Day in the life

Since I work and my kids go to school on weekdays, I thought it’d be more interesting to share about how a typical Sunday goes for us!

My kids are early risers (as many kids are, I’ve come to realise), so even if it is the weekend and they can sleep in, they show no appreciation for that, and are up and about by 7 am, if not earlier. *weep*

Most times, they head out to the hall to play, and keep themselves entertained for a while, whilst generating enough noise such that further sleep is impossible for me by 7:30 am. Our trusted, long-time helper is on leave every Sunday and public holiday, so we’re on our own as a little nuclear family on Sundays. It entails slightly more hard work for us as parents, but at least we get a chance to stand on our own feet, so to speak, once a week.

Our church service only starts at 11 am, but usually we have choir practice at 9:30 am, so we manage to squeeze in some breakfast at a nearby hawker centre, after getting everyone out of their pyjamas.

The kids run around the Sunday School rooms and play games to entertain themselves (hide and seek, ‘warmer’ or ‘colder’) or have some pretend teacher-student lessons.

At 11 am, service starts for the adults and the children have Sunday School proper. B is in Praise Kids (4-6 year olds) and K is in Praise House (7-8 year olds). I’m really appreciative of all the sunday school teachers, and the excellent curriculum that they are teaching from. K has learnt so many old testament stories, in the right context, after being in Praise Kids for 2 years. This year, her classes have gotten more serious with memory verses and reading from a real NIV children’s bible.

The hubs and I continue our tradition of teaching in Praise Babies (0-3 years old), one Sunday a month. I also lead songs at main service once every few months. So every Sunday, there’s always one duty or another that keeps us busy. But we gain so much from this community of believers that we feel it’s only right to give back as we can.

After service, we have small group bible study once a fortnight. Sometimes, we host it at our home. We pack lunch in, and the study usually takes place from 2-3:30 pm. Depending on how many kids are present, some of the adults either take turns to play nanny, or we leave them to their own devices.

Thereafter, it’s time for B’s nap, and most times K is tired enough by then to nap too. Naps are such lifesavers, and though the kids tend to resist it, everyone is so much happier for it if we all nap. Otherwise, B especially tends to morph into a monster by 6 pm.

After napping, everyone is fresh and ready to be civilised at dinner time. We either ta pao food home to eat as we enjoy a cartoon or kid-friendly show like Junior Masterchef, or go somewhere nearby to have a simple meal.

Thereafter, I get the kids showered, and it’s bedtime at around 9 pm, since the next day is a school day.  We get everyone tucked in, read a storybook or two, pray as a family, and then turn in for the night! There you have it, a day in the life of this Singaporean mum.

Next up is Mummy Wee, mum of 6 children, and here’s a peek at how they spend their Saturdays, juggling their individual activities while carving out time for all 8 members to spend time together as a family.