More time with mummy

1) Next week is the start of school holiday and Cherylin is excited about it. 

This morning, we had a short conversation while sending her to class:

C:  Are you working on next Mon?
Me: Yes
C:  How about Tue?
Me:  Yes
C:  Fri? Thu? Wed?
Me: Yes
Cherylin then sulked.
Me:  Why are you not happy?
Cherylin kept quiet.

I asked if it's because she wants mummy to be with her throughout the holiday and she nodded.  I told her I will take leave one of these days to be with her.  She's still not happy.  Explained that mummy can't spent the entire school holiday with her else I'll have no more leave to bring her for trips.  She finally accepted the fact and went into her classroom. 

I can sense that she very much wanted mummy/daddy to spend more time with her. 

2) Just a week back or so, she had been telling me "Mummy, I want you to come home early.  Can you be back earlier tomorrow?" (as I usually reach mum's home quite late at 8plus to 9pm and will hurrily pack dinner and go home, very little time spent on her).  I feel so bad when she told me this not hust once but twice or thrice.  I tell myself I'll try to leave office early from now on....

妈咪，我几百分？

Since last Sunday, Cherylin has been a very sweet and well behaved girl.  Whenever I praise her, she'll ask "妈咪，我几百分？"  She becomes very delighted when I tell her she got herself 100 marks, 200 marks.... all the way till 500 marks when she continued with her good behaviour.  All the while, the max is 100 marks.  I had no idea why we awarded beyond 100.  One thing for sure - Cherylin feels even more motivated to be well behaved when she gets higher and higher marks.  I guess this is a form of satisfaction to her.  So how did she earn herself those marks?

1. On Mon when YC brought the kids to mum's place (I was on MC and hence resting at home without the kids around), Cherylin was ok to walk to mum's house while mum carried Shawn (she usually wants to be carried).
2. When Shawn doodle on her art work with a marker, she didn't flare up. Instead, she asked me to help colour that area messed up by didi so that it's no longer ugly.
3. Shawn ate the sweet corn that she wanted.  She said "it's ok, let didi have it".
4. Shawn threw her pillows at her face.  She grabbed the pillows, smiled and returned to the room.
5. She asked me: "Mummy, are you better already?" twice - once on Tue when we were home and once on Wed when we were on the way to mum's place.  She delighted me.
6. She requested to brush her teeth before she goes to sleep (yah, Cherylin hates to brush teeth and she rarely/never initiate to brush her teeth). 

Keep it up, my darling.  :)

7D5N Central Japan (Nov 09) - Day 4

Day 4 (11 Nov, Wed)

Candid shots of Shawn

Shirato-no-Taki Falls

Lunch - nice bento set

According to the itinerary, we are supposed to go to Mt Fuji today.  Our tour leader decided to swop Mt Fuji with Gotemba Premiun Outlet visit as the weather wasn't good today.  Hence, we departed for our shopping spree after lunch.

Gomtemba Premium Outlet (approx 3 hrs of shopping given)

Tonight, we stayed at a Ryokan.  Cherylin loves the tatami.  There's hot spring bath available and YC had a go.  I was too shy to try out the bath. Haha.

 

Me in Yukata

 Fresh sashimi anyone?

(9,000 Yen for the small boat; 150,000 Yen for the big boat)

Our dinner - traditional japanese meal (just like what you've seen on Japan Hour!)

The kids entertaining themselves on a stage 

Having fun putting on the Yukata

 Why did i take this shot?  To show how thoughtful the japanese are.  It was drizzling when we were at the premium outlet.  Hence, the sale staff wrapped our shopping bag with a plastic cover. Impressed.

 Breakfast was a simple meal of porridge

7D5N Central Japan (Nov 09) - Day 3

Day 3 - Tue (10 Nov)
We had breakfast at the hotel - the spread was good, best among all the hotels we had stayed during the trip.

Can you see Cherylin in the picture above?  She was sleeping while we changed her and carried her onto the stroller.  She continued to sleep even when we carried her onto the coach.

Nara Deer Park & Todaiji Temple

Shawn was fascinated when he saw so many deers surrounding him. However, he became scared when the deers got closer to him.  The deer even 'ate up' the brochure/map that was left in the basket of the stroller. :P

Path towards Todaiji Temple

Surrounding of Nara Deer Park

Todaiji Temple of Daibutsu - Largest bronze Buddha structure in Japan.

Entrance ticket

YC offering prayers

It's said to bring good luck if one crawls thru the wooden hole

YC & his souvenirs

Outside the temple

Cam-whoring while waiting for YC

Then, a passerby offered to take a picture for us..:P

Cute japanese kids in school uniform

Kyoto - Kiyomizu Temple

I like the street leading up to Kiyomizu Temple as there were lots of shops selling souvenirs and goodies.

Photo taking with Geisha

Cherylin refused to take the picture as she said the Geisha wasn't pretty :P.

:ots of people queuing up for the spring water located below the terrace

We had to climb down this long flight of stairs

Lunch at a local eatery - Pork Katsu with rice & udon

We had Ramen for dinner at one of the eateries located at the "Ramen Street" - somewhere near Takashimaya. Cherylin had a little more dinner as she enjoyed the Ramen (slurping loudly too). Shawn also ate happily. Huge bowl of ramen with 4 pcs of gyoza for each pax. It's a very filling meal.

Nagoya International Hotel

(the group that departed one week before us stayed at Marriott Associa Hotel. We saw the hotel when we went to Takashimaya. It's such a luxurious hotel compared to ours. I wonder why the vast difference.)

'

Cherylin's all time favourite activity when in a hotel - playing in the bathtub

I explored the surrounding of the hotel while the kids were having bath.  It was raining hence didn't want to bring the kids out and it's best for me to sneak out when they were having fun in the bathroom.  There wasn't much to look at.  Visited two convenience stores and bought some snacks and drinks.