Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

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

At our home, we have one school-going girl, one home-schooled boy and a 17-month-old baby girl.

None goes to childcare centres.

And so just like all other homes where there’s at least one school-going child in the family : germs, bacteria and viruses tend to be ‘brought home’ by the school-going one, and passed on to the younger siblings.

*Dislike*

I know I know. It’s one of those things that can’t be avoided, BUT … what gets to me is that out of the three kids, our littlest one usually is the worst hit.

ie. What starts out as mild coughs (or a cold) most likely develops into bronchiolitis – “Swelling and mucus buildup in the smallest air passages in the lungs (bronchioles), usually due to a viral infection.”

And this time round, her coughs are the worst kind.

She’d cough a phlegmy cough (like it’s stuck in her throat and she can’t clear the phlegm out), and sneeze, and cough and sneeze again.

All in one go.

Sometimes it lasts for 4 seconds, without a chance of her breathing in between.

Sometimes it’s a marathon cough, again and again for a good 2 minutes or so, with her catching some breath in between.

And, sometimes she ends up vomiting a little (which in a way is a good thing because it means she rids some of her sticky phlegms)

It’s been more than a week, and with her losing almost all of her appetite, I’m simply hoping and praying for the bugs to completely go away.

Real soon.

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Anyway.

Here’re some useful write-ups I came across recently:

> Caring for Toddler’s Coughs – WhatToExpect.com

> Bronchiolitis – babycentre.co.uk

> Walking Pneumonia – Webmd.com

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Have a good and healthy weekend, everyone!

When it comes to our children and music lessons, some of the generally asked questions are :

At what age should my child start attending music lessons?

Is the younger they attend music lessons, the better?

Is there anything that we can do that can help nurture their love for music?

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The other day I chatted with DR Billy Kristanto, a Ph.D in Musicology, and I asked him these few questions.

Here’s the interview (it’s conducted in Indonesian)

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And here’s a general summary of the interview :

Question:
Some parents send their 2 and 3 year-old kids to music classes. Is the sooner they go to music classes, the better? What’s your view on this? How soon should we send our kids? 

Answer:
On average, I’ll say at the age of 5 to 6. But then it’s a personal thing, and every one is different.

Evgany Kissin started learning at the age of 2, but that’s a special case. There are those who start learning at the age of 9. Some start at the age of 15. So to me, on average, children can start at the age of 5 to 6.

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Question:
Can we say then, someone who starts learning music early does not necessary he/she will love music?

Answer:
That’s right. A child may still be in a ‘playful phase’, and when we force him to learn music in a non-conducive way, the child may feel bitter towards music itself.

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Question:
Are there tips on what parents can do to encourage the love for music in children?

Answer:
Parents need to introduce music to their children, be it through CDs, films, or something. And from there, a child will be more open and more keen to try playing music.

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Question:
What’s your view on the ‘Tiger Mom’ approach that emphasises the need to learn at least one musical instrument?

Answer:
That approach has a point, though I too believe we must treat each child uniquely. We believe that when we deal with little children, authority is needed too (Eg. Parents can’t just say to their small children, ‘It’s all up to you’, for everything).

Sometimes children simply may feel lazy (unmotivated). They naturally like to do what they like to do. So that’s when a certain level of discipline is needed for them.

Question:
Last question, can we spot musical talents, if any, in our children? Are there ‘signs’ for us to observe or something?

Answer:
It would depend on the parents (ie. If they’re non-music people, then it’ll be tougher for them to spot musical talents in the children). But then again, music teachers can always help and advise if the child’s musical talent / skill can be nurtured or developed further.

Regardless of whether the parents are music or non-music people, sending children to learn music (or letting them be exposed to music) is a good thing because it widens the worldview of the child (ie. The child does not necessarily need to be musicians). And, there’s a study that discovered how children who play music / are exposed to music are doing better (more efficient) at school.

[End of interview]

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Be it in music or in other areas, each one of us is blessed with different talents.

Let us continually explore, develop and use our talents for the glory of our Creator.

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Btw.

You’re most welcome to share YOUR thoughts on this too!

And, please click HERE to subscribe to OUR CHANNEL! =)

Have a great long weekend, everyone!

I’d like to share this activity idea with you today.

Something simple that only involves: a variety of coloured paper, scissors and glue stick, to make a ‘drawing’.

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Basically what we did was:

1. Decide what we’d like to make (In our case, we’re making an outdoor scene where there’re sunrays, clouds, the sun and blue waves)

2. Using a pencil, faintly draw what you’d like the scene to look like on a piece of paper (We used brown paper as our base)

3. Decide what colours you’d like to have for each ‘layer’ and cut them out accordingly  (eg. Yellow paper for the sunrays, orange paper for the sun, white paper  for the clouds and blue paper for the ocean waves)

4. Using a glue stick, paste the layers accordingly, starting from those that are on the background

(For our ‘scene’, we pasted the coloured paper in this sequence : Yellow rays, orange sun, white clouds, blue ocean)

Note:
Create layers of clouds and ocean waves by sticking different ‘shapes’, one on top of another

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And voila!

Here’s what Vai made using coloured paper cutouts!

He even squeezed in a little boat origami to make the ocean scene look more ‘real’, haha.

Do explore the idea further and … have fun crafting with your family, everyone!

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

Our baby Brie is turning 17 months next week!

And frankly, I thought kids at this age no longer have diaper-related issues.

I was wrong.

Out of my three kids, she’s the one who has the ‘longest’ diaper rash situation.

And, it only started some 2 months ago.

What happened was, I spotted an oval-shaped kind of pinkish mark on the skin at the fold of her right thigh one day (where the diaper lining is, about 2.5cm in diameter). The outer lining was slightly darker in colour.

Then in 2 days, the skin turned more pink, and slowly looked like it’s peeling!

(Oh, it looked scarier than it’s supposed to be!)

At the same time, there were 5-10 little ‘pimple-like’ dots in the diaper area (in front).

To cut the story short, over 10 days, the ‘peeled skin’ completely peeled off, and the colour changed, from light pink, to dark pink, and to light brown (100% healed).

And all the while, Brie didn’t act irritated, and didn’t scratch or want to touch the area. So I thought, the rash either was not itchy OR the itch was not that intense for her standard.

(Btw, by now, the area is all okay and cured, but the ‘oval mark’ is still there, light brown in colour. I guess it’ll take quite a while for it to disappear)

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Then in 2 days, the skin turned more pink, and slowly looked like it’s peeling!

Having said that however, there are still some bumpy red marks / dots in the diaper area! (mostly on the back, towards the top of the diaper area).

They don’t seem to completely go away (though it’s much better now and is ‘under control’).

My guess is, it’s due to the very warm weather we’ve been having here in Jakarta?

Anyway.

I’d like to share the following useful links on diaper rash with you :

> Askdrsears.com – Diaper Rash

> Breasfeeding-problems.com – Yeast Diaper Rash & Normal Nappy Rash

> Desitin.com – Pictures of Diaper Rash

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And this is what I do to tackle Brie’s diaper rash:

> As often as possible, I wash Brie’s diaper area with just water

> Leave the diapers off (with NO cream too) for a few hours when at home. From what I read (and actually saw), airing the diaper area out helps in drying out the rashes and in the healing process

> On affected areas, I applied either some anti-fungal cream or some calamine lotion (to reduce the itching). Usually when she’s about to sleep at night

> When diaper is on, I applied some ‘Nappy Balm’ by Four Cow Farm (it’s now named ‘Tea Tree Remedy’ as it helps in lots of other skin problems too, not just as a ‘nappy remedy’. A good product I happily recommend to others)

> When at home and her bottoms are no longer being ‘aired’, I let Brie wear Charlie Banana Cloth Diapers

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Personally I find the above helps a lot in keeping Brie’s diaper rashes at bay.

Question: What do YOU do to tackle diaper rash? Do share your tips yeah!

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** GIVEAWAY **

Love love love giveaways! =)

Thanks to Global Outsource Asia, … YOU can now check out Charlie Banana cloth diapers too!

There are TWELVE Charlie Banana cloth diapers to be won!

– 6 pieces of ONE-SIZE PLAIN diapers

– 6 pieces of LARGE-SIZED PLAIN diapers (for bigger babies)

(Win it for your child or for a friend’s baby! =)

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How to enter:

– ‘Like’ Our Everyday Things Facebook Page, if you haven’t =)

– ‘SHARE’ this giveaway with others (eg. Share this blog post URL on Facebook / Twitter)

– Leave a comment and tell us : baby’s gender and age, and why you want to try out Charlie Banana Cloth Diapers (Please also indicate if you’d like to win the One-Size or the Large-Sized diapers)

[FYI, click HERE to see the available prints and plain ones]

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Note: 

– Open to those with Singapore and Malaysia addresses

– Contest ends on Wednesday, 24 Oct, 11.59pm, SG time

– Twelve winners will be randomly chosen and announced at end of next week. Be sure to return and check the results!

– The sponsor will determine the diaper colour for the winners

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Have fun with this giveaway, everyone!

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[Added 29 October 2012]

Hello!

Here are the 12 winners 🙂

One-Sized disposable diapers

1. Vicky
2. Nellie Ng Fei Fei
3. Mery
4. Yenny Lyne
5. Grace
6. Monika

Large-Sized Diapers

1. Debbie G
2. Melody
3. Carol Lim Mei Mei
4. Crystal Tan
5. Christine
6. Shuy

Winners : Please claim your prize by emailing me your mailing address soonest yeah! Thanks! =)

Thank you for participating, everyone!

And big thanks again to Charlie Banana for sponsoring us these definitely-useful prizes!

I read the poem below.

And my eyes welled up with tears.

I feel oh so guilty.

For I have been saying ‘No, I can’t just yet for I have this and that to do’ … to Vai’s simple daily request.

What was his simple request, you may wonder.

He only asked to play Monopoly.

He simply wanted to spend some twosome playtime with his Mommy.

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And so as I type this post, I made a promise to myself,

Tomorrow, I will say ‘Yes, … come and let’s play Monopoly!’

I will hug and kiss him more.

I will hold him tight and tell him how much he means to me.

For I do not want to look back one day, and wish how I should’ve said ‘Yes’ to more little things he asked me.

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“To My Grown-Up Son”

My hands were busy through the day,
I didn’t have much time to play
The little games you asked me to,
I didn’t have much time for you.

I’d wash your clothes; I’d sew and cook,
But when you’d bring your picture book
And ask me, please, to share your fun,
I’d say, “A little later, son.”

I’d tuck you in all safe at night,
And hear your prayers, turn out the light,
Then tiptoe softly to the door,
I wish I’d stayed a minute more.

For life is short, and years rush past,
A little boy grows up so fast,
No longer is he at your side,
His precious secrets to confide.

The picture books are put away,
There are no children’s games to play,
No goodnight kiss, no prayers to hear,
That all belongs to yesteryear.

My hands once busy, now lie still,
The days are long and hard to fill,
I wish I might go back and do,
The little things you asked me to.
by Alice E. Chase (March 8, 1986)

Yes, you read it right.

The other day, a tennis ball – at FULL SPEED – hit him in the eye. His right eye.

And since this is something that may possibly happen to anyone (including kids), I thought I should share the experience and how it all turned out for him.

This was what happened.

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… the ball BOUNCED OFF … towards Vai, and … WHAMMM!

It was around 7.45am when Vai sat on the tennis court’s umpire seat (yes, the ‘high chair’ near the net) to watch Daddy play tennis.

His head turned from left to right, following the movement of the ball. Just like how anyone watching a tennis game would.

Then Daddy served a ball, hard, and apparently the opponent attempting to get the ball, only managed to touch the ball with his racket’s frame, and the ball BOUNCED OFF … towards Vai, and … WHAMMM!

The boy held his right eye with both hands and started crying.

LOUDLY!

He couldn’t open his eyes.

He cried a painful cry and within a minute, while still crying I let him hold a cold drink bottle over his eye (as a quick treatment to reduce the inflammation)

[Taken some 5 hours after the incident]

We went back home and within 15 mins after the incident, Vai slept for a good 4 hours!

That was unusual,I thought. Could the sleepiness be triggered by the tennis ball incident?

I then googled around, did a quick search and found out that after an eye is hit by an object, the following could happen:

– Blurred vision
– A lot of pain when you move the eye around
– A black eye

And the scarier ones:
– Blood in the white part of the eye
– Partially detached retina

Yikes!

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“… he appears to have a ‘lazy eye‘ and would need to wear glasses later.”

After he woke up from his 4 hour sleep, he could open his eyes without feeling much discomfort, but only some 15 mins or so later.

I checked on his vision from time to time (by letting him cover one eye at a time and read out some distant alphabets), and guess what?

Seven hours after the incident, and Vai’s vision was still blurred!

He could see fine with his good, left eye. But not with his right eye.

It’s out of focus and he couldn’t see the alphabets well, he said.

So, we went to see an eye doctor at a hospital after that.

After the doctor did some eye tests and checks, she said :

‘Your son’s eyes are okay. No internal injuries and the retina is fine. The blurred vision could not have been caused by the tennis ball. His astigmatism level is 1.5 on that eye. He appears to have a ‘lazy eye‘ and would need to wear glasses later. Why don’t you wait till the eye inflammation is gone and return to me for an eye check?’

Now, THAT’s new!

Thoughts crossed my mind.

Vai never had any vision problems all this while.

Or perhaps he did, but we never knew nor detected it?

And really? Vai needs to wear glasses real soon, like me? The first among three kids to wear them?

Anyway, he was prescribed an eye drop and I thought we should just monitor his progress over the next few days.

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Then three days after the incident, … guess what?

His vision was all good again.

BOTH eyes!

I kept on regularly checking them out, letting him read words from a far, asking him if the sharpness of the alphabet is the same for both eyes, etc.

And he said, YEP, it’s sharp again, Mommy!

He could read and see things – clear and sharp! – using the injured eye.

Ah. Thank God it’s all good and alright!

(And. thank God for eye sockets and eyelids too! What an amazing creation HE’s made to protect our fragile body parts!)

[Three days after the incident : Still can see some redness, but the vision is no longer blurry! Yay!]

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And how about the eye doctor and her ‘diagnosis’?

Well. We never returned.

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TIPS:

– Applying cold compresses after an injury helps because: the cooling sensation of the cold compress will help reduce inflammation in injured areas and lessen the time required for healing.

– Here’s a good link on WebMD to check on your eye injury type, and what to do next!

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And oh, I thought I also should say:

Our response greatly affects the child’s reaction to the incident.

For us, we choose to remain cool about it, from the very moment it happened (because it’s an injury that could happen to anyone who plays sport, yes?)

We didn’t blame him or anyone for the injury, we never scared him about going to the tennis court or playing tennis again (eg. Saying things like: ‘Be careful!! Or you’ll get him in the eye again!!’)

And, it’s nice to see how right after the incident, he continues playing tennis with no fear of getting hit in the eye again or anything.

Way to go, little guy, I say!