Friday, October 31, 2008

Teddy bear

I have newly introduced teddy bear to Chloe. I am not a teddy bear lover because it is not easy to be kept clean especially those bears with long fur. Chloe is just the opposite. After seeing her playing with one of the teddy bear that I got during my early years, I came to notice the below

10 reasons why toddler likes teddy bear?
1) Bears are soft and cuddly. I can hold and drag them around everywhere
2) I loves hug. Whenever mom and dad are too busy to hug me, teddy bear is always there for me.
3) Teddy bear never scold me... unlike mom and dad
4) I can dress teddy bear without any rejection
5) Teddy bear will accompany me whenever I am bored
6) I can sing to teddy bear
Teddy bear, teddy bear turn around
Teddy bear, teddy bear touch the ground
Teddy bear, teddy bear show your foot
Teddy bear, teddy bear fall right down
7) I can bite teddy bear when my gum is itchy ... ops
8) Every night, teddy bear will give me a good night kiss
9) Teddy bear always smile at me
Last but not least, Teddy bear is my best friend

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Who taught her that?

My usual outfit at home are shirt and shorts. Today due to the warm weather, I decided to wear something different while I was trying to create a toddle garden.... I wore a spaghetti-strip blouse. Guess what?
Little Chloe who usually get very excited when I was in the garden said "Mommy, close close it"
"Close what"
Pointing at my shoulder...
"You want mommy to close up my shoulder"
"Yes!"
"But mommy is very hot"
"No, close it". Pointing to my shoulder again
I was speechless.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

It is tough

I always feel that I wanted to spend more time with Little Chloe but seems like time is always not enough coz I need to work at the same time. Today she has been throwing tantrum at me while I was working at home. As usual, I tried to get her to participate in her regular activities but she was whimpering, whining and then screaming at the top of her lungs.
Thinking about it, I may not be spending as much time as she wanted....

Bloop and Loop


I introduced BabyFirstTV to Chloe couple months back so that she can sit down during mealtime... Yes, I will feed her while she was watching TV. I discourage the idea of letting her watching TV but it seems like BabyFirstTV encourage creativity thus I continue letting her watch it for 30min everyday.
Why am I talking about all this??? ops, actually I wanted to share about bloop and loop that is one of the program in BabyFirstTV. After watching Bloop and Loop, Chloe started to mumble the word 'bubble'.... She loves bubbles and right now I am researching ways to do a homemade bubbles... Fun especially during springtime.

Here is a great recipe for homemade bubbles:

1 Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Light Karo syrup or 2 Tablespoons Glycerin
4 Tablespoons tear-free baby wash

Mix together and have fun!

Colored Bubbles:

1 cup granulated soap or soap powder
1 quart warm water
Liquid food coloring
Plastic straws
Small juice cans

Dissolve soap in warm water. Stir in food coloring until desired color is attained. Give each child a can about 1/3 full of mix and a plastic straw to blow the bubbles.

A fun activity that you may want to try with your toddlers is bubble yoga. Bubble yoga is when you teach your baby how to pop the bubbles with different body parts (such as their elbows, knees, tummy), thereby encouraging physical fitness.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

A particular blend of love

I was reading an article about an Indian festival called Diwali which means Festival of Light. This festival is celebrated by Indian all over the world and they have a very particular delicacy called Murukku that I would like to share with all.

4 cups rice grains
1/2 cup full of Love
25gm Kindness & Forgiveness
25gm Bliss seeds
2 tbsp Gentle powder
100gm Togetherness
Lovey-dovey oil
Joy leaves
Glee to taste

Rinse rice well. Dry completely. Grind into find powder.
Fry love. Once done, add tenderness and set aside for a lifetime. Mix Love with Kindness and Forgiveness. For stronger ties, add Bliss seeds, Gentle power and a dollop of Togetherness.
Add kisses to mixture and knead into firm dough. Allow dough to sit for years and years.
Sprinkle crushed Joy leaves for added Togetherness. Grease fingers. Roll dough into thin strips. Twist strips into the shape of your heart. Heat oil. Fry each murukku till golden brown. Add a pinch of Glee. Store in air-tight container. Serve throughout generation.

Friday, October 24, 2008

It's OK to Be Smart...


I just bought my first brain quest for Chloe. I heard alot about BrainQuest being able to develop word skills in fun, playful way. I am really impressed with the outcome of it. Chloe loves Max, the Monkey that comes with it.... Not as a pointer but as a toy :) She mumbles few new words everyday. However she hates the plastic rivet that holds the cards together coz she couldn't take the card out and terribly bent the card when she uses force against it. Any idea how to resolve this?

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Alphabet Recipe

I was cranking my head to think of new activities for Chloe until I noted that it was time to teach her A-B-C... I don't believe in pure education. I believe in creativity and the most important thing FUN!!!

I have found 2 fun way of teaching alphabets.

Method 1
Alphabet Cereal or Cookies
Sliced Bread
Peanut Butter, Jam, or Honey

Directions:
Spread peanut butter, jam or honey on bread with butter knife. Pour some alphabet cereal in a bowl or on a cookie sheet and spread them around. Let your toddler spell his name or other easy word on the bread. Little toddlers can just put random letters on their bread and still have fun.

Method 2
Magnetic alphabets (Playskool magnetic alphabets are durable and just nice for a little child's hands to handle)

Directions:
Put all the alphabets on the floor or on a table and let your child handle it. When he/she pick up the alphabets, read the alphabets to them. They may not get it the first time but repeat this play everyday and you will see a difference.

Good luck and do feel free to comment on the outcome.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Do Re Mi

Everyday I will spend some time singing to Chloe. I had been singing Do Re Mi for couple of weeks and today I saw a tremendous different in Chloe where she is able sing the song with me... let's just sing....

Lyrics:
Let's start at the very beginning
A very good place to start
When you read you begin with

A-B-C
When you sing you begin with do-re-mi

Do-re-mi

Do-re-mi
The first three notes just happen to be
Do-re-mi

Do-re-mi

Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti

Oh, let's see if I can make it easier

Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun
Me, a name I call myself
Far, a long long way to run
Sew, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow sew
Tea, I drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to do...oh oh oh

Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun
Me, a name I call myself
Far, a long long way to run
Sew, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow sew
Tea, I drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to Do

Do re mi fa so la ti do, so do

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Let's go on a vacation

It may be too early to talk about Christmas holiday but I am looking forward for it. This year due to financial turmoil, my hubby's company was forced to shutdown as a cost cutting measurement. I was browsing through the internet for a cheaper getaway and noted that aquarium may be one of the choices. At some of the aquarium, they have toddler time with activity station, storytelling, songs and games. There is also activity to get close with the fishes, dolphin etc... Hmm... I hope Chloe will love it. What do you think?

Monday, October 20, 2008

Regrets regrets...

Yesterday, I bought a Disney Magnetic Drawing board which includes a board book for Chloe. Ignoring the instruction that mentioned it is suitable for children above 3 years old, I bought it in hoping that she will like to read the board book and draw on the board instead of the table :) Unfortunately I was wrong. She did not even flip the board book but instead press hard on the drawing board with the pen until it was spoilt. I hope this is the first and last time Chloe will spoilt a toy in a day.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

My First Block

I am strong believer in investing the right toys that suits Chloe's age. Few months ago, my friend presented Chloe a Fisher Price First Block. At first sight, Chloe will open the lid to put the blocks into the container. Thanks to my hubby, he patiently taught Chloe how the blocks work. There are 4 different shapes and she need to sort it out and put them into the right slots. After a few try and error on her own, she has developed a simple problem-solving skills and sense of accomplishment.
My 2cents:
I am not a Fisher Price promoter but it is worth spending some time understanding your child's need based on their age. It is all about play....

Friday, October 17, 2008

Household chores

Little Chloe has grown up. Today she offers to help me with household chores. Not exactly a useful help but she wanted to help me hang her handkerchief. She just light up my day…

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Potty training the fun way

Lately I have been trying potty train Chloe and found this video which is fun and useful.... The animation is cute and funny. Chloe just love it... Although she is not ready, it teaches her personal hygiene and guess what... she just reminded me to wash her hand after poo poo....

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Reading is fun


Reading to Chloe is the single most valuable thing I can do. Why? It is just a wonderful way to bond with her. When she was just an infant, she will just smile and flip the pages when I read to her. Right now she will read out the word and point to me the physical objects that are shown in the book... I was very delighted to see the connections that we have in reading...

How to Read to your child:

First, be comfortable, cozy and relaxed - both of you. On the other hand, hearing a story can be very calming for a child who is in 'one of those moods'.

Next, make sure your child can see the book the right way up as you read.

For babies and toddlers up to 2 years
Point at pictures and say or ask names of things (depending on age)
Use a slow sing-song voice
Use different voices for different characters - be entertaining
Spend time talking about the pictures before turning the page
Say a name and ask your older baby or toddler to point to the item
Give huge praise each time your child points at and names an object

For 2-4 year-olds
Give your child time to look at the pictures before you read
Ask, 'Where's the...?' 'What's that called?' 'What's she doing?'
Always follow text with your finger as you read
With familiar stories, see if your child can join in or finish phrases
Ask questions like: 'Why did he do that?' 'What happens next?'
Discuss things you both liked/didn't like and why

For 4 year-olds and over (and possibly some 3 year-olds)
As for 2-4 year olds
Ask your child if he can remember the order of events in the story
Try paired reading (sometimes called shared reading)