My wife is a preschool teacher. Along with being mom, her training in handling children makes her the authority at home when it comes to educating–and yes, disciplining–the kids. She always reminds me to follow daily routines so the kids will get used to some organization at home.

Generally, I’m a disorganized person. I’m more spur-of-the-moment rather than scheduled. I’m more adaptive rather than structured. I’m more dynamic rather than static. But of course, if it’s for the children’s good, then I would have to adjust and adopt.

Routines are important because they help instill awareness of time and enhance a child’s feeling of security, so I’m told. Routines help enhance a child’s self-confidence, especially if he or she has the opportunity to have an active role in contributing to the flow of events.

Routines don’t necessarily have to be time-based, but these can be flow- or event-based. So you don’t necessarily have to follow a strict time table, but instead you can do activities based on sequence.

I’d like to talk more about routines in the next few posts, but let me first illustrate some of the routines our family follows every day–or every weekday, at least.

More to come …

If you’ll notice from my previous posts, despite my pirate-fervor, my ability to “piratespeak” is simply pathetic. I can muster an “aarrgh” or a “shiver me timbers” with as much pirate gruff as that chap Orlando Bloom….which is no way the mother-pirate of the pirate lass celebrant is meant to be.

So getting into the spirit of things, I started doing more research on brushing up my “pirate”, and just discovered that “Speak Like A Pirate Day” occurs on September 19th, the day after my birthday! Lovely. Why have a holiday for these romanticized skurvy-ridden criminals? Heres what the folks at International Talk Like A Pirate Day convincingly say:

Make no mistake. We do. But it’s a little hard to articulate why, especially when you’ve made the mistake of referring to your wife as a scurvy bilge rat and tried to order her back into the galley.

Talking like a pirate is fun. It’s really that simple.

It gives your conversation a swagger, an elán, denied to landlocked lubbers. The best explanation came from a guy at a Cleveland radio station who interviewed us on the 2002 Talk Like a Pirate Day. He told us we were going to be buried by people asking for interviews because it was a “whimsical alternative” to all the serious things that were making the news so depressing.

In other words, silliness is the holiday’s best selling point.

Before we go any further, there’s something we need to be clear about. Pirates were and are bad people. Really reprehensible. Even the most casual exploration of the history of pirates (and believe us, casual is an accurate description of our research) leaves you hip deep in blood and barbarity. We recognize this, all right? We aren’t for one minute suggesting that real, honest-to-God pirates were in any way, shape or form worth emulating.

So what is it exactly that we’re celebrating here, if not pirates? What, you’re wondering, is the point?

We’re going to be painfully honest here, perhaps fatally so.

The point is, there is no point.

Its the last line that sold me. I love a little nonsense in my sometime serious world of parenting. Besides, it will thrill my little sea urchins em sure. Next post get ready for my favourite pirate lingo.

[tags]talk like a pirate day, pirate talk[/tags]

After my soon-to-be 5-year-old saw a fabulous pirate girl costume at our local party shop, it was a done deal. Its going to be a pirate party!! Luckily for Mom, the shop was on 50% off (hurrah!), so we stocked up on plates, hats, cups and so on. Next up was research time on the internet, as I was more of a girly kid in my youth, preferring princesses and castles to dirty, brazen-mouth pirates. I think my daughter takes after my hubby in that respect!

Online, I found some pretty great resources, like Birthday Party Ideas, which I would highly recommend for any parent planning any party. Written by parents who so kindly share their experience with loads of tips and advice, the site has all the birthday party themes any kid would want, with over 150 categories of fantastic birthday party ideas. I love it!!

For Pirate Kids party fayre, the site Pirate Party Food has some easy kid-friendly recipes to give you some creative ideas when planning for the party’s menu.

More ideas which came in handy were found at Boardman’s Birthday Party Ideas, like some thorough instructions for the invitations like how you should dip the paper in coffee for that old ragged look, and very pirate-y wording like:

“Aye…..ye be invited fer some birthday spirits at Captn Tyler’s Buccaneer Bash
Chart yer course fer the “location” ? day of month
We be a meetin at “time” fer some swashbuckling fun, grub and kiddie spirits.
Wave yer flag if ye be attendin or hav yer mum send message by yer phone to “number”
Sees ye there…..aarrgghh!

Yesterday we hit the shops in search for pirate loot for the prizes etc, and although we did find a good amount of stuff, I’m still kicking myself for not being more organized and getting stocked up at Halloween when all the pirate-y goods like skeletons, skulls and so forth were everywhere. But such is the last-minute decision making of 4-year-olds! I’ll have to search for my inner Martha now. Aaaarrgh!

[tags]Pirate party, kids’s party, birthdays, 5th birthday[/tags]

With Christmas, New Year’s and The Three Kings come and gone, most parents are sighing with relief that the frenzy of decorating, shopping, cooking, organizing and so on is officially over. NOT at our household. Why? Because in a couple of weeks time, I’ll have to be sending out the invites for BOTH by kids’ birthdays, which means more shopping, more cooking and a lot of organizing. Sigh.

My two childrens’ birthdays are one day apart. It could have been on the same day (owing to a scheduled c-section for baby # 2), but due to a mass consensus by friends and family around the globe, we decided that having their own special days would probably be what they would want later on. Two years later, I can’t help but wonder if we made the right decision. Surely a “same birthday” would mean one day of festivities (okay, two if it falls on a weekday and so theres the actual one plus the party?) rather than the double/quad celebrations I will face for the next 20 years (or more?).

Not that I’m complaining. If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ll be able to tell by now that I’m the kind of Mom who just thrives on creating happy (indulgent?) childhood memories. Unbirthday parties, crafts and baking, and frequent special “mommy day” at the mall complete with a toy, ice cream and a ride on the carousel. So, a party (or two) with all the trimmings is indeed de rigeur in my household.

In my 5 years as a parent, I’ve learnt the ins and outs of birthday planning the hard way, which includes various mistakes like a too-hard treasure hunt (where the kids couldnt find one dang clue) and inviting too many big kids (when the Barney mascot got mauled at my daughter’s 2nd) to name but a few. Last year’s bash, where my daughter turned 4 and my son 1, was a Powerpuff/Rowdyruff swimming party complete with puppet show and PPG mascot (who thankfully did not get mauled but did a very weird dance that made me nervous). It was nowhere as insane as my daughter’s 2nd (the one with the over-8’s), but it was still pretty crazy. And even if they shared the “big party” (not easy to do theme-wise with a girl and a boy, mind you), we still had to do 2 other ” actual day” celebratory planning. This year, I hope to put some of what I’ve learnt to good use and stay small and simple.

So on that note, and those two uber-special days in February drawing near, let me welcome you to The Land Of Birthdays here at the Parenting Blog!! (if you hate birthdays, please stay away from this blog because this WILL be my obsession for the next few weeks).

[tags]Birthdays, kids parties[/tags]

A wonderful family Christmas tradition I started since the children came along is baking Christmas cookies. My daughter is now nearly 5, but we started doing it when she was 2, and actually do it all year round. Of course, during Christmas it becomes even more special as we make enough to give away and its a good excuse to use our special cutters in holiday shapes like a Christmas tree, bell, star and angel. The gingerbread man is my daughter’s favourite, as is the snowman.

Everyone has a favourite cookie recipe of their own, but this particular one is ideal for the busy Mom as they freeze really well and come in handy when the kids just want to do the shaping and icing part (and you have enough on your hands to want to mix and measure). Oh, and best of all, these taste really good too!

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

Heat oven to 375° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

With an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the butter, brown and granulated sugars, corn syrup, and vanilla for 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Add ingredients from the variation of your choice.

Unless the directions for the variation state otherwise, form the dough into tablespoon-size mounds. Place on the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks. Cool completely.

To Make Now and Bake Later: When you mix a batch of cookies, double the recipe. Bake half the dough according to the recipe and divide the rest into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in plastic, then place in a resealable plastic bag. To save yourself time and hassle, label the bag with the flavor, the oven temperature, and the baking time, adding 3 to 6 minutes to the regular oven time. Freeze the dough for up to 3 months. To bake, slice the frozen dough into rounds about 1/2 inch thick, making as few or as many as you would like. Bake on a parchment- or foil-lined baking sheet.

Yield: Makes 40 cookies

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 105(43% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 3g); SUGAR 8g; PROTEIN 1g; CHOLESTEROL 17mg; SODIUM 67mg; FIBER 1g; CARBOHYDRATE 15g

[tags]Christmas, Holidays, Christmas cookies, cookie recipe[/tags]

Tis the season we receive and send Christmas cards and get Christmassy emails too. Here are a couple that came into my inbox recently, which no doubt the kids will enjoy.

Pimp My Nutcracker -
This is a hilarious one, where the trad Nutcracker can be given a makeover to look like an …er…pimp? Well, it really does sound much worse than it is as the bits that you can put on him (think gaudy jewelry, hamburgers and a Starbucks coffee) are really more of the bling-bling-hip-hop-school rather than the back alley chap with a dubious job. Definitely for older kids or those that have a kooky sense of humour as my daughter does. I’d also leave the “P” word out, and replace it with Bling Bling or even “rapper”, as it is such a hideous word anyway and I’d hate to explain to my child what it means in literal terms.

The Snow Dog
This interactive card, sent by my Mother to the kids is of the classic and heartwarming type. Kids who are nifty with the mouse can click on different bits to make the story go along. Lovely graphics and very very sweet.

[tags]Christmas, Holidays, Christmas e cards, Nutcracker game[/tags]

Yes, we enjoyed Dynasty, V (remember the mice-eating aliens?), Taste the Blood of Dracula, and of course ALL the Disney classics, but we were also passionate about books, going through practically all the books in our Grandfather’s home library by the time we hit our teens. The public library and bookstores were also our favourite haunts, where we could spend entire afternoons happily choosing one or two.

And now that I think about it, we were extremely imaginative and creative kids who have grown into adults who now dont even watch much television at all. In fact, these days its either my kids or my husband who monopolize our televisions, and I don’t mind one bit.

Ok, I’ll watch Martha if it happens to be on after I drop my daughter at Kindergarten and am done with the gym or morning errands, and if the latest episode of Desperate Housewives is on, its definitely Mummy’s turn tonight - but, having said that, I actually can’t sit for long periods watching the tube. My bottom aches and I’d rather be making homemade ice cream or scrapbooking in my typical Supermom drive.

My husband, on the other hand, grew up in less of a “granola” environment (the exact opposite actually) in an all-boys boarding school in England. Television was only allowed on weekends for a very limited time, and at home on holidays it was equally regulated. Not that today he’s become a coach potato, but lets just say that if he can, he’ll watch the entire DVD collection of Las Vegas or Stargate in a few days. And don’t tell anyone, but he doesn’t like reading much either.

[tags]Dynasty, television, reading, childhood[/tags]

I’ll probably get throttled for saying this, but now with the backing of the esteemed American Academy of Pediatrics, I can finally admit that I let my kids watch copious amounts of tv, and that I believe that if the right programmes are chosen, it actually does them good. Of course it doesnt beat an afternoon of playing make-believe in the backyard, but you know what I mean.

I’m talking about Barney, Sesame Street, Blues Clues, Dora, and the like, which teach a lot of good stuff they wouldnt learn at home (especially if they don’t go to school yet)- and not some of the awful stuff tweens and teens get on Nickelodeon and Disney. My 4 year-old unfortunately is amused by the likes of Zach and Cody and High School Musical, which I don’t really mind too much. Its Sponge Bob’s less-than-respectable language and shows like “All That” which have kids pouring down coffee and white sugar down their throats while they act absolutely horrifying - are what makes me shudder.

So back to this startling piece of news, which I share with you here:

Study Finds Positive Effects of Educational TV on Preschoolers

SEATTLE, November 6: A new study published today in the November issue of Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, has found that educational television programs can be beneficial to toddlers and preschoolers in broadening their knowledge, affecting their racial attitudes and enhancing their creativity.

The report looked at 12 studies conducted between 1973 and 2000 focused specifically on television content viewed by children under the age of 6 and its impact on learning, racial preference, aggression, pro-social behavior, self-regulation and imagination.

The research found that there is evidence to suggest that educational television programs, such as Sesame Street and Mister Rogers, can aid in the acquisition of general knowledge plus improve overall cognitive knowledge among young children. There is also evidence in the literature that children’s imaginative play can be positively affected by television content. Furthermore, educational television programming that emphasizes diversity can improve children’s racial attitudes.

“The bottom line is that content is key—high-quality educational programming can have a positive effect on children under age 6,” said Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle. “However, much more research is needed. It was disappointing that there are so few rigorous controlled trials of something that is so important and so prevalent.”

However, there was also evidence that television viewing can increase a child’s display of aggression.

“This is a good start, but more research is needed on the impact of television viewing and content on infants and young children,” added Christakis. “Especially as the infant video and cable television markets are exploding, we should be carefully monitoring whether or not these products meet their claims to improve a child’s intelligence, language acquisition and pro-social behaviors. At this point, we should continue to be cautious about the amount and type of television we let our kids watch.”

[tags]Television, Kids, Preschoolers[/tags]

After breakfast the kids would fill their napkins with bread from the breakfast buffet and feed the many carp ponds around the resort with Lola. O knew exactly whom he liked to feed best and after giving a few crumbs to the what we called the “teens” (read: smaller), he’d toddle away shouting “big ones!! big ones!!” to the pond with the biggest carp, who reminded us very much of pirhanas, being able to polish of an entire loaf in seconds.

Just so you dont think we wiled away our holiday without letting the children experience the Thai culture, let me assure you that we also visited the mummified monk and the Wats around it, where N lit incense and shook the fortune sticks. We also stopped off at the Big Buddha, where large mermaid statues jutted from the sea, and both kids were fascinated at the top of the shrine where we had to walk around the area, ring the large bells in line with the Buddhist tradition.

We also made it to Samui’s national park, where the daring N went on elephant safari with her daddy, riding on its head, and later riding a baby one bareback at the elephant show. O was a little less daring, saing “no, no no” matter-of-factly when I asked him if he wanted to ride the elephant as well.

N made great friends with some expat kids who came to the hotel one afternoon, spent hours on the beach, got 2 tattoos (temporary of course!) and was saying “Kap Kun Ka” like a native! O had his first experience using water wings and was in total ecstasy feeling independent in the water for the first time ever. It was wonderful for both the Grandparents and the kids to spend quality time together, and my husband and I got to sneak off on several occassions to sample some of the great restaurants on the island.

Tanned and happy, it was a wonderful holiday, not without its hitches, but with kids, it was a good as it gets!

[tags]Thailand, Koh Samui, Travel with Kids[/tags]

We arrived Koh Samui and were happily greeted by Lola and Poppa Joe (my Mother and step-dad who had moved to the island last April). My four-year old N was thrilled (as she adores her Grandma) as was the little O, who unfortunately by now had a fever which spiked to a ghastly 39 degrees.

We checked into the Banana Fan Sea Resort in Chaweng beach, which was the main beach and tourist area of the island, which suited us well, as it was also the most child-friendly. Our “hut” for the next two weeks was wonderful, right on the beach with our own little terrace, and a tiny garden enclosed by a wooden gate - perfect for deterring my darlings from running straight to the beach. Aside from a pool area which stocked a good supply of water games equipment, and a little tykes playground on the beach, the hotel had a kids menu, crayons, and fantastic themed buffets nightly where the kids ate free. Add a very reasonable and friendly baby-sitting service and we were set up. It was perfect!!

As luck would have it, we had also arrived right on time for Loy Krathong, one of the biggest and most beautiful festivals in Thailand. On this night of the full moon, pretty little rafts made from banana tree trunks are filled with flowers, candles, incense and banana leaves are set afloat in rivers all over the country. There are contests and fireworks and
in our case, after a traditional show , we all set the rafts afloat in the hotel pool, which you can imagine, thrilled the children to no end. My girl N was actually the last person on the poolside, arranging the floats that had drifted to the edge of the pool and pushing them away again.

The days that preceeded were lazy and in true holiday-mode, except for my little boy’s awful cold, that is. After a few days of a seemingly relentless fever, Lola and I took him to the impressive Bangkok Hospital, where a very good doctor said that his cold had progressed to an ear infection and ordered him to take some antibiotics. Barely two days later O was back to his normal self, and our remaining days at the Banana Hotel (as N called it) were filled with swimming, eating roasted corn and mangoes from the vendor on the beach and when it rained, shopping at Tescos for toys and art supplies, and eating at Svensens ice cream.

[tags]Thailand, holiday, Loy Krathong, Travel with Kids[/tags]