by Penny on February 6, 2010
I’m a lazy bum who would never willingly participate in any forms of exercise if there’s no gun pointed at me. So even while I sometimes rant about how I should be doing something to get rid of that tummy I shouldn’t have, all I really do is rant on and on and not do much at all.
But now that Ryan is such an active little boy who loves to play ball, dance, and do all sorts of funny things, he has naturally become our ‘exercise’ machine. It’s hard work trying to catch up with him. He sometimes insists we stand up and join him in his moves or play ball with him. I am not fit enough to keep up so I often have to give him some good reasons why I should stay in the background and be a spectator!
There’s really no need to have any expensive fitness equipment at home or even a gym subscription when you have children at home. Any parents out there agree with me? So for those who don’t have time to go to the gym, playing with your kids is a sure way to get enough exercises everyday! 
by Penny on February 5, 2010
Bob The Builder is one of Ryan’s favourite character for a while now. He watches the shows, has some books and even a Bob soft toy. I also bought him a Bob The Builder tool set that comes with a tool belt and construction hat so that he too can “dress up” to be a Bob The Builder.
But lately, whenever Ryan sees anyone wearing the yellow construction hat, he would say they are Bob The Builder. So we’ve been seeing quite a lot of Bobs around.
When we recently passed by a door hardware shop, we saw lots of those construction hats on sale and Ryan kept telling me there were lots of Bob The Builder hats. I guess these yellow helmets now have a brand name too, thanks to this cartoon character.
Are your kids also fans of Bob? I have to say I do quite like Bob, he looks rather cute and bubbly. I prefer him to Handy Manny. And I think Ryan feels the same.
by Penny on January 29, 2010
No, I’m not pregnant with number two yet
Ryan is an animal lover. We’ve cats and fishes at home and his daddy has promised him a puppy when he turns three. But before he’s even getting there, he asked for another addition to the family 2 nights ago.
Ryan now is the proud big brother to a little tortoise. After the daddy checked the gender of the little tortoise, we asked Ryan to give her a name. The father suggested Joey but Ryan said no. After a brief moment, he decided to name his new friend Berdyn (pronounced as Bur-dean). We have no idea how he came up with such a name but it does sound rather unique.
Of course we are the ones taking care of Berdyn although we told Ryan he needs to be responsible for her. He is quite cute with her. He learned how to pick her up and put her on his palm. He would put Berdyn on the floor and lie beside her to talk to her too. At one point, he was so thrilled and told us how Berdyn listened to him and even nodded her head. Hahahaha! It’s really cute.
Can’t imagine what it’s like when he gets a pup soon. I bet it’ll be a really cute experience too.
by Penny on January 25, 2010
One of the benefits of having large extended families is that come festive seasons like the coming Chinese New Year, it gets really fun and happy when we drop by to visit and meet with everyone. It’s also a fun time for the kids. We have a lot of relatives who live outside the country, so it’s also an opportunity for everyone to catch up during the period as they are sure to head home to be with the family here.
The only thing I have to watch out for during these family gatherings is to try to keep Ryan away from some unhealthy smoke from cigarettes and cigars. Once in a year, some of my relatives will sit back, drink some wine and light up. In our little family we don’t do any of these but it is inevitable that we are exposed to second hand smoke when we get together in a large group like this.
Are you looking forward to CNY too? This year’s CNY, Ryan knows a lot more about the things going on than the years before. Now, when we are visiting the malls and the CNY songs are played, he will ask me what song that is and each time he says he likes those songs! Funny boy he is. He’s also learning to enjoy the CNY decorations at the malls. He especially likes the one at 1 Utama, at the new wing. If you haven’t brought your kids there, bring them there soon to enjoy it. They’re gonna love it It’s pretty cute.
by Penny on January 25, 2010
Yesterday was Ryan’s first attempt at joining a story-telling session at MPH book store. There were just a handful of kids there to listen to the story-reading and they ranged from 2 to 8 years old.
It was also Ryan’s first “public speaking” experience as he was handed the microphone and to tell everyone his name, age and what he wants to be when he grows up. So he told everyone his name, and said that he’s 3 years old although he’s not quite three yet. And he said he wants to be a pilot when he grows up. I was one proud, beaming mummy
He sat right in front and was listening and looking at the pictures on the book intently as the lady pointed out the pictures. And after the story ended, some questions were asked and everyone received a little badge for attempting to answer the questions.
Came the second story, he got fidgety and bored. So we left after a while longer. I think it was a good experience for him. Not sure if he would want to go for more of these activities in the future as he gets bored rather quickly.
Also, I noticed that he doesn’t quite like to go mixing with the other kids. They were asked to go walk about during an exercise before the reading started, and he refused to go around. Just stood there and waited for the exercise to finish. Hmm…tough luck when it’s school time, I reckon!
by Penny on January 23, 2010
Only a couple of weeks ago I learned from some experienced mothers that you need to register your kids to primary schools very early on if you want them to go to some good schools. I was shocked to learn that parents actually register their 2 or 3 year olds to primary schools already! All along I thought that it was to register them to some play school or maybe kindergarten, I didn’t realise it was primary school they were talking about.
How about you parents out there? How early on did you register your kids to the schools you wanted them to go? If you are at my stage of having a 2+ year old, when do you plan to register your little one?
I guess if you are not particular about the schools they go to, maybe you won’t start to register so early on. But then again, these days all parents are concerned about the schools they send their kids to, as we all want only the best for our kids, don’t we?
It’s just unfortunate that a lot of good schools during our generation have kind of deteriorated in standards today. I have to say that I don’t look at my school the same way as it was before when I was schooling there. It has changed so much and I’m unsure of the standard of teaching there now. It’s sad to lose confidence and faith in the school that we once were proud of, isn’t it?
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