This morning, I felt like I have the best job in the world.
And by late afternoon, I felt like I had the worst and most unappreciated job.

I need deal with Amanda and her tantrums and mischief positively.
Besides It’s impossible to get 2.5 year old (and the 33 year old) to listen or do to anything I say.
*takes deep breaths!*

The nanny took past 1 week off and probably for another week. So its just Amanda and me at Home.
I have been managing Amanda and daily housework and dinner for the past few days.
I wash, clean and cook.
I know it sounds normal for most SAHMs, but I have not been doing these on a regular basis, so it can rather fulfilling and frustrating some times.
Been also trying and perfecting dishes, 西红炒柿鸡蛋，西红柿鸡蛋汤，土豆丝 and other dishes that I had, only after I came to China.
Very common dishes here.

When she isn’t naughty, she does the sweetest thing like, turning off her favorite Dora dvd when I told her to, if she wants to join me and sit on my thighs at my desk. So that we can cuddle while I surf the net.

Anyway, this is a picture of me catching up with 2 shows and window-shopping online, after Amanda bedtime.
Both shows are what I want to watch but always pass them over for something else. So I am just screening through them.
The thing about Singapore drama show, I can simply just listen and know which actor / character is talking, without needing to keep looking at the screen.
Good for multi-tasking!

PS: Amanda had her first slice of orange yesterday. I have not been giving it to her coz I was afraid of cough and phelgm.
When I was a kid, I used to cough badly when I had some or too much!

After a frosty week, we had a lovely sunny winter weather today.

After watching the goose in our estate, (Yup! – We have dogs, goose and a few chickens in our estate.), we joined our friends at the amusement park today.

Amanda was thrilled be riding the Train and other rides.
She went on a few rounds on the train.

I don’t think I will be surprised if she thought that she was on a real train, afterall I think this train is more fun than the actual ones.

Here’s Amanda lining her rides.

From Tricycle, bicycles, scooters, her trunki luggage to her doll’s stroller.
Yes. Its a lot of hard work, thus the safety helmet. Hee!

Not in the picture are two of her rechargeable cars, where she could ride in them. and travel at low speed.
Unlike on her bicycles, she isn’t too good with directions in her car yet.
But she did say she can’t drive now, but she will when she is older. I am still young! She tells me.

And well, it seems like boys are not the only ones interested in wheels.
I am too. :p

Another of her busy in an apron.
She was trying to cook us her specialty dark sauce rice!

I am glad that the apron and the imaginary pots and pans kept her busy for awhile at her Grandpa’s.
And I am too looking forward to warm weather, where she could take her rides outdoor, instead of fussing-turn-tantrum at home.
Basically messing with me and my patience.
She doesn’t want to get out of the house, coz she runs around when i try to dress her, but I think she has the tantrums cause she’s bored at home.

The little ones are having lots of fun this Chinese new year!

When I told Amanda about the fun that comes with Chinese new year, the food, gatherings, red packets… she was quick to add that she can wear her new shoes too!
I am glad she listened when I told her about red packets manners, she thanked the person who gave her, and say “gongxi gongxi”.
She too passed them to us, after I told her that I would use the money she received to buy a new toy guitar.
She now pretends and plays on her toy racquet, like a rock star.

Amanda is thrilled to meet many many of her cousins.
Amanda is a big fan of her 4 year old cousin, imitating every actions and words.
But not so interested, of her older 9 year old cousin.

We brought her out to hang out with a few of her father’s cousins children. Her cousins too. And they had fun running and playing hide and seek with their Uncle DP.
She too loves to hold hands and play with her very sweet 15 year old cousin 表姐, occasionally mention about her 26 year old cousin 大表哥, and loves to hug her Uncle Ming.

With the kids playing (and screaming) together, it truly felt like Chinese New Year.

This year, Amanda wore her first Qipao.
As for myself, I wore something that I probably won’t, any other day, I wore a furry vest and thin Zara dress (which is somehow a rather popular piece) instead of the lazy warm casuals, (Think: parka, knit, jeans and uggs).

I used to complain whenever Mum wanted us to dress in red on Chinese new year.
But now, older and wiser, I try to. Inside Out. Ha!
I have a bad habit of keeping clothes for occasions (I think) that requires dressing up, but end up not wearing it because, I never come across any that (I think) requires dressing up.
As for high heels, I was regaining balance and confidence (since my pregnancy 3 years ago) till I fell on the uneven streets of Yuncheng, last month.

I want to be adventurous and dress up, even for someone who hardly gets out. :p

Amanda’s toy eggs, originally uploaded by judebabe.

When Amanda handed me a cracked egg she took from the kitchen.
I couldn’t bear to get mad with her.

Well, it was my fault buying her many very realistic wooden toy eggs.
She must have thought those were her toys when she took them from the kitchen to play.

Besides, she was really scared when she gave me the eggs, she was afraid that I would get really mad at her.

Instead, I laughed when i realized what she did.
It was funny and very cute of her then.

I later told her that she has many toy eggs and her very own kitchen.
And that she shouldn’t be playing with real eggs and Mummy’s kitchen.

By not punishing, it is to encourage her to come forward with her mistakes.
I think…

I am sure I will have lots to deal with her mischiefs and punishments in the many years to come.

With Amanda’s cousin, Ashley.

Amanda and us spent our first week of the new year in Beijing.
She too spent some time with her 表妹 cousin, who was only interested in pointing her 表姐’s nose.
While Amanda was more interested in her cousin’s (baby) toys too!

Amanda, at this point is very interested in relationships between people and her.
Like how Diego is Dora’s cousin, in her current favorite show.
She is excited to know that she too has 表哥 like Dora. In fact, she has quite a few in the extended family.
She too make mental notes, that her Daddy’s 舅舅 Uncle, stays in the estate across the road, and that her own 舅舅 is in Singapore.
She remembered and reminded us when we walked past her Daddy’s 舅舅 block, 2 weeks after telling her once.
She is now linking a few of her Uncle’s, and their cousin－relationship with Dp.
It took her awhile to understand that Dp is my husband, and not hers. And is still trying to differentiate 儿子 and 女儿.

And just now, she told me, 妈妈你的老公回来了！我给你的老公我的爸爸开门呢！heehee~!

We planned our trip to Beijing to coincide with Dad’s business trip to China.

Eyes fixed on the original Smurfs cartoon,
and very happy with the many presents Grandpa brought over.

We made a trip to the Beijing Aquarium. We were in time for the sea lion and dolphin’s performance.
Which Amanda couldn’t take her eyes off the stage.
And by watching the performance, she learned and remembered her new words, 海狮 and sea lion. :)

I was really fascinated by the jellyfishes.
I don’t remember seeing any jellyfish this close before.

Was careful not too get too close to the fishes.

And she is happy to meet the Smurfs in Beijing too. Though the Smurfs looked really weird.

With 姑姑.

These days, she can sometimes be found humming… and just sing “Happpy Sooong!”
She is such a big girl now. Happy. Fun. And talkative!
While I appreciate not having to chase after her at the malls, she now wants to be carried, almost all the time.
If she wants to be carried, she would say that she’s tired. But when she wants to get down, she would say, Mama, 你累了吧 （You must be tired.)

We want to expose her to stuff she don’t get to see in Yuncheng, and made sure she had lots of fun.
But the end of the day, she would still picked Yuncheng, over Beijing and Singapore.

We know its because, she loves and enjoys playing with her toys!!!

Busy with her toys.

I had just as much fun as her with the cash register.
From the picture, she has many pink toys, because blue is sooo not my color.
But I do get dizzy from too many Pinks sometimes. Hee!

Christmas party., originally uploaded by judebabe.

I am quite sure the kids didn’t mind that we only gave them their presents on the 26th.

They had fun playing, and unwrapping their Christmas present.

This year, the adults sat down in circle for games. And it was hilarious to see two men playing against each other in Twister.

We invited another family to join us.
And too welcomed two babies since last years’ party.

With them running around next year, we are so going to need a bigger place.

Ps: Am I the only one who thinks that the kids grow too fast?

Wedding. A village affair., originally uploaded by judebabe.

Food prepared and served in the yard of the groom’s house.

Ceremony in the same yard and with attendance of the relatives and neighbors in the village.

A simple affair.

And Amanda learns a new word, 新娘子. Mispronounced in her short and cute way.

Her winter outfits.

Amanda is settling well and enjoying herself back in her own home.
She is happy to see everyone she missed while she was in Singapore. Especially her friends, boys, all older than her, in our estate.
They had a group hug, and was happy to see each other again, for about 5 minutes.

She too missed her toys.
And took out each and every one of them from her toy storage box… and had lots of fun with them for days.
Her current favorite, talking on her mobile phone, her Micro Scooter and her Silly putty, where she rolls them in buns and dumplings.

And almost everyone, who haven’t seen her for the last two months, exclaimed that she is grew so much.
Height and speech development.
Compare her to the girl, two months ago, I too think she grew a lot.

She observed that her daddy loves spicy stuff while I don’t.
She stops the older boys from fighting, and tells them not to play with scissors.
She stopped me from slicing silly putty with her toy knife, and said she will do it!
Because the knife is very dangerous. *rolls eyes*

After 2 months, she still remembers everyone. And isn’t shy with them.
She continues to love dancing, singing and recite Chinese poems for everyone. And does the cutest curtsy when she is done.
It would have been great, if she would sing a louder or go slow with her poems.

Having fun at Home.

She was having so much fun here! And when we teased her about going back to Singapore, she didn’t want to, till today.
She probably realized how much she miss her grandparents, yee-ma and kao-fu, when she saw them on facetime.
She told us to bring her and her baby doll back to Singapore.

As for myself, I am either always packing and unpacking stuff in the house.

De-clutter!!! And ongoing never-ending project. The loft. The living room. And my wardrobe.
Now that the new additional room is ready, I am so looking forward to pack stuff in it.

My mornings are either busy with de-cluttering or running errands.
And I am either out, or online window shopping at home when Amanda is having her afternoon nap.
I try to get out in the afternoon, as shopping online its so bad on my back and posture.
But online shopping is too addictive. That I had find it so hard to pull myself away from it, to blog.

Though I often wonder if anyone is still reading this neglected blog. :)
Be back soon! :p

Amanda’s nearly-8-weeks stay in Singapore is coming to an end.

She misses and often ask about our home in Yuncheng, she can tell us that her home is in Yuncheng,
I am sure she had lots of fun in Singapore.

I can’t help but to feel that she grew up quite a bit during my 3 weeks absence.
And this 3 weeks apart made me patient with Amanda again.
I don’t flare up as much.

She now holds our hand and follows us when we out.
She used to have a mind of her own, running around at the malls.

She speaks well and is able to express herself very well.
She questioned me, why can’t she not go to bed?
I was caught off guard, it was her first time using 为什么，Why.
Surely I must answer that.
So in my most authoritative tone, because it bed time and because Mummy said so.
Which she accepted it (for now).
She must have finally figured how to use Why?, after me asking her so many questions.

I know kids who usually have problems differentiating, 你, 我, 他，You, Me, He/She.
They don’t quite know how to use it, and would repeat after whatever the adult said.
But Amanda uses it well.

She picked a few more English words but not understand when strangers tried talking to her.
I have to explain, she doesn’t understand English.
When I am shopping, She greets sales people, Ayi Ni Hao, repeatedly.
One day, she will understand that in Singapore, young adults, prefers to be addressed as Jiejie / GorGor.
And that everyone else is Auntie and Uncle.

She dropped her 咱们, and picked up, Wah lau!, with a Singapore accent. Haha!!!
She picked it from our conversation, and probably found this expression very funny.

She loves to imitate us talk in Cantonese by talking gibberish and often uses it to avoid eye contact when she thinks she is in big trouble.
She knows we find cute and silly when she does that.
Especially when she randomly inserts alphabets, a bit of Gonggong, Porpor, and characters of Teletubbies and In the Night Garden, here and there.

Fine with me, I am learning from books, to pick my battle and to avoid unnecessary power struggle.

She continues to love dancing, and loves to sing.
Happy birthday, London bridge and twinkle twinkle little star, barney theme are her current favorites.
I am working on her pronunciations, because these are the only lines she knows in English.

Her diet, she is now less choosy with food. Accept eggs. And sometimes eats her veggie / meat together with her rice. She used to spit them out when eaten together.
She loves her chicken rice and dark soy sauce and accepts gravy in her rice too.
Loves noodles. Loves durian. Loves Grandma’s soup. Beans. Prawns. Crabs. And Kueh Tu Tu (coconut cake). Which she usually stuff the entire snack into her mouth.
When she is happy and satisfied with her meal, she dances.

Its going to be cold when we return Home to Yuncheng this Sunday.
Hope she quickly adjust to the change in climate and environment.
*fingers crossed*