I was at a work talk, which was pretty mundane, but at the end the speaker was telling the story of The Three Bricklayers to drive home the idea of having the right attitude and understanding the big picture. Basically the story goes like this,
"Someone saw three men working. He asked the first man what he was doing and the man said he was laying bricks. He asked the second man the same question and he said he was putting up a wall. When he got to the third man and asked him what he was doing he said he was building a cathedral."
They were all doing the same thing. The first man had a job. The second man had a career. The third man had a calling.
At an organisational level, it's important for an employee to know that no matter how small our job is or how insignificant it may seem, we are all laying bricks to build the company up. There is a big picture in our daily actions, and what little we do still makes a difference.
On hearing that parable, I related it more to me being a mum and how I communicate to Lil Pumpkin about her studies, though.
As she progresses through her schooling years, her school load is getting more and more intensive. Every other day, I'm telling her to "study hard", or "do your homework" or "remember your revision" etc. Even I reckon that I sound like a broken record and find it sian to say it over, and over again...
I know Lil Pumpkin is a curious child and likes learning new things, but sometimes schoolwork or listening in class can be boring. Rather than just reminding her on completing the immediate task e.g. learn her spelling or finish her homework, I should remind her to see the end result and focus on the bigger picture i.e. gaining more knowledge, creating a life that she wants, being a useful citizen of the world, having the ability to positively impact others in the future etc.
Maybe then, she would be more self-motivated to strive on completing the challenging tasks at hand without me prompting, and not be disappointed if she has mini set-backs in her schooling journey.
Lil Pumpkin may be laying bricks every day, but if she can envision her own personal "cathedral", she will enjoy her school years more, and grow more through the process. Right? #mummymusings
We celebrated Father's Day in Singapore yesterday (*＾▽＾)／
It was a simple affair. The boy was working, and I was out most of the day taking my Singapore National Climbing Standards Level 1 Cert {more on that later} so we only went out for a family dinner to celebrate at night.
No need for fancy restaurants or expensive food for a wholesome family meal. The boy was happy to go to our neighbourhood's Mookata {Thai BBQ & steamboat} stall to have a scrumptious, high-protein dinner at a really affordable price heh...
Our whole dinner for 3 pax came up to only S$45+!! And that is after we ordered at least 2-3 each of beef, chicken, pork, salmon, oyster, Chinese sausage, quail eggs, spinach, shisamo, crabsticks etc.
It was a really hot day, and the poor ventilation plus steam from the Mookata grill pan made us perspire more and feel even stickier.. but that didn't stop us from having a good time ヾ(´▽｀;)ゝ
Even Lil Pumpkin had fun cooking her own food with chopsticks.. I must say, she's getting pretty proficient in it nowadays. When she was younger, we did it all for her, but now, we're happy to let her experiment, learn the different cooking times required for different types of food, observe the colour changes when the food is cooked, and dish it out for herself.
The protective part of me is scared that she'd burn or scald herself, of course.. but then, she's old enough to know how to handle herself and learn from her mistakes if she does anyway. We can't protect and pamper her forever, right??
Just a simple video at the start of our dinner with our first round of dishes... after that we ordered some more because it wasn't enough haha!
Lil Pumpkin painted a wonderful Father's Day card for the boy again this year but I forgot to take a pic. Will update this post with it later.
Happy Father's Day, Poogeo!! Thanks for being such a wonderful and hands-on dad with Lil Pumpkin. Your girls love you very much!! ❤
And Happy Father's Day to my own daddy dearest too!! Even though we don't meet or talk as much nowadays, still appreciate you for all the sacrifices you made taking care of all of us growing up (⌒▽⌒)☆
Hope you'd be able to slow down at work soon and learn to relax and enjoy life now that you're older.. Love you, daddy!!
It's the last day of Chinese New Year!! After 15 days of celebrations and feasting... CNY is officially over after today. Hope everyone managed to have a reeeeeaaaally good rest and fun time with your loved ones.
I certainly took full advantage of the long weekend, and added 2 extra days to it haha since Lil Pumpkin's school was closed on the following Monday and Tuesday too. The boy's clinic is fully closed for the year only during CNY so it was a real treat for all of us (♥ω♥ ) ~♪
Still {!!} slowly getting back into the grind of work and our usual family schedule now (。-ω-)zzz
On Monday {CNY Day 4}, we brought Lil Pumpkin to see Butterflies Up-Close at Science Centre Singapore. The previous week, she went on a school excursion to the Science Centre with her classmates BUT they apparently spent the whole time there in a lab learning about insects!! They didn't get to explore the different exhibitions or events at our award-winning Science Centre which was such a shame as they have so many creative and innovative experiences available for the kids to learn more about science.
Oh well. Poor Lil Pumpkin was so disappointed and I didn't understand why they had to go all the way there to learn in a lab too when her own school has good labs haha so anyway we brought her back to make up for that disappointing school excursion.
Butterflies Up-Close is a permanent exhibition at Science Centre that opened from April 2016. Spanning 600sq metres and divided into 5 different zones, it is a joint project with Sentosa's Butterfly and Insect Kingdom to guide visitors through the metamorphosis of a butterfly - from egg to adulthood.
With only around 1 in 20 eggs making it to adulthood, the butterfly is met with numerous dangers and threats during each stage of its life cycle. At the exhibition, participants gain a deeper insight on how the butterfly behaves, interacts with its surroundings, and survives each stage of its life cycle to become a beautiful winged adult.
There's a diverse range of butterflies to learn about here from the region and on entering, you see this amazing giant art-piece that's made of real butterfly wings. Approximately 4,000 wing pieces from 28 different butterfly species actually.
Don't worry, they were collected from the butterflies after they ended their life cycles naturally!
Since we arrived early in the morning and it was our first paid exhibit we went to that day {we also went to Circus! Science Under the Big Top, read more about it below}, there weren't any other visitors as the crowd start trickling in around noon.
We took our time to read the descriptions, learn some cool trivia {did you know that moths usually rest with their wings flat, while butterflies with their wings folded??}, observe real butterflies under microscopes, check out some of the live caterpillars in the tanks..
... and of course, take photos hehe.
The highlight of the Butterflies Up-Close is definitely the Live Butterfly Enclosure. Although the number of butterflies and species vary on the season, you can expect around 500 live butterflies of over 15 species imported from countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia flying freely here.
And yes, you are allowed to touch and pick up the butterflies yourself! This thrilled Lil Pumpkin {and meeeeee} tremendously! ✿♥‿♥✿
Note: The staff will teach you how to pick them up safely from their legs. Do not touch their wings!
The Live Butterfly Enclosure is Singapore's largest indoor butterfly aviary where both humidity and temperature are carefully regulated to ensure that both the plants and butterflies thrive well there.
It was a lovely, cool respite from the hot weather outside for sure.
There's a little Research Pod in the center of the enclosure where you can see parts of the butterflies under microscopes, learn about their anatomy and see how a butterfly "shimmers" as you alter the angle of light shining on it.
But most of the time, we spent it chasing after live butterflies hehe...
Oh what an experience! Living in a concrete city, it's not often that we get to be so intimate with nature, especially beautiful creatures like butterflies. Sure, we try to bring Lil Pumpkin to parks and hiking trails every now and then, but it doesn't mean that we'd always be able to touch and have so many butterflies surrounding us.
And goodness, there were so tame!! A lot of them were just resting peacefully on plants, or sipping at their meals, and some even came to land on us by themselves...
The boy was especially popular with the butterflies.. just call him The Butterfly Whisperer haha. The whole time we were there, he had a butterfly on him either on his head, back, shoulders etc.
The staff said it's because he's wearing red and butterflies are attracted to red... but I'm wearing red too, how come they don't come to me as much??? #jealous
Lil Pumpkin was really gentle with the butterflies and I loved seeing this side of her.
She was aware of her surroundings and figured out for herself which butterflies were more likely agreeable to her picking them up {hint: bigger butterflies that were just resting and not feeding}, patiently inched her little fingers underneath their legs and ever so softly and slowly, lifted them up without frightening them away. Such a darling (‘∀’●)♡
I reckon we spent at least half an hour just at the Live Butterfly Enclosure.
There's no time limit and the staff won't chase you out but once more people came in, it felt kinda cramped and the butterflies were not as relaxed.
We stayed until Lil Pumpkin was well and ready to leave.. she was really pleased with the visit and I'm delighted that we brought her back to Science Centre where she not only learnt new things, but had fun doing so too ꒰✪ૢꇵ✪ૢ꒱ෆ⃛
Took a lot more pictures which I compiled in the video above. You know I really like something when I take the effort to make a video of it haha so have a look, and if it isn't playing properly, watch it on my YouTube channel here.
After that, we explored the main Science Centre attractions as well as Circus! Science Under the Big Top to discover the secrets and the science behind the wonders of the circus before heading home. See my Instagram post above to check out the highlights of that exhibit.
Oh if your kids visit & really love the experience, you might want to consider holding a birthday party there!
Yup, I saw on their website that they have Butterflies Up-Close kids birthday packages now which includes a decorated party room overlooking the Live Butterfly Enclosure, face-painting / balloon-sculpting activity, guided tour, birthday food, party packs and even a memorable live butterfly release for the birthday child to mark the occasion!! Oooooo~!
Butterflies Up-Close Live @ Science Centre Singapore
Hall D, Science Centre, 15 Science Centre Road
Open daily 10am - 6pm {last admission at 5.15pm}
Admission: S$10 per adult or child {3-12 years old}, on top of Science Centre admission charges * Science Centre charges - FREE for Singaporeans during school term weekdays, S$6/adult & S$4/child for Singaporeans during weekends, public holidays and school holidays. Separate fees for non-Singaporeans apply.
Website: http://www.science.edu.sg/exhibitions/Pages/ButterfliesUp-Close.aspx
Ergonomic, affordable, well-designed AND light school bags for kids?? That's like the unicorn of school bags i.e. perfect yet mythical, because usually you only find two... maaaaaybe three factors in one school bag, never really all four.
However, with the new Bromin ergonomic and light backpacks for kids, you just might catch that unicorn.
School bags are a necessity for schooling kids. We often try to find one with the factors I mentioned above for when kids go to school, but often neglect the fact that the kids also have activities and enrichment classes outside of school. And sometimes the time carrying bags for those after-school / weekend activities and classes can be longer than when they go to school.
But then, how often are they using ergonomic bags to keep their backs healthy for those activities and classes? Do your kids clear their ergonomic bags meant for school, and use them to carry their books and stuff for outside school? Or do they usually use a random bag you had lying around, or the free bags that come with the classes with you sign up with them?
Honestly, Lil Pumpkin ends up doing the latter haha as it's just too troublesome to clear our her school bag each time to use for outside-school!! #oops
As someone who has been living with backaches and pain for most of my adult life, keeping my and my family's backs healthy is very important to me.
I made sure that Lil Pumpkin has an ergonomic bag with good back support for school {which is still going strong & she still loves!}, but it was only in the last few months that I realised that hey, she should have another ergonomic bag for her gym, Chinese and Maths enrichment classes, or when she goes to the boy's clinic or my mum's home too as she needs to carry her own bag considerably often then too.
Not to mention with the erratic weather, it's good to have a spare bag in case her usual schoolbag gets drenched in the rain!
I recently came to learn of Bromin, a Singapore-based bag maker and importer, that has launched a new series of light-weight ergonomic school backpack for kids.
The Bromin backpack promotes better spinal health for school children and weighs just under 0.7kg {ergonomic school bags from other brands usually weigh 0.9kg}, are currently priced affordably under S$90 and have a lifetime warranty.
There are currently 2 designs - Bromin Lite and Bromin Tech, that are available in Sporty Blue and Fuchsia Pink. No guesses on which colour Lil Pumpkin went for, obviously heh..
Bromin Lite Ergonomic Backpack has the following features,
Weighs just 665g, which is even lighter than her current ergonomic schoolbag
Really roomy - measures 38cm high x 25cm wide x 21cm deep
Made of water-resistant high density nylon
Plush back-support cushioning for extra comfort
Waist and chest straps to even out the weight of the bag
Flip-top cover with G-hook buckle for quick access
"Box" design with with a wide, drawstring opening for easy access to the contents. You can see everything when it's open!
Segmented inner compartment {inside the bag} with detachable option to adjust the compartment size
Side utility pouch {inside the bag} for storage
Large front pocket that extends inward into the bag, keeping it compact even with a full load
Huge mesh outer pockets for pencil cases, water bottle, tissue packets etc.
4 plastic knobs at the bottom of the bag to help it stand upright at all times, even without support
Reflective light strips for extra safety
Bromin Tech Ergonomic Backpack has the following features,
Weighs 675g, a negligible 10g heavier than Bromin Lite
Really roomy too, but less deep than Bromin Lite - 38cm high x 25cm wide x 21cm deep
Made of water-resistant high density nylon
Plush back-support cushioning for extra comfort
Waist and chest straps to even out the weight of the bag
Zipper opening that opens up the front
Less compartmentalisation compared to Bromin Lite, but also has inner back and front pockets {inside the bag}
Large front pocket is flatter and not as spacious as Bromin Lite, but has extra inner compartments and a detachable key holder
Huge mesh outer pockets for pencil cases, water bottle, tissue packets etc.
Does not have any "bag feet" so bag might be wet if placed on a wet floor, but will still stand upright even when the main compartment is open
Reflective light strips for extra safety
When I showed Lil Pumpkin both bag designs, she was immediately drawn to Bromin Lite because of its flip-top cover and metal G-hook I reckon. Something novel for her haha. Personally, I like that boxy design too as it reminds me of Japanese randoseru {ランドセル} school bags which I adore.
Also, the very spacious main compartment is a huge plus point. Depending on the quantity of books and supplies needed for each class, sometimes she also needs to put in a packed lunch, a change of clothes, and other extras. For this reason, I like her bag with multiple compartments, including a large central chamber, a second section for folders and other paper, an exterior pouch for pens and writing materials, and side pockets for her water bottle, tissue paper etc.
However, I'm not that keen on the clear plastic buckles used for the big round bag feet. Not sure how lasting that would be and would they become brittle after some time to crack and break? Also, if she dumps her bag that's heavy with books etc. on the floor, would it break from the impact? Hmmm..
BUT having said that, the good thing about having the bag feet as plastic is that it's easy to clean, light, water-proof and will not rust.
Lil Pumpkin wanted her cousin, Lil J, to have the Bromin Tech bag so that they can be matchy-matchy together :)
When my sis saw the bag, she said that it was such a bright pink!! But she also said, "Ya, good so that we can spot the girls easily and they won't get lost!!" hehe..
Bromin Tech is less bulky than Bromin Lite and I reckon would fit kids with a smaller frame better. It's still too big for Lil J and she's not able to make full use of its ergonomic functions now, obviously, as the bags are recommended for kids aged 6-10 years old, but she's still able to carry it comfortably and use the spacious bag to hold all her clothes, books, toys and accessories when she goes to preschool / childcare. And she loves having a similar bag to Lil Pumpkin too! ❤
Oh, and they also come with a lifetime warranty against manufacturing faults and defective parts. Just remember to register upon purchase.
If you're looking for a new school bag for the coming school year, do check out Bromin ergonomic and light school bags on Bromin website, and at Tom & Stephanie stores located at Eastpoint Mall {Simei}, West Mall {Bukit Batok} and One KM Mall {Katong}. I suggest going to the physical stores to let your child try the bags first before purchasing though..
Promo: 20% OFF Bromin ergonomic school bags for kids. Bromin Lite costs S$88 {U.P. S$108} and Bromin Tech costs $68 {U.P. S$88}. At these prices, I reckon you can still get two ergonomic bags for school, and outside-school activities, and they would still cost you less than a lot of ergonomic bags in the market nowadays. Not to mention, they are currently the lightest ergo schoolbag you can buy!! Valid until 31 Dec 2017 only.
Lil Pumpkin has been using 3M LED6000 Polarizing Light for the past 3 years {her table has grown in size with her though! haha} and recently, we've been using the newly-released 3M P1610 Polarizing Task Light as well.
Like the LED6000 Polarizing Light, it is also fitted with 3M’s Polarizing Filter Technology, which consists of a 3M proprietary optical film to reduce glare by up to 80%. While most other lamps allow both comfortable and harmful light to enter, the 3M polarizing optical film only filters comfortable light through; at the same time, it converts the harmful rays into optimal lighting as well.
As such, only optimal light reaches the eyes - this not only minimizes the immediate eye strain to allow for longer hours of comfortable reading, but also decreases risk of long-term effects such as cataracts and macular degeneration {a leading cause of vision loss where a small central portion of the retina, known as the macula, deteriorates}.
Did you know that the closer artificial lighting is to mimicking natural daylight patterns, the higher the person to be happier, and thus more productive??
Well, according to a U.S. study, for good circadian health, you should have higher amounts of light from cooler light sources at least two to three hours in the morning to mimic the sunrise, followed by a tapering off in light intensity towards evening hours, to a warmer and gentle light source to encourage calm and relaxation.
Following these findings, the LED P1610 Polarizing Task Light allows users to customize the light colour via a touch control to adjust the colour of the lamp according to the time of the day, or mood levels. The touch control is pretty sensitive and you only need a light touch to activate it. There are 5 colour selections from Cool White to Warm White.
When Lil Pumpkin is studying or when I'm working during the day, we use Cool White for increased alertness, and when I'm reading a book before sleeping, I'll use Warm White to help me wind down for the day as it encourages calmness and relaxation.
The same touch control also enables us to adjust the light intensity. For example, we can use higher lux levels for more detailed-focused activities such as studying or rainbow-looming that require brighter illumination, and lower lux levels for light reading in bed at night to relax.
The high-intensity light is even good enough for the boy to do his vet surgery in..
He tried it out once when his surgery light was spoilt and said it did its job haha... He also liked that the 3M LED P1610 Polarizing Task Light was fully adjustable and rotational {i.e. versatile enough to turn awkward angles}, and at S$289, was a good and cheap {relative to his S$3,000 surgery table light} back-up in case his surgery light spoilt again (*≧▽≦)
3M LED P1610 Polarizing Task Light is available in white and black. 3M has a wide range of polarizing lights and there are other table and floor lamps available with different prices and lighting qualities for everyone so check them out and make that change for the benefit of your eyes!
Available at all Popular bookstores, Best Denki and other leading retailers, while stocks last.
This morning during our car-ride to school, Lil Pumpkin asked, "Mummy, can I go to Nat's slumber party?".
I was kind of taken aback as Lil Pumpkin is just 7 years old... do kids this young have slumber parties with friends already??? I mean, Lil Pumpkin has stayed overnight at her grandma's and aunt's homes, and even had an overnight graduation camp for K2 before, but at a friend's home... already??
Instinctively, I replied, "No." and Lil Pumpkin's bright and expectant face immediately frowned. "But everybody is going...." she tried to reason.
Oh dear... #FOMO {fear of missing out} is starting for her already.
To give some context, Nat's is her classmate since P1. Although Lil Pumpkin has been her friend for the past 2 years & been to her birthday party and all, we barely know her parents or family situation. I'm not implying that her friend's home is dangerous, but leaving Lil Pumpkin alone at a drop-off birthday party is one thing, and sending her off for the night to stay-over alone at someone's house is another.
Growing up, I attended a few sleepovers myself and enjoyed myself tremendously. There's nothing like playing games, watching movies, eating junk food and talking with your good friends deep into the night... then waking up to do it all over again in the morning. So. Much. Fun.
But I think I was as teen when my mum first let me attend my first slumber party though.
As much as I would love a child-free night of peace {& extra room on our bed!!} and a chance for Lil Pumpkin to enhance her social skills / independence, I feel she is still too young for slumber parties with her friends and explained as such to her.
As a 7 year old, I think we've instilled in her some pretty solid values and she's able to tell right from wrong most of the time for simple matters. However, there are obviously grey areas and complicated matters where she will not be able to make the correct decision for herself. Also, as paranoid as it may sound, we do not know her friend's family well and what if there's an older sibling or adult in the family or even neighbour that wants to "try something funny"? Even if not, maybe the group of young friends themselves want to play pranks and do something dangerous while the parents aren't looking, and will Lil Pumpkin be able to stand up for herself in that situation and dare to say "no" to her friends?
I don't want to put her in such a dilemma or risky situation at such a tend age and as much as I know how much she wants to have fun and spend more time with her friends, I'm afraid I have to be the strict parent and say no to her.
I did reassure her though that when she was more mature / older and if it was to a family that we were on closer terms & more comfortable with, she would most likely be able to attend a slumber party on her own. But until then, I reckon play dates and day parties are good enough opportunities for her to socialise with her young friends outside of school.
I'm glad that although Lil Pumpkin was sad about not being able to go, she listened, agreed with what I was saying and didn't think I was a "bad mummy".
Sigh... I tend to feel like one though whenever I have to say "no" to her as I wonder if I am being too harsh or paranoid. Parenting sure is tough!!! (｡•́︿•̀｡)
When do you think kids are ready to go to slumber parties or sleepovers?
I can't believe a whole year just flew by and Lil Pumpkin successfully completed her first year of primary school!! She worked hard and played her and I'm truly proud of her. It seems like yesterday when we were just shopping for her new school uniforms or spyingkeeping watch on her during orientation...
There's just about 2 more weeks before school reopens and she will be going to her new school year as a Primary 2 kid. Awww! #wheredidmybabygo
A new school year also means new school books and supplies to prepare and label which any school parent would know, can be a rather tedious task ( ᐛ )و
Growing up, I've to admit I've lost a lot of things. Sometimes it was small items like an eraser or pencil, sometimes it was important things like.. my wallet or shoes {why somebody would want to take another person's dirty old shoes beats me too}. I remember my mum telling me time and time again to take care of my things, but still patiently writing my name with permanent marker on my school uniform, water bottle, shoes, lunchboxes, books etc, because she knows that I'm quite a scatterbrain. It really was quite a painful process, considering how many school years we have... thank you mummy!
I'm glad that as a mother to a scatterbrain kid now, life is so much easier with the labeling process thanks to companies like StickerKid, which has printed millions of labels for more than 100,000 parents worldwide! Their colourful labels and stickers clearly identify children's clothes, shoes, bottles and other belongings that are too easily lost or difficult to identify in playgrounds, schools, pools or anywhere with a whole bunch of kids actually!
All you have to do is to go to StickerKid website to choose the type of stickers you want. They are pretty versatile and you can customise the background & fonts with different colors and characters that your kids like. You can even add your own photo to the stickers. It doesn't get any more personal than that!
Just choose your label shape {rectangle, heart, circle etc.} then type in your text, choose your logo/ colour of sticker / colour of text and follow the simple instructions to check-out! Easy peasy!! And you get a whole sheet of stickers each time, without manually labeling each item by hand. Saves so much time!
The stickers are of high quality, water-resistant and stick well to a variety of surfaces. However, if you want to remove them, you can and they don't leave any sticky residue. Even their clothes stickers are easily applied and removed with a heated iron. Very useful when passing on clothes and belongings to younger siblings or friends.
We've stuck them on to Lil Pumpkin's bags, uniforms, bottles, shoes and they seem to be holding up well despite my dear daughter's rough handling (❛▿❛✿) The different sizes are really handy for the different items.
The heart-shaped name labels are too sweet and are my fave!! ♥ I also like that you can use Chinese or Japanese characters in their name labels for mother tongue class supplies.
If you're looking to get some good quality name labels for school {or even yourself!!}, check out StickerKid on their website or Facebook page and use my promo code below for extra discounts.
All their products are shipped from Switzerland with Priority Post. Shipping price is only S$3 and packages are delivered directly into your letter box. There are value packs available where you can save at least 30% and even special Christmas edition name labels for presents (⌒▽⌒)☆
Happy holidays and start of the new school year!!
Promo Code: Quote SakuraharukaSKfor 10% of ALL StickerKid products!!Excluding gift vouchers, valid only on StickerKid {Singapore} website until 25 Dec 2016.
