Term 2: 7 April – 27 June

This is a long 12-week term. It will stretch into winter and we will have a 2-week winter holiday at the end of the term.

We have all settled nice and easy into our routine. On weekdays, it’s up at 6am for mummy, 6.30am for papa and 7am for the kiddos. It’s nice that the kids still get greeted by Mr Sun when they wake up. But not for long, as we can see that Mr Sun is sleeping in a little later as the autumn days swing pass. After breakfast, papa leaves for work and the trio, mummy-boy-girl, walk to school.

Back at home, mummy gets busy with chores. Dump the clothes into the washing machine, wash up the dishes from b/f, and make the beds, clean here and there and soon prepare for lunch and dinner. It’s 2 meals to cook at one go so that I have more time with the kids when they get home. It’s such a short time to spend together as they only get home half past 3…and in between the short time before it’s bedtime, they will eat, watch TV, play, wash-up, do homework, read, more TV, more play, dinner… and now and then, mummy plays referee when Kor Kor and Mei Mei gets on each other's nerves...it's no fun for me really and I'm always thinking of creative ways to settle their squabbling. They're much closer now as they have similar experiences at school and they've just about each other to play with most of the time.

It’s such a luxury to sit and read, email, blog, all in the peace and quiet of the house…watch some TV…I’m not a TV fan and have not liked the programs here at all. I would rather check on the plants and do some gardening.

Weekday nites, it’s lights off at 9pm so the kids go about their usual b4 bedtime ritual. Kor Kor is a simply guy so he heads straight into the bathroom to brush his teeth and into his room and plops onto his bed. Mei Mei gets a little busy packing her table and need loads of coaxing before she reluctantly agrees to settle in for bedtime. I shower my little princess with loads of hugs and kisses. She's wonderfully loving.

Once Monday is over, the week always seem to fly pass very quickly. Time flies. Day after day, week after week, month after month. We’ve been here downunder for 4 months already.

Weekends, we do the groceries and toiletries shopping. There’s also the library to pop by and do a bit of exploring somewhere else. Hasn’t been very exciting. We hope to bring the kids to the park more often.

I drop in at the kids’ classes as a parent helper, about 2 to 3 times a week. In Kor Kor’s class, I do reading with a few kids once a week. At first it was quite awkward as I was still struggling to understand their accent and also I was new to them, but now we’ve a rapport so it’s more fun and I look forward to see them. They’re lively, responsive and very pleasant kids. In Mei Mei’s class, I help her teacher with the stationeries, paperwork and laminating, much like a teacher-aid. It’s fun to be in this class, the little ones are very adorable. The kids here, very clever to talk.

Having been to their classrooms, I feel a lot more assured of their learning, their safety and that they’re in good hands. Now, I know why both Kor Kor and Mei Mei love to go to school. I would too if I were a kid, and frankly, I did enjoy school when I was a kid. Yes, I did.

These 2 months, we will miss being with family back in SGP for a few celebrations. Ah Yi's birthday, Kor Kor's birthday, mummy's birthday, Ma Ma's birthday, Po Po's birthday and Mother's day and in June, Gabriel's birthday. During these celebrations, we've had tons of good food...missing all these delicious food...it would be a very looooong list if I were to count them and top of the list is chilli crab and the man-tou!!! ;<

I'll have that tonight...in my dream tonight...chilli crab, chilli crab....Yum, yum...... ;)