Wednesday, September 24, 2008

How to deal with attention-seeking kids



Kids can be quite attention-seeking and manipulative. While it can be quite funny at times, parents do have a responsibility not to let it get out of hand. While it is normal for children to need attention and approval, attention-seeking becomes a problem when it happens all the time.

We recently noticed Vera deliberately doing things that we prohibit her to do. Things like throwing things on the floor, throwing a tandrum and sticking things into her mouth just to see our reactions. Vitali and I are just learning how to respond appropriately when she does this.

Here are some tips we found here on how to deal with misbehaviour:

1. When your child misbehaves to get your attention, ignore the misbehavior. You will weaken those demands and extinguish the misbehavior. However, there are many misbehaviors that you should not ignore. Some misbehaviors should be punished. If you must use a punishment, dispense the punishment without anger.

2. Do not take good behavior for granted: give your children positive attention when they are behaving.

When you attend to the negative and ignore the positive, you teach your children to behave in a negative way. Your child will misbehave to get your attention in the future. When a child demonstrates good behavior, notice it. Look for it. The more you notice, the more you will find. You will get more good behavior in the future.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Sesame St - How paper is made



Another one of my favourite clips from Sesame St. I used to be so intriqued by how the dirty mushy old paper could be transformed into such flat and luxurious rolls of white paper.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Sesame Street Old School



I just love Sesame St. I think every child that grew up in the 70s would love it too. My favourite clips were always the ones that explained how things were being made. Like the one above..."How crayons are made".Vitali recently bought volume 1 and 2 of Sesame St "Old School" from here. These DVDs are aimed primarily at adult viewers who grew up watching the series in the 1970s. Watching this certainly brought back lots of memories.More of my favourite clips...



And this one below never failed to crack me up as a child. I think I can trace some of my idiosyncratic tendencies today to this guy.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Lastest pics

Dear family and friends,

At long last, dada has updated Vera's pics taken over the last few months (12-22 mths). The above is my favourite one showing her sitting on the ledge under the TV proudly (and quite seriously) peddling her movie collection. For more pics, click here.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Pregnancy Pictures

We were really blessed to have our photographer friend, Ron Lee of Eyedeas Photography, join us for lunch last weekend and capture some of my pregnancy pictures for us. As you can see, my belly is now, for lack of a better word to describe, the size of a watermelon.

We had an enjoyable time taking the pictures in the comforts of our own home and the wonderful company of Ron who kept us relaxed throughout the entire photo session. Here are some pics to share on Pupsik...

(below) Some pics of Vera frolicking in her own balcony pool after she woke up from her afternoon nap. To see more shots that Ron took for us, click here.

Ron, thanks for sharing this special time of our lives with us and helping us capture such beautiful memories that we will surely look back fondly upon in the days to come. x

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Photo Blocks

I wondering whether it is just Vera or that kids around her age (2 years) love to play with blocks. Stacking, banging against the table, transferring from one container to another, piecing together etc... That is why I think making something like these Photo Blocks when I have the time one of these days may be fun.

You can get the materials you need to glue your favourite picture on blocks of wood (available in Art friend), or simply buy a kit here.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Petite Palate

I would definitely order this if they shipped to Singapore but unfortunately, due to the perishable nature of this product, they don't. So I am posting this on Pupsik Studio as a business idea for any mom who has a passion for food and cooking and wants to start a business offering something like this in Singapore. I really think it is a great idea but will not be able to execute something like this cos I don't really have a thing for cooking. Designing the packaging for something like this would excite me more. Petite Palate was started by 2 moms who were trained as chefs. They started off by perfecting their own infant baby food together over playdates when their sons were very young. Once friends found out what these moms were doing, they begged them to make some for baby gifts, christenings, showers, birthdays etc. Today, Petite Palate has grown into a full-fledged business and is dedicated to providing fresh, organic, superior tasting meals for infants and toddlers that are packed full of wholesome nutrients. Here is their philosophy on food:

"Petite Palate wants to change the way we feed our infants and children. Most parents start out by giving their babies jarred baby food. The jarring process (heating to high temperatures until sterilized and shelf stable), destroys many of the vitamins and nutrients that occur naturally in the food. In order to bolster the nutritional value of the jarred food, common practice is to add vitamin and mineral additives after cooking that did not come from the food itself. Petite Palate’s meals, on the other hand, are Flash Frozen, which maintains the food’s own nutritional content while sustaining the shelf life (frozen).

Petite Palate knows that infants are born with taste buds that need to be nurtured from the very first taste of solid food. We believe in the French tradition of small meals with big flavor. This leads to a positive relationship with food (as opposed to large portions of bland foods typically served). If presented as early as possible, children will grow up with better eating habits, reducing the incidence of child obesity and a number of health problems. Petite Palate also believes that with a highly developed palate, older children will choose nutritious foods over fried and processed ones; setting healthy habits for their entire lives. "

Monday, September 1, 2008

Vera's friends



Vera's response when introduced to her cot mobile friends for the first time at 2 months.

Vera: oh dada...you are so funny and ridiculous!

New etsy shop by Simply Olive

A blogger friend would like me to introduce her new range of baby accessories hand knit in a soft alpaca, merino wool, and kid mohair blend yarn on Pupsik Studio. These knits come in the most gorgeous green (the shade I like) and are now selling at her new shop on etsy. Think they will look super adorable on a newborn (0-3mths).

Tracy would also like to extend a giveaway to readers of Pupsik Studio as well. She will be giving away 5 of these cotton and hemp bags if you spend $200 or more in her shop. Just mention you are a reader of simplyolive in the "comment to seller" section when checking out. Thanks Tracy!