Big Elephant Bucket

Ever since my 2.5yo saw this at the Singapore Zoo Rainforest Kidzworld, he has been talking non-stop about the big elephant bucket.



He would use every bucket or container that he comes across at home and pretend to be pouring water over our heads.

Here was his attempt to illustrate it when left alone with a paper and some markers. 

After he completed this piece, he came running to me holding his artwork 'Mummy look at this! This is the big elephant bucket! Look at the water pouring on the children.' 

*smile*

Bento #41 - Fluffy Dog Bento

A fluffy dog bento for my 4.5yo's school lunch today. 

The actual bento looks a lot better than the photo. As usual, I just couldn't get the light right and being in such a rush, there wasn't time to experiment with angles. :(  

Oh well, I am rather happy with the whole look, except that the dog isn't fluffy enough!! Shall try again soon. 

Accompanying the rice are homemade beef patties, spinach omelette, carrots and pear. 

Bento #40

Last week's bento for school lunch. 

Organic spirals made with wholewheat, brown rice and ground flax served with seafood in tomato sauce. Accompanied by dried cranberries, macadamia nuts, pear and chocolate wafers.

Reading Chinese

I am very pleased with M's progress in learning Chinese. He is now confident enough to read simple books without hanyu pinyin, all on his own.

Here is a sample of what he has been reading aloud lately. Though this page shows hanyu pinyin, the actual pages in the book only show hanyu pinyin for the 2 to 4 new words per page. 

Now he will voluntarily speak Mandarin to me, though we still communicate primarily in English. But whenever I switch to speaking Mandarin to him, he responds accordingly. 

With his new found confidence in his ability to read, he is now more interested than ever to read Chinese books and has been bugging me to read at bedtime, in addition to the pile of other books that he wants to read or be read to.

Even little chipsy is now picking up the language at rocket speed. It is so cute to hear the little tot trying to impress me with what he has learnt. 

I have a plan on accelerating their progress.... but more on that when I have more time to write. 

One of My Favourite Cuisines

Here was what we had for the graduation dinner a month ago. 

The photos can't do justice to the beauty of what was presented that night, and certainly can't showcase the gorgeous flavours of each and every dish. 

The first course was consumed before I could even think of my camera. It was in my bag, but after the first taste, I just kept dipping my spoon into the tiny glass of Gazpacho and before I realised it, my glass was empty and my plate was clean! 

Second Course: Carpaccio of Coffee-Smoked swordfish. 

Third Course: Hokkaido Scallop with Sea-Urchin Emulson.

Fourth Course: Pastilla of Australian Lamb Loin and Black Olive Tapenade

Dessert: Coconut and Lemongrass Blanc-Mange with chili syrup

Of course I wouldn't resist a photo with the charming Executive Chef who is behind all these wonderful creations.

I am definitely going back with hubby once we can get out without the kids. 

Craft: Making Paperplate Owl

When we were learning about this nocturnal bird, my boys worked hard on this craft. 

I provided the materials and just let them get on with it. They picked their own colour combinations and went on to decide on their birds' appearances. 

When they were done, I was so impressed with what they produced. I especially love the spots and white rims. Even my 2.5yo put in an amazing effort over the two days to complete his craft.  

Exploring Textures

Bubble wrap printing - just one of the many textures we worked on that week. 

Handymen In The Making

A wheel from the mega fire engine toy fell out one day. 

Instead of asking me to fix it for them, the brothers had a different idea.

They dragged the toy to the room, pulled out the toy toolbox and went to work.

One boy hammered the wheel. The other focused on screwing and tightening. They were at it for a really long time - close to a half hour and totally fixated on the job. The 2yo even put on the toy protective goggles himself.

By the time they spotted me watching them from the living room, they were close to giving up.

The 2.5yo finally came out holding the wheel and hammer, "Mama, I am fixing the wheel for fire engine. Look! I can bang bang bang the wheel!"

It is always wonderful to see the brothers collaborating over their little projects. Be it building a tunnel and bridge or erecting a super tall tower which they later named the 'Big Ben'. Once they could concur on the tasks to focus on, they would work single-mindedly together. 

Just not too long ago, it was almost always the 4.5yo who would initiate ideas. Not anymore.

Now the little one is also full of suggestions and has a strong mind of his own. He doesn't waver easily once he made up his mind about how he wants his own building to look like or how high the pile of 'rocks' should be at the quarry. 

Sometimes, he even tries to convince M to do things his way. I just love his assertiveness! 

My Little Peanut's Hands

Hands and Tulips.  :) 

I like this photo with my peanut. :)  

That is what he calls himself these days. If someone asks him for his name, his standard reply is 'I am a little peanut'. 

I don't know why. 

Of the 18 shots I took of him in that chair, EVERYONE showed the same expression. Almost. 

When I said 'smile little peanut', he closed his eyes. 

My Super Bean Stew

One of my favourite dishes to serve for lunch is what I called the Super Bean Stew. (Those who know the super porridge from Super Baby Foods by Ruth Yaron will understand.) 

This is super-duper healthy stuff for my boys. Each serving is choked full of nutrients from the mixed pulses and whole grains. 

All I have to do is add the mixed beans and grains, some home-made or quality store bought stock and throw in a few more ingredients that I have in the fridge. Let it stew away for two hours on low heat while I get on with the busy day. 

It is ready to serve when the grains are soft and pulses are slightly on the mushy side. 

I have made this bean stew quite a few times and each time with different ingredients.  

Except for once when I added chopped crispy bacon which I fried first, the other versions were all vegetarian. I often add canned chopped tomatoes to further enhance the flavour and nutrition. 

I have cooked it with more stock before, ending with an almost soupy meal (like the photo here). But I also enjoy it served a little drier, like a stew should be.

It is great on its own or eat with warm brown bread. 

My 4yo is very fond of this and will easily lap up a huge bowl. My 2yo is a little more fickle, but will usually finish whatever he is served with a little coaxing. 

Easter Craftiness

The Easter holiday has never meant much to us as a family. So I've never planned Easter-related crafts or activities of any sorts in the past years.

But this year, we were invited to an egg-painting potluck party by a friend whose older son used to go to the same school as M. 

The moment we arrived, my boys headed straight for the paints and being as familiar as they are with paints and brushes, they didn't hesitate when they were handed hard-boiled eggs to paint.

But frankly, there wasn't much creativity exhibited that afternoon as a large proportion of eggs were all painted black!  We tried to coax our boys a little but swiftly gave up when we realised how insistent they were on their choices. 

Perhaps next year, we shall start a tradition of our own. 

The week after, I did a half-hearted effort to spice up our Easter craftiness. So my 2.5yo made a white bunny which he was rather proud of.

I can't remember why he had such an expression. I think we were playing some games and he was pretending to be roaring like a lion and chasing a bunny. 

Learning About Weather

We spent a week learning lots about weather. 

And the little nut wanted to make snow and rain with paint. *.*

Snowing at night.... 

I showed him how to mix the colours and paint the grass at one corner of the paper and he went on to complete the rest. Then he added the clouds and rain drops. :) 

Bento #39

Last week's speedy bento. Accompanied by a fruit box of pears and grapes (but I forgot to take photo) and a pack of milk.

Bento contents: Two onigiri (a brown rice with sweet and sour prawn stuffing, and another of Jap rice with furikake), panfried beancurd marinated with teriyaki, steamed siew mai (store bought) and ketchup in container. 

It's nothing special. But on a day when I was rushing to get things done, speed was all that matters. 

Saint Basil's Cathedral

My 4.5yo drew and coloured this a few weeks ago after talking non-stop about this building.

He spent close to an hour on it and worked entirely from memory. He also wrote 'Russia' himself.

Compare this with the real St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.

The Guitarist

Taken last week. 

Fresh From The Oven

After lunch today....

Craft: Making Paperplate Zebra

Once the kids are awake past their nap time, I usually try to keep them occupied with crafts. It is a great way to engage them during the hottest hours of the day. And it keeps them busy enough for that little while longer till dinner time.

I could leave them to play on their own, which I do sometimes. But skipping naps often means they become cranky and impatient a lot faster when their fatigue caught up with them. So it means more fussing. More fighting. More crying.

My solution? Gather them around the table and whip out my bag of tricks!

So this was one of the many crafts my boys made that one blazing hot afternoon when I wouldn't consider venturing outdoors and risking skin cancer. 

Well, they were kept happy enough. :)  They made a Zebra each.

They were handed a paper plate each with a pre-drawn zebra. Then off to paint the stripes and I helped the 2yo cut his out while the 4yo managed his own.

Playing with the zebra that his older brother made. He was pretending that the zebra was dancing with the bird. 

Two little birds sitting on the wall

One named Peter, one named Paul

Fly away Peter, fly away Paul

Come back Peter, come back Paul. 

He made these birds at a playgroup and I have them stuck to the wall. For over a week, he will sing the rhyme whenever he walked past.  :) 

My 4.5yo's Latest Fascination

E sent me this for our 4.5yo who is now reading up zealously about this topic.

I am really clueless on this subject so now I gotta go read up too. And I better read up faster than he does, in order to answer his questions and still be able to intrigue him with more. 

But at least we can always count on the 'walking encyclopedia' at home. And when he isn't home, he is still just a phone call or email away. :P 

Edit to add: My 2.5yo just said 'I want a telescope to see the planets!'  Haha! 

Cooking With Kids: Mashed Potatoes

Now this isn't rocket science. Really, it is more like a piece of cake even for a 2yo to try. :) 

But the kiddos had so much fun when I suggested they make their own dinner one night. 

I washed, peeled, cubed the potatoes and then dumped them into a big pot of water, right in front of the boys.

While the potatoes were cooking, I grated some cheese and drained some canned tuna. 

Then the boys got to mash their own potatoes with some milk and generous sprinkles of grated cheese. To finish it off, they had a go at decorating their mashed potato mountain with heaps of canned tuna. 

Viola! Dinner was served! 

The boys couldn't wait to taste the dinner they made. 

In between mouthfuls, my 4.5yo announced proudly 'Mama, you don't have to make me any more dinner. From now on, I can cook you dinner every night!'

And my 2.5yo said 'I always love mashed potatoes Mama. I want to eat this everyday!'

Beautifully Imperfect. Think Family.

I love this! 

The first time I watched it, I teared.  Twenty-four hours later, I watched it for the second time. And I teared again. 

It is beautiful.

Chipsy is 2.5 yo!

My beautiful baby is 30 month old today. 

For some inexplicable reasons, I always get rather emotional when my child turns 2.5 year old. It was the same for M before.

I had originally wanted to write him a letter on this day, so that one day when he is old enough to read the blog himself, he would be able to read my words and understand how I feel today.

After writing so much on a daily basis about my boys, I thought words should flow easily when I want to pen my thoughts into a beautiful letter. But I couldn't type further than 'Dear N'. 

I have lots of mixed emotions. 

Perhaps it's because subconsciously, I feel that once my baby is 30 month old, he is on to a different phase. From now on, he will be growing up so fast out of toddlerhood and very soon, in fact too soon, he will shed even the last hint of babyishness. 

And I can't bear that. 

Yet, as a mother, I can't wait either to watch him grow and experience more from the world. I can't wait to share more of my world with him. So there is a constant dilemma in my mind. Of course, not that there is anything I can do to slow him down, or that I would even want to.

These photos bring me so much sunshine whenever I look at them. These are expressions that I see everyday from him. 

Oh how I love those sparkling eyes and cheeky smile that accompanies all his cute antics! 

I hope I will never forget in years to come how my precious little baby used to be when he was still little. 

Getting Ready

I have been keeping super busy the last week. While I get on with the daily routine, I also had to find time to get all the materials ready for the upcoming lapbooking classes which commence in a week's time.

I have always had tons of ideas for the lapbooking work that I have been doing with my boys. As and when something interesting comes to mind, I jot them down. Over time, I have a huge bank to tap into. So that is the easy part for me. 

But I must admit I have seriously underestimated the amount of work that goes into preparing for each class. 

I always like to cover a wide range of topics and to make multiple minibooks for each lapbook that I do with my boys. And I have always created lots of materials from scratch so their experience with each lapbooking process is unique and engaging. 

So it has always been tedious to research and prepare for each lapbooking process. But with my 2 boys, I used to have just a checklist for all the activities and we can get started. Since we didn't have any time constraints, I didn't need to have a lesson plan.

But now, with a class of 5 kids each, it works differently of course. 

I have made a formal lesson plan for each lesson, ensuring that every lesson covers stimulating and enriching activities. To meet the learning objectives and still ensuring that we cover all the activities within the lesson time takes a lot of planning. 

Also, it isn't a case of simply making more copies of materials for more kids. Since a lot of the materials need to be created by hand and organised for each lesson, I am spending more time on it in the last week than expected. I have also made a lesson pack for each child that includes materials they take away and suggestions for parents. The goal is to help parents continue their learning journey at home. 

In addition to all these, there has been lots of admin related work like replying to email queries which is time-consuming. 

Now that the preparation is almost completed, I must admit that I get an incredible sense of satisfaction just looking at the finished lesson packs. I can't wait to start the classes and share the materials. 

But while I am still enjoying this 'work', I can't say for sure that I will want to sustain this for very long, unless I feel that it is really worth while given the amount of time and effort required. While it lasts, I hope the parents and kids who will learn with us will find the experience fruitful and enriching. 

Hubba

I was browsing through old photos when I saw this. It is hard to believe just how long ago that was. 

I still remember the day we gave her the little turtle. 

And I still remember the first time she played the piano and sang for me. I was so moved. I teared. 

Sometimes I forget how I used to feel. Like the day this photo was taken. It is wonderful to be able to look back at old photos and remember how I used to feel. 

It helps to be reminded. It is important to remember. 

Parenting Thoughts: Being Inquisitive

Very often, my boys will ask me questions which I find difficult to answer. Sometimes I just don't know. Other times, I have to consider carefully how I should answer and rephrase into simpler terms, short of any jargons. 

On our way home from school one day, my 4.5yo asked 'Who will protect the world?'. 

I was stumped!  

'It depends on what we are protecting the world from.' I answered, trying to buy some time while my mind started to process that question. 

I was excited that my merely 4.5yo is asking such a big question. What makes him think of that? Why is he concerned? How can I answer him in simple terms so he can understand and also intrigue him further? How much details should I go into? 

He went on... 'To protect the world from earthquakes and volcanoes that erupt! And how to save the people who live near these places? And from forest fires? What about the animals living in the forests when there is a fire?'

So we had quite a big discussion on our way home.... 

Then another day on an escalator... 

'How does the escalator work?'

'Are there escalators that go round and round instead of up and down?'  and a few other related questions which I can't remember now. 

Even my little Chip is also asking lots of questions, some of which I have to pause and think before I could answer. The other day while I was dressing him, 

'Why are elephants gray and why are pigs pink? Why do chameleons change colour?'

Umm... I think all I could say was 'Because that was how God made them'. But I am really not pleased with just explaining in this way. So I explained again in simple terms why chameleons change colours and the whole concept of camouflaging and blah blah... 

I can't say enough how much I love my boys' inquisitiveness. I know we must be doing something right in encouraging and fueling this hunger and curiosity in them. 

It is not just about the act of asking questions as all kids will be a little more curious as they grow. But it is the wide variety of questions they have and the depth they are going into on each topic that fascinates me. 

Hmm.. which brings to mind the whole debate I used to have with some former colleagues on vertical thinkers vs. horizontal thinkers. 

Vertical thinking is like digging or drilling deep down into the core of a problem. Thinking horizontally is coming up with new ideas by thinking expansively, in new and different directions. Horizontal thinking is akin to brainstorming. 

Gurus and theorists have argued about the relationships of the two processes, which is also aptly summarized by creativity theorist Edward DeBono - 

'Lateral thinking enhances the effectiveness of vertical thinking by offering it more to select from. Vertical thinking multiplies the effectiveness of lateral thinking by making good use of the ideas generated.' 

My boys are doing fine for their age. And I hope we will keep at it, whatever that we are doing so that one day they will grow to be both vertical and lateral thinkers. 

Bento #38

Last week's bento for school lunch. 

Bento contents: homemade beef lasagna, steamed carrots, baby corn and edamame.

Another two more weeks and I will not have to make any more bentos for my 4.5yo school lunch since he will be stopping his afternoon class by end April. 

But I do love to make bentos, so I shall find opportunities to make them anyway. Maybe a bento picnic sometime.

Guilty Treat

We passed by Ben & Jerry's one day and I couldn't resist buying him a cone when I saw his expression. He was watching a few older girls paying for their waffles and ice-cream. 

Of course he was over the moon when I handed him his very own gigantic cone. 

I sat opposite him for the next 40 minutes watching him nibble the biscuit off the cone and licking every drip slowly. Really slowly.

Then I went from feeling really pleased for making my boy happy to feeling a huge pang of guilt for giving in and buying him this oversized cone. 

I know. It is one of those silly moments of motherhood! :) 

Music In My Home

Of the new pieces that he has learnt to play in the last 3 lessons, he enjoys these ones quite a bit. He just finished his Lesson 18. 

It is really sweet to sit behind him watching him play them. I know he isn't supposed to do that, but at home, he tends to sway his body a little and tilt his head from side to side as his fingers are tapping away. It always makes me smile. 

We usually start practising new songs on Wednesday afternoon for between 15 to 20 min max. If I can, I will coax him to practise again on Thursday or Friday. Usually by then, he is familiar enough. He prefers to play them from memory and doesn't like referring to the book anymore once he thinks he has learnt it.

Lately, E has some newly found enthusiasm on exposing our boys to all types of music. Currently, they are still quite pleasing to my ears as we hear a lot of classical, rock/pop, jazz and new age type of music. But I won't be surprised if not too far in the future, my boys will be listening to heavy metal! 

So what did my boys listen to last week? 

Yay! THE POLICE!!  >.<

This was played as background music every morning as my hubby gets M ready for school. After just those few days, my 4.5yo recognises the songs instantly when he hears them.