11 commandments to parents.

This is just an article that I've got from FB. It has good points where we as parents always forget or pretend to forget. Let's read and change our approach towards our kids.

A CHILD’S 11 COMMANDMENTS TO PARENTS
1. My hands are small; please don’t expect perfection whenever I make a bed, draw a picture or throw a ball.
2. My legs are short; please slow down so that I can keep up with you.
3. My eyes have not seen the world as yours have; please let me explore safely, don’t restrict me unnecessarily.
4. Housework will always be there. I’m only little for such a short time — please take time to explain things to me about this wonderful world, and do so willingly.
5. My feelings are tender; please be sensitive to my needs, don’t nag me all day long. (You wouldn’t want to be nagged for your inquisitiveness). Treat me as you would like to be treated.
6. I am a special gift from God; please treasure me as God intended you to do, holding me accountable for my actions, giving me guidelines to live by, and disciplining me in a loving manner.
7. I need your encouragement and praise, but not your criticism, to grow. Please go easy on the criticism; remember, you can criticize the things I do without criticizing me.
8. Please give me the freedom to make decisions concerning myself. Permit me to fail, so that I can learn from my mistakes. Then someday I’ll be prepared to make the kind of decisions life requires of me.
9. Please don’t do things over for me. Somehow that makes me feel that my efforts didn’t quite measure up to your expectations. I know it’s hard, but please don’t try to compare me with my brother or my sister.
10. Please don’t be afraid to leave for a weekend. Kids need vacations from parents, just as parents need vacations from kids.
11. Please take me to house of worship regularly, setting a good example for me to follow. I enjoy learning more about God.
Author Unknown

Raif VS Husna: Not related to any political parties!

Last 2 weeks, my younger brother's family came to visit us and stayed the whole afternoon. They had lunch and then our kids spent their quality time playing together. Their kids Hana (3) and Raif (5 months old) played happily along side my daughters. Fathini & Hafizah became good hosts by entertaining their cousins with abundance of toys. Raif being the only boy there was not disturbed at all because he could only watched and most of the time being held by his mother.

Husna became clingy and jealous when I wanted to hold Raif. So, I decided to hold both of them and took a photo. Fathini was the photographer and after few trials, we managed to capture the moment when I held both of them. These 2 babies were born last year and about 5 months difference. However Raif is heavier and bigger than Husna as you can see in this photo:

Husna is on my right and Raif is on my left.

At the moment, Raif is almost 8 kg at the age of 5 months while Husna is only 7 kg at the age of 10 months. As I shared about my concern before regarding Husna's weight which is just slightly above the yellow line, I can even see the HUGE difference between her and her cousins who were born on the same year but they are younger (few months different). So, should I worry?

Bibik Percuma! (BM entry)

Selalunya hari Ahad ni malas nak buat entri sebab nak bermalas-malasan dengan anak-anak. Tapi hari ni saje je nak kongsikan rahsia menarik yang mesti ramai yang suka terutama ibu-ibu yang bekerjaya.

Apa rahsianya?

Rahsia nak dapatkan BIBIK PERCUMA!

Eh, biar betul!

Betul ni bukan main-main. Bukan susah pun dan tak perlu modal beribu-ribu dan tak perlu bayar ejen (yang selalunya cekik darah dan banyak menipu).

Macammana?

• Buat jadual untuk anak-anak (yang dah boleh diharapkan) untuk buat tugas-tugas mudah seperti mengemas mainan sendiri, meletakkan baju kotor ke dalam bakul pakaian kotor atau lebih baik terus ke mesin basuh.
• Rancang menu untuk 5 hari dan potong siap-siap ayam/daging, sayuran dan bawang yang perlu. Bila balik dari tempat kerja hanya perlu campurkan bahan-bahan je.
• Minta suami jaga anak-anak waktu sibuk memasak di dapur atau biarkan anak-anak bermain di depan tv seketika.
• Ajar anak-anak mengambil pinggan/mangkuk sebelum makan dan mengangkat ke sinki selepas makan. Kalau takut pinggan pecah, bagi anak-anak kecil pinggan plastik je.
• Biasakan untuk tidak merasa cepat tertekan melihat rumah bersepah-sepah kerana kalau tertekan sangat sampai anak-anak tak boleh nak main dalam rumah sendiri pun susah jugak. Cari je masa hujung minggu untuk mengemas di almari-almari atau kabinet tertentu dan baju-baju yang belum berlipat tu, masukkan je dalam kotak bertutup dulu sebelum dilipat dengan kemas dan dimasukkan ke dalam almari baju.
• Kalau malas nak menyapu, guna je alat penyedut hampagas untuk membesihkan rumah. Lagi senang kerja sebab tak perlu guna penyodok dan cepat dapat membersihkan habuk. 

Pernah tak cuba buat apa yang saya bagitahu tadi? Kalau pernah, maknanya memang kita dah tak perlu bibik lagi. Anak-anak pun lebih berdisplin bila kita selalu bagi tugas untuk membantu kita. Macam saya sekarang dah bertambah sorang lagi BIBIK PERCUMA ni. Nak tengok?

Husna tengah 'mengemas' tisu

Mengemas baju-baju Kak Long Tini

Ermm wanginya. Pandai mama basuh. 

Baru 10 bulan dah rajin sangat. Pantang senyap-senyap je ada la kerja yang dia buat. Bila dilarang, dah pandai buat muka merajuk dan pura-pura mengangis. Jadi, biarkan saja sampai dia dah penat baru dikemaskan semula tempat yang disepahkan. Nasib dah tak meroyan sangat sekarang bila tengok sepah-sepah ni. Bila ada masa baru kemas kalau tak, biarkan dulu sampai suami mula bising dan minta tolong dia kemaskan juga. Yelah, anak-anak dia jugak yang sepahkan. 

Jadi jom semua kita pakat-pakat ajar anak-anak supaya jadi lagi rajin untuk memudahkan kita dan juga untuk kebaikan anak-anak kita bila mereka dah dewasa nanti.

Phew...McGyver's idea was brilliant!

Just a short entry for today.

This afternoon, 2 of our kids in kindy were locked inside a room. They were playing with the door knob until it was jammed. My helper and I were panicked and we quickly tried everything on our hands to open the door. At the back of my mind, all of Mc Gyver's idea popped out. So, we tried using scissors, screw driver, hammer and the combination of other tools. The other kids especially boys were busy trying to lend their hands too even though they are still too young (4- 6 years old boys). Maybe they want to show that they can be heroes. After few trials, we managed to unlock and saved the kids. Both of them received a short lecture from me and a reminder not to play with any door knob again.

Have you experienced any terrifying incident involving your children?

Mom's favourite saying.

I always use most of the sentences above. But there are other sentences that I always use like;
-Tidy up now or I'll throw away your toys.
-No whining please.
-I'm not your maid and you have to do your chores too.
-You have 10 seconds to do it. 10,9.8......

Which are your favourite sayings?

Yellow line.

Yesterday I brought Husna for the regular check-up at the Pusat Kesihatan in Kelana Jaya. She is turning 10 months this month but her weight is just slightly above the yellow line. At almost 10 months, her weight is only 7 kg. The nurse asked if she is eating well and the kind of food she eats. So I told her that she loves to eat variety of food and she's quite active.

I always wonder about the graph that they use to measure the weight of a child as my elder kids also had to history of being slightly above the YELLOW LINE. When I was in New Zealand, the midwife was so understanding by telling me that it's not fair to refer to the as it's more for European size not for Asian. Maybe what we have here is for Asian but still in some cases, it's not applicable if the child has small frame.

I would be happy if others can shed some light about this YELLOW LINE. Is it applicable for our children? Do you think that we should worry if our child is almost underweight according to the graph?