Mindfulness camp

I had wanted to send Kai to holiday camps since he entered primary school, and I finally did it this time! Of course, Yang went with him.

It was the second week of the school holidays. In the first week, they played Nintendo whole day while I worked; after work, I was too bothered by tongue ulcers to engage them that week...

Chose this week due to uncertainties over Sito's return. There was no VTL with Malaysia when I booked the camp so we had to avoid Sito's SHN or they would have to take ART every day before going to camp...

The unfortunate thing was that, this camp this week was really far... I had to make 10 round trips to Mountbatten!

Monday, 29 Nov 2021

I have given them a prep talk the evening before, but the morning grumbles were inevitable - woke so early (but they were awake even earlier over the weekend), nose so itchy (same every day), why must we eat breakfast (hello, no recess...)

Somehow we managed to get out of the house by 7.30 am and boarded the train by 7.40 am. The journey was quite fast including a change at Promenade. We reached Mountbatten by 8.15 am. 

Model kids on the train, reading their new books from our weekend trip to Popular

Took a leisure walk to the surface and found a covered walkway - no need to bring brolly, yeah! Eventually, we reached a side gate and found our way to the meeting spot just before 8.30 am. Spotted the facilitator and handed the kids over.

I took the train back and started work. Finished at 3.30 pm, just nice to go fetch them home. Rested on the journey there...

Took some time for me to get the kids. Unlike the morning arrivals which were staggered, all the parents came to fetch the kids at the same time. Coz I didn't want to spend $25 on a taxi, we took the train home :p

It was 5.30 pm when we got the Bukit Panjang so I told them to go home on their own while I went the other direction to pick Yu. I was worried when I didn't get a call from the door bell - they can buzz my phone to open the door for them. I called home in case they managed to get in when other people went in but no! 

I hurried back with Yu to find the two hanging around B3 coz they couldn't enter the mall - tokens said unvaccinated. But aren't children allowed to enter malls?! I asked the staff on duty and he said they could not go through. The kids were sick of waiting and Kai wanted to poop, so I just buzzed them through with my app.

That night, I dropped the mall a note over Facebook. They replied very quickly and were very nice about it! So we could (a) call the mall using the help button at the gates at B3, or (b) head up to the manned gates at Macs to be let in. I think it's easier to go through (b) - it's a slightly longer route but it's still safe (no roads to cross) and sheltered (just walk a little more if it rains) and won't clog up the queue at B3.

Anyway, back to the camp... I was asking them along the way and they didn't say much before being sucked into their books which I brought along. But I received a text from the facilitator about what they did today so I asked them the breathing exercise they did and got Kai to teach me - score! :p

Kai said the camp was alright. I think he was relieved that it was not in a forest, camping in a tent! He said he went into dirty water in the forest in an excursion in K2 and he didn't like it... City boy... Still got NS, how?! Yang said he liked the camp but didn't elaborate.

Got a nice picture of them reading something together

Source: The camp leader

Tuesday

More complaints in the morning - why are we always the earliest? Hello, you always want to reach school super early... But this is not school! *.*

These two walked into the classroom without a second look at me *.* When I complained, sweet boy Yang came to say bye bye :)

So this day, they went swimming! I barely asked and Yang was talking about his "noodle fights" :) They did more breathing and some yoga. I asked them to teach me. Yang just demonstrated raising his right arm over his head to the left side.

No, he wasn't afraid, hoho!

Source: The camp leader

They said that they would be going to a farm the next day. Animal farm or vege farm? Farm lor! We shall see...

Wednesday

Yang offered a goodbye hug outside the classroom :)

They went to a farm this day! They saw and touched chickens. I saw photos of kids holding up the chickens!! Mine didn't but Yang touched a chicken called Mr Chicken :p

Source: The camp leader

They also made compost

Source: The camp leader

Thursday

No excursion anymore. Actually, I don't know what they did the whole time coz they wouldn't tell me much - just want to talk Beyblade among themselves!!

Kai made egg mayo sandwich for lunch

Source: The camp leader

Yang made rice balls - but he said my rice balls are yummier :p

Source: The camp leader

Friday

Last day of camp! 

Looks like something I would do - get into the photo!

Source: The camp leader

He didn't like the vanilla inside

Source: The camp leader

They said it's lime outside. The following week, Sito and I had coconut ice cream which looked similar and I didn't like the inside too - maybe they had that instead?

So that was their first camp. I'm already on the lookout for the next one!

走在铁路旁，我弹着吉他， 啦啦啦啦啦……

I didn't think of this song the first time we went. This time, it popped into my head. 

Arranged with YX to hit the rail corridor. Supposed to meet at Jelita Cold Storage at 9.30 am. We would have been punctual but the bus driver did not stop despite us pressing the bell! I was very pissed. We ended up walking back one bus stop.

Yu and I were walking behind Kai and Yang. As they approach a driveway to a house, Kai stopped his brother and checked for cars before continuing. Love!

Kai spotted a lizard and pointed it out to his brothers

The two sets of boys were shy and didn't acknowledge each other. A would talk to me though. Finally, I told Kai that as the oldest one, please go introduce yourself. He did - bravo!

Sito arrived soon. He said ok to the trip yesterday. But at 8 am this morning, he shook his head in bed, hoho! He finally woke as I was preparing the boys to leave and he managed to catch up with us, woohoo! Either Kai or Yu was just saying on the bus that I was a cheater, coz I said Papa would be joining us but he wasn't with us *.*

The rail corridor was a market place - so many people walking and jogging and cycling! It was partly shaded but it being humid, we still sweated buckets!

The boys were still quite shy with each other. But kids being kids, eventually, the oldest two were arm wrestling. All five even raced! Later, A asked us to go to his place, or they came to ours. But sorry, Sito and I wanted to nap, haha! I woke at 4 plus or 5 after a dream, sighs...

Winning order was by height/age - Kai first and Yu last :p

The two oldest boys were arm wrestling at first but it switched sceneries when I whipped out my phone!

If I read Google Maps correctly, that's the Bukit Timah Diversion Canal@Rail Corridor

Tracks appeared as we approached the old station near KAP

Then I forgot to sing the song! Yang reminded me just before we left the tracks at the other end so I managed a quick line, haha! Just now, I also sang a verse for Sito.

Our boys at the station sign!

I didn't notice Kai holding Yu's hand until I reviewed the photos! At first Yang was in the middle but he thought this would look better - it does! And can see the sign more clearly haha! We also got the five to take a photo together as well - go by height, very cute! But I couldn't be bothered to censor faces so not putting that up :p

Papa held Kai

After this, I held Yang

I think Yu was just running about on his own happily! He was the one who walked the most as he kept running forward and turning back... 

Five boys watched the excavator - one was out of camera line of view

很好看咩？I spotted a lizard on the soil and followed that, wondering if it was squashed. A said it ran away, phew!

Yup, Yu was just running about!

Fun with mimosa

Yang held Yu's hand as we walked into Beauty World!

Waiting for prata

I fed them sausages with bread for breakfast so they would have energy for the walk. And I knew the three would just eat prata - no proteins! Yesterday, Yu asked for char siew bao for today but I told him no coz the other two didn't like it as much. I needed them all to have some proteins. He said char siew bao also had meat. Um, I knew but next time, ok?

Later, YX said we walked 3.8 km and burnt 301 calories. Ok, over compensated! My band now says I've walked 9,700 steps. Good to have worked those joints!

The whole month without Papa

Yes, Sito is away the whole of November! He came back on 2 Oct and left again on 18 Oct. Don't think we have been apart for this long before :(

We started this month with Deepavali. Yu celebrated it in school with a rangoli. He also made a lantern which he brought home a week later.

Yu said he contributed to the red parts

A week on, there's also an exhibition on his class's inquiry work - photo of him with his project!

Fishball baby! So cute!

I was thinking about how sad it was that the boys hadn't been able to eat out at the hawker centre for quite a while, so I decided to bring more hawker food home. I started with the easiest - bee hoon!

$2 bee hoon set, an upgrade from my childhood kosong bee hoon at $0.50

On our way to get Beyblade one week day

The Beyblade is one expensive toy! Bought three boosters and three launchers - almost $84!!! Told them to treasure their toys. If these break in two days, I'm not replacing them! (They didn't break in two days :p)

So happy, showing Papa!

Kai solved the x5 cube!

After racking his brains, he decided to plait my hair

Quite funny but also quite painful... There was also fallen hair all over the floor :( If I starting balding, thanks for paying for treatment, my boy!

Decided to eat outside in two tables!

We were seated across from each other - he looks so tiny and so far away!

But it being Ichiban, some of the staff know us, and they kids eat quite quickly, so it was all quite fuss free. Yu said a few times he wanted to find Yang but he didn't leave his seat. They exchanged a few - loud - words across the tables though. I also had to ask Yang if he wanted his usual tamago sushi after he told me he was done with his full bowl of udon. He did! But back at home, he couldn't eat ice cream with his brothers - too full!

Not the first such photo but I couldn't stop taking - never know when's the last time I'll catch him asleep like this!

He's a very sweet boy. So when he asked for muffins, I obliged. But both Yang and Yu didn't like the chocolate banana muffins :( So to help with Yang's constipation, I bought whole grain flour to replace half the plain flour. And I chose the double chocolate muffins to mask any strong wheat taste. The rise was low as expected, but strangely round and even - no mess! The muffins have quite a bite - can feel the wholemeal. I almost feel healthy! Also baked a brownie with plenty of walnuts - more for myself :p

Nice rise

I was very pleased that five from same household can dine out finally! Yu and I passed by Shi Li Fang on our way to the bridge on a rainy day, and he said he wanted a soft toy like Yang did when I brought him to Shi Li Fang. So we went that very Saturday.

Kai was very grumpy about steamboat. He was also very grumpy about the playground at block 603. But things changed when the food came. He liked the shabu, woohoo! Yang and Yu kept talking and talking but they managed to eat quite quickly even though the food was hot from the steamboat. Including time to order and cook, we spent over an hour there, with them seated throughout - what a feat!

Tried to teach them chopsticks, but...

He made this face on purpose!

But there was no toy on the table like before. I thought it was due to COVID but they had moved the toys to the counter. Kai and Yang saw that we needed stamped to exchange for toys and were disappointed that we got only two stamps this meal. I told Yu there was no toy unfortunately... But just before we left, I saw a big carton of toys with a print at the side that it was one free toy per table, oops... Yu was disappointed so I promised him one of my old toys.

He bugged me for his new toy the moment he woke - gave him my 30yo cat :p

We really enjoyed this evening - I didn't guess; I asked at bedtime :p Along the way, Kai was holding my hand and we were chatting about stuff - can't remember the content but it was such a good feeling :) He's so tall now; I held him by the shoulder and felt like I was holding a big big boy. 

Checked their height just that afternoon - Kai 142 cm, Yang 128.5 cm, Yu 109 cm. When will Kai be taller than me? :)

The good vibes continued into bedtime, when I spent time with each boy, cuddling them as they quietened down.. This continued the next morning when we went for Yakun breakfast. I told them that when we had no more helper, they had to help with housework. They gamely offered to dust, mop and fold clothes :) And when his brothers ran off to the kiddy rides, Kai walked with me. I put my shoulders around him and said, "I put my arm over your shoulder as I'm taller now. One day, you'll be taller and can put your arm over mine, telling me, 'Mama, where's dinner?' (gruffy voice)" He laughed :)

We are spending this month without Papa. Papa is also spending this month without us. And having his birthday away from us!

So we celebrated on 15 Oct before he left!

After our sumptuous meal, I went to the toilet to wash my hands, and saw a staff come out of the cubicle and left the toilet without washing her hands!! I didn't see the face but I told the staff outside. Terrible... Never going back!

Light on my hub :)

And on Sito's birthday, a beetle the size of my thumb (!) flew into my room while I was with Kai and Yang. Yu was alone watching TV and he came in to tell us. Yang checked it out while I continued to talk to Kai. Then they came back and Yang said it was huuuge! Okok, I should go see.

Goodness. Haha! I had to stare at it for a while coz it was flying so fast and hitting the cabinets and the light, to make sure it really was a beetle and not a roach. Then I mounted a rescue mission for Yu's kitty cat - oh yes, that's the name now - which was left on my bed. I did it from the balcony. Even managed to turn off the fan woohoo!

The bug eventually rested on the light. I dared not use the adjacent room so I stayed in the living room. Eventually, I went to bed - with the bug on the light above my knee *.* I covered my face and slept. But I woke a bit here and there and found it gone soon, phew!

That was also the last week of school! I took leave on Tuesday to go to Ikea via Holland Village coz we were thinking of moving back there... Went up a couple of blocks to check out the layout of the flats there, like how I did for Bukit Panjang a year ago. 

I think I spent over two hours at Ikea, including brunch :p Bought quite a lot of things including big boxes. Later, I realised I needed more, and since the kids wanted chicken wings, we went to the Jurong outlet that Saturday!

They were happy with this

Kai was less happy with this while waiting 30 min for a seat at the restaurant

This was the first time I brought them to Ikea on my own. I left them alone at the table while I bought food. Thank goodness they managed to stay still! I forgot what I threatened them with, haha! 

We finished eight wings, some fries, two pasta and 12 meatballs. Kai said he was still not full so we went to the basement after I quickly bought what I needed. Walked one whole round before they decided on OCK. Bought a stick for each of them but Yang dropped his stick after just one bite.

Taken just before Yang dropped his stick 

Took three photos and each boy took turns to close his eyes! This is the best shot - at least the other two were looking at the camera

We left the house at 3.30 pm and got back only about 7.30 pm. We passed by the bus interchange on our way back so I grabbed food for A and didn't need to go down again. I was so tired!

The first week of school holidays was the second week of tongue ulcers, i.e. I did as little as I could, i.e. I gave them Nintendo non-stop! But we went to the zoo on Tuesday as I managed to get corporate pass. 

Yang also had a Zoom call with his kindy friends - so cute!

But this boy didn't say much. He raised a Zoom hand to speak!!! I told him this was not HBL leh... He told me he didn't speak in class, i.e. normal *.* But he couldn't stop talking at dinner! Oh, he would talk with his siblings... I don't know what to say... Anyway, the other four kids were a lot more chatty, maybe coz all girls? :p He left the call soon - to go to bed.

Swimming lessons also resumed finally!

I went to change their tokens and waited quite a bit for bubble tea so I only saw their last lap when I came back. Kai said they did six laps!!

Kai pulled them around - looks like fun!

Yu's house - his homework for the weekend

After dinner, we were trapped in BPP coz it was raining! Went to watch people play Pokemon instead. After a while, I left them there to watch while I grabbed dinner for A. Of course I left three with explicit instructions to just stay still! The rain slowed to a light drizzle by then so we could go home...

Machine has changed but not the kids...

They're having a Beyblade tournament

Ending this month's update with Papa's lunch in Malacca!