Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

Those who know me personally would know that I don’t quite like being ‘stuck’ and not being able to do things AFTER having babies.

I like to still be mobile, … yes, with my baby (or babies =) in tow.

So when I had my 2nd child in 2006 (at the time, my 1st one was 2 years and 5 months old), I used a baby sling to carry the baby, while I still went out and about, pushing our pram with both hands as my toddler napped in it.

Now, I’ve tried different kinds of baby slings / carriers.

And, here’s one I’d like to share with you : SUPPORi baby sling, made in Japan, which in many ways is different to those I tried before.

So, how is SUPPORi baby sling different?

> Super compact and light weight (like, 80 grams, lighter than my phone!)

> Breathable, due to its unique woven mesh that the sling is made of (a plus point, when the weather’s warm!)

> Can be brought to water-plays! (Yep, baby can still be carried on your hip even when you’re in the pool)

> For beginners, I guess this is a plus : there are no straps to adjust, tabs to pull or buckles to tighten to get the right fit

And, here are some of its limitations:

> If you’re going for long walks or long-time babywearing, this may not be for you.

> Best fit is when the baby is firmly straddling your hip. So this sling is not for newborns (babies who can’t sit up just yet). But, it can hold babies up to 13kg (I can carry Brie in it as she’s 13kg =)

Note: Refer to its size chart

> Need to get a size that fits your body well. Not too tight and not too loose that the baby sags low

RIGHT PHOTO:
Me and Olly, the youngest nephew in the family!

LEFT PHOTO:
Well, Brie wants to be like Olly too! =D

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Retail price in Singapore:
Plain : S$54
Pattern Print: S$65

Retail price in Indonesia:
Plain: Rp490,000
Pattern Print: Rp590,000

(Available for purchase at Mummytoon)

Now, YOU can give this sling a try too, thanks to MummyToon! =D

There will be ONE plain SUPPORi baby sling to giveaway!

*woot*

How to enter the giveaway:

1) Leave a comment :

a) The country you live in
b) Why you like babywearing

2) Share this giveaway post on Facebook / Twitter

3) LIKE SUPPORi’s Facebook Page : www.facebook.com/supporisg

4) And, … LIKE my Our Everyday Things Facebook Page, if you haven’t done so =)

And, that is it!

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Note:
> One winner will be randomly chosen
> Giveaway closes next Wednesday, 21 May 2014
> Open to those residing either in Singapore or Indonesia!

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Have fun with the giveaway, everyone!!

The other day we went to Anyer with the kids and a few other friends and their kids.

And, other than checking out Sambolo Beach, we stopped by ‘Karang Bolong’ too!

Karang Bolong literally means ‘Hole-y Rock’ =)

The entrance fee we paid for – came with an official ticket – was Rp10,000/person (Brie was free).

It wasn’t a ‘beach front’, so the kids didn’t have any sand-play here.

But we did take photos and enjoy the view.

The weather was very warm, but the sky was nice and blue.

Enjoyed some water splashes too when the waves hit the rocks =)

Anyway.

Here are some photos to share.

These are some recommended spots for photo-taking whenever you come to visit Karang Bolong! =)

1. The huge tree roots as your background!

 

2. And of course, the ‘holey rock’ itself as the background =)

Looking forward to our next family outdoor adventure!

We had one public holiday, right in the middle of the week.

On a Thursday.

So did we stay in Jakarta and go to the malls?

Nooooo thank you.

You see, we soooo want to refresh ourselves and just be out in the outdoors again!

(I really needed to take a break away from the daily busy-ness, routines, indoors, and traffic jams!)

But, where can we go?

What can we do as a family with 3 young children, given just ONE day?

Well, we decided to head over to ANYER beach!

Together with a few other friends and their kids, we left early in the morning (to beat the traffic, you know, just in case!)

Anyer is about 130km away from Jakarta, and we started driving out at around 6.30am!

(Actually we left home at around 5.30am, and ate some porridge from a street stall for breakfast first =)

The traffic was not bad, the highway was quiet alright, and … we reached Anyer by around … 8.45am!

What a glorious, sunny, warm and very glary day! Haha.

And this is SAMBOLO BEACH, everyone!

(Near Nuansa Bali Hotel, Anyer)

Yes the weather was very warm, but I loveeeeeeed this kind of a day out!

Been so long since we’re in the outdoors like this!

Plus, Daddy and the 2 older kids tried out what bodyboarding was like, for the first time!

And they loved it!

The beach was relatively clean.

Not too big a crowd.

And you know what?

Though the ‘shower area’ has no lights, it was relatively clean, and the water was clean and super fresh!

Oh, we love the Krakatau view in the background too!

The younger ones (2-3 year olds) had some sand-play fun!

Towards the end, Daddy carried Brie and walked amidst the waves too! Great experience! =D

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As for me, well I didn’t come prepared for a totally-soaked day out, so other than snapping photos of everyone that day, I did rent this ATV and drove along the beach with Brie, haha.

Too bad they didn’t allow me speeding along the beach (for other beach-goers’ safety lah =)

Anyway.

We had a great day out!

And our trip back to Jakarta took us about 2.5 hours.

With all three kids sleeping in the car =)

Btw, here’s some info to share with you:

– Entrance to the beach : Rp50,000 / car
– Rental of hut : Rp 60,000 each (comes with ‘tikar’, ie. rattan mats)
– Freshly opened coconut : Rp8000
– Shampoo : Rp1000 / small sachet

– Beach shorts sold at the shops : Rp30,000 (hehe… just in case you don’t come prepared!)
– Rental of bodyboards : Rp15,000 each
– Rental of black tubes :Rp10,000 each
– Rental of ATV : Rp60,000 / 20 minutes ride
– Shower area : Rp3000 / person

And here’s one cheesy photo of me and hubby to close the post, haha.

Look forward to coming back here next time!!

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How to get to Sambolo Beach, Anyer:

– Take ‘Merak Toll Road’ from Jakarta
– Travel towards Merak, exit the toll road at ‘Cilegon Barat’
– After the toll gate, turn left, follow the signs to Anyer and Carita
– You’ll pass through the markets (a bit slow traffic), but just keep on driving along straight
– Sambolo Beach is near Nuansa Bali Hotel, and this is BEFORE Marbella Hotel

Have fun!

Do your kids watch children programmes on TV?

Well, ours do.

But, when it comes to TV and what the kids watch, we do select the channel / programmes carefully.

(Plus, we limit the amount of time spent watching TV too. Hope to share our family’s thought on this in a different post =)

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Anyway.

When it comes to choosing TV programmes for the kids to watch, we do avoid some programmes, however cute the characters are!

Because, we believe what we watch regularly will unconsciously affect our minds and behaviours.

This is what I often share with the kids:

‘You know how what we eat affects our health? In a similar way, what we watch affects our mind and our heart, our behaviour. That’s why we need to choose what we watch carefully. Anyway, if you only have such a short time to watch TV everyday, why use it to watch ‘rubbish’ programmes?’

(PS: We do share with the older ones the reasons why TV programme A or B or C is not approprite / good for them)

As a general rule, the kinds of TV children programmes we avoid are those that :

– contain rude words uttered between the characters

– contain or promote violence (eg. The storyline is about fighting)

– encourage negative family relationships (eg. Siblings in the programme display hateful attitudes / actions towards each other, children displaying rude behaviours towards their parents)

– promote negative behaviours / values that we disagree with (eg. ‘Stealing is okay as long as you’re not caught’ values being shared in the programme)

Well, so far we find all programmes on Disney Junior to be ‘safe’.

And, one of the programmes which I’d happily recommend to other parents is Sheriff Callie’s Wild West =)

Why?

Because each episode promotes positive values and teaches social lessons to young children (2 – 7yo, but then again, even our 10yo Anya watches the show too and likes it!), like:

– Tell the truth and not cover up our mistakes by telling lies
– Encourage your friends
– Be responsible and patient

(PS: For the moms and dads, here’s one fun info to share with you: The voice of Sheriff Callie is the same voice as Rapunzel, hehe. Mandy Moore does the voice of Sheriff Callie =)

And, you know what?

Disney Junior happily sponsored FIVE of Sheriff Callie’s Wild West goodie bags to share with you readers!

*WHOOPEEEE*

What’s inside the goodie bag, you wonder?

Each goodie bag contains:
– a Vest
– a Sheriff Badge
– a Notebook

So fun and cute for playing dress-ups and role-plays!:)

How to enter the giveaway:

1) Leave a comment and share:

a) Your kid’s age
b) The country you live in
c) What matters most to you when you select TV programmes for your kids?

2) Share this giveaway with others on Facebook and/or Twitter.

3) Like my Our Everyday Things Page on Facebook, if you haven’t already =)

That’s it!

Giveaway closes next Wednesday, 7 May 2014.

And, it is open to everyone in Singapore and Indonesia!

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Have fun, everyone! =)

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[GIVEAWAY WINNERS]

Congratulations to the following winners!

a) Silvia, Indonesia
b) Evelyn Hu, Singapore
c) S. Fauzia, Indonesia
d) Serene Leow, Singapore
e) Xgg Chan, Singapore

Please provide your mailing address, so the goodie bag can be sent over to you yeah! =)

Email me :  leonny[at]oureverydaythings[dot]com

Hope you all enjoy the prizes! =)

Andddd … more giveaways to come! =)

Ever felt that?

That you haven’t done enough for the children?

That you wish you could’ve done better as a Mom?

Well, I’m sooo feeling it this past week.

Somehow I just feel … incapable.

Incapable of juggling and keeping a better balance of all the responsibilities God entrusts in me.

I mean, IF I could, I would love to …

… be less grumpy and exhausted from the extra-dreadful traffic jams we all face daily, since last week

… capture more family moments and share them

… blog and edit more videos

… have more energy to get more *meaningful and fruitful* things done within a day

… simply be more patient, loving, fun and more tolerant towards the three kiddos (whose behaviours had been draining me physically, mentally and emotionally, in the past week)

Now you see, I know I should be grateful.

But I guess I just feel I should’ve been a better Mom, especially this past week.

Less grumpy. Less impatient.

(All worsened by my PMS most probably!)

Ah well.

The reality of parenting, I guess.

You know, that you’re not at all super.

(Read: Which to me is a good phase to go through actually, because it simply reminds me of how incapable I am, and how capable God is in giving me the strength and help I need, in His time)

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Have a wonderful week ahead, everyone!

Gee!

Where’s Baby Brie?

Brie is growing up way too fast.

And you know what?

She’s turning THREE next month!

*Yikes!*

(Soon enough, all my three kids are taller than me!)

Ah anyway, before I forget the details, I’d like to record the fact that the littlest in our family has been OFF HER DIAPERS since she’s around 2 years and 3 months.

Yes, NO diapers during the day AND night, since 7 months ago!

And, hey … THIS frankly surprised me!

Because, she’s the only one out of three kids who can be totally off her diapers at such an early age!

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So, did I do anything different compared to the older two when potty-training her?

Nope.

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When did I suspect that I should help her get potty-trained?

It was when I started discovering ‘dry diapers’ (eg. Even after 3 hours).

Did I use any potty seats, or one of those padded toilet seat for toddlers?

No. When she was 2 years plus, I’d let her just sit on the usual toilet seat, with her legs apart (so she didn’t fall into the bowl, hehe)

At 2 years plus, she could already tell me when she needed to pee or poop.

And by now, she’d climb up, and go to the toilet all by herself.

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What I did after frequently discovering dry diapers (during the day):

– Started letting her NOT wear diapers at home during the day
– I’d take her to the toilet, and let her sit on the toilet seat, every 10 – 15 minutes
– And usually, I’d go ‘Ssshhhh…. sssshhhh …’ to encourage her to pee, hehe.
– I still let her wear her diapers at night time.

What I did after frequently discovering dry diapers in the morning:

– Avoided letting Brie drink lots of liquids just before bedtime
– Took her to the toilet before bedtime, to let her pee and poop and everything, if there’s any.
– If she wakes up and cries in the middle of the night, it is most likely because she’d need to pee (based on previous experience with the eldest one). So I’d just carry her and let her sit on the toilet seat (with her eyes still closed!), and 99% of the time, she’d pee! =)

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Frankly, I am amazed at how relatively easier her ‘potty training’ phase went.

I mean, yes there are accidents on her bed, but there’s been less than … 10 times so far?

I’m so thankful for this, because I totally know how draining and exhausting those potty-training days can be!

Those days with the two older ones were far from easy.

I guess, God knows that I potentially can feel pressure and stress from other things in life right now.

So HE’s giving me a ‘quick break’, through Brie’s easier potty-training days =)

Let me introduce you to One One!

When I was in Perth recently, I met my cousin’s cute little Shih-Tzu =)

Now you see, I love dogs.

I had my first dog – a poodle – when I was five.

Then I also had four Mini Pinschers right till the time I left for Perth at the age of 14.

And during my 9 years in Perth, I had a Pomeranian and a mix breed of Australian ‘blue heeler and Kelpie‘.

(Oh btw, the mix breed I had was really smart! I personally trained him and he could all sorts of tricks, from shake hands, sit, stay, crawl, roll over, play dead, jump, jump and spin, etc. Love him!)

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So, ‘Why don’t you get another dog now?’, some people asked me.

Haha. No, not at this moment thank you.

Because I already have SO MANY OTHER THINGS to take care of every single day.

It’ll be like, … having FOUR kids and a husband!Three kiddos.

A home.

Work.

Ministry.

Blogging, editing, and all sorts of other stuff.

And oh of course, a husband! =D

Plus, we live in an apartment, with no helpers nor drivers.

So as much as I love dogs, right now I can’t imagine having one!

It’ll be like, … having FOUR kids and a husband!

*yikes*

I mean, really, if I had a dog, I would want to TAKE CARE of it properly.

And ‘now’ is definitely not a good time for us to have one.

(But yes, we welcome play-time with other people’s pets =)

Having said that, I think one day we’d like to have one, ie. When the kids have all moved out or something (and we live in a house, with a backyard? =)

And you know what, if we could, Wilson and I would love to have a Siberian Husky one day =)

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Now, I wonder … ‘Would YOU get a dog when your kids are still little?’

Any particular breed you have in mind? =)

Or, do you love dogs and like me, would prefer to have one LATER when the kids have all grown up?

In today’s digital era, books seem to be a little ‘out-dated’ to some families.

Not in our family though.

The actual turning of real pages, reading, thinking, and being ‘lost’ in the imaginative journey a book can bring are all too good to be forgotten.

I’d like to share these thoughts taken from another article:

In our internet-crazed world, attention is drawn in a million different directions at once as we multi-task through every day. In a single 5-minute span, the average person will divide their time between working on a task, checking email, chatting with a couple of people (via gchat, skype, etc.), keeping an eye on twitter, monitoring their smartphone, and interacting with co-workers.

When you read a book, all of your attention is focused on the story—the rest of the world just falls away, and you can immerse yourself in every fine detail you’re absorbing. Read regularly, and you’ll be surprised at how much more focused you’ll become.

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When it comes to young children (even toddlers), I personally feel they don’t actually need to always be ‘reading’ the books in their hands.

(especially since toddlers cannot yet read on their own)

They could carry their books around, and enjoy observing the pictures on them.

They could enjoy the stories being read to them by us.

They could also be encouraged to search, peel stickers and paste them on the ‘correct places’ (Brie loves this activity!)

As for Vai and Anya, they also love books like ‘Spot What!’ and ‘Where’s Wally?’, where they have to find hidden pictures on every page.

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Now that we are in Jakarta, we honestly are ‘books deprived’.

(Read: Gone are the days when we could excitedly say, ‘Let’s go to the library!’ It’s nothing like what we had back in Singapore)

And so, recently we tried ordering some books from this online book store based in Singapore called ‘NoQ Store‘.

*Go and check it out!*

Lots to choose from, and I love how it delivers our book orders for FREE to a Singapore address!

And oh, I love how there are a LOT of books ‘on sale’! Haha.

(Seriously, I can get books for as low as just $2!)

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I checked with them, and hey hey hey … NoQ Store would like to offer a $20 voucher to one lucky blog reader!

Here’s what you need to do to enter the giveaway:

1. Leave a comment and share with us: Your child’s age, and the kinds of books he/she likes to read (eg. Book Title, or genre. It’s up to you!)

2. Like my Our Everyday Things Facebook Page, if you haven’t done so =)

That’s it! =)

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Giveaway is open to everyone, wherever you are, and it closes on Thursday, 10 April, 23.59pm, Singapore time!

PS: Free delivery is for Singapore local address only.

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Plus, you can simply enjoy 15% discount off ALL purchases made, if you quote ‘EVERYDAYTHINGS’ under the ‘Voucher and Promotion Code’ when checking out!

Valid till 30 April 2014.

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Happy reading, and have a great week ahead!

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[added 13 April] GIVEAWAY RESULTS:

One name has been randomly chosen and the winner of the $20 voucher from NoQ Store is *drum rolls*

CHANDRA!

Congrats!!! =)  Enjoy your shopping at NoQ Store yeah!

And for everyone else who has participated, I have more giveaways coming up soon!

Come and join me there again yeah!

Thanks everyone!