Category Archives: General

May15

If You Could Do It All Over Again…..

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If You Could Do It All Over Again…..

 

I had this discussion a few months ago with Mr. C, about turning back time and if we were given a chance to do it all over again, would we choose the same path we chose now? My answer – no. Not that I regret my life now, in fact far from it, but what this current life has taught me is that life is mostly about choices and it takes US, the individual to take life by the horns and make it happen.

What would I change? For one, I would have moved to another country right after getting married to see what else is out there. To try and build some kind of a life and probably career elsewhere. I would definitely have used A LOT of protection to keep from getting pregnant until I was fully ready to start a family – I had my first child when I was 27 and I thought that was a pretty young age, considering I had graduated from Uni at the age of 24 (I went in as a mature student). I would have loved to have been able to travel more, see the world, make my mark somehow before settling down to have a family – the other two kids came about 2 years after each other consecutively.

Being a parent has taught me a lot. It has taught me that it is not an easy feat, no matter how many children you have had, it’s always different. It’s always a learning curve. When you think you’ve got it right, life throws you a curve ball and the you just have see how you can catch it or avoid it. I have to admit that it has been such a great journey for me, discovering myself, the people around me, and the way I can and have to survive. In many ways, it is just like the survival of the fittest. The strong survive, whilst the weak wither away in denial.

According to Mr. C I’ve got the “grass is greener on the other side” syndrome and maybe he’s right. Maybe I was wishing for something that I thought in my mind as being ideal. All I know is, life moved too quickly for me. I have no regrets, but I do wish I could have done a few things differently.

But, this is the life I have now and I guess, you try and work with what you’ve got. You appreciate what you’ve been given and I do, in many ways I do. Still, there’s no harm wondering what life would have been had I taken a different route.

How about you? If you had a chance to live your life all over again, would you change anything?

 

May13

What Mother’s Day Mean To Me…

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What Mother’s Day Mean To Me…

It’s that time of the year again. The time where we, as Mums revel in the fact that we’ve made it through another year and get recognised with handmade cards, handmade presents, presents bought from the school Mother’s Day stalls, breakfast in bed, or at least a nice sleep in. And yes, a sleep-in to those of us who have missed a decent night’s sleep since we first fell pregnant could mean anything from an extra 15 minutes lie in to an hour in bed, just chilling out.

I was fretting the other day about the fact that Master 6′s Auskick, which is usually held on Sundays, was going to have a “special” Mother’s Day match. That meant getting up on a Sunday morning, on a day where you would really love to chill out and take a break, to go out into the freezing cold and do some training with the kids at Auskick. As much as I love my son, that really isn’t my idea of fun – at all. I abhor anything to do with sports let alone getting up to do it with my boy. Sorry, no go. So when I decided to fret, or rather share my lament with a group of mothers at school the other day about having to wake up to go for Auskick this Mother’s Day and then told rudely by someone who isn’t even a close friend to “SUCK IT UP PRINCESS”, well, sorry, you just overstepped your boundaries. Usually I would shut up, smile and take it like a lady. But, that particular day, I didn’t feel much like being one. Instead I turned around and replied, “Well, you know what, I AM a princess and if it’s that ONE day that I get to be a princess especially having to run around all week, I think I damn well deserve it!” Let’s just say we left it at that. So no, you don’t go around telling someone else to “suck it up” when you have absolutely NO idea what they’ve been through – the sh*t they have been having lately. So yes, that ONE day I would love to get a small teeny tiny break and want to fret that I won’t be getting, I think I am at liberty to say what I felt.

It isn’t everyday that I get to enjoy not having to rush around, and yes, I know everyone else does the same thing and there are people out there with worse scenarios than having to be at Auskick on Mother’s Day at 9am. But if you can’t even share such simple things to make small chat, then I see no purpose at all in sharing anything really. Anyway, I digress, so what really does Mother’s Day mean to me personally? It’s about spending the day with my kids – AT HOME, about lazing around not having to do a thing just for ONE DAY! Not too much to ask is it? I don’t need to be wined and dined, I only need a nice cup of coffee – yes instant is fine – a piece of toast with some peanut butter spread, and just sitting there on my bed, reading some fan fiction before I rise, get ready and face the day with everyone. Simple really.

Red Rock Deli Corn Chips from $3.99

Red Rock Deli Corn Chips from $3.99

Oh and yes, I’ll be enjoying my day with some deliciously simple yet decadent Red Rock Deli corn chips, a bottle of red, and some lovely RNR…bliss…

What does Mother’s Day mean to you? And how are you spending it today?

**And I just received news that Auskick Mother’s Day match has been postponed to next Sunday due to the unpredictable Melbourne weather – Ahhh…bliss!

*I was given some Red Rock Deli Corn Chips for consideration in accordance to the site’s Disclosure Policy.

 

May11

Making Language Fun for Children

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Making Language Fun for Children

When and where I was growing up, we’ve always had to learn at least 2 languages at school. This started when I was what the Victorian school system would call Prep. In Singapore (where I was from), it was and still is called Kindergarten. So at age 5, we were already taught the basics of another language other than English. Usually there are 3 languages – Malay, Chinese and Tamil (Indian). Most schools would either offer Malay and Chinese, depending on the availability of teachers to teach Tamil. Then when I got to primary and secondary school, again, you could choose which of the 3 languages to learn as your second language and in most cases the students and parents would choose their mother tongue, in my case, Malay, which is similar to Bahasa Indonesia. The same goes for secondary school. In my opinion, having grown up in a country with a diverse culture from people with so many different backgrounds, I thought learning a language other than English was a good thing. To me, it broaden my horizons and in fact, thanks to watching those Chinese dramas, I’ve even picked up speaking Mandarin pretty well – more conversational and minus the correct intonation – which is always a bonus when wanting to gossip to my Chinese friends without my parents knowing what I’m saying. Thanks to my religious background – I’m a born Muslim – I also am able to read Arabic. Only read, but not know most of the meaning. So in effect I actually have a pretty broad base of knowledge of other languages. Does that make me special? Ummm…no I don’t think so, but it does help when you’re trying to decipher what others are saying when they don’t realise you do know their language.

I was thrilled when the previous primary school that Miss 10 attended during her Prep to Grade 1 years had LOTE offered. They had German. Strange, but hey, it’s still a language and it’s pretty interesting to hear your child rattle off words in another language. Now, you would think my kids, having parents who can speak another language would be able to do so as well? Unfortunately no. Mr. C speaks Cantonese (yes, I’ve picked that up too) and I speak Malay (no, thank goodness Mr. C hasn’t picked that up!) so, it can be a bit tricky to sow those seed into our kids when we both can’t converse to each other in another language other than English. We did try, but failed miserably. So now that the kids are a bit older, we’ve enrolled them in Chinese school, to learn Mandarin. And yes, the only person who can actually get what they’re saying is me?! Ironic isn’t it? At school, they have LOTE for those from Prep to Grade 4, learning Italian. Master 6 has picked that up so easily, and that’s probably because he’s learnt it from Prep. I for one have absolutely no idea how to speak the language but do love listening to the words being rattled off by my two kids.

Package from Glottogon

So how do you try and encourage your child to continue developing their love for another language and also get in on the act? Thanks to Glottogon, now I can actually join in the journey with my kids when they’re learning Italian. Set up by Karen Mennie, who found that bringing up her own child in a biligual world wasn’t as easy as she’d thought it would be (hmm…sounds familiar!) she decided to source books and products that will help in languages other than English from International publishers. Glottogon carries a collection of books and educational tools that are fun for both kids and even adults. With 10 languages for kids from 0-10, you will be hard pressed to find a foreign language that you won’t like!

Foam Padded Books

Foam Padded Books

Seeing that my kids have learnt the basics of the Italian language, I thought I’d give that a try. The “Educational” range had simple foam core books that had very simple sentences for the kids to read and even words with pictures of the some words. They were separated into “My Week”, “My Manners”, “My Body” and so much more. Basics that even those with no Italian language background can learn. Then there’s the large flash cards, which come double sided and includes the English word as well – for doofus like me who have no idea what is going on. Their “Learning with Animals” flashcards are HUGE in large writing and teaches you not just the animals in Italian but colours and numbers too.

Large Flash Cards

Large Flash Cards

The range of books for older kids who are more fluent are just as exciting, but I think I’ll leave that for later. What’s the trick to making learning fun instead of making it like something they HAVE to do? Find a time that you’re all relaxed, and let the kids go through the easy, basic books first. You would be surprised how much they actually do enjoy it. Well, I know my kids do because they find words that sound different rather funny and peculiar. So it’s more the curiosity that’s burning their minds.

Inside the book "Learning with Animals"

Inside the book "Learning with Animals"

Would you like to join in this journey of discovering another language with your child? Thanks to Glottogon, I’ve got a $50 gift voucher to giveaway to one lucky winner. To enter, simply tell me which language you would love your child to learn and why. Entries close 18th May 2012.

Terms & Conditions:

  • Open to Australian residents only
  • ONE entry per person, per household
  • For EXTRA entries, tweet this giveaway (click that  retweet button) and let me know that you have in the comments section, and/or share it on facebook and let me know via the comments section.

*I received a Glottogon package for consideration in accordance with the site’s Disclosure Policy.

Apr24

It’s When You Least Expect It

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It’s When You Least Expect It

Sometimes it takes a little tiny thing, something you wouldn’t have thought that would matter, that actually makes a difference to your day. And usually, it’s the things or people that you take for granted. What happened yesterday re-affirmed this and made me feel that little bit more appreciative of how that small gesture actually helped change situations.

Yesterday started off as a pretty ordinary day. Like any other Monday. There were a lot of things that happened, and emotionally, it rocked my world. Nothing major, just things like loyalty, friendship and trust. It made a downer of a day. To top it off, the weather in Melbourne started to turn – from a brilliantly sunny and beautiful weekend to a dreadful, wet, cold and dark day. Winter was definitely at our doorstep. While it was nice to get out of the house and go to work, get my mind off things, I knew that subconsciously the awful thoughts and feelings were still present. I was distracted. I definitely wasn’t in a positive mood.

3pm came and it was time to head out and pick the kids up from school. After the bell rang, and once I was greeted by my kids, there was the usual ramble of their day – yes, all 3 at the same time. All enthusiastic to share their stories. Once home I joined the kids for a scrumptious snack of nachos – something I haven’t done for a while – sitting and snacking with the kids after school. They shared their stories again, and I sat, listened and chatted with them. And you know what? It hit me. No matter what happens outside of the home, it shouldn’t matter, because this was what mattered. My kids. Such a cliché, I know. But it felt good. It felt amazing to just ignore whatever that was bothering me and just focus on the kids.  Focus on their day. Everything else just melted away. It’s lovely to have that unconditional love from people who don’t really care what you do because no matter what, you’re still their parent. And to them, that’s all that matters. As long as you’re there for them when they need you.

To them YOU’RE the superstar, YOU’RE their knight in shining armour – in my case the Queen of the House! It’s nice to feel loved. It’s nice to feel loved without trying too hard. So I thank my kids for having me and thank you for making me feel better when I’m down (ironically as I’m typing this, someone has just spilled something on the floor…I can hear it but I’m ignoring it). It’s such a blessing to have that kind of love and I do hope that I’m doing them justice with whatever it is that I do for them.