Monday 30 May 2011

Enopi

While i am writing down this entry, Arissa is attending her first Enopi class today. I truly hope she will have fun & that this Math class will help her on her maths skills.

Why Enopi & not Kumon? Simply because me & hubby believe that the critical thinking maths classes will be an advantage to her thinking process and benefit her in the future.

Friday 20 May 2011

Moonjar piggybank

I think all parents want to teach our kids the concept of money . Be it for saving & spending. It will benefit us parents actually as our children will understand why they can't have new toys, clothes etc each time we go out shopping. Also why they need to save money .

So today, i googled about Moonjar . This happened after one of my FB's friends posted in her status asking all her friends on how to teach her son the value of money. And one of her friends suggested Moonjar.

Googled & read it. And I think it'a a doable approach that we can teach our kids. Basically Moonjar teaches our kids the 3 concept of money  by saving, spending & sharing. They are using 3 colored box/piggybank to keep this money. I have googled it and found this. Sorry I am just cut& paste it here ( i linked it to their blogsite)... happy reading parents!






MOONJAR

For more than eight years, Moonjar (www.moonjar.com), the leading international provider of children’s financial literacy tools, has helped children and families learn the three basic principles of money management: saving, spending and sharing, through a line of creative products aimed at helping parents and children take the first steps towards a healthy financial future. We must not forget that our as role educators, business leaders, and parents is to provide students with the best of both worlds: a strong and challenging academic curriculum, and a full infusion of the 21st-century skills students will need to succeed.




Starting a conversation about money with kids can be tricky. We have developed six tips for parents to teach their kids to save, spend and share their allowances—even at a young age.


1. Start with a visual tool. Most children, beginning at age 4 or 5, are visual learners, so using a hands-on tool like the Moonjar Moneybox, a bank with three compartments—one each for saving, spending and sharing, can better help them learn responsible money management through critical problem solving.


2. Make money a “yes” conversation. Use pictures to help your kids visualize their goals and then prioritize what they are saving for, what they want to spend their money on, and with whom or with what they want to share their money.


3. Discuss wants vs. needs. As you set goals, identifying objects that represent “wants” and “needs” helps to overcome the desire for instant gratification.


4. Allow mistakes. Children, like adults, learn from making mistakes. From time to time, allow your child to buy a toy you believe will not be enjoyed very long, for example. Sure, they may be disappointed in a few weeks, but many lessons can be learned from this experience. Encourage them, without guilt, to plan their future purchases, weigh the cost and the benefit of their choices and to think twice next time, even sleep on it.


5. Encourage philanthropy. Help your children understand that they are part of a larger world community through discussions about sharing their money and/or donating time to causes of their choosing. Volunteering as a family is a great activity for all to participate, learn and grow.


6. Be a good role model. Make sure your children see you doing the things that you are teaching them. Let them in on your bill paying, savings and investment plans and charitable giving. Discuss your attitudes and philosophies about money and tell them your dreams for how your money can fuel your passions.

Wednesday 18 May 2011

Bonding sessions



Aisyah is 21 months old. And I bet soon she will wean off from me sooner than I expected.


As much as I want to breastfeed her up to 2 years old like her eldest sister, all these is beyond my control. I can only assume that whatever is going to happen next is for the benefit of us all.

One thing for sure, I can easily wean her off from breastfeeding. No need to think of any solutions of how to wean her off like what other breastfeeding mothers went through. Of course I do feel sad that our intimate bonding session is going to end soon. But I should be thankful that I have it easy on this matter even with my eldest. More reason to be thankful is because I am pregnant now.

I did my research on tandem nursing. But do not know how it will be for me . So it’s good if Aisyah is wean off earlier than my labor day.

These days, she often ask for her powdered milk that she affectionately called “susu cup”. She can’t pronounce the word ‘susu” . It will sound like “bubu” . Don’t know if she is lazy to say it correctly or that she really can’t say it yet. I have tried pronouncing it ( susu) repeatedly to her…but she will still say it “bubu cup”.

So even though I am at home, she will ask for “bubu cup” . Be it during the day, or when I am home from work, or just before going to bed or when she wakes up in the morning. Bubu cup is the 1st thing she will say to me when she wakes up around 6.15am in the morning.. So off we go to the kitchen for her bubu cup..

Of course sometimes she will still ask from me her “bubu mama” which means she wants me to breastfeed her. But it’s beginning to be like a sudden crave for her . So what I do these day is to offer her bubu cup quickly whenever she ask for bubu mama!




Tuesday 17 May 2011

3rd time preggy



iron rich foods 3 300x199 Iron Rich Foods For Pregnancy



At first it did not rhyme in my head that I am actually having a no-appetite  at this stage of  16weeks pregnancy. So I was surprised to hear from my gynea doctor about my blood test result. My borderline iron level result was something i did not expect to found out from that test.

I only realized that i am actually having a no-appetite eating mood last weekend. Of course I ate my breakfast, lunches & dinner. But the intake is not increaseing at a rate of what a pregnant woman should be eating. And taking pre-natal pills & oil fish pills & calsium pills are not enough also if i want my baby  weight to be above than average weight.

So here I am reading through & refreshing my knowledge on what iron rich food to eat as well as other vitamins & minerals rich food too. Theseday I will reminding myself to eat meat dishes for lunch. As for animal internal organs, I am having in it in smaller portion and on irregular basis. Too much of it is not good for the baby & for myself too.

I still can't believe of my blood test result. But then again, what's so different about the each pregnancy being different from another. And yes, i find it a bit weird when i am to remind myself to eat more. Eat more in the sense of healthy & well balanced food. I really do not want to gain fats only... Of course I can easily shed those fats off during my confinement period. But being overweight during pregnancy is bad for my health being & movement tooo! 
But once a while it's nice to indulge in ice creams & chocolate ice-blended!!!




Monday 16 May 2011

Mid year school holidays


I am done with the hotel booking for this upcoming mid year school holidays... As usual, I had to do the searching & bookings  for this holidays. Can't leave it to hubby as he is busy with his work ..Not that he couldn't help.Just wrong timing.

As usual I did a lot of surfing to get the best hotel room rate. And how these online hotel room booking quickly sold out their best available rooms within a week! However I managed to book the lowest & best rate in town for the type of room we had choosen. Beach, swimming pool, location are the main factors for the choosen hotel. Thus i just booked for a standard room type with limited views. Views or no views are not important to kids as much as swimming pool. And having a nice beach would give them extra activities to do in the sun..

Now, i am so much looking forward to this island holidays. Nasi kandar here we come!