Organizing: Nesting Part 3 {Playroom}

Playroom

This is where Tiger spend most of his time when I am at work.

I can't wait for Lil Dragon to share the room with him.

In order to create more storage,

we bought a cheap beech coloured cupboard from Giant to replace the chestnut bookcase.

I was planning to vamp up the cupboards but that's for another day since there is so much to do.

I finally moved the IKEA glass cabinet into the store room.

The moving resulted in pelvic pain to date..hmmph...

I moved my old books and files to the top and covered them with thick blue cardboard cut into waves.

Now, we have more a little more space and definitely more organized.

Bliss....

I don't know about you but I feel exhilarated after a massive organizing spree..

Hehe, psycho, I know...I am for hire if you need someone for organizing.

Heck, I'll probably do it for free.

 I was saving the parking garage for after the arrival of Lil Dragon so that Tiger will be kept busy but

I caved in to his incessent "Open, open, PLEASE!"

While I was putting it together, I was so glad I did not wait.

It took 2 hours and a bloody thumb.

That's how much of an idiot I am at doing stuff like this.

Here, Tiger was doing his happy strumming dance 

^.^

 He absolutely loved it!

According to Tiger:

Mama: red car

Tiger: blue car

Daddy: black car

^.^

It fitted nicely onto his train table which I covered with black felt and some large puzzle pieces.

We also added some trees and petrol station for fun.

Organizing: Nesting Part 2 {Study room}

 Study room

I have a confession to make.

Little Tiger's study room is my favourite room in the house.

I suspect it's his fav too

since it is the first thing he ask for in the morning

^.^

Just because Little Dragon's arriving soon doesn't mean my boy gets any less attention.

No way!

In case I end up getting butchered (so crude, I know),

I decided to make the study more Tiger-friendly.

<<< >>>

We love the little IKEA table and chair set despite 2 mini accidents, so far.

He has since learned that sitting in a civilised manner would decrease further incidents.

The little pink MAMMUT stool is "Mama tool"

Nobody else is allowed to sit on it  ^.^

We do most of our painting/writing/stamping/right brain memory work/flashing on the desk.

His Tot Tray Shelves have been moved to the side.

He is now Montessori-ed, hehe, the mats are a MUST for trays.

In order to provide more space for Tiger's books since he is able to handle paperbacks now,

I added the another bookcase (from his playroom).

Actually, the help did most of the heavy lifting since my pelvis is killing me.

His Panda Chair has been promoted to the study as well.

I am not sure if the new arrangement is refreshing or it tickles his fancy

but he definitely love reading A LOT more,

much to my delight.

The upper shelves are reserved for his right brain materials and mommy's papers.

More organizing is needed here.

Last but not least, Tiger's fav bookcase.

His puzzle storage...

L.O.V.E.
I have since rearranged the items so that the favoured ones are easily accessible. 

Next up: Playroom

Little Dragon: Nesting Part 1

I finally packed my hospital bag last night.

(Already late by my neurotic standards)

This time I am bringing my Medela single breast pump but I can't find the shield...darn!

Otherwise, I am all set.

I was telling Daddy that in case of emergency, please bring this bag to the hospital

and to remember the last-minute-stuff-note on the mirror.

He replied, "I know lar, this is not the first time, okay?"

Hmmm...

Little Dragon will be 'bunking' with us, so this is her little world for the first few months.

I would like a nursery but due to space limitations, here we are:

I am just swooning over the PINK.

After all the blue, trucks, balls and boring boy fashion, you really can't blame me....

The crib and crib bumper was Tiger's (which he used for 1 month only, brat!)

The crib bumper is for aesthetic purpose until she is able to roll over.

So, come, baby, come...but just turn around first, pleeaaase....

Tot Trays: Montessori Trays at 24 months

In order to save time so that I have more time to prepare Tiger's right brain material,

we are doing montessori work trays this week.

Music:

Picture: Vivaldi with facts

Tuning fork and bells

Pouring:

Cute little watering can and a little bucket.

The can is just the right size for Tiger and oh-so-cute!

A small hanky for wiping spills

(Psst...he loves this!)

Numbers/fractions:

A little tough for Tiger but we shall try

Mini knobbed cylinder

If he finds this too easy, we will add another block.

Stamping and alphabets

Brought over from last week since he enjoyed it so.

Tweezing sponges
The sponges came from an old sponge bomb I made earlier.

He gets to do some sorting as well

I forgot to take a pic of the globe and map/flags :p

Nesting:

Mommy have been nesting like mad and this is part of it.

He is able to handle the paperbacks with care now, so I moved them down for easier access.

More on nesting madness and right brain materials soon!

Tot School: 23.5 months

This is a very late report on Tiger's schooling activities at 23.5 months.

He is still very into alphabets at the moment and sees them everywhere. Even when he spat out his cherry tomato the other day and it landed in a v-shape, he shouted, "Mama, see...V"

Speech is developing well and he surprises me all the time. Last night we went for dinner to celebrate Grandma's b'day and as we were leaving, I spotted the cutest Reebok basketball shoes. Tiger refused to try them and when I presented him with an array of shoes (that I thought were super cute) he shook his head and said, "No nice, mama" When I asked him which one did he liked best, he pointed at his own scruffy sneakers and said, "This one". Even the poor sales girl was laughing and she said, "Your son is saving money for you." So, we left the shop with zero purchase.

I am so proud that he is really keen on reading these days, especially the Brillkids books. Every night, he would choose a few and bring them to bed so that we could cuddle and read them till bedtime. I am just glad that book baskets could be part of his busy bags/baskets now....woohoo!

Daddy is allowed to read too ^.^

Fine motor wise, he is now able to draw circles and several alphabets like V, l, t, etc

<<< >>>

Here are some shots that I would like to cherish and share. We did a lot of other stuff but some involved nudity on my part (painting during bath time kind of stuff) which might be offensive to some :p

He LOVED the simple alphabet book that I put together.

We used stickers, dot painters and his new M&D stampers, etc

Shape finders and the silicone shapes

He can recognize and name most of them now except diamond.

Music: with tuning fork

More alphabet.

He MUST put them in sequence, MUST!

Alphabet game:

Jumping on alphabets Mommy called out.

Chicka chicka Boom boom and his mini foam alphabets.

He LOVED this game that he created himself.

"Mama, sing"

Then, he places the alphabets on the pages like a puzzle

A renewed interest in Alphie

Math:

Mini magnets game and buttons

Reading & props:

The Carrot Seed with pipe cleaners, toy carrots and faux grass.
Here he was watering the seed.
We used some pipe cleaners as weeds

Pretend play:

Teacher-student (Mr Bear)

Teaching Mr Bear the name of the planets

Sensory bin:

His recycled rainbow bin.

We added some mini dinosaurs and foam alphabets
He calls it 'wice'

Daddy time:

Playing his "drum" to Jolly phonics

Mini "fun thinker' from Popular Bookstore.

He enjoyed this as well.

During the two weeks, Tiger ignored the finger puppets

Most of the activities we did revolved around his love of the alphabets at the moment.

So, I just played along.

Anything for you, baby!

Right brain

We are doing home practise on a nightly basis.

I will write more about this soon.

We are enjoying our Sunday classes at Ditoso and Tiger's showing progress.

Tweedlewink

We are attending our last class tonight...sigh...

We will miss it for sure

Brillkids

Umm, we kinda skipped this a lot this week

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

Little Dragon: Failed External Cephalic Version

Little Dragon is now 37 weeks POG and still a breech! :(

When a kind elderly told me that Dragons and Dogs (me) don't get along, I refused to belief. Now, I am starting to. Sigh... I already have a feeling that this little baby doll is going to be a feisty one and she is trying to prove me right. Today, we attempted to perform an external cephalic version (ECV) to try to turn her around so that Mommy could have a normal vaginal delivery. Nope, stubborn as a bull, she refused to budge.

I had a feeling that the ECV was going to fail. Maternal instinct?

The procedure itself was tolerable. (I think Lil Dragon inherited the stubbornness from me ^.^)

I was supposed to fast after breakfast but I umm, took a banana before leaving for the hospital.

Then, we did a CTG to make sure the baby's heart was strong and steady.

They inserted a gigantic branula for the IV bricanyl to relax the uterine muscles. (That was more painful than the procedure itself. I have a fear of needles)

Then, two very experienced specialist attempted to turn my little girl many, many times because I was so adamant.

In the end, she did not move at all and I ended up with a lot skin abrasions and bruises.

After the procedure, I slept for three hours (exhausted!!) and woke up with a sore abdomen....huuhuu...

Right now, I have pretty much made up my mind for an assisted breeched delivery because:

1. I really do not want to have a Caesarean unless my baby's threatened in any way. It is is not right.

2. She is a small one at 2.4 kg.

3. She is an extended breech baby which hopefully means her buttocks would descend first. (Lesser chance for cord prolapse or foot presentation)

4. I really, really do not want to be butchered.

The best part of the day was meeting the kind staff nurse who took care of me during my first delivery. She remembered every little detail including the fact that my epidural failed at 8cm dilatation. Wow! When she told me that she believe that I could do a vaginal breech delivery because I was so determined when I was pushing Tiger, I was on the brink of crying.

In the mean time, fingers crossed that this lil monkey will miraculously decide to turn. I will be extremely good and pray a lot in the mean time...

Family: Happy Birthday Tiger

This post is a week overdue and then some pictures just refused to be uploaded.

Not an easy week, really.

Let's just say the hiatus was due to a man and his bike & people who lack common sense.


On Tiger's birthday morning, we measured his height and he placed a truck on his personal ruler.


Then, he told me to "Go, go, go"
He had to take a dump behind his chair, complete with this pose, hah!


We had a fun day at E kids in Ikano where he roamed the mini playground for two hours followed by a spree at Toys R Us, sponsored by Daddy.

Here's his loot:

Fast Lane Remote Control Car
Fast Lane Parking Garage
Water Guns
2 Leapfrog DVDS
Alphie Number Cards

Favourite gift? Melissa and Doug Alphabet Stamp Set.
Psst...nerd alert!

At night we gathered at Ashleeprettimommy house since she is under house arrest after delivering a handsome baby boy.

Tiger was preoccupied with the cake icing he got on his hand in every shot ^.^

Letter: Happy Birthday

Letter to Tiger

Dear Tiger,


Happy Birthday!

I cannot believe you are actually two...how time flies!

Here's what mommy posted on Facebook (which is a social network created by an American named Mark Zuckerberg. If you can do the same, I would be very happy).

My little birthday boy is 2. 

Dear Tiger, since you came into my life, not a day goes by when I don't feel blessed and contented just by looking at your little face. Your hugs fill me warmth every morning. Your "I love you"s and kisses completes me. 

Everyday, I ask myself' "What have I done to deserve you?" It is a question that I cannot answer. 

Thank you for bringing love, joy, hope and meaning to my life

 I mean every single word.

You are such an awesome little man that the presents started coming on the eve of your birthday. I am posting your gifts so that you will remember to be grateful for all the little luxuries in life that you are in no way entitled to, just very blessed to have. 

Here's one from my boss's missus who haven't even met you in real life :)

Here's the gift that YOU picked and  'forced' ku ku (hubby's sis) into buying.

She was planning to get the Mini Cooper which was half the price of this gorgeous blue one.

SPOILED!

Yes, you are...I wouldn't have allowed it if I went along....

 Mommy took the day off to spend the special day with you and Daddy decided to join us :)

See how blessed you are? I hope you will enjoy yourself on your special day...Mommy's off to bed now...

Just for the record, this was when you were 1 year old: 

 

 Love, 

Mommy

Puzzles: Fun Thinkers

For the past two weeks, Lil Tiger's been identifying similar objects in his surrounding environment and telling me, "same".  When I dressed him up like Daddy in white shirt and jeans, he was super thrilled :)

Last night after blazing through his trays and Little Reader, he asked for puzzles. I was planning to print out some simple matching cards for him when I remembered the Fun Thinker set.

Fun Thinkers set is designed for 4-12 year old. This product originated from Germany and it is represented by Grolier Asia in Malaysia. Each set comes with a hinged plastic grid and sixteen number tiles. I was told that since I bought from Grolier, there is a lifetime replacement guarantee should any cards or tiles go missing. I have yet to verify this claim but trust me, I will make a fuss if they don't since the salesman gave me such a hard time after purchasing. I am nice but only to a certain extend.

The Fun Thinker books are 11 paperbacks of different subjects:

English Levels

1. Level 1 Word Play
2. Level 2 Sounds Like Fun
3. Level 3 Word For Word Fun

Math Levels

1. Level 1 Number Count
2. Level 2 Figure On Fun
3. Level 3 Facts, Figures & Fun

Thinking Skills

1. Level 1 Shhh, I'm Thinking
2. Level 2 Mind Your P's & Clues
3. Level 3 mind Puzzles

All Around Fun

1. Rhymes & reasons
2. FunThinkers™ Match-Frame

I flipped through the books and decided that the first few pages were simple matching activities which were fine for Tiger's level.

Since he is crazy about puzzles, this was a hit. Or is it like Daddy's saying, "New toilet, nice to poop"?

Matching colours (thinking skills)

 Find the Uppercase (English)

He kept asking "Where's a?"

  Counting (Math)

He was a little upset that the numbers were not in sequence.

So, he removed the grid and did his own matching

^.^

Here's a video from Youtube showing how Fun Thinkers is used.

We have the Piccolo and Primo sets as well. Call me a kiasu :ppppp. After he is bored with this, we shall try Piccolo.

These sets are expensive, very expensive, very very expensive. I think I have made my point. You can get similar products (made in China) for a puny fraction of the price like Wisdom Star (Piccolo-like) and the Xiao Tian Cai (Fun Thinkers-like).

Tot School: A Week Without Trays

Tiger's 23.5 months

Last week, fat momma (me) did not prepare trays because:

1. I was lazy

2. Not feeling the creative forces

3. Busy preparing right brain materials

4. Giving me us a break

We did whatever Tiger wanted which was this most of the time:

He was dancing with his bells to the Japanese Alphabet Song downloaded from Brillkids.

LOVE

We also did a lot of Brillkid's Little Reader

We read a lot.

He wanted to thread but this was too tough.

"Help" was the most used word during times like these :)

So, I decided to be a better person and get my big butt moving.

These are his themeless trays for the week:

You know your social life's dead when you are up till three am doing this instead of clubbing

on a Saturday night.

The door b***h will probably bar me from entering from being "fat" anyway.

Oh, same goes for the sex life as well  :p



Left (top to bottom):
1. Music: Tuning fork and cards for C and C sharp
2. Shapes: Laminated shapes with silicone shapes
3. Alphabet: Mommy-made book  {Printed from Childcareland.com}
4. Vocabulary: Wild animals figurines, name tags, and pictures

Right (top to bottom):
1. Literature/Science: The Carrot Seed book, life cycle of carrot,
picture of real carrot, pipe cleaners for craft carrot
2. Numbers: Puzzles and beads
3. Pretend play: finger puppets and theater

 

<<< >>>

Life isn't always simple:

This is work in progress when I am working

Ditoso first lesson:

Tiger was the only student for the time being

which I don't like cause he tends to misbehave without a classmate.

He completed 95% of the work but was a bit of a diva because grandma joined us.

Anyhow, I thought he did splendidly for his first lesson.

He was exhausted and slept on the way home.

I have the sample lesson on Word.

Anyone interested please pm me in case of copyright issues.

I was thinking of removing the trays for a while to focus on right brain

but this has become a habit of sort.

Yeah, crazy.....

Happy Tot schooling!

Linking up to Tot School

Does anyone else keep typing tit instead of tot?