Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

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I won’t deny it.

As a parent of three, I often find myself so busy everyday.

Trying to juggle everything.

Work. House chores. Deadlines. Dentist appointments. Sending kids to different places. Being stuck in traffic. Helping kids with school work. Correcting, reminding, guiding, instilling values, repeating myself, and hearing far-from-nice tone of voice.

(The last few are probably the hardest tasks to do, and the most mentally draining ‘job’)

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Ever felt sooo tired, so much so that [you] just needed to BE in bed?Have I ever felt sooo tired, so much so that I just needed to BE IN BED?

Yes.

Have I ever become an impatient and grumpy mother due to my physical and mental exhaustion?

Yes.

…

Things have not been easy for me recently.

I gave it quite a bit of thought, and here’s my conclusion:

My ‘drained state of mind and emotion’ can be made better only IF:
1. I ‘fix’ my personal relationship with God and draw closer to HIM
2. I take a good break from everything, … for a day, or just for a few good hours.

 
I’m glad that all five of us did no. 2 over the weekend.

The husband said to me, ‘Take one day off and just take a break from the routines.’

How can I not be thankful for this man?

(As for point no. 1, it is one that I need to do ‘continually’. I mean, God is never too busy to listen. He exactly knows what’s going on in my life. I am the one who need to fix ‘my side’ of the relationship. Am just thankful that God is very patient with me)

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Self-reminder:

Amidst our busy routines, we all – especially our kids – need to take some time off, to loosen up, and just play.

It’ll refresh our mind and body, AND it’ll keep us sane =)

What say you?

We did a photo shoot the other day for a client.

(Wilson did the shoot, to be exact =)

And the brand ambassador is Ari Wibowo, a well-known Indonesian actor who’s been in the entertainment industry for more than 20 years.

Glad that the shoot went very well.

 
And oh, here’s one thing that I noticed (which I feel should be shared) … Ari is (apparently) down to earth, … you know, despite him being a ‘celebrity’ and all. He was professional about getting the shots done efficiently and he was’normal’ at the same time. Which I thought was nice =)

He drove his own car to where we had our shoot. He greeted, talked, joked around like a ‘normal person’. No air. No snobbish attitude.

I guess, when one remembers how he is merely a normal human being with flaws in the eyes of his Creator (regardless of how he’s ‘regarded’ in the society), it keeps him humble?

Food for thought.

 
We went to check out Kinder Wonderland event at Mal Taman Anggrek last Saturday.

(Yes, the event I wrote about a few days ago! =)

And as expected, it was fun!

 
The kids tried out almost all of the activities there!

(Read: the 2 bigger kids skipped the ball areas =)

 
That’s Vai on the left, scaling the ‘Wall Tower’ (4.5m high), where upon reaching the very top, he’d need to ring the bell! =)

(Love this kind of activities!)

And, Anya also went to slowly count the number of ‘Kinderinos’ on the big wall poster (You’d need to count and write down the number of Kinderinos you’ve spotted to take part in the Lucky Draw!)
 

(Btw, just curious, if you went to the event and counted, … how many Kinderinos did you find ah? We wrote down 19 and 20, not sure if that’s the right answer, haha =)

Our 4.5yo Brie enjoyed herself too.

Making her own superhero mask, throwing ‘hammers’, joining in the ball pool, getting her ‘glitter tattoos’ on her arms, and so on!

It was a nice way to spend our late afternoon!

Btw, I made a video of our visit to the event! Click to watch!
 

 
Will share more of such events that we check out in the future!

For now, we thank Kinder Joy for organising such a family friendly event last weekend!

We all need more of this in our busy city of Jakarta! =D

Kids grow up in a blink of an eye.

I know we may have heard that all too many times.

But it IS true, isn’t it?

Our children keep growing up, whether we pay attention to their growth, developments and milestones or not.

Our children keep growing up, whether we pay attention to their growth, developments and milestones or notSo if they keep on growing so fast, and time keeps on ticking away, then the question is:

Have we been keeping a ‘record’ of our children’s moments and milestones? Do we celebrate their achievements (be it big or small)? 

I have and I do.

(perhaps a little too much, haha).

I love to capture moments. And, I love to remember the kids’ achievements (and get all excited about them!=), however little they may be.

These ‘records’ will be precious for us as the parents and also for the kids (when they look back at their ‘younger’ days and treasure how and when they actually manage to achieve certain milestones)

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So, what can we capture?

– Take random day-to-day photos/videos of the kids (individually, when they’re together with siblings, when they’re with one parent or both, when they’re with our bigger families and friends)

Take photos/videos of them learning to do something / achieving something– Take photos/videos of them doing activities at home or elsewhere (eg. When they’re at the playground, at the beach, cycling, colouring, swimming, eating, sleeping, playing silly games with siblings, etc)

– Take photos/videos of them learning to do something / achieving something (eg. Learning to walk, eat on their own, drink from a glass by themselves, play musical instruments or sports, etc)

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How can we store our photos and videos taken with our camera / phone?

For photos, I personally back them up in my computer first, then in my Google drive, in external hard disks (we need to this regularly)

For videos, I back them up on YoutubeFor videos, I back them up on Youtube (I usually just keep our daily videos as ‘private’), then I’d delete most of them from my camera/phone (so I’d always have enough memory space on my phone/camera =)

And, I then post selected moments on my Instagram and Facebook, and of course on my blog too! =)

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ANYWAY.

Recently I wrote about the importance of encouraging different areas of our children’s development (ie. Holistic brain development).

Today, in addition to the above, I’d like to encourage all parents to also celebrate their children’s moments and precious achievements, by capturing them on camera/video! =)

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Here are our ‘records’ of Brie’s moments:

Scribbling, drawing and colouring

We encourage all our kids to scribble, draw and colour.

We do it by :

– purposely making it easily accessible for the kids to get to some drawing paper, scrap paper, pencils, crayons, coloured pencils around our home
– not giving negative comments on what they’ve scribbled / drawn

For Brie’s case, when she’s around 15 months, she could  hold a pencil quite well. And she would just, scribble and scribble away.

She didn’t draw anything ‘spectacular’, but hey, at THAT age, to be able to hold a pencil IS a milestone already =)

What we believe is this:
When kids get to cover sheets of paper with colour and strokes, however they look like at the time (depending on their age, of course), this allows them to begin using their imagination and curiosity.

When Brie started to scribble, we believe it is the beginning of any kind of writing, drawing and painting.

Some recommended articles:
> Why toddlers’ activities need to include some scribbling
> When children draw

TIPS: 
Ask them about their scribble or drawing. They love it when we appreciate and are interested in what they’ve created!

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Drinking from a glass

Brie was breastfed till she’s around 22 months.

Then, she started to drink from a straw bottle and a sippy cup.

(She sort of skipped drinking from a ‘milk bottle’)

By the time she’s around 3yo, we keep colourful little plastic glasses in a drawer that is easy for her (and her siblings) to reach.

This way, Brie could get her own plastic glass, press a button from the water dispenser to pour some water in it and drink it all by herself.

I could see how she’s really happy that she could do it, … you know, like a big person! =D

And of course, WE are happy too, to see how she’s becoming more and more independent (and exercising her hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills too at the same time)

TIPS:
For safety purposes, especially in the beginning, when we’re still training our child on ‘the danger of hot water’, I recommend switching off the ‘hot water’ feature on our water dispenser (if there’s no ‘locking’ system)

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Reading books

One more thing that we also encourage and inspire our kids to do is, reading.

Being the youngest out of three children, Brie grew up watching her siblings do quite a bit of reading.

(So since Brie was a little toddler,sometimes she’d pick up some books and acted like she’s reading too =)

We’d read for her, talk about the pictures with her (when she’s still a baby/toddler) and as she grows bigger, she’d flip through books all on her own too.

We encourage the love for reading by keep books easily accessible for the kids.

We have a little book shelf in the living room by the sofa, book shelves in all bedrooms too.

From time to time, we’d buy children (and age-appropriate) books for each of them too.

Really, our children benefit so much from reading.

When kids love reading (with us or alone), we believe they are in fact:
> learning to calm down and wrap their minds around a story and ask questions about it
> thinking and concentrating
> exercising their language comprehension, sight and brain
> learning new knowledge and vocabulary
> building a closer relationship with the reader too! =)

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Anyway.

How do YOU encourage your children in their growth and development? How do you celebrate your children’s milestones and achievements?

Do share your thoughts and tips! I’d love to hear from you!

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Oh before I forget, there’s this contest that you should really check out!

Read the details here: bit.ly/MomenCerdasnyaLA
(It’s in Indonesian)

Basically, to enter the contest, you’d only need to share a photo with a story behind it.

eg. If you share a photo of your child learning to ride a bike, you can share how it went in the beginning, how you encouraged your child to keep going and how your child felt when he/she finally managed to pedal away all on their own! =)

Easy peasy! =)

There are SEVEN different themes to choose from. Go for all for them, if you can! =D

(Because if you enter 7 photos for the 7 different themes, you’ll have a chance to win a Rp2.000.000 shopping voucher!)

Hurry up and send your entries. Contest ends 30 April!

A total of TWELVE shopping prizes are up for grabs!

Top Prize: 1 x Samsung Galaxy S7
2nd Prize: 5 x shopping voucher Rp 1.000.000,-
3rd Prize: 6 xshopping voucher Rp 500.000,-

And oh, for more info and good tips, you can check out Enfa Smart Center’s Facebook Page too!

http://www.facebook.com/EnfaSmartCenter

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Happy parenting, Moms and Dads!

Hello everyone,

Something fun (and FREE for all!) is happening this weekend at Mal Taman Anggrek!

*So excited!!*
 

Here’s the good news:
Kinder Joy will have its 50th Anniversary next year, and they’re celebrating it early here in Jakarta!

It’s called ‘Kinder Wonderland‘!

(As many of us know, Kinder is part of the Ferrero Group, which has other brands like Ferrero Rocher and Nutella … yummmm … =)

When I told the kids about the event this weekend, they’re all so excited!

Yes, all three of them were like,
‘We’re going there, right? Mommy, we’re going, right? Yay! Yay! Yay!‘

(And we’re talking about a 4yo, 9yo and a 12yo here! =)

Okay. Even I was excited! Haha.

Here’s another fun news to share:

We know that each Kinder Joy product comes with a toy inside, right? (other than the yummy milk cream, cocoa cream, wafer balls and spoon)

BUT.

Right now, it has two much-loved themed toys inside.

Kinder Joy is now offering Marvel Avengers toy (for boys) and Disney Princesses toy (for girls) inside!

Aiyoh, sooo cute!
 

 
(PS: You can find Kinder Joy in most supermarkets and shops here in Jakarta. But if you’re at Mal Taman Anggrek, they’re available at HERO supermarket, Guardian stores, etc)
 

 

So now, what’s in store for us and our kids this weekend at Mal Taman Anggrek?

A lot of fun and free activities and games!

And it’s happening on Saturday and Sunday, 16-17 April 2016, 10am – 10pm!
 

You may want to use this blog post as a quick guide to find the locations of the booths at Kinder Wonderland! =)
 

And what are some of the games and activities available for families?

Here they are:
 

Hammer Throw

1) Knock down as many targets as you can!

2) You’ll get 6 hammers per try! Aim and throw! =)

Note:
– For 4yo and above

Royal Make-Over

1) Become a Prince or a Princess there and then!

2) Choose from your favourites:

– Nail Art
– Glitter Tattoo
– Face painting
Note:
– You’ll need to join the queue to enter the carriage, and rejoin the queue if you want to take part in other stations (only one station at a time)
– For 4yo and above

(Brie is super excited about this one! =)
 

Wall Tower

1) Scale the 4.5m wall tower!

2) Ring the bell once you reach the top!

Note:
– Min. height is 100cm
– Must wear protective gears
– Professional wall climbers will be there to ensure safety
 

Escape from the Dark Forest

1) Transport the secret package through the dark forest as quickly as you can!

2) Must NOT drop the secret package! (you’ll need to clear the obstacle course)

Note:
– Soft carpet to cushion any fall
– Crews available to ensure safety
– For 5yo and above
 

Laser Quest Challenge

Clear the laser quest by navigating through the lasers (before time runs out!)

Note:
– Min. height: 100cm
– Must wear protective goggles
– Players will start the game with 15mins on the timer
– Each time you trigger the alarm, 3 mins is deducted
– For 5yo and above
 

Secret Treasure Cave

1) Find the lost silver coins and return them back safely in the cave!

2) Find as many silver coins as you can within 45 seconds!
Note:
– Only 1 player at a time
– For 4yo and above
 

There’ll also be a workshop area where kids can do some colouring activities, make Tiaras and superhero masks together with their parents!
 

Here’s a few more info to share with you before you go to the event this weekend:

– Registration starts at 10am
(You’ll get Kinder Stamp, Kinder Chop Card, Lucky Draw slips, indemnity form)

– Highly recommended: Register yourself ONLINE at www.kinder-wonderland.com (to get more chances at the lucky draw and to avoid queueing up to register when you are at the mall!)

If you register on the day, you’ll get ONE lucky draw chance per family. If you’ve registered online before Saturday, 16 April, you’ll get TWO lucky draw chances per family!

– Event is from 10am – 10pm, Saturday-Sunday, 16-17 April 2016 at Mal Taman Anggrek

We’re all going this weekend!

Hope you’re all too!

Hope you all have lots of greatttt fun with the family! =D

We checked out this Indoor Trampoline Park the other day!

Sooo easily found, btw.

It’s located just behind McDonalds Artha Gading, North Jakarta!
 

All five of us went as a family.

And umm, ALL FIVE OF US went in! Haha.

It was Wilson’s 41st birthday actually, and I thought, to ‘celebrate’ his special day, we all should go as a family and have fun together! =D

 
Btw, before you enter any Indoor Trampoline Parks, you’d usually need to do the following:

– Register and buy your tickets (It’s an hourly session, eg. 16.00 – 17.00. So remember to be there ‘early’)

– Fill up their online indemnity/waiver form (Bounce Street Asia has a few iPads available for us to do conveniently)

– Get your anti-skid socks (sold at Rp20,000 per pair, and you can wear these again the next time you visit)

 
Btw, that guy over there is a PRO!

He was bouncing and flipping himself without much effort (well, at least he didn’t look like he needed any =)

As for Brie (pictured below), it was such an ‘achievement’ when I saw her running and jumping off like that without much hesitation! I mean, it really was a big improvement compared to how ‘cautious’ she was the first time we took her to an indoor trampoline park.

Good on you, Brie!
 

 
I like this area, btw =)

I thought the ‘children slide’ was a great addition! It makes this place much more family friendly.

Plus, they have these two padded bolsters available which you can use to have your own version of a ‘friendly match’ =D

So much fun!

(I kept losing, btw. Pffft!)
 

To end this post, do check out this short video I made of our trip to Bounce Street Asia!
 

 

For rates, opening hours and other info, just click and visit website : http://www.bouncestreetasia.com

(They have a cafetaria on the 2nd floor overlooking the area, perfect for parents who’re accompanying their kids!)

Have fun bouncing away, everyone!!

What ‘things’ are considered as ‘important’ in our lives?

What do we pray about?

How do we measure ourselves?

Do we measure ourselves in terms of the size of our home and our bank account, or the size of our heart and how much care we can share with others?

Do we care more about gratification, or more about gratitude?

Do we wonder why people don’t pay enough attention to us, or do we ask ourselves how we can make a difference in other people’s lives?

Do we pray and ask God for more blessings, or do we count the blessings already received and make ourselves a channel of blessings to others?

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A note to self, and food for thought for the weekend.

Yesterday my husband and I had the privilege of joining two ‘bridal showers’ arranged for a total of 4 couples who are going to be married this year.

I don’t know if you’ve been to one, but our kind of bridal shower is more like a sharing session where a few married couples get together and share their advice/tips/thoughts on marriage life with the soon-to-be married couples.

You know, to share the REALITY of marriage. Real stuff and not just some theories from books=)

And yesterday we had couples who’ve been married for 2 – 26 years. It was a nice and refreshing.

(The sharing session basically hopes to help the soon-to-be married couples in adjusting to married life a little easier)

…

Anyway.

Lots of tips and advice were shared yesterday.

But if I were to pick 20 of them to share on my blog, here they are =)

1. Do you know the real, genuine answers to these questions:

‘What is it about your fiance that made you feel sure that he/she IS the one you’ll be spending the rest of your life with?’

‘What is it that you treasure and appreciate in your fiance that you cannot find in other men/women?’

He snores loudly? She is messy and he is neat? He makes slow decisions while she is impulsive?2. If you feel your relationship with your fiance is hard/easy during courtship days, wait for it, … it will only get harder when you’re married!
 
When couples get married, they (especially the woman) often think that it will be all romantic, like a fairy tale.

Marriage is not a fairy tale.

It’s real. It’s a union between two sinners, each with selfish tendencies. It’s a marriage between two individuals with different opinions, each coming from a different family background and upbringing. And the union is till ‘death do us part’.

So will there be conflicts and arguments? Sure there will.

BUT, if the couple places God as the Lord of their household, they’ll learn to face conflicts differently. That’s it’s no longer about ‘me’.

The understanding that ‘I am a sinner too, I could be wrong too, I need to ask God to change ME first and teach me to tolerate and forgive my spouse‘ will make a huge difference to how their marriage will work whenever conflicts occur.

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3. You’ll discover how your spouse does things differently. Tolerate, be ready to change, and always work out the differences together.

Differences are fine, as long as the couple works it out together
He leaves his socks on the floor instead of in the laundry basket?
She doesn’t put the cap back on the toothpaste?
He snores loudly?
She is messy and he is neat?
He makes slow decisions while she is impulsive?

Differences are fine, as long as the couple works it out together. Be watchful of the words you use though when you need to ‘raise’ certain issues. Pick a good timing too.

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[One book I’d happily recommend! The Meaning of Marriage, by Timothy Keller]

4. Avoid going to sleep when you’re still angry with each other

And oh, please don’t storm out of the room and escape from conflict.

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5. Men can’t read your mind. Don’t sulk and expect your husband to know what’s going on.

Share with your spouse about what’s bothering you, and tell him if there’s something that he does that hurts or discourages you. Don’t keep grudges within yourself. You don’t want to see yourself ‘explode’ one day.

And, you don’t want to suddenly realise that there’s nothing in common anymore between the two of you because problems hardly ever get discussed and settled from the start.

Remember, you may not be right, too. Actually, may be you are the one who needs to change. Whatever it is, discuss it together and work it out.

PS: The same applies to husbands: Wives can’t always read your mind. Share with her what’s bothering you.

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Talk about anything with each other
6. Always, ALWAYS, communicate with each other. 

Share your life with one another. Talk about anything with each other. Enjoy your relationship.

And if you’re sharing the same office or family business, make sure that you both talk about OTHER topics too, not just about work.

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7. Hold hands

While it is natural to hold hands with your spouse when you’re newly married, those who’ve been married for many years, may have stopped holding hands and sharing physical intimacy with one other.

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8. No TV in the bedroom

The bedroom should be the place where you are together, without much distractions (which btw, includes smartphones, laptops, etc).

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9. Try not to get pregnant within the first year

Having a child is a blessing, but the first year of marriage would be a wonderful time for the couple to adjust and get to know each other better. Like, go and travel together?

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[Below our very first home, back in Singapore in 2001. Not too big a space but it was ours=)]

10. Try to have your own roof

It is recommended to have your own little space after you’re married, because the couple needs to discover how things work between the two of them ‘without’ the intervention or presence of third parties (which could include friends, in-laws, siblings, etc)

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11. Avoid engaging a live-in helper

Or, if you really need to have a helper to tidy up your house, consider engaging a part-time helper who doesn’t live together with you

When you’re newly married, you both need to learn how to be a team, how to support each other, appreciate each other’s actions, help one another in getting meals ready, tidying the home, etc.

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12. Beware of ‘external parties’ intervention’

Children who are close to their parents BEFORE they’re married, find it hard to ‘detach’ themselves from Mommy and Daddy.

Similarly, many Moms and Dads ‘forget’ that their children are now adults, learning to build their own family, so much so that the parents may still ‘comment and give instructions’ on how things should be done in their children’s family (though it’s done in the name of ‘caring for my child’, the child is no longer a ‘child’).

Many Moms and Dads ‘forget’ that their children are now adultsIf the husband’s parents are the ones who often ‘interfere’ (or worse, dislike/disagree with the daughter-in-law), then it must be the husband who talks politely with his parents. The husband’s duty is to appease and be the peace-maker.

The husband is the head of his family, the spouse of the wife, so the husband must be the one who will discuss and make decisions together with the wife (not make decisions with his parents for his wife).

‘Okay sure, I’ll check with my husband and see his schedule. Can I let you know if we could join in the dinner later this afternoon?’eg. If the parents of the wife like to make decisions on certain things concerning the bigger family (eg. When they’ll dine out with the big family, etc), the wife needs to take the initiative in nicely telling her parents, ‘Okay sure, I’ll check with my husband and see his schedule. Can I let you know if we could join in the dinner later this afternoon?’

This way, the parents are slowly adjusting to the fact too that their daughter now needs to discuss and make decisions together with her husband (and not just ‘obey’ their instructions like how things were done before)

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13. Don’t share your relationship/marital problems with your parents

Your issues with your spouse may have been settled among the two of you, BUT your parents who have heard about the problem most likely still remember the issues! (eg. How their son-in-law treated their loving daughter when they had their arguments, etc)

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14. When you’re married, still socialise and develop yourself as an individual

Many couples spend little time with other people after they’re married (and often, it gets worse after they’ve had kids). They spend their time with each other ‘only’.

Over on the other extreme is, couples spend little time with each other, because they prefer to socialise with other people (eg. School reunions, regularly staying back with colleagues after office hours, etc). Often, it is a way to ‘escape’ from the home / responsibilities.

As a married couple, continue to be a blessing to othersBasically, it’s really important that the couple talks with each other about how they should balance their time and nurture their relationship.

And don’t forget, you are still an individual even when you’re married. Being married means continuing to explore your potentials and God-given talents. The difference is, now that you’re married, you have a spouse who’ll encourage and help you develop your potentials further.

The aim is, as a married couple, continue to be a blessing to others.

…

[Now that the kids are bigger, we can now go on movie dates again, not longer just catching a movie together at home when the kids are all asleep;)]

15. Enjoy your relationship. Your spouse must be your best friend.

Easy to understand =)

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16. Husbands, more often than not, your wife simply needs you to ‘listen’

Men are generally used to ‘fixing things’ and ‘finding solutions to a problem’.

When your wife shares her thoughts with you, more often than not, she simply needs you to listen and pay attention (ie. She doesn’t need you to interrupt and give your ‘recommended solution’ to the issue)

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17. Humour is one good thing to have in marriage

Don’t be too serious all the time. Laugh things off.

18. It’s better to NOT have any expectations

Don’t enter a marriage thinking that you will be able to change your spouse.

If you spend your marriage life expecting your spouse to change, your marriage life would most likely be miserable.

Don’t enter a marriage thinking that you will be able to change your spouseWe’re all sinners, and when we have ‘expectations’, more often than not, they’re not met by our spouse. And when our expectations are not met, we’re disappointed. It’ll just keep on going towards the negative.

Learn to accept your spouse the way he/she is now. And along the way, as believers of Christ, we all keep changing towards the better. Not just our spouse, but also ourselves.

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19. Grow together spiritually and continue serving God.

Many couples are no longer active in their ministry after they’re married (AND, after they’re blessed with a child or more). AND, they’ll always have ‘valid’ reasons for their ‘disappearance’ from church and ministry.

Continue to encourage one another in growing spiritually. Attend church seminars together, serve together, pray together. Agree to this commitment from the start of your relationship/marriage.

If you spend your marriage life expecting your spouse to change, your marriage life would most likely be miserable
20. Pray for your spouse and for your marriage

Marriage is a life-long journey full of ups and downs that we need to face together with our spouse.

The reality is, it is hard, and we can never go through it alone.

Let God be the Lord of our household, while husbands and wives continue to serve one another with love and commitment.

When both husband and wife fear God and share the faith, that is definitely one of the keys to a loving marriage.

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Ah there you go, TWENTY food for thought!

Hope this post can be a blessing to everyone who reads it!

Please share this post with others?

May God bless and strengthen our relationships and marriages.