8/8/2003

Friday

While working full time and trying to keep up with two young boys & one girl involved in sports and academics, "'How To Go Home From Work and Not Be Exhausted' is my big challenge. Everyday when I & 3 kids home, that usually after 7:00pm, after dinner, home work study, piano time & bath time, It usually turn to 1:00am when I finally complete my routine house work. Then I start to take care myself, I usually go to bed at 2:00am & get up at 7:30am. This life pattern is only good for summer, due to the Chinese Summer Camp is begins at 9:00am. Soon when kids back to school, I have to get up at 6:30am & make sure everyone can leave this house at 8:00am in the morning and arrive school before 8:25am. By that time, Edward will take the morning shift to deliver our kids to school. I will have afternoon shift to collect them & take them to Piano class, Soccer game or just home.

This Wednesday me & 3 kids went to Walnut Range Park to attend Andrew's Soccer Team first meeting, Andrew will start his soccer game from next Wednesday at 5:00pm. Charles's coach still not call us yet, but I know can be any time happen... Soon all our Saturday will let the Weekend Chinese School & Soccer Game take place & Sunday our kids have to go the Church Choir. Nellie will join her brothers this time. I am ready for all the back to school, as a mother of 3 kids, I have to well prepare before the day come closer. Overall this summer, our kids learn well at swimming, both Charles & Andrew are doing great. They can swim without support at the swimming pool now. Charles especially do great at swimming. He just like a Fish-Nemo now. Charles & Andrew's Weekend Spanish Class was completed at last Saturday. After 6 hours training, they are now ready to move up to intermediate class in September. They all doing good at Chinese School this summer. Andrew has been selected to be the Honor Student of his class. He'll receive his award next Friday. Andrew's teacher spoke to me about Andrew been doing excellent in academics. All the teacher like Andrew's personality. He is a good boy with a good heart. Nellie's teacher commented about Nellie, "She is a very talent girl & never afraid to speak in front of people. Nellie is a people person, she like to teach her friends to sing & dance. She is the highlights of the class". To Charles, well, he is a trouble maker. He is good at academics, but he is a wiggly worm. He has concentration problem sometimes at the class. He likes do English home work than Chinese. He is a Game Boy. But after the training at the Go game class, we are glad that he is doing well at Go game. He needs more discipline. In fact, he gets enough. His brain is work too fast than his body parts. The Go Game teacher commented about Charles, " Charles is the youngest student in the class. But he is the only first one can understand the concept & apply the concept to the Go Game. He is a very smart boy." I need to be more creative to design a fun life for Charles than anybody. He likes to see new things. He is too smart for his own goods.

I cannot wait to see our kids back to their regular school program. This is a great summer. I have strong feeling that our 3 kids will be the good citizens of this society. As the parent, we'll do our best to support all their educational activities. We want to teach them how to catch the fish. Charles is going to 7 this October. To a 7 years olds boy, he knows quite a lot of this world. We try not to hide any subject to him, so he has good concept about human been & life. Andrew is a good guy, but still young. He is the one never get chance to play the video game. Because his time share all taken by Charles. Well, that's Charles, a 7 years old boy. Nellie, she is a sweet heart. She going to be 4 years old this September & she just cannot wait to grow up. She went to her brothers piano teacher yesterday & asked her when can she start to take the piano class there. Nellie is very calm & nice at all time. She acts like a 5 or 6 years old girl. She is too good for her age. I really enjoy interact with them everyday. May God bless us & supply all our needs.

By the way, from this week, we decided to cancel the Gymnastics & Dance class to Nellie & Andrew, due to too much on going conflict with our current schedule. We now want to focus only on our kids regular school work, Chinese, Spanish, Piano, Go Game & Soccer Game. If we can focus on doing all these learning, we think it will be sufficient & benefit to our kids childhood development.

Last Sunday, we had Alan joined our Artful Class in the morning, after 3:00pm in the afternoon, Alan's mon-Christina came to invite us to her house for a Pool Side party plus lots of tempting,gourmet food. Edward was joined us after 6:00pm. We had a nice dinner together & kids just love to play in the water. That was a nice evening break for me. Thanks to our good neighbor-Christina, Eric! Life is so beautiful!

8/20/2003

Wednesday

It is gratifying to look what our children's physical & mental development. Everyday when I speak to them, they always in a good manner with beautiful smiles on their faces. Nellie is born to be the leader, so do Charles & Andrew. They are just too energetic & willing to learn all the new stuffs.

Charles & Andrew's swimming class will finish tomorrow. Now Charles already jump up to Level II. Andrew is still at Level I, but he is getting there. Grandma just back from Taiwan last Saturday night. That was a surprise to us. We thought she will stay in Taiwan for at least half year. Our kids were very happy to see grandma return.

Since grandma came back, now we going to include her at our Thanksgiving vacation plan. There's an extra fee involved to add her into our original group. But, nothing is important than keeping grandma happy.

Edward is busy at all time. I spent huge chunks of non-working time with our kids. I encourage our children to be creative & make their own colorful day. I taught them to be a good leader need to be a good listen as well. They have to follow direction at first time in order to be a excellent kids. Now,they all try to maintain good behavior at all time in order to receive more award from me & Edward. Since we are using coin-quarter as the incentive to award their everyday performance, they are try to save 100 quarters to show to their daddy-Edward, in order to guarantee the trip to Orlando-Disney World & go on the Grand Princess Cruise to Bahamas, Jamaica & Mexico.

Last night we went to Big 5 to buy 2 sets of the soccer shoes, shin guard & ball. We met the same sales man last year & again we were the last customer left the store. At the bed time, I whispered to Andrew, that " mummy didn't let Andrew wear Charles old shoes, because Andrew is a special boy & mummy loves you." Every night after they pray, they usually fall asleep by themselves. God made them & they are totally God's gift to us.

Last Friday is the last day of the Chinese Summer School. Andrew brought home one "No.1 Academic at class" award & one nice, beautiful trophy with excellent academics wording on the trophy. We are so proud of Andrew. He is the honor student of the Chinese school. Total 9 out of the 400 students to get the trophy. Andrew is the star of the day. But he is so humble & doesn't show off at all. He is a sweet heart.

Since Charles did not get any award.He was upset & very quite in the car. Nellie she did not get any award either, but she told me that she is proud of Andrew & she loves Andrew very much. Well, in our family, competition is never stop. They 3 kids have to find a way to balance themselves.

Recently I bought a Yoga Balance Ball, I also bought a DVD to teach me how to use the balance ball to do the yoga. I had good practice the other night. Nellie likes that big Yoga ball very much. But she is using it as a sofa, I guess. I can see Nellie every night try to slid herself up & down from that ball. She is a very outgoing person. She enjoy singing & dancing a lot. I stop her dance class this month, due to Grandma back to Taiwan. She already with the same dance school over a year. Now I am planning to have her go to another well-known advance ballet school. I am going to take Nellie to get evaluate on Friday night in San Gabriel City.

I need to have very fast pace to face my day. But I really enjoy my life! I realized that beauty is always there, you just have to be willing to look for it. By the way, Nellie is going to start her first piano lesson on September 4. Our 3 kids going to take their own piano class at the same time. They really enjoy playing piano & dancing with the music!

8/25/2003

Monday

Last night after we back from the Dinner Picnic at the Creekside Park, there was a Jazz concert going at our local park, we continued to finish our fun project.

Instead of telling myself that I'm doing something I've never done before, I label the new thing an "experiment." If I'm conducting an experiment and it doesn't work out, that's okay. That's why people test things. Putting an R&D stamp on a new endeavor takes the pressure off of me. All of a sudden it's not a win/lose, good job/bad job situation--it's just something that I'm trying, to see if it will work. I had entire family involved to make the "Apple Cake". When I felt I lose my strength to stir up all the ingredients together, the first man I called was Edward & then Charles, Andrew, Nellie. After one hour baking time, we can smell our home was full of the apple & cinnamon's flavor, we love it. We had a late dessert party at 10:45pm. Kids went to bed around 11:15pm. It was unusual for our kids to go to bed that late, but they only have one more week to lay back...

Edward & I read through the night till 5:30 am on Saturday night. We didn't watch TV but reading the book all night long. We had classic music on & had tea,snack ready... I told him that we can do this long hour reading when we not have to worry to go to work someday. He was reading Jack Welch's book, something about business management. I was reading a super woman's autobiography.

We have a hot summer here & stay home is the best choice. It's so relax just stay home & play with our kids. Our good neighbor Alan as usual showed up on Sunday morning. By the way, I have to thanks to Alan's daddy-Eric again. He bought 3 big dinner boxes for us to take to our dinner picnic last night. Guess what he bought? Cuttlefish, yummy sausage & honey chicken wing. We also brought dessert.drink, fruit & my sweet wine for the picnic. We had a fun time at the park. ................................................................ ..Next Page