Sekinchan Beach Clean Up 17 January 2011

En wish to initiate a clean-up day at the filthy Sekinchan Redang beach. She asked me about the whats and hows.
Questions like 'How to close the beach area?' , ' How to pass message on the radio?' , ' How she could put up messages to tell people not to litter?' etc.

She even invited her friend, D to join.
Upon hearing that, D ran to me, with wide-eyed and asked " Does En really going to clean up the beach? "
I said, " I guess so! "

She invited her dad to join and it has to be on a weekend when dad is not working.

Well, how shall I go about now? ehmmm.... anyone care to join?

Caring Moment 12 January 2011

Wednesday 9am
At Taman Tasik Menjalara.

En ran towards the tunnel slide, upon seeing Hui sliding down. She wanted to remind her of the crack at the bottom of the slide.

"Slow down, slow down, mei mei, the slide is broken"

There are 6 important points in the education of the heart which influences parents on how to they view their children:

1. Don't look at the weak point or shortcomings. Focus on his/her strong points and praise him/her from that.
2. Don't look at the present form as the completed form, know that the child is growing in progress and believe that he/she will continue to improve.
3. Don't be a perfectionist. Try to think that it is okay not to be perfect or it's okay not to be able to do a certain thing now.
4. Don't compare. Every child has a potential to be the best. Our child is growing at his/her own pace.
5. Don't put priority in academic achievements. Recognise his/her effort even if he/she does not do well.
6. Learn to see the child as perfect - just as he/she is.

A change in the parents' view toward their child will change the child. Normally, parents view their child in a negative way because (1) parents set standards to evaluate their children, and (2) parents compare their own children with others. Once parents change their mindset to a positive one, children will relax and start opening up their heart. As a result, their brain will be developed. It will not be long before they develop into wonderful children - Makoto Shichida.

Not tadpoles? 7 January 2010

Friday afternoon.

We went to dpc park after hearing aunty J spotted some frogspawn. Unfortunately, we couldn't locate any. I used a tiffin to scoop some tadpoles (which I thought was tadpoles) and some algae with water snail on it. Happily, I thought we could observe the life cycle of frog again.  

En trying to fish with her self made rod.

I found a shady place, sat down and went into deep thoughts while En&Hui played by the brook. En came over and asked what I was doing. I told her I was thinking about life. She said, " me too". Naturally, the next question from me would be, "What is on your mind? " En added ' I can't tell you, I think of it everyday and you will know it when I grow up'. !!!!!  

Hui cooked with the stinky water from the brook. Just like what I did when I was a child.

When dad came home at night, he said that those are  fishes and not tadpoles !! 

The next morning, I told En about it. She replied 'Yeah tadpole's head is big and black'. My jaw dropped, I asked 'Why didn' t you tell me yesterday ?' Oh man! This is embarassing. ;p

Sunrise ! sunrise ! 2 November 2010

I have no idea what time it was and I heard " WAKE UP mommy, WAKE UP. see sunrise" I opened one eye, caught a glimpse of them looking out of the window, beaming with joy, catching the sunrise, from our home! The night before they made a pact with dad to watch sunrise in the morning. Dad had to set alarm to wake up. My reply was  "NO thanks I have seen it before" and went back to sleep.  

Old folks home, that's where I am gonna be. 13 October 2010

I forget how this conversation came about.

En said to me " I will send you to the old folks home when you are old. And I will stay there as well "
Me (pretty worrying about what she said and trying to think positively) :  Why do we stay at old folks and not our home?
En : Because I need to take care of other old folks too.

Made in China 7 October 2010

Over dinner, En asked " Why is everything made in China? "
Feeling surprised, I asked "How do you know that?"
En: Most of the labels at the back, have "Made in China" words.

Little kids are amazing, aren't they !

I said, "Yes, that's because the cost of production in China is low. Hence if you set up a factory there, the cost is lower , which also means more profit"

 En's cut & paste and crayon painting 13 October 2010

We are TWINS! 14 September 2010

En got two exact same T-shirts from aunty wah ! :) She got Hui to wear one, (though it is big for Hui) as she said " We are twins ".

The twins went on to put on the same hairclip and bangles.

A disagreement came up after Hui chose an extra butterfly clip (from aunty Joyce) to put on her hair. En voiced up "We must look the SAME". Hui protested "But I LIKE the butterfly clip". Looking at the intense situation, I was about to interfere.. but somehow this statement,  " Children is able to solve a conflict and come out with an agreement " popped up.  I should step back as I wasn't being asked for an opinion or help.

En : " Ok, you could wear this in the car only ". Hui : " I want to wear it, to the lift too".
En : Pausing, "Hey, you can just wear it and let them spot the difference between us. Mommy, can you spot the different ?"
Me :  Huh, spot the difference ? ehm.. I can't.
Both : pointing to the clip, "See ! Here.  And the skirt ! " laughing..
Me: Oh ! yes. Identical twins.

Walking hand in hand to the lift lobby, En told Hui " Twins can argue and can be good too ".

The good side of En 8 September 2010

Wednesday afternoon
En was pestering me to pack for camping trip the whole morning. So, I instructed her to pack for herself and take two lanterns along.

Among the 3 lanterns, she chose the two most adorable ones. One of the choice was a battery-operated type. Unfortunately, the battery is weak. So I said "Leave that out as the light is dim". She voiced up,  " I don't like the other one"

Reluctantly, she exchanged the lanterns. Staring at the least attractive lantern , En uttered "Ok, This one for Hui". Upon hearing that, I just nodded.
Later on, when I unzipped Hui's back-pack, the more adorable one was inside there. I found the least attactive lantern was inside En's bag.

With great admiration, I said " You gave your sister's the nicer lantern. That was a great act of giving. You just did a thing that make the world more beautiful ". En gave a big grin and proud of herself.

The first child 24 August 2010

Tuesday

Ever since I have Hui, inevitably I find myself pushing En to act more grown up. I forget that she is only 6 and still very much a child. It is a very common mistake that we do, treating our children according to their birth order !

What scared me was hearing En using the exact same words on Hui, the ones I just used on her. She is displacing her anger, frustration, getting her own sense of power and self-respect back by doing so.

I am certainly not a great mom and have much more to learn for being one. I am sorry, En. Please forgive me.

Not my way anymore. 30 July 2010

Friday.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I walked into the EnHui's bedroom,
" Tambourines and Treacle Tarts!  "

She decorated her bed frame and added a 'cupboard' for stationery.

Another 'cupboard' for toys and a window with Halloween theme

Two tables from the study room has been shifted to the bedroom.

Though I noticed she was decorating her room, behind close door, the day before, never did I know the changes was this much. Oh my. I was about to blow up.. then I saw her drawing.

It is such a happy drawing, with the caption "I LOVE TO PLAY"

That must be Hui's drawing. It is a rainbow. She has been trying to paint rainbow lately.

Then, I saw she completed another piece of sums.

Dad's drawing. Impressive. Never attend art class at all.

I think maybe she needs her table in her bedroom. I decorated my own room.. and why not her.  

How long is En going to come back? 23 July 2010

Friday night.

 Hui asked "How long is En going to come back? ..(paused).. I love En." En wanted to sleepover at grandma's , hoping to catch the first glimpse of uncle Vich when he arrives. This is her second sleepover.
Hui misses her at home. 

( Photo - reading before bedtime. 24 Aug 09 )

Sweatheart/Sweetie 27 June 2010

Sunday bedtime.
En to Hui : Goodnight, sweetheart.
Hui:  Goodnight, sweetie.

En: Sleep now and mommy will wake us up to go Cherating.

(En named Hui sweetheart and she is En's pet elephant)

Hui to mommy : Tomorrow we are going to see "tortoise lay eggs" . :) 
Me: Yes, turtles lay eggs.

En's thought on adult 28 May 2010

Friday pm.
" Mommy, I like to be a young child (she meant toddler and baby). Adult likes young children and they like to play with them. But they don't like to play with children like me. (she meant older). "

En's made a neck tie for dad and made him wear to work! ( LOL)

Just Me & En 21 April 2010

Wednesday night.
Tonight, Hui slept much earlier. I finally got to allocate "En&Me" time for her. En suggested we do some craft. So, a 'spy-headquarter' door sign it is, from How to Be a Spy in 7 Days or Less! She is still so attach to this book and even asked to meet with a real spy! When we have done painting, she grabbed the crayon box, papers and moved on to drawing/colouring. I just followed her lead and joined in. Tonight, I felt a deep sense of joy, enjoying every moment with her. I realised I have not been able to spend time alone with her for quite some time. I saw how patient she is, waiting for my time and how impatient I could be, when I waited for her.

Left- En painted the sign. Right- a painted frame, cut-out from a cereal box.

Left- the page of the door sign craft. Right- My crayon work.

 Left- En's crayon work "eggs".

Before bedtime, she checked on the pressed-leaves that she created on 8th April 2010.

the ready pressed-leaves.

On 8 April, En collected and pressed some ixora leaves. We did a pressed ixora flowers before and she loves the outcome, all flat and nice. We pasted it on card to make a bookmark. Now, she came out with the idea of pressed-leaves.

Step 1 - En laid the leaves on a piece of tissue.

Step 2 - Put another piece of tissue on top of the leaves.

Step 3- Slide it in between the pages of thick books. Check after 14days.

Before En went to bed, she said "I love you, mommy" and asked for a hug. :) What a great night it was. It's so so important to allocate 'private' time for each child!

En's hammock 18 April 2010

Sunday pm
I heard a loud 'BANG' from the kitchen! When I peeped, En was with a huge pile of stuffs on the floor. Brushing aside the thought of what she was up to this time, I continued with what I was doing. Shortly later, she went to the pool and so I went to inspect the area.

Right- one end of the 2'S' hooks, hooked to the net & the other end, hang on the chair.

Left- the piles of stuff she could find to put on the chair, preventing it from falling.

The other end of the net was hooked with 2'S' hooks and hang on the window grill.

She was trying to make a hammock! And I think when she tried to sleep on it, the chair must have toppled resulting in all the stuffs dropped onto the floor = loud 'BANG'. Some stuffs were still lying on the floor which was the proof of it, falling ! And she picked up those stuff and fixed the hammock again. :) 

Dad the barber 18 April 2010

Sunday pm
We need to trim EnHui's hair, for they are going to be a flower girl this weekend.

Left- Hui was the first one. Right- En who was waiting, cut herself an apron.

Left- When dad called her, she was "fully" protected!

En's hair from the fringe.

Photo Shoot by Moments Photography 17 April 2010

Saturday 830am

En experienced photo-shooting  with Moments Photography

*happy birthday, caris. :)

En's box bed 16 April 2010

Friday night.

En zzzzz

En asked if she could sleep in a box. I stared at her blankly and thinking of what to say. She seems to read my mind and said  "Don't worry, I can sleep in there". I said "Ok!". When I checked on her, she happily said "It looks dark inside but I have a pillow, blanket and bolster". A short while later, she dozed off ..zzzzzz. :)

Saturday 745am 17 April 2010

En woke up! said " I slept in the box ! :) "

Resonance Function of the Right Brain 16 April 2010

Friday 845am.
En : "Let's picnic at the park".
I : Ok. (seeing Hui naked..). Zhang hui, please put on clothes.
Hui : It's ok, there is noboby at the park.
(I peeped through the curtain and truly, there was no one at the park ! not even a cleaner. )

Thursday 230pm
We were driving towards grandma's home. Just 5 minitues before we arrived, Hui blurted "gu gu(uncle) is back". At this hour, my brothers are at work. So I asked "Which gu gu?" Hui replied "big gu gu". When I arrived, lo and behold, my elder brother 's car is at home! My mom who was waiting at the gate, got into my car. We drove to the clinic for mom's doctor appt. I asked mom "Elder brother is not working today?". My mom replied " He just got back couple of minutes ago." !!

Thursday night.
En said " Dad will be at the lift".
I : How do you know?

When we parked the car and walked to the lift, dada wasn't there. En seems to anticipate his arrival. Finally, the lift arrived, suddenly Dad walked into the lift lobby!

Resonance function is based on the theory that cells radiate energy waves and receive wave radiations from the environment. The natural functions of the right brain is able to receive information from all cellls of the body and transformed it into an image. by prof Makoto Shichida.
How to raise a superb child: How to develop an infant's right and left brain hemispheres

En & business plan 15 April 2010

Thursday 8am.
Yesterday night, at bedtime, I heard En whispered 'a table, stick an umbrella on it'. She was in deep thoughts and laughed once a while. Finally she broke the silence by announcing, "I can make money by selling paper-cutting craft". I replied "yeah, okay, good. Maybe you could start by selling it to your relatives and family members. Ask 'Ah Yi'(aunt), Ah Kim (aunt), grand aunt bla bla. When their friends see the great craft of yours, they will enquire about it. That's how you get the contacts"

This morning, oh my.. before I knew it, she was outside, setting up her business. 

En began cutting papers and Hui wonder what was En up to!

I : What are you doing out here?

En : I am setting up a table to sell paper-cutting craft.
I : Oh ok. 
En : See, I have dressed up nicely for customers.
While I snapped photos,
En : I love my job. I love my work. *grinning*
I : (I was speechless! What more can I say? She loves her job. Wow!! ! It's so wonderful. ) Kid should be free to explore life. And they can't do that with people telling them what to do all the time. And who decides what they are supposed to learn.
Hui : (finally spoke) Woman can go to work?
I : Yeah, I want to find a job too.
En : No need mommy, I will work. You look after mei mei. (paused)
En : I don't know how to calculate money and I took your calculator.
I : How much is this? (pointed to a little yellow thing she has cut)
En : 3 ringgit.
I : ok. I take this. (give her 5 ringgit)
En : How much do I need to return you?
I : 5 take away 3.
En : oh 2.

A moment later, she came in, mentioned  no one buys her craft. So I said 'maybe it's the location'. En said "I cannot go out there. I need to ask dada 's help".

En used to comment " I don't like to work. I don't like to get out of the apt. I don't like to drive. Hui drives and bring me food  when asked "what would you do in future".

Then one day, last December, at DPC playground, she asked me " Do you like this(pointed to Northshore) or that (Zenia)? I said "If I am single, I love Northshore. Now that I have children, Zenia would be more appropriate as it's has garden and compound for you to play. En added "Ok, I'll buy this (pointed to Zenia) but not now. I need to sell lots lots of books first" (at that moment, her ambition was an author). Zenia and Northshore Gardens
Her first ambition was a kangaroo zoo keeper, falling in love with kangaroos at aged 4. Then, she wanted to be an astronaut, wondering what up there is like. Follow by cleaner (seeing cleaner aunty sweeping the apt), bakery business because she loves food, baking and cooking. Subsequently, author for a long time before changing it to animal trainer after experiencing feeding giant tortoises at Singapore Zoo last month.

She has been typing stories, short and whimsical. One day, she passed me a book (she called it) that she has printed and asked me for RM1. (she meant selling it to me). I took it happily, commented "wow! that's cheap. Ok. Then I pointed to a book at my bedside table - this one I bought at RM60!" En was shocked! :)

My RM1 book!

Yesterday, at lunch with aunty Rayhana & aunty See Ming, she blurted out "You know I start to make money."Aunty Rayhana asked "yeah, how do you make money?". En said "doing farming". 

There is so much thoughts in this little 6 year old ! (turning 6 next month).