Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

I know of some people who assume that since newborns and small babies can’t do much, they therefore don’t and can’t learn much.

That they only need to be ‘fed’.

And such a ‘job’ can just be done by any caretaker.

How totally wrong they are, I’d say.

Babies look and listen, and they pick up and learn about their world. 

Here are FOUR really simple things that we surely can do with our little ones:

1. Hold 

Just by holding and cuddling them, babies learn and sense how we’re near them and that everything is okay. And if you’re breastfeeding the baby, the physical closeness helps us bond with the baby too.

2. Touch

I feel this is a little different to ‘holding’, because when we hold, we hold the baby as a whole. But when we touch, we may gently stroke his face, brush his fingers, touch their tiny toes, or even give a gentle back rub after a nice warm baby bath.

3. Look (Eye contact)

It’s amazing how God creates babies. The distance between our baby and our face when we hold them in our arms is more or less about 30cm, and THAT is roughly how far small babies can see in front them! Everything else may seem out of focus, but NOT Mommy or Daddy’s smiley face =)

4. Sing, Hum and Talk

Even a newborn can recognise her mommy’s voice immediately. When we sing, hum and talk to babies gently while holding them, it helps them calm down.

The above may seem to be so simple, but amazingly, they allow babies to learn : a sense of love, safety, a feeling of security.

(Of course, there are many other ways other than the four above. Do share your tips please?)

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[At 7 weeks, Brie would look at bright colours and … observe]

Another thing that I personally find useful for babies is a baby mobile.

Baby mobiles hung over the baby cot (or diaper changing area) allow babies to see different colours, patterns and shapes (and it’s amazing to see how long they can just … look). And as babies get a little bigger, it generally does help too in keeping the baby ‘still’ when Mommy is changing the diapers =)

(Btw, I shared how I made a personalised baby mobile for Brie a long while ago. Click HERE to read the post)

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AND, this is where the good news comes into the picture!

Thanks to Petite Berries, a new online shop offering baby clothes, toys and other goodies all the way from Europe, we’re giving away FOUR Baby Mobiles to four lucky winners!

Here’s a little description, as shared by Petite Berries:

We were munching on our fried chicken for lunch when suddenly this little guy said :

‘MOMMY! LOOK!’

*extends right hand forward to me*

‘Oh what’s that? Rice?’

‘NOOOO…! It’s my wobbly tooth! Finally it’s fallen out! Good thing I didn’t swallow it!’ 

Ah, there you go!

He’s officially toothless now!

And is on his way to becoming ‘more of an adult’ (with his adult tooth coming out soon, I mean =)

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PS: Do you keep all your children’s baby teeth? (I do! I do!) 

[A typical traffic condition during the day in Jakarta]

By now we’ve officially lived in Jakarta for a little over 2.5 months.

And people generally ask if it’s been alright for us so far. Whether we’ve adjusted well to the ‘tougher’ aspects of living in Jakarta. You know, stuff like, the daily traffic jams, the pollution, the many ‘big holes’ on the roads, the slow internet connection and bad phone signals at our place.

For a while I thought I am doing fine, ie. Not missing Singapore and all.

But then I was wrong.

Okay let me explain.

I DO think that we are adjusting okay with those tougher parts of living in Jakarta.

I mean, while it IS of course inconvenient (especially when compared to the organised and generally very efficient Singapore living), we do get on with life everyday, and it’s been okay. Would’ve been nice if many things are better improved of course (eg. The road system), but I guess I simply prefer to not always complain about the reality of living in Jakarta that we CAN’T change anyway.

BUT.

There’s one thing that I just recently realised : we tend to be more confined to the indoors here in Jakarta, than when we’re in Singapore.

We are inside the four walls of our home, we hop into our car, we’re stuck in traffic, we get off our car and enter a building, we go back into our car and return home.

And THIS is quite a big change for me who’s so used to being out and about, out in the open, everyday.

[Relaxing water-play at Jurong Birdpark’s Birdz of Play area]

I mean, even when it’s just me and the three kids back in Singapore, I could take them to Sentosa, to Palawan beach! By public transport!

Yeah, people say that Singapore is just this concrete jungle where nothing is natural anymore. Even the beach is ‘man-made’.

Well, man-made or not, I’d say … at least in Singapore we could be in the outdoors SO much more often. And, these spots are easily accessible.

We could go to the beach (Palawan Beach, Siloso Beach, East Coast, etc) in the weekends.

We could go rollerblading and cycling in our neighbourhood every single day.

We could take a stroll down Orchard Road and enjoy the different street performances (especially more happening if it’s in the weekends)

[Enjoying an afternoon stroll along the Sentosa Boardwalk] 

And, nearly every weekend, there’re different things that we can check out, be it a flea market along the Marina Bay, the Army Open House, or just … something.

Basically, although we don’t have mountains and valleys in Singapore, we could at least choose to be away from buildings and malls and simply enjoy being out in the open. Everyday.

Sigh.

As you can tell, I’ve just been missing the outdoors a lot lately.

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There’s GREAT news though!

(Good news, for me =)

Because we CAN enjoy nature and the outdoors here, much more beautiful too, it’s just that they’re a few hours away from Jakarta!

We could drive towards the mountain top  (ie. Puncak), we could see paddyfields, we could check out beautiful beaches. I mean, there’s actually a LOT for us to see and explore out in the open here in Indonesia, if only we’d drive out for a few hours to get there (or, take a domestic flight).

I know, it’s not ideal, but to me, it’s better than nothing!

And so right now, I am just really LOOKING FORWARD to checking out different outdoor places real soon! =)

(read: School holiday starts this weekend! Whoopee!!)

Yes. Yes. I’m SOOO looking forward to driving somewhere with the family, refreshing my eyes and mind =)

The great outdoors, … here we come!!

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What’s your view?

If we live in a busy metropolitan city, like Singapore or Jakarta, we’re swamped with work, housework, deadlines, every single day.

And I think we all need to refresh ourselves every now and then.

So, how do YOU usually refresh your mind? What do YOU do as a family?

Hi everyone,

Just in case you haven’t heard, Our Everyday Things is in the ‘Best Family Blog’ finals!

*HAPPY*

(I wrote about my thoughts on this just a few days ago. Click HERE to read the post!)

Now.

All finalists were given these questions to answer, and so here are my replies =)

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1.    How do you feel about being one of finalists in Singapore Blog Awards 2012?

My first reaction was, ‘OH WOW! I’m still given a chance to be in the finals again! YAY!!

(You see, I’ve been in the finals for the past 4 years, first two years under ‘Best Photography Blog’ category, and the last two under ‘Best Family Blog’ category, BUTTTT … I’ve never won the actual Award itself. That’s why I was SO happy that I could still be in the top ten this year! =)

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2.    When did you start blogging and what drew you to it? Where do you get inspiration for your blog content?

I started blogging in 2004 when my first child was born. At the time, it was more about posting photos with captions so that I could update my friends and families on how our baby was doing. I then decided to buy the domain name ‘Oureverydaythings.com’ in January 2005. Frankly, at the time I wasn’t even sure if I’d have the persistence to regularly update the blog for years and years.

Today, after some 7.5 years of blogging, I’m happy to say that YES, I have continued on with my passion to regularly write, shoot and share (ie. Despite being increasingly busy and having more kids over the years =)

The content has somewhat evolved too, from just talking about my own kids and THEIR developments / updates, to writing on topics that I personally am inspired to share with others, ie. Pro-family messages shared from the perspective of a fulltime Mom of three young kiddos, as well as tips and other info that others may find useful (eg. Family places to visit, activity ideas for kids, photography tips, etc)

And, to further complement what I’ve shared in writing all these years, I’ve recently launched my Online Video Channel too – OUR CHANNEL, where I get to share even more with others, including interviews and reviews (coming up soon).

Looking back, I’d really say, if one is not completely passionate about WHAT and WHY she’s doing what she’s been doing, she’d give up blogging (or whatever it is that she’s doing) a LONG time ago!

Because, blogging demands time, effort, dedication and persistence.

(And when you’re a fulltime mom of three with no fulltime helper, ‘time’ is definitely not aplenty every single day)

I’m sure my fellow finalists and all bloggers out there would agree with me on this =)

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3.    How do you feel about the other Finalists in your category this year? How do you think you will fare compared to them?

The good and heart-warming thing about ‘family blogs’ is, we most likely are familiar with each other’s blogs! =) I’ve also met up with most of the bloggers themselves at past events.

I know for sure that my fellow finalists are also dedicated parents and bloggers who give their best in writing and sharing on their blogs.

Really looking forward to meeting them all in person at the Awards actually (Yes, I’ll be flying to Singapore for the Awards Ceremony! Can’t wait!!)

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4.    Give a reason why readers should visit your blog and vote for you?

Haha, okay, I need to be brave (read: cannot shy shy) in answering this one =)

Woohoo!

I’m so thrilled!

Our Everyday Things is in the top 10 ‘Best Family Blog’ finals again!

This is the fourth year we’ve been a finalist and I’m just so grateful each time our blog can make it to the top ten! (Because there are heaps of other great blogs out there!)

Just like how it’s done in previous years, the winner of each category is determined by a panel of judges (whose opinion makes up 70% of the total score), as well as by votes. Err, yes YOUR votes will make up the remaining 30% of the total score.

And frankly this is the part where I feel a little uncomfortable.

Because that means I’d need to ask you to support and vote for us. Every day. Until voting ends in June 30th.

*thank you thank you for supporting us with votes!*

To cast your vote, please go to the Singapore Blog Awards 2012 website, and find me under the BEST FAMILY BLOG category.

Note:
You’d need to login to vote. If you don’t have an account, you can simply create a free one with them (see top left corner of their website).
And yes, you can be anywhere around the world, from any nationalities, to vote =) Just fill any number when asked for your ‘NRIC/FIN No.’ if you’re not a Singaporean (The identity number is asked because the organiser needs it when giving out prizes to voters)

After you’ve cast your vote (hopefully for us under Best Family Blog category =), you’ll see the ‘VOTED’ blue sticker on the photo.

Anyway.

If you’re new to Our Everyday Things, please read my ABOUT page to find out a little about me, what I’m passionate about and why I’ve been blogging regularly for the past 7 years (and just recently, I launched my Online Video Channel – OUR CHANNEL that also covers topics on parenting, health, crafts for kids, places to visit, etc).

And oh, here’s one more update.

Every year, the Singapore Blog Awards has a ‘theme’ and this year, as you can probably guess from the photos in this blog post, it’s ‘Superhero theme’! Hehe.

I’m not one who loves reading comics, but hey, now I enjoy ‘making’ them! =)

Looks like I may be making more random ones every now and then, and share them here and on my Facebook! 

Check them out yeah!

[I’d like to invite you to add me on Facebook, join my Facebook Page, follow me on Twitter, subscribe via RSS and via email. The links are also available on the sidebar on the right yeah!]

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So, hop over now to the Singapore Blog Awards website and please please vote for us?

Once everyday.

THANK YOU, everyone!

(See how Brie is so ‘head over heels’ in love with you all? hehe)

PS: I have very strong fellow finalists this year, but may be, just may be, I have a chance this year – for the first time – to actually bring home the Best Family Blog Award? (Yes, I’m flying over to Singapore to attend the ceremony this July! Woohoo!! =)

Today, it’s somewhat common to see ‘busy’ little children, isn’t it?

And they can be as young as two or three years old.

They are sent to school, different classes, music lessons / sports activities outside the home. They are away from their Mommy and Daddy  for many hours each day.  For ‘too many hours’, perhaps.

While I am generally not against the lessons themselves (though I do question the necessity of sending small children to many, MANY enrichment classes), I wonder about the amount of time kids these days have  … just doing, nothing.

Perhaps, doing activities that may seem to not be so ‘educational’, like … scribbling, running around with friends, playing with Lego bricks, or lying around on the bed with Mommy / Daddy / brother / sister and just … be together (note: No gadgets in anyone’s hands)

Because as much as academics and other skills are good and need to be explored and developed, when it comes to parent-child and siblings relationships, I really believe nothing can ever replace ‘real time spent with each other’, yes?

And anyway, don’t small children need relationships more than knowing how to play music, sports, or knowing how to read and write early?

Just a little food for thought for us all.

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Have a great weekend, everyone!

See if you agree with me, … somehow we tend to not think about our health much until:

… we are sick
… someone close to us is sick
… we are, err … old?

I know I tend to fall into the above category, and many of my other friends too, which is why I think I really should do videos on health topics as well! 

You know, to raise awareness on certain health conditions that we may not think about much.

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I have just uploaded a video on OUR CHANNEL on the topic of Diabetes, where I interviewed Dr Daniel Wai, a Consultant Endocrinologist, in his office at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, Singapore.

[Click to read more about Dr Daniel Wai – it’s available in both English and Bahasa Indonesia]

Note: The video is in English, and I inserted some subtitles in Bahasa Indonesia.

Go and check out the video, and find out about how and why more and more young people nowadays suffer from diabetes.

And, what are the possible complications and health problems? How about women with diabetes who try to conceive – what are the precautionary actions before and during pregnancy?

Every week I’ll upload one video of various topics that I personally find useful and related to families, women and children, so be sure to subscribe to OUR CHANNEL, okay =)

Thanks everyone!

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PS: Btw, just in case you missed out on my previous videos, you can click on the VIDEO LINK at the very top to watch them yeah!

It was a day when a small group of friends and families got together to celebrate baby Brie’s first birthday.

We celebrated it together with two other friends’ kids.

Three children altogether.

One 9yo girl. One 4yo boy. And, Brie.

A friend baked all three cakes.

And I decorated all three cakes with ready-made fondant =)
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Here are some photos we took that day.

Brie was a blessed baby indeed.

And we thank God for His unceasing blessings in our life.
 

PS: We love these Angry Bird bags, sponsored by Sahabat Souvenir! *Thank you!*

Good quality bags! And guess what, you can even have the children’s names embroidered on the bags, if you wish!

Check out their website HERE!