Monday made: Party packs

We just celebrated Junior J's birthday on Sunday with a whole bunch of friends... Am still editing and going through the photos, so I thought I'd leave "Weekend wanderings" til tomorrow, and just ramble a little about the little "party packs" we did for our guests for the party.  I remember how I used to love to attend parties as a kid and we'd get all sorts of yummy stuff in a bag... so for the kids I tried to pack some healthier snacks (since I know some mummies would be particular about the snacks their kids get to eat), along with some useful stuff to take home.

:: So for the kids they got this in a bag (sealed with a little thank-you note which Junior J wrote while I held his hand):

Little personalized sketch books for doodling, which I covered with some patterned paper,
and some jumbo washable crayons... along with munchies (raisins), and a drink (soy milk).
The girls got flowery books, the boys, polka dots. :)

:: Then there was one little 3 month old baby too.  Too young for snacks, and too young for doodling.  So this went in a little paper bag for her:

A bunch of cubes.  Some plain wood ones, which would be safe to mouth, and some covered with patterned paper (I used Sassfrass for this), and sealed with PVA glue, aka mod podge, which is supposed to be non-toxic...

Then I didn't want to leave the adults out, so they got this:

Paper bags filled with some sachets of herbal infusions and tea, sealed with a thank you note.
Again, I got the little boy to "write" the notes, while holding his hand.  Oddly enough, he was willing to write
those notes, almost 40 of them, after I explained what they were for... but I had to split the writing up across a whole week. :) 

I was hoping to teach Junior J how to thank others, so I hope writing those notes is a start.  He got to give them to the guests and say "thank you por comin" too... :)  I hope they liked the little packs!

What other stuff do you put in your party packs?

Thinking Thursdays: Some updates

Like I mentioned in the previous post, we've made some progress on the home-learning front for the past two weeks, especially since I've a little more time to plan now.  Its still rather unstructured though, and I'm just adding things as I go along. :)  Right now, I've just introduced some activities to help with Junior J's fine-motor skills, and these also help to keep him occupied in the kitchen while I'm busy cooking. :) (The activities are listed on this page.)

Sorting straws into cups by colour

Then there's also the "bible lessons" we've been having.  I realized the little boy can't really grasp stories unless you read them to him over and over again (like the Gruffalo, which we've read about a million times already), so we've been reading bible stories and doing craftwork based on them to help the little boy know more about God (the activities again, will be updated on another page, which I'm hoping to update every week... ).  I'm also taking this opportunity to let the little boy experiment with all sorts of different art mediums.  We've started using oil pastels, and recently bought a pack of Crayola Slick Stixs (I got them here), which are crayons that glide across the page and have really intense colours... and I think the little boy is enjoying himself since he always asks to do "ark work" after meals. :)  Anyway, what are your favourite art mediums that you and your kids like to use?

Painting the sea, after referring to a picture book to see what colour the sea should be...

On a side note, remember my 30 before 30 list? I think I failed miserably, since I completed less than half the list when I hit the big three-zero... but then again, it may be because I gave myself only 2 months to attempt to finish!  So I'm going to dig the list up again, add more things and make it 31 before 31, haha. :)  Hopefully it gets done by the time I reach my next birthday...

Here's wishing everyone a blessed weekend! :)

Thankful Tuesdays: Trying not to worry

"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today,
and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!"
- Luke 12:27-28

It has been a rather trying week.  My mum was unwell on Monday, hence she was not available to babysit Junior J on Monday, so I skipped German class... and the hubby was on call on Tuesday, which meant another full day with the little boy.  Today, the hubby messaged me to say he would be held up late as the operations list was running overtime, and anyway, even if he wasn't held up at work, he would have attended leader's bible study... so another night of just me and the little monkey again.

On Tuesday, I was rather happy that the little boy was cough-free (after that failed episode of using his puff outside the library), but he started coughing in the evening after our trip to the playground.  It got worse, so I tried to get the boy to use his puff, which failed miserably.  What used to be a rather easy task of putting him on our lap and singing songs while he breathed the meds has now turned into massive WWF fights, usually with us parents emerging as losers.  Currently it requires two of us to administer it successfully, with one of us (usually the hubby) holding him in a bear hug, and the other forcing the mask on him... so its really difficult to administer it when I'm home alone.  I tried all ways and means of convincing the boy to use his puff, and after 20 minutes of trying, the boy was in tears and very upset, and I was in tears too, and he barely breathed in any of the meds.  In the end, I had to resort to giving him ventolin syrup, which required some convincing before he ate it.

Then yesterday, the postman came and the hubby answered the door, leaving the middle door to the balcony area un-stoppered on the way.  Little boy, as it was his habit, ran after his Papa to investigate who was at the door, and I went after him to keep an eye on him.  It was a windy day, the middle door swung shut... and I reached the door to find the boy in tears as his hand was trapped in the hinge section when it swung shut.  His little finger was cut, bruised and bleeding, and swelled up quite a bit.  He spent the rest of the day gingerly moving his fingers and usually left that finger sticking out, while both of us spent it feeling awful and asking all sorts of "what if" and "why didn't you" questions.

On top of this, we've been trying to settle the little boy's birthday party that is coming up, and of course, there's spring-cleaning to be done for Chinese New Year.  So I've been feeling rather tired, and I admit I've been fretting about various things.  But I was reminded recently during my quiet-time about not worrying, and to keep trusting in God.  Also, I came across this quote in a blog post: "Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles, it takes away today's peace", which I feel is a really apt reminder for me now.

So I am thankful for:

:: God's faithfulness and mercy to us.  I've been making it a point to wake up early each morning to read the Bible, and each day I get reminded about how faithful and patient God is with us, and how we always have heaven to look forward to, where there will be no tears and painful little fingers.

:: The hubby, who helps out as much as he can to lighten my load even though he is tired after work.  He faithfully washes up after dinner every day when he's home, and baby-sat on Wed so that I could quickly finish up my over-due scrap assignment (which is finally done!).

:: The little boy, who may be difficult at times (like during meals and medicine-taking), but still is generally a pretty easy to care for little fellow.

Looking serious and not smiling as his mouth is full of grapes!

:: The funny make-believe scenarios done by the little boy:

His mini-kitchen, with an over-turned tray for a stove, and breakfast all laid out for Papa.
The telephone is nearby so that he can call his father once the food is ready.

:: The funny things the little boy says, like pointing to an Astro Boy toy, and saying "Naykerd!" (which I never realised until he pointed it out!), or asking to call his papa when he is on the toilet bowl doing his big business, so that he can tell him that the "poopoo is car-ming out!", or giving me a kiss and telling me "mama happy!".

:: Interesting children books, that captivate little minds over and over again...

:: Pleasant surprises, like winning a giveaway (Thanks, S!) and receiving a surprise birthday present for Junior J from a fellow crafty, bloggy pal (Thanks Y!).

:: That we've been making some progress with regards to home-learning for the past two weeks...

:: The sunshiney days that have been popping up between the rainy days. :)

So have you counted your blessings today?  What are you thankful for this week?

Weekend wanderings: Just me and you

The hubby was on call on Saturday, so we decided to visit the water play area at Lower Seletar Reservoir Park on Friday evening (after reading nice reviews by other parents here and here).  Since it was a weekday, it wasn't crowded at all. :)  Junior J, timid as he is, was rather daunted by the fountains (but he finds the ones at the zoo even more daunting), so hubby had to carry him through the fountains:

Its a pretty nice place to visit if your kids like water play (which kid doesn't?)... and it's probably less crowded compared to other places like the zoo or Vivocity's sky park.  Aside from the fountain area, there's a shallow wading area, with watermills:

Junior J loved the wading area, and splish splashed around!

All that splashing was followed by a nice chat with Ah Ma on Skype at home:

Then it was off to work for hubby on Saturday, so it was just me and the little boy for the full 24 hours.  But even though we spent most of it at home, we managed to:

:: Donate a few bags of stuff for the collection by the Cat High boys, and sell off a whole pile of magazines and papers to our regular karang guni uncle:

A product of feverish spring-cleaning:  A pile of papers taller than Junior J,
an a photo to prove it! :)

:: Break out a box of beautiful new crayons:

:: Row a boat down the stream in a make-shift boat with a trusty wooden oar:

:: Prepare healthy veggie meals for a good friend:

:: Fix loads of puzzles:

:: Make general messes with "learning materials":

:: And general messes during meals:

:: Even mama made messes during naptime!

Then Sunday came, papa came home and it was off to church, Sunday school, and then lunch with little S and her parents.  Then since Junior J's birthday was on Monday, we decided to bring him to Sushi Tei in Thomson Plaza and have a dinner "celebration" since we had German class on Monday.  Little boy had lots of fun running up and down the ramps at Thomson Plaza:

:: And got to eat his edamame beans and fish roe (which he absolutely loved!), along with his fish pasta:

I guess it was a rather fruitful weekend.

Hope you had a great weekend too! :)

It was like any other day...

... where you woke up, called for "Mama? Mama?  Mama coming...", wished bear-bear "Good morning, bear bear" and then ran off halfway while changing out of your jammies to play:

We bused down to the library, but it was closed so we hung out at the playground while you conquered "mountains"... You started coughing so like any other time, I tried to give you the puff.  You struggled, and cried and refused to get puffed (something that has been happening recently), while other people sitting outside the library stared and probably wondered if I was trying to poison you with arsenic or something.  In the end, we prayed and asked God to make you better and to make you brave enough to use the puff, and you said "AMEN" (but refused the next round of the puff anyway).

Like any other day, you spent your time at home pottering around playing and singing your own funny songs (The latest one goes "Gong gong go work x 3, Gong gong come back early...), while I cooked lunch.  You did your usual "Where's juju?", while grabbing my legs and hiding behind me, followed by hysterical laughter everytime I turned and said "there you are!".  You also tried out the new activity after I explained it to you (slotting rubber bands on a stacking ring base), and also thought out of the box with old activity materials:

Formerly Junior J would take the coloured straws from the container and
sort them into different cups according to colour...
Now he tried stuffing the straws into the sliding door ledge!

Like any other day, you didn't co-operate during mealtimes (ok, not any other day, but its been a week so far of very messy meals and very little eating).  We thought you might be sick of porridge and graduated you to eating meals "just like mama's":

... but that apparantly didn't work since you barely ate, kept the food in your mouth, and spat it out at the end.  Scoldings didn't work, since it just led to more temper tantrums.

But like any other day, difficult though you may be during mealtimes... you were quite the regular good little boy.  You diligently helped mama pack stuff into paper bags, and did "clean-up time" when you were asked to.  You wrote your thank you notes, ran off with my piles of laundry asking me to "keep clothes!", and also enthusiastically finished your craftwork for the day... At bedtime, you made me read "The Gruffalo" and "The Gruffalo's Child" for the 200th time, while chiming in for the last word for every sentence (Papa was at German class, and I stayed home with you as Porpor was sick, so it was just us for most of the day).

Yesterday was like any other day.  Except yesterday was special, because it was the day you turned two.  Two!  How time flies, and now you are a "big" boy (who's still pretty small for your age thanks to you being a mealtime monster)!  While the terrible twos are now here officially, we just want to say we love you... and Happy Birthday, my sticky monkey!  Happy playing with your "prea-sant"!

Love,
Your Mama.

This was actually his Christmas present from us, but we ration his toys, so he just received it.
He loved putting the people into their seats, and making them climb up and down the steps...
... as well as throwing them to see how they rolled around
Which led to me having to talk to him sternly about not throwing his toys, and a mini tantrum,
but it was followed by a "sorry" and no more throwing.

Buses are good for carrying fruits too!

Thinking Thursdays: From a Christian Chinese mother

Dearest little boy,
While you've been busy having fun with bear-bear, running around and "play-cooking", lots of mamas around the world have been hotly debating Amy Chua's article about how Chinese mothers raise their children.  Not that you'll be interested to know (since I think right now, cutting that toy "cu-umber" is probably more important to you than anything to do with "parenting", except perhaps when "parenting" makes you wash your hands before meals, and make you keep your toys when you don't want to), but I feel I need to pen some thoughts to you before I forget.

I think being raised by Chinese parents does mean stricter rules, and sometimes, higher expectations.  Your papa read the article and to my surprise, he said he agreed with it!  He mentioned that part of his childhood was reflected in what was written...  No sleepovers, assessment books to do when he was young.  Being pushed to fulfil his best.  And I guess all that pushing by your Ah Ma has helped him to become the person he has become, being able to self-motivate himself to study and always interested to learn.  So please know that your papa and mama will be pushing you, in the hope that we stretch you to your fullest potential, and we won't hesitate to correct laziness and rudeness.  But I also know how it feels to feel inadequate, and how tiring it is when you think you need achievements to gain the respect or praise of others, or how frustrating it is when sometimes everything you do just isn't good enough... so I also want you to know that we love you no matter what your grades are like, and that you don't need to do anything to gain more of our love.  We do sometimes have crazy dreams of you being the next Yo-yo Ma (Ju-ju Pa, we used to call you), and sitting in the front row of the concert hall applauding, standing and shouting "ENCORE!", even if no one else stood, but like I said, those are crazy dreams.

We promise we will try really hard not to be a "kiasu" parent, and will avoid comparing you against others, because that little red number on the top of the test paper is just a small reflection of your learning, and does not show what kind of person you are.  Instead, I pray and hope that you will grow to love learning and exploring about the world because this world, imperfect as it is, is made by God.  I hope you will find joy in the little things that God has created, and I pray that our nature as adults to see things more pragmatically would not snuff out that spirit of wonder.

What I really do hope you'll be is simple:  I hope you'll be "good for God", or what adults and pastors (that sometimes use more complicated words) would term as "holy".  I pray each day that you will be able to love God and love people.  And as a result of that, I hope that you'll be able to honour God by doing the best in all that you're given to do, be it in your studies.  Or being a good friend.  Or lending a helping hand to someone in need.  We will, as parents, ensure you work hard, and will try to give you opportunities to learn, to improve, to explore... And we hope that you will maximize whatever talents and abilities God has given you, but remember that these (even little things like praying and caring for others are counted) are from God.

And while we try really hard as parents to bring you up, each temper tantrum, each wheezing fit and each visit to the hospital reminds me that you my little sapling, planted in God's garden.  While we do out best to provide the right amounts of water, and prune you (which usually hurts, but you'll need that for growth), and try to give you the best fertilizer we can find... It is God that provides the sunshine, and God that causes all things to grow.  So we hope and pray that we will be good gardeners, but we will continue to trust in the greatest Gardener of all to take care of you.

I love you, my little sticky monkey.  Remember to be good for God.

Love,
Your mama.

Thankful Tuesdays: What keeps me going

One of my aunts asked me last year (during a New Year family dinner), about "how can you stand it, having to stay at home with the kid the whole day?".  She remarked that if she had to do it, she would go mad.  I must admit, its the usual, regular routine everyday.  Crawl up really early to do housework before the boy wakes.  Then its hanging out with the boy, meals, marketing, and then naptime, where I get a short break (which I usually use to prepare dinner, or more housework).  Then its dinner, a little more playtime, and then off to bed.  The only break from this is sometimes on weekends if the hubby is not working, or Mondays when we have German classes.  And some days, when the hubby is on call, the boy has only mama with him for the full 24 hours.  Things sometimes get exhausting.  Especially with the tantrums that herald the approach of the terrible twos... 

But dear little boy,

Even though there are some days that I do say I'm tired... I have to say I am so glad and thankful that I stopped working to take care of you full time.  I am glad that I have time to cook healthier meals for you and papa, especially since he has to watch his diet more now... and I am glad I have more time on weekends to hang out with both of you.

I am so glad to see the grin on your face and hear a "Good morning, Mama!" from you, on days that you wake up cheerful and not grumpy...

I am thankful on days that you sit down in your chair and eat your breakfast, triumphantly showing me your empty cup after you drain each mouthful of milk:

I enjoy each marketing session we have, where you point out different things to me, and where you get to choose what flowers to buy each week... I love hanging out with you, and having you help me to put flowers into the jar of water, ensuring that each stalk is touching the water:

And each day, you make me laugh from your silly actions.  Like walking all over the house in my mushroom slippers.  Or running off butt-naked to do a duck walk on the floor, while proudly proclaiming you are "nekkid".  Or playing peek-a-boo with me.  Or growling "GRRAAAFALO!" whenever you read the Gruffalo book.
 

So little boy, even though I've had to discipline you sometimes when you are naughty, and even though you sometimes throw temper tantrums... you are still one of the biggest blessings I've ever received.

Love, 

Mama

Weekend wanderings: Blast from the past

We had a pretty interesting weekend.  The hubby had wanted to visit the Pompeii exhibition over at the National Museum, so we ended up going there for a visit on Saturday as they were having an open house (i.e., admission was free! Yay!).  

We of course, brought Junior J along, but had to leave after an hour or so,
since he started getting restless.

The exhibition showcases artefacts that give you a glimpse into life in Roman town, before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius (which ironically, was responsible for the preservation of all these items).

There was armour used by the gladiators, like the shields they used, as well as a really heavy looking helmet...

Did you see?  A crab!  I'm wondering whether to send this picture to my supervisor...

... to items used in everyday life, ranging from the "cookware" they used, furniture in their houses (and the different rooms found in a typical Roman house), anchors, scales (I think there was about 200 over items on display!).  I must say I was most impressed by the beautiful artwork that was produced during that period:

Mosaic work.  I've always admired the painstaking effort it takes to create a picture
by piecing together many many tiles... There was also a beautiful fountain on display,
again decorated with mosaic and also adorned with shells.  Gorgeous!

One of the many marble carvings on display.

The exhibition also had a section with books about that period for you to browse, along with craft activities for children.  However, as it was open house day, there were no activities due to the heavy traffic... but we did collect the craft activity for the boy to do at home (it was to assemble this cool gladiator helmet).  All in all, I think the exhibition would be more suitable for older children.  We had to repeatedly remind Junior J not to touch the exhibits, or step up on the exhibit platforms, and the boy got rather restless after an hour or so.  However, he did seem to enjoy looking at some of the exhibits (he saw this giant scale and said it was a "swing"), and we tried to explain some of the items to him (and he had fun pointing out some familiar objects he saw):

EGGS!  Argh, blur and grainy photo... 

Dog!  This mosaic on the floor had the boy really fascinated for awhile. :)

The most unique part of the exhibition, I think, were the body casts of some of victims of the Mount Vesuvius eruption:

Body casts of a couple, with the man reaching out for the woman at the last moment.
The ash from the eruption covered the town and hardened, but voids were formed later
due to the decomposition of organic material that was trapped in the ash.
The casts were made by filling up these voids with plaster.

There was casts of people, along with a dog that was left chained while his owners fled.  Looking at those figures, curled up in various poses... it reminded me that we really need to treasure our time in the present and make the most of the time we have now. 

The exhibition ends on the 23rd of Jan, so there's still time if you want to visit (more info here), and there's another open house from the 21st to the 23rd of Jan (otherwise its $12 per entry for adults).  Bring your SLR if you have one.  We had brought only the compact LX5, thinking that photography might not be allowed, but it turned out you could take pictures (but no flash photography).  The whole exhibition was rather dim, so the photos turned out grainy and blur...

Anyway, with that rather macabre reminder to "celebrate today", we went off for lunch at Pasta Brava to celebrate two "events": Me finishing my dissertation, and the boy finally hitting 10 kg awhile ago (he was so skinny and kept hovering around the 9 plus kg mark for a long time, so it was something to be happy over!)... we really love the pasta there:  

And we ordered mushrooms for the boy (and he loved them, as well as the soup!)...

After an eventful Saturday (we ended the day at Alexandra, where I popped into Ikea while the hubby went to get sport shoes with the boy at Queensway), Sunday turned out to be pretty uneventful, since the hubby was on call.  I did manage to bring the little boy to church on my own though... 

I hope everyone had a good weekend?  Here's to a good week ahead (or what's left of it)... Its been rather productive thus far, with the boy starting some "bible lessons" and me feverishly packing our study (Simplify, remember?) and planning the little boy's upcoming birthday party...

Thinking Thursdays: Learning in 2011

All packed and ready to face the year!
(The boy actually stuffed his bear in the bag, asked me to help him to wear it,
put on his hat and went running around the house one day!)

Ok, we're already in the middle of Jan, and I must admit that I've yet to firm up my goals/resolutions for the year!  After spending some time reflecting and thinking through the past year, I've decided that 2011 would be the year to work towards being able to:

:: Savour and slow down:  I have a bad habit of piling on lots of stuff and find myself getting stressed about all the things I have to do... so this year I am aiming to try to slow down.  And make more time for the things that matter.  Like God.  And my family.  And friends.  And making sure I do my job as a SAHM well, and ensuring that my family eats well, and healthily too...

:: Simplify: In terms of what we have.  I think we have way too much stuff, and we're still spring-cleaning. Hopefully I'll be able to work through years of accumulated possessions of two pack rats (one sentimental rat, the hubby, and one practical rat, me, who would keep everything just in case I'd need it next time.  Which includes all sorts of bits and bobs that I think will be useful for artwork with the boy!)... and perhaps having less will make cleaning and running a household simpler in the future.

He wanted to say cheese during this photo of him cutting his fruits!

So on the learning front this year, I'm hoping to introduce more structured lessons for the little boy on top of the usual unstructured play he gets.  I admit that for the past 2 years, I've been pretty impromptu when it comes to activities, so I think more structure would help (more for me than the boy I guess!).  Right now, Junior J has been showing more propensity to imaginative play and dramatic play (or role-playing):

Left the boy to play while I washed the dishes and found this!

... Which I'm hoping to bank upon to increase the variety of activities he gets (hopefully if all goes well, I'll update the stuff we've been doing!).  And while I probably will start working on more reading/writing/learning the alphabet related activities, I realize I must start being more diligent on teaching him Bible stories.  I mean, we pray with the little boy, and we tell him about God, but I think I can do more (perhaps craft-related stuff and reading verses), instead of banking on just Sunday School class!  After all, Junior J will eventually get his ABCs and stuff sorted out by the education system, but learning about God, I think we gotta do, and start early for that matter...

Whole pile of activity books and story books, bought from a spree
(introduced by a fellow blogger mum) and from Popular

And another big area I'm hoping to tackle would be to help the little boy to learn Chinese.  We hardly speak Chinese at home (unless we want to discuss something and ensure the boy doesn't understand haha), and I'm worried that he'll struggle with the language later (especially since we'll be away in Germany next year with little exposure to the language)... So sometime back I bought a whole bunch of Chinese story/activity books, and am hoping to make learning the language fun!  Its going to be tough for me though (I ensured the books I bought had hanyu piyin, so that I can read them properly to him!)...

So all in all, I'm looking forward to the rest of the year!  How about you?  What are your resolutions/goals for 2011?

PS: New activities added for our "Art Adventures"! :)