Playing Definitely Has Benefits

K was doing her maths work the other day and one of the exercises was to recognize patterns. For example:

I realized she had difficulty drawing squares on top of each other or drawing squares/circles into a pyramid. I was getting a little agitated trying to explain where to position the lines so the squares would not end up on top of another square but rather in between two squares. She just couldn't get it.
Controlling my frustration, I walked to her toy drawer where all the blocks were kept. I managed to find 10 square blocks and showed her how to build a pyramid. She asked to play with them a little longer and so, she practiced and practiced building the pyramid. Now, my kids have been playing with blocks for a long time. But I think this is the first time she saw how her playing is related to the things she is learning in books. Next thing I know, she comes to me with a drawing of a pyramid made out of squares. All my screaming and explaining could not teach her what she learned at play.
So here is proof that play does benefit learning. Tell that to your MIL :)

P.S. I really recommend that you get some building blocks for your children to play. Not only is it educational and helps to develop a child's imagination, but also provides time for QUIET play :)

Click here for more toy blocks

Of Seeds and Noses

1 saga seed + 1 little boy's nose = A whole lot of trouble.

Never in a million years did I think my 3 year old boy would shove a sage seed up his nose. I thought I had taught my children not to do such things but looks like I've been mistaken. He had come to me with the saga seed he found in his play room, asking if we could throw it in the pond. We use to do in the park when I was living in the previous location. I told him we were too far away from that pond now. I then asked that he go look for the other saga seeds that we had collected then so we could do some counting. Next thing I know, he is crying and digging at his nose. I take a look and there it is!

Rule no.1: Don't scream when there is something up your child's nose.
Obviously that was not what I did. Seeing my panic he somehow got the seed lodged even deeper into his nose. From visible it went to partially visible but only with the use of a flash light.
I wanted to use tweezers to get it out but decided not to in case I pushed it in even deeper.

Rule no.2: Make sure your child knows how to blow his nose properly.
When D had a congested nose before, I tried to teach him how to blow his nose. But he didn't quite get it and always ended up sniffing in instead. So now, when we asked him to try to blow it out, all he did was suck it in even more.

Anyway, to cut the long story short, we took him to the nearest hospital (which was really small) and thank goodness the doctor managed to get it out with a modified paperclip. If that didn't work, we would have had to take him to a bigger hospital and I don't even dare think what they would need to do. And thank goodness D was very brave and didn't cry one bit but just laid very still for the doctor to do his stuff.

While waiting for the doctor, I was talking to my DH and mentioned how in all the lessons I've tried to teach them, I may have missed out the "don't put things up your nose and ears" lesson. Obviously my little boy was listening very attentively coz' when I asked him "why did you put it up your nose?", he replied "you didn't teach me!"
Rule no.3: Don't forget to tell your children DON'T PUT THINGS IN YOUR NOSE AND EARS!

A Little Fun

Just to post some fun the kids have been having. I'm not a real crafty person so it is a wonder that I even thought of the butterfly thing. Went to the back and got 2 wooden clothes peg. Took some art block paper and got the kids to color the butterflies. Cut it out and paste it to the clothes peg. Happen to have some googly eyes and pipe cleaners to make antennaes. The kids played with their butterflies the whole day. Unlike the gentle creatures butterflies are, D's butterfly was a fighter. Hahaha. To put them away, just clip them unto the curtains or something. Make a few and you could even use them as house decorations.

Bubbles are another fun activity. Went to Carrefour and found a one litre bottle of bubbly fun for only RM4. That should last for quite a while. There is one blower thingy inside. Need more, just use straws. You think that bubbles are easy to blow right? Don't be surprise if it takes your little one some practice before they get it. You can always make your own bubble solution. But somehow the ones I make don't work as well as this commercial one. It's also non-toxic and non-stain.

Value Bookshop International

Just want to announce that I've added Value Bookshop International to cater to parents and children all over the world. Prices are USD of course. Click below to check it out:

VALUE BOOKSHOP INTERNATIONAL

Are You There?

You think that staying at home with the kids is enough for them. Not really. Being in the same house is not close enough. My kids have to be either in the same room or on the same floor. When my kids see my going down the stairs, they will pick up their toys with superhuman speed, declaring with urgency "Mommy is going down, mommy is going down." I am counted as evil if I do not wait for them.
Several times a day you will hear the the cry of anxiety "Mommy, where are you?" If I do not answer, they embark on a "search and rescue" mission and will not stop until I am found. Even my unannounced trips to the bathroom can be a cause of concern for them. When they do find me, you can see their joy and relief. Then they just go back to what they were doing before.

Usually, they seek me out not because they have something to ask me or need my assistance, they just want to know that I am close by. Although annoying at times, I have to remind myself to be grateful that I have children who think I am soooo important, that my mere presence brings such assurance to these little ones. Isn't it a wonder, that such a passive thing as "just being there" can outweigh all the monetary and materialistic things we can provide for our kids? Let's take the sun as an example, it's just there in the sky. But look how it makes things grow. So, never underestimate the goodness you do by just-being-at-home.

Value Bookshop's Reading Notes

I'm happy to announce the birth of another blog of mine called Value Bookshop's Reading Notes.
The purpose of the blog is to help parents help their children learn. When it comes to our children's education, we have tons of questions. We constantly worry and try our best to do that which is right. But it can be so confusing.
Some of us still have very young children and therefore still have the opportunity to right our wrongs. Some of us have already weathered the storm. I would appreciate if you drop by and share your wisdom.
In this blog I will share my findings with you as I explore the many concerns and questions parents face when it comes to our children's education. I welcome any suggestions on topics you might want me to address.

Please visit my newbie blog -- http://blog.valuebookshop.com

Run, Run, As Fast As You Can...

Yesterday, the kids insisted I stop by the mini playground after buying pisang goreng. So happen that place also has a netball court. Instead of just having them play the swings, slide and see-saw, I suggested the two have a race. My intention was to tire them out a little (evil mommy!). Crazy kids nowadays just have soooooo much energy. I had them run from one end of the netball court to the other end and back again. I thought I'd just have them race 2-3 times but these kids, I tell you, they kept on running and running and running. My little boy practically ran up and down 7 times without stopping. Then he would just run round and round. It's just so funny to see how much fun they had just running. Talk about simple pleasures. And here we are, as parents, sometimes wondering how to entertain them.

Well, we went out again today and did some running. The kids were looking forward to it. There's a court at the back of my house and we did different things. First they had a traditional race -- run to a certain point and back again. Then I had them do laps around the court. Played a little basketball and then finished up with a relay thingy. The two kids would stand on opposite ends. D would run and slap his sister's hand and then it would be her turn to run.

Anyway, kinda reminded me of when we use to do the same when we were younger. I'm sure almost everyone has played 'police and thieves' once in their life. Or sometimes we just called it 'catching'. The Americans call it 'cops and robbers.' We had the energy then too. Well, because I've lost the energy for running, I've forgotten how enjoyable it is for kids.

So if you can, don't coup your kids in the house. They have soooo much energy pent up inside. Let them be like the gingerbread man and go "Run, run, as fast as you can...."

Elephant In The House

I have been having some bad luck with the chairs at home the last few days. A few months back, my mom brought a decker like chair that belonged to my grandfather. So as you can see, it's been around for awhile and like many stuff made in the olden days, they are quite durable. All was well until a few days ago the canvas started to rip. Continue sitting and I would fall right through the chair. So relunctantly I had to give up that chair.
I migrated to the chair that my DH usually sits on. My brother gave that to me and its a bamboo one. Another sort of deck chair, the kind you would take to the beach and enjoy the breeze. It's a bit low for me and with my growing tummy and aching back, it's pretty difficult to get up sometimes. But hey, it's one of the better choices in the house. Well, yesterday I sat on it and it broke! This is the conversation that followed:

Son: Daddy, the chair broke.
DH: What happened to the chair? How come it broke?
Son: Because like elephant sit on the chair, it break.
Me: So, mommy is like elephant is it?
Son: Yes!

So, do I get depressed or do I laugh? It was kinda weird how I could laugh and feel depressed at the same time. Anyway, the chair was fixed. But not too well coz' when I sat on it again today, the repair work done yesterday came undone and I fell again. Well, this time "the elephant" fixed it again making sure the knots don't come undone. But of course, my DH couldn't help laughing when I told him what happened. I think I will just sit on the floor from now on. You think it's safe?

Book Review: It Could Have Been Worse

I love children books. I enjoy looking for books for my children to read, be it at a bookstore, book sale or library. And scouting for books have been even more interesting the day my children decided they wanted to choose their own books. This is where you see what sort of stuff they are interested in. For example, at one time K would look for books about going to the doctors. D still looks for dinosaur and dragon books. I usually go for whatever books with a good story line and captivating illustrations. Of course I also try to look out for books that have won awards or recommended by teachers.

Well, I've been wanting to blog on books that we've read and enjoyed. Now that blogger allows for labels, what better time to start. Keep track of our favorite books filed under the label "Children Books".

Let me start off with this book. It's called "IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE".
A little mouse is on his way home but he seems to have some bad luck falling off branches, dropping into a hole, sitting on some prickly stuff, falling into the water etc.... Sounds like a bad day right? Well, what the mouse doesn't know is that his bad luck was actually his good luck. You see, if he hadn't fallen off the branches, he would have been eaten by a cat. Or if he didn't fall into a hole, an eagle would have gotten him. So you see, it could have been worse.
This story isn't just for kids. It was a good one for me too. I had some bad luck that week with the car battery going dead several times and then having a punctured tyre. Well, as the book says, "it could have been worse".

Best of Friends, Worst of Enemies

First of all, just wanna say that FINALLY I got the pictures up on my last post. Was trying for days and the pictures just wouldn't get posted. Well, they are there now. Yay! Now I get to show off my garden. Hahahaha.

Ok, just something short about the kids. They can be the best of friends and the worst of enemies. And it only takes a couple of seconds to go from one to the other. The fights have been quite frequent the last few days and I must say, it is driving me nuts. I've come to the conclusion that mothers are allowed to throw up their hands once in a while and say "I give up." Well... not totally give up. I've learned that trying to talk sense to them when they are mad doesn't help. Actually, it just makes you more frustrated. So now I allow them to let out whatever anger is in them, then after the storm has subsided, try to talk sense. Afterall, when I'm angry, I need to get it out too. Only problem is to reduce the violence -- hitting and biting. Even after many lessons and lectures, little D still cannot hold back. Well, all a parent can do is to keep teaching.
Which brings me to a book I just borrowed from the library which I hope can help litte D with his biting. It's called "The Shark Who Bit Things He Shouldn't". Cute little story about a shark who is so proud of his sharp, white teeth. He would see something and say "I know I shouldn't bite this, but I will." Well, he eventually gets caught by a granny who used a toffee-apple as bait. It got stuck to the shark's teeth and hilariously, his teeth got pulled out. But granny, who also can take her teeth out, had pity for the shark and gave his teeth back BUT with advice that from then on he musn't bite anything he shouldn't.
Well, after saying all that, I just wanted to point out that even if you've read tons of parenting books and articles, there will be circumstances and situations when you don't know what to do or say. It's okay. Like they say, our children didn't come with an instruction manual. Just keep plodding along. Sometimes the answers take a while to reach us.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

It's been really fun to watch the vegetables in my garden grow. That's why the quote that says “One of the most delightful thing about a garden is the anticipation it provides” is just perfect to describe how I feel about my garden. Of course I do not take credit for the gardening. Actually, I'm quite hopeless and instead of green fingers, mine can be called black fingers – once that ends in the death of the plant :(My FIL and DH has put in much work and now we get to enjoy the fruits of their labor. There was actually plenty to do as the ground was just horrible. We had to get rid of the weeds and big rocks. Then we had to purchase some good soil and my DH was diligent in watering the ground with water from the fish pond plus rice water. Constant weeding was necessary. My kids wondered why we were throwing rubbish in the garden as DH dug holes to make compost. Carrot skin, apple skin, vegetable ends and whatever would rot organically.

The kids have tried to help and though we don't make a lesson out of it, I'm sure they've learned something. What have we allowed them to do? Throw away the big stones, water the garden and weeding. It's been interesting coz' things we take for granted, you have to stop to explain to the kids. For example:

• What is a weed?
• Why don't we want weeds?
• Which part of the plant do you water? The leaves or the roots?
• What is a root? How does it look like? Why do you water the roots? (This is where weeds are good coz' you can pull them out and show what roots look like),
• Why you must not pluck the flowers?
• What are the names of the vegetables?
• Why are we throwing rubbish in the garden?

By far the most funnest (is there such a word) activity for the kids is digging. They are lucky that my garden is grassless and therefore looks like one giant sandpit to them. Of course, they has to be a limit as to where, when and how much they dig. Plus very important to teach hygiene – hands and legs must be washed immediately.

One thing I read that has not worked for me is the idea that kids are more eager to eat what they have planted. Well, my kids still think the brinjal is yuck, even if it came from the garden. Hahahah.

Well, if you want to read more about gardening for children, here are two sites:

• Ready, Set, Grow: The Benefits of Gardening with Kids
• Gardening with kids

Birthdays, Birthdays!

August is birthday month for us. Damus was born on the 9th while Karina was born on the 25th. However, we usually cheat and just have 1 big bash for them. This year we sort of piggy backed on Lia's party for her boys, Jamie and Josh (bless her kind heart) who also shares the same birthday as Damus. We figured that having a party in Puncak Alam was not going to be too popular cause no one knows where it is and if they did, they would be quite relunctant to travel this far out. Min (bless another kind heart) made two beautiful cakes, one for the boys and one for Karina. She recently blogged on this topic plus another entry about her cake baking journey. You gals are the best! My kids really enjoyed themselves. The loved the cake and they loved the company.

Anyway, here is a little tribute to them on the birthdays.

Damus, mummy is amazed at how much you've grown. No, not in size (you're my cili padi) but in your skills and intellectual development. I know my little boy has grown when I watch you:

• succeed at wearing your own pants
• going to the toilet yourself
• eating independently and making minimal mess
• helping me take in the clothes and folding the handkerchiefs
• talking like an adult and making funny comments like "welcome everybody to my lips, muak"
• trying to keep me warm when I am cold
• kissing my cheek to take back the runny nose you gave me
• pretending to read and getting 50% of the words right coz' you have already memorized the story
• successfully bouncing the basketball many times and also being quite handy with a badminton racquet
• put away your folded clothes by yourself
  
• constantly singing your many nursery rhymes and other songs

Karina, mummy has placed very high expectations on you because of my ignorance and mistakes. Afterall, you are my firstborn and therefore, everything is trial and error with you. But you have raised to the challenge very well. I look at you and know you've grown when you:

• bathe yourself and help me bathe your brother
• read the scriptures and rattle off difficult words such as resurrection, nevertheless and commandment
• willingly and independently bearing your testimony in front of the congregation every first Sunday at church
• successfully memorizing all the words of the songs you needed to sing for the concert and singing so confidently
• put away your own clothes after its been folded
• try to learn how to write and give me envelopes with selfmade cards that say, thank you or I love you
• play badminton so well. you actually return my shots
• go to sleep with the lights off and I'm not in the room yet
• make it a point to change the mosquito vape mats and turn it on every night
• help pour your brother a drink when mummy is not free

Happy birthday kiddos. Remember, no matter how much I scream at you, I love you both beyond words.

This and That

My poor blog, sorry I've been away. Desperate times call for desperate measures. And one of the measures that needs to be taken is being more wise in managing my time. Priority has to go to building content for DH's website:
http://physicalhealthguide.com

That which doth not help the home or bring in money has to take a back seat. Anyway, here is an update to keep the cobwebs away.

1. Kids have been pretty good in keeping themselves busy. Just give them excess to recycled paper and other stationary, then let their imagination do the rest. Karina is now at the stage where she scribbles nonsensical words and numbers. But that is ok. At least she knows how to enjoy the printed word. Definately much better than her previous kindergarten homework which was just copying the same thing over and over again, for pages and pages. That was a real joy killer. Damus' scribbling is also evolving. I see recognizable letters such as "D", "b", "h" and "i".














Busy fingers, busy minds.













Finished product. A present for Mommy wrapped in recycled paper.













Messages and drawings on my door. You like?

2. We've been more diligent with our homeschooling. Karina's reading is improving. We also make it a priority to read scriptures first thing in the morning. She may not understand all the words but it's a routine we want her to get use to. We don't really have a fixed syllabus. Mainly concentrating on English and maths and whatever else catches our interest like puzzles, mazes, online games. I'm more interested in driving the idea that learning is fun. Though I admit I need to work on my patience. Bad teacher! Evening is badminton time. She really has improved since we moved here. Things are more relaxed with Damus. We do nursery rhymes and singing. Instead of teaching the names alphabets, I concentrate more on teaching him the sounds of alphabets (will blog on this later on). We also read books and I must say, his concentration is fantastic when it comes to reading books. We can sit for half an hour or more just reading, and he'll take one book after another. His badminton and ball bouncing are not too bad too.

3. Recently our church held a concert to showcase the talents of the primary kids. Karina had 4 songs to sing (in a group) and she did wonderful. We practiced at home for 2 weeks and she really enjoyed it. I must admit, I had tears in my eyes. It just touched my heart deeply. The song is called "Children Holding Hands Around the World". With that I just want to say how grateful I am that my children have the opportunity to grow up in the gospel. I know it will be an asset to them to know that they are a child of God and that God loves them. When they go out into the cruel world, may they be equipped with the whole "armor of God" to fight their battles. I know that others may not feel the same way but I do. It is my testimony that children need to be spiritually fed and that it is our duty as parents to feed them. I am grateful for the proclamation on families published by the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. Through it I have learnt my duties as a wife and mother and will continue to use it as my guide.

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (

Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.
We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.
We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Once again, please do not think I am imposing my beliefs on you. Just want to share what I belief in. Now, enjoy the song. Click on the following link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YluoIk-gAM4

Vegetable Brain?

I managed to get Karina to sit down and do some studying without fuss or distractions yesterday and today. We sat down and did some English, some Maths and also learned how to tell time. All because of an out of the blue comment I made. As usual, Karina would be a little hesitant when I mention that it's "school" time. She would rather be playing.

Mommy: If you don't do your work, you will end up with a vegetable brain.
Karina: What is a vegetable brain?
Mommy: You know like a rotten vegetable? What do we do with rotten vegetables?
Karina: Throw away.
Mommy: Yup, that's right. If you don't exercise your brain, it will end up like a rotten vegetable.
Karina: Hahahaha. Mommy, that is so funny.

(While doing work)
Karina: See mom, I'm exercising my brain.

Things I Love When I Have Morning Sickness

There are many things to hate when one is down with morning sickness. But instead of dwelling on the negatives, I'd like to list some of the positives I've encountered.

THINGS I LOVE WHEN I HAVE MORNING SICKNESS:

1. A darling husband who is ever willing to cook me porridge coz' I can't eat anything else.
2. He also picks up where I fail like preparing meals for the kids and sometimes bathing them.
3. He doesn't demand or complain about the neglected housework.
4. He understands when I lie in bed almost the whole day coz' that is all I can do with the strength I have.
5. A fantastic FIL who cooks potato chips for me just because of a fleeting crave.
6. A cute son who hugs me when I feel cold and says "Mommy, I keep you warm."
7. A loving daughter who understands that Mommy feels sick so she bathes herself and also her brother. She also says "Mommy, I will try not to disturb you."
8. Listening to your children pray "Dear Heavenly Father, please help Mommy not feel sick."

I'm so glad my children get to see how wonderful their father is. He is not afraid to help with the housework or care for the children. To end, I would like to share a saying that goes like this:

"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."

Brain Exercises for Preschoolers

Looking for new stuff to entertain your children? Well, here are some stuff I found that my kids like. Fortunately, they don't know it's educational too. Hahahah.

1. Mazes by Cartoon Critters
2. Mazes by Krazydad - There are 5 levels of difficulty to choose from.
3. Mazes by Print Activities - As they say, mazes are "excellent for developing kids small motor skills and spacial perception skills".
4. Brain Games - Especially like the one where you get to control the traffic lights. See if you can avoid causing a jam.

Mimosa Pudica Fun

This morning sickness has not been good for my blogging. When the energy level is down, it's difficult to sit in front of the computer and think. But I think my poor blog is due for an update.

Well, just to share our newest discovery. While playing in a nearby park, I noticed the many Mimosa Pudica around the area. Of course growing up I called them "Touch-Me-Nots" or in Bahasa Malaysia, "Pokok Semalu". You know, those thorny little plants that close their leaves when you touch them? Anyway, I realized my children had not been introduced to this wonder and so I rallied them round and showed them the magic of this plant. Now our walks in the evening is not just about getting some fresh air, but also to spot and play with the many Mimosa Pudica along the roadside. I must say, it does keep them occupied for a while.

And while posting this blog, I learned that this plant even have medicinal values. So the next time you see a Mimosa Pudica, don't just think it's a pesky thorny plant. There is more than meets the eye.
1. Khasiat Pokok Semalu Untuk Wanita (sorry this is in Bahasa Malaysia).
2. Some medical data.

Love-ometer

How do you stop sibling rivalry? What do you do when your kids bicker at each other, breathe out threats, whine, complain, fight, pout, yell, tease, hit, scold etc...? Have you ever found yourself lost, confused and helpless at those moments when they turn to you to play judge? I know I have.
Of course, after reading plenty of parenting books and articles, you know that it is absolutely essential that you never play judge. Taking sides is a big NO-NO because usually the one you thought innocent, isn't completely innocent. There is always a side of the story that you never got to see or hear. Parents are advised to help the siblings solve their own problems. Yeah, but how? Especially when you are talking about siblings below the age of 5? Well, here are my two ways:

• I put both of them on the bench (similar to time-out). They both have to sit facing each other. They get off when they have both decided to make up and be friends again.
  It's usually the older one that will start initiating the peace talks cuz' they want to get off.
• Use the Love-ometer.
  What's that? Well, I got the idea when I came across something written by a Sunday School teacher on how she managed to get her young kids to be reverent in her class. She had some sort of chart that would show the reverence level in the class. She didn't have to yell or shout. If the class got to noisy and chaotic, the reverence chart would be adjusted accordingly.
  So I took that idea and taught my children that our home has a love-ometer (like a thermometer). When we do and say kind things, the love goes up. When we fight, quarrel, tease and say mean things, the love goes down. When there's plenty of love in the house, everyone is happy. But when the love goes down, the monsters all come out, especially Monster Mommy. And every kid will tell you that they really don't like it when Monster Mommy takes over their real Mommy.
  So when the contention gets to high in my home, the children are reminded about the love-ometer. If the love level gets to low, they have to start doing things that will help push the love back up again e.g. saying sorry, sharing etc....

I was planning to do a craft on the love-ometer. Unfortunately I'm not to crafty and have yet to get it done. But even then, my invisible love-ometer seems to be pretty effective.

Look Out For The Impromptu Lessons

My excitement of being pregnant has been washed away by the daily discomfort of nauseousness, tiredness and headaches. My poor kids have been the victims of neglect. But they have also been very understanding. I hope they don't start to dislike baby. My son told me one afternoon “throw baby away because baby make you sick.” Sweet but a bit worrying.

Anyway, I feel quite guilty coz' I haven't been diligent in teaching them. Yes, they are going to “Mummy's School” for the time being. However, this has made me more alert in catching those “impromptu” lessons. Here are 2 examples:

• Decided to go for a walk one night to ease off the discomforts. The streetlights were on casting shadows on the road. My girl comments “Hey, my shadow is almost as tall as yours.” (Blink, blink, lights go off in my head). We had an enjoyable discovery session about “shadows”. Here were some of the questions we explored:
  1. What makes the shadows? Light. Where there were no light, there were no shadows.
  2. How do you make it grow so small that it's right under your feet? Stand directly underneath the lightbulb.
  3. When is the shadow on our left / right / front / back?
  4. Does your shadow look like you? And does it do what you do?
  
• Pointing to an envelope while introducing the letter sound /e/ to my son. Although an ordinary object, I suddenly wondered if he really knew what an envelope was for. I then talked about writing letters, putting stamps, writing the name and address on the envelope, posting it at the post office, and our friend the postman who delivers the letters. The children seemed pretty intrigued and now our project is to test if the system works. So, they decided they want to write to Grandma and see if she will really get the “envelope.”

So I guess the point of this blog is to remember that lessons are not only found in books. Let us not confine our children's learning to a desk. Life itself is full of lessons. We just have to awaken our senses to things that have become “ordinary” to us because to them, it may not be that "ordinary" afterall.

Teeheehee... Could This Be No.3?

I have the symptoms... missed period, chilly, tired. And today, the food don't smell so good anymore. Did my own testing and that came out positive. The only thing I don't have is a doctor's confirmation. But I'm 99% sure.

Well, some people like to keep these things quiet. They don't like to tell people until they are like 4-5 months pregnant. Some fear that something unpleasant will happen if they tell people before 3 months is up. I'm not like that. Once I know, I feel like shouting out to the whole world. It's such wonderful and exciting news. Well, that's me.

So, ready or not, number 3 seems to be on it's way. Here I go again!