As a rule of thumb.

After a horrid work experience a long long long time back. I promised to treat myself kinder, especially after becoming a mother.

One thing I’ve learn: People who are unhappy with their jobs, will generally be unhappy with their lives. This is because the gloom of their work starts to affect their lives after spending long hours in it (work).

Therefore, I laid a ground rule for myself:
If I ever ever start dragging my feet to work again, it’s probably time to quit.

This ad took the words out of my mouth.

Enjoy and LOL.

Writing a story for Am

I’ve never complete my attempts at writing a story for Amelia because of my crazy schedule. There is a list of unfulfilled things I need to do, and this has somehow made it to the bottom of my list because of the frantic preschool search.

Anyway, I’ve written a few stories for her. Out of the lot, this is my favourite. unedited and it’s inspired by amelia’s curiosity of rain.
(maybe it sounds more of a poem. Lol. True blue writers, please be gentle with your comments.)

I wonder how it feels to be a raindrop.
I’ve heard the pit pit patter sound they made,
They seem to be have so much fun making a rain.

I wonder how it feels to slide down the umbrella.
Or fall onto the hands of a little girl.

I wonder how it feels like when two raindrops join and become one.
Or how they all come together and form a puddle.

It looks like so much fun when children come and make a splatter in the puddle!

I wonder how the raindrops must feel about all this,
which seems like so much fun.

When the sun is out,
they must all go back.

I wonder how it feels like to evaporate and be in the clouds.

It must be fun being a raindrop,
Even for a day.

Yay or nay?

Preschool fever

Finding a preschool for Amelia has been exceptionally challenging. Not for the lack of choices, but for the wide spread of choices. Today’s school viewing visit was to Bethany church preschool. I’m amazed by how sociable the kids are. They flocked to Amelia as if she was a star, everyone wanted to touch and shake her hand!

A bunch of excited kids surrounding Amelia

Precious 2. The journey begins.

My mum has been religiously documenting Amelia’s milestones. Her new milestones is her bountiful ability to converse. That day, she asked her friend ethan (a little fellow who is about the same age as her) “Ethan, do you wear pampers?”

Other milestones charts her ability to sing and cite nursery rhythms which u will upload soon.

The one that tickles me is when she uses the word “tickle”. “I tickle moon! I tickle cat! I tickle papa!” in fact, tickles almost gets accompanied by any other word or objects.

Here’s a documentation from my mum:

She can said these phrases …… ‘ I don’t want’ , a very defensive statement, ‘is that you’, ‘I found you’, ‘what happen’, ‘po po throw away’, ‘are you tired’, ‘i found your key’ ‘utraman how are you?’ and she answered ‘I am good’, ‘I hear the sound’ when she put the dough in the box and shake it. She said ‘I squeeze gingerbread man’ using the dough. She said ‘I so busy’ when she plays with her hair clips. ‘What po po doing?’ when I look at my iphone. When she sits on the book she says the book is ‘like a chair’. When she meets people she will say ‘你好吗？’ or ‘good morning’ , ‘i put over there’ & i asked where ‘ she says ‘ on the piano’ when i asked her where she placed my card. when she saw me reading newspaper after her afternoon nap she ask,’ po po what you doing?’
She will say, ‘po po so busy’ when she saw me doing something. She likes to say, ‘I tickle you, tickle fish, tickle bear, tickle gong gong’.
She said, ‘po po clean my backside’ when she felt wet. She can say, ‘how come like that’ when i throw the drawing mat on the floor.
We both lie on the floor and she asked,’I ask you want to get up or not’. and she said, ‘I cannot get up’. She kept saying, ‘the man injured’. today. (26th apr’13)
She threw the play dough on the floor and I said I am not going to play with her. Later when I started to roll the dough for her, she said, ‘po po play with you already,well done’. (30th apr 2013) when I offered her chocolate. ‘she asked, ‘big big chocolate’ means she wants a big piece.

Food platting for Amelia

Food platting for today’s breakfast. “Fishes in a dip”
Heart mold (Purchased from Daiso)

I’ve been experimenting with different ways for presenting food for Amelia. Now that she has reached terrible 2, it’s that notorious stage where parents have been warning me about.
Whatever, they’ve been warning me, it’s quite true.
It also doesn’t help when Am starts to form opinions on what she wants. Her current favourite phrase when it comes to food: I don’t want, I don’t want, I don’t want…. and it comes with non-stop action of head shaking…. (Sigh.)

Here’s the steps to creating this “Fish taking a dip” dish:
1. One egg (Beat it and place it in the microwave for 50 seconds)
2. Place the egg into the mold. Use a spoon to fill the egg to the shape of the mold.
3. Spread kraft cheese on the top (after filling the mold with egg). Spread it to the edge of the mold.
4. Stick the fish biscuits into the cheese.

I made a little tale about the fishes taking a bath as we go through her breakfast. It helps to make things fun for the both of us. Etc. The fishes is going into the mouth of the whale (Amelia will play the whale)…. Quick whale! Swallow them as fast as you can, before they escape!!!!!

Panda gets a treat too!

Grazing pasta on a field for lunch

Amelia asked Papa: Is it nice?

Entertaining her while we eat our lunch.

Food plating again at dinner

Making an alien

Making an alien.
Here’s our attempt at making an alien.
Am sure had lots of fun!

Teaching alphabet A

After 2 weeks of just sensory play, I’m going back on track with alphabets with Am.

In my research to teach Amelia alphabets, I found plenty of interesting resources. I might probably improvise some myself, but generally, the ideas here are brilliant. I hope I get time to do every one of these!

Activities to do with Alphabet a:

1. Make a paper plate Alien monster.
Resource:
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/mplatealien.htm

2. Colouring the objects starting with letter A
Etc A for Ambulance, A for ant, A for Ape and more.
Download template from this resource:
http://www.dltk-teach.com/alphabuddies/maposter.html

3. Make a personalised book starting with the alphabet a
Resource:
http://www.dltk-teach.com/minibooks/a/index.htm

4. Sing songs and rhymes that being with alphabet a
Resource:
http://www.dltk-teach.com/alphabuddies/songs/a.htm

5. Create worksheets with alphabet a:
Resource:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/letters/big/Aa.shtml

6. A is for alien. Making art with handprints! Brilliant idea!
http://pinterest.com/pin/168462842281500432/

7. A is for alligator. Making art with the alphabet itself! Brilliant as well.
http://pinterest.com/pin/168462842281159869/

8. Digging for alphabet a:
http://pinterest.com/pin/168603579770257729/

9. This cab go a long way. Make an alphabet book:
http://pinterest.com/pin/168603579769636471/

10. Another craft alphabet for apple:
http://pinterest.com/pin/168603579769636459/

11. Colouring the alphabet a
http://pinterest.com/pin/168603579769240095/

12. Monster alphabets. Improvise your own!
http://pinterest.com/pin/168603579769280510/

13. Apples on a tree!
http://pinterest.com/pin/168603579769231556/

iPotty

The craze for iPad has gone iPotty! Technology has reached a whole new level and I wonder if it’s for better or worst?

Pic from gizmag.com

Documenting Am’s sensory play – 21 months

Since I’ve started my journey of teaching Am, I’ve been trying to find interesting activities to engage her.

Sensory play is the most successful activity so far and it can really keep her entertained for some time.

Through sensory play, I try to engage Am in a conversation by describing the actions… “Let’s transfer the rice from this container to that!” and the containers are intentionally different in sizes so that I can take the chance to teach her about volume, and shape. “Let’s pour the rice into the rectangular container now!”

I’ve made it a rule that the containers can only be on the pink mat. This is important so that the play doesn’t get all over the place and in my opinion, i think it’s a good rule because she knows that this is the area where mess is allowed to be created.
(Unless you aren’t particular about mess, go ahead.)

I started off with beans because they are a lot easier to pour and less finer. The child can pick the spilled beans as well and it’s good training on their motor skills. With Am, I’ve also set another play rule. If the beans spills out of any container, the play has to stop and she has to clean the mess first. This is an opportunity for them to learn to clean up and “count” the spilt beans.
Take every opportunity to make a conversation so that the child can “collect” a range of vocabularies. With beans, I’ve introduced different coloured beans so that there is an opportunity to talk about colors and separate the beans into their coloured categories as well. (This part hasn’t been exactly successful as Am is more into pouring and feeling the beans. Perhaps with time, it could happen)

Am introduced the rubber ducky into her play and finds it funny when the duck got buried under the rice.

I’m more liberal with rice spillage as long as the mess doesn’t get crazy.
Here are the pictures, documenting her learn through play.

the unfortunate rubber ducky! Lol

On my wanted list

Want!