Jas ✨ Learn • Play • Explore With Kids

Sharing what we do after school Not painting pretty sepia moments But normalising life of school-going children with working parents I’m blessed to be able to pick the kids up, and they follow me to my work place When I work, they lunch, do their own work, read before we leave for home Nothing fancy. Nothing extraordinary. But it is in these seemingly insignificant moments and the mediocrity of the ordinary which makes life beautiful ✨ *This is for my lower primary children studying in a local primary school in Singapore - my upper primary/secondary school children have a different routine 😌

ONE DAY IN MY LIFE: WORKING MUM 👩 Decided to take snippets of a typical workday to soak in this new season where the balancing act of family and work is becoming more and more a fine art. As much as I enjoy my children, staying at home was not my absolute calling. I appreciate time at work because it’s the only time I can seek solace from the chaos at home. Commuting to and fro work allows me to listen to music and catch up on news that I enjoy. I’m thankful for the support when it comes to mealtimes, because my children get to have nutritious sustenance. But on days when it’s not possible, Grab is our favourite friend. I wish I have the time to discover the world around us slowly. But then I worry how to make ends meet. Sometimes where I’m able to leave work early, I sneak in afternoon tea or a massage instead of rushing to pick the kids. I feel guilty when I send my children for childcare, 7 to 7. I feel guilty when I leave them to the care of others. I also feel guilty when I’m absent from work to care for my sick child. I choose to take pay cuts and flexibility in my work, so that I can juggle family and work. I stay up late after the children fall asleep to catch up on TV, only to doze off a few minutes into watching. I wish to stay at work longer just to catch up on adult conversation, but I can’t cos my child is waiting. These are real and raw thoughts I’ve had, but never had the courage to show. Now I know better - because He knows I’m only human, and we need Him more than ever. 🙏

GOOD ENOUGH ❤️ For many years, I often wondered if I was a good mum. It didn’t help when I was given lots of unsolicited and contradicting advice, and was often put in a spot to have to listen to elders - if not I was deemed to be rude, defiant and unfilial. There had been lots of tears. Lots of stress. Lots of bitterness. It wasn’t until I decided to take a bold step to stand up for myself and the children. To stop communication when relationships got toxic. To give ourselves the space we needed to heal, and truly be ourselves. To know that our worth is never determined by others. I went through therapy to find my grounding. I learnt that my inner child was wounded by my loved ones. I found out that my caregivers and closed ones were oblivious, and did not know any better back then ❤️‍🩹 I learnt to give grace to others and myself for trying our best in our given circumstance. 💕 I’m reminded that I’m appointed as a steward to my children. God will provide the strength I need to overcome every scenario that comes along and I’m a good enough mum for my children. 💖 Whenever you feel beaten, I hope you remember you’re doing so well in your given situation and you’re good enough 🫶🏻

I’ve always wanted to learn how to ski I was thankful when the opportunity presented itself But it was proving to be just a little difficult at the moment As I fell, over and over With fear and self-doubt creeping in I heard myself telling the same things I tell my children “You can do it” “Let’s try again” “You’re doing so well” That’s when it hit me, once again That reparenting ourselves is the one best thing we can do for our children And for ourselves It’s not only about healing our past It’s about treating ourselves with the same love, kindness and empathy we give our children Because we are made in His image We all deserve to be loved ❤️

• R A M A D A N ☪️ • ACTIVITY 💡: All About Mosques This Ramadan, we learn a little more about where Muslims worship - the mosque, also known as the masjid 🤲 We learnt about 🕌 8 unique mosques in Singapore - their features, when they were built, who they were for 🕌 Parts of a mosque - reading each description and matching the info cards accordingly, as well as spotting these in the book ‘In My Mosque’ Swipe to the end for our Ramadan and Islamic culture reads 👉 Want these printables that I’ve DIYed? Comment MOSQUE and I’ll drop you a direct link in your DMs ✨ 📚BOOKS RAMADAN ☪️ The Night Before Eid ☪️ Hassan and Aneesa Love Ramadan ☪️ A Ramadan to Remember ☪️ Ramadan Moon ☪️ A Moon for Moe and Mo ☪️ Ramadan Kareem ☪️ A Party in Ramadan ☪️ 大家来过节2: 新加坡马来传统节日与习俗 ISLAMIC CULTURE 🕌 In My Mosque 🕌 One Sun and Countless Stars 🕌 My Grandma and Me • 🔖 #jasreadbooks #jaslearnramadan #jaslearnsg •

5 TIPS FOR HK DISNEYLAND 🇭🇰🐭🎢 Our first time to a Disneyland, so we chose the smallest (and nearest) one to conquer first! We don’t have the best of stamina to wait for a long time in queues or for shows, so we decided to take it real slow and covered it over 2 days for this trip ☺️ After all, holidays are for recharging and rejuvenating - sanity and comfort come first 😌 Watch till the end for my unpopular tip 😉

Just when you think that you may know it all And you’re going to game this parenting business Through books, prenatal talks and advice, solicited or not The last line always gets to me Cos that’s really what parenting is all about The most humbling experience one is privileged to have For what we say and do hold so much weight Matter and mean so much Let us be the best steward for our children For we are the ones God has provided for them And them only ✨ Thank you @andrewshawbsc for the inspiration 🫶🏻

BOOKS ON SINGAPORE’S HISTORY 🇸🇬 Here’s the 4 books on learning the history of Singapore that you must have in your home library 😍 I’ve also included the age ranges that these books are great for 👇 1. The Little Singapore Book - aged 5 onwards 2. We Shall Remember - aged 9 onwards 3. Singapore: A Very Short History - aged 11 onwards 4. Singapore: A Biography - aged 13 onwards Love these amazing publications by @pepperdogpress @natmuseum_sg 😉

FORMER FORD FACTORY 🏭🪖🏳️ Was surprised to see that there’s hardly any sharing on this important historical site 😳 But I’ll admit it - it’s my first time there too 🥹 We have been reading about the fall of Singapore Coincidentally, 👦🏻J13 is about to have his history test on the war So we headed to the Former Ford Factory For a hands-on learning journey We went on a free guided tour Where we learnt how people back then endured We stood in the same room the Brits surrendered Reading the very transcript of the conversation Was quite a chilly sensation The tween and teen were fascinated, saying “FFF has most of the history of WW2 in 🇸🇬 and what people experienced during the Japanese Occupation. It also has the very room where the British surrendered to the Japanese - it’s like stepping back into the past. How cool is that!” But for the youngest at age 6, this place wasn’t his favourite Though flabbergasted he was, learning how much eggs cost The inflation was 800 fold, in our 3 years of holocaust At the end of the 1 hour tour I had them touch the building which suffered, so much, too much To hopefully sense the gravity of how we were hunted And to never take peace for granted 🕊️ 🗓️ Opens Tues to Sun ⏰ 9am to 5:30pm [last entry at 5pm] 📍 351 Upper Bukit Timah Road 🎟️ free for Singaporeans and PRs, and aged 6 and below [S$7.13 for foreigners] 🚇 Hume MRT Station • 🔖 #jaslearnsg •

(continued) She wasn’t prepared. She wanted to reclaim her body, her identity, her freedom. Guilt was always there, trying to swallow her. She felt guilty for not wanting another child right at that moment. For not being able to enjoying her first born longer. For wanting more of herself. She looked at me, fear in her eyes, and burst into tears. “Am I a bad mother?” she asked. “Will I love this child the same? Will I get better?” I held her hand, silent, as her sobs grew louder. I knew, in hindsight, this was the start of a very dark journey. One that could potentially lead to loss, if she felt that she could no longer see the light. Then, I answered, “You are a great mother because you are the steward God has chosen for your children. Remember that perfect love casts out fear. Love multiplies and not divides And most of all YOU WILL GET BETTER As you will learn to cut out unnecessary noise the naysayers who cast you aside because you revealed too much of your vulnerabilities the negative voices who downplayed your emotions And be the best mum you can be.” We hugged each other for a long time. I gave her a piece of soon kueh from that famous Chinatown stall, and said, “You go, girl. I love you so much.” She walked away, feeling a little better, and a little more ready to face another day. 📍 Sungai Pandan Waterfalls, Malaysia … Thank you, @jennaececelia, @tobystrove and @themillennialaunty for inspiring me to revisit, reminisce and reflect upon my journey as a young mum.

• CHINESE NEW YEAR 🧧 • ACTIVITY 💡: Celebrating Yuan Xiao Jie 元宵节 元宵节快乐! Happy Yuan Xiao Jie! The first full moon of the lunar new year is celebrated today, and I grew up learning that it is called Chap Gor Meh (十五冥), or the “15th night” in the Hokkien dialect here in Singapore - marking the end of 15 days of Chinese New Year festivities. Despite the fact that I’m the only one in the family who enjoys tangyuan 汤圆, or glutinous rice dumplings (or yuanxiao 元宵 as they call these in northern China), 🥣 carrying out the tradition of buying tangyuan for Yuan Xiao (cos making our own would be too wasteful since no one else eats them) 🏮 making paper lanterns 👌 practising spelling with clipping of ‘lanterns’ on a string 😜 📕 and reading Yuan Xiao Jie related books strengthens the core memory of what this festival is all about, year upon year: spending time together celebrating reunion and hope and remembering the importance of family unity ❤️ • 📌 spelling, fine motor skills 🔡🙌🏻 🔖 #jaslearnabc #jaslearncny •

KIDZANIA SINGAPORE 👦🏻👧🏻 Finally, the younger ones are able to visit and enjoy @kidzaniasgofficial, just like their older brothers ☺️ Is it still worthwhile for the kids to go? Check out our honest review of the place 😉 🗓️ Opens daily ⏰ 10am to 6pm [last activity starts at 5:30pm] 📍 31 Beach View Road • 🔖 #jaslearnsg •