The other day, Nathan had to do some penance for a particular crime we had warned him against before: i.e. using the wall as an art canvas. At four years old, it was too easy to let him off with just a once-off punishment. So he was made to scrub every single mark he had made completely clean. I let him use my expensive microfiber cleaning cloths for the job, so it was not that impossible a task. But it was definitely a bit of a tedious process. When Grace woke up from her nap, she couldn’t understand why her big brother was not ready to play with her as usual. But I think she figured that this was some new game he had come up with. So she grabbed a piece of tissue and pitched right in. I don’t think she made any real practical progress, but the moral support she provided is what every (little) man needs during his low times.   Little Sister by Wendy Silva My sister can be annoying, everything I do she wants to do it too It’s hard to have a little sister who wants to be like ...

We have a really major milestone coming up just around the corner. School. Nathan’s very first day of ‘big’ school.   I have to confess that I’ve had a few, well actually several (private) teary episodes over this whole thing. My first baby growing up right before my very eyes… stepping across this threshold out into the world on his own. Sigh. It’s all been quite an emotional ride for me.   I even got a little teary during our trip the school supplies shop to pick up the items on his school list, as I looked at my big ‘little boy’ walking down the long aisle filled with books and stationery. And I had a déjà vu moment, recalling my own childhood back-to-school shopping expeditions for textbooks and stationery.     Nathan himself is quite excited over the whole adventure. Though one quiet afternoon while we was hanging out with me, he admitted to feeling a little scared and nervous. “ What if my new friends don’t like me? ” he said. And I knew could not simp...

So last year when I was setting up my home for my family day care, I implemented this simple but life-changing tip on organising children’s books. Which resulted in the revolution and evolution of our reading corner. This little scene above has become almost a spontaneous daily post-dinner ritual with our own two little ones. After dinner once we’ve cleared the dishes, right on cue these two head over to this corner, pull out a book (or two or three) and just read quietly to themselves. This corner is also well-loved and well-used by all the other children that come to our place throughout the day. It’s an ideal little ‘getaway’ corner when a little one just needs some quiet time on their own to chill out and reset. So slowly, I’ve been adding more little touches to make the corner more comfy and cosy. And hubby also insisted on the addition of an LED reading light at the corner, because good lighting is important for reading of course. It’s not the fanciest reading corners like...

Here’s another one of my favourite quick and easy, crowd-pleaser recipes which I often cook up for the little ones’ lunches (or mine). And it’s simple enough to get the little ones involved in the cooking process… cracking the eggs and whisking them, grating cheese or slicing the cooked potatoes (with a butter knife). Potato and Onion Tortilla* (Preparation: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 10 minutes | Serves: 4) Ingredients: 3 small potatoes, peeled 2 spring onions, chopped 5 eggs 2 tbpns olive oil 40g cheddar cheese, grated Method: Place potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water. Bring to the boil, then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes until potatoes are just tender. Drain and leave to cool. Then slice into thick rounds. Turn on grill to heat it up. Beat eggs together and set aside. Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat, add spring onions. Cook gently for 4-5 minutes until onions have softened. Add potatoes and cook for a few minutes. Stir potatoes around gently so as not to ...

So on Christmas day last year, my beloved little prince officially turned FOUR. It was a pretty massive affair. We had the biggest party for him he’s ever had yet. And he was simply showered with love and presents from various people in our lives. It was definitely a very memorable occasion. Turning four is a big deal. The whole year has been building up to this because this is the age when Nathan officially starts school. Or will be in a few weeks time once the school holidays are over. So before that happens, I wanted to pen down a few thoughts on my dear little boy at four… Exuberant. Energetic. Loquacious. Imaginative. Charming. Gregarious. These are some of words that come to mind when I think about my Nathan.   Nathan the ‘Imaginator’ Nathan’s superpower is the ability to take on multiple identities. Every day, Nathan transforms himself into a different person. My usual greeting of “ Good morning, Nathan ” might be met with “ Mummy, today I am not Nathan. I am ________...

You can probably guess that I’m still somewhat in the holiday mode and still trying to catch on various things on my plate. So today I thought I’d direct you over to a friend’s place if you’re after something good to read. It’s not entirely random as it’s actually sort of connected to an earlier post I had written before on the topic of ‘sharing’. The post I wrote on that topic could be construed as somewhat controversial as I gave my honest viewpoints on the misuse of the term ‘sharing’. I wrote that real sharing should be about collaborating or finding a fair solution that benefits the whole group. But often what happens when we ask a child to share something is that they are forced to give up that item simply because the adult tells them to. I believe I kept the post pretty factual but perhaps there was still a slightly pessimistic tone to the post simply because my focus in the post was about what we should not do. Then one of my dearest friends did the unexpected. Although i...

Happy new year, peeps! Hope you all had an exciting or memorable start to 2015… I meant to write a fun post to kick off the new year on my blog. But as I was tinkering around on my laptop and letting random thoughts fly through my head, this was the word that stopped me in my tracks… T I M E I think of all the crazy things I had decided to throw myself into last year, this has been the most precious thing I had been able to gain. And no, I did not manage to squeeze out an extra magic hour each day through some supernatural means. I believe we all trade different things in our lives in exchange for more of this precious commodity to share with the people we hold closest and dearest to our hearts. Money. Sleep. A clean house. Road safety. Or even that new book /movie/game/TV series that has you at the edge of your seat. When I decided to launch into this new venture of making a drastic change in my career to become a family day care educator, I knew that I would be giving up a lot...