Posted in Family
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I have been trying to collect all Bubbles' little funny sayings. She is growing so fast that soon the days of "Bubble-isms" will be gone. She says so many funny things these days, I soon won’t be able to remember them all. So here is her latest collection.
She calls a Merry-go-round a “merry-go-Around”.
She calls Malaysia “Uh-laysia”. Her best friend Valencia is "Uh-lencia", and her sister and brother's friends Nathanael and Natasha are...you guessed it..."Uh-thanael" and "Uh-tasha". Another friend at the playground is "Mat-alie" (Natalie) and her teacher at school is Teacher Lancy (Nancy).
She sings, “Blah, blah, black sheep, where are you?” instead of “Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool?”
I heard her singing, “The wise man built his house upon a box…” the other day. Bubbles brings such joy to my days. She's recently started swimming lessons, and while she no longer calls her goggles "gobbles", she enters into her lessons with everything she's got. It's so fun to watch her jump up and launch herself full-length across the water, kicking and paddling with everything she's got. When she tires, she stops, stands up, catches her breath, and launches off again. What an unaffected zest for life she has! We've been working on some Scripture memory for her Sunday school class lately, and, as with everything else in life, she's trying so hard to learn those verses. We've also begun working our way through "Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons". (I found it at a second-hand bookstore for S$14.95. When I've been able to find it in local bookstores, it runs around S$50 brand new, so I was really excited over my find!) Oh, does she want to learn to read! The other day, we visited a Christian book store and she came to me with a book she wanted to get. I took it from her to have a look at what she had chosen. It said on the cover, "Children's Bible Stories" so I figured it was another children's Bible story picture book....no sirree! This book was all text, the thickness of a regular Bible (a good 2-3 inches thick!), and not a single picture--not even a black and white sketch! This is the kind of book she can't wait to read! Meanwhile, she's been "reading" her Beginner's Bible at night before bedtime. She will look at the pictures and tell herself the story. It's not that there's no one to read to her, but she wants so desperately to do it herself! Already, after only 8 lessons in "Teach Your Child To Read...", she's getting the hang of sounding out words. Today, looking for a workbook page to do, she was able to sound out enough letters of three words (Zip, Zero, and Zebra) to be able to match the words to their respective pictures. (At first, she did think zip was pizza, but considering the word pizza has all the letters in the words zip, and she's a lefty who tends to work right to left at times, and I didn't even know she would know the word pizza, I was pretty impressed!) Of course, she's also learning basic phonics (the letter sounds) at kindergarten, so I must give credit where it is due. I am so thankful for this little girl who is teaching me joy, and renewing my enthusiasm for life.
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Posted in Family
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Today is my little Bubbles' birthday. Five years ago, she came into the world at the Royal Surrey Hospital in England after 17-1/2 long hours of labor. This was not the ordinary for me! My first two children were born after 4-5 hours! Bubbles was an unexpected blessing. When I first found out I was pregnant, I was shocked! We were living in England at that time, serving with a ministry that lived by faith. We had very little money, and dipped into the income from the rental of our Singapore home each month just to make ends meet, and I wasn't sure how we would manage to feed and clothe another child. Just before we moved to England the previous year, I had given away all of our baby things. After all, my baby was 3-1/2 at the time of the move, and I had no plans to have any more. With financial worries, and my youngest just getting ready to start school when he turned 5, I was looking forward to being able to have some freedom to work, when I discovered I was pregnant. I went into a deep depression. I confess: I did NOT want this baby. But God began to work in my heart, and as my baby grew within my womb, I began to fall in love with her. I knew that she was a blessing from God, even though I wasn't sure exactly what God was doing when He chose to give her to us. By the time Bubbles was born, I was excited and looking forward to her arrival. She was due right around Valentine's Day, but, being quite comfy where she was, she decided not to make an appearance quite so soon. On February 26, around 10pm, my water broke at home, and contractions were 4-5 minutes apart. Since my first two children were born pretty quickly, we made our way to the hospital, expecting her arrival sometime in the night. But Bubbles had other plans. She must have really liked it where she was, because when my contractions got to be about 1 minute apart, they stopped completely for a couple hours. Then they slowly started up again, all the way back at 5-6 minutes apart. This happened 3 separate times!! I was beginning to think this baby of mine would never come out! Finally, around 4pm, little Bubbles made her appearance into this world, big and beautiful! And, yes, God did provide for all of our needs. We never lacked for anything we needed, from car seat to stroller to crib, clothes and diapers, God supplied everything at just the right time, sometimes from the most unexpected of sources. For a child that began as unwanted, I cannot thank God enough for putting Bubbles in my life and in our family. She is such a joy! This child is full of life and enthusiasm. From the moment she wakes up in the morning, she is a ray of sunshine. She keeps up busy, and she keeps us laughing. I love her funny ways, and her "Bubble-isms" (her mispronounced words). Even though she is starting to outgrow some of her mispronunciations, they are such happy memories of her early childhood. One of my favorites is, "Blah, blah, black sheep," and "Carrots of the Bean" (Pirates of the Caribbean) is another family favorite. So, Bubbles, happy birthday! I am so glad you are a part of my life. You are truly a gift from God! |
Posted in Family
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Well, it's been about 7 weeks since that dreaded annual health check that got dh and me up off our bottoms and exercising more. Just to keep you posted, even with the Chinese New Year holidays that usually mean feasting from morning til night and munching on lots of fattening holiday goodies, we have maintained our walking schedule and really watched what we ate during the holiday season. So far, I've lost 9 pounds, and dear hubby has also lost at least that much, but probably more. He's not so precise, so I'm not sure how many pounds he's lost, but it's obvious that he's losing. We continue to walk just about every day, and it's rare that we miss a day, even during the CNY public holidays. So far, so good! |
Posted in Family
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If you get a chance, hop on over to my dear son Roboboy's new blog and give him a holler. He's been asking to have his own blog for a while now, and this from a child who hates to write. I've been a bit hesitant because of his age and lack of interest in writing, but he seems to be serious about it, so I've helped him get set up, and allowed him to dictate his first post to me--this more for time's sake than anything, as he's got a class at church to get to very soon. Anyway, I'm sure he'll be thrilled with any encouragement you can give him! Maybe it will inspire him to write more than he's usually willing to do... |
Posted in Family
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The new year brought with it our annual health screenings. Last year, DH had high blood sugar levels, which we were concerned about. So, over the course of the past year, we've been consciously and conscienciously modifying our diet to be more healthful. You know the kind of stuff: cutting out a lot of the junk, cooking in more healthy ways, etc. It was a good start. But, with this year's health screening, my husband's blood sugar levels confirmed our concerns, and he was diagnosed with diabetes. OK. The good news is that the doctor feels that it can be controlled through diet and exercise at this stage. Our diet is fairly well on track. Maybe a few more modifications to make, but we're doing pretty well on that front. The big issue was exercise. I tried last year, rather half-heartedly, to get more exercise into my routine. (Notice I said "I", not "we" because dear hubby wasn't really into my efforts at all. But with the unprecedented monsoon season we had from November right on through into most of this month, and with the lack of accountability, I had almost given up my efforts. The kids were doing fine with exercise, given their almost daily jaunts to the playground downstairs, with lots of running, cycling, skipping rope, and monkey bars, etc. And even with the heavy rains, they've been playing tag in the open-air ground floor of our building with their neighborhood friends. So the children's exercise wasn't really a problem. This diagnosis was the deciding factor for not only me, but for hubby as well. Since his diagnosis, we've been going for daily 1/2 hour to hour long walks at a very brisk pace, which he sets. It's obviously been great for both of us. Already, he can see so much weight loss that his pants are practically falling off, and he's going to need additional holes cut into his belts. (He's always been able to lose weight pretty easily--grrr.) But even for me, I clocked in a 2kg (that's 4 pounds!) weight loss in just the first week! Wow! I must admit, I am absolutely flabbergasted! Weight loss has always been such a struggle for me. I've always had to work so hard for every ounce I lose, (obviously not that hard, or I wouldn't be seeing the loss I did this week!) and it tends to creep back on oh so easily. I still have a long way to go in my quest for fitness, but as the ancient Chinese proverb goes, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." My doctor gave me some good advice too. She said, "Aim high. Make it your goal to exercise 6 or 7 times a week, and you'll probably get in at least 3-5 times." Wise words. When I was shooting for 3-5 times a week, I was actually only getting 1 or 2 times. So, a word to the wise: aim high! Another added benefit to our walking is some time alone to talk, although I don't really talk very well at the pace dear hubby sets for me! I get out of breath trying to do both. It has really blessed our relationship, and we're feeling closer than ever! I'm thankful for this wakeup call, that it came early enough for us to take note and do something about it! By the way, in case you were wondering, I've continued to give Roboboy more freedom in his studies, allowing him to control his own schedule after our morning devotions and memory work, and he has continued to work with a cheerful attitude--not one sign of temper or bad attitudes since his meltdown. And, he's completing roughly what I expect of him each day, too! Who would have guessed? |
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My firstborn, Dancing Queen turned 11 on the 11th! I've been so busy I haven't really had a chance to sit down and reflect on the joy this child of mine brings to my life. Dancing Queen has her own blog here at homeschoolblogger as SingaporeGirl, so go on over and wish her a belated happy birthday! When I found out I was pregnant with DQ, I had just started working at our church as the first-ever full-time children's worker. It was very stressful, trying to get to know teachers who had been there for years, and had done just fine without any children's worker telling them what to do, thank you very much! I was under so much pressure. One of my deepest prayers was that the child in my womb wouldn't pick up on all my stress and become a nervous, fretful baby. I prayed instead that this child would be full of joy! And, thank God, she was! She was such an easy baby! With both my husband and I working full time in the church, she became the best-known baby in the nursery, there for both services every week. And after service, more often than not, one of the youth from the youth group (my husband was youth pastor at that time) would pick her up from the nursery and keep her until we were free from all our duties. She happily went from person to person, loving all the care and attention that was showered on her! By age 2, we knew that dancing was in her blood. She never was one to play much with toys. Instead, her favorite game was to turn on some music and choreograph her own original moves to the songs, always ending each song with a dramatic pose and an expectation of an ovation from Mom & Dad. And today she still loves to dance. She's asked us for a pair of ballet shoes for Christmas. Dancing Queen has such a gentle and sensitive heart. She seems to pick up on it when someone is feeling down. I can remember when she was just 5 years old, a friend of mine commenting at how blessed she was when, upon having a bad day, just came by to sit and hang out with our family. Dancing Queen snuggled up to her, sort of stroked her arm, and drew her a picture as a present. Later, she told me that she knew our friend was sad and wanted to help her feel better. I've watched her hand the last treat to her younger brother or sister, even when she herself didn't get one. And last year, when a friend chose to take her on a shopping spree for her 10th birthday, she bought gifts for every one of us in the family before she would spend any of the money she was given on herself. I'm so thankful for this gentle, caring, sensitive soul that God has placed in my care! So, happy (belated) birthday, Dancing Queen! You are an incredible special and unique blessing in my life!
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Posted in Family
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My dear 10-year-old daughter, Dancing Queen has started her own blog. She just set it up and wrote her first entry today. If you have a chance, go on over and drop her a note of encouragement. I'm sure it will motivate her to keep writing.
You can find her at: www.homeschoolblogger.com/SingaporeGirl.
Thanks! |
Posted in Family
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Tomorrow is Robo boy's 9th birthday. We're having a party this evening with a few friends. He's so excited. We're all so excited. Especially Bubbles, who has been asking first thing when she wakes up every morning for the past 2 weeks, "Is it Roboboy's birthday yet?"
I'm doing a children's party, which I haven't done for quite some time. We're doing a pirate theme. I'll try to post some photos and tell y'all about it soon.
But I wanted to just jot down, while I have a little time, some of my thoughts about this only son of mine.
When I found out we were having a boy, I must admit, I was a little afraid. I am one of three sisters, no brothers, and have never really hung out much with guys. I am a girly girl. I love pretty things, stuff that glitters and sparkles and smells good, and I absolutely hate to get my hands dirty. My mom tells me that when I was 2 years old, I would go to her and ask to have my hands washed if they were dirty or sticky or icky in any way. I had no clue how to take care of a boy. Snakes, and snails and puppy-dog tails and all that.
I have learned so much from this precious son. I've learned how to get my hands dirty. I've learned how to play with little cars, superhero action figures and Legos. I've learned just how little patience I have, and just how much I need.
Roboboy is my "cuddler". My 2 girls sometimes push me away when I want to hug or cuddle them, if they're not in the mood, but not Roboboy. He loves to scoot right up beside me and put his head on my shoulder or in my lap. And he's ticklish. I just love to grab him and give him a good tickle, and listen to him giggle. And I love it when he comes back to me once he's caught his breath, and (literally) asks for more!
Roboboy is dyslexic, and while homeschooling him has been one of the greatest challenges I have ever undertaken, it has also provided me with the greatest joys and blessings too. Every little step of progress, every little success, every victory, I've been there to see it, and I've been a part of it.
I have learned more about myself and my own character has been developed more in homeschooling with him for the past 3-1/2 years, than through any other single thing in my 40 years of life.
I love this child of my with a fierce passion that I never imagined possible. He is my joy and my delight.
So, now, please excuse me. I hear the doorbell, and I think the first of our party guests have arrived. I can smell the pizza in the oven, and I've got a party to throw. Yo-ho-ho, me hearties! |
Posted in Family
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This is a favorite photo of my little Bubbles. At 4 years old, she is one of the unexpected blessings of my life. After we had our older daughter and son, I honestly thought I was done with having babies. I had the "perfect" family.
Then I got pregnant. When my youngest was 5, and I had just given away all the baby gear. When we were living in a foreign country on severly limited finances and almost no support system. And I got depressed. It's so hard for me to admit it now, but I did not want that baby, and as a Christian who does not believe abortion is an option, I felt trapped.
Over time and a deep work of God in my heart, I came not only to accept this new life, but to look forward to it with anticipation. By the time she was born, she was truly wanted and loved and cherished. And, yes, God provided everything we needed for her, from a crib to a stroller, and everything in between.
I am so glad God gave me this little surprise blessing! She is such a joy and delight. Everyone loves her bubbly personality, her funny misuse and/or mispronouncing of big words, and her delightful playful spirit. My two older children enjoy her, and I rarely see any sibling rivalry rear its ugly head.
She attends our church kindergarten, and her teacher regularly tells me what a joy she is to have in the class. I look forward to her arrival home from school, when she gets to the door, and calls out, "Mom, I'm home!" (She just couldn't stand it if we didn't realize that she was back!) I love asking her about her day, and listening as she chats about all the goings-on in her nursery classroom, and among her circle of friends.
From watching Sesame Street to dancing around the living room in her latest dress-up costume creation. From cuddling up next to me with a big bowl of popcorn for a video to dog-paddling alongside me in her lifevest at the local pool. From begging for a puppy to crying with fear when a dog barked at her. With all her giggles, tears, and contradictions, she is a precious gift. I can't imagine our family or my life without her.
Thank You, God, for unexpected, and undeserved blessings! |
Posted in Family
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Bubbles headed back to school today after the 1-month June holidays. (I homeschool my older 2, and Bubbles goes to our church kindergarten program in the nursery class 3 hours a day.) She was so excited!
She had outgrown her trainers, (athletic shoes, sneakers, whatever you want to call them. Here in Singapore they call them trainers.) so I took her out yesterday after church to get a new pair. Oh, my goodness, her new shoes were a size 13!
I remember when my oldest, Dancing Queen was born, the first thing I said when they put her in my arms was, "What big feet she has!" And she did. The sweet little pink booties my parents sent all the way from the US were already too small for her at 1 day old. Today, at age 10, she's wearing a size 5, already bigger than many of the Chinese adult ladies here in Singapore.
What is it about these daughters of mine that they have such big feet? I wear a respectable size 8, large by Singapore standards where the average size is probably somewhere between a size 4 and size 6, but certainly not anything shocking, considering I'm a 100% typical American with European roots. (Can you call that typical anymore? Probably not, but you know what I mean.)
Dancing Queen isn't exceptionally tall. In fact, most of her friends her age, and even a year younger, are all taller than her. Sweet little Bubbles, though, does seem to top the charts in terms of height. She generally is thought to be older than she is, and is certainly taller than most of the other children in her class.
What ever happened to those sweet little feet that I used to kiss and tickle and play "This Little Piggy Went to Market" with? Sigh. My baby is growing up too fast! |
Size 13 for a 4-year-old! She's already caught up with her 9-year-old brother's shoe size! The amazing thing is, her feet don't look exceptionally large. I think they fit her body proportions just fine. I mean, I don't look at her and wonder why she's wearing skis or anything.