(2004) stay home mommies

Did someone say PICNICS? Oh, do organise one, I'd love to join in. Early mornings usually gd timing for the sun's not so hot then.
 


hi meilan,
cant give you any advice becos my relationship with cellin sometime up and down too but one thing i know for sure, the more i show her patience the more she do the same to me..
and spear her from daily stress (like from hubby or money situation, or outside intruder, and daily duties)..

but try put her at fun zone in my head.. this need practice heehee
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medusa,
me too i would love picnic..

anyone suggest the place
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Thanks for all your sharing. It makes me feel better and I had a good afternoon, bringing JK on an outing, just the 2 of us. I count my blessings with each peaceful day with him as it is a rarity.

I do have to work a lot on myself though. If I can curb my own impatience and temper, it will do me a lot of good in the future. I see the SAHM journey as an opportunity to uncover my own flaws and improve myself, that's why I don't want to give up easily even though I'm disheartened...
 
hello mommies

Just wondering what does your kid do in her typical week?

The general feedback I received is my girl is attending too many enrichments.

the enrichment classes are daily because she didn't attend any formal kindergarten last year (N2), only go for enrichment classes. Arrange such that she's doing different things every day

But this year she started her k1 and she didn't want to discontinue any of her enrichment classes because she enjoyed all the classes

a typical week for my 5 year old girl includes:
- K1 at PAP (daily)
- Kumon (thrice a week)
- Arts (once a week)
- Mandarin Speech & Drama (once a week)
- Chinese dance (once a week)
- Story time at library (once a week)
- Swimming (once a week for 2 months only)
 
hippo2002,
wow very busy gal,
my 2 yr old daily routine is PG and then help me doing chores (or may i say create me new chores, like picking up her stuff)
helping me grocery shopping like twice a week(and put her fave in the grocery bag)

at weekend when daddy is around we try to take her to zoo, sentosa, or gardens (and i did say try rite heehee
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that means havent been reality yet)

she used to swim daily before viral infection, maybe i'll start again next week when the weather is condusive ..

meilan,
yeah me too, have to do most of the thing by myself, no maid, no grandparents, sister or whoever
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even hubby is out on weekdays...

mommies,
any of you know herbal or vit for mommy so she can stay healthy.. i've been suffering headache and shoulder and neck stiffness like twice or three times a week.. very disturbing
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discussed with my girl last night about dropping her Speech & Drama after the term finishes.

Guess what? She asked for gymnastic ! she will drop only if we swap speech & drama to gymnastic....kids are so high maintenance nowsaday, do you all feel the same way?



Carnelli
your girl can swim, so clever! my girl still cries in the pool and cling on to her teacher
 
I'm only sending my 3 years old to Chinese enrichment once a week, Gymnastic once a week, Storytime at library once a week.

In the morning, I will sit with her to do some English/Maths/Chinese using Kumon material

letting her trial Chinese Dance tomorrow, hopefully teacher will take her in.
don't know whether teacher will find her too young

she's not attending any pre-nursery.

hmm....is it enough?
 
Hi I'm new here!

Hippo2002, may I know how you get your daughter to sit down and complete those Kumon worksheets? Does she needs to complete in school or do it at home? My son is also 3 years old but he doesn't sit still for studies. Dare not enrol him at Kumon cos he likes to cry very loud when he's not happy.
 
my younger girl is not attending Kumon yet.
My elder girl is with Kumon.

right now, I only use the material to go through with my 3 years old. even when I'm sitting next to her, her eyes will wander off. She's also not ready, get restless easily. I plan to start her on Maths next year when she's 4
 
hey any mommie interested in picnic by the pool?
i live in apartments that have pools, so bring ur own food, let share together and swimming together... Free of charge of course
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btw i'm staying at bt batok..
 
hi missk,
which part of jakarta did u stay?
my parents live in the east side and my PIL in the west side and i used to live in the north side heehee, pretty much all over the place
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hi mommies

my 3 year old girl is not attending anything. thinking about gymnastics class. does anyone know where and how much it costs? anything in Sengkang? what is kumon? sorry i haven't been following the thread. so busy with the two girls and the cooking and housework. its also quite diff doing classes as the small one is only 6 months. sigh. not sure if my 3 year old is learning enuff. what are they suppose to know by now?
 
just my opinion...
a 3 years old should be able to understand instructions in both languages, recognise a-z, count 1-30, recognise some easy chinese characters, recite some simple 'Tang' poems, read a book back to you (although may not really recognise the sentences, more of reading from memory)
 
hi hippo2002

thanks so much for your input. i think i better do some more coaching. my girl is turning 3 this month but she doesn't understand chinese at all let alone instrutions!!!. she can do a-z and 1-20. i think chinese is goiing to be a problem because my hubby and i both prefer english.
 
hippo2002,
dou hv any Tang poems? i m trying to teach my 29mths old son..(he will be 3 in dec) can u pm me? or where can i find these poems?
 
hi all SAHM mommies,
i'm new to the forum. i'm also a SAHM to 3 kids dd(3+), ds(2+ & 8mo).

hippo2002,
wow, u send yr kids to some many enrichment classes. thot of sending my kids for enrichment classes also. can u PM me the details?

btw, what r the titles of the CDs? which Chinese bookstores in Bras Basah?

how do u teach Tang peoms? got easy ones for tots?
 
hello alicia,
i salute u!! u hv 3 kids to look after.. i hv a 2+ & 9mth..both boys! i m holding a white flag alrdy..
btw, may i ask with is dd n ds? till now i cant figure out.. so swa ku
 
hi Ethel,
i aso veri swa ku until i learnt these fm another forum. dd - darling daughter, ds - darling son, dh - darling hubby, dw - darling wife.

i aso raised white flag liao. initially, dh wants 5. but can't manage liao. so got to stop.
 
Ethel, alicia
I bought those CDs 4 years ago, when my elder girl was 1 years old
can't remember the CD origin (Taiwan or China) or the book store name. just remember there is a whole stretch of shops side by side
the title of the CD is 'tang si'. can just pick up any CDs that has 'tang si', I think no difference
I simply played those CDs to them and my kids learnt to recite. my younger girl can recite 5 'tang si' when she was 2 years old (she's 3 now)
haha, very funny. she cannot speak Mandarin yet at 2 years old but can recite 'tang si'. to her, it's nursery rhymes


Ethel
same same! I am stopping at 2 too
cannot cope liao


Alicia
eventually didn't sign her up for Chinese Dance. She is not interested. So just attend Chinese enrichment once a week lor for now
plan to start her on gymnastic next month
story time (free of charge) is at the library. you can check the schedule with your nearest library
 
hippo,
actually , i want 3 kids.. but now.. UNLESS someone knows of a FOOLPROOF method of conceiving a gal, i dun hv the courage to try for #3.. i hv 2 boys! cannot imagine having 3 boys!

alicia,
what yr typical day schedule with 3 kids? do u hv a maid? are they in Nursery? do u "teach them" i m having a gard time entertaining my older boy.. he's 29mths
 
Ethel,
had a maid fr 1yr after gave birth to no. 2 'cos no. 1 still too young to go childcare. but realised she did alot of harm.
now, my 2 older kids r in childcare. only left with bb during the day. so not too bad. evening will be quite chaotic lor. good thing - hv trained them to sleep early. hehe

hippo2002,
thanks. will try to find the CD.
where do u send yr kids fr Chinese enrichment?
 
alicia,
if they sleep early, that means they wake up early? my boys sleep at midnite!!! i can faint!!
 
Ethel,
sorri fr the late reply. i thot i've posted the reply but it's not showing & dh has been hogging on the computer.

ya lor! my kids' biological clock is set at abt 6+ to 7+am. i've tried to put them to sleep at different timings b4 (between 7 to 10+pm). but found tat they still wake up at this time. so i juz let them sleep early. easy for me lor ;-P
 
Alicia

is your elder girl attending any enrichments or pre-school? she's 2004 kid?

I also sent my elder girl to childcare right before delivering my younger girl. otherwise cannot cope since I don't have a maid. withdraw my elder girl from childcare when my younger girl is almost 2 years old



On Chinese enrichments:
I started my younger girl in MRC level 1 Chinese recently. They use the pictorial way of teaching. for each chinese character, they draw a picture. so my younger girl associate the picture with that chinese character and she can recognise those characters anywhere. but cannot write yet. I don't know is it long term or temporary, must observe some more.

I noticed the center didn't disinfect the classroom well and my girl contracted 'red eyes' on her 2nd lesson. another forum mommy withdrawn her son because he kept falling sick after attending the same center. I will observe some more before deciding whether to withdraw her.

I also started my 5 years old girl in Kumon Chinese recently. Kumon teaches higher Chinese and continues all the way to pre-university level

I was considering Berries at one time but didn't sign them up eventually. MRC teaches more Chinese characters than Berries on a per week basis. Berries admin told me the kids only learnt 2 chinese characters each week
 
hippo2002,
your girl's timetable quite pack leh. how do you manage to juggle it all. my boy only have 3 extra classes and i already have problem trying to arrange for another one cos he studies afternoon session and he don't want Sundays to have lessons.
 
fz
what extra classes are your son taking?

the enrichments are at nearby community center, just a couple of minutes walk from my house
only Kumon and MRC are further, a few bus stops away

even then, our weekends revolve around enrichments because both my girls have enrichments at different timing

hehe, managed to convince my elder girl to drop speech & drama. she adores the teacher
 
hippo2002,
my boy have abacus, phonics and manage to squeeze in berries class starting this week. arranging for swimming too. have to drop Jan & Elly cos can't find a suitable slot unless shift berries to sunday, but my boy is insistant that Sunday are outings day and/or resting day at home.
all need to take public transport (abt 7-8 stops away) but i got a 5 mth old to take care, so got to get my husband to do most of the sending and fetching. and his daily class ends at 5pm, so evening classes have to be nearby else will reach home very late and travelling by bus for far is very tiring.
 
hi hippo2002,
my girl is born in 06/2003, my boys r born in 10/2004 & 08/2006.

hv not send my girl fr any enrichment yet. but thinking of sending her fr swimming 1st. will consider other courses later (eg. music, arts & gynmastics).
the childcare ctr's curriculum only ends at abt 5pm everyday. so i'm thinking of putting her in kiddy. but hubby is worried tat i can cope. oso in the midst of shifting hse soon. so hv to kiv.

btw, wat r the things to take into considerations b4 u send yr kids fr enrichment? at wat age fr wat enrichment leh? i'm really overwhelmed by so many enrichment courses available out there! ;-P
 
fz
your boy so clever, knows how to insist on off day.
my girl's only off day now is on Wed evening. she's taking swimming on Mon, left with last 3 lessons so after that she will have 2 weekday nights off.
she's super on, asked her to drop speech & drama and she negotiated to join her younger sis in gymnastic
sigh...I wanted to save some money also can't


Alicia
your 2nd child same age as my younger girl.

actually when to send the child has to depend on her readiness

my elder girl (now 5 years old) used to attend full day childcare so she's quite independent
- 21 months, we send her to Shichida (drop after 5 term)
- 2 years 11 months, she started Kumon Maths, follow by Kumon English 2 months later
- 3 years 3 months piano lesson by private tutor (dropped after 1 year)
- 3.5 years old Arts at community centers
- 4 years old phonics and hanyu pinyin at community center (dropped both classes already)
- 4.5 years old speech & drama at community center (going to drop this month)
- 5 years old swimming (16 lessons only)
- 5 years old Kumon Chinese

hehe, she's so busy that I didn't even send her to nursery last year. she only started K1 this year

I think these are all age appropriate activities except for piano. She is not ready, didn't like practicing on keyboard


my 3 years old (cling on to me since birth) is not attending any kindergarten, enrol her for nursery next year
- 17 months old Shichida (dropped after 7 term)
- 3 years old Chinese enrichment
she's not as independent as her elder sister so we didn't rush her
 
hi hippo2002,

for music lessons, eg piano, do we need to commit on the instrument at this stage?

thanks.
 
Hi all... just found this thread... didn't notice it before... maybe because it came before the 2004 jan babies. haha.

Mind if I join you? Have seen hippo around, but not so familiar with the rest of you.

Just to intro, I have a DS(2000), DD1(2001) and DD2 (2004). Now planning for BB4 hopefully early 2008. No maid, DD2 in full day childcare, DS in P1, DD1 in K2.

Like you all, kids all very busy. DS and DD1 both attend music and swimming lessons (4 lessons on ly so far). DD has ballet and phonics (ending next week due to possible dyslexia, going to get intervention). DS has chinese and MPM-maths. DD starting on those sometime soon also... definitely the chinese, maths see how.

DD2 is possibly starting violin in June (at 2y6m). Not sure if she's too young, but violin teacher say some kids can, so see how lor. Not pushing her... but she's very excited about it, so good lah.

Only stay home this year, so started DD2 on more chinese at home and some flash cards (not consistent), but now DD2 can read about 10 english words, and quite a few chinese words... quite good lah.
 
fz, if I may answer you... if you are just signing up for those music awareness kind of programs, then no need... but if you are actually wanting your kid to pick up the skill of playing, then yes, most likely have to invest in something. My two elder ones are in the Yamaha Junior Music Course (now change name already, but the one for the 4+yos), and after the first term, the teacher told us that we would need to get a keyboard. If they don't practice, they cannot improve, and they will get very frustrated. But then again, no need to practice until perfect, everyday 10 minutes, each song play once or twice, good enough already. Unless they themselves are motivated to do more lah.

So I had to buy a proper keyboard with full sized keys and full range (61 keys or something like that)... now not so ex, about $200 can get a decent one. I don't know about piano though.

For DD2's violin lessons, thank God my cell group got people with kids learning violin, so my friend pass me all the violins I need. Only need to buy new bow and that kind of thing, not so ex lah. Anyway, student violin also not that ex... children's size, 1 set about $100, everything bao ka liao.
 
fz
I bought a Yamaha keyboard, same model they use for teaching in class. around $800+ with the keyboard stand
we didn't buy specially for my girl. my hubby bought it for me to learn when I was pregnant with my 2nd child. hehe, he wanted a musically inclined baby



dorie
where is your son taking his Chinese?
do you find MPM maths good?

your girl very smart leh! 2.5 years can recognised english & chinese. my girl still blur blur most of the times. using Kumon material to teach her phonics but progress very slow. she learnt faster from DVD

I plan to enrol my 3 years old for music lessons next year. Do you find Yamaha good? heard any review about Seimpi?
 
Hippo, son is taking chinese at this right brain literacy place... never heard of before one... called what Epoch talent devt ctr... but basically they teach them to remember the words and recognise them and read them... a bit like using flash cards... he brings home cards every week... about 5-8 or so... now know quite a few words... from 0 to quite a lot in just a month or so... very good lah. No homework also...most impt he is enjoying himself. Not very ex also... $450 for 18 sessions of 1.5hrs each session.

I heard from various teachers, Yamaha got good got bad. Of course, those teach pte piano will say Yamaha no good because the children rely on memory to play the pieces, never really read notes. The Yamaha teacher will say pte lessons no good 'cos they don't train so much on listening and composing and all that... so I guess depends on what you want lor.

I just want basic foundation of music for the kids. They are not very inclined towards it... in fact, both tell me, after they finish their Book 4 (end of the 2 years), they want to quit. Ok lor... at least they know they must "complete" it... so ok lor. I think at least they have the confidence that they can play with two hands, pieces that can be fairly complicated (to us untrained parents lah), so quite ok lah. The big group setting also helps my kids who like the interaction. I think my son would be bored in a one-on-one thing.

No, haven't heard anything about the other schools.

My SIL did enrol her son for music at 3yo... after 1 term, quit liao... say waste of time. That was with the Yamaha Music wonderland or what...

MPM helped my boy a lot, because he really struggles with concepts, but he is the type cannot sit still and do something over and over again for long. MPM things quite bite-sized... and it builds up on previously learnt things very systematically... also linked to concepts learnt in school... so good. Suitable for my son. But I think not suitable for everyone. I think Kumon and MPM are like opposites... so if your kid suitable for Kumon, then not for MPM and vice versa.

Yah, my baby is quite bright... very small can talk... then quickly moved on to full sentences already... so trying to maximise her potential a bit more... that's why so "koot lat" (hardworking) use flash cards for her everything. Of course, now SAHM, also got more time... and third child, so more laid back... willing to wait for the "results"... don't give up so easily. Last time tried with first, just cos don't see results quickly, then give up. Now regret. Sigh.
 
my son 2yrs 4mths.. do u think he can take violin classes?? can anyone recommend me any music class? i also jus wanna send him for music introduction class. i hope he takes up piano or violin..

i m also looking for holiday prog for him.. anyof u sending yr child for holiday prog?
 
I plan to let my girl sign up for intensive swimming class twice a week (just 7 lessons)
maybe will send her to two science activities (3 hours only) organised by nearby CCs

still looking around for better alternatives. any suggestions welcome :eek:)
 
dorie

when do you think is a good age to start MPM?

my 3 years old is very restless. Kumon definitely doesn't suit her.
I didn't want to vomit blood nagging her to do homework, really can't imagine her sitting still to complete the worksheets! I hav been looking for alternative Maths programme for her but yet to find any


thanks for sharing about MPM
 
Ethel - I don't know really. DD2 hasn't started her lessons yet. I'm still waiting for the teacher to pass her T&C through my friend's son, then I must accept, then she will confirm slot with me.

She said something along the lines of very young ones who can speak very well and are not very active (the hyper type) can sometimes do well even though they are very young, so she's willing to try, because DD2 is quite advanced for her age, has good fine motor skills and has the concentration span for it. So her godma suggested trying her out, then who knew that the violin teacher would want to try her before she turns 3. I was actually thinking let her start at 3yo, but since the violin teacher say let her try at 2.5, so ok lor.

Most children's music lessons start at at least age 3... plenty out there... I think Yamaha has one where they take in 3yos... 6mth program, must be accompanied by parent. Also the Suzuki piano and violin classes also take them in at 3yo.

I guess it really depends on what type of nature your boy has lor... although 26mths does sound a little young... *shrugs* dunno. I wouldn't have dreamt of starting DD2 so young... only because the teacher wants to try. So see how lor.

hippo - The MPM teachers say a good entry age is between K1 and K2... not too early... they don't take them in that early. 3 is definitely too young to start lah. I think they recommend between K2 and P3, but I know my centre takes them in at K1 level too.

The MPM program has quite a few "tools" that they use... every month, the children get some new tools which excite them, and my son looks forward to getting his new tools... they are actually manipulatives, for them to use when doing their work... so some manipulative work, some just pure brain work, without aids.

fz - the lessons are actually not fixed. If your child happens to find the book they do that day easy, then they might finish in 30 mins or less... if they find it hard, then they might take up to 2 hours... so it goes purely at the pace of the child.

The MPM "lessons" are not really lessons. The children all go in at staggered times, and they are all different ages and stages (which is great for a parent who needs more flexibility in arranging lessons). Then they go to the front to "hand in" the homework, look for their file and take out the book that they do for that day. Then they sit down and get on with it.

Each book has 14 pages, and they do 7 there. Each page covers a different concept. The front 7 pages will either reinforce what they've learnt, build on something they've already learnt or teach something new (in which case the teacher will guide them along lor)... then after they finish the first 7 pages, they get it marked, do their corrections, then they are free to go. They go home to complete the last 7 pages, which are basically the same as the first 7 pages in terms of concept, but different sums, of course. So, if as a parent, you are lost when guiding them, you can turn to the front 7 pages and see what it's all about. But in MPM, you are encouraged not to help them too much, since that will give the teachers a false impression of what the child really knows.

So if you space your two lessons 3/4 days apart (it's 2 lessons a week, total of 8 lessons in a month... so 8 books... if you miss a lesson for whatever reason, you can either make up, or on the next lesson, the child will do 1.5 or 2 books at a go, to complete the 8 for the month), then the child can do like maybe 2 pages a day, so that's like maybe 10-15 minutes of work tops a day... good for those who cannot sit still lah.

Wah, long story... sorry, must explain, because it's so different from other types of lesson lah.

But I must say it has worked well for my son, though I have heard from other parents that MPM didn't do anything for their children. Also, it varies from centre to centre since it also depends on how well the teachers are able to explain and guide the kids, and how much patience they have.

My kids attend the one in Pasir Ris East... not the one at Elias Mall... the teachers are OK, though one of them can be a little bit impatient I feel... but since there are 3 of them, and they take turns helping the kids, it's not like your kid is stuck with one particular teacher... also I like the fact that it's entirely at their own pace... so my son has had to learn that if he plays a fool and doesn't concentrate, it means that he must stay longer and have less time to play at home... so that has taught him to focus more and reap the benefit of more playtime.
 
thanks dorie, for the detailed explanation for MPM.
may i ask, how would the kid complete the work in class if he/she is not so proficient in reading yet?
 
oh, actually, the earlier books have no words... only numbers and pictures... only recently, my son started on the "P1" syllabus books, then got problem sums, then got words.

Like I said, emphasis is on concepts...not so much worksheets like school would give... very few words. no instructions even... just examples, which the teacher explains, or the kids (who are used to the system) will figure out themselves.
 
dorie

actually MPM seems very similar to Kumon leh

although the start time for the class is fixed, the end time depends on how quickly the child finishes her classwork
if we missed any class, we just pop by to collect worksheets to do at home

there is no classroom type of lessons conducted, the kids just do their own stuff at the center
the teachers there don't teach, just to supervise & assist
from the worksheet examples, the child needs to figure out the rest of the answers themselves

the tiring thing is the child needs to do a set of home worksheet everyday for each subject
 
Hi Hippo... but I heard that Kumon is like very repetitive, and you must finish a page within like 10 minutes... if cannot finish within 10 minutes, then start over and do until can... issit? That's what a mother who switched her child from Kumon to MPM told me. She told me her child got so bored and frustrated by it that it turned her off maths. So she pulled her kid out.

Dunno... is that true? I've never been to Kumon, so I don't know. MPM no time limit, and it's not drilling... 7 different concepts/skills in 7 pages... and there are tools... guess maybe that's the main diff? Like I said, dunno, cos never experience Kumon first hand.

What's Kumon like anyway? how much work does the child have, and what kind?
 
my girl is supposed to do 5 pages homework everyday for each subject. She's taking 3 subjects now

hehe, I say 'supposed' because she usually does not do her homework so diligently. if she's in the mood, she may do more that 3 sets. otherwise, she will do none or just 1 set for the day. I leave it to her to manage, as long she completes those work before her next class.

the teacher will chase her if she didn't submit her homework so she didn't like to go to class empty handed

it's repetition. the teacher will make my girl repeat the same set of worksheets a few times in each level until she can improve her speed & accuracy. she typically spend a few months in each level

it also depends on her proficiency for the subject. for Chinese, she did the 5A level just once (no repetition) and they moved her to the next level after 6 weeks


there is a link on Kumon http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/messages/353635/537948.html?1174546443
 



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