Learning the 10 Commandments

Children's Church has just completed a series on The 10 Commandments. I'm glad to say that Joseph knows all 10. And even when I test him in random order, he always gets it right.

Commandment #1 - You shall have no other Gods before me.

Commandment #2 - Do not make for yourself an idol.

Commandment #3 - Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

Commandment #4 - Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.

Commandment #5 - Honour your father and your mother. (the hand is the remind him that if he doesn't, he gets 'piak-ed' on his bum)

Commandment #6 - You shall not murder. (The thumb represents a gun)

Commandment #7 - You shall not commit adultery. (the 2 fingers on his right hand is papa and mama - love each other till death do us part)

Commandment #8 - You shall not steal.

Commandment #9 - You shall not tell lies (bear false testimony).

Commandment #10 - You shall not covet.

I must admit that prior to this, I did not remember which commandment is which number. Sitting in with him during Children's Church has helped me to remember this as well.

Rewarding Joseph

Over the last week or so, Joseph showed plenty of improvement in his reading. He picked out words around the house and read it with no prompting.

Last night, he pointed to this bottle and said "Papa, I can read those words. Black Pepper."

And this is Herbalife....

While seating on the 'throne', he pointed to this shampoo bottle and told me, "Mama...that word is dove. Change the 'L' in love to a 'D' and you get dove."

Yesterday at Children's Church, we got a breakthrough with him by finally motivating him to go on stage as a 'sidekick' for the worship leader. He refused the last time giving the excuse that he had never done it before and that children will laugh at him.

Up till the moment we were gonna practice yesterday, he said "I'm going to chicken out". But in the end he went up and he did it very cheerfully. We praised and encouraged him tremendously after his job well done. It was a very wonderful time of worship as I played the keyboard while Daalin played the guitar and both Joe and Joy were on stage as 'sidekicks'.

This morning we had a Beach Fishing Party at Little Lamb.

Joe helped out again with the worship and also with the actions when I taught the children another song later.

So he earned 3 rewards this weekend. One for his role in children's church on Sat, one for Little Lamb on Sunday and one more for his reading.

 

If I as an earthly mere mortal parent can derive so much joy from giving to my child, how much more does our Heavenly Father delight in giving and blessing us with all his riches and blessings beyond our wildest imagination. God wants to bless. Are we ready to receive?

Hola! We're going to meet Dora

Inspired by the great holiday that Tairvlyn had in Singapore recently, I'm itching to bring the kids too. Then last week, there was a pull-out in The Star featuring Singapore!

And what caught my eye was a tiny little column about the Singapore Zoo's guest for June.

That's right! Dora and Diego are making guest appearances at the Singapore Zoo, every weekend in June. So I managed to convince Daaling to make a trip down south. After all, we've got free accommodation.

And you can print a Buy2 Free1 voucher here so we only have to pay for 2 adults since Joy is not yet 3 and will not be charged admission fee.

It's gonna be a 4D3N trip with stopovers to see the YongPengTribe and also to Seremban to celebrate Ah Kong's birthday on the way back.

But first, I've got to make a trip to the Immigration Department to renew mine and Joe's passpsorts.

Testimonies in Floodgates Issue #56 (May-June2010)

We've been told by several people that the family is rather 'famous' in the latest issue of Floodgates.

The children's photos appear twice in this issue. On page 9 is my testimony regarding the Children's Workers Conference in March.

And on page 11 is another testimony by my mum.

We didn't pakat to have it this way. And since I don't believe in coincedence, it must be divine appointment.

Anyone and everyone is most welcome to by Dream Center to pick up a FREE personal copy.

Run for the Nation 2010

So this morning, I took part in the Run for the Nation. It's a prayer relay run covering the entire Klang Valley. This is the second time it's held and I'm glad to have been a part of it.

All pictures below taken by Joseph (except for the one pic that has Joe in it).

A quick briefing before starting the run.

The sky was really gloomy. Or cloudy if you're optimistic.

Mama and the princess. She gladly said goodbye and didn't cling to me.

I'm glad we could bring the kids along. It was a good exprience for them.

Joe buckled his sister up in the car.

The weather was pretty kind.

...until it rained. And then it poured!

We continued running in the rain, skipping over puddles and being careful with some slippery surfaces. My shoes were all squishy and I was covered in more rain water than sweat. Drenched from head to toe, we took longer than earlier anticipated because of the rain. Nevertheless, it was a good run and I was very surprised to find that I was not at all panting, nor tired at the end of it. 

I will certainly want to participate next year. And bring the kids along again.  

No egg in the book!

Joe started learning Bahasa Melayu in kindy this year. Initially, he found it really confusing because he has been learning English phonics all this while.

For example, 'a' is pronounced 'eh' as in apple or 'ay' as in ape.

But in BM it's pronounced as 'ar' as in api.

Blame my lack of patience for it but coaching him with homework really made me want to pull my hair out. I even went to school to see his teacher to learn how he's taught in school because he didn't seem to understand what I was saying.

And at 5 years old, they have weekly ejaan tests!!! I didn't want to pressure him so I just praised his effort regardless of how many chee tans (egg) he brought home.

I must also admit that I had not been too bothered to coach him at home after that one crying episode.

But this week, I resolved to help him with more patience. And it paid off. Somehow it's like a light bulb went off in his head and he understood everything I said!

He came home today and told me that he didn't have to do any pembetulan because he got everything right.

I'm so proud of him. And what makes me even more delighted is that he declined any offer of a reward. He says he already has too many toys!

Good job Joseph! I love you. And that doesn't depend on how well you do in school.

Our new healthy breakfast

It has been just over a month now and I think it's time to blog about this.

One month.

I lost over 5 % body fat, dropped 6 years off my metabolic age and gained a flatter tummy.

No longer do I have to drag myself out of bed at 6am everyday. In fact, I'm up before the alarm goes off.

One yummylicious shake every morning.

My personal favourite is a choco-banana shake. Joe loves it too. And yesterday, he drew this to illustrate how to make one.

Step 1 : Put a banana in the blender.

Step 2 : Pour in the water.

Step 3 : Add in the Formula 1 shake powder.

Step 4 : Switch on the blender.

Drink up and get healthy!

I've started a new blog in our quest for better health and greater wealth. Hop on over to check it out!

Preparing for the Wild Wild West

It's gonna be a Wild Wild West Party at Joe's kindy next month. I can just imagine the whole hall full of cowboys.

Joe said he wanted to be a cactus so that he can poke everybody. So while Daalin babysat the kids at ToysRUs...

I popped over to Kamdar to look for green fabric! After walking around the entire store, I almost wanted to purchase some dark green fabric that had subtle stripes, and was on 70% discount. But the thought of all that sewing... (and what would I use for thorns???!?!!) and knowing that it would be a white elephant after a couple of hours, I couldn't quite make up my mind so I walked back to ToysRUs and then I saw this...

The store is full of ToyStory3 merchandise. One look at Woody and I recalled that YeeYee bought Joe a star-sheriff badge with his name on it, a long time ago.

So I went home and searched the bottom drawer and..... tadaa!!!! I found it!

After sitting in that bottom drawer for about 4 years, I finally have use for it. Now all I need is a cowboy hat.

And I know just where to find it.

more videos of Princess CutiePie

pre-loved stuff looking for new owners

Ten items for sale. Going cheap to make room in my cupboards. All items are pre-loved, in mint condition. Original packaging only where mentioned. If you need anymore information/measurement/photograph, please let me know. Leave a comment with your email if you want to purchase. I'll get back to you without publishing your e-mail add.

1. Osh-Kosh swimsuit. Size 1. Total length : 15inches from shoulder hem to crotch. Material is stretchable. RM5.



2. The Disney Store 101-Dalmations Overalls. Size 3T. Length adjustable at shoulder. Total length : up to 31 inches. RM8.

3. Red 100%cotton shorts from Issue/World of Cartoon. Bought at RM15. Worn only once. Size M. Total length : 11.5inches. Selling at RM8.

4. Formal boy's 3-piece suit. Consists of pants, shirt (with tux collar) and blazer. For boy age 4-5 years depending on how tall/short. RM60.

**Models and bow tie NOT included for sale. (Model age 4.5 years at time of photo)

5. Long-sleeved white shirt + dark pants. **Pants is not exactly black but very very dark blue. Cerisi is a Singapore brand. RM20.

6. Gymboree mini skort. Size 3. It's a shorts inside the skirt. 10inches in length. RM10.

7. Gap denim mini skirt. Size toddler 4 years. Length is 8.5 inches in front and 10inches at the back. RM10.

8. Jonas Jodie sleep sack with original packaging. Used about 5 times only in Cameron Highlands. RM60.

9. KidCo Food Mill, with original box and instructions. Use a couple of times. Bought from USA. RM30.

10. Huggies Potty + 1 pack of Huggies pull-ups XL30. RM38.

There are more pre-loved stuff at Huiwearn Kids Store. Do check it out. Combined shipping available. Self-pick-up also possible at several locations in Klang Valley.