost too much!) and she finished them up while I went to get drinks.
Nope, that’s not fishball

While the kids were entertaining themselves, the adults merrily continued with dessert. We loved the cheeses and fresh figs! There were also cakes, kuehs, cut fruits and ice cream with a variety of toppings. I only had space left for a bite of apple crumble and my, it was good!

Assorted Cheeses

As I accompanied the kids to get some ice cream and pop corn, I couldn’t resist the brightly coloured bite-sized macarons and popped one, and then another.
Without a doubt, the kids had a terrific time, as did the adults.

Borderless Sunday Brunch: 12.30pm – 3.30pm

 $98++ (free flow of juices and soft drinks)

 $138++ (free flow of Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut Champagne, Strongbow Ciders, cocktails, house pour wines, juices and soft drinks)

 $49++ (kids aged 5 – 12, free flow of soft drinks and juices)

 For reservations, call 62331100 or email dining.gcw@millenniumhotels.com

Disclaimer: We were invited to experience Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel’s Borderless Sunday Brunch. All opinions are my own.

~ www.mummyweeblog.com – a blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore ~