Welcome to Leonny's Our Everyday Things site! You're most welcome to add me on Facebook, Twitter AND subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting! =)

Now that Anya is in Primary One, she has weekly spelling tests. Usually one for English and another one for Chinese. Prior to each test, she’d learn and prepare herself at least a day before and she usually does really well for English and makes one or two mistakes in her Chinese tests.

Now.

Sometime last month, Anya said to me, ‘Mommy, why do I find English spelling tests easy? It’s so much easier than Chinese spelling tests.’

And I said to her, ‘It’s because you’re so much more comfortable with English and it’s something that we’ve taught you since you’re little. As for Chinese, we can’t speak Chinese with you, and so you need to learn the language yourself from school and your Chinese teacher.’

I didn’t stop there though because I feel she needs to learn about being responsible with her God-given talents.

You see, Anya has this love for learning and writing. She looks forward to our bedtime story and book-reading time. She knows how to read before she was five. She loves to read and write stories.

…

So that day (and at other instances when I feel the timing is right), I share with her and remind her of these:

- You find reading and writing ‘easy’ because it’s your strength. It’s a God-given talent. And if we’ve been given something extra compared to other people, we have to use it for God’s glory and as a blessing to others. Not to ‘glorify’ self.

- If writing is your strength, then perhaps you can inspire others through your writing and reach out to many. Pray too that those who read your writing will be blessed by this God-given talent that you have.

- If you know how to read / write / do something else much earlier than others, then God wants you to help other people, and not to be impatient or to look down on those who have yet to learn what you already know how to do.

- I shared with her how everyone is unique, how everyone has different strengths and how we need to share and use our strengths to help and bless others.

I then used the example of her and her little brother.

I told her how she could read and write better than Vai when she was at Vai’s age (ie. He’ s 4.5yo right now). BUT, Vai already knew how to ride a two-wheeled bike since he was around 3yo, while she is still NOT yet able to (and she’s 7yo next week!).

…

[Yes, that's a washing machine box that we 'converted' into a 'board' before we threw it away. It stayed in our living room for a few days, but it was pretty 'well-used', which was the good thing about re-using recyclables =) ]

So you can see how glad I felt, when I saw Anya teaching Vai how to read the other day. She slowly went through simple 3-letter words with him, and taught him how read them in phonics. At other times, she’d also take out some simple chinese storybooks, and teach him how to read them =)

At times like this, I just feel … happy.

And I guess, it’s not really because I now have an ‘assistant teacher’ in teaching Vai how to read.

But it’s more about the joy of seeing our children gradually grow in their characters, in their understanding of what’s been ‘given’ to them, and in their love for each other.

And I hope and pray that they (me included!) continue to learn to be a blessing to others too.

Share This Post on Facebook

[Other than brushing his own teeth most of the time, Vai also brings dirty clothes from the bathroom to the laundry]

Okay, finally, I managed to complete the second part of my blog post.

[Click HERE to read Part 1 of my earlier post : 'Encouraging Kids to Help Out around the House']

…

As promised, here are some quick tips that I’d like to share on how we can encourage our kids to help out around the house :

> Begin early.

I believe teaching our kids about helping out around the house should start as early as possible (eg. from the simplest things, like joining us in putting their lego bricks back into the box after play could start as early as one year old). And, if you have one simple song that you sing along together every time you both tidy up the toys, it’ll even be better. It makes the routine more fun.

…

> Always try to say positive words to further encourage your child.

This helps in building their sense of responsibility and encourages them further in becoming a helpful member of the family.

[Btw, sometime ago I wrote a post on 'HOW we utter our words of encouragement'. Click HERE to read it yeah]

…

> Make sure WE do our chores too.

If our kids see us clean up the house or do all sorts of housework as well, they’ll be more keen to help out and do them too. After all, it’s always better if we set the example for the little ones and walk our talk too.

…

> Be specific in our instructions, and demonstrate.

This is especially necessary if the child is still young (eg. 2 years old).

Instead of saying, ‘Tidy up your toys, please’, I learn that kids will understand our instruction better when we tell them exactly what we ask them to do, eg. ‘Please pick up your crayons and books, and place them back into the box.’

For younger children, it works best if we do it together with them.

…

[One of Anya's responsibility at home is ensuring that the 'shoe area' is neat and tidy]

Oh btw, I feel I should share this one last thing.

In my personal opinion, I don’t think giving our children money for helping out around the house will do any good in the long run. I know some ‘experts’ do recommend such an approach, eg. ‘I’ll give you 20 cents each time you take out the trash’, or ‘If you keep your bedroom nice and tidy for one whole week, you’ll get $3 at the end of that week.’

I know I’m no parenting expert. I still have SO many things that I have yet to learn (and change).

But.

I strongly believe that when we use the approach of rewarding our children with money (however little) when they help out around the house:

… We are NOT teaching the child to look out for the interests of others, ie. The child does NOT learn what it means to be responsible, eg. To care for the neatness in one’s room.

… We are ‘training’ our child to be ‘greedy’, to look out for self interest and to simply obtain monetary rewards in what he/she does.

…  We are teaching our child to do things with improper motives, ie. If there’s a reward, I’ll do it. If there’s none, I’m not interested.

Really. Should a child be rewarded for fulfilling NORMAL responsibilities? ie. Tasks that a child ought to do / contribute as part of his responsibility, and as part of being a helpful and caring member of the family?

Anyway.

I’m sure there are HEAPS more tips out there, and if you can share your tips or thoughts on this, it’ll be awesome! I’d love to learn from you too!

…

[Parts of this post is inspired by the book 'Shepherding a Child's Heart' by Tedd Tripp. An excellent book btw, which has changed and influenced many of my thinking and approaches towards parenting my children. This book constantly reminds me too of how I'm so in need of God's grace and wisdom to be a parent, because I'm still SO far from being the kind of parent God wants me to be]

Share This Post on Facebook

[Tiny freckles here and there]

Hey everyone!

I’d like to share this exciting news with you! =)

Thanks to Estēe Lauder Singapore and omy.sg, I’ve been selected to be one of the 10 bloggers for the new Estēe Lauder CyberWhite Brilliant Cells product launch and campaign! =)

And errr, interestingly, I’m the most … ‘mature’ out of the 10 bloggers! =) The youngest blogger is 19 years old! Nice skin and complexion!

So.

Here I am, a thirty-something soon-to-be Mommy of THREE, going against the other 9 ‘much younger’ bloggers!

But hey, I know I’m representing many of you out there!

I personally believe ‘beauty’ does not equal to 100% spotless and taut skin. THAT is just unrealistic, if you ask me. Age WILL catch up on us, but it’s OKAY.

And, ‘to feel good and beautiful’ is not just for the teens or early twenties, but it’s also for the late twenties, the early thirties, the mid thirties, the forties, for EVERYONE!

If you’re beautiful on the inside, the outside will shine too!

And, such ‘external beauty’ is just a added plus to what’s actually MORE important in a person (Btw, this was what my hubby said to me me the other day)

[Are you with me on this one?]

…

ANYWAY.

I’ll be writing blog posts on the omy.sg blog and Estēe Lauder blog for the campaign.

And.

They need you to VOTE for me! Yep, I’d really need YOUR support yeah!

I’ve written my first blog post HERE (on omy.sg’s Estēe Lauder blog site)

And, to vote for me, basically you simply need to :

> Go to the Estēe Lauder Singapore Facebook Page

> VOTE for me! (starting from Friday, 25 Feb!)

AND.

I plan to share up to $100 worth of Estēe Lauder products - that I’d be getting IF I won - with five randomly chosen voters!

YES, a total of about $500 will be shared with you! How’s that? =)

Hope you’re as excited about it as I am!

Will share more updates soon!

…

PS: Add me on Facebook and Twitter, if you haven’t already yeah. I share more updates there, and often, we discuss day-to-day topics too (eg. When I felt the pressure from school expectations, or when I asked if it’s normal for Vai to feel hungry again just 30 mins after finishing his meal =)

Share This Post on Facebook

[Anya's washing the rice grains and Vai's rinsing the vegies]

Recently someone asked if our kids help out around the house. And when I said, ‘Yes, they do help with some simple chores everyday’, the next two questions were, ‘Including the boy?’ and ‘When did they start helping out?’

I feel this is something that families face everyday. And so I thought of writing a little bit on this topic (I’ll split it into two blog posts).

For today, I’d like to share with you these related blog posts which I wrote in the past:

> December 2005 - Getting Kids to Help Out

[Anya was 21 months old at the time, ie. 3 months away from turning 2yo]

Blog extract :

Someone once said, ‘A spoiled son makes a terrible husband.’

Many parents unconsciously ‘train’ their children to become ’spoiled ones’ by doing everything for the kids, giving in to all their requests and wants and failing to rebuke their misbehaviours.

One way of introducing a sense of responsibility to kids, I think, is by getting them involved in our day to day chores and tasks.

> May 2008 - Getting Kids involved Around the House

[Anya was 4yo and Vai was 21 months old, similar to Anya's age in the post above]

Blog extract :

Now that we have two kids in the house, it’s nearly impossible for us to keep the house nice and tidy.
Look under the sofa, and you’ll find a crayon, a piece of paper or a toy car. Storybooks can sometimes be found in the kitchen, or under the kids’ beds too!

As much as possible though, when it comes to helping out, we always try to get the kids involved around the house.

…

> May 2009 - When Kids can Help Moms Stay Sane

[Anya was 5yo and Vai was 33 months old here. He was basically 3 months away from turning 3yo]

Blog extract:

When kids are actively involved in helping around the house, moms will end up having ‘more time’ to do other things (or, more time to relax and read the papers, eg.)

For our case, we try to get our kids involved as much as possible since they’re young.

…

> January 2010 - Parenting : Kids in the Kitchen

[Anya was 2 months away from turning 6yo, and Vai was about 3.5yo]

Blog extract:

When I grew up in Indonesia, we had maids to cook and clean the house for us. And so as a little girl, I didn’t spend much time in the kitchen, I must say.

Boys generally are not expected to be in the kitchen too.

Things are run rather differently at our home though.

…

Before I end today’s post, I thought I should say that in reality, both Anya and Vai don’t ALWAYS welcome the idea of helping out.

I mean, they don’t always go, ‘YIPEE! I now get to tidy up the shoe rack and take out the dirty laundry!!’

Kids are kids. Even us adults (at least, I do!) often feel like NOT doing any chores =)

There were times when Vai, for example, said, ‘Urgh, why do I need to bring the dirty clothes to the laundry?’

[But usually after he sees that Mommy does so much more, and EVERYONE ELSE helps out and contributes in different ways too, he's happy to help out again, ie. Doesn't see any reason for complaining and not helping =)]

Well, anyway.

I’ll share some tips (that work in our family so far, at least =) in my next post yeah!

In the mean time, hope you all enjoy the rest of the week!

Share This Post on Facebook

Now that Anya is in Primary One, she recites the Singapore National Pledge together with the other students at her school everyday, before they all go to class.

[And as they recite the Pledge, they'd place their clenched their right fists on the left side of their chests]

And the other day, she showed me how she could recite the Pledge in her own ‘fast forward’ version! =)

This is a video I recently shared on Youtube, where she did two versions : The Pledge in Normal Speed, and in Fast-Forward!

Click the image above (or THIS LINK) to watch the clip! =)

(See if you could recite the Pledge even faster than her, hehe. My attempts are still unsuccessful, btw =)

…

Here are the words of the Singapore National Pledge:

We, the citizens of Singapore,
pledge ourselves as one united people,
regardless of race, language or religion,
to build a democratic society
based on justice and equality
so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and
progress for our nation.

Share This Post on Facebook

One of the things that I notice recently is that Vai has started to draw and scribble much more frequently.

You see, he HAS been scribbling since he was much younger, but I somehow can see more ‘decipherable and recognisable’ scribbles from him lately.

Like the one above, for example.

It was a picture of a shepherd and his sheep, he said.

And when I saw it, I thought to myself, hey I COULD see that it kinda resembled a shepherd (especially obvious from the shepherd’s stick in his hand), and the creature next to him DID look like an animal of some sort (Vai did the curls on the sheep)

It was a nice improvement to how he would’ve drawn ‘a shepherd and a sheep’ a few months back.

…

You see, our 4.5yo little guy is not like his older sister who has shown her interest in scribbling and drawing at a much younger age (ie. before she was 2yo).

At 4.5yo, I know she was able to do more complex and ‘recognisable’ drawings too than what the little brother could.

But.

When I looked at this drawing above, I was again reminded of how every child is unique and special in his/her own way. And how as a parent, I need to always remember to NOT expect a sibling to be, to develop or to perform like his/her siblings (To not expect a child to be like any others too, basically)

And.

I do thank today’s digital technology that enables me to ‘keep’ and treasure simple little sketches like the above (ie. photos of what the kids drew and made, instead of collecting too many little pieces of paper around our little home)

Because I sure would like to remember this phase of Vai’s development.

The phase when his strokes and scribbles are still like this.

Simple. Yet, special in his own unique way.

Share This Post on Facebook

Anya will be 7 years old in 3 weeks time!

*how time flies!*

And, since I know for a fact that my memory gets a little worse by the year, I think I better write some updates on her and how she’s doing so far. Here goes.

…

> She is detailed and relatively responsible when given a task, eg. school homework or project. She’d write all the details in her school diary and tell me all about it when I pick her up from school.

She’d study for her tests (at least a day before) and complete all her homework.

[I still need to remind her to study for her tests, but I don't need to repeat myself much at all]

[This was one Sunday School project she happily completed. She wrote and drew on the cover of the notebook, and gave it to her school friend]

…

> She’s more of a perfectionist

She’ll be very happy when she’s made no mistakes in her tests / homework, and she’ll point it out and sound a little sad when she gets 19 out of 20.

This btw, is one interesting thing that we notice about her.

Because Wilson and I never teach nor insinuate that getting the most ’stars’, or achieving the BEST scores or marks is what we expect of our children.

We DO teach her to give and do her best in everything though. To work on things or to complete tasks as if she’s doing it for God, and not because someone’s watching/ overseeing her / giving approvals or ’stars’ to what she does.

So, in response to her ‘perfectionist tendency’, I generally remind her that to us (and God), what matters most is she’s given her best. And IF giving to her best capability means not getting any ’stars’ at all, we are totally okay with it.

…

[Interesting scribbles, notes and drawings I often find around our house]

> She’s still into drawing and writing.

> Lately she’s more into the story of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Rapunzel’ (the movie) than any other characters.

> She likes to tell us stories (she’d create the storyline as she goes along). She’d say something like, ‘Mommy, as I shower, can I tell you a story? The title is The Girl who Loves Sports So Much’

…

> She’s an inquisitive girl who’s eager to know more about the world around her. She’s curious and she’d ask questions, detailed questions.

She’s not easily satisfied too. She’d ask MORE questions to find out more specific explanations / reasons behind certain happenings or facts.

On this one, when we happen to NOT know the answers to our kids’ questions, we’d usually tell them the truth. The same goes if we’re not too sure about something. Personally, I believe it’s better to be frank and to show them that we too are still learning a lot about many things in life. That although we don’t know about everything, we can always try to find out and learn together.

[When I don't know about something, I often say, 'Let's ask Daddy later, may be he knows!' =) ]

And oh, I sometimes tell my kids that one day, they most probably know so much more than we do, and we’re the ones who need to learn a lot from them =)

…

> She likes to do role plays with Vai where she’s the teacher and Vai is the student. She’d create a simple set of ‘homework’ for him to do, and happily mark his work afterwards.

> She’s all giggly and playful when she’s with those she’s comfortable with, but she’s someone who needs time to warm up to new friends (preferring to stay quiet and distanced at first).

> She often offers her help in the kitchen (eg. cutting / washing the vegetables, washing and cooking the rice)

…

> She’s lost four baby teeth so far (one more coming soon! There’s another wobbly one on top!)

> She doesn’t like sweets, chocolates, or cakes (unless it’s banana or butter cake, she says!)

> > She’s more of a melancholic girl, who can sulk and go to her room when she’s unhappy about something

> She sometimes sleep-talks at night, or wakes up crying (but remembers none of the bad-dream episodes the next morning)

> She loves the beach and sand-play

> She looks forward to her weekly swimming lessons

> She’s somehow not (yet) interested in learning how to ride a two-wheel bike

> She’s about 21kg and 115cm tall

…

We love you, Anya.

And we thank God for you.

Share This Post on Facebook

Okay. That’s our chubby little Vai when he was 9 months old.

Yes, he was into climbing and exploring things way before he could even stand without holding anything (let alone, walk!)

And he managed to climb our gate before he turned one.

And. This is him doing the ‘cliffhanger’ style.

He was 1 year and 7 months old at the time (ie. 19 months old).

AND. This is Vai last Sunday!

He officially turns 4.5yo next week, and oh well … looks like some things don’t quite change over the years =)

We love you, little guy!

…

Btw, I shared some tips on How to Encourage Large Motor Skills last year.

Click HERE to have a read yeah!

Share This Post on Facebook

Okay. This may not be a topic that I usually write about, BUT it sure is something that I’d like to share with you today.

Because,

… I know many of my readers have blogs too (and you can benefit from what I’m going to share with you)

… If you are a busy parent, you probably often access the internet from your mobile phone, eg. while you’re outside and are waiting for something, or when you’re waiting for the kids to sleep and you’d like browse the internet at the same time (like what I often do at home =)

So.

First thing first.

Do you own a Nokia phone?

If you do, you definitely MUST read on! =)

Last month I went to this ‘Nuffnang-Nokia Ovi Blogger Workshop’ at Suntec to find out more about how I could publish my blog as a mobile application (Yes, my blog as a MOBILE APP!)

Anya insisted on coming along and she did stick to her promise. She quietly sat next to me throughout the workshop, drawing and writing a story on a piece of paper. She was officially the youngest student in class that night, hehe.

And that night I found out that creating your very own Mobile Application for your blog on Nokia Ovi Store is simple and FREE!

The step-by-step instructions are straight forward (ie. Nokia’s Ovi App Wizard), and really, anyone can do it. Even if you’re totally not familiar with anything geeky!

Anyway.

There are TWO main things that I’d like to share with you today:

1. How to Create Your Mobile App and Publish your Blog on Nokia Ovi Store *So you can reach out to millions of potential readers who are Nokia users as well*

2. How to Download Our Everyday Things onto your Nokia mobile phone! *So you can updates on my blog while you’re on the go! Hehe*

…

Here’s the first one: How to Put and Publish your Blog on Nokia Ovi Store

1) Go to this site : http://appwizard.ovi.com/web_nokia/signIn.jsp

2) Enter the URL of your web content feed

(Basically as long as the website has a valid RSS or Atom Feed, you can simply enter your website address and click PREVIEW)

…

3) Customise your application (ie. insert your icons or logo)

Tips:

- Prepare a 256×256 pixel image (PNG/GIF/JPG format) as your app logo

- Prepare a 360×60 pixel image (PNG/GIF/JPG format) as a header image

…

4) Register an Ovi App Wizard Account (You’d need to fill up some details. Just follow their clear instructions)

Btw, you’ll then pass this stage too where it asks if you’d like to ‘monetize’ your application with advertising (I chose to SKIP the advertising part)

…

5) Enter your publishing information and logo

(Tips: For KEYWORDS, use words that closely describe your site, so it’ll be easier for people to search your site)

…

6) Submit your information to Nokia Ovi Store

…

This Application Wizard allows you to double check everything again, btw.

I’d personally recommend that you go through the images and info you entered again (as your Final Review) before finally clicking SUBMIT.

g) Finally, verify your OVI Application wizard account via your email

And that is it!

Tips:
Don’t WAIT in front of your computer for Nokia to approve your application as it may take up to 24 hours for them to get back to you =)

…

And this is how Our Everyday Things look like on my own mobile phone screen!

[Yes yes, I know, I'm still using Nokia E63, and it's not too 'compatible' for such mobile apps. It'll sure be much better if you're using Nokia N8, eg.]

…

Btw, do UPLOAD and SHARE your apps here >> http://www.nuffnang.com.sg/nokia-ovi/

…

And finally, if you have a Nokia mobile phone, please DOWNLOAD Our Everyday Things, yes? =)

Here’s how:

1) Click this link: http://store.ovi.com/content/82319

2) Select your mobile phone

3) REGISTER (if haven’t already) or simply, SIGN IN

4) Once you’re done, you’ll see this page, and simply DOWNLOAD the application!

…

Errrr … and oneeeee last request, please? =)

Don’t forget to share Our Everyday Things’ Nokia mobile app with your friends as well, yeah!

Towards the bottom right, you can see SEND TO FRIEND.

Simply click, and fill up the info, and that’s it! =)

…

Time to go and check it out yourself!!

Thanks everyone!

Share This Post on Facebook

It was raining heavily at Orchard area (and many other parts of Singapore) that late afternoon.

But the kids so looked forward to their beach play.

So, despite the dark clouds we saw at HarbourFront area, I went ahead and bought bus tickets to go to Sentosa.

If it rained hard later on, then we could always hang out somewhere at Sentosa’s Beach Station.

But if it drizzled, the kids could still have their water-play fun, I thought.

And.

We’re SO glad that we made that decision to go anyway.

Because the weather was BEAUTIFUL at Sentosa!

NO rain whatsoever!

It was a nice late afternoon spent by the beach for us.

Note: Hardly anyone was around when we got there (because it was still very cloudy), but soon after that, the late afternoon sun started shining and LOTS of people started coming and enjoying themselves! =)

Share This Post on Facebook