Thankful Thursdays #10 & #11

Eeps so I’ve missed the past 2 weeks of Thankful Thursdays because I’ve been packing and moving stuff like a squirrel on steroids. It’s madness to pack an entire 6+ years of your life (and your family’s) into boxes within 4.5 days!! But thankfully, we’ve finally done it. We’ve moved in to the new apartment, which has given us it’s fair share of trouble. But, there are many many things to be thankful for, so let me count the ways…

1) Last Friday was moving day and I’m so glad we got a professional yet affordable mover, thanks to a friend’s recommendation

2) We were able to find babysitting for most of the week for the kids so I could stay home to pack

3) The kids are definitely more adaptable than the adults cos they were so excited and happy about their new rooms and managed to zonk out the first night in. (well, we concussed as well, but due to sheer exhaustion!)

4) I love my new King size Simmons bed. Worth every dollar cos it’s so great for my back and spacious enough for 1 kid to squish in with us and not have me teetering at the edge of the bed!

5) Love my rainshower. Have I ever mentioned I love rain-showers? Makes me feel like I’m living in a hotel. Oh, and I love my big bathroom cos I finally have space to put my toiletries!

6) I love how my living room design turned out and all the furniture. I still can’t believe I own 2 Philippe Starck Masters chairs, and 3 George Nelson Bubble lights. I will probably do a separate post on where and how I got all these cos I’ve been asked

7) Thankful to have access to a pool!

8) Very thankful to be 15 min away from church instead of 45 min away

9) Thankful for both sets of parents’ help in this time of transition.

10) Thankful that the hubby actually agreed to move

Sporty baby!

Now that my wordpress app is working properly again, I can happily post pics and blog more often- short and sweet posts, that is.

Since I hardly have any time to write down and nicely scrapbook about LittlerLam’s development and milestones like I did for her big sister, i guess using this blog for quick notes would be better than nothing at all!

This little one is already 10months old and is crawling and climbing everywhere! Besides loving to stand up by holding on to the edge of her big sister’s table, she also loves to play on her sister’s old toys- the Jumperoo and the rocking moose:

Year of the Rabbit Chinese New Year Decoration

It’s been a very very busy Chinese New Year this year so I haven’t had time to post about this easy craft that I did with Littlelam for the Year of the Rabbit. I’m trying to give her more ownership with the crafts now, since she will be turning 5 later on in the year and I’m trying to get her to be more independent. So I figured a simple craft that doesn’t look that great, but is safe and easy for her to put together almost totally by herself would be good. So here’s a hanging decoration that I thought up for her to do:

Happy New Year!

Items needed
- Red craft foam or cardboard
- Cotton wool
- Gold sequin/ confetti or bead
- Twine or string
- Hole puncher
- Red packets (preferably square ones)
- glue

How to:

Step 1) Draw a circle (use a round container to trace it), and rabbit in the middle of it, on the red craft foam/ cardboard.  Get your child to put glue inside the rabbit outline.

Step 2) Get your child to tear the cotton wool into small pieces and stick it onto the rabbit shape to form a furry rabbit. You might need to help with the edges.

Step 3) For the eye, stick  on the gold sequin/ bead. Leave aside to dry.

Step 4) Get your child to write the Chinese characters on each of the 4 red packets. I’ve chosen the very basic “Happy New Year”.  Usually Chinese New Year well-wishes consist of 4 characters so you can take your pick. I can’t type it here cos I’m using my laptop which has no Chinese character programme.

Step 5) Punch holes in the top and bottom of each red packet. Cut some twine/ string for your child to thread through the holes to join each character together.

Step 6) Cut out the circle with the rabbit on it and then join it as the top. And there you have it!

It’s not very pretty, but very very easy and fun for your child. Try not to assist, and let him/ her try to do most of it. You can let your child copy the Chinese characters – that’s what I did. Cos she can only write the “kuai” on her own.

Simple pleasures

When life is harried and full of kid- related chaos most of the time, small pockets of free time for myself, and little things I like serve as the perfect break from routine.

I’m learning to find serendipity.

Tea for one!

This week has been full of moments of thankfulness. The above tea time treat, the fact that both my girls napped for 2 hours AT THE SAME TIME, a spot of online shopping, recovering from a nasty cold, LittlerLam sleeping through the night and yesterday’s beautiful sunny weather. Here’s to jotting down the joy this week!