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Sunday, June 27, 2010

Flying Food.....


Yikes! He eats from his bowl with a spoon. Then he uses his fingers to mash the food in the bowl. He eat some more with his spoon. Then saw tiny bits of green vegetables, he picked it up and throw it on the floor.

After that it was followed by bits of food raining from his fingers and finally when he finishes with his food, he caps his bowl on top of his head. I have tried firmly to say “no” to him while looking him straight in the eye, but the more I say “no” the more he rain food on the floor. This disaster has been going on with my baby since he is 12 months old. He is going to be 18 months soon but the situation doesn’t improve. He is truly a rascal. Could he be bored with his food? playful? teething? Or could it be my food is horrible to him? Gosh!..i hope it’s not my food.

Then suddenly last Sunday it hit me that I have read once in a book that if a toddler plays with his food, the food should be removed immediately to make him understand that the behaviour is not tolerable. Then give him back his food when he asks for it again and see how it goes. It just worked. I was wondering why I didn’t think of it earlier and to think of how many times I have wasted wiping the mess a dozen times in a day. My fingers are all dry and rough from the amounts of washing that I do. All the mess took me half an hour to clean.

Well it’s for sure that the mess is cut down by 80% now. I considered it a good improvement after so many months of “flying food” adventure.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Beautiful Twinkle Twinkle Little Star




I can't wait to share with you all this beautiful piece of work from The GiggleBellies that I stumbled upon on Youtube.The video is beautiful, colourful and the song is so soothing. I love the stars and their characters. My son just go gaga over it.

Check out their other works :

The Wheels on the Bus - my son dance hearing this song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_6KuYtc0Z8&feature=channel

Thank you GiggleBellies for sharing this awesome video!
Their website: http://www.gigglebellies.com/




Tuesday, June 22, 2010

The will that drives……



Once again I am on my quest for money making resources on the internet. Seems to me the best option now is writing for some bucks. I don’t know why I am screaming myself to get a job as fast as I can, so one thing led to another.

I found out that to write a good article or content I have to have the right keywords, SEO, social networks etc. My brain is bombarded with too much information that on Friday I suffered some sort of “brain damage”….my brain goes blank the whole day. Don’t know what to do. You know, it’s like for days you have been doing revision for an exam, and when the day finally comes your mind just go blank. This is one of the problems that I have, I am an anxious person.

I figured that I am too new to this internet business. There is so much to learn and absorb that finally I think to myself that I have to calm down and do everything step by step. Maybe it is greed that made me want to succeed at this instant. But I know if I go on like this I will end up not getting anywhere.

I remembered my father use to tell me stories about how people persevere and the will in their heart just drove them high to the world of success. So what is the definition of success? To me being successful is being recognized by myself and the people around me that I have sow the seeds and reap the fruits of my labor.

At this moment I will forget whatever resources I have read through, forget money, forget my stress. I will tell my brain just that. Sometimes the brain needs to be reminded to forget things that are stressful in order for us to breathe.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Watch me do the lizard thing......




This video was captured when my baby was about 9 months old. Hehe didn't know why he did that....it could be he is playful,thirsty or just plain silly.

We are so lucky that at this age we are blessed with so many advanced technological products. One of the most that I cherished is the digital camera where we can snap as many pictures and videos whenever we want to. Memories are priceless don't you think?

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Dark cloud over my head

Last week is really a bad week for me. I had migraine for 2 days, lost my freelance job, things around me didn’t get better and I am overwhelmed with panic attacks. I panicked for having no job, no security and no money. Anyone will go through this vulnerable stage at some point in time; I just have to be strong and try to fight whatever gibberish is on my head.

Money issues keep on creeping up over me and made me depressed. I try to fight it with any positive reason I could find and found myself defeated again the next day. My emotions are like a rumbling roller coaster ride.

Somehow it just got me to doubt my decision as a stay- at -home mom. I love taking care of my son and there is no other person in this world better for my son other than me, his mother, but I dreaded the fact that I suffer financial dry season.

This is what people said”The grass is always greener on the other side”. Office working mothers envy that stay-at-home moms gets to take care of their own children while stay-at-home moms envy that office working mothers don’t have to worry about their finances.But the fact is we can’t have both sides of the world. Can we? It is never easy for either side of the mothers.

Every time I have this panic issue I felt guilty for my husband. He is the sole breadwinner now and I am not there to shoulder his burden.

Today I learned a lesson and that is not to care what I think others think of me (a burden to my husband) and there are no such thing as permanent in this world. We may have a job now but nothing guarantees that the company that we worked in will keep us forever. So, I have to tell myself that I can’t worry about the future but I have to think what I can do now to make it work in the future.

I just need to look hard in finding another job that gives me the flexibility of working at home and at the same time remind myself that my son and husband are my priority.



********** Perseverance is me and I want a goodnight sleep forever***********

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Sunglasses: trend or protection?

Authentic Gucci 1563 Women's Gradient Sunglasses






A woman walked into the mall wearing a white tight dress, a brown belt around her waist and walked in dark brown ankle boots. She carried a black hobo bag on her right arm, the way a celebrity carry a bag. She flaunts her long silky locks with a pair of sunglasses resting on top of her head enough to attract a lot of envy looks. That pair of sunglasses just add to her stylish looks.

There are many reasons for a person wearing sunglasses. It could be for the purpose of protecting the eyes from harmful rays, to look stylish, to shield puffy eyes from a late night hangover.

The harmful rays from the sun could bring damage to the eyes which could develop into cataracts and if not treated it could lead to blindness.

Oakley Women's Dart Iridium Sunglasses,Polished Gold Frame/Bronze Lens,one sizeFor obvious reasons, sunglasses are essential items if you are a Hollywood star, to shield yourself from the recognition of paparazzi. Shielding under the sunglasses could offer some privacy.

In choosing suitable sunglasses, not only we look for the feature of sunglasses (whether it blocks UV 100%) but the styles that suit our face shape. As to the style of it, we look at celebrities trends. They are the person who leads the fashion trend.

Recently, Celine Dion has launched her own sunglasses line after Victoria Adams and Mary J. Blige.

Sadly to say although we have a hot climate here, there aren’t many people wearing sunglasses walking around. Probably it’s a Malaysian culture to drive more than walk and even if we walk, it doesn’t occur to us to use sunglasses.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Molar Pregnancy




A molar pregnancy or medically known as hydatidiform mole occurs when you have an abnormal placenta. Instead of growing fetus inside the placenta, it grows into clusters of fluid filled cysts.

You can have all the symptoms of a pregnancy; nausea, vomiting, weight gain and swollen breasts but there is no baby. This is like fake pregnancy but worst, you have growing tissues inside you in which if not treated could spread to other organs such as your lungs, bone, brain and vagina. It can be cancerous.

There are two types of molar pregnancy; complete and partial molar pregnancy. Complete molar pregnancies have only the placenta but no fetus present. It forms when the sperm fertilizes an empty egg and it produces high pregnancy hormone, called HCG mimicking symptoms of a normal pregnancy.

This form of abnormality is easily identifiable through an ultra sound.

A partial molar pregnancy is where 2 sperm fertilize an egg and created twins. But the fetus rarely survived.

Molar pregnancies are more common in Southeast Asia and Mexico. However, the incidence only occurs in 1/1000 and 1/2000 throughout United States and Europe.

It is not known why a molar pregnancy occurs but it is believed to be due to nutritional deficit in protein or carotene. It can also be caused by ovulation defect.

Who is at risk?

• If you are age 35 and above
• History of molar pregnancy
• Women who had miscarriage before

Symptoms:

• severe nausea and vomiting
• develop hyperthyroidism
• High levels of HCG
• Vaginal bleeding
• Enlarged uterus

Diagnosis:

• Pelvic examination
• Vagina ultrasound

Treatment:

The treatment is through uterine suction or surgical removal. Normally women who had treatment for molar pregnancies are advised not to conceive for one year to avoid the recurrence of molar pregnancy.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Getting my 18 month old son to drink water




Every time I pass my son his cup, he will immediately run away and hide his face on the pillow. I have to catch him and shove the cup into his mouth; when he tasted the water he will then find that he needed a drink. He knew that he wanted a drink but I can’t figure it out why he wants to run away. Could it be he wants to play with me? He is such a playful toddler. Well at least situation is improving comparing to the first time I introduce water to him (when he was 11 months old). The first time he rejected with both hands pushing the cup away and look away.

I admit I am a difficult mom myself because in order to get my son to drink water I don’t mix them with glucose or colouring for fear that it may not be good for his health or relying too much will get him addicted. So, to get him more fluid, I’ll make sure he eats his fruit everyday and I offer him plain water almost every hour. Sometimes he will drink from his father’s cup. I should think another best way to get him to drink water is giving him different types of cups; cups with colours and cartoons.

I did some google search and found that blackstrap molasses is a very healthy kind of syrup. It is best for anyone because of its richness in iron, calcium and magnesium.

Every alternate day I will offer him blackstrap molasses with warm water. If I add them with room temperature water, the taste is really awful but with warm water it is acceptable. Luckily he likes it.

Links to Amazon:

Naturally Healthy First Foods for Baby: The Best Nutrition for the First Year and Beyond

The Baby Food Bible: A Complete Guide to Feeding Your Child, from Infancy On

Dr. Paula's Good Nutrition Guide For Babies, Toddlers, And Preschoolers


Tags: Baby,18 month old, health, blackstrap molasses

Friday, June 4, 2010

Mischa Maisky: You touch my soul!



I have heard great piano players and violin players, but I have heard none of cellist players until I stumble upon Mischa Maisky’s music on a website. His music feels alive, full of emotion and he plays like a person telling his own life journey. His music is beautiful and he is utterly a genius. Never have I come across somebody who expresses music so well.

He was born in 1948 in Riga, Latvia SSR and he has studied with two great cellists, Mstislav Rostropovich and Gregor Piatigorsky.

In 1966 he won 6th Prize at the Moscow International Tchaikovsky Competition. In 1970, he was imprisoned in a labor camp near Gorky for 18 months. After his release, he emigrated to Israel, where he holds citizenship. He currently lives in Belgium and has a son and daughter.

After Mischa Maisky’s music, I hear other well known cellists like Pablo Casals, Yo-Yo Ma, Mstislav Rostropovich, Gregor Piatigorsky as well. But I still think Mischa Maisky is the exceptional one.

My most favourite pieces of his are :

Bach: Suite No.1 Prelude

Bach: Suite No.3 Gigue

Rachmaninoff Vocalise No.14

Album: Après un rêve (2000)

Bach: 6 Cello-Suiten(2000)



Tags: cello, cellist, Mischa Maisky, classical, music

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

My baby first words


You wouldn’t believe me if I told you that my baby’s first word is “bread”. It’s not “Papa” or “Mama” but instead it’s “Bread”. He speaks the word when he is around 1 year old. I assume that he must have love bread more than anything else including his parents.hah! Whenever we go to the bread store, he would open his eyes wide straying on different kinds of pastries; long, rounded, blueberry tops, smiley face, mixed fruits and those mouth watery cakes.

The other word that often comes out from him is “miaw miaw” to mean animals. Whenever he sees a cat or a dog or a panda toy, he will say “miaw miaw”. …I find it cute but I certainly have to correct him.

Now he is 18 months I am more at ease as he is getting better in communicating things he likes and dislikes. He shakes his head to say “no” and chuckle when he mean “yes”. But sometimes he shakes his head even though he meant “yes”. I think he just meant to show his power of making a decision when he shakes his head when he really meant “yes”. Funnily, he knew that nodding his head mean “yes” but never used it to communicate.

Although I would love to see my son saying a few more words but I’m not going to push him to learn. I will let him decide when he wants to read and when he wants to play. When he wants to read, he will choose his own books and bring them to me to read or sometimes I will start reading to see if he is interested. If he is not then, I will switch to flash cards or picture books. If he is still not interested then I will leave him alone and see what he wants to do.


I find the website, Brillbaby.com interesting, they have this flashcard method to teach babies to read words and even maths. The research was lead by Dr. Glenn Doman and I think his project is brilliant.

Dr Glenn says that babies from birth to age 3 is the most crucial time for their brain development. His reason is that from the moment of conception, the brain cells multiply faster than any other cells in a baby’s body. The rapid pace of baby’s brain development continues into early childhood. At birth, the brain weighs 25 percent of its adult weight; by age one, 50 percent; by age two,75 percent and by age three, 90 percent.

I find Dr Glenn’s method useful, I made flashcards numbers for my baby and within a few days he is able to tell 3 or 4 questions right. He can point to the right card when I asked him. So, babies are really born genius. I find it a bit hard to believe but it’s true. However, my baby doesn’t really like word cards, maybe because the cards I’ve made don’t have any pictures in them. So, he is more to memorizing those words and he gets bored with them. I dropped that practice already. Instead, I opt for books with pictures and words. Picture books are fun, I can ask him a word and he will point to the picture or vice versa. It’s like a game.

Brillbaby’s forum is even more interesting as you see parents sharing immense ideas of getting their babies to read and learn. No doubt starting to read early has a lot of benefits. It means our children get to understand words fast and they are able to read and learn more.

“Knowledge is power” as quoted by Albert Einstein.





Tags: baby first words, parenting, Brillbaby, flashcards, education, Dr Glenn Doman, baby reads