We will be driving up to Fraser Island soon for a family holiday.  I am planning what food and snacks to get for the kids and me.  It will be a 2 day drive and we will be spending a week on the island.  What to do!?  What to do!? I really do not know where to start.  Headache… 

Chips, chocolate bars, lollies and soft drinks…  Kids favourite.  How much should I buy and how long will these snacks last?

Maybe I should get some carrots for the kids to chew on when they are peckish?

Maybe there shouldn’t be any junk food at all for this trip?

Not mention about the sleeping and cooking stuff, meat and vegetables, clothes, toys, medicine, fishing gears and lots of other things that I am still not aware of…  What other things do I need to pack or buy?  I am going crazy here.

Its not easy being a dad.  However when I see my sons enjoying themselves and the smiles on their faces, its all worth it!

OK.  Back to planning…

Cheers.

Planking actually involves someone lying flat on their bellies on any objects, anywhere they can think of.  Obviously, individuals will think of unique places to do this to impress friends or anyone on the Internet.

Sadly there has been a death of a young man in Brisbane.  Apparently the young man fell to his death from an apartment after a failed attempt in planking.  Police suggested that alcohol might be involved in this particular case.

I am so sorry to hear loss of lives by reckless young men attempting silly acts.  Please be responsible and think twice before doing anything that can put yourself or anyone in danger.  We can have fun but please be safe…

Read the full story here

They already have 3 boys, unfortunately the only girl passed away after birth.  I am so sorry to hear this, being a father myself, it must have been hell when that happened.

What were they thinking when they aborted the twins?  The boys were human beings!  In Australia, pets get better treatment!  Maybe the couple was still grieving for the lost of their only daughter but it still doesn’t make sense and give them the right to terminate 2 lives, hoping to get another one.  Boy or girl, you should be proud and happy.

They should be gratified that they are parents.  Many couples want to be parents and cannot be because of so many reasons.  I hope they make the right decision in the future and bring up the other boys normally and be proud of your kids, boy or girl.

I am still shaking my head and cannot believe what I have read in the news… 

The ability to communicate articulately in a variety of ways and languages to the widest possible audience is a great way to stay ahead and ensure a decent standard of living in our suffering economic state.  This is not limited to speaking different languages but also non-verbal communication: signing.

As a result of the shortage of American Sign Language interpreters the job opportunities in this field have really opened up, and if current trends continue, it is likely that why will stay this way.

First Words

The toddler years and beyond – ages 2 to five –are an ample time to educate children in different modes of communication and language because of their brain development course. This goes beyond the spoken word (though it is an optimal time for children to learn a second language); many young children have an aptitude for signing as well.

American Indian nations have used sign language for centuries to facilitate communication with other tribes with whom they do not share a language. Some paleontologists and anthropologists theorize that Neanderthals – who apparently lacked the vocal mechanism to produce many spoken words – depended a great deal upon hand gestures to communicate. Therefore it is not as strange as one would think.

In fact, recent research suggests that sign language is innate. An article published in the Boulder Daily Camera in 2003 presented strong evidence that babies as young as six months old communicate with their hands:

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development are also referred to by the author, demonstrating that young children who are taught sign language at an early age whether at day care or at home, actually develop better verbal skills as they get older. The ability to sign has also helped parents in communicating with autistic children; one parent reports that “using sign language allowed her to communicate with her [autistic] son and minimized his frustration…[he now] has an advanced vocabulary and excels in math, spelling and music” (Glarion, 2003).

Lasting Results

The benefits of early childhood education through signing are endless.  In addition to giving kids a way to communicate, it also provides them with an opportunity to form a bond with their parent(s).  The hope is that eventually it will become know as one of the “firsts” that no parent wants to miss, such as the first time they walked or their first tooth.  Signing is likely to allow communication much earlier than verbally.  It creates a closeness that will allow parents to be more in sync with their child’s thoughts and needs.

Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas

Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the network of Austin day care facilities belonging to the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose day care schools.  Primrose Schools are located in 16 states throughout the U.S. and are dedicated to delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum throughout their preschools.

The kids and their friends are always talking about what presents (toys) they got from father Christmas.  We don’t want the kids to be left out I guess.  My kids however know who the real Santa is. 

Jadon has not decided on what he wants.  Justin wants a Scalextric set – he got the idea from watching James May’s toy stories.  Thanks a lot James.  Jonah is the reasonable and thrifty one, he might not ask for one.  As for Jess, he has already got his gadgets and toys.  Aiya…

What about me?  Who is going to buy me some toys? 

Warning… DO NOT click play if you are offended by pictures or videos of skimpily clad girls

Some people labelled it “pedophilic”, tasteless and bad choice of camera angles. Some defended the situation by saying it is exaggerating, its live television and its completely unintentional.
We are all very different and brought up in unique backgrounds. There will be so many opinions and views on this incident. The good thing about Australia is we are a democratic country and we can voice our views openly.

Hmmm… What do you think? Is it too much? Is it normal? Should parents be stopping the girls? Should the producers be cutting the act at their audition process? What is right and what is wrong?

Many of these fun and tricks could be harmless but accidents do happen.  A student lost hearing in a ear because he was egged in the ear.  What can an egg do?  No one would have thought of that…

Many incidents were also reported on the news where kids were throwing flares, drinking, driving recklessly and seen doing very silly things.  Are all these reasonable?

Now I know why my locker was busted and belongings stolen in Year 12 many many years ago. 

Instead of mucking around, destroying things, disturbing peace and breaking laws, kids could just be swapping uniforms, wearing costumes and doing charity work that helps the needy.  Wouldn’t this be more meaningful and memorable?

Can kids ever control themselves when they are ‘supposedly’ having fun?  I don’t think so.  Get rid of school muck up day!  Call it a Remember-School-Day!

In this episode, James seeks the help of young kids in building life size model airplane.  The kids were really skeptic and non-interested in the beginning.  In the end, the kids, parents and builders accomplished the task with joy and pride.  They learnt a lot through the process of team building, being patient, never say never and never give up.  These are the qualities I would like to see developed in my own kids.

I am very glad my kids are now really interested in model building.  Instead of computer games and visiting internet social sites, why not try something different that they can have fun, learn and acquire many great personal qualities as they go?  They are already asking and pushing me for model planes and tanks.  We shall visit a hobby shop nearby and see what is available.

He told me it was for a school homework.

Wow!   I didn’t realise in school, they would start to write blogs as young as Seven.  At his age, I was only doing times table and dictation.   Time has changed!

He bought home a teddy bear from school.  We took some photos with him.  He then logged on to his school website, uploaded the photos and wrote a short paragraph about the bear and him.

I have no issue with his homework and it is only a once-off.  I would prefer him to write on his diary, learn how to write with a pencil properly.  I guess as we advance in technology, so will the teaching and learning methods.

Is writing a blog the same as writing a diary?  Is is too public for little kids?  What is a good method to promote our kids to write?

Aiya, my head aches just thinking about parenting…

We are not normally that cheerful in the morning as both of us sleep in on the weekend and most of the time we are still half asleep and blur blur.
Secondly, there is no early morning basketball training for the little ones.  Yeah, she doesn’t need to get to a freezing stadium.

Jess (son #1) and Jonah (son #2) woke up earlier and prepared breakfast. 
Jonah already baked some cup cakes last night and his job this morning was a bit easier, warmed them up and voila.
Jess found a bag of Pancake Parlour flour mix in the pantry.
He made quite a few pancakes, some for his little brothers and some his mum and of course me lah…

There were no presents for mum but we are still very happy, especially the mother of the house.  This must be the happiest Mother’s Day she has had.

Now is my turn to cook for the family.  Going off to the market now to get some inspiration.  Till next time, be happy and thank you to all the great mums…