Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Ways to help kids feel special

I stumbled upon these wonderful ideas from Smartmom's blog and thought I would pass some of my favourites along here on this blog....
Smart Mom's Ways to help kids feel special

"Leave "secret messages" in surprise places where you know your kids will find them. Things like "I love you!" or "You're special to me!" left inside a favorite book, in the pocket of a coat, in a lunchbox..."

"Write a special message in birthday cards - maybe a brief anecdote, a memory, something to read and re-read later, when your kids are grown up. (ahh....this is where our Little Milestones come in!)"

"Celebrate your child's half-birthday with half a cake, napkins cut in half, the altered song 'Half-y Birthday""

"Once a month, have "Jane or John Day" - a day that's all about your child. Jane/John gets to pick the day's activities, decide the 'rules' for the day, choose the food, etc. This is especially good when theres more than one child. EACH child gets a special day and it not only makes the child being celebrated feel good, it helps the siblings learn to be happy for others. "

"Surprise your child at school and go on an unplanned adventure"

"When you go shopping, if your child did a really good job (not whining or fussing), make sure to stop after you check out and tell your child what he/she did right, say you appreciate the good behavior, are proud of him/her and then give a hug (maybe get a little treat afterward)"

"Gather things so your child can feel like a useful member of the family--child-size tools like mop, broom, rake etc, and then your child can help you while you work. Praise him/her for helping!"

"Talk to your spouse when your child has done something you were really happy about - when they are within earshot and they can hear the praise "indirectly""

"Don't let a single day go by without a hug!"

Clever ideas by Smart Mom, Inventors of the Teething Bling!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Long Term Part Time Help Required!

We are looking for long term part time help with the online store. The person will mainly be handling email sales enquiries and processing online orders.

You will need to be available to work at our warehouse office (located in the West) 4 hours each day (Mon-Fri), preferably from 9-1pm.

Basic Requirements

- Good writing and email communication skills

- Responsible, independent and organised

Previous Sales or Marketing experience not required but will be a plus. Preferably living near our warehouse office in the West.

If you would like to consider joining us, please send in your resume and pay expectations to pupsikteam(@)gmail.com. We need to consider several factors to assess if the job will suit you too based on your Background, Expertise, Interests, Geographical Location, Pay Expectations, Constraints (if any), so please include ALL this information in your application to help us in our assessment .

Some of you have emailed to asked me for more information such as working hours, location etc . As I will not be able to personally attend to all your emails in a prompt manner, it will be helpful if you can indicate your preference, or any constraints you may have, in your application to help me assess your suitability for this position.

If we feel that this current position may not be suitable for you, we would certainly like to keep your application in view of other potential positions in the future!

I will only be contacting the shortlisted candidates for this current position by email and thank everyone in advance for taking the time to send in your application!

Thanks once again!

Su Ling
Pupsik Studio

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Pink Elephant Labs

Here are some lovely photos taken of Eva, one of the winners of our recent "Pupsik in a Pouch" Contest. As our winner, beautiful Eva had won for herself an outdoor photoshoot by Pink Elephant Labs. How adorable is she?!?! I love how natural the pictures are taken and the bright cheerful colours that simply pop! I am sure these would look simply lovely framed up in Eva's nursery.For a limited time only, Pink Elephant Labs will be offering Pupsik Fans a 10% discount for their studio package and a 20% discount for their outdoor package. More details of their packages can be found on their website.

To be eligible for the discount, the session must be booked by July 15, 2010, and the session date must fall before August 15, 2010. A $50 deposit is required to reserve their slot. When booking, they just need to put PUPSIKFAN as their e-mail subject. The first 10 people to book a session will receive a further 20% discount for any additional items (extra prints, a CD of images from the session, coffee table books, etc.) should they decide to purchase.

Thank you Pink Elephant Labs!

Monday, June 21, 2010

A Wedding Engagement - Disclaimer



We love dressing up and being a part of your special day and thank all dear friends and family who have asked us to be a part of your wedding in such a special way...

However, this video serves as a gentle caution to anyone who wishes to engage Vera' Zagorodnova's services (henceforth referred to as "The Flower Girl") and releases Tan Su Ling (henceforth referred to as "The Mom") from any moral or legal obligations whatsoever for any events that may/may not occur during the actual wedding procession.

xoxo
The Mom

Pettitop and Pettiskirt from who else but the gorgeous Princess Ratbag of Australia.

Winner of The Pottywatch Giveaway!

Congratulations to Serene and Yoke Yuen who have each won a potty watch for your child in our FACEBOOK GIVEAWAY last week! Please contact me HERE to claim your prize!


Different parents use different methods of potty training their kids. When adopting the Practice makes Perfect method of potty training, the biggest challenge a parent has is to remind their child that they need to go potty.


The Potty Watch is designed to help with just that challenge! It takes care of the job for you the parent and not only makes it easy for you but fun for your child!

How does the Potty watch work?

The Potty Watch helps children remember to try to go potty by playing music and lighting up at 30, 60, or 90 minute intervals, as set by their parent. Children just starting their potty training will usually start at 30 minute intervals, and increase as they get better at knowing when they need to go.

To help children stay on the potty long enough to really try, the PottyWatch plays songs (see video above) that they can sing along to while they're trying to go.

Features of the Potty Watch:

  • 30, 60 and 90 minute modes that will count down to 00:00.
  • Song plays and lights flash to remind your child that it is time to go potty
  • After song (see song lyrics below), timer automatically resets itself and begins counting down again
  • Wristband - kid friendly FDA approved TPR soft rubber
  • Comes in 3 colors - Blue for Boys, Pink for Girls
  • NOTE: This is not a watch - it is timer to remind your child to go potty

Wristband length - 7 1/2 inches. For small wrists can fasten down to 4 3/4 inches

Face dimensions are 1 1/4 inches x 1 1/2 inches

Lyrics of the two songs that the Potty Watch Plays:

Potty Time

(Tune "London Bridge")

Look at me, it's potty time,
Potty time, potty time.
Look at me, it's potty time,
Let's go potty now.

I'm So Happy

(Tune "Oh My Darling")

I'm so happy,
I'm so happy,
I'm so happy, when I'm dry!
So I'm going to the potty,
Every hour, I will try.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Nursery Decals

I came across these gorgeous decals by Australian designer Mae recently. I have seen quite a good deal of wall decals by various designers but you can say it was love at first sight when I saw Mae's fabric decals.
Mae decals are perfect for children as they are removable & completely reusable. The stickers have a premium quality adhesive, so they can be scrunched into a ball and will easily un-scrunch & re-apply to your wall, many times over without damaging it.

(above) Girly Alphabets

(above) Up Up and Away & Summer Doll

Mae is Australian made & owned. What I also love about them is they make a point to keep the environment in mind and their products are sourced from local small businesses. Their packaging is recycled & their stickers use eco inks.

And to add to the list of why I love them, they also produce mini versions of their decals that you can apply on your accessories such as your laptop, books and other personal items. Simply adorable!

Available here.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Choosing the right toy for your child

I am a firm believer that children learn most through play. Giving appropriate toys to a baby stimulates his/ her learning potential. Studies have shown that suitable infant educational toys play an important role in baby's early development. Bright colors, interesting patterns and variety of shapes help stimulate and appeal to the developing senses of your little one.

Here are some pointers, which will help you in knowing and selecting the perfect educational infant toy for your infant.

1. Sight. Research has shown that baby’ eyes are immature at birth and can only focus on contrasting colors like black and white. However, as they grow, they are attracted to bright primary colors. Chose brightly coloured toys such as this and this that are easy to gasp and most importantly safe for your child to chew on.

2. Touch. As your infant grows his/her sense of touch is more developed and this is evident when he starts fiddling with things. When you notice this, it’s important for you to introduce different kinds of textures such as this and this to your baby to stimulate his sense of touch.

3. Hearing. Studies have shown that babies respond well to sounds even before birth. Music can soothe your baby during uncomfortable times. Consider getting a musical toy with a gentle tune to play for your baby even before birth. They will continue to be comforted by the familiar melody they hear from your womb even after they are born. Rattles are also helpful in stimulating baby’s eyes and ears, while at the same time encouraging your little one to lift his/her arms and feet.

4. Taste. You will also notice at one point that your baby will enjoy putting things in their mouths. This is a natural reflex and an important part of their development. Chewing on different materials and shapes stimulates the periodontal membrane under the teeth. This helps promote jaw development which is essential as they start on semi-solid food. It is important to choose teethers that are made from non-toxic materials and are appropriately sized for baby's mouth and hands.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Rice Melamine

While looking for cute, high-quality, melamine dishes to use as toddler tableware, I ran across a range of gorgeous and high quality ones designed by a company in Denmark called Rice.

Recently, Nadya has taken to flinging and throwing her food and dishes on the floor. Vera had gone through this stage when she neared her terrible-twos and we managed then with Ikea children’s dishes. With use however, we found that the Ikea plastics got scratched up and worn looking over time which got me very worried about using them.

I did a little research online and found our about the melamine dishes by RICE. A bit of background on melamine: this material is often used to make children's dishes as they are unbreakable, scratch-resistant, dishwasher-safe. They are generally known to be practical and safe, as far as unbreakable plastics is concerned. The only thing is melamine isn't microwave-safe, but I generally avoid popping any plastic containers in the microwave anyways. RICE produces really good quality melamine and what I really like is that the company take a lot of effort to ensure that their products are produced in a socially responsible way. I have completely ditched all my ikea plastics and porcelains after discovering them. They keep very well with heavy use and the best part is, they are all BPA free! YES!

What I also like about RICE, besides being beautiful eye candy, is that the designs are well thought through. The spoon and fork set for instance are smooth around the edges, unless the Ikea ones that tend to be quite sharp (not great if you have a food-stabbing kiddo like mine).

A limited range of Melamine dishes, cups and utensils specially designed for kids, such as the 2-handle cup, set of 6 baby spoons, Room-4 plates, is now available on Pupsik Studio here.

In addition to the melamine tableware, Rice has a lot of other really well designed products such as fabric banners, storage baskets.