day 708 | june 21, 2014 | Flow Anilao

I've been following FlowSurfYogaSamba for a while now. They specialize in running retreats hosted in various beach resorts in the Philippines (and expanding into Indonesia). So when they posted about a quick getaway from the urban jungle on the same weekend we were in Manila, just had to grab the opportunity. The proposition was simple enough:

"Renew and refresh with a relaxing yoga class.

Learn the Brazillian martial art of Capoiera.

Dive and explore the colorful coral reefs of Anilao.

Learn how to prepare healthy eats.

Lounge and unwind on the resort's sun deck."

The little ones mostly did the lounging (and laughing at their mommy and daddy's attempts to be more flexible). The highlight of the trip for me was diving again after such a long time. I was nervous going into the water, and worried that I'd forgotten how to use equipment. It surprisingly came easier than I expected. Doing yoga before diving seems to have lent me a certain calm. I don't remember being as steady and zen in all my previous dives as I did on this one. Will be trying more yoga before the next dive!

Definitely signing up for another retreat -- something with surfing and samba, somewhere in Palawan or Siargao...(and for a longer period!) :) Felt so re-energized after this trip!

day 706 | may 31, 2014 | Holi Color Fight

With many thanks to Mommy E of Bottomsupblog, we were finally able to throw another color fight party -- something which we'd intended to do since the first time we tried it two years ago. I ran much less this time around, and was very deliberate in rubbing various colors into people's faces and bodies, especially the untarnished ones. Less wasted powder that way, as compared to throwing. :) The bigger kids definitely had more fun than the littler ones.

Won't babble on, and will let the images tell the story. Tons of fun. And if you want ideas on running this activity yourself, go ahead and check out these kid-friendly holi party tips.

Getting armed and ready

day 707 | may 13, 2014 | Curious Little Chefs

It started from watching episodes of the first season of Junior Masterchef Australia, and falling in love with Pierre and Jack, and the rest of the little kids doing big things in the kitchen. Such grace, maturity, and culinary skills well beyond their years. This had fed my growing fantasy of having my kids prepare dishes like herb-crusted lamb chops with stuffed mushrooms,  or something like poached pear with cranberry syrup, vanilla mascarpone, and tuile biscuits. Or maybe a blueberry, passionfruit and banana pudding with butterscotch sauce. Not very demanding, huh?

For the month+ we didn't have a helper, I sought help from the kids to prepare simple lunches and dinners. They were excited by the tools from Curious Chef, and were very game in helping me create a humongous mess in the kitchen. Unfortunately, I couldn't offer them a better mentor -- my skills in the kitchen are limited to 'survival.'

Red's knife skills are getting pretty steady now, and with some time, and a better mentor, perhaps the little ones will soon be able to cook a sumptuous meal (for me...).

day 704 | february 15, 2014 | Tinysaurus Red: Scooter

Looking for Touch-me-nots

An episode out of many 'tales of tinysaurus red,' which chronicles Red's toddler misadventures. Sharing this piece because I love how the little ones look out for each other, to the point of sacrificing their personal agenda. That, and sometimes, mommies can be just as manipulative as the little ones.

Roo was scootering ahead of us, while Red and I took a more leisurely pace behind her. I could feel Red slowing down beside me, which meant it wouldn’t be long before she asked me to carry her. True enough, within a few minutes, she complained of leg pain. “My legs are so SO SOOO tired, mommy!” she dramatizes for my benefit.

day 702 | january 26, 2014 | Frozen

The Frozen Fever still hasn't died down. Here's a snap of Princess Red's coronation, with gloves, a blanket/cape, and her makeshift orb and sceptre. The scene is completed with Princess Roo playing along as Anna in the background. :)

The whole family's a "Frozen" fan and not ashamed of it. I especially love the Sami yoik they started the film with, which brings back memories from the Arctic Circle. The girls love the songs, the sparkly cape, and the hair styles; and I'm trying to make sure they pick up more than the pinkish purple frilly things.

Coronation scene from Disney's "Frozen"

day 713 | january 12, 2014 | Biennale 2013

Biennale 2013. From around late October to early February, Singapore Art Museum, National Museum and Peranakan Museum jointly host the the Biennale, gathering carefully curated art from around South East Asia. The theme this year was “If the world changed…”

It's not muted for kids -- and that's good by me. I wanted to expose my little ones (and the not-so-little ones) to many ideas of cultural change, political manipulation, the human cost of development, and art's subjective interpretation. An awereness of what's happening in the global community beyond the mundane everyday.

Stories and images leave lasting impressions, and I hope the kids took at least a couple of deep lingering thoughts from this experience. Not everything is happy and light, and empathy is a muscle we exercise as we consciously step into other people's stories. Sometimes, the artist wishes to convey a certain message, which is not what the viewer may necessarily pick up. Was pleased with the notable participation of Filipino artists.

Kiri Dalena on the Ampatuan Massacre in Mindanao

Sharing some images and ideas that we took away from the exhibits. Far from comprehensive, but best I could manage guiding 4 kids single-handedly. Watch out for the next Biennale!

day 699 | january 1, 2014 | Naughty Mommy, Awesome Kids

2013 has been an amazing year of growing up with my little ones. It's a year we fell in love with Science, and hosted a simple joint birthday party where the kids did an equal share of the work. Roo's experienced ups and downs in her first year of primary school. Our efforts to toilet train Red have been in vain, and she's not showing any signs of readiness on that front. The rest of her is growing though, including her vocabulary. She can argue with her big sister expertly; and they can politely negotiate sharing arrangements. That said, screamfests still do happen. Both Roo and Red perform the most dramatic sing-alongs to most tunes in played in the radio; and dance merengue like nobody's business. They have also both started regularly correcting my grammar, word usage, and Singlish.

Roo and Red reviewing project financials for me in the office. :)

Yet again, 2013 was another year I overcommitted myself, and tried to juggle too many things at the same time. In my juggling, often times, I have pushed and stretched my kids to grow up a little faster. But they're still alive and bullying their daddy, so this naughty mommy hasn't completely failed.

 This first post for the year is a recollection of some of the amazing Roo and Red moments that are now part of my memory box of wonderful things. Their strength shine in my weakness, the cracks in my parenting when there's just too much for me to manage. And I love that they are capable, confident, and caring. 

day 697 | december 16, 2013 | Operation: Plus One

On December 16, our hearts were broken. My younger brother, J, tested for the international admissions test here in Singapore -- and we were all hoping and rooting for him to pass the exams so he could study and stay with us. We were all preparing to welcome a new addition to our home -- someone both Roo and Red enjoy immensely. "I'm going to be a middle child," Roo squealed excitedly, every time we talked about J coming over. 

After 12 weeks of intensive reviews, going through 3 Math and 2 English review kits, hours upon hours of web chats, and countless sleepless nights spent learning about effective teaching methods and checking test papers, we found out that our efforts were NOT enough.