.: Parenting

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Kehidupan Shilashower Selepas 2 Minggu Sesi Persekolahan 2017

January 17, 2017

Haha, tajuk drama sangat. Macamlah sebelum ni takda kehidupan. Sebelum ni ada jugak, cuma involvement pada aktiviti sekolah anak tak berapa nak serious sangat. Yer lah, sorang baru darjah satu, sorang tadika, chill lah. Adam standard one, kita orang tak kisah sangat dia nak belajar ke main ke, yang penting homework siap, exam jangan melingkup sangat hehehe. Tengok dia pun relax je, takda komplen susah ke apa, exam pun score, so kami pun tak kalut apa. Aiman lagi tak payah cerita, masa awal-awal tadika, ada hari pergi, ada hari tak pergi haha. Tapi last-last tu rajin dah pergi Brainy Bunch, sebab dia seronok satu macam.

Tapi 2017 dah lain. Belum apa-apa, Adam Haris dah start meluahkan perasaan, "darjah 2 ni subjects dah makin susah lah Mummy". Ok, dah macam red alarm tu, anak needs help. Baru first topic Math dia macam blur-blur, and I was like biar betul Adam Haris ni. Sebab Adam ni jenis competitive, sangat jarang dia nak complaint susah, usually dia akan pulun dulu kalau tak dapat baru mengeluh. Sekali bila I check buku, ya amponnnn memang melambak terms tak faham haha. Mummy pun tak faham, apatah lagi budak darjah 2 ni.

So bermulalah sesi tution dengan Mummy Shilashower. We decided to start early. Monitor dari awal, sebab mengikut perkiraan, by the time nak exam pertengahan tahun, rumah ni ada new baby, so Mummy mungkin sedikit kalut time tu. So while I am still free now, I decided to follow each thing dia belajar dekat sekolah. Buat mini poster with important points for Adam, guna Illustrator baru meriah hehe. He seems happy with that, sebab bila pergi sekolah, cikgu ajar dia semakin faham. Mummy ni tak pandai sangat mengajar, lebih nak jadi monster je, tapi kasih sayang tuuu tak boleh beli dekat mana-mana, ingat tu.

Tapi rutin, bukanlah hari-hari belajar. Hari sekolah takda pun, balik malam I allow them to play, tengok tv ke, main game sikit-sikit boleh. Yer lah, siang dah sekolah kebangsaan, then sekolah agama, takkan nak push study beria, sikit-sikit sudah. Hari Sabtu, hari main sepuas hati. Hari Ahad je kena allocate 2-3 jam untuk revision, which Mummy dengan Ayah akan monitor. Tapi bab mengaji bagi dekat Ayah, kesabaran dia tinggi sikit haha. But all in all, I think allocation time tu masih banyak kepada main, so fair lah, bukan strict sangat, only few hours on Sunday untuk tengok buku sekejap. The rest, biasanya dia orang mengadap Xbox main Minecraft, takpun Lego, swimming and etc.

Aiman on the other hand, belum dapat buku teks. Sebab Aiman dapat offer untuk join DLP class. Dual Language Program, belajar Math and Science in English. Kita orang amik masa jugak nak fikir, untuk agree atau tidak, tapi bila tengok terms Bahasa Melayu pun equally susah, so kami pun agree. Ramai jugak parents tak agree, mainly sebab takut kemampuan anak, and some dekat rumah tak biasa dengan English, so takut tak dapat bantu. Aiman ni, bab spelling reading tu masih nak kena improve, cuma dia boleh bertutur so cikgu masukkan dalam potential kids. Takpe lah Aiman, kita accept je. Dalam hidup ni mana ada benda senang.

Yang sekarang kena sambung belajar teruk ialah Mummy. Kena belajar subjects Math Science darjah 2 in BM and darjah 1 in English hahaha. Esok baby keluar, dia dah pro dua bahasa Math and Science hehehe.

As for daily routine, hari-hari I still pergi teman dia orang makan waktu rehat. Haha over kan. Dah sekolah bagi masuk sebulan, memang sebulan la muka Mummy dekat sekolah. Budak-budak sekolah pun dah kenal, "ini Mak Adam Haris dan Aiman Haris" hehe. Pergi sekolah, balik sekolah pun either me or Kown but most often my parents tolong amik. Zaman bahaya ni, memang kerja tunggu tepi sekolah je lah.

Bab monitor harta benda, Adam ok, barang all masih berlabel and cukup. Aiman pun sama jugak tapi dia ada extra. Almost everyweek ada barang kawan hahaha. Bila tanya kenapa suka angkut buku kawan ni, dia jawab, "sebab everytime before balik, kawan dia tinggal buku atas meja, takkan nak biar, nanti buku dia hilang". Haaaaaa gitu pulak. Ok lah, 10 markah untuk perilaku bertanggung jawab. :P Ada sekali tu, sampai 5 bijik buku tulis kawan dalam beg dia, dia kata sebab kawan tu tertinggal dalam drawer, hahaha jenuh pikul.

Sekolah Agama pulak, dah dapat buku teks. Buku pinjaman, tapi ya ampon, taktau nak kata tu buku ka roti kirai. Nak bukak pembalut pun taktau kot mana. Then baru flip muka surat sikit, dah bersepai habis pages haha. Buntu nak buat apa, Adam pun sedih tengok buku dia, we decided to buy a new ones. Tapi mencabar la baq hang nak dapatkan each text book sekolah agama. Sebab buku ni keluaran JAIS which tak jual dekat kedai-kedai buku, walaupun macam Pustaka Mukmin, Minerva bagai tu. Until a friend suggested, cuma call company yang print buku tu, and ask them where to buy the books. Haaaa sampai camtu lah nak mencari. But we finally dapat beli buku baru untuk Adam Haris. Printer companies satu in Melawati, satu in Templer Park and satu lagi dekat Balakong nuuuu. Nak bagi anak belajar gembira punya pasai, gigih Ayah drive jauh-jauh sana sini hehe. Buku satu RM3.50-4.00 je weh. Minyak kereta mahal lagi hehe. Nanti kita share details kalau ada parents nak beli buku teks sekolah agama Negeri Selangor untuk anak.

Ok got to go. Nak waktu rehat budak-budak ni dah. Camni lah rutin hari-hari for now. Hehe...

ShilaShower

3 Comments

TIPS KEMAS BEG SEKOLAH ANAK DARJAH SATU

January 16, 2017

Sebenarnya ini post yang I tulis dekat FB, which untuk membantu kawan-kawan yang ada anak nak masuk darjah satu. TAPI, ramaiiii rupanya share post ni sampai jadi viral. Sort of haha. Traffic jam sekejap FB tu. So I copy balik everything I wrote there, may this post be helpful to all parents out there especially yang ada anak darjah 1-2.

TIPS KEMAS BEG SEKOLAH ANAK DARJAH SATU. Lagi-lagi boys hehe. Sebenarnya applicable je untuk lower primary, sampai budak-budak besar sikit dan pandai urus buku and barang-barang sekolah. 2017, Aiman darjah satu and Adam dah darjah dua, so adalah pengalaman sikit yang kita belajar dari tahun 2016 dulu hehe.

KEDAI ALAT TULIS MUMMY

Ini kalau hilang stationery, nak mintak baru, Mummy charge lima kupang sorang. Tu dah diskaun dari bookshop sekolah ok. Organize everything in one place. Senang especially for the busy days ahead. This year, crayons and watercolors semua all prepared. Tak macam tahun lepas, tak tau apa Adam belajar apa masa Pendidikan Seni, tau tau time nak exam ada yang kena guna crayons, ada yang watercolors, ada yang kertas warna and etc. Ha, kelam kabut masa tu nak pilih soalan mana nak jawab sebab bahan tak cukup hehe.

Plus, bila letak setempat ni mudah untuk orang lain tolong jugak. Sebab next year, ada baby, kalau Mummy tak sempat tengok, boleh mintak tolong Ayah, Maktok ke Tokwan ke and senang nak bagitau dekat mana barang-barang. Terutamanya the daddy. Kalau kita minta tolong cari barang, kena exact location tu dengan pandangan berapa degree ahahaha. Sebab dia takkan tengok tepi sikit ke, bawah sikit ke, belakang sikit ke. Heheh.

NAME STICKER LABELS

Jimat masa menulis hehe. Big and bold, ini kalau hilang juga taktau nak kata apa la. Kalau tersalah masuk beg kawan ke apa, senang kawan nak perasan and boleh pulangkan balik hehe. Tahun lepas rajin tulis each and every book, tapi tahun dua anak sekolah hahaha sudah tiada keupayaan nak tulis. DIY sticker senang. Tak cukup boleh print lagi.

LABEL BARANG-BARANG

This year Mummy labelkan semuaaaa barang. Termasuklah 48 batang pensil warna sorang, dua orang dah 96 batang. Yerlah, kalau anak kita pakai Faber Castel, kawan sebelah pakai sama, dahhh tiba-tiba dalam box tu ada dua warna biru la, merah la. So semua benda I label.

Dengan pesanan berulang kali, "bawa balik barang-barang yang ada label nama saja. sebab anak mummy dengan ayah nama dia Adam Haris and Aiman Haris only". Tu pun Aiman jawab, "kalau barang baru beli from bookshop, takda sticker? so tinggallah dekat sekolah". Lepas tu dia kata kalau kawan cabut sticker, barang nak tinggal dekat sekolah jugak ke. Isk, banyak pulak kebarangkalian dia.

STICKER LABELS

Waterproof. Tulisan tak payah lengkoi lengkoi sangatlah. Biar clear clean bold. Senang anak kita baca, senang kawan-kawan dia baca jugak. Yang tanya mana buat sticker silver ni, I buat dekat Ikano. Yang ni kecik je, just nice untuk label barang-barang sekolah. RM6-7 for 100pcs.

Selalunya booth-booth dekat hypermarket Giant or Tesco ada jugak jual stickers ni. Buat dapat terus. Sticker besar for books je I design and print sendiri, guna sticker paper beli from bookstore.

EMERGENCY MONEY.

RM2 pack & seal. Ini sebenarnya Maktok Adam punya amalan. 😂😂 Kita selit dalam beg belah bawah. Or macam Adam & Adam, dalam bag tu ada satu compartment untuk file, so kita letak dekat situ.

Explain to them what the money for. Selalunya Adam guna kalau time bekal tertinggal, duit belanja lupa bagi or tiba-tiba ada buku tulis yang tak ada then kena beli from bookshop. Or ada la sekali dua dia bagi time donation.

Kena pesan jangan beli benda merapu, jangan tunjuk pada kawan and etc. Ini pun masa awal-awal dulu, Adam pi jadi ceti dekat sekolah. Kerja dok bagi kawan pinjam duit. Tapi kalau dah hari-hari, macam kena pau pulak. So kita orang pesan, "either you jaga your duit, or lepas ni tak ada duit belanja langsung dah." Tapi ni Adam la, sebab dia memang tak beli makanan merapu or jajan. Aiman nanti haha taktau la apa cerita.

EMERGENCY STATIONERY KIT.

Ha, banyak betul emergency pack eh. Tapi percayalah sangat berguna. Tak berat mana pun. Pack duit and pack alat tulis ni sorok je dalam compartment belah dalam beg tu. Adam pernah tertinggal kotak pensel masa exam akhir tahun. Panik Maktok dia hehehe. Tapi dah tau ada spare kit dalam beg sekolah dia, so kurang sikit kerisauan, but still pergi hantar jugak kotak pensel dia. Ni Maktok punya idea jugak. Maybe sebab Maktok cikgu kot hahaha so dah tau dah possibility kes-kes macam ni.

POCKET FILE.

Penting jugak. Pocket file. Sebab budak-budak ni dekat sekolah banyak guna kertas, lagi-lagi standard one during the first month. Banyak drawing, coloring, writing on paper. Tak termasuk derang koyak buku and buat drawing. 😂😂😂 Kadang-kadang tak siap kerja dekat sekolah, cikgu suruh sambung dekat rumah. Kalau tak bagi file, dia suka hati je lipat and sumbat je dekat mana-mana dalam beg. 😂😂 Kadang-kadang crumple kronik kertas tu. 😅

Ni untuk lower primary la, sementara nak pandai urus buku and barang sendiri. So far, pocket file ni bertahan. Bukan plastik lembik tu, nanti lunyai jugak akhirnya. Kalau yang macam box tu, takut berat beg. Sebab Adam dulu, rasa macam beg sekolah dengan tuan pun sama berat hehe.

ShilaShower

1 Comments

Dual Language Program - DLP Darjah Satu

January 14, 2017

We hope we made the right decision.

Semalam dapat surat dari sekolah, Aiman Haris being offered to join the Dual Language Program by Kem. Pendidikan for which dia akan belajar Math and Science in English. SAMPAI UPSR dan membawa ke SPM lah senang cerita. Tough decision to be made.

Bila tanya cikgu, on what basis they assessed Aiman, dia cakap marks Aiman average tapi dia boleh bertutur BI and converse confidently, so dia di-consider. And berpindah kelas lah dia (habis Mummy kena buat sticker baru haha).

Hard time to decide, yer la, ini sekolah kebangsaan biasa je, bukan kawasan elite pun, bukan private school, which majority of pupils do not speak English as a first language, boleh ke Aiman cope sampai form 5. Yang bercakap B.I dengan dia cuma Mummy and Maktok itu pun sebab lepas 2 tahun dekat Brainy Bunch (and bukanlah setiap masa), Ayah cakap loghat Kedah, Tok Wan cakap loghat Kelantan. Haaaa gitu.

Bila tanya opinion Abadam, Abang rasa Adik senang buat English ke BM, dia jawab "tak payah la BM Adik susah lah. Ada KONSONAN BERGABUNG, FRASA lah apa lah" Hoihhh tu BAHASA MELAYU, dah kalau nak tanak belajar BM nak belajar bahasa apa? Uganda Utara?

Bila tanya Aiman, "you like your new class or you like 1 Bijak more?". Dia jawab kelas lama, sebab duduk bawah kipas. Hadoih, pun tak membantu nak decide. Tapi flip buku-buku Brainy Bunch dia, Math and Science in English, so tak pelik sangat untuk dia nanti.

Bila tanya Ayah Pak Ngah Kown pulak, "takpa proceed, good for him. Lagi pun Aiman macam Ayah. Ayah pulak takda beza sangat dengan Brad Pitt, so memang ok belajar in English".

-________-"

Tak membantu betul rakyat dalam rumah ni. Above all, sebenarnya bukan risau capability Aiman, sebab baru standard one, tak fair kalau decline just sebab kita under estimate anak, TAPI bila setuju tu, maknanya we as parents, kena put extra efforts untuk guide him sampai UPSR lah. For which, memerlukan ketabahan yang amat sebab Adam kita kena monitor in BM and Adik in BI, so makpak kena belajar Math and Science both languages. Hahah. So sebenarnya tough dekat kami. Dah la lepas briefing tadi, kena isi terus borang kebenaran, tak sempat nak fikir lama-lama. Dengan nak fikir decision ni betul ke salah ke, nak fikir team tengah setup party dekat USJ nuuu ok ke tidak, akhirnya Mummy benarkan dan dengan ini cabaran bermula.

So kalau ada cikgu-cikgu sekolah rendah dekat sini, yang ada set soalan Math and Science in English (sebab rasa 2016 dah start DLP kan? Tapi few selected schools), tolong lah DM and share dengan saya hehe.

P/S: Kalau nampak Mummy dekat pusat tution tu, bukan anak yang pegi, Mummy yang pegi haha. Mak kena belajar Math and Science dua bahasa, dah la terms lain teruihhh. Condensation = Pemeluwapan. Ha gitu.

ShilaShower

2 Comments

Hari Pertama Persekolahan - Adam Haris & Aiman Haris

January 05, 2017

Haloooo...

Kepada yang dah lama follow blog Shilashower ni, terutamanya dari zaman Adam & Aiman baby, haaaa derang berdua dah sekolah rendah youuu. How time flies kan? Dan sebab peristiwa ni sangat penting, maka Mummy kena bukak balik blogspot bersawang ni and update jugak story. Penting. Sangat penting untuk kenangan masa depan.

Adam Haris darjah 2 and Aiman Haris darjah 1. Yer, combo berganda ni dah sekolah bersama-sama. Monday was such a tiring day and by 7pm Mummy dah nampak bantal je, lain takda, dinner pun tak kuasa.

Maybe sebab first day semalam, Mummy semangat bangun pukul 5 pagi masakkan foods yang dia orang nak bawak pergi sekolah. Adam dulu standard one memang almost everyday bawa bekal, sebab dia ni tak berapa minat makanan kantin, so kita try nak train Aiman the same. So sorang dah order Olio Pasta, sorang nak Chicken Nuggets. Sebab hari pertama kan, so layankan aja request2 dia orang. Akan datang, ikut suka Mummy nak prepare breakfast box apa hehee.

Being a kekwat Mummy I am haha, nak hantar pergi sekolah pun penuh strategi. Sebab bila sampai sekolah, I yang turun dulu kereta with their two bags, pergi masuk kelas and book tempat dulu hehe. Kalau nak tunggu dia orang dua jalan, melenggang mak minah, lambattt. Adam sebab nak cari tempat bawah kipas, sebab dia kan ada eczema, so by afternoon selalunya dia dah tergaru-garu. Aiman pulak, takmau dia duduk belakang sangat, sat lagi dia main ja lebih, biar dekat Cikgu takpa hehe.

First day sekolah kebangsaan, activity quite straight forward. Budak-budak pun masuk kelas terus, kedai buku pun tak crowded maybe parents memang ramai dah get ready buku semua awal (bagus!). Cuma waktu rehat, meja macam tak cukup, ye la sebab dah parents pun pakat duduk sekali dekat meja, then kena hambat dengan cikgu hahaha baru semua bangun. Baruuu budak-budak dapat duduk makan. Biasalah, first day, bukan semua parents faham dos and donts kawasan sekolah, yer dak?

Kita risau sangat Aiman tak boleh cope new environment, sebab sekolah kebangsaan kan ramai, huru hara la sikit dari keadaan dia masa dekat Brainy Bunch. Unfortunately nope. Dia rileks je, senyum je bila kita angkat tangan dekat dia. Towards nak balik tu, siap sakan dia main dalam kelas. Meleset betul sangkaan Mummy hehe. Ni tengok gaya, dengan kawan-kawan Abang Adam dia sapu buat geng.

Tengah hari sambung sekolah agama. Ada lah break dalam sejam setengah in between dua sekolah. Bunyi agak penat tapi biarlah dia pergi sekolah agama, kalau duduk rumah, membazir masa main je lebih. Adam dulu pun awal-awal kita kesian, lama-lama dia ok je. Dari tak tau baca and tulis jawi langsung, sekarang dah boleh macam-macam. Alhamdulillah...

Adam first day ok je, sebab dia dah darjah dua. Tak sabar masuk sekolah adalah. Sebab nak jumpa kawan-kawan after long holidays kan. Aiman yang kita risaukan segala macam, rileks je. In fact, pagi-pagi dia lagi senang bangun mandi and bersiap and breakfast dari Abang. Adam kalau kejut mesti cakap, "5 minit". Dia punya 5 minit adalah 4-5 round, dekat setengah jam baru bangun.

-___-

Beg sekolah, buku sekolah, barang sekolah all in good condition, pulang dalam kuantiti yang sepatutnya hehe. Baju sekolah je la dah kelaut warna. Boys, takkan nak expect suci murni putih baju kan hehe.

For now, Mummy belum dapat nak fikir macam mana nak adjust jadual harian. Hantar and amik sekolah. In between buat kerja and nak kena free kan time malam, sebab dah dua orang sekolah, kena focus sikit. Sebab kalau sambil lewa, jawab dia dua-dua lah main sekali. Malam semalam we started with something basic dulu, simple. Baca Iqra for 30 minutes. Lepas baca, they have 30 minutes untuk main game or tengok tv, sebelum dua-dua kena hambat pi tidoq hehe. Sebab first few weeks ni belum ada homework, so kita chill dulu. Buat yang simple. Tak berani nak terlalu chill pulak, sebab dua-dua bersama ni, satgi "brother see brother do".

Beg sekolah pun tak da nak check apa sangat, 2 orang 2 sekolah, so ada 4 beg sekolah, ada 4 kotak pensel haha. Takyah dok kelam kabut nak tukar-tukar beg, nak transfer buku and kotak pensel. Buat pening je. Tahun lepas Adam macam tu, pastu nanti buku sekolah kebangsaan and sekolah agama habis bercampur. Tahun ni dua orang, Mummy lebih prepare and details in every aspect. Gituuu.

Ok lah. Sambung nanti. (Mummy Shilashower kata antara azam tahun 2017 nak rajin update blog haha). Tengoklah nanti. :P

ShilaShower

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STAR Reward System for My Kids

January 07, 2014

Yeah, as you read it, we have now implemented a reward system at home. Nothing so complicated about it, one star for every stated expectation that is met. In return, for every 50 stars collected, they can redeem those for treats or outing or whatever that is deemed appropriate and ok by Mummy and Ayah, hehe. At this moment both of them nampak faham macam mana the whole system works. Oklah untuk awal ni, 50 stars tu dalam 2 minggu baru dapat collect, so at least takdaklah hari-hari mintak new toys. :P

We just implemented the system, so I'm not sure how successful it will be (tunggu until end of the month) and not any pitfalls that we have encountered, as yet. I know some people may say, "nanti budak-budak tak ikhlas buat baik" but well at least this whole thing can encourage them to do good and motivate them to achieve their goals (for example Adam, he needs to collect enough stars that to be redeemed for another set of die-cast planes). As simple as that.

Sebab Adam hari-hari mintak Ayah belikan new planes when he probably has more than 50 die-cast planes in collection. It's easier to explain that, "NO, no new planes sebab Adam tak kemas lepas main, Adam tak share dengan Adik and bla bla bla and you can only have a new set when you earned your 50 stars by doing/behaving good", lebih kurang macam itu. So far dia faham and hopefully janganlah ada orang lain tolong beli hahahah nanti dia dapat short cut pulak.

I tak expect them to do basic house chores pun and all the expectations stated I rasa manageable and achievable by them (at least for now). Play nicely, share things, clean up toys, help each other, practise positive behaviours, brush teeth (yang ni confirm ada star, they love it), eat fruits & veggies, or anything simple for kids age 4-5.

I dapat idea ni masa dekat Disneyland. They went bonkers over toys when we were in Hong Kong and we've never seen them like that before. Even masuk Toyrus dekat Malaysia pun I rasa masih berhemah dan bersopan, but not in Disneyland. T_____T Aiman particularly, lepas satu, satu dia nak beli. Hairan. For all we know Aiman has very minimal interest in toys. Aihhhh, disampuk hantu Disneyland ke apa taktau la.

So I just have to explain to them that they can't always get what they want in life. Sometimes things just don't happen the way you want them to be and that Allah gives everything for reason. Also have to tell them that Allah bagi Mummy and Ayah duit not only to buy toys for Adam and Aiman, but also for foods, school, baju, jalan-jalan and whatnot. Adam seems to understand the idea but Aiman well well well, he is the "Mr. Whatever". So whateverrrrr.

Siap pesan balik dekat Mummy, "Mummy cakap lah PLEASE nicely to ALLAH, nanti mesti Dia bagi. Mummy cakap elok-elok tau?"

Fast forward, Mummy pun dapat ilham nak buat reward system ni and so far both of them faham. For example, lepas dinner jer Aiman will come and ask for his 'star' sebab dia dah makan veggies sampai habis. So senang kerja Mummy hehehe...

For time being, we will just stick to this. For long term, maybe kena fikir cara lain sebab tak boleh nak rely on the reward system sepanjang masa. The main idea of this is to build a strong sense of responsibility and to create awareness on how their role impact the rest of the family. But until they can further understand, star chart ni kira dah good beginning. Because little kids respond well with continuous positive words such as "good job, well done, awesome, thank you, great, wonderful and etc."

ShilaShower

5 Comments

Brainy Bunch it is. Finally.

December 12, 2013

Yer, nampak tu I tulis finally? Haha. Sebab berapa punya banyak dah survey playschool sebelum ni, bayar deposit then burn sebab budak-budak ni tak pergi pun school akhirnya -______-" Tapi next year Adam dah 5 tahun and Aiman 4 tahun, so it's about time for them to go to school. Enough of kesian kena bangun awal every morning (Maktok la tu, asyik kesian je) and enough of takut-sat-lagi-kena-buli-sebab-kecik-lagi (Ayah protective sangat) or apa-apa lah yang takut and kalau tu.

Ni mommy monster dah berkuasa veto. Hahaha. No kesian-kesian, the boys need to mix around with other children and hopefully can help them to develop to their full potential. Insyaallah, academic wise it won't be that hard. ABC, 123, alif-ba-ta, shapes (including those hexagon, pentagon, octagon dah ok), simple Surah(s) also ok, daily Doa(s), basic plus minus Math pun dah ajar, ok lah kot kan. They can eat on their own and dah toilet trained jugak, harap tak ada masalah sangat.

Now it's time to brush up on their social skills. What's going to happen next kena tunggu hari dah masuk sekolah hehehehe. They never been to any daycare before hence I'm expecting several drama episodes to happen for the first few days (or maybe a week of adjustment period? or more? haha) but hopefully everything will be ok for them. I believe the teachers are quite skilled in handling this, so let's leave this matter to the experts.

So now, why Brainy Bunch? Knowing me, I have been so kiasu before, in searching and finding the best playschool for the kids (which they ended up not going to any bahahahhhaha!). But as I get older and wiser (wahhh gitu), I think my tahap kepoh-want-all-tip-top dah turun sikit. I can tolerate to certain percentage of kekurangan that each kindy has.

Frankly speaking, yes there are few schools yang memang tip top in and out (not to mention their fee structure too ahaha) but still they are lacking in one thing. The most important thing of all, Islamic Education. So tak payah nak orang putih sangat, nanti jadi drama Nur Kasih. Adam and Aidil tu. Or in my case Adam and Aiman. Takmo lah kan. So kena lah cari Islamic Montessori.

Being resided in a housing area which Muslim community is not a majority, maka nak cari Islamic playschool agak susah. Most of the options available semua you kena drive luar kawasan. The thing is, my parents are the one picking up my kids from school, so takkan nak mintak drive jauh redah jem semua kan. Fast forward, Brainy Bunch seems to be the closest Islamic Montessori within our radius.

So this is it.

I didn't check for their syllabus, their daily activities and routines, what BBIM is all about, not even their fee structure. So much of pakai redah thing janji anak sekolah T_____T. But I've seen the amazing results from other kids from this school, Masha Allah they are all wonderful.

Just to share with you, I was sold the moment I saw the kids getting ready for solat berjemaah :') Ya Allah, we need this. I don't mind if they want to be a pilot, an astronaut or even a rockstar, janji Iman and Islam kukuh dalam diri. We just need this, our investment in the hereafter. ;)

ShilaShower

4 Comments

TIPS: Getting Kids to Brush Teeth

December 06, 2012

That's Adam, brushing his teeth in the kitchen sink. My first born, 3.5 years old and you know what? keeping a clean healthy set of teeth is one of his life major concerns. Yes, of all the things that revolve around him, menjaga gigi is just so important that he doesn't mind for not eating chocolate. And candy and jajan whatsoever.

Because the first time I gave him chocolate, he was freaked out to see his teeth turning very brown and thought the situation going to be as such permanently. Miahahaha! point taken, so I explained "Kalau Adam suka makan banyak chocolate, candy and tak gosok gigi, nanti jadi hitam balik." I guess lesson learnt lah kot lepas tu haha.

As he grows, he understands that tooth brushing is part of his daily routine that he needs to do at least twice a day. Aiman follows suit. Apa Abang buat, Adik buat also. Except that we have to do it for him first before allowing him to repeat again on his own.

Anyway, below are some useful tips that we have applied, to make tooth brushing routine work for them.

Start early. Well, this point, the biggest credit should go to my mom and my cousin Suraya and then only me, haha. The ones yang buat rutin cuci gums and tongue despite being bitten numerous times by the boys haha. One tough job okels, to gently wipe and rub the gums with soft cloth soaked in warm water. Usually buat after each feeding.

My boys have 2-3 tooth brushes for them to choose each time to brush their teeth. And yes, buy the fancy ones for them. Now ada yang with blinking light lah, Thomas Train tooth brush and etc. Engage your kids also when buying the supplies; something very simple but important to keep the spirit up. And owh, use those colorful Ikea plastic cups for rinsing.

Important! Until your child is big enough to rinse and spit, don't use toothpaste. Tho some brands indicate 'Safe to Swallow', I decided not to take the risk. Now both boys are above two, so yes toothpaste is in use but only a small pea size each time. Too much takut overwhelm their mouth with toothpaste foam.

Fun stuff is contagious! Singing, laughing, making sounds, story telling and all sort of possible fun things that you may think, sila buat. For us, this Bangun Pagi Gosok Gigi song is a ritual for every tooth brushing session. But the next verse varies, depends on what Adam and Aiman request; something like "Bangun pagi, gosok gigi, cuci kereta, main lori, pakai baju, minum susu, pergi Rumah Jaja hari-hari" Hahaha.

Lead by example by allowing them to watch us brush teeth. Come on, this is an everyday must-do-thing kot? ;) If not morning then night time, shouldn't be a problem then. Sometimes, I even get into the action by joining them brushing their teeth, even though I just did mine before. The more the merrier, kids love that.

Most importantly, please, lower your expectations. They just don't do it right first time. Not even the 10th time pun but surely the more practice they get, the faster they will improve. And don't forget to praise and praise and praise for their awesome brushing job. Do not under estimate the positive power of one praise can be. :) Trust me.

ShilaShower

8 Comments

Aiman's Kitchen Playset!

November 16, 2011

Haha! I know its pink. Pink kitchen playset for Mista Muka Legend Hati Kuntum, ekekeke..But who cares? Because in toddler land, kids are free to play with anything they like or interest them. Everything is ok punya. Say even if they smear lipstick all over your bed sheet or carpet pun, still naahhhh nothing much going to happen kan? The most, they probably going to get one friendly babab from mommy. Dah, itu saja.

Cool eyh? Feel like becoming a child once again? Forget it. Zaman dah berlalu.

So here, being an open minded mom to two boys, I don't mind if my kids choose to play with girl's kitchen set. I mean, they are kid, why do I have to restrict their choices and limit their imagination by all this gender specific stuff kan? Remember, most world's great chefs are men kan?

I still remember playing masak-masak with my siblings and cousins and that time, we really pluck off flowers or any plants that possibly be spinach, broccoli and other veges. Batu and daun selalu buat duit. :P And pasir as nasik -____-" See? Very high imagination role play game tau. And now, that two little boys yang selalu masak-masak dah jadi chef for real okies? ;) That's why I think kitchen play is absolutely ok for boys and I don't see anything wrong with that. Even for dolls, if that pleases my boys pun, yes go ahead, they can always play with it. But if that prolongs until primary school age, well I might be a tad bit worried lah kot. :P Hehehe...

For now, main lah nak main apa pun and in fact, I would be very much happy if they choose real toys over iPad tau. iPad is good nonetheless, cuma over playing will jeopardize their social skill lah nanti.

So here, my anak garang playing with his kitchen play set that he got from his birthday recently. Who knows, he might end up being Jeneral Angkatan Tentera yet knows how to cook gourmet food for his love ones. ;) Sweet kan? :P

ShilaShower

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What do you think of Tiger Mother?

June 08, 2011

Advertorial entry for 48 hours. Scroll down for latest entry. :)

Mommies, have you ever heard of "Tiger Mother?" What a very roarrr term right?

And if you haven't, I believe many of you have this image of a tigress in your head kan? Because I did. Hahaha!

Frankly speaking, I have never heard of such a term until I came across this debatable topic being discussed on Friso Growing Up Together Facebook page. In fact, if you had a chance to read this well known book written by Amy Chua titled "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother", I believed you will come across several points that you may or may not agree with the author herself. Read here for more info on her controversial book. Good book tho and fair enough, she has her own points on raising kids well. Different cultures different methods, so why not we take what is best to fit our needs.

Because Tiger Mother as opposed to Western Mother, they tend to have full control and sole discretion over the destiny of their child, holding strict to the principle that mommy-knows-best. Quite a hot and debatable issue right? Well yeah as you can find opinions, ideas and says by mommies being voiced out on Friso Growing Up Together Facebook page. You know, like topics on education vs curricular activities, push, reward and punish methods and more on parenting styles of modern parents nowadays.

But personally, from my very own view, I don't quite like and agree with this Tiger Mother parenting style. The world has evolved very much from what it was many years ago. Kids are more open in voicing up their ideas and opinions, hence, not listening to them could actually lower down the communication process between parent and kid (because well u said mommy-knows-best). Remember, tiger? Strength and power, fear and respect? And for me, I always want my kids to come and share things with me no matter how bad the situation is, and I want them to know that Mama will always have a solution for you. Whether you like it or not, that's a different matter altogether.

But for a Tiger Mother, or in this matter like Amy Chua, she raised a flag and said NO to all sleepovers, play dates, school plays, extra curricular activities and that kids MUST excel well in class with no less than an A grade and MUST master the skills to play musical instruments. So here comes another debatable issue on the Friso Growing Up Together Facebook page on whether or not the success of your kids be measured solely on educational factor. That's a very subjective matter right?

I agree that education should always remain the top priority but several other factors should be taken into consideration too. Like how the kids mingle around with others, how the kids learn to adapt to their environment and surroundings, how they explore their world and many more.

However, to a certain degree, I still want to remain strict with my kids especially on those non tolerable serious misbehaviors like cheating, lying, stealing, being rude and disrespectful to others. But of course for other things like activities and kids interests, that doesn't come close to being one like Chinese mothers.

Do you know that Tiger Mother parenting style practices on things like;

Schoolwork always come first.
A minus (A-) is a BAD grade. Come on? I would be more than happy if my kids can score B+ and above. Of course A+ is a bonus for Mama to be happy for days. :)
Children must be TWO years ahead from classmates in MATH. So much pressure eyh?
NEVER compliment kids in public. Seriously, to me this is totally ridiculous! I compliment my kids a lot whether or not in public because it helps very much to develop my kids' self esteem. I can see that a lot in Adam Haris.
If child ever disagrees with teacher in school, mother should always the side of teacher. Ok fine, in this matter I would prefer to listen and take a look at both parties views. Our kids might be at fault too kan?
The only activities that children should be permitted to are those which they can win a MEDAL
and the medal MUST be GOLD! Oh my God, those kids must be raised under so much pressure lah I rasa. -___-"

Seriously I don't have the heart to put so much pressure on my kids like Tiger Mothers do. But like what I said before, certain degree of strictness and discipline should be imposed but I am no where close to being a Tiger Mother. Worried that my kids will be rebellious someday. But well, you may have different opinions from mine and I believe that every parent has a high expectation towards their kids, but how we put it into practice varies.

Of course I demand a total respect from my kids, want them to excel well in education, expect them to master certain skills like playing musical instruments or swimming or horse riding and etc but at the same time, I'm willing to adjust and give themselves some space and time to enjoy their childhood with play dates, sleepovers (boys got one meh?), outdoor activities, movies and whatnot. There are things that I will draw a strict line for which my kids will have to adhere but there are things that I will be open and willing to adjust to fit the needs.

So what's your parenting style? Are you close to being a Tiger Mother? Rawrrrr! like that? And don't forget to visit Tiger Mother FB Discussion page to check on what other parents are saying :)

But hey, sometimes I'm a Tiger Mother *literally* when situations like "Shit-My-Kids-Ruined" happened. Occasionally. :P

I'm not a Tiger Mother, but I'm a Mrs. Shrek :P

ShilaShower

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Prudential: Importance of Insurance

December 08, 2010

Nowadays, raising a child can be quite an expensive affair and it takes a lot more than just buying diapers and milk. As a parent, we always want to give the best to our children no matter how much we have to struggle for it because their future is our number one priority. Hmmppphh, sometimes we parents tends to go a little over board with it too, so prioritize it people. Prioritize.

If someone asked me, "what is my number one priority on raising my kids", I would reply "EDUCATION". Well, my kids are free to choose their way, the way that fits their interest most, but before they can do so, I really want them to receive proper education because I know they deserve it. If one of my kids choose to be a rock star, then by all means please, do so. But on one condition, get your formal education done and completed to its highest level. *Eyh sons, I bet during your time, degree is basically nothing. Probably you guys need to compete with pHd, at least* I just want them to have better social and financial standards than what we are right now. Not that we are at the unfortunate state but improving your life is good kan? ;)

But what is more worrying now is how to fund the education cost because it definitely does not come cheap. During my time which was 5 years back, accountancy course in a private university cost nearly RM80k but in 20 years time, the figure might be fourfold the cost right now. And that is what? RM320k for ONE child? I have two sons and not sure what is the additional number in the future, that is why education insurance is pretty important to them.

As you can see, education costs are getting incredibly expensive and having to rely on normal savings accounts seem not sufficient to fund and support their education needs. Besides having opened several savings accounts in the bank, SSPN and whatnot, education insurance programme is another way that I see can help to secure better financial supports for my children education. There are more ways actually, like having investment portfolios that will give big return over long period and bla bla bla but let's not talk about it, otherwise this will be like one finance lecture session.

Just a little note here, please, get a good insurance agent first before you start buying for one. *You don't want to kena tipu in the later days right? hihihi* Find someone who is trustworthy *not like over promising or something* and knowledgeable enough to provide the best insurance product that suit your needs and budget.

For us, Prumy Child Education Plan is the best to suit my kids needs. :) It's an investment linked plan that covers both education and protection for my kids. We love thing that comes in combo right? So am I. I should not start writing on this insurance in specific because you can find everything you need here. By the way, it starts from only RM51 a month and owh! start it early for a better return :)

Mama wants the best for you sons :)

ShilaShower

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Ayah tells the best bedtime story ever :)

October 28, 2010

Ayah bedtime stories are best to Adam and Aiman but hilarious to me that it makes me laugh every time I think of it. But let's give my husband some credit on his number one parenting skill: "Putting Kids to Bed". No kidding, my husband is damn good at that. Plus, it's not easy to put our super energetic toddler to sleep nowadays, even if we switch off the light making the room completely dark, still he didn't seem to mind.

But Ayah knows the trick! A bedtime story that he makes up that will inevitably put his son to sleep quickly.

So, yesterday was another night with bedtime story telling by daddy. While he rocked Adam in his lap, he flipped the first page of "Colors in My Garden" and started to tell him story.

And I listened. Well you know, sometimes daddy tends to create this not-so-logic kind of storyline that I worry if the words may confuse our son. Just like when he was telling Adam on things that can be find in Titi Gajah and suddenly came Autobot and Decepticon lintas jalan. Boleh? Esok besar dia tanya mana Autobot and Deception lintas jalan camno? Lembu pun belum tentu ada. Adam picks up things fast ok, his brain is working like a sponge so don't tell him rubbish. ;) By observation, he knows how to apply lipstick. Like that.

Back to the bedtime story,

Ayah: GREEN. G.R.E.E.N. Vegetables are green.

Adam: Niii *Pointing to this tiny weeny ladybird*

Ayah: Oh, ini ladybird.

Adam: Niii *Pointing to hive of bees*

Ayah: Oh, ini bees.

Adam: Niii *Pointing to I don't know what because his daddy replied with this...*

Ayah: Pig-Squirrel.

I was like??? "You said what Abang?"

Ayah: Pig-squirrel.

I'm dead sure there is no squirrel whats more the funny looking pig in that book. *Kerat jari ah, memang konfem tadekk* Because I've been reading the same book to Adam for hundreds of times already, so I am absolutely sure there is no such illustrations even if it's so tiny hiding in the grass. Confirm.

"Mada ada pig and squirrel dalam buku tu"

Ayah: Alaaa, siput panggil apa?

"Snail"

Ayah: Ha snail. Squirrel pulak. Tu tupai.

Fine, he mistakenly said squirrel but what with pig? And when he showed me the page, sumpah I gelak tak tertahan-tahan lagi.

PIG-~~SQUIRREL~~-SNAIL

SIPUT BABI!

Direct translation untuk anakanda tersayang. *ROTFLOL*

Tenkiuverymuch husband, you made my day coz I'm still laughing while writing this post.

So Adam,

It's snail. Not pig. Not squirrel. Not even a mutant pig-snail whatsoever. Kuikuikui...

ShilaShower

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On scolding Adam Haris

October 01, 2010

Today marks the day of me scolding my 17 months old toddler, Adam Haris. Well, I'm a kind of mother who doesn't get angry easily but this time, I have somehow raised my voice and really scold him to the extent that he almost cried and walked away with a very sad face. Almost nangislah, tapi tak pun. Sebek-sebek muka, lepas tu cari Tok Wan nak mengadu nasib.

The reason why?

Because he threw his hari raya shoe and that piece hit Aiman in the face! So that resulted into a poor baby crying out loud in pain for almost 10 minutes and a big brother getting scolded for real! People, it's a walking shoe with rubber cupsole. Berat hokeyyy, bukan pre-walker punya. Sebelum ni kalau marah pun, suara tak high pitch punya, hari ni punya sampai sebek muka mamat neh.

At the end, I feel bad for scolding Adam Haris and worried if he holds it against me. Tapi taklah kot? Well, I have two sons that deserve an equal care and attention from me but I'm worried if Adam feels bad and sad or ever think that Adik has taken away my love from him. Dah dia dok tengok Adik 24/7 melekap kat Mama jer kan, risau jugaklah. So for that, I will try very much to use a diplomatic and warm loving approach in a way to teach him on the rights or wrongs, dos and don'ts and to avoid scolding him too much because he is just a child. Dahtu, kecik-kecik lagi dah jadi Abang, manalah faham kan?

Everything to him is just about learning process. Who knows that the act of throwing shoes is just to test his hand power? Or how far the shoe can go? Or will it break into pieces? There's a lot of possibilites there but I scold him and a tiny bit of yelling too because I was in shock jugak! So saya amatlah risau bab emosi anak nih.

Come to think of it, he probably did that by random without any intention to hurt his baby brother, and little did he know that the shoe will smack right on Aiman face. Sebab sebelum ni Adam tak pernah langsung nak usik Adik ni, dia buat taktau saja. But on second thought, he needs to remember in which situation that I will glare my eyes and raise my voice and he will not get his way when he does thing that is not right. He needs to be responsible for the mistake that he made.

But not long after, I gave him a big hug, trying to show him that Mama still loves you more than everything else in the world. In the same time trying to make him understand that the act he did just now is wrong and totally unacceptable *hurmm, hoping that he will somehow understand* And the moment he walked to me, insisted to sit on my lap and handed over his hardcover "Baby Animals" book and said "Baba, Baba, Baba....", I know that thing is going to be fine.

P/S: Baba tu maksudnya bunyi baby sheep dalam buku dia. ;)