Just last week, a mom on the forum got my curiosity piqued for this intelligence test. Of course, I couldn't resist trying it out.
On my own, I managed 19. Guess I couldn't bring myself to try any harder, knowing that I was already considered a "genius"! Haha... what a complacent fool!
Anyhow, Alan came to my rescue but we could only managed 26 out of 32. Hee, between Alan and I we are "greater geniuses"! Yep, I know there are 33 questions. But we discounted one question (no. 7) because the answer was already given away by another mom on the forum.
For nos. 24, 31, 33 - I did not and would not have guessed.
For nos. 28, 29, 30 - came close but only because Alan googled for the answers and gave me some clues. Still, I did not guess them, although I think I might have stood a chance for No. 28. I might have guessed No. 29 eventually, since I did pretty well with no. 6.
I was particularly proud with 15 P in a R T! Simple reason being I don't even understand how this works! Alan’s proud claims are 13 is U F S, and 3 B M (S H T R). When he solved 18 H on a G C and 8 T on an O, I was so swooned that I suddenly remembered how clever of me to have married this guy! And when he solved 5 T on a F for me, I was reminded on how I stupid I was to have married him – just to laugh at me ?! Kidding!
Anyhow, I did not feel any more intelligent after having done the test. On the contrary, I felt really stupid after doing the test. Stupid enough to waste my time on it. Anything goes, e.g. what is 12 B on a S T P? Hee... I 'll tell you only after you've taken the test! :p Now, you're left with no choice but to feel as foolish as I do. No? Not rising up to the challenge? C'mon!
Friday, February 29, 2008
TGIF!
This has been a really busy week. As soon as my parents left, I can begin to feel that the kids are slowly smothering me.
What have been doing on the mornings when the kids are in preschool?
Monday: I dropped off the kids at school. I went to Aldi and Rewe to pick up groceries for the week. And then I went and waited at the orthopedics patiently to talk to him about my MRI and therapy for the stiff neck and aching shoulders. More of that in another post, perhaps, when there's time.
Tuesday: I went with a friend from the American Consulate to shop at the US base. Yeah, gotta get my supplies of convenience US groceries. But I also ended buying some pretty summer dresses from Carter's for Kristin that cost only 10 USD each! Great buys, right? After that we had a last minute playdate arranged with one of Kristin's classmates. O boy! Was she proud to have her friend in the house for once! So far, it has always been Bryan's friends only. She was busy showing her friend around.
Wednesday: It was Parent Work Day at the school. The Parents-Teachers-Committee is excited to have the patio cleaned up. As the weather warms up, the kids will be able to enjoy the nice outdoor. So a couple of moms and I met up after the drop-off and started working to toss out broken outdoor toys in the shed. It wasn't all that warm that morning until Mr Sun finally showed his face.
Thursday: Now I really need to stay at home to clear some laundry, pack up the playroom before the cleaning lady coomes. Anyhow, I decided that wasn't enough that I started cleaning up the freezer. Nothing better to do right? Yep. I was supposed to be baking the cupcakes for the bake sale tomorrow. What's worse? Cleaning up the freezer or baking cupcakes when the kids are around? The night ended off with the baking and frosting that I finally climbed into bed at 2 am. Just in case you're wondering why these tasks must be spread out the whole day and cannot be completed within half the day? Errm, have you forgotten that I have kids whose main existence at this stage is to cry for parental attention every waking moments?
Friday: Today! I beg Alan to send the kids to school, pack Bryan off for a playdate at the pick up later and bring Kristin home in the afternoon. Then I can finally have the morning off to errr, blog? Oh no! I should be in bed sleeping now! I got my acupuncture appointment in the afternoon to look forward to for some pain relief (stiff neck and aching shoulders).
Where's my gym slot? Probably next week. Now, I'm really not gonna rush my Friday through like I did with most part of this week. But I really wonder how calm I would be this afternoon when I'm at the doctor's with needles poked all over and Kristin grinning with glee as she explores the clinic! What a classic end to the week: My kid is up to some mischief and all I can do is WATCH!
But this should be a nice treat for the weekend, my contribution to the bake sale held to raise funds for Kristin's class. The fruit of my labour...enjoy my Pretty-in-Pinks!
What have been doing on the mornings when the kids are in preschool?
Monday: I dropped off the kids at school. I went to Aldi and Rewe to pick up groceries for the week. And then I went and waited at the orthopedics patiently to talk to him about my MRI and therapy for the stiff neck and aching shoulders. More of that in another post, perhaps, when there's time.
Tuesday: I went with a friend from the American Consulate to shop at the US base. Yeah, gotta get my supplies of convenience US groceries. But I also ended buying some pretty summer dresses from Carter's for Kristin that cost only 10 USD each! Great buys, right? After that we had a last minute playdate arranged with one of Kristin's classmates. O boy! Was she proud to have her friend in the house for once! So far, it has always been Bryan's friends only. She was busy showing her friend around.
Wednesday: It was Parent Work Day at the school. The Parents-Teachers-Committee is excited to have the patio cleaned up. As the weather warms up, the kids will be able to enjoy the nice outdoor. So a couple of moms and I met up after the drop-off and started working to toss out broken outdoor toys in the shed. It wasn't all that warm that morning until Mr Sun finally showed his face.
Thursday: Now I really need to stay at home to clear some laundry, pack up the playroom before the cleaning lady coomes. Anyhow, I decided that wasn't enough that I started cleaning up the freezer. Nothing better to do right? Yep. I was supposed to be baking the cupcakes for the bake sale tomorrow. What's worse? Cleaning up the freezer or baking cupcakes when the kids are around? The night ended off with the baking and frosting that I finally climbed into bed at 2 am. Just in case you're wondering why these tasks must be spread out the whole day and cannot be completed within half the day? Errm, have you forgotten that I have kids whose main existence at this stage is to cry for parental attention every waking moments?
Friday: Today! I beg Alan to send the kids to school, pack Bryan off for a playdate at the pick up later and bring Kristin home in the afternoon. Then I can finally have the morning off to errr, blog? Oh no! I should be in bed sleeping now! I got my acupuncture appointment in the afternoon to look forward to for some pain relief (stiff neck and aching shoulders).
Where's my gym slot? Probably next week. Now, I'm really not gonna rush my Friday through like I did with most part of this week. But I really wonder how calm I would be this afternoon when I'm at the doctor's with needles poked all over and Kristin grinning with glee as she explores the clinic! What a classic end to the week: My kid is up to some mischief and all I can do is WATCH!
But this should be a nice treat for the weekend, my contribution to the bake sale held to raise funds for Kristin's class. The fruit of my labour...enjoy my Pretty-in-Pinks!
Monday, February 25, 2008
bon voyage!
We always say a prayer at the airport whenever a family member is flying off somewhere. So tonight was no difference at the airport when we sent my parents off. As we gathered in a circle and held hands, Alan and I both prayed for a safe trip for my parents. As we closed, I looked up and saw Bryan beaming with eager. I thought, maybe he could also pray for his grandparents. After all, he's said plenty of prayers before meals too.
So I said, "Bryan, would you like to pray for ah-gong and ah-mah?"
Bryan, "O yes. "
And below was what he uttered very quickly:
Dear God,
Please make ah-gong and ah-mah mighty and strong.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
That's heart-warming, indeed!
Bye, ah-gong and ah-mah! See you soon! God bless you! Bye!
So I said, "Bryan, would you like to pray for ah-gong and ah-mah?"
Bryan, "O yes. "
And below was what he uttered very quickly:
Dear God,
Please make ah-gong and ah-mah mighty and strong.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
That's heart-warming, indeed!
Bye, ah-gong and ah-mah! See you soon! God bless you! Bye!
bye, ah-gong! bye, ah-mah!
After we tried putting Bryan to sleep in Kristin's room on last Friday night, he begged me to move him back to his own room the next morning. So I quickly replied that it wasn't going to be possible since the other room would be made into the children's playroom. Suddenly, there was a twinkle in his eyes. "Ya, Mom. I think Kristin and I can share a bedroom." The prospect of playing all day in a room sounded inviting to him.
Just before the grandparents left tonight, we decided to involve the kids with the decoration of the playroom. Possibly a good distraction, otherwise there would be no end to whining from both kids.
Still they did cry when the grandparents left. Though Bryan was calm and composed, Kristin was wailing for grandma to stay, when the grandparents went through the departure gate. Then as we were leaving the airport, Bryan started his whining, as if it just struck him that he was going home now without the grandparents. Actually, it was more of a sulk since we told it was already very late and he couldn't stay at the MacDonald's playground anymore.
Just before the grandparents left tonight, we decided to involve the kids with the decoration of the playroom. Possibly a good distraction, otherwise there would be no end to whining from both kids.
Still they did cry when the grandparents left. Though Bryan was calm and composed, Kristin was wailing for grandma to stay, when the grandparents went through the departure gate. Then as we were leaving the airport, Bryan started his whining, as if it just struck him that he was going home now without the grandparents. Actually, it was more of a sulk since we told it was already very late and he couldn't stay at the MacDonald's playground anymore.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Kristin @ 30 months
Kristin is 2.5 years old! Wow! Time really flies. She isn't that little anymore, and this mommy is still finding it difficult to give her enough attention. If only there were 48 hours a day..
Here's a reality check on her:
1) Her linguistic ability doesn't worry us. She does speak pretty well to Daddy and Mommy, her brother, her teachers and friends in school. At least we think she can be understood, even by strangers.
2) Her social ability is great. She smiles at everyone. That's why she always get, "Oh, she's so cute!" a lot! She's also a manipulative little brat, especially with her crying and whining.
3) She runs, jumps, hop, climbs stairs at ease.
4) She holds pencil, self feeds (when she wants to), take off clothes, shoes, scarf, jacket (even putting on) without any problems.
5) But she's still not willing to be toilet-trained. She's ready in the sense that she'll tell you when she needs a diaper change.
6) She loves to sing along with CD.
7) She wants to be like kor-kor Bryan, following whatever he does. She's a natural copy cat!
8) She's a bossy child. Maybe she gets bossed around at home a lot, so she tries her hand at bossing others in her class?
9) She's one vain girl, pretty particular about what she puts on everyday. I'll be really happy when we go back to Singapore for good. Because there will be uniforms! Now she can't exactly choose what she wants to wear every morning then.
10) I would say she's got stubborn genes from both Mommy and Daddy. It's awfully hard to reason with her.
Here's a reality check on her:
1) Her linguistic ability doesn't worry us. She does speak pretty well to Daddy and Mommy, her brother, her teachers and friends in school. At least we think she can be understood, even by strangers.
2) Her social ability is great. She smiles at everyone. That's why she always get, "Oh, she's so cute!" a lot! She's also a manipulative little brat, especially with her crying and whining.
3) She runs, jumps, hop, climbs stairs at ease.
4) She holds pencil, self feeds (when she wants to), take off clothes, shoes, scarf, jacket (even putting on) without any problems.
5) But she's still not willing to be toilet-trained. She's ready in the sense that she'll tell you when she needs a diaper change.
6) She loves to sing along with CD.
7) She wants to be like kor-kor Bryan, following whatever he does. She's a natural copy cat!
8) She's a bossy child. Maybe she gets bossed around at home a lot, so she tries her hand at bossing others in her class?
9) She's one vain girl, pretty particular about what she puts on everyday. I'll be really happy when we go back to Singapore for good. Because there will be uniforms! Now she can't exactly choose what she wants to wear every morning then.
10) I would say she's got stubborn genes from both Mommy and Daddy. It's awfully hard to reason with her.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
knowing the order...
Alan and I discovered the other night that Bryan knows his order pretty well. We tested him, and he was fine with 1st to 19th. 20th and above was all messy.
I have long stopped offering him any form academic stimulation at home ever since his teacher remarked on how restless he could get after he's completed with his task in class. So I've no idea when he started using his order right. But I guess through play in the preschool, he's learnt alot more than from the textbooks.
I just heard the other day during bath time that he was describing to me what a "hard" time he had with some of his buddies that afternoon. It was a little worrying at first, but I was pretty certain that he would find ways to resolve the conflicts and be best of friends again the next day. It is for this reason that he needs to be in a school and learn how to socialise and act reasonably. Yep, learning and knowing the order of socialising is also very important.
I have long stopped offering him any form academic stimulation at home ever since his teacher remarked on how restless he could get after he's completed with his task in class. So I've no idea when he started using his order right. But I guess through play in the preschool, he's learnt alot more than from the textbooks.
I just heard the other day during bath time that he was describing to me what a "hard" time he had with some of his buddies that afternoon. It was a little worrying at first, but I was pretty certain that he would find ways to resolve the conflicts and be best of friends again the next day. It is for this reason that he needs to be in a school and learn how to socialise and act reasonably. Yep, learning and knowing the order of socialising is also very important.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Look, who's competitive?
For quite some time now, I've been hearing Bryan recite this rhyme:
First is the worst,
Second is the best,
Third is the one with the treasure chest.
Wow! Isn't it great not being first all the time?
But now, everyone wants to be second in line. Somehow the word BEST speaks alot more than being FIRST. At the moment, the kids can't care less for a treasure chest.
First is the worst,
Second is the best,
Third is the one with the treasure chest.
Wow! Isn't it great not being first all the time?
But now, everyone wants to be second in line. Somehow the word BEST speaks alot more than being FIRST. At the moment, the kids can't care less for a treasure chest.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
4 more days to go...
Just another 4 full days and Alan will be back...
I was actually planning to blog everyday so that Daddy could keep up with what's at home. Too busy, really! That was wishful thinking on my part.
Daddy is being dearly missed back home, especially so by Kristin. And the frustrating part is she just wails and cries for even more attention! She knows that Daddy's been away and since two Sundays, she's been sleeping rather terribly. And worse, she cries every night! Some nights worse than the others.
I was actually planning to blog everyday so that Daddy could keep up with what's at home. Too busy, really! That was wishful thinking on my part.
Daddy is being dearly missed back home, especially so by Kristin. And the frustrating part is she just wails and cries for even more attention! She knows that Daddy's been away and since two Sundays, she's been sleeping rather terribly. And worse, she cries every night! Some nights worse than the others.
be mine, valentine!
Yes, yet another occasion to celebrate in school. I can't tell you enough how important Valentine's Day is in an American school. Well, it's not like my preschoolers are celebrating romantic love at this age. Children are taught to celebrate friendship on this special day. It's so wonderful to see kids making valentines for each other. Of course, my kids love the bags of treats!
And bearing in mind it's Valentine's Day this Thursday, we've already started our baking at home. Now these are the first two batches of cookies to be delivered tomorrow to Kristin's class.
Another busy week for me again. Oh, how I long I can hit the gym soon. Aching shoulders and stiff neck!
seeing red?
Grandma and Kristin getting ready to leave for church service on the fourth day of CNY.
Check out Kristin's new hairdo!
Seeing red? Of course not! But obviously, red is in!
hello daddy, is that you?
Kristin is definitely outgrowing this pretty dress. Last worn at my brother's church wedding ceremony in December 2006!
Friday, February 08, 2008
first day of CNY...
Nothing much to blog about here. CNY is almost non-existent in a place like Frankfurt where everybody goes either to work or to school as usual. In a way, it's pretty good that my children attends an American preschool. Surprisingly, the American community here remembers CNY! Yep, being an immigrant country, CNY does have a special place in many Americans' hearts, even a simple celebration in the preschool. Ok, not in Bryan's class this year, but the kindergarten class sure did a lot to make sure each child grows to embrace each other's culture and tradition.
Anyway, CNY came and passed, nothing unusual for me but quite a sad day for Kristin. She cried quite a fair bit when her tricycle broke. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she was so sad that she didn't even want to come home. She was loitering in the courtyard for at least 10 minutes. Maybe that's why I think she caught a chill today.
Well, after school, this Mommy here thought it was a great idea for everyone to head out to the usual Thursday market near our place for some Kartoffelpuffer (a fried pancake made of grated potatoes and flour). Actually, I was also acceding to Bryan's request of getting some Gelbwurst (his favourite sausage) at the market. So Bryan was on his bike and Kristin was on her tricycle. On our way home, Kristin refused to sit down on her tricycle. Of course, the adults (grandparents and Mommy) had no idea why she was just being so difficult. The truth was the tricycle was collapsing inwards making the seat terribly uncomfortable for her to sit on. We only realised it when we were at our doorstep when we raised up the trike to examine. And when Grandpa bent it in the other direction, the trike broke into halves, right in front of Kristin's eyes. She cried no and shook her head in disbelief. That was followed by her mourning, "My bike, my bike! Boo-hoo!" Funny thing was Bryan quickly added, "But, now you have a wheelbarrow!" I really should have taken a picture of the halves and let you be the judge. That was quite some imagination from Bryan. The remains of the trike didn't really make it back into the apartment. It's stored away in our basement now, waiting for Daddy to be back to survey the damage.
I wonder if Daddy would agree to get another trike/bike for Kristin. She's totally wrecked now whenever someone talks about biking.
Anyway, CNY came and passed, nothing unusual for me but quite a sad day for Kristin. She cried quite a fair bit when her tricycle broke. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she was so sad that she didn't even want to come home. She was loitering in the courtyard for at least 10 minutes. Maybe that's why I think she caught a chill today.
Well, after school, this Mommy here thought it was a great idea for everyone to head out to the usual Thursday market near our place for some Kartoffelpuffer (a fried pancake made of grated potatoes and flour). Actually, I was also acceding to Bryan's request of getting some Gelbwurst (his favourite sausage) at the market. So Bryan was on his bike and Kristin was on her tricycle. On our way home, Kristin refused to sit down on her tricycle. Of course, the adults (grandparents and Mommy) had no idea why she was just being so difficult. The truth was the tricycle was collapsing inwards making the seat terribly uncomfortable for her to sit on. We only realised it when we were at our doorstep when we raised up the trike to examine. And when Grandpa bent it in the other direction, the trike broke into halves, right in front of Kristin's eyes. She cried no and shook her head in disbelief. That was followed by her mourning, "My bike, my bike! Boo-hoo!" Funny thing was Bryan quickly added, "But, now you have a wheelbarrow!" I really should have taken a picture of the halves and let you be the judge. That was quite some imagination from Bryan. The remains of the trike didn't really make it back into the apartment. It's stored away in our basement now, waiting for Daddy to be back to survey the damage.
I wonder if Daddy would agree to get another trike/bike for Kristin. She's totally wrecked now whenever someone talks about biking.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
holding hands...
Ooooh! Don't you love looking at brother and sister holding hands?
These shots were taken in June 07 in London. Why do I put them up only now?
Because, my friends, I'm gonna share with you the most wonderful tool I found just yesterday - The Shutterfly Studio! Tada! It allows you to make a gazillion pictures into a collage with various formats! So go grab it and try it out yourselves! The best of all : It's FREE! FREE! FREE! Yeah, I'm not kidding you!
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
retail therapy at Toys R Us...
A group of moms on the Parents Teachers Committee made a date to go shopping for new toys for our preschool this morning. I tagged along coz I thought it was going to be fun. Indeed, it was!
It's so fun to have money at our disposable and we went gaga buying toys. In about an hour and a half, we loaded up two shopping carts. Mind you, the carts aren't small at all. Certainly not those from Toys R Us. Wanna guess what the final bill came up to? 506.23 Eur! The lady at the register asked if it was Christmas again. Nope, we're just buying for the kindergarten! ;)
I think I'm gonna miss volunteering my time in this manner when I'm back in Singapore for good. Really, how involved are parents in children's kindergarten back home? Do they have a say in their children's learning/playing environment?
The next project is cleaning up the deck so that the kids in school can have an open area for free play. I'm already looking forward to it!
It's so fun to have money at our disposable and we went gaga buying toys. In about an hour and a half, we loaded up two shopping carts. Mind you, the carts aren't small at all. Certainly not those from Toys R Us. Wanna guess what the final bill came up to? 506.23 Eur! The lady at the register asked if it was Christmas again. Nope, we're just buying for the kindergarten! ;)
I think I'm gonna miss volunteering my time in this manner when I'm back in Singapore for good. Really, how involved are parents in children's kindergarten back home? Do they have a say in their children's learning/playing environment?
The next project is cleaning up the deck so that the kids in school can have an open area for free play. I'm already looking forward to it!
what comes after February?
When I picked Bryan up, I could see the envy on his face. It's his good friend Ryan's birthday today. But my son wished that he didn't have to wait so long to celebrate his birthday too.
He asked me, what comes after February?
I said, March. (I know where this question will lead us to.)
After March?
It's April.
After April?
That will be May.
After May?
Then it will be June.
What about after June?
July.
And what's after July?
It will be August!
Sigh... I still need to wait so long before my birthday comes. Sigh... sigh! Why can't it just be tomorrow?!
I think we all went through that phase when we just couldn't wait for our birthdays to come.
Anyway, he's feeling very happy again when he wrapped up Ryan's present all by himself. He made his good friend a card too. Guess learning to give is just as important as learning to receive.
He asked me, what comes after February?
I said, March. (I know where this question will lead us to.)
After March?
It's April.
After April?
That will be May.
After May?
Then it will be June.
What about after June?
July.
And what's after July?
It will be August!
Sigh... I still need to wait so long before my birthday comes. Sigh... sigh! Why can't it just be tomorrow?!
I think we all went through that phase when we just couldn't wait for our birthdays to come.
Anyway, he's feeling very happy again when he wrapped up Ryan's present all by himself. He made his good friend a card too. Guess learning to give is just as important as learning to receive.
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