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? 

Early this week, the Missus bought a set from the recently released – Lego Harry Potter for the kids.  The two little ones were so happy.  For the first few hours, the house was so quiet as they were busy building the set.  They then played for a few more hours.  Now, the house is back to the normal, busy and noisy place.  This new toy is already sitting somewhere gathering dust.

I really like the Lego construction idea.  It allows the kids to learn and play at the same time.  The kids also learn to follow procedures, learn to be patient and double check their work / creation to ensure the plastic bricks are in the right spot.

I am looking forward to the next toy.  Er… I mean the kids are so looking forward to their next toy.

Based on the popular action adventure video game Prince of Persia (the game’s 1st release was in 1989 on the DOS platform) and the upcoming movie to be screen around Australia on 27/05/10, Lego has announced the following sets:-

Lego 7569 Desert Attack & Lego 7570 The Ostrich Race

Lego 7571 Fight for the Dagger, Lego 7572 Quest Against Time & Lego 7573 Battle of Alamut

Even though the figures might not be as life-like as those in the game or in the movie, the Lego sets still look interestingly attractive. Very likely, this Lego theme will be a hit to the new generation of adventurous and curious Lego and Prince of Persia fans. Have fun and enjoy.

On the last few trips, I did not bring their Nintendo DS, there was no PSP, no gadgets and no electronic games. All I brought were sleeping and cooking gears.

They are as happy, if not happier playing with sticks and rocks.  Simple yet very effective. At the campsite, they gathered sticks for the camp fire. While they were searching, they chatted and played with their friends. At the same time, the new and different environment also create a sense of excitement and adventure. Jadon loves playing with his wooden sticks, swinging them like a kung-fu master or jedi master. He also like burning them and using them as a tool to cook his marshmallow.

At the river, they look around for wild life and learn about their habitat.  They also like skipping rocks while the parents cook up a storm.

On the last night, Jadon surprised me and said “Dad, can we stay for one more night?”  Obviously he was enjoying himself.

Get out and enjoy the nature.  The kids will love it!

As usual, please ensure kids are supervised at all times. Sometimes they can get carried away.

Discover the lost city.

The top-notch salvage crew gave one mission. To find the lost city of Atlantis and unlock its secret. The crew set out to find the strange treasure keys, not knowing what dangers await them…

Below is a list of box sets available now :-

• Lego Atlantis Crab Clash 8056
• Lego Atlantis Wreck Raider 8057
• Lego Atlantis Guardian of the Deep 8058
• Lego Atlantis Seafood Scavenger 8059
• Lego Atlantis Typhoon Turbo Sub 8060
• Lego Atlantis Gateway of the Squid 8061
• Lego Atlantis Neptune Carrier 8075
• Lego Atlantis Shadow Snapper 8079

Check them out in your local shops or online shops now. My kids are already bugging me about them. Jadon’s birthday is tomorrow, might as well get him one. Kill two birds with one stone.

Nathan Sawaya, the world renowned Lego artist/sculptor/guru has just finished building a large Lego Blackberry 9360 with a working LCD screen.  This giant phone is made out of thousands of plastic bricks, but cannot send or receive calls/sms though.  It sure looks awesome.

This sculpture was commissioned for the Blackberry developer conference.  What do they need it there for?  Attract more software developers?

I am jealous and I want one too.    It sure will look good in the office’s waiting room.  hahaha 

Look likes it’s OK to say sorry now.  I might as well say sorry too.

My friend Ken’s dog has to be put to sleep yesterday because of a terminal illness.
The dog was also too old and Ken doesn’t want to see her suffer anymore.

We can see Ken was really depressed.  During lunch time, I jokingly said that it’s only a dog, don’t be sad, blah blah blah…  I have never own a dog or any big pet in my life.  I have a few goldfish, they came and went but I was never sad.

I should have treated Ken’s matter more seriously.  He treated the dog like a family member and I guess I only saw it like a pet.

I think I was being insensitive and uncompassionate.

I am sorry Ken.  Here is a tatty teddy bear.  Are we still friends?

We bought him a pretend play kitchen when he was 3 and put his little kitchen next to the real kitchen.
While mummy and daddy were in the real kitchen doing chores, he would also be cooking, washing his dishes, stacking his cans and bottles. How cute?

Even at the tender age of six, he folds his own clothes before bedtime and packs away all his bedtime toys.
On the other hand, I don’t even know how to fold clothes properly. Oh well, that’s what the better half says anyway. hehehe

He is now in grade 2 and I think its time to get some new wooden toys for him, a pretend cash register and wooden analog clock.
This will encourge him to count and learn the value of money. The clock will also introduce time telling and adding/subtracting of time.

Educational wooden toys are really valuable for children’s upbringing and do make teachers and parents job a lot easier.

Toy Story, how great and original it was when it first came out in the mid 90s.  I still remember my eldest son watching this amazing animation by Pixar on VHS (I know, it’s history now) every day when he got up from bed. Eventually after a few months, the video deteriorated and lines started to show when watching on the television.  He was devastated!  After a few days, he moved on to other things.

Kids always find new things to love and play with quite quickly, no stress.  Maybe I should get a set with Woody and Buzz to refresh his childhood memories?  Nah, he was too young then.  He now has other games to keep him occupied for a long long time.  Kids these days are so lucky…