it's too late now, isn't it?

Daddy, if you're reading this, you should know that our son here has the utmost sympathy with you. He told me, "Poor Daddy. He's back in Singapore working. Must be very boring and tiring." 

And me here? How come I never seem tired enough to the kids? I have been doing nothing other than shuttling them around between school and play dates and then fussing about their meal times, bedtime routine and sleep... and then my night duties to do dishes and laundry begin. 

In my very nasty mood and total exhaustion, I asked Bryan and Kristin a rhetorical question: Why didn't I keep a hobby instead? Yep, instead of... What a bad mom I am! 

Bryan was quick to catch my exasperation and replied, "But it's too late now, isn't it? You shouldn't have ordered us from God." 

Yes, certainly my own fault! 

He went on, "And you can't give us back to God now."

"So will you want to have children when you grow up?"

"Ermm, no thanks Ma. I can't. I want to be an astronaut. Astronauts can't have kids. Err... wait, I think I can't make an astronaut. I probably have to wear glasses. So errm... I can be a rocket scientist instead." 

Hey, rocket scientists or astronauts can still procreate. Besides, won't you wanna know what Bryan's kids might think about (not) having kids in the future?

talking about London...

Mommy: What are you going to do in London?

Bryan: Eat Char Siew Pau's. Many Char Siew Pau's! 

Mommy: Whom did we meet the last time when we were in London? 

Bryan: Gan-die and gan-ma! We stayed with them. 

Mommy: Did we meet any kids? 

Bryan, Thought for a while: oh yeah yeah... Sean. I met Sean. 

Mommy: What about Sean's mommy? Do you remember her? 

Bryan: Oh yeah yeah yeah... But I can't remember her name. 

Sorry Aunty Lilian, you're not a kid. Bryan can't remember your name. :p

hey I'm sweet!

This conversation took place when I was changing Kristin on Friday evening. 

K: Mommy, I'm sweet. 

M: Yeah, you're sweet. 

I paused for a while and I thought if I had been feeding my daughter's vain ego. 

M: Who told you that you're sweet? 

K: Miss Alka. Miss Alka says I'm a sweet girl! So sweet! 

Ouch... toothache! 

Btw, Miss Alka is Kristin's teacher this year. Miss Alka once told me that she wouldn't mind having twenty Kristin's in her class. I suppose that's a compliment. But I told Miss Alka, things aren't quite the same at home and I wouldn't be wishing for twenty Kristin's! 

hello daddy...

K: Hello Daddy! 

D: ... 

K: It's me. This is Kristin. 

D: ... 

K: Where are you? 

D: ...

K: Why are you not coming home to sleep tonight? 

D: ...

K:  Why are you working? 

D: ... 

K: And then...? 

D: ... 

K: Oh... ok! 

D: ... 

K: Bye daddy! 

Me: Oi... pass the phone back to me! I haven't spoken to your dad yet! 

Guess I didn't have to. Cos she has already asked everything for me... and you would have guessed the other part of the telephone conversation. 

Daddy's travelling again.

It tickles me all the time listening to Kristin talk to her dad, demanding to know where and what he's doing and the whys. She's already practising the list of questions to ask a man on the phone! 

riding the roller coaster...

It's been a long day for the kids: They were in school from 9 am to 4 pm. They were in good spirits when I picked them up in the afternoon. Usually when they skip nap, they'll do fine until the last couple of hours during dinner time. As expected, Bryan and Kristin became cranky after their late afternoon movie (told them they could only have TV on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons). 

I was trying to explain to Bryan that the lack of rest would often cause a person to be cranky and have tantrum outbursts. Bryan, however, told me another reason behind his whines. 

"You know, Mommy, I'm on a roller coaster. There are ups and downs. And right now, I'm at the lowest point. That's why I'm upset. " 

"Where did you get the roller coaster idea from?" 

"From Ms Julie. And right now, I right down here, at the bottom!" 

"In that case, I think you'd better go and sleep immediately after your dinner so that you can be right up there again when you wake up in the morning. Otherwise, I'm gonna be right down there at the roller coaster too!"

Yep, I packed them to bed once the after-dinner reading routine was completed. Daddy was surprised by our early night when he called at 9 pm. He's travelling again. 

little ambitions...

When Bryan was 2.5 years old, he wanted to be a bus driver, specifically a blue bus driver, i.e. the bus he drives must be blue.

After his 3rd birthday and the fire prevention week in school, he decided he wanted to be a fire-fighter. Then came a craze of him wanting to be a construction worker, just like Bob the Builder. 

Since he turned 4, he's been wanting to become an air-craft pilot. He also mentioned that he wanted to be a Daddy one day and have 4 kids. 

When he started learning about stars, he suddenly took interest in space and decided he wanted to be an astronaut instead. It would be cool to walk on Mars, he said. 

Now at 5, his recent ambition has swung from the futuristic science of space & astronomy to a science that studies the past. He wants to be a paleontologist. He wants to study all about fossils and dinosaurs, he says. 

What about Kristin? 

Well, Kristin didn’t tell me what she wanted to be when she was 2.5 years, though she did mention around that period to her teachers in school that she’d like to be a superstar. 

Yesterday I thought it’d be fun to engage her in some future planning, so I asked her what she’d like to be when she grew up. 

She said without any hesitation, “I want to be a Mommy!” 

Daddy was sniggering away behind his computer when he heard her answer. 

I asked further, “And then... anything else?” 

Kristin said with a wide smile, “I want to be a Grandma!”

I suppose I should take comfort in what my daughter said there... although I would have liked for her to have some other passions other than her love for a domestic life. Funny thing that she takes interest in wanting to be a Mommy... at least I haven’t been staying at home for nothing. 

small talk...

At 21 months and 4 weeks, Kristin does amuse us sometimes with her funny facial expressions and comments.

The other night when Alan was back for dinner before he flew off to Hamburg, we all heard jingling sound of keys from our neighbour. She pretended to look all concerned and a little something like the picture below and whispered, "Oops, who's that?"

I thought that was quite something for a not-yet-two-year-old.

We had quite a chat this morning too.

Mommy: Kristin, where's Daddy?

Kristin: No, not home. Work.

Mommy: Where's Bryan?

Kristin: No, not home. Bryan is with Buba. In school.

Again, I was very amused and surprised at the same time by her capability of expressing the exact whereabout of Bryan and relating his brother to his friend, whom she also considers as her friend now. Wow... she surely doesn't need to wait till three to be able to name a friend - according to the developmental chart in Singapore Health Booklets for young children.

Yesterday, Kristin was devastated when Buba went home after the playdate. Even after she woke up from her nap, she sulked and ran quickly to the window that had a view to the garden, pining for Buba. She didn't stop pouting until I told her that Buba had to be home sleeping so that we could all see each other again in school the next morning.

Oh dear, she's surely gonna miss this boy come autumn, when Buba starts attending another school.

small talk...

After Alan left for Hamburg tonight - yes, again to Hamburg, Bryan told me, "I hope Daddy is enjoying himself with his friends like I do with my friends in school." I corrected my son's judgement of what a business trip is about by explaining to him that Daddy's in Hamburg to work and not to play and have a party.

Then after tucking the children to bed, I called up my darling to find out if he had arrived in the hotel safe and sound. There, on the other line, was loud music and he told me he's in a pub now with his colleagues.

Hmmm, guess Bryan does have a better sense of what a business trip is like than I do.