Picky Eater No More

Tiger is spoiled by my MIL.
Meals used to take up to 1 hour, at the very least.
He runs around and expect my MIL to go after him, lovingly feeding him spoon by spoon.
He is five this year. Five.
Needless to say, I cannot stand it. I just cannot.
His kindergarten teacher's first feedback was, "Tiger is a picky eater"
I KNOWWWWW.

The list of food he likes includes broccoli, green beans, peas, Ebiko and seaweed. Salmon & Chicken.
No sauce or soup please.
Every scoop that goes into his mouth must consist of one colour only.
God forbid a piece of  meat or vegetable should be buried in the rice.

Of course he loves McDs and ice creams and sweets and chocolate. I do not restrict my kids to organic, home made, super nutritious, pesticide-free, animal-cruelty free, GMO-free food.
You can, of course but it's not our choice. Everything in moderation is my motto.

So, during our last trip to Malacca, he was doing his famous "I am so full, I cannot eat routine" during breakfast. I was losing my temper faster than oil burning but since we were out in public, I had to maintain some dignity.

I whipped out my phone, tapped on Youtube and typed, "starving Africans kids" and pressed play on the first video on the list.

I asked Tiger sweetly, "You want to watch Youtube?"

He nodded gleefully.
Within seconds, he his lips quivered and tears started rolling down his face.

"Mama, I don't want to watch this..."

"No, finish watching it. I insist."

He did.

"Do you understand how lucky you are to have food whenever you are hungry?"

"Do you want to go to Africa and live with those kids?"

Wailing cries followed but he finished everything I served him.
For a week, whenever he says refused a meal, I would whisper, "Africa..."

From then onwards. No more food issues.
He tells us whenever he needs a snack.
He is willing to try new food.
You can hashtag gratitude on that.

I still remind him to appreciate food, to eat whenever he is hungry, not to be overly greedy, etc.
Stuff that used to fall on deaf ears....now he gets it!!

Last night, I asked him about school and he said,

"We ate porridge today and it was delicious. There are vegetables in it"

I nearly cried from joy.
I wanted to sing and dance.

No more lectures.

No more nagging. 

No scolding. 

No yelling.

Case closed.

I love you, Youtube.

Next time I meet a picky eater, I will prescribe:

This video, stat dose.

 

Grit & Determination

Some people are very driven for success.

They are focused, they do not give up easily and they are goal-oriented.

I am not.

I would be miserable if I had to live like that.

Tiger is terrible at failing. A sore loser.

If he fails, he would give up and walk away.

I will have to encourage him with words, hugs, kisses...the works.

With whatever intelligence he has, it will all account for nothing if there is no drive.

On the other hand I have this little fighter.

She may be only 2 but she is probably more determined than all of us put together.

Doesn't back off.

Fearless.

'I will try until I die' attitude.

This is her with her 26 blocks, last night.

With about seven blocks left and I had to grab my camera.

I forgot to switch off the flash and it annoyed her.

She pauses and readjust the blocks when needed.

 

 At this point it was already taller than her.

Tiger is at the computer, watching phonics video meant for her.

The blocks were to supplement the learning but...nevermind.

This one is a creator, not a reader

The last block

And.....

...it crashed onto her face and body.

She was shocked and a little disappointed.

I could tell.

She walked towards me and sat in my lap.

She hugged me tightly and sniffled a bit.

 One minute later, she was back to trying again.

It's the same when she is playing golf.

She tries and tries even though she couldn't.

She inspires me to try harder.

To put in a little more effort.

You only need to be extremely good in one thing in life.

Jordan, Trump, Madonna, Phelps, etc.

I bet not everyone I mentioned is on the Dean's list.

Find their niche, harness their magic.

Nurture their gifts.

Whatever else, just try their best.

Here's a TED talk on grit by Angela Lee Duckworth

on the importance of grit for success.

PS: In case you are questioning my sanity on her fashion choices,

she is her own fashion consultant.

The "Yes" Mom

"Can't you ask her to sit down?" 

"Aren't you going to scold her?"

"If she's my kid, I am going to whack her",

said my mother and brothers. My darling dad just shook his head.

Obviously the person they were berating was me and the subject of their despair was Dragon girl.

I just shrugged, "That's just who she is and she wouldn't understand even if I beat her. Watch this,"
I grabbed hold of my daughter to keep her still for 2 seconds. She started wriggling, kicking and shouting. I looked over at my mom and said, "See? You come and try la"

After 5 minutes of going nuts, I asked for a high chair, sat her down and fed her. In 15 minutes, she went bonkers again. Usually, I will just let her be but this time, I was a little apprehensive because it was a steamboat restaurant. But it was one of those classier ones with clean floors and electrical stove. Still,  we all ate quickly and left.

Oh, Dragon girl. What am I going to do with you?

I heard all children who are born in the year of Dragon are like this. 

Haha, blame the zodiac. How professional!

 

I do not hit my kids. I try not to even scold or yell unless they:

1. Attempt to injure themselves. Like trying to leap of the first floor or play with fire.

2. Attempt to cause harm to others. No hitting/biting other children.

3. Think they can get away with bad attitude such as shouting at elders or kicking doors.

**Fighting among themselves are allowed as long as nobody gets killed. Bones can be mended. Wounds can be cleaned.

Coming back to my boogie woogie girl. 

That her on the stage, dancing for everyone.

Fell of the stage once and didn't even flinch. 

She just hopped right back on and continued dancing and running.

Mama is her biggest fan

I already know she will need lots of outdoor time. Probably taekwondo, ballet, gymnastics, rock climbing & drama classes just to burn off all that excess energy.

And I know she doesn't like studying like her brother. Despite being exposed to so many letters, numbers, shapes, etc......she just wants to play and play she will.

I have no expectations for her to meet. Neither do I want to force her to perform academically. She will be who she is and we will let her creativity and stubbornness shine. This one will not be a typical grade A student. She will be the one giving the teacher a headache, not doing homework, wearing nail polish, skipping classes, etc. I can feel it already.

She will always be my sweetheart and papa's little girl.

I cannot imagine how anyone can hurt little girls.

They are just so, so precious.

 

She is oh-so-brave, she scares me.

Never one to back down from a fight.

Ain't afraid of heights

Attempts anything without a second thought,

Not frightened of strangers, animals or the dark.

Loves the stage and attention.

Anything Tiger can do, she will try to do it better.

 I choose to believe that she is meant for big things.

And who am I to tell her no?

So, let me be the 'yes' mom.

Go, be fearless. Do your thing.

I will right behind you, guiding and supporting you.

Parenting: The Kiasu Mom

Tiger hates his YAMAHA lessons.
We are talking about crying and dragging his feet to the class kinda hate.
Then I get irritated because it's money wasted, time consuming, ungrateful brat, bla, bla, bla...
I get moody too and hence the weekly music nights became Nightmare Wednesdays.

Last month, while I was daydreaming in class, his teacher announced, "We will be having our JMC concert in  June and we will be singing the these songs," She wrote the songs down on the board and continued, "One student will be chosen to play the key board"

The sleepy kiasu mom was suddenly awaken, "One student? Play keyboard? Like the alpha male? The leader of the pack?"

I look over at Tiger with my 'semangat face', "Psst, we are going to be the pianist, okay?"

He just blinked at me. 

Class after class, I shot him my laser glares. Sing louder. Play properly. Sit up straight. Smile.
Teacher's coming, Teacher, coming, play nicely. Dance la, why you dance like that one?

Looking at him struggle to coordinate his hands and legs, I have concluded that he is
1. Not a musical person
2. He dances like his papa....bwahahaha. (The traitor doesn't read my blog, so I can make fun of him)

His allies, namely papa and grandma were forcing me to quit his class after watching his dramatic defense against evil-music-class-mama. Sorry, no losers allowed in this house. You will learn to be responsible and understand that not all things in life is a bed of roses. Sometimes, you just have to struggle a bit.

So, last night, I held his hands before class and I said, "Tiger, I am not going to scold you today, Just enjoy your class but sing as loud as you can, okay?"

He smiled and agreed.

And he really did enjoy himself last night. Singing, dancing, and laughing with his friends.

After class, we bought some onigiri and he said to me, "Mama, I love ebiko. Thank you"

Did you enjoy the class?

Yes, I like.

Cause mama didn't scold you?

Ya.

No more kiasu mom for now. Maybe later...

Parenting: To spank or not to spank?

Tiger is now at a "asking-for-spanking'" age.

Despite being a lanky 4 year old, he thinks he has to be carried in loving arms. Oh, don't get me started on the whining. Having a little sister had rekindle his inner baby-ness and brat.

I grew up with the cane. *cough-cough child abuse* but it didn't make me love my mom any less than my dad who never believed in any form of punishment.

I'd admit that I have my crazy-lady moments where I just yell on top of my lungs at my 4 year-old. Usually, that happens when I am overloaded with work, tired or PMS, I guess. Hey, only human...

So, last night, Tiger asked for the poker chips. After I gave the box to him, he removed everything and after 5 minutes, he declared, "Not nice, I don't know how to play with this." and moved on to something else. Guess who had to cleanup? Me. I tried inviting him to help, nope. Too busy.

Tiger: I don't know how to clean. You clean for me.

Me: Look you just sort the colours, stack them and place them in the box. It's easy.

Tiger: Went momentarily deaf.

Me: Losing patience. Don't be lazy. Next time, don't play if you cannot clean up.

Tiger: Went into crazy mode. Don't say I am lazy. I no lazy, YOU lazy.

He started scratching me and I just tried to control my temper monster by focusing on the chips. As if my silence was a sign of submission, he walked out, slammed the door close and started kicking the door from outside, hard and repeatedly.

As usual, he went next door to complain about MY behaviour to Grandma. I grabbed my 30 cm plastic ruler and followed him. When I open the door, he was about to come and hit me when he suddenly noticed the weapon in my hands. He started bawling and hid behind his Grandma.

Me: Come here, now. Kicking the door is not acceptable. That kind of attitude is not allowed in the house (address the behaviour, not the kid crap)

Tiger: Waaaaa, waaaa, waaaaa (in full blown cry baby mode)

Me: I am going to give you two choices. Either you come and sit next to me where I am going to beat your hand once or I am going to go there and beat you 20 times. You choose.

Tiger: Thinking face. I don't want. Cannot beat. Nai-nai, cannot beat me.

Me: Then, don't kick the door

Tiger: Next time I no kick...huu huu huu

He didn't come over because he thought I would give in and let him go with a warning.
So, I walked over, ask for his hand and fined him with a swat on his right palm.

Me: Remember, no kicking doors. And I walked out.

Ten minutes later, he peeped into my room and came in for a hug. His way of saying sorry la.

So, yes, I will punish when his attitude is out of line. 
You can run around in public, swing on bars, hop around when we are out, fight with your sister etc (I don't give a fart about what people think) BUT you cannot slam doors, scratch you mother, or break stuff out of anger. Bad attitude will not  be tolerated.

I don't think I will ever spank the way my mom did but I will use the ruler as needed. I can count with one hand the number of times I'd hit him. 

I am not qualified to share my views on Asian upbringing but I don't think 'experts' should dictate they way you bring up your child. You know your child best and mine is a good kid with the occasional meltdown.

Messy Play: Sand

I am not sure if it is very obvious but if you have been following my homeschooling from when Tiger was a wee tiny tot, you would notice that our pace has slowed down considerably.

I am no longer the stressed out mama preparing materials at a break neck speed, asking my child to read, count; or shouting, what is this, what is that....

I know Tiger is capable of doing a lot more but I don't see the necessity now. I'd rather spend my time disturbing my kids when they are at work, arguing with Tiger, laughing at him together when he pronounces 'yellow' as 'lellow' or upstairs as up-pairs. He is able to read quite fluently now and I am still questioning myself if early reading was a wise move. Sometimes, I just throw my hands in the air and say whateves laaaa.....although, I must say that he seems to enjoy the fact that I cannot cheat him by saying stuff like the shop is closed when it clearly states OPEN.

Little Dragon.... One day, I caught her trying to count as she was playing quietly in a corner. When I tried to 'teach' her, she got mad and left me dumbfounded. Okay, okay, I got the message *sulks*

They are both sensitive to dirt and stuff stuck to their feet. Wished for similarities to prove that they are siblings and I got this. Haha, one of life's cruel little jokes  =.="

After weeks of being stuck indoors, I was literally begging for outdoor play.

Yes, me. Not The kids. Me.

Being confined indoors drove them bonkers.

They were shouty, fighty, nutty.

Both needed a good dose of messy play.

Since we are stuck in the water rationing zone, my neighbours would

most likely curse or spit if I blew up the huge inflatable pool.

So, sand it was.

All I said was, "Who wants to play sand?"

And zoooooom

.

.

.

.

.

The lil girl with heightened response to keys and handbags

Always the first one at the door.

Dragon girl was asking kakak to clean the sand from her feet.

'Err-ty, yiiiii....."

Her princess, haha, not mine.

 Any bratty behavior from this girl

is a result of kakak's devotion and love for her.

I take no credit.

Got Tiger some alphabet moulds from ELC.

His uncomfortable position in the sand pit betrayed him.

Playing in a pool of sand is still overwhelming for him

but I know he is trying to model a good sport for Lil Dragon.

He kept saying "See, mei-mei, I can make this."

We spelled his name and some sight words.

 Must revise a bit laaa. More productive use of our time ma. 

Yalar, yalar, very kiasu, I know :)

Dragon was more interested in throwing sand at everyone.

It was so blardy hot that day that I ran indoors after 20 minutes.

I hid behind the slightly ajar door, exposing only the tip of my nose, 

you know, just to show that I care.

Books: How Children Succeed

Title: How Children Succeed
Author: Paul Tough
Category:Parenting book ( I call it Brain book as well)
ISBN: 978-1-847-94711-6

Does early education make a child smarter?
The answer is no, obviously.
We all know love is the most important factor. And genetics, of course.
Studies show that any advantage in the younger years level off around third grade. So, why bother with Doman or flashcards unless you are actually brain injured?


So, if my child is not a genius, why bother?
Many profoundly gifted children go to college and fail to succeed in life. I was not profoundly gifted but I have never struggled academically in primary school. When I got to secondary school, subjects that required extra effort such as Add Maths and physics made me feel stupid. Why do I have to study? I was always told that I am smart! What I lacked was the curiosity to learn, to dig deeper than what the words represented. I blame the system, really I do. For my kids, I am going to beat it.
The conclusion is, if your child is not a genius, don't despair. Instill grit, determination, outline goals and strong character that will withstand trial and tribulations, and they will triumph. It is about instilling a love for life, a thirst for learning. Not drilling information, not obeying commands, not following instructions. Notice the lack of posts? I am still figuring out, HOW?


From the book.... (I am writing my thoughts on the book, from memory. Please read the book for more information)

1. LOVE

Paul Tough mentioned LG mothering (demonstrated by rats). LG stands for Licking and Grooming in rat mothers who were affectionate to their litter of pups. The opposite are the nonchalant mothers. See how rat labs mirror our society? I am a "licky" mom (Tiger and I have a kiss-three-times routine. Like lip smacking kisses) Just by telling your kids you love them and being a present parent, you are already a good parent. So easy, right?

2. MARSHMALLOW TEST

This has been mentioned many, many times by other books. It is basically a test on delayed gratification conducted by researches in Stanford. Can your child wait or is he generally impulsive?  He who sees far, wins.

3. OVERCOMING OBSTACLES (GRIT & DETERMINATION)

Tough mentioned studies in inner cities where drugs, shooting and fights are considered part of their cultures. When the failing students find the right mentor and the motivation from within themselves, they actually make it to college and towards a better life.

It reminds me of a documentary of Will.I.Am, a fourth of Black Eye Peas. He was raised in an area where children barely out of teens were recruited into gangs. Yet, he prevailed because he has a loving Tiger Mom who did not allow him to cross the sidewalk in front of his home after school! Imagine him standing just behind that imaginary line, calling out to his friends. By the way, he is taking a course on software programming now. Genius!

<<<>>>

Am I boring you? Cause there is a lot more..... and I find these really interesting. Hence the ramblings

What do you think of the education system?
Is it created to promote thinking? To create entrepreneurs? Or factory workers? In Malaysia, don't worry, you can always work for the government provided you are of a certain race. I am not whining, instead I always look for a silver lining since I am one of those irritating cup half full person.

Singapore is also stuck in this Stone Age education but at least they are doing something about it. Their preschool "booklet" is 125 pages long. Geez!

Preschool: A Delightful Week

The week I lost it.
My mojo.

After the two kiddos drove me nuts, I announced,

"That's it. Class is over"

You would think somebody would notice BUT

nobody was even listening.

So, I just switched off the lights and walked out.

The best part?

Tiger just shouted, "Hey, I not finished. Ai yoh"

Little Dragon?

She thought it was boob time and happily followed me out.

Tired mom = grumpy mom = non productivity

I was so tired all week, I couldn't stay awake past 11 o'clock.

I realized...... it's the caffeine withdrawal.

After cutting down caffeine and sugary treats, I am no longer Super Mama.

Right now, I am more like Lousy Mama.

Hopefully the withdrawal ends by next week.

I had to cut down because I think I am giving Lil Dragon dental caries from

my too sweet breast milk. She has chipped another tooth.

Personally, I think she looks like a shark now

(.) \/\/\/\/\  /\/\/\/\/ (.)

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

We'll see a dentist on 14th and see what he says.

The caries, I mean.

I attempted to brush her teeth; which is a another major failure.

She will be the one to drive me to an early grave.

Mark my words.

Okaaay....back to fun school business.

Montessori

Tiger was very into the Pink tower and Broad stairs.

Which made me very, very happy ^.^

Honestly, his technique would probably kill a strict Montessorian

  He was moving everything very quickly as opposed to carefully.

I think it was all the right brain practice..haha.

We did some extensions

You can get the free printables from here

 

Science

Then we did all these Space work because he wanted to.

Space poster from Popular Bookstore

 We read this book until I nearly vomit blood.

So, I started reading with an Indian accent.

I thought I was funny but he just gave me a huh? look.

"____"

No sense of humor, this boy.

We use the whiteboard on a more regular basis now.

You can see I use it for calender time as well with just days of the week 

and the date.

 

Spelling/Puzzle

 Bought this letter game recently.

Very creative for spelling CVC or  CCV words.

RM 13.80 from Fun & Cheer

 He needed some help until I thought of Fridge Words.

Then, he just self check and correct.

I can relax and lay down...hihi...my fav pose.

If you buy this, then you don't have to buy the fridge phonics

 Reading

He is the Brillkids Manager trusted with the 'clicking' task

and asking mei-mei to SEE!

We are blazing through Peter and Jane because I discovered:

to blast boredom, use stickers

Just one measly sticker and he can finish the whole 2B in one seating.

How la?

To bribe or not to bribe.

That is the question.

Right Brain.

Only did one day of practise this week :p

He enjoys linking memory and flashcards at the moment

I like his, "Nevermind, I try again." attitude

Math

Caught him singing Shichida Addition song...haha.

Music

He sings VERY loudly when he thinks no one is watching him in class.

Whenever he caught me smiling at him, he would blush and cover his face.

Chinese

He has about 35 cards now in 3.5 months

Others

He thinks he is a co-driver. The shift stick is HIS.

He is also a novice graffiti artist now.

Yesterday he wrote a wriggly P on the shelf secretly.

When I saw his face, I just knew.

"Did you write on the wall ?"

"No," he answered matter-a-factly. "I write on cupboard"

@.@

He pointed to his P and said "I write question mark"

I was going to start nagging when he added, "I write for you"

Oh. in that case....give chance la.

Sibling moments

Sharing

Two seconds before they started fighting

 Sharing a joke...

Can't remember the joke but they laughed like mad!

That's all.

Have a great weekend guys!

Parenting: Split Personality

Toddlers...sigh....their erratic behavior will be the death of me.

In a single day......

Tiger without Grandma 
We can go for  ice cream, book stores or my workplace when its just the two of us. Sometimes, I bring him along when I shop for clothes. He even picks out clothes for me. If you think I dress weird, you now know the reason. In other words, ***angel***

"Mama, I love you"
I shall put on my seat belt.
Mama, I want to read.
/m/ /a/ /t/ mat, etc
Removes/put on own shoes
Goes potty alone
Speaks in proper sentences


Tiger WITH Grandma   
One word: ***barbaric***

"Mama. You go away"
I WANT MICKEY MOUSE SHOES. NOW!!!!!
I want bread. Then, I want ice cream. Complete act with full blown tantrum and  epileptic like kicks.
You. Take off my socks. Now.
Come see me pee. Now.
Too hot
Then, too cold.
Speaks in a language understood only by monkeys.


I feel like pulling my hair out followed by head banging on wall sometimes. Usually I just use my special "LASER EYES LOOK" reserved for bad behavior.  He usually gets the message but last night, I was driving out of the shopping complex after my maid completed her shopping (She is going back to Cambodia for 2 weeks. Btw, you will never guess what she bought).

It is routine for him to insert the parking ticket but in view of his bad attitude, I explained, "Bad behavior = no ticketing". Privilege withdrawn. Obviously he has selective hearing because he started bawling and of course, he got his way. Think MIL. The best part, he wanted to insert the ticket AGAIN. Hello?

I turned into Tiger Mom (voice pitch and volume up a notch, maybe several notches) and these were my exact words,

"Why are you behaving like this? Are you a monkey? Do you think I have nothing better to do than going into the parking lot again just so that you can have another ticket? I won't. Understand?"

With a quivering voice, he replied, "Yes. I understand"

No crying, no tantrum, no turning to Grandma. Back to being my angel again.

On the other hand, Lil Dragon is always angelic :) Aaah, babies...gotta love'em.

Oh, my maid bought false eyelashes...ha ha...of all things to buy. And mascara.

Operation Pacifier Weaning

Here's our story: At birth, we used this pacifier from the AVENT starter set.

He was not into the pacifier at all. Only when he was falling asleep, then he would spit it out.

I thought, wow, lucky me...little did I know....

After 6 months, I bought these cool AVENT Glow-in-The-Dark ones. So that Grandma can find them easily in the middle of the night, just in case :)

That was the biggest mistake, ever. He thought that they were cool too. So much so that he became addicted to them. Argggghhh......

Then, at 2 years old, still addicted, he developed the gnawing and biting habit. After he destroyed both of them, I bought him not so cool ones, hoping that he will, you know, fall out of love. He destroyed Mr Brown Cat in one day. 

So, I warned him "Mr Lamb is your LAST (I really emphasized LAST). If you bite through this one, I am not going to buy anymore"

He got the message LOUD & CLEAR and was very careful with it. Unfortunately, after 6 months of repeated sterilization and biting, the plastic part cracked a little. The nipple remained intact. So, he continued using it until the fateful date, 02-02-2013. He dropped and broke a part of poor Mr Lamb.

Mama: GASP! OH, Oh, Oh no.....

Tiger: Break oh...(horror written all over his face)

Mama: He he 

(I was horrified too but I laughed too..terrible, I know)

Tiger: His eyes started to swell, tears brimming....

Mama: (opportunistic ME sprang into action)

Nevermind lar, Lil J also never use already...say bye bye to "cuit-cuit"

You are a big boy already.

Tiger: Can use

Mama: Cannot

Tiger: Okay

Mama: Huh? So easy? Cannot be?

We walked to the dustbin in the kitchen together.

He held his pacifier in his hands while I held the dustbin cover for him.

Mama: Okay, throw. You can do it.

Tiger stared at his Mr Lamb for what felt like an hour and then he handed it to me,

" Mama, you throw"

OMG, drama king.....haha.....he couldn't do it.

 "You can"

He stared at Mr Lamb again, as if saying Good Bye.

Then, he looked at me and say, "I no can. Mama throw"

"We throw together?"

Nods head.

When he finally let go, there was so much of sadness in his eyes...

I almost wanted to run to the baby store to get him another one.

He asked for it at night and could not go to sleep..poor thing

Grandma finally cracked after a measly ONE day.

Pffftttt, weak.

:p

I would probably crack too if I was to listen to him whine all day long.

Next time, bring me the wasabi!!!!

So, now he is using the white one with FLOWERS detail (top left)

On loan from Lil Dragon (who hates it)

Bwahahaha.

Yeah, I gave him a hard time for the flowers.

So now, in public, he covers it with his pillow/hanky/bolster.

Aaahhh, my lil man....

Ashamed but addicted.

Years later, his therapist will blame me for giving him a flowery pacifier.

Parenting: Being A Working Mom Sucks

Not all the time...

....it just sucks majorly when you get 'reports' about 

your precious child's major milestones from the maid.

When I got home after work, my maid announced, 

"Mom, mei-mei can crawl already. She crawl to Tiger's mattress and then 

Tiger shout, No, no touch my things"

Arrghh, missed the premier.

I gave a fake smile and asked, "Hands and knees or use stomach?"

Maid: ????? blank look

Crazy mom aka me/blogger:

" Like this?" 

<Crawled on all four>

Maid: "No mom. On stomach. Mei-mei can sit up also"

Oh, great.  Two major milestones.

'______'

I placed Lil Dragon on her tummy and waved a million toys in front of her, 

trying to make her do a demo of her commando crawl.

" Come larrrr, be good"

Obviously, she was too smart to be a circus act and played it cool.

There will only be one clown in the family.

Guess who?

She did crawl after that, 2 days later....

Hmmph....

Last night, she was blowing raspberries, loud ones...

I shall pretend that those were the first ones...

Little Tiger: 2 years 7 months

Hmmm, what can I say about Tiger?

In terms of big brother duties, he kinda sucked.

Sad but true

He refuses to share his books or toys with Lil Dragon

(after one teeny incident)

There is a clear distinction between 'his' and 'hers' toys

(whatever's 'hers' IS his as well)

He tells Dragon to go away or "Mama cannot carry mei-mei"

He would tell anyone listening that "No, I no love mei-mei"

Jealousy....

<<<<>>>>

Restoring peace in the house is now a tactical mission.

I have employed cunning words and fake decoys:

For example instead of telling him to share his toys,

I will tell him that mei-mei is sharing with him.

Believe or not,

a simple change in approach can work wonders!

<<<<>>>>

With Lil Dragon's presence, coaxing him to use the potty or give up his pacifier

is a suicide mission.

The potty is stressing him out.

One day, out of curiosity, I asked him,

"What is wrong with using the potty?"

He replied, "I no like."

"Why?"

 " Mama, I scared" he said sadly

And that was it.

 I gave him a hug and told him

"Look, no more potty, alright?

I love you so much.

When you are ready, we will try the potty again"

It may sound strange but I think there was a change in his mood

immediately.

I think he is a little freaked out by the fact that his excrement may dirty the floor;

being the OCD that he is.

<<<<>>>>

Discipline and limits

Yes, it has started...

He has had one public meltdown in 2.5 years.

That was when I refused to buy him the cartoon version of the

alphabet train puzzle from Mothercare.

Mind you, I do expect my 2 year old to have boundless energy

and running all over the place.

That is his job as a kid and

it is my duty to keep an eye on him.

They will fall and therefore, they will learn.

We all have our limits. The rules are:

1. Stay where I can see you (when we are out)

2. Escalators are dangerous

3. Stop and look before crossing roads

4. Do not hit your sister

Learning

He is in his word sensitive phase.

So, we are encouraging reading and word formation



He loves these flower alphabets from ELC

We are also going through Disney's Word, Word, Words from Grolier.

The newer version of Brillkids is a hit as well.

Learning Chinese with me is a no-no

:(

He likes Little Reader Chinese

but

I may have to send him for Chinese classes at Bao Bei earlier than planned.

Tentatively, we are starting in March.

Right Brain Practise

Photographic memory: 5 items

Grid memory:

1. I am starting to use trick card. Only 3 out of 4 items are actually flashed.

2. I place certain items upside down or to the side.

Linking memory: major improvement

Mandala: consistently corrrect with 3 colours.

Math

He is counting up till a hundred but still require some corrections.

He love this Montessori number chips I used (will share later)

Keeps him super focused as it is hands on.

Language

I can listen to him all day long.

Here's his account on his walk at the park

"Nai-nai. Tiger go park with mama and papa.

I sit motorbike (his Ybike) and see tortoise.

Tiger give bread.

Throw inside pond.

And then I push, push, push (his bike) then fall down.

Now my leg paining."

Points to scrapped knee, fake sob...

"The floor so naughty, nai nai go beat the floor"

<<<<>>>>

The patience and love required to handle a 2 year old.

Mothers are almost saints, I tell you...

Full time mothers probably are....

Salute you guys!

Parenting: Confessions

This is really a guilt-ridden post disguised as a parenting one.

 Confession #1:

Firstly, let me remind you that Tiger is a cheeky fellow.

He has a habit of making fun of himself.

Most of the time he is hilarious, sometimes, not so funny.

For example, when we are supposed to be focused for our right brain practise.

He will suddenly find the world map verrry interesting.

Or he will used the icons as paper dolls and walk them around.

With a forced loving tone, "Come on...do fast faaaast"

 Bored look...then...hyena-like laugh

I have been sleep-deprived this week than that meant a shorter fuse. As a result,

"BANG!!!!!!"

I slammed my hand on the table and startled poor Tiger.

He immediately burst into tears and ran over for a hug, like I was in distress...

Feeling defeated and tired, I asked slowly, 

"Your choice, study or you want to go downstairs?"

He sobbed, "Sorry mama. I want study"

@.@

He actually completed his photomemory questions (5 items)

and mandala with perfection.

I feel really bad for expecting so much out of my 2 year old but at the same time

I know he is capable of so much more.

I really need to get a grip.

Here's Tiger, caught mid-hyena-laugh by papa.

 <<<  >>>

One afternoon, hubs called, "Hey, baby...bla bla bla"

"Do you know that whenever you say Hey Baby...

It usually means that you are going to drink with your friends." I complained

Hubby, pretending to be innocent, asked,  "Got meh?"

"Whatever lar...You are calling to inform me only.  Doesn't matter"

Ignoring the sarcasm in my voice, "Bye!"

Here's the thing.

Remember the overpriced, tiny slide/jungle-gym that hubs bought after a drinking session?

No?

Here's a reminder

Guess what?

He did the same thing...haha...cheapskate...I wanted diamonds...cheh..

Grandma said, "Oh...scared that your wife will scold, buy toys to compensate?"

Hubby pretended to be deaf.

Tiger pretended it was Christmas, again

In the box....a stand up microphone.

He sang two songs on repeat, like a broken player.

Hey sexy bey-beh, op op op, Oppa Gang-Man Style (his words, not mine)

repeat 100x

Chicka chicka Boom Boom

repeat 100x

After hubs complained that he only knew 2 songs, he started showing off,

singing Do-Re-Mi, Twinkle twinkle little star, ABC, phonic songs....

Kiasu betul....

Luckily hubby remembered that he has a daughter too...

Confession #2

I should pretend to be irritated more and let hubby buy the toys.

Life: Hello?? Monogamy??

I posted this very long status onto my personal facebook page yesterday after I found out about a friend's infidelity. I was obviously pissed:

"Dear married men, what does being married mean to you? Someone to wash your underwear and iron your clothes? Wait, that is the maid. Someone to take care of you when you are sick? Or you got hitched bcoz you needed a person to impregnate because you obv don't have the super power to carry a child selflessly for 9 months? How about this...the thoughts of an ideal man: When I decided to marry the love of my life, I will CHERISH, LOVE, and PROTECT. I will APPRECIATE the woman who sacrificed her future, body and dreams so that I can have mine. I will RESPECT my wife and never take her for granted. I will stay COMMITTED because I believe our marriage is work in progress and it will only become better and stronger with time. Since the Mayans did not end the world in 2012, I will not destroy hers by not keeping my dick inside my pants. If you have the need to f*** around, please, be a man and at least have the decency to do it discreetly. It is nothing to be proud of, you immature scum..Pfftt"

Since I did this without mentioning or tagging anyone, the first people to read this were quite alarmed, thinking that the scumbag was my dear hubs. First to call was of course, my kay poh chee sister:

Sis: What the hell did your husband do?
Me: Huh? No la....not hubs...a friend of the family. If its hubs, he no need to count down to 2013 already. I tapau him.
Sis: Aiyo..scared le. Everyone is going to think it is your husband.
Me: He he...ya...Help me comment quickly it is not him. I am out for lunch.
Sis: Okay Okay

Five minutes later:

Sis: Can I copy and paste this onto my fb page so that people think it is my husband too?
Me: @.@ Don't be crazy la....


What is it with men and their inability to control their peeing/reproductive organ? Is it an innate need to spread their sperm around?

I can bet you a gazillion dollars that you know a man with a mistress, second wife or a girlfriend.
Well, if you are from middle-upper class of a typical Malaysian Chinese community like I am, you will. Typical conversation after meal:

"Oh, Dato so-and-so have three wives you know. His company made so much money this year...change car, change house." (Apparently wife also can change)

Btw, nobody will be shocked by the 3 wives fact. It is the norm.

People of the Chinese community, I cannot accept this trend. Is it a sign of wealth and power? Does it make you feel great to hurt the woman you promised to love for a life time? You are not a Muslim. You cannot marry 4 wives ranging from 17 to 50 years old and ask them to stand in a row to be pictured in the national newspaper while you grin like a jackass on crack. (Can I virtual spit here? Sigh, too ladylike, me, can't do it) I am not a racist but I thank the laughing Buddha everyday that I am not Muslim. *People who have read the Holy Book of Quran will know why is polygamy legal in Islam. I will not discuss it further here*

I can share my food, my drink, my money but I will not share a husband. *stamp feet*

Like hubby said, my family is too perfect. Daddy being monogamous and all. Of course..pfftt...how else could I turn out to be such a wonderful child and produce such cuties? Yes, I think hubby is very lucky....unless he cheats on me..