Progress at school

Most of the parents now are busy with their children exam weeks I guess by now. But since Indy 's school system is different so she will not have any exams next week. I didn't even realized it that next week is exam's week because this is my first year also in primary :) haha I mean my first dd in her first year of primary in Malaysian education system.
Instead she just had a SPORT DAY today. Where she earned 3 medals . They sure did have fun!

But this doesn't mean the school is teaching kids to be lazy. Instead the system has a personal exam for every chapter in their pace book. If they can't pass the self exam , they can't move on to the next chapter. Thus they can't move to another PACE ( workbooks) . When a student finish a PACE book the teacher will issue a Congratulation Cards. So parents can follow up how is their children progress at school.

Congratulation cards

The teaching system, I might say , It's great. The teaching is more into "one on one" based instead of one vs 40 students. Her learning center has 18 students in total with one teacher and 2 supervisors to help the learning process. I can see that Indy 's reading skills has been improved, the most important is that she really love the process of learning. She keep saying that she can't wait to go back to the school the next day and she loves her school so much. I think, at least for me, if a kid loves the school that will help a lot of the learning process.

And if you think the school will cost a bomb, well it is not true. The fee is the same with other private school (or lesser than that) .

She also earned more merits from school ( from finishing the PACE book, tidy up her own locker, memorized bible verses etc) And she even redeemed a pencil from the merits that she has earn.
And she is proud.

Bottom line is that she is learning good. But the school wont give any rank for the students base on the test result, but instead the school will appreciate the students' efforts. She loves her teachers too which I think is important. A kid need a role model that she admire beside their parents, so when she asked me for opinion and has any doubt , it is always great to have another person that she can ask to. I think her teachers is just the right person for that.

Anyway, these are the photos from today sports day...

She is on the " green " team. The other teams are" Red, Blue, and Yellow
They don't stay according to the age. There are big gege and jie jie as well in the same group( age from 14 and above) . It is nice to see teenagers being kind and protective to the young ones instead of being bossy and bully.

Getting ready for 4 x 50 meter relay for under 11 years old group

Get set , ready and GO!!!

waiting for her turn

Listening to her teacher ( or not)

Indy with teacher Mary

Receiving her first medal

Showing of her medal that she won for 4 x 50 meter relay and she got another one for 3 legged running and another one ( not sure for what :D )

Lil intruder , Maya was there too! I forgot about sun block...so they got red faced after that! :-)

Man in the mirror

"Man In The Mirror"

I'm Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It's Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .

As I, Turn Up The Collar On My
Favourite Winter Coat
This Wind Is Blowin' My Mind
I See The Kids In The Street,
With Not Enough To Eat
Who Am I, To Be Blind?
Pretending Not To See
Their Needs
A Summer's Disregard,
A Broken Bottle Top
And A One Man's Soul
They Follow Each Other On
The Wind Ya' Know
'Cause They Got Nowhere
To Go
That's Why I Want You To
Know

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place

Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change

(Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na,
Na Nah)

I've Been A Victim Of A Selfish
Kind Of Love
It's Time That I Realize
That There Are Some With No
Home, Not A Nickel To Loan
Could It Be Really Me,
Pretending That They're Not
Alone?

A Willow Deeply Scarred,
Somebody's Broken Heart
And A Washed-Out Dream

They Follow The Pattern Of
The Wind, Ya' See
Cause They Got No Place
To Be
That's Why I'm Starting With
Me


I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror

I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways

And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place

Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change


I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror

I'm Asking Him To Change His
Ways

And No Message Could've
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place

Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make That . . .

Change!

The Mind Of A Child

I want to share a beautiful poem to all the parents out there.....

The Mind of A Child

The mind of a child is a beautiful place, An Eden where many things grow, A garden of beauty where sheltered by love Grow flowers in row upon row


The mind of a child is a wonderful place Where wishes and dreams are so real, Where kittens and puppies and gingerbread men Can talk and can actually feel


The mind of a child is a mystical place Where character grows like a tree. And children become either better or worse by action of YOU....or
of ME.....


*Herbet Parker *

Children's Table Manners

Sure this is an interesting topic for all mommies. It can be night mares for some.
My children are not having the best table manners. But at least in the restaurant they can sit during meals. I think the one thing I can share is that I try to make every meal to be a pleasant one.

If a kid being force to eat and chased around to eat I think it will traumatized them and they will associate meals with a scary memory. I saw my neighbor's nanny forced the boy ( about 2 years) to finish the milk by pouring the milk from the bottle that the nipple had been cut ( so it has a big hole) directly into the boy's mouth. And I can see that the boy was almost choked. Poor lil boy. The nanny said he doesn't like to drink milk so that is the only way to feed him. I told her that can give yogurt and soya milk or fresh milk as substitute , but apparently the yogurt or other milk is not so POWERFUL as the GREAT FORMULA MILK according to them. So she must always feed the boy in front of the house or chasing him here and there . A very tiring task!And no wonder the boy will hate the milk even more!

Indy at the age of 6 is getting better but still need a lot to learn as she grows, Maya on the other hand still enjoy to be a very messy eater. But she sit during her meal. If they think they had enough I try not to force them to finish the entire meal. But if I think they do eat way to less I did a bargaining with them , like how about 2 more spoons? how about just finish the meat?

One thing I do teach them is that we eat during meal time and try to finish the food ( portion appropriate). And when you leave the table, that's it. No returning and asking for more meal. I am not a 24 hours buffet spread , darling!

Same thing with sleeping habit...when the sleeping time comes, they go in to the room, whether they are sleepy or not. No one is allow to go out anymore. Be in the room, on the bed, they can talk, sing, read book or watch a bit of TV but can't leave the room.

I must say Indy has a better table manner when since she was about 3 years old, I remember I must took her to a charity lunch gala in Guangzhou by the GWIC ( Guangzhou woman international Club) and in that even, no children were allowed. So I need to talk to the board persons for them to allow me to take Indy as no one can baby sit her that day. They said ok. But please no running around. And most of the people were suprise by how well behaved Indy was , she sit through out the lunch no tantrum , no screaming and all. It was a big relief for me of course. And she eat everything on the plate too! From appetizer to dessert. The chairman of the club were so pleased and praised Indy and said she will be always invited to any adult luncheon event, and wish any children can behave like her :) and I took her again to the Indonesian Charity Fashion Show for Tsunami Victim the very next year, and yes she was very well behave as well.

I am not sure if I will have the guts to bring Maya to this kind of events. I think I will be kick out from the room in 30 minutes max! LOL

Maya during lunch time at The Mediterranean , eating pasta with pesto sauce.

Anyway..... here is the article from Baby Center.com about table manners that I receive through email just this morning . I hope you can get some useful information here as much as I did! I still need to adjust my way to teach them after I read this article! :)

I'd like my preschooler to have better table manners. Where do I start?

Begin with the idea that mealtimes are pleasant and that good behavior makes them more fun for everyone. Talk with your preschooler about the importance of good manners, and encourage him to think of himself as a polite person. Set realistic expectations, then gently reinforce them until they become habit.

What can I teach him at this age?

Your child isn't ready for the finer points of well-mannered dining (such as which fork to use for the cake), but he's old enough to start learning and even perform the basics — depending, of course, on whether he's just turned 2 or is approaching kindergarten age.

Some behaviors to teach and encourage at this age:

• Hand washing before coming to the table

• No toys at the table.

• No throwing or grabbing food

• No banging utensils

• No spitting food out

• No yelling or running around the room while others are eating

• Saying "please" and "thank you"

• Using utensils instead of fingers when appropriate

• Asking to be excused at the end of the meal (a nice touch is to teach him to thank the person who prepared the meal)

• Clearing dishes from the table to the sink or counter (if the path is clear and the dishes are replaceable)

Some older preschoolers (those who enjoy learning to act "grown up") can handle a few more details. Your child might like to know how to put his napkin in his lap and use it to wipe his mouth, to take small bites, and to chew with his mouth closed. He can learn not to slurp his beverage (by leaving some in the bottom of the glass), to wait until everyone is served before starting to eat, and to comment nicely on the foods he likes (but not on those that are "yucky"). Mealtime is a great opportunity for him to polish his communication skills, too, so be sure to include him in discussions.

As for Indy I try to reinforce that she can't say the word "yucky" to some kind of food that she doesnt like, especially if she eat in a friend's house. She can use the word " I prefer that" or " I think I will eat this " but not yucky or " blueeek I don't like prawn!!!" . Just because she doesn't like prawn but that doesn't mean that everybody must hate it.And her comment might hurt the feeling of someone that prepared the meal for her ( in this case her friend's mom or can be my mom, or aunt or whoever is it)

What's the best way to tackle these lessons?

Your preschooler wants to please you, and he wants to be like you, so the best way is to show him how it's done. Talk pleasantly at the table — no lectures, arguments, or raised voices. Say "please" and "thank you" when you ask for something to be passed. And don't read the paper, watch television, talk on the phone, or jump up to tend to other things. Show him that good table manners involve showing respect for the other people at the table.

Consistency will help make good manners a habit for your child in the coming years, so when you introduce a behavior, set expectations and use gentle reminders to reinforce them. Simply hand your child his spoon when he picks up his cottage cheese with his fingers, and prompt a "thank you" when you refill his water.

Give your child strokes for behaving well at the table — when he sits nicely and asks politely, for example. Don't overdo the praise, though, because you don't want him to feel that he's the center of attention whenever you sit down to share a meal.

What should I do when my child misbehaves at the table?

You have a couple of choices. Some parents find it's best to ignore the misbehavior — the demanding, the banging, the mess-making. When this tactic works, it's because the child stops doing whatever gets no response. Other parents find that it's better to find ways to discourage their child's problematic behavior. If your child doesn't say "please," then don't serve that second helping until he does. And some parents simply remove their children from the table when they do things that are unacceptable, explaining that their behavior is not good manners.

If you make it enjoyable for your child to share meals with you — by talking with him and being upbeat — then he's more likely to want to stay and share the good vibes. Next time (or eventually, in any case), he won't do things that get him banished.

What are some good rules at this point?

Different families are comfortable with different rules, so you get to decide. One family might be fine with everyone coming to dinner in their bathing suits or jammies, for example, while another may require that everyone gets dressed for dinner. Your family may enforce the "no elbows on the table" rule, while another has no such rule.

So you'll want to make sure that your child learns to be polite, but there's some leeway on what that means. As he grows, you can teach your child the basics (to say "please" and "thank you," to chew with his mouth closed, to be pleasant) and even some nitty gritty (like which utensil to use and where to put his napkin), but don't get too hung up on formalities. Good manners are really about being considerate of others. If your child keeps that in mind, he'll do fine.

There are a couple of rules you might not want to enforce at mealtimes, though. One is the old "clean your plate" rule. You want your child to learn to stop eating when his body says it's full, not when everything in front of him is gone. So offer small portions, refilling as necessary, and respect his decision to stop eating.

Ah agree with this one. Exactly what I am thinking.

At this age, you might also forgo the rule about sitting at the table until everybody is finished eating. Your preschooler is still active by nature, and it's likely he just can't sit still that long. A better idea might be to let him ask to be excused whenever he's finished. You might want to say that once he leaves he can't come back for more food, though, so he won't get into the habit coming and going throughout the meal.

Hey , this is what I do! So guess I m not so mean after all? hehehe

How can I get my preschooler to behave in restaurants?

It'll help a great deal if your preschooler's been learning table manners at home. Before you leave, talk with him about what to expect. Tell him that it will be fun to share this special meal. Explain that there will be other people in the restaurant who won't want to be disturbed, so he'll have to use a soft voice and think about his table manners.

Make it easy on him by choosing a restaurant that's not too crowded or too leisurely about serving. You may even want to call your order in ahead of time. Make sure your child is well rested when you take him out to eat and that he's hungry (but not to the point of meltdown!). If he's not up to the task once you're in the restaurant, don't reprimand him in public — just use gentle reminders. If he misbehaves in a way that disturbs other diners, though, leave without fanfare. Explain that he wasn't able to stay because his behavior was unacceptable.

Another way to help your preschooler learn how to be a savvy diner at restaurants (or at Grandma's next holiday) is to role-play at home. Maybe he'd enjoy a tea party, where you emphasize good manners to his teddy bears. Or maybe he'd find a fancy dinner — with your best china and tablecloth, candles, and dress-up clothes — inspiring. You might even exaggerate your good manners (pinkies up!) for fun.

Rick Warren

Rick Warren author ofthe Purpose Driven Life. He said the prayer during the inaugural ceremony of Barack Obama as President of U.S.

You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales. 'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California.

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:
"People ask me, What is the purpose of life?"

And I respond: "In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body - but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense..

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems:

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain. But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her - it has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?

Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.

That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.

Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.

Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.

Painful moments, TRUST GOD.

Every moment, THANK GOD.

If you do not pass it on, nothing will happen. But it will just be nice to pass it on to a friend...just like I have done.

God's Blessings."

Support Breastfeeding , People!

One BEST experience I have as a mom is to be able to breastfeed my children. It is the most wonderful gift a mom can give to their children. But no one can deny sometimes breastfeeding it's not an easy things to do . You need to have:
Knowledge ( read , read , read, and ask , ask ,ask) and Supports!

Not all the women have knowledge about infant breastfeeding, the techniques, methods and how to over come early problems and for me the hardest of all is to get rid of those ridiculous MYTHS!

And the other MOST ridiculous things I ever heard as an excuses not to breastfeed is : oh I don't want my breasts to sag, I want to keep them "perking up " for my husband. Oh come on! PLEASEEEE !!!Breastfeed won't sag your breasts ! If you take a good care of them you will reduce the sagging problem and pregnancy ALONE can make breast sagging or even the un-proper support!

"Several studies have shown that breastfeeding does not cause breasts to sag. Sagging is a natural and inevitable process that happens because of age, number of pregnancies and smoking. Diet and genetics may also play a role. Sagging of breasts is not related to breastfeeding in any way"

So STOP BLAMING BREASTFEEDING FOR YOUR SAGGING BREAST(or YOUR PARTNER )SAGGING BREAST , PEOPLE!!

About 10 million of the world's children die every year before they reach their fifth birthday. That is, over 27,000 per day, or over 1100 per hour. Of these, over a third - more than 450 - are less than a month old. Growing evidence tells us that good breastfeeding practices can save thousands of these babies.

Please join the:
ONE MILLION CAMPAIGN SUPPORT WOMEN TO BREASTFEED

Unfortunately, not even half the women of the world can carry out adequate breastfeeding. 135 Million, babies are born every year. Only 64 million women can initiate timely breastfeeding. Only 48 million women can practise exclusive breastfeeding for six months.

ONE MILLION CAMPAIGN Support Women to Breastfeed gives you the chance to make your voice heard to support women to breastfeed - to make a difference. Become a vital part of the Wave of Change.Become one of the ONE MILLION.Sign the petition now

For F.A.Q about breastfeeding click HERE!

NO MORE MILK SCANDALS
SUPPORT WOMEN TO BREASTFEED


So, the next time your friends , family, relatives, cousins,co workers, sister n laws, cousin in laws, friend in laws, neighbor or anyone you know is expecting their child, you know what is the best gift to give : The Support of Breastfeeding...............

Because It is the Best gift from the nature and God after all!!

Mia bambina 's new assistant

Mia bambina 's new assistant
Originally uploaded by nsrocco

We are now have a new,very experience assistant. She is very demanding sometimes but she is a hardwworker for sure!

New orders- check!

Inventory update- check!

Items packing- check!

Shipping label- check!

Call courier- check!

Dispatch items- check!

Our Sunday Barbecue

One activity that my husband like to do on occasional Sunday is to invite his friends to our house to do barbecue . Since his friends are mostly from F & B field so during our bbq, at least there were 2 chefs including my dh :) so nice ah...means no cooking for me !!!! hah!

This time we invited 2 friends, both are chef. My dh is not a fan of heavy marinated bbq meat and he doesn't like to include : chicken wings, sausages, corn, fish . He prefer to stay on the simple and basic seasoning : garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. He wants to taste the natural taste of the meat instead of covering it with heavy gravy.

Me? I can eat both Asian mix American bbw style ( but not with the heavy bbq sauce specially with honey glazed or something sweet). For Asian style I love to eat bbq fish with lemongrass, chilli and galangang wrapped in banana leaves or tumeric ( kunyit leaves) .

This time we stick to our signature BBQ menu
Pork ribs marinated with lemon, garlic, extra virgin olive oil , salt pepper.
Quails marinated in the same ingredients
Rib eye steak
Roasted Potatoes
Salad.

Actually the quails was not in the menu, but since we went to Gaya street market ( where we met Deana and Faye btw! We always bump into each other latetly hahaha! Maya told me : Mamma, baby sona again!) We saw the one lady sells the quails, and we thought that will be great to do BBQ with. Indy and Maya were grossed out when they saw skinless small birds. Any Maya said : baby chicken!!

Helen ( our maid) started the fire. Yup that is our BBQ pit! The simplest, cheapest one, Not the elaborate electric one :)
Really looks like the " tukang satay" one right? LOL

Washing Potatoes and Salad ( he kicked me out from the kitchen after that , he said instead of taking photos why don't you make some cocktails? grrr)


Simpe Garden Salad ( seasoned with Balsamic Vinegar and Olive oil)

Roasted Potatoes

Very yummy dip...freshly chopped garlic, chili , salt in extra virgin olive oil

The poor Quails


Ribs
Rib eyes ( sorry photo cant be turn...dont know why)
We ate this medium rare. yumm. Indy and Maya loves it to

sizzle sizzle sizzle......

Posing up before eating.

While we were waiting for the BBQ pit to heat up and wait for one more friend to come, the girls had a good time playing outside.Indy with Maya's bike , and Maya with her "car" .

Favorite way to play, down the slope and bang to the gate!
I wonder how come the " car" is still in good condition! This is her 2007 Xmas present from her makcik.
With broken umbrella back ground!

Waiting for the meat to be cooked.

My fave: eggplant BBQ with garlic, chili and olive oil dip

Before that when we are waiting and had our aperitif drinks. My dh had this "brilliant" idea to open up our old tent. He said Indy's tent in the playroom is too small for her to play with.
I said it was ok....just for playing house and having pretend guest. But he said we should open the big tent.
I didn't know why I SAID OK!!! grrrr.....after it was opened.....it took the whole room! It was HUGE inside the room! The tent is made to fit 3 adults ! We used to put this tent on summer time in our Guangzhou house next to our inflatable pool in our terrace.

Anyway , this time we opened the tent indoor and it just too big for the room! I REGRET to agree with that. But Indy and Maya are so happy about that, so I guess no choice for me, I just need to stuck with the big tent in the room for now! BIG SIGH!

Here are the photos

Showing off her new " home" . She likes to spend time in her tent. It is her" sacred" place, she put her favorite toys inside there.
SEE HOW BIG IT IS!!!!

Comparing the old tent and the new one

Her Favorite friends : pony, turtle , fish, doggy, she even has her book rack, clock,small kitchen inside the tent

Other corner is: seating corner with the picnic and tea set, and sleeping corner . Here Maya did her sleeping pose

In her sitting corner.

Claiming her own space in the jie jie's tent.

Now I am trying to persuade Maya to occupied the small tent instead of disturbing her jie jie's tent. It is a mission imposible I guess. Indy wants them to become " neighbour" but Maya instisted to LIVE IN with her. Chaos!!!

Have a great week a head!

Husband n wife ( Jokes in bahasa Indonesia)

Got this email . Very funny, about the relationship between husband and wife at 6 weeks after married, 6 months and after 6 years! hahaha
Hope you all can understand it, it is in Bahasa Indonesia slank ( like those in the Indo Drama on TV) I try to translate some of it .

Tingkah laku suami-istri.....setelah 6 minggu, 6 bulan, 6 tahun nikah....hihihhi

Sebelum Bobo:
6 minggu: selamat bobo sayang, mimpi indah ya, mmmuach.
6 bulan: tolong matiin lampunya, silau nih.
6 tahun : Kesana-an doong... kamu tidur dempet2an kayak di mikrolet
(city minibus)gini sih?!

Pakai Toilet:
6 minggu: ngga apa-apa, kamu duluan deh, aku ngga buru2 koq.
6 bulan: masih lama ngga nih?
6 tahun: brug! brug! brug! (suara pintu digedor), kalo mau bertapa(meditation) di
gunung kawi( a place in Central Jawa) sono!

Ngajarin Nyetir:
6 minggu: hati-hati say, injek kopling( clutch) dulu baru masukin perseneling ( gear) ya
6 bulan: pelan-pelan dong lepas koplingnya ( clutch).
6 tahun: pantesan( no wonder) sering ke bengkel ( mechanic), masukin persenelingnya( gear) aja kayak gini!

Balesin SMS:
6 minggu: iya sayang, bentar lagi nyampe rumah koq, aku beli martabak
kesukaanmu dulu ya
6 bulan: mct bgt di jln nih
6 tahun: ok.

Dating process:
6 minggu: I love U, I love U, I love U.
6 bulan: Of course I love U.
6 tahun : Ya iyalah!! kalau aku tidak cinta kamu, ngapain nikah sama kamu??

Back from Work:
6 minggu: Honey, aku pulang...
6 bulan : I'm BACK!!
6 tahun: Si mbok( maid) masak apa hari ini??

Hadiah (ulang tahun):
6 minggu : Sayangku, kuharap kamu suka cincin yang kubeli
6 bulan : Aku beli lukisan, kayaknya cocok dengan suasana ruang tengah kita
6 tahun : Nih duitnya, loe beli sendiri deh yang loe mau

Telepon:
6 minggu: Baby, ada yang pengen bicara ama kamu ditelpon
6 bulan : Eh...ini buat kamu nih...
6 tahun : WOOIII TELPON BUNYI TUUUHHH....ANGKAT DUOOONG!!! Budeg(deaf) banget siiih !!

Masakan:
6 minggu: Wah, tak kusangka rasa makanan ini begitu lezaattt...! !!
6 bulan: Kita makan apa malam ini??
6 tahun: HAH? MAKANAN INI LAGI?

Memaafkan:
6 minggu: Udah gak apa-apa sayang, nanti kita beli lagi ya
6 bulan: Hati-hati! Nanti jatuh tuh.
6 tahun: KAMU GAK NGERTI2 YA DAH BERIBU2 KALI AKU BILANGIN!

Baju baru:
6 minggu: Duhai kasihku, kamu seperti bidadari dengan pakaian itu
6 bulan: Lho, kamu beli baju baru lagi?
6 tahun: BELI BAJU ITU HABIS BERAPA DUIT??

Rencana liburan:
6 minggu: Gimana kalau kita jalan-jalan ke Amerika atau ke tempat yg
kamu mau honey?
6 bulan: Ke Surabaya naik bis aja ya gak usah pakai pesawat...
6 tahun: JALAN-JALAN? DIRUMAH AJA KENAPA SEH? NGABISIN UANG AJA!

TV:
6 minggu: Baby, apa yg pengen kita tonton malam ini ?
6 bulan : Sebentar ya, filmnya bagus banget nih.
6 tahun: JANGAN DIGANTI-GANTI DONG CHANNELNYA AH! GAK BISA LIAT ORANG
SENENG( happy) DIKIT APA ?!

HAHAHAHA......

horses' backside

horses' backside
Originally uploaded by nsrocco

Not so clear...too dark inside .LOL

Changes

Is it not the strongest of the species that survive,nor the most intelligent,but the one most responsive to change.
(Charles Darwin)

This is a quote I got from a dear friend's. And I think it is very interesting . Most of the time, we think that the smartest, or strongest will win or survive, but this quote mentioned about the ability to adapt or the responsive to change.

Personally I think this is true. We need to leave our "comfort zone" sometimes in our life, to be able to survive. We can find another comfort zone if we WANT to.

Apart of our adolescence life, I think also it is great to let our kids to take changes in life, to be more flexible. It will help us as parents too!

HOW?


Let your children used to many kind of different taste of food, a wider variety,
Many told me that I am lucky to have children that eat "everything" and not fussy. And meal time normally is a easy time for me. Of course it will be messy! But I don't have to chase and force my kids to eat.
This is VERY Helpful during family traveling and outing. We need to eat 3x a day, imagine if you stress up over what to feed your kids for every meals! It is like half of your day is gone.
Me and my husband also set a good example in front of our children. We eat everything on the table and we do not give many option to change the dishes even if they don't like it. We always say : TRY IT! and you will love it.
And often I told them that : Mamma is on a buffet restaurant that open 24 hours. What you see on the table is what you get.
Sound harsh? Actually it is for their best too. Of course I will serve the appropriate food for children
My In laws are all amazed by how well our children eat. Even it is a new food in a new place .


If your kids need a security blanket, or pillow or soft toys then it is good . You can bring this if you sleep outside.
If a child got a difficult time to adapt to a new environment , it will be hard for the parents too.
Don't blame the child or yourself. But once in a while let him sleep in different bed or room. So when he sleep in another place it won't be too scary for them.
If your child is old enough a sleep over at grandparent's place, Aunty/Uncle's place or even at friend's place will be good.

Don't be afraid to let your kid to experience changes. It will give them a new experience , and learn a new skills too.

If you must move your kids to other daycare /school , changing nanny, move house, move town, even country. It will teach them a lot of things to.
How to make new friends, how to adapt to new place and even how to speak the language.

Of course as parents we want to give our kids the best, but if somehow a chance come , and we refuse to take it because we are worry or scare that our kid will not like the change, how do we know if we don't try ?

Many of us , sometimes need to change job , many will resigned just a few months after. Even if that person is smart, hold a degree or diploma, has a lot of experiences, but they can't survive long in the working place. Can it be caused by the way he responds to change?

I am not saying that no body should not resign from a bad job. Of course you can, it is just the way we handle it. At least give it a try a b it longer before we called it quit.

It upset me , when I heard a person got a good opportunity but they were reluctant to move just because they dont want to come out from their comfort zone .Fear thet the children won't adapt well to new place, no new friends and no grandparents or other family. I think it is the parents who are scare not the children.

So in the time of globalization now, I think the other skills that we ( and our children) need is the ability to adapt well and how to respond to changes. Because we must admit that a good grades, hold a great diploma, have a lot fortune, speak 3 or 4 languages in the next 10-15 years it won't guarantee that someone will nail a good job.

( imagine if your kid gets an offer for a top position in a great company in another country , ok let's say India for example, but he must turn in down because he can't eat the food? or just can't be live far from you because he can't cook or do his own laundry?)

I am not suggesting that your life style must be change or travel to foreign country, or eat exotic food every single day, but if we live with an open heart, let them learn something new , instead of home -school- tuition- do homework routine, for instance let them learn roller blade or swimming? or taking sewing class or baking class or go to a near by park for picnic rather than go to mall ? or eat in the balcony once in a while instead of at the dining table?

It will make daily life more interesting too!

Another favorite quote of mine is from Little Buddha movies( by Keanu Reeves of course, my favorite actor):

To Learn is To Change.....

Rest In Peace, Padre Bianchi

I called my Mother In Law today. Normally we call each other once a week or so. We were talking and she is so happy that the calendar that I sent her just arrived yesterday. I made 2009 calendars with Indy and Maya photos so she can look at them anytime. I know how much she misses her granddaughters. I also sent a few postcards with Sabah's images for the Pastor that baptized Maya. Padre Bianchi . My husband wrote a note on the back of the postcard. Padre Bianchi asked me if I could , he wants to see Pictures of Sabah, Kota Kinabalu the city that we live in now.

But My MIL told me Padre Bianchi just passed away . I gone blank for a few seconds. And feel very sad. I SHOULD send the postcards earlier so he could see it! We knew that he was already got bypass operation in his heart twice. And he told me my self that he might not be able to see us again the next time we will go to Italy. He told me that he is old and not that healthy , he told me that he got heart surgeries a few times before. But I never thought he will leave us so soon.

That was the first and the last chance I got to know him. I met him a few times before and after the baptism . But my MIL told me many wonderful stories about him. He helped my grand mother in law during hard times, paid the house rent, support the children ( my dh's cousin) and many other wonderful things the did to my IL's family. He worked for the poor for most of his life. He was an amazing human being.

My dh also spent many years helping him during church services. So it means a lot for us that Padre Bianchi can baptized Maya. It was an honour for our family to know a wonderful man like him.
My Grandmother In law hasn't been told yet about this sad news . Because she is very fond of him , their share many up and down together. My GMIL also not in very good health , so the sad news will make her health become worst.

My MIL told me don't be sad , he is in much better place now and don't worry he will see Sabah anyway. He doesn't need to see the postcards that I sent. He will see it somehow.
It actually made me even more SAD!



Arrivederci Padre Bianchi!