Hope it will get better

On last wednesday, as usual Aliah screamed when they're about to go home. I bought some little dougnuts for them to eat on their way home. I was so frustrated with Aliah that i did not give her even one doughnut to eat. I kept praising Aniq for his good behaviour and reward him doughnuts. From the way she looked at me, she knew that i'm upset about her screaming.

I dont have an inkling of what i should do to make her stop.

The next day, Dh was on leave so he get to fetched the kids by himself. I got to take a break from getting angry with Aliah all the time. But something miracle happened today! After Dh picked them up from school, he didn't even hear Aliah's crying behind the closed door, not to mention her screaming.
Even though Dh saw her tears on her cheeks but at least the screaming had stopped. I wondered if my doughnuts trick worked or the teacher did something to make her stop. Either way, it was a good thing!

I regretted that i missed that moment! yah..me and my so called break!

I hope she will continue to be better...

Complaints

I was extremely happy after i send the kids to school. They did not make any fuss and went into the classroom quietly.

But i was not happy with what the teacher had done today. As i'm crossing the road to fetch my children, i saw some of the parents looked at me all the way back at nursery while i'm walking on my way there. At first i thought i was late but then again i looked at my watch and it was not 12pm yet so don't know what the heck they're looking at...

Then to my surprise, i saw my kids with kak nana. Kak nana told me that the teacher released them early due to Aliah's crying. That i can understand but what i'm puzzled was why my kids were with kak nana. Kak nana spoke to me in harsh tone that i should be here earlier. But i am not late!! Who's to blame if the teacher did not inform me that they will release only Aliah and Aniq(he's the innocent party) earlier than the others! And how dare they gave my kids to stranger!I don't even know Kak Nana that well.Then i went home feeling so confused and thinking what juz happened.

I complained to Dh and told him everything. I'm not happy hat they gave in to Aliah's loud cry and make her went home earlier than others. They sending wrong message to Aliah in my personal opinion . Next time Aliah will think that the teacher will give in to her if she throws a tantrum. In fact they should make her the last person to go home until she gets the message.

Dh called the principal and complained and even the principal was on our side. Few hours later, the teacher called Dh and apologised and admitted that they took a wrong step on handling Aliah.
She commented that she's happy with my kids behavior overall except when it's time to go home, Aliah as if turned into another person and started to screamed.

Dh told her that he can understand that it's not easy handling Aliah because Aliah can be impatient sometimes.
But as a teacher and parents, we need to nurture them, not giving in to their demands.
Dh and i satisfied the way they adressed and handled our complaints.
I hope that my kids is in good hands with them.

Second week of school

Monday

Aliah dreaded wearing uniform because she knew it was time to go to school again after a nice cosy weekend. This time i didn't talk to her much because i don't want her to get soft again.
When the teacher opened the door, i ushered them to the classroom, waving goodbye and quickly disappeared from their vision. It seemed to be getting better because they only let out a quick little cry.

I was relieved and hope that things will turn around better so i went to market happily and decided to whip up some dishes like sup bayam and ikan cencaru sumbat (ikan belah belakang...ooh seksi) for today's menu.

But at 12pm when it's time to fetch them, my happy thought bubble was burst when i heard Aliah's loud cry behind the closed door. She must be getting impatient to go home and some of the parents already looked at me as if blaming my parental skill unable to tame my kid. Kak nana asked me to stand infront of the door so that Aliah will saw me first and said Aliah could be scaring other children. Again i felt bad and tensed.

Once the door was opened, Aliah came running to me with so much tears rolling down her cheeks. I said sternly "Quiet!" and immediately she was silent controlling herself.

I don't know how much i can take all this but i still have to go through difficult phase by myself.

First week of school :(

The girl on the extreme right is Shahirah.

These pictures are not what they seems to be as if they are happy to be in school. I will confess everthing in my story below....

Right now I am feeling down and tense due to Aliah’s crying hysterically which getting louder and louder each day when going to school.

Let me recall from the 1st day of school till today.

Ist day (Orientation)

They were excited to wear their brand new uniform and shoes.
In the orientation, the parents were allowed to enter with their kid and listened to the teacher talking about the rules and expectation.

Most of them are basic rules like:
Parents or representatives required sending and fetching their children punctually
Refrain from bringing the child to school if he/she is ill
Parents are not allowed to loiter around the center during school hours (like I have nothing better to do)
No jewellery to school

The orientation was a bit disappointing because it was less than ½ hour. I wish they can tell us more about their activities or what can we expect from the program

2nd day (Tuesday)

It was the day to put their bravery to test. At 10am sharp, I ushered Aliah to the door of the classroom while DH was with Aniq. At first, they totally had no idea of what’s going on. Then Aliah and most of the kids were terrified when the teacher closed the door. Even though, Aliah’s cries was not as loud as other kids, but it was enough to make my heart bleed.
At 12pm, when DH and I were about to fetch them home, the teacher commented that they didn’t know that my kids were twin until they noticed their names because Aniq did not show any emotion or care when Aliah cried. But I think maybe he’s looking out for himself because he might be feeling scared himself.

3rd day (Wednesday)

DH was back to work so I had to do most of the work today. Bathed them, gave them breakfast and milk, dressed them, combed the hair, tied Aliah’s hair neatly, prepared their water bottles, put on their school shoes.
At 10am, Aliah started crying softly and kept pulling my arm as if she wanted me to sit in for the class with her. Aniq didn’t show any sign of anxiety, terrifed or happy. I can’t read his expression at all! The teacher told me that Aniq is okay and ready to play.
At 12pm, when I fetched them from class, Aliah was running towards me crying quite loudly. I asked the teacher whether she’s been crying the whole time but she said no. She only cried when the class about to start and about to end.

4th day (Thursday)

Dh was on leave today so he got to see for himself what’s going on. This time it was even worse because Aniq cried as well. I guess he can’t bottle up his feeling anymore so he finally let it go.

5th day (Friday)

I was feeling nervous myself after what the kids put me through. Most of the kids already simmered down and no longer cried while my kids were getting louder. I felt I was center of attention as eyes all on me everytime they cried so loudly.

But Aliah really made me angry today. When the teacher opened the door and I saw she was holding Aliah’s hand. But what made me really angry was when Aliah cried at the top of her lungs and could not control herself.
I refused to hold her hands when she came running towards me. In fact I kept praising Aniq for behaving good and calm. I wanted her to know that I’m angry at her and her non stop crying action.

Next Monday, I thought I wanted to be a little strict with her until she can behave well so let juz see how it goes. I know her well…the more I’m soft with her, the more she thought she can have her ways.

Sakunthala Restaurant

Dh and i already decided to eat at Tekka market the minute we set our foot on Little India. I wanted to get chendol drink which i think they had the best.

But as we walked our way there, we stumbled upon this Sakunthala Restaurant and suddenly BOOM we changed our minds.

I was pleased with the cleanliness of the place. Even the loo was no exception.

The service was good and so were the staff.

We tried Plain Naan, 2 butter garlic naan, Tandoori roti and Tandoori prata. All were good except Tandoori prata ( It tasted like more like chappati). We ordered ice lemon tea and lemon juice to quench our thirst.

For dipping, we tried butter masala chicken which was nice. Even though it was small chicken bits but it was soft and tender. We also tried Fish tikka. It was soft and nice too.

Overall i would rate it 7/10. Total bill was $36.00

Birthday Boy and a brand new year.

Here we are at the crime of scene on new year's eve... It was a surprise birthday party for my brother. It was hosted by his fiancee which was held at East Coast Park. Actually quite a number of people turned up before midnight to get a role of surprising the birthday boy.he he It's like counting down for the new year too!

This is Aiman and his birthday (the very first birthday) fall on 2nd January. So they took the liberty to celebrate his birthday as well along with his uncle. Lucky him!

Ashik cutting his cake shyly..Maybe he's not used to being in the spotlight. Imagine all of us staring at him (for me, i'm actually staring at the cake ...can't wait to get my hands on it..he he)
Can't help it ..i'm a cake lover

Trying to get Aiman to pose with the cake apparently with a plastic knife ..

My kids, DH and i went home at 4.30am. Luckily my brother and his wife willing to send us home..so lucky me.

More veggies and fruit, pls...

My resolution for 2009 is to eat more veggies and fruits. So i hope to find more veg recipes that is delicious and savoury...mmmnn

I know some people thought that making resolution is just a silly thing to do.Why make promises to yourself if you can't keep them?

The truth is, that happened to me almost every year but I'm proud to say that last year's resolution was fulfilled and I've sailed it through the year. Yeahh..

To me, resolution is hope and purpose in life. Why not make life itself more interesting....

Here are information i gathered to promote healthy lifestyle and youthful skin

The ABCs of Great Skin

* Vitamin A strengthens the skin, keeping wrinkles at bay. Get it from liver, spinach, milk, egg yolk, orange-coloured fruits and vegetables.

* Vitamin B helps to maintain a healthy skin tone. Get it from chicken, tuna, potatoes, asparagus, black beans and watermelons.

* Vitamin C boots the production of collagen, an essential skin protein. Get it from citrus fruits (like oranges), strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli and cabbage.