Elgarmummy.com

Author: Sarah

  • The Artists Who Painted

    The Artists Who Painted

    After buying art supplies, we had a few painting sessions. They love to paint!
    gar and el painting

    Gar loves to dip his paintbrushes into the water, so he ends up with very wet paper.
    the artist who painted

    El uses more vivid colours and he painted a few pieces.
    el painting a rainbow

    This mother let them use recycled paper. El complained that some of the papers were filled up on both sides, but I pointed out that there was still some space left. Gar does not care much, and he just paints.

    While poster colours might have more vivid colours, I think watercolours suit toddlers and pre-schoolers as all they have to do is to dip their wet paintbrushes on the water colours and they get all the colours instantly. Parents do not have to squeeze the tube of pain for them, and then have to wash up. For water colours, I just dab the colours dry, rinse the containers and paint brushes.

    All these abstract art pieces are done by Gar.
    abstract art 2

    abstract art 3

    abstract art

    sunrise abstract art

    green field abstract art

    These paintings with more vivid colours and pictures are done by El.
    rainbow colours
    Rainbow colours

    octopus in the sea
    Octopus in the Sea

    wild kratts
    These two guys are supposed to be Chris and Marten, wildlife explorers from Wild Kratts.

    This is a great activity to keep them busy and interested. Just a few days ago, Gar asked for them and the children started painting again.

  • El Gets International Pen Pals

    El Gets International Pen Pals

    Pen pals! Do you remember the time when you paid a few dollars to get pen pals from all over the world? There was a service which my classmates told me about.

    I remember I had pen pals from Indonesia, Hong Kong and Italy. The one from Hong Kong lasted the longest, because I think we liked Andy Lau. Or was that the one from Indonesia? I remember learning how to write traditional Chinese script because that was what the one from Hong Kong wrote to me in. Her English was not good, so we used Chinese to communicate, even though she was probably thinking in Cantonese then.

    I learnt my Chinese words through the lyrics from my Andy Lau CD sleeves. I had a table that showed both the simplified and traditional versions, so that it would be easier for me to keep track. Then, probably we got too busy, and then we stopped. Emails became popular then.

    Just recently, Hoagies’ decided to start a thread on finding penpals for the young ones. I volunteered El and a few responded. The children were similar in ages and had some common interests. I was looking for true peers for El. The first two were A and E. One is from USA and the other is from UK. Both were a year older than El.

    I told El to write something.

    He was so excited that he thought they would visit Singapore. I told him to write about some of his favourite things. He wrote everything without punctuation, so I asked him to add them in. Next, I told him to draw some pictures to decorate the cards. It is interesting to see that he drew a flower for E and dinosaurs (allosaurus and fabrosaurus) for A.
    letter to a

    letter to e

    With the letters written, I bought the stamps. It costs S$1.30 to send to Europe and USA.
    pasting a stamp
    I got him to stick them and then we posted the letters.

    There was a letter box just outside our place. He chose the ‘Other Countries’ slot and pushed the letters in.
    posting the letter

    After about 8 to 10 days, one of them said her child had received El’s letter. A few days later, we received both letters!
    El was very excited about the letters.
    el gets his letters1

    el opening his letter

    He read them aloud. He actually thought that E’s birthday was a few days from his, because she wrote a date there. He also liked the pictures they drew. I guess all the children love to draw!

    Gar also wants a piece of the action!
    gar reading letter

    Now, we will find time to write a reply. He did not seem to understand the word ‘reply’ that much, but already he is wondering what to write. I gave him some suggestions in the car about that when he broached the subject, so I guess he has an idea on what to write.
    Hope this is sustainable in a world of emails.

  • Self Care – Setting Physical and Mental Health Goals

    Self Care – Setting Physical and Mental Health Goals

    “I will take care of me for you if you will take care of you for me.” — Jim Rohn

    It was the June holidays, and I thought I had all the time to do whatever I wanted. I could take El to a museum, Gar to a playground, or just let the two boys play together. Instead, I ended sick, with fever. After a few days, the fever finally subsided, but I had a cough that did not go away.

    I went to my former GP, and took the medication. In the afternoon, I had a severe headache that would not go away. At night, I could not sleep at all and I felt my heart racing. The next day, I felt my head was going to burst. I ran my head under the cold water. I only felt better for a short moment.

    My mother drove me to a 24-hour clinic just opposite my apartment. It was that bad that I could not even cross the road on my own. After checking the medicine and a dusty manual, the doctor said that I was probably having a bad reaction to codeine. That was one of the main ingredients in the cough mixture.

    I took the new medication, but I still did not feel well enough. I went to another doctor, who gave me new medication, and after finishing the cough mixture, I was still coughing. He decided to change the medication, and this time round, I had the severe headache again. Up till today, I am not entirely sure why I had problems with certain cough mixtures.

    For the next eight weeks when I had gone back to work, I was coughing all the time. I felt my sinus cavities filling up with mucus whenever I taught in the classroom. I had coughing fits, and there were lots of phlegm.

    I avoided chicken (based on Chinese traditional medicine recommendations) and eggs. I avoided cooling fruits such as water melon and oranges. I ended up eating salmon with rice from the Japanese stall for the longest time. I have not eaten that dish ever since recovering.

    I could not exercise, and felt breathless. I had taken my health for granted. I took herbal drinks and mixtures. I finally tried Chinese medicine, with one dosage costing $25, and after spending more than $150 for a few days worth of bitter powder, I finally recovered.

    Unfortunately that led to a bad acne outbreak, something which I did not have since my awkward teen years. My flawless skin was no more, and I had lots of big angry red bumps. This was probably due to the heaty Chinese medicine, and the lack of Vitamin C.

    My stamina was gone (I could only last 5 minutes in the swimming pool) and I was lethargic. I decided enough was enough, and I really needed to take good care of myself. My time with my children was limited to avoid passing the germs to them. It was a hectic term in school and I did not have enough energy for my students.

    Just like what Jim Rohn said, we really need to have self care so that we would not be a burden to others. I am no superwoman. It is time to take care of myself. My children need me and my students need me. I need to be in tip top condition before I can really be there for others. I have signed up for a 100-day challenge, to finish 2014 strong, instead of waiting till 2015 to set new resolutions. I have decided on two types of health goals.

    goals1
    Physical Health Goals
    1. Swim weekly. (The pool is just downstairs. What excuse can I use? Well, I could get myself a flattering new swimming costume because the tankini top is rolling up. I just can’t shed the post-pregnancy flab. Wait, those that I see in the nearby stores are just not nice enough.)

    2. Sign up for a weekly Zumba or yoga class at a nearby Community Club. (I had procrastinated on it and some of the classes are full already. Why do I keep taking the schedule but not sign up? What am I waiting for? I guess I should find time to go off early from work. Exercise mats? I have so many playmats for my children. I could use them for my yoga poses at home.)

    3. Run on the threadmill at gym at my place weekly. (I should get a new pair of exercise shoes one size bigger.)

    4. Eat fruits daily. (I do that only when I am at work.)

    5. Eat just enough calories and not more. (I take less rice, and avoid having two big meals at work.)

    6. Go for regular facials so that I can look great. (I have already paid a fortune for lots of sessions. I just have to make sure I do not cancel.)

    For my mental health goals, I shall focus on my hobbies and relaxation.

    Mental Health Goals
    1. Read weekly. (I get an hour and a half to myself when I wait for El to finish his Mandarin speech and drama lessons every week. I have read Singapore Noir, a really great book on fictional crimes in Singapore written in a fatalistic and sensational manner by some of the famous local writers. I am still reading The Leader In Me, about how to inculcate 7 highly effective habits in children and students.)

    2. Limit my TV time. (I love to watch television, but I am more selective of the shows I watch. I like to read the synopsis ahead, to see whether the show is worth my time. Sometimes I watch cartoons with my children. Gar, my two-year-old, has watched Dinosaur Train so many times with his brother that he could say the names of those dinosaurs and name their colours before they appear. )

    3. Spend time to do reflection on my work and goals weekly. (We should take time to reflect and think of how to become better.)

    4. Laugh daily. (I love all the jokes and funny videos of cute animals and children. My children make me laugh with their funny quips and jokes. A happy person keeps the doctor away.)

    5. Think positive. (I have improved much over the years, where I am more positive instead of negative. It is still a work in progress though.)

    6. Have me time. (I realised that I have a quota of spending time with children after reading Tabitha Ferreira’s article on Mommy Needs A Time Out. I have overexcitabilities. Too much stimulation makes me uncomfortable. I spend hours in school with students, and sometimes after spending a few hours with my children at home in the evening, I just cannot wait to have my own me time. I need time to unwind, if not I will feel really frazzled.)

    Well, these are my physical and mental health goals for 2014. What are yours? Share your top health goals (both physical and mental) here and be accountable for them. Check back here by the end of 2014 and see whether you have reached your goals.

    This post is part of Hoagies’ Gifted Blog Hops on Self Care.
    selfcare
    Click next to view the next blog in the blog hop.

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