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Becks Kao Ben Kao Family life as we know it Milestones and growing up Mommy guilt The Kao Kids

Mealtime woes: finding new ways to win this war

February 7, 2013

I’m officially raising the white flag in the battle of wills at mealtimes. You see, despite my efforts in making things like these…

…the kids still aren’t very keen to eat or feed themselves. They don’t want to sit at the dinner table and finish their food. They want to play and have me feed them while they are at it. I’ve compromised my standards of table etiquette and manners. For a while now, I’ve stopped making bentos (they didn’t care much for it anyway!) and I’ve allowed them to play with their Lego Duplo every evening while I sit next to them and feed them.

Because they run around with the Lego they construct, I’ve found it really tiring to feed them. Dinner can last as long as an hour. I’m sure if I ran along and chased them, it would take less than that but I’m too lazy and I refuse to set a precedence for that. Instead I’ve settled for the ‘you come for your next mouthful to where I’m sitting when you’re done chewing’ rule.

So I’ve restrategised to minimise my anguish at dinner time for now just so we can get through this. So yes, *gasp*… I’ve turned on the tv and am allowing tv time during dinner time. One episode of Word World every evening. For now.

So far, they’re not gagging and fussing, and with their eyes peeled to the tv screen, they hardly even care what they are eating. I get to sit down without them running around and finish my job of feeding in about 30 minutes. I’ve also managed to shove a lot more “unpleasant” Chinese food into their mouths – things that they dislike – like the luffa, beef stew and chicken. Plus, they are learning how to spell watching the show.

But it’s not a strategy I’m comfortable with and I would be rethinking it as soon as the stay-home gig kicks in in March this year. Research has shown that TV interferes with the natural cues children’s bodies send them about whether they are full, and can lead them to overeat or undereat (Source: http://www.rps.psu.edu/probing/kidtv.html).

I may have lost this battle, but the war ain’t over yet.

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

Return of Lil’ Miss Bossy Becks

February 4, 2013

You really need to live with us to know how this little girl bosses us around every day. Here’s just a glimpse of what happens on a daily basis.

You better make sure

Fatherkao had just returned home from a hard day’s work…

Becks: Are you going to bathe?

Fatherkao: Yes

Becks: Make sure you wash your face!

Fatherkao: Ok

Becks: Make sure you wash your hair!

Fatherkao: Ok

Becks: Make sure you pass urine!

Fatherkao: ??!!!???!!!

Little Miss B, the disciplinarian

Becks: Ok, let’s play this game! (takes out the Angry Birds 3D game set)

Nat: Urgwakkkaaaa (proceeds to destroy what she’s laid out)

Becks: Ooi, didi!! WASSUP? You dare to make a mess! Do you want me to discipline you?

Me: *facepalm*

Hair Affair

Becks: Mama, can I comb your hair?

Me: Since it’s a question, can I say no? Every time you comb my hair, you yank it and it hurts.

Becks: MAMA, I WANT TO COMB YOUR HAIR!

Me: WHY??

Becks: Because it’s TOO LONG!

Me: -_-

Lil’ Bossy Becks and her ultimate cuteness

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Everyday fun! The darndest kid quotes and antics The Kao Kids

Rawr-ing shoot-a-dino fun

January 30, 2013

A few days ago, fatherkao started using all the cardboard we collected from bulk ordering the kids’ diapers and milk powder, transforming them into standing paper dinosaurs.

The kids were thrilled to be asked to help. So they went crazy, of course; they were on the roll, literally. They used up ROLLS of scotch tape to help make those standees. And make, they did. The three of them made a HUGE bag of these target boards.

Along the way, Becks also got distracted and starting taping the whole house, one wall at a time. Thanks to her, I am still discovering sticky tape everywhere and peeling them off till today.

The next thing I knew, my house became Jurassic Park that’s got dinos on the loose but stupid enough to stand in line to be shot – and my kids were shooting them silly with the Nerf guns they’ve gotten for Christmas.

And after each dino was shot, an even scarier baby-monster-dino by the name of Nat would gum them down and tear them apart with his bare hands.

Big Papa Dino Hunter then comes along with his super-duper-ultra machine gun to obliterate them all.

They do the victory laugh together. Muahahahaha, hurray for the Kao dino hunters!

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Bento Attempts Parenting 101 The darndest kid quotes and antics The Kao Kids

A nugget of junk

January 21, 2013

I’m not sure if I’m winning or losing the mealtime battle. It’s getting a little complicated.

Although portions still go unfinished and I end up spoonfeeding almost 99% of all their meals at home, the kids have shown me some things that have shocked me:

They would choose Cheerios over Honey Stars, anytime. (For the uninitiated, Cheerios have no taste. It’s just bland multigrain cereal. Honey Stars are sweet, and taste like, erm, honey.)

They finish cherry tomatoes by the tens in seconds.

They love broccoli, cauliflower and edamame.

They’ve tried curry and like it.

They’ll eat fries, yes they would, but would automatically stop at the tenth or eleventh fry handed to them.

Just last weekend, I thought I’d prepare something special and indulge them a little. I made angelhair aglio olio with salted butter, ham, bacon and tomatoes. I baked salmon with some rosemary and olive oil. I reheated a ready-made pack of clam chowder. I toasted some chicken nuggets and even made a guacamole dip for that.

I’d thought they would gun for the nuggets and ask for more. To my surprise, the cheddar cheese on the pasta was finished first, followed by the cherry tomatoes. The salmon was overcooked so it wasn’t too popular. The clam chowder was slurped in a jiffy. Ben tried the dip and declared he wasn’t a fan. They struggled to finish their portion of the angelhair pasta and they did manage to finish their carbs with the ham and bacon after almost forty-five minutes of spoonfeeding. But what was most surprising was that both of them refused to bite into the chicken nugget. They’ve tried nuggets before and the last was at the Christmas party at their school. But this time round, they were gagging and saying no vehemently. Jamie Oliver would be proud.

I don’t believe it, my kids rejected nuggets.

So tell me, is this battle won or lost? They aren’t eating the variety and the portions I would like them to, but hey, they’re rejecting junk. That should be good news eh?

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Ben Kao The darndest kid quotes and antics

WTBW: Giving up fun

January 16, 2013

Ben: (after school one evening) I don’t want to play with my toys today.

Fatherkao: Why?

Ben: Because I don’t want to keep them. Every day ah, I play then I need to keep. Today I don’t want to keep.

Me: (to myself) Right, let’s see how long you can hold out.

~~~

* WTBW: Welcome to Ben’s World

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Becks Kao Ben Kao Going Out! Happy days The darndest kid quotes and antics

The supermarket adventures of the conehead duo

January 10, 2013

One of the things I find extremely therapeutic is to push a trolley down supermarket aisles. Before I had kids, I looked forward to that quite a bit every week.

Now with three kids in tow, grocery shopping is a whole new experience altogether. When we do lug the kids along, there’s just so much to do. I can no longer zone out and just look at things. I gotta strategise and plan my shopping route. Get the items on the checklist. Check out the weekly offers to stock up. Dettol, detergent, toilet paper, tissue boxes, frozen food, wet wipes, fresh milk, tofu and Sakura chicken – grab these standard items every trip and stock ’em all up if they are cheap. I gotta make sure all bladders (mine included) are emptied before the kids are chucked in the trolley. I gotta make sure they keep their fingers to themselves and have enough entertainment to last about an hour while I push around at breakneck speed.

Sometimes, I break up fights and end up pushing two trolleys, a mean feat if I’m alone; a meaner one if I’m alone and wearing the baby. Some days I abandon all groceries and flail my arms like an insane woman if one of them has to poo or pee. But now with experience and tricks to avert disaster under my sleeves, I’d get them some ice-cream or finger food to eat so they’d sit quietly in the trolley for a good 15 minutes.

Going to the supermarket is spelled F-U-N for Ben and Becks. They’ve had much fun sampling all sorts of finger food, melting aunties’ hearts by cheekily waving and saying hi to random strangers, pinched and stabbed their fingers into tomatoes, carrots, apples and mushrooms, squealed at live crabs, butchered frog legs and fishes awaiting their deaths in the tanks, and playing with plastic bags, using them as gloves, socks and helmets. Yes, apologies to my tree hugging friends, but I’ve resorted to giving them plastic bags to play with to keep them out of mischief.

Yesterday, everyone who saw them in the trolley did a little giggle and gave me a sympathetic nod.

These two alien coneheads made their day, I’m sure. They made mine too. I wouldn’t say it’s therapeutic now but I’m certainly laughing a lot more bringing them out grocery shopping.

P/S: We know the risk of giving a plastic bag to a child and have explained to the kids about the danger of suffocation. Which is why they did a “Look Ma, it’s on our heads and not over our faces – duh!”.

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The darndest kid quotes and antics The Kao Kids

iTrigger, iHappy

January 8, 2013

My iPhone and iPad are two items I protect with all my life from my children. They don’t play games or watch anything from these gadgets. They don’t know my passcode even though they technically know how to unlock them. They swipe and swipe and enter all sorts of random numbers (and sometimes disabling my phone!) but they’ll never get to use any apps.

Until lately, they discovered that they could go ask other people for their phones using the excuse that they’d like to have a picture with them. These are smart kids, I tell you.

So my BFFs, and all the other aunties and uncles, grandpa and grandmas end up being suckered by Ben and Becks. Of course, my kids end up making their day cos’ these happy folks get to upload a ton of pictures on fb with smiling pictures of themselves posing with my kids.

Lately, Ben has also discovered the camera and what he could do with it. Last Saturday, at my cousin’s wedding dinner, while I was busy chatting with my cousin at my table, my son who must have been bored to his last toe asked if he could have my phone.

I just checked my phone today and found out he took 300 over shots of himself without even needing my passcode to unlock the phone! He’s meddled with people’s phones enough to learn how to use the camera and toggle to snap pictures of himself.

So I scroll through pictures of his socked foot, his sneakers, his silly faces, his fingers, the steamed garoupa on his plate, the chandelier on the ceiling and my skirt!

‘Gawd! They start camwhoring young!

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Milestones and growing up Nat Kao Parenting 101 The real supermom

Free flow liquid gold

January 6, 2013

I thought I’d do a little happy dance today and celebrate 321 days of breastfeeding my littlest.

That’s a hell load of unlimited, all-you-can-drink liquid carbohydrates, proteins, fats, antibodies and lymphocytes that’s on demand and FREE.

That’s 4 full feeds in the day and 6 snack feeds throughout the night, and a lot of running in and out of the nursing room if I’m at work. That’s also having to endure pain from itchy gums and 6 tiny teeth that’s bent on tugging and yanking.

And looking at this boy’s happy face, I don’t intend to stop. It’s been so fun being his milk machine.

Milk for you, yes Sir!

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Milestones and growing up Parenting 101 Re: learning and child training The Kao Kids What to Expect... As a Mother

Fighting sleep at naptime: Kids 1, Mama 0

December 27, 2012

All three kids got to skip school after the Christmas holiday, just so I can have a taste of what my life would be like come next year March.

Actually, it’s because Nat has conjunctivitis (again!) and I had grand plans to read and do craft with the older two kids.

But I also managed to get a glimpse of what my life would be like next year. *Gulp*

Every day, I do the impossible. It’s just impossible to make them eat their breakfast, lunch and dinner without me yelling, threatening and tearing my hair out. It’s impossible to get them to the bath to be clean without having to count to three.

But that’s not the worst. The worst, and the one I dread most, is nap time.

In daycare, the two older kids (and now even Baby Nat) follow a routine. By 1pm, I hear, they would’ve had their lunch, shower and milk and would be fast asleep. The teachers tell me Ben and Becks have no problems at all falling asleep together with their friends. It’s peer pressure, they say.

It’s a different thing altogether at home. There’s no sign of sleepiness at 12, 1, 2, 3, no, not even 4pm. Even if they were up at 7am. I don’t give them sugary treats and so I am always wondering why it would take them so long to finally settle and take their afternoon nap. I’ll get them to start winding down by about 2.30pm, put them to bed by 3pm and they would be tossing, turning, chortling and saying the most random things to each other.

Ben: You’re so poot poot la la. Hahahaha.

Becks: You’re so di dom dar doo. Hee ha ha ha. La la la.

Ben: I’m not la. You silly pom pom pee.

Becks: YES! You sullee ballee tom tee.

Ben: NO! Poot poot doo doo.

Becks: YES! Ba baa yooooo….

Ben: NO!

Ben & Becks: (together) Hahahahahahaha!

This happens every day without fail. All this while the baby is whining outside, calling out in his babbling, “I need milk. I need my mother. I don’t want to be carried around by the maid. Oh please, would you let me join in the fun with my kor kor and jie jie”. All this while I’m asking them to stop the laughing and to close their eyes. All this while I’m holed up in the room for one and a half (precious) hours patting them till my hands are sore and numb.

Just now, I had to smack Becks five times on her diapered bum for doing the freestyle and breaststroke on her bed while pretending to close her eyes. I had to use the cane three times on her thighs for jumping in and out of bed despite my instructions to get in bed and prepare for nap. I also lost my cool at Ben who fidgeted and squirmed for two hours, to be exact (his sister finally fell asleep before him), picking his nose, scratching his ears, and pretending to be asleep. He was winking and blinking and secretly laughing at his sister while she was being disciplined.

Meanwhile my helpless helper outside the room was rocking my baby silly till he finally fell asleep, tired from all the whining for Mama.

People say in order to get as much rest as possible, I should sleep when my children do. I say, after getting all worked up, I’d rather put up this post than to lie in bed. And go eat some chocolates and think about how I’m gonna do things differently at tomorrow’s naptime.

Finally asleep! At last!

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Christmas happiness Going Out! The Kao Kids

What fun it is to laugh and sing

December 26, 2012

We took a road trip up north this long weekend.

Days before leaving for Desaru, the kids were like, “Are we going? Are we going yet? Are we?”; on the two hour car trip there, they were quizzing every waking minute, “Are we there yet? Are we at Desaru already? Are we?”; and when we got there, they were going, “What shall we do next? What can we do now? Can we…?”.

I felt like I was living life out of a Baby Blues comic strip.

So while the kids jumped around like monkeys, shot water from their Super Soaker Nerf guns (at their mother, baby brother, grandpa and aunt), played with light sticks, screamed Jingle Bells all the way through Christmas Eve and watched the fireworks display leading to Christmas Day, the adults were totally tired out and couldn’t wait to get home to laze in bed to enjoy the nice, cool, rainy weather.

We don’t get no silent nights no more since the kids came along. But hey, we ain’t complaining.

Hope you had a great Christmas too.

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