The first time all the kids love bah zang!

Yes, I'm super happy that my kids now love bah zang! :)

We didn't make any last year coz Mother just had a kidney stone removed. So I hesitated at my first bah zang. I mean, when I was wrapping them; no hesitation when it comes to eating them!

Then muscular memory kicked in, phew!

Brought these two along for the first time!

Coz no helper and Sito isn't in town. Anyway, they are now big enough to hang out on their own, and I want them to take part in this annual tradition in more ways than one... Yu continued to go to school - that one more troublesome!

Yang stopped reading his book to watch Kai solve his 6-cube. Yup, he can solve it. Time to consider a 7-cube...

Btw, notice the background in the photo above? This was a train on the north south line. The cabin walls were yellow with age already, like trains in older cities... 

Late breakfast - bee hoon with their new fave Taiwan sausage from my fave stall at blk 409!

I had breakfast too - glutinous rice. Yes, knowing that there would be bah zang, I still bought glutinous rice! But it's so hard to find otherwise! 

All ready and waiting for me!

I think this must be the first photo of me bao-ing zang! Thanks, Yang!

Yang pointed out the cooked ones accurately - can you?

Yup, the ones at the top. The two black holes on the table were caused by me years back when I played with candles on the table during mid autumn festival and it got too hot...! Shhh, don't tell the kids I played with fire!!

We made 64 in two hours. The kids just watched TV and snacked on Wang Wang *.* We left when all the bah zangs were done. Mother left with us to bring some to Yan's mother, CY's mother and a friend. I learnt too late that CY was at her mother's place! Missed a catch-up in person...

Checking if they were cooked through

Kai asked for one and he loved it! What a lovely smile :)

I was too full from my breakfast so I only managed to have one when we got home. So yummy this year! The taste varies from year to year coz Mother doesn't measure ingredients *.* But my siblings said salty *.*

I let Yang - who was playing in the room with Kai - taste a bit and he said it was nice. When he was done, he came out to find that I had finished my bah zang. He went, "You finished everything?!" Then he saw the bag of bah zangs on the table, and happily asked for one. On a plate, like GeGe, not like Mama who ate it off the bamboo leaves!

He ate this very quickly!

Yu liked it too!

I packed char siew noodles for Kai and Yang, and two buns for Yu. Yu always asked me to buy bah zang from the stall downstairs. I bought once and he didn't like it. I also didn't like it - too fatty and not much taste. I let him have a bit of mine and he said it was yummy but the one I bought was yummier. Tsk!! Anyway, I opened a new one for him and he had most of it.

Then Kai decided that he was still hungry and had another one!

Kai had one at AMK, and we brought 18 home. 10 are now in the freezer and two are right behind me on the dining table. I shall have the two for breakfast tmr while the kids have their fave Yakun :p

Very happy 端午节！

13's a charm

My register number was 13 in sec 1. Form teacher called all of us by register number so I was “13 号！”

I think it was more like 13 好 coz I've always liked this number since then - prime number!

How many prime numbers do we get in a lifetime?

Hello, Mr Sito!

New goal in life - take more photos of the two of us together!

May Day! May Day!

This year, May Day started with a birthday celebration for AhYe. For the first time in a long time, the whole extended family was able to dine out together, woohoo!

Looks like a kiddy birthday instead!!

These two cannot stop talking...

... or playing with each other wherever they are :)

Kai appreciating art (or not?) with Papa

The most powerful of them all - the phone!

Monday was makeup public holiday for May Day, and Tuesday was Hari Raya Puasa - long weekend! Went for their fave breakfast at Yakun. There are more seats now, yay!

Kai didn't realise he wasn't smiling; he was very happy with many pieces of toast!

Less happy here coz must study for exams over the holidays!

His brothers were happily playing together in the meantime...

They also decided to make Mothers' Day cards - to sell to me "with real money"!?!?!

Yang was the one who first mentioned Mothers' Day. He came to me during the May Day long weekend:

Yang: When is "happy mothers' day"?

Mama: Mothers' Day is next Sunday.

Yang: Can I buy flowers from the bookshop?

Mama: Awww... If you wish... Um, do you need me to give you money for that?

Yang: No, I have savings. I'll buy on Friday then.

Turned out he saw advertisements about it on TV. Hence the "happy" :p So he got Yu to join him in his little business... But in the end, they just gave me the cards :) Yang even scratched out the price haha! 

By Sunday though, they had forgot everything, haha! And no, Yang didn't get flowers too, haha! So long as they're healthy and happy :)

Got Yu to pose with YTF for a piece of school work on healthy eating

Both of them also marinaded fish slices for the YTF soup. But they didn't like it *.* 

One day, I dug out their library cards. Yu was very happy with his special card - can't remember why there was a special design in his year. Anyway, he wanted to go to the library. So we went for the first time in quite a while - no need to book slots! Oh yes, the freedom after all the COVID restrictions is still fresh, heh!

Only Yang and Yu borrowed books with their card. Kai didn't want to :( 

Yang and Yu read a newly borrowed book while Kai played Chinese chess with Papa

Taken three days late!

Gave them an ice cream treat on Friday afternoon, one day late :p Just nice, Kai finished his compo exams and Yu was home that afternoon due to centre closure. Will celebrate Boys' Day for as long as they will entertain posing in front of the koi streamers!

Managed to bring them to the playground on Sunday - not rainy! But I stayed home to mark Kai's practice paper before joining them. Mama was gan cheong for pup's first exams! It was so crowded in the mall maybe due to Mothers' Day, or we just seldom came here on Sundays... First choice Dian Xiao Er was full so we went to Hainan Story, also a good choice!

Observe their interactions while waiting for Papa to order

Kai taught Yang about the three states of matter using his ice

Grabbed my teddy bears for a photo!

We didn't have to pass by this stretch but they are also attracted to these machines! They love to look at these machines and watch people play while I love the music haha! Very expensive tikam so we never let them play. Up to $15 for a tikam toy!!!

Then it was Yu's long child care centre closure... He had a haircut during then - finally!

After watching SEA games and rooting for Singapore, woohoo!

Yu finished 18 out of 20 peaks of Fast Phonics before end of subscription - he can read well now!

Squeezed in a 1-1 breakfast with Yu before his brothers started their school holidays

One week before the term ended, I brought Kai and Yang to cut their hair. Then we won't have to rush to cut just before school reopens! :p Can cut in mid to end July.

Went to Beauty World. First, lunch. Brought them to the hawker centre. Lots of complaints. So I chose the first stall - Japanese food. Order katsu don for them. Good reviews, yeah! Then they had a haircut before I had foot massage, heh :p

Yes, I brought their phones for them to self entertain!

That night, Sito and I had our first date night since December!

Oh yes, pasar malams are back, woohoo! The kids were awake watching phone video at home. Called them three times in one hour. Quite ok to escape for a short time just downstairs :)

Genki Sushi for the first time! They like the conveyor belt

This boy likes Taiwanese sausage!

Yu would rather not hold my hand so that he could chat with Yang, who likes to hold my hand

AhMa's birthday lunch where Yang discovered 寿桃 - told him it was just a prettier 莲蓉包 :p

Suddenly, he looks like a big boy! Enjoying my 12345 pork ribs

We had a play date with K2 on the last day of May. K1 had school camp and K3 was kept in child care. Yu wanted to play so I struck a bargain with him - speak enough Mandarin and he gets to stay home. So he stayed home.

They took a while to warm up though. Last play date was five months ago. So I fished out the standby beyblades that Sito bought some time back. Armed with new beyblades, the "fighting" began!

They also played board games

They played so well that JY and I went downstairs a few times to buy food, leaving four kids home alone and warning them against big bad wolves :p Closed the door - yesterday, I left it open when I went to fetch Yu and came back to find that Yang had helped to received a package *.*

After the play date, I let them play Nintendo while I tidied up. Then we headed for dinner downstairs. For the longest time, Yu always wanted the char siew bao from Sheng Kee when we walked past. Today, I finally got it for him - and he didn't like it *.* 

Continued with beyblades after dinner!

Our sofa is in a very sad state now.... Let them trash it. Then they can sit on the floor :p

Hot day so let them watch video with aircon - must rest on same pillow!

And now, it's all quiet inside their room. They must be tired from active playing instead of vegetating in front of TV whole day! Happy :)

The end of May is also the start of four weeks of school holidays. See how I survive next month...!

First cycling trip

I had wanted to do this for the longest time!!

Even though Friday was the last day of term, they had no school as all the teachers were involved in PTMs. So we took a trip to West Coast Park!

But I forgot that I had to make barley water and clean Robot-kun on Fridays. So we left one hour later than planned. Took a taxi to avoid getting there too late.

Got their bikes!

I had wanted them to try two wheels but they were reluctant. So ok, four wheels. And I got myself a city bike (vs. mountain bike where I had to bend lower) to ride with them.

But the kiosk was quite flexible. We had a free second hour and could change to two wheels to try if we wanted to. So I set an alarm and off we rooooode!

But not for long... We stopped every few metres coz one cycled into the grass, one needed water, one knocked off the bell, another one needed water, one couldn't get up a slope, one needed water again. In fact, we never cycled for more than five minutes at one go *.*

And we reached the playground within 10 minutes. They played for a short while. It was quite a hot day but the cycling path was kind of sheltered part of the way.

They were digging a trench when I approached them - plenty of opportunities in some years' time? :p

Swings!

Kai reached the slide! :)

Resting on some steps

Eventually, we went back to the kiosk to try two wheels. I demonstrated, gave them theory, led their legs, held the bike, ran with them, etc. Times two. Damn tiring! They didn't manage to ride on two wheels. Yang was very frustrated and complained a lot. He said he didn't want to cycle anymore! But think he was just tired. After some lunch, he decided he wanted to cycle again next time.

We had lunch at Macs of course! I told them how I learned to cycle - trying and trying on an adult bike along my corridor, then finally succeeding at Pasir Ris Park after PSLE. Hope they will continue to try! If not, there's always the family bike....

What's this?!

Wanted to take a photo of them enjoying nuggets but they both blinked when I snapped! Yes, can see that Kai also had a burger. I didn't expect them to finish 20 nuggets all by themselves! Lucky I got myself a burger instead of relying on leftovers this time :p

Second shot - one expressionless and one funny face

Took a taxi back coz it was getting late and I wanted to get some chores in before fetching Yu for their second dose of COVID vax. And I was so tired!!!

Why are my kids never tired? :p

Finally vaxxed!

So their vaccination was derailed by a COVID infection.

They finally got the second dose last Friday, yeah! But all reluctantly!

Look at how Yang hugged his arms right before his turn, hoho!

Like last time, I didn't whip out my phone fast enough to capture Kai getting his shot... But like for Yang, Yu was there to watch everything...

All done - no blood, unlike GeGe's

And then Yu ran off!!! I had to call him back for his turn *.* Like last time, I had to grab him tightly and as the needle went in, he gave a loud yelp. And that was it!

Got three boxes from masks from the centre so I carried a lot of stuff to dinner at BPP food court - also had library books to return, Yu's school bag and our usual bag. When we got home, I gave each a cup of coconut water - no coconut no video! :p

Had to return the books one day earlier coz we were supposed to be out the next afternoon. However, unlike the last time when Kai and Yang had a sore arm and Yu nothing, Yu went down with a fever and a very sore arm. He also had tummy ache. 

Kai and Yang had sore arms too, and Kai had fever at one point though he claimed he was hot coz he was covered up in bed. Well, you must be feeling unwell so you went to bed in the middle of the afternoon?!

Poor thing

But can still play *.*

Can still bully Mama

Yang brought him toys - so sweet!

Yang also helped me give Yu medicine, by fetching his water and propping him up. Such a sweet boy :)

Yu eventually took a nap, smelling like a baby coz of the tummy oil :p Sito said the room smelled like baby :p He was all good when I woke him. Kai was also active by then.

Now, I remind them not to run about all the time. Can die, you know? Yes, I told them that. You want to die? :p

Kai and Yang are home so it's easy to control. Yu still goes to school but I told the Chinese teacher personally and also emailed them.

Hopefully, the kids don't need booster any time soon!