Amanda-licious @ 3 years and 7 months

We Heart Holidays - Florence, four Italian chefs for a night!

We had some of our best holiday experiences in Florence, and our pizza and gelato making class (Giovanni's Italian Cooking Class by Food & Wine Academy of Florence) was one of them. This turned out way more fun than we had anticipated, and the kids had as much a good time as us adults, if not more!  The chefs were awesome in engaging the kids - Wayne had a blast participating, even teaching the class how to count from one to ten in Mandarin as he helped the chef add flour into the mixing bowl. As for Amanda, she was happy just playing with the dough (= playdoh) with her bare hands, and of course, the idea of chocolate ice-cream at the end of the class was enough to keep her excited throughout the class.  

So thumbs up for this activity, especially if you are traveling with kids, as there really aren't that many kids centric activities in Italy. It was also a nice way to spend our night, as you'd come to realise that with kids, nights post dinner are usually spent in the hotel room. The pizza that we made was also our dinner, so one tip if you are opting for the evening class, which starts at 6pm and lasts over three hours, is to feed your kids before the class cos by the time our pizzas were ready it was close to 9pm and the kids were starving. Thankfully, the chefs had some yummy Italian biscotti to fill their growling tummies as they waited for their pizza. 

At Euro 120 for us four, the experience was well worth it - they even awarded us with certificates at the end of the class, which thrilled Wayne to bits. We had so much fun, we left the session on a high - happy, satisfied and with the husband commenting that we should leave a feedback on TripAdvisor for the two wonderful chefs!

 

Sibling moments ❤️

Love: Kaelyn

A few days into the new year and Wayne had the loveliest surprise awaiting him as he came home from his second day of school. A letter was in the mailbox from sweet Kaelyn, his Mindchamps friend, who was once his girlfriend until he decided to let her be another boy's girlfriend because that boy offered to buy him and his sister a water gun each when they were in N2. Tsk tsk. 

But still, she always remained that extra special girl throughout his kindergarten years. I still recall Kaelyn's reply back then when Wayne asked her to be his girlfriend -"We'll talk about it next time when we are in primary school". Haha, how mature is that for a pre-schooler! But young lady, primary school is still a bit too early! I wonder if Wayne was heartbroken then with that reply.

So I'm glad that finally after four years, he finally managed to capture her heart. Just in the nick of time, as they go their own ways in primary school. I think the night he read this - his very first letter, sealed with an "I love you, Wayne" - he must have gone to sleep with a very sweet dream. 

Thank you Kaelyn! Wayne will surely miss you a lot! 

End of a chapter, beginning of another

Today marks a significant milestone for Wayne, his first day embarking on his formal education studies. His first day in this new "big boys' school". It wasn't without some drama though, with Wayne vomiting the night; I stayed up all night wondering if he would have to miss his very first day. Thankfully he didn't and the three of us made it to school by 1230pm, both excited and nervous at the same time. Wayne along with the rest of the first and second year students will be in the afternoon session, but just for a year before the school fully operates on a single session from 2017. A move I'm looking forward to, as it's easier on the logistics.

I wonder if he felt daunted by the sheer size of the school, or the hundreds of students in the compound. If he did, he hardly showed it. These days the kids adapt so much better, kudos to the pre-school teachers I am sure, there was nary a crying boy or girl today. The kids gathered at the school hall, and after a welcome speech by the principal and pledge taking, the kids were whisked off to their respective classes, leaving us parents in the hall for a series of orientation talks which were useful. I left the orientation talks assured and in full faith that Wayne would flourish under the care and guidance of the Tao Nan teachers and environment.

There's really a lot to like about the school. It has all the traits of a traditional Chinese school, certainly quite different from the likes of other branded schools which feels a bit more posh and modern, but seems a bit too much so for little boys and girls. It's important to stay grounded in values from young, and we certainly hope that both Wayne and Amanda immerse themselves in Tao Nan's motto and core values as they spend a good amount of time in the school learning and growing up.

We caught up with Wayne again during his half hour recess break, and not surprisingly, he chose to have chicken rice. I beamed with pride watching him gobble his food down alongside his new classmates. He seemed to be able to assimilate well, was happy and excited with the days events, and by the end of the day, he exclaimed that he loved primary school. Its only Day One, but I'm glad it has started off so well.

Meanwhile, we parents were also excitedly sharing photos of our little ones in their new school uniforms in our Mindchamps ex-K2 Whatsapp group. It warmed my heart seeing them move on to the next chapter of their lives, all happy and confident. 

To Wayne: Mommy and Daddy have been extremely proud of your progress in preschool and pray that you continue your love to learn in primary school. You are an amazing boy to Mommy and Daddy and will always remain so. Loving you lots and lots.

Enjoy primary school life, my little boy!!

Fabulous four

We will certainly miss these boys, these best buds whom we've seen grow up with Wayne since they were in N1. That's four years together! I'm glad Wayne has forged such strong friendships with his friends, and though I know they would likely drift apart once they all attend their separate primary schools, I guess its also up to us mommies to keep the friendship going by organising playdates, such as this one, from time to time. 

So this afternoon, HK and I took leave from work to pick the Fab Four from school. When we arrived at 130pm, the kids were already excitedly waiting for us at the entrance and the moment they spotted us, screams ensued! And those screams, it didn't stop the entire afternoon! 

What did we do? We ate snacks, opened presents, played with their new Star Wars toy, played soccer, played "Monkey", ate ice-cream, played water gun by the pool, built Lego, watched Justice League and Star Wars and finally had dinner before their mommies all came to pick them up. 

Just an afternoon with the four boys and it was enough to leave us catching our breaths, as we chased after them amidst repeated shoutings of "Slow down!", "No pushing!" and "Be careful kids!". Finally a taste of how its like having four boys!! Hahaha.. conclusion? Uncle Chan Huah Kai and Auntie Rachel are no longer young!

How these boys would miss each other, hopefully we can keep these playdates coming!! Cheers to these wonderful boys, and here's wishing them all the best as they move on to primary school!