Cramping Our Style

I remember reading about the Boston snow storms a few years ago and how the many days of keeping kids indoors had them climbing the walls and the parents going mad. I worry that it is going to be a reality in the coming days.

The haze is back and all the boys in my family, Packrat included are haze sensitive. The asthma, the eczema, the teary eyes and drippy noses hit in full force. That would mean, we have to stick air purifiers in every room in the house, shut up the house, switch on the air-conditioning and have the kids play indoors. This inevitably leads to us surrendering and breaking our "no tv on weekday" rule. In this case, it is an emergency and in case of emergency, break glass.

But I feel very lost at this point. We love being outdoors. JED love being outdoors. A friend of mine said that her daughter's definition of spending quality time with her was to do projects with her. When I asked JED what they enjoyed doing with Mommy and Papa, the unanimous answer was to go out on adventures. And trips to the mall (which we don't do often) don't count. It had to include bus rides, train rides and doing things.

And this holiday has been full of that.

4 hour treks just to see a floor to ceiling tall Despicable Me minion and then eat lunch at a coffee shop on Beach Road.
The zoo in the morning.
Sentosa with their baby friend.
Hours of clowning around and swimming in the pool
Painting out doors
Jumping over drains and chasing birds
Cycling everywhere

And we had more planned.

We were heading out to the River Safari because Evan wanted to see the piranhas and Jordan the panda bears. But I am guessing it the air doesn't clear, it wouldn't be wise to be in the open for the entire morning.

JED (well, not so much Muffin) have learned to say that there are naughty people in Indonesia who burn trees. And they turn to our helper, who is from Indonesia and ask her in all earnestness "Why your people so naughty?" In the midst of trying to recover from a laughing stitch she apologies on behalf of her naughty people.  

 So, I'm not sure what we are going to do with them for extended periods indoors. They go stir crazy and irritate the heck out of each other and us. There is only that many board games and craft that we can play before we resort to sticking them in front of the television. And there is only so much television they can agree on before they start lobbying loudly for their preferred programme.

Oh please let there be a storm of superstorm proportions, or in Packrat's words "a storm that would make Vivian Balakrishnan break out into cold sweat". And we will then don on rain coats, wellies and go puddle (or pond) stomping!


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