(2003) Calling all 2003 babies

Hi gals,

will most prbably not be able to join u for this week gathering as my Dh has been sick since yesterday. Will see how it goes...
 


hi Pris ... didn't know u scrap as well ... u r really "duo cai duo yi".

Sarah, show us your digital LOs leh? For me, I put my focus on blogging coz SB takes a longer time for me to formulate.

I have a talk with the principal at Ben's school yesterday due to some concerns ... and somehow her words awoken me. Sometimes we try too hard to do too many things that we forgot about taking it easy.... I mean for myself personally. But sometimes it's really difficult to balance how much is too much esp in the Singapore rat race ... do you mummies feel the same way?

.ky.
 
my bro;s laptop is getting on my nerves, typed a long message and it decided to hang just when i was abt to post!!!

i hv decided to also blog to update my sis who will be away for a few yrs. which do u suggest? anyone knows abt yahoo360?

serendae
brown bags are from cold storage. which part of france are u in? Lyon was featured on papers for being a foodie haven, have u been there?

ky
the rat race sucks, so lets remind ourselves the brevity of childhood and our kids should be happy and showered with funfunfun ;)
 
CT scan report shows tt his neck is filled with pus so he went for a surgery yesterday to let the pus out n also to insert a tube to drain remainding pus. The tube is act exposed so doc will pump water into his neck through the tube once a day and cover it with gauze to collect the pus/water.

I broke down outside the operating theatre after he was put to sleep. I was holding on my fears and tears from ward as he's crying all the way to the op theatre. I dun want to show that I'm worried as I think it'll put more stress on him and my father in law who is anxiously waiting at the corridor. But when he collapse on bed after GA was given, I had a shock as one sec he's crying of pain and another sec, he's unconscious. Even doc is puzzled y I was so upset over such minor operation as I have always put up a cool and strong front. But they din know all the stress and sadness is being tied in my heart.. *sigh*

Benny was painful this morning when he woke up and sat upright on the bed with his head lowered.. He did not complain or cry.. I knew about the pain cause he was holding on to the "magic painfree wand" given by one of the volunteer before he went for the op. It is supposed to take all pains away from him when he hold and on the light.. He is a very brave and strong boy. Even many docs said so as they have seen kids with similar medical problem on drip as they are not able to eat or drink due to the pain.

Anyway, he did told me that the "fish bone" in his neck is gone with the dirty water and he is now slowly regaining his head movement..

He should be able to discharge on Sun but he needs to be back for a major op after CNY to remove the entire lump.
 
Hi Joanne,
Stay strong! *Hug*. U R a great mum! Yes, is real stress and sad when see the actual scene happened infront of your own eyes. I really can feel how heartpain U R now. *am sobbing now too!

Yes, Benny is very brave and good boy! May he stay as cheerful as before. All aunties here giving our best wishes to him.

So the major ops had bring forward to 21st?

Keep us posted again. Take Care!
 
Joanne,

Thanks for taking the trouble to update us. It's not easy but you really make the efforts to update us. All mummies I am sure will really appreciate and share your stress. Sorry, but I really cannot help it..tears jus roll when I read your update abt Benny. Stay Strong, Joanne.
 
Hi Jo!

I'm sorry to hear what Benny had to go through.

Both you and Benny are very brave. And I hope Benny will get well soon.

Yesterday, I told Bryan about Benny. And we prayed together. Bryan asked Jesus to make Benny well again and asked if he could visit Benny when we are next in Sg.

Let's meet up when we are back for I really want my son to meet his brave little friend.

We will continue to pray for Benny. You take good care of yourself, Jo.
 
Hi Pris!

Pm'ed you my blog.

You are a model SAHM with HS, SB and all! You really have your whole household under good control.
Lots to learn from you.
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Hey moshi2!

Thanks for the link! Wonderful colouring pages.
The photo you sent - is it a lion head? Hmmm...

You are a great resource for arts and crafts, indeed. What am I gonna do without you?

Next time I go back to Sg, you must really take me shopping for craft. And stock up on those pipe cleaning wires, mini poms poms etc...

By the way, I stole the idea from Pris after having seen the beautiful CNY cards. Bryan had lots of fun doing it and of course, Kristin was begging to be part of it too... They had fun playing with the glitter glue, but mommy here wasn't very pleased with the mess.
 
Hi sarah!

Think we'll go get the skate scooter this weekend. He can have so much fun rather than having to sit around and wait till Jul in Sg.
 
Joanne, thanks for updating us. I am very moved by Benny's attempt to be brave despite his pain. It shows that he is quite a sensible boy despite his age. You must be very proud of him.

I'm sorry he still has to go for the major op. We will be praying for him.
 
Cindy, some skate scooters here are so cheap I would send you one if not for the postage. I saw a few below $10. JK has a used one from my cousin and he has loads of fun. I've seen him progress from using 1 leg to push along to skating with both feet on the skate scooter. Strange how they can pick up some things without being taught as long as they are fearless. And hyperactive kids like JK do not know fear.

Bryan sounds very much like JK when it comes to learning academic stuff except I think JK is much worse. It's really difficult to teach him things. If it gives you any consolation, till now he still can't recognise the entire alphabet, not to mention abt numbers. I'm sure he is definitely not on par with kids his age. I've seen so many 3-yr-olds not only recognising the capital and small letters, but writing words or at least their names all on their own! Tell me if I'm wrong here.
 
Having said that, I agree with ky and moshi that we must take the rat race in our stride and not let our kids be consumed into it. Maybe it's my way of self-consolation since JK has always been slow in achieving milestones but personally I feel that "kiasuness" will only beget more "kiasuness" as the standard will then be set higher and higher. As parents, I think the least we can do is to see our children as individuals with their own pace and preference instead of rushing them to catch up all the time. It's not easy choosing not to be too ks cos I don't even know if I'm doing my kids a disservice if I don't help them catch up but right now, I would like to think that they can still afford a couple of good years to enjoy their childhood.

My husband also likes to remind me that we should be focusing on building the values foundation above all else now.
 
Priscilla, I'm just so envious of you. When I decided to become a SAHM, I seriously thought that I would be able to do everything like you do now but as reality would have it, I'm contented enough if I manage to fulfil all the kids' basic needs and prepare dinner just in time for everyone. But I think some credit must also be given to Kai. Looking at him and the things you could do together, either you are a super mum or Kai is a super-manageable kid or both! Can you tell me how long you took to make the cookies? I'm sure I would be screaming non-stop at JK for an activity like that and make both os us miserable.
 
Sarah, I'm like you, the traditional sort, still into writing stuff than doing blogs. Just to share an idea, since I tend to lag behind in noting down things abt the children, I make it a point to write them a letter on their birthdays and at year-end to recap some memories that are worth capturing as well as my feelings.
 
Last but not least, just an update on my intended charity project of doing something for children from lower-income families. I've touched base with a social worker at AMK Family Service Centre to discuss the idea and she will bring it up to her supervisor to see if it's feasible. Will update you all on the progress and help to get your support if it's a go-ahead.
 
Hi Joanne,

I'm really running out of words on what to say. It's really painful to see our kids suffer. But I'm glad that you have been so strong for Benny. And from you, he has drawn great strength to be brave too. So, keep up the brave front and be strong. This tough time is gonna be over very soon!
 
Hi Meilan!

Good to have you back. Actually, have been thinking how you have been these days. Hope your backache is gone by now.

I had a suspicion that skate scooters would be cheaper in Sg. But thought, maybe it's worth the extra money now since Bryan's gonna have a few more months of fun. Besides, lugging it back from Sg will just add on to our next excess baggage load... though we do know someone who could help on that, we should keep the extra kgs for more important things like gripe water and CLO.
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I think being over here is really keeping ourselves out of the rat race at the moment. But I have a nasty feeling that we'll all be shocked by the time we go back to Sg for good... and I just hope that my children would be able to adjust to the learning stress back home. Over here, it's way the other extreme where there's no hurry for a kid to achieve anything at all, e.g. when Bryan first started his preschool in Sep last year, his teachers commented that he's smart coz he knew his alphabet, his numbers, his colours, his shapes etc. But I thought that was what kids his age should know... until I knew what the kids back home in Sg could do at his age then and what the kids over here couldn't do... shocked in both ways... but I'm giving him a little push here with the sight words right now. Hope it would yield some results soon. I admit I'm a tad impatient here to want him to read on his own.

haha... I can't help but see myself in your description of how you'd behave with JK in baking cookies. I guess we belong to the more volatile sort of personality!
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a wonderful thing happened this afternoon:
Bryan asked for his milk and his nap time! truly wonderful because he asked and i didn't have to tell him it's nap time. I think he's finally understood sleep. I just hope he'll understand his bedtime this way too. Well, he's not been fighting against the afternoon nap routine for a year already...

I wonder when this day will come when both my kids would go to bed on their own when they are tired... some children will just fall asleep on the couch or drop flat and snooze on the floor. But I haven't seen that happening to my children ever... o those lucky parents!
 
Hi ky,

Care to share what the principal said to invoke such "awakenings" in you?

My two cents worth on the rat race... Though I'm not in Singapore, I can still "feel" the competitiveness through forums. Seems to me that most parents are trying to churn their kids into "super smart" kids. But one thing that strikes me is that in their course to pursue that, most forgot what's learning all about. Parents boast about almost everything, from recoginising letters to the knowledge that their kids have. Once, I was disturbed by that too. But now, it's immaterial to me. What I realised is most are just drilling stuff into their kids' brains. And that's not what I'm interested in. As what a mother I respect commented, my kids will be better off with a computer. In any case, I'll just follow my kids' cues and advance them appropriately. Not just follow the crowd blindly.

Btw, Angie from The Home Library is a wonderful person to talk to. Her views on teaching has enlighted me greatly. She makes me see homeschooling in a new light and how I should advance into it.
 
Hi kristins_mom,

Yes, do go ahead with the skate scooter. We got it during the summer sales last year and it cost us 19.90 euros. And it is worth every cent. Brandon isn't the only one that goes skating around. Cheryl has her fair share of fun on the skate scooter too.

For reading, you may want to get hold of this book "Reading Made Easy" by Valerie Bendt. Highly recommend by Angie who used it herself. http://www.thehomelibraryonline.com/?page=shop/flypage&product_id=448&CLSN_2260=117103963422604f9f422b8d3049d22b

Just want to add on - try to go easy on yourself and Bryan. I went through a trying time (lasting 2 days) and fretting over Brandon's ability to read too. Like you, I tried covering the pictures. Even resorted to flashing cards which made me feel like a total moron (no offence to GD/Shichida parents). But after talking to one mom and making some reflections, I realised in my course to join the mad race, I was only interested in the results rather than the learning process. And that really shook me up and made me go easy on my kids. I began to devise games and other things to interest him in recognising words. And phonics helped a great deal. And to my surprise, Brandon started reading on his own within a week or two. I guess having a relaxing attitude is one of the key things to help kids learn fast.
 
Hi Melian,

Just to share some findings that I have come across.

Research has shown that kids who had a so-called headstart in preschools may not necessary perform better than others in primary schools. Well, they might have an edge during the first 3 years. But once beyond Pri 3, things start to take an interesting change. In the lower primary, the studies are more memory based. But once in the upper primary, kids are requried to think and reason. This is one area many people lack in, even in the university.

So, I don't think you are doing a disservice to your kids. Every parent has a different view on teaching their kids. In fact, I have taken a step back in "teaching" Brandon too. Nowadays, he's spending more time on pretending play. He could be a train driver one minute, and a bus driver the next, narrating stories all the time. What comforts me most is the application of what he learned or read in his books.

And I can sense the new confidence in you now. Glad that everything is settling well for you
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Hi mommies,

A tip on writing long posts - try doing it on winword first. That'll save you from frustration should the internet service decides to hang. :p
 
Hi moshimoshi,

Are the brown bags free or did you pay for them? You can't believe how difficult it is to find such bags over here.

We are nowhere near Lyon. In fact, it's a few hours drive away. We are stayng in a small town, 45 mins drive away Bordeaux. What type of food did they feature?
 
Hi Sarah,

Yes, do get those activities rolling first. Can't wait to join you gals and your kids!

the mucus, haha, can't believe I did it too. But when I saw Brandon having a hard time, I told myself I just had to do it. Hmm, not that bad after the first time
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Hi Serenade!

Thanks for sharing on reading and your advice.

The sight word charts seem to be doing well so far ...
he's making connections that if he reads the words from top to bottom, he'll find a column of words repeating itself. Hey, after all, I was just going to make him aware of words. And now, he's getting it. In fact, after 3 days, he's been reading one chart with 100% accuracy. Again, I think it's all memory for now. But it sure looks like it's a great weekend to start on the sight word readers now, if the weather isn't good for skate-scooting.
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At the moment, it's actually enough for me if he can start grouping the same words together. He recognises one whole string of letters with a sound, i.e. one word one sound. Funny thing that we try so hard to break it all up for them right now and then later on they need to learn speed read in school... yap, like you said, something can't be forced.

I'm gonna try out your game with him soon once it begins to click in him that letters form words.
 
K's mom....let me have your email through pm so that I could add you as friend since I have already privatised my blog. You have a very interesting blog and Kai was exclaiming that the friend and the meimei are so adorable.

Serenade, I do agreed with you about the rat race and about the headstart and stuff. In fact, Kai enjoy homeschool so much so that even on weekend that he will ask how come we are not doing work or he is not going to school. He wanted to learn more each day and personally I do not spend more than 2 hours homeschooling him everyday. He decides what he wants to do first and when he plays and when he studies and we have lots of fun together. He was so eager to write as his cousins and friends in Singapore have been sending him cards and letters so it was the motivation that made him pick up writing since he wants to write back to everyone. He is so eager to pick up reading also because he wants to read all his letters himself like a big boy without help. So learning must stem from the motivation from the child. In fact, there are days that I am very tired from entertaining that I tried not to HS him but he will insist that he wants to learn so we will do some simple reading, writing and playing a word formation games using the letter blocks that he has.

Baking was fun for him, since it was like playing with playdough. I have started him on baking instead of playdough in the beginning and he enjoys it. In fact, one of his classmates has invited him over to bake after CNY.

Meilan, take a thing at a time. It took me 3 yrs to work up to this and what is most important is that the child enjoy it. Kai helps in the housework and stuff and since he loves preschool power programme very much, he picks up alot of stuff from there like helping to keep the house clean, keeping his toys, etc.

My homeschooling is spreadout through the day and not in one shoot. It can be a 15minutes lesson or even a 10minutes lessons and without fail, we will go for walks, playground and stuff daily. And I tried not to HS when either one of us are not up to the mark.
 
Here's making use of scrap materials for craft, we use the egg carton box for caterpillars. And one of his favourite book from young was "The very Hungry Caterpillar" By Eric Carle, he uses the caterpillars to retell the story on his own and add on his own parts since he has two handmade caterpillars and having lots of fun doing it.

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Happy Chinese New Years in advance!

The best gift, parents can give to their children is teaching the children to read and enjoy books!
 
Hi Pris!

That was very creative with the egg cartons. Didn't know they make pretty and colourful caterpillars. I shall think twice now about throwing them away. Actually, we were at an exhibition on Eric Carle's work in last Nov. Got pretty photos but still haven't got time/energy to put up in blogspot/multiply. My husband was shocked when he was reading one of the lines: Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you see? Because Bryan echoed in reply: I see a red bird looking at me.
Coz all this while Daddy hadn't any idea who Eric Carle was. And he hadn't any idea that we've been reading Eric Carle in the library. And he also hadn't any idea what rhymes do Bryan.

Doing crafts these days is battle between Mommy + Bryan and the ever-wanna-mess-up-everything Meimei! But I shall try again, probably on days when I'm ok with mess.

Kai is a very mature boy who wants to do things on his own. I've been persuading Bryan to learn reading so that he can read on his own. He always replies that there's no need to since Mommy will be there to read for him. How do you let Kai help you with chores like cleaning the windows? My son will be happy to help but even happier to play with water and my daughter will not hesitate to chip in some effort too... and in winter, it's not very funny to get everyone wet.

I totally agree that learning must stem from self motivation... I'm still working hard on my kids to spark some interest in them. Am wondering when this self motivation will click in them...

I've pm'ed you my email. Thanks for adding me to your privileged viewers' list.
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Hi Pris,
Can't access your blog. Pls add me to your list, thanks!

Hi Lena,
Can PM me your blog? Haven't tried using Yahoo 360, but it looks pretty friendly.

Hi Sarah,
How's the Bonesetter's Diary? I have just finished The Kite Runner & My Sister's Keeper.

Would recommend reading The Kite Runner cos it's really very well written. I find the part on his childhood recollection most engaging. The later part on his adulthood is kind of boring. But the author's writing style is fantastic, can really feel the emotions that was going through the story.

My Sister's Keeper has very a controversial storyline. The author tried to account for all the characters' feelings and thoughts. It was interesting initially but halfway through, I find it distracting to fleet between different characters. But still it provokes some serious thinking abt the topic.

Not saying much about the contents cos didn't want to spoil your enjoyment to read the books :p

Now, I'm working on The Time Traveller's Wife.
 
Serenade,
I've been wanting to buy The Time Travelller's Wife, sounds touching. But must clear 'old stock' before I buy new ones. I heard so much abt The Kite Runner, seems to be rather heavy reading. Is it?

I enjoyed Bonesetter's Daughter. Tells abt mother-daughter relationship and how it affects the next generation. The 2nd generation mommy starts writing a journal for her daughter before she forgets...which is why I was so touched, and of coz after reading mommies' blogs. Can pass to you when you return.

Heehee, waiting for the mommies to come by my plc. Guess Apricot will be downloading pics later, my camera is spoilt (thanks to Hannah).
 
Hi ladies...give me sometimes, will added you as friends to my blog.

I am currently busy baking Kueh Bangkit for CNY but could not get the frozen or Fresh Pandan Leaves in all the asian supermarkets that I have went to for the past few days so have decided that I will add a little vanilla essence instead since most asian stores used to sell them but no one buy and they have discontinued them.

K'mum....my window is the whole panel from floor to the ceiling in the apartment we are staying in Vancouver, so Kai helped to clean the lower portion and I clean the upper portion. He has learnt from pretty young that when he spilt any fluid on the floor, he has to wipe it clean and dry so he is pretty carefully with wetting the floor and he will try to squeeze dry the cloth before wiping the window.
 
Hi Joanne,
thanks for taking time to share with us... it's not easy I believe and you are holding up very very well ... hope Benny will get well soon too ... and stay strong, u are doing great!

Serenade

wat the principal said ... somewhere along the thread, some mentioned ...

moshimoshi - funfunfun
Pris - learning must stem from the motivation from the child

and you said you will take a step back at teaching Brandon

To keep the long story short, gist of wat she said - it's impt for the kid to enjoy learning. if he/she refuses to learn, then it'll be difficult to teach.

I've been trying hard to get Ben to know his alphabets ... sometimes I try too hard that I overlooked this. And Ben doesn't react well to an angry/upset mother.... but he does better when he's praised. I'm trying not to kill his interest in learning the alphabets.... so I've to keep this in mind, coz I tend to look around and see that kids younger than him doing "better" than me..... no stress, no stress

K's mom, how abt just giving him a damp cloth (without the pail of water) to start with? Ben did that for me yesterday, cleaning the lower panels of windows. That are plenty of simple chores you can give to a 4-yr old but they have to be enthusiastic. And praise them no matter how badly they perform ... praise them for the effort

Like to ask abt enrichment programmes ... what do you plan/intend/have for your child? A fren commented that if you do not provide an opportunity for your child, you may not uncover the hidden talent/interest in him/her. I'm thinking of gym, music, art, swimming (all Ben's fav) ... but not all, of course. Went to a gym trial yesterday which Ben love 110%, so we are putting him up for it ...

.ky.
 
Hi Sarah,

Don't think The Kite Runner is heavy reading stuff. A quote from the internet : The Kite Runner tells the story of Amir, a well-to-do Pashtun boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, who is haunted by the guilt of betraying his childhood friend Hassan, the son of his father's Hazara servant. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of the monarchy in Afghanistan through the Soviet invasion, the mass exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the Taliban regime.

It's very touching and, sometimes I can identify with Amir in some situations. Read that there's a film on the story. Think it will only be released in Nov 07. If you don't mind waiting, I can pass you the books in June/July.

How was the gathering? The kids must have an enjoyable time doing craft and munching away!
 
Hi Kristins_mom,

Hooray for both your kids! As long as the kids are making achievements, that itself is worth celebrating!

Must admit I'm little surprised to know that wanting to help with chores is a rare quality among kids. (Or am I wrong?) Ever since he was 2, Brandon would insist on doing most things himself. And he's always ready to help out in chores like cooking, vacuuming the floor, packing, laundry and even washing the floor (I prefer washing the floor with a pail and cloth) etc. But most of the time, it's mommy who prefers to do it herself. Looks like I must give my little boy a pat
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Hi ky,
I understand what you mean. I went through a similar phase. At 37 mths old, Brandon has already accomplished quite a lot - he could read/count numbers 1-100 both in words & numbers, spell simple words, write alphabets & a great deal of other stuff. All the teachings were done like what Pris has described, few minutes here and there. You probably understand how tough it is to teach with 2 kids around and do housework & cook, esp with no help in my case. For a while, I was stressed over trying to "teach" him other info until my husband asked me,"What would it do if he knows the difference between a spider and an insect? It's just regurgitating facts." I guess that was the wakeup call for me. Don't mistake me, Brandon loves to learn too. In fact, he enjoys and loves to do things with me, regardless what it is. At one point in time, he must have his "work" time with mommy everyday. Sometimes, we were too busy yet he would still insist on some work at 11pm or 12 am. That's when Cheryl had fallen asleep and we could have some quiet time together.

After the wakeup call, I started to take things easy. Well, not much HS or structural learning nowadays. Brandon may not match up to what other kids have in terms of info, but I'm beginning to see fruits in other areas which I deem far more important than being academically advanced.
 
Hi Serenade!

Agree totally on what good it would make when a child is academically advanced but not showing the least bit of empathy towards people around him.

It warms my heart these days when I see Bryan trying to hold Meimei's hand and lead her to the door when we get off the car in the garage. He helps her to walk up a couple of steps. And when he reaches home, he tells Daddy not to remove Meimei's shoes coz he's gonna do it. And then Meimei will say "Bao, bao" to him, indicating that she wants to be carried off the chair when everything is done.

I think there's a vast difference in wanting to help out and being able to help out, rather than being a nuisance. Bryan is ever eager to help but he might start to help in his own way. And this mommy here will get stressed out by his way of helping. Like you, I prefer to have things done my way. Knowing Bryan, cleaning the windows will mean we'll have to mop the whole floor too. Damp cloth is fine - but my overzealous son will soon tell me he needs to clean the cloth too in a pail of water. Vacuuming the floor is fine. In fact, I let him do it esp on those summer days when he comes home with all the sand, and mommy is upset that the whole house has turned into a sandpit! Doing the dishes, washing the veg... he loves those chores. As long as it can get him wet, he'll be ever ready to do it. But one thing I do get him to help: wipe the table, set the table and bring out the dishes. He loves that, and he loves feeling important to serve dinner too
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As for the windows, we'll just leave them to the cleaning lady at the moment.
 
Hi moms!

It's late in the evening.
You have only one thing in mind: Put the children to bed asap!
You've just bathed them.
You're getting them ready for bed.
You are creaming/oiling their skin.
Your preschooler wants his share of cream/oil.
You've just given him a tad bit on his palm so that he can enjoy the process of moisturising his skin.
And then he grabs the bottle for a second helping!
And then... oops! He's spilt cream/oil all over the bathroom floor...

What comes out of your mouth in that instant???

AARRGGGH!

Now, mommy not only has the mess to clean up in the kitchen but also a greasy floor to mop up in the bathroom!

I simply lose it... I know it's not fair to him, after all it's just clumsiness. But I can't help it.

What do you moms do on those days?

I think being a mom is a great challenge to the neat/clean freak in me. I've been reminding myself time and again... but I lose it often too. Tell myself to loosen up... which child doesn't create a mess. Have some fun, I'll always tell myself... but sometimes with those aching shoulders, stiff neck, tired arms at the end of the day, it's difficult to loosen up and look at the greasy floor with a smile and say, "It doesn't matter, sweetie!"
 
But the day ain't all that bad.

Ditched Bryan's afternoon nap and did some baking with him. Surprisingly we did not make a mess. He's so cooperative. And he knows what to do and clearly, he can follow instructions now as compared with 6 months ago when it comes to cooking/baking. Think the teachers must have really taught him well in those cookery sessions.

Somehow self baked cookies taste better - he happily munched his cookies - 5 pcs before dinner - as he recounted the baking process.

Thanks moms for the reminder to revisit the fun baking days!
 
Hi Pris!

You're so lucky to be in an Eng-speaking part of the world.
Frankfurt is wonderful for my husband and myself coz we both speak German, but not so for Bryan.

It's difficult to source for an Eng-speaking swim coach for him over here even though Frankfurt does have quite a big expat community that speaks Eng.

I noticed the glow in Bryan's face when we were in London for 5 days last summer. He was so happy that he could understand everyone and all the TV programmes.

But still, Frankfurt is still much home to him now since he attends an American preschool and we go to an Eng-speaking church. At home, Mommy will still speak Eng with him and when he's out, Mommy will be the translator.
 
Hi ky!

I know Ben loves to ask questions. Isn't that a powerful tool in learning?
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You remember those few minutes we spent in Daiso alone when you're gone looking for some baking tin, he was asking me lots of questions.

He could be a very tactile and kinaesthetic learner - he's obviously a gym lover now. Maybe you could do the alphabet exercise with him, ask him to form some letters using his whole body. Or give him some pasta (uncooked ones) and ask him to arrange some letters for you on the table.

Maybe sitting down at the table doesn't quite work with him. I used a play shopping cart game with Bryan and told him to put some letters into his cart. I would scatter all the letter cards/ puzzles on the floor and he would pick up the mess for me.

At the moment, Bryan still has some problems with the lower case, esp "L" in lower case which he always thinks it's "I" - upper case.
And the joke of the day is:
"Q" for cucumber!
Now we have a child knowing some phonics transferring his phonics into letters and then puting a word that begins with the similar sound together... he's having an info-overload now... I think I'd better stop my reading exercise with him this week.
 
Hi mommies!

I see that we are reading some adults' fictions here... finally.
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I shall look into your recommendations for some sane stimulation.
 
Hi mommies!

Steamboat anyone for CNY reunion dinner?
Any children-friendly ingredients to recommend?

I'm wondering what I can assemble here to make an authentic spread for steamboat. We're gonna have another Taiwanese family over with us for reunion dinner next Sat. Just two small families... but we've got 4 kids altogether already!!! Big gathering!
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Hi ky!

forgot to mention:
Sometimes, stopping the activity for a while and then revisit it later might yield better results. Coz this gives the brain a chance to unlearn the things that are proving to be obstacles right now. Also, in the course of my studies, I remember we were always told to plan a recursive curriculum rather than a sequential one so that one can slowly build up on his knowledge in the subject and deepens/develops it into proficiency progressively.

Maybe we should stop and revisit topics time and again.
So don't underestimate the two minutes here today and three minutes there another day. All is not lost, all is not forgotten. I think we'll be pleasantly surprised one day when the brain starts to make connections for them.
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Hi kristins_mom,
Wow, that's so sweet of Bryan! But these are the very acts that warm our hearts, aren't they? In fact, Brandon displayed some very touching acts today too and it really warms my heart beyond words. At the MacDonald playground today, he protected her from a crowd of rowdy children. You know, he kept telling them not to touch his sister and brought her to us so that she won't get hurt. And he was very careful not to walk too fast in case Cheryl tripped and fell, while holding her hand all the time. And when he saw Cheryl waiting for him at the end of the slide, he would hold her hand and guide her to a safer corner. I really wished I had a camera at hand to take down those touching moments.

For me, it's not so much of the mess they would create. Through the mess, kids can be "trained"/"taught" to do a job properly over time. Rather, I viewed doing those chores as a time that I could have some private space and time. Besides, I think I like pampering the kids
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. After all, they are still young. But when they are older, I would hold them responsible for their own rooms and stuffs. Like some parents, I would even expect them to wash their own shoes, hehe... Till then, I'm not really ready for them to help. But I do allow Brandon to help with some light stuff like vacuuming the living room. Sometimes, when he finds the floor a tad too dusty, he would get the vacuum cleaner himself and start cleaning. And he feels very "grown up" when I allow him to stir the soup/porridge or add in the ingredients.
 
Hi Kristins_mom,

And to your preschooler case, this is how I'll most likely react: "Look, Brandon! Look at the mess you have created." Depending on the amount of mess, I might even get him to clear it up. :p

Agree very much with you on revisiting topics when teaching kids. And application is also very important, especially for math.
 
Hi K's mom, Hi Serenade

I'm reading the conversation btw 2 of u ... thanksfor sharing ... yes, K's mom, think u r right abt Ben's learning style. I'll look deeeper into what you've suggested. thx!

We are having steamboat this sat for reunion dinner too ... hm, the food are generally child-friendly since we cook them in the soup ourselves, right? We are having fishbone soup (I think) and the general seafood (fish, squid, prawn), tofu, fishball stuff ... just take it easy on the dips, I guess.

.ky.
 


Hi there...

Children at this age, loves lots of praises and they like to act like an adult. Kai enjoyed helping in the household chores and he guards the vacuum cleaner and also think me it is his job for the house. He is also very protective of the younger children around him. Yesterday, he automatically give to a younger boy a couple of his cookies around our apartments.

Here's my kueh bangkit and they melt in the mouth, just a pity that I could not find pandan leaves.

Before baking,
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After baking,
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Got to go now....Kai wants to learn his chinese flashcards.
 
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