Happiness is.... making the most of the school holidays

It's strange but I thought that the June holidays has just started but in fact, it has already ended. As a kid, I was always looking forward to the long June and December holidays because I get to sleep in late, I get to go for breakfast with Mummy, I get to watch more TV, I get to go out and play, I get to meet up with my friends and so on. Now that I've become a mum and just had my first taste of June holidays with my kids, I must say that I'm loving the holidays too! For the same reasons and more.

Out of the four weeks of holidays, we took one week to go overseas and spent the other three weeks exploring places in Singapore and enjoying time as a family. I wasn't particularly stressed about filling up their timetable, for I knew the kids would be happy as long as we were together, even if it meant taking a walk downstairs or going to the neighbourhood playground. On most days, except during the vacation, it would just be me against three kids and I'm glad to say I've kind of mastered going out to the streets, taking public transport, visiting new places, eating out and having to handle all their different needs. *phew* Just thinking about it makes me tired. Haha. While there will always be surprises lying in store for me, I'm just relieved that having to look after three kids isn't as terrible, or as gruelling, as what many have warned me.

In this month's "Happiness is...", it's a summary of how we tried to cherish the school holiday as best as we could and made each day count.

I brought the kids to explore new playgrounds or places that we had never been before, and they never failed to have a ball of a time. They loved playing at Bouncing Kids in Kovan, they couldn't stop jumping and hopping and falling all over in Bounce, and they even had so much in free playgrounds like the one located right outside City Square Mall (bet you have never seen a swing that comes with a chair like this one above, right?)

We watched shows like Shrek the Musical, Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Finding Dory, X-Men: The Apocalypse and more! Unlike what I expected, we actually enjoyed Shrek so much and the musical was just a delight for families and it brought so much laughter. I also outdid myself this month by bringing three kids on my own to the movies (and surviving it) and we totally loved watching Finding Dory too. And you know what? I think I will do this mother and kids movie outing again next month. Practice makes perfect, right?

Right after we got back from Taiwan, we were out and about the next day and the kids were thrilled to catch Mister Maker and the Shapes live on stage! I was seriously amazed by this guy because I always thought he only knew how to do art and craft projects. Little did I expect that he could sing, rap, dance and bring the audience to life too! Not easy, totally not easy being him.

On some days, we'll just head out to nowhere and see where fate takes us. It could be a stroll in the park, it could be having ice cream somewhere, it could be having dinner at a kopitiam. No hard and fast rules, no places we MUST visit, no things we MUST do. The important thing was to breathe in the fresh air, just chill and enjoy life. Right, peace is something unattainable when you have kids, but inner peace, I think that's something we can work towards.

On Father's Day, we visited the S.E.A. Aquarium and the kids had fun playing games, spotting fishes and being surrounded by marine life. I think the hubby is very much like me, in the sense that we know as long as the kids are happy, we'll be happy too, no matter where we are and what we do. Happy Father's Day, papi! In the evening, we got together with all of our parents and had a nice seafood dinner in Changi Village. I am once again grateful for the fact that my parents and in laws are safe, strong and healthy; and best of all they get along well and love to drink or sing KTV together too!

See these two cheeky sisters? I love that they are not girly girls when it comes to animals and bugs, and often wanna get up close with them and learn more about them. In fact, Angel tells me she might want to be an entomologist when she grows up. Anyway, we visited Night Safari (again) and the kids totally enjoyed themselves (again). I think our membership passes are really worthwhile!

This month, we also went on our first holiday of five and I must say it was definitely a fun and memorable trip! I'm so glad that baby survived it all and did so well, despite the fact that we were out from morning to night nearly every single day.

We visited Taipei, went to Ximending, stayed in LeoFoo Resort, explored Flying Cow Ranch, revisited Love River in Kaohsiung, went to a night market and did so much more, which I'm hoping I can find time to write so as to share with all of you. Time is so scarce nowadays and I really have to prioritize my time well. Kids always come first before the blog, that's just how it is.

I've been wanting to teach the big girl to cook but it seems like we've only made a little progress this month. Still, slowly but surely, we'll get there! Mummy sure could do with a little bit of help in the kitchen!

Even though I usually had to bring all three kids with me, I was still glad to have found time to meet up with some of my best friends.  These are the people who I've known for two decades and the ones who stuck with me through thick and thin. So no matter how we've moved on with life or how busy we get, I sure hope we all remember that we are always here for one another. Not only did we have two hotpot dinners, one at Hai Di Lao and the other at Charcoal Thai, we also held a hens night for one of us who would be getting married in July!

Temasek Club remains as one of our favourite hangouts and so we made time to go and have a swim, as well as sing karaoke with the girls. They love to sing nursery rhymes (and a couple of pop songs) but would never fail to pass the mics to us when it's our turn. Phew!

One of our favourite pastime is reading and we've so far kept up with the bedtime stories for years. A relief is that the big girl loves to read so, so, so much that she takes over my role and would read to the younger siblings so I can take a breather at times. We also keep up with our visits to the library because it's one of the best places for them to hang out. For free!

Last but not least, we also took time to show our support for the Singapore Navy! Yes, how could we miss it? The girls left a sweet message for their beloved Daddy on the torpedo and I've had so many comments that Angel has neat handwriting! Haha. What I enjoyed most was seeing the kids dress up in No.1 because they look so smart yet cute. Well, dear kids, you often question why Daddy has to work so late nearly everyday and why can't he be home to spend more time with you. I hope you slowly understand how hard he is working for our family and how hard he is fighting to protect the island we live in. At the very least, you have Mummy here with you almost 24/7, right?



So, that marks the end of our precious and fun-filled June holidays. Yes, the little ones still drove me up the wall sometimes and it wasn't a month without squabbles, tantrums, punishment, tears and screams. Nonetheless, I'm still glad we managed to bond, laugh, play, learn and do things together as a family. Each day spent with you, my kids, is a day well spent. You know what, I'm so looking forward to the December holidays already!