Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

There we were in one old alley.

Very near a popular noodle eating place called ‘Bakmi Aboen’ at Pasar Baru.

We spotted a *very* simple stall selling Cakue and ‘Pillow Cake’.

(Cakue is also known as ‘cakwe’, ‘youtiao’ or ‘char kway’)

The stall looks like it hasn’t changed much since 1980s!

And, each cakue is sold at only Rp 2500 (S$0.35!)

What a bargain!

And btw, the cakue tasted nice too!

Nom nom!

PS: Will be sharing (read: mobile blogging!) interesting ‘food finds’ around the city of Jakarta every now and then! =)

A ‘belated’ post. But I’m mo-blogging it anyway =)

Last December was a busy month for us. And though we didn’t put up any Christmas tree at home, we made these two simple decorations.

We used felt and stuffed it with cotton balls.

They’re still on the kids’ door right now =)

Anya sewed the ‘shepherd’ and Vai hand-sewed the felt ‘star’.

Yes, messy sewing results hehe, … but then wait, they’re somewhat special to me, because they’re handmade by the kids =)

And, we hope to add more to this Christmas collection each year, and make this ‘Christmas handmade decoration making’ our own family tradition, starting the year 2012!

PS: It’ll be interesting to see how much better (or worse) their sewing skill gets over the years when we look at our handmade Christmas collection =)

At the start of this new year, I’d like to share what I feel is super important to us all who are parents.

It’s about being actively involved in our children’s lives.

Involved in GUIDING our children’s hearts.

Now how do we do this?

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This post is btw inspired by this radio programme.

I totally encourage you to read the full transcript or listen to it too HERE!

Lots of insightful thoughts and tips from wise and experienced  fellow moms!

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Here are some of the points (excerpts) I’d like to share:

> Importance of creating an environment that is conducive to spiritual growth.

So many parents today mindlessly expose their children to all kinds of worldly and unbiblical things, philosophies, world views, and then wonder why their children turn twenty or twenty-one or twenty-five and say, “I’m not interested in Christian things anymore.” Well, the children are responding to the appetite that you’ve cultivated in them.

…now the enemy can come through your walls invisibly through the wireless. It can come through your children’s cell phones … negative influences are shockingly entering our homes, and affecting our children.

Children are being so influenced by the world these days. It used to be that you could guard your house so much easier than you could today, because now the enemy can come through your walls invisibly through the wireless. It can come through your children’s cell phones and just influences in general. Today, the media and all negative influences are shockingly entering our homes, and affecting our children.

And the big problem is, many parents are simply not aware of the huge danger such exposure to the media has on their children.

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> Our children cannot be put in a closet and raised with NO consciousness of what’s going on in the world.

We can’t just isolate our children, and tell them, “You can’t have any exposure to the world.”

Our children have to be insulated, but not isolated.

We want to create an environment that our children don’t have this constant access and exposure.

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> Controlling our children’s exposure to the Media 

– The TV

It really must NOT be on, even with ‘innocent shows’ that are on basic TV without us being aware of what’s on. Even cartoons that we think are harmless, they could promote messages that are so subtle that are really anti-Christian and anti-Bible.

Parents often complain about the difficulties of their kids and what they’re exposed to, but then they’re FUNDING it all 

– The iPad, iPod and music

Parents often complain about the difficulties of their kids and what they’re exposed to, but then they’re FUNDING it all.

Parents download games that promote violence and vanity (or just download without checking what the game is like, etc).

They let their children freely download whatever games they wish without monitoring what they’re exposed to.

They allow their young children to listen to songs with obscenities (or songs that promote hatred, love for money, etc)

– The internet and Youtube

Parents allow their children to freely surf the internet and Youtube, all on their own, which is super duper dangerous btw, because it means their children can at ANYTIME be exposed to texts / images / songs that are totally NOT age appropriate.

(I need not be overly specific here, as I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. Even Youtube videos often use ‘obscene’ thumbnail images to lure people to click and watch the videos!)

And you know and I know, once we SEE, HEAR or READ something, especially ‘rubbish’ ones, it’s generally stuck in our minds, and there’s nothing we can do to ‘erase’ that.

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As parents we CAN control the kinds of exposure our children get, yes?

Gee.

It’s really not easy being a parent today.

So many challenges, and the ‘danger’ is right in our homes too!

Yes I know, … since we live in this era, we cannot escape or be isolated from the media and all completely.

BUT, as parents we CAN control the kinds of exposure our children get, yes?

We CAN control how much TV they watch, the kinds of programmes they see, the kind of music they listen to while they’re with us, the kinds of games they play, how much time they spend playing games on the iPad / phone / computer, etc.

Especially when they’re still young.

Yes, it’s a daily challenge!

And yes, it’s tough.

(I’m still learning to do things better by the day!)

But let’s try to do better this year, by firstly realising and acknowledging the danger of it all, and the utter NEED to be actively involved and present in our children’s lives everyday, and in guiding our children’s hearts.

It’s the start of the new year.

Let’s do it together, parents.

May God help us all.

Quick update from me:

One of the things I’ve decided to do starting this new year 2013 is Mobile Blogging!

ie. Sharing photos and updates ON THE GO!

I will still sit down in front of my computer and blog like I usually do, but from time to time, I may post photos and blog updates from my phone too!

Places to visit for the family, activity ideas, etc.

This way, through mobile blogging, I hope I get to share more insightful entries more frequently with you! =)

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Here’s my first ‘moblog’ entry.

We checked out this newly opened eating place at Sentul City, called ‘Ah Poong’!

(Pasar Apung = Floating Market)

Interesting ‘food court’ concept, and a huge variety of food choices is available too!

From Indonesian fried rice, Mie Kepiting, Singapore’s chicken rice, Sio May Bandung to Teh Tarik, Snow Ice and Es Doger.

Overall, the food quality is pretty good, I reckon.

(I particularly like the surrounding ‘greenery’!)

And, here’s something for the family:

There’ll be an Eco Art Park next to the food court (still under construction right now)

And, … we can ride these ‘river boats’ for free!

We like! =)

All five of us went for a family trip yesterday.

Our first ‘just us’ trip since we moved to Jakarta!

And, we decided to bring our children to experience a simple ‘kampong’ life.

Away from the city.

Away from our daily routine.

Away from the usual ‘comfortable, modern life’ we have in Jakarta.

We went to check out this place called Desa Sawah, in Sukabumi (Cijeruk, West Java)

We saw this beautiful mountain view.

We walked along narrow paddy field pathways.

We went fishing and ate what we caught.

We stayed in a simple hut.

The kids rode behind two water buffalos, went INTO a paddy field, tried catching live fishes with their bare hands.

Precious experience, especially for us city people.

I’ll post more photos and stories real soon.

For now, here are some ‘preview shots’!

And here’s wishing you a great weekend! =)

Our little Brie is quite a talker these days.

She identifies and says the name of things more and more often these days.

Like, she’d point to my eyes and say ‘Mata’ (Indo for ‘eyes’)

She doesn’t quite speak in sentences just yet, but she likes to copy what we say.

The 2 older siblings have loads of fun getting her to speak and copy their words.

They’d say, ‘Popo’ (read: grandma), and Brie would copy and say, ‘Popo’

‘Mommy’, and she’d say, ‘Mommy’

‘Brie’, and she’d say, ‘Beeee…’

Yes, the younger siblings seem to get the most ‘vocal practice’!  =)

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I notice Brie is also quite a social girl.

She enjoys her older siblings’ company. She likes to laugh at their silly acts.

She likes to be with other people, than to be alone.

She’d meet a child for the first time, and within a minute or two, she could be patting the child’s hair and getting the child to do something together with her.

Yes, I think she can be the slightly dominant type somehow.

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She’s got quite a temper.

When unhappy about something (eg. When she’s stopped from doing something that she wants to do), she could let out an unhappy grunt and throw whatever she’s holding on to the floor.

Of course, I’d then ask her to pick the stuff up from the floor and nicely return them to me, AND to say sorry (right now, still with her baby sign language – fist rubbing her chest up and down)

When asked to pick up the stuff she’s thrown onto the floor, she usually complies, though not immediately.

(Am hoping this tantrum thing gets better with age. Hmm.)

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She likes to move and groove to the music she hears

She likes sweet dessert, like jelly and puddings.

She likes to move and groove to the music she hears.

If she is hurt, even a little bit (eg. A knock to her finger), she’d go, “Ouwww …ouwwww…’ while walking towards us with a ‘please I’m in pain’ look on her face. She’d go and walk away like nothing serious has happened only when we’ve acknowledged her ‘pain’.

She still doesn’t like to drink milk, and so she’s still spoon-fed, while standing in our bathtub (so that I can easily clean off all spills, and give her a shower straight after =)

She’s still breastfed, and wakes once at night, asking to be nursed back to sleep. I know it’s just a ‘habit’, but I’m too sleepy to wean her off that one time night feeding. Hope to completely wean her off breastfeeding by the time she’s two.

She still likes to put stuff into her mouth.

Whenever she gets the flu bug (runny nose), most likely it develops to a cough AND runny nose, and she’ll start wheezing too (am ‘blaming’ it on the pollution)

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Anyway.

We are thankful to God for entrusting Brie into our care.

It’s been a wonderful 19 months, though filled with ups and downs, and we look forward to spending more and more months and years with her!

We all love you, little Brie!

Christmas.

It’s not about big Christmas trees,

nor it is about endless shopping sprees.

It’s not about Christmas parties and enjoying the holiday,

nor it is about Santa, presents and singing carols all the way.

CHRISTmas is all about … CHRIST,

God’s own Son who was born in all simplicity,

who came to earth to show us love and mercy.

CHRISTmas is about worshipping CHRIST, the King of kings,

who came and died to redeem us all from the punishments of our own sins.

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Thank you for reading our humble blog all this while.

Our family would love to wish you all a Merry Christmas!

May this Christmas and the new year be a blessed one to you and your loved ones too!

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Photos on My Phone This Week – Nine shots found on my iPhone this week. Simple moments I wish to remember.