Children, Music and Lyrics

Image via Wikipedia Okay, I just have to share this hilarious story. I borrowed a CD from my mom to do some line dancing and one of the songs in the CD is called "Kiss and Makeup" by Belle Perez.

Well, somehow, K grew a liking to the music of that song. And me, I started to get worried because the lyrics don't represent the kind of lessons I want her to be learning:

I don't wanna talk
I wanna kiss and make up
Let's not waste any time
I wanna kiss and make up
I never thought you were a lover next to being a friend

And tomorrow when we wake up we make up again

In this instance, I'm glad she doesn't listen very well. Of the whole song I think she only hears the "I wanna kiss and make up" part. Anyway, I decided to have a little chat with her.

Mommy: K, do you know what the song is saying?
K: I like the music.
Mommy: Yes, I know but sometimes, songs have good music but not very good words. For example, this song that you're listening to don't have very good words. What does it say? ... Kiss and make up right?
K: Yeah.
Mommy: Do you know what it means? What does she want to do?
K: She like to kiss and put on make up (patting her cheeks).
Mommy bursts out laughing uncontrollably.

I love her innocence. Anyway, I also tried to explain what that phrase meant as innocently as possible.

Mommy: Sometimes, girlfriends and boyfriends fight and argue and they get angry at each other. How do they become friends again?
K: (after some thinking)... say sorry.

Hahahaha. See! How to taint such innocence. Anyway, I explained that sometimes they did more than say sorry. That's where the kissing come in. I kind of left the other "physicals" out. And now she knows that "make up" has another meaning.

Sigh! I'm sooooo NOT good at teaching about the "birds and the bees." Better start looking for a children's book on that topic to help me out.

MAMAS PARENTING TIP

• Be aware of the kind of music your children listen to. Teach them from young to differentiate between good music and not-so-good music.
• Teach them that lyrics are just as important as the rhythm.
  

Another Jelly Cake

Made another jelly cake, this time for my daughter's birthday. It is strawberry pudding (bottom), raspberry jello (top) with lychee and longan. Wanted to make the jello top strawberry flavor too but they only had 1 box in that flavor on the shelf and I needed 2 boxes. But the strawberry/raspberry combination was quite nice too.

This picture looks real funny coz' of the glow of the candles. Anyway, just wanted to show ya'll her smiling face. Here's something else that is funny... At 8:30pm, K says she hears someone calling her outside. It turns out to be her friends (2 sisters, one of them her classmate) staying opposite our house, coming for some cake. I was quite shocked coz' she didn't tell me she had invited friends. Plus, since the were Malays, I didn't think they would eat our food (halal issues) and I wasn't prepared. Anyway, I was happy to serve them the jelly cake and I think they liked it too. After they went home, the returned a few minutes later, this time with a gift for K -- birthday "ang pow" (money).
I thought we were done for the night when 2 more visitors came. The 2 girls earlier had told another 2 boys (also neighbours) and they came for the jelly cake too. Hahaha. At that point, I thought all the neighbourhood kids were gonna come knocking and I was afraid I didn't have enough if they did. But, the 2 boys were the last visitors for the night.

We later asked K if she did indeed invite her friend to come. She said that she told her friend that it was her birthday and that she was celebrating at 6pm. "Celebrating" to us was cutting the cake. There was no party planned. But I guess her friend took it as an invitation cause "celebrating" usually means there is a party going on. Must tell our children to be careful with words :)

Oh, and another funny thing... my kids would fight over the lychee and longan but the 4 malay kids ate everything BUT the lychee and longan. They left it on their plates untouched and I threw them away when washing up. Does someone have an explanation for this?

Related post:

• The first jelly cake I made.

How Do You Define Real Beauty

Here's a question for you if you are a woman: Do you consider yourself beautiful?

Did you know that only two percent of women around the world describe themselves as beautiful? This fact was discovered by Dove when they commissioned a global study on the matter. I'm not at all surprised to hear this as we are bombarded everyday by pictures of "manufactured beauty" in magazines, billboards and tv commercials.

I think hardest hit are young girls - to be teenagers, teenagers and early adulthood. This is the time when their body is developing, when they are most influenced by their peers (and boys) and a time when being accepted and fitting in matters most. It's a time when self criticism easily overruns self esteem and self acceptance. I'm sure many of us (once again, I'm talking to women) have at least once in our life thought that we're not pretty enough, not skinny enough, not tall enough, not petite enough, not cute enough... basically something was not enough. We criticize our hair, teeth, nose, skin, legs, eyes, chin, triceps, thighs, hips etc....

Well, there is a new film coming up, launching in movie theaters nationwide (in US) on September 12, 2008 called "The Women." It's directed by Diane English. The show is a fast-paced, witty and emotional look at all things female, including loyalties, betrayals, careers, families and most of all, friendships. A remake of the 1939 classic film, The Women features an all-female cast of distinguished actresses, including Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith, Cloris Leachman, Bette Midler and Candice Bergen.




BUT what you really want to watch also is a short film called the The Women Behind "The Women". This short film follows 16-year-old teen journalist Cammy Nelson behind-the-scenes of The Women to learn, first-hand, how Hollywood creates the images we see on screen, highlighting the work and people involved in making a major motion picture come to life. I liked how she got to interview the movie stars and learned what they thought was real beauty. And believe it or not, they've also had "beauty problems" when growing up. It really challenges today's beauty stereotypes. Go over to Dove.com and watch it. If you have a daughter, watch it with her.

MAMAS PARENTING TIP
So, what are we going to teach our children about REAL beauty?

• Teach them they are a child of God. They have divine potential and their body is a gift from God.
  
• Tell them they are beautiful and say it often. Have you told your daughter today that she is beautiful?
  
• Expose the truth about how models they see in advertisement look beautiful. It's not all natural. There is make-up and digital touch ups.
  
• Teach them that beauty does NOT equal happiness. To be happy is a choice.
• Real friends accept us for who we are. Not only accept us, but support us. Real friends celebrate our unique differences, not try to clone us to be one of them.
  
• HECK with the boys that do not have x-ray eyes to see through our physical appearance. Those kind of relationships don't last long.
  
• Confidence and positive character enhances beauty.
  
• Give them the bad news -- that most people's idea of beautiful are dictated by what they see in the media. That's why it's important to know the difference between "manufactured beauty" and "REAL beauty."
• ALSO, you as their mother should think yourself as beautiful too.
  

What is your idea of REAL beauty? And what message will you share with all the women (young and old) out there?

p.s BTW, Dove has a campaign called "The Dove Campaign For Real Beauty." Go to www.campaignforrealbeauty.com to read personal views of other women on the topic.

The Things That Kids Say

Last Sunday evening, I told my daughter that we might be privileged to see Malaysian history in the making as Lee Chong Wei played Lin Dan in the Olympics badminton final. I explained to her how no Malaysian has won a GOLD medal in the Olympics before and if Lee Chong Wei won that night, he would be the first. She caught on to the excitement as she watched the game with much intensity. Every time he scored a point, she was like "YEAH!" even though he was 10 points down.

Anyway, almost towards the end of the match she makes this sudden discovery:

K: Hey, he (Lin Dan) is chinese and we are chinese. Isn't that funny mommy? ... (calling her brother) He is from China and our great-great-great grandfather is also from China. So, actually, if he win, we also win. Right or not mommy?
Mommy: So who are you going to cheer for?
K: Both of them lah.

But I can tell you that when Lee Chong Wei lost, she also felt sad. So you see, even if we are chinese, the fact that we are Malaysian still rings true.

After Lin Dan won the match, he threw his badminton racquet and shoes into the stands.

Mommy: K, why don't you practice your badminton and maybe, one day, you can be in the olympics and win a gold medal?
K: Then, what will happen to my racquet and shoes?
(Mommy thinking - Win gold medal first then only decide if you want to throw your racquet and shoes. Apa-lah!)

----------
Yesterday we went for a much needed hair cut. Here's part of the kids' conversation in the car:

K: Mommy, I don't want to cut too short. Until here (indicating with her hand) only. Because I like to keep long hair.
KokoD: Ya-lah, I know you like long hair because you want to look pretty for the boys. (And he said it in a teasing and "Ewww" kind of way.)
(Mommy shocked - my little 5 yr old know how to make such evaluation.)
(Mommy scared - What boys??? She is only 7 yrs old.)

---------
I don't know what happened to my son yesterday. He went to the bathroom sooooo many times (maybe it was the cold weather). I took him to the bathroom when we got to the shopping complex. We had lunch and went to the bathroom again. I made sure he went before the movie. He had to go during the movie. He went again after the movie. When I was sitting in the chair getting my hair cut (about 1/2 hour later), he AGAIN said he wanted to go to the bathroom.

So, there I was, stuck in the chair with the cloth wrapped around me and the hair dresser snipping away, and my son with his loud voice declaring to the whole world that he needed to go "shee shee!!!" (meaning wee-wee). Not only did he tell me of his urge every 2 minutes, but even put it to song. Yes, he was singing a High School Musical song and substituted some lyrics for the word "shee shee." Eventually, he was hopping around and holding his crotch and still saying "shee-shee" every other second. What to do? What to do? It's not like I can just get up and leave. It wasn't a hair salon. It was one of those "cut-and-go" shops.

When the hair-dresser finished snipping, he held the mirror and asked "is it okay?" WHAT DO YOU THINK? Okay or not okay also have to be okay isn't it????? Can you tell I was very stressed out and highly annoyed. But after I calmed down I have to express gratitude for one thing -- that he didn't pee his pants.

Mamas Parenting Tip:

• If you're gonna cut your hair and you have kids with you, make sure there is another adult to accompany you.
• Teach your children they need to be more discreet when expressing their "bodily urges." The whole world doesn't need to know. Figure out what else you don't want broadcast to the public.
  
• If you ever encounter a parent in distress, PLEASE offer your help.
  
• And remember, for every bad thing that happens, it could have been worse.

------------------
And here is the latest out of my son's mouth:

KokoD: Mommeeee... baby just woke up and he's trying to kill me. HELP!

Don't you just love the drama and comedy you get at home?

Candy Bouquet Business Idea

Above is a video featuring a candy bouquet business owner. This is a good work-at-home idea for mothers wanting to earn some extra cash or deciding to have a career change. Just a few things I noted down from the video:

• People like candy bouquets because it can be personalized. You can create all sorts of themes for all sorts of occasions such as wedding, centre pieces, sporting events, easter, and even for a school's prom night. I especially liked the idea of creating a theme around an engagement ring. How romantic is that?
  
• Even the containers you use is flexible. You can use cute little pots or mugs.
• If you want your candy bouquet business to stand out from the others, offer a variety of imported, special candy or chocolate. Not just unique in terms of taste but also in appearance. Glenda, the guest on the show and owner of Sweet Inspirations, talked about how she has chocolate that look like golf balls, footballs etc....
• When doing this business, don't forget to also target businesses and corporations. Glenda mentioned she has many of those type of clients. I was wondering why would they need candy bouquets? Then I realized candy bouquets are perfect if you want to present a gift to a group of people. Maybe a boss wants to say "thank you" to all his staff for a job well done. It's also the kind of gift that creates an impact and is memorable.
  
• To retain customers, offer extra services such as remembering special dates for them. I'm sure the ever forgetful but loving husband would appreciate your help in remembering his wife's birthday or anniversary.
  

I hope you watched the video coz' it showed some lovely examples of the different kinds of candy bouquets you can make. If you think this is the kind of work-at-home business you want to try, here is a guide that will get you started.
HOW TO MAKE CANDY BOUQUETS FOR FUN & PROFIT.

You don't need to spend thousands of dollars for a franchise. This guide will teach you how to attach the candies to the stick, how to wrap it, how to price it, market it and sell it. You'll discover how to put together 14 beautiful candy bouquets.

Candy bouquets are a big seller during Valentine's Day. Well, you have 6 months to learn, practice and perfect your skill. But you're probably a fast learner, so you'll be in time for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas :)

Well, this is a great opportunity to finally work from home. Do give the candy bouquet business a try.

Think Twice Before You Buy

Look around your house. Do you have too much stuff?

Well, it's time to review your buying habits. Not just because things are getting more expensive or economic times a bad, but also because it's not healthy for us or the planet. Take a look at this video called "The Story of Stuff". Below is just a teaser. Watch the full story with your children because they need to learn too. And after the video, I believe a walk through the mall or supermarket will be different. Hopefully you and your children won't be quite enticed by all things pretty and shiny.

The video is 20 minutes long but the animation is very entertaining and makes the concept very easy to understand. Here is a link to 10 big and little things you can do.

Shopping For Children's Shoes?

Once again I had to go shoe shopping for my children. Their feet grow so fast. And even if they've not outgrown the shoe, the wear it out so fast too. I'm always awed when friends past down to us some of their children's old shoes. I wonder how they keep it so nice. Don't hope to get any old shoes from us. They always end up in a state fit for the dustbin.

I have to be thankful though, that K's school shoes are still okay. Those white canvas shoes have proven durable even though they are used 5 days in a week. They may not look like the first day she started school, but after washing and a little white polish, it's presentable again. (By the way, I make her wash her own shoes. And I don't like the idea of dumping them in the washing machine). For RM23.99 each, they've been her most value-for-money shoes. That's more than I can say for her pretty church shoes that only last a few months even though she only wears them once a week. I like those canvas shoes too for another reason -- it's flexible. Meaning, I have her wear them for sporting activities too. Ya, not quite the right thing to do. She has been bugging me for some children's trainers.

Looking through Startriteshoes.com, I was impressed with their range of shoes. I asked my daughter to pick out a pair that she likes and she chose this pretty canvas shoes:
You can find all sorts of shoes: Prewalkers, first walking shoes, non-school shoes, school shoes, canvas, sandals, boots, trainers, slippers, wellies and English classics. I really like how the images of the shoes turn 360 degrees too. That way, you can see not only the front of the shoes, but also view the sides and the back.

After surfing this site and reading through their advice, I realized that there's a lot more to consider when buying shoes for our children. Definitely not the way I've been doing which is pretty much choosing the best looking cheapest pair that fits :) Getting a pair that fits correctly, gives proper support, is breathable and feels comfortable should be our priority. Especially when it comes to baby shoes because their feet are still so soft and can be damaged by ill fitting shoes.

Taking a look our my girl's feet, she tends to overpronate. Some people know it as "pigeon-toes." If you stand at the back of her, you see how her weight is mostly toward the inside of her heels. Her church shoes are all crooked. If her feet doesn't correct itself, I will have to get her some shoes with additional support for the inside of the heel.

So, how often do you shop for children's shoes and what it the best that you've found?

Breastmilk Is Not A Drug?

Image via Wikipedia Did you know that World Breastfeeding Week was last week (1-7 August 2008)? Okay, so I'm a bit late in writing a blog in honor of it. But better late then never right?

Well, for those that don't know, I've breastfed all my 3 children. My eldest was breastfed for about 15 months, my second son went a little past his 2nd birthday and my now 19 month old baby is still going strong. I was lucky as I didn't encounter much problem. And being blessed to stay at home, I could play the role of a live cow giving fresh milk on demand. My kids loved the idea of an "open bar."

Anyway, just thought I'd share a funny conversation I had with my son. As I heard the stirrings of my baby waking from his sleep, I commented:

Me: Ah, someone is looking for his drugs. (Afterall, there are signs of addiction - gives them comfort, satisfying, can't live without it, withdrawal symptoms if they can't get it).
Son: You cannot call your 'nen-nen' drugs mommy!
Me: Why not?
Son: Because drugs are rubbish and you throw them in the dustbin. If you call your 'nen-nen' drugs, then you have to throw them in the dustbin. How are you going to throw your 'nen-nen' in the dustbin?
Me: Okay, I shall not argue with the lawyer.

So, for your information, breastmilk is not a drug OKAY!!!

Mamas Parenting Tip
To ensure you are 100% successful in breastfeeding your baby:

1. Imagine you don't have money to buy formula milk. Errr... for me I really didn't have money to buy formula milk. No need imagination. Hahahah.
2. Become deaf to all the nonsensical stories you hear from older folks about how you don't have enough milk or you're starving your child or your milk is not nutritious enough blah, blah, blah.
   
3. Get yourself educated on the matter.
4. Never say die.
   

Frugal Birthday Cake

What do you do when your children's birthday come rolling by? Bake your own cake? Buy a cake off the counter? Pre-order a special cake? Opt for cupcakes?

I've always tried to bake my own cakes for my children's birthday. Not to say I'm an expert at it, but it does help to save a little money. You can always try to bake from scratch, or you can cheat like me (sometimes) by using cake mix that come from a box. I especially like Pilsbury's Lemon Cake Mix.

Well, this year for my son's birthday, I chose to try a jelly cake. At first I thought of maybe ordering one but it cost's about RM60 for one. Frugal times calls for frugal living. So I decided to make one myself. Tadah! Here it is...

This is what it looks like after being cut. The pudding is below, the jello on top with peaches. So, it doesn't look very fancy like the commercial ones where the cake is in the shape of a cartoon character or something. But this pudding/jello cake was delicious and my son gave me a thumbs up.

Unfortunately, with this cake I couldn't put wordings like you normally have on top of a cake. With the jello on top, I don't really think you can write anything. BUT, you could always buy those plastic "Happy Birthday" words and just poke it on top. I did think of getting some cute cocktail umbrellas for further decoration too. Maybe next time.

So, how frugal exactly is this jelly cake?

Pudding Mix or Malays call it Dadih (Happy-Grass brand, Mango flavor) - RM4.90
1 can evaporated milk - RM2.75
1 can peaches and 100gms sugar - estimated RM4.00
2 packets Nona Crystal jello (orange flavor) - RM3.90
TOTAL - RM15.55

No baking, no special cake decorating skills needed. 100% loved by kids (and adults).
My daughter's birthday is coming up. Maybe I'll make another one but with different fruit topping.

If you think this jelly cake is not "special" enough, you could make it instead as another dessert dish for your party. Well, hope you like this frugal idea for a birthday delight.

Chinese Or Kebangsaan School?

Mumsgather asked me for my input on this issue. Even though I have this as a comment on her site, thought I'd post my reply here too (since I already burned plenty of grey cells to compose it).

I chose the Kebangsaan school nearby because of convenience. But mind you, when I was still living in PJ, I did enrol my daughter at a chinese school. So, like many parents, I was two minds about it. Eventually it came down to these few things:

1. Is it really that important to me that she learn chinese? This question will be unique to each parent. As for me, it's not really high on my priority list. Her life is not going to be dependent on it. I know some people think it's a shame when you're chinese and can't speak chinese. Well, shame on me then. I do speak some hokkien though. Anyway, I look at it as just another skill. There are so many skills out there to learn. Why give soooo much emphasis on just one?

2. Is chinese school the only answer to learning chinese? Some people say yes, some people say no. I figure it depends on the child. If the child really is interested in the language, they'll pick it up whatever the method, be it through school or tuition. But if they don't care for it, it would be like "dragging a horse to water but not making it drink" sort of thing. They'll probably learn the language but hate it at the same time. Also have to remember that there is no time limit or age barrier to learning chinese. My mother is a good example. Because she had the DESIRE to learn, even though already in her 60s, she joined a class and enjoyed herself thoroughly learning the language with good friends.

3. Love of learning is more important. I didn't want my daughter to "suffer" or struggle and lose sight of why she is learning. Yes, in the kebangsaan school now she has a lot of 'free' time. She finishes her work at school and come home with no work. I don't have to "suffer" getting her to finish her work. She gets to go to bed by 9pm. I am still in charge of her education. We still have time to learn whatever we want to learn. It's like part time homeschooling. But then, I know this option is not for everybody. It depends on your situation and your outlook of what "real" education is.

It's a shame that we have to choose between two evils. But instead of looking at "chinese school" vs. "kebangsaan school", we would do better at looking at the schools individually. Even among chinese school and kebangsaan school, there are good and bad variations. Maybe it's not good to lump them all into one generic category.
Personally, if I had a choice, I would send my kids to a mission school or a school with strong traditions like Convent. Even though not as good as before, but standards still okay right?

Violence in School

We've all heard how sometimes there is violence in school. I got a little taste of it this week. Last Tuesday, my daughter came home with this bruised eye. A boy in her class (already notorious for his naughtiness) had hit her with a dustpan. Actually, this picture already shows some improvement to her injury. When she came home, it was so swollen, she couldn't even open her eye. After icing it, the swelling went down. She was lucky the dustpan didn't hit the inside of the eye. If not, I'm sure it would have impaired her vision.

So, how did I feel?
Worried.
Angry.
Anxious to give that boy a good scolding.
Motivated to do something about it.

Well, DH called up the teacher to get the boy's father's contact number. We called him up and made an appointment to meet that night. It's a good thing we had some time before meeting up with that boy's family. It gave us some time to think what we wanted to get out of that meeting. In the end, it was all good. Prompted by the spirit (and keeping in mind that we need to be good Christian examples), we went with this attitude:

1. Not out to seek revenge or harbour any angry feelings but rather to seek a solution.
2. Make friends with the family. Not treat them like the enemy.
   
3. Talk to the little guy eye-to-eye and make him realize that his actions are not acceptable. Besides hitting my girl with the dustpan, he had also previously punched her in the stomach, bend her fingers backwards, kick her legs, throw down her shoes etc.... So, you see there is a long list.
   
4. Make sure the little guy understands that there will be consequences to his actions.
   

I'm glad that these boy's parents were good too to let us "reprimand" him. Some parents don't like the idea of other people disciplining their children. Actually, when we stepped into the house, the first thing they said was "you can whack him." Hahahah. Lucky for that little guy we are not that kind of people. We also told the parents not to cane him as that would not solve the problem.
I must say that DH handled the matter very well. No doubt his experience as a church leader served as a good guide. Stern, yet reasonable. Just want to put in point form some of the things he did:

• Seek first to understand the reason for the action.
  
• Teach about actions and consequences.
  
• Didn't talk down on the child, but rather highlighted his good points and potential (this boy came out 1st in class so we said how smart he was and told him how much good he can do).
  
• Gave some practical suggestions how to overcome the problem (e.g. when he feels like hitting another person, he should put his hands in his pocket). You can't just tell them to stop and not tell them how to do it. Like a smoker trying to quit usually has candy or gum as a substitute.
  
• Follow-up. He knows we are keeping an eye on him and will come back to check on him.
• Check for understanding and get a commitment. We asked him what is the right thing to do and made him promise to do it.
  

So, what is the result of our little talk with this boy? My daughter said he tried to be good yesterday. Actually put his hands in his pocket but ended up being kicked by other boys instead. Today, he fought a lot. Sigh! Well, we tried our best. At least I can say one good thing came out of this -- we made new friends in the neighbourhood :)

Mama's Parenting Tips:

• This is one reason why homeschooling is better. People talk about how children will lack in socialization skills if not sent to a conventional school. But getting hit by bullies is not exactly healthy socialization.
  
• If another child has done wrong to your child, don't be afraid to meet his/her parents. But do it in the proper spirit. Don't be overbearing and put them on the defensive. Don't be to coward and say everything is all right either.
• Before you meet with the other parents, decide first what kind of outcome you want.
  

Last of all, just want to share this quote by Brigham Young. Remember it when you discipline your children.

"If you are ever called upon to chasten a person, never chasten beyond the balm you have within you to bind up."

In other words, don't create damage you can't repair.

What Children Really Hear

The only time my house is quiet is when the kids are asleep. When they are awake, you could say they make noise non-stop. Well, this one afternoon I hear my son yelling...

KokoD: Chow-chow pou chee
Mommy: What's that?
KokoD: Chow-chow pou chee. Old newspaper!
Mommy: NO LAH! It's "sau kow pou chee".

Translation:
"Chow-chow" means "smelly" in chinese. "Pou chee" is newspaper. So what my son is saying is "smelly newspaper."
"Sau kow pou chee" is what you hear on the loud speaker from the vans that come around to collect old newspapers for recycling and it basically means "collecting old newspapers."

But as you can see, my son decided he liked his version better.

Mamas Parenting Tip:
1. Children like to imitate what they hear. Be careful what you say. Keep your language clean. Listen to your children closely to know what they have been exposed to.
2. Sometimes, what you tell your children is different from what they hear. Check for understanding by asking them to repeat what you just said.

Recycling Vegetables

"Huang Ti Miao" - That's the name of this vegetable. It was by chance that I decided to try cooking this vege many months back. And it turned out to be quite delicious. Even my daughter likes it. Anyway, I'm here to tell you that you can "recycle" this vege (since frugal living is the hot topic these days).
With this vege, you snip off the shoot and the leaves. You don't really eat the stems. BUT, don't throw away the stems. Just stick them into a pot and watch them grow some more.
And soon you will be able to treat yourselves to your own homegrown organic vegetables. In fact, if you just put the stems into a vase of water, they will sprout leaves too.

Mamas Green Living Tip for the Day:
The next time you cook this vege and are about to throw away the stems, think again.

Burned By The Toaster

Image by Nightstar2001 via Flickr2 weeks ago, kokoD learned a lesson the hard way. Well, I admit I am partly to blame. He was toasting bread and wanted to check on it. He put his hand on the toaster and got 3 little fingers slightly burned. No, he didn't touch the top of the toaster (thank goodness) but rather the side of the toaster. But it was still hot enough to burn him.

I was upstairs in the room when he came running in looking for plasters (band-aids). I asked him what he needed them for and he showed me his fingers. I was shocked to see the blisters. He didn't scream. He didn't cry. That's why I was shocked to see those burned fingers.

I immediately put them under running water. Then applied some Burnol before wrapping them up with plasters. I also made it clear to him NOT to pop the blisters. Well, I'm glad to say that he is all healed now.

MAMAS BAG OF TRICKS

• When you are teaching your children not to touch hot things like the oven, stove, iron, pots/pans/kuali on the stove. kettle ... don't forget about the toaster.
• When I was very little, I was curious about the cigarette lighter in the car (you know the ones where you push in and they pop out burning hot). During my little "experiment", I burned my hand. So, don't forget to tell them about that too.
  
• Don't forget to learn how to treat for minor burns.
  

Escalator Warning

Image via WikipediaI was out last Saturday with the church's primary kids to Petrosains. We took the train to get there. Going down an escalator, one of the kid's shoelaces got caught at the end of the escalator. Luckily I was standing behind him and kicked it free. Thank goodness he wasn't hurt except his shoelaces were kinda chewed up. So just wanted to leave these tips for you:

• Always remind your children to check their shoelaces. They might not know when it comes undone. And sometimes kids are lazy to tie up their undone shoelace. Escalators are dangerous!
• Not just shoe laces, even loose-fitting or long-dangling clothing can get caught in the escalator.
• Another thing to be wary of are backpacks with dangling straps.
• Practice safety rules such as holding your children's hands while riding the escalator. No playing or sitting on the steps.
• Don't go near the edge. No dragging feet along the side. There are traps there too. Stay in the center.

I'm not going to list down examples of escalator accidents. Do a search and you will find plenty. So, next time you are out shopping, just be careful ok?

Bump on the Lip

A couple of months ago, K developed this bump on her lip that just wouldn't go away. At first, we thought it was an ulcer developing (or what our American counterparts would call a canker sore). But like I said, it just wouldn't go away. Finally had a doctor friend check it out and he said it was a polyp. It can be due to lip biting or an injury to the lip. I'm glad for his advice coz' I didn't know where to go to get this treated. He said either visit the dentist or ENT. He recommended the government hospital coz' it would be cheaper. But luckily the dentist around my area here took care of it for a reasonable price. The minor surgery came up to RM50 (and another RM10 for antibiotics and pain killer).

We didn't cut it out during the first visit. K had two loose front teeth and the dentist suspected that to be the stimulant. So poor K bravely extracted the two teeth. Here she is sportingly posing her toothless grin for me. I commented that she looked like a vampire and that was a mistake.
TIP: Don't make funny remarks about how your kid looks. They can be quite sensitive about their appearance.
We waited for one week to see if the polyp would fade away. Unfortunately, it didn't and so back to the dentist we went.
This is how it looked like right after the minor surgery. She was given an injection to numb the area. Dentist cut it out and then sew it up. K was alright before we left for the clinic. She was actually quite eager to finally get rid of that thing. Once she got to "the chair", she had cold feet. I had to do a bit of coaxing. The promise of a day off from school the next day did the trick.

As the anesthesia wore off, it started to get painful for K. Here she is all curled up wishing for the pain to go away. DH gave her a blessing for the sick and then I hugged her to sleep. Thank goodness she slept through the night. Next morning, she was alright. No more pain. Talked a lot and made lots of noise. Meaning she was back to her usual self. Actually, she talked so much, her stitches came loose. She was having noodles for lunch and I guess it ended up as one of the noodles. Yikes! Since it didn't bleed and the wound remained closed, I just left it be.

Well, if you ever see this bump on your child's lip (or even your own), you know what it is and what to do.

Chinese Education

Take a look at this article I wrote in my other blog about giving our children the opportunity to learn mandarin. It is a topic close to many parent's heart. Give me your input and let's brainstorm together.

Click here - Learning Chinese

Baby Milestones: 18 Months

I'm going to use this video to mark baby's 18 months milestone. We've been trying to get him to talk. So far, the words he uses most are "jie-jie", "ko-ko" (calling his siblings), "neh-neh" (for his milk), "car" and "park." Lately I've been trying to get him to say "open." He is so hilarious. He'll make his mouth to make the "o" sound but nothing comes out. All he gets is "bah!" This video is so funny to me because it shows baby's cheekiness. He is just so full of expressions. And you can see he is trying so hard and putting so much effort just to make that sound. It's a reminder how difficult simple things are to babies.

Baby Wearing With Sleepy Wrap

I am a big fan of babywearing and so I was elated when I received a Sleepy Wrap to try. I thought it was so cute that it came in a little pouch bag (for storage). Anyway, what exactly is a Sleepy Wrap? It is a long (5.5 yards) piece of stretchy fabric that you use to wrap around yourself and the baby. There are no rings, straps, buckles or buttons. It allows you to carry your baby comfortably and hands free. Here are some things I like about Sleepy Wrap:

• Grows with your baby. You can use it when baby is tiny and continue using it even after baby has grown big.
  
• It is stretchy like spandex and that allows it to conform to you and your baby's body. It really wraps very nicely. Baby is snug as a bug.
  
• One size fits all. Whether it be me or my husband using it, it still works the same. Doesn't matter if you are big, petite, tall or short, the Sleepy Wrap conforms to your body shape and works just as wonderfully.
  
• The material has a wonderful soft feel. Makes it very comfortable. And not too thick too. So, don't worry about baby getting too hot.
  
• When I wear it, I don't feel the burden on my neck and shoulders like other baby carriers. The way the Sleepy Wrap is tied effectively supports my baby's weight (and my baby is heavy at 11.2kg) without putting undue pressure on me. I'm not aching after I use it. That's really important to me.
  

With my baby, I often use the Sleepy Wrap to carry him on my back. The Sleepy Wrap website did not have the instructions on how to do this and so I wrote to them. They kindly directed me to a video of a mother showing how to do a back wrap. At first, it looked like pretty tricky moves. But when I tried it, it really wasn't that difficult at all. Except I would only recommend this back wearing for older babies and non wiggly ones.

You can see how happy babyD is in the wrap. I love it that I can carry him this way. When I need to get housework done and no one is around to monitor him, I just tie him to my back. He loves the closeness and of course, the piggy-back ride.

The only negative thing I find with Sleepy Wrap is doing the wrap when outside the house. Because it is long, the ends will kinda sweep the floor (in the beginning). That will get it kinda dirty. So I would advice that you tie it to your body first before leaving the house. Then when you want to carry baby, just pop him/her in. Doing a back wrap outside might catch you a few stares. Not sure if you want unwanted attention.

Overall, I believe Sleepy Wrap is one of the best baby wearing products out there. It is simple, easy, comfortable and effective. The creator of Sleepy Wrap is a genius. I bet after you use it, your babies might never want to be put down (oh-oh, is that a good thing?) Hahahahah. It's okay. Bonding with your baby is always a good thing.

If you'd like to get one for yourself, click this affiliate link here: Sleepy Wrap Baby Carrier

Who Drew On The Wall?

DH discovered some black marks on the wall Saturday. Upon questioning the kids, the older siblings say baby did it. When we questioned baby, this is what he said. Now, who's telling the truth?