Lezane's Ticking

Lilypie Second Birthday tickers

Kyla's Ticking

Lilypie Third Birthday tickers

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Woohoo 1 year!

On this very day, Sept 4 2010, we stepped foot into Copenhagen (a place which we had to call home for about two years). Fond memories flashed back on the first instance when we were chauffeured to our hotel (not bad) on a super cool van. But 'not-so-fond' memories followed when we entered our first house (not one which I would call as home) in CPH. The first two months were not very pleasant as there were simply too many things to settle and the house was in a complete devastating state which made me very depressed too. Travelling to school was a chore as most of the time Lezane was inco-operative and displayed many unpleasant behavior. I was practically on the verge of a nervous breakdown during the last autumn/winter.


However, I am glad that all the unhappy situations are over now and we are all settling in well in Copenhagen. We shifted to a new place, which the kids and I are very fond of. And alot closer to school, which saved me lots of time compared to the previous house. Over the past couple of months, our kids bloomed- Kyla is on two wheel bike now, very vocal (sometimes too vocal), expressive, helpful etc etc, and Lezane also learnt how to cycle on his trainer bike and developed very good motor skills. He is totally off diapers since a couple of months ago, which saved us lots of luggage space when we travel. He too started school and started to speak with a wierd accent. He is also becoming more independent, thou he is still a mummy boy.

My kids are growing up too fast. As much as I complain about the physical tiredness everyday, I am thankful to be given this opportunity to stay home with them and watch them grow and be an intrinsic part of their life. I am still not used to the complete silence at home when they both are at school (what irony when i complained about them being rowdy and noisy at home).

Our CPH life has been surrounded with many lovely and helpful friends. Friends who are not only acquaintances but friends whom have helped us in times of emergency and need. They made our stay so much livelier and happier. Well, we are half-way thru our stay here. I am thinking that I will be very sad on the day we leave this country and move on to the next. But what to do, this is the life we chose.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Being a Parent Based Overseas

A recent Facebook post by a good friend and meet-up with girlfriends triggered this post to pen my thoughts about being a domestic engineer. The past one year plus had been like an exciting F1 race for my family and I. We relocated to two different countries and moved houses for four times. To Ms Heng's standard, this is crazy kind of life and this kind of life will go on until buddha knows when...

To many friends and people, it may seemed to them that stay-at-home mummies (SAHM) are tais tais and enjoying life with rich husbands bringing the bread home. What they saw were the happy smiley photos posted on blogs and facebook. But they did not see the other side of the picture.

A SAHM is a 24/7 job and no time for MCs or leave. MCs and leave are the entitlements that I can get to enjoy only when I am back to SG for hols. Of course, sometimes Weikai do also take care of Lezane on his off days so that I can get a breather. Even doing an hour grocery shopping without the kids can be a good form of therapy. When daddy has to be outstationed, mummy has to be even more independent in handling the kids all on her own.

Not only do we have to take care of their health, we have to ensure that Kyla and Lezane's educational level is on par with Singapore standards, lest they have difficulties in catching up when we return to base. This is the stressful part. I have to be alot more disciplined in teaching them Mandarin, Math and Science. In this aspect (and many other aspects), I really admire my sister-in-law, who is without any domestic helper now, being so dedicated in homeschooling her four kids and giving them an enriching life (leaving that only little time for herself). I definitely cannot give up that much of my time for my kids. I think I will end up in mental hospital.

A very hands-on spouse is definitely a must before one can even start thinking of relocation. And for this matter, I am very thankful that Weikai is one such spouse. A friend of mine once said, when you are overseas, it is very very important that the husband and wife must work as a team. I totally agree, especially so with regards to the mental state of the couple.

Although being an expat mum is very physically and emotionally challenging, I think I have grown in many aspects. I grew to be alot more independent and emotionally stronger in the mind. Kyla and Lezane too grew to be more adaptable, more open-minded, more outspoken and more independent (but i do hope they can sleep in their own rooms soon thou). I am also thankful that we are blessed with supportive friends in wherever we are. They are the ones who add cheer to our overseas postings, other than our family.

Side track, I must be more hardworking in keeping my blog alive...

Saturday, January 8, 2011

New Year New Home

Our big living room
Small Kitchen
Kids playing in the living rm

WK fixing the cupboards


The past month had been busy busy busy. We returned to Singapore for a short holiday and came back to the cold wintry CPH to shift house. This is our 4th time shifting house this year (sounds crazy right!).

This shift was a little crazy as the house came without lights and we got to know it only after we took over the keys. I was shocked when I realised there were no lights. WK was lost for words too. Apparently, when you rent an apt or hse in Denmark, it comes with nothing. You are given a freehand to design the house. (hahahah.... to us, we thought lights were the basic). Hence, immediately, we rushed to IKEA to get all the tools we need- drill set, screws, lights, etc etc. I am a goner when it comes to fixing things and hence WK automatically became the Tay's Handy Manny fixing lights and assembling all the furniture around the house. I was in charge of packing and unpacking. Finally, after 3 days of intensive unpacking, our new place is finally set up.
I am so thankful that our kid were patient and cooperative during this period of time. Otherwise the shift would be much more of a hassle. Some pictures of our new house above.....