Sharing some of the stuff we are doing

Been some time since I blog again. As I was downloading the photos, one of the folder in the camera just got moved! Where?? I dont know! Haiyah! So I got a whole stack of photos missing. And that included Ben's Bao Bei concert photos.


But to tell you the truth, we did not take many photos for the concert. Ben was having one of his tantrums. The story started right after the one week school holidays. Daily Ben has been refusing to go to school. I had to drag him to the toilet, take bath, drag him into the car and throw him in the class, with him whining the whole time.


He: I dont want to go to school.

Me: Why?

He: I dont like. I want to go home

Me : Why?

He: It is not nice?

Me: Why it is not nice?

He: It is not beautiful.


I dont kow why this habit came about. I have checked around with other mothers. They asked whether it is because there are any changes in our life (nope, no siblings coming along!)....and another mother said that sometimes children will regress. She told me to be patience and to continue to send because one day, he will need to go to school. I also have to keep a positive environment as well. At first, this was hard to do as he kept whining but the teachers help as well. Once I push him through the gates, the teachers will quickly divert his attention and voila, once I was gone, he did not cry.


The funny thing was that this has never happen for such a long period of time before. It may happen occasionally but never for as long as 2-3 weeks. Today Ben was still whining.


So for the concert, again, he did not want to go. It was early Sunday morning and I had to hold him down to change into his costumes. Guess what? He was in rage and tore at his shirt...all the buttons popped out! We had to use a safety pin. Due the missing folder (however the school had professional photographers), I can only show you what he got from the concert.




Surprise, surprise, yes, he got a trophy and a medal! For best improved student and the other one is a merit award I think. You know, I cannot read Chinese and my Mandarin is not that great when I was trying to understand the explanation given by his teachers.

Ok, other things that we are doing at home now is I am trying to teach him to read - Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Lessons! Yes, this is a great book (and only about RM80 as well!). At first, I was a bit sceptical but once I start, I could see the sequence of teaching phonics.


Unlike other programmes which just have a phonic song, cards, stories...this one actually even has the dialogue to tell me what to say during lessons....which only last 15 minutes. Before this, when I checked on other phonics program....


example : MAT - Ma...Ahhhh...Tuh....and then they will saw it so fast..until it becomes MAT...but I never understood how??!!!


With this book...it teaches to say it slow first...MMMMMat.....say it fast..MAT! So when you sound out the individual letters, MMM...Ahhhh....T (because the T is a short sound and it usually is for many words)...so it becomes...MMMM AT.....which then becomes MAT! when you say it fast....! So logical! So good for me! And only RM80 for the whole book without needing to supplement with any other products - stories, songs or anything.


My issue now is that Ben is really plafyful and would not focus. But I have been trying to get him to pay attention to me....until today, I bribed him with a square of chocolate which my parents brought back from Auckland!

This is the tracks that we set up for Ben using our old coffee table which we kept in the storeroom after Ben was born. Not as big as friend's but keeps him occupied and keeps the living room much neater as well!

Supplemented the current tracks with a crane and a palm tree!

Puzzle

Ben really loves his puzzles. I have tried many type of puzzles and I got this Farm Floor Puzzle at 50% discount during the last MPH sale. Unfortunately it was a mistake since it is paper cardboard puzzle as Ben would pull here and there - hence the puzzle will not last long. Here you can see him setting it up.

He really loves the red farm tractor and will always start with that part first. He has this unique way of putting together the puzzle, he will knock-knock at it with his elbow!Almost done.... ....his attention span very short.....now he goes to play with his masak-masak....

.....throw all over the floor first. I ask him WHY!!!! He just look at me kind of "blur-blur"....

...all his toys everywhere. His car abandoned behind him already.

...and his kitchen which I have meaning to show all of you. :)....

Toys bought in Kuantan

As I was saying, when we came back from Kuantan, our car was filled with Ben's stuff! But it is dirt cheap. Like this puzzle, it only cost us RM3.90 each. Bought one for Ben and one for Jack. I was almost thinking of buying one that I saw in Isetan for RM80. Of course, it is not exactly identical but the concept is the same. In fact, one of these puzzles is available at the playschool.

This truck cost less than RM10. Boys and their trucks!

Was thinking of getting the table and chair from Ikea. But the table from Ikea cost RM129! Without a chair. This one cost us only RM40 and it comes along with a chair! Of course, the material is different from Ikea, colour is not as striking and not as big as the Ikea one which is a big round table. But it fits perfectly for him and there is even a support underneath the table for his legs to rest as he is still too short for the table. That was one of the reason I did not buy the Ikea one as well as it was too high for him.