Thursday, June 27, 2013

She hates English...

Looks hardworking?

I am thinking if sending Charlotte to British Council will brush up and make her love English.

Maths wasn't easier when problem sums kick in and English skills will be much needed then.

Hope things will change after phonics this Saturday.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Looks the same?

Chanel replica

Found the chanel replica at daiso... color tones totally like the one I have

We come out to play when haze goes away

The kids were cooped in the house for the past few days. We home bounded them cos of the history high psi (pls stay indoors) index.

Everything went crazy when psi shoot above 200. People started to snatch masks n stockpile them while some heartless ones tried to make profit from it. Air cleaners, green beans, packets of herbal soup for lungs etc are all snatched up too.

This is the best time to see who are the selfish piece of poo out there.

With psi maintaining below 100, we continued our usual weekend activities despite the youngest feeling alittle whiny due to stomach flu.

The Teeth Gritting Begins

Phase 1 only...

Saturday, June 15, 2013

I Can Read in Times

Was surprised to see "I Can Read" reading books in Times bookshop. Some other Times bookshop sells "Letterland" books as well... guess I did not do sufficient homework maybe

Monday, June 10, 2013

Water Play Weekend 1 June 2013

Dengue Fever fyi


 
What is dengue fever?
 
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne infection usually found in tropical countries, such as Singapore. Specifically, it is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes. There are 4 different serotypes (“strains”) of dengue virus and recovery from one provides lifelong immunity against that particular serotype only, hence, it is still possible to get further dengue infections from other strains. Subsequent infections by other serotypes increase the risk of developing severe dengue.
 
What is the current situation?
 
As of 9th June 2013, there are a total of 9,139 confirmed dengue cases in Singapore this year, of which DEN-1 is the predominant strain. As this was not the predominant strain in the previous years, most of the population does not have immunity to this current active strain, hence the increase in number of infections this year as compared to previous years.
 
We also expect the numbers to be on the rise in the coming hotter, more humid months, as the breeding times for the Aedes mosquitoes in such conditions are much faster.
 
What are the symptoms?
 
Dengue often presents as a high fever 40oC accompanied by 2 of the following symptoms:
  1. Severe headache
  2. Pain behind the eyes
  3. Muscle and joint pains
  4. Nausea
  5. Vomiting
  6. Swollen glands
  7. Rash
Symptoms usually last for 2-7 days, after an incubation period of 4-10 days
 
Warning signs of severe dengue include:
  1. Severe abdominal pain
  2. Persistent vomiting
  3. Shortness of breath
  4. Bleeding gums or easy bruising
  5. Fatigue
  6. Restlessness
If the above occur, please seek medical attention as soon as possible.
 
How do we diagnose dengue fever?
 
Have a high index of suspicion when you have persistent fever for more than 48 hours.
 
See a doctor, who will then perform blood tests to confirm the diagnosis and assess the severity and risk of complications.
 
 What can we do to protect ourselves?
 
There is currently no vaccine to protect against dengue fever.
 
Treatment of dengue is usually supportive, with regular monitoring of patient’s blood counts, adequate hydration and paracetamol to control fever.
 
If signs of severe dengue occur, treatment and hospitalisation at a tertiary healthcare institution may sometimes be required.
 
Avoid painkillers like Brufen, Ponstan, etc to treat bodyaches and fever as they can cause gastric issues which may worsen in the presence of dengue.
 
Prevention is always better than cure. In the control of dengue, vector control and use of insect repellents will be most important.
 
 
Vector control
 
Do the 10 minute “5 step Mozzie Wipeout”
 
1. Change water in vases and bowls on alternate days
 
2. Remove water from flower pot plates on alternate days
 
3. Turn over all water storage containers
 
4. Cover bamboo pole holders when not in use
 
5. Clear blockages and put BTI insecticide in roof gutters monthly
 
  
Repellent
 
- Apply repellents only to exposed skin and/or clothing (as directed on the product label.) when necessary.

- Do not use repellents under clothing.

- Never use repellents over cuts, wounds or irritated skin.

- Do not apply to eyes or mouth, and apply sparingly around ears. When using sprays, do not spray directly on face spray on hands first and then apply to face.

- Do not allow children to handle the product. When using on children, apply to your own hands first and then put it on the child. You may not want to apply to children's hands.

- Use just enough repellent to cover exposed skin and/or clothing. Heavy application and saturation are generally unnecessary for effectiveness. If biting insects do not respond to a thin film of repellent, then apply a bit more.

- If you or your child gets a rash or other bad reaction from an insect repellent, stop using the repellent, wash the repellent off with mild soap and water. You may wish to consult a doctor, take the repellent with you to show the doctor.

Cousins fun 9 June 2013

Sunday, June 09, 2013

Parenting Woes

Do parents regrets at the choices they made for their kids?

Should kids be trained as early as 2 years old and does it mean that they will lose all their childhood?

What is the definition of childhood? Is it all fun and play?

These questions toured my mind several times last week.

It all began after the meet parents session of my firstborn. Frankly, I was rather relaxed with her. That was my first meet the parents session (hubby attended few but most of the time we just depend on the write out given by her teachers and her report book to know how she is doing and feedback from teachers when we fetch her home) and she is K2 now. I only registered her for abacus when she was around 5. She started ballet, speech & drama,  computer lessons and 第子规 & 三子经 in the childcare when she was 3. That's the age where hubby and me thinks its appropriate to enrich her academically.

During the meet parents session, teacher commented that she does not recognise English words though she speaks well and sometimes uses bombastic words. She has to brush up her vocabulary as well. Her Chinese teacher said otherwise for her Chinese but my brain chose to register negative ones and harp on it.

I felt that it's a wake up call. Something is telling me that I should work harder and I am not doing enough as a mother. I begin to hate myself for not reading bedtime stories every night, not consistently making her do the assessments I bought etc...

Well... I searched through webby to see what I can do to help her and myself (myself cos I felt that I was not attentive to her and her needs sufficiently - basically self blamed).

This website gave me alittle comfort -
http://singaporemotherhood.com/articles/2012/08/preparing-for-p1-preparatory-classes/

It told me that I wasn't too late. 6 months before primary 1 is actually sufficient to prepare her for primary 1. Phew... I felt i saw a glimpse of light in the tunnel.

I went to many nearby enrichment centres and did a tabulation of all those we could afford and tried not to overdo it, fearing it will stress her out and she will ended up with no childhood.

There are many considerations. Hubby feelings, her feelings, not to over stretch our pockets especially we still have a younger one, to balance her lifestyle, to read up about centre before selecting, arrange timing for all lessons etc... i totally lost concentration at work and wanted to make a rash decision if quiting my job and stay home to oversee all these and at one point of time I nearly signed her up for I can read and British Council though timing and budget do not permit. I tried to find time that can be squeezed in and explored working around it.

I was super stressed especially when I am a full time working mother and the only help I get from is from hubby and helper.  My hubby does not agree with me and felt that our girl will do just fine. I can't expect alot from my helper - those who has help from parents or in laws should really appreciate them. Their help is priceless. I could easily send my kid to 3 hour government centres or enrichment centre instead where they are prepared for primary 1 but I could not bear and dare to depend on my helper to oversee them after the 3 hours. I always planned for my kids to have minimal time with helper especially when we are not around. Child abuse etc are the last thing we want to happen in my house. We could not afford atas childcare at all.

However, despite all the troubles, I am glad that everything is settled within a week's time. I selected centre that is nearest to my house, with reasonable fees, timing does not clash with existing activities and/or classes.

I signed her up for English, Chinese, Maths, Phonics while other classes still continues. Now I crossed my fingers and pray that all goes well. I also try to read to her whenever I can, plan to inject more childhood by bringing her to outdoor activities, plan craft work sessions, will continue baking sessions, library visits etc.

I hope I have done enough as a mother.