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Kao Kids

Milestones and growing up The Kao Kids Thunderstorm days What to Expect... As a Mother

Mom, interrupted, Part 2

March 8, 2013

We haven’t been doing much homelearning these days. Murphy is quite the chap that’s been sticking around here lately, with the Kao kids taking ill, one after another.

First up, a case of vomitting, high fever, cough and runny nose, needing meds like Rhinatiol, Motillium and Adezio for almost a week.

Then someone had bronchitis and needed Flixotide, Combivent and Sodium Chloride in mist form thrice a day through the nebuliser.

Today, another kid threw up like clockwork and yet another epsiode of stomach flu has begun.

This whole week alone, the kids are finishing up the Paracetamol Suspension faster than I can pronounce ‘Paracetamol’, not to mention tissue papers.

With the remaining energy that’s left, we’ve only managed to go downstairs for mini explorations to search for critters…

Snail hunt

Play ball with the baby who adores all things round every waking minute…

Playing basketball

As well as try a few of the many craft materials in February’s Toddibox (review on that later!)…

Craft from the Toddibox

It’s been quite a manic month, this March. I need to be showing Murphy the door.

Family life as we know it Going Out! Happy days The Kao Kids

Rise & Shine, it’s picnic time!

March 5, 2013

We had a lovely breakfast on a lovely Sunday morning against the Marina Bay skyline at The Lawn.

Rise & Shine picnic

The sky was clear. The weather was cool and breezy. The kids weren’t too cranky despite having been ill for the last two days.

Quite happy Ben

Quite happy Becks

I made some ham and cheese sandwich and the wonderful grandparents and aunt got up early to join us, not before going to the market to get some vegetarian beehoon, and we had ourselves a hearty, healthy meal while being part of the largest breakfast picnic turnout in the Singapore Book of Records.

Rise & Shine picnic 2

The kids had a ball chasing flying balloons, shaking hands with stilt walkers and mascots and jumping on bouncy castles.

Nat running

Nat with balloon

Fun with mascots

When it wasn’t too crowded and we needn’t queue, Ben did his sports try-out and had some fun batting a ball for cricket. Becks and Nat were just too happy munching on the free samples of rice krispies and cornflakes from Kellogg’s, and drinking Ribena.

Nat munching

Becks drinking Ribena

I think it’s a splendid idea to rise and shine early once in a while and spend such lovely time with family.

Ben Kao

Roar! The dinosaur’s four!

March 2, 2013

One month before his birthday, I asked Ben if he would like to decide what he wanted for his birthday cake. This would be his last celebration in school, since he would be staying home with me starting March.

Ben: I want a dinosaur cake.

Me: Ok, let me google “dinosaur cake”.

I then showed him images of cakes that were dinosaur related. The 3D cakes that showed up in the results of the search were pretty amazing. We saw a pretty stegosaurus covered in fresh cream, the head of a t-rex in vibrant red and black hues, and cute Barney-looking ones with friendly smiles.

Ben: No, I don’t want all these. I want a cake which you can put toys. Like last time my birthday cake right, I could bring the toy cars home.

Me: Right. You want a cake with dinosaur toppers.

So I sent a message to the Queen Bee herself and told her about my son’s request. I asked if she could make a cake that was exciting, perhaps with a 3D volcano spewing molten lava. She was excited to receive this request and agreed to try to make a standing volcano for a cake that would serve 40. Since she hasn’t been asked by anyone to make this before, we agreed that we would only add it in if the volcanic creation was successful.

On his birthday, this was the final product:

Dino birthday cake

This amazing mom of a baker who has four kids and a full-time job managed to make a solid volcano complete with an orange hued crater with just fondant and rice crispies! Ben was so thrilled by his cake he couldn’t stop grinning the whole time. His friends were equally excited too. They kept poking and probing the volcano, and wow-ing nonstop at the cake. By the time the candles were on the cake, I think it was pretty much covered with 30 sets of fingerprints and lots of saliva.

Ben's 4

Ben's 4th birthday celebration at school

The cake was a delicious vanilla with strawberry jam filling and the kids ate rather happily, with some asking for another helping. The birthday boy himself had some, but was more preoccupied with running in and out of the toilet washing his dinosaur toppers and keeping them close to him. He didn’t want anyone of his friends to take them from the table.

I also packed 40 party favours that were filled with a capsule of dinosaur erasers, one huge dino egg, a set of dinosaur stickers and a dinosaur spinning top. I got them at wholesale price from Happy Island and that saved me a lot of money. The kids queued up to get their goodie bag from Ben and some shook his hand to wish him a happy birthday. I think he’s going to miss some of his friends when he leaves the school.

Party favours yay

After the cake-cutting, the kids went outdoors for some bubble fun and outdoor play, which gave Fatherkao a wonderful opportunity to snap some pictures of our four-year-old with his friends for the last time.

Outdoor play at Carpe Diem Hilltop

Parting shot Carpe Diem Hilltop

The parting shot? A picture with his best friend ever. They were together at the same infantcare since three months old, and moved on to becoming best of pals throughout toddlerhood in the same playgroup, Nursery 1 and now Nursery 2. I know he’s going to really miss being soldiers with him.

Ben and best friend at 2

Two years old (2011)

Ben and best friend at 3

Three years old (2012)

Four! (2013)

Four! (2013)

My boy’s all grown up now.

Ben Kao Homelearning fun Learning fun! Milestones and growing up

Roar! It’s dino galore!

March 1, 2013

Ben’s been obsessed with dinosaurs for many months now.

Although he still has some problems pronouncing the long names like the hypsilophodon, tenontosaurus and euoplocephalus, (who wouldn’t?) thanks to the Flip-o-saurus I bought him, he’s learnt to invent names for dinosaurs using his imagination. This wacky book contains fantastic pictures and breaks dinos’ names up which allows the kid to mix and match their body parts to create their own make-belief dinosaurs.

Dino good reads

The hardest part of this dino craze is having to explain the history of these prehistoric creatures to him, why they’ve become extinct, how these creatures are classified (saurischia, the lizard-hipped; ornithischia, the bird-hipped plant eaters; the long-necked ones, bipedal ones, bird-footed ones, armoured ones, and those with horns and shield around the skull).

It’s almost excruciating.

Because I want to encourage his curiosity, I also end up squinting and reading him The World of Dinosaurs, an encyclopedic guide to these prehistoric creatures A LOT, especially before bedtime, and having my tongue tied every minute of it.

In December, we had lots of counting and sorting fun with the dinosaur counters I bought from The Mind Store. I used the 108 mini dinos – the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Dimetrodon and Woolly Mammoth in various colours –  to teach classification, colour sorting, counting, sequencing, and simple addition and subtraction. It was a great deal of fun learning with these counters.

Dino counting fun

The boy also amassed a huge number of different dino figurines for his own pretend play since Christmas, both from the toy store and from those hatch-a-dino eggs. Dinosaurs (rubbery, slippery ones!) practically hatch and grow when you throw those eggs into water. It was thrilling for him to watch what would be hatched and even more amusing for us to hear him scream the name of the dino over a pail of water – Stegosaurus! T-rex! Pterodactyl! – like some pro.

Dino figurines stash

I think I’ve learned so much about dinosaurs the last few months I should be given a Ph.D for it. And the boy? He’s still very much obsessed with these prehistoric giants so we threw him a dino-theme birthday party.

[To be continued…]

Becks Kao Ben Kao The darndest kid quotes and antics The Kao Kids

WTBW: Money can’t buy me love

February 27, 2013

At four, Ben is learning the concept of money and its function in our daily lives. His father gives him coins to save up and makes him count them periodically. Fatherkao also “sells” him Tomica diecast cars and trucks in exchange for his coins.

Tis’ very interesting indeed, watching a child understand the concept of money and learn how goods and services are exchanged.

Overheard recently at a shopping mall…

Me: Oooh, sale at Fox Baby. Look, can get more Hello Kitty t-shirts! So cheap, $9? I bought them for $19.90 before CNY!

Becks: Yay, I want more Hello Kitty, Mama.

Me: (to everyone) Let’s go and take a look.

Becks: (excitedly) I want, I want!

At this point in time, Ben looked stern and not too thrilled at all. He looked at his sister and…

Ben: Buy, buy, buy… Every time buy. Then Mama has no more money. Do you know if she has no more money, she cannot teach us anymore, she’s got to go back and work?

Yes, I am a stay-home-mum now and I’ve told my son that I’m no longer working so I can read to him, play with him and have lessons with him at home.

My son, the prudent one. You can see how much he knows about money. Enough to want Mama to stay home with him.

Also linking up with:

$AHM Linky Badge photo NetWorthSAHMbadge_zpsf095377d.jpg

Ben Kao Milestones and growing up The darndest kid quotes and antics

WTBW: Ah Boys to Men

February 27, 2013

Ben’s been quite captivated by the movie trailer of Ah Boys to Men playing at the DVD stores. He’s been fascinated with soldiers and guns since he was two, and has a group of friends at daycare who loves shooting with “rifles” and “pistols”.

Part 1

Ben: Every man must go to the army?

Me: Yea. Someday, when you’re 19, you will go. And Nat too. Your father and grandfathers have all been trained in the army.

Ben: Gong gong is a soldier?

Me: Yes. He used to be.

Ben: And Dada?

Me: Yes. He still is one.

Ben: Huh? Why he teach and then he shoots?

Part 2

Ben: What do the soldiers eat in the army camp? Is there a kitchen?

Me: Yes, there’s a cook house. The soldiers eat simple food. Maybe not very tasty food too.

Ben: Huh… Why?

Me: It’s not like they get Pastamania all the time. They’ve gotta eat quickly and do things quickly, no time to do fine dining.

Ben: Why must they do things quickly?

Fatherkao: That’s what soldiers do. They do things quick.

Ben: They need to do things quickly so they can shoot the bad guys?

Fatherkao: Yea, something like that.

Ben: How come there are bad guys in the army camp?

Part 3

Ben: In the army, you must train very hard?

Me: Yes, like what you saw in the movie trailer. They do drills, practise shooting, sleep very little and run around a lot.

Ben: Is it very tiring?

Me: Of course.

Ben: And I will be away from you? You will cry when I go?

Me: Yes, I will cry when you and Nat go to the army.

Ben: Huh, then I don’t be a soldier anymore, ok. I’ll be an astronaut.

~~~

Nat Kao Thunderstorm days

More thunderstorm days

February 18, 2013

After the meningitis scare, I’d thought I could finally shake some legs. I even promised Ben some ‘special time’ – just me, him and Universal Studios.

Who would have guessed that the bubbly littlest one would come down with a stomach flu so bad we had to rush him to A&E and almost had him warded for an IV drip. The baby who’s turning one in a few days’ time had severe vomitting and high fever on Saturday night and could not even keep medicine and water down.

I think we used up all our Dettol these two days scrubbing the tiles every time after he wretched. There’s also baskets of laundry to rinse by hand before we could throw them into the machine. On Saturday night alone, between fatherkao and I, I think we took a total of seven baths after having vomit soak through our clothes, underwear and hair.

Nat crying

We also had to endure the sight of a bawling baby in constant discomfort.

I can’t wait for the worst to be over soon cos’ the boys’ birthdays are around the corner and I want to be partying instead of taking baths.

(P/S: There was no child abuse. I had to take this while he was wailing for me to carry him because he needs to know when he’s older that my heart ached everytime he cried like this.)

Thunderstorm days

A fever, a headache, and a worried mother

February 16, 2013

We had a little scare a few days ago. On the 3rd day of CNY, my eldest, Ben, complained of a headache after watching Word World on tv, and munching on some papadum. Within an hour, he developed a high fever.

That night, he barfed in his sleep and shivered the whole night long as his fever hovered around 38.9 deg C. We rushed him to the pd in the morning, who said that we’ve gotta monitor him for viral meningitis – because when the symptoms of fever and headache come together, that’s quite a serious thing. She would have associated the bright lights from the tv and salt from the papadum as the triggers of the headache, but ruled that out because it came with a fever. She also mentioned that the way to confirm the meningitis diagnosis, if the condition persisted, was to do a lumbar puncture.

Lying on the stroller while waiting for his turn at the PD's

Lying on the stroller while waiting for his turn at the PD’s

I became a neurotic mother who kept scanning his head with a thermometer every hour of the day, and asking him to tell me how painful his headache was. The doc taught me to use my hands to give Ben options to describe the pain – with arms stretched wide as ‘very, very painful’, and with two-finger spacing as ‘a little pain’. I also made him look at his stomach and feet a lot to make sure he had no pain in his neck.

I was very blessed to have the advice of some mommy bloggers from SMB who shared their experience and expertise with me. One of them sent me the link to an article, which helped me monitor Ben less neurotically.

It’s Day 4 today. The high fever is subsiding and hovering around 37.8, and the boy is more or less back to his usual self. He’s been so lethargic and whiny, it’s good he is finally laughing and playing with his siblings.

Thank you, Jesus.

P/S: Ben is vaccinated against bacteria meningitis. Gonna also make sure the other two kids get their Pneumococcal vaccine really soon.

Family life as we know it Milestones and growing up Motherkao loves... The Kao Kids

Gong xi gong xi fun!

February 11, 2013

The days of dong dong dong chiang, bak kwa and pineapple tarts are back!

What’s not to love about Chinese New Year? The kids get to pig out, wear new pjs and pretty samfus, and collect red packets.

Kao kids in PJs

Ben & Becks in PJs

Nat & Ben in PJs

This is our first new year with three in the brood. What an awesome time to attend gatherings where free baby sitting is provided and child minders are available to entertain the kids on end.

CNY Kao Family

Happy Lunar New Year! Gong xi gong xi!