Kindergarten: The Days Before School Starts.

Yesterday, I brought Tiger to the Kindergarten (again).
Third time. Ahem. I know. Psycho.

A tired looking teacher greeted me at the door at about 5.45 pm. Our conversation was carried out in my elementary Chinese:
Me: Hi, I would like to register my son.
Tired teacher: How old is he?
Me: Erm...five.
Tired teacher: Why didn't you register in the beginning of the year?
Me: He said he wasn't ready. So I wanted to give him some time.
Tired teacher nearly rolled her eyes at me. Instead, she took a deep breath and said:
They adjust quickly. Don't worry. *Oooooo....Chinese Military Style teacher. Okay.*
Me: By the way, we are only starting in March.
She gave me another silent eye roll and said: Here, fill up the form.

There is a column for "Special needs/requirement". I contemplated.
I may need another piece of paper for that. Haha. But I left it blank. There is no need for preconceived notions about him, right?

So, we left with a new bag, a cap, 2 sets of new uniforms, a lunch bag filled with 3 bowls, 3 spoons and a heavy heart.
My baby is going to school and I cannot read the instruction manual that came with it. *cries*.
So last night, we worked on our Chinese before our Tutti Fruitti date.

Things you see in the picture:
Green sandpaper Chinese 'pi hua' aka strokes
Blue sandpaper Chinese character parts
Chinese strokes magnetic puzzle (as a guide for ME)
Samsung S3 for my pleco app which is not as useful as my MIL.

This morning, Tiger woke up real early. Usually he will come into my room for a cuddle. Today?
"Darling, baby, sweeeeeetie, honey pie?"
SILENCE
When I went downstairs, gone was his cheeky but shy smile. 
I gave him a bear hug and said:
"Darling, you are not going to school today. You are going to Bao Bei."
He replied softly, "It's okay. I just want Nai Nai. (grandma)"
"You want your milk?"
"No. I am not hungry. I want Nai Nai."
"Okay. She will back in a jiffy. I love you. Do you want to play outside?"
"No. I just want to lie down here."

Great. Depression. At 5 years old. I really hope he enjoys this kindergarten I picked. Play-based, Chinese speaking, no homework, no emphasis on writing, lots of pretend play, etc.

Or....it may be the uniform he's dreading. I mean the kindy attire is seriously ugly. I cannot even look at it without cringing. I am going to note that down in my feedback form. After all, under the column for Mother's Occupation, I wrote 'fashion designer/doctor'. Usually, I write housewife or sexy secretary. Or executive chef. Or air stewardess.

Happy 2015!!

I am one of those people who do not believe in resolutions but this year, I am going to be more proactive. More diligent. More creative. Bwahahaha...I can imagine my own face when I read this on 31st December 2015.

Life is short. YOLO or whatever. So, here goes:

1. Blog twice a week, at least. Yeah, I am so lazy now. I blame Instagram.

2. Exercise 3 times a week. For my health, not my waist (repeat to myself 1000 times so that it sounds convincing to my brain.)

3. Stop procrastination. I am already such a pro at this, I do not need anymore practice.

4. Learn a new skill. Like spearing a fish. God knows when Selangor is going to be flooded.

5. Travel further than Penang when with kids. (I LOL but I am actually scared)

6. Be a better daughter. Tell my parents I love them everyday. If they think I am after their money, then I am allowed to reduce it to once a week.

7. Stop buying toys for the kids. Oh crap, I already bought some yesterday. Never mind, I'll start today. This is going to be harder than No.1 to No.6. If I can do this, then heck, I can climb a mountain!! Ooohh, maybe I should set my sight on Mount Kinabalu. In 2 years time.

8. Stop yelling at the kids. I need to learn to meditate. Oh, another new skills. At this rate, I will have fifty more resolutions. Damn.

Okay, so there. Cukup. I am going to do it. Let me google some pictures and create my dream board. I am going to be creepy and stick a picture of my face onto Jessica Alba's body. I read in The Secret that it's all in the mind. So, if it doesn't work, it probably isn't the nasi lemak or char kuey teow or fried chicken. It's the damn book.

Have you written any down this year? Well, good luck if you have one. I have eight, so good luck to me too.
 

Happikiddo

Sponsored post 

You guys know how much I love shopping right? 

Nothing makes me happier than being in a store that sells toys or educational material. 

Throw in some baby goods and maternity stuff and I am all ...

Honey, I want another baby!!

Hehe..

So, when Happikiddo asked us to do a review, 

I was like Yes, sure, no problem, when, where...all in one breathe.  

 

I am not kidding when I say they have everything for kids under one roof.

Happikiddo houses over 50 international brands with more than 10,000 products.  

I went bonkers in the HUGE outlet at Citta Mall, Ara Damansara.

What an apt name too....it's such a happy place.

They should rename it Happimama because I was more excited than the kids!

  

The store's interior is very warm and welcoming 

Their helpful and friendly staff were ever ready to answer my queries. 

Come, take a look and you will see why we are so enamored.

 

Upon entering the store, you are greeted by the gorgeous counter laden with gifts.

To the left are racks and racks of feeding essentials.

They carry a large selection of bottles, feeding utensils, lunch bags, etc   

At the far left corner are the bath and body care products.

Besides the common Malaysian brands like Pureen, they also have 

California Baby, Mustela and Putto. No need to pay for shipping anymore...woohoo!

Oh, if you are a fan of Tanamera, guess what? They have those too!

In the clothing aisle, my Mini-shopaholic couldn't make up her mind.

So many choices, so little time!

 

 "I want to buy everything!"

Sigh, I totally get you, baby. 

I look like that too when papa say cannot buy everything.

You are truly my daughter.

 

Happikiddo carries chic maternity and nursing tops and my girl found these two fascinating.

How often do you see breastfeeding mannequins?

 "Come, I help you nen-nen"

While my girl was being all motherly and sweet, my boys were busy....being boys .

Trying out the sporting gear.

Luckily the store is spacious enough to accommodate these two. 

Behind these are the strollers and rockers.

 My favorite part of the store is....TADAAA!!!!!

I died and went to high quality toy heaven....

 Tiger was very impressed with the selection of JANOD and B. toys.

Too bad for him his papa tagged along...he was allowed to select ONE toy.

It's so tough because there were SO MANY to choose from.

 

  

 

He was glad they were selling kinetic sand.

He said, "Everybody should play with sand. It's really fun."

^.^

It's priced at rm259.90 for 5kg

 

In the end, Tiger was like,

"I don't know what to buy. You buy this room for me laaaa"

Yeah...right...

They even prepared a little play area with a play kitchen and refrigerator set up.

That occupied Dragon girl for 30 minutes while we were looking around.

 

Next to the play area, is this gorgeous setup.

I thought they were ceramics because they were so beautiful.

 

 The tableware is from RICE Denmark.

They are homaigod pretty, it's almost a crime to do anything more than stare.

They are made from food-safe melamine, so no worries.

 Some words from RICE website:

• Melamine is not suitable for the microwave
• Melamine can break if exposed to hard shock.
• Please check for cracks and discard the product if any is found.
• Over time, melamine products can age and obtain a matte finish.
• Products with a very matte finish should be discarded.

Dragon girl's fascination with our goody bag beauties.

Montessori promotes the use of ceramics and glass, even in toddlers.

Looking at her, I can see why now. They truly appreciate beautiful things.

Having said that, I think I will just stick to melamine for now.

You're sure I am allowed to play with this?

Will break or not?

  You sure this is not ceramics?

 I am going to play now...like right now...okay?

Since Tiger couldn't make up his mind, I helped him by purchasing this 

B. Piccolo Carousel Bells (rm 99)

It is way cheaper than Lazada and much better than our hand bells.

 

If you are looking for Christmas gifts or you know, just in case 

 anyone wants to send us a Christmas gift, here's my wish list.

All available at a Happikiddo near you :)

B. Toys Meowsic Piano

 Hape Discovery Spaceship

SkipHop PlaySpot (Blue/Gold)

#cooldieme

 

Kiddimoto Superbike

This is so cool: "Hey dude, need a ride?"

I was thinking of getting this for Dragon girl...hehe.

Hape wooden refrigerator 

Some things we already have and love:

Wee Sing Children's Songs and Fingerplay

 

Bazoongi Learning Cottage

Visit a store near you today!
 

1. Happikiddo Citta Mall 
Lot No. F23-F25, 1st Floor, Citta Mall, Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya. 
Tel.: +603-7859 9330

2. Happikiddo Quill City Mall
Lot No. 2.26 - 2.31, 2nd Floor, Quill City Mall, 1018 Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. 
Tel.: +603-2602 1596

3. Happikiddo Publika
Lot No. 9 Level UG 1, Publika Shopping Gallery, Solaris Dutamas, Jalan Dutamas 1, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel.: +603-6206 1830

4. Mum Over The Moon

Level G3-49, Publika Shopping Gallery.
Tel.: +603-6211 2258

Or connect with Happikiddo via:

Web: www.happikiddo.com.my (a spanking new site will be available early 2015)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Happikiddo 
Instagram: @thehappikiddo
Twitter: @happikiddo

**For online order, you can reach Happikiddo via FB private message before the new site is up.

The good people at Happikiddo is having a BIG Giveaway!!

If you want to win something, just follow the steps and good luck!