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 schoo ..read more

I always look forward to December. It's a month special to us because it marks the birthdays of two of my babies. Since it is the school holidays, it's also a time where we can travel, explore, have fun, spend time together as a family and be able to sleep in. Yes, I give three cheers for that last part and I love being able to turn off all my alarms and let everyone sleep to his/her heart's content. Unlike in June where the kids might have holiday assignments or CCA practice to attend, December symbolises the wrapping up of a year and the kids are usually more free. Yes, no extra lessons, no ..read more

It's hard to believe that the youngest in our family has turned three this year. Yup, how did those fleeting years pass us by and how is it that my preemie is now a toddler who is considered tall for his age? Oh wow, that is the amazing thing about having kids and I count my blessings every day that I get to stay home with my babies and witness every of their growing up milestones.  Well, it's been 15 years since I held my first themed celebration for the firstborn and I'm happy to say that we are still going strong in terms of DIY parties. I asked Ansel what theme he would like for his 3 ..read more

There are some months that are rather peaceful while others can be extremely eventful. It's usually pretty evident by the amount of photos or videos I take and a picture is worth a thousand words, right?  Beside taking photos, writing these "Happiness is..." posts also allows me to look back, to smile at the memories and to remember those feelings of joy - all these motivate me to keep going and not give up when things get tough. November was an eventful albeit exhuasting month for us. It being the start of the school holidays meant that we had loads of activities lined up for the kids an ..read more

As the kids grow older, birthdays gradually become more of intimate celebrations than themed parties. Remember how we held DIY parties such as Sylvanian Tea Party, Spy Party, Unicorn Party, Tangled Party for Angel and her friends when she was younger? Yup, those were the good old days and I hope they left behind beautiful memories for her in her growing up years. Now that she is a teenager, she has outgrown the need for lavish parties and huge gatherings. So while I let have her own celebration with her friends, I still make a point year after year that we spend time together as a family and c ..read more

树欲静而风不止，子欲养而亲不待。 I learnt this saying recently and when I read about the meaning, tears welled up in my eyes uncontrollably. Yup, I've been having quite an emotional struggle recently as a mum and it's been a rough patch in this parenting journey. The saying literally means that the tree wishes to be quiet but the wind will not cease, the child wants to show filial piety but the parents are already gone. It is a reminder that things don't always go our way in life and there are many things that are out of our control. What we can do is hold on tightly to our loved ones and make sure we cherish ..read more

My kids look forward to Halloween every year. This is not because we would attend large scale parties or do anything over the top but because of our yearly DIY celebration held in the comfort of our home. Following our "Spooky Party" in 2020, "Back to School" celebration in 2021 and "Skeleton Carnival" in 2022, this year, we had a "Work Hard, Party Harder" theme. I actually decided on the theme long ago when I heard that Kidzania was closing its doors and I wanted my kids to be able to experience the joy of trying out different occupations. Of course, the activites had to be kept simple and c ..read more

旧的不去，新的不来。 This Chinese saying essentially means that to make way for the new, we have to get rid of the old. I think there's truth in that but there are also times when the old is worth clinging onto or we just can't to see it go. Like a sentimental piece of clothing, a place of attraction that holds many fond memories, a bracelet that belongs to Grandma, a well-loved book that has been re-read thousand of times and so on. In this post of "Happiness is...", it's about welcoming the new while also cherishing the old. ****** We visited Bird Paradise for the very first time since it opened its d ..read more

If there's one thing that I would want my kids to learn, it's how to embrace failure in life.  While we all love to taste the sweetness of success, it's important to remember that it usually goes hand-in-hand with failure and comes as a result of sheer hard work and determination. When we fail to achieve something, it is how we get the opportunity to learn, to figure out what went wrong, to develop a growth mindset, and to make ourselves stronger and more resilient as we set out to try again. Instead of being putting ourselves down when the results don't meet our expectations, we should f ..read more

We love travelling as a big family and are blessed to be able to bring our parents, who get along really well, on holidays overseas. Even though we gather quite often at our place for festivities, it's different when you visit a foreign place and go sightseeing together. The last time we went abroad together was in December 2019, right before the pandemic hit. We went to Club Med in Bintan and it was an enjoyable trip for everyone. I do wish we can bring our parents to further places like Japan or even Europe but it costs a bomb even for our family of six alone, which is why we are still stick ..read more