First step in home schooling

Above are the items for P3/4

I have been wanting to try home schooling for Reese. Reason being our national school is a total let down. Home schooling has been around for many years and this particular one that I came across is good. Testimonies from my student and his mom. It's a lot of hard work on the parents but I think it's totally worth it if you are able to teach your own children.

There are many advantages and disadvantages but I believe if one is able to balance it out and the children are given ample time for sports and activities with other children then it's better than sending our children to school.

Of course, when I express my wish to try home schooling with Reese, most people will tell me that he will be so lonely and no social life! It's not true at all. There are many activities that the child can take part in be it sports or science exploration, computer lessons, nature activities and etc.

I am determine to try for two years. At the same time, will find a play group for him to attend so that he gets to play and interact with other children.

I just purchased our first home schooling core package for P3/4 (3 to 4 years old). I can't wait for it to arrive!!!

Oh, for those of you who wants to know more, you can visit the website: Sonlight. Even if you do not agree with home schooling, on their site, there are a great selection of books that you can try to buy them here (very limited) or you can purchase from them.

The Core package that I bought is about USD255. If you live outside USA, shipping is expensive. It can be up to 77% of your total purchase price. The more you buy the cheaper it gets. The lowest being 31% of your total purchase price.

Description of Core P3/4

Satisfy (and nurture) your toddler's inquisitive hunger...

Fiction, Fairy Tales, and Fun, is a comprehensive collection of children's classic stories, rhymes, fairy tales, picture books, games, sing-alongs, and more, hand selected to fuel your children's imagination and satisfy their hunger to learn.

It includes a book of children's poetry, science books, and an excellent illustrated Bible storybook for children. Sonlight Newcomer™ P3/4 adds over 77 nursery rhymes and sing-alongs on CD, games that build memory and pattern recognition (the only math instruction that's truly needed for ages 3-4 years), and more!

Best of all: Not a single workbook or lesson plan in sight...

Take it easy. Enjoy spontaneous times with your tiny tots as you crack open these timeless treasures and read to your kids. There's no schedule to follow. No items that you have to do. P3/4 is low-stress learning at its best.

I will do a review of the program once I get started!!!! So exited about it....

Changes

Since last week, Reese only woke up for midnight feed maybe 2 to 3 days only. I guess he is slowly adjusting and we will probably get to stop midnight feeding soon!! Yahoo.... the nights without the midnight feed, he will whine a little in his sleep but after that... he will continue to sleep soundly.

Reese is also sleeping later, around 9.30 or 9.45 pm. He used to be a sleep before 9 pm and he still gets up by 7 am or at times 6 to 6.45 am!!

My little one is also very demanding and knows how to cry out loud with some kind of shouts... no screaming yet...just shouts.. 

Daddy got mad with him last night and hit his hand harder then usual and very sternly told him to go to his bed... and what did my little Reese do? Well, he looked at Daddy and then tried to beat his hand as hard as he can and missed it... and then beat the floor and then didn't say anything and pretend nothing had happened and continue to play on the bed... after a while... jump on the bed and started to roll around and eventually fell asleep.

"Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes" anyone?

My dear little Reese loves this song so much that he will make me repeat it on the car stereo for 10 times or more.... actually throughout the journey to my mother's home and back! The journey is about 35 to 40 minutes and the song is about 1.5 minutes long... He will put the sing along book on his lap and point to the pictures... 

It's really amazing that the moment the music is about to finish and he will somewhat shout "Tooooeess.." indicating he wants to hear it again. It's been like that for the past few days... Wonder when this will stop.... Listening to the CD is the only way to get him to sit in his car seat and keep him happy throughout the journey. Wonder what's next. Oh... I also find it interesting that he knows which page is for which song.... he will usually turn to the page that the current song is playing... smarty boy..... :)

By the way... this series of take-along song books with CDs are great for kids... It's quite entertaining. You can find them in MPH and probably Popular book stores. It's retailing at RM29.90 per book.

Reese needs discipline?

I thank God that Reese was never a difficult baby. He hardly cries and almost always happy and only occasionally whines.

BUT......

Lately... the terrible two symptoms are slowly emerging. Very defiant, always whine when he doesn't get his way. At times, he will cry. We as parents have always used the softer approach. No raising of the hand or using a cane or scolding unnecessarily. Reese always gets what he wants but I must say, he is easy to satisfied.

So is it time to start proper disciplining him like not giving in? I still don't believe in using the cane. Should we raise our voice and scold him when he does something wrong?

I still think he is a little young for that but hubby doesn't think so. I have no heart to scold him nor have I the heart to not give in to his demands (sometimes).

So what should I do?

Things that he does that drives us crazy... sometimes actually...

1. When we have dinner.. he will come and pull me to turn on the computer and let him watch his favourite websites. If I refuse... he will whine and whine and then cry. He will persistantly come to my side and pull me to go!

2. He will whine and cry when we don't let him play with the stationary bike or anything that he likes.

3. He will scratch the TV screen with a toy. When told not to do it, he will ignore you.

4. Demands to go out and play, walk or just be outside the house... don't meet his demand... he will whine and cry.

When Reese is angry, he will always say "No..no..no..no" and clap his hands hard... and you will see his face all red from being frustrated! Thank God he never screams.

mmmm....as I write this post... I just realised that my Reese is not that naughty after all... right? I can't think of other instances where he gets us all mad! :)

Fuel Price up and hence Basic Necessities went up too....

Got tagged by Kathie... How do I reduce expenses since the Fuel Hike?

1. Turn off the air-conditioner an hour before everyone wakes up.
2. Try not to waste water.
3. Eat out less in restaurants.
4. Buy less junk food like chocolate, can drinks, chips...etc.
5. Buy less imported food.
6. Try to shop for bargains at hyper marts.
7. Try not to drive unnecessarily.

With the fuel price increased, our lifestyle didn't change much. What it does is make us more aware of not wasting, spending unnecessarily and not sure why, but I have also gone more green. I bought 3 reusable bags from Cold Storage and intend to use them when I go grocery shopping instead of wasting plastic bags. :)

After one week of my WL program

Ah... been quite consistent except Friday couldn't wake up and Sunday too busy to work out! Sunday was father's day and we had dinner with family and eerr.... we took rice. Hahaha... ok.. sorry... that was a special day.

Today started to do more than 20 minutes on the bike. My target is 35 minutes for this week and up to 45 minutes from next week onwards. I feel good actually and I think I felt lighter... just a tiny bit... but it's a good start.... :)

32 years old....

Happy birthday to me. I am 32 years old today. When I woke up this morning, it was just another day until after hubby gave me a kiss and wished me happy birthday. I actually forgot my birthday. Thank you friends and family for birthday wishes and as I entered my parents home this morning... my parents gave me a red packet and my dad made two eggs for me. I used to love birthdays but as I grow older, it's no big deal. Why? mmm... maybe because I am getting older... :)

On this day I want to just count my blessings. God has been good even thought I have not been faithful. I thank God for my family and extended family. I thank God for friends whom I have few ( no longer socialize). I thank God for people who care and love me and others who have enrich my life just by being there.

I want to thank God for giving Reese to me. My precious little boy.

First Day on Weight lost program

Ah.. It was really good. First thing in the morning, did some simple stretches and then 15 minutes on the stationary bike. Had vege and fish for lunch, snack was high protein and low fat cereal with low fat milk and dinner was two pieces of KFC and water melon... ok..suppose to remove the skin..but I only did that on one piece of chicken..hehe..

Today same routine, exercise on the bike for 15 minutes then breafast was cereal with milk and lunch I had egg, vege and a little fish meat. Dinner going to cook chicken chop and steam brocoli and carrots followed by fruits. Oh...I am going to the gym for my weight training too!

Really hope to lose 20kgs in six months!

Gifted? Bright? High IQ?

Ah.... been so busy the last two weeks. My in-laws were here and conducted 2 holiday workshops. Now, slowly things are settling back to the usual routine and I can do some proper blogging and blog hop!

Just 2 weeks ago, I was at MPH and while shopping for stuff for my workshop... I came across this book on " How to increase your child's IQ". Now... I must say.. I am a little kiasu... hehe.. So I started to browse the book and it was quite interesting... I think I spent about 30 minutes or more reading the book! According to the book....


Typically, scientists have come to an agreement that there are three main factors that determine one's level of intelligence, which are:

Genes – accounts for 40-80% of an individual's intelligence

Environment and educational opportunities/exposure

Food, nutrition and drugs


Environment and educational exposure

Read to the child (read with expression and make it fun...)
Talk to the child
Play with the child (all kinds of pretend play..parents have to be creative here..)
Sing to the child (example: Sing and let the child finish the last word of each line..)
Make music with the child
Play memory games with the child (use flash cards)
Draw with the child
Play puzzles with the child (use blocks or any kind of simple puzzles for younger children)

It mentioned that music exposure can increase the IQ of a child. Don't just listen to songs and music... You should get the child involved in making music, apparently your singing is more effective then letting the child listen to CDs... Doing puzzles with them is also great.

I am just glad that what we have been doing with Reese since birth... is exactly what the author of the book suggested.. well.. maybe one or two less activities... but will make an effort to increase the variety of activities to stimulate Reese!

Food

mmm... I didn't pay much attention to this, but I guess I am on the right track! :)


After reading the book, I did a google search on toddler's IQ, below are some interesting info to share with you.

Intellectual Giftedness in Toddlers

For young children, between the ages of 3.5 - 5.5 years, the following traits have been significantly associated with intellectual giftedness:

Having a large vocabulary
Complex thinking ability
Unusual capacity for symbolic thought (mathematical skills)
Insight (ability to see relationships)
Early physical and social development
Sensitivity

(From: Parents' Guide To Raising A Gifted Toddler, Alvino, et.al. 1989)

From the U.S. Office of Gifted and Talented:

Short list of typical gifted preschooler (ages 2-5) characteristics:

Uses advanced vocabulary for age.
Uses spontaneous verbal elaboration with new experiences.
Has the ability to make interesting or unusual shapes or patterns through various media: blocks, playdough, crayons.
Ability to assemble puzzles designed for older children.
Sense of humor used in general conversation.
Understanding of abstract concepts such as death and time.
Mastery of new skills with little repetition.
Demonstration of advanced physical skills.
Demonstration of advanced reasoning skills through explanation of occurrences.

Comparison of Bright vs Gifted Child

Bright-Knows the answers.
Gifted -Asks the questions.

Bright-Interested.
Gifted -Extremely curious.

Bright-Pays attention.
Gifted -Gets involved physically and mentally.

Bright-Works hard.
Gifted -Plays around, still gets good test scores.

Bright-Answers questions.
Gifted -Questions the answers.

Bright-Enjoys same-age peers.
Gifted -Prefers adults or older children.

Bright-Good at memorization.
Gifted -Good at guessing.

Bright-Learns easily. Bored.
Gifted -Already knew the answers.

Bright-Listens well.
Gifted -Shows strong feelings and opinions.

Bright-Self-satisfied.
Gifted -Highly critical of self (perfectionistic).

Source: Janice Szabos as quoted in "The Gifted and Talented Child," Maryland Council for Gifted & Talented Children, Inc. P.O. Box 12221, Silver Spring, MD 20908

Well, I know at times I can be a little kiasu...but I will not force my child into something he doesn't like and neither will I over stimulate him! I just want to give him enough environment and educational exposure to then let him discover his own 'giftedness'. We as parents can only support and show our children the right direction..anything else is up to them.

Food Update

Wow... Reese ate fried rice!! Sometimes, I really don't know what Reese wants... been having problem fixing his meals. He is soooo choosy. Yesterday.. he surprised all of us by eating fried rice. Not only did he take fried rice, he also ate so much.

Lunch

Peanut butter bread (2 pieces)
half a small bowl of fried rice

Snack

10 grapes
4 pieces of papaya

Dinner

A plate of fried rice (1 full small bowl)
A little bit of soup noodles (saw my aunt eating and he wanted too)
Half a scoop of KFC mash potato (after we went home and saw daddy eating..he wanted that too)
Milk (6 oz)

See... my boy suddenly had the appetite to eat soooo much. Today my mother will try to make some porridge... maybe with luck... he might take...

Is it normal?

Hi... just wondering, is it normal for a 20+ months toddler to be able to throw a ball a few meters away and a few meters up? Lately, Reese discover how to throw things far and high up! and the way he throws.... it's like someone throwing a shot put. We have a lot of comments on Reese being very strong... and now the way he throws a ball or anything.... it's kinda scary.... ha ha ha... he can really throw.... few meters high up and most of the time.. it can touch the ceiling and few meters away ...... So is it normal? does your toddler does that too?

I look horrible!!

AHHHHHH..... so frustrating... I am getting fatter and fatter... went to Lake Gardens last weekend with Reese, hubby and in-laws. Hubby took alot of photos and 2 nights ago, while sorting out the photos... I was really really sad. I saw myself in the photos...I loooookkkk sooo horrible...fat fat and totally different from what I used to be!!!

I need help... I need you readers to be my witnesses... I am determine to lose 20kgs in the next 6 months. I really must do something... I am always depressed when it comes to buying clothes.. I hate seeing myself in the mirror... I used to be quite pretty... before I got married...haha... now.. aiyo... just horrible.. I always have a weight problem..and now it's totally out of control!

I now weight about 72 kgs!!!! before I got married, I was 56kgs. That was 4 years ago. This time I am so sick of myself... I love to dress up and all..but can't because of my weight.... I want to be stylish... I want to be pretty, feel good about myself... but right now... I just hate myself and feels shameful...

Next Monday onwards, I am going to start an exercise plus diet program. By 6th of November, I want to weight 52kgs!! I must succeed this time!! No more excuses...

Support me my friends..by reminding me every now and then in my posts related to my weight lost program!!! Every Sunday (starting next week) I will be reporting on my progress and share with you some of the things I do to lose weight and if you have any good tips on weight lost... do share..... :)

No women like sharing about their weight problems and let alone how telling you their actual weight! I am trying to be brave here. :)

This is my plan, I want to lose about 3 to 4 kgs a month by exercising, weight training with a trainer and dieting. I am going to miss my food. I love food and it's going to be the toughest part to tackle! I need to get hubby to do the same...he needs to lose about 4 kgs... He needs to exercise for health reasons... Ah.. the remainder days of this week... I am going eat alot of food..haha..

Now that I have a plan, I am all excited and feel a tiny bit happier!!

Reese in Action!!

Here you can see Reese playing his new drums... turn on the speakers.. cause when he drums.. there is rhythm to it!

20 months

Ah...Reese turn 20 months on Saturday. He has grown so much that it's difficult to keep track on a lot of things.... :)

Height: Over 85 cm

Weight: Probably close to 14kgs or slightly less

Movements: Started to play with his fingers, trying to position them in different ways, can jump, can sprint, run very well, still walk with a bit of tip toeing, can shake his body side to side, squade, can move his hands and arms in all directions, more agile now and can climb quite well. Loves to do hand and body actions when watching his CDs. He is able to walk up stairs unaided but coming down still needs help.

Speech: talking in 2 to 3 words phases, able to say 2 to 3 sllyabus words. Vocabulary, I must say... it's actually about 160 to 200 words...

Food: Very choosy with his main meals, and eating less because alot of the food I prepare for him, he will reject or eat very little. It takes over an hour to feed him 60% of the time. Thank God he still likes his fruits and cereal and yogurt.

Teeth: Currently has 8 teeth and 3 on it's way!

Temper: mmmm... whine when he doesn't get what he wants. Cries only when really necessary. So far no sigh of being stubborn. I would consider him mild temper.

Character: mmmm.... can't really see anything yet...but I must say... he is very cautious with whatever he does...especially when it's something new. He is also a cheeky little boy.

Reese can count from 1 to 12. Alphabets... he knows all and now is learning the sound of the alphabets. Likes to listen to songs and trys to sing. He understands us better when we communicate with him.

Reese and Grandparents from Penang

Boy! Reese was sooo excited when his Penang grandparents came on Wednesday evening. He refused to go to bed that night, he wanted to play with them and also his new drums. The very next morning, when I said to him to go outside to play with gong gong and ama... he immediately got up and walked to the door. When he was outside, he went straight to their room and open the door! He just loves playing with them. This morning as I leave the house... he even comes to me and said bye bye... no whining at all... he just walk back to play with his grandparents!!! Reese is so lucky to have 2 sets of grandparents who simply adore and love him.... He has another week to be totally spoilt by my in-laws.. ahhaa... And I get to take a break with hubby. Looking forward to a night movie and mamak with hubby.

Real drum!!

Yes... we finally got Reese a real children's drum. Thanks to my in-laws, they went to QueensBay mall, Penang and got the drum from Yamaha before they come down to KL. And another surprise.. my in-laws wants the drum and a triangle to be Reese's 2nd birthday present! They paid for the drum and triangle! Thank you mum and dad.

Beside the real drum, Reese also got another drum from in-laws' friend (Aunty Yenni). She got him a toy drum but made of cloth and the sound was pretty good too.

On the evening when my husband and in-laws came home. They took out both the drums... Reese was delighted!! He had a great time playing with his existing drum and the new drums... 3 drums surrounded Reese on the sofa... he just sat there playing with it and watched Barney ...and we all had a good peaceful dinner. It must be more than 20 minutes.. hehe..

Reese didn't want to go into his room to sleep. He was protesting when we took him in. After his milk... he ask to go out and play...we took him out.. he walked to his new drums... took them into the room..and drummed away... hubby and I both fell asleep... and when I woke up... Reese was asleep beside me holding on to his new drum sticks!

Phases and 2/3 syllabus words...

Reese has been actively saying 2 to 3 syllabus words and also talking in phases. I guess he is ready to converse with us more.... :) oh...he also does alot of hand actions and body movements... alot of progress the past 3 weeks. He is almost 20 months!!

Some of the phases and words he says :

outside play,open door,bird nest,good boy,morning,castle,drink milk,built crane,read book,changing,kite fly...sky,Porsche,rabbit,airplane, swimming,swimming,pool,apples, elephant (erliphan),ambulance (ambuen),fire engine (fire engin), ride bike, thank you (an-q).

I think his current vocabulary easily exceed 100 words... that's a rough estimation. Can't wait for him to talk with me!!

Separation anxiety

Eeerr... not Reese... it's me... :(
Hubby has to go back to Penang for his God father's funeral and I am left alone with Reese and maid. He will be back tomorrow and yet I felt like this.... silly isn't it?

On a happier note, today for the first time, Reese had 1 KFC drumstick and 2 scoops mash potatoes for lunch and for dinner, half a bowl of rice with ikan bilis soup!!! Yes... he finally takes rice... tomorrow going to try again but with ABC soup.... :)

Teething and Food

Reese is rejecting his usual food....one by one... first his favourite pasta, next peanut butter bread then noodles soup and now.... his mushroom soup!!! Ah.... what am I to do? He only takes his fruits and yogurt. Even his milk intake is effected. These days, he never finish his milk..always leave 2 oz or so...

Could it be due to teething? Yesterday I tried fried dory fish..and he likes it but he can't be taking just dory fish right? He also takes KFC's mash potato and I can't be giving him Fast food everyday either... Can't give him chicken much because it's hard for him to chew...not enough teeth. He only has 8 teeth. Heahache... He needs vegetables...he needs a balance diet. My boy is sooo fussy!!

The good news is.. he is teething again...finally... this time... 3 teeth erupting at the same time.. 2 upper canines (cuspid) and one lower canine. Probably the other lower canine erupting soon. Reese keeps putting his fingers into his mouth and biting on his toys and even tables. Now what? I am worry about his food intake...

Daddy Reese

This is daddy Reese. Let me tell you something about him. Daddy Reese never like kids and given a choice, he doesn't want children but because of his love for his wife... ahem... we agree to have one. Before Reese came about, he never goes near any kids! He doesn't like kids because they are naughty, fragile and never listen.... He has never carried a baby before and thus just minutes after Reese was born, I remembered vividly... I told the nurse to give Reese to him...he was somewhat reluctant...haha.. he was blur and probably scared! I guess initially fatherhood was really tough for him. It took his freedom away. He really tries his best when it comes to his son! :) Now, he is good at changing diaper, feeding, singing, dancing and be silly, babysitting , playing, getting his son to sleep and even bathing his son... oh..another thing...he is super patient with his son too... No one can melt his heart better than Reese. Reese has also brought out the kid in him even more... I am proud of you dear. To me, you are the best father Reese could ever have. You are truly devoted to your our precious Reese. Each day after work, no matter how tired you are, you will still spend some time with Reese either playing or get him to bed. You are a great dad!

Father's day is just round the corner... so fabulous mummy bloggers.... care to share about your hubby on being a father? Kathie, Ann, Soo Li, Mumsgather.... I want to hear about your hubbies....

Feeding Reese (3 weeks old)

Carrying his precious to sleep....

Admiring his precious

Playing with Reese at the playground

Feeding Reese his dinner

Taking an afternoon nap with Reese.. see the foot sticking out?

Reading bible stories before bedtime

Waiting for food....

Taking photos of Reese

Playing with Reese

Watching educational programs on the computer

More playing with Reese

Caught Reese singing...



Finally, caught Reese singing part of his Weather Song!!!!
Turn up the volume and you will hear Reese singing....

At the beginning you will hear him sing something like.... 'changing' (very loud)..repeat another 2 times... then... after a while... you will hear him trying to sing in tune to the lyric 'sky'...here he repeats another few times... can you hear his voice going a few keys higher?

Finally I have proof that he sings...haha...

* Usually he sings much better...but I am desperate to show you that he sings and it's not easy to shoot him doing that.... :)

Diapers and Formula Milk

Before having Reese, I never bothered to check out promotions from major hypermarkets whether from the internet or the newspapers. Then I found out that during promotions, especially for diapers and formula milk, there can be quite a significant savings if bought in a large quantity!

Now I am obsessed by it. Even my husband will make sure when he reads the weekend paper, he will pay attention to such promotions! :)

Everything is getting so expensive, I remembered when Reese started taking formula till now, the price of his milk has gone up twice. Diapers about twice too. For the past 1 month or so, we had to change Reese's diaper brand again. He is growing big and we had no choice but to go for a bigger and better one. From newborn, Reese used Mamypokko and then when he was a couple of months old, we changed to Huggies dry comfort. Quality is good but cutting a little smaller compare to Mamypokko. Then now, we have to use Mamypokko again for night use because it's more comfortable and can hold more urine and last week, we decided to use Huggies Ultra which is more expensive then Huggies dry comfort. The cutting is bigger and overall more comfortable. Hai, now we have to pay more for diapers again!

There was a promotion at Tesco last week where Huggies Ultra was only RM36.90 and promotion at Carrefour for Mamypokko at RM41.90 for 50 pieces. We bought 5 packs of Huggies Ultra and 2 packs of Mamypokko.

Now, we are waiting for Carrefour promotion for formula milk! Reese takes GainPlus by Abbot and the cheapest I can get is RM79.99. When Carrefour has a promotion, I can get it for RM75.99 I think. This is the only place with promotion for GainPlus. Unlike Enfagrow A+, I don't see any promotion for GainPlus. So if you uses GainPlus, always check out Carrefour!!

It's so expensive raising a kid these days.

Interest in Self Feeding

YES.... Reese is finally interested in self feeding. Eating out with Reese is always a challenge. It is usually difficult to get him to sit in the highchair and for us to have a peaceful meal and I don't like a messy baby with oil and food stains everywhere. So about two weeks ago, while eating at Reese's favourite place (Fish & Co), I decided to let him try feeding himself with chips. I broke a few pieces of chips into small cubes. Guided him to use his fork and poke into the little cubes. Then we showed him how to put the fork into his mouth and after one attempt, he did it. Then he got excited... he fed himself a few more of those chips... and thus we had a somewhat peaceful meal..... :) Ever since then, whenever we are out eating, we will let him play with his food!!

Yesterday evening I guided him to use a spoon to feed himself some noodles. Whenever possible, I allow him to eat fruit pieces on his own. Even biscuits. Now he is more willing to hold these items and eat them. But he has not mastered the skill to eat and hold and eat again. He will usually push the whole piece (whatever he is holding) into his mouth even thou it's too big, wide or too long... hehehe.... Will have to let him practise more.

Ps: My mom still doesn't approve allowing Reese to play with his food and self feed!! She told me that my sister and I only started to eat on our own around 3 plus!!!

Pictures taken 15 minutes ago before his bedtime

Reese surprises me

Today at my mother's place while trying to make him take his nap... I decided to test his knowledge of all the songs we sang to him. He surprised me. Every song I sang, I will stop at the end of a stanza/sentence and expect him to complete it and he did.

Every single song..., Weather song, ABC song, Ba Ba Black Sheep, Incy Wincy Spider, Row Row Row your Boat, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Deep and Wide, Wheels on the Bus, Old McDonald, Pussy in the Well, Humpty Dumpty, Bingo, Ring a Round a Rosy, Kumbayah and a few more... too many to remember...  

He can also do actions for some of these songs... maybe most kids can do the same...but I am still very impressed... hahaha... I am addicted to singing to him cause it is so much fun hearing him trying to sing in tune and say the correct lyrics to the song... 

Oh... Reese also learnt to do a rabbit shadow on the wall together with sound!! It's hilarious... There is no word to describe the joy and how proud we are as parents to Reese Matthew Kam. We love him sooooo much. 

Reese in action

Manage to capture Reese dancing and a bit of singing. This is his favourite song at the moment. The Weather Song. In it...you can see him dance a little, clapping in time (somewhat) and try to sing..

Touchable versus Untouchable

Daddy's old toys found abandoned in Penang - TOUCHABLE
*Mummy tried to salvage as many as possible

Untouchable - Daddy's Zoids collection

Untouchable - Some of these were 23 years old!!

More new and old Zoids - Untouchable

PS: Actually, a couple of times, daddy did take out his precious Zoids and let me play with it but...but.... Daddy very stingy... the moment I try to play with it in a rough manner... Daddy immediately confiscate them!! So... it's still untouchable... Mummy always very happy when I try to play with Daddy's Zoids.... hehehe...

Great books


Today while shopping with hubby and Reese, we bought two great books for Reese. These are great read aloud books to be enjoyed with your kids. Reese is still a little young to be read to, but I can't help buying them. There was a 25% discount! I love books and really hope Reese will also take up reading as a hobby. There are many children's books on the market but not all are of good quality in terms of illustration and story line. For very young children, I prefer to stick to classic children literature. After all, there is nothing to match the splendid feeling of losing yourself in a good book.

Latest Favorite activity

For the past one week, every morning after milk, I will take Reese to the study room to watch and play with interactive learning sites. He has taken a liking to this "Weather" song on one of the BBC children site. Another favorite is ABC reading site. These are highly recommended sites. It's great fun for both parents and children. There are many more, along the way I will share more.

Reese can watch this 3 times and another 3 times on another clip!

He loves playing with the mouse

A Karaoke session with Reese

Ah... Reese has shown an interest in singing for sometime now. The past one week, I have been singing with him about the weather song. We will watch the flash clip and I will sing. He would laugh at the characters in the clip and point and occasionally say some of the things he saw in there. So yesterday morning, he requested for the song to be sung. It went like this:

Reese: *whine* "Changing..changing...."
Mummy: Huh? Oh.. you want Mummy to sing the weather song huh?
Reese: *whine* "Changing...
Mummy: *Sings* The weather's always changing....
Reese: Changing....
Mummy: Changing..... Sometimes the sun is up, sometimes it's ...?
Reese: Raining....
Mummy: Sometimes the cold wind....?
Reese: Blows....
Mummy: In winter time.... it...?
Reese: Snows....
Mummy: Clever boy....
Mummy: The sun is shining in the...?
Reese: Sky.....
Mummy: The sun is shining in the...?
Reese: Sky....
Mummy: The sun is shining in the sky...and when the sun is up...the keeps us warm and dry...
Reese: Dry....
Mummy: Here comes the rain... it drips and splashes down....
Reese: splish..splish.....
Mummy: Here comes the wind... it makes a whistling sound... and when the wind blows hard...it spins things...??
Reese: round ..round....
Mummy: It spins things round and round...
Mummy: Here comes the snow... it turns everything to......??
Reese: white...

*proud smile* I think I will have more karaoke sessions with Reese soon... :)

Mannerism

I always wonder how I am going to teach Reese manners. Is it going to be difficult? Apparently not. Reese is smart enough to imitate us. :)

When he gives you something, he will say 'air q' (thank you). We taught him to say thank you when one receives something from someone but Reese thinks both giving and receiving deserve a 'air q'!

Recently, we taught him to say Please when he ask for something. So now, whenever he wants something, he will either do hand gestures or whine to indicate he wanted something...but will only use the word Please when both actions fail! Haha... he will say 'piss' (please).

Something funny, he likes to jump around and when he falls, he will say 'air fu'. Can you guess what he is saying?

He is reminding himself to be careful (air fu)!! :) smart eh?

Oh... Reese can now call his daddy Adrian. :) He still calls me 'Ah me' and can't call my name Florence either. *sigh*

My Mother's day flowers from hubby and Reese

Reese and Daddy with the flowers

Reese was holding the flowers all the way to my parents home

Mother's day

I had a good night sleep last night with very little interruption. Hubby wanted me to sleep well last night... he read about what I wanted for mother's day... hehe.. He was sweet enough to take care of Reese during his midnight feed. I woke up early and feeling happy I prepared salad and potatoes, marinated the lamb, fish and prawns. Cook Reese's mushroom soup.

Hubby took Reese to the playground area to pluck some flowers for me. After that.. we dropped Reese at my parents place and we went for a nice breakfast. No bah kut teh for me but I got to eat my favourite porridge in town. We went back to my mom's place and took Reese to the pool for some water fun. Because Reese did not get to sleep at his usual time... he cried in the car, frustrated because he was super sleepy.. took him out of the car seat and he slept on my shoulder during the entire journey home. Once I got out of the car.. he woke and cried... took 9 oz of milk and peanut butter banana sandwich and played the whole day. Reese had his dinner early and I cooked dinner for my family. My parents, sister and two aunties came. We all had a good time. It was also my sister's birthday. Reese slept at 8pm. It was a good Mother's day.

Ps: Thank you dear for the weekend. :)

Fun time on Mother's day

Reese loves water especially playing and 'swimming' in the wading pool. These were taken today afternoon. He had a good time with me and hubby.

My Mother's Day Fantasies

Got tagged by Mummy Darren, I did write about Mother's day last week where I said I was not excited and just wanted to spend the day with my boy and family. That's the reality. He he he... ok... here comes the fantasy part.... it took a good 10 minutes of thinking and these are the things I want to do....

First, I want an uninterrupted sleep of 8 hours in my husbands arms. :)
Hubby gives me a good body massage. Must be at least 15 minutes long. Usually last only 1 to 2 minutes max. hahaha...
Go for a nice breakfast...preferably Bah Kut Teh in Klang with hubby.
Then go for a nice movie and then some window shopping.
Pick Reese up at mom's place and go swimming with Reese and hubby. Have a splashing good time.
Have buffet dinner at a hotel with Reese behaving well and we can all eat uninterrupted.
Go home play with Reese a little and then he magically goes to sleep very early. Then somehow there is a family member to watch over Reese so that hubby and I can go for another movie and then mamak session!

Oh... I was also thinking... it would be nice if I am pregnant too on Mother's day. Well... it's probably not going to happen anyway...but fantasy right? :)

Happy mother's day all you proud mummies and mummies to be.

Christine and Ann... I want to hear about your Mother's day fantasies..

Don’t hold back. Let it rip! Share your Mother’s Day Fantasies on your blog. Then pass it on to other Mothers to share. Let's be silly and let our hair down. Then add your name and blog post url to the list and let it go around. Anyone can participate in this. Just write your blog post and add your name to the list. It's that simple.

1. Mumsgather shares - What I REALLY want to do on Mother’s Day.
2. Kiddos Realm shares
3. Ruth shares
4. Jazzmint shares
5. Chanel shares
6. Karen shares - My Mother's Day Fantasies
7. Lemonjude shares - My Mother's Day Fantasies
8. My Baby Talk shares - My Mother's Day Fantasies

9. A Gift from God shares - My Mother's Day Fantasies

Hong Kong Disneyland

Dear readers from Hong Kong or anyone who is familiar with Hong Kong,

We are going to bring Reese to Disneyland end of December and celebrate new year there. I need help. I need some good suggestion for good food and cheap accommodation that is not in too bad a location. It must be family friendly. We are going with another family of 3 and they have a young toddler too.

It would be my third trip there but never seems to eat good food. This time around, we hope to get some good info on food. Oh.... anyone know where is the best 'tank jai' porridge?

Can you give us some suggestions??? I want to plan ahead and get the best deal. It's the coldest month too right in December? Any advise in terms of clothing for a toddler?

First Passport photo


It took the lady 10 minutes or more and after 20 or so shots before she got this picture. Reese wasn't happy sitting on the kodak box and staring at the camera. As you can see in the photo, he wasn't very happy. :)

I took Reese to the immigration probably 2 weeks ago. I reached there at 8.15am and I am done in half and hour. Very fast. Then within 2 hours, his passport was ready.

Documents wise, You need his birth certificate, his Mykid, your marriage certificate, one parent's IC and the form (RM1) or you can download it from the immigration site but remember, must be printed on both sides. All documents need a photocopied version. You need to pay RM150 for the passport.

Reese's latest development



Reese is only nineteen months plus but most people think he is over two years of age. And we have to constantly tell them that. Every will then look a little surprised. Not only is he mature for his age, his learning ability is also quite advance. He already knows his A-Z both upper and lower cases. He knows numbers 1-14, 17,18,20. He can recite A-Z and 1-12 with a little help from me. Most of the books I bought for him.. the ones that introduces pictures of everyday things, animals, shapes, vehicles... he knows 95% of them. He knows his colours well.

He can now hold his pencil quite well and is able to scribble properly. I will have to work on this part more. I am just lazy I guess. :)

He seems to like music alot. He enjoys drumming and playing the piano. We are still looking for a real drum for Reese. Unfortunately.. can't find the right one. Wherever we go, when he sees a drum... he will point at it and say drum....drum... at church... he will look at the drummer intently... just observing how she drums away.... Reese also likes the piano.. he doesn't really bang on it... he actually play a few keys! He really enjoys it.

I don't know what other books to buy him now... haha... picture books..he knows most of the things in them... story books... he is not ready for stories yet... or maybe I just need to let him get used to mummy reading to him. I am going to get the home schooling materials from U.S. soon and perhaps to start on a wonderful journey of fun and creative learning through play and books. I love books and I can't wait to build a library for little Reese. I want him to love books like I do. :)

Gender Stereotyping Toys

Take a walk down Toys "R" Us. Take a closer look at the toys marketed specifically for boys and girls. At the girls' section you find dolls, fashion, cooking, jewelery just to name a few. As for the boys you find action figures, sports equipment, cars, planes and others.

I find that the toys for girls are encouraging them to be pretty, keeping house, playing mummy, basically domesticated stuff whereas for boys it's aim at dexterity, action and skills.

Some people might think that what's the big deal? but for me, toys is part of the molding process of our children's lives and these toys do send a message about the roles of women and men in our society.

I believe by gender stereotyping too much, it will limit opportunities and talents for both girls and boys. They will benefit if we offer them limitless options. They will grow up to be more fully developed if we give them the freedom to discover who they are.

I want Reese to be able to cook or keeping house. Perhaps sewing buttons or patching up holes on his pants! I have seen parents letting their sons play papa and take care of babies and play cooking. I think that's really good. I want Reese to grow up being very independent and resourceful.

What do you think? Care to share your thoughts on this?

Pretend play

What do you do with a magnetic number eight and a plastic ring? 

Our little Reese surprised us by dipping the number eight in the hole of the plastic ring and blow through the holes of number eight and declared bubble...bubble... 

He was imitating us blowing bubbles to him!!! So cute... He kept doing that for a while before bedtime. Wonder what is the next surprise. :) This is his first pretend play!!

19 months

Reese turned 19 months on the 30th of April. Nothing much to report, he is taller and heavier. He is smarter and talks and imitates more. Getting more fussy with his food. Demanding too. Developed a phobia for sudden burst of laughter or noise. He is one healthy boy with minimal sickness. Took all his compulsory vaccination. Overall he is one happy baby and cries only if there is a need. Character wise, mmm... not very adventurous, very cautions when it comes to new environment or new things to try. Takes time to warm up to new people and places. Not shy with strangers. Doesn't like confined places.