Wordless Wednesday: Date Night

This picture was taken just last Sunday when after our date. It’s memorable to me because I do cherish lovey moments like this; sans baby. We all know how a relationship can be so different after the baby. I am not saying if it’s gonna gets better or worse (it’s an insider’s secret. tsk tsk ...) but it’s definitely different.

Word of advice: Every couple should always make an effort to go out on date; just you and your better half. It might not be easy to make time for it but still, it is going to be so worth it.

You gonna keep the mojo going eh ...

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

When Elmo Sings A Song for Allysa

This morning, I was so thrilled to discover a very interesting service from the internet. This website, Just Me! Music provides kids personalised CDs or DVDS from their favourite characters from Sesame Street, Walt Disney, Barney and more. 


And yes, they do ship internationally! * blink blink *


Did I mention you can download some trials?

Tasty Tuesday: Baked Cod Fish with Herbs

Growing up with a tod now means is a great time for experiments. 

Play, Craft and new recipes.

So some times when I am in the mood to whip up some thing nice and different for Allysa, I will go to my kitchen and see what stuffs I can mix and match with that is healthy and appropriate for her.

Merry-Making Monday: Jars of Beans

Our family is pretty much a reuse-reduce-recycle bunch especially my Mother In Law. 

She collects and reuses discarded water from the laundry washes to flash toilet or wash the toilet. Besides, you would also find lots of empty sauces or Skippy jars at home.

With so-many jars at home, I thought of a great idea to marry fun and sustainability together. 

Howdy Harley!

We are bored with just stroller. Stroller are pretty much for far away outings or for grocery/shopping trips so it can double up as a porter too . You get the point.


I have been contemplating to get a tricycle for Allysa all these while. By that, I mean since six months ago. Having seen kids being pushed around in those little trikes intrigued me. It sure looks more fun than just plain boring stroller. I bet Allysa Dear will agree with Mommy too.


☺

So finally, we set our mind and went to get one of those trike for Allysa this morning.

A Little Piece of Heaven

Everybody has a place at home where they find comfort and solace in.

For us, bed it is.

We sleep, 

One Sign Fits All

Lately, Allysa’s development has been monumental. She is learning to pick up one-syllable word and can say a mean “Up” with really clear enunciation. You can feel her “peh" on your face. “Up” is used in context when she wants to be carried up from the floor so she can take a peep at what I am doing on my laptop, carry up and out from her highchair so that she can break free and run loose again or carry up and out of her cot. 

Of course like a puppy who has learnt new tricks, we have been practising hard with her; making her say “up” whenever the context applies. She usually complies, gets lots of hearty responses. She smiles. We laugh. Win win situation.

Something Yay! Something Low!

If Baby Bop favorite yellow thing is her blankie, then my favorite yellow thing has gotta be my notebook.

Here's a little history. Or maybe not. Seriously, I can't remember when I got this but it bears a sticker that I got a decade ago.

You gotta love this little man who irritates the life out of Bert. 

Wordless Wednesday: An Uncanny Resemblance

So I have posted about the Side-walk painting we did a couple days back and I just realised I had forgotten to share the master’s art work.

How could I?

Though it is not officially painted on paper, nonetheless it was Allysa’s FIRST stroke of the brush.
Any ways, I’m glad to capture it digitally. 

Road Runner was the first thing that came to my mind.

Or what do you think Allysa’s painting or strokes look like?

Merry-Making Monday: Sidewalk Painting

Having a toddler around means the days of “macro-management” is over. Now, I have to “micro-manage” my baby from wherever she goes to what she plays with. You never know what this little munchkin of mine is up to the next minute. 

I have been thinking of new activities to Allysa and painting is one of them. But my biggest concern is that she might swallow the paint (she has a penchant for putting THINGS in her mouth. ) and I am not sure if I am ready for the amount of mess that she will make. I mean, if I do want to let he paint, I would want to let her have fun exploring her way without too much interference. (which I am not sure how I can cope right at this moment.)  

So after some brainstorming, I recalled a great less-mess-same-fun activity that I had done with my preschoolers when I was teaching years ago. 

All you need are paintbrushes (those painter kind) and small buckets from the hardware store. And water to have all the fun!

There are many alternatives to this great activity. You can add in chalks or spray bottles to create colours and splatters for the older kids.

Allysa had so much fun painting with water along my Mom’s corridor.
And what’s more fun is that my Mom stays at the 1st level. She had a big area to explore with
and my Mom got a free wash of her gate at the same time.



So what are some of the less-mess-same-fun activities do you let your tods engage in? Please share and I would love to hear from you.

Have a merry-making Monday!

Ain’t No Nanny Like Barney

If Jo Frost is the super nanny of Britain, the great saviour to parents of little terrors, tantrum throwers and trouble makers, THEN Barney (yes, the BIG purple dinosaur I meant) is the Supernanny of my household whom (or which) can tame my highly active, non-stop wriggling, has ants in her pants all day toddler.

Allysa enjoying her Barney show at One year old.
Sitted.
Now at Thirteen months, she is trained to sit on the couch.

Allysa fostered a close friendship with Barney, BJ, Baby Bop, Beth, Gianna and Scott soon after I introduced them to her after a shopping trip. It was by co-incidence that I met these great people in a toy store. Standing and smiling brightly on the cover of the DVD box. 

Frankly speaking, thirteen months later into motherhood, I have no qualms about Allysa watching television. I know there are the different schools of thoughts and the cons to TOO much TV for kids below the age of Two. 

Trust me, I have been at the other side of the spectrum.

After reading through books and books of baby caring, I made a stand that I WILL NOT let Allysa watch TV until she gets older (which by my record, that will probably be around Two?) Family members were strongly discouraged to let Allysa watch TV. I made sure they adhere to MY rules and watched them with hawking eyes. Rule breakers will be barred from carrying the baby as I scooped her off into my bed room where I will coo, sing or read to her. Definitely very educational and enriching than having her eyes glued to whatever was showing on the Tv. 

As Allysa grows and becomes mobile, I’ve no longer that much energy to foster those rules myself. Reality DO sets into my ideal world. My energy was zapped off by the daily care of a growing toddler and the chores. There is no way I can tame her or keep her safe without having to be around her. She needs to be watch all the time with her insatiable appetite to climb and bite whatever things she has on her hands. 

But....there’s one thing that can keep her attention and that is TV. By two months, Allysa had shown great interest to the black box with flashing colours and sounds. She will stare at the screen and watch attentively. From that moment, I knew that old habits RUN in the genes. 

Well, children watching TV isn’t as bad or scary as we thought. Moderation is the key and in areas like the duration spent on TV and only watching age-appropriate and high quality programs for the children. To me, quality means that it’s educational and entertaining. Spare me the daily Channel 8’s 7pm Drama series or the very cute adverts where Allysa can shake her bum-bum to the tune of Chicken Dance or do a mean “Bruce Lee” impersonation.

I admit it’s cute and entertaining and the old folks are amused. But it gives me the chill when I foresee 365 days of such random and non-qualitative TV exposure can do to my baby.

Barney is different. So is Sesame Street. Currently, I have only exposed these two programs to Allysa on a much regular basis. These programs are educational and entertaining at the same time. Like the theme of the DVD I got of Barney focuses on manners, we watch, sing and dance along while we learn all about good manners. Even I do learn a thing or two. The one I got from Sesame Street is from their Baby series and focus on music and movement. I can’t say how much I enjoy dancing and moving around to those songs with Allysa.

Since the launch of TV time in Allysa’s daily routine, we have both been happier.

1.    Great Bonding Time

I do make it a point to sit with her through her show when I am not busy. It definitely helps us to bond over her favourite activity.

2.    Rest Time

Yes! It means I can take a break from my job as the entertainer cum teacher while we both enjoy a great show at the same time. BLISS.

3.    Edutainment        

We learnt about important values like good manners, respect for friends and responsibility. I switch on the subtitles so Allysa learns the relation between the spoken language and words. For myself, it allows me to learn to sing the songs at the same time too. Songs are a great teaching medium and definitely beats singing to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars” or “Wheels on the bus” all the time.

Besides learning, we are both highly entertained as well.

So do you let your children watch TV programs? And if you do, what do they watch? Do you have special TV rules in your household too? Were you a reformed “No TV” mom like myself too? I would love to hear from you. 

And here’s wishing you a fabulous weekend ahead!

Back from the Seaweedy Deep

Yeah, I have been missing in action for a little while. Nope, I did not get drown after my trip to the seaweedy deep but just took a break from blogging whereas I get busy with my daily life.

Time is such a crunch and with a very active tot running around the house, I have to re-plan my household management schedule. Gone are the days where I can blog while keeping an eye on Allysa. Now, whenever she sees me on my laptop, she will insist I carry her by tugging my legs and fussing around or saying “Up” pitifully. If all requests fail, she will simply scream for attention. 

Besides, I have been conscious of what I do and how I behave in front of her therefore, refraining away from using the laptop or iPhone whenever I am with her. 

There are also days when I have a writer’s block when I just can’t seem to express myself in words. Even right now.

I have many GREAT plans to grow this blog like maybe buy the domain name, change my domain name, migrate to Wordpress coz it seems more impressive with the plugins (I love plugins), redesign this blog, start another blog where I can share information and keep this blog personal and blah blah...You know what I mean? So with so many maybes going on in my mind, I just don’t know how to move on with this blog.

Anyways....I shan’t bore you much with my ramblings. 

In case you are wondering what we are up to, we are great and fine. Allysa is growing up so much and fast too. It’s such a joy to watch and play with her now. She never fails to amuse me with her antics and new tricks. That keeps me guessing what goes on in that little head of hers. 

But all in all, that’s the pure joy of parenthood and I am totally loving it. 

P.S: Well just a gentle reminder that the Early Bird Promo is up for iTheatre’s next production “The Elves and The Shoemaker”. Remember to get yours soon.

Down to the Sea-weedy Deep and Other Great News!

I am a big fan of The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. It tells the story of how sharing is kind and why it is good to share. I love the story, for it is really meaningful and has a great moral behind the tale. It’s definitely one of my favourites to share with my children as a teacher and as a mom too.

Of course, nothing beats the experience of watching this great story comes alive. Last Saturday, I had the privilege to watch this musical presented by I Theatre.

I Theatre is one of three professional production companies for children’s theatre and the only family focused production Company in Singapore. It aims to produce world-class family focused theatre experiences that are accessible, inspirational, challenging and original.

The Rainbow Fish makes its ultimate return to stage after a 3-year absence. In fact, The Rainbow Fish has been staged six times and has travelled over the world, including India, USA, Australia and United Kingdom.

I was proud to be able to catch this show for its seventh stage appearance.  I have always enjoyed theatre plays especially during my primary school days. It was great to be able to watch another family-focused musical production since I am a parent too. 

The whole show was simply mind-blowing. I love the set. The props were 3-D, really colourful and glowed in the darkness of the theatre. As an audience member, I felt I was transported immediately into the deep sea. The puppets were really well made. The sea creatures looked real and the puppeteers interacted really well with the puppets too. They breathed life into them. Throughout the show, they sang live! No lip-syncing at all. Very powerful lungs there!

Okay, seeing is believing. Check out the photos, courtesy of I Theatre Ltd. And you will know what I mean.

I was simply blown away by the part when The Rainbow Fish made a visit to the octopus. The black light theatre technique was simply gorgeous.

Great set, fantastic props, wonderful acting crew and not to forget, the catchy songs, this is definitely a great musical that any family should not miss. Recommended for everyone age 3 to 93.

The Rainbow Fish is currently showing till 6 August 2011. You might want to check out Sistic for the sale of the tickets.

And in case you are longing for more, here’s some more great news to share.

I Theatre will be staging their next musical “The Elves and The Shoemaker” from 28 October to 13 November 2011 at the Drama Centre, National Library. Tickets will be on sale from 11th August 2011. So do check out Sistic for the sale of tickets.

And the best bit; there will be an Early Bird 10% Discount on all ticket prices until 11th September 2011. 

So don’t forget to grab your tickets fast before they’re sold out.

(Photo source: Courtesy of I Theatre Ltd)