Happiness is... taking it slow in a new beginning

2023 came and flew by in a flash and before I realised it, we were counting down to the new year already. As much as I would love to think that we accomplished a lot and had a good year, sometimes I do wonder if I had done my best to cherish the passing days and fleeting years.

Anyway, we had a very fulfilling year end during November and December which were filled with family staycations, gatherings, birthday celebrations, fun outings as well as a cruise holiday. Thus, it felt good to do the opposite and slow down the pace as we stepped into the new year. 

January marked a new school year for the kids - Angel is now in Secondary 3, Ariel is in her PSLE year, Asher is now in Primary 3 and Ansel has started his Nursery 1 class. Yes, how time flies - that was my exact sentiment as we packed the bags, wrapped and labelled the books, and got ready to head back to school. My kids are growing up way too fast, which also means age is catching up with me faster than I think and I'm not sure how ready I am to see them blossom into adults and learn to finally let go.

In this post of "Happiness is..", it's about intentionally taking it slow and enjoying a new beginning.

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We always count down to the new year as a family and would usually catch the fireworks and performances on TV. This year, we did something a little crazy on the first day of 2024 and that was to head out to the beach at past 1am. Yup, it was barely a couple of hours into the start of the year and there we were, enjoying the cooling sea breeze, admiring the twinkling stars and feeling the soft sand at our feet.

While the older ones went with the hubby to try to catch fish, I took the youngest for a stroll and we went to the vending machine to get tidbits and drinks for everyone. Yes, a mini picnic at 2am! Haha. It ended up that we slept at nearly 4am and it was a wild night to remember but I hoped the kids would remember that we did it out of love.

That wasn't a bad way to kickstart the new year, right?

My two middle children started school a day later than the other two so we got to enjoy a breakfast together, just the three of us. We went to Ya Kun for their favourite kaya toast and eggs and went shopping for snacks at Don Don Donki. I used to love having the whole family together and one-on-one dates, but now I kind of cherish these days when I have just half the brood with me too.

Of course, before we went for breakfast, we had to send the littlest to school first. It was his first day of school and we kind of expected some reluctance and tears from him, but it turned out that he was a brave boy who went straight into class after saying goodbye. Wow. I was amazed!

Okay, to be fair, he did ended up crying for the next few days and even refused to change his clothes one morning so he wouldn't have to go to school. But unlike the older brother who cried for months and would always hold me so tight and not let go whenever we were nearing his school, this toddler only needed a total of four days to adjust and from his fifth day of school, he never shed a tear up till now. That, to me, is a remarkable feat and way better beyond what we imagined. So kudos to you, my dear Ansel, and I am so happy to see that you enjoy going to school!

Like his siblings, he only goes to school for three hours because I think that is the maximum amount of time I am willing to be separated from him. Haha. It will remain like this till he goes to Primary School so I am still very much cherishing our lunches and our time together before the rest come back. Those three hours, though brief, also gives me a much needed break and I can do the grocery shopping and have breakfast on my own before going over to pick him up.

January also marks a time for gatherings with friends as one of my jie meis came back from overseas and we took the chance to meet up a couple of times and have play dates for the kids. We have come a long way since secondary school and it is nice that we still hang out together and that our kids can play with each other and have fun too.

I love chatting with these girls and despite the fact that I have the most kids and have been a mum for the longest time, I feel like I still have so much to learn from them in terms of parenting methods. It's a blessing that we have each other's support in this motherhood journey because I can honestly say that after 14 years, it still baffles me  more often than not and I am not quite sure how I can be a better mum to my kids even if I desperately wish to.

Look who's all excited to receive his superhero costume! Yup, this little one is turning three in February and has decided that he wanted a Spider-Man themed party. We might not have asked any of his friends over (not that he has many, actually) but the fact that his siblings were all willing to dress up as Miles and Gwen with him as Peter Parker, plus the fact that we had so many fun games and activities lined up for him, I think he pretty much had a blast on his birthday.

For those who have not, do hop over to find out all the happenings at Ansel's Spider-Man Party and who knows, maybe you can get inspiration for your next party too! Pssst, I still have some decorations leftover from the party, including a beautiful banner, balloons and hanging swirls so do drop me a message if you are keen to take them.

Apart from settling down in school, gathering with friends and planning for parties, we also took time off to go for a couple of shows, including Madagascar the Musical which we enjoyed very much. I let the kids watch the movie before the musical even though we had watched it previously already. This was so that they would be more familiar with the plot and main characters and thus be able to relate more to the show.

I don't know how long more we will be able to watch such theatrical productions together now that the most of them are tweens and teens but so long as I have even just one kid who wants to go for such live shows, I will make sure that I bring him/her and that I will be there right beside too.

Bedtime stories is a must no matter how late we sleep and Ansel has been enjoying listening to story after story every night. One of his favourite books these days is "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" so we was over the moon when I told him that we could go watch a live adaptation of it the next month. Just check out his wide grin! I am glad to know that you love reading books, my love, and I hope that this passion can continue even when you grow up and even when you don't need me to read to you anymore.

What started out as a holiday activity has seen the kids progress bit by bit and now, they all want to get to the end of the journey. Yup, the kids are quite determined to achieve their black belts and junior black belts in Taekwondo this year and as the mum, I can only make sure that I support them, cheer for them at gradings, and encourage them to go for it. It's awesome to see that you wanna persevere and carry on so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all of you will achieve your target this year, yar?

A tragic thing that happened this month was the passing of Milo - our beloved pet hamster. We're not sure how or why it happened since he is only over a year old but after playing with our friends when they came over, he shortly became ill a couple of days after and the big girl saw that he was getting weak and unable to stand. That was why we knew he was likely leaving us and indeed the next day, we had to say our goodbyes. Please remember that you are very much loved, dear Milo, and that we love you very, very much.

When do kids start learning to use chopsticks? I don't think there is a correct answer for that but if I had to say, it would be "When they are ready to try". I remember Asher excelled in using chopsticks at two to three years old and could pick up marbles with them easily while the older sisters had to struggle a little. For Ansel, I still let him use a fork to eat his noodles when he wants but if he tells me that he would like to try the chopsticks, I would get a pair for him too.

This was his first time reading noodles with a pair of chopsticks and even though he took longer than needed and found it challenging to let the noodles stay on the chopsticks without sliding off, you should see that look of achievement on his face even time he did manage to get anything into his mouth.

I also brought him to the dentist for the first time because this boy likes to eat sweet stuff and drink sweet drinks, so a checkup would do him good. The dentist helped to clean his teeth and also reminded him on the importance of brushing his teeth well and at least for twice a day. This boy nodded and totally looked way older than a soon-to-be three year old as he laid on the dentist's chair with that cool pair of shades on his face. Let's keep our teeth clean and not be friends with cavities, okay?

Last but not least, we are also thankful for media drops that arrive at our door. These cupcakes were delicious and it made Ansel look forward to celebrating Spot's birthday with him next month. He is a lucky boy who have siblings who are willing to play with him every day. For instance, Ariel cooks with him in the pretend kitchen while Asher plays Lego and all kind of boyish 'fighting' games with him every single day. All this make up part of his precious growing up memories and I hope spending time with siblings brings him lots of warmth and joy.

So that marks the end of Janaury which like I said, was a slow but still enjoyable month for everyone. I hope everyone settled down well into the new year too and I look forward to picking up the pace a little so I can share more exciting happenings with you soon.

But, as age catches up, I also think it is okay to take things slower at times even if it doesn't give me that adrenaline rush that I desire. Perhaps taking it slow will allow us to see more of the beauty in life that we missed out on because we were were always dashing about. So relish, enjoy, breathe in and make more treasured memories, yeah

Till the next post of "Happiness is..."!