Uh-huh, that's her alright

If there's one surefire way of confirming that Danielle is really, truly, ABSOTIVELY my daughter, this little fella would be it - this brown, oval-shaped, thinly-shelled, chock-full of protein-y goodness.

(last Tuesday)

D: Mum-may, why do we peel eggs?
M: Becoz we don't eat the shell. It's hard & crunchy, cheekyboo.
D: Why?
M: The shell protects the babychick that's inside. Or if there's no chick, it protects the lovely boiled egg inside.
D: Why?
M: Well, the shell protects the egg till we eat it. Keeps it safe...
D: Why?
M: Becoz God made it this way.
D: Why?
M: (what the...) Erm, don't you like to eat eggs, Danielle? Don't you like to peel the shell off to eat what's inside? The eggwhite and the yummy yellow yolk?
D: (thinks for a bit)
D: Oh yes please! I LOVE EGGS! (wide beam)
M: I love eggs too!
D: We love EGGGGGGGGGGS!

Oh yeah, that's my girl.

Come to think of it, I should've asked her whether she'd like to sell them too, i.e consider eggselling as a profession.

Coz that would totally seal the deal, wouldn't it, girls? :)

Mmmm-mmmm


I've got sunshine
On a cloudy day.
When it's cold outside,
I've got the month of May.

Well, I guess you'll say
What can make me feel this way?
My girl. (My girl, my girl)
Talkin' 'bout my girl. (My girl)

Girl Interrupted

Okay, so we haven't exactly been disciplined when it comes to teaching Danielle Mandarin.

I honestly don't know what Dee's problem is. I mean, he has a good, clean, passing record. He can chat nineteen to a dozen in Mandarin (& Hokkien!) with my MIL so seriously, the onus should be on him to teach Danielle her ethnic tongue right? RIGHT?

Oi, you guys have to stand on my side! Hey, don't you go rolling your eyes at me!

Fine.

Armed with only ONE Mandarin poster in the house, I've been teaching Danielle a smattering from it. Words like 袜子, 面包, 蛋糕, 手表, 玩具, and 一 to 五. We practise them everyday, except on the weekends coz even the lil one needs a break!

So anywayz, she knows Mandarin is different from English. She also knows it's Papa and Mummy's 'secret language' when we don't want her to know what we're talking about.

Lately, she's seems a tad more confident using Mandarin to converse with us, as seen from this conversation plucked from yesterday:

Mummy: 她讲的话越来越象Lola.
Papa:真的嗎?
Danielle: (interjecting) Hey, hey! 糖果!

So like I said, she can so speak Mandarin now.

SWEET...

* Note to parents -- do NOT make the same mistakes we made. Start your kids early!

D-A...but not quite Danielle. Yet.

This week saw Danielle making a mammoth leap into the world of literacy! She can manage the letters 'D', 'A', 'I' and a funny looking B at the moment. And her drawings are no longer confined to bodyless heads with asymmetrical faces. They come attached with bodies and limbs! Whoop whoop whoop! :)

Watch!

Send in the clown

Danielle's had to rely alot on her imagination these days.

These days, Mummy's too pooped to bring her out to the park, let alone playdates.

These days, Mummy's days are filled with appointments with various estate agents.

These days, the only 'stimulation' Danielle gets is the 'visually exciting decor' some potential flats offer - which isn't much - I can tell ya that.

This week, Mummy managed to squeeze in ONE miserable visit to the library. Even then, it was cut short. Mummy had places to go, appointments to drag Danielle to, people Danielle didn't have to meet, but did.

Why am I referring to myself in the 3rd person? I do not know. No, hang on. I do.

I half-wish there's another one of 'me' now. Another Saggs who'll do ALL the legwork - scheduling appts, showing up for appts, getting quotes, running errands, whilst the real me goes about my weekly routine with Danielle - trips to the park, library, supermarket, playdates, feed the ducks etc. That, would be nice.

Sorry if I'm boring everyone with my litany of complaints. It's been a tough week, worsened by the fact that Danielle's on half-term break. Which means she has to follow me on ALL the house viewings. And I'm feeling terribly guilty she's not having the fun she deserves. Or perhaps I'm just disgruntled that my usual routine has been thwarted by the sudden turn of events.

But rather than drivel on about my humdrum life, let's talk about Danielle's fertile imagination, shall we?

Somewhere between conjuring up Fisherman, Greengrocer, Teacher and a gung-ho Monster Buster, I'm surprised Danielle still finds time to be a Daughter and Mummy's little Comedian.

And she's been using the unlikeliest of props to aid her imagination. Besides whirling it around to cast spells, her magic wand also moonlights as a fishing rod (for catching Sharks with!), her green bolster (yes, the one she wraps her legs around every night) doubles up as a Monster-blasting raygun, her pink IKEA stool is the cashier counter that rings up the World's most exhorbitant veggies (20 pounds for 2 carrots!??)

She's also developed 'reasoning' skills over the past few weeks, and is now able to rattle off all kinds of retorts when I query her.

for e.g

Mummy: Danielle, why are you carrying so many bags?
Danielle: Coz (she NEVER says 'becoz' for some reason)... we're going TO THE SHOPS!

That's another 'habit' of hers, by the way. She's devoted half her answers to 3 special words - 'TO THE SHOPS!'

another e.g

D: Mummy! There's a dragon!
M: Really! Is it chasing us?
D: Yes!
M: Where should we hide?
D: To the shops!

'To the shops' is very important to her. It's a statement that's become the sum of all wisdom, the answer to every question, the mantra of her life...

2 days back, she conjured a scary 'Ice Monster' in my bedroom. It promptly started shooting icicles at us as we cowered under the bedcovers. We were Sun Princess & Sun Queen come to rid the world of the blistering cold and the chilly monstrosity. We blasted the ice beast with our bolster laser guns and pelted it with 'invisible' handgrenades. I wish I had videos or pictures to supplement this entry with, but I don't. So you'll have to imagine the battle scene for yourselves.

Then yesterday, she decided she was 'The Teacher'. With a long stick in hand, she pointed at numbers and alphabets with a suitable dead-pan face. But halfway through class, she declared imperiously, 'I have a moustache'.

After what felt like a full minute of jaw-dropping, mind-boggling astoundment, Papa and I burst into peals of laughter.

With a daughter like her, I'm hoping my next 30-odd years will be a laugh-a-minute.

Mum-may, there's a tiger in my tub!

This weekend, we embark on an exciting rustic journey to THE GREAT UNKNOWN. But before we do, here's wishing all a ROARING good weekend! Rwwwaaaaah!

Buff Times

The hooded bathtub raiders!

Lately, Danielle's been insisting on having her baths with me. Whilst I have no qualms showering au naturel with my daughter - we do have a fun time splish- splashing & pretending to be fish, crabs, whales, and other strange sea creatures - it's made me think when I should talk to her about human nakedness and privacy?

So here's my question: When should we start raising the topic of sexual inhibition to our children?

What's your take? I'd like to hear from you.

In the meantime, here are some interesting discussions regarding the topic. Click here and here to read what others have to say.

'Class Act'

Watch her say her name!
Marvel as she reveals her age!
Gawp as she shows off 'nifty' finger manoeuvres!
Be astounded as she identifies world famous monuments!
Be floored by her 'uncanny' Mr Spock impersonation! (under the kind tutelage of Ms Skiver A, *applause applause*)

The eponymous Vulcan salute

Oh, but she does fumble while trying to remember who gave her what. Uncle Derrick? Auntie Mabel?

But hey, she's still T.I.P - Training In Progress, ya? Heh.

32-going-on-Two

Just when I thought a good night's rest was all I needed to help 'the dust settle', my emotions were given yet another rattle-about this morning.

The trigger? An innocent conversation with my daughter:

8am ~
Danielle: (groggily) Mummy!
Me: Yes? Good morning, Danielle!
D: Where's Papa?
M: He's in the room sleeping.
D: Where's grandma?
M: (lump stuck in throat) Where do you think she is, Danielle?
D: In Shing-ma-pore.
M: Do you miss grandma?
(D nods head, thoughtfully.)
M: I miss her too. (tears)

and a few minutes later...

D: Mummy? Where's grandma?
M: ... (i have no words, no words.)
D: Maybe she('ll) come back tomorrow?

Oh help, here we go again...*dab dab*

I'm friggin' 32 this year. But in moments like these, I may as well be that 2YO who wakes up crying coz mummy isn't the first face she sees in the morning...

Dust will settle, but the longing... that's something I'll have to manage.

before leaving for Heathrow

* sorry for the incessant whining. I take time to recover. But I'll get there. In any case, this is MY blog! So I'll whine if I want to! :)

Naughty or Nice?

Danielle's behaviour has been rather appalling of late. She's taken on this strange 'I-don't-like-anyone-but-my-parents' attitude. Since returning to the UK, she's been exceedingly possessive over Dennis and myself, our things, and doesn't like it when others have our attention.

If her fluctuating 'neuroses' were perpetrated on her papa or me, I might be more tolerant. But her recent behaviour has seen her rude, defiant and behaving like a downright brat to my mum (and don't get me started on her equally deplorable behaviour towards my MIL in SGP!).

And that, does NOT sit well with me. At all.

At her worst, she's 'beat' and 'admonished' my mum, brandishing her index finger (a habit she picked up from me. Oh bad, bad). Other ghastly behaviour include screaming blue murder, refusing to follow instructions, rejecting to hold my mum's hand, asking my mum to leave her bed, using hurtful words like 'Go away!', 'I don't like you!', and 'I don't want you!' (we never use the last 2 phrases on her so I'm wondering where she picked them up from? TV? School?)

We're utterly nonplussed by her recent behaviour and find it hard to marry her 2 very diverse personalities together. On one end of the spectrum, she's all manjah, eager-to-please and a sheer joy; on the other, she's a diabolic little monster who wittingly, or unwittingly hurts others with her words & actions.

We've tried different approaches to tackle this mind-boggling issue - from soft reproach to harsh reprimand- but nothing's worked so far.

I've had to apologise profusely to my mum for my daughter's atrocious behaviour. Whilst my mum's been understanding, and even tries to analyze the reasons behind it, I'm ashamed.

I've tried explaining to Danielle that grandma is 'Mummy's mummy' and that she has to treat her nicely or Mummy will be upset. She always nods her head thoughtfully, but within minutes, is at it again.

Is this yet another phase all parents have to go through? I know toddlers are a handful but are they charateristically mean to their grandparents at this age? Surely this is not normal?...

Danielle turns 3 in another 4 months. With that comes another set of milestones, another uphill task trying to 'psycho-analyze' her ever-changing moods and behaviour.

Just when I thought my SAHM status has made me know my daughter whole-hog, I'm humbled again...

++++++

On other news, I'm pleased as punch to announce that... (drumroll) Danielle's toilet-trained*?! *fingers crossed fingers crossed* We drilled her on the potty whilst in Singapore and by the 3rd week, she could announce quite proudly, 'I need to shee-shee'.

At last. Phew!

* she still wears diapers to bed and wears pull-ups when she goes out. But she doesn't wet them at all. So does this mean I'm home free? Whoopee!

Fabulous - Fashion - Faux Pas

London Fashion Week ended on 16th February having showcased some of the world's most fêted designers. During the course of LFW, fashion editorix(es) scrutinized, frowned on, and gave their unanimous nods of approval to the creative talents of fashion heavyweights - Marc Jacobs, Nicole Farhi, Christopher Kane and 'It' designer of the moment, Giles Deacon, amongst many others.

Did you know fashion reports are quite a hoot? To read, that is. I found that out when I started surfing the web on LFW, having had my interest piqued by the large marquee setup outside the Natural History Museum.

After religiously surfing the Net for hmmm... 2 days, I'm proud to announce that I can do an A~Z listing of fashion brands or designers, tell you Anna Wintour (editor-in-chief at Vogue) is THE Miranda Priestly, Posh favours designs by Robert Cavalli, and the hottest hair trend to sweep London city is the elfin platinum look. And oh, I can spell M-A-N-O-L-O B-L-A-H-N-I-K at last! There!

But 'label dropping' is not my thing. Neither am I fascinated by intricacies on a garment, the composite of colours, or the ingenious use of material. I'm more interested to know who wore what where, who had frontrow seats, who's the belle de jour/celebrity muse for say, Lagerfeld, or what the scoop is on the 'size zero' issue. Oh, and did you know Alexander McQueen married his documentary filmmaker partner on a yacht off Ibiza, and Kate Moss was their bridesmaid?

I remain, and probably always will be - a tabloid junkie.

Anyway, back to fashion, or more explicitly, runway fashion. I gawped at some of the 'designs' that made it to the catwalk.

Oversized Bearskin
(palace guards wear them on their heads, skinny models wear them to keep warm )

Eyelash coat
(prefer them curled? Use Volume Shocking Mascara by L'Oreal)

The 'barb-wire' headpiece
Looking at the world through 'obstacled' eyes

Danielle, it seems, is quite the fashionista. She sported a new fashion trend by putting this newfangled 'hat' on. And guess what, Prada had the same idea for their Fall collection 2007/08!

Tea cozy caps... they're all the rage this coming Fall!

Absolutely fabulous, dahh-ling!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Monday is my vacuuming day (gawd, I sound so much like Dad) and when I turned our Hoover on yesterday, guess what? So did Danielle...

So there we were, mother & daughter, happily hoovering and 'vacuuming' together. Is she Martha Stewart in the making? Who knows? :)

Aggressive Behaviour

On Tuesday, Teresa pulled me aside and in hushed tones, told me Danielle had yanked someone's hair and shoved him to the ground.

I was mortified and apologised profusely for her appalling behaviour, asking then who that boy was so I might apologise to his parents.

But Teresa refused to divulge who the child was. Instead she told me not to worry about it - the boy wasn't hurt and Danielle had been given a talking-to by Jo.

I hung my head in shame, embarrassed by my own daughter's behaviour. And Teresa, probably sensing my dismay, told me that it was common 2YO behaviour and Danielle was just being over-territorial. She'd hit the boy because they both wanted to sit in the same toy car.

Nonetheless, I gave Danielle a pep talk when we got home. I asked her whether she'd done what Teresa said she had. She admitted to the misdeeds and when questioned who her victim was, she gave me 2 names - Leo & Bunmi! Horrors! There were not 1, but 2 casualties?!!!

I sat her on my lap and told her very, VERY firmly she was NOT to repeat her actions. It wasn't nice, and she should be good & kind to everybody. Her actions also made Mummy sad.

When Dee came home from work, I told him the distressing news and he, too, reiterated our dismay towards her behaviour.

My sis says it's not unusual for children her age to be territorial and aggressive towards each other. This is the age where 'mine' and 'me' take precedence.

It may not be such a bad thing that Danielle is able to fend for herself, instead of being a pushover. Still, the thought of my own daughter 'victimizing' another child just doesn't sit well with me, 'positive' attributes notwithstanding.

Perhaps I should look at it from the other side of the coin - what if Danielle was the 'victim' instead? How would I feel? What actions would I take? Would it be easier to instill values of giving & sharing, or teach a child to be bold, and stand up for herself?

Hmmm...

In the meantime, I hope she got what we were trying to drive at. And that the 'bully' in her doesn't strike again tomorrow... or ever.

Daniellosaurus: Raaaaaah!

Hearts a Flutter

Valentine's Day is round the corner so instead of going to the One O'clock Club on Monday, Danielle and I filled our living room with hearts.

My creation

Danielle's art pieces

I hadn't discovered till Monday that Danielle can draw faces. I know they're still nonsymmetrical but it's a new milestone for her, so BRAVO to that!

Here is my young artist at work, and some decorating ideas for Valentine's:

And here's one for Chinese New Year...

With Chinese New Year fast approaching, Ms D has been hard at work honing her singing skills just so she can wish everyone a 'prosperous New Year'!

However, if you can't wait till CNY, then see her in action here:

Dealing with Death

Most times when I bring Danielle to the childrens' library, I'd be armed with B's grocery bag, ready to pick out 'new' books for us to read at home. I'd pore through shelves & boxes, picking out fun & interesting titles regarding fairies, farmyard animals, birthdays, parties, trips to the beach etc... all happy, sprightly themes.

But yesterday, I chanced on a shelf I hadn't seen before. A shelf that displayed kiddy books dealing with (more) emotional themes - welcoming a new baby, moving to a new home, anger management, first day at school, getting a new haircut (how true! This can be EMOTIONAL for some! haha!) and even, bereavement.

Whilst it did cross my mind that Danielle is, perhaps, a little young to be 'taught' what Death is, I picked up the Miffy book (by dick bruna) nonetheless. After flipping through it to get a brief synopsis, I decided to borrow it.


Then last night, I read it to Danielle. Twice.

For the most part, I think she did enjoy the book, although it was undeniably sad. Even with its cutesy pictures, the author managed to convey feelings of bereavement simply, yet beautifully, and in a way children can understand.


I felt just a tad teary while reading the book because it was about Miffy's grandma who'd died. I know, silly emotional me. But it did make me think about my mum and how one day, she will leave us.

Afterall, Death, escapes no one. Death comes to all...


As I read the book, I tried to explain Death to Danielle in a way I thought best. I asked her, pointing at the (above) picture, 'Is grandma sleeping?'. Yes, she'd reply. But I'd tell her, 'No, grandma is not sleeping, she's dead. And 'dead' means you cannot wake up anymore.'

I wonder whether she understood?

She was rather reticent throughout the story but asked for it to be re-read after the first round. Perhaps she wanted to understand better why Miffy's grandma was buried under a blanket of moss? Or why all the bunnies were crying?

At the end of the second reading, she sat on the bed next to me, quietly contemplating (or so it seemed). All of a sudden, she turned to me and asked:

"Mummy, will you die?" (I swear, I am not making this up.)

I'm not sure whether she strung that sentence because she knew exactly what it meant, or that it was one of her random 'word(s) spew', of which she has many of late.

But that question made me choke up. And I could not answer her.

I guess whilst I think Danielle can be exposed to themes of death and loss now, she's still too little to be dealt with the blow that yes, one day, her Mummy will die & leave her...

* I think it's wonderful childrens' authors write books that handle real issues, despite their readers' age. Whilst it's wonderful to regale kids with tales of rainbows, tea parties and faraway lands - all which are needed to build creative thinking & imagination - let's not forget that kids, though young, are little people waiting to grow up.

Police Constable (PC) Danielle

I know I've said this before but it's been ages (again) since I brought Danielle to the One O'clock Club, what with the in-laws being in town and all. But since the sun decided to stop playing cruel 'peek-a-boo' games with us poor freezing icicles mortals today, I resolved not to fritter away the opportunity to bring her out & thaw while away the afternoon.

Despite me cajoling her to try out different costumes at the Club, Danielle was adamant in her choice of this luminous PC uniform. Methinks it's the 'Leo' in her that's aching to take on a more domineering 'vocation', as opposed to dressing up as a fire-fighter, ambulance crew, princess etc...

I, for one, would've preferred her in that cute little nurse uniform. It looked like a retro-looking, turquoise shift dress. C'est genial! Shall try to somehow hoodwink her into being Florence Nightingale on our next visit...

Meantime, here's law-enforcing PC Danielle!

* doesn't this Slide reel look as tho' she's part of some police TV serial? (think Law and Order, better yet T.J Hooker! Don't we all remember this one! Good heavens, we're old.)

Refrigerator Raider

DID YOU KNOW...

2YOs are terribly skilled at the following?

• Jumping up and down non-stop on the bed
• Swimming in manner of drowning cat in bathtub
  
• Cutting stuff up (mags, paper, blu-tac, whatever...)
  
• Peeling eggs
• Carrying a bowl of cornflakes and milk from kitchen to livingroom w/o spilling (ok, this is gd)
  
• Switching on the DVD player, putting disc in, pressing 'Play' then scrambling to the sofa
• Using lip gloss & lipstick on self
• Climbing up and down the toilet bowl (but no, still NOT toilet trained. Heavens!)
  
• Shredding tissue paper into snowflake-like sizes
  
• Playing 'doctor', 'chef', 'librarian' (<--New entry!)
• Being Indian chief (note use of 'being' rather than 'playing', as is apt)
  

Amongst these skills & others, Danielle is also extremely adept at opening and closing the fridge door.

It doesn't help that the landlord's fridge is perfectly sized for 2YOs like her.

See what I mean?

And just this morning, she tried to flaunt her new skills in 'Winning An Argument'...

+++++++++

[Heavy footsteps leading to back of the house. Has evidently not mastered the art of stealth unlike...Me. I follow surreptitiously behind.]

Opens fridge door (rather noisily. once again shoddy work in the stealth dept). Helps herself to:
a) Another slice of cheese, or
b) Contents in the open packet of toffee, or
c) Both

Me (standing akimbo): Danielle!
D : (bewildered) oh darn, oh darn. she caught me! quick! look cute, look cute
D : G..g..Go to computer mummy!
Me: What are you doing here?
D : I want to leave alone!
Me: (dumbfounded)
Me: You have to ask Mummy for permission!
D : No! (stamps feet)
Me: Yes!
D : No!
Me: Yes!
D :I don't want leave here!(or perhaps she means 'live'??)
Me: I have completely no idea what you're saying but, No!

This goes on for a few more minutes till finally...I relent.

Oh heck. Another slice of cheese isn't going to kill her.

Right, Daisy?

Moo.

Bringing up Daughter Jekyll and Monster Hyde

The 'Terrible 2s' has got to be one of the most 'trying' times in a parent's life! No, wait a minute, I think teenage years might be far worse. Another shaky bridge to cross intrepidly when I inevitably get there! Adoi! (or "Santa Maria!" with a* slap on head*. A frequently-used exclamation by Brazilian actors on those awful soaps they used to screen on Ch 8! Gag!)

There are many facets to Danielle these days. On good days, she's all sugar & spice and yada-yada-yada, is suuuuper manjah, a complete angel. On bad, she stomps around like a mini Godzilla (my poor neighbours downstairs), throwing toys around when she doesn't get her way, mimicks 'I don't like it!' (I say that too often to her methinks) and pouts. And her pièce de résistance? She hurls herself on the floor and pretends to cry (well, I choose to believe it's 'put on' anywayz! Hmph!).

Scary eh? You haven't heard the end of it yet. This is one little cookie who certainly knows how to work her way to your heart, push ALL the right buttons, and charm the pants off you.

Example:
She tears up my magazines (thank goodness they are FOC!) or scribbles on them. Then upon seeing dark clouds loom above me, quickly runs to my side and in her most cutesy voice says, 'Shhh-orry Mummy!'.

Some days lagi manjah, she'll say 'sorry' then either hug me (with a 'pat-pat' on the back coz she knows how that makes Dee & me go weak in the knees!) or hold my hand. When I'm at the end of my tether, she widens those huge eyes in 'mock ignorance', flashes her brightest smile, or breaks into an infectious laughter that makes it hard for me to stay chafed at her.

Little conniver!!! *shake head*

But one thing's for sure, she definitely takes after me in being 'manjah'. At meal times, she leads me to a designated spot with 'Mummy, sit here' then promptly brings the 'cat pillow' (present from Cin and EeLin) and asks me to put it behind my back to 'relax'. For no rhyme or reason, she'll take my right hand and kiss the burn mark on it to make it 'feel better'. She takes out my red Nikes for me when we're going 'gai gai'. When I take a 'bite' from her oh-so-chubby right arm, she proffers me her left. Before she sleeps & we're lying side by side, we'll go through our ‘roll-call’ repeating, 'Mummy!, 'yes, Danielle?', 'Mummy!', 'yes, Danielle?', till one of us finally drops off to Zzz-land...

Geez... feeling all warm & fuzzy writing all this down.

Hang on, did I say she was a monster just now? Hmmm.... :)

Potty Tales

Danielle did the funniest thing today. As part of her 'privacy routine' while making 'doodoo', she hides behind doors or under chairs. But today, she went to the toilet, carried her detachable potty seat, placed it on the toilet bowl, took off her diaper, all of her clothes (??) and plonked herself on the 'throne'. How did I know she did all that herself? I was busy skyping my sis when I heard some noises. By the time I sped to the toilet, she was on the toilet seat and giving me her 'I wanna poo so dun disturb me' look! I was gobsmacked, to say the least! And she told me, 'Close the door', 'Go away mummy'! And so I did. Then when I popped in periodically to chk on whether she was done with the deed, she'd tell me, 'Dun worry, dun worry!'

How not to laugh at her antics, I ask you?!

Anyway, I managed to take a proud shot of her in all her potty 'regality'... :)

* Singlet put back on her to maintain modesty. Thank you very much. :P

Shh... the mouse is sleeping

Unbelievable. We found a mouse in one of the kitchen cabinets today. Dead. Actually it was Danielle who found it since yesterday but I thought she was just exercising her imagination again when she turned to me and said ' shhh, mouse is sleeping' and gave a little giggle. I was busy cooking so took no notice of her 'discovery'. But today, when she said it to me again, I decided, what the heck, I'll just humour her and look into the cabinet. And what a shock I got. There, at the end of the cabinet (which we dun use, thank God!) was a little grey mouse carcass. I knew it was dead coz I poked it a little bit. Then I had to explain to danielle that it was not sleeping but dead. Soon, she was repeating to herself ' mouse dead, mouse dead'. She wanted to touch it even (cute little bugger it was) but that was a definite No-no from me!

We took a REALLY long walk today. Abt 3 hrs' long. Explored Tooting, which turned out to be a mini 'Little India'! Felt so out of place, being the only chinese mummy with toddler in tow. Went into one of the grocers and was pleasantly surprised (and a little relieved) to see 3 other Chinese people buying their groceries. Things there are a bit cheaper so I may take a bus down the next time to buy some fresh produce. Also found the budget outlet 'Primark' that Zubeyde was telling me about. Ok good, now I know where to get those nice white stockings that Danielle can wear during winter. Think will explore that area more another day. Take some photos too for Mel who can't believe that there are soooo many Indians in the UK! I swear it was saris and tandoori take-out galore there!

Been have quite a bit of probs with the comp. Need JH's expertise! Dee will prob drop him an email to ask for further advice. The internet surf time we have on this comp is getting shorter and shorter. Dammit.

Anyway, didn't post any msgs for 16 August but just wanna add that we ventured to Tooting Bec Common, which is abt a 15~20 min walk from our house. It's a charming park with a nice playground and another One O'clock club. May toggle going to this one and the Agnes Riley Gardens.

An achievement for danielle today too! She pooped and shee-sheed in the potty! Ok, baby steps in potty training. Not the easiest thing to do when I sometimes have to carry a screaming toddler to the bunny potty! But success nonetheless so am pleased.

Cooked 'claypot rice' today and happy to report that it was a success. It's D's 1 mth anniversary of starting work here in the UK! 1 mth already! Geez!