Khaleeda's First Day at School

Khaleeda, my 2 years and 7 months old girl has been asking us since forever to let her go to school. We have been meaning to send her to Early Years Playgroup since March this year, but they were not admitting new kids into the Nursery class at that time. *had to let the triplets cool down and ease into school first. :)* So, when I called Aunty Zai a few weeks back, I was estatic that she agreed for us to have a look see around the school for Khaleeda and Eva. (Zachy and Emelia's firstborn) Just to see whether the kids like it there and whether they are ready for school.

Early Years Playgroup and us go way back. Khadra started her early development days there in August 2005. She just turned 2 years and 2 months. When she went in she could hardly speak. Prolly only had 5 words in her vocabulary. Among others are: Abibu (for Ibu), Amimok (for selimut / blankie), Shishu (for Susu) and.. Maybe that's it. hihihihihi But, at the end of the year, in her December concert, we were just amazed on how she had blossomed. Truly, truly amazing. :) Then, there was Khadra's 2006 concert where they had the musical-inspired theme. Me, Inche Azrul and Kira worked hard on the backdrop screens! Hmm.. those were fun times!

Khaleeq joined in January 2007 , when he was 2 years and 5 months. Similarly, he couldn't speak when he first joined. But, when he left 2 years later, he was speaking in an American slang. hihihihihihi *must have picked it up from the telly, tho* In 2007, we had two stars performing in the year-end concert. This year it was the Children of the World. Khadra left for Beaconhouse the year she turned 5, so in 2008, Khaleeq was the only one performing at the year-end concert. (Whoa! I din't blog about that year's concert. Must have been REALLY busy or lazy!)

So, anywaaaays... (Panjangnya mukaddimah)

Lil Miss Khaleeda and Lil Miss Eva went for a look-see the other day and ended up really liking the place. *Am so glad* They joined the class right after breakfast and stayed on for the storytelling, playtime and music time. It really helped that Eva, her new BFF, was around. But she kept calling me to be near her. Must have been a little overwhelmed with all the new faces, I think.

She quickly warmed up during playtime though. Especially when they discovered the water tank. The two little ladies must have scooped the pink water onto the water mill like a million times. Don't they ever get bored? I wonder. Khaleeda also enjoyed music time very much. It really helped that Miss Maria's songs were familiar to her - especially Row, Row Your Boat where she got to partner the dashing Mika (One-third of the triplets) and also Heads, Shoulder, Knees and Toes. hihihihi *Thank you, Barney!*

So, we decided that Khaleeda would definitely join Early years Playgroup and after the approval from Tok Mummy, yesterday was the first day of school for Lil Miss Deyda! :) I just accompanied her for awhile before I left her to enjoy her day. *Exit timed nicely as she went for the water tank*

Picking her up at 1pm was an entourage consisting of me, Khadra and Khaleeq. She was smiling from ear to ear when she saw the sight of me. Screaming "IBU! " from the top of the stairs she looked so excited and happy. Khadra and Khaleeq were smiling too, probably proud of their baby sister. Khaleeq siap declared to the two teachers that he used to attend the school before too. Good to hear that Miss Rina and Miss Tini reported that she didn't even cry that first day. Only asked for me once in a while. Yeay, Deyda!!!

Looks like a good beginning for Lil Miss Khaleeda. Now, I just have to think of her day-to-day clothes to school. They are allowed to wear normal clothes, the uniform is just an apron. :) My little makcik is a diva, suka melawa. Ikut aunty-aunty dia lah tu. (Not me, definitely)

-dillz blogging out-

Concerto!

As promised. The kiddies year-end concert at Early Years Playgroup for this year.

Theme of concert is Children of the World. Good news for the mommies is that we only had to prepare three screens as the backdrops because the screens used for Anna and the King last year are gonna be recycled as part of Hang Jebat's istana. Less to design and less to paint. :) The main screen is of 4 prominent landmarks of the world - Great Wall of China for the tanglung dance by the nursery kids, Taj Mahal for the Bollywood dance by the kindergarten kids; as well as the leaning tower of Pisa in Italy and the Eiffel Tower in France for the international medley they sing as a finale. The second backdrop is of a desert for the Cowboy/Western sketch cum sing-a-long and the final scenery is of a beachfront for the hula dance. The teachers also prepared 3-d cacti and coconut trees as props - very believable.

First up was the nursery kids doing the tanglung dance. Unfortunately, Khaleeq froze. He just stood there, stone faced.. heh heh heh .. Stage fright lah, mamat nih.. Took a little snippet of him doing nothing. if you are interested, click here for the link.
Then came Khadra's Bollywood dance. Fuyyoh!!! Check that booty shaking, dudes!! (Khadra's in the sexy green and pink number)

The Western sketch is of the cowboys riding their stick horses around a campfire and having a drink after. Then comes the cowgirls in their stick horses (some were pink horses!) and having a cuppa also.. At the end of the long ride, they have a little sing-song session of Country Road.

Next is the Hawaiian dance by the nursery kids PLUS the girls from the kindergarten class. Watch the snippet here!

Then, a little sketch set during the Sultanate of Malacca era, Hang Jebat has his dancing girls dance for him, Hang Tuah kills Hang Jebat and everybody's happy. Khadra is Melor, Hang Tuah's girlfriend from the jungles of Malacca. She even had a script:
"My name is Melor. Hang Tuah likes me!"
(She then doubled up as one of the dancing girls)

As a finale, they performed a medley of songs: Can Mali Can, Kookaburra and Frerre Jacques. Watch it here.

Oh, there was also the awards presentation where everyone got a prezzie. Khadra had an additional one for Best Overall Development for 4 1/2 year old. This is Khadra's last concert here as she'll be attending another school effective Jan 2008. Fear not though, I'll still be volunteering for the backdrop designs next year as Khaleeq is still gonna go there.. heh heh heh I hope he'll learn to control the stage fright by then!

-dillz blogging out-

Busy As A Bee!

Have been busy, people.. Mainly because that time of year is here yet again... I have been running around town to prepare / assemble / acquire / tailor costumes for the children's concert this coming 12th of December. Just like last year and the year before last, the kids will be performing their year-end concert as a finale, before school is out. This is truly an event that I look forward to every year. The theme this year is about Children of the World. They will be travelling around the world, showcasing the different cultures through songs, sketches and dances.

The costumes I need to prepare for Khadra are:
1. Sexy Indian costume for her Bollywood dance;
2. Cowgirl costume;
3. Customized "Kemban" for her role as Hang Tuah's gilfriend, Melor; and
4. Bikini set for her hula dance.

For Khaleeq:
1. A Chinese boy costume complete with the headgear with the braided hair and tanglung for his lantern dance;
2. Baju Melayu for his role as extras in the Hang Tuah sketch - orang kampung je; and
3. Swimming trunks for the hula dance.

Status update: So far, all have been obtained pending the tailored Melor outfit and Khadra's Bollywood skirt that had to be altered. These will hopefully be ready for pick-up this Sunday. Pheww!!

Also, just like previous years, I am officially the designated artist for the concert's backdrops this year. Not too many backdrops this year; just three new ones. And because of my pantang status, I am only designing and sketching the backdrops for other mommies to paint. (Who knows, I might just paint a little bit of it..) I'll definitely get a snap of my fruits of labour once it's done, okay?

Yes, I know I am still in my confinement... But, I make sure that I have my barut and socks on when I am doing all of the above, though.. After all, a mom's got to do what a mom's got to do, no?

-dillz blogging out-

What Was and What Was Not!

What Was Not:

I waited and waited for 11.30am for Kelab Disney Malaysia to air on Saturday. In fact I scheduled my whole day around the airtime of 11.30am to 12.30 pm in the hopes that I could get to see my daughter on the idiot box. You see, they came to Khadra's school for a shoot last weekend and I had the impression that she'd be on this weekend. So, we told the whole kampung to tune in as our little precious will be on National TV - all our family members, some 30 unsuspecting people bombarded with smses.. And the waiting game began... Then, suddenly... Apahal lak cerita budak sekolah Shah Alam ni nak pergi menari in Turkey? Alamak.... It's not showing this week... Imagine me, waiting on my mommy's brand new super comfy sofa, with Khadra on my lap. Aleh-aleh, takda pa-pa.. Aaaaahhh.. Frust, ok? Khadra just went, "I am not on TV, mom" and merrily went ahead with her business.. Me? Pressure punya pasal... Tu tak campur malu lagi.. I just closed my eyes and caught up on some sleep. Malas nak pikir... I found out later from Khadra's teacher that the program will air sometime in May. So, here's to waiting, yet again... Don't give up on me, people.. Let's wait together-gether, okies?

What Was:

What Was, however, is that I had a fantastic series of makan-makan with some girlfriends from PPP. The quorum that made what I fondly called the TETBES was made up of Noresh, Amy, Aje and Zied.

We didn't plan it that way, just that the ones who finally turned up had pretty large assets (?) heh heh heh We started downing the scrumptious Daim cake intersperced with the yummylicious Swedish meatballs with cranberry sauce, before making our way to the Little penang Cafe for some tea. On the menu was the Penang Curry Mee; meehoon only with extra tauhu; a plate of Gurney Drive Rojak, Prawn mee, cendol and a variety of beverages. The food was finger-licking, the company was great and the conversation was scandalous! Uuuuhhhh.. I loike!!! Another write up can be read at Amy's - also the source of this ciloked pix. (Ros, Pijah, Sand - lain kali musti mau join aaa...) *Updated* Other write ups on the same event: Aje & Noresh .

-dillz blogging out-

Dah Kena Buang Sekolah Ke?

My hubby got a call from his batchmate in RMC the other day, who happens to send his daughter to the same playgroup as my kids.

Old friend: "Your son dah kena buang sekolah ke?"

Hubby: "What?"

Old friend: "My wife has not seen him around lately. Dia dah kena buang sekolah ke?"

hah hah hah

(Disclaimer: I don't really know how the actual conversation took place. But I think this pretty much sums it)

We just prolonged their holidays and they have missed two whole days of school after the CNY break. How fast malicious rumour goes around these days...

Imagine if Khaleeq really got kicked out for biting other kids. Sedih nya...

-dillz blogging out-

My Biting Baby

Khaleeq went on a biting binge last week and I got called in by the principal. I think it is normal for kids his age to bite - they are in a phase, right? Aahh.. but hold your horses... He bit three victims in a day! 3 -THREE - TIGA!! That must be some kind of record in his playgroup.

My action plan? Number ONE: Call the parents of victim and apologize profusely. Number TWO: Get over to the playgroup and try to work out what to do with the teachers. Number THREE: Implement it at home.

I was instructed to put Khaleeq on time-out whenever he bites again. Just put him on a chair, away from the TV, toys and anything that he likes. Tell him that it is not a nice thing to do, it is not acceptable and he should not be doing it. Leave him there. If he decided to jump off the chair, put him back on again until his punishment time is up.

The next night, he tried to bite Khadra at home. So, I tried the time out thing. He was crying and wailing and covering his face with his hands and later putting his hands out begging to let him off the chair. I stuck my grounds even though it was pretty hard seeing that he looked so cute and adorable doing it. He knew that he was being punished and he didn't like it one bit. When time was up, I motioned him to come over to where I was. He literally jumped out of the chair, running to me. I hugged him and told him not to do it anymore, that it hurts and it is not an acceptable behaviour. He finished crying, gave me a little kiss and resumed doing whatever he was doing prior to time out. For the rest of the week, he was civil. No casualties at school. He even got a star for helping to clean up after play. :)

We were at Pondok Azlul last weekend and Khaleeq got three time outs. One for knocking his aunty and cousin with a maracas on the head, one for biting Teyta and one for slipping out of the house through the grills. He responded to the time out well the first two times. Come the third time out, he didn't seem to mind it at all. He was busy exploring the chair he was on, talking to himself (probably reenacting the incident before the time out, justifying why he shouldn't be there?), checking out the cuts he has on his feet, just possibly soaking up the undivided attention his dad and I was giving him at that moment. Tak boleh jadi, ni... So, we opened the door so that he had a little view of the happennings outside, make him realize what he was missing. Then, the wailing starts.. Hah, baru tau... Waited another 2 minutes before I beckoned him over.

The week started without incident and today, the dreaded sms from his teacher arrived.

Sorry to inform you, he did it again.. On Ella's shoulder, during lining up time.. He was standing behind her..

Aaahh... here we go again...

-dillz blogging out-

Khaleeq Goes to School

The time has come for my baby boy to go to school! He was so darn excited about the whole thing he actually carried his schoolbag on his back the whole journey to school.

Normally, we'd have a hard time leaving him at home in the morning. He'd be running to the shoe box to get his shoes and starts wailing as soon as we close the door. Pity, eh? So, that particular morning I made Khadra promise to take care of his brother at school. Her reply? "OK mom. I'll take care of my baby." So sweet, kan?

When we finally got to the school, there were already some parents there ensuring that their kid would settle down on their first day of school. I saw one new kid already crying his eyeballs out on the playmat-- sure enough his parents weren't around. :( Khaleeq went straight for the toy car, the toy house and then the slides. He was so jakun like that. And Khadra was always always two steps behind. (chewah!) I have to say though, with his BLUE apron on, I've still got some people asking if he was a he or a she! Shesh.. I really have to do something about the haircut!

After about 30 minutes staying over, we felt that he was settled in and made our way out of there. The look on his face when I picked them up later that afternoon was priceless. Eventhough he didn't say anything , I could tell that he was pretty pleased with himself. He's got this satisfied grin on his face all the time he was walking down the main steps to the car. I hope this would speed up his speech. I really pray that it does.

-dillz blogging out-

Khadra's Concert

The long awaited and anticipated concert finally took place on December 13th, 2006. Khadra's supporters included Azrul, me, Khaleeq, Bibik Parmi, Mek, Ewa, Kira, Naqib and Teyta. We had to send Khadra at 3.30pm to allow for makeup and such. The guests came in at 4.45pm. As I mentioned in an earlier post the show is entitled "Famous Musicals".

Khadra had four sets of outfit for the show. ONE: A dress she picked out from Carousel for the Sound of Music:

Updated: Khadra singing Tomorrow!

TWO: A tattered set of clothing for Oliver Twist and a black baseball cap (as below). I went around looking for pants and t-shirt that could be sent off for edging. That basically means that the edges will be ripped and I didn't want her Osh Kosh be ripped apart as such. So, I finally found a pair of pants at Carrefour for RM19 and a t-shirt from Jusco for RM6. When I got home, I diligently sew on patches on her t-shirt and pants so that she'd look like an orphan from Oliver's.

THREE: A custom made Thai princess costume for The King & I. This particular costume was tailor-made by the teachers at school. FOUR: A kebaya for her Tiru Macam Saya and Waktu Semalam Bung.

I can't for the life of me remember each and every song that she sang in the show but she really sang each one of them wholeheartedly. I could hear her voice distinctly every time and her expression is just so priceless. Even Marlia Musa commented that she loved Khadra's expressions. (Yes, her kid goes to the same school as Khadra) Here's a little sneak peek on her Tiru Macam Saya on youtube, courtesy of Kira. Just let the whole thing load up first before you actually play it one shot, okay?

During the Awards presentation, Khadra won the Best Artist award and us lot got a bouquet of flowers for helping out with the backdrop. :) Later, there were lotsa food for everyone. Everybody goes home a winner, and I can't wait for the next concert preparation!

-dillz blogging out -

Creative Cats

I just had to share these pictures with you.

Khadra had her annual concert on 13th of December last year and the whole show was themed 'Famous Musicals'. So, the mommies and the daddies were invited to come over to her school to help with painting of the backdrops for the show. There were 7 screens to paint in total. 1 screen for Oliver Twist + 3 screens for Anna & the King + 3 screens for Sound of Music. So, I came by one sunny day and I was told that the teachers needed me to design the backdrop and draw it on the 9 feet by 6 feet gigantic plywood screens. (They were obviously impressed by my creative trees in the last year's concert heh heh heh) Great! I'd LOOOOVE to! ;)

So, here are my favourite two screens, one picture shows the inspiration of the design and beside it is the final outcome!

From Anna & the King:  

From Sound of Music:

The backdrops were painted in by the other parents and teachers but the finishing was mainly done by yours truly. You know, the shading, the borders, the 3-d effects and other details. Of course, I also had help from my hubby and Kira. We came in a few Saturdays before we were finally pleased with the results. Kira did the details on the Siamese grand entrance and Azrul's proudest masterpiece is the hilltop drawing from the Sound of Music.
(see below)

Turned out rather nice, didn't they?

-dillz blogging out-

My Khadra, the Drama Queen

*from my other blog at Dilla Speaks Out

My heart welled up with pride and sheer happiness when she started to open her mouth. Couldn’t help the tears that started to trickle down my cheeks. There we were. Two proud parents in the audience. So proud of her. So, so, so proud of her.

Is that your daughter? She’s so good. How old is she? Look at her sing.

It was her first concert at school. 15 December 2005. I took leave on that day. It was a big deal for me. I had to be there. It was her FIRST concert ever. The Early Years Playgroup was having their Christmas Concert. Khadra and Naqib were having their concert. It was a big deal to many of us. Everyone was there: Azrul and me, Ibu and Encik, Achu Kira, Zizie and Nazz, Khaleeq and Nelysa, Aunty Shahrain, Nita and Ziad and of course our trusted bibiks - Lydia and Tibah.

The first number was for all the children. Khadra was in the middle of the front row. I can see why. She sings the loudest and in tune, of course. She does all the actions correctly and whole-heartedly. She’s not afraid of the audience. In truth, I think she loved the attention. She was soaking it in, enjoying it.

The second number was a special item from the kiddy class. The four of them was singing. Sasha, Khadra, Allistair and his twin Samantha. Songs were Itsy Bitsy Spider, In a Cottage, If You’re Happy and You Know It.

Her next appearance was in the Train parade. Everyone had to be a "professional". Khadra was the Train Conductor. She had the cap, the overalls, the walkie-talkie, the whistle and the train schedule/tickets — the whole shabang! No special reason - just that it was the only unisex outfit we could find at Toys R Us. There were also fire-fighters (Emir and Nawfal), Naqib and Violet were police-persons, Sufiyyah was a nurse ( a pretty one, at that), Daniel was a doctor, we had 2 soldiers (Noah and Allistair), a magistrate(Sasha), Sofea was the train driver, a ballerina (Milla) and many more.

In the finale, they were all dressed up in Red Indian costumes. Khadra had hers made by Aunty Liam. The skirt was too long, so I converted them into a dress by adding two bands on the skirt. (Pretty nifty, eh?) Miss Sharon, (her teacher) made her a little cradle to carry a little baby on her back coz she shakes the most. To add a little originality to it, everyone’s faces was painted, the teachers included - courtesy of Speckle & Sparkle, of course!

The moment was just so precious. Her first performance ever, and she shined like a star. To quote what my dad said,

A star is born.

-dillz blogging out-

She's All Grown Up

*from my other blog at Dilla Speaks Out

Did you all know that Khadra has gone to school already? Well, technically, it is more of a playgroup la. There are 2 classes: one for the kiddies and another for the kindys. Khadra in the kiddy class, in fact, she’s the youngest one there. We are paying RM550 monthly for this and her school starts at 9.00am and ends at 1.00pm. Pretty steep for a 4-hours play,eh?

The thing I love most about sending her to school is that I never know what to expect from her. She amazes me every single day with the things that she does. It’s hilarious really-seeing this little girl acting all grown up.

She speaks English berabuk-abuk. (Even her Malay is English-sounding)

She would ask me to "LINE UP" with her before going to the loo.

She recites her "doa" before her meals.

Bismillahir rahmanir rahim. Thank you God for the food we eat. thank you God for the birds that sing…

She practices her concert pieces in the shower. (Yup, the concert is on the 15th of December, and I can’t wait! I’ve applied for leave already)

She knows exactly what she wants and she does not want.

She loves dancing - with music , without music; in front of the telly, on the side walks, just about everywhere. "Look, ibu. Kakak dance!", she would say. (Maybe I have to enroll her into a Dance School next year)

She knows her ABCs and 123s. She loves her stickers.

She comes back with songs that I never taught her and I could even make them out!

She loooves dressing up and accessorizing.

Check out these pictures from her school -

My daughter is fast growing up. Maybe I should start planning for her wedding now…

-dillz blogging out-