New Experiences.

Our big girl and I attended a Mother-Daughter tea to meet other Catholic mothers and daughters. It was a fruitful afternoon.

We decorated a candle to take home. Here she is with a familiar face she met there:

With God's Grace, this seed planted might grow.

First Day!

First day of term 2 done and dusted:

My cheeky monkey. 

Our little lady missed her brother and told me so. I went on to share the perks of having me to herself... After which she perked up and didn't mention her brother until pick up time.

We cleaned the kitchen and did the dishes together and spent some time on Lego. I've also instated a 15 minute "quiet time" where we play/read separately. She took to it well so hopefully it's something we can keep up.

These guys did well today. Ice blocks all around.

The littlest ones were losing it earlier than usual so bedtime routine was shifted earlier. Much needed, it seems, as all four were asleep before 9pm. 

Term 2 Begins!

Change is in the air as our third-borm starts primary school tomorrow. He's excited. It will be interesting to see how our littlest adapts too, as both siblings are close and have not been apart in all her three years.

teaching his sister how to draw a Voltorb Pokémon.

Here's one step into greater independence and learning for our little man.

Piu Piu Piu!!

It's a crisp, cold 15°C evening before dinner and our four are outside having some fun. They'd spent the day creating an arsenal of weapons with paper and tape. They were out there in their fort battling the Tuskan Raiders from Star Wars. 

Fun comes in all forms, clearly! 

Thank You, Grandpa!

Two weeks flew by quickly while grandpa was here with us. He's at the airport now en route to Singapore, and not a day too soon as a cold snap will be descending on us overnight and we're set to wake up to an 8-degree morning tomorrow.

All of us without exception were moved by how present Grandpa was during the two weeks. He quietly made himself available to all of us in a way that I can only describe as uniquely Grandpa. He settled into a predictable routine, starting every day with a coffee and crumpet. He'd take double the time to sit down to breakfast as he'd be preparing crumpets for everyone else too. He made a corner of the couch his own and the children would take the cue and climb all over him. They quickly learned that Grandpa also needed his time and space to rest in his room and waited eagerly for that time to be done. 

The deeper conversation would come after the children left the table following a meal. Over empty plates and coffee mugs, we made lasting memories.

Thank you, Grandpa!

Chatting with Granny :)

Bak Kwa!!

This is the picture of happiness. Our four savouring a much-awaited slice of bakkwa each. The excitement began almost as soon as they got up and they couldn't get to the store soon enough. 

Grandpa (and Granny) bought them 1.2kg deliciousness and they're loving it!

Divine Mercy.

Ahead of Divine Mercy Sunday tomorrow, we spent a bit of time learning about the life of St Faustina and the image of the Divine Mercy. We also spoke a bit about what mercy means.

The children enjoyed doing a related craft after.

Earlier in the morning, the husband and I, along with our big boy, went to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation while grandpa stayed home with the younger ones.

It's part of our resolution to receive the sacraments more regularly since our big boy is now of age to. Definitely a step up from our usual twice a year confessions, but also certainly a call to greater faithfulness. 

Puzzle Time.

In our big girl's words, "everyone was occupied" this morning, as we worked on puzzles. 

We made it out for a bike ride this evening to pick up dinner while grandpa rested at home. He was happy to finally have his fish and chip fix. :)

Doughnuts, Football & Family Culture.

We made fancy doughnuts this morning, and got some outside time when a patch of good weather cleared up in the afternoon.

We're all on the mend after a rough patch. 

I'm currently following a Catholic parenting series on Formed, entitled "Me and My House". The speaker, Patrick Sullivan, delivers bite-sized pearls of wisdom that are relatable, relevant and fresh. The bigs listened to an episode about cultivating a family culture and we spent some minutes talking about how to fill this in: We are the ______ family.

Our big girl said "kind", Papa said "Loud" and "Different". I'd go with "Catholic" or "talking". 

The idea is that whatever word you fill in shapes the family culture and it can even guide family decisions. It's a simple way to begin a conversation about family culture.

Food for thought, work in progress.

Birthday and Ear Ache.

Our little man turned 5 yesterday and had a wonderful day playing with his presents. We had pizza for lunch, but thought it wise not to venture out to the trampoline park with unwell children at home.

 Getting into his presents (quite literally) at 6.55am.

Happy birthday!

Locking in his height.

The joy was rather short-lived, as he woke us up at 8am this morning complaining of a sore ear. He cried all the way to the doctor, and was quickly diagnosed with a middle ear infection, possibly thanks to his visit to the ear nurse last week for ear wax removal. 

Ear drops, antibiotics, pain relief and lots of telly were exactly what the doctor ordered for him today. Papa went to great lengths to keep him comfortable, and his siblings showered him with lots of prayers and concern. Our big girl was his champion supporter and the person he wanted beside him as he fell asleep. 

We've never had a string of illnesses hit us the way we're being hit right now. It's not been easy but we're keeping the faith and remembering that this, like all things, shall pass.

Tummy Bug.

We're ending the day with four children in our bedroom. Two asleep on a camping stretcher, one on a mattress, and our littlest in our bed.

Our girls are down with a tummy bug and threw up today. We're bracing ourselves for more of us to fall sick in the next few days.

Thankfully, we made it for Easter mass and lunch, and the children enjoyed Easter egg hunts too. 

This isn't fun, but one day at a time. This too shall pass.

Grandpa's Here!

The children love that grandpa's here. It's been a full day of them being together. Our littlest has warmed up to him well, but still calls him "Granny"!

We had a good kumara harvest this afternoon:

It's incredible to think that all this came from just one sweet potato.

Our sacrifice jar of black beans for Lent has turned into a jar of jelly beans for the children to find on Easter morning. 

Good Friday.

Blessed Good Friday!

We attended stations of the cross at church, where our big girl led the parish community in prayers for the fourteenth station.

We spent the day playing outside, the children did their weekend jobs, and we had our crown of thorns bread with butternut squash soup for dinner.

After dinner, we watched the claymation movie, The Miracle Maker, which follows the story of Jesus' life.

Grandpa's room is ready and we're waiting for him to arrive. Our big girl has gone out to the airport to meet him with Papa. The boys are home and very excited.

Maundy Thursday.

For half the day, the aromas of slowly roasting lamb wafted through the house. I prepared a special dinner that reminded us of what Jesus might have eaten at the Last Supper: roast lamb leg, unleavened bread (matzah), salad greens (bitter herbs), roast carrots, wine for the adults and grape juice for the children. We usually eat quite simply so this was something the children instantly knew was different. We read the story of the Last Supper before grace and tucking in. 

After dinner, we finished the rest of the movie, The Prince of Egypt, which we'd started earlier in the day. Our little man isn't one to remember bible stories but he could recall Moses speaking to the burning bush, and his stick turning into a snake. It probably made the movie more relatable for him. 

The day ended with the smells of freshly baked hot cross buns. Our food for Good Friday tomorrow. :)

Grandpa arrives late tomorrow night and all the children are beyond excited. It's been four years since his last visit and the little ones are already plotting to stay up to wait for his arrival. Good luck, Grandpa.

Spy Wednesday.

Our little man had his last swimming session for the term. We said thank you and goodbye to his teacher, who is moving on to other endeavours. This little man has come a long way from the boy who'd spend the entire lesson crying, and we're grateful to her for believing in him.

Spy Wednesday of Holy Week, the day Judas agrees to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Silver chocolate coins are not easily available. I found a small bag of silver ones and wrapped the remaining gold ones in aluminium foil. 

The children went on a hunt for these after dinner, for their dessert. It was heartening to see the older ones looking out for the younger ones and making sure they had a fair share. 

The last day of term 1 tomorrow... Long awaited and needed!

The Day Before Supermarket Day.

We do our big supermarket shop once a fortnight. We minimise top-up shops and it's not uncommon to run out of pantry essentials or lunchbox fillers as we near the finish line and approach the next big shop. Instead of popping into the store, which is never really as on-the-way as things used to be in Singapore, we get creative with what we have and make do. It's a way of life here, I'm pretty sure. 

We're fresh out of butter, so tonight, Google taught me to make oat cookies with oil instead of butter. It's a first, cookies without butter for me, but they turned out surprisingly decent. Crispy and they hold their shape well.

I'm glad it's supermarket day tomorrow.

Our big boy played cricket for summer sports, where schools get together for friendly games. The husband took a day off work to watch him play, and drive the children to and fro. It was a full-day event under the sun; the husband's nose in its current state would give Rudolph a run for his money. Not much this man wouldn't do for his little ones. Our big boy was thrilled to have his dad there.

Early Birthday Celebration.

A little early birthday celebration with some friends this morning. Rock climbing, playground and doughnuts make for a pretty decent morning.

Went out for a walk by myself after dinner.

10 minutes brisk walk to this view:

Am grateful to be living where we are.

Daylight Savings.

Sunday spent puzzling an Escape Room style jigsaw puzzle

And kicking ball around at the park

I even managed a run around the track as the children rode on their scooters or rollerbladed. With daylight savings kicking in, we got an extra hour and it was a nice addition to the day. That is, until everyone started losing the plot earlier than usual (considering that the clocks jumped an hour backward).

Blessed holy week!

Preparing For Holy Week.

Holy week begins tomorrow with Palm Sunday. Home catechism was spent learning about Holy Week. Apparently Jake the Pirate is the Duplo figure best represents Jesus because "his clothes are torn". 

After our little lesson, the children jumped headlong into creating Duplo scenes of the crucifixion and Jesus in the tomb. Veronica even carries a double-sided cloth to show "before and after" she meets Jesus and wipes His face.

Angels guarding the tomb had wings stuck on:

In the evening, night prayer began with a reenactment of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. Our trusty donkey carried Jesus while garments and home made palms were laid before them.

They ended off the evening with a drawing competition. Our little man was the judge and the bigs and Papa had to draw a Pokémon that was chosen for them. This task required great focus. Our big boy won in the end.

Our little man was not to be outdone and made a drawing of his own, "Our Family". According to the little man, Our littlest lady is still in my tummy, and I'm hugging him. The bigs are peering out the window. There is a ladybug on the house and bird poop on the roof. Papa is standing outside eating cotton candy. 😂

Ice Cream Friday.

Our big boy received a certificate at the school assembly today, for excellence in his work. He's been struggling with the work load recently. He was selected for  a couple of extra programs that take place during school hours, and that's added to the academic stretch of being a year 5 among a mostly-year-6 class. Expectations are definitely greater this year and a great deal more independence is expected of him. The certificate was a good affirmation of the effort he's currently putting in.

Ice creams have become synonymous with Fridays, thanks to Frozen Fridays at primary school. We popped into the dairy for ice creams and sat outside to enjoy them.

This is a little job the littlies have recently taken on... Unloading the dry laundry. A small task but they certainly take pride in it. 

Our youngest two fight well but are also thick as thieves. Our littlest will sorely miss her brother when he starts school in three weeks' time.