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August 2013

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Golly good G!

August 12, 2013

It’s been a simple affair with the letter G. We did mostly good ol’ tracing. A lot of tracing and practicing, in fact; cos’ the letter’s been tough to conquer for both the upper and lowercase.

We also drew a giraffe with the Dot to Dot activity sheet for Dear Zoo, and met the most lovable giraffe called Gerald!

Letter G Giraffe Dot to Dot

Giraffes Can’t Dance is an awesome book about Gerald the Giraffe, with rhymes aplenty, examples of alliteration, descriptions of movements and a beautiful lesson about finding your own rhythm to dance to your own tune. The kids also learned the difference between laughing with someone and laughing at someone and the importance of empathy. They love the book so much, they make me read it to them again and again.

Letter G Giraffes Can't Dance

For a counting exercise, I gave Ben and Becks some round labels I bought from Popular Bookstore and got them to arrange a bunch of grapes in descending order, beginning with 6 grapes. They had fun watching the circles “transform” into their favourite fruit. To complete the exercise, Becks learned to count to 20 and Ben learned simple addition.

Letter G Grape Counters

G’s been a golly good letter to learn. We’ll be moving on to the letter S in September, and reading two more exciting books!

Food, glorious food! Invites & Tryouts Motherkao loves... Reviews

Turbo action on cake (introducing PrimaDeli’s new range of cartoon cakes)

August 7, 2013

We haven’t caught the latest DreamWorks animation, Turbo, on big screen yet, but we got a piece of the action today with PrimaDéli’s new Turbo cake range.

PrimaDéli sent over their Turbo Racing League cake which features SuperTurbo and Friends on the edible icing and the fluffliest chocolate sponge covered with layers of light fresh cream. A really nice gesture to perk up our long weekend!

Turbo Racing League

An orange-themed Turbo cake was what we had for dessert today!

As with all cake, there must be a reason for eating it. At least that’s what the kids think. So we stuck four big candles and eight little ones all round the 1 kg cake, sang a birthday song to Singapore, and sat down together as a family to enjoy the deliciousness of fresh cream and choco sponge.

Reason to eat cake

Singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Singapore with gusto

Happy Birthday song

Excitement in the air: eating cake, National Day, long weekend!

Fresh cream by the layers

The deliciousness of fresh chocolate cream by the layers

Enjoying cake

Licking their cake forks and loving the light cream and fluffy sponge

The kids were licking their plates and asking for more cream after they were done chomping down their slice of cake. After they had their fill of cream, they quickly asked, “Can we please go watch the snails?”

Looks like we need to go meet the Turbo Racing League soon. Until that movie date, we’ll be slowly savouring the sweet treat specially prepared for us by PrimaDéli. What a happy start to the long weekend!

*GIVEAWAY: I have THREE Turbo Cakes to give away!*

Watching the latest DreamWorks movie doesn’t just stop at the cinemas, now you can customise your cake featuring DreamWorks’s newest action star – Turbo and friends! And PrimaDéli is giving away THREE 300g Turbo Cakes to THREE of Motherkao’s readers!

Here’s how you can take part:

1) Like PrimaDéli’s Facebook page.

2) Share this entry by clicking the (very tiny) Facebook icon at the bottom of the page. Alternatively, you can go to to this link, look for {Giveaway} and share away.

3) Leave me a comment telling me what you love about PrimaDéli after you have liked and shared.

Terms & Conditions:

  1. The above steps must be completed to qualify.
  2. Contest will close on 11 August 2013, 2359hrs and results will be announced on 12 August.
  3. Giveaway is open to everyone with a valid Singapore Address for delivery. 1 winner per household address.
  4. Winners must respond by 16 August 2013 on delivery details, else giveaway will be forfeited.
  5. Winner will be selected randomly and Motherkao’s decision is final.
  6. Giveaway will be a 300g TURBO cake (choice of chocolate or vanilla only).
  7. All giveaways must be redeemed by 31 August 2013.

Disclosure: We received a 1kg Turbo cake with compliments from PrimaDéli. All opinions here are my own.

Update: Turbo’s coming your way, Adora @ Gingerbreadmum, Jolin & Arsheitha! I see you smacking some lips already!

PrimaDeli Winners

Milestones and growing up The darndest kid quotes and antics What to Expect... As a Mother

???

August 5, 2013

I know I’d probably eat my words when the nest is empty or when I’m 64, whichever comes earlier, but I just need to say this:

I’m so tired answering questions, and so tired of questions!

Gawd’, I can’t even begin describing how exhausted I am, fielding questions that come fast and furious every single waking moment from Ben who’s now four half, and Becks who’s just turned three last week. I’m talking about almost zero minutes of silence here in my life, except on weekdays where they are at kindergarten for three hours, of course; but I’m pretty sure they are giving their teachers a tough time too asking ‘why’ and ‘what’ and ‘how’ and ‘who’. But then again when they are at school, I’m with Nat who is now babbling non stop, so there you have it  – the reason why I.am.so.tired.

So Ben and Becks love questions. They breathe, live, eat, drink and dream them.

~~~

When a call comes, the kids scream in my ears and ask ‘Who is it?’ and why the person is calling; when I’m on the phone, they ask who I am messaging and why I’m sending a message.

Becks: Are you messaging, Mama?

Me: Yes. (I try to stick to one-word answers, hoping this would end all questions.)

Ben: Who, Mama?

Me: I’m replying Dada.

Becks: Why?

Me: Cos’ it’s raining and he’s concerned if I would manage ok taking bus with you.

[And so this begins the never-ending series of question regarding travelling in the rain]

Ben: Why is he concerned ah? [Pause. Waits for answer. No answer. Continue.]

Ben: Ya it’s raining, so why you cannot take the car? Can we take taxi?

Becks: Why Dada message you?

Ben: Why cannot take taxi?

Me: Expensive.

Ben: Why is taxi expensive? And why we take bus in the rain is ok?

Becks: Where’s Dada’s car?

Ben: Did he park it here?

Becks: Is he driving now?

Ben: If he’s not using it, why you cannot go and take it?

Becks: Can we take taxi?

Ben: Why you have no money to take taxi? Is bus cheaper than taxi? But if we take bus we’ll be wet you know.

And the questions go on. Questions, questions, and more questions. This goes on until (a) they begin quarrelling among themselves cos’ both of them want to ask at the same time or (b) I go beserk trying to answer their questions. All because I told them the content of their father’s message.

~~~

I sometimes dread telling the kids to look out for things or point out interesting things in their surroundings because I always get a series of ‘why’ and ‘what’ and ‘how’ that follows. I can go, “Hey guys, look! The construction workers are using the steam roller to flatten the tar on the roads” and that’s like opening a big can of worms which I can never shoo back into the can, because it would be followed with questions like:

‘Why are they putting tar on the road?’

‘Do the uncles need to sleep?’

‘Is it noisy for them? Why they don’t cover their ears?’

‘Is the steam roller hot? Will they be burnt?’

‘Why do the uncles work when it’s drizzling now?’

‘Do they get a lot of money for doing this?’

Yes, these are valid questions. In my frustration from answering too many questions, I have categorized questions into ‘stupid’ and ‘intelligent’ and told the kids to only ask intelligent ones. Now you know why I am so tired.

~~~

It’s also becoming quite a challenge for me to read to the kids. The challenge is always on my patience. Questions fill their minds. All the time. They need to know why all.the.time. They absolutely must find out why Peter and Jane are going to the toy store, why they bought toys and sweets, why Pat the dog cannot eat the fish and why Peter and Jane jumped from the rock into the water at the beach (we are reading Key Words with Peter and Jane 1a, 1b and 2a right now). When we read Dear Zoo, Ben kept asking why he can’t write to the zoo to send him a pet. When we read Giraffes Can’t Dance, Becks and Ben kept asking why Gerald the Giraffe suddenly can, and if he could at the end of the story, then why is the title the title (Gerald the Giraffe eventually danced, didn’t he?).

My answers? I told them to go ask the book. Please talk to Peter, Jane, Rod Campbell and Gerald.

~~~

I am really tired. Question: Can I have another brain just to answer their questions?

Question_mark_(black_on_white)

Becks Kao Ben Kao Going Out! Invites & Tryouts Reviews

Review: Hey Little Mousedeer!

August 4, 2013

In an earlier post which I wrote when I gave away tickets to the drama-musical Hey Little Mousedeer!, I mentioned that this production couldn’t have come at a better time.

Set in the rainforest, the drama-musical promises to take us on a journey of discovering our region’s colourful heritage, and to teach us valuable lessons about saving the environment, bravery and facing the consequences of one’s own actions. I was really looking forward to bringing the kids for this production so we can learn a thing or two about conserving our environment with the haze crisis that happened a month ago.

What I didn’t expect was that this production also did me a big favour by teaching my kids the valuable lesson of honesty and sincerity in friendship.

We caught the production at the very comfortable and cosy Alliance Française Theatre on Saturday.

Hey Little Mousedeer

In the 50-minute play, we met Sang Kancil, a crafty little mousedeer who loved to trick the animals in the forest. In a bid to show how quick-witted and clever he can be, he was often proud and disrespectful, which annoyed and offended the other forest creatures like Cicak, Monyet Besar, Monyet Kecil and Harimau. They weren’t too pleased to be made fools by the mousedeer all the time and came up with a plan to teach him a lesson. Sang Kancil did eventually learn his lesson when the other animals banished him to the forest fringe, and that was where he witnessed deforestation and forest fires taking place. He returned to warn his friends and although they found it hard to believe him, they eventually heeded his warning and escaped danger.

It was like the story of the boy who cried wolf retold in another context, and this production taught Ben and Becks (besides respecting our environment) that you need to treat your friends with respect and honesty, and not play tricks on them. And that even if you were so clever, you needn’t be haughty!

This couldn’t have come at a better time cos’ these two kids are at this phase where they have plenty of tricks up their sleeves for each other, and I’m glad they learned a precious lesson from Sang Kancil himself!

There was a lot of laughter and fun as the five characters told the story about the clever little mousedeer and his adventures. The production was staged based on a selection of regional folklore and these classic stories came to live through brilliant acting and catchy songs. Becks was singing the ‘one silly crocodile’ song after the show, to my amazement, and Ben was recounting the scenes in the play that made him laugh while on our way home. We were also given a story book (in English and Chinese) titled The Mousedeer’s Adventures and Other Stories for keeps, and I was glad to be able to read about Sang Kancil and Sang Buaya to the kids before the show, and the rest of the stories after.

Hey Little Mousedeer storybook

All in all, we had a wonderful time on a lovely Saturday afternoon. Thank you for inviting us, and for sponsoring the giveaway, I Theatre!

Hey Little Mousedeer Cast

More details on I Theatre:
  • I Theatre is a non-profit organization which exists to create top quality theatre for children and families. Since April 2008, I Theatre has been a registered charity and an Institute of Public Character. It relies almost entirely on ticket sales to support its work of four quality productions annually. You can also make a donation to their ‘Theatre For All’ scheme which supports needy charitable groups who cannot afford to watch I Theatre’s shows by giving them free or discounted tickets. To support ‘Theatre For All’, email team@itheatre.org.
  • I Theatre’s next production, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, will be staged at the Drama Centre Theatre at the National Library Building from 1 – 17 November 2013. (Recommended for ages 4 and above.)

P/S: You can still catch Hey Little Mousedeer! from now till 6 August 2013. Tickets available at Sistic.

Disclosure: Ben, Becks and I were given media passes to watch Hey Little Mousedeer! and all opinions in this post are my own.