PhotoHunt - Words

One of my fondest memories as a mother was reading to my children bedtime stories and I've always believed in reading to my kids would help foster a love of words and reading. My strategy so far, is to immerse my children in Chinese/English books at an early age. I would introduced them to simple words that apply to their daily life.


In addition to reading, educational DVDs are being introduced to my children at an early age. This set of DVD which comes in 10 volumes is by far the best I’ve come across with complete, straightforward explanations and interesting graphics. It is one of the fun ways to encourage kids to learn new reading words. My 2 year old is absorbing the sounds, tones and words based purely from all the repetition of words that she has heard. She can happily watch it countless times. It has been incredibly fun, very educational and a good exposure of new words and knowledge.




First Commenters

PhotoHunt - Surprise

Kids are always full of surprises and challenges. They are literally creative, fun, intuitive and would do things you never imagined they would or could do. More often than not, it will surprise you at what a young age kids are able to do the funniest things to make you laugh. It will surprise you to watch their personalities unfold. It will surprise you how much they will teach us about life.

But the sweetest surprises of them all are often seeing my little princess shaking her butt like a pro.

And at times, she likes to run up to me, surprises me with a huge goofy grin on her face and then run away giggling to herself.




First Commenter - keeyit

Going Organic

My 3 kids seem to be slightly allergic to cow's milk from an early age. If they drink lots of them, they will develop a rattly chest and cough the following week. I'm also concerned about all the synthetic hormones in their milk and how it's effecting the children in the long run.

As my No. 3 reached 2 years of age, I've started giving her organic oat milk as alternative to cow's milk. Thank goodness, she likes the taste of it and it's worth looking into as another source of calcium as organic oat milk does eliminate a couple of the concerns raised. So far, she eats solids well and I try giving her yogurt, leafy green vegetables and other wholesome food in her diet.

For years, I've been drinking a mug of organic oat milk too to kick start my day and so does my hubby. The grain is simply nutritious and rich in fibre that contains all the natural minerals. My No.1 and No.2 prefer soy milk though as the smooth creamy taste is awesome. Ever since they take organic, they are healthy and vigorous with no health problems. This is one reason why taking organic is such a boost to health. They're costly though but I'd rather pay more money to be healthy.

Here's my little princess sitting and gleefully posing for the camera with 2 tins of organic products.

First Commenter - Mei Teng

PhotoHunt - Plastic

My little princess has always enjoyed playing with her Mega bloks that store nicely inside this cute plastic wagon. She can spend quite a bit of time building and stacking all 50 pieces. This fun game has also helped her learn colors and shapes as well as improving her hand-eye coordination. Most importantly, the plastic pieces are large enough not to pose choking hazards to a child. I like the fact that it also can help kids in developing their thinking skills and creativity. As long as my daughter wants to play with something as simple and fun as Mega bloks, there's no reason to be discouraging. I'm glad she is opening up to her imagination and and having great fun being a child.

Have a great weekend everyone!

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First Commenter

The Joys of being a KID

This is a picture of my nephew and my youngest daughter. They play well together, they eat the same food, they sleep at the same time, they are just full of energy and excitement. Their capacity of racing around doing new, exciting and different activities all morning and afternoon is unbelievable. They are the best of friends and they get along most of the time but once in a blue moon, they fight like cats and dogs though.

The kids are in a great mood. Look at them. Their laughter is filled with innocence, purity, spirited and honesty. Their mind is absolutely free from daily problems with no worries and so carefree.

Faces like angels. They look so cheeky and happy. They are adorable, charming, infectious and it warms the cockles of my heart into a thousand happy pieces. I miss being a kid.

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First Commenter - Nick

Learning Taekwondo

My 13-year old daughter decided she wanted to take martial art lessons after seeing some cool demonstrations at the shopping mall earlier this year. As a parent, I don't see any reason to stop her from learning martial arts, if she shows an interest. She has enrolled in the taekwondo club in school, and she’s enjoying every moment of it. She enjoyed learning and practicing new kicks and forms and her instructor who has a quirky sense of humour made her classes even more fun.

Every couple of weeks the instructor demonstrates a variety of different tricks and flashing kicks that inspired her so much she wanted to do more. She may not kick as high as some of other kids though but it is a great workout and it helps keep her flexible and active. It’s incredibly fun to watch her working hard and develop plenty of skills and abilities through taekwondo. Her smiling face at the end of each lesson tells the story. It has been a wonderful inspiration to her, as she carries this self-esteem with her through any activity she is doing in school.

It is an amazing martial art that my daughter truly appreciates a lot. Taekwondo has taught her mental discipline and perseverance. It is an awesome sport and I support it as being part of the school curriculum as it benefits her and other kids in numerous ways.

Thanks to Ma'am Joyce, for being an all around awesome instructor of teamwork, and for teaching and guiding her students to perform their ultimate best.

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First Commenter

My baby is sick

These days the weather can be pretty unpredictable. One day it could be raining non-stop, the next it's the burning hot weather and with this change in weather usually strucks the coughs, colds and fevers. It actually started last week when my hubby threw up and he had a respiratory virus but he's feeling much better now. By Saturday, my baby started running fever and last night particularly, we had a night of musical beds. My girl was grunting with teeth clenching with tears in her eyes. That's only because her throat and colds were bothering her. Typically, when my children get sick, I don't sleep well.

photo taken while she was sleeping soundly yesterday afternoon

Last night she ended up sleeping with us because I had to get up so much to check on her. She's been really fussy for the past few days and had lots of sneezing and nasal congestion making it difficult for her to breathe normally. I fed my baby some medication and apply nasal drops but it seems like she hates those medicines, they're way too sweet for her liking. Today she has gotten up a bit warm but she was in much better mood than she was in yesterday. She hasn't felt too good all weekend, but she didn't seem to be getting worse though. Her appetite was badly affected and her mood swings, to say the very least.

As parents, one thing we all dread is when our kids fall sick. Trips to the doctor, forcing medication down the throat of a wailing child and taking leave from work to care for them turn our lives topsy-turvy. If you have kids you know what it's like when your kid is unfeeling well.

Time for medication. It is really freaking her out. she just runs away or screams and cries at the top of her lungs.

Hopefully my baby will feel better soon, so we can have fun later this week.

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First Commenter - Julia

Sibling Rivalry

We've been struggling with issues of sibling rivalry between our No.1 and No.2 for quite sometime. Trust me, they can be the best of friends and yet they can also be the worst of enemies, all within the same time. As parents, we are bound to feel the stress when the kids are bickering and squabbling amongst each other. It is driving me bonkers. Somehow, I put in my best effort to be discreet in handling the situation.

I understand as they go through different phases of their lives, their varying needs can lead to disputes and jealously. I love all my 3 kids equally and try hard to be as fair as possible by giving an equal amount of time, affection and attention to each kid, so that they do not feel left out . Seriously, I believe that problems between siblings are likely to arise from unfair treatment from some parents who are taking sides with their brother or sister. Having a favourite child can obviously cause a rift between the siblings.

Although No.1 and No. 2 are four years apart, my fervent hope is they remain close as ever. I encouraged my kids to be supportive of one another in time of need, readily help each other with problems and that they continue to be best of friends! That said, I truly treasure the relationship I have with my siblings and I'm happy for the loving and strong bond that still exist between us.

As far as No.3 goes, my toddler is doing great and such a happy go lucky kid.

As the saying goes, blood is thicker than water. Friends may come and go, but siblings are forever.

Appreciate your thoughts.

Hobbies for kids

School exams have finally ended. With the long school holidays coming up next month, it's definitely a great time for children to destress, relax and recharge from stressful times. I believe most moms are so looking forward to the school holidays as well so that they can get enough beauty sleep and not having to wake up so early to attend to school run each day.

I need to start planning some activities to keep my kiddos preoccupied. Otherwise, I have more squabbling, disagreements and bickering to listen to at home. Children need pastimes to explore new exposures and to grow as individuals.

I always encouraged my kiddos to partake in any opportunities that they find to be delightful, exciting and beneficial at the same time. Nevertheless, I'm in the midst of searching suitable activities for them. I believe hobbies are educational tools and it will benefit them in many ways.

I notice my kiddos can be so addictive to online games or Playstation 2 that when I approach them to help me with the house chore, they would give me 101 excuses and vanished from thin air. Looks like the internet access has become the most important tools for children these days. At times I wonder if the virtual world would affect my kiddos' social development.

I'll be taking a couple of days of work and take of to Kuala Lumpur for my sister's wedding in December with the kiddos. Wedding aside, we needed to do something fun with the kids during the school holidays, and I haven't been out that way for quite some time due to our work commitments.

How wonderful if we can go somewhere far, far away and stay in luxury hotels like the ones in Las Vegas? Let's get real here, I know I can never afford that luxury, so dream on Life Ramblings!

Exam Blues

The exams are approaching and as usual, my kids scarcely worry about their exams these days. When I try to explain the philosophy of exams, their heads will start spinning and eyes rolling towards all directions. he he....It seems like the kids aren’t nervous and feel intense at all.

In today's fast-paced world, every parents want their kids to be competent and efficient in order to strive good grades in school. As a parent, I think time management is important. I make it a point to organise my kids' study time, at least an hour a day.

With the exams just around the corner, I'm trying to juggle my schedule timely to help them in their revision. Having said that, I want them to study in a fun and stress-free environment. That's only because I don't want to turn their minds upside down. Well, kids need fun and relaxation in between. Moreover, I need to ensure my children are eating well and sleeping well with no late nights before the exams.

So kids, no more daydreaming of your animes or cartoons for the time being. If you want a bright future, start worshipping your books. LOL!

Teaching kids on Money Management

With today's economy downturn and rising prices on daily necessities, one of the important things ever is to teach our kids frugality from an early age.

I’ve been training my kids, aged 8 and 11, the value of money, saving, budgeting and spending wisely. I feel that as a parent I need to instil habits like these in the hopes that they’d grow up to be financially independent.

It's my usual practice to give them allowances on a daily basis. This way, they’ll learn how to budget and spend within their means. I believe the earlier you start exposing your children to basic money management, the better they’ll be able to absorb the concepts and value of money as they grow older.

I've provided each of the kids a piggy bank to fill up. Infact, these piggy banks have been around since they were babies. They are actually free gifts when hubby and I opened a savings account.

I have also opened a savings account for both my kids and show them their interest earned each half year with the few hundred ringgits they now have in their bank accounts. When the piggy banks are fully loaded, I transferred their money in their bank accounts, so they can watch the interest multiply.

I've to admit that it’s not easy for me to teach my kids to save, as I am not a good role model in this regard, which is something that I'm not proud of. Ultimately, when I encouraged my kids to save, it gives me the motivation to save as well.

Growing Pains

Time flies so fast and it's unimaginable. My eldest daughter is almost as tall as me now. Stepping into motherhood has indeed changed my life tremendously. I was pretty busy coping with work and all the changes around me. Despite my hectic schedule and commitments, I still make it a point to spend quality time with my family. It seemed pointless pursuing wealth when household and family are left unattended.

Looking back, my parents have raised us well and taught us to conserve almost everything, not wasteful and always be humble. God willing, I'll give my best to instill these moral values to my kids as well. That said, kids nowadays are different from my good old days. At times, they tend to throw tantrums for no apparent reason. I wonder is it due to hormone changes??? Haha, I guess it's part of growing up and discovering their own personalities.