Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

One of the things that I know I have been doing so much less than when we’re still back in Singapore is : crafting!

So, here’s one post on what we made recently : a Marble Maze, made of a Shoe Box lid! =)

It’s easy to make!

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I got my littlest assistant, Brie, to do the water-colouring of the inside of the shoe box.

Of course you can always leave it as it is, but I thought it was nicer if it’s in colour and if Brie got to do some painting too =)

When it’s all dry, this was what I did :

– Made sure all corners are secured with scotch tapes

– Drew the maze lines with a pencil

– Stuck cut-out straws with a strong glue (I used my liquid UHU)

Once the glue was all dry, the bigger kids tried it out! =)

And hey hey hey, it was fun!

And to think that it’s made of just straws and the lid of a shoe box?

Ah, … felt so nice to make something and recycle *again* ! =D

Have fun crafting and recycling too, everyone!!

Note:
For bigger kids, make the maze more ‘complicated’, so they can’t get the marble easily from one end to the other.

It’s been more than TWO AND A HALF years since my tummy felt so big and heavy!

And lately I’ve been pondering : Do I miss those little kicks inside? Do I miss having a newborn around?

Well, as much as I think newborns are soooo cute and tiny, … mmm, I think I’m doing fine having gone through the process three times so far =)

Blessed with three growing kiddos (whom I do not wish to grow up too fast!)

(Note: The photos above are from my week-by-week pregnancy journal)

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Talk about pregnancy, you know what … the other day, a pregnant friend asked me,

‘Where did you get your maternity clothes from when you’re pregnant with Brie?’

She seemed a bit unsure about whether she actually needed to get a whole new wardrobe, since she can’t fit into her normal clothes.

My reply was, ‘Most of the time I’d still wear my normal clothes, plus some maternity ones handed down by my sisters and friends. BUT if you’re looking for nice and affordable maternity and nursing clothes and stuff, one of the places you could check out is Maternity Exchange. I got quite a few stuff from there too!”

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Now, I don’t know if you know about Maternity Exchange.

It’s one of those shops that I’d happily recommend to others.


[Pregnant with Brie, at Maternity Exchange store at Marina Square]

Why?

1. Because they offer nice and stylish range of maternity and nursing wear, at a reasonable price.

You can find stuff like nursing bras, swimwear, diaper bags, belly bands, maternity support belts there. Even gifts and accessories for moms-to-be, nursing moms, and babies!

2. Because you can go to their boutique directly (at Marina Square Shopping Centre, 3rd level), or you can always conveniently shop online!

3. Because there’s this unique option of buying AND/OR renting!

Yes, Maternity Exchange has packages where you can RENT their stuff! GREAT idea, I think, because this way you can mix and match, even go to a wedding with a bulging tummy in a very pretty maternity dress without actually needing to buy it and wondering when else you’d wear it!

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Now you see, personally I choose to still dress presentably when I am pregnant or breastfeeding.

At the same time, I also don’t believe in spending so much in getting a whole new wardrobe.

So, to me, I’d still try to wear whatever normal tops and bottoms that I could still put on.

eg. I’d wear my looser tops to fit my growing tummy. As for the pants, I share a blog post about how to still wear our pre-pregnancy pants HERE!)

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And, if I were to buy any maternity  / nursing clothes, I’d choose them carefully. 

In terms of comfort, style, quality and price, I mean.

Even better, I’d go for something that I can still wear after I’ve delivered the baby and stopped breastfeeding =)

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Like for example, I totally am loving the Bellaband I got from Maternity Exchange!

This is one excellent investment that I’d recommend to all pregnant mommies.

Why I love my BellaBand?

– The material is soft and stretchable (it won’t make you feel itchy or hot), and it covers your growing tummy (extends the lower part of your top), allowing you to wear your pre-pregnancy tops over it! (This is how I could still wear most of my normal tops during pregnancy)

– Wear it during breastfeeding days, and it covers the skin around the waist, making breastfeeding-on-the-go more convenient (ie. No extra attention is drawn to your unnecessarily revealed skin around the waist area, ie. If you’re lifting your shirt to nurse the baby)

– I can still wear my BellaBand WAY after the baby is born !

(Yes, I do still wear it! eg. I wear around my hip, under a top that has too high a slit on the sides =)

[Pregnant with Brie in 2010 – BellaBand on the left, and Maternity America jeans on the right]

Another item from Maternity Exchange which I totally loved too was this Maternity America Denim Jeans!

It fit so well around my waist and right under the tummy, and I loved how it made my growing legs look slimmer too!

I wore them a LOT.

One of my favourites! =)

ANYWAY.

Here’s some good news I’d like to share!

If you’re in Singapore, you can check out what Maternity Exchange has in store for you by :

– Actually going to their boutique at Marina Square (if you’d like to rent, you’d need to visit their boutique)

– Hopping over to their ONLINE shop.

AND. Guess what?

Maternity Exchange now ships to Indonesia too (and many other countries!)

They’ve improved their international shipping process, and they now offer :

1. Lower shipping rates

2. Smoother, fuss-free check-out where all shipping rates are automatically calculated

3. Tracking information on all parcels to ensure they get to you safely!

And if you spend S$300 or more, your items are shipped to your address in Indonesia for FREE!!

*woot*

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Now, it’s giveaway time!!

*YAY*

Prize up for grabs:
2x S$50 Maternity Exchange Online Gift Voucher!

How to enter the giveaway:

1. LIKE Maternity Exchange Facebook Page

2. LIKE Our Everyday Things Facebook Page (if you haven’t already)

3. For a 2nd chance to win, simply share this giveaway on your Facebook/Twitter.

4. Leave a comment and let us know all the tasks you have completed =)

PS: You do NOT have to complete all tasks to enter this giveaway.

Other Info:

– Contest ends : Thursday, 6 February 2014, 23.59pm (SG time)

– Two winners will be randomly chosen, contacted via email and announced on this post.

– Giveaway contest is only open exclusively to Indonesian readers

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So there you go.

Have fun with the giveaway!

And, happy browsing and shopping!

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ADDED:

Big congrats to the winners : Grace and Albert!

Each of you has won a $50 voucher!

*woohoo!!*

Thanks to everyone else who has participated! Do join in our next giveaway yeah!

Chinese New Year is here again, in NINE days!

It will be the kids’ 2nd Chinese New Year spent in Jakarta.

There’s this one thing that I do miss though … the festivity of it all in Singapore!

Here in Jakarta, we just don’t quite ‘feel’ it.

… at times like this, I do miss SingaporeAnd, I must say, … at times like this, I do miss Singapore.

I miss seeing the festive decorations everywhere.

Hearing the usual CNY songs *gong xi, gong xi, gong xi ni!*

Watching the kids get involved in CNY activities at school.

But.

If we keep on dwelling on the stuff that we’re not satisfied with, we’ll end up missing out on the blessings that are actually all around us

Having said that, now that we’re in Jakarta, I’ll get to spend the eve of Chinese New Year with my parents and my sisters’ families.

Which is a good thing.

Because I can’t even remember the last time I had a gathering with my parents and two sisters and their families on CNY!

So I guess, as I always say (and am now telling myself again), there are always pros and cons in everything.

We can’t get exactly everything that we want, and if we keep on dwelling on the stuff that we’re not satisfied with, we’ll end up missing out on the blessings that are actually all around us.

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Anyway.

The other day, I was browsing and checking out some CNY clothes (Zalora’s CNY collection), and I thoughts these ones are cute =)

And I personally like these two below =)

(Found anything that you like?)

[Click to see more of  Zalora SG on Pinterest] 

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Anyway.

To those of you who are preparing for Chinese New Year 2014, hope you have a wonderful time spent with your loved ones!

Cheers! =)

I started blogging when our eldest child, Anya, was born.

And she’s turning TEN in less than 2 months!

Ah how time flies!

Not sure if you’ve noticed, but I don’t blog about ‘parenting my older kids’ much anymore in recent years.

Especially NOT about the kinds of thing that they’d feel embarrassed about if discovered by the ‘internet world’.

My reason?

Well, although the kids know that I blog about them and what our family believes in, and they don’t mind about them being shared by me, … I just feel, they are growing up.

And I simply don’t feel mom bloggers like me should disclose everything that happens in our family.

Out of respect to them too.

I mean, many everyday things should be treasured and remembered by us alone.

As a family.

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Anyway, I’d like to post two more photos today.

Something I’d like to remember for years to come.

And it’s about something that she loves to do.

That is, drawing.

Painting.

Since she’s little, Anya loves to draw, doodle, and paint.

And I’d like to share one of her painting works.

One that I particularly like.

This was what she came up with when her art teacher at school gave her a ‘free theme’ : “Just draw anything that you feel like drawing” 

See if you can understand what the painting is trying to say (without scrolling all the way down =)

Okay.

Here’s the answer:

It’s about someone who imagines the things that he loves.

He loves to go on a cruise holiday. He loves to be at home. And, he loves to be inside his home.

And oh, he loves rainbows too!

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Did you get any of them right? =)

It’s been 3 days and the weather has not gotten better here in Jakarta.

To look at things more positively, I guess we should still be thankful that at least NOT THE WHOLE of Jakarta is flooded?

One thing I’m thankful for is that we managed to evacuate our flooded neighbourhood, and stay at my parent-in-law’s place.

Anyway.

Since this is one the many big events that happen to our family, I’d like to share photos of Jakarta’s big flood which I took earlier today.

We stopped to check out Kelapa Gading area.

One of the badly affected area.

We parked our car in front of Mall of Indonesia (MOI), and walked towards the start of the flooded road.

And this was what I saw.

Residents stood along the streets.

TV station vehicles parked here and there.

Government pick-ups offering help and ferrying residents across the badly flooded area.

Even horse carriage rides became one of the residents’ mode of transportation.

For those who don’t have four-wheel drives, anything that is ‘human and animal powered’ becomes the preferred choice of transportation.

And it’s heart-warming to see how those who own four-wheel drives came down to help others trapped in their homes.

I saw interesting attempts to still drive their motorbikes through the floods, like the one pictured above.

And a truck loaded with people, including one on a wheel-chair.

It is predicted that the bad weather will still be around this month.

And it may even get worse at some areas.

But I must say, Indonesians are one of a kind.

They say, when life gives you lemons, make lemonades.

But to most Indonesian street kids: when life gives you floods, just keep on playing and have fun!

A reminder to all of us to still be thankful at all times, I guess?

Anyway.

Hope things will get better soon.

The weather here in Jakarta has been weird these past two weeks.

Cool breeze. Drizzles. Heavy rain.

Situations got worse today at some areas in Jakarta.

Heavy rain, on and off.

And, the kids couldn’t get to school this morning because of the floods.

(My part time helper’s home is badly flooded, and she hasn’t been coming to help us with the house. So it’s total housework for us since Monday too)

[Photos above: The water in the canal is full and overflows to the streets. Water level is about 50cm around my area. If you’re driving a sedan, strongly not recommended to go out to the streets]

They said there’ll be more ‘floods’ coming from Bogor to Jakarta by midnight.

I guess we can only wait and see.

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Anyway.

We went out to get some lunch across the street (MAD, I know!)

Because basically I was simply reluctant to get my feet into the brown water.

Obviously, the kids happily walked across the floods.

Wilson carried Brie along.

And me?

I wrapped my feet in plastic bags.

Then.

A truck zoomed by, and this wave of water went towards me.

Before I knew it, all the brown water went inside my plastic bags!

Boo.

Oh well.

So, in the name of being ‘a supportive Mom’, I took the plastic bags off my feet, and joined my family! =D

And this is a picture of me, … smiling and cringing =)

Ah. The kinds of adventure one gets from living in Jakarta.

How’s the weather like at YOUR place?

Hoping and praying that everything gets back to normal soon.

Note: All photos were taken today – 17 January 2014 (Friday)

Here’s one of the things that I’d like to do better this year :

shooting, editing and publishing more parenting videos.

The challenge is (as usual) : Putting aside TIME to do it, amongst my 1001 other things to do everyday.

Well. Hope I’ll manage.

Anyway, THIS is my first parenting video in the year 2014!

It’s about tips on how we can encourage good sibling relationships in the family.

*so happy that I manage to get it ready and posted!*

I decided to do it in Indonesian, as I hope to reach out to more Indonesians too this year.

(Actually, there’s also another reason, but I’ll spill the beans later =D )

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ANYWAY. More exciting things are planned out for the year!

Will share more about it later.

Stay tuned!

In the mean time, you’re most welcome to watch, like and share the videos with others =)

And oh, SUBSCRIBE to OUR CHANNEL too please? =D

(so you’ll be informed of new parenting videos)

Thanks everyone! =)

Here’s the LINK to the video!

Someone said to me the other day, ‘You don’t seem to be blogging as often now that you’re in Jakarta. Not as often as when you’re back in Singapore.’

Sigh. I do think so too.

Oh how I would LOVE to be writing MORE (I’ve got tonnes of topics in my head!)

But really, I admit, juggling everything is tough work.

I love everything that I do, but in the end, it comes down to time too.

I have so little time to do everything that I’d LOVE to do.

(which btw, includes sewing, crafting, baking, painting, reading, teaching, and hmm … quite a few other stuff! =)

A dilemma many of you face daily too, I’m sure!

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ANYWAY.

My main reason for my not blogging as often as I had hoped?

On top of the usuals (two kids at school, housework, cooking, being stuck in traffic jams daily?), I’m also kept busy by shoots, interviews, planning of programs, etc.

Like yesterday, I was privileged to have interviewed two oh-so-talented musicians who performed their New Year’s Concert 2014 at Aula Simfonia Jakarta!

Let me share with you a bit about them today.

Raphael Schluesselberg currently is a conductor and is the Music Director of the Vienna Academic Philharmonic, who has travelled the world to conduct major orchestras and music performances.

And one of the things he said was, ‘Aula Simfonia Jakarta is one beautiful concert hall, with great acoustics! Great to see wooden floors here! You can sit far from the musicians, but still feel like you’re next to them when you watch their performance on stage!’

(Thank God we have such a concert hall in Jakarta that can make us so proud!)

The other musician I spoke with was Rama Widi, Indonesia’s first male professional harpist.

Yep, a male harpist!

Here are two things that I personally learned from what he shared with me:

– Talent alone is not enough. One needs to invest in HARD WORK.

On a typical day, Rama practices between five to seven hours! And this is how he pushes himself so that he can play a music piece perfectly.

I think this is something that we parents can share with our kids too!

ie. We should not feel ‘we are good enough, no need to try harder’ too easily. We must discover and pursue our passion, explore our talents and give our best effort, to our best capability.

Work hard and do our best.

We should not feel ‘we are good enough, no need to try harder’ too easily– Never think that we can only learn to play an instrument when we OWN the instrument.

Rama shared how back in Vienna he had friends who played the harp amazingly well, and … they didn’t even own the instrument!

So how did they practice, you wonder?

They went to their Uni and practice there!

(THAT to me, is called determination and dedication to something that one loves to do!)

He shared how, NOT owning an instrument (especially one as big as a harp!) must NOT be your excuse for feeling that you are unable to learn to play it!

Good food for thought. 

So, there you go.

Quite a full weekend for all five of us (yes, all three kiddos went along with us)

But, I’m thankful for the experiences.

And I’m thankful that my family is with me throughout the day too.

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Hope you had a wonderful weekend with your loved ones!