Thursday 26 April 2012

Letter: Tiger's 22 months and Dragon's 29 weeks

Dear Tiger,


Time for another letter, my love.

Despite the fact that I try to capture glimpses of your childhood as much as I can, I still feel like I am failing in so many places and losing out to time.

In 2 months, you will be 2 years old. TWO!! It's the hormones wrecking my tear ducts...*wipes tears*

When I am old and wrinkly, I can imagine myself going through our blog and reading about our crazy adventure in homeschooling. How proud I am that you love to learn.

I just want to make a note here that it is NOT about the fact that you know your A to Z or that you love numbers. It is our special Mommy-Tiger bonding time. It is here in your study room that I sit in a corner and watch you as you put together puzzles, learn your words or simply gleeful from making a mess. It's just different from being anywhere else.

You always make me smile and laugh. I was just thinking the other day, if one kid gives me such happiness, I really can't wait for another to join us :)

I must admit that I am happiest when I see you dance and sing in your goofy manner, espcially when you sing The Planet Song where you stick your tongue out after getting tongue-tied from reciting the planets so quickly. It always sounded like this "eee-ry, ehehehehhehehehehehheeh, Neptune!"

Grandma love watching you perform to the Push and Pull song, where you will fall to the ground, then get up quickly to jump. Then you will spin round and round and blow like the wind.

At 22 months, you surprise me daily with new words like: dark, wear, hold, put, feet. You are calling all beverages soup.

Your fav phrase at the moment is, "Uh-oh, who? *Tiger*


Here are some of my fav moments with you:

Naming the planets, at least ten times a day

 When I asked for a smile, you gave me this:

Surprised!
Copying the ELC expression flashcards

<<< >>>

Dear Little Dragon,

Currently, we are at 29 weeks POG and Mommy's enlarging in all directions...hehe

You are quite the jabber cum kicker.
Already, you are making waves :)

We had a 3D scan last week and I thought you looked like me, until
Daddy said you were alien-like.
 =.="

Yeah, I felt like kicking him then. Not that I am a violent person...

Can't wait to meet you when the moment arrives...


PS: I really hope you look like me...hehe

<<< >>>

At 29 weeks:

Appetite: Increasing (bad news)
Waistline: history
Weight: 54.5kg
Sex drive: Nil...LOL!


With lotsa LOVE,


Mommy

Wednesday 25 April 2012

Others: Family & Pregnancy Shoot


 
Can I do a magazine-labelling of the clothes? I have always wanted to:
Shirt with tie: Baby Kiko
Vest: Lovely Lace
Coat: Trudy and Teddy
Pants: Mothercare
Shoe: Nike

Extremely handsome model: Little Tiger
Clothes sponsored by: Mommy ^.^  & Daddy =.="


My super adorable niece, Prettichubbi and my lovely but insane sister who is supposed to look more pregnant than me!

My boys..

Mommy, Daddy and Little Dragon..

My most model-like pose..hehe...

My perfect life summarized in a word...



Photo taken at Zens Studio.

Monday 23 April 2012

Free play: Bubbly Magic

Like most shopaholic moms, I have been thinking about purchasing a bubble machine for a looong time now. 

Every kid I know love bubbles. There is something uplifting and magically fascinating about these little floaters...

Why a bubble machine? What's wrong with a bubble wand?

Have you tried blowing, erm, bubbles continuously for 5 minutes? Yeah..you become lightheaded and giddy after a while. I've tried delegating the job to my help but the OCD me kept imagining her saliva and droplets on the bubbles. Tiger tries to catch the bubbles with his mouth at times...so, no thank you.

So, I was waiting for a bubble machine to go on sale ever since .

When I found out that ELC was having a 50% discount for their bubble machine, it was a must buy for me. Imagine my horror when they were sold out by the first few days. Darn x 1000! Apparently there are a lot of crazy mamas out there :p


I managed to buy a large bottle of bubble solution at 50% discount,
Here are some DIY bubble recipes to try out.
Personally, I have yet to try any.
 If I DIY, it will take 2 years, just like the Borax sitting in the drawer, or the water beads.

No bubble machine = no fun!
So, I bought a hand held bubble maker (not on discount. *boo*)

Still, no regrets in the end because Tiger could work it!
It came with small container to dip which require some precision.

Then, just press the button and presto, BUBBLES!
This one was a little alien-looking :p

Success!

I am going to start making my own bubble solution because at least half will end up on the floor :)


Other ideas from the blog world:

Experiment with different objects as bubble wands.
Maybe with water dispenser for self service?

Like this uber cute one




Sunday 22 April 2012

Tot Trays: No Theme Week @ 22 Months


We are taking a small break from Space Week because if I have to listen to The Solar System Song again...

As much as I dread the song, it is receiving lotsa airplay as it is still one of his Top 10 Songs at the moment. I think the Felt planets are to blame..hehe...but they are holding up very well despite daily use.

Since he is so in love with music and dancing, I have enrolled him for Kinder Beat. It is an Australian music and movement class tailored for 2-4 years old. We are starting our first lesson this weekend, so I have another 5 days to warm up the idea to Tiger.

The Music Kit that cost RM 145 :p
A bear, a book and a CD
Lessons are an hour long weekly, non-replaceable.
Fee: RM80/month

The very neat Tot Tray shelf

The not so neat classroom :p
He still has his Space station, Space sensory bin and posters.



On the shelf:

Flashcards:
I've noticed that Tiger's fine with the pictures or picture-words cards.
He absolutely hates the words (Doman-style) ones

So, this week, we are doing colourful one :)

Clockwise from 1 o'clock:
1. ELC alphabet touchy-feely.
2. ELC expressions card
3. TW actions card
4. Colourful animals card. For speedplay



 Threading blocks

 Multi-combination puzzle.

Geography:
Map and pegged flag puzzle

Number chips to introduce teens

Category box
&
 my old jewelery box to keep the chips (to entice him)

This week's rather simple because Mommy need a break :)

I am thinking of doing Weather next...so many fun ideas!

Linking up to Tot School at 1+1+1 = 1

Thursday 19 April 2012

Messy art: Textured Brush Painting

I have decided to post our flops for several reasons:
  1. A reminder to repeat these flopped activities in the future.
  2. To share the gritty reality of what happens during school.
  3. Sometimes, it ain't easy. Infact, it's a lot of work. There are breakdowns, tantrums, tears in between the giggles. I just want to capture the the other side of the coin.
  4. Most of the time, things just don't go the way I planned in my head and I must learn to accept and adapt :)

So here's flop Number 1:

Tiger requested for painting last night. Come to think of it, he didn't ask. He just went to his art drawers and took out a bottle of paint. Then, he made an exaggerated effort to uncap the bottle, while giving me his puppy-eyed look.

Mommy: Painting?
Tiger     : Nods head.
Mommy: What colours do you want? You can have three.
Tiger     : Purple
Mommy: Gave him a container to put his bottles of paint, naming the colours as he did it. Lifting a bottle of green paint. What colour is this, baby?
Tiger     : Purple
Mommy: Okay, boss. You win...


After I set up his messy art stuff, I realised that my camera battery pack's empty. Darn!!!

I quickly went out of the study to charge the battery, Tiger tagged along and decided to help himself to more paint. The art supplies drawer is just outside his study. =.="

I could smell the stink of failure looming close by....


These are his textured brushes form ELC (30+10% discount)
You can easily make these. I am just too lazy.

I clipped a cloth onto his foldable table and demonstrated to him.
He tried it ONCE.
All he wanted to do was....

THIS!!!
Play with water  o.O

 After he's done pouring, he would
sign "more",
say "more"
Point to my bathroom to refill 

I'll say, "No"
then "Okay, last time" 

Repeat process 5 times.

This was the end result :)

Not all was wasted

In the end , we didn't produce art but Mommy got a hug ^.^
&
a very satisfied 22 month old who got his way

Totally worth it despite the flop!



Wednesday 18 April 2012

Tot School: Home Practise Schedule From 9 to 18 months

This is not a new post. This was Tiger's daily one hour schedule since September 2011, last updated Feb 2012.

I am just saving the old page here so that I don't lose it under the mounds of 'saved' stuff in Tiger's folder. We have a 'new schedule' under the Headers if you are interested :)

       <<< >>>


Tiger LOVE learning and because there is so much to do, we tend to go off course. So, we have a rough guide that evolves with Tiger as he grows.

Currently, our curriculum is a blend of:


Tiger’s daily 1-hour home practice schedule


      Welcome Song & Theme Song
8 minutes hug (rarely successful with a squirmy toddler)
Praise good points
Talk about day

2.   Eye & breathing exercises
Eye: Optic light/colour flash & follow the object; like puppets
Breathing: Blowing exercises (this will later translate into alpha wave relaxation classes when he's older)

3.   Math
Little Math
Skip counting/beads counting (he loves skip counting most)

4.   Vocabulary/Phonics/Theme work


Monday
   Tweedlewink class
Notes
Tuesday
1.       Chinese Little Reader (Brillkids)
2.       Odonata books
3.       Chinese flashcards (rarely)
4.       Chinese books
Doing Brillkid's a pain in the ass nowadays.
If he doesn't like it, I'll do Starfall, singing, reading, etc          
Wednesday
1.       Little Reader (English)
2.       Phonics/starfall     

Thursday
1.       Chinese LR
2.       Sequencing/puzzles
3.       ESP/memory play (Shichida work)

Friday
1.       LR
2.       Music & World Study

Saturday
1.       Free day/make-up day (if we missed any class)

Sunday
1.       Art & Craft/ Messy art OR
2.       Shopping OR
3.       Field trip/grandma’s




Everyday activities (he chooses any of these, sometimes all, sometimes none, usually some):
Drawing/Dot painting/Sticker
Tot trays (Montessori activities) and music tray
Speedplay (Theme cards+ tweedlewink cards) I flash about 2 cards per second.
Sensory tub
Reading: I have to use puppets to engage him.
*During this time, I'll leave the Tweedlewink DVDs on. He doesn't like to sit and watch. He'll be busy with everything else and only pay attention to Perfect Pitch and Math.


Bye-bye
Thank you song and I love you and kiss..muaksss…
Clean up song (Usually I am the only one cleaning)


I don't torture my son. He loves his study room more than his playroom. He has a section in the living room with his in-rotation toys which is where he spends most of his time.


If I give him the option of choosing between going out or studying, he would ALWAYS ask for study!


Well, if I ask ice cream or study? He would choose ice cream. Who wouldn't?

<<< >>>

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Parenting: Why Some Men Make Poor 'Mothers'?

Disclaimer: This post is in no way refering to all men out there, just the spolit, old-fashioned ones, like my dear hubby :)

Why?

Dear hubby/Daddy man has never:
1. Changed or intend to change a diaper
2. Prepare formula milk. He fed Tiger once when he was really little. I think he'd gotten cramps after that.
3. Do housework.
4. Make his own instant noodles.
5. Geez, I am making him sound so bad. I'll stop but trust me, I could go on and on :p

When we decided to get married I knew exactly what I was getting into, him being the only son. So, I ain't complaining. As long as he hires a help to do the housework, I am A-okay :p

Not that I no longer clean, I am borderline OCD afterall.



Back to parenting, here's a sample of events that took place over the weekend:


What happened when Daddy decided to come home early on Friday to spend time with Tiger?

Daddy did not latch the safety gate on top of the stairs and Tiger tumbled down five steps. He ended up with a HUGE, MONSTROUS bump on his forehead. Luckily, the help was coming up the stairs and she broke the fall. Otherwise, I would have thrown Daddy down the stairs. Tiger was alright with no broken bones or neurological deficits but my heart chipped a bit.


Saturday was uneventful because Tiger spent the day with Grandma and I sans Daddy. I bought a ton of books for him from Bookxcess to make up for the boo-boo. Mostly pop-up books that he loves.



On Sunday, we to KLCC. Daddy wanted to spy on the competition at the PC expo. Not that he would enjoy book-shopping with us. Tiger loves bookstores. He kept pulling out books from the rack and telling me, "BOOKS!!" 

 I topped up my reading list as well :)

Because I love Daddy too, I bought him one book
I tagged him on Facebook and he said, "Very funny meh?"
I could tell the was trying to suppress his laugh.

 After dinner at my parent's place, Tiger wanted to 'play' summore.
He asked for his dino toothbrush and the shaving cream.
We 'cleaned' his wild animals.
We are learning about wild animals in Tweedlewink at the moment.
This is a revision but Tiger didn't have to know that. =.<
That's learning with Mommy.
You can still see the bump on his forehead in this pic

After a quick shower by Mommy, obviously, we played school.
Daddy decided to impart some knowledge too.
My two boys were playing with the dinos when suddenly Daddy started laughing.
LOUDLY and LEWDLY 

This was what he did...
Okay, I laughed too and called him a "teenager"
I think he took it as a compliment..sigh
It's alright because my mum's dogs do this all the time.
See why some men make poor mothers?
I would never, ever in a million years do this!

PS: Babe, I still love you, for better or for worse....

Monday 16 April 2012

Tot School: S is for Star and Space

He enjoyed almost everything that I set up for Star/space week  ^.^
Perhaps it is due to the fact that we are taking things easier, allowing him to have the time to enjoy the process.
I am still energetic enough but I can feel the toil of pregnancy catching up.
Hence the slowing down...

He is still saying NO! to flashcards =.="
Also, he is refusing to do Little Math or Little Reader. Darn it!
I have just downloaded Beta version of Little Musician and he LOVES it!
It supplements our perfect pitch training.
Here's the link: Little Musician
You have to give this a try :)

If not for Tot School & Montessori, we'll probably be watching Barney, a lot..hehe!
My little nerd loves the Peter Weatherall songs I downloaded from You tube,
especially the Push & Pull Song.

His speech is developing at a breathtaking speed. He is asking,
Where, Who, How? ALL THE TIME.

The Tot Tray Setup here

Here are some snapshots into our School life:

Here's Tiger with the S cards.
He enjoyed naming the planets.

As expected, we did not get the moon phases on the scratch cards :)

He did not like the glass beads I prepared.
So, I replaced them with smiley stickers.
Tiger called them the "bleck bleck" stickers while sticking out his tongue

He went into Crazy Tot Mode again and did all these.
He kept asking for more when he was done, even after a bath :)

He loved the matching activity with the planet cards.
I lost count how many times he chose this tray.
By the end of first week, he was working independently.
Monkey's in the pic too because, well, he's pretty much around all the time :)

He REALLY enjoyed learning the names of the planets.
Here, he matched our felt planets to the poster

Making 'space' with black crayon and stars


The Math Peg puzzle.
He knows 0-10, so this is independent work.
Arranging in sequence.

He even extended the activity by matching them to his sticky numbers

Cling gels
He tore 'Saturn' into pieces :p

Reciting his alphabets.
I gave him the uppercase stickers for matching.
He is in his letters phase right now.

He is still very much in love with his Space Sensory Bin and Centre ^.^

Art & craft

Others


<<< >>>

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Water Beads Bin

I have been meaning to do this for a while now and started hunting for them since last year.
Lo and behold they were in the neighbourhood. The GLEE and JOY!
I bought these water beads from a nearby plant nursery, ermmm, during Chinese New Year.

Yeah, that's how long they have been waiting patiently for me to add water and make them oh-so-fun.

Water beads are super water absorbing co-polymer, the same material used to make contact lenses.
They are non toxic and if ingested by animals they come out the looking the same  :)
They can last for two years and re-watered as necessary.

I soaked 2 packets for 8 hours and during that time I could not keep my hands away. Funny how I felt the same way about my hubby not too long ago. Muahahahaha  *Note: to delete last sentence before sharing blog with Tiger.

Tiger enjoyed the bin very much.
He couldn't keep away too :)
Really, if I could soak my hands, feet and heck immerse myself in a tub of these,
I'll probably never lose my temper again.

 I kept his pacifier on the entire time just in case he thinks they are gummies.
He didn't try to eat any but these suckers are real tempting.
Oh, and they bounce like anything.
If your child is a thrower, you may want to do it outdoors


To dispose, just mix into your soil.
Not recommended for plants indoors in Malaysia as they may serve as mosquito breeders.

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Art & Craft: Glitter Star

I hot-glued a tongue depressor star for Tiger to apply his creative side.

The glitter paint tubes are from ELC (30% discount)

Very nice consistency and easy to squeeze tubes, unlike the cheapo China ones.

See how he enjoyed it?
This is the first time he crafted so intently till he needed to be prone.


In the evening, I filled up the giant pool but my boss refused to get into the water o.O
So, we made a mess instead.

He insisted that the puppets must be around.
The tiger puppet nearly drowned in the pool :p
The monkey got dirty.
Casualties of art...



At the end of the day, Tiger:

1. Slipped on the paint and got a bump on the back of his head
2. Scratched his left cheek from playing 'Mommy Monster' indoors
3. Bruised his right cheek from falling in crawling tunnel

Bad mommy moment!!
Grandma must be secretly glad I am usually working...
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