Facebook and Haze

We've been outside driving for 15 minutes and I want to turn on the radio so I turn on the system which includes GPS. It immediately says "Cannot find satellites. Are you currently indoors?" It's dark today but we didn't think the haze was THAT bad. Maddie says, "Mom you have to put that on Facebook."

Saturday Morning with NOTHING on the Schedule

June 29, 2013

Today I got ants in my pants and wanted to buy some red, white and blue spray hair color. No luck there but we landed at Sembawang Shopping Center and stopped to play for an hour at the splash pad and play ground. Not having swim gear didn't slow anyone down a bit and they had a great time. Ashlyn enjoyed the zero friction bucket that spun faster an faster every time she tried to stop it. 

Ben was a good brother and helped her but in the end she decided she wanted to be alone afterall. 

Maddie and Jake are having fun on the teeter totter.

And Dad was the protector of everyone's glasses while they were getting wet.

Now it's home for lunch and a nap for mom because I've been fighting a horrible head cold. Tonight we go to the 4th of July Independence Day and celebrate our heritage!

Time to Baby Proof

June 25, 2013

Time to rearrange the cupboards! Ashlyn swapped the diaper rash cream for liquid nail glue. Complete surprise when I saw it. That could have been a hilarious disaster!!

Famous Day

June 26, 2013

It's Famous Day! As per Brian standard protocol we arrived bright and early at the commercial shoot. 45 minutes early to be exact. Good thing there was an outdoor playground to keep Ben and Maddie Mae happy while we waited for go time.

Haze in Singapore

This is pretty accurate as to what you can see here in Singapore. The haze is absolutely awful. Hilarious! And true. The house across the street is even hazy that's how bad it is. I don't have breathing troubles but my lungs have been hurting for two days.

Ashlyn's Second Word

This cracks is up. Dada has always been first the first word for our babies but usually mama comes soon after. It's been two plus months with no such luck. This time Jesus came before me. I guess I'll be okay with that.

Lonely Kids

Overheard in the back seat of the car from bored and lonely kiddos:

"I wish in summer the airports were closed except to come into Singapore." Maddie

"You can leave Singapore one person at a time." Ben

Chinese Peaches

"Mom!!! I found Chinese peaches!" Then his face turns dead serious. "Are Chinese peaches good for me?"

Cash Troubles

Today Ben is doing online typing tests for homeschool. He called me over to see his report and I thought it was just as funny as he did. 

Turns out Ben has C A S H problems. He would totally agree with the computer. He's trying to save up to buy Match Attack soccer player trading cards and its taking way too long!

Chinese Peaches

"Mom!!! I found Chinese peaches!" Then his face turns dead serious. "Are Chinese peaches good for me?" He's searching the pantry for healthy breakfast options because we are out of yogurt today. 

Sneaking Candy

Ben has eagle ears and when we wee in Virginia our pantry would catch that kid from anywhere in the house. He would sprint into the kitchen and ask "Daddy what are you eating?" 

"Fruit." 

"What kind of fruit?" 

"Ummm. Fruit chews."

Not knowing what that is the confused child walks away. Naughty daddy! Brian got caught eating Starburst all the time but never had to share. Old memories in my head today making me smile because I've been eating mint slice cookies all week and haven't been caught yet!

Check Deposit

I like receipts. The bank here isn't into that. I "deposited" a check just now. The procedure was like this:

1. Write your name and account number on the back of the check

2. Place in a box in front of the bank

3. Trust that they will do their job and it won't get lost

It's that last step that gets me. Trust.I just   want a paper in hand that proves I gave them something. Instead I just tossed $2,158 into a box and wish for the best. 

Outta Wipes

June 17, 2013

Sad, sad day. We are officially out of baby wipes from my sacred USA stash. I've been a one wipe gal and stingy and careful. It's lasted me 2.5 years but alas I must buy them in Singapore now. They just don't work as well.

Science Class

June 14, 2013

At dinner we often answer weird questions over dinner with the kids. Tonight we were discussing light and how eyes work. Ben started the discussion by telling the other kids what he had learned about light waves bouncing off a surface and what is absorbed to create color to our eye. When Brian began as he usually does, "Weeeeeeellllllllll when you....." and Ben exclaimed, "YES!!! A science lesson!"

I love our happy science dinner nights. 

Vegetable Troubles

June 13, 2013

At dinner Jacob gets pouty lipped and asks a genuine question, "Now HOW am I supposed to eat my vegetables without TASTING them?"

Massage Monster

May 21, 2013

Ashlyn just grabbed my hand and put it on her belly and forced it up and down and up and down looking up at me to give me the signal to carry on. "I wanna massage Mom." She's not quite 15 months and has already discovered the finer things in life.

Cash Drain

May 19, 2013

Outta gas on a Sunday morning when we are running late already. Made it to church and since Ashlyn won't go to Sunday school I'll run out and fill up during class. Asked Brian for $50 cash just in case. "You take my money lots faster than the lunch lady does!"

It's Through! Let's Celebrate!!

June 11, 2013

Ashlyn has been teething for about four months but nothing has come through. Every time she got snotty and cranky we saw big changes in the size of swelling in her gums but nothing ever came out. My worst night was last week when I had finally quit nursing her but my body hasn't fully received the signal. Four days after her last feeding with me she was up and angry from 3:00-5:00 am. She just kept kicking me in the face and chest no matter what I did and it was so painful I was really frustrated. It's been a long haul but today we finally saw her third tooth emerge just after she passed her 15 month mark. That's some slow teething! Now we have the two bottom from months ago and her top left with the top right estimated to be not far behind.

She's not keen on photos of it though.

She much prefers to snuggle with mom and keep the paparazzi away from her mouth. 

My Mixer is Better than Yours

Cracking up over this email from my little brother today. He so totally thinks outside the box.

Bad Morning

We ended the day yesterday discussing at dinner Bens major attitude problem. I came at it kind and open. We discussed that there were a million tiny rude incidence throughout the day that are putting me to my boiling point and that I am not being very kind to him these last few days because he's being such a twit. I told him that I was trying to do better and be kind in specific situations and asked if he was. No surprise he was not. 

I let him pick a daily situation where we have trouble. Bedtime. He states that the trouble at bedtime is that I tell him to get his pajamas on and brush his teeth too many times every night. Instead of screaming in his face like I wanted to for being so blind to the problem, we discussed it. I asked him how many times I tell him to do said chores. We agree it is typically between three and five times a night, three being an unusual occurrence and more than five not so rare. I posed the crazy question of "if you obeyed the first time how many more times would I ask the same question?" He grumbled the obvious answer with disgust. Exactly how I feel. Disgusted.

With the conversation fresh in his mind, and his own time estimate of seven minutes on a timer in the kitchen he was ready in six minutes and fifteen seconds. And he nearly went to bed on the first request though he still lingered and tried to negotiate or find something to get me talking with him to distract me and let him stay up longer. 

This morning before my feet even hit the ground floor I got a report from Madison while I was showering that Ben said he hates her and Jacob says Ben pushed him on the ground. He is currently back in his bed reading for 30 minutes any violin that is NOT Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

I have no idea what to so with him once he finishes his thirty minutes away from me. This summer is a disaster for him. Last summer was too. If I recall correctly he was horrid for a month, we went to USA for 3 weeks where he was rotten but entertained enough not to cause too many problems dispite his atrocious attitude problem over every single thing he didn't want to do. Then we came back home and he was pleasant for a week before the last three weeks he was a beast again. This kid does so much better when he has school to fill his days with positive experiences that keep him happily busy and productively learning. 

I think for homeschool craft time today we may make a first day of school count down chain. I feel like I need it this morning. I'm just feeling depressed. I want to have fun and love on him but he doesn't allow any positive time between all the bad. 

Summer Bonus

Went to the orthodontist today and without homework pressures we had alunch  date afterward at Ben's favorite spot in all of Singapore. 

Bad Day For Pants

I believe in the old pioneer adage (most of the time). Today we took the kids to the school for a Girl Scout service project. It was called Second Chance School Supplies. The teachers clean out their rooms this week and dump all the things they aren't going to use anymore into huge boxes and we sort and give it all away to multiple organizations like Food from the Heart, Caring for Cambodia and the YMCA. It was a good day of hard work and breaks on the playground with a pizza lunch. 

Of course with all things like this though, some of the stuff gets thrown in the trash. Some things I was okay with, but mostly I want to repurpose way too much. I seriously thought about not going at all because it might make me nuts to toss things. I did okay though as I only snagged a couple things out of the trash. There was so much more screaming at me to take it home.

I hate throwing anything out and my house screams of this little problem I've got. My clothes closet in particular. Today we loaded the kids into the car and as I slid into my seat I heard it...RRRRRRIIIIIIPPPP! I think I got those pants either in high school or first year of college. I wear them a lot. When the knees wore through I could no longer wear them to work at the law firm so I patched the hole and just wore them to school. Finally the hole wore through again and they became cut off jeans. Then I figured they were nice enough looking to hem the edge and so I made them "nice" again.

So I continued to wear them...until today. I went back upstairs and changed into a pair of Capris that I've had since, well, more than 10 years. At scripture time tonight I climbed onto the bed in the pile of freshly bathed bodies of little people and looked down to see that the side seam of these pants too have a hole. Sigh. These capris have been through all 4 pregnancies through the weight coming up and going down. They were the goal weight pants. When I could squeeze into them I knew I was close even if buttoning the waist hurt my tender, c-section sensitive muffin top belly. It was my personal victory to wear these capris again. I'm not giving up on them yet but they have only one or two more wears left in them.

Early Bird Ben

Ben has been a beast all school year to wake up. "I'm too tired." Cranky boy. Now the first day of summer he's wide awake at 5:45 peeping over the rail of the top bunk with no plans for sleeping in. "Hi Dad!" he whispers loudly when Brian walks by.

Summer Sleep In?

Ben has been a beast all school year to wake up. "I'm too tired." Cranky boy. Now the first day of summer he's wide awake at 5:45 peeping over the rail of the top bunk with no plans for sleeping in. "Hi Dad!" he whispers loudly when Brian walks by.