Stay At Home Dad (for a day)

Klessis has an outdoor event with omy. So I had to take care of both girls at home. This is one of the very few chances I get to stay alone with the girls. Actually I was quite looking forward to it. I planned to do a lot of things to do. Draw and colour with Joey. Teach Joey to ride the bicycle. Bring the girls to the playground downstairs. Happening!

BUT, none of the above was accomplished.

All I did was run after Jayne so that she won’t pull down the bicycle and crush herself. Made milk for Jayne, cleaned her poo poo, changed her diapers, fed her rice, wiped the floor when she spilt her water, more cleaning when Jayne pulled down all the books. Disciplined her when she wouldn’t stop playing with the fan. Disciplined her when she wouldn’t stop pouring her water on the floor purposely.

Photos of how Jayne usually acts after a discipline session. (pardon the quality, taken using my BB)

Can you see her messy hair? Soak in sweat from all the running around.

Giving me the pity look so that Daddy will stop being bad and be nice again.

Finally a smile when she knows I am taking photos. A natural model?

Back to her cheeky self..

Thank God Joey was easier. She was most of the time contented if I let her play the iPad, watched Dibo on Youtube, taught her a bit on writing. Sorry no photos of Joey cos most of my time is absorbed my the younger one.

Seriously, SAHD is not fun at all! It’s so boring and tiring. But all these, helped me to appreciate my dear wife more than ever. And also a deep deep respect for the SAHMs! SALUTE!!

Choosing A Kindergarten

Joey will be 5 years old in 2011! She will be promoted to Kindergarten 1 soon!

We are planning to relocate Joey from a Childcare Centre to a Kindergarten that is nearer to home. Really thank God she is quite looking forward to it. Let me spell out to you what are the differences between Joey’s present Childcare Centre and the Kindergarten we plan to shift her to.

Childcare Centre
Full day session (8am-6pm)
Travelling time is about 1hr (factoring in traffic jam)
School fee after subsidy is double the amount
Joey knows all the kids
We know the teachers & understand their teaching methods

Kindergarten
Afternoon session (1230pm-330pm)
Travelling time is about 20mins
School fee without subsidy is half the amount
Joey has to make new friends
Not too sure how the teachers’ teaching style

I can still remember the first days when Joey attended Childcare. She cried so much till we were so heartbroken, we nearly wanted to stop bringing her to the Centre. That was almost 2 years back. Now, she is enjoying the time playing and learning with her friends in school. She is also the teachers’ favourite.

Now, she is getting ready to embark to a new phase in her schooling life. Making a decision to shift her to a new school is not easy at all. There is the logistics to be settled, like looking for a nearby Kindergarten, looking for busing services, arranging my mother’s time to ensure she is able to take care of Joey when she returns from school, etc. But one of the most worrying thing is, will Joey be able to adept to the new environment? Will she be able to make new friends? Will the teacher be nice to her? So many questions, so many worries!

McDonalds @ King Albert Park

It was more than 10 years since I visited King Albert Park McDonalds. The place is still so clean and a favourite for a lot of students. Jio-ed a few of our friends on a Saturday morning and had breakfast together. Relaxing weekend. Nice!

Joey enjoying her eggs with honey. Hmmm…

Jayne decided to show off some of her acting skills (facial expressions).

The surprise look

The angry look

The ‘buay song’ look

The ‘bo chap’ look

The sleepy look

Peter and Cherry (getting married soon) =)

Kristie and Justin

Every kid loves McDonalds and especially those figures outside. Why didn’t I have such chance when I was young?

The J kids (Joey, Jayne, Justin) with Hamburglar

And of course Ronald McDonald himself.

It’s such a joy to see the smiles on every single kid. Breakfast is good, company is great, the kids’ smiles are priceless!

 

Fit2Father

Fathering should be listed as one of the x-treme sports. We are talking about a lifetime commitment, 24hours standby, countless heartaches, many sleeplessness, etc etc…

It is even worst in Singapore. Mothers get 4 months maternity leave, fathers only 3 days paternity leave. How can that be possible? We wake up the same number of times in the night, we shoulder the equal amount of anxiety and stress when taking care of a child. Right?

So to be a father, you need to be FIT!

Eat well is very important! Red meat, lots of it for the protein!

Exercise! Nothing beats a football game. Run till you drop. Make those muscles work like mad…. =)

Have some ‘me’ time.. Rest and relax so that you can go further! A cup of coffee is my choice.

Come on Fathers! We need to be a strong MAN!!!

Dedicated to Mummy

This entry is specially dedicated to the ever loving, hardworking, faithful, longsuffering, but yet always joyful and smiling mother of Joey & Jayne.

Klessis Lee =)

When I first know my wife, she is just a young girl in school. That was almost 19 years ago. Back then I would never imagine her to be the mother she is right now. When we were dating, I knew I would marry her. I knew we would have kids together. In fact, we were one of the earliest couple with kids in our group of friends. Thus, we have no one to turn to for advices or to find answers. Which is why I truly admire my wife for being able to learn so fast and make so little errors along the way. She has single-handedly transformed herself from a girl to a woman, a mother just by her own determination. Salute!

Now after 4 years, we have Joey and Jayne. Kless is still the bubbly girl I knew since young, probably a bit more tired than before, but still the girl who is able to take care of herself and take care of the people around her. I seriously believe without her, both our kids will not be who and what they are like now. Thank you Mummy Klessis!!

Teaching Joey how to be cool! Sunglasses is a must! Big and black.

Mummy is always behind the girls, even when they are just looking the pool, drooling at I don’t know what. =)

Cute! Pretty and adorable!

Discipline Without Being A Bad Guy

Are all fathers destined to be the bad guy? Spare the rod, you spoil the child. So a certain amount of discipline is necessary. I do use the cane but I do love my kids. It’s never easy to be a father, that is why we are all learning along the way. I think fathers are sometimes at a disadvantage compared to mothers. When a lady becomes a mother, their mother or female friends will share with them the do’s and don’ts or share with them the failure and success stories. But guys don’t do that as much. Which is why blogs are a good way to share our experiences and learn from one another. We need to build a closer community of fatherhood and stop being too macho to learn from one another.

Here are some basic principles to help us be successful in maturing and guiding our children:

1. Understand why discipline is important
Setting rules and regulations are not meant to instil fear in your child. Instead we are guiding them to understand important principles in life. Certain things can be harmful to others if not corrected. As fathers, it is necessary to remember that no matter how much your child is crying, whining or screaming, discipline is important. Turning a blind eye to things is not the way to solve a problem.

2. Get a partner in crime
This is a tough one. Both father and mother should be on the same side. If the father disciplines and the mother just comforts, you are painting the father as the bad guy. Being on the same page in discipline allows you to establish the consistency in your kids’ life. They will not misunderstand that doing one thing may be wrong in Papa’s eyes but right in Mama’s point of view. Grandparents plays a big part in this too.

3. Always explain the discipline to your child
Discipline is meant to guide and teach the child a life lesson. Discipline is not making them feel humiliated. Which is why I feel discipline should be done behind closed doors and not in public. I’ll put up my hand up to admit I sometimes failed in this. But it is essential that you explain to your child why a certain behaviour or action is wrong. Leadership as a father to your child comes better with respect and love than fear.

4. Follow with love
Never end with your discipline, always end with love. A hug or a kiss. It’s never easy, but we have to try.

 

Gong Gong’s Birthday @ East Coast

The girls’ grandfather is 59 years old this year. So we treated him to Long Beach at East Coast. Food was not too bad, I think the chilli crab is better than Jumbo.

The girls love to be with the grandparents, cos they only see each other once a week, every possible chance of meeting is like a chance for them to dote on the girls. And the girls know it too!

If you look carefully, Jayne is trying to drink my beer. Something can’t start young.

One of the very few family photos with Kless’s family.

Lunch was as usual, but we didn’t plan for the fun that came later.

Gong Gong with Joey, teaching her some of the old kampong ways of fun.

Gong Gong with Jayne, look at how happy my FIL is =)

Po Po with Jayne

Joey loves to hang out with Nigel

These 2 photos are my favourite for the day. One for each girl.

The Thankful Campaign

I follow this blog “The Father Factor” and their latest entry was talking about a single father expressing his thanks to various things and events in his life. You can read more here.

So I have decided to do a similar entry too. To give thanks for all that is around me helping and enabling me to be a good father.

First of all, I got to really say thankful to 2 very different but equally important women whom contributed to make a father. To my mother, who gave birth to me, and to my wife who gave birth to my kids. Mothers are usually the more dedicated parent thus, I salute the both of them. You made me who I am today and whatever success I have in life, you have a part in it as well.

Next up are the wonderful gang of friends who practically witnessed how Kless and I became parents and along the way love Joey & Jayne as much as we had. Thanks guys & gals! You are the BFF!

A surprise thank you to all the gadgets’ manufacturers! Apple. BlackBerry. Nintendo. LG. With you guys, my girls are self-entertained for numerous hours. Car rides become easier. Meal times become more enjoyable.

iPad by Apple

BB Phone by BlackBerry

DS Lite by Nintendo

Portable DVD Player by LG

Last but not least, a big thank you to GOD!

Don’t Stop at One!

Jayne is 18 months old.

Joey is 55 months old.

Besides that, there isn’t much differences between the 2 girls. Both of them are equally active and vocal. And of course super cute!

I love this photo. Both girls looking back at the camera with the sunrays in the background.

Jie jie sleeps, I’ll sleep too.

Jie jie sits, I’ll sit too.

Jie jie kicks, I’ll follow behind.

Sisters together at the pool.

There are so many things 2 sisters can do together. I truly believe that having siblings are very important. Don’t stop at one!