Playing, having fun & doing the things that matter

{User Experience}

I still remember the good old days when my mum would use cloth diapers with my younger siblings. I was always amazed by the nifty way she used to fold the napkins, so that it is extra padded in the centre. I used to be able to help her fold it too, but now, I can’t repeat the feat at all.

I remember too the way she would hold the diaper in her fingers, pulling it gently away from my siblings’ tummies, and then secure this huge safety pin to keep the cloth together. In those days, we used nappy liners to keep the diapers from becoming too soiled. Every day, the diapers will have to be washed, dried, folded and put away in one neat pile for future use. A lot of time was spent on that. I mean, a LOT of time. That’s why I had to be roped in to help hasten the process.

Nowadays, we have the luxury of disposable diapers. Yeah yeah.. I’ve heard all about how environmentally unfriendly they are, but to me, washing cloth diapers is equally unfriendly to the environment too, with the soapy water and the electricity used to power the washing machine. I like convenience. I like disposable diapers. I like the fact that I do not have to think about washing, so that I can focus on the things that matter. Like spending time with my little kiddos.

The quality of the diapers play a big part too, in helping me do that. I use Drypers DryPantz for EV. And recently, I had the privilege of trying out the new and improved Drypers Wee Wee DRY. It contains the new 4-in-1 botanical extracts of aloe vera, chamomile, Vitamin E and olive extract. You can almost picture how soothing these diapers can be, in addition to being comfortable and moisturising. All the goodness of baby bum health, in one convenient diaper.

AA was equally excited about trying Wee Wee DRY. See how he’s checking it out?

With DryPantz, we had a great experience. It assisted us a great deal in toilet training EV. The experience with Wee Wee DRY is equally awesome too. It helps keep AA’s bums extra dry, thanks to the breathable cloth-like cover, fluid distribution layer and zip dry core which efficiently draws urine away. This means that AA can keep dryer for longer, which means I don’t have to spend more time changing diapers, leaving me with more time to do the things that matter.

What I really like is the new flexi-tape feature. I like its big size and I notice that it serues the diapers extremely securely. I do not have to worry that it will loosen. Again, this takes the stress out of having to constantly check the diapers, which means I can focus more of my energy to playing, or even dancing with EV & AA, before they both grow up too fast.

So what is AA’s verdict? See him happily dancing here? I think that means a resounding ‘yes’!

Instagram Campaign

Share a photo or video of you spending time with your little ones, and you could win for yourself Drypers Happy Packs!

Simply upload your photo or video on to Instagram, hashtag #timeforfamily AND #drypers. Your photos will be aggregated on to Drypers Singapore’s Facebook page. Get your family and friends to vote for your photos or video. Who knows? You could be one of the winners!

Closing date is 31 July 2013.

Disclaimer: We received products from Drypers for this review. All opinions and images are my own, based on my authentic user experience.

Play Learning Tuesday: Hide & Seek with Alphabets & CVC Words

In our constant efforts to teach EV and AA that fun need not come in the form of toys that you buy, we always try to create new things for them to play using recycled stuff. That always poses a challenge, as we keep having to crack our heads to create new fun ideas that the kids like. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but we never stop trying. And when something works, and works extremely well, we have lots of fun too. It's almost like we've transformed back to being kids.

So I'm extremely elated to be sharing this fun play learning idea that is simple to make, doesn't cost much, and is great for developing literacy.

Here is what is needed:

- ice cream sticks

- paper plates

- coloured markers

I first decided on a few words to start off this fun game. For EV's age (she's 3.5), she's working on her CVC words. So I wrote several matching CVC words on ice cream sticks and paper plates. To practise her alphabet recognition, I also write matching letters. The alphabet game can also be something fun for AA to do.

The moment EV saw me with the sticks and plates, her eyes lighted up, and she just knew mummy had something fun in store for her. I hid, or rather placed, the paper plates randomly around the living room, so that it is not too difficult for EV to find them. Then I let EV choose the ice cream sticks from a plastic cup, instructed her to go seek the plates with the matching words and letters, and then off she went! At times, she couldn't find the matching paper plates, but when she did, the look of pure joy on her face is simply priceless.

Other times, when she was having trouble, I would give her hints, like 'the word 'rat' is around the coloured mats', and I would stand in that area as I speak. This trains her listening skills and understanding of prepositions such as 'near' and 'around'.

AA joined in the game too, with mummy's help of course.

This game can be extended too, for:

- numbers

- words with four letters and above

- shapes and colours

- Chinese character recognition

Just let creativity take the lead and you will be surprised just how much you can do with ice cream sticks and paper plates.

This game really is a lot of fun, and managed to keep both kids occupied for about an hour. I'm so glad they liked it. We hope your kids like it as much as EV and AA did. Happy playing & learning!!

What fun learning activities have you done with your kids this week?

*****

What is Play Learning Tuesday?
Play Learning Tuesday is a weekly linky hosted by Toddly Mummy where bloggers are invited to share their child-friendly play, learning and craft activities. Taking part for the first time? You might like to read the guidelines here first.

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Kids' Day Out @ The Grandstand: YogaBugs, Piccolo House & TreeHouse Cafe

Remember our visit to The Grandstand? Last time, we shared about our adventures at Kiddy Fun, Art Grain and My Kid's Spa. This time, let us continue with the second half of our adventure.

YogaBugs

By the time we popped by, EV was getting extremely tired. Still she gamely participated and did the various yoga poses that the pretty instructor demonstrated. According to her, yoga is beneficial to kids because it helps to encourage learning and development. Rather than yoga that adults like me are used to, YogaBugs uses a combination of storytelling, action songs and yoga-inspired moves. Instead of using the usual names for the poses, the instructor used animal names like kangaroo, lion and so on. This was more receptive to the kids rather than downward dog, tree pose and the like. I think EV was so amused, she was actually having quite a bit of fun, despite her tiredness.

The kids even gathered together to 'row a boat'. Later the mummies joined in too.


Overall, the room at YogaBugs was really cosy and tidy, with ample space for little kids to run around. I like the little craft features they put on the wall too.


Piccolo House

We also popped by Piccolo House, which specialises in little furniture for little ones. Anyone who is looking at re-designing the children's rooms will find this a fantastic one-stop shop for beds, mattresses, pillows, wardrobes, shelves, desks, lamps, rugs… basically anything you want. We love the whimsical designs of some of the furniture here, and there are lots of specially designed cushions and bags to choose from too.

Treehouse Cafe

The tiring day ended with a sumptuous lunch at Treehouse Cafe. I have heard lots about this cafe, and I was really delighted to be dining here. EV was famished by the time we got here, so I ordered her favourite sausages and mash for her. As for the mummies, we got a taste of about eleven of their signature dishes.

My favourite though included the Caesar Salad ($14 + $4 for smoked chicken/salmon) and Prawns with Garlic, Chili & Olive Oil ($14).

The Hawaiian 10" pizza ($20) and Braised Lamb Shank ($26).


Another good choice was the Rosemary Chicken served with tomato basil sauce ($18). Because the cafe is frequented by three-generational families, they also offer Asian favourites like Curry Chicken with baguette ($15). The filling meal was topped off with Tiramisu, Movenpick ice cream and Chocolate Lava Cake. I'm not a coffee person, and I opted for strawberry ice cream, but the Chocolate Lava Cake.. hmmmmmm, yummy!!

While this mummy was busy digging in, EV went to check out the rest of the cafe. She loved the well-designed play area, and couldn't stop playing 'cashier'.

Personally, I also like the various design features around the cafe that fit the theme so aptly.


DaddySay came to pick us up, and we left The Grandstand, feeling tired yet satisfied. We will definitely be back again.

Disclaimer: We were invited by Openrice.com and The Grandstand to attend the Kids' Day Out @ The Grandstand event. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions and images are my own.

Play Learning Tuesday: Fun with egg cracking & peeling

Doesn't this picture just make you feel like having 'fun'?

EV really did had fun playing with eggs, cracking, stirring, peeling, and lastly eating. It is a great sensory activity to show the difference between an uncooked and cooked egg. It makes the learning more real.

Of course, the real fun EV had was when she got to eat the egg at the end of the play. It's amazing how this has instilled in her a new love for eggs.

What fun are you having with your kids this week?

What fun activities are you doing with your kids this week? Do share!
*****

What is Play Learning Tuesday?
Play Learning Tuesday is a weekly linky hosted by Toddly Mummy where bloggers are invited to share their child-friendly play, learning and craft activities. Taking part for the first time? You might like to read the guidelines here first.

<div align="center"> <a href="http://toddlymummy.blogspot.com" title="Toddly Mummy"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmAIvfzuQ4fpIwb3NE3KhW-h23oHXpTc_Tk7XyKs6CTKJHWqjaX0s0lBW4YGV5lMi0mtMGp8MfteBNa2ChGu4UQ5GCHJ_ZAtK1rOoZroYwbJzmi9J9g9Fjjip504Ls3C7JVabXYcLwRfD/s288/Play-Learning-Tuesday.gif" alt="Toddly Mummy" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

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Shopping for groceries at home

{Sponsored post}

I’m not new to online shopping. Nope. I’ve bought books, clothes, beauty products, IT products and so on online. But when it comes to household items, I’m a novice. Why? Because I like walking through the supermarket to check out the latest and most unique items they have. It is a therapeutic experience for me.  There is something about walking down the lanes of a supermarket that really resonates with me. Ok, call me strange. Rather, call me and DaddySay strange. When we were dating, the supermarket was one of our must-go places. After marriage, we still love going to one, except that instead of buying only the food items for that night’s dinner, we now buy a whole week’s worth of groceries.

Here is an example of one such shopping trip by full-time working DaddySay & MummySay. Well, it’s half of what we usually buy. Can you imagine what our usual amount is like? An amazing feat isn’t it? We’re quite an efficient couple, I must say. The whole trip is done in two hours (three hours when we buy our usual amount). This included jostling with the crowds on a Saturday morning (oh what a hassle!), waiting for at least half an hour to pay at the cashier, being a broken record repeating ‘excuse me, excuse me’ over and over again just to manoeuvre the trolley through the crowd, being very ‘auntie’ or ‘uncle’ at the vegetable, fruit and seafood stations, and lugging the groceries to the car and up to our flat. Oh.. yes, that’s why we try not to bring our kids.

I recently had the opportunity to purchase my non-perishable household items online at RedMart. I thought: I have bought other stuff online before, why not stuff for the home? As grocery shopping is usually a couple affair for us, I definitely had to check it out together with DaddySay, obviously. We both visited the site to do some research, find out what they had in stock, check what we needed at home, before finally deciding what items to buy. This was great because it meant we could do it at work or during our free times, instead of doing it only at night or on the weekends.

What was brilliant about it was the ease of it. It was absolutely convenient to do grocery shopping in the comfort of the home, while listening to some jazz music. Because DaddySay and I knew what we wanted, it took me less than an hour to sign up as a new member, search for the items that I wanted, added them to the cart and checkout my purchases. I even had time to do some surfing around the site’s huge product selection to see what I could buy for the next time. The whole experience was relaxing and hassle free. It is really like having the store at your fingertips, literally.

Now for the best part – the fact that we didn’t have to break a sweat carrying our purchases home, like we would have if we had physically gone to the supermarket. RedMart offers same day delivery for orders made before 10am. Delivery windows are two hours, which means that I needed to be home for only two hours to receive my orders, plus, I got to choose my desired delivery time too! And because my order was above $75, I enjoyed free delivery as well. Awesome!

The question then on many people’s mind is the prices of the products. I think there exists a misconception that since online grocery shopping is so convenient, the prices might be more expensive too. Definitely not! The prices are competitive, for sure. We got EV’s milk powder for around the same price as what we pay for at the supermarket. Plus it was delivered directly to us. I think the choice is obvious.

So what did DaddySay and me do with the extra three hours we enjoyed, thanks to shopping for our groceries online? We went for a well-deserved massage together. I think I’m going to be a convert and shop online for my groceries. Except for perishable items, that is. Now we can turn couple time at the supermarket to couple time at the movies!! Yey!!

Ready to go grocery shopping online at RedMart? How does 10% off on your first order sound? Just enter this discount code when checking out: 'rm_todmum'. Happy Shopping!

Disclaimer: We received monetary compensation and a $100 voucher from RedMart for this review. All opinions and images are my own, based on my authentic user experience.

Play Learning Tuesday: Make-it-yourself dice

Here's another great idea using recycled materials, this time,  milk cartons!

Just the bottom of two milk cartons out in the shape of a square, as seen here.


Put the open end of one carton into the open end of the other, to make a cube. Wrap it with coloured paper, draw dots on all six sides of the cube and your DIY dice is done!

Besides numbers, this dice can also be used to play a game of alphabets and letter sounds. Just write letters on the 6 sides, instead of numbers, and have your kid identify the letter and the sound.

And as for the rest of the milk carton, just pass it to the kids and see what they do with it. Here, EV is colouring the cartons and doing her own pretend play.

What fun are you having with your kids this week?

What fun activities are you doing with your kids this week? Do share!
*****

What is Play Learning Tuesday?
Play Learning Tuesday is a weekly linky hosted by Toddly Mummy where bloggers are invited to share their child-friendly play, learning and craft activities. Taking part for the first time? You might like to read the guidelines here first.

<div align="center"> <a href="http://toddlymummy.blogspot.com" title="Toddly Mummy"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmAIvfzuQ4fpIwb3NE3KhW-h23oHXpTc_Tk7XyKs6CTKJHWqjaX0s0lBW4YGV5lMi0mtMGp8MfteBNa2ChGu4UQ5GCHJ_ZAtK1rOoZroYwbJzmi9J9g9Fjjip504Ls3C7JVabXYcLwRfD/s288/Play-Learning-Tuesday.gif" alt="Toddly Mummy" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

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My First Skool child abuse: No child should be treated this way!

The video showing a childcare teacher allegedly abusing a young 3-year-old boy has gone viral. I have resisted watching it, because I knew it would bring tears to my eyes.

I finally gave in, and watched it this morning. 

I'm crying.

No child should be subject to such treatment. When I saw how he was limping even when the teacher was dragging him, my heart ached.

A Channel NewsAsia report says that the teacher is an experienced diploma-trained childcare teacher who has been teaching since 1997. My question is this: Where is her love? What did the boy do that warranted such harsh treatment? Such terrible, unforgiven treatment to a defenseless little boy? If she doesn't love kids, then why and how did she end up being a childcare teacher?

Should there be more stringent requirements for individuals who want to be childcare or preschool teachers? I think there should. Instead of just looking at the person's educational background, why not assess their love for kids? Why not subject them to a psychological test to assess their suitability?

Sure, I understand that young kids can be quite a terror at times. I have two at home, and I do get frustrated just looking after them. And I admit, I have smacked my kids' hands or backsides if they get out of hand, especially when I have told them over and over again not to touch the electric socket and they just don't listen.

So I can imagine how tough it must be for a teacher who has to look after 9, 10, 11 or even 12 kids at a time. But I absolutely cannot condone the sort of treatment that I have witnessed on the video. NEVER NEVER NEVER should a child be treated this way. No matter how frustrated or angry or pissed you are with how the kids are not listening to you, NEVER take it out on a child. Absolutely inexcusable!

My thoughts do go back to the teachers who are teaching EV at her nursery. I think any parent would the moment they see this video, and we all can't help worrying 'how are my kids being treated at school?'.

Let us look at this rationally. One bad childcare teacher does not mean that every teacher is bad. As parents, we know our children best, and we are the best judge of how they are behaving at home, and whether that reflects how they are treated at school. As parents, I think we need to be constantly vigilant. The moment we see anything we feel is not quite right, we need to observe more closely and carefully. For we are our children's protectors. 

Yet at the same time, I don't believe in ostracising my children's teachers. I believe that together with them, we are partners in my children's education. We work together at home and at school to help the children become better persons. And I'm lucky that so far, the teachers at the schools that I have enrolled EV in are quite good.

When she ended up hurting herself while fighting for an aeroplane with a boy schoolmate at a playgroup last year, the teacher immediately called me to explain what happened. She still remembers those teachers fondly till this day.

This year, at her pre-nursery, I am heartened that she absolutely adores both her teachers, especially the Chinese teacher. She has developed in such an amazing way, I know it is because the learning environment at school is such a positive one.

So like I said, one bad teacher does not mean every teacher is bad. There are many others who are filled with love, who are childcare and preschool teachers simply because of their love and passion for kids. Love and passion to teach kids during their most important foundation years.

That is why I say the criteria for being a childcare or preschool teacher needs to be more stringent. A must-have criteria? Love for kids.

Play Learning Tuesday: Toilet roll binoculars

We love toilet rolls... recycled ones that is. We always have a great time with them, whether it's painting or sticking. They are just so versatile and there are 101 possibilities of turning them into something fun yet functional.

So this week, we worked with two recycled toilet rolls, felt and foam, and made a pair of binoculars!

It's really quite simple, though it may take a little longer for the glue to dry. Firstly, we measured the correct amount of felt, then stuck them onto two recycled toilet rolls. For the ends, we cut the felt into smaller lengths and pasted them to the insides of the rolls. We used clothes pegs to secure the felt until the glue dried up.

Then it was time to glue the foam. We used star and moon foam pieces that we cut out ourselves.

And there we have it. Star-and-moon binoculars. Just look at how much fun EV is having!

What fun are you having with your kids this week?

What fun activities are you doing with your kids this week? Do share!
*****

What is Play Learning Tuesday?
Play Learning Tuesday is a weekly linky hosted by Toddly Mummy where bloggers are invited to share their child-friendly play, learning and craft activities. Taking part for the first time? You might like to read the guidelines here first.

<div align="center"> <a href="http://toddlymummy.blogspot.com" title="Toddly Mummy"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmAIvfzuQ4fpIwb3NE3KhW-h23oHXpTc_Tk7XyKs6CTKJHWqjaX0s0lBW4YGV5lMi0mtMGp8MfteBNa2ChGu4UQ5GCHJ_ZAtK1rOoZroYwbJzmi9J9g9Fjjip504Ls3C7JVabXYcLwRfD/s288/Play-Learning-Tuesday.gif" alt="Toddly Mummy" style="border:none;" /></a></div>


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