(2003) Calling all 2003 babies

Hi K's mom,
Actually the only audio book that I have is leapfrog leap-pad. We find the English too american and may not suit the children here.
I have other chinese books that come with CD or VCD to listen or watch. So far aston is responding well to them but reali unsure how much he absorbs. I only feel happy (too shy to say proud of him) that he picks up well from a phonic vcd and recently he passed the assessment test in I Can read center. Its webby is http://www.icanreadsystem.com. We plan to send him for this enrichment class in dec.
 


ky,
My two kids are still fighting over stuff (including books), but less often nowadays. For me, I'm not really into sharing but rather, teaching them to respect each other and take care of their own stuff. For instance, if Cheryl takes Brandon's stuff, I'll ask her nicely to return it to her brother. And she usually does. Likewise, it's the same with Brandon when they are fighting over Cheryl's stuff. Of course for common toys, whoever's get it first will play with it while the other waits for his/her turn. Meanwhile, I'll try to distract their attention. Perhaps it's easier for me cos Brandon prides himself being a "big" brother and must take care of his sister. Also, he thinks anything pink and girlish are, of course, for his meimei.
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Do you know Angie? Though I have never met her, I like most of the books that she recommended. I'm really glad that the Home Library has finally gone online.
 
Lena & K's mom,

I have placed an order for Richard Scary too. It's 9.41 euros with free delivery. K's mom, are we talking abt the same book, ISBN 0007189478?

K's mom,
Brandon's having his term break from tomorrow till 6 Nov. In fact, we are considering to withdraw him from school now. He's been telling me he doesn't want to attend school and prefer to stay at home. Not sure if the language barrier is causing him some frustrations. Meanwhile, my hubby is trying to talk to the principal via the interpreter. Hopefully, she'll shed some light on how Brandon is performing in class.

What type of audio books are you into? Picture books or chapter books? For short audio books, you can try We Are Going On a Bear Hunt by walker audio. I just did Little Beaver and The Echo with the two kids. I think Cheryl enjoys it more than Brandon. Otherwise, you can try the audio books section in www.wonderbox.com.sg. There are some good recommendations.

I have put your doc in the excel format.
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Hi kristin's mom

Ben's in The Learning Ladder. It's across from Ten Mile Junction. Well, they basically play ... it's a play-based school. And it's thematic with a lot of play element incorporated. Yes, yes, the kids are dressing up for Halloween. And like what the teacher had warned me, every kid wants to be a fireman (since they did that last month ... they loved the firefighters!), and that's what Ben wanted! I wanted him to put on a Superman costume cos that's the only hand-me-down thing I've got ... and finally somehow he did, so he'll wear that next Tuesday and go "Trick or Treat". You can try face painting on Bryan if he doesn't object to that ... or perhaps a wizard ... can make the hat and robe ... I was thinking of DIY'ing before I remembered the superman costume. Costume in SG i think is not cheap.

I'll recommend this parenting forum, http://www.moms4moms.info/sg/index.php ... there's a section on pre-school and a list of useful links under "Our Favourite Preschool Links"; you'll need to create an acct to go in but the mummies in the forum are very friendly.

I've accumulatted a number of links under my internet favourites but they are getting to be pretty dis-organized (&amp; under-utilized).

Hi Serenade

I only met Angie once she delivered a book to my place. She's a wonderful lady who homeschool her kids (she said she spend 3 hrs each day reading to them) and has over 800 books at her home (my fren warned me not to visit her in case I get tempted to rush out to make purchases .... hahah) ... yes, I like her books too and am using it as a reference buying guide.

Thanks ladies for the help on siblings' fight. I guess this is something new for Ben (&amp; myself) ... will have to see how it goes.

Hi Sarah
Ya, I'm intending to go for 1 scrapbooking lesson. Found this home-based one which is priced at $25. Ya, know it's an expensive hobby; have been thinking for a couple of weeks before I decided to give it a go. The thing with an hobby is that you can splurge on it (&amp; be really good or not at it) or you can tread carefully and just be happy with what you have (which is what I'm doing). There are a number of ladies (from the parenting forum above) who are really creative and got themselves into international Design Teams (ie they provide their layouts on a required basis and get freebies, expensive freebies). I don't think I'll go for that ... just do something simple which I'm happy about, that's good enough for me :>

.ky.
 
Sarah sarah! I just got a bag at Yahoo auction, bidded for it at $20, deal closed. M so excited, will bring it to show u next week, hee hee. Seller is 'toughcookie' under ladies accessories, plenty of pretty funky bags, must see!

Ky
Thanks for the forum link!

GTG, am addicted to the auction thingey
oh oh before i forget, can we change picnic to 9am? the earlier the cooler ;)
 
Hi Serenade!

Yap... amazon.de tried to con me into buying the hardcover copy. That was why I did not want to pay 11.80 Euros for it. The ISBN you gave me is a paperback copy and I can still order it through amazon from a UK supplier at 5.78 Euros but it's shipping at another 3 Euros.
So that will be a good deal.
Luckily you told me about it.
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Hi Serenade!

CAn you imagine: amazon.de did not even show me the paperback when I did the search without the ISBN?!!!

O yes, the audio books. I'm thinking of trying out with something simple. For those that you have, do they have a book for the children to follow too? Or is it plain listening? Actually, Bryan was quite happy the other time listening to German stories. I don't think he even understood. But the audio books kept him at the listening station and my husband and I could have lunch.
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But I need to go invest in a headphone first.

Sometimes, I wonder if it's the novelty of the handphone that kept him still at his seat.

I'm beginning to see more of Bryan browsing books. He can't exactly read, but he likes to sit by himself to browse. It's a good sign, isn't it? I'm quite pleased with his new hobby.
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Hi ky!

Ben's school sounds alot like fun! But Ten Mile Junction is far away for us in Singapore. Does it have any branches elsewhere?

Yeah, the kids are crazy about being firemen. Bryan's latest ambition is being a firefighter. He has ditched his old one of being a bus driver ever since he visited the fire house.
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There are some really cheap costumes... but there are all ghosts or ghouls. Too scary for the kids. I'm toying with the idea of getting a Bob the Builder costume... or perhaps do a DIY pirate one for him.

I think face painting will be in moderation coz he'll be in school for 5 hours. Last Sunday when he had his face painted at a school fun fair, he was rubbing his face silly after three hours. He was a tiger then
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Hi Serenade!

It's sad to hear that Brandon is not enjoying his kindergarten.

Bryan refused to go back to the Sunday school of our previous church. That was one of the reasons why we moved to another one. There were quite a no. of reasons why he didn't want to be there. 1) we were new. so he wasn't familiar with his new environment. 2) the teacher mainly spoke in German. 3) the age group was not suitable. Most kids were younger or older. 4) he felt embarassed going back coz once his pants was wet as he wasn't able to communicate in German that he wanted to use the toilet. And it was too late when the Sunday school teacher finally understood him.

Yeah, it'll be good to find out more from the principal. But probably, it's just so much more fun staying at home with you and his meimei.
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I'm really impressed with Brandon that he feels protective over his little sister. Bryan only rough plays with Kristin. And Kristin is quick to complain about every push and knock. I hope it's a phase thing and that they'll slowly learn to accept each other. Well, it's alot better and they've moved on from Bryan hitting Kristin, when she was just a baby. It was quite malicious. He'd pretend to gently stroke her and then give her a whack and run. That was his expression of jealousy in the first few months for Kristin.
 
Hi Ky,
You made Learning Ladder sound so interesting. Hmm, I may consider enrolling Brandon there too.

Regarding sibling rilvary, I think it will always exist and I doubt there's a set of advice that could totally cure it. Different kids would need different "cures". So, trust your instinct.


Kristins_mom,
Ha, think I should thank you instead. I have always bought books directly from Amazon.fr. Just realised that buying from the seller would help save a couple of dollars. This is my first time buying from a seller. Hopefully, everything will be fine. The book costs me 8 euros including delivery.

Sibling rilvary is a stage most kids will go through. It might be worrisome if a kid display none at all. Talk abt being malicious, there's one point in time when Brandon literally hit Cheryl with his fist too. I guess it's just a way to express his frustration. Though he loves and behaves protective towards his sister, he's still far from being the perfect brother. Why? He's more than glad whenever I suggest sending Cheryl to school instead of him. His exact words - "Cheryl will go to school and I will stay home with mommy." Well, I can sense his desire to be with me alone, but what can I do? haiz....

As for school, we have decided to let him try another term. He doesn't have much complaints with the class except for the outdoor time. There's a slide but he couldn't go on it cos of the big kids. There are tricycles around but again, the big kids are always on them. There are only 2 teachers taking care of the kids and I doubt they can do much. But, despite that and the language barrier, I still feel it's important for him to socialize with other kids. Hopefully, things will improve.

For the audio books, the format is in CD only. However, you can get the corresponding books on Amazon too. The walker audio books include not only reading of the books but also activities. So, you might want to hear it out with Bryan first. But if you are interested in stories only, you can try Bedtime Stories by Debi Gliori. The audio CD is included with the book. Is it alright to let the kids use headphones? Currently, I'm just using the player.
 
Hi Serenade!

Ha, I knew Brandon just wants to be with you all the time! Who wouldn't? You are definitely more fun to be with than him being in school
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Yeah, you're right. Let him learn to socialise with other kids.

The weather is unexceptionally good today. Was planning to go out to get another pair of boots... boots are so great, thanks for the tip! But was caught up doing some gardening... actually, wasn't planning to make gardening a hobby. But we have a huge balcony, about 20 sq m. And three sides of it have built in compartments for your balcony plants. It was all filled with soil when we came last year. It wasn't that bad during winter coz it was all covered with snow, but when spring came, birds were just picking/digging for worms in the empty flower beds and weeds were growing... so in the end, I decided to fill them up with plants.

We've got tomatoes amongst other things. And we are still yielding them!
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And we've got some "accidental" capsicums too. I thought draining away the water I use for washing veg would be too wasteful so I've been using them to water the plants. And in went the capsicum seeds too... didn't see that coming...
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It's been a really nice summer and it was great to let the children see and touch the plants, esp herbs. They like to smell them.
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Bryan bugs me to leave his sister in school with him when I drop him off in the morning. Unfortunately, Kristin could only be enrolled if she turned 18 months in the last Sep. But she was only 13 months old. So we've got to wait for another year for her. Sigh! Kristin is also keen to be where her brother is. She just wants to have a share in all that he has. Typical no. 2 behaviour, isn't it?

I like the idea of training children to listen. And I once read that one learns a language most and fastest through listening during my uni days. Am not too sure if this research stand still holds true. But personally, this has also been my language learning experience. So since he's ready for audio books, I'm gonna try them.
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I think headphones should be fine. Maybe you have to make sure they can't change the volume on their own.
 
Hi kristins_mom,
It's really exciting to see Bryan sitting there and browsing books, right? Don't worry abt him not reading yet. Most important thing is that they like books. Sometimes, Brandon will spend time just looking at the pictures too. And really, a picture paints a thousand words.

Lena,
I bought the Letterland Living ABC recently. Actually, I wanted the Living Code Cards but there was some misundertandings. To cut the long story short, Brandon enjoys it very much and is already requesting that we do it everyday. We did the activities on short and long vowels yesterday and he was begging me this morning to do more. There was a section on handwriting too. After observing how the letter "a" is written, he can write it nicely now. And Cheryl was squeezing in to join in the fun too. Pricey but definitely worth it. Will let you know abt the Living Code Cards after I receive it.

Hi Apricot,
I came across some not-so-positive comments abt I CAN READ. You might want to read more on it. PM you on the website.
 
HI. First of all, I would like to send belated thanks to ky and kristine for your encouragement abt being a SAHM. I don't know why my earlier message was not posted. Secondly, I can't remember who recommended Curious George but a million thanks as my son who could never sit through a story has been begging me for "some more" every day and night.

On sibling rivalry, I have something to add. My boy used to be very sweet to his baby sister and we've captured many pictures of him kissing/cuddling her. I'm going to make into an album to remind them of their bonding should they fight in the future. Already, he is becoming jealous of her with suggestions that Ah Gong takes care of meimei and he stays home with just me! Meimei is no angel either. Despite the tender age of 10 months, she is very fierce should her brother attempts to sntach her toy away!
 
Hi Pooh,MH,Aileen &amp; Sarah,

I am ok to change the picnic to 9am but need your consents or we take majority votes.

Botanical Garden outing on 5 Nov
1. Apricot (2 adults &amp; 1 boy)
2. Blurblur_Pooh (2 adults, 1 boy &amp; 1 baby girl)
3. MH (2 adults, 1 girl, 1 baby)
4. Aileen (2 adults &amp; 1 boy)
5. Lena (2 adults &amp; 1 girl)
6. Sarah (2 adults &amp; 1 girl)
 
Hi. I just realised that I've been missing out on previous messages. I simply cannot keep up with the thread. Please excuse me as it's the first time I joined a forum and my hubby cannot believe how clumsy I'm at this.

Thanks Serenade for your note too. To Kristin's mom, I must say I understand how you feel to a certain extent. When my parents come over to help, I have to prepare a bigger dinner, wash more dishes etc plus give them face if they don't like certain parenting style of mine etc. So I keep telling myself to get independent asap for the good of everyone. Besides, my parents are getting old and deserve a break themselves. I will keep you guys updated next year when I stopped chidlcare for my son.

Apricot, great to know you are just nearby. I'm still agonising over the limited choices of kindergartens I am left with, don't think I will send him to another childcare. Right now, I'm considering PAP in Blk 122D or Blk 143 or Nativity Church Kindergarten near Punggol Park. Anyone has any review? All afternoon sessions left, so I'm in a fix as his nap in the afternoon is my sanctuary.
 
Kristins_mom,

That's really a great activity to do with the kids. I love gardening too. Used to grow plants like sunflowers, capsicum etc in Singapore. But since we came here, I have become rather lazy. Wanted to grow pumpkin and tomatoes early this year but never get down to it. The only stuffs I did were strawberry, tulips and a rose bush. You can try planting some bulbs in your garden now. When Spring comes, your garden will look beautiful and colorful. I planted the bulbs once only and they been flowering the last two springs!

Hmm, maybe I'll try to grow some sunflowers &amp; tomatoes indoor in winter
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Wonder if it will work...

I'm thinking of enrolling Cheryl for some classes when we return to Sg too. Again, for interaction reasons.

And yes, agree with you totally on the audio learning part for language acquisiton. Hmm, maybe I should search for a good pair of headphones too.
 
Hi AMum,
Maybe you can find out more abt I CAN READ from those who have done the advanced stage. Last year, my brother-in-law gave good comments on I CAN READ and how it helped his 5-year-old son on reading. Besides, I think it's good to introduce the kids phonetic symbols too. Knowing phonetic symbols is a great skill to have when using the dictionary for pronunciation.

Lena,
Are you intending to teach Mel the phonetic symbols?

Meilan,
Same here. I could have gotten my mother-in-law over to "help". But really, I told my hubby that it would mean more workload for me in reality. I couldn't bear with the thought of losing my freedom and privacy. And though my mom came to help with the confinement last year (I'm really glad for that), I felt a bit stifled when she's around. Guess I'm used to my way of "managing" the household and kids despite more work.
 
Dear ky,

Just saw the image you sent and have sent you an email with my translation. Let me know if you received it and whether it makes sense to you.
 
Serenade, I know what you mean. In my case, any "help" from mother-in-law is really very limited. As for my own mum, her help is too overwhelming it's a bit imposing sometimes. I feel sorry for my mum who's like a salve to her children and cannot accept that we have grown up. She and my mother-in-law are really two extremes but no prize for guessing whom I appreciate more nonetheless.
 
hi hi everyone

hi Meilan, yes, I saw your mail. Yes, make sense but I'll need to refer to the game and match against that before I'm sure. But thanks a lot for your time. yes, I need interpretation for the parts of animals too ... thx.

glad to see u more online now. Just make sure u don't get addicted :> my mum and my MIL are exact opposites too ... my MIL is the slave to her kids and ya, she's too overbearing for me that I'm the only one amongst the daughter/DIL that is a SAHM. She has expressed tons of wishes (to a new mother of daugter/DIL) to help out.... so far, the DILs have not accepted her help fulltime, only occassionally. My mum is on her own and would never lift a finger to help. My only SIL is also a SAHM and she gets frustrated when she asked her to bbsit the kids for an afternoon and she'll convenient run off home when she feels like it.

Lena,
Sorry about the forum. I just went in and saw that it's locked, ie no new users allowed. There was some quarrels within the forum and such changes are pretty freq. I'll extract the links and post to you (&amp; a few others). what's the auction URL that you got your bag from? I'm also transacting in actions a lot ... realize that it's cheaper &amp; more convenient to buy &amp; sell unused stuff that way.

kristins_mom/Serenade,
Learning Ladder has a website, www.learningladder.com.sg ... there are 2 branch/affiated centre, one of them at bukit timah &amp; another at Katong (I think). I think play-based and focusing on the child's interest are getting popular. There's another good one I heard at creativeO (in creative itself); a fren is in queue for her #3 for a year though her older 2 boys are in it ... but the teachers and programme are really good. I heard of another centre near my place at Yew Tee but they are full till next year. Schools like such do not have a lot to show, eg if you are looking at stuff which you can bring back every month, that's nothing much to see.

I think if you look around, you should be able to look for one that suits you near your place. At TLL, the kids have playground time twice a day, once in morning and once in afternoon, and a number of kids are on half-day prog or get fetched at 5pm (that's their flexi prog). Most kids hop onto the schoolbus and they will not get lunch. But Ben gets his as I fetch (via public transport). And every teacher/parent will tell me it's good as he gets to mingle with the older kids during lunch.

I've just got a Curious George paperback over the weekend and Ben reacted quite ok to it .... shall see if he'll love it (&amp; forget abt Dr Seuss). I'm waiting for the complete adventure from Amazon to land.

btw, on Halloween, we just did this yesterday ...
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It's made entirely out of newspaper + black paper. Just rolled the newspaper, scotch-tape them together, cut to shape and paint. Pretty cute huh ... u can do the same for Xmas tree too.

ladies ... thanks for sharing so much of your life with us here. It's been lively discussions and I'm learning a lot from everyone. Perhaps I should disclose something &amp; I hope everyone would forgive me .... nope, I'm not some secret agent or salesperson trying to dig up presonal information. I'm not really a SAHM but a WAHM. I have a home-based job working for a polytechnic on administrative work. Work can be pretty switched off or busy depending on the times of the month. I guess I'm lucky to have this job that gives me small pocket money for me to be able to spend on my kids. Do forgive me if I've not been truthful but I do consider myself more of a SAHM whenever people asked me rather than a WAHM; and the realization usually came after a while.

.ky.
 
9am picnic is fine with me. See you girls then.

Sounds like Serenade and Kristin's_mom have 'green fingers'. Imagine your kids picking and eating fruits and veggies right from the garden...

Ky,
Joining us next wk? The moms4mom parenting forum seems interesting especially the hobby section. I was into cross-stitich but have stopped, maybe time for me to pick the thread and needle again...Btw, I managed to register for the forum.

Hmm, I once applied for a home-based admin job with a poly too...didn't get it coz it requires knowledge on a particular software. Could it be the same??

Lena,
You've got mail! Arrgh...the auctions are quite addictive but very tiring too...The things pp auction are 'incredible'. Has never check out the auction till you mentioned...btw, can't find the 'tough cookie' seller leh.

Meilan,
My mom and mil are 2 extremes too. Mil offer to mind Hannah while I work (coz higher pay than her). I'm grateful that hubby prefers me being SAHM. Sometimes, I wish both of them could just 'blend' and that will be wonderful. My mil is a wonderful lady, just that we have our own preferred ways of doing things, bringing up our kids etc, and I guess that's how conflicts occur.
 
Sorry, girls. Somehow, the earlier posting did not go through.

9am picnic is fine with me. See you girls then.

Sounds like Serenade and Kristin's_mom have 'green fingers'. Imagine your kids picking and eating fruits and veggies right from the garden...

Ky,
Joining us next wk? The moms4mom parenting forum seems interesting especially the hobby section. I was into cross-stitich but have stopped, maybe time for me to pick the thread and needle again...Btw, I managed to register for the forum.

Hmm, I once applied for a home-based admin job with a poly too...didn't get it coz it requires knowledge on a particular software. Could it be the same??

Lena,
You've got mail! Arrgh...the auctions are quite addictive but very tiring too...The things pp auction are 'incredible'. Has never check out the auction till you mentioned...btw, can't find the 'tough cookie' seller leh.

Meilan,
My mom and mil are 2 extremes too. Mil offer to mind Hannah while I work (coz higher pay than her). I'm grateful that hubby prefers me being SAHM. Sometimes, I wish both of them could just 'blend' and that will be wonderful. My mil is a wonderful lady, just that we have our own preferred ways of doing things, bringing up our kids etc, and I guess that's how conflicts occur.
 
Ky!
Managed to registered for Moms4moms hee hee
Hey, what do u sell? any good buyer to reccommend (besides yourself heehee)
Ur pumpkin is lovely and well done! I love craftwork too but not very tidy with the paints and stuff, poor workmanship lah, i tell myself it's Mel's authentic creation so it's ok haha


Sarah
See u at the new forum!
I will see if i can forward the picture of my bag to u.
Did u send mail to my hotmail a/c? I changed my email addy to yahoo.

Meilan
Curious George is cool. Try Richard Scarry's too. Serenade got the copy i suggested. Joining us on 5 Nov?

K's mom, did u manage to find it at 'serenade's' price?

Serenade
phonetic symbols sure are useful, and they are helping me a lot in pronunciation. Can u read them too? Will teach mel but when she's older, depending on her readiness.


GtG
will get back later, my rascal is jumping too much on the bed!!
 
Hi Mommies!

It's a busy thread here!
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Hi Meilan!

Welcome back! Yeah, don't get too addicted to the forum... like me haha!
Actually, I'm thankful that my mom has been here to help. But sometimes, it can be quite a toll on me too coz she doesn't understand the language and she doesn't go anywhere without me.
On the other hand, with her around, sometimes I could go for bible study or run some errands without the kids. Anyway, she'll be going back to SG with my dad soon. See, my dad has to come over to fly back together with them. And my husband and I will be checking into a hotel for the weekend for a short holiday... just the two of us!
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This is probably the only break for us without children for a long time... actually, come to think of it, I haven't gone on a holiday with my husband ever since I had my first baby.

With mom around has been great coz my mom has always been my closest friend. She doesn't interfere with my parenting style. But the children sometimes do know how to be manipulative, e.g. they fuss about who's gonna bathe them, feed them, put them to bed etc.

My MIL and FIL came for a visit in summer... can you imagine? Full house!!! Three grandparents! Thank goodness my dad doesn't like the heat. MIL and mom are two extremes too... MIL has always been a FTWM. Never minded a child on her own... you know, she'll hand the baby over to me whenever the baby needs a fresh diaper!

Thanks for the suggestion on capturing cuddles of your children. Maybe I should try that and blow up the pictures and show them whenever they fight...

Hi Serenade!

We don't really have a garden here... just a huge balcony. Can I do strawberries too? I was afraid it'll invite birds. How do you plant them? We had sunflowers too. But it was too hot and it died! Bryan went, "Oh look Mom! The sunflower is dead!" He wasn't very happy then.

I'm actually an "accidental" gardener... I guess I've been lucky this year coz of the fabulous weather. I have lots of lavender coz it's supposed be insect repellent, though it attracts lots of bees. It was so great when we were in London, Bryan suprised my friend when he saw an impressionistic painting and exclaimed, "Look, Mom. It's lavender!" She's wondering, "How on earth does a 3-yr-old see that??!!" We also live next to the Botanical Gardens here in Frankfurt and there are lots of lavender bushes. So in summer or when the weather is good, we spend lots of time in the gardens. Kristin just repeated after me "flower" in Mandarin when I pointed at the flowers this morning... and she's doing it herself now!

Hi Lena!

Yeah... got it around Serenade's price. A few cents in difference. But I guess shipping is different from country to country.

I think I'll give IPA a miss at the moment like you do. Am quite happy that Bryan is spelling/recognising some words.

Hi ky!

Your pumpkin looks so wonderful! On our way to school this morning, Bryan saw lots of Halloween decoration on some of the houses. He was suggesting that I make a pumpkin too. I was thinking of doing some glass painting. Your idea has come in really handy! Thanks!
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Wow! You are a WAHM! That's even more remarkable!
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How do you find the time to work?!! I think you're sacrificing even more nap-, sleep-, me- time!

Bryan was at this playgroup in Jurong Point before he came over to Germany. It was a wonderful place. And I think it's given him a secured start into preschool. It's called Clement's Playhouse. But it only has two-hour programmes.

Hi Sarah!

You should have seen Bryan's face yesterday. He was so proud that we could have flowers on the dining table from our balcony! When daddy came home, Bryan told him in an excited tone, " Daddy, these are OUR flowers, from the balcony!"

Oh... we've got a gigantic tomato plant. The first picture was taken in early May. And the other one is the recent one.

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And these are the flowers from the balcony. It's amazing that they are still blooming now even though it can get very cold and frosty at night these days.

Yeah, I'm really thankful, like ky said, for a new found support group on this forum. Really Mommies, you have no idea how much all your jovial attitudes help me to appreciate my role as SAHM better.

Have a wonderful weekend! And enjoy your family!
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Hi Apricot/Lena/Sarah/Ky,

I am fine with 9am outing next Sun. but afraid might notbe able to mk it as both of my previous ones are down with fever and cough, one after another. sigh......

Hope they are well by then. Will sure inform you guys if I cannot mk it.

Cheers
 
Dear all,

Thanks for your responses to my postings and warning abt not getting addicted to the forum. Actually I could not sleep last night - hangover from a huge cup of coffee in the afternoon, hence the unusual flood of messages. But indeed, I promised myself moderation from the start cos time really feels so much more precious now that I'm a SAHM. That's why I don't have broadband at home, I pay per use to restrict myself.

ky, you are amazing! How many hours do you work a week and how do you find time to work and still have time to do art and craft? Talking of which, I've yet to find success in completing any art n craft with my boy despite several attempts at different things. He never has the patience to listen to my instructions and always insists on his own ways. The result? Damaged materials, dirtied himself and the work area + TANTRUMS!!!I read abt how you all share tips abt teaching this and that to your kids and I just wonder why I can't seem to enjoy the same activities with mine (the baby is just like her brother - hyperactive, easily distracted and strong mind of her own). That's what I'm so thankful abt Curious George as I've never been able to engage my son for so long. Thks Lena. We have Richard Scarry's best ever VCD (can't help feeling amused by the title) and will check out the books. As for the baby, everyone tells me to read to her but it's just impossible without the book being snatched from me for her destruction (sigh!). If any of you have any gd advice on engaging such kids, pls share.

Thanks also for sharing abt your own mums and mils. Glad to know some of you have wonderful mils and sharing some positive influence in this sensitive area which I better not hinge on.

As for the definition of SAHM, I guess there are variations including those who work to some extent but personally I feel that the impt thing here is the readiness &amp; willingness to adjust your life to make time for your kids. I feel saddened by the state of motherhood today - most mothers feel the societal pressure to work harder rather than spend more time with their children for whatever reasons (eg career ambitions, sense of status, money etc) and feel that they have "no choice". Or worse, that they won't be able to stand facing their kids all day so better outsource to childcare centres or parents or maids. What is the motivation for having children if we fear spending more time with them? And if they are really so scary, then how could we make other people take the hardship on our behalf? To be honest, I was one of those people until I joined the league of SAHM and suddenly opened myself to a whole new perspective. I remember crying to my husband after talking to 2 SAHM with 2 kids each, zero support from parents/in-laws and have been managing household &amp; cooking on their own since their 1st baby. I was very touched by their strength and positive attitude and felt so ashamed for feeling so easily frustrated. So here I am, in this forum, trying to find more support and hoping to share my experience as I trudge along. I'm beginning to feel proud telling people I'm a SAHM thesedays
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Hi Meilan
Yes yes, must but richard scarry's, again, we just had a good laugh over a few stories!
Hey, i totally agree abt ur views abt SAHMs, i remember reading this from somewhere If one can be a SAHM, one can do everything else and even better! Cool yah.
Are u joining is for botanics?

K's mom
Your plants are cool, but m more interested to see who sits around the table with the flowers lah... haha and u're right abt our support group, it's made even better with your contributions!

Blurblurpooh
your kids will be well in no time, tender loving care needed ;) hope to see u on sun!


GTG, princess is up!
 
Hey Mommies!

The outing is this Sunday right?
Sure is gonna be fun, and we're sad that we're missing it again... sigh!

Anyhow, do enjoy yourselves and hope the weather will be beautiful and the haze has cleared up - hasn't it?
 
Hi Meilan!

Can't agree more to what you said about SAHM. I'm really thankful that mommies here have allowed me to appreciate my role as SAHM better and look other ways when my children frustrate me.

I know it makes your heart ache when your little ones devour the books literally!
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My younger one is also tearing up books... Hope it's just a phase. I need to supervise and be there to hold the books and point pictures to her to distract her from exploring the books the wrong way. I remember my older one went through a similar phase. But one day, he started enjoying books like any other normal person does. Maybe give your little one more board books or books she can play around with too... e.g. turn a corner to change a colour/shape or like type of books.

Maybe other moms have more ideas... will be pleased to learn more too!
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Hey Lena!

You've just made being SAHM my sole ambition!
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I will not forget to put it down on my CV now. I'm sure this will be an enormously valuable asset to any organisation!
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It sure is a feat to manage and run a household well.
 
Hi Mummies,

About curious george, richard scarry and berestein bears, I have read thru some of the books at book shop yesterday and true enough I cannot leave the books off my hands. I like them alot and I am sure Aston will love them too. Can anyone share what are the full range of titles in them ? I wanted to check the webby for the information but thot maybe Lena/Serenade/K's Mom will advise faster..and are there ongoing new titles ?
 
About this sunday outing, we need to monitor and confirm as the day comes nearer. No choice cos the haze is back today and we cannot enjoy a hazy picnic.

So far, 6 families will be there...wow !!!
1. Apricot (2 adults &amp; 1 boy)
2. Blurblur_Pooh (2 adults, 1 boy &amp; 1 baby girl)
3. MH (2 adults, 1 girl, 1 baby)
4. Aileen (2 adults &amp; 1 boy)
5. Lena (2 adults &amp; 1 girl)
6. Sarah (2 adults &amp; 1 girl)

Anyone wana join us ? All are welcome !
 
Hi AMum,

Which bookshop did you manage to see the books?
Care to share?

Been trying to find those books like Curious George, but failed. Or anyone got contacts to BP these titles?
Running out of books to read to DS.

Thanks.
 
a quick reply from me ... hope I can join this sunday. I'm still debating this vs 2 other appts. The sunday playgroup which I go to clashes on timing and this week is hosted by one of my fav mummies (so really hope to go). Anyway, we went to Botanic Gardens last Sunday (impromptu coz haze was gone and we didn't have a better place to go) .... at almost 10am, place was flooded with tourists, Japanese I guess and carpark was full (we park at the "legally unlegal place" - there are coupon parkings there and can have a better chance to find parking lots). Ben brought his bike along and we had a wonderful morning there. Maybe we'll just turn up again :> ... shall see how

.ky.
 
Hi aa,

I saw CG, BB &amp; RS at Times Bookstore. You shld be able to find them in MPH &amp; Kinokuniya but not Popular cos I did not see them there.
 
Hi Kristin's_mom,
Your balcony sure looks huge, and nice view! Was that the botanic gdns? How abt planting juicy watermelons in the summer?
How was your weekend break? Hope you enjoyed yourself without missing B and K too much...

Mommies,
Oh yes, the botanic gdns is as always crowded. May have to park outside the park. Btw, there's a plant sale that day so expect more pp.
 
Hi Apricot
Which books are u more keen on? my personal fave is curious george n richard. Not sure which are new but i buy my books according to the theme i want. For example, berenstain bears has one abt going to school which is good to prepare mel for next yr. Richard has one on fire station. George has one on camping. There are many themes for each, maybe u can work around that and choose a good mix.

hi Sarah
i got both bags, they appear to be of better quality on picture. like the small tote more. can;t complain much, there is always a risk in online buying.

<font color="ff0000">Mommies
Plant sales and hordes of tourists at botanics, shall we change the venue? ECP? or??? however, if we can't inform everyone, botanics is fine.</font>
 
Any little darling on abbott GROW? Am giving away sample sachets. choc n vanilla.

Any on Isomil-soymilk? Mel was put on soymilk after the bad bout of diarrhoea and she likes it better than her regular cow's milk. I am not convinced abt soymilk, can anyone make a comparison here?
 
Hi Lena/Sarah/Ky/MH/Aileen/Blurblur Pooh,

My prince Aston has fallen sick yesterday, phlemy cough, running nose coming..praying hard no fever..will let him rest at home for the next two days. Hopefully we can turn up on Sunday picnic.
 
Hi Sarah!

Yap, behind us is the botanic gdns. Really nice, isn't it? But on the other side, there's a huge construction site now. Not veyr pretty. Otherwise, I will say this place is perfect!
That's only one side of the balcony. Will show you photos on another day. I want to take some pictures of the plants before the winter hits us. It's getting cold... 9 deg during the day and about 3 at night. It's already snowing/sleeting in the higher areas.

Yeah, weekend was sooooooooo great! We haven't got away for anything like this ever since Bryan's born. And we're glad that we didn't have to travel far, just picked a hotel in the city centre actually. So we saved all those travelling stress and time and could really just enjoy ourselves! I almost forgot I had children. :eek:)

Think we're gonna do this more often. My husband and I already have plans when we go back to Singapore.
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You should also leave Hannah with your parents/PILs for a weekend and get away too. So nice to just get away once in a while. So goooood for the husband-wife-relationship... and it's a recharge for the couple! Hahaha... you can see I'm still all smiles
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Hi Kristin's mom,

Agree with you...! Couples must get away once a while to recharge. For me, every sat we visit MIL &amp; leave Aston with her &amp; we will go out. Sometimes we plan where we wana go and sometimes we do not. Initially, we feel "cruel" to leave Aston there and we enjoy ourselves then slowly we realised the separation anxiety is overcomed as it could be probably we simply enjoy the little extra Sat time we go for short makan, movie or shopping or visiting the library or singing. We ever feel bad too for tiring MIL take care him for long hours in that one day once a week, MIL delighted us one day some mths back that she is surprised we did not go out and encouraged us relax ourselves and that day we went to watch Jackie Chan new movie.
 
Hi Mummies,

This is what I found from another parenting forum..sgparenting..

I have some recommendation of books for your young readers. I noticed that many parents find most non-fictions books too difficult for their little readers ad thus they do only story books.

Below are some of the non-fiction/information books which I would find them simple and easy for younger kids. Each consists for big nice pictures/ photographs with large simple text and facts. You can use these to complement your POI. If u are not doing POI, these would be great books for the facts on the subjects then.

1) Series Name : Adventures in Art
Publisher: Prestel Publishing Ltd. (http://www2.txt.de/cgi-bin/WebObjects/TXTSVPrestelCom.woa/52/wo/I4rac17BnOhaqQ5aG/51.12.0.0.53.1.1.0.1)
This series introduced young children to the world of arts in a relaxed and lighted-way.many nice pictures to make POI!!!

2) Series Name : Getting to Know the Worlds Greatest.
Publisher: Childrens Press Chicogo ( Grolier Publishing)
This is one great series for young kids to learn abt great famous artist or composers life and works in a fun way. Dont think they sells this series here in Singapore but can check with Grolier websiteSome cute illustrations by the author, I personally find this series very good. In case u need to do a search, Author is Mike Venezia.

3) Series Name : Pebble Plus.
Publisher: Capstone Press ( www.capstonepress.com )
This series I suppose have other subjects but so far the only subject I saw was called Mighty Machines that talks abt different transportation from Military Tanks, helicopters to dump truck, ambulance etc. My boy loves this series cos the text are only 1 or few sentences on one page with the big nice picture on the opposite page. He can usually read from memory the whole book after I read a few times This series can be found in NLB but according to the librarian, most series are split up to different branches and I hardly can search of books under series unless its stated in the catalog. Great reading books for boys especially.Cool!!!

4) Series Name: The Life and Work of(Heinnemann first Library)
Publisher: Heinemann Library (http://www.heinemannlibrary.com/products/index.asp)
This Heinnemann Library books are great for young readers cos the text are big and simple. It covers many subjects And the above series is biographies abt great artists. Very nice pictures too! Heinmann books might be available in NLB, Borders and Times Publishing.

5) Series name: Rookie Biographies
Publisher: Childrens Press under Scholastic Inc.( www.scholastic.com )
This series is biographies abt famous people like Alexander Graham Bell, Neil Armstrong, George Washington etc Biographies or autobiographies is one subject that most parents or teachers hardly touch It can be boring to learn abt other people but can be fun as well

6) Series name: Childrens Authors (CheckerBoard Biography Library)
Publisher :Abdo Publishing Co. ( www.abdopub.com )
Very simple text and facts on life and works of famous authors like Dr. Suess, J.K Rowling, Shel Silverstein etc

7) Series Name : A buddy book
Publisher : Abdo Publishing Co. (www.abdopub.com )
This series covers simple facts of animals. Introduce habitat and characteristics of these animals to young readers..
 
Hi Amum!

Thanks for the booklist.

Yeah, I think sometimes children enjoy the beautiful pictures of non-fiction books too. I have some thrown out copies from the school library that I picked up in August. Bryan likes them. And Kristin is always very amused by the baby faces she sees in her board book everyday. Actually, aren't those already non-fiction books that we've already started with? I''m sure you have those books too.
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Have you also watched documentaries with Aston before? Bryan saw one last night on a desert. And he was telling his dad how daddy should be giving him the money to take a hot air ballon ride over a desert. Daddy told him he had to earn his own money.
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Am so envious of you that you can get away with your husband every weekend! I think MIL also loves the time she has with Aston every Sat. I'm making use of the next 12 days to run errands and do some shopping for the winter (e.g. gloves, boots for the children) while my parents are still around to help out.
 
Hi Kristin's mom,

Ya, Aston saw those documentataries in one of the TV channel which I tink it's Kids Central or something..oh, I cant rem. He likes them and I may shop for such VCD one day.
 


Hi mommies,

Just in case anybody is missing me, hehe, I have been busy making day trips with my family the last few days. Will share with you gals once I get my messy house tidied.

cheers
 
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