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Becks Kao Ben Kao Family life as we know it Happy days Milestones and growing up The Kao Kids

What Easter means to us

April 22, 2014

Is it me or did I see more eggs everywhere this year? Chocolates eggs were aplenty in stores, and Cold Storage’s even selling those bunny-ears-nose fix-on for cars, much like those reindeer antlers we’ve seen during Christmas.

Easter has been commercially packaged as an occasion for eggs and cute little bunnies.

Back at home, we did take the opportunity to organise an egg hunt for the Kao kids, much to their delight. And that was ONLY because we ran out of almonds and walnuts to hide, and there were too many pretty eggs we couldn’t resist at the supermarkets.

This time round, the treasure they must find are chocolate eggs that would get to eat! (Don’t ask me why Becks is walking around with a bolster in her singlet.)

We even went for an Egg Fiesta at Sentosa. There was some serious egg hunting and walking on eggs there at the Emerald Pavilion at Siloso Beach, complete with some little chicks a-dancing.

We were at the Egg Fiesta 2014 at Sentosa on Good Friday for some eggy fun!

Not related to eggs completely but there was this cool mobile human table and colourful snacks that I just needed to snap a picture of

We had fun this Easter, yes, we did.

But the kids never once linked rabbits, chicks and eggs to the reason for Easter. Ask them if Easter is about egg hunting, and Ben and Becks will tell you no.

Instead, they will tell you Easter is about this:

Craft work Ben did in school to celebrate Easter

And this:

“This means Jesus died on the cross, He was in the grave then He rose from the dead.” – Artist: Becks Kao

So yes, we’ve done a couple of egg hunts, painted some egg shells, ate our fill of egg-shaped chocos and Kinder Bueno and even walked on eggs (and then Becks cracked some, hurhurhur).

But the kids know this: Easter is about Jesus Christ who died on the cross and who rose again from the dead; and that to them – and me – is the reason why we celebrate.

They did ask me how that happened though – how Jesus rose from the dead.

My answer?

“Don’t ask me how. Ask me why.”

Ben: Why, Mama? Why must Jesus rise from the dead?

Me: Because if He only died on the cross, we would only be forgiven. But because He rose from the dead, we are justified forever.

Ben: What is ‘justified’, Mama?

Me: It means we are right with God and He will never be angry with us again. Ever.

Ben: So now God loves us forever, is it?

Me: Yes.

Becks: It’s the power divine. Jesus died, for three days He was in the grave, and He rose again.

Whoa.

And suddenly I’m reminded of this verse in Isaiah 54:13

“And all your children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be their peace.”

Amazing how a mere mortal like this frazzled mother drops a seed into these babes, and His Word blossoms in their hearts.

Hope you celebrated His resurrection with much joy like I did!

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(Self) Examination Happy days

So 33 is NOT the new 22 afterall…

April 2, 2014

I don’t remember what I was doing at 22 but I was pretty sure life was terrific then with youth on my side. I probably had nary a care in the world and was bumming through my days in university.

I was dating a special someone then and we would spend our weekends watching copious amounts of DVDs from dramas to movies. We would sit at park benches at night and look up to count the stars. We would take long walks by the beach just listening to the sound of waves. We would go on food trails to explore hawker centres and eateries around us, and detox ourselves silly stuffing claypot gong bao ji ding (diced chicken with dried chillies) at Toh Yi Market. It was a form of detoxification because we were guaranteed at least a full day of diarrhea after we ate it. Yet, since we were also still young – and silly – we were mad enough to go back for the experience again and again.

Those were carefree days at 22.

Fast forward 11 years later.

I wished I could declare to myself that 33 is the new 22 as I’ve recently hashtagged on my Instagram but who am I kidding? I don’t get to laze around any more and as long as the kids are in bed by 10pm I don’t really care how many stars there are in the sky. There are more cares on my shoulders today than 11 years ago, and I sometimes worry a lot about how the kids are turning out and how I am burning out. I no longer get to go on food thrills and trails; most of the time I function like a mobile dustbin finishing up what the kids can’t, and the only trail I get is food bits on the floor and ants coming a-marchin’ into our house.

So today, whilst I truly wished I could say in total abandonment and shout it out loud that “33 IS THE NEW 22, YO!”, I would keep that silly notion to myself and wish myself a very blessed 33rd birthday instead.

I am blessed to have enjoyed a little more than 3 decades of life surrounded by people who have poured selflessly into my heart.

That, is all that matters to me, this year.

This year, as I blow out the candles, my birthday wish is for that one man who has given his all to raising me, loving me, putting up with me, coming to my rescue time and time again, and driving me around tirelessly before I met the one I married – for him to never ever give up hope in living and loving life. Let’s celebrate living life together, shall we?

This year, I’m making a wish for Dad

Happy birthday to me!

P/S: Thank you for pampering me silly today, Fatherkao. What a surprise to get a foot rub, a nice dinner out at my favouritest place to eat at T3 and something so charming on my wrist. Even though we no longer take long walks and listen to the sound of waves at East Coast Park, I’m just really happy to be listening to the sound of silence with you every night after the kids have gone to bed. 11 years later, I am still thankful to be able to be doing so many things with you.

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Becks Kao Ben Kao Enrichment Happy days Learning fun! Milestones and growing up The Kao Kids

It’s the sound of music!

March 31, 2014

It’s time to start the kids on their music journey. We’ve been waiting for Ben and Becks to turn 5 and 4 respectively, and since it’s going to be happening this year, we thought we’d begin.

A family friend gave Ben a recorder on his birthday and taught him how to blow some notes. It’s been noisy ever since, since the others also think it’s the longest whistle they can ever blow!

I haven’t see a recorder since my primary school days!

And someone thinks it’s a whistle!

A good friend also lent us her piano, and I’ve started the kids on piano lessons at home. I initially had grand plans to teach my own kids (c’mon, Mama started learning at 5!), but gave up that ambitious idea because I really didn’t know how to scaffold their learning to help them understand the theory of music. I don’t even remember how I learned when I started; and all I am left with right now is a bunch of knowledge all jumbled up and rolled together in my head. It’s a challenge for me to teach the kids what I know because I no longer am able to relearn and break it down into easy-to-understand lingo for my completely clueless kids.

Hence the decision to get a teacher.

I must say, I really like the interesting ways their piano teacher is teaching them to identify the keys on the piano, as well as the engaging ways in which she gets them to understand the theory part through clapping, tracing and colouring. Check out how she places a little cat on the C key, a dog on the D and an elephant on the E with a dog house covering them all, so the kids recognise a pattern.

These little fingers are playing the piano, and I am really excited for them

Here’s Ben learning the ‘Good Morning’ song

And Becks is learning ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’

We also bought a set of drums but that would have to wait while we get going with their piano lessons for a while more.

Hopefully by Christmas, we can have a live band performing.

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” – Plato

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Food, glorious food! Going Out! Happy days Invites & Tryouts The Kao Kids

The Kao kids on the loose (and reined) at Candy Empire

March 25, 2014

I’m the kind of mother that throws away sweets in my kids’ goodie bags and ration M&M’s. It’s usually 10 M&M’s for Ben, 10 for Becks and 5 for Nat, and they can only have chocs twice or thrice a week. Most of the time, the Kao kids are given raisins, fruits, yoghurt and nuts to snack on instead. And it’s an absolute no with any kind of fizzy drinks. To date, they have not had a sip of Coke.

Yes, go ahead. You can call them deprived.

I’ve been reprimanded by older folks and other parents for depriving my children of a childhood, for being so strict on sweet treats, flavoured drinks and candies, in particular. But I’d rather be doing this than battling problems of tooth decay, poor appetite and indigestion. I’d rather have people throw stones at me than have my kids turn around one day and say, “Why didn’t you control my intake when you are the adult here, hello? Now, no thanks to you, I have _________ (insert problem).”

So, when Candy Empire sent us an invitation for a private tasting session to celebrate their opening at The Star Vista, I wrote back to explain that I am a strict mother and wouldn’t want to let my children loose at a candy store.

And I thought that was that, until they replied me and assured me that they were inviting us to an exclusive ‘Sunday Spread’ of healthy confectionery, and at Candy Empire, they don’t just sell candies and chocolates – they also feature premium cookies, spreads, macarons and shortbread.

Already quite impressed, and having been so busy these days that there’s just no time to be baking and churning out homemade cookies and cake, I accepted the invitation and brought the kids to Candy Empire.

And they went wild, of course – just by looking at all the things in the huge store that Mama’s been keeping them away from.

At the children’s corner specially set up for kids, they grabbed the jellybeans and marshmallows, and started gobbling them down like there was no tomorrow.

By golly, it did look like they were indeed deprived kids, thanks to me.

Fatherkao and I watched – and let them – until they were done with the frenzy. Then, my dear husband sat the kids down and taught the kids an important lesson about choosing right:

“There’s so much to see and taste at a candy store,” he said. “And you’re excited. But you don’t have to gobble the first thing you see. Look around you. There’s other good stuff too.”

And look around they did. And when the kids tasted the chocolates, cookies and fruits dipped in Ovomaltine, there was no looking back.

Now Ben would say, “Jellybean is nice but cookies and white chocolates are nicer.” And Becks would say tell you she prefers dark chocolates to white ones. Our family had a good time sampling an array of sweet, healthy treats for tea from bisquini cookies to crunchy cream-dipped fruits, and a wonderful afternoon of quality time together.

Best of all, our kids learned something about self-control that afternoon, and that to me, was the most precious takeaway from this. Thank you, Candy Empire, for the kind invitation!

Candy Empire constantly brings in novel products all year round, including seasonal treats! Besides chocolates and candies, Candy Empire also has a delectable selection of spreads, cookies and biscuits. Spot an interesting product in the shop and want to find out more before purchasing? Drop by Candy Empire’s blog, World of Candies, to check out confectionery product reviews and the latest confectionery trends!

Disclosure: We were invited to Candy Empire’s private Sunday Spread tasting at The Star Vista. No monetary compensation was received. We did get a huge bag of confectionery and specially packed goodie bags for the kids!

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Becks Kao Going Out! Happy days Invites & Tryouts Milestones and growing up

Hello! Hello Kitty!

March 22, 2014

She’s probably the most famous cat in the world, and one with the fattest bank account, with product range extending from stationery and accessories to toasters and home appliances. She’s entered every possible market from jewellery to aircraft to themed restaurants and more recently, a maternity hospital.

We’re talking about the Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow that has no mouth – yea, the one that’s swept many off their feet almost like a demi-god to worship.

I’m not a fan and never was, but it’s apparently a different story with the little girl, who adores Hello Kitty because – erm, I don’t even know why.

Which was why she was extremely stoked when I told her we were invited to front row seats at The Hello Kitty Live Show at City Square Mall.

Which also explains why this is the first live show I see her actually participating in, like standing up to dance, answering the host’s questions and clapping like there’s no tomorrow.

Yup, that’s the Hello Kitty fan there, yea, that one wearing the purple Hello Kitty dress.

She was a little disappointed that it was Hello Kitty’s childhood friend, Dear Daniel that held her hand at the Meet and Greet, and wished she was standing where Ben stood instead.

Check out that grumpy Hello-I-am-a-Hello-Kitty-fan-not-Dear-Daniel-fan face.

But oh well, I know she’s still happy to have watched her dance and sing, and even happier that Mama’s brought her out this holiday to meet someone really special to her.

More details:

School’s out! Celebrate with Hello Kitty, Dear Daniel and My Melody as they entertain you with song and dance live on stage only at City Square Mal – tomorrow’s the last day to do so at 1pm, 4pm and 7pm!

Redeem a Meet & Greet pass 45 mins prior to each show with $50 spent. (Limited to 50 passes per show, redeemable at L1 stage area) Purrfect for a photo for keepsake for all Hello Kitty fans out there!

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Becks Kao Going Out! Happy days Invites & Tryouts Milestones and growing up

A post (finally!) on girls and dolls [Part 2]

March 12, 2014

So I gave in and bought my daughter her first Barbie doll, and this is the post to explain why.

Last week we were invited by Mattel to celebrate 55 years of imaginative play with Barbie®, the world’s most popular fashion doll.

When I got the invite, I did the to-go-or-not-to-go in my head for a long time. Going would mean that Becks, at three-half, would enter into the dream world of fashion and style; afterall, Barbie’s the original fashion icon that’s played muse to designers all over the world and inspired fashionistas worldwide.

In other words, tis’ the start down the road of vanity.

But not going would mean that the Barbie fan in this Mama would miss out on the celebration. I go a long way back with Miss Barbara since the age of 5, having spent much of my childhood pretend playing with her, her on-off boyfriend and her friends at the beach, by the poolside and at her pretty home. Back then my aunt would buy me dolls whenever she returned from the States, and my godfather would buy me houses, accessories and various scenario sets. Those were fun times I’ve had with myself, my sister, and our imaginary friends.

In other words, I was the one itching to go lah.

And so we went. On a mother-daughter date on a Saturday morning to United Square, to join other girls and their moms in the “With Barbie®, Anything is Possible” Roadshow.

All dressed in pink!

Even the drink was pink

We participated in 3 out of the 4 activities lined up for us at the celebration. First, Becks went to the Barbie Style Icon Photobooth and played dress up:

At the Photobooth

Then, we designed our very own Barbie dress with fabric markers, glitter stickers and stencils. This was our favourite activity!

Becks designing a dress

We also tried the Style Icon Dream Closet Augmented Reality Experience where Becks got to play “digital dress up”. She wanted to be a princess – oh who wouldn’t – but somehow became a vet instead.

A veterinarian’s a good career choice, my dear. Better than princess, any time!

The activity which we skipped was the catwalk and runway experience. I’m keeping that away from her for as long as I can. No, make that forever.

I did wish that the celebration (which was of course, in an overdose of pink) would engage girls in more pretend play than dressing up. Like having a few scenario sets out (bring out the vet clinic, the Malibu Dreamhouse, the fashion wardrobe with all the clothes and shoes to change, and the Glam Pool Set, I say!) in a little play corner for the girls, like how there would always be a corner with plenty of blocks and bricks at any Lego Roadshow. Already the poor doll’s been parodied and criticised enough for her unrealistic idea of a body image and her lifestyle choices – so shouldn’t we play down on the dressing up and vanity bit and emphasise more on a doll’s role in inspiring creativity through pretend play through scenarios and adventures?

Which brings me to the reason why I bought my daughter her first ever Barbie doll. We chose a mermaid together, and I wanted her to enter the world of imaginative play with it since she’s already into the princess-happily-ever-after phase anyway. I’m happy to be paying $27.90 for something which can be part of her mythical pretend play of all the whatever that’s Under the Sea – mermaids, mermen and what-nots.

I also told her that she’s got to hold on to this doll for a long, long time and that some day, she should show her little girl how her love for dolls began, beginning with this Barbie mermaid from her Mama.

Her first Barbie doll from Mama!

***

Join Barbie® as she celebrates 55 years of imaginative play at United Square with Toys ‘R’ Us from 6 – 23 March 2014 from 11am to 9pm daily! To participate, obtain 1 stamp from every SGD$30 spent at Toys ‘R’ Us for an opportunity to take part in 1 of 4 activities.

Disclosure: We were invited to the celebration and received a gift bag with a Barbie doll in it. No monetary compensation was received and opinions here are all mine.

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Becks Kao Ben Kao Happy days Milestones and growing up Nat Kao The Kao Kids

A post (finally!) on girls and dolls [Part 1]

March 12, 2014

I have kept my little girl away from Barbie dolls for as long as I could.

Trust me, I’ve made her play with gender-neutral toys for as long as possible and even wanted her to rough it out with her brothers when they wrestled and do neanderthal-like things like grunting and crashing into random things.

I made all three kids play with toy cars, balls, Lego Quadro, Lego Duplo, kitchen masak-masak and trike-rides, and I’ve wanted it to be this way for at least the first three years of their lives. I attempted my best not to introduce any gender specific toys, unless they asked for it and only if they asked for it after they turn three.

So Becks did get a doll when she turned two because she wanted a “baby” and she was at that stage of wanting to comb everyone’s hair. And since I was still struggling with post-partum hair loss and constantly annoyed with the yanking and pulling and tugging of those very few precious strands left I decided to get her a Disney Mulan for her second birthday. She liked it for a total of 24 hours before she decided that her Puku bolster was a better choice for a “baby”. She’s been “mothering” those little bolsters ever since (I so need to write a post about those bolsters!), and Mulan has since been banished to a shelf known as Forgotten.

Becks’ first doll ever, who has now been forgotten, disfigured and banished

And that was that.

Until recently – and it was only just this year – she started going all feminine on me and began to develop a liking for all things pink (again!) and purple and all those Disney princessy stuff and happily-ever-after stories. I was hoping the tomboy phase would stay for a while more but alas. She was also dragging me to look at hairbands and clips, dolls and fairies and all things that spelled G-I-R-L whenever we headed out. Every time she squealed, my eyes would roll.

Vanity is not something I wish to be handling now, really.

It was also only recently that she asked me for a Barbie.

Well, I’m not sure if it’s because I introduced her to her (Miss Barbara, that is) earlier last year because I did share with the kids that I loved dolls as a girl (and I only started at 5) and then grew up appreciating dolls so much that I started collecting Designer and Collector’s Editions of Barbie Dolls.

Ladies and Gentlemen… Presenting my precious Barbie Collection

And more: My favourite and most expensive is the Duchess of Diamonds (my birthstone!), and it’s from a guy who wooed and won my heart (who also bought me a few more to add to my collection)

I also showed them my collection and promised them that they would get one on their respective wedding days and that Becks would inherit my collection some day.

Barbie Collection_Kids and their choices

The Kao kids “choped” their choices for themselves / their wives for their wedding day

I suspect that my little girl couldn’t wait till her wedding day, and has decided that it’s more fun to be pestering Mama for one to admire now.

Anyway, I caved in and bought her her first ever Barbie last Saturday.

The reason is here in the next post, Part 2.

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Becks Kao Ben Kao Happy days Homelearning fun Learning fun! Nat Kao The Kao Kids

Birthday card making fun

March 8, 2014

Since the boys had their birthdays last month, one of our homelearning activities involved having them create generic birthday cards.

I started the lesson by getting the kids to read the reader from Scholastic’s First Little Readers Level A titled Birthday Surprise. It’s a simple story about a boy using glue, scissors, crayons, paper to make a card for grandma.

The story was simple and the activity of making birthday cards was one that was suitable for all three kids. Ben learned the various sight words and how to spell “Happy Birthday” by writing it several times on the cards he made. Becks learned to identify the beginning sounds of each sight word. All three of them got to practise peeling off stickers and strengthening their finger muscles by colouring, and we all had lots of art and craft fun.

I also took the opportunity to make Ben his birthday card which I demanded that he keep for a long, long time.

If you need handmade birthday cards for anyone special, the Kao kids are ready to be at your service!

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Getting all sentimental now Happy days Milestones and growing up Nat Kao The Kao Kids

Letter to my littlest #9

February 20, 2014

Dearest Nat,

Has it been two years since you filled our lives with so much laughter? Where did all the time go? When did my baby start growing up? Slow down, will you, baby boy? This growing up business is getting too fast for this mama’s heart to handle.

I still remember the little bundle I carried home a while ago and the squeals in the house everyone made in adoration of you. You stole the hearts of your big brother and sister the moment you came home and you have won their hearts ever since. We’re now a family of five and Ben and Becks cannot go through a day without being with you. The three of you play together every day and I pray that you will all play together as happy children for a long, long time.

You’re adorably funny and exasperatingly endearing. These days I call your name and you reply me with a “What?”. When I tell you to do something you ask me “Why?”. And when I ask you why this or that happens, you answer me with “Because”. You sing the Alphabet song every day and amuse us all by standing on the table to do it like it’s some rock performance. You chortle and chuckle many times a day even after you’ve been disciplined, and live each day clowning around with your funny antics. Every day is a riot with you and even though you get yelled at a lot for the naughty things you do, my greatest wish for you is that you’ll never change the way you are.

Be the happy, cheeky, sticky you, Nat. Always. Happy 2nd birthday!

Loving you to the moon and back, and to infinity and beyond,

Mama

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Everyday fun! Family life as we know it Happy days Milestones and growing up The darndest kid quotes and antics

A tale of three camps

February 5, 2014

These kids do play well together on good days. These days the house is nicely split into two camps: the Domesticated Camp and the Grunting zoom-vroom-bsssh-cheebaaaboooom! Camp, helmed by Becks and Ben respectively.

The Domesticated Camp, where the sorting and folding never ends

The Grunting Boys Camp, where the world is what you imagine to be and the noise you make never ends

Of course, Nat has pledged allegiance to both sides, and is a much sought-after member of each camp. I’m just glad that one is teaching my 23-month-old how to fold towels and the other is teaching him how to squawk like a boy with Lego and Transformers.

I’m really not complaining.

These good days must be cherished and I’ve since started my own: the Tired People Camp. I told the kids that they are welcome to join me any time.