I Told You So

How do you feel when your children don't listen to you? Are you like me and think "fine, do what you want" and anxiously wait for the time to say "I told you"?

Example 1: You try to stop your kid from jumping off the table because he might hurt himself. He doesn't listen and keeps on jumping and then he falls. You quickly blurt out "see, I told you isn't it?"

Example 2: You tell your children to stop playing rough coz' someone will end up crying. They tone down for a second and then continue their rowdiness . Few minutes later one of them runs to you all teary eyed complaining what the other person did. Don't you justify yourself by replying "I told you this will happen right? Why didn't you listen?"

I'm sure there are many other examples you can add.

HOWEVER, what happens when the "I told you so" part never arises? Are you suppose to feel happy or frustrated? This was my little dilemma a few days ago.

You see, my girl just refused to open her school books before her final exams. I would say "don't you have exam tomorrow?", and she would say "yes" and then continue to do whatever. I tried to be direct by saying "why don't you go through your school books and revise the work you have done?", she would say "okay" and then continue to do whatever. I tried to urge her by saying "don't forget only if you get 1st or 2nd place will I take you to Sunway Lagoon" and she would say "ya" and then continue to do whatever. I didn't want to be naggy so my only choice was to wait for my chance to say "I TOLD YOU" if she didn't get good results.

Well, guess what? I never got to say "I TOLD YOU!" She scored 90+ in all her subjects and came out 4th in class. So, do I be happy or do I be frustrated? Happy because she did well; Frustrated because she may think she doesn't need to study for future exams. But you know what, I think the biggest frustration came from not being able to PROOVE I WAS RIGHT!

I guess such is human nature. We always want to be right. But seriously thinking, to be a good parent we should refrain from saying "I told you so" too many times. It is unnecessary and really just a show of power. We have to remember that sometimes experience is the best teacher. But when they fail, the right thing to do is be a support and not a prick.

It's going to be tough to bury the "I told you so" attitude. I know it will take considerable effort on my part because it's like a habit already. Good luck to me.

Holiday Entertaining Tips: Coping With Holiday Stress

The holidays are fast approaching. There's Thanksgiving, then Christmas and New Year. This is a very busy time especially for the women folk who have to prepare the home for holiday entertaining. Are you freaking out yet? Need some help coping with holiday stress? Get help with holiday entertaining tips that can be found in this useful guide: "STRESS FREE HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING"




Family holidays should be a time for enjoyment. But instead, we get ourselves so busy and stressed out. If you follow the recommendations in this guide, you'll see some of that stress disappear this holiday season. You'll be able to plan and organize better. Wouldn't you like to have easy make ahead recipes? You also don't have to crack your head on Christmas gift ideas for teachers, friends and family. The secret is to prepare ahead of time and this guide will show you how.

You may think, "oh, I already know how to manage the holidays". That's what some people thought before they bought the book. And then they discovered there were many tips that hadn't crossed their mind before. Like them, you will appreciate all the time saving tips shared in this book. They are very practical. Not only that, it'll help you stretch your money too. Save time and save money, that's what you're looking for right?

Sandra Jensen, the author of the book, will help you bring meaning back to your holiday celebration. It'll bring your family back to the dinner table. That is so important. You don't want to miss this easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide.

Coping with holiday stress is just a click away. The holidays can be a breeze with these holiday entertaining tips. Get your copy today and start planning.

STRESS FREE HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING
USD 5.97

High School Musical 3

So, how is everyone surviving the High School Musical craze? I'm sure life is more peaceful when you don't have little swooning fans at home. My girl has been hinting really hard if I will be taking her to watch it. She asked if I would take her if she came out 1st or 2nd in class. Well, the final exam results are out and today she told me that she got 4th in class. Hmmm... shall I be kind or cruel? Oh, what the heck, I'll probably take her and my little Troy Bolton wannabe (KokoD). Yup, KokoD's interest in basketball spiked up after watching the last 2 HSM. I had to patiently tolerate bouncing basketballs in the house.

However, I got to admit I kinda like some of the songs. Goodness knows I got them drummed into my head as my children played them over and over and over again. So, I must be crazy to enter for AMBP's High School Musical 3 CD giveaway. If I do get it, I know that's what will be blasting from my house the next few months. Are my neighbours ready for it?

So AMBP, hope you consider my family as worthy recipients of the highly coveted CD. We parents are ready to sacrifice our sanity for the sake of our children's passion.

You asked "what's the name of the character played by Zac Efron in the High School Musical movie/TV series"?
TROY BOLTON - my daughter will knock me over the head if I don't know this one.

Easy Tomato Rice

During Hari Raya, I visited one of my neighbours who served us tomato rice. I thought what a good idea to cook it as a break from regular white rice (or fried rice). So I chanced upon an easy recipe and tried it out. My son loved it, so did my DH (he devoured it).

Ingredients:

• 2 onions- chopped up finely
• Garlic - also finely chopped
• 2cm ginger - minced
• 4cm cinnamon bark
• 3 cloves
• 3 petals star anise
• 3 cardamoms (crush it first to get the flavor out)
• 1/3 cup tomato ketchup
• 1 fresh tomato - quartered
  
• Fried shallots (optional)

How to cook?

• Wash your rice and put aside.
• Put some cooking oil in the wok and fry the garlic, onions, ginger cinnamon, star anise and cardamoms until the fragrance fills the air.
• Add in your washed but uncooked rice. Stir until evenly coated.
  
• Transfer to the rice cooker.
• Add in water (hope you know how to measure water to cook rice).
  
• Add tomato ketchup and salt and give it a little stir.
• Wait for rice to be cooked.
  
• Dish out and add fresh tomatoes. (Actually, you could add some fresh tomatoes into the rice to cook too).
  
• Sprinkle some fried shallots on top and start feasting.

I know some of you might say "aiyoh, use tomato ketchup kah?" By all means, you can do it the more original way. But if you want fast, easy and "sedap" (tasty), this is the solution.

Happy cooking.

Learning In The Kitchen

He doesn't play with his toys. He doesn't watch tv (except for commercials). He would rather pull up that stool and watch me prepare food. Yup, that's his favorite spot in the house.

Mamas Parenting Tips

• The kitchen is a great place for children to learn. As I cut the veges and stuff, I teach him the names of the food. Not just visual, he gets to feel, smell and sometimes taste it too. Sensory learning -- great stuff.
• As they watch you do stuff, they unconsciously pick up skills. For example, they learn that to crack an egg, you tap it against the bowl first. Or they learn that you don't eat the carrot's skin and you use a peeler to peel it away.
  
• Of course, teach them that the knife is sharp and can hurt them. Point out what is dangerous in the kitchen. Teaching them these things is one way of keeping them safe.
  

So, don't shoo them away from the kitchen.

Football Web-TV Channel

WATCH OUT WIVES AND GIRLFRIENDS!

There's a new football web-tv channel recently launched by Carlsberg. If you have a husband/boyfriend who is nuts over football, then this is one channel you DON'T want to tell him about.

What will happen if you do? Well, be ready to be a football widow then. No, that doesn't mean your beloved will be dead. Physically he is around but his mind, might and soul will be dedicated to watching football. I think some of you already know what I'm talking about. If he gets hooked to www.partofthegame.tv, he'll be eating, drinking and dreaming football. He probably is already, so you really don't want to encourage him further. They have 5 channels showing all aspects about football from the classic football matches to life as a fan. There's also video clips about football funnies and rituals from the Football Magic channel. Heck, they even allow you to upload your own favorite football moments.

So, remember... not a peep about this if you want to have a chance at some romantic nights with your darling. Unless you are a football fan yourself. Then by all means, knock yourself out.

Easy Recipes For Picky Eaters

When it comes to eating, my kids are not really picky eaters. Thank goodness! They are a bit apprehensive when it comes to trying new foods but at least they eat some vege. That's more then I can say of myself when I was growing up. I absolutely hated all leafy vegetables. I think I grew up on french beans alone. Of course now I am much, much better and eat my share of green goodness everyday.

If you have picky eaters in your house, I'm sure you ask the following questions:

• What to feed my picky eaters? Yup, they can't be eating pizza, pasta, instant noodles and burgers everyday.
  
• What are some easy recipes for picky eaters that are healthy and tasty?
• How do you deal with a picky eater? Even worse, what if there are 4 of them?
• What is the secret to getting picky eaters to eat vegetables?

Your answers are in here:
"Kids & Vegies"

What is in the book? Tips, games, coloring fact sheets, wall charts and easy recipes for picky eaters. With this book you can take the guess work out of your cooking. Plus you'll get them eating vegetables. With this book, you will have the expertise to serve up meals your picky eater will eat. Get your copy today and end your meal time battles.

Don't wait another second. Get it now and download this much needed information instantly. You can turn things around tonight. Click the link below to take a peek inside the book:

"Kids & Vegies"

Sausage Rolls

I made these sausage rolls for lunch yesterday and the kids devoured it.

Ingredients:

• Pastry Puff (can get from the supermarket, the cold section where they sell the ice creams, popia skin and frozen roti canai)
• Sausage (Americans call hot dogs), I got the ones with cheese filling
• Spinach (cut it up into small bits)
  
• Onions (Cut into rings or dice it)
  
• Egg and sesame seeds

How to cook?

• First I cooked the sausage with some butter. Yeah, not a healthy option but yummy. If you're health conscious just boil the sausages. Cut into half and put sausages aside.
  
• Then I sauted the onions with a little bit of soy sauce. Put cooked onions aside.
• Stir fry the sausage with garlic, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Put aside.
• Roll out the pastry sheets. I saw 2 different sizes at the supermarket. There's no fast rule here. Just be flexible and decide how big you want your roles to be. I cut my pastry roll into about 5x4 inch rectangles. I kinda stretched it out a bit too.
  
• Lay your sausage, onions and spinach on the pastry roll. Make sure you have some room (about 2cm) at the edges so you can seal it up.
• Fold the pastry over to enclose the ingredients inside. Pinch the sides to seal it all up. Sorry I don't know the proper technique to do this. I just did it whatever way as long as I don't see any holes :)
• Brush the top side with egg and sprinkle the sesame seeds.
• Put on a baking tray and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure you preheat the oven first to 220 degrees Celcius.

One thing I did wrong was to thaw my frozen puff pastry too early. By the time I started to work on the sausage rolls, the sheets were all sticking together. Remember to read the instructions on the packet on how long you should thaw before cooking.

It's okay if your sausage rolls don't turn out as professional looking like what you see in the bakery. Goodness knows mine are far from it. As you can see from the picture, some opened up as I baked it. Be brave to experiment. The one thing I like about these sausage rolls was how I managed to sneak in the vege.

Good luck trying.

Mama Says You Should Check Out:
Easy Recipes For Picky Eaters
Discover the secret to overcoming meal time battles.

How To Lighten Your Household Chores

Special mention must be given to this little guy -- KokoD. He has been most helpful the past week. He has been helping me hang up the clothes and also taking them in when they are dry. It's really funny... it's like suddenly he decided he wants to help. He even washed the dishes after dinner for 3 nights. And mind you, it was voluntary. I didn't even ask. He insisted.

He's also been very, very good with babyD. Not just playing with him but taking care of the brother's needs. For example, he'll get water for the brother to drink or put music for the brother to dance. One day K was angry at babyD because he kept destroying her lego creation. So kokoD said "come baby, koko will take care of you" and he took baby out of the room so he wouldn't disturb the jie-jie.

When it comes to reading scriptures and doing worksheets, he's given me good attitude. No whining, instead concentration.

Such good behavior must be commended and that's why I'm dedicating this blog post to kokoD. He's definitely made my household chores lighter.

Mamas Parenting Tip

• Give your children opportunities to work around the house. You have to start when they are still young. Even babyD helps around the house. He loves to take the forks and spoons to the dinner table and puts back his clean laundry into his drawers. Sometimes I will get him to carry the dry laundry into the house.
• Involve them in your housework rather then chasing them away. There's always something they can do.
• When they ask you to do something for them, teach them how to do it first. For example, when you make milo or milk for them in the morning, teach them how to do it. When you are folding clothes, let them try (then refold them later). Don't just do things for them and forget about the teaching part.
  
• They don't teach these living skills in school, so it's up to you to equip them. At least when they leave home when they're older, you know they can take care of themselves.
  

Baby Story

BabyD is a very sociable fella. Here he is trying to make friends with our neighbour. The little girl is just a few months older. The pictures were taken by my daughter and I thought it was soooo cute as the two toddlers attempt to communicate without words.

I've done two versions of what the story may be. Why not add your version of the story?
Kids are so cute. We adults can only guess what goes through their minds.

Version 1: I haven't seen you in a while. I miss you.
Version 2: Oh look, your hands are as tiny as mine.

Version 1: Here's a kiss from me...
Version 2: Look, I have all my teeth already.

Version 1: ...to you.
Version 2: Open up, let's see your teeth.

Version 1: I have to go now. We can't keep meeting like this.
Version 2: Oh-oh, I feel something yucky. I think I have to go now.

Version 1: Don't forget me. I'll be right here waiting everyday for you . Sob! Sob!
Version 2: I gotta go change my diaper.

Internet Withdrawal Syndrome

Friday my internet got zapped by lightning. Only today did they get it up and running again. Meanwhile, I had to endure internet withdrawal symptoms. Like a smoker trying to quit, I had to find something to substitute my "loss". So, what can you do when you're disconnected from the internet world?

• Catch up on some scrapbooking.
  
• Sing more nursery rhymes to the baby.
• Experiment in the kitchen. I made chicken rendang for the first time.
• Do more house cleaning. I finally washed my curtains. Cleaned the fans today too.
  
• Write articles for submission later on. I wrote an article on golf (something I know about) so I didn't have to do much research on the internet for that.
  
• Exercise. Go for walks and play badminton with the kids in the evening.
• Read more books to the children.
• Take naps.

So, do you get internet withdrawal syndrome?

Different Ways Children Play

There are a number of parents, including me, who advocate that we encourage children to play. It is through play that little children develop small muscle skills, eye-hand coordination, physical skills, memory, creativity and language skills. Through play, children have an avenue to practise skills already learned. They learn how to understand the world around them and it allows self expression.

So, don't think that play time is a waste of time. Don't bog down children with too many organized activities and study that they have no time to engage in play.

Here are different ways children play.

1. Exploration
   This is where children use their 5 senses to observe and discover the world around them. For babies, you can do finger plays. Play with their fingers and toes with these favorite rhymes: "This Little Piggy Went to Market" and "Round and Round the Garden." The latter is my baby's favorite. As they grow older, give them time to explore nature and how things work. Of course, exploration has to be within safety limits.
   
   
   Look mom, I caught a dragonfly!
   
   
   
2. Imitation
   Basically it's "monkey see, monkey do." If you talk and sing to your baby often, you'll see they will start to imitate your sounds and expressions. If you have toddlers, you'll notice a "mini-me" running around as they try to do the things you do. Sometimes they can be a nuisance and get in your way, especially when you are trying to get things done quickly. However, the best thing parents can do for them is to let them participate and not exclude them in your activity. If you want them out of your way, provide them with toys or similar safe objects to play with. For example, giving them play dough and they can pretend to cook and cut.
   
   
3. Physical Play
   Give them time to run, jump, climb, crawl etc.... This helps them learn to control and coordinate their body movements. If you don't have time to take them to the park, just blast some music and let them dance around. Balls are every kid's favorite. Teach them to roll, throw, catch, bounce and kick it.
   
   
4. Constructive Play
   This entails building or making something. Building blocks and lego are some examples of constructive play. This is great for their eye-hand coordination. It also helps in teaching them about patterns, size, shape and colors. Art and craft projects are wonderful activities too. Young children love to cut and glue. You can teach older children simple origami and they can use that in card making. For simple craft ideas, check out FUN KIDS CRAFTS.
   
   
5. Make-Believe and Pretend Play
   I'm sure you've seen your children acting out their little make-believe stories or pretending to be someone they know like a teacher. This pretend and role playing develops their language and social development. This is how they understand people around them. Fantasy play no doubts encourage creativity.

My Super hero son

So you see, playing is not wasted time for children. Now that you know the different kinds of playing, maybe we can do them a favor and support them in these areas.

Eat This Not That! for Kids!

Every kid loves junk food and every mother wishes their children will eat healthier meals. Well, this book by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding is a favorite for many and has made Amazon's best seller's list. It guides parents to make better food choices whether eating in a restaurant, at home or at school. It also touches on holiday meals and vending machine snackes. I'm sure you'll appreciate the kid-friendly snacks they share. Reading the detailed analysis and nutrition tips on many of our children's favorite food choices, your eyes will be opened to which food is helping them and which food is harming them with hidden fat, calories and other nasty stuff. For example, did you know organic "health food" cereal has as much sugar as a soda? I bet that never crossed your mind coz' when most people see the word "organic" and "health food", we automatically think its good.

You'll find this book fun to read with great illustrations. Even your children can go through the book and decide which foods they want to swap for a better alternative.

Click here to get a copy today:
Eat This Not That! for Kids!: Be the Leanest, Fittest Family on the Block!

Talking about eating healthy, I've found my secret to getting my children to eating vegetables voluntarily. And... I'm talking about raw vegetables too. I say "my" secret coz' I don't know if it'll work for you. What's the secret?......... jeng, jeng, jeng, jeng...... Vietnam Rolls.

Take a look:

Diced tomatoes, mango strips, cucumber strips, shredded carrots, scrambled eggs and pork strips. The pork was cooked with garlic, light soy sauce, little bit of dark soy sauce for color, honey and black pepper. Don't add water, just stir fry on low fire so you don't burn the honey. Oh, add a little corn starch towards the end to make the meat smooth. (For beginners, add water to cornstarch before putting it in the wok.) If you don't eat pork, I'm sure you can substitute with other kinds of meat. You can even go meatless and be 100% vege.

Butterhead lettuce.

Get some vietnamese rice paper and soak it till soft. Lay down the butterhead lettuce and then pile on all the other stuff. Add mayonaisse (or not). Wrap it up like a poh pia or burrito.

If you don't like the rice paper wrap, just use the vege to hold the other stuff. That's what I do. I think it tastes better without the wrap. But of course, it's more difficult to hold everything together. My kids love this. They would never eat the tomatoes, carrots, cucumber or green vege by itself, but they love the combination.

It's easy preparation and a good break from eating rice everyday :) I love how the mango gives it a bit of tangy/sweet taste. This may not be the exact way to make vietnamese rolls but this is how I saw my friend make it and it works well for me. Give it a try and let me know if this "secret" works to get your children eating vegetables too.

Watch Out For Curious Children

My girl won't be happy about this post. So, hopefully she won't find out that I've written this. It's funny to me but embarrassing to her. Anyway, you parents need to know this so you can be ready for such things too no?

So, what is it?

1. One night, my girl comes out of our bedroom covering her mouth. So, we ask her "What's wrong? Is it you have a mouth ulcer?" She just shake her head and refused to move her hand away. After much persuasion (and a little scolding), she exposed her face to us. What did we see? 2 small nicks - one near her nose, the other down towards her chin. Yes, my dear child tried to shave herself. DH was on the verge of scolding her but I told him to stop. I could see she was already embarrassed. I didn't think she needed us to make her feel worse. DH asked "what are you trying to shave?" She answered, "my moustache." Sigh! How come I didn't notice her moustache? Hahahaha.
   
   
2. Another night we were sitting on the couch watching tv. She was holding a tiny, tiny ball of blu-tack and using her fingers to play with it. Next thing I know, she turns to me and says "mom, how do I get this out from my hair?" Alamak! Lucky thing the blu-tack she had was just a little bit. I remembered reading that if you get chewing gum in your hair, use ice to harden it and it will come off. I figured it should work the same for blu-tack. Unfortunately, it didn't work. In the end, her grandma snipped off her hair.

I know I'm not the first parent to have her child do such things. So, this is a heads up for parents who haven't yet experienced such "silliness". Actually, the right word should be "curiousness." Don't know what else they'll think off. Oh yeah, watch out for the "stuff this up my nose/ear/whatever" act too. And remember, they usually feel bad and dumb after they do it. So go easy on them.

p.s. Here's my "curious" experience - I burnt my hand trying to figure out how hot the car cigarette lighter was. What's your "curious" experience eh?

Sick Kids

Friday evening after school, my daughter started to feel sick. The next day, she ran a high fever. When she got better, the other two boys started their feverish spell. Jie-jie has progressed to coughing incessantly. Yesterday, kokoD who is usually very active and can't stay still for one minute, lay almost lifeless on the couch the whole day. He hardly ate anything too. BabyD was also sick but still running around a bit.

When they are bouncing off the walls, we wish for peace and quiet. Now that the house is silent, I can't wait to see them lively again. Motherhood is a crazy, crazy thing.

Baby Milestone: 20 Months

I haven't been writing about baby for awhile. I also haven't been scrapping for awhile. So, here goes some baby updates.

• Still isn't talking much. Compared to his siblings, he is slower in developing speech. He can say "mama," "papa," "koko," and "jie jie." Even to call "mama" and "papa", we had to train him for 1 whole week before he called us correctly. When he remembered "mama", he forgot how to say "papa" and vice versa. It was so funny coz' you could see him trying to think how to form the words. He would move his lips trying to get the right sound and the wrong sounds would come out. Then he would try again. Finally, he can now "label" us correctly. But he didn't have any problem with "koko" and "jie jie." Maybe because he plays with them so often. When he talks to us, it is like playing charades. He uses all sorts of sign language and facial expressions. He understands a lot of things and knows what we are talking about. So I know there is nothing wrong with him. I guess he is just the strong, silent type. Hahahah. Which is a good break from his noisy, chattering siblings.
  
  
• He has started to show interest in drawing. He will help himself to our stash of recycle paper and writing materials. I would put his hand on top of the paper and trace round it. He loves that. He can follow my instructions to draw circles or "up and down." Absolutely loves to play with chop (or what some people call rubber stamps.)
  
  
• Still addicted to his "nen-nen." Yes, I am still breastfeeding him.
  
  
• He is 12 kg. Very solid structure and still has a little tummy. He's got all his teeth out already.
  
  
• Loves to climb like a little monkey. He would push a chair next to my bed and then jump onto the mattress. Also loves to jump on my couch (thanks to the brother's example). I'm still trying to get him to stay off the tables. Sigh!
  
  
• He don't like to watch television... well, except commercials. Toys don't appeal much to him too (unless his siblings are playing with them). His favorite past time is to pull his stool next to me in the kitchen and watch me cut vegetable and stuff. If he is really hungry, he will hold his bowl out while I am getting the food ready.
  
  
• He is a great helper around the house. He will help me carry the folded laundry upstairs. If you need to find something, he will find it for you. When I come home from grocery shopping, he insists that you give him a bag to carry inside. When it is time to sweep the house, he and his brother will put up the carpet, foot rug and footstools. He will even take the broom and dustpan for you.
  
  
• The most special thing about this little guy is his warm, caring nature. If an aunty asks for something to eat, he will share his food. Last Saturday we were at a friend's farewell party. He walked up to an aunty that he hardly knows and offered his cup for her to drink. She, of course, would not take his cup. So he walked to the drink table and took a cup. He pointed at me to fill it up and then went back to the aunty and insisted she have a drink. Hahahah. He has got many "aunties" at church that dot over him. And he freely rewards them with his hugs and kiss.
  
  

Thoughts On China's Milk Problem

Image by Getty Images via DaylifeJust a quick post on this issue. It's horrible all these babies getting sick and dying from contaminated milk. Yesterday I got the message about the food items that have been recalled. Now everyone is wary about China products. I just can't help thinking:

• All the more reason why BREASTFEEDING IS BEST.
• Good motivation to stop eating sweets and ice-cream.

And my son has suggested we get our own cow.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Chinese milk fears spread in Asia
• China: Babies Killed By Bad Milk
• 53,000 Chinese Children Sick From Milk

Simple Kite Craft

If you're thinking of a way to keep your kids occupied, you can try this kite craft.

I traced a kite shape onto art block paper and had the kids color and decorate it. Then I used some string and tied up bits of crepe paper to make the tail.

KokoD wanted to fly the kites. Obviously these kites are not going to fly. Anyway, I wanted to make him happy so I did this instead:

That's as close as I can get them to fly. KokoD was semi happy. He still wants a kite to fly. Guess I'll just have to learn how to make one. Thank goodness I know someone who knows how to do it. Must ask her for instructions. Come to think of it, maybe I'll just look around for a cheap kite. Hahahah. Is there such a thing? CHEAP kite?

Mamas Parenting Tip

• When it comes to art, I believe you need give children ideas. I always have this thinking that we need to give our children the freedom to express themselves. That's true but I've also come to learn that before we let them "create", we need to guide them first.
  For example, after I drew the kites, I gave my children some colored paper to decorate the kite. When they came back to me with their finished work, I was like "huh?" It was like a few shapes randomly glued here and there, and the background was bare.
  So, then I took a pencil and drew a pattern on one kite. I suggested they use crayons to color coz' the colors are brighter and bolder. I also colored it a bit for them so they could see what I was talking about. I also gave them further suggestions like thinking about themes for their kites e.g. sea life, jungle etc.... Anyway, I think that helped give them a better idea about patterns as oppose to randomly sticking stuff here and there.
  
  
• This is a great way to teach about symmetry. You could fold the kite in half. You draw a pattern on one side and have them copy the other half.
  
  
• If you're going to hang the kite like I did, you might want the child to color both sides of the kite.

Happy crafting!

p.s. Don't forget to check out FUN KIDS CRAFT for many more easy kids craft ideas.

Vegetable Garden Planting

Yesterday was harvest day. Yum, yum! Just look at those freshy, green leafy vegetables. When they say organic vegetables tastes better, they are right.

These are the "Huang Ti Miao" I blogged about before at "Recycling Vegetables." By the way, it was pointed out by Adeline Tan (when she left a comment) that this vege is called Ceylon Spinach. Some of you mentioned that you were going to give it a try. How has it been? Or have you procrastinated your vegetable garden planting? These vegetables are one of the easiest kinds to grow and if you're looking to start a vegetable garden, I would recommend starting with these.

Here are just a few pictures of them growing in the garden. (Oh yeah, in case you don't have a garden, you can grow them in pots too).

This is just one patch of our vegetable garden. There's more at the back of the house.

Nice and fresh. Thanks to my DH's efforts. Hahahahah.
Just snip off the leaves and let it keep growing.

Mamas Parenting Tip

• Involve your children in your gardening work. Let them pull out weeds, dig a little, water the plants, or kill the snails. It's great quality time together as a family and they learn science first hand.
  
• Grow your own vegetables and you don't have to pay more for organic foods.
• Growing your own vegetables isn't only about saving money. Most of us in the city don't have enough land to grow a vegetable garden to sustain our family. But that doesn't mean we should shove the idea altogether. It's a wholesome activity and the skills you gain is priceless. With the state of the world today -- natural disasters, political unrests, war, and so many more uncertainties -- you never know. Maybe one day you really need to grow your own food. Would you have enough gardening knowledge then to survive?
• If you can help it, don't cement up the compound around your house. Cultivating a garden is more beneficial than that extra parking space. Really!

Lian recommends:
ORGANIC GARDENING BEGINNER'S MANUAL
If you want to start but don't know how, just read what Julie Villani has to share. She studied horticulture at TAFE, completing certificate III in Horticulture. She went from growing straggly plants to raising enough veges to feed her family. In this book she'll teach you how to prepare good soil, create an easy, 'no-dig' veggie plot, 5 easy ways to keep your garden weed free, secrets to composting, naturally protect your plants from pests, how to grow your food in limited spaces and many more.

Easy Kid's Craft: Bookmark

This was what I was busy doing yesterday: homemade bookmarks.


My daughter was rummaging through my table looking for one and I thought it would be a good idea to make one ourselves. Afterall, she has been bugging me to spend more time with her.

Since I'm not a crafty person, I searched the net for ideas. Came across a felt and ribbon bookmark. Seemed pretty easy plus I have some felt that I've been storing for years. There's also a lacy cloth in my "junk box". I used that instead of ribbon. It's about time I took these things out and put them to good use.

I didn't let the kids do the cutting. I let them do the designing and gluing instead. At first I used white glue but then decided that the glue gun is a better choice. End up we did a whole bunch because the kids wanted to give away to their friends and aunties at church. So here I am cutting away.

This is really a craft that only takes a few minutes to do (unless you decide to do tons of them).

I know I should do more craft work with my children. It really is a good way to have some bonding time. Not to mention encourage their creativity and develop their fine motor skills. It keeps them busy: away from trouble and away from the television. My problem is, I like hassle-free crafts. I will only consider doing it if they are really easy and if I already have the materials. That's why my craft sessions with my kids are sorely limited. Poor kids!

MAMAS PARENTING TIP

• Designate a craft box and stock up on some art stuff like felt, glitter, googley eyes, buttons, different kinds of colored and patterned paper, crepe paper, ribbons, stamps, glue gun, lace, glitter pens, pattern scissors, embellishments etc....
  

Anyway, I came across this ebook called "FUN KIDS CRAFTS". Really fun and easy kids craft ideas - all 700 of them. I'm sure you'll find some that suit your liking. There are mother's day crafts, toilet roll crafts, preschool crafts, christmas crafts, bible crafts, holiday crafts and many more.

If you really want to see how easy it is, just click the following to see some sample pages. Also check out the bonus e-books that come with it.
FUN KIDS CRAFT