For the background on what this post and the next 4 posts are about, you need to visit
Write 31 Days Challenge 2018 for a summary of the challenge.
Day #15
Popular
I first referred to Popular as my BFF in my sharing on Raising Independent Learners back in 2017 at the inaugural HS Convention. It truly has been a great friend in our homeschool journey.
There have been a few times that the staff were the ones who highlighted to me that a subject’s syllabus had changed and not the Ministry of Education. Being the main textbook supplier, they are kept in the loop of the various changes earlier than us. There was even once a staff warned me that a series of assessment books I used would not be re-stocked as the writer was planning to retire. So she advised me to stock up if I really liked his books.
Popular also has an online service where one can order one’s books and just pick them up from the nearest branch or pay for them to deliver. A few ways to save at Popular would be to get the Popular member’s card and make sure that you stock up your stationery supplies at their yearly Book Fest held at Suntec Convention Hall.
Day #16
Butcher
My butchers (pork and chicken) at the Bishan North Shopping Centre are THE best! Not only can I just Whatsapp my orders to them the night before, they also pre-cut and pre-pack my orders. My pork butcher also sharpens my knife whenever I need. Yes, they are a bit more expensive than the other butchers but hey! there IS a price to pay for convenience, ya? And I save a lot of time not standing in the queue.
Day #17
Eagle Eye
I was introduced to Dr Jacob Cheng of Eagle Eye Centre by a friend, Janice, many years ago when I was complaining about the aggressively progressing myopia in my 5 older children. She suggested going on their Myopia Control Program.
Although I did rave about the “success” of using atropine drops to slow down myopia, I am at this point not totally convinced that it is the way to go. I say that because once they are taken off the drops, the bounce back effect seems scarily aggressive. So…did we really slow down the progression or did we merely delay it?
Despite that, I am still grateful for the care and generosity of Dr Cheng to our family all these years. Plus their clinic has free wifi, muffins and coffee/tea for its patients!
Day #18
Sibling Love
I am always so grateful that my children have a close and loving relationship with each other – most days anyway. And I believe that homeschooling played an important part in this. They spend so much time with each other that they have no choice but to work out the kinks in their relationship. Living with and accommodating each other’s idiosyncrasies will hopefully teach them to live with other people when they finally move out and have their own families. It is my prayer that when they do move out and start their own families, they will continue to maintain their closeness.
If you want to read my take on encouraging sibling love, read my post on Encouraging Sibling Closeness, Not Rivalry.
Day #19
Bishan Park
It used to be a canal. Then it was transformed as part of the ABC Programme. Read more in this post on how Bishan Park Canal was Reshaped Into a River.
While we do not live right next to the park, we are near enough to it that we get to enjoy it. But it was AWFUL while they were hacking out the concrete to convert it into a lush green space. That was also when we had one of our worst outbreaks of eczema which I have often attributed to the concrete dust stirred up by the project. That and the lift upgrading programme. Double whammy.
But now, it is beautiful. And every time I walk or jog in the park, I am amazed at man’s creativity and ingenuity. I am grateful to have such a lovely place to exercise in or just take a break in after a long day of seatwork. It played a part in getting me started on exercising in my 40s which you can read about Starting an Exercise Regime in My 40s.
Day #20
Community – Online and IRL
Connections and community. I am an introvert and I seriously like my own company. Lol! Getting out and meeting people is not something that I need desperately. And yet I have found that having a community is necessary. No man is an island goes the saying. And it is true. It keeps us accountable and aware of the world at large so that we are not just consumed by ourselves and our problems.
And I am grateful for the small groups of friends online and offline that “do life” with me, as the young people say. As a mother with many small ones, the internet allowed me to have an online community as a source of support and out of some of these groups I have formed real-life connections. Grateful that we can always catch up easily when we do meet. Thankful for their love and support.
Day #21
Grocery List
Nowadays, with too little sleep and too many balls to juggle, I often forget to buy things that need to be replenished in the house. And so, a grocery list – digital or paper is a MUST. The children also have learnt that if it isn’t written down it most likely would not be bought. And so some have taken to texting me while others still go by the old-fashioned paper route.
And recently we had (still have!) an ant infestation and the child who is terribly distraught over it is the one who wrote “Ant Killer”! She really cannot stand insects of any kind.
…to be continued
Related Posts
Write 31 Days Challenge 2018: Week ONE
Write 31 Days Challenge 2018: Week TWO