tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74101632024-03-13T10:35:48.652+08:00Don't Put All Your Diapers Into One Diaper BagOne day, I peed on a stick and behold! The stick turned blue!
This is the story of what happened after...Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.comBlogger1111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-88370209694435616302018-03-08T09:00:00.001+08:002018-03-09T08:31:07.887+08:00You're Not the Boss of MeAs they get older, JED are more independent in some ways. They are able to come home on the bus or train by themselves and they are able to navigate the neighbourhood quite effectively on their own. But at the same time, they're also a bit needy and a pain in the neck. Because they are older, sometimes, when Packrat and I have a bit of time at night, we tell them to get themselves to bed so that "mommy and papa can go out".<br />
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Last night was one such night. We'd had dinner with them and had warned them then that we would be slipping out for a bit after they went to bed. Then came the imperious questioning.<br />
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Jordan: Where are you going?<br />
Me: We're going to get a foot massage.<br />
Jordan: How long will that take?<br />
Me: One hour.<br />
Jordan: What time is your appointment?<br />
Me: 8.40 pm.<br />
Jordan: So, we should expect you back by 10pm?<br />
Me: dots.<br />
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Muffin chimes in.<br />
Muffin: Don't stop anywhere for a rest ok?<br />
Me: What?<br />
Muffin: The other night, you said you were going to the bank and it was 10 minutes. You came back an hour later.<br />
Papa: That's because we stopped for a drink.<br />
Muffin: Yes. You need to come back immediately. You can't stay out for a rest at a restaurant for a drink.<br />
Papa: dots.<br />
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So, apparently, we grew up, fought the restrictions in our parents' homes and struck out on our own, became parents in our own right, only to now be answerable to our nazi-kids.<br />
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All we can say to them is "wait till you start dating, young lads..." Ten fold. Million fold. <br />
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<br />Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-9607675776543050552018-02-24T00:04:00.002+08:002018-02-24T00:04:44.493+08:00Tiger Teacher Mom? No such thing<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am surrounded by Tiger Moms. Sometimes, against my better judgement, I try to be one too. But I have discovered that at heart, I can't be one. I can't keep it up. I've been told I don't have enough resolve to be a Tiger Mom. I'm okay with that because I know the real reason I can't be a pure, true blue Tiger Mom. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because I was a teacher before I became a mother and that shapes how I parent. And the teacher is a whole lot more reasonable and sees a lot more long term than the parent does. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I recently wrote something regarding my educational philosophy. </span></span><br />
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--></span></font></style><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">children are innately curious and creative and when given
the right opportunities will come to love learning and that love for learning
will propel them onto greater things. I have always chosen to focus on the
former rather than teach with the singular aim of getting good grades. <span>While
I do agree that good grades are important, I see them as a by-product of the
love for learning rather than an end in itself. My classroom ought to be a safe space for children to discover who they are and it must be a safe space for them to fail, pick themselves up, re-group and try again"</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>When I try to go all crazy Singaporean parent on my kids, I always end up being chastened by my better angels. I fall prey to fear and anxiety, mostly with the boys who are often careless and messy. With Evan, we saw brilliance but unwillingness to apply himself. So when it came to Muffin, I came down on him with the wrath of a Tiger Mom angered. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>To wrestle with carelessness, the penalty was to do yet another exercise. In theory, it sounded like a good idea. Get rid of the carelessness and increase mastery. But in execution, I saw how I was doing my son a disservice in the long run and all of a sudden those mistakes he was making, did not seem a big deal anymore. What I was doing, was an even bigger deal.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>It had gotten to the point where Muffin would not start any work because he was paralysed by the fear of making any mistakes. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>It had gotten to the point where Muffin would cry hysterically when he discovered he had made a mistake. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>It had gotten to the point where he was fearful of the words "You have to get some work done". </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>That's when I knew, for a fact, I was doing wrong by him.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>As a parent, I was making sure that he feared failing just so that he would give me a good piece of work. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>As a parent, I was punishing him for trying to figure out math for himself; something he had enjoyed thoroughly up to this point. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>As a parent, I was making him fear learning because now, in his mind, testing what he had learnt had become punitive. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>As a parent, I was not giving him space to be okay with not getting it right the first time. Instead, I was causing him to become catatonic at the thought of getting something wrong. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>As a teacher, I would have pointed all these things out to the parent and drawn attention to how damaging that was to the child, his self-esteem and confidence. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>As a teacher, I would have known that careless mistakes did not define the person the child would grow up into. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>As a teacher, I know that the fear of failing would limit the person the child would grow up into. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>And so, as a teacher, I would have wanted to smack around the parent who did that to his or her poor kid. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>So, Tiger Mom be damned, I listened to the teacher. Hopefully it isn't too late. </span></span></span></div>
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</span></span>Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-15309177629153170682018-02-09T10:28:00.001+08:002018-02-09T10:35:56.969+08:00ComfortAs JED grow older, they tend to be more disagreeable with one another. It is inevitable. All 3 have strong personalities and are not pushovers. Each want their way and is angered when their way is not the preferred way of the other two.<br />
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But on occasion, we see that there really is a connection between them and they really do have a soft spot for each other, under the often prickly exterior. Rather 'durian' relationship they have.<br />
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These are moments that fuel me and give me hope especially when they are so angry they stomp on each other and break each other's things.<br />
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<b>Muffin</b><br />
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It was Muffin's birthday and we had a swim date gathering for him and his friends. On the day of the swim date, he came up to me to ask if I could invite his sister's friends so that she had people to play with instead of a pool full of boys.<br />
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Jordan was upset with being reminded of a memory of <a href="http://diaperbag.blogspot.sg/2016/10/dealing-with-loss-9-year-olds.html" target="_blank">great-grandpa passing away</a> and was sobbing in the back seat of the car. I couldn't get to her so I despatched her two brothers to sit and hold her while she sobbed.<br />
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<b>Evan</b><br />
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Evan is the least physically affectionate. He likes when I hug him but not his siblings. He is great with words of comfort though he's logical at his most comforting. He's also calm and doesn't freak out. He will however, be a nightmare for future weeping girlfriends/ wife because he will offer logic and solutions as comfort and we all know how well that always goes down. But his logic helps Jordan see that it's not a spiraling abyss of despair and hopelessness. I'm not sure if he offers any comfort to Muffin because his tone with Muffin is often one of "I told you so". It toughens Muffin up though; he gets no sympathy from his brother and therefore knows it's not a big deal and he should stop with the whining. <br />
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<b>Jordan</b><br />
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The most empathetic of the three, she acutely feels everyone else's dismay. Most evident was when Evan was leaving for camp and was anxious and worried about it. He couldn't be soothed by her stories of assurance so eventually she just threw her arms around him and held him tight. I think he appreciated that. <br />
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They also tell stories to each other at night before they go to bed. After the initial excitement of having their own rooms, they have now reverted to camping out in one room with one sibling squished on a mattress on the floor. And that offers them comfort- for the child who is fearful of some movie he watched. The one who comes home late and knows that even if she is falling asleep by herself, she can do that to the sound of her brothers' breathing. For the other whose mind is often racing just as he falls asleep, the inane discussions the other two have help slow his mind down enough for him to drift off.<br />
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All is good in the house when we see this happen and we shore up these moments because in the next minute, these loving siblings will be transformed into Gremlins out to get one another. Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-9161332607889102402018-01-02T11:32:00.002+08:002018-01-02T11:41:31.336+08:00Conquering fearsThe nature of a cruise holiday is to do stuff. You have to be distracted or you realise that you're on a big floating device, very far away from land with only miles of ocean in sight. So there are choc-a-block activities for those interested.<br />
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Finally, JED are old enough to be interested in doing things. They hung a lot in the pool but at least, this time round, they were willing to try out the 'extreme' (in Evan's words) activities on the ship. It took a lot of convincing on Jordan's part to get her brothers up on the rock wall or into the surf. Both boys are a bit more fearful. They don't like roller coasters, they don't like heights, they don't like anything that will put their lives in danger. <br />
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For her, no adrenaline rush, no fun. But for the two more risk averse ones, the fears were plenty.<br />
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Rock wall:<br />
What if I fall down?<br />
What if the wind blows me off the ship?<br />
What if I slam into the wall while coming down?<br />
What if I get stuck up there?<br />
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With the I-Fly,<br />
1. I don't like the noise (To be fair, it was loud. It was what I'd imagine plane engines sound like up close)<br />
2. What if I get blown up and go splat on the top?<br />
3. What if I get blown out of the chamber?<br />
4. What if I splat on the side of the funnel? (They really have been watching too many cartoons) <br />
5. What if I break my back?<br />
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With the Wave Rider,<br />
1. What if my trunks fall off? (Apparently a very real concern)<br />
2. What if water goes up my nose?<br />
3. What if I drown?<br />
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But in every single case, their fears didn't materialise and they were ecstatic with relief at being alive after trying it out that more often than not, Evan wanted to do it again.<br />
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And now, Evan very proudly tells his friends that he rock climbed, got bounced and hit the wall coming down but survived and has some bruises to show for it.<br />
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Muffin's still less sure about it. Adrenaline kicks are over rated in his opinion. But at least, he went at it and did it.<br />
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Both, however, drew the line at circus school. Both were convinced they would fall off the trapeze and crack their skulls open.<br />
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Needless to say, Jordan was disappointed. Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-47385144317718076302017-12-31T16:30:00.000+08:002017-12-31T16:30:32.765+08:00Up Close and Personal with animalsOnce again, we are back from a long vacation. Unlike the previous one which was all about theme parks and everything artificial, spending 3 weeks in Australia and New Zealand meant the direct opposite. It was all about nature, animals and fresh air. All excellent things for the city slicker kids we have.<br />
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Since the twins are old enough, they are guesting on the blog and writing about the animals from their perspective.<br />
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Our first encounter with nature was in Blue Mountains, an extremely beautiful place with nature everywhere.<br />
We even heard a baby goat bleating in the distance! It was actually the neighbour's pet goat. A pet goat is called a kid. They named it Juicy. That wasn't funny. And things actually got more exciting from there. <br />
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On the first night of our stay, a possum broke into the house. We didn't know how she got in, but we have a theory that she might have come through the chimney and into the fire place. Ho Ho Ho! Very Santa Claus of her! The men then tried to lure the possum out of the house with a banana. Unfortunately, my uncle and my dad spooked the possum and it ran into my brothers' room. Eventually, they laid a trail of cereal puffs out the door to lure the possum out and it worked. We were all relieved that the possum finally got out of the house! Our parents nicknamed the possum Gretel!<br />
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The next day was my favorite day. We went horse riding! I immediately fell in love with the horses. They are such beautiful, strong creatures. On the first two rounds in the bush, I had this small but strong horse called Effie. She had a white streak down her snout, and I immediately liked her. She was stubborn, like me, and had a short temper, like me. She was always irritated with other horses. We were a perfect match!<br />
<br />
The most exciting part was when my grandpa's horse knocked into Effie, and that immediately set her off. She whinnied and actually galloped off. We weren't supposed to gallop, but she was out of control. For a moment, I enjoyed it as she galloped, but she suddenly stopped and bucked. Now, that was scary! I could barely hang on. At that moment, my hands instinctively pulled the reins, hard, saving me from falling off. I was so shaken, and had trouble stifling a scream. When we got back to the stables, I was so relieved and my legs were jellified!<br />
<br />
One thing I learnt was that horses are unpredictable! My cousin's horse also ran way, but at least the horse didn't buck her off TWICE. The second I almost got bucked me off,was actually on her horse. We switched horses for the last ride and that was such a mistake. Her horse's name called Gunner. I was nervous about Gunner for two reasons:<br />
1. he was much bigger than Effie, so I felt unstable.<br />
2. I was afraid that Gunner would try to buck me off, and being bigger and stronger than stronger than Effie, there would be a 75% chance that I would fall off if he tried to buck me off. Miraculously, I could hold on!<br />
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Even with all the scares, it was one of the best days of my life, getting to be with these beautiful creatures.<br />
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The rest of this is going to be written by Evan.<br />
During our voyage on the Ovation of the seas we stopped at some islands
in New Zealand including Wellington and Picton, and we had various close
encounters with sea creatures, including starfish, fish, rays and even a
penguin! We couldn't capture the penguin or ray on the camera, though. <br />
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My favourites were the penguin and the ducks who were all over the place. Occasionally, we saw a goose. But the geese we saw looked like they were going to bully the ducks. Not cool.<br />
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I have seen sea stars at the aquariums but I have not seen any in the wild. Or maybe I have, in Hawaii but never so big. These were clinging on to the rocks in the pier at Picton. It was also where we saw the rays and the penguin. The water was so clear and the rays looked so lazy gliding in the water. <br />
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Ray fishing is banned by law. We were told this by some boys who were fishing on the pier. They also told us that if a fish was smaller than 30 cm, they had to release it again. They caught a small fish and wanted to do that but the hook was inside the fish's belly! Jordan tried to help and then the fish fell between the rocks. I don't know if it managed to swim away. Jordan said her hands smelt funny after that. Obviously! They smelt of fish!<br />
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That's that. I'll do another one on the cruise next. We'll see if the twins try to hijack that one too. Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-74016452318422157202017-11-21T19:43:00.002+08:002017-11-21T19:44:08.461+08:00Slime IndustrySince the exams ended, JED have been on a high. As they go up in the years and the exams get harder, the relief is dizzyingly palpable. It drives us adults batty because they are bouncing off walls and occasionally that high energy becomes destructive. So it became a compromise of what we were willing to put up with and how to channel that energy into something that didn't involve beating each other up.<br />
<br />
Packrat had a dinner and dance and his department wanted to go as Ghostbusters. So he decided to commission the kids on our floor to make him a litre of slime. He told them to come up with a business plan. They had to<br />
<br />
1. Come up with a break down of costs and how much they need to charge to make a decent profit. Profit enough to pay all their <br />
workers ( the head honcho being our neighbour and the workers being JED)<br />
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<br />
2. Create a prototype of the slime and get approval from buyer (Packrat). They ran through 3 prototypes because each suffered from the Goldilocks syndrome. One being too watery, one being too opaque and one being just right.<br />
<br />
3. Once the prototype was okayed, they had to figure out how to multiply the materials in order to create the required one litre.<br />
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4. Even with the prototype, they had several failed batches and it took a large part of the day for them to complete it; just in time for Packrat to pack it up and bring it to the function.<br />
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5. They had to split the profits in an equitable fashion and since Muffin did the least amount of work, they wanted to pay him the least amount of money. Eventually, there was some under the table payment for Muffin to pay him off so that he would not disturb the peace by chucking a fit and demanding fair wages. <br />
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<br />
For those who are late to the game and need a recipe, this is our neighbour's.<br />
<h3>
What you’ll need</h3>
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Half bottle glue (Elmer's if you want it opaque, Chunbei if you want it transparent- They can be bought at Popular) (that’s 50-60 ml based on a 120 ml bottle)<br />
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Baking soda (1/4 tsp)<br />
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Contact Lens Saline Solution (Add in little amounts till the consistency is right- too much saline makes the slime hard!) <br />
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Food colouring (optional)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZGr1_sODbe0" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<br />
At the end of it, they were pleased. They made a bee-line for the mama shop where they spent their wages on ice cream and junk food. A true case of one hand in-one hand out and nothing for the bank. I guess that's the next lesson they would have to learn about being entrepreneurs. If they spend everything they make, they aren't going to have anything to help them make more money.<br />
<br />
They haven't quite figured out how to spend money to make money yet, just to make money to spend. <br />
<br />Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-59432135244235308532017-10-19T08:46:00.000+08:002017-10-19T09:14:11.016+08:00Why Exams are Important Pt 2So I get a message from Jordan's teacher yesterday.<br />
<br />
She's been doodling a lot in class. Even when the teacher is teaching.<br />
<br />
She's always been a doodler. She draws everywhere. Any time she gets her hands on scraps of paper, she'll doodle.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, the doodling is effective because it helps her understand concepts better. Sometimes, it's just doodling for doodling sake.<br />
<br />
Just a quick glance at her things all over the house, I found a variety of different sorts of doodles on everything from scrap paper to school test papers.<br />
<br />
Hence, an annoyed school teacher.<br />
<br />
To be fair, if I were the teacher, I'd be annoyed too since it's easy to assume that the child isn't paying attention when there is doodling. My own students do it as well.<br />
<br />
Admirably, she admitted openly to the teacher that she doodles when she is bored (they've been going through exam paper after exam paper) and when she finds things hard to understand (that's how she unpacks things).<br />
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I also try and suggest to the teacher that instead of fully banning her from doing it and understanding that this is something that she does to process and to decompress, why not let her doodle as a form of note taking. To channel it into something the teacher can accept.<br />
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She seems to be open to that idea and I'm grateful.<br />
<br />
Then, in the evening, I read about <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/fashion/nike-nba-uniform-golden-warriors-hyperdunk.html" target="_blank">Nike's </a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank">Chief of Design</a> and how he doodles. All. The. Time. Part of me wants to send that article on to the teacher but the other part of me knows that's just being snarky. But it would be cool if her doodling allowed her to become chief of design, somewhere.<br />
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<br />Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-66455794576608107032017-10-04T08:55:00.000+08:002017-10-04T21:20:53.772+08:00Why exams are importantIt's exam time. Again.<br />
<br />
And that's usually when creativity flourishes most. When there is real work to be done, the mind wanders and interesting ideas and creations surface. It isn't really necessity that was the mother of invention. I think, more possibly, boredom. <br />
<br />
One day, Evan comes out of school with his finger encased in paper. He says it's a dragon's talon. His friend made it for him. And he asks if I can find out how to make them. We YouTube it, I learn it, I pass on the information to him and promptly forget how to do it. He goes on to make 10 talons; he has to make 10, after all he has 10 fingers and makes a couple more in case he chips a nail. He's become a grand master of it. <br />
<br />
It's a thing in class now. They're all little dragons that have started to spout talons. Poor teachers. The only things I cautioned him against was to NOT do it during teaching or work time and please use rough paper rather than buying a clean sketch pad from the book store for this.<br />
<br />
The annoying thing is that there are talons all over the house and he refuses to throw it out. He puts them them on to claw menacingly at Muffin when his brother annoys him.<br />
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Then, there was this.<br />
<br />
It's a creature. Not enough legs to be an insect or an arachnid but enough to be an Evan creation. It's made out of staples, magnets and an eraser. All things you find on the study table especially when you're parked there for extended periods of time.<br />
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He tells me it's science. He uses the magnet because that's how you get the staples to hold on. The eraser is important because that's how you anchor the staples and it's what forms the body.<br />
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Ingenious though extremely annoying because of the high wastage of staples and the random staples lying around waiting to impale the random, unaware adult.<br />
<br />
He's proud of his creations and he brings them to school to show his friends. Honestly, these are probably going to be the things he will remember learning in primary school, not so much the fanciful and impractical Chinese phrases that he's had to memorise by the boat load. <br />
<br />Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-21113377094377002702017-09-13T20:17:00.001+08:002017-09-13T21:53:58.406+08:00To the parent of a first time camperDear Parent of child going off to camp for the first time,<br />
<br />
I recently went through the first of my children going to camp. It was a somewhat surreal experience that I feel I ought to share. In a grand scheme of things, it is in preparation for the mother of all camps, 8 years from now for my eldest boy child. <br />
<br />
We knew that it was coming but we didn't think it would be all that bad. After all, she has had sleepovers before.<br />
<br />
But everyone did miss her and everyone felt her absence. She's home now though and we're back to regular programming.<br />
<br />
There was a sobby (I am assured they were tears of joy) reunion but all is good in my world now and I can now objectively think back to the last three days.<br />
<br />
So here's what I've learnt.<br />
<br />
1. You will want your child to call home. Don't. <br />
Packrat went to the briefing and reported that teachers were inundated with questions about whether their children could bring air-mattresses, sleeping bags, portable diffusers. They faced disgruntled parents when they informed them that the children would not have access to their mobile phones and that no, they could not queue up to use the coin phone either.<br />
<br />
This caused much distress and I think this was where the camp experience differed from a sleepover. A sleepover would have involved the constant exchange between the parents on what funny things the kids were up to and this sometimes included photographs and videos. This time however, there was a complete cut off from our children.<br />
<br />
But, now that she's home and she's told me what went on at camp, I think the teachers were indeed wise. After all, they have done this year in, year out.<br />
<br />
She told me that she went to the sick bay on the first day. It was a bad headache, despite drinking gallons of water. And she stayed there for 3 hours, napping before she felt better and more human. It was at that point, that I realised that, had she been able to call home or get in touch with me, she would have told me about being in the sick bay, possibly been weepy about it and I would have immediately asked if she needed to come home. There would have been a possibility that she would have said yes and then, the camp would have been a slightly extended version of a day camp.<br />
<br />
Because I didn't know, because she had no idea that coming home would have been an option, she got over herself and her headache and went back out to play. <br />
<br />
So, the radio silence was great. It prevented homesick children from indulging in their homesickness and anxious parents from finding reasons to bring said child home early. I suppose if she really were unwell, they would have called me. And headaches, in their book, weren't serious enough to warrant a potentially heart dropping phone call for me to receive. <br />
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2. You will want to spy on your child. (See Above)</div>
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With 240 ten year olds away from their parents for the first time, there were bound to be anxious parents. And because Singapore is small enough and the camp location was made known to the parents, some showed up, testing their prowess at stealth hunting and paparazzi level stalking. There were also parents who worried that their children needed creature comforts and attempted to show up under the guise of delivering them or simply delivering pizza. Whatever was necessary to gain access to the child. </div>
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I asked her if she saw parents hiding in the bushes or pretending to be trees. After she finished laughing, she looked at me in all seriousness and asked if I had been one of those nosy parents. I said no. She said good. I asked her why. She said it would have been an interference on the part of the parents. She said it would have been embarrassing (She tried to soften the blow by saying she would have been happy to see me but even then...). And she said it was only for 3 days and if she could miss me and didn't beg her teachers to send her home and didn't run away from camp to come find me, I didn't need to stalk and spy on them. </div>
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Basically, she was telling me, in her 10 year old way that she needed this space to grow up. </div>
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Wise one, my first born. </div>
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3. You will underestimate your child. (Ditto the previous point)</div>
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Admittedly, I worried. I worried that she wouldn't be able to sleep in a sleeping bag. When I found out that someone snuck in a pillow (I didn't even think of getting her to pack beyond her packing list), I found myself wondering if she could sleep without a pillow. I found many other little things to wonder and worry about. Above all, I worried that she would not have a good time and she would be miserable. </div>
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Much as I hate to admit it, Packrat and the teachers were right. She had been fine and she came home brimming with excitement of all her achievements. She told me she abseiled down 7 storeys. She told me that she rolled her jacket into bundle and used it as a pillow. She slept like a baby. She, whose extent of cooking at home was to make a grilled cheese sandwich, was able to cook up her own meals on an open flame. She managed to also successfully put drops into her eyes like we taught her to at home. </div>
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In short, not only did she survive camp, she thrived. </div>
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So, my advice? Cede control, trust the school and child. </div>
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And you'll get all the good bits. You'll get to hear the stories through triumphant rose-tinted glasses, you get to stand anxiously at the school gates waiting for that first glimpse of her and you get to get all the air squeezed out of you when she throws her arms around you and gives you a hug big enough to make up for all the time she was away. <br />
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I promise you. It'll be hard to do all these things. But it'll be worth it. <br />
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From a parent who survived her child being away at camp.Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-2863877991175543702017-09-03T08:47:00.002+08:002017-09-03T08:47:32.407+08:00Where have the Mogwais gone?I didn't believe it when other parents told me that ten was the magic number. That it heralded a new stage of parenting. Where a switch gets flipped and cute, obedient young 'uns turn into surly, smart mouth, sassing tweens. It's like in the Gremlins. The Mogwais are cute and adorable and you want them as pets. But heed the warning.<br />
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Do not expose the Mogwai to bright lights or sunlight which will kill
it, do not let it get wet, and never feed it after midnight. Feeding them after midnight makes the Mogwai turn into a Gremlin. Getting them wet causes them to multiply.<br />
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A tween is what you get when you feed the Mogwai after midnight. I think that happened the day the twins turned 10. We must have accidentally fed them at midnight.<br />
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Because my formerly sweet-natured twins turned Gremlin-like.<br />
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1. Language:<br />
Where did they learn to be rhetorical?<br />
When asked a question, the choice answers are "Obviously", "What do you think?", "Good luck with that." <br />
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Fighting words<br />
"You're always cheating!" "I hate him/ her!", "I wish I were dead!"<br />
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2. Physical Aggression:<br />
Shoving, hitting, spitting, anything at their disposal. When warned that the sibling might one day hit back, they ignore me. I'm told that they need to feel the physical pain of the sibling turning on them and socking them back as hard as they gave it.<br />
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3. The eyes.<br />
Oh the eyes. The eye- rolling. The eye rolling that communicate "Are you kidding me?" "How stupid are you?" "How stupid is that?" "Who died and made you God?" all in a split second of <span class="st">ophthalmic calisthenics<em>. </em></span>I know it is necessary f<a href="https://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/17/why-teenage-girls-roll-their-eyes/" target="_blank">or tweens to be able to do that </a>and I know JED have it encoded in them to roll their eyes since I do it so effectively but it's still riling and it's too easy to say "Don't roll your eyes at me, young lady/man" But I run the risk of sounding like my dad.<br />
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4. The moods<br />
The moods are getting dark and twisty and thunderous for now apparent reason. It could be all bright and shiny and all of a sudden, thunder clouds gather and we're all at the risk of being stuck and fried by lightning. Mercurial is a nice word to describe the climate in the house. Not quite global warming yet but definitely, climate change big time.<br />
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I know it'll get worse when the hormones catch up with the motor-mouths and the poor hapless 7 year old bears the brunt of it. Us adults, we understand treading on egg shells but it's a minefield for Muffin and he's getting a crash course on how one thing that works today won't work tomorrow.<br />
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He retaliates the only way he knows how. He matches their tempers and angers with tears but his physical size and 7 year old vocabulary puts him at a disadvantage.<br />
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We can only ride it out, shower them with affection when their moods are right, attempt to express understanding and empathy even when they are being difficult and explain why their behaviour isn't what we expect of them.<br />
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On days, there is still the sweetness and consideration they showed to each other as siblings.<br />
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On other days, the tween-ness is reflected in hilarious ways with illustrations that give us an insight about how they are processing information. Even the illustrations are filled with eye rolls. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5i7Ql-vG0-A/Was81egtd0I/AAAAAAAAVaE/01wzftONt0Ut_BGG7ra1EOcrzKbkLg5agCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5i7Ql-vG0-A/Was81egtd0I/AAAAAAAAVaE/01wzftONt0Ut_BGG7ra1EOcrzKbkLg5agCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_4152.JPG" width="360" /></a></div>
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On other days, I want to dig a hole in the ground and hide from the strafing and indulge in looking at cute baby pictures of them.<br />
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But no such luck. It's about wearing the kevlar and hitting right out into the minefield and hope for the best. Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-83045457973975446932017-08-16T11:13:00.000+08:002017-08-16T11:13:07.336+08:00History hungryWe've always talked about how Jordan is Mini-Me because she's athletic, competitive and high strung. A girl after my own heart.<br />
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Evan has always been Packrat's doppelganger. The geek interests, the introvert and the mild endearing disposition.<br />
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A few months ago, I received confirmation of my genetic contribution to Evan. Our regular pick up ritual is the boys get into the car and mutter salutations before requesting for their audio book of the day to be put on. One day, this routine deviated. Evan got into the car and asked to talk rather than listen to the audio book.<br />
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He went on to tell me about Social Studies in school and Singapore during World War II. My mind flashed to me, having these conversations with my parents, when I did Social Studies in primary school. I was exactly the same age as Evan. I learnt from my mother how their house got requisitioned by the Japanese High Command. That they all ducked under the dining table when there were air raids; the same dining table I used for studying and now sits in my brother's house. I learnt then that my grandfather would set traps in the drains that had water flow in from the sea at high tide and how he caught fish and crab for the family that way. I learnt about the gory sight of heads put up on spikes as a warning of disobeying the Japanese.<br />
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I also remembered having discussions with my dad about the war, on the way to uni, where I spent a semester reading Singapore history.<br />
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In an instant, all this seemed relevant as my 10 year old fired a million questions about Singapore during the war. And I told him all the stories that my dad and mum as well as my grandmother told me about their lives during the war. I answered his questions about the European Theatre with what I could remember from days in freezing cold lecture halls 20 years ago. Perhaps, a primitive instinct 20 years ago pushed me to do all those course in preparation of a son not yet even a thought. <br />
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And the boy lapped it all up. He asked for books, more books and has started reading obsessively about war. War literature (it's amazing how much good juvenile war literature there is out there), fact books, a whole bunch of <a href="http://isurvived.scholastic.com/" target="_blank">"I survived..." books</a> and an old abandoned copy of a secondary school history text book. He literally paced the house waiting for the Amazon order to arrive with more history books in there. When it did, quiet descended upon the house. I let homework slide because I saw how he was devouring the books. There was always tomorrow for homework.<br />
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I didn't understand the obsession when it was Pokemon where he inhaled facts about Pokemon and could spit them out with such precision I wondered why he didn't put that much effort into his school work. But it's just how an obsession works. He's doing the same thing now for WWII history though because human nature and cruelty are involved, he doesn't get all of it himself and has questions that bother him somewhat. So we sit and chat about it. He asks questions, I try my best to answer it. I pull on things that he remembers, like visiting the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbour when he was little. And it makes more sense to him now. The attack, why it was surprising, why the Japanese did it. How that coincided with the attack on Singapore. Bit by bit, he's figuring it out.<br />
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He draws the line, though, at media. He'll read, he'll listen to stories about it but he won't watch it. Pity, I thought. I would have loved to have taken him to see Dunkirk. <br />
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But it is true. When there is interest, passion lies and the curiosity to know. <br />Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-90196147800643439022017-07-25T10:24:00.002+08:002017-07-25T14:26:56.169+08:00I Wanna Grow Up...There's been a lot of talk about puberty lately.<br />
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For Jordan at least.<br />
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It came about because they had a talk in school recently about when it was necessary for girls to wear undergarments. The bits of information she came home with were hilarious and sometimes bordering on misinformation rather than information.
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She read the Judy Blume books that deal with it; her favourite being <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Are_You_There_God%3F_It%27s_Me,_Margaret." target="_blank">Margaret</a> who wants and NEEDS a bra and talks about getting periods. After the talks in school, she's gone back to reading them again. And I re-read it too because all I remembered from it was the chant, "I must, I must, I must increase my bust!" The charming thing about the book is that even though it's more than 40 years old, the anxieties mirror so clearly what goes on in the mind of a tween today.<br />
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Last week, Jordan got into the car and was very, very giggly. Her teacher had passed around a bra for the girls to look at and fiddle with. She went into great detail. One would have thought she had never seen one before!<br />
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Two days after, a growth spurt miraculously occurred in class and spread like wildfire across all 40 girls. All of a sudden, she was reporting that every other person in class had started wearing a bra too. I think it had to do very little to do with hormones and very much to do with all the discussion in class. Words are indeed powerful. So naturally, Jordan asked if she could have one too. <br />
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<img alt="Image result for are you there god, it's me margaret" class="irc_mi" src="http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388356524l/37732.jpg" height="475" style="margin-top: 37px;" width="315" /> </div>
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I gave her the same spiel my mother gave me. She'd have her whole life ahead of her to wear a bra. It would be hot to wear one under two layers of uniform as is. She didn't need to be in such a hurry. But there was no stopping her.<br />
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I guess if I thought hard enough about it, it was like that for me too, dying to be all growed up and wanting to have all the trappings of being a grown up. Envious of those taller and more mature than I was at that age. And like Jordan, I didn't listen to my mother when she tried to caution haste.<br />
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So, here we are. I have a Margaret at home now and I'm pretty sure she's asking God the same questions that Margaret did and promising to be good in exchange for some growth in that area.<br />
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And to counter all the misinformation she seems to be getting at school, I have ordered her some books to set the facts straight. <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/nightlight/2016/08/08/how_american_girl_puberty_books_shaped_a_generation_of_tweens.html" target="_blank">The American Girl serie</a>s for puberty is aptly titled <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1609580834/?tag=slatmaga-20" target="_blank">The Care and Keeping of You</a> which I really like because it really does normalise the entire process and answers questions in ways that make sense to these tweens. <br />
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While we wait for the books to arrive, I shall just sit back and watch this unfold, quietly lamenting the loss of my baby girl and the appearance of a full-fledged tween. <br />
<br />Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-29633793911052133722017-07-13T09:58:00.000+08:002017-07-13T11:17:06.610+08:00Note leavingThe whole family has taken to leaving notes for each other.<br />
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There are various functions for the note-leaving.<br />
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For me, it's a case of expediency.<br />
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It's convenient, it stops me from nagging till I turn blue in the face and the little reminders do in fact act as little triggers for them to do things. Sometimes we do it because it's funny and it gets a rise out of them. <br />
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Sometimes, it's purely to remind me to do something. Regardless of how
much we remind them to pass us stuff to sign the minute they get it,
they often only remember just as they are going to bed or when I'm not home.
I take comfort in the fact that Evan is very responsible and will remember things told to him so occasionally, I take advantage of it and ask him to leave a note to remind me to for instance, "pick his sister at 3 pm". <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wSF0u3Jo5No/WWbG0WepK-I/AAAAAAAAVXc/wNqBaodcHdIolbgxTtqpbUbxhNMjpaW1wCLcBGAs/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wSF0u3Jo5No/WWbG0WepK-I/AAAAAAAAVXc/wNqBaodcHdIolbgxTtqpbUbxhNMjpaW1wCLcBGAs/s320/FullSizeRender%2B3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tangentially, Evan needs better handwriting because he wouldn't really know if I 'sighed' on the form. </td></tr>
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Other times, they do it because they've done something wrong and it's easier to confess it on paper than to face the music. Muffin has recently discovered the joys of procrastinating. So he'll read and sit and play even if he has work to do. A few days ago, despite the fact that he didn't do anything else and spent a good 4 hours just sitting at his desk (only to get up for the bathroom and have dinner) he hadn't finished his Chinese homework which included a five pages of exercises and two pages of writing. His siblings, having more experience with the wrath of mom 'orrhhed' at him to the point that he trembled with fear and then ominously warned him of imminent punishment i.e. (Mummy is going to <i>kiiiiiilll</i> you). In an attempt to pre-emptively placate a potentially angry mummy and avoid sudden 'death', he left a note on his board with multiple "very"s to highlight his recalcitrant behaviour. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Procrastination at work</td></tr>
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Unlike her brothers who leave notes for purely functional reasons, Jordan leaves me notes for everything. To tell me what happened in the day, to recount something bad that had happened, prayer requests, to apologise to me for sassing me, everything.<br />
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Funny how they don't leave Packrat notes. Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-7018105863171978422017-07-05T15:13:00.002+08:002017-07-05T15:13:28.380+08:00Visiting Melbourne: Through JED's eyesAs promised, this post is Melbourne through the eyes of JED. Or it could be titled "What to do with Melbourne with children" because this post is about what JED loved about Melbourne.<br />
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I shall state from the outset that the twins are very infatuated with Melbourne. Jordan is ready to move there. Forever. She wants to go to school there and go like now, now now.<br />
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To JED, Melbourne was about 7 things.<br />
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1. The cold weather<br />
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This was the most important. That is, once they got used to it. Muffin was the one that took the longest to relish it. It went in order of the amount of insulation they had in their bodies. And Muffin doesn't have any, at all.<br />
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But once they climatised, they ran around with jackets and even ventured as far as going to the beach twice. Something I wouldn't have even considered no matter how mild the winter was. <br />
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2. The animals. <br />
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JED love animals. But as with most urban kids, they are scared of them. So it was funny when Evan wanted to feed ducks (his favourite animal in the world) and run away when the ducks approached him for more. It was similar with the guinea pigs that they could play with at the petting zoo. Evan wanted to have the guinea pig but was squealing about it being ticklish because of its claws. I liked the Open Range safari type animals more than the local Aussie ones and while I understood that it made sense for the joey to be head in in the pouch, I was grossed out by the fact that there were a pair of legs sticking out of Mama-Kanga's belly. No one got why I was grossed out so I was left alone to make faces. <br />
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3. The playgrounds</div>
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With the benefit of space, the playgrounds around Melbourne were awesome. And I don't mean it in the tween way, I mean it in the "jaw dropping, covet and want to steal it back to Singapore, talk about it all the time" way. </div>
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Every day, we explored a new playground and every evening, there would be the request of going back to the same playground the next day. Because it was just that much fun. It didn't matter that they spent good long stretches of time at the playground, it was never enough. </div>
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Even the adults were hard-pressed to vote on which was the best playground. </div>
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a. Parkville</div>
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Packrat and I loved Parkville because it was behind our old uni and where he lived. We also loved it because it showed great sensitivity to the landscape. It was just a playground plonked into a field. The architectures built the playground into the natural landscape with slopes and trails integrated. Then there was a large hill that we could scale and the Grey's Anatomy fan in me loved the fact that from the playground or the top of the hill, you could see medical helicopters landing on the hospital rooftop across the road. </div>
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JED loved it because it was challenging, sprawling and so open to the imagination. They played hide and seek but gradually settled to play at the dam structure, which in itself was a stroke of genius. The kids could build a network of waterways in the sand and there was an irrigation system that they could work, pump water and dam before releasing it into their waterways. Over and over again, in different permutations. </div>
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My only concern about the playground was that it was so sprawling that you couldn't quite keep an eye on the kids all the time from one spot. But other than that, we spent 2 days and had lunch there. Even then, it was really with a heavy heart to leave. And also to know that should we ever come back, the twins would be too old to enjoy it as much. </div>
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b. St Kilda<br />
St Kilda's a pretty bohemian part of Melbourne and it follows that the playground there is similarly so. It looked like a junkyard with odd pieces of wood structures painted in a cacophony of colours. There was a haphazard feel to it, it was challenging in places for the kids with an adrenaline junkie's dream of a flying fox that whizzed at top speed and only stopped with a mighty clang when it hit the end and caused the kid to rebound or get thrown off into wood chips (though we didn't see any kid get thrown off!)<br />
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Similar to the Parkville playground, even though we spent 3 hours there, JED didn't cover every inch of it. They climbed a tree, discovered secret tunnels built under the playground structures and tried to run up a skateboard run which was close to impossible. The playground was run by the city council and there were crates of free fruit for the kids. With places like these where you can see so much love and care has gone into creating it, I was happy that I could put in a donation to keep the place going or to help buy the next crate of fruit. <br />
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4. Fake snow<br />
I badly wanted to drive up to Mt Buller for some snow even if we didn't ski. But the men, who were the designated drivers refused to budge. It was too long a drive to see mounds of ice and they couldn't imagine tetchy kids all the way there and disappointed kids back. The next alternative was an ice rink near the hotel that had a fake snow slope.<br />
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The cold, together with the speed thrilled JED to bits especially because the only way to stop was to crash headlong into a thick padded wall. Muffin and Jordan were the most adept. I came down screaming while Evan internalised all his fear with a constipated look on his face. It wasn't enough to totally get the snow jollies out of the way but it did go some way into assuaging it.<br />
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5. Rowing a boat<br />
If at any time, a child suggests that rowing a boat would be fun, heavily indoctrinated by years of singing that insipid kid song, please say no. Against our better judgement, we agreed to row a boat down the duck pond. With 5 in the boat, the weight wasn't evenly spread out and that meant I spent half the time worried we might truly capsize. And never believe the children when they promise to help row because all they do is splatter water and complain their arms hurt. So rather than rowing, we spun in circles in the general direction of the current, bouncing off both banks and miraculously spun back to where we started. By then, there was water in the boat and JED had all been splashed by algey mucky water that was filled with duck pee.<br />
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6. Autumn leaves<br />
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There is a Chinese saying about fishing that goes along the lines of "even if can't catch fish, settle for the shrimp". It sounds better in Chinese. That was the philosophy that JED approached Melbourne winter. To them, winter meant snow. We spent the better part of the year dispelling that notion so they settled for the next best thing. Leaves.<br />
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Piles of leaves, leaf tracks, just shuffling and rustling in leaves, picking at them, comparing the different shades of yellow, orange and green was interesting enough that they left the adults alone. <br />
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7. Friends </div>
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There was always fun to be had where ever they were because they were 5 of them, 4 of them of similar age. There were squabbles and differences but they tried hard to work it out for themselves and figured out the best dynamics amongst them. They didn't sleep together but played together, ate together and even celebrated their birthdays together.</div>
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The adults vowed that for as far as possible, we will try to bring them away together because these are what make for good memories for them. </div>
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My takeaway from the entire trip was that fun didn't need to be expensive at all. So, no we didn't go and see the penguins. Nor did we take the windy Great Ocean Road or the coal spitting- tear inducing choo choo train round the Dandenongs. And it really didn't matter to JED nor their friends.<br />
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Every one needs more of these sorts of holidays. It does wonders for the soul. Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-40971712885483766872017-06-28T09:55:00.002+08:002017-06-28T09:55:42.128+08:00Revisiting MelbourneWe've been wanting to go back to Melbourne for a very long time. We moved back to Singapore close to 15 years ago and haven't been back for 10 years. Since JED were now old enough to appreciate Melbourne as where "Mommy and Daddy met and went to school", we thought it was a good time to do it.<br />
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We didn't expect to feel as nostalgic as we did when we got there. So this post is basically Melbourne, through our eyes, as opposed to the subsequent post, which will be Melbourne, through the eyes of JED.<br />
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What we generally did was to re-trace our lives in Melbourne, right from touch down.<br />
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1. Breakfast at <a href="http://www.weekendnotes.com/threshermans-bakehouse/" target="_blank">Thresherman's. </a><br />
We didn't eat here on a daily basis because we were poor students but on the occasion or when there was family in town, we'd come here for brunch. It was a 5 minute walk from our house. I remember giant fruit salad take away bowls, hot soup in the winter and farmer's breakfasts. Incidentally, when we bought the farmer's breakfast for JED, they complained it tasted weird. When we tried it, we realised that their definition of weird was our definition of 'fresh'.<br />
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2. Uni of course.<br />
Because we were at Thresherman's, we were close to uni and since we couldn't check in to our apartment, we went to uni for a walk around. That's when all the feels came flooding back.<br />
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To humour JED, we recreated a photo we took when we got engaged and we took a photo at the stop light where we first met.<br />
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But for us, it was walking around, remembering what it was like to walk through the various buildings and hallways on the way to lectures, marvelling about the things that hadn't changed and the buildings that were new, bright and shiny.<br />
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There is something about old buildings, blue skies and trees that makes the heart rate slow and the blood pressure drop a bit.<br />
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3. The old apartment<br />
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No trip down memory lane would be complete without visiting the old house. We pointed out to the twins where we would BBQ, where we kept our dog for a while, where Packrat and their Uncle's bedroom was. We told them about Barry the neighbourhood cat who would surely be dead by now though it didn't stop us from looking in the same places that he would hang out. <br />
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3. Food<br />
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I warned Packrat that when it came to food, we might be a bit disappointed because we were students on a budget then and now that we are a bit older and more discerning, it could possibly be a case of "What did I just put in my mouth?".<br />
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There was <a href="http://sofiacamberwell.com.au/" target="_blank">Italian at Sofia's</a> where it was about mass rather than quantity as well as taking up the challenge of the giant gelato. Even with 9 people, we didn't manage to finish the gelato nor the food but everyone was happy and left in a blissfully stupourous state.<br />
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There was also Vietnamese many times over, steaks for our carnivorous tribe and some Chinese thrown in for familiarity sake. For Packrat and myself, souvalkis were necessary because souvalkis remind us of our first real date. Unfortunately, it was a truly a situation where the eyes were larger than the tummy because we couldn't finish the souvalkis. We forgot to take into account the difference between 20 year old's and a 40 year old's appetite. <br />
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4. Friends<br />
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No pictures here but meeting up with ex students who have lived in Melbourne for longer than I did as well as ex-classmates was on the agenda. We visited their homes, ate where they ate and did what they did. Not touristy at all. In fact, it was these meet ups where we learnt of the reality that Melbourne is actually more costly to live than Singapore, that housing, transportation and even food ($3 for a box of plain rice is daylight robbery) is as costly if not more than in Singapore. A nice reality check for the grass is always greener sentiments.<br />
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And then, for me, there was<br />
5. Ballet.<br />
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Not specifically for me but for Jordan, to meet my old ballet teacher and to take class in my old ballet school. Time stood still in the ballet school, right down to the carpeting and the ballet studios. Even the teachers. Jordan got to meet my old teacher and take some classes with her. What she taught Jordan, watching her teach class and instilling the same discipline and etiquette I remember from all those years ago, I felt I was an undergrad and the years had melted away. But I wasn't. <br />
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10 days of re-tracing our steps and then we had to pack up and come back to reality. But while it lasted, it was good. </div>
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Some would say that the past should stay in the past. But I think that occasionally, it's a good thing to touch base with the past. It reminds us of simpler times, what it's like to slow down a little bit, not to get too caught up in the things that actually don't matter and laugh some. <br />
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Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-59706151395696401392017-05-26T07:44:00.001+08:002017-05-26T11:14:38.173+08:00The One Where Evan Hits BallsBoth Evan and Jordan do sport. Actually Muffin as well though the twins spend a lot more time on it.<br />
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But their narratives could not be any different.<br />
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Evan is not a natural athlete. As a baby, the doctors worried because his head lolled to one side for the longest time. As a toddler, he would fall over a lot and bump his head repeatedly on the same spot. Even as a tennis player, he is no where as good as many of the kids in his age group.<br />
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And that makes it hard for him.<br />
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It means that he has to work doubly hard to do what comes naturally to some and sometimes, it gets very disheartening. <br />
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It means that there are some coaches that don't like that he isn't a ready made player, who has natural ability. They would yell at him because his footwork isn't what is to be expected of a 10 year old who plays x number of days a week. These were the coaches who would make him cry in frustration.<br />
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It means that in a team, he might not be seeded very high and might not get picked to play because he might weigh the team down. <br />
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But does he try. Try very hard, he does.<br />
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He works till rivets of sweat run down his face and he can't lift his feet anymore. He's learnt to be consistent while he works on power. On the days he doesn't play, he goes running with Packrat and is attempting the jump rope.<br />
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We do our part by putting him with coaches who will affirm his effort and encourage him along. We stay away from the coaches who only see him for what he is not. That isn't helpful, to anyone.<br />
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In his first ever league tournament, he knew he wasn't seeded very high and every time he played, he tried very hard and tried to make it count. When he couldn't kill the shot, he rallied till the opponent made a mistake and he always took stock of the players he played with. He learnt very quickly to place his shots out of reach of his opponents. And in that way, he won more points and in some of the matches, ended up carrying the 'higher' seeded partner he was playing with because his parter, while stronger was more inconsistent with his shots.<br />
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The day of the finals, when he helped the team place well, was a vindication for him; against the managers who would leave him out of line ups, against the coaches who thought him crap and even, to some extent, against us, for the times that we rolled our eyes at his seemingly uncoordinated ways.<br />
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I told Evan, the one thing I truly admired about him, is the fact that he's a cool cucumber. He looks cool on court. He doesn't let the stress get to him and he just goes on placing the shots where he needs to. When we commended him on being cool, he exclaimed that he was nervous as heck. That, I told him was excellent, that he doesn't let the nerves get to him. I told him the analogy was to be duck like; gliding along the water as if nothing gazed him but actually paddling furiously underneath, away.<br />
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Someone said to us that Evan is probably learning more because he's isn't naturally gifted and things don't come easy to him. And like pediatricians used to tell us, as long as the milestones are achieved, it isn't about who gets there first. It'll come in good time and he really is getting there. Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-74779234641996432782017-05-18T09:10:00.000+08:002017-05-18T09:10:07.116+08:00The Anti-List for the holidaysThe exams are finally, finally over for the twins. Jordan finished much earlier but Evan's drudgery only ended yesterday. Coincidentally, I was asked to write a piece about holidays activities. I thought about it and Packrat and I are pretty much of the opinion that JED, having relatively busy school days should be allowed to do nothing during the holidays. There is a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/alyson-jones/kids-and-boredom_b_5686016.html" target="_blank">great amount of value in giving them time to be bored</a>.<br />
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So our default is to let them come up with t<a href="http://diaperbag.blogspot.sg/2017/05/small-business-enterprise.html" target="_blank">heir own games</a> , read, go to the library, hang out and go downstairs to muck about or to explore new parks. And oh! Evan has asked for us to go back to Willing Hearts to do some work there. That, we'll definitely do at some point this June. <br />
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There. Done.<br />
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But I don't think that was what I was asked to write about though.<br />
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And honestly, there have been times where we've needed to park the kids somewhere so as to not drive their care-givers crazy while we were away or because they really wanted to learn something new.<br />
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So, the list that I'm sharing is of places that JED have tried before and have had quite a bit of fun with.<br />
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a. Art camps<br />
A big hit even at this point with the twins being 10. There's always joy in mucking about with paint and creating something from it. We have excellent pieces on our walls courtesy of these art camps and it brings JED so much joy from being able to see their work on the walls.<br />
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We've done a few and some are better than others. We did one where I was told the kids weren't listening to instructions and painting it as they were told. We never went back there again even though it was close by us. We have however gone to <a href="http://heartstudiosg.com/" target="_blank">heART Studio </a>many times over even though it's further away. <a href="http://heartstudiosg.com/holiday-programs/" target="_blank">Their holiday programmes</a> are by the day so it's great if you want them occupied for a couple of hours; though I'm tempted to sign Muffin up for t<a href="http://heartstudiosg.com/holiday-programs/" target="_blank">he 2 day Dinosaur one</a>.<br />
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b. Science camps.<br />
I've heard that the <a href="http://diaperbag.blogspot.sg/2017/05/basf-science-lab-2017-muffinthe-young.html" target="_blank">BASF Science Labs</a> for June are all filled up already and science camps are a whole lot of experimenty fun. The one that we really liked and we sent them to while we were away was a <a href="https://discovery-camp.com/" target="_blank">Discovery Vacation Camp</a> which was a 5 day full day camp where they did experiments, went on field trips and actually learnt stuff they remember till today. The only thing about that was that Jordan said she felt homesick. Because it was longer than the typical school day. But that said, she remembers it fondly and they went as a big group of friends so it was a lot of fun.<br />
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c. Writing camps<br />
Though only the twins have gone for writing camps, Muffin remembers fondly the time he sat in one with the twins. This was <a href="http://diaperbag.blogspot.sg/2014/06/learning-and-comfort-zones.html" target="_blank">Monsters Under the Bed's Monsters HuntINK </a>camp a few years back. I think at that point, they were still too young for it but they talk about the hydra and the medusa that they learnt about during that workshop. And then, there was <a href="http://www.writingsprouts.com/" target="_blank">the workshop they did last year</a>, where <a href="http://diaperbag.blogspot.sg/2016/06/holiday-adventures-1-writing-book.html" target="_blank">they wrote and published their own book</a>.<br />
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They would be happy if I sent them back to any of the ones above but what they really really want to go for is a building workshop where they learn coding and creating games because that's often what is on their minds these days. Evan got his hands on a flyer for the <a href="http://www.tinktanksg.com/" target="_blank">Tink Tank</a> one and has cancelled off the ones that he's learnt in school like <a href="http://www.tinktanksg.com/scratch.html" target="_blank">Scratch</a> and decided that he wanted to do the <a href="http://www.tinktanksg.com/scratch.html" target="_blank">MBot and Sphero</a> one. Muffin is keen because he knows that Sphero built the BB-8 we have rolling around the house, though I cautioned him that it wasn't what he was going to build in 2 hours there. Jordan was torn between that and another workshop called <a href="http://www.tinktanksg.com/littlebits.html" target="_blank">Little Bits</a> where you learnt to work with circuitry but Packrat said if they were going, they were ALL going to the same workshop.<br />
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There. A list. Of what I would do, what they could do if I gave them the chance to and what they really really want to do. <br />
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All I can say is, I don't really care what we're going to do. I'm just ecstatic that the exams are over and we can do everything we want to or choose to do absolutely nothing. <br />
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<br />Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-69532744401197005192017-05-12T10:57:00.001+08:002017-05-12T10:57:42.443+08:00BASF Science Lab 2017: MuffinThe Young ScientistJED love science.<br />
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They love science experiments which we used to do a lot of even before they started proper science in school. When they were able to read and we inherited a whole bunch of kid science magazines, they devoured it and there were magazines all through the house. All. Over. The. Place.<br />
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I credit the science programme they did in kindy for this early curiosity and I love that they surprise me with random bits of information.<br />
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To be honest, I'm not entirely sure if it helps them in school but the point is in the fun.<br />
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It's Muffin's turn to be mad about science.<br />
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His favourite things about science.<br />
1. Experiments.<br />
The most fun ingredients for experiments are baking soda, detergent, vinegar. Lots of fizzing, lots of foaming and very very clean bathroom floors after that.<br />
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2. Muffin also loves <a href="https://billnye.com/" target="_blank">Bill Nye the Science Guy</a>. Bill Nye is irreverent, physically comedic and makes it over the top hilarious. There's an episode on life cycles that he loves and watches ad nauseum and chuckles when Bill Nye goes "Birth, Life, Death!"<br />
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3. Science magazines and books<br />
All over the house, there are science comics and books. And when I mean, all over the house, it is everywhere, under the bed, under the pillow, in the bathroom, all over the dining table, everywhere. But he's constantly reading, thinking and popping up with weird questions that I now deputise his brother and sister to deal with.<br />
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4. More experiments!<br />
We sometimes get the opportunity to go for science camps and labs. The twins went <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BASF.KidsLabAPAC/" target="_blank">BASF Kids Lab</a> last year and we brought Muffin too but he hid behind Packrat most of the time. He was intimidated by his siblings being there and able to answer all the questions, he was intimidated by all the older kids there that he didn't want to do any of the experiments.<br />
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This year, we were invited to the preview again. Since it was smack in the middle of exams for the two who actually do study science, I sent Muffin alone with his friend. Out of the shadows of his siblings and with his trusty best friend, the two boys had a rocking good time. <br />
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They got to dress like researchers, they got to record their findings
and make oobleck (which is ALWAYS ALWAYS fun) and they got to meet Dr
Bubbles; who in Muffin's opinion was Bill Nye!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr Bubbles a.k.a. Bill Nye! </td></tr>
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Muffin wants to do the Discovery Science Camp during the June break like his siblings did. I'm saving that one though, when I need him in 'day-care' during a vacation and this June, we don't need that yet. He's also advocating for the BASF Kids' Lab to all his friends because he discovered there's a repeat session of what he did in June. This child, if he can't be a scientist, can sell things next time. Quite the marketer. </div>
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So for those who have sciencey kids and want a day of science activity during the coming break, <a href="http://www.nlb.gov.sg/golibrary2/e/basf-kids-lab-2017-29434492" target="_blank">sign up</a> and make oobleck and meet Dr Bubbles!</div>
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These spots go fast though so make like the wind and sign up. </div>
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<br />Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-64851903272996925162017-05-10T19:39:00.003+08:002017-05-10T19:42:35.029+08:00Small Business EnterpriseJordan's exams are over. The semi-pall that has shrouded our house for the last few weeks has lifted. Somewhat.<br />
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Somewhat because Evan's exams aren't over yet. But it isn't stopping them from celebrating.<br />
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For Evan, any opportunity to play is a good thing. For Muffin, he is celebrating the fact that his play mates are free to play with him and he doesn't have to do work just so that his siblings don't complain that he is too free.<br />
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First order of business, was to literally, set up a business. Or rather 3 businesses.<br />
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Each kid decided on a business they were about to start.<br />
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Each kid came up with a business model including pricing, opening hours and rules and regulations.<br />
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Jordan set up a music school that promised that anyone could be a musician.<br />
Evan set up a photo studio with his business partner, Eevee. <br />
Muffin was setting up a spa. He was CEO. Jordan was the massage therapist. <br />
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Working hours took into consideration school hours. Obviously, they weren't giving up their day jobs for this. <br />
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Their family benefits were great. We got discounts and there were always freebies for those hapless enough to engage their services.<br />
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So we came home to signs on their door last night declaring their businesses closed for the day and early this morning, the sign had changed.<br />
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We found out that they subscribed to the belief that the 'early bird catches the worm' because they were all up at six this morning, voluntarily, for a business meeting before their businesses opened for the day.<br />
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Unfortunately, they didn't take factor in the size of their consumer base so there wasn't a lot of business to go around.<br />
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That didn't fuss them much. They closed early and went to the park.<br />
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Their jobs certainly afforded them a great amount of work-life balance. Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-34190320774994553632017-05-08T11:41:00.000+08:002017-05-08T12:30:45.196+08:00The Running Man There's been a bug going round the house.<br />
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But it's the good sort of bug. It's a running bug. <br />
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Packrat runs a great deal. He runs to work out. He runs to clock steps. He runs to hatch Pokemon eggs.<br />
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And there is some truth about modeling behaviour because now JED want to run. Especially Evan.<br />
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He may not be as fit. But he makes up in terms of doggedness. So slowly but surely, he's running.<br />
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It's as good a time as any to pick up running. After all, the twins have to run 1.6 km for school as part of their physical fitness test.<br />
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So they've been going out at all hours. I came home once in the middle of the afternoon to a relatively quiet house. When asked, both Jordan and Muffin said that Papa and Kor Kor went out for a 'run/walk' even though it looked sweltering out.<br />
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Packrat makes it fun for Evan. He lets Evan hold his phone and walk his Pokemon eggs, lets him catch whatever Pokemon pop up. They talk about how to run more efficiently and Packrat sets him small goals that make running much less daunting i.e. Run till the next traffic light. Run 4 lamp posts down. Run to the next bus stop. And the next thing Evan knows, he's completed 2 km without looking his lungs actually exploding.<br />
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Occasionally, the other two and I join in and we sometimes run to the grandparents' for dinner. But it's been pretty much a father-son activity and I'm happy to keep it that way.<br />
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I might have been the runner in a previous life but I don't like it as much. Running used to be our thing. But because my back's not been great and truthfully, because I've become lazy, I don't run as much. I did, however, agree to run the Star Wars Run with Packrat last weekend. The problem was that I had plain forgotten that we were doing the 10 km one. This left me scrambling as if it were a last minute exam I had to cram for. Unfortunately, lungs and legs don't work in the same way. And few people I know can run a 10 at a drop of a hat. </div>
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I survived it after running every other day for the last two weeks but looked like crap after that. I think I wanted to vomit at some point. But that would have been embarrassing. Packrat, on the other hand, looked a whole lot more chipper than I did and he talked about bringing Evan next year for the shorter run.<br />
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I think he's found his new running partner. I'm okay with that. I think it's also for the best. Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-69673659981202522242017-04-19T11:45:00.001+08:002017-04-19T23:12:25.947+08:00Out of the Box came 2 BagsThere was the mother of all storms yesterday.<br />
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Add to that, I had recently decided to commit myself to being the "Muber" driver and pick JED after school.<br />
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It has not been without its challenges and on top of that, my not-so-organised mind had not told them what to do when there was a storm.<br />
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So I brought ONE (not two or three as I should have done) umbrella into school to catch them. I found Muffin but Evan was no where in sight.<br />
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Eventually he sidled up, grinning and waving two plastic bags at me. He was late coming to look for Muffin because he had seen the rain and proceeded to<br />
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a. Go to the library and try to ring me. But the library was closed.<br />
b. Procure plastic bags.<br />
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I kind of figured out why he had done that though I hadn't seen anyone with plastic bags over their heads since I, myself, was in primary school.<br />
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But I asked him anyway, why 2 plastic bags?<br />
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"One for myself and one for Muffin so that we would be able to walk out and look for you." he replied.<br />
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He said it would not keep the rest of him from getting wet but it was like the hood of the raincoat. He also promised that he wouldn't suffocate himself (Heedful of the warnings he'd read everywhere about plastic bags causing suffocation). Thereafter, putting on the plastic bag, looking both amused and full of importance.<br />
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Muffin followed suit and loped the bag over his head though his head being smaller caused the bag to cover his entire face. He proceeded to get a stern lecture from his brother about plastic bags and suffocation (mindful of everything he'd read about plastic bags causing suffocation). </div>
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That he thought to call me. That he figured out a contingency in case I was still outside. And that he took matters into his own hands and tried as best as possible to equip his brother and himself for the possible traipse out into the rain. </div>
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I am speechless and a little bit awed by him. </div>
Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-25902499958817433302017-04-18T11:32:00.000+08:002017-04-18T11:32:12.910+08:00Childlike enthusiasmThe nice thing about having kids is to see the world through their eyes rather than our own cynical ones.<br />
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In the last week or so, despite the fact that the twins have been ramping up for exams, they've been very excited about things happening in school. Things that an adult would yawn and roll eyes at.<br />
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For Evan, it's an emergency preparedness exercise. He's filled with importance because it's his job to lock all the windows and draw the blinds. And we all know how important that job is especially since Mas Selamat climbed out of an unlocked one. <br />
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He also very conscientiously packed his 'lock down' bag full of supplies (enough food and water for himself and some friends, how considerate). We were all briefed. There would be a cryptic message that they'll have to listen out for, along the lines of "The chicken has flown the coop, catch it!" that begins the lock down and a similarly innocuous "All clear" signal as well. So there were muttered prayers for good weather because any sort of attack on a school would only occur when there is good weather.<br />
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Jordan, on the other hand, has been a jumping bean because she got roped into auditioning for one of Packrat's student's film project. She thinks she's going to be on TV. She asks everyday if we've heard from the student. We tell her not to get her hopes up. We tell her that she won't be on TV or famous. But she can't hear that, while bouncing around excitedly.<br />
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At the same time, there's a concert in school. Where they get to sing and play the ukelele. I'm not sure how good she is at playing it or singing for that matter but every spare moment of the day has been dedicated to strumming and singing.<br />
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I would really like to be in school to watch both events happen but short of a Big Brother camera in school, I can only wait for them to recount them to me. <br />
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I like that they get excited over these little things. And their excitement is so genuine, you can't help get infected by it. Especially when half the time, we're snippy, cynical and critical of things around us like Trump managing to fail Easter. <br />
<br />Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-37100979338228245612017-04-11T10:21:00.002+08:002017-04-11T10:21:46.904+08:00Not supposed toI know I am not supposed to get angry.<br />
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I know I am not supposed to yell.<br />
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I know I am not supposed to bang on the table.<br />
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I know I am not supposed to feel like I want to cane.<br />
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But<br />
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I do get angry.<br />
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I do yell to the point that it echoes round the block.<br />
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I do slam the table, so hard I have a bone bruise on my finger.<br />
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I do want to cane.<br />
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Then<br />
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I feel the tears.<br />
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I feel the frustration.<br />
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I feel the pain.<br />
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I feel the distress.<br />
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These aren't useful emotions; they don't equip me to do anything useful or to help JED in the ways that they need it. But much as I would like to say that I am the master of my emotions, I am not. So, on days when I really just lose it, I am thankful that Packrat is there to even the keel.<br />
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I know what I need to do.<br />
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I know I need to stop rescuing.<br />
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I know I need to let failing be the teacher.<br />
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I know I need to allow natural consequences to follow.<br />
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I just need the guts. <br />
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<br />Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-89784461211317397242017-03-29T12:15:00.000+08:002017-03-29T17:00:29.221+08:00The child becomes the teacherMuffin has effectively completed the first term of Primary One. He's doing okay. He takes on everything with his usual cheeky outlook on life. Like his siblings before him, he isn't too big on homework.<br />
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Being the third child through primary education with older siblings whose academic demands regularly floor me, he ends up drawing the short end of the straw. On so many occasions, I've forgotten the spelling and <i>ting xie</i> and remember only to ask him the day after it's tested in school.<br />
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So I try to remember.<br />
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If I forget, I deputise one of the twins to go through his spelling with him. That often sends him to tears because there is actually something worse than the tiger mom. The Tiger Sister who is stricter and more demanding than the mom. She will berate him in a tone worthy of the Tiger Mom and lay down her strict expectations of his corrections.<br />
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But that's where the difference ends. <br />
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Unlike the Tiger Mom, the Tiger Sis will be taken in by his tears. She will cave and will try and carry him. That's when she'll change her tact and surprisingly coax him into trying again. She's has also learnt that yelling at him doesn't work so she tries to be a little bit more encouraging so that she doesn't have to deal with his tears.<br />
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His worksheets then end up having encouraging words planted all over like her teacher does for her, I suppose. And she gets him to re-learn the spelling words he isn't clear of on the white board or with magnetic letters which I used to do for her.<br />
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In short, she has learnt some pedagogy. <br />
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He'd just as soon not do it if given the choice. His toys are still a big thing for him and he still spends long hours just re-connecting with his Lego and his Transformers toy or reading. </div>
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So it's a fine line that we tread on. To make sure that he revises the stuff he has to for school but to give him time to read and be silly. This is where the Tiger Sis empathises with him and totally caves in; when he looks at her with puppy eyes and says he wants to just spend some time reading. <br />
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The young teacher still has much to learn. <br />
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<br />Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410163.post-88811495721354134432017-03-08T09:24:00.003+08:002017-03-08T09:24:51.368+08:00Books in the wildOne of the happy problems we have in the house is that we don't have enough shelf space. Even though we trade books with friends, we go to the library and second hand book stores, we still have enough books to run a library out of our house. With 3 kids of different age or interest, there are a lot of different kinds of books in the house. There are books everywhere. Our dining table could be piled high with books and JED would add on more.<br />
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Like I say, it's a happy problem to have.<br />
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I love that all 3 read. It's the advantage of having a no TV, no gadget rule in the house. There's not much else to do especially at meal times. The grandparents have complained that it's disrespectful to read at the dinner table. So I tell JED that they can read when they are eating alone but when the family sits down for dinner, there are to be no books.<br />
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So, anyway, books, all around.<br />
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Friends have asked for ideas on what to get their kids to read and frankly I don't know. I look at required book lists (sometimes the books on these lists need to be re-looked at!), browse through curated lists of bloggers and read reviews of books to get a feel of what's out there but it doesn't always work. A best-seller might be a best seller with many kids but not necessarily JED.<br />
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I asked them to pick a bunch of their favourite books right now, books that they might want their friends to read as well and this is what they came up with.<br />
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We start with the littlest. Perhaps in the last 6 months or so has Muffin taken to reading on his own and reading chapter books. Part of it is him seeing his siblings do it. He still likes pictures in his books but he's less intimidated by the word-picture ratio skewing greatly toward the words rather than pictures. He likes humour, toilet humour, silly humour, laugh out loud ha-ha humour. His favourites right now are junior chapter series like <a href="http://www.scholastic.com/branches/eerie.htm" target="_blank">Eerie Elementary </a>(which he has independently drawn parallels to Harry Potter), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXDviZ9_yfY" target="_blank">the Yeti Files</a> (where he learnt the word Cryptid; a creature that has been hidden and there's no proof of its existence) and ha-ha funny <a href="http://www.scholastic.com/branches/kungpowchicken.htm" target="_blank">Kung-Pow Chicken</a> complete with all its puns. When he reads, the world disappears and he won't know if you're yelling for him because there's a fire.<br />
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It's still hard for him to read. He would still rather play with his Lego but more and more so, when the house is quiet and we seek him out, he's hiding somewhere reading. <br />
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Evan.<br />
Evan's an action reader. He likes action in his books. Something has to be happening. His perennial favourites are still the Potter books which I have no issue with but his repertoire has definitely expanded <a href="http://diaperbag.blogspot.sg/2016/08/a-booklist-for-reluctant-reader.html" target="_blank">since last year</a>. There's still the silly Wimpy Kid books that he likes but he has also taken to Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider. I had a lot to do with that because I liked them too and I would read them and tell him excitedly what was going to happen in the book I was reading. And he would read to find out. That's been fun for us; conversations about Alex Rider. He's also dabbled with Famous Five and the adventures series for the same reasons. Strangely though, he's not so keen to read the <a href="https://www.michaelmorpurgo.com/my-work/books/" target="_blank">Morpurgo books </a>because his writing is based during the wars and he doesn't like suffering. When I asked why he chose these books to feature, he said that a lot of the other books he reads, his sister or brother would also choose. So these were the ones that were quintessentially him. <br />
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And then there's Jordan; the one who doesn't do toys anymore and lamented the fact that she didn't get enough books for Christmas and too many clothes.<br />
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Her reading repertoire is anything she gets her hands on. She loves her graphic novels and reads and re-reads them. She loves her Land of Stories fantasy genre books and the Morpugo books I got for Evan, she read them. I asked if she felt sad for the characters and her reply was that sometimes but they always learnt to live on (life lesson there). The book that recently got to her was <a href="http://rjpalacio.com/book.html" target="_blank">Wonder</a> about a kid her age having to go to school but having severe crano-facial deformities and how he struggled in school. 3/4 way through it, I found her reading<a href="http://www.beverlycleary.com/" target="_blank"> Beezus and Ramona </a>and she said she needed a break to read something not so sad. She's since finished Wonder and has gone to immerse herself in some fantasy because I think the real world got too real for her. A friend of ours gave us Graveyard Book for the twins as a birth present. Literally, at birth. Coraline and Graveyard Book were their keepsakes and she recently finished Graveyard Book. We listened to it in the car too and I just want to say, Neil Gaiman's voice is a nice voice. The book though, is heartbreakingly sad but it did occur to me that all these things are sad because I'm an adult and I see it through the eyes of a mom or with the understanding of the suffering or pain. For them, for most part, it's just a story. <br />
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Tangentially, we're teaching the twins to take public transport. When the time comes for us to allow them onto public transport on their own, Packrat has decreed that Jordan shall not be allowed to bring a book. Because if she does, she might accidentally find herself in Pasir Ris because for her, the world does melt and disappear when she reads.<br />
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So there, the books that are currently inundating my house and surfacing in strange places like under my pillow and in my bathroom. I suspect I enable a lot of this too because I'm constantly adding books into my Amazon cart and similar to them being in the library, new books magically appear on the shelves.<br />
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I am, afterall, the Book Santa and the acquirer of books from the library. Ondinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08486356326673266056noreply@blogger.com0