In China, almost 60,000 babies are kidnapped yearly !!

*picture taken from http://www.chinadaily.com.cn

Daddy saw this shocking news yesterday.
He told the kiddos that some naughty people will catch little children.

Video : Family reunited

Almost 60,000 babies are reported lost in China yearly !!
To put into perspective, Singapore only has around 40,000 babies yearly !!

Daddy shuddered at the magnitude.
Can you imagine how devastating it is to lose a child?

We are very lucky and blessed in Singapore.
Some of us might have taken things for granted.
We might assume children will never go missing in Singapore, no terrorists will hit us, no natural disaster etc.

The fact is, sad stories abound in Singapore's neighbourhood.
Some families do not even know when the next meal will be available, and a simple bed is a luxury. Education and Future are far from hungry kids' minds!!

Daddy look at the kiddos again. We are indeed very fortunate to live in Singapore. Now, it will be a challenge to impart empathy into the kids, for them to learn to Care about others.

BloggyAward rated our Blog 8/10

Not bad!! Daddy is humbled.
The gold award logo above is awarded to exceptional Blogs (those which score 9 or 10 points !!).

Five main judging criterias :
-Visual aesthetics
- User Friendliness
- Reading enjoyment
- Useful Info
- Overall Experience

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Our review --> http://www.bloggyaward.com/parenting/girls-and-boy

Posted Oct 30 2009 in Parenting by Noemi

Girls And Boy is the family blog of the Lee family, wherein Daddy Andy chronicles the growth of his babies – three boys and a little girl.

Visual Aesthetics – 8
Readers, be ready for LOTS of cute photos of cuddly kids when you visit Girls And Boy! There is no doubt about just how proud Andy is about the kids – and for good reason. I would suggest adding a header, if possible, to give the blog more character. Also, the visual elements in the right column could use a makeover to make them gel together better.

User Friendliness – 8
Girls And Boy loads up quite quickly, despite the huge number of photos in the blog. The relevant links are all found in the right column, although it is a little bit cluttered, making it a bit confusing. I suggest putting the archives and labels nearer each other and nearer the top of the page.

Reading Enjoyment – 9
Girls And Boy is a joy to look at – especially if you love kids or you have kids of your own. You may not know the family personally, but you will definitely be able to relate to their experiences. You also will not be able to help but appreciate the love that the kids’ dad obviously has for his children.

Useful Info – 9
Girls And Boy is full of activities and experiences that the Lee family engage in. You can pick up insights and some practical information about kid-friendly activities and spots in Singapore. You might even pick up a tip or two about raising kids!

Overall Experience - 8
Girls And Boy is a parenting blog that focuses on the lives of the Lee children, and while you probably do not know them personally, the blog can still provide you with an easy read and some insights. It is worth a visit every now and then.

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Diy your own house

What do you do with a big box?

Step 1 - engage your kids
Step 2 - Let your imagination run wild

Video : Wei and Kang playing with box back in 2007

Tooth fairy visited Wei

Have you noticed that our 大哥 seems to be missing something in his smile ?

Four of Wei's front teeth has loosen and dropped off. (since Aug)

Luckily, these are all milk teeth, and will be replaced soon.
It is tough for Wei to eat or bite his food, and he has to rely on his molar more often :p

In school, Teacher Sharidah is always the one to pull out children's tooth.

She is not a sadist, but rather, it takes some courage and nerve, to be able to help children relieve their tooth.

You have to shake the tooth front and back to loosen it, before you pull it out with your thumb and index finder. It can be bloody affair at times. Yucks.

Gruesome.

So Wei can be excused, if he choose not to say "Cheese" infront of Daddy's camera :)

On the other hand, whenever a toddler is teething, it is another uncomfortable experience.
They will suck their thumbs, so as to sooth their gums.

Saliva flows everywhere, and sometimes the new tooth will bring out a fever too.
Child can lose their appetite and in worse case, affect their sleep.

Dilemma, to lose or to grow a teeth.

Studio shoot @ BabyU (part 2)

Today, Daddy collected all the photos and frames from BabyU.
We went for our studio shoot almost three weeks ago.
The portraits turn out very nice, and everybody look like a little Star.

Wen Xin 雯锌, our darling Mei Mei. She was beaming for the camera.

Wen Yi 文驿, Green and Red goes well together. He had fun throwing the apples later on.

Wen Kang 文康, he was surprisingly cooperative :)
Kang is least enthusiastic about photo-taking, but he was Game.

Wen Wei 文伟, our big brother, decides to play rogue, and throw his button away.

Sweet and hunky.

Wen Yi again, he got two shoots as Brad likes him.
He is chewing a sweet, that explains why he was so obedient in front of lens keke.

Daddy : we had fun during the shoot, although it was tiring to get the kids to Fall-In and get ready at times. Daddy was perspiring hunting down the kiddos !!

Between, we did not have foundation nor makeup.
Everything is natural, and this is BabyU's style.

Preparation --> http://sengkangbabies.blogspot.com/2009/10/studio-shoot-babyu.html
Contact Brad and team at http://www.babyu.com.sg/gallery.html or
Facebook them at "BabyU International Photo Studio".

Swimming lessons for Wei and Kang

Wei and Kang went for their first swim lesson on Sunday.
Our Teacher KH patiently teach us to blow bubble, and kick our legs.
It is easy to spot us, as we all wear same yellow swimCap to promote for Teacher :p
After our lesson, 叔叔 join us for some Fun.


Daddy : We were worried that Kang will not be able to focus on learning how to swim, as he has short attention span. But it seems Kang thoroughly enjoy his class today. Clinging to teacher like a Koala.

Mei got rashes, and Diarrhoea

Mei Mei got diarrhoea since last week, and her backside also got rashes. Talk about double whammy!!

Everytime Mummy wipe her, she will groan in discomfort. Her groans will melt your heart, as it is painful for us to see her suffering :(

Doctor believes her tummy also got Lactose intolerance.. so we are trying her on SoyMilk (yucks), special Abbott formula, and if all fails.. Goat Milk !!

But Xin is still in high spirits, she is still "talking" to her siblings and smiling for Mummy/Daddy :)
Hope she get well soon.

Raising a child, only a parent will know..

This topic aims to discuss Mummy and Daddy's sacrifices ...
老王卖瓜,自卖自夸 :)

Children, do you know your birthday is also 母亲受难日(literally Mummy's day of suffering) ?
We are here today, because Mummy laboured to bring us to life.
Mummy's life hangs on the balance, but her maternal instinct persevere to ensure you come into our world.

Mum is always there for us through our growing years.

Mum provides a listening ear to hear our emotional needs.
Her words sooth and provide encouragement for us.
Her heart is Big, and her love is unconditional.
She forgives us when we err.
We are always Babies in our Mum's eyes.


Child, when you are blowing your birthday cake candles, take a second, remember Mummy. Salute to all our amazing Mummies, for your sacrifices are unparalleled.

Picture taken from http://www.clipartguide.com

Even though Daddy cannot give birth, or breastfeed, he gave moral support standing by Mummy during childbirth.
(disclaimer : please avoid if you are afraid of blood !! and Yes, big Man can cry too. )

Daddy is our Fun ambassador, and he wants us to express ourselves, and enjoy our childhood with plays, and adventures.

Daddy is also discipline master at home!! He is more traditional and subscribes to maxim "spare the rod, and spoil the child". Oops.


Fast Forward to year 2020.
Wei is 17 years old, and will be enlisting for National Service soon.
Mummy and Daddy, are now Ah Soh, and Ah Pek status.

Other fancy tools will replace Twitter and Facebook.
Kids will find blogging so lame, and their parents so obiang and passe :p


But we as parents, will still wish our kids to grow up healthy, responsible, and be independent. Only when we ourselves become parents, do we appreciate the hardship and sacrifices faced by our own parents.

ps.. let Daddy survive the kids' teenage (rebellious) years first !!

Daddy reservist cycle is finished - MR already

What is MR?
It means no more IPPT (fitness test), no more ICT (In camp Training), and no more recalls or Mobilisations!!

Daddy is going to miss IPPT, as this forced Daddy to get fit (or risk RT).
It takes stamina to catch the kids.
Daddy will also miss catching up with his comrades.

Today, we get to adorn Daddy's army accessories, and pretend to be soldiers.
Do we look like "Band of Brothers" and Sister ?

On a side note, whenever Daddy goes Reservist, Mummy suffers.
She has to handle all four kids, and bring us to/fro from school.

During Bmt, we yearn for ORD, during Reservist, we look forward to MR.
What is MR again? M.R stands for Mindef Reserve.

We were Soldiers and comrades yesterday,
and will remain Buddies and friends tomorrow !!

ps.. so much lingos in army terms (the uncouth versions are censored :p )

Princess can turn now :) and Yi cracks egg

Summary
- Mei can turn
- Yi crack eggs, and sleeps alone
Video : 4.5 months old, our mei mei Ah Xin can turn now.

In school, Yi learns how to crack a egg.
Small kids now do not even know their Eggs come from chicken, example they think KFC chicken is just meat, and not from chicken !!

Video : Yi cracks an egg

Afterwards, Kang also insist he wants to crack an egg !! Talk about jeaslousy, every kids want Mummy/Daddy's attention :)

Daddy and Mummy are very proud that Yi can now sleep alone in his room, without any coaxing. Just pat him, and he will knock off.
His two elder brothers still need to negotiate with Mummy who sleep where.
Daddy got headache a again.

Kids are growing up fast.

Little India walkabout

Yesterday, Indians celebrated Deepavali, another common term is Divali-Festival of Lights.
Daddy brought us to Little India for a walkabout today.
With some help from Tourism board, we survived a mini maze.
The Hindi music blasting in the background kept us Cool..
Sons must be wandering why Daddy brought them to Little India? No playground? no pools, no toys :p
Sons are only acquainted with some Bollywood sidekicks, or dance-around-tree performances :)
Daddy hoped they will grow up to appreciate Singapore's multi-cultural environment. What better way to see the Indian way of life, than to immerse ourselves in LittleIndia?Video : Narrow footpath

Deepavali Carnival was here yesterday night.
Video : Footpath 2

Everybody crowded a TV broadcasting Hindi serial.
Noticed there is a Mosque and Church inside LittleIndia?
Daddy say we should be proud of Singapore's cultural melting pot.
Suddenly, Daddy quickly make a U-turn, as we were heading towards RedLights District ooops.. We notice more and more sexy aunties !!
Video : Jaywalk

Daddy : Normally, when we drive along Serangoon or RaceCourse road, you do not see the hive of activities within heart of LittleIndia.. It was eye-opening trip for Daddy, and the buildings are very authentic too.
Full circle, we have completed one loop in under 2.5 hours
Take a break, let's Yum-seng. Boys never complained they were tired.
Ready to go Home.
Video : Train is here..

Video : Night shoot

Daddy : Parents with stroller beware, the five-foot way is narrow, and packed with Goods, and human traffic. It might be easier to navigate main road (jaywalk), but please watch out for cars.

Some Indian friends found it bemusing for Chinese Daddy and Boys to venture into LittleIndia, and mingle for photographs :p

Daddy managed to bundle all three boys to LRT, then MRT from Sengkang to LittleIndia station. Luckily, the boys were quite well behaved on the trains, Daddy was worried someone will Stomped us, and complain about noisy kids again :p

.

Redang Day 4 - Home

Today is the last day of our stay in Redang.
Although it is 4D3N, but flight time is 1020, so there is not much we could do in the morning.

Group photo, Lee and Tan families, with 6 kids in tow.. We survived :)
Mummy's hands are full. And Daddy carries all the luggage !!
Video : last Buggy ride

Breakfast by the pool
While waiting for our bus, the kids model for us again.
Their favourite ride on the island..
Our flight is 1020 from Redang back to Seletar.
Before taking off, everybody still cheerful. Although they enjoy Redang, kids still miss their home and toys :p

Video : Take off #01


After less than 20mins, we are told Seletar airport is closed for military excercise!! Apparently, this is a last min announcement from Seletar authorities. Our plane was redirected to Kuala Trengganu airport.

Video : kids providing inflight entertainment

Our plane parked for almost 30min, before we got all Clear to take off again. We were worried whether we need to transfer flight to KLIA or Johor Senai?
#$@ please do not pack us into another 8 hours Coach ride !!@@s@

Video: View of SLE, TPE, before touchdown

Daddy : Over the last few days, the kids have become Good buddies already :)
Afterall, we run,swim,sweat,play together, and enjoy each other's company.

Isaac and Wei, Kang are now expert telephone operators. The kiddos were holding teleconferences with each other, once they master room-intercall :)

No complains about our trip, as it is enriching and challenging our parenting skills at the same time. Some might say this is no "relaxing" holiday, but we find it very fullfilling.
(As long as the kids are happy !!)

With kids, you need minimum 4d3n stay.
Paradise is now only 90 min away, hurray !!

The only hiccup we face is the Seletar Airport closure.
We did not pack extra milk powder and diapers !!
Luckily all went well, and our trip end on a High.

We had so much fun kids are asking when they can fly again?
Next stop, Koh Samui ? ?

References
Day1 http://sengkangbabies.blogspot.com/2009/10/2009oct-redang-day-1.html
Day2 http://sengkangbabies.blogspot.com/2009/10/redang-day-2-fish.html
Day3 http://sengkangbabies.blogspot.com/2009/10/redang-day-3-beach.html
Day4 http://sengkangbabies.blogspot.com/2009/10/redang-day-4-home.html

Support --> http://www.redang.org/ , we got a lot of reference materials and tips

*updated 2010May - if you love our Redang review, visit our Krabi blog

Redang Day 3 - beAch

Subject - Mei Mei in her Boeing 747

Big brother baby seating
Video - singing lullaby

Buffet again..
10min walk daily... to and fro

Video - knock knock, let' go and play now !!

Halfway through posing, Yi got attracted to something..
A buggy
Finally, the sandy Beach and waves is ours to savour
Video : waves

Video : Yi is tired today, and cries easily :(


Sand play, and plenty of photographic backgrounds, Sun, Sand , Babes, and Hunks :p

Video : sand and shovel

Video:Wei enjoying the waves

Video: Daddy surveying enemy fortress

Enemy is coming, get ready !!
Video : BatttleStation..attack !!

Lee family in trench (minus Ah Yi)
Mummy and Ah Xin
Video : 100m dash , someone fell down :)
Ah Yi small body is too tired from yesterday's swims :p
Lack of sleep make little boy grouchy.
Video : Mummy and Wei using their buttocks to stop the waves ??


Video : little ladies bunk into their shell-script

Video : Xin does not mind the sand or muddy water..maybe facial?

Arty incoming!! Everybody quickly hide inside shell Script.
Video : Mission over

Video : Cover up

Video : we took the opportunity to bury Wei hee hee, and he was game.

Wei stucked
For some reasons, Kang hate the waves, and he was contented with Sand.
Kids did not forget to disturb Redang's feline!! Poor kittens.
Kang like to perm his hair to stand
姐弟 sibling clothings :p (wait Daddy go find jumpsuit act cute)
Our corridor, Kids can have fun everywhere, anytime !
Fun at the pool

Video : water babies snapshots..

Video : Underwater

Video : Xin looks relaxed

Lunch and Dinner at same Restaurant. Ironically, this restaurant was nearest to Resort and we skipped it on Day 1. We also followed the lamp chops.

Video : Dinner, Fish, calamari, vegetables, Omelette, soup for RM70.


Daddy : The sand at Berjaya Resort is white and refine, and very child friendly. Daddy had a lot of fun exploring his new undewater camera, although he did not have chance to snorkel further for better corals and fishes. Pity.
This is Xin's first oversea trip with us, and her first swim too !! Kudos to our heroine. Weather was superb, and it allows us to maximise our Fun.
After a hectic and tiring day, the kids dozes off easily and soundly at night.
Mummies took the opportunity to pamper themselves with a SPA .
The Daddies? We babysit :p

What a SplasHing third Day !!

References
Day1 http://sengkangbabies.blogspot.com/2009/10/2009oct-redang-day-1.html
Day2 http://sengkangbabies.blogspot.com/2009/10/redang-day-2-fish.html
Day3 http://sengkangbabies.blogspot.com/2009/10/redang-day-3-beach.html
Day4 http://sengkangbabies.blogspot.com/2009/10/redang-day-4-home.html

*updated 2010May - if you love our Redang review, visit our Krabi blog

*updated 2010May - if you love our Redang review, visit our Krabi blog