As you all know.. i’m spending a lot more time with Chloe these days, well, truth be told even when we had a babysitter, she was pretty much with us in the store.. with her babysitter.. except for the few hours.. they leave for home twice a week. Or when we had errands to run - so we do encourage Chloe to tell us anything and everything.

So the other day, she came home from school.. and outta no where told us that one of the teacher’s aid told her that .. she doesn’t need to tell her mama everything.. and to go to them.. if she had any problems.. made me frown a little. Oh .. don’t get me wrong.. i’m sure.. the teacher’s aid meant well.. but you know .. Chloe is only a kid.. and they really have to explain .. what exactly, she doesn’t need to tell us.. and in what situation.

Kids at that age is very impressionable.. and i’m afraid.. that Chloe or some other kids.. who might have been told the same.. might end up not telling anyone about anything.. should they get bullied outta school.. or not within the school compound. Or worst.. if they were abused at school by a teacher.. are they not supposed to tell anyone..?? or tell on the teachers who abused them..?? like i said.. i don’t think they meant anything bad - but definition of such must be very, very clearly spell out for the kids.. because if my kid was abused in school - i would definitely want to know. I’m trying not to make a mountain outta a molehill, so i told Chloe and drilled it in her.. that i am her mama .. and i need to know everything.. because there is nothing wrong in telling her mama what happened in school or anywheres. There are a lot of bad ppl out there.. as long as they are not family .. you trust no one.

I look at my Chloe everyday .. and hope that I’m doing the right thing with her .. and by her. What do i mean..?? when i see some of the kids around us .. i sometimes wonder what went wrong..?? One day, you see this sweet lil’ kid walk into your store.. and years later.. this kid comes in and sell you some stuff you are quite sure was stolen. His parent is a good woman.. hardworking .. and good. I don’t really know them well, but I know she had been a real trooper.. and gave him everything he needs. So what went wrong..??

Everybody makes mistakes.. and as a parent.. you can also expect your child NOT to be perfect.. but one can only hope not to raise a child to make STUPID mistakes. My heart becomes extremely heavy .. each time i come across a kid .. who smokes.. do weed.. or steal from their parents.. and try and sell them at our store. Worst are those parents who calls you up . . years later.. about their kid who stole from your store.. with no apology and demand that you take her kid’s picture off your website .. because he was caught on video stealing from you.

Chloe asked me the other day.. “mama, it’s not easy raising a kid eh?” i was shocked.. ! where did that come from..?? but yes.. i told her raising a kid is not difficult .. but raising a kid with good morals, honest, integrity .. and not make STUPID mistakes.. that’s the hard part. I watched my daughter everyday.. and enjoy all her funny faces.. quotes.. and many awesome moments.. and i tell myself.. “please God.. help me raise my kid right! help me raise a kid.. who doesn’t lie like there was no tomorrow. help me raise a kid who doesn’t get knock up at 16 or even 18. help me raise a kid .. who takes pride in every action she takes and most importantly help me become a friend to my kid and help me to listen .. when my kid has something to say .. every time and anytime.” Do you know what your kids are up to..?? Are you spending enough time with your kid.. so that he or she doesn’t act up and do things.. that you, yourself cannot believe it .. when seen with your own eyes. I don’t hope this day to come for anyone.. so i caution myself everyday and hope that i have the wisdom when the time comes, i’m gonna have to take some lessons from Aunt Sandra and Chloe’s kai mah eh..?

Halloween 2009 was certainly different.. and *slap forehead* .. why i didn’t think of doing Halloween with my daughter.. i don’t even understand it. Every year since Chloe had been doing Halloween, it was her daddy who would drive them around.. and her babysitter would bring her trick a’ treating. But you see .. when we brought her for her rounds this year.. i wouldn’t wanna missed it ever again. The glee.. the smile.. and the joy in her face was priceless. Making money is important.. but spending special moments like these are more important.. because she isn’t gonna be 5.5 for very long.. it only comes once. So even though we were trying to buy a walk in bath by making a few extra bucks online - this is a lot more important.

She now runs up the door .. while PB and I stand back .. and watch her go .. “trick a treat!! ” and then she would say.. ” thank you !” “Happy Halloween!” Too cute to watch.. and so proud of her.

Another door and another house - i don’t think she was really interested in the candies.. i think she had so much fun .. just knocking on doors.. and saying .. “trick a treat!” .. hahahha!!

We went by to Uncle Jerry’s .. and then to Tubby’s .. and Dominic’s but he wasn’t home.. so we went across to Sarah’s .. and had fun there for a bit.

Some of the houses were decorated really good.. and the people were friendly .. and welcome the kids with open arms. You can see that not all that went trick a treating.. were kids.. some were adults as well.

House with huge eyeballs were the one that was the best dressed. And the nice lady - the owner of the house was very nice and welcoming.

Oh.. and we had to go out and buy another halloween costume for her.. because the one grammie sent back .. still smelled of smoke.. the day before Halloween. Poor Chloe.. was devastated and inconsolable till we went out to buy her a new costume.

And what did PB do.. during Halloween..?? stealing someone’s kid.. muahahhahah!!! Pinky is her nickname and she is tubby’s kid.

3 weeks before Halloween, we went out to get the Halloween goodies for Chloe’s class, we knew that we will be busy this year, so we didn’t procrastinate. And true enough .. after getting the goodies for the big event this year.. we were too busy at the store.. to really go out to hunt for goodies. Plus, i wanted to get the good stuff.. and the good bags.

So the nite before the Halloween party at school, Chloe wanted to help do up the bags for her friends. And she was pretty earnest about it too. She followed all the instructions as to how much to put into each bag.. and was very zealous about tying them up too. And in every loot bag, we had planned to put some holiday cards as well. Unfortunately, it was getting too late to personalize the cards, so we did it for her instead.

I am very blessed because PB helps with stuff like that.. and daddy and daughter go on their mission on their own. I didn’t have to do anything.

Look at how much candies we bought .. for the kids at school. We also bought a cake for the class.. and had i known that the other parents weren’t too big on Halloween.. i would have done a lot more.

There were bags of chips too.. for every treat bags. And some leftovers.. for giving away.. at home or at the store.

16 bags in all.. and one for Dominic of course… and Sarah.. and Jasmine and Jessica .. and of course one for her babysitter - bless the brat’s kind heart. I asked her if she wants her babysitter to bring her trick a’ treating … but she said no, she wants mummy and daddy this year. So there… we had no choice.. but to make other arrangement.

I’ve been spending a lot of time with Chloe of late and it’s really quite fun to see her doing stuff that are not only creative.. but each day, i see changes in her .. and it seems that everyday, she comes home learning something new. She told us about the new stone sink that they had in school.. and also many new steps she learned in her dancing school. But most importantly.. i am able to drop everything .. and be with her .. after school.. and during the weekends.

Ppl said we are very blessed to be able to bring our kid to work… and before i used to lament.. that my online work.. takes up some of my time.. therefore, i needed help. But truth be told, the kid loves spending time with us. I remember the many nites when she had to go home with her babysitter.. and we had to bribe her sometimes. Or she would say.. “mummy .. i’m gonna miss you!”. We are of course, thankful for the babysitter’s help.. but i guess .. Chloe is getting a lot older now.. and i need to help her with her reading too.. every nite. Not just reading to her.. but teach her how to read. Nowadays.. she recite her numbers.. from 1 - 100 with no problem.. and read 3 books on her own - as of today. I have the luxury to be with my daughter.. everyday.. and i have to be thankful. Thankful for help when i needed.. thankful.. to PB for being so hands on. Thankful that PB is willing to share 50/50 of all my responsibility.

PS: One of the main reason i feel a need to be with Chloe is because there were too many things going on around us in this town. And like any responsible parent.. you and I know.. that we have put your child’s interest on first priority, to protect our kid, nurture them ourselves and make sure that she grows up the right way, so what better but to teach her yourself right? As a mother, you cannot fault me for wanting to spend more time with my kid.. and less time online right? I also noticed that i’m able to write once again - meaningful and thoughtful scripts about my life.. and those of chloe’s. A fair trade..?? very.

Yes..! she does..! today .. we were home late .. because of the Halloween Parade.. so we came home.. i gave her some leftover oranges.. from her lunch even though she said she wanted grapes. So she finished her oranges.. and told me.. “I have been waiting for my grapes you know? ” In which i replied.. “do you still want grapes..?? since you already have some oranges?” In which she replied .. ” yes…! i’ve been waiting patiently you know..?? i’m practicing patience you know..?” muahahah! With a kid like that.. who needs any best wrinkle cream anymore right..?

The other day .. we went to her old school’s playground.. and she made me go from one playground to another. You see there are 3 playgrounds there… and having walked from the store.. and running up the hill with her - i was so outta shape. In which she said.. “there’s a bench there, mommy. .. i promised you can sit and rest there” .. muahhahaha!!

So she had been practicing chinese language.. and the other day.. her daddy was being bad.. according to her.. and she said to him.. ” Mo tak Kwai eh leh.. !!” muahahahah!!! She is too funny right..?

I’m pleased to let everyone know that Chloe is pretty much settle in her new school. Come Nov 4th - Chloe would have been in school for 2 months now. Besides the fever she had in the beginning of the school term, she is pretty much doing good with regards to her health *touch wood*. But this year .. we were also pretty smart unlike last year, where we hurried her to go back to school. This year, when she got ill, we kept her home longer and made sure she was completely well - for there was no hurry as she is up to expectation in her school work.

This year, we also see a change in her behavior towards going to school, she is a lot more confident and didn’t want to miss school. This year .. we also saw a change in pattern with regards to her sleeping habits - she now goes to her bed.. and fall asleep in her bedroom instead of the tv room. Sure, we still watch a short movie .. and read.. but after reading and the short movie, she goes to her bed.. and sleep .. like any kid her age.

Everyday, she comes home and tells us all about school.. and tells us about her friends. So yes, mummies out there.. if you can keep your kid outta school for another year.. please do.. because it sure made a lot of difference .. Chloe is so much more happier this year.

Chloe’s grandparents used to say that the apple donch fall far from the tree and i’m sometimes taken aback when Chloe shows so much understanding and compassion towards certain things. And I take no credit for that.. because I don’t have much compassion nor understanding.. hahhaha!!! Of course, the kid can be really naughty at times.. but when she is with us.. she can be whiny but never evil nor do we encourage that she does stuff like spitting or hitting. We make a big deal outta it .. when she does hit her babysitter.. or pretend to wanna hit her (by not letting the babysitter come).

We also encouraged that she tells the truth.. and no fibbing - my mother used to say, that you have to teach them young.. that way .. they will know from right and wrong. Plus, I’ve always believed that reprimanding is not the way to go.. but listen .. and explaining to them .. the right from wrong is the only way to go. There are also battles that are worth picking and some that, we as parents have to learn to skip. But first, as parents.. we have to learn to be honest and even though you think they won’t understand it - you will be surprised.. what they can actually comprehend.

Take for example, a week ago, someone came into our store.. and asked my Chloe .. how she was feeling..?? she replied.. “what did you say..?” and the customer repeated himself.. and Chloe looked at him strange and replied that … she was fine. And the customer said.. “oh i thought you were sick..? and you got someone sick as well.” In which - my chloe was devastated … and said.. “nooooo..! i was never sick..” and looked very sad after which. So as a helicopter mom.. i quickly tried to protect her.. and said.. ” oh.. he was only joking!” .. in which she replied.. “that wasn’t being very nice, mama! how could i have gotten someone sick when I haven’t been sick at all” *slap forehead*. And then she said.. “is he fibbing me?”

It’s easy for an adult to forget and ignore stuff like that.. but for a kid.. it means a lot to her. If i were to teach my daughter.. thoughtfulness and truthfulness, do i have to address every lie that comes my way?? or when i choose to ignore a lie.. or something bad, am i teaching my daughter.. it is alright.. to move along and it’s just not worth our time..?? Telling a white lie is fine.. but when you use my daughter’s name.. and tell a lie.. that’s not alright. Honesty begins with us as parents - it begins with the people she is around with most times, good habits starts from us - so if your kid is lying to you .. i’m sure you don’t want that right? You also don’t want them to be anywheres near ppl who lies and are evil right..?? so as parents.. i have to make sure.. that I am not lying nor being evil. What about you ..?? what is your thoughts about bringing up your kid to be a thoughtful and useful person..?? I think .. if Chloe starts lying or telling stories to me.. that would be the saddest thing in my life, that would only mean that i haven’t given her enough attention for her to lie and want the attention. What do you think..??

So i’ve slowed down on my writing recently - due to unforeseen circumstances - but that’s alright coz’ i can do more stuff with Chloe and look for pet beds for my best g/f from home. You see buying it back home is pretty ex and they probably don’t have the same stuff.. so i am buying them for her here.. and then bringing it home with me.. next year.. when i go home for a visit. Anyhow, i also have more time to do more catch up on my reading .. and plan for more activities for Chloe, so the unforeseen event turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I’ve always believed in making the best outta any situation .. and staying positive at all cost is my motto, afterall, Chloe is my only daughter.. and i need to do what is best for her.. and the rest are secondary right..?

So i read that the Vitamin D can do a lifetime of health benefits for our kids..?? Chloe is already taking a vitamin E supplement because she doesn’t take a lot of vegies. So what does Vitamin D do..?? and how much do they need to build strong bones and help prevent serious health problems in the future..?? It looks like the vitamin D can deliver a wide range of benefits. It is said that vitamin D plays a role in the prevention of seious chronic illnesses .. such as type 1 and type 2 diabetes.. and multiple scleriosis, cancer, heart disease and mental health problems like depression .. and schizophrenia. And since i have diabetes.. and rumor has it.. that it will run in the family.. i have no choice.. but to keep abreast on stuff like that right..?? So yes..! i’m heading out to the pharmacy .. and getting some for Chloe. But i’m gonna check with the pharmacist and see how much a kid can take.. becuase i read that one shouldn’t take more than 1,000IU of it a day - plus don’t forget to tell the pharmacist what you kid’s diet is already.. this will help determine how much your kid is able to take. Overdosing your kid with vitamin D is not advisable .. because it can make your kid feel nausea and long period of overdosing can lead to kidney stones and damage to the heart, lungs and blood vessels.

It’s in-service tomorrow.. but like any parents would know.. in service usually starts the day before - haha! for those who are not aware of what in service is .. don’t worry, i didn’t know till i came to Canada. It means the school teachers either have a meeting or needs to go for some upgrade - so there is no school tomorrow. For some kids, its great.. but for some parents they need to make arrangement for their kids to be looked after while they are at work.

For Chloe .. it is not a problem at all. because we have her at work with us all the time. Now that she is older, she is a lot more easier to look after and she can do stuff on her own. As she likes painting and drawing a lot .. you can see what she is up to already.. even before her off day from school.

We also explained to Chloe, she is a very blessed kid .. because she can follow mama and daddy to work and she understands it .. because just the other day, she told us that her friends don’t get to go to work with their mama or daddy. When she was younger, we were fortunate to have a babysitter who will come play with her at the store and go home with her when the need arises. But now that she is older and plus i don’t have so much online work, she is pretty much a self sufficient kid. I’m sure all mummies around the world would agree with me.. that spending time with their kids is the best gift one can give their kids right..?? and yes… i’m enjoying my special dates with my daughter. Tomorrow, we are heading out to watch Astro Boy in the cinema and a playdate as well.

So the flu shots are supposedly to be here soon .. and with the HN1N thing going around, we too wonder if we should take the needle, for those in the US, i think they are covered by short term health insurance NC. But of course, there are so many speculation and theory .. and so much to read online, you’ve gotta wonder right ..?? to take or not to take. With the babysitter having mono and stuff going around, it’s a good thing - the brat didn’t catch mono from her. Luckily, I had also curb and forbid Chloe to kiss the babysitter for the longest time.. actually since she started school. But she knows better not to kiss anyone on the lips.. yes - she sometimes does try with the babysitter.. moreso, to defy us.. and to irritate her. So we thank our lucky star - that she didn’t catch mono from the babysitter - when we heard 3 weeks ago, she caught it.

Which brings us back to - should we take the flu needle or the HN1N needle..?? so a call to the public nurse told us that she didn’t have as much info as she wants to yet - since the vaccine has not arrived. She feels that even if we did get HN1N .. she didn’t think that it would render life - threatening to be admitted to the hospital. But since PB has asthma, he will be eligible for it.. and so will the entire family. She wants us to check back in a week about the vaccine. As for the babysitter having mono, we don’t know where she might have caught it .. and even though she is out of the contagious stage, a check with our family doctor - he had said that she was gonna be quite tired for now, therefore, we had told the babysitter not to come in .. till later, in order not to stress her out or to strain her immune system - because chloe can be quite handful too at times. For those who have taken the flu shots or the HN1N vaccine, please let me know how it went.

Chloe is already into one full month of dancing - never missed a class.. and even had an invite for a dancing recital last Saturday. She loves her dancing but 3 weeks into it.. she said.. she didn’t wanna do tap dancing.. because it was too tiring. Can’t really blame her.. coz’ she already had a really long day. So we drop out from tap dance and continued with her other dance.. and today she came back showing us the dance steps as soon as she got home. We are just happy she is enjoying it so much.. and looking forward to it every week. More happy.. that she had been healthy .. all these time.. and never missed a class.

So your kid comes back home the last couple of weeks complaining that the boy sitting next to her had been kicking her - what do you do..?? Well, we tried to determine if it was accidental or was it on purpose of course. And the kid said.. the other kid just loved swinging his legs. So we let it go.. and told her to speak up.. and ask him to stop kicking her - and if he was still swinging his legs at her.. then she should tell her teacher.

Unfortunately, for us - Chloe seems to have lost her voice when it comes to telling her teacher about things. So a few days ago, she came back with bruises and she thinks that it was because of the kicking - we think it is irritating her more than the bruises. And like any good mummy, we wrote a ” From Chloe’s Mommy” note… to the teacher - telling her that it had to stop - to please assist. Well, you would be pleased to know that her principal called immediately the same day .. the note was sent in. And suggested that we asked Chloe to voice up. And then another note came back from Chloe’s teacher.. that we should encouraged her to voice up too. Now, you would think that they should know this is our last resort .. because if Chloe would voice up .. we wouldn’t have to right the note right..?? So I wrote a note back to the teacher, thanking her .. for dealing with our concerns.. and also let her know that we did encourage chloe but to no avail. What would you have done..??

Our babysitter had been sick for a long time now and we haven’t heard back from her or her father since Monday. But we knew we wanted to get something nice for our friends for Thanksgiving .. so we headed to Swaroski as soon as we could. I don’t know about other parents.. but I love to get good stuff for my kid. Now don’t get me wrong, good stuff doesn’t mean.. 100s of dollars of stuff.. but things that are worth it.. and things that are everlasting.

Chloe loves her pink Swaroski Crystal.. and even though it was at a very good price.. we still only bought her one.. and a few for our other friends. Generous you think..?? nah.. those friends are priceless. Do you treasure your friends..like we do..?

So Chloe had been in her new school for a month now. We just got back a note from her teacher about her performance - i guess you can called it a performance report . .no..?? And I’m pleased to report that she “M” - mastered most of all that was expected of her till now.. but the only thing she didn’t “M” in was the names of her classmates. The teacher had written that she was a lovely girl too - in which i have no doubt about because Chloe is pretty well behaved in public - not to blow my own trumpet. We are thus far pleased with the school, although there isn’t any fancy bar faucet in the washrooms like some elite schools back home, it is pretty much a good school. It also seems to me that they have a lot of support from volunteers and there are lots of Teacher’s assistants around as well. They had just visited the apple farm the other day.. and we were told that they didn’t need any volunteers even though we readily volunteered ourselves - unlike her previous school where they really take any help they can get. This was taken in the morning . .while getting ready for school - i continue to hope she will continue to be happy every morning .. when preparing for school. Nothing is more stressful to send your kid to school when they are crying and in distress.

A few weeks ago, I read online from another blogging mummy’s blog that her daughter was fibbing about something that happened in school. Of course, in an adult eyes - it was a really small matter and one cannot understand why she wouldn’t tell the truth. That actually set me thinking for a bit - but when i found a play toy in chloe’s water bag on a Saturday afternoon - after she came back from bowling - i too jumped into conclusion that my chloe might have liked the toy so much, she had forgotten to give it back to her friend at the bowling alley.

So she had just gotten back to the store.. and washing her hands to get ready for a snack, when i quickly asked her where she had gotten the mirror an comb from..?? She replied “Macdonalds” .. and I asked “Reallly..?? ” She replied ” Yes, REally..!” .. and then PB turned around and said yes.. it came with her happy meal she had. So anyways.. i said ok.. and thought nothing of it.

But come Sunday… outta the blue and nowhere - Chloe sat on my lap and asked me about the mirror again. She asked me “mummy, did you think i took the mirror and come from someone?” - I stopped for a second .. and carefully answered her - afterall, I didn’t wanna let on that I thought my daughter did something like that right..?? or that I thought badly of her. So i replied that i didn’t think she took it from someone but i didn’t want anyone lil’ girl to be missing them.. and become sad. In which she replied : “mummy, i would NEVER do something like that ! i would NEVER take someone else’s thing.” My head hanging really low .. and my heart went out to my daughter.. and at that moment.. i promised her - that i would never think something of her that way. So parents.. as much as we wanna teach honesty to our kids.. and bring them up well - remember.. be very careful how you bring across your questions. I now know when my mom asked me “ridiculous” and “belittling” questions - she was trying to bring me up proper - but it sure didn’t sit well on me either. Be careful how I bring across my message or questions to my kid.. else she is gonna not wanna tell me anything .. or share anything with me .. when she is older.

So i saw a dress on sale on Facebook and it was so cheap.. you wouldn’t even believe how cheap it was. So when Chloe came home.. i showed her the dress - she asked why we bought her a dress and PB replied if there must be a reason .. to buy her a dress. And she replied.. “Is this from Auntie Kai Mah..?? ” In which, PB replied.. ” so now only your auntie kai mah can buy dresses for you?” … muahahhahahaa!!! I guess you can’t blame her for thinking such .. afterall, Auntie Kai Mah bought a a full wardrobe of dresses. Even today.. a mother of her classmate commented that Chloe have the nicest dresses and outfit in the entire school. Yes ..! chloe is loved by so many people - not only Auntie Kai Mah.

My mom used to say.. that raising a kid is like doing acne treatment often - they are a pain but I do not agree with my mom. Afterall, kids are gifts from God no..?? I was in the hospital keeping Mrs Zhu company during her delivery.. and the gal in the next room who was 17 and her boyfriend was 18 and without a job - now this is what scares me a lot about this town. I don’t want my kid to have a kid at 17 or even 18 - hell, she ain’t gonna have any kids till she is 30 .. if i have any say in it. But as you can see, even the best family and the best parents in this town do encounter this kind of problem.

You would think that at this time and age, no one should have an unwanted pregnancy .. and bring a baby into this world with such ill prepared intentions.. albeit not an evil one. But really..???!!!!?? How does one raise a great kid..?? I wanna know it too.. if you know how. Is it the parents..?? the upbringing..?? the friends.. ?? the peers..??? or the education system..?? or the water ..?? You tell me.. if you know the answer.. because this is not the first time.. i’m seeing teenager pregnancy here.. and it’s not gonna be the last.

So we went bowling on Sunday .. but that’s only because we had a birthday party to attend at the bowling alley. I missed the bowling alley near the Miami beach hotels. where the bowling balls are of normal sizes. The bowling balls here are mini sizes. I had wanted to get Chloe her own pink bowling balls.. but they are like $200+ dollars.. so nah.. not gonna happen.. hahahah!! PB was sore from bowling .. because he hasn’t bowled in such a long time.. hahha!!! See that torn up jeans..?? yes..! torn.. and guess what he said.. when i asked him.. “you going out with your town up jeans..??” In which he replied.. “yes..! it’s sunday.. and i’m gonna wear what i wanna wear”. *slap forehead*.

Of course, chloe loves bowling too.. as you can see. Even though the rest of the kids were eating chips.. and running around.. she was bowling earnestly.

So after a week of being sick .. she is finally back to school again. This week, we didn’t have any problems.. *fingers crossed*. In fact, this evening when she came home, she said she didn’t need to bring my photo to school anymore.. because she can use her imagination .. and her memory .. to remember the photo… muahahhahah!!! how cute is that..?? She also went for her dancing class today.. and started on her tap dancing.