Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

I know. This is a completely outdated post =)

I’m going to share it anyway, just in case there are those who’re thinking of going to similar shows with your little ones in the future! =)

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Last month, during our one-week school holiday here in Singapore, we went to the Singapore Indoor Stadium to check out Disney on Ice – Worlds of Fantasy.

We don’t ‘always’ go to such shows, btw. But, since both Anya and Vai are very familiar with all four main stories : The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Cars (of course!), and Tinker Bell, we thought it’d be nice to surprise them with tickets to the show!

[The fact that they both were always excited to see the ads – but ‘never’ asked us to buy them tickets to watch the show – made us want to take them there even more! =)]

Anyway.

Here’re some photos to share!

[Went to the Singapore Indoor Stadium by train. It was our first time alighting at the Stadium MRT Station, and I was wowed by the futuristic feel of the station! Very nice!!]

[All excited to watch the show. They were only told that they’re going to the show a day before! Such an ‘arrangement’ works best for all parties, I think. Kids are excited that they’re going to the show TOMORROW, and the parents don’t repeatedly get the ‘When are we going???’ question =)]

[The ‘Cars’ show needed to last a little longer, I feel. Too brief. BUT, the life-sized cars were really good!]

[The Little Mermaid show lasted a little longer than ‘Cars’. Love the dance sequences, lights and effects]

[There’s a 15-minute break after the Lion King show and before Tinker Bell started. A little piece of advice, if you need to go to the toilet, do hurry before the queue gets TOO long =) ]


[The Lion King show was nice, but I liked the Tinker Bell show the most. It lasted the longest too.]

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More info and tips to share :

> Going to the Singapore Indoor Stadium is very convenient via train. Click HERE to see the different options on ‘How to Get There’!

> Singapore Indoor Stadium is only about a minute walk from the Stadium MRT Station, but since there’s NO ‘underpass’ that connects the train station to the stadium, you’d need your umbrella to cross the road if it happened to rain that day.

> Ticket prices were affordable for last month’s Disney on Ice. For just about S$15 per person, you can go for ‘Category 4’, where you’d sit further away from the stage, right at the balcony, but the view was unblocked!

> Bring along your water bottles and snacks for the kiddos, unless you’re ready to spend quite a bit on merchandises and snacks there.

> Lastly, bring along jackets for the kids, if they can’t stand the cold too much. It does get a little cold inside the stadium.

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Anyway, I thought it was a nice family outing.

And since we don’t always go to such shows during school holidays, going to one once in a while does make it more special for all of us.

[This photo was taken last week @ 30.5 weeks pregnant]

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Now that I’m pregnant with #3, I do frequently get asked , ‘Have you guys always planned to have three kids?’

And to that, my answer would generally be, ‘Actually, we’ve always thought it’s nice to just have two kids in the family. After we had our 2nd kid, we frankly never thought of having another one.’

Well, the thing is … in the end, we DID have another child, a third one.

AND, it was a PLANNED pregnancy.

So, what’s happened in between? =)

[This actually was something that I wanted to share last year, ie. when we eventually decided to plan for baby #3, and was GIVEN almost immediately!]

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Before I share ‘WHY we eventually went ahead with having baby #3’, I guess I should firstly share some things that made me feel NOT prepared to have a third child.

These were my main concerns :

> I’m already in a ‘comfortable zone’.
Anya and Vai are much bigger now and they’re able to do more things ‘on their own’. I can have more ‘me time’ and pursue ‘my own interests’ too now.

> Having a baby means starting from ‘zero’ again.
It means not sleeping well at night again because I’d be breastfeeding / changing diapers / attending to cries or discomforts. It also means bringing along a big bag full of baby stuff whenever I go out and about, AND pushing/lifting a pram again.

> I don’t wish to have even ‘less’ time with Anya and Vai.

> If there’re two kids, each parent can handle one kid. But, what if there are three kids??

> Having another child means extra financial responsibility, and really, we’re not sure we can cope with that.

> I (really) don’t want to have a live-in domestic helper staying with us (Many people said to me that if we had 3 kids, I MUST have a fulltime domestic helper to cope).

> I have donated / given away 95% of our baby-related stuff! I practically have NO baby things at home.

[Btw, if you went through something similar to mine, did you have these concerns too?]

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When the thought of ‘perhaps God wanted to entrust us with ANOTHER child’ came, I was kind of in a state of ‘disbelief’.

I wanted to avoid such a thought. I was just NOT ready. In fact, I have NEVER thought of having THREE.

When Wilson and I had our chat however, he reminded me of something. He said, ‘We’ve seen through the years how God has never left us. HE supplies what we need. And, IF God wanted to entrust us with another one, and IF HE had a beautiful plan ahead of us with this additional member of the family, then how can we say no?’

Sigh. He’s right. How can I say no?

So in the end, I prayed and said,

‘God, if YOU really wanted to entrust us with another one, then please, PLEASE make our hearts, especially MINE, ready for this new adventure ahead. Because I know I’m NOT ready right now. I have such a little faith and I need YOU to help me be ready and prepared for this new task ahead.’

And you know what?

In about three to four days after THAT, I did feel ready! We BOTH felt ready! It was amazing!

[We prayed and had conversations with friends who’ve had three kids. I chatted with Anya and Vai and subtly asked questions – and saw their responses – on having another child in the family. The story of Ruth also encouraged me – she’s someone who left her ‘comfort zone’, ventured into the ‘unknown’ and was in the end a blessing to many generations]

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And I must say this: It was totally NOT because I felt capable, but because Wilson and I were ‘MADE prepared’ for this. This ‘change in our hearts and minds’ definitely was not from ‘ourselves’.

Here are some additional thoughts that eventually made us both feel READY to have another child.

> Each child brings joy to the family. It’s a blessing to have been entrusted with a child.

> Not everyone who tries to have a child CAN have a child. Every child is given, NOT made. AND, if God chooses to entrust us with a child (or more), HE will provide what we need. And most importantly, HE will also give us the necessary strength and capability to go through any kinds of challenges ahead. And even IF things get tough at times, we will learn to depend on HIM even more. It’s a blessing to have been able to learn about life and faith through life’s challenges.

> Every child is a blessing in his / her own way. There’s no need to worry about ‘tomorrow’, when we put our trust in Him, persevere and do ‘our part’ faithfully.

> When we sincerely are willing to teach / raise a child in God’s ways so that he/she can be a blessing to others in years to come, God WILL be with us. We’re not raising just ‘anybody’, we’re dealing with souls, and we’re raising people who have great potentials to make positive difference and influence to the family, to the community, to the world. And THAT is such an honourable task.

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If you ask me, I’d say I KNOW that things will not be easy.

Things will not always be smooth sailing.

There’ll be ups and downs for sure.

And, I do have fears of the ‘unknown’ too. What will it be like later when #3 comes along? Can I cope? Can the two older kids adjust well? and so on.

But, I somehow KNOW that I’m in the process of being taught to put my faith in God. To ‘exercise’ my (small) faith. To depend on Him for strength, joy, patience and wisdom! I somehow know too that I’ll be shaped and changed in many ways along the way.

Yep, we are being taught to trust and see the wonderful works God can do in our lives, when we ourselves are ready to learn and put our trust in Him.

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I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
Written by Ira P. Stanphill

I don’t know about tomorrow; I just live from day to day.
I don’t borrow from its sunshine for its skies may turn to gray.

I don’t worry o’er the future for I know what Jesus said;
And, today, I’ll walk beside Him for He knows what is ahead.

Many things about tomorrow, I don’t seem to understand.
But, I know Who holds tomorrow, and I know Who holds my hand!

[Somehow I like this shot : The slightly red eyes, because we forgot to bring along her goggles, and the toothless grin! =)]

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Hi everyone,

It’s been a while since I wrote a post on photography tips, and so … here’re some quick tips – on taking photos of little kids – that I’d like to share with you today ! =)

Here goes.

>> Get down to their level
Keep the camera at about ‘eye-level’ of the child, so the child looks straight to the camera, instead of ‘looking up’ at us.

>> Get close
Yes, we often take ‘safe shots’ where ‘everything’ (read: every part of the body, from head to toe) is photographed too. But, after you capture that shot, try and get CLOSE-UP shots as well. With kids, it’s always nice to capture their twinkling eyes!

>>  Natural lighting
Personally, I prefer to NOT use flash (ie. Whenever I can, I’d take photos during the day, outdoors or near a window during the day).

My Canon Powershot S90 comes with a ‘low-light setting’, and it really is a helpful feature, especially when I need to take shots in dim places (because it allows me to take photos FAST. Thus, hardly any ‘blurred shots’! When using this ‘low light’ setting, the less light, the lower the ‘quality’ of the shot though. But I’m totally okay with this, as the shots usually still turn out better than those taken with flash)

[Click HERE to read my review of Canon Powershot S90]

>> Shoot. Quickly.
Kids are always ‘on the move’. So don’t delay in taking photos of them. Because they’ll get bored, and/or we’ll lose the initial spontaneous laughters or actions we saw earlier =)

>>  Have fun while taking photos.
When I take photos of kids in the pool, I’d usually get them to make big splashes with their feet, or JUMP into the pool together =)

(Btw, if you’re in public pools, do be careful about taking photos of other people’s kids. Their parents may not like it, and it’s always better to ask for their permission first)

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Here are more links to some of my previous photography posts:

– Fun with Kids and Water!

– Photography Tips : Camera Angle

– Photography Tips : Composition

– Light Trails

– Jumping Shots of Kids!

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Have fun shooting and capturing precious moments, everyone!

And hope you have a wonderful week ahead! =)

One of the books that I have personally learned a lot from is ‘Shepherding a Child’s Heart’, by Tedd Tripp.

I’m still reading the book slowly, and each time I’ve finished a page or two (yes, THAT slow! =), I reflect on my own family situations, my parenting approaches so far, and how I still have so much to change, improve and apply everyday. I’m continually humbled and made to realise how very far I am from the standards God asks of me as a parent.

Today, I’d like to share with you some points from the book that I feel will serve as useful and practical reminders to us all.

It’s about communication and listening.

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Parents are often too busy to talk unless something is wrong. A regular habit of talking together prepares the way for talking in strained situations. You will never have the hearts of your children if you talk with them only when something has gone wrong.

Insightful conversations take time. Children require both time and flexibility. Children do not pour their hearts out or open themselves up on a demand schedule.

A wise parent talks when the kids are in the mood. Ever so often they will ask a question, make a comment, reveal some little aspect of their heart. In those times, when their conscience is stirred, you need to talk. This may require dropping everything else to SEIZE a critical moment.

You must become a good listener. You will miss precious opportunities when you only HALF-LISTEN to your children. The best way you can train your children to be active listeners is by actively listening to them.

it’s not easy to know when to be quiet and listen, but no one said parenting would be easy. Work at it. Stop sometimes and think about what you have heard. Think, too, about what you have not heard. Stopping and listening provides time to pray silently, to refocus and be creative in your conversation.

You must avoid temptations to chase unimportant matters.

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In today’s world, I admit that we are easily distracted.

We’re easily distracted with phone calls, text messages, the internet, mobile phone games, Twitter and Facebook. Even housework / work matters that can actually ‘wait’.

We’re often distracted with unimportant matters that we HALF-LISTEN (ie. not pay attention) to what matters MORE.

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Someone posted this status on her Facebook the other day:

A little boy was on one of those truck toys in the mall and as he laughed he called out to his Dad, “Daddy! I’m in a truckkk!!!!!!!!!!” But the Dad just nodded at his phone and continued typing away without looking at the boy 🙁

I thought it was a sad, YET realistic situation that happens often today. It may have even happened to us as well.

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Having said that, I know too that many children love to simply … talk. Some would seemingly talk about e-ve-ry-thing, and would chat nonstop every single day. Well, unless they’re asleep =)

If that’s the case at our home, it’s obviously not possible for us to stop doing everything for one whole day.

I guess, the point that the book writer is trying to put across is, treasure our loved ones. Listen and pay FULL attention when our children are trying to pour their hearts out about something.

Let’s build better communication with our loved ones.

Let’s listen. And not half-listen.

They may want each other’s toys.

They may make each other cry.

They may refuse to share.

But to see them play together, laugh, giggle and be silly with each other, … it’s priceless.

And it makes all our efforts in encouraging positive sibling relationships in the family, all these years, … SO worthwhile.

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Anya and Vai,

I hope and pray that you both are always thankful to God for each other, to always look out for one another, and to also love another little one who’ll be joining our family soon.

We love you both!

And we thank God for you, everyday.

So. Did you ‘participate’ in this year’s Earth Hour?

[Read about what ‘Earth Hour‘ is HERE, and click HERE to visit Earth Hour Singapore site!]

The four of us were there at Marina Bay last Saturday! (yep, we were out and about from morning till night time that day, after our Sentosa outing and all! Thanking God for the energy given to me that day =)

Anyway.

Let me share some captured moments first yeah!

(all taken with my Canon Powershot S90)

[Marina Bay Sands continues with its weekly ‘free outdoor lights show’ at 8pm that night]

[We packed our dinner and had it by the river. Nice weather, view and atmosphere!]

[As part of the ‘party’, there were live concerts, a movie screening, booths and carnivals. Surrounding buildings were ‘well-lit’ throughout the night]

[Earth hour officially ‘started’ here, and the crowds went for their ‘first ever Earth Hour Night Walk’. I obviously skipped this 3.5km walk! I’d  probably go straight into labour if I did join in, haha!]

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And here’s my frank opinion.

Personally, I felt the whole thing was more of a ‘celebration’ instead of an event meant to share the ‘green message’ and encourage the mass to do their part in ‘conservation’ and ‘energy-saving’ in their day to day lives.

By the time ‘Earth Hour’ started at 8.30pm, it was also still ‘bright’, with most surrounding buildings/offices still having their lights on.

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Anyway.

Regardless of whether you participated in this year’s Earth Hour or not, I’d like to encourage everyone to do our part, however small, in reducing the use of energy at home, in recycling what we can, etc.

I shared some practical tips in my previous post on ‘energy saving’. Click HERE to read it.

And there’re some ‘green’ tips too on the Earth Hour’s website, click HERE to check it out.

Anya expected it to be ‘very dark’ when Earth Hour started, so she was a little disappointed to see how it was still very bright =) But anyway, kids being kids, they still had fun running around and all.

A nice (though physically demanding) day out for us all!

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If you’d like to share your views on ‘Earth Hour’, you’re most welcome =)

Today we had a ‘mini-island’ getaway at Sentosa!

Starting from the Jewel Box @ Mount Faber, we checked out its Cable Car ride, Luge, GoGreen Segway and Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom!

So glad and thankful for the nice weather (though a little hazy), and for the energy I had that day! =)

We had a nice family day out today at Sentosa!

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Click HERE to read and view MORE photos of our Sentosa Island experience on my Facebook!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend with your loved ones, too!

Some things are meant for a Mommy to handle.

But for many other things, I’m just thankful to God that Daddy is around to handle the situation! =)

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[Photo : We reached home late that night, and both kids were too sleepy and exhausted to walk back home, and so Daddy came to the ‘rescue’ and carried them both as we all got off our taxi! =)]