A Homemaker’s Diary

Taken from Raising Your Spirited Child:

“Kids go through developmental surges. You can mark it on your calendar. Somewhere around their birthday and their half birthday, you can expect trouble. They get cranky and uncooperative. They might be incapable of doing what they were able to do just a few weeks before. Nothing seems right. They’re easily frustrated. Every time you turn around, they’re crying about something else. They won’t cooperate. They want to be held and then push you away when you hold them. They’re angry–angry at you, at the world, and at themselves. They are more easily upset by anything.

The developmental theorists tell us that this is a time of disintegration, a time when children are moving from one stage of development to another. Their inner systems are restructuring, creating a new, more complex way of understanding the world. Think of five building blocks. Stack them once on top of the other until you have a tower of five blocks. This is your five-year old–his inner structure that controls how he sees the world and responds to it. It works well for him, but as he nears his sixth birthday, changes begin to occur. A new block will be added to the structure, but it won’t just be added to the top of the stack. Instead, the tower will come crashing down; it will disintegrate and a new structure with six blocks will be formed. This time it may be in the shape of a pyramid, with three blocks on the bottom, two in the middle, and the sixth resting on top. It will be a totally different structure. During this construction time, which can take four to six weeks, everything that was working well for your child doesn’t seem to be operating anymore. He becomes overwhelmed easily and is more vulnerable to spill-over tantrums.

It happens to all kids, but as is always true for spirited children, their reactions are much stronger. Mark your calendar and be ready for the surges.”

My grand niece turned one early this year. Since I only have a son, I was not sure what a toddler girl that age might love to play with. After spending some times pondering the range of girl toys at Toys r Us, we decided this Play Doh cooking set will do..after all I’m pretty sure her aunt at home could show her how to mould all those Play Doh into chicken..haha!

As far as I can remember I think I never have such toys when I was a child. Now that I am a mother, I always feel that having a child is a great excuse for us to enjoy toys that we never have during our childhood. What do you think?

1. Life should have choices beyond mere survival.

2. You have the right to say ‘NO’ to anything when you feel you are not ready or it is unsafe.

3. Life should not be motivated by fear.

4. You have the right to all of your feelings.

5. You are probably not guilty.

6. You have the right to make mistakes.

7. There is no need to smile when you cry.

8. You have a right to terminate conversations with people who make you feel put-down or humiliated.

9. You can be healthier than those around you.

10. It is OK to be relaxed, playful, and frivolous.

11. You have a right to change and grow.

12. It is important to set limits and be ‘selfish.’

13. You can be angry at someone you love.

14. You can take care of yourself no matter what circumstances you are in.

15. You have the right to be illogical in making decisions.

16. You do not have to offer reasons to justify your behavior.

17. You have the right to change your mind.

18. It is OK to tell somebody what your needs are (although they may not care to do anything about it.)

19. You can be the judge of your own behavior, thoughts and emotions and be responsible for their initiation and the consequences upon yourself.

20. You have a perfect right to be happy.

~Original source unknown.

I’ve never made bunga pahar stokin in white and gold theme. All these years, clients usually asked me to do bunga stokin in cream and gold or brown and gold combination.

So when this particular client asked me whether I could make bunga stokin in white and gold combination, I have to dig out all the stash in my craft room and see whether any of those materials will make one fine sample that speaks out to me..haha!

I hope once the client confirms her order I can find all the needed materials in the market. Some of the materials were bought like 3-4 years ago so there’s a possibility that things have changed and the shop no longer carry such stuffs..huhu!

When was the last time you received a physical Hari Raya card from anyone? A Raya greeting card from bank or insurance agent won’t count..haha!

Think back about the glory of receiving and sending Hari Raya cards, back in the days when people actually make effort to write a few meaningful words in a carefully chosen greeting cards, write the recipients address on the envelope, queue up at the post office counter to buy stamps, lick the stamp and post the cards.

I feel sad that friends and family no longer have the courtesy to do so. Everyone is so busy with their everyday life, as if everything else is no longer important.

Relationship needs effort to flourish and it has to be mutual.