Apologies for this long overdue post. The sovereign plan had been revealed. Our loving Lord watches us and plan for our every need! While distance had always been a major concern and factor in our choice of school, next year's challenge includes the potential departure of YaYa, hence the presence of BASC (Before and After School Care) is paramount too. I failed to do my research on that, but God did not overlook this important aspect. Hence, His plan to enrol the girls in SPS instead of our choice in EPS.
Shortly after I posted the outcome of the balloting in FaceBook, one of the munchkins' classmate's mommy text me. She told me to consider SPS because the school has BASC facilities within the school. Care is rendered by trained teachers and the fees is reasonable too. I am more than delighted to hear that because it means I don't have to worry about transport issues on days where the kiddos has extracurricular activities before/after class. Viola! The school of choice identified!
And you guessed it. Registration this time round was a smooth and uneventful one. But I believed the angels watching our us must have rejoiced at the moment we entered the school gate of SPS to register the girls. We were finally in line with God's plan! We have no idea what to expect for now. Orientation for newbies and parents is scheduled on 17 November 2012. Till then, we rest in the Lord's perfect will for the munchkins' primary school education. Amen!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Ballot for placement in school
We didn't get the placements in the primary school of our choice. God has better plans. I sat through the hour long balloting process, hoping the little white ball bearing the number 2 will roll out from that rotator full of white balls. There were 64 vacancies but 129 hopeful candidates (or rather, parents). Despite telling myself the odds are not a cause for worry as God will close every door that was not meant to be, my heart sank deeper with every white ball drawn that didn't bear the number 2.
When the last number was called out, I actually heaved a sigh of relieve that the agony was over. The challenge ahead and question then was "where do we go from here?" I thought I had a contingency plan in place, but some how, I started having fear of having to do this registration chore all over again. What if we ended up balloting again? What if the munchkins didn't fit in? What if we have to change school within the year? What if...
Alright, alright,, I know my fears are all uncalled for. The beauty of having Jesus as my Lord and Saviour means I can totally rely on Him to make all things work. I shall now gather my courage and pray for God's guidance in the His choice of school for the munchkins, and I pray I will be obedient in following His will. Amen? Goodnight for now...
When the last number was called out, I actually heaved a sigh of relieve that the agony was over. The challenge ahead and question then was "where do we go from here?" I thought I had a contingency plan in place, but some how, I started having fear of having to do this registration chore all over again. What if we ended up balloting again? What if the munchkins didn't fit in? What if we have to change school within the year? What if...
Alright, alright,, I know my fears are all uncalled for. The beauty of having Jesus as my Lord and Saviour means I can totally rely on Him to make all things work. I shall now gather my courage and pray for God's guidance in the His choice of school for the munchkins, and I pray I will be obedient in following His will. Amen? Goodnight for now...
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Telepathy
People I met had frequently asked "Does your twins display telepathy? Do they have that kind of extra-sensory perception where they knew what each other is thinking?" Well, the answer had always been "No". I never notices it, or rather, I chose not to believe in telepathy because subconsciously, I wanted to regard them as two separate individuals, always.
Although they munchkins did exhibit idioglossia (defined as some form of autonomous language, using nicknames, gestures, or terminology that they only use with each other; common among identical twins) even to date, as a parent, I can confidently conclude that my children does not have telepathy because they frequently asked each other questions about their thoughts and queried the other party's actions. If there was indeed telepathy between the two, I think the house would be a lot quieter. Oops!
However, their Chinese language teacher shared with us a few interesting incidents she encountered with the munchkins in class. For example, the girls were seated far apart in the class for Chinese writing lessons. She shared that Xuan was seated right in front of her and she saw that Xuan had missed out a stroke on a Chinese character that was taught during her lesson, so she dropped a hint, hoping that she'll noticed the error. However, Xuan did not pick up the hint and handed in her written assignment along with the mistake. Shortly after that, when she collected the assignments from the rest of the class, she was amazed that En had missed out exactly the same stroke on that same Chinese character. Telepathy? No, I still don't think so. Interesting? Yes, but let's leave it as it is.
All I'd like to say is this. The munchkins will continue to enjoy the greatest friendship that comes as a privilege of God's gift to them in the form of twinship. There are things that will always remain a mystery like the science of their conception and shared DNA, but none will change the fact that they are lovely individuals in the eyes of their Creator. And in the years to come, I believe I will not be the only one who will be asked questions about the existence of telepathy between them. They will hear the same questions from many others themselves, even into adulthood. So I think the time has arrived for me to educate them on the importance of embracing their twinship and maintaining individual identity. Lord, please grant me the wisdom as I speak. Thank you!
Although they munchkins did exhibit idioglossia (defined as some form of autonomous language, using nicknames, gestures, or terminology that they only use with each other; common among identical twins) even to date, as a parent, I can confidently conclude that my children does not have telepathy because they frequently asked each other questions about their thoughts and queried the other party's actions. If there was indeed telepathy between the two, I think the house would be a lot quieter. Oops!
However, their Chinese language teacher shared with us a few interesting incidents she encountered with the munchkins in class. For example, the girls were seated far apart in the class for Chinese writing lessons. She shared that Xuan was seated right in front of her and she saw that Xuan had missed out a stroke on a Chinese character that was taught during her lesson, so she dropped a hint, hoping that she'll noticed the error. However, Xuan did not pick up the hint and handed in her written assignment along with the mistake. Shortly after that, when she collected the assignments from the rest of the class, she was amazed that En had missed out exactly the same stroke on that same Chinese character. Telepathy? No, I still don't think so. Interesting? Yes, but let's leave it as it is.
All I'd like to say is this. The munchkins will continue to enjoy the greatest friendship that comes as a privilege of God's gift to them in the form of twinship. There are things that will always remain a mystery like the science of their conception and shared DNA, but none will change the fact that they are lovely individuals in the eyes of their Creator. And in the years to come, I believe I will not be the only one who will be asked questions about the existence of telepathy between them. They will hear the same questions from many others themselves, even into adulthood. So I think the time has arrived for me to educate them on the importance of embracing their twinship and maintaining individual identity. Lord, please grant me the wisdom as I speak. Thank you!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Primary One Registration
The primary one (P1) registration process in Singapore is a nightmare to many parents, especially if this is your first child entering the primary school education system. And for that, I am thankful that I will only have to go through this once and for all, this coming August. However, the series of anxiety attacks which I am bound to suffer from will continue from now until the day the munchkins have a confirmed placement in the primary school of our choice - Endeavour Primary School (EPS)
Now, honestly, to Di and myself, there is nothing exceptionally special about this primary school that we should label it the school of 'our choice'. In fact, we consider this a NO CHOICE situation as the school is located just minutes of walk from our home, and seem decently well received by the neighbours whose kids are schooling there. Since the munchkins' playgroup days, location and distance had always been our top priority in our selection of education facilities. I just cannot imagine having to brave through rain and storm to 'deliver' the kids to school with their over-sized school bags. Hence, the decision to go for EPS was a clear cut one.
Unfortunately, life is not always this straightforward. The P1 registration process is a long, tedious and unfathomable one (at least to me). The idea of a neighbourhood, government school is to cater to, primarily, children who "lives in the neighbourhood", am I right? But I am aware of kids who live right next to another neighbourhood school yet whose parents chose to send them to one further away because the other school is "better". Now, aren't all government schools supposed to teach the same stuff??? I seriously find this quite challenging to comprehend.
Anyway, the registration process is divided into phases and the munchkins are only eligible to register in Phase 2C which is open for registration from 30 July to 1 August 2012, and results will only be released by 7 August 2012. As of the end of Phase 2A(1) which ended last night, there are only 89 vacancies left. Chances are, there will only be a maximum of 45 vacancies left by the time its our turn to register the girls.
I pray, I pray and I pray that God will give me the peace to go through this stressful period when I have to juggle work, family, kids, maid and studies (yes, I'm starting my part time degree course on 17 July). And if its not in the will of God that the munchkins be enrolled into EPS, I pray for a clear direction from God on HIS CHOICE of a primary school for the munchkins, and close all the doors which I am not supposed to even attempt. Thy will be done, my dear Heavenly Father, for the future of the munchkins are in Your hands, not mine. Give me the wisdom to know and clearly remember this, Lord. Thank You!
Now, honestly, to Di and myself, there is nothing exceptionally special about this primary school that we should label it the school of 'our choice'. In fact, we consider this a NO CHOICE situation as the school is located just minutes of walk from our home, and seem decently well received by the neighbours whose kids are schooling there. Since the munchkins' playgroup days, location and distance had always been our top priority in our selection of education facilities. I just cannot imagine having to brave through rain and storm to 'deliver' the kids to school with their over-sized school bags. Hence, the decision to go for EPS was a clear cut one.
Unfortunately, life is not always this straightforward. The P1 registration process is a long, tedious and unfathomable one (at least to me). The idea of a neighbourhood, government school is to cater to, primarily, children who "lives in the neighbourhood", am I right? But I am aware of kids who live right next to another neighbourhood school yet whose parents chose to send them to one further away because the other school is "better". Now, aren't all government schools supposed to teach the same stuff??? I seriously find this quite challenging to comprehend.
Anyway, the registration process is divided into phases and the munchkins are only eligible to register in Phase 2C which is open for registration from 30 July to 1 August 2012, and results will only be released by 7 August 2012. As of the end of Phase 2A(1) which ended last night, there are only 89 vacancies left. Chances are, there will only be a maximum of 45 vacancies left by the time its our turn to register the girls.
I pray, I pray and I pray that God will give me the peace to go through this stressful period when I have to juggle work, family, kids, maid and studies (yes, I'm starting my part time degree course on 17 July). And if its not in the will of God that the munchkins be enrolled into EPS, I pray for a clear direction from God on HIS CHOICE of a primary school for the munchkins, and close all the doors which I am not supposed to even attempt. Thy will be done, my dear Heavenly Father, for the future of the munchkins are in Your hands, not mine. Give me the wisdom to know and clearly remember this, Lord. Thank You!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Spell and Read
Approaching the end of their kindergarten life in 6 months' time, the munchkins are now able to read and spell simple words. But their ability to do that seemed to have improved exponentially in the recent months due to, sadly, their interest in exploring videos on YouTube. They figured they could now watched video clips, advertisements, movie trailers or even the TV episodes of their favourite characters like Barbie, Powerpuff Girls, Lalaloopsy and the like. And all that is required is the knowledge to spell words in the 'search' field. Sigh...
Hence, I'm not sure if I should rejoice or rebuke them when they approach me enthusiastically for guidance to spell words like 'bumps and bruises', 'tale', 'Charlotte charades', etc. And I am also worried about the content they'd be exposed to once they enter cyberspace. Di, myself or even YaYa is not always present to surf the net with them when they go online. If they are using the iMac, the screen is at least large enough for us to peep at the websites they are viewing. However, if both of them choose to use the iPad, then it's quite a challenge to monitor them all the time.
I know I am not the only parent out there worrying about the dangers of cyberspace. And I know this is just the beginning of a bigger challenge yet to come as they enter primary education next year. All I could do, and should do, is to pray, pray and pray for protection for the munchkins. Of course there are online security measures, parental workshops and expert advice that we can turn to. But what better way and help can we get than these measures that are still struggling to overcome the problem of modern technology today? There is always God and God alone! Because He is the in control of ALL things.
Dear Lord, I commit my munchkins into thy loving hands, the hands that created ALL things, including the munchkins. Please continue to watch over them when I couldn't, and block information from them that is inappropriate or not pleasing to Your eyes. And teach Di and myself to be a good role model as well, lest we become the greatest stumbling blocks in their lives. Amen.
Hence, I'm not sure if I should rejoice or rebuke them when they approach me enthusiastically for guidance to spell words like 'bumps and bruises', 'tale', 'Charlotte charades', etc. And I am also worried about the content they'd be exposed to once they enter cyberspace. Di, myself or even YaYa is not always present to surf the net with them when they go online. If they are using the iMac, the screen is at least large enough for us to peep at the websites they are viewing. However, if both of them choose to use the iPad, then it's quite a challenge to monitor them all the time.
I know I am not the only parent out there worrying about the dangers of cyberspace. And I know this is just the beginning of a bigger challenge yet to come as they enter primary education next year. All I could do, and should do, is to pray, pray and pray for protection for the munchkins. Of course there are online security measures, parental workshops and expert advice that we can turn to. But what better way and help can we get than these measures that are still struggling to overcome the problem of modern technology today? There is always God and God alone! Because He is the in control of ALL things.
Dear Lord, I commit my munchkins into thy loving hands, the hands that created ALL things, including the munchkins. Please continue to watch over them when I couldn't, and block information from them that is inappropriate or not pleasing to Your eyes. And teach Di and myself to be a good role model as well, lest we become the greatest stumbling blocks in their lives. Amen.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Movie date
Today marks the second time En & Xuan watched a movie in the cinema (their first was "Smurfs" some months ago). They were full of anticipation since I told them last week about watching "Madagascar 3". As I prepared them last night that we have to leave our home by 10am this morning, lest we couldn't get any movie tickets, Xuan asked me numerous times "is it 10am yet?" from the moment I was awake till I reached for the door today. Challenging!!!
But it was all worth it. The munchkins laughed hilariously throughout the 90 minutes movie. They indulged themselves in a box of popcorn and enjoyed unobstructed view. Water bottle on standby for hydration, socks and cardigan kept them warm too. Whatever it takes to make my princesses comfortable while they sit back and enjoy!
And the result? Well, the constant recount of the movie scenes during our lunch at McDonalds goes to show how much they loved the movie. I'm sure there'll be more movie trips to come for the family!
But it was all worth it. The munchkins laughed hilariously throughout the 90 minutes movie. They indulged themselves in a box of popcorn and enjoyed unobstructed view. Water bottle on standby for hydration, socks and cardigan kept them warm too. Whatever it takes to make my princesses comfortable while they sit back and enjoy!
And the result? Well, the constant recount of the movie scenes during our lunch at McDonalds goes to show how much they loved the movie. I'm sure there'll be more movie trips to come for the family!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Twinship
I fetched the munchkins from the childcare centre this evening, and our walk-home conversation somehow led to the topic on criminals and putting the bad guys in jail. Then En asked "What is a jail?" so I had to describe roughly how a cell would looked and explain why criminals had to be put behind bars.
Me: There are bad guys who steal, rob, fight or even kill other people, so the police had to lock them up in cells.
En: Sometimes I fight with Chloe. Do we have to go to jail?
Me: Not for that kind of fight, darling. You girls just squabble at times, isn't it? Not the real kind of fight, right?
Xuan: (looking at En) Yea, we don't really fight because we are twins, right?
En: (nods in agreement) Yup, we just fight a bit then we laugh and be friends all the time. Hee...
Then the girls held hands and ran off together towards our gate. The beauty of twinship. Lovely...
Dear God, you must really love these girls enough to want to have them duplicated. And you must love me enough to let me have them! Thank you very much!!!
Me: There are bad guys who steal, rob, fight or even kill other people, so the police had to lock them up in cells.
En: Sometimes I fight with Chloe. Do we have to go to jail?
Me: Not for that kind of fight, darling. You girls just squabble at times, isn't it? Not the real kind of fight, right?
Xuan: (looking at En) Yea, we don't really fight because we are twins, right?
En: (nods in agreement) Yup, we just fight a bit then we laugh and be friends all the time. Hee...
Then the girls held hands and ran off together towards our gate. The beauty of twinship. Lovely...
Dear God, you must really love these girls enough to want to have them duplicated. And you must love me enough to let me have them! Thank you very much!!!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Born again!
I couldn't believe I actually took this long to blog again... The reality of a working mother, and one that works 3 rotating shifts. However, what triggers me to return to this blog today is the all consuming joy that my munchkins both said the sinner's prayer with me today and committed themselves to accept Jesus Christ into their lives. 6 May 2012! A day to remember and praise the Lord for. Sharing my joy with all, and I can hear the angels rejoicing with me even at this moment! Amen.
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