The girls and their school

Harvynna's school has released their after school programmes. I must say I am pretty impressed with what they offer this year. All the programmes are good, but I chose Speech & Drama by Helen O'Grady and Tae - Kwan-do, which means she stays back twice a week for this. I always wanted to enrol her for Speech and Drama, but due to timing issues, it had to be on hold. I also managed to arrange transport for this with one of the school teachers, so another headache solved. I may send Rowena for Speech and drama at the school as well in April since it is so convenient. Gosh, with these extra classes, the total fees (all in) for Harvynna alone is over RM1k a month and that does not include the babysitter!

Having children in the Klang valley is not cheap at all. One of my staff joked that the amount spent on my 2 kids is equivalent to the monthly installment of a BMW X5. How true!! They better appreciate this!!

I finally have settled the kids activities and school for the year, so am really relieved.

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How was Rowena's second day at school? I dropped her off, told her bye and gave her a big hug. She looked a little lost, but I did not stay. When I picked her up, the teacher told us that she looked like she was about to cry but they distracted her with some toys and she was ok. Rowena told me again' i like this school. I really like it here!!'

Harvynna is doing well in school. Her teacher is very gentle with the kids. A bit too gentle, I feel. I am just a little concerned at the math programme they do - it looks too easy for a 5 year old class. Dont want Harvynna to get bored. I know the school is not into drilling the kids as they are montessori based and emphasis learning through play but, hmm, just hope she will be ok.

Yesterday, the children in her class had to talk about their parents. Harvynna came to the front and said, 'My mummy works in xxxxxx'. The teacher asked her, 'What does your mummy do there?' Harvynna was not sure and said ' She is the boss. She sits in her own room'. Then her teacher asked 'Is she the principal?' and Harvynna replied 'No, she owns the school!!!!" Then the teacher asked her 'Where does daddy work?' and she paused for a while ' in the office.... dont know what he does la!!"

Haha. Today the teacher asked me and I laughed. Children always look up to their parents and think whatever they do must be something important!!

So different

Just looking at the photos, one can tell that the girls are so different. Harvynna is so ladylike and loves to dress up and look pretty. Rowena, on the other hand wears mismatched clothes and finds it really hard to sit down in one place.

Harvynna has really grown up. She will be 5 in April and is now more into her own things. At home, she prefers to go to her room and read her books or do some writing/colouring (with the door locked), play her computer games, or play with make up. She is very independant and a good helper (though she still drives me up the wall!!). She bathes herself and helps bathe Rowena too. She helps to fold the clothes and put them back in the cupboard. She now knows that when she comes home at night, she has to put her school uniform in the laundry basket and prepare her clothes for the next day. After eating, she has to put everything back in the kitchen. I am the evil mother that slave drives the 4 year old!!

What does Rowena do while Harvynna is busy being a lady? She unfolds the clothes Harvynna has folded, she pours all the soap on the floor while Harvynna bathes her. there was once where she threw her bottle of Eubos in the toilet bowl. She jumps on the bed while Harvynna is reading and switches the computer game on and off and on and off while Harvynna is playing. She takes my makeup and makes up the wall, then comes out off the room complaining that Harvynna created all the ruckus.

I do enjoy Rowena's babyness although I cant understand how someone so small can be up to so much mischief. Harvynna has become a like a friend now. I hurt my back at the gym the other day, and she warned me 'You better not do the back kick or you will pull your muscle again' and she will rub my back if she sees I am in pain. All Rowena says is 'Very good for mummy, your back is pain'.

Rowena's first day of school

After an endless search for a school for Rowena, we finally found one that has classes on weekends at a reasonable price. Most of the weekly classes are so crazily priced ranging from RM350 - RM500 per month for just once a week. At that rate, i might as well enrol her into Harvynna's school with just a little more. So now, I bring her for her class every Saturday. It is a drop off programme for 2 hours.

She learns to read, works on her motor skills to start writing, sings and has some story telling. I guess that is enough for her age. The place is more of a literacy centre for children.I am not too particular about the programme - I just wanted to expose her to some sort of education. This is because, unlike Harvynna, there is absolutely no way I can teach Rowena. I try to teach her colours, and shapes and alphabets but she has no interest. She treats it as a game and is out of there after a few minutes. She loves books, but will not sit down to read or listen to a story. But I have caught her 'reading' a book on her own. She has been listening to me read to harvynna and she remembers the story and 'reads' it on her own.

I was quite surprised that just after a day, she could identify a few words already at the school.

Of course, she was so excited as she has been waiting for this day. She woke up early, packed her bag with books and a lunch box and made sure she had a complete set of books. She was annoyed to see that I had taken out all the books (dont want her bag to be so heavy). She kept screaming ' there's nothing inside'!

Once we reached the school, she immediately went in the classroom with her beloved bag. But she knew that I was outside at the reception area, so she kept coming out to see me and Harvynna kept going in the classroom and intimidating her. After about 20 minutes, Rowena came out with her bag and sat outside folding her arms. She said ' I want you'. I explained that this is a children's class, so mummy cannot be there, plus all the other children's mummy and daddy are not there. She looked at me and said 'then why are you here?'. So I left but she started to cry. The teacher told me to go, and after a few minutes she was ok.

The teacher mentioned that she kept taking her bag and carried it around. Seems to be so protective about that bag of hers.

Hopefully, she will do fine. Am glad to have sorted her school out.

Back to school

Happy New Year!

Everything starts again today! Harvynna is back to school and she has been looking forward to it. I brought the girls to trim their hair yesterday and we got her a new school bag and tumbler. How exciting for her!

Its back to me rushing around in the mornings. Waking up, bathing Harvynna, changing her to her uniform, preparing her breakfast and her lunch snack, then taking my bath, get dressed, hurry them to the car, strapping them in their car seats, sending Rowena to the babysitter, then sending Harvynna to school, then rushing to reach my office on time as well. Its rush, rush, rush all the way!

She is now in the big girls class. All the 5 and 6 year old students have their classes upstairs. She seemed a little lost in her new class, as it was made up of mostly new students and only a few from her class last year. You can see all the parents standing outside the classroom trying to settle their kids in. I missed this first day last year as Harvynna joined the school mid-way. I did not stay as Harvynna said 'bye - this is the big girls class! Hope she got through it ok.

Poor Rowena really feels left out. She insisted that I buy her a bag too. Feeling sorry for her, i bought her one, which she really likes. She sleeps with it and its the first thing she asks for when she wakes up. "Where my school bag?' She has taken over Harvynna's old water bottle as well. I asked her why she wants a bag and she replied ' to bring to my bokenhouse'. My new class is upstairs and my teacher is Ms Risha. My bokenhouse got swimming pool. They give me fried rice to eat. Last night, she was busy packing her bag with books and her comb!

Today, she hopped out of bed, demanded for her water tumbler, slung her bag over her shoulder and was ready to go. She really looked like she was going to school too. When I dropped her off at her babysitters place, she brought the bag with her. Poor girl, most children this age have imaginary friends - Rowena has an imaginary school.