Thursday, August 22, 2013

Friday Five: R is for...

:: Rapid learning: I am always amazed at how quickly toddlers pick up things. Lil J has been fixing his own Duplo creations, doing lots of play cooking, and learning lots of new words. This week, he decided he would take care of his stuffed toys. He started washing them in the play sink ("puppy poopoo alot, wash bum bum"), running to the toilet to "dry" them on our towels ("puppy clean now!"), then cooking for them on the stove ("monkey, hot soup! J blow!") and feeding them. He would then bring them to his bed and pat them to sleep, while singing the alphabet song to them. It also means he picks up all sorts of things from his brother, who tries to get him to do naughty things like throw his toys about!

He loves stacking up the flowers and tells me "dog is driving!"
Even if they topple, he will declare "J fix!" and stack them up again. 

He likes to dress up, like his brother.
Once his hat is on, he declares "Go market! Buy fish!" and heads to the door!

:: Reluctant learner: Junior J is still very particular about what activities he would like to do at home. Books we read have to be about dinosaurs or animals. He doesn't want to try to form letters. Neither does he want to learn how to read. He's been down with a cold, and has been even more unwilling than usual to go outdoors, and has been pretty whiny and cranky. However, this boy has one thing he simply loves and will not say no to. Painting. Give him a brush and some paints and he will happily busy himself for the next 30 minutes or so. Which is why we've been doing more painting these days:


:: Recycling: And speaking of painting, we've been trying to do more crafts with recycled materials. We just bought a new sofa, and kept one of the big boxes... which Junior J declares he wants to transform into another natural history museum. I'm rather glad since this project would probably keep him busy for a week's worth of afternoons! (He has dropped his nap, so keeping this boy busy while I put Lil J down for his nap has been quite the challenge.)


:: Reorganizing: Meanwhile, when time permits, we've been unpacking the last of our boxes. And trying our best to declutter. One major project I'm trying to tackle would be to organize all the learning materials and art stuff that we have, so that everything is easily available when we need it. Its been really slow-going (who has the time to pack on top of the usual child-minding and chores and cooking?), but at least our home is slowly looking more presentable.

:: Reflux: It seems that age makes the process of pregnancy tougher, and this 3rd pregnancy has been the toughest thus far. I've been having rather bad heartburn on and off (something I got sometimes when expecting Lil J), and the sciatica and Braxton Hicks contractions have been most uncomfortable. We're only at week 24 though, so we have some way to go, so I'm just taking it one day at a time!

How was your week?


Mum in the Making

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Coming soon...

... a monthly peek into various areas of the home. Get ready your phones or cameras, and snap away!


Monday, August 19, 2013

Thankful Tuesdays: Gallivanting with the gramps


My in-laws visited us the whole of last week, and the boys had a really good time with them. 
We managed to pay a visit to the River Safari...


Manatee feeding time!

... went to the Science Center: 

Junior J was very excited about the large bugs displayed for the Megabugs exhibition.

The boys loved watching the balls as they rolled about.

They loved seeing the coins roll down too!

And also dropped by Bollywood Veggies across the weekend:


Yet another busy week, but I think they are really blessed to have grandparents that love them so! 

What are you thankful for this week?

Mum in the Making

Friday, August 16, 2013

Friday Five: We're all learning

And its the weekend again! Its been another full week for us, and we've also learnt quite a bit along the way.

I've learnt that:

:: You can make creamy healthy ice cream using just one ingredient. Yes, ONE ingredient. And all you need would be a blender or a food processor, no ice-cream maker required!


I tried the modified recipe and made Nutella ice cream for the kids, and they loved it. We're going to try the chocolate version next. (Click here for the steps!)

:: Sometimes, great ideas don't always work out, and its totally ok. (Click here if you want to end your week with a laugh!)

Lil J has been learning loads. These past two weeks, he's figured out how to:


:: Stack a tower of cubes, up to 12 cubes high.

:: Fix those Duplo flowers together into a high tower, and proclaim proudly at the end "J fix!"

And Junior J has learnt that:

:: Its very fun to dress up, especially when he can help himself to some oven mitts!

He says he's a robot. And then he follows his lil brother and tries to freak him out.

Here's to a blessed weekend, everyone! 

Mum in the Making

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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: The blackboard wall

During one of our gatherings over the long weekend, our very talented friends J & Y helped us to draw the boys on our new blackboard wall. I added the quote some time later. Now this greets everyone when they enter our messy place with its ongoing toy tornadoes!



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My Little Drummer Boys

Thankful Tuesdays: A busy week


The week that passed was an extremely busy one, but one that was filled with fun! It all started with Junior J having a movie date with some friends on Wednesday to watch Turbo...

Photo courtesy of Adora.

Then the two days of holidays were spent meeting up with friends and watching our kids all play together, and having some time to explore God's creation at Sungei Buloh (We had wanted to go to the River Safari, but couldn't get parking because it was so crowded!):

The boys loved these bright red leaves!



We got to try the yummy food at the Poison Ivy bistro over at Bollywood Veggies too...


Curry chicken. The hubby loved this, and I forgot to snap a shot until it was half gone!

The nasi lemak was really good too!

... and did some exploring after lunch:



Then Junior J got to be a doctor for a day, and we manage to even visit the MT expo for a second time with friends after church on Sunday!

Tada! (photo courtesy of our friend, D)

Its been such a full week, but I'm so thankful for all the time we could spend together as a family and with loved ones. What are you thankful for this week?


Mum in the Making

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Weekend wanderings: Doctor for a Day


Junior J and I had the chance to attend the Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital's "Doctor for a Day" programme on Saturday, thanks to Jean who helped some of us get a slot. This programme was organized for children aged 5 to 12, to let them experience the various aspects of being a doctor. 

So they got to dress up in scrubs, and learnt how to sanitize their hands properly...


... learn how to use a stethoscope and blood pressure meter in the GP's office:


They went to the Accident and Emergency room and learnt how to clean up cuts and practiced bandaging...


... and even got to use the defibrillator!


Then it was off to the Nursing room where they learnt how to care for infants. 


From feeding the baby...


... to changing the baby's diaper. (This was probably the favourite room for all the girls, who were enthusiastically taking part, while the little boys looked a little lost.)


And finally, they went to the operating theatre and helped in removing lung tumors from Mr Smoke-A-Lot!


To end it all, the kids all got to dress up in white coats to have their graduation photo taken, and were presented with the photo, a certificate, as well as a little stethoscope to take home with them. 

A big thumbs up to the hospital for such a well-planned programme! The facilitators were engaging and enthusiastic (even though they had been facilitating group after group of little participants), and I think the kids enjoyed themselves and got to learn a little about the medical profession. 


You could see that a lot of thought and care went into planning the event, from how smoothly the groups were being moved from room to room, to how the rooms were decorated (complete with mock blood pressure monitors, x-rays etc) and the mini scrubs and lab coats that the children could wear. 

Junior J said that he enjoyed himself (he especially liked the surgery bit). Unfortunately, he was very restless most of the time and kept insisting that I had to be in the room (parents were asked to stay outside the room to give the facilitators and children space), and I think it didn't help that he was very tired, but hyper from chocolate ice cream (my bad, that one!). I'd think he's a little too young for this right now, but would probably have enjoyed it more if he was older. However, the rest were engaged and interested during the session, so it really was a great job on the hospital's part for organizing this programme. 

The restless little doctor. 

PS: All sessions for this programme are full, however, you could check this site to see if there are more available sessions in the future. 

 

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