Food trail Saturday

Yesterday was one of those rare Saturdays where everything seemed to happen so nicely.

Matilda's tuition kid cancelled so we had the opportunity to get out of the house for brunch, which is my all time favorite past time! 

For some reason my body decided to wake up earlier than anyone ought to on a Saturday and with no one else awake and nothing to do, guess what I decided to go clean the house! I feel quite proud of myself given that from 830am to 1030am I managed to clean the house, take a bath, shower Shanah and give Noah his morning clean-up! I'm the super daddy (sometimes!).

The sky threatened to kill our brunch stop at Grub which I've been attempting to go to for the longest time, but God had it taken care of because the clouds held back! Also a super big thanks to Christine who went down much earlier to get seats for the Das family! 

It is always crowded at Grub but after having my first long awaited meal there I think I've had better if not more at other places. However I guess what I like is the setting - trying to recreate that Aussie brunch feeling that I love so much - so they get points for that. Maybe I'll try the burgers next time!

Then it was off to Tiong Bahru heritage trail for our first time. It was another treat for us because there's so much there I never knew about - certainly deserves a few more trips! We were planing to go to 40 hands to sit down for coffee and bible study but in the end we settle at the cafe down from it called Poteato which was quite a surprise!

This was really a treat - sweet potato fries! Really love this and I've not seen this anywhere.

Matilda and Shanah then took the opportunity to roam round the place - hopefully we post some photos up soon!

After Tiong Bahru it was off to the Public Garden market at the National Museum. Yet again God held back the rain long enough for me to get Shanah out of the car, across the road and into the museum!

This time we were hoping to try something different so we avoided Food for Thought at first but in the end it was the only place that we could sit down for Noah to have his milk! We got toast bread and potato balls (although the menu calls it hashbrowns I think that isn't the right description!) for Shanah and to our surprise she finished most of it!

It wasn't the intention to cafe-hop but it just happened that way. The real goal was the market so off we went. I guess the thing that always catches my eye are the stores that sell handmade children clothes and I never knew so many Singaporeans do this! It is cool to know not everyone is trapped in the usual social climb - keep chasing your dreams people!

We got what Matilda wanted and a gift for Thaddaeus, the newest baby boy in town and off to the hospital to pay a visit. 

Of course having done mostly eating for the whole day, the last craving to fulfil was some good chicken rice! So we went to the new Wee Nam Kee at United Square but the queue seemed too long for us. Again it was just a good day. I went in to try the queue and in less than 10 minutes we were seated! I don't know why but when the nice man saw Noah and Matilda he let us go ahead to sit at a table for 4, even though we sort of had 2+1 baby chair! 

Western food is good but nothing really compares with a good Hainanese Chicken Rice!

It was a day of good food, good fun, great fellowship, cooperative weather, easy to get seats and car parks and most of all a day that you can just smile and say thank God for family and thank God for taking care of us :)

The sweetness of it all

I feel like superwoman.

No really, I really feel like supermom today. Between 10 diapers, 5 baths (not including mine), numerous clothes changes (again not including mine because who has time for that?), boogies, boo-boo kisses, story book reading, hugs, cuddles and meltdowns, I really feel quite super.

I'm learning this week to not dwell on the toughies and to take much joys in the highs. The little boy peed on himself/me/the bed? Naahh, it's just pee, it's alright. Shanah poo-ed into her newly changed diapers after her bathe? It's ok, just another diaper change.

Instead, I'm trying to dwell more on the sweetness of my children. The sweetness that comes with Shanah giving me a smile after popping up from her sleep in the morning, Noah smiling when i pick him up from bed, cuddles after bathe, reading together.. and even the diaper changes. Because one day, i know I'm gonna miss all of these.  Even the 1000 'Mummy what's this?' questions and even more so the pretend play, the baby negotiation, the cheeky smile when she asks for a jelly or Yakult and her going, 'Mummy are you happy now?' to check if I'm still upset at her.

I think too often I allow a single bad event of the day to dominate my feelings and emotions. I allow it to take control and then declare it a horrid day, hence allowing everything that follows through to be horrid. You know what? Horrid only makes more horrid.

Recently I overheard a mother using words like 'get lost' and 'go away' to her teenage daughter. Not judging, but I wouldn't want to be the one at the receiving end of such words. And I really hope I wouldn't do the same.

And then when it gets really tough, like during naptimes, I pray for sleep to come soon.. or the hubs to return home from work early as a surprise :)

 

Precious gifts

Why I'm doing this

Today was a toughie. A majority of the day was spent battling milk, noodles, toys, baby and toddler. It's one of those days I get dizzy just wandering around my very small flat, trying to get things into order. I think I had to seriously talk myself out of just giving it all up and plopping down infront of the telly with a very cold green tea in my hands - which i did, at 8pm - twice.

Still, I know I have come rather far in this motherhood journey - much more to learn though! Just a couple of years ago, with a baby girl in my arms, I could barely fix myself a decent lunch. With her permanently latched on, I would searched google like a madwoman, trying to read up on everything concerning breastfeeding and babies. Then, i would look to my husband as my hero when he returned from work and my mortal enemy when he left for work the next morning. Today, I can manage breakfast, lunch and most things a toddler needs to thrive. The only thing is that I usually look like a mad crazy woman when my husband returns from work. You know how some articles say that wives need to doll up for their husbands? Pffffft. That's lala land.

That being said, I very much love my day cum night cum 24/7 job. I love how there's no boundaries between my job and my personal life and that I get to see my munchkins all the time. And that I can wear my PJs all day. But really, I wouldn't have come this far without God and my faithful momsy friends who are there for me each time I think the going gets too tough. It really must be some Godly intervention to arrange for like minded friends to walk through this journey with me.

The first mumsy blog I read was one ranting about her difficulties in breastfeeding. That brought me so much comfort, to know that there are other mothers there who are having a hard time with this breastfeeding and parenting gig. For many days after, I would religiously go through the blog, often laughing and loud and finding much comfort in this one sided relationship (ha!).

With this blog, I really hope document my journey with the children - to have something to read and look back on in fondness when the house grows quiet and the teenage angst and empty nest set in. In reading this, I hope that they will know how fun (fingers crossed) their childhood was and above all, how very much they are loved.

So here goes! Meanwhile, I'm ending with some pictures of food because I'm really hungry now. And its 2.30am, so randomness is allowed.