SO I was really trying to declutter
but I have to confess
I suck at throwing things

I couldn’t part with my elder boy’s worn and tattered baby shoes
His first pair of shoes that mark his walking milestone

I dug out his preschool worksheets
just to have them slot back neatly into the file
Here’s how his first stroke looks like when he learned to write

I pulled out his old books from the shelf
those that I read to him so often till he could remember every single word
I can hold on to them a bit longer, his younger brother might love them as much

You can count on me to come up with reasons ‘Why Not To Throw Things’
Every item brings back memories
Going through them put me under emotional strain
It is more tiring than doing a 10km run or 1km swim !

Then I opened up my craft box
one spewed with craft materials that I had amassed over the years
It is embarrassing how much I had accumulated
They can last me a lifetime making greeting cards

So in an effort to clear my craft box
I made enough cherry blossom to fill up every corner of my house this year and probably my mum’s house as well

I made Martha Stewart’s cherry blossom
and my very own pussy willow rolled from cotton balls

I guess I wouldn’t be visiting any nursery this year
and spare me the agony of watching the new year flowers wither and die under my care

These flowers made from twigs collected from an abandoned grassland, left over coloured tissue paper and pigeon cotton balls saved from my toddler’s babyhood can probably last me a lifetime or till the next time when I find enough energy and courage to declutter

My toddler and I did this last week

An afternoon of straw blowing and finger dabbing fun

It’s good to get someone with a strong heart to do the branches to prevent momentary lightheadedness though

My toddler took over the straw blowing and he made big fat branches (those on the right) because he blew saliva instead of air

My 7 year old saw it when he came home from school and thought it was fun

So he did the same thing and made them into greeting cards for his grandparents instead

I can’t believe it

The Chinese Lunar New Year is less than a week away

It’s happening too fast !

December had been a busy month of crafting
We spent many rainy days indoor making gifts and cards
We made a snowy Christmas scene created using paper cuts for my sister’s new home
The kids helped to sponge out the background and sprinkle white snowflakes using old toothbrush and comb

Then I dug out enough scraps to make some greeting cards

Malcolm spent many hours hiding in his room with his intruder alarm activated (a gadget he made during the school holiday) to ward off intruders from entering his room while he worked on this little surprise

He finally emerged from his room a day before Christmas with this

A very cool 3D card he made all by himself

I gasped and was totally dumfounded when he handed me the card
Totally surprised and impressed not because of how perfectly flawless the card was

In fact I could tell from the markings and creases on the card, how hard he must had struggled to get the card right
The Christmas trees were recycled from the stash that I had folded a while ago and he had haphazardly glued them on
Some of the trees were falling off when I opened the card

I was touched by his effort and how he had painstakingly put everything together and made something he had never tried before

I still couldn’t get over the fact that my 7 year old made me a 3D card, all by himself, without my help !
And I am still engulfed and overwhelmed by this silly weird feeling of pride and joy and shock and disbelief

My baby is all grown up