Chinese New Year: In the last blog, I told you about getting ready for CNY and our 'reunion dinner' (not much of a reunion per se with just the 5 of us...). Other things that happened in /around CNY:
A. went on a Boy Scout campout. This was his first ever Boy Scout campout. I had bought him a frame backpack before we left Texas as a reward for getting his Arrow of Light award. The choices were too small for his body, or too big for his body. We chose 'too big' because I don't intend to fork over that kind of money again soon. So we loaded that thing up with sleeping mat, eating gear, change of clothes, tent, etc. It was pretty heavy when loaded. It looked like it was trying to swallow him when he put it on. (I MUST remember to get a picture next time!) The good news is that any Mom that saw him would surely take pity on him and help him out. I had planned all along to go on this campout, but it turned out that the next day the other 2 kids had to be in opposite directions at the same time, and therefore 2 parents were needed to escort/drive them where they needed to be. Plus, A. didn't really want me to go on the campout. He didn't come out and say that, but only because he didn't want to hurt my feelings. This would be his first outing with this troop. His first outing as a Boy Scout. And he would be the youngest one there since the other kids his age didn't 'graduate' from Cub Scouts 'till the 1st of March. (A. graduated early because he wanted to do the ceremony with his Texas friends that he'd been through all of Cub Scouts with.) So it took a little (o.k., a LOT) of faith in the Troop leaders (whom we'd only been around a few times) and the Boy Scout System (which I have quite a bit of faith in as far as safety goes...) to let my son just go off on a trip like this. They took boats over to Sisters Island (it also has a Malay name, but I've forgotten it) about 30 min. from Singapore. There's nothing on this island except a boat dock and a bathroom. And monkeys and snakes. Perfect for a bunch of boys, right? Well, let me just tell you, that kid had a blast. I'm so glad that I didn't go, because I could just see the maturity/confidence difference in this kid when he got back. It was the same as when H. went to Dry Creek camp the fist time. They just came back 'older' somehow. Like, "I did it. I took care of myself without Mom or Dad for a few days, and it was GREAT." I guess this is where I'm supposed to feel un-needed or something, but I'm just proud of the way they're growing up. I tell them all the time that my job is "to train them so they don't need me". :-) Glad some of it is taking hold. Oh sure, I'm certain that his toothbrush was never used and he probably didn't change his underwear (or even his clothes unless they went swimming). But so what? He got along with the other boys and made some new friends. The adult leaders seemed to think he fit in pretty well and that all was fine.
Second from right
Yes, he wore his Tennessee hat. :-D
The weekend after the campout we invited the church over for a pot luck. We also did some singing after we ate. We had great food - Korean, Japanese, Mexican (there's a Lady from Mexico who is a member at NorthWest), American, and probably some other type I'm forgetting. I made Amber's Cake Balls (that's what they're called in my family) and discovered that you shouldn't leave them sitting out during the party. Only bring them out when it's time for dessert. Ah well, leftovers were great!
Friends from church enjoying the food.
Main food table. Flowers were from Erin for Valentine's day.
Dessert Table
So let's see.... I don't know if I've mentioned A.'s karate class. He has been enjoying that. He and another boy joined at the same time. The other boy is from Norway and speaks Norwegian and German. No English. The class is in English mostly with a little Japanese and Mandarin. So this poor kid is always standing on the wrong foot or just totally lost. A. helps him out when he can. Matt (the Norwegian) is also younger than A. by 3 years AND his normal bed time is about when the class starts on Fri. nights. :-( A. helps when he can, but I think Matt is very frustrated. But it does help A.'s ego to have another new kid in the class with him and to be helping said friend instead of needing the friend's help. I've already told H. that she is required to take several years of Karate or Kung Fu before she moves out to college. Yes, I freak out thinking about her walking home from the library at night on any college campus in America!!! (calm down.....SERENITY NOW!) But for now she is taking "Western Flower Arranging" at the same time as the karate class. She is really enjoying it - that class is 'right up her alley'! Her creations are beautiful, too and she gets to bring them home for us all to enjoy. Here are 3 of them:
The oranges were part of a cat trap. The cat likes to eat fresh flowers, so I put down sticky tape and the oranges kept the ceiling fan from blowing it away. I hear you laughing. It worked, though.
They have to follow pre-determined shapes. The first was 'round'. This one is 'L' shaped.
I'm not sure what the shape was for this one, but it is supposed to hang down. The yellow flowers are one of my favorite types of orchids.
On to the youngest. O. has started swim lessons. I just couldn't get him past some of his anxiety in the water. He CAN swim, he just panics sometimes. He is doing well in his lessons, though. He will do anything she asks him to do. Which is only mildly frustrating since when I'd asked him to do the same things he'd say, "I can't". Yesterday she taught them the kick for the butterfly stroke. He's doing really well. His confidence in the water is getting much better. However, after class yesterday A. asked for his goggles back (O. has a talent for losing his goggles. The record is 4 hours from the time I bought them. STILL haven't found them, and I'm NOT buying him any more!!!) and O. wanted to continue swimming. He came up from underwater and found himself in a predicament. He didn't want to open his eyes and get water in them ( I know. But it's a big deal to Percells, apparently?!), and he didn't know he was 1 ft. from the side of the pool. He decided that he'd tread water and try to wipe his eyes dry. But he couldn't. As the swim teacher said, "So, O. you'd rather drown than open your eyes?!!" So, mean Mom that I am, I made him go under and open his eyes underwater. (Erin thinks that's border-line torture. I think it's ridiculous. Unless the pool is over-chlorinated, and ours isn't.) He only did it a 'crack', but it's a start.
So, after our CNY Sentosa disaster (see previous entry), we did make it back out to Sentosa. We did the luge again (I hate that chair lift!) and went out to Ft. Siloso for a little homeschooling. Ft. Siloso didn't play that much of a role in defending Singapore from the Japanese, but there is a good exhibit there on WWII, and some tunnels to explore. We all had fun, and got very hot. To end the day, we came back to Swenson's and had their All You Can Eat Ice Cream Buffet for supper. (We had coupons for buy one get one free. Normal price is like S$17) Yes, I know we're bad. Very very bad. We ate and ate and ate. They also have some cake and pie on the buffet. We tried the Durian ice cream. If you've not heard of Durian, look it up on the web. Whatever bad thing you read about the smell and taste is true. I'm sure it's an acquired taste. (You know, like dirt or beer or cow poo.) Honestly, the taste wasn't as bad as the smell. I could eat it if I had too. (I'll give it a 3 on a 1-10 scale.) But after you've tasted it, somehow the smell bothers you more. As H. said, "Because it's IN you, and you have the after-taste in your mouth." The smell wasn't bothering me before I tried it. After I tried it, I couldn't get the bowl far enough away from my nose. In S.E. Asia, folks argue over which country has the best Durian. They all claim the title. "Oh, no wonder you didn't like it. You should try Durian from [insert name of speaker's country here]. It's much better." Let me just say that I will not be trying to help them on that decision.
In Feb. I went back to the Dr. for a check-up on my toe. He says I have a few more weeks to decide whether I want the plate taken out of the toe or not. Apparently after 6 months it's really hard to get the plate out. So if I did some massive damage to that toe in the future and they needed to take the plate out, they probably couldn't. But I'm of the opinion that it's stronger with the plate in there, and hey it took me 41 years to mangle it the first time. If I mangle it at 82, that'll probably be the least of my worries.
On Valentine's Day my Granny (Dad's Mom) had a stroke. Then a week later she had another one. We think she had a 3rd one and just never woke up from it. She passed away on the 21st. :-( She was a GREAT Grandmother (and also a Great-Grandmother to my kids)! She used to make all of our birthday cakes. We thought she was Cake Boss. :-) She worked at a flower shop. I wish she could've seen H.'s creations!! She always had some little treats for us when we visited her house. She had a drawer that we knew was ours and sooner or later my sisters and I would go check it and find 3 of something in there (pencils, puzzles, candy, etc.). She would send my kids birthday boxes full of Dollar Tree stuff. But that was their favorite thing about their birthday each year. She had a knack for sending things that they loved. We loved going over to their house, and going to work with her at the flower shop sometimes. Her and Grandpa used to go to Daytona Beach and Disney World with us in the summer. So many, many fun memories!! Anyway, O. and I flew back to TN for her funeral. It was a long 27 hour trip! In spite of the funeral, it was good to see our family again. We even got to see Erin's parents who were in town for his niece's birthday. We also celebrated my nephew's birthday with him. We went around the loop in Cades Cove with Dad and Bobbie and ate at the Apple Barn (Mmmmm!). In fact, we ate at all of our favorite restaurants! The only rule was, "If they have it in Singapore, we're not eating it on this trip." I managed somehow not to gain any weight - which is still a mystery. We brought back 2 pounds of good ole' East Tennesse BBQ. We're saving it for a special occasion. We spent one night with my other grandmother and went shopping with her. We did get a little paranoid when those around us kept getting sick. The day Christi's family left to go home their oldest started a stomach bug that ran through their family. My Dad and Stepmom were under the weather, too. O. and I started taking vitamin C and zinc to ward off any nasties. Either it worked, or we weren't exposed to anything contagious. Whew. From Knoxville we flew to Houston and got to visit with our friends at the Avenue N congregation. That was really nice! It was good to see everyone and eat some good Mexican food. I just wish we could've stayed longer. :-( We went by the barn where my cat, Rosie, is "at camp". She has really put on weight. I think she likes the camp counselor better than me. In fact, she wouldn't come down and talk to me, even though I'm sure she recognized me. (She's always been wary of people. Even when she lived with me there were days she just wanted to be left alone.) Then we drove 5.5 hours to Baton Rouge so I could see my horse, Speedy. We spent the night at the Country Lane Bed and Breakfast and rode the trails there. Good horse therapy! Then we drove back to Houston and flew back to Singapore the next morning.
Since we've gotten back, the oldest 2 started their music lessons. I was hoping to find a school-type band for them to join, but didn't have any luck. So they have a teacher who comes here for an hour each week. The price is very good for someone who comes to your home!
I've started volunteering at the Riding for the Disabled, Singapore. (RDA) I'm a sidewalker in theory, but I also fill in when they need more leaders. (Sidewalkers help the riders stay on. Leaders prepare and lead the horse) Last week I helped re-do a bulletin board. I was wishing H. was there, because she's more talented in the art dept. than I am.
So our 'normal' schedule is:
Mondays: Robotics
Tuesdays: Mom @ RDA, p.m. Boy Scouts
Wednesdays: girls' riding lessons
Thursdays: Music and swim lessons
Fridays: Karate and Flower arranging, Cub Scout Pack meeting once a month
Wheeeeee. Too bad us homeschoolers are chained to those kitchen tables!
Oh, I forgot to mention that we splurged on season passes to Universal Studios Singapore! Woo-Hoo! They have a 'fun pass' option which has 'black out' days. But they only black out the days they think will be most crowded - holidays and certain weekends. That's great by us. Thanks for telling us when NOT to come! So we're looking forward to going there during the week (once homeschool is taken care of) when it's not crowded. The highlights are The Mummy ride (O's favorite) and Battlestar Gallactica which is a dueling roller coaster.
Well, for not having done much, this has been a pretty long blog. So there ya go.
