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Mummy blogs (Part 2)

I realised I’m not alone in remembering Fairy Tales!

Well, I really like music, and singing and reciting nursery rhymes are always fun for kids. They love the tunes and they love the repetition in rhyming words.

BUT, I can’t remember exact words! I usually remember the 1st few lines and after that it is Lah lah lah lah lah…

Furthermore, sometimes the rhymes just don’t make any sense at all!

I am just so bad at it! Do u guys have similar problems?!?

For Example,

1. 3 Blind Mice

We usually remember this part:

3 Blind Mice, 3 Blind Mice, see how they run, see how they run,

But after that, It is really very patchy…

They lah lah lah lah lah lah lah lah, lah lah lah lah lah lah lah lah

And we end with:

3 Blind Mice…

2. Yankee Doodle

Yankee Doodle went to town, to fetch a pail of water (opps…isn’t that Jack and Jill)

3. I’m a little teapot

I’m a little teapot, short and stout. Here is my handle, here is my sprout.

When the lah lah lah lah (Mummy can’t remember), pour me out, tip me over, and pour me out.

4. This Old Man

This old man, he plays one (?!?!), he plays knick knack on my thumb, lah lah lah lah lah lah (I remember can’t remember a lot of this rhyme)… paddy whack, this old man came rolling home

Oh my… I really need to brush up and read more AND commit them to memory.

And most importantly, I’ve got to pray hard the kids don’t ask me what these rhymes mean! Some obviously have none!

I’ll leave you with video of This Old Man: (the lyrics were an eye-opener!)

Related posts:

1. Children’s Fairy Tale

Whenever I am free, I will watch American news via the internet, and I was shocked by a report that I saw!

Do you send a children to a Pediatrician?

Well, we do and we believe he is a good doctor, and he has been doing a great job with the kids when they are sick.

Anyway, in a classic horror story from hell, a Pediatrician in a American town  was charged recently for rape, molestation and other charges…

And it’s not just 1 patient!!!

He has been serving patients in the town for at least 15 years, and the victims are numerous!

To attract the kids, he has a Ferris wheel and a merry-go-round to make a visit to the doc’s a real outing!

Sounds like I would have sent my children there as well! Isn’t that scary!

Read the full story here!

I watched the video and I was shocked by what parents were saying….

They just left the children with the doctor for a few minutes and the “deed” was done.

I hope that nothing like this ever happens in Singapore!

Related posts:

1. Building Strong Families
2. Ps. Kong Hee is in the News
3. Hotel Equatorial Melaka Review– Family Vacation Destination
4. Kids Christmas Presents

Mummy blogs… (Part 1)

How many of you remember your Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales?

As a parent of 3 pre-schoolers, I’ve to tell stories, sing songs and recite nursery rhymes often.

On good days, I’ve the luxury of having a book to rely on. That’s when I can confidently role play, change my voice, do silly actions and make strange faces to illustrate my point. (think of the BIG BAD wolf speaking in a low rumbly voice, and how Humpty Dumpty’s face would look like when he fell!)

But woe to me, if I’ve to do any of the above when I don’t have the book with me. You see, I’m not so sure of all the stories! I do know the basic story line. Alas, the actual words, or the actual ending? hmmm…like what ever happened to the wolf in the 3 little Pigs?

Here’s my struggles. This is Part 1—Fairy Tales:

1. Red Riding Hood

There was a little girl, (who wore red, had a red hood, red dress, blah blah blah). She went to visit her grandma who lived in the woods. When she reached the house, grandma was replaced by the wolf.

Sigh… that’s when I realised I forgot to tell the part about her meeting the wolf on her way there. So I back track. Then, I got stuck, when did they meet? How did the woodcutter (or was it a hunter) come into the picture?

Ohhh! and was grandma eaten up? Or was she tied up in the cupboard? And how did it end? did the wolf die? or it ran away?

2. Three Little Pigs

There were once three little pigs who each built a house (one straw, one wood, one bricks… blah blah blah)

I thought this was an easy story. But I found it rather incredulous that each pig had enough time to RUN to the next house while the wolf blew the house down.

Then came the ending. The pigs boiled a big cauldron of water, and wolf fell in from the roof. And then??

Nicole said, the pigs ate the wolf. Some friends told me the wolf screamed in pain and ran away. Some said that’s it, the end. So what happened?!?

3. Beauty & the Beast

Long ago, there was a girl who… uh oh… why did she go to the Beast’s house?

Oh yes, her daddy went there. erm.. but why?

Anyway, she went there and the Beast didn’t let her go (can’t remember why?!?!) and she made friends with the pots and pans and forks and spoons. (Cue for me to sing Shall We Dance here).

And her daddy (now back at home?!) was sick, so she left. Then the Beast got sick, and she went back, and they kissed and they lived happily ever after.

Gee what a terrible memory I have! I hope all of you have a better idea of these fairy tales! I’ve not dared to tell The Shoemaker and the Elves, Rumplestilskin, Princess & the Pea etc…

Tune in for Part 2 of my struggles—Nursery Rhymes!

Related posts:

1. Nursery Rhymes Song
2. Kidz Amaze – Childrens’ Playground

Mummy blogs …

Recently, Nicole surprised us with a really cool song from school. Check out how she remembers the planets in our solar system:

(Sing this to the tune of “She’ll be coming round the mountain when she comes”)

There are eight planets going round the sun

There are eight planets going round the sun

Mercury Venus Ear-th

Mars Ju-pi-ter and Saturn

Uranus Neptune going round the sun

When I first heard it, I actually clapped in pure astonishment. It was a fantastic song, and she knew the names of the planets and all in order! (cos I didn’t know!)

Well, we asked her questions about the solar system, and she was really quite a little expert at it! Things she learnt (and we learnt too):

1. Pluto is the furthest away from the sun. And it is so so far away, we can’t really see it. So it is not really a planet.

2. Mars is red, only Earth has water

3. The earth moves around the sun, and it also rotates itself

4. We all live in a solar system called Milky Way

5. She could identify the planets based on pictures we shown her!

Oooohhh aren’t you impressed? She’s four-and-a-half, and knows so much!

That’s not all! Out of this *deep* interest in planets, she requested the following for her birthday present this year:

1. A telescope that we can put in the house, so that she can see all the planets! (haha…I’m not even sure if our Science Centre has that powerful a telescope!)

2. A BIG book on planets. She says our current ladybird one is too small, she can’t see all the pictures of the planets.

Request 1 was easy to settle. We told her, we need to find such a good telescope. We don’t think it’s sold in Singapore! As for Request 2, my initial reaction was, ok. I’ll get it for you.

I felt really guilty after a week of persistent asking. I mean, my daughter is asking for a BOOK, and a EDUCATIONAL one… why am I so hesitant to get her that? I can save that for requests for PSP, iphones, toys, chocolates, ice creams etc…!!

So this week, we brought her to Borders to choose her Big Book on planets. This is what she chose! And I really like it too! Not too wordy, easy to understand, nothing overly scientific!

She is one happy Planetary Scientist!

Tips for Parents:

Songs make learning really easy! The tunes have to be catchy so they pick it up real fast. So it does help for us parents to up our repertoire!

Related posts:

1. Parenting: Science at home!
2. Mead Johnson at the Science Centre
3. Finding a Quality Preschool (Guest Post)
4. National Day Performance at Preschool
5. Free tickets to Asian Civilization Museum

The next few days promises to be one of great merrymaking and one where there is lots of eating.

Chinese New Year is a time when we Chinese dress-up and we have our own version of Thanksgiving, and when we spend time with our family.

Last year, Nicole really did well, as she danced her way into the hearts of the relatives.

This year, Nicole had some great advice for her siblings on how to say Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Nicole says:

1st, you got to make a “Stone”

2ndly, you got to make a “Paper”

And when you put them together, you have got a:

Have a Great New Year, and all the best from the Tay Family!

Related posts:

1. Chinese New Year Performance
2. Planning for a 4 year old Birthday Party
3. Baking cakes & cookies with the kids
4. Learning how to be a better Parent: Baby’s Constipation
5. Brits got Talent – 10 year old Hollie Steel

We just celebrated Nathan’s Birthday and Nathan thoroughly enjoyed his day.

On that day, Mummy had a conversation with him.

Mummy: What do you want for your Birthday?

Nathan: Cake!

Mummy: Yes, you will have a cake. What else do you want?

Nathan: Candle!

Mummy: haha… yes, there’ll be candles. What else do you want mummy and daddy to buy for you?

Nathan: Knife!

Mummy: ?!?!?!? That’s all? Anything else?

Nathan: Nope!

This was when Daddy have to open up his mind and ask him to ask for more things!

Daddy: Nathan! No Birthday will be complete without Presents! You have to ask for Presents when you celebrate your birthday! Do u want Presents?

Nathan: RIGHT! (He can’t tell when to say Yes or Right!)

Isn’t Life kind of like that? Sometimes we think we know a lot and we stop asking for more!

But we need someone bigger, to come along, and Open up our minds to help us to believe and ask for more.

I guess from now on, Nathan is going to ask for MORE, when he celebrates his birthday!

Here are some pictures of him celebrating his BIG DAY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHAN! WE LOVE U!!!

Related posts:

1. Celebrating Grandpa’s Birthday!
2. Birthday Month Roundup
3. Planning for a 4 year old Birthday Party
4. Birthday Party at School (Part 2)
5. Chinese New Year Performance