Oops!

 Just like that, my last post was in year 2017. Fancy that. 3 years! (Feels like 30 to me! Lol!)

Let's see, couple of things have changed since then. We had a little addition this year in January & yes we have ourselves a little boy! More on him later.

We move homes twice & we are finally settled down in our 3 bedroom tight space apartment. Thank you God for this because our lives have changed so much for the better after moving here. More on that later too!

We are still very much homeschooling. It was a really stressful in 2018 as we had Anna who was just a little toddler while at the same time struggling with our application for exemption for Leah with MOE. Thank God that is over now.

Next year however Anna is due for exemption. Sadly we cannot use the same application for Anna as MOE insists that each application and child is viewed differently. And so, we start all over again! 

Noah just turned 9 months. He is truly a handful. No one warned me that raising a boy would be entirely different from raising a girl. Lol! Nevertheless, he is a real blessing. The girls are delighted to have someone to mother & boss around & Noah is absolutely loving all the attention. Mom is just happy to have that wee bit of help from the girls!

The husband has since moved back to Myanmar. Family business has called him home & we have decided that for now, it is best for the children & me to remain in Singapore. More on marriage later. Lol!

The story of our lives. A drama series of its own. Glad to be back to writing because that little hidden writer in me aches to write & tell these stories. Doesn't matter if no one is reading. This is just me sharing pieces of my thoughts & emotions on paper. And so till my next post, take care ya'all, be happy & remember that your cup is always half full and not half empty. Life is always what you make it of.

Kisses!

Picture Perfect

I think there is so much more to learning than reading & writing. Art is often undervalued but it's benefits are so hard to ignore. From an early age, we have exposed both our kids to creative art. Nothing fancy nancy. Just your good ole drawing blocks, paints, brushes, sponges etc. Encouraging children to explore & engage in self expression does so much for their logical thinking & self expression. It opens up their world to experimenting & thinking out of the ordinary. It helps them get in touch with their true selves. Well at least this is what I think.

And so art has always played an important role in our household. Today, we did some poster colour painting.

Leah still very much in love with rainbows & flowers.

Anna with her own version of what a rainbow actually is.

Anna's piece of art. Extremely extract. Clearly shows her very different personality from her sister.

Leah's piece. I asked her what it was. She said this painting represents our family. Each flower for each of us - Daddy, Mommy, Anna & herself. That we are always surrounded by rainbows, fresh air, sunshine & nature. That our lives are always filled with colours & happiness.

Both kids had so much to express. Just a very simple painting but a very deep meaning. I'm not sure if she will ever become an artist & to be honest I don't really care. I just know I like that she has discovered a means of self expression. That her art interprets stories, convey meanings & express ideas. Don't ignore your child "messy" painting. Don't brush aside their craft work. Everything they mould & create, means something & represents something. It is really that other way they are trying to communicate with us and later to the rest of the world.

As a mom & a homeschooling mom, just simply this makes me happy. Makes me wanna brew a cuppa tea, sit back & enjoy the afternoon. And so, I leave you guys with a song while I sip on my tea.....

"What The World Needs Now Is Love"

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No not just for some but for everyone

Lord we don't need another mountain
There are mountains and hillsides
Enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers
Enough to cross. enough to last
Till the end of time

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No not just for some but for everyone

Lord we don't need another meadow
There are corn fields and wheat fields
Enough to grow
There are sun beams and moon beams
Enough to shine
Oh listen Lord if you want to know

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No not just for some but for everyone

Lacing New Words

We do really simple learning activities at home. Nothing too fanciful or time consuming to put together. I prefer spending the extra time I have with the kids as compared to struggling with my laminator. One of the things Leah really enjoys doing is lacing. We started out with a simple animal lacing kit which she grew out of.

I managed to find a set of lacing alphabet in lower case! LOL to that just because most kids hate lower case. Haha! Anyway, this set is from the brand "Learning Resources". I use that to add on to reading activities. In this case, I picked a story, we read the story, talked about it abit. Then identified some new words, wrote them down in our word book then laced the words!

Enjoying everything reading & lacing related!

I like how we had to deal with ONLY lower case. Same goes for adults, we dislike the unfamiliar & so this mommy is on a mission to make her children really really familiar with lower case!

Of course she did not walk away remembering how to spell ALL the new words. What is enough for me is her acknowledging them, reading them, understanding their meaning. I know when she is ready they will flow out together with the rest of the words that she has picked up.

For me, the key is knowing what excites her. I try to excite her about everything learning related and in turn I make it my responsibility to convert it into something interesting & age appropriate. Fingers crossed that it will always work!

Homeschooling Resources

I had a couple of moms asking me where I have been getting my homeschooling resources from. Getting stuff locally can be really expensive & so I either source for deals online in US site or pre-loved locally. Whilst I would love to DIY stuff myself, it just doesn't make sense for me to do so given the time it takes. I have made some preschool activities on my own but all that cutting, sticking & laminating was eating away all that precious time I could have with the kids. And so I really rather buy that make or borrow.


AMAZON

We come from a family of book lovers. We have awesome libraries but the reality is, how many of us have the time & energy to bring our kids to the library everyday? When Leah was born, I started sources for books online. Then I found the amazing world of Amazon! Omg! Seriously, of all the online stores I could get books from, none have prices that are comparable with Amazon. They are easily 50% cheaper than Popular & STILL a little cheaper that Book Depository. Not to mention the awesome variety that they have. Amazon ships to Singapore for free if you spend a minimum of USD125. Which really isn't that hard. Lol!

Besides books, toys, teaching aids, learning resources are all alot cheaper. Since I have already started preparing for Leah's Primary 1 curriculum, I have also started buying related books and learning resources from Amazon in preparation.

Let's just say that I am not sorry for all that money I have been spending on Amazon. I have skipped on buying clothes, shoes and hell, I have reduced my hair cuts to once a year. I kid you not. BUT, I am not sorry.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/


PRE-LOVED

Our other avenue for resources is from fellow homeschooling moms. Kids outgrow stuff all the time & what is useless for one family could very well be what you need at that moment for a fraction of the price it is sold in stores. So always keep active in Mom groups! Like they say, "Moms helps moms & moms support moms!"



US HOMESCHOOLING SITES

Depending on which curriculum you have picked, their respective site would carry the full range of whatever you need. I have found "Rainbow Resources Centre" to be particularly useful. They carry various different homeschooling curriculums. Which is really helpful if you happen to be one of those moms that like to customise and use bits of different curriculums all at a go.

Link: http://www.rainbowresource.com/



LOCAL PRINTABLES

If you are into printables, there are plenty of free printables available online. Make google your best friend and the only thing you will lack is printer ink and energy with all that cutting & laminating going on. Locally, I have found "Preschool Resources" extremely useful. I have downloaded, printed & laminated a couple of activites from the site and it has turned out awesome!

Link: http://preschoolresources.sg/


Dos...

1. Do make price comparisions. Some sites are cheaper than other but some sites do not offer free international shipping. 
2. Do read the reviews. Especially on Amazon. I find the reviews especially helpful when trying to decide on a purchase.
3. Do be selective. It doesn't mean if a range of books are extremely cheap that you should buy it. Always narrow down your choices based on your needs.

Don'ts...

1. Don't lowball another mom. While it is alright to ask for a price reduction, no one appreciates a cheapskate. After all the mom you are buying a pre-loved resource from is also sourcing for other resources for her kids. So be respectful of other moms when you are shopping for pre-loved stuff.
2. Don't stop. Browsing different sites is a wonderful way of discovering what's new & what's useful for your kids. Plenty of the resources I have come across online, I have never seen them before in my time. 

I hope this has been useful for some of you. I am still learning as I go along & discovering plenty. I will share as I uncover the secrets. Hee... In the meantime, happy sourcing and share the love!

Weaning & Homeschooling

As I sit here typing with a cabbage leaf in my bra, it hits me.

This is it.

I will never have a baby suckling at my breast again.

My breastfeeding journey has really come to an end. No more sleepless nights with Anna waking up constantly looking for my nipple, no more cuddly snuggles during nursing. No more comforting FOR ME with her nursing. Plenty of mixed feelings. While I feel this weaning is really necessay in order for many positive things to take place, I can't help feeling emotional & kinda sad about it. Afterall, I still have a nice supply of milk.

The thing is, the husband & I have been having many discussions about homeschooling & the well-being of our children. We both agree on one thing - we can't have it all. From the time we had our first child, Leah, I have always been an advocate of breastfeeding. I fought against the painkiller jab on my thigh during labour just because the nurse told me that that jab would make Leah sleepy and might affect her being about to latch. I always knew from my first pregnancy on that I wanted to breastfeed my children. No matter how tough. And so I did. The husband says I am extremely determined. I totally agree! Ha!

So anyway, the time has come. To wean. For the simple reason that I cannot homeschool successfully if I am to continue breastfeeding. Anna nurses all night. I haven't slept through the night for a good 4.5 years. To put it simply, the lack of sleep makes me cranky thus affecting my mood & patience with the kids. Also, Anna loves snuggling up to me constantly throughout the day to nurse. Which really takes up ALOT of the day. Something we feel is beginning to adversely affect Leah. Since we weaned Leah off at 24 months (I was hospitalised with a threatened miscarriage), we felt it would be fair to wean Anna off around the same time.

At 26 months, we finally pulled it off. With much tears, clinging, uncertainty & insecurity. Nights in a row, I have been standing in the dark carrying my baby & rocking her to sleep as she would have no other. Neither would I. Coupled with horrid engorged breasts & fevers, I did my last bit the best I could for our breastfeeding journey. Ending it well.

The entire week that the weaning is taking place, we have done absolutely nothing. No worksheets, no activities, no educational field trips. Nothing. Nothing that would get us approved by the homeschooling judge. Lol. But you know what? It doesn't matter. It really doesn't.

That is the beauty of homeschooling. You are flexible. You adjust based on what would work best for you & your children. And because homeschoolers are usually ahead of their cohort in some sense, you have plenty of time in between for breaks or time out to handle the unforseen. And so this entire week, all we did was sing, dance, play and snuggle up to read comforting stories. Both kids know that Mommy is hurting & changes are being made.

We are surviving the week and my girls are learning more about life, love, empathy & compassion than any textbook could ever teach them.

Am I sorry I'm weaning? No. I'm doing what I have to do.

Do I regret not sucking up the pain & fever & pushed on to conduct formal "lessons" for Leah? Definitely not. We are having a different sort of lesson this week. Of which we are not able to explain but they are taking place.

Let's just say, my girls have grown up alot in a week.

Thank you God for another wonderful homeschooling week.

Parental Empathy

A couple of weeks ago, I found out that Leah had been left out of a birthday party invite. Honestly, it stung me like a bee in my ass. She had no idea that that had happened but I did & I hurt for her. So bad. I sat down & thought about how to manage the negative emotions that were overwhelming me. Firstly I was glad that she does not know about it but then again, I have no idea if she will eventually find out. Sadly, hurting is very much a part of their development. Something we cannot hide from. The only thing I can do is teach her how to manage disappointment, get over it & move on. To accept that everyone is different, that people sometimes make decisions based on their situation & that the world is made up of nice & some not so nice people. 

When our kids hurt, we hurt. Sometimes when our kids don't hurt, we also hurt for them. That is the wonderful world of parental empathy. Leaves us fiercely protecting their little hearts. My dear babies, I cannot change the world for you but all I can do is promise that I will be right here for you. Always.

Random Thoughts

Whilst I am a huge sucker for organising & planning EVERYTHING, I have learnt to take a more flexible approach when it comes to my kids. From their sleep patterns at birth, we should have already gotten their message to us - they are the boss. Lol!

No parent has successfully FORCED anything into an unwilling child & have it end with everyone happy. Don't get me wrong. I am hard on discipline. Nothing annoys me more than children without boundaries. Afterall, if we don't set the boundaries, how will they ever know how far they can push things? Okay another day & another post on this.

I have been reading up quite abit on classical education & unschooling education. I think I am actually a little bit of both. I love the freedom of the unschooling method. Letting our children take the lead. But the traditional side of me still prefers a little bit of structure. After all if we are to get through the local PSLE examinations, the girls will have to follow some sort of syllabus whether they like it or not. My job is to make it as pleasant & fun as possible.

So if you are here looking for a typical conservative, structured sorta homeschooler, we might disappoint you.

If you are looking for a child led parent, you will also be disappointed.

I am just here to share my experiences & document our journey. Every child learns differently. Every parent does it differently. We are no one to judge each other.

Instead, we are here to learn from each other & to support each other. I have been extremely blessed to have crossed paths with a group of lovely homeschooling moms. Our time together is short but I have learnt so much from them. If you ask me, one of the many secrets to successful homeschooling lies in going about with an open mind & an open heart. Because you never know who you'd meet & who'd unlock the next secret for you. Like they say, a homeschooling mom never stops learning. She learns it all over again with each child she homeschools.

Happy learning everyone!

Letter to School-Going-Kids-Moms

Dear School-Going-Kids-Moms,


This is a sincere letter to you. Our decision to homeschool our kids is not meant to be a judgement to you. It is not meant to imply that you are doing less than us or that you are less committed. Heck, we sometimes envy you for being able to take time off away from your kids. God only knows how desperately we sometimes need a break from being asked 5000 questions a day.

We made the decision based on what we felt was best for our kids. It has absolutely nothing to do with you. We understand that school may be the best for your kids. And so, we have no right to judge each other. That being said, it also does not mean that our kids are better than yours. There are well behaved & smart homeschooling kids AND there are also plenty of well behaved & smart school going kids. You see it really isn't about the method of learning or teaching. It is about your mindset as a parent and/or educator. So please do not get all sensitive or self conscious with us homeschooling moms.

We are moms just like you. No greater and no worse.

We break down too and maybe even more.

We scream at our kids and we beg for breaks too.

We are THE SAME. So please, if we happen to talk just a little but more about our kids education, it is not meant to rub it the wrong way with you.

With this, we wish you all the best in your journey with your children.

P.S. We do not necessarily need to be on opposite camps. I believe there is plenty we can learn from each other. So, friends?


With Love,
A Homeschooling Mom

Sit Down Patience

I know eventually Leah would need to handle worksheets. At some point of time there is no escape. Lol. Two stages of her Primary education requires her to sit for formal examinations. One at Primary 4 which is the year she turns 10 & the other is at Primary 6 where she turns 12.

I don't feel worksheets are all that bad. I think the key is balance. Also it helps in cultivating "sit down" patience. When Leah turned 3, I felt that she was emotionally & cognitively equipped to learn how to control herself. We started with just ten minute blocks daily. Doing simple activities, reading, doodling etc. All while sitting at her little desk. 

Simple colouring activity on identifying colours. Plenty of awesome free printables online.

Letter recognition

Embarking on her first assessment book. Lucky her we can across a cut & paste activity which absolutlely delighted her. She actually surprised us with her level of concentration & so after a couple of weeks we were up to 20 minute blocks per session.

Doesn't every toddle just love cutting, tearing & pasting? 

This was more than a year ago. Right now at 4.5 years old, she is able to sit for at least 30 minutes & she absolutely loves doing worksheets. However we pace things out. At this moment, sit down time comprises of some worksheets, puzzles & table activities. Still learning as we go along - both of us. :)

"Have patience with all things,  but first of all with yourself".

Wall Art

Artistic activities play an important role in self-expression in children. It gives them the freedom to express their thoughts, ideas & emotions. The time came for us when Leah was around 2 plus. We wanted her to have a space where she could get messy & just explore. So up came the DIY wall easel!

We still weren't sure what would work for us & what wouldn't but we had to start somewhere.

Plastic sheet up the wall & mahjong paper onto the plastic sheet. Simple & plenty of space to splash paint around.

This was Leah's first art piece. Love that she chose bright happy colours!

We have since updated the art space & ended up buying a Crayola art easel. Was alot easier to manage. Some pictures of the coming up soon.

"Every artist was first an amateur".

Ruffles

Uncle Iggy & Auntie Pearlyn drops by for a visit & brings their doggy, Ruffles along. Leah has always asked for a puppy & has an immense love for all sort of animals. Imagine her excitement knowing Ruffles was coming for a visit! After spending a good amount of time trying to carry Ruffles (poor fella) & walking him around, we got home & Leah very excitedly tells me that she'd like to make a kennel for her toy dog which happens to look exactly like Ruffles!

I guess homeschooling moms are always ready for craft work!

Managed to dig up an iherb box, cut it up into shape whilst Leah started cutting out coloured shaped for decorating.

Plenty of cutting & pasting!

Final touch ups with some stickers & ta-daaaaa!!!!!

Of course not forgetting our little mei mei, Anna who sat around trying to "help" & sealed the deal by putting Ruffles into his new home upon completion!

G for Guitar

Throwback to when Leah was 3 somewhere last year. Me busy breastfeeding Anna whilst Leah was busy with her foam letters & a bunch of knick knacks. Next thing I knew, she turned to me & said, "Look Mommy! I made my own guitar. "G" for guita & a hair tie to strum it!"

The very unique guitar.

Leah strumming her home-made guitar!

Of course I'm an extremely proud Mommy. It's these simple achievements that amaze me. Sometime when we leave our children alone with themselves & only themselves, they will suddenly catch us by surprise & remind us in their own little ways that every moment is a learning moment.

PIcking A Preschool Curriculum

In my opinion, the most stressful thing about homeschooling is picking a curriculum. There are soooo many choices out there that you end up with a fear of picking the "wrong" curriculum & basically screwing up your child's education. Alot also depends on which route you are taking - classical education or the unschooling method (more on these later). So, in my quest for looking for the "perfect" preschool curriculum, I had to stop & remind myself of why I decided to homeschool in the first place. I had to remind myself not to let curriculum choices overwhelm me & that really I am my child's best teacher. Curriculum is there to aid me & not to take over my role.

With that, I switched my search. I looked for something that suited Leah's learning style instead. For a preschooler at only 3, she was already pretty "defined". I knew straight away I needed plenty of books. After discussing with the husband, we decided on Sonlight. Sonlight's preschool curriculum is simply story based. Everything circled around the story you are reading.

 In actual fact, I think I started customising my own curriculum from the start. I used Sonlight's curriculum alongside with all the other books & activities that I had planned based on Leah's interest, learning style & really what makes her smile.

Our Sonlight teacher's guide that came along with the preschool set. Not very thick & with simple instructions alongside with each story.

Puzzles, music, crayons & not forgetting a nice little prayer book.

Our huge stack of books! Super excited when they arrived. 

This was a year ago by the way & we are STILL reading these stories. There are some awesome classics that you can never get tired of & everytime we read them, it feels different. 

At the end of the day, it is really about our children. Don't get overwhelmed by the curriculum choices. Pick the curriculum & don't let the curriculum pick YOU!

Happy learning everyone!