Happy 4th Birthday

Enjoyed cake and party with friends at daycare.

First few books

Enjoyed reading at a very early age.

Supposedly Iron Man

So cute! The background and setting are just toppings.

Feeding the seagulls

Picnic with Harbour Bridge in the background

First real bed with wheels

The best Christmas present ever!!

10 September 2012

Middle Child

No were are not going to have 3 to have a middle child. I just want to feature this article that I read. I have always believed that a middle child has a distinct characteristics and they are good, most of them anyway. For once, they are strong and very independent. This is from bodyandsoul.com.au. Quite interesting and I believe in them. Yes, despite being sandwiched.. a middle child gets better in time.. just like wine (along with wine supplies, I hope).
Is a "middleton" doomed to face life-long personality issues, or is their birth order actually a springboard to success? Did you know? More than half of all US presidents have been middle children. Other famous middle borns include Bill Gates, Tony Blair, Madonna and Princess Diana. In 2004 Australians were urged by then Federal Treasure Peter Costello to have three kids to boost the country's birth rate. Today those families who obeyed may well be facing the consequences of their patriotism – middle child syndrome. According to the "science" of birth order, being sandwiched between an over-achieving, responsible elder sibling and an indulged youngest child is the cause of all sorts of personality issues and even disorders. It has been labelled a "syndrome". A way to stand out Being affected by your order of birth is inevitable and unavoidable, says Melbourne psychologist Andrew Fuller, whose book Tricky Kids (Finch Publishing) tends to focus on middle-born offspring. "Second-born children arrive with one spot in the family already firmly filled by the bossy and responsible eldest child. This second child, who may go on to be the middle child, needs to find another way to stand out in the family," Fuller says. "And sometimes that can mean they might be more trying or difficult for their parents to understand."
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18 August 2012

Extra Curricular Activities

This year, the Tatapilla has no extra-curricular activities as we were really busy with the moving and settling in our new house. Plus, he is in the new kindy place so he has his own settling and mingling to do in the new school. At this stage, he also has varying and shifting interest. One minute, music the next dancing so it's hart to know. When ask sometimes, he is into swimming. I reckon, we'll know when he goes into big school where they are encouraged to pursue their special interest. He might interested in jupiter flutes woodwind brasswind. We talked of sending him to learn keyboard or any musical instrument.
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Prep 2012

We have booked the Tatapilla for an interview for his admission on Prep 2012. We have been really looking forward to it. I even ring the school for their schedule early this year. We reckon, the Tatapilla is good and ready for the prep class. The kindy has prepared portfolio for kids' progress and we can borrow it for the interview. The compilation is huge that it'll be like mens briefcase from gotbriefcases.com. This is a big step but everyone in the family is ready.
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First Fish

It was holiday in Brissie last Wednesday so instead of having a wii game, we head out to fish. It was our first as a family. A very exciting activity for the Tatapilla. We didn't take the boat so it was all river bank fishing. Exciting nonetheless. Mcj and I were all into the Tatapilla catching his first fish. He has new equipment and all so it was a good start.
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07 August 2012

Sand Bucket List

Kidspot's website has com up with the collection of 23 things to do while your kid or children are still young. Some of them you can do at home and does not require too much effort, some requires a lot of money to spend. Nonetheless, they are indeed worth doing while the kids are young and can enjoy them with you.
Find an organic ‘pick your own’ farm and set the family loose for the day. Good, clean fun and even more fun preserving and baking your 'catch of the day'.
Of the list, we have done some of them and this is what I really want to do with my little boy. Not really the berry but whatever fruit that some farmers allow picking before he gets interested with dave grohl. There are many in the list and I will try to do some of them.
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08 July 2012

Life without Facebook

not for the Tatapilla but for me. Mind you I still check my facebook updates from friends and fave celebs but I have not been updating my status. I have communicated with my sister through it but nothing much these days. Not because I have nothing to put because as I have gotten used to broadcasting some stuff online before, I have this feeling sometimes that hey, I'll take a photo of that to share. But, I immediately dampen it. There are several reasons why I have not been so actively online and I'd rather not share it. At this stage, I believe that not being active on social network is really good for me. I am not at the point of deleting my account yet but I might have to delete my photos, not because I have some stuff like Funeral planning worksheet in there but I just feel like it. I need to find time to do it.
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Cooking

The Tatapilla is into cooking these days. He's been requesting pancakes for breakfast on weekends which I indulge him for two consecutive weekeneds. He's been helping so we bought special tools in cooking. He likes sifting the flour and beating the batter. Today, we made a simple choc-chip cookies and he helped sift the flour and roll-up the dough. I bought his apron ages ago and it has been put into good use these days. I just hope that he will keep-up with this new found interest of his. Who knows, he might be furthering this fields before he tries on that scott kay mens outfit. That's be ages ahead, I reckon.
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5th

... birthday, that is. How fast the time flies. It's so quick. I can seem to vividly remember they day that I was in labour. This year, we are not going to have a party. A family celebration is enough. We might see his favourite movie, have cakes and cupcakes and a special dinner. What's most important are the presents. We've already bought him some and they are sitting in the cupboards in the shed so he will not see them. They are all some of the things that he wants - no jewelry online or shall I say, blings bought online. Just his favourite superhero custome and accessories and some educational stuff. I plan to make this one different and I hope it will be.
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Getting Used

Last week, I was away for 3 nights due to out of town work. It was not the first time but these business trips do not come too often so it's not something that we should be used to or something that should bother our family time. But saying all that, The Tatapilla is actuall getting accustomed to me being away. Before, there was a countdown of when they are going to pick me up from the airport or train station. Mcj and the Tatapilla has bonded together that they manage on their own. I don't leave schedule or how would they do things - they make their own. They seem to be getting on pretty well and no complaints really. I leave them be - but I reckon, they bond on music, superheroes stuff and many others (can I say checking out pedestal bathtub online?) I won't mind though our bath is not really in need of replacement.
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Spider Man Phase

With the upcoming movie The Amazing Superman, the telly is inundated with spidey series and of course, the Tatapilla won't let them passed without seeing them. Actually, last night was a huge drama as there were lots of sports telecast going on and at the same time, spidey 2 was on. I told him that we are recording it but he said, you can't watch it over and over when you record it. You have to tape it. I told him that recording and taping are the same. At last he went to sleep not upset about it. And guess what? The moment he woke up, he was on it. Today, he went to the shops in his old spider man outfit and he got the looks from others of course - which he was so proud. With the hype, really going to art supply store is not on his priority these days. It's the crawling and jumping.
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10 June 2012

Humour

Nature versus nurture Dr Louis Franzini, US author of Kids Who Laugh: How To Develop Your Child's Sense Of Humour (Square One), does not believe having a funny bone is inherent. "No-one is born with a great sense of humour, a poor sense of humour or even no sense of humour. "A sense of humour is learned, just like most other skills we possess. Parents are the most important influences on their children's personalities. When a child's humour development is encouraged – that is, praised and appreciated by the world – it will flourish," he says. Dr Paul McGhee, a US guru on humour who has spent more than 20 years researching it, puts less pressure on mums and dads, claiming that even the offspring of the most sombre and grave parents will develop a sense of the ridiculous. "Having said that, parents can play an important role in nurturing their child's sense of humour as it moves from one stage to the next. The key is modelling humour yourself, particularly at a child's level, and being able to laugh along at your child's efforts at humour.
The parents should also have a good sense of humour in order for the kids to acquire this skill. But it is not rocket science so it should be common like toner & ink cartridges. I just hope the Tatapilla has some of it by now.
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03 June 2012

On Sports

This news on parents on sports is really good. Indeed parents play a very important role in the development and success of sports at school and eventually in greater Australia. For me, being a parent is not all about regulating the useplaystation portable, disciplining, loving and letting our kids be happy. It's much more and really, sky is the limit.
Parents form the backbone of junior sport: coaching, managing and helping out on the field and in the club. While their role is invaluable, every parent whose child plays in a team has an important part to play because the way kids act on the field can be a mirror image of how their parents act on the sidelines. In a bid to emphasise this message, many sporting codes and associations ask parents to sign a "good behaviour" oath at the start of the season, and coaches (most of whom are mums and dads volunteering their time) now hold pre-season briefing sessions for parents, outlining their coaching philosophy, expectations of parents and hopes for the season ahead. Cultivating a love of sport All of this is happening in junior sport now because it is recognised that whether kids enjoy playing sport in a team, and continue throughout their junior years, is heavily influenced by how their parents act, says Paul Oliver, national manager of Play By The Rules, an online resource providing support and information on community and club sport. "Children play sport to have fun and be with their friends," he says. "Whether they win or lose is not important at this stage, and should not be anyone's focus, including the parents'." While this can all sound a bit like a politically correct "everyone's a winner" philosophy, the fact is we want our kids to play sport, join in a team and be happy to take part for a variety of proven physical and mental health benefits. If parents are screeching less than constructive criticism at the kids or arguing with umpires' decisions, the likelihood of kids continuing to want to play reduces, Oliver says.
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Super Hero Phase

The Tatapilla is now on the superhero phase. I am not really sure if he's early for it or otherwise. Yes, in some shows there are extensive animated violence but we are just there to tell him what is good and bad. It might have started with the Iron Man. Recently we saw The Avengers in 3D and he quite enjoyed it. The telly has been inundated with superhero shows on weekend. I just hope that everything that he gets from watching these fantasies he can use later in his adult life. I suppose anything that will make him happy will make us happy as well - including wendys job application.
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