Article: Happy Parents Make Happy Kids

Article is taken from http://health.howstuffworks.com/pregnancy-and-parenting/parenting/happy-parents-make-happy-kids.htm

By using indicators such as achievement tests, teachers' descriptions of children in classes, and their own interviews, analysis of relationships and other observations, Carolyn Pape Cowan and Philip Cowan, husband-and-wife psychologists at the University of California have concluded that it is possible to predict how well children will do emotionally, socially and academically.

The key? How the parents are doing. That's true, whether the parents are together or separated, and matters more than the number of hours with their children. Even in cases where mothers truly care about the development of their sons and daughters, says Carolyn Cowan, spending every possible moment with them when they get home from work, "the children do not fare well if the adults aren't taking care of themselves and their relationships."

She adds: "It's not just the quality of the mother and father's relationship with the child, but how they're managing as a couple that affects how well kids do. Not many couples truly share the load equally, but where it does feel shared, the husband and wife are happier as a couple and their parenting is more effective and nurturing."

Overall, the Cowans believe half of how children turn out is probably genetic and beyond parents' control. But their research suggests that about 15 percent of what happens to children can be attributed to what parents have done, 15 percent to how the marriage is going, and another 15 percent from the history of the family — for example, the parents' own experiences as children. That's equally true, they say, for divorced or separated parents and stepparents.

Lessons, according to the Cowans:

• Make your relationship a priority. Schedule time together. Make it happen. If a long night out isn't possible, at least try for a regular hour here and there.
• Make yourself a priority. Take breaks for yourself. Find time for friendships.

"Frazzled people with the best intentions but who are not themselves getting nurtured and befriended — and getting relief from looking after kids and family — are just not going to be as available with the energy it takes to be a strong parent," says Carolyn Cowan. "Those kids will not do as well.

Journey to Learning Headstart Checklist

Hi everyone!

I came across this interesting checklist for parents! Use this checklist and try not to miss any of them out as you journey your way as a proud parent of your child this year. Let us all move on to a greater year of parenting and I truly wish you the best! :)

Parents, do you:
 Read with your child daily?
 Play word games with your child?
 Encourage your child to speak clearly and avoid baby talk?
 Encourage your child to express himself/herself?
 Encourage your child to count things around the house
(i.e. spoons or forks on the table, cars on the street, etc.)?
 Make time to listen to your child?
 Monitor your child’s television viewing habits?
 Help your child learn about the following:
 Bathroom habits
 Putting toys away
 Hanging up clothes
 Getting dressed independently
 Listening and following directions
 Eating a good breakfast each morning
 Knowing when and how to use a tissue
 Fastening clothing and putting on boots
 Accepting responsibility by doing small tasks
 Going to bed early and getting a good night’s sleep

Does your child know:
 His/her first and last name?
 His/her address?
 His/her parents first and last names?
 His/her phone number?
 The shortest, safest way to the centre or the number of bus he/she takes to the centre?
 Safety habits - crossing streets, obeying traffic signs, not getting into cars with strangers
 Common courtesy and manners that promote the development of friendships and sharing?

Does your child know how to use the following fastening items:
 Zip?
 Tie?
 Button?
 Snap?

Last but not least, a little write-up by Robert Fulgham that clearly defines the true meaning
of early childhood education:

All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

[Article] Two Simple Ways to Be a Happier Parent

Article taken from here!

When Christine Carter became a parent, she realized that her work as a sociologist who studies happiness gave her a head start on being a good and happy parent. Rather than trying to solve problems in her family, she wanted to prevent them. That got her wondering what makes for happy families and children. The result of that questioning is Raising Happiness (Ballantine Books).

The book is chock-full of words—gratitude, forgiveness, optimism, and inner peace—I associate more with meditation than parenting manuals. But it's not at all woo-woo. Carter grounds her path to happiness in solid science, including behavioral psychology, which explains why praise is much more powerful in getting children to behave than punishment or nagging. Many of the findings are surprisingly simple. For instance, would you like to know the one thing that will make children do better in school, help them have fewer emotional problems, and make them less likely to become obese or have drug or alcohol problems? Eat dinner together as a family.

Science and simplicity in the service of happier families: That sounds like a winner. So I called up Carter, executive director of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California-Berkeley, and asked her how I could start making my own family happier.

She said to start off by asking two questions about your life as a parent:

1. When are you happiest with your kids?

2. What part of the normal day with your family routinely causes suffering?

Then make sure your day is structured so that you get routine, habitual happiness and so that you're eliminating habitual pain.

Carter says that when she asked herself the second question, she realized that she hated getting her two daughters out the door for school. "Every single morning I was yelling at my kids [at] approximately the same time and for the same reason," she says.

So she decided to restructure those mornings so they'd be a shared joy, or at least neutral. The science of changing habits says you have to start off supersmall and build over weeks to a bigger result. So she had the kids put their shoes by the door the night before. In the morning, "I ended up setting a timer," Carter says. "It goes off twice. The first time it goes off, it means clear your dishes and go brush your teeth. The second is walk out the door to the bus." By the next morning, she says, "we didn't have such a bad morning. We had taken the first step."

Just as she changed the family's daily routine to make that one stressful period less miserable, Carter also focused on amplifying the moment that gives her the most joy in parenting. "For me, the most joy always comes at the end of the day when I'm putting the kids to bed" and they're telling me about their three good things [that happened in the day]. That's my most luscious thing, the thing I enjoy the most." To make sure that she didn't miss out on that moment when she had to work in the evenings, "we just moved [that bedtime routine] to after school. They sit on the couch with me and cuddle, and we read a book and they tell me about their three good things."

Carter says that despite her deep knowledge of the science of happiness, she doesn't always do the right thing as a parent. "It's part of the journey, an incremental improvement process. But it's amazing to me how much this stuff works when you have the intention to have a happier morning," she says.

That's my challenge for the week: Make a happy moment with my child part of our routine, and engineer out one annoying bit of parenting. And I challenge you do to the same, too. What will be your happiness moment? What suffering will you avoid?

Being a full time stay-at-home Mom...

Well, well, well.... what can I say about this?

First day was quite alright.... I gave her my full attention - played with her, watch TV with her, eat together, etc... It was only when she had her morning and afternoon nap that I had time on my own to do things, but I could only spend those short hours doing laundry, cooking, have a quick bite, clear house mess, check emails, etc... (Really not much time actually...)

Second day? I thought i'd do something a lil different... "Kill 2 birds with 1 stone!" I know that as long as mummy is near her, she will be able to play on her own (just knowing that I'm there... - well, that's what I thought). She was alright only for a short while. After that short while, she demanded 101% of my attention. As she played on her own, I decided to do laundry (2nd half), clear the dishes, manage my personal billing and filing, glue her torn books, surf the net (on how to discipline toddlers! :p), etc... unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as I thought... It was rather difficult as she kept wanting me to play with her. I managed to divert her attention to different toys many times but almost all the time, it lasted only for a short 5 minutes. I asked her, "You want mummy to play with you?", and she kept nodding her head.

Some incidences...
When she saw me with my pen and my organisor, she would place her hand onto my pen and thinking she was playing with me (as I write...). Then I decided to sit at the table. She demanded my attention at first by crying and holding on to me, but I kept telling her to play on her own... So, finally she got my message, but unfortunately, she was doing things like throwing toys all around the house, tear her books, etc... It seemed that all she wanted was my attention and nothing else!

It's a different stress being a stay-at-home mum & a working mum... It was challenging - really really challenging! I was mad at her for tearing the book (because I just glued it back!). I felt at that moment my blood pressure went up! I scolded her and did some "time out" with her. No TV, no toys, no "pao-pao" (carrying), no this & that... Looks like it didn't work out too. It seemed that she understood my intention. She knew I was angry. She was even scared to look at my eye. But her rebelliousness seemed pretty dominant. I was praying that I would continue to keep my cool, because it was really difficult to discipline a child when a parent is as mad as I was yesterday! I tried a few methods on my own - scolding her, explaining to her, ignoring her, crying out loud (she looked at me and sayang me (funny!)), sighing out loud... etc. I'm not sure what method is best at the moment. Different child, different method... :-/ Looks like more homework for me to know what suits my girl.

I will be doing more research on this... I think Sarah will be my "guinea pig" in my research... I know that kids her age has no limits in exploring, but what's the limits of us parents? I've found some really good sites on disciplining toddlers, but have yet to put more time & attention on it.... once I've got some extra time that is.

Alright, till then...

Next stage in Parenting

When my girl started walking six months ago, to me she was a walking baby, and I'm still a mother to a lil baby, just slightly independent baby.

Today, she's parroting and talking more, making me realize that I am now a mother not to a lil baby anymore but to a toddler... one who understands many many things, one who can respond quite correctly to any situation, one who can protest when she doesn't like or want certain things, one who can make decisions in her little life!

I'm amazed at how Sarah had grown from a lil baby to a cute mischievous toddler. I know this stage of growth will surely arrive. For us parents, there's more to learn, more to understand, more to read up, more to find out, more to "experiment".

I've been an "aunty" for 4 good years. I have 2 nephews - my bro's (age 4) & my brother-in-law's (age 3). From short-term experiences to staying together (currently) with my in-laws gave me a taste of what it's like being a parent to a toddler. I know it's not easy. Perhaps, more yelling and shouting and caning... but then again, maybe not at all? Hmm... praying that wisdom and knowledge increase as both hubby & I enter this stage of parenting. God bless us! :)

A Mummy's Life

It was never promised that life's a bed of roses after becoming a mum. In fact, it's a bed full of thorns maybe (Haha!) - thorns of tiredness, weariness, anxieties, roles & responsibilities (that aren't easy... and they are everlasting...) etc etc etc... and there is no end to it. That's why many young ladies don't want to be a mummy... You're talking about "throwing away your freedom"! Oh well... no matter what people say, I know as I venture into motherhood, it's something I am proud of. I'm not a perfect mum, but I know I can learn to be one, as I'm learning new things everyday, and I am enjoying every part of it (though, I have to admit that sometimes, it's really challenging to maintain the patience and the long-suffering :p). Well, I thank God for giving me a heart of a mother.... Yes, to God be the glory! :)

I'm exhausted... (2)

I guess there's just one word to describe me right here, right now.... EXHAUSTED!!!

Being in a state of exhaustion....

1. The point of complete depletion; used up.

   • We worked the mine to exhaustion, there's nothing left to extract.

2. Supreme tiredness; having exhausted energy.

   • I ran in the marathon to exhaustion, then I collapsed and had to be carried away.

Taken from http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/exhaustion

Sigh... some people say "it's part of the joy of motherhood"..?? hmmm.... i would say it's part of motherhood... but joy? not in this case... i just need to draw strength from the Lord... even working is not so fun anymore when you're exhausted. *sigh...*

p/s - I recalled having the same title in my previous post and did a "search my blog"... :p
Yeah, I recalled it right... Read previous post here.
Looks like you're reading from an exhausted mummy blogger who was exhausted then and exhausted now too! *boo hoo hoo*!!

On Nursery rhymes...

"Rock a bye baby, on the tree-top...."

"Jack and Jill went up the hill, to fetch a pail of water..."

"Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall..."

"London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down..."

Nursery rhymes like the above seem harmless to our children, but as I sing the rhymes repeatedly to baby Sarah (it started way back when she was less than a month old), it dawn upon me how horrible these rhymes could mean. Take "Rock a bye baby" for example....

Rock a bye baby on the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock,
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
And down will come baby, cradle and all.

I dare not think of what actually happens when the baby, cradle and all came falling down... but hey, you be the judge! So, choose your rhymes well and sing good songs to your babies! Songs that edifies! Songs that brings good things to you and your baby! Happy choosing & singing your rhymes!

A Literacy Workshop for Parents

Last Thursday, had ladies' day out with Marilyn & Paulla... err... well, actually it's ladies' day in (haha!) - in Segi College, that is. :)

It was quite a last minute invitation but it was hard to resist when seemed to me, this workshop would be really something that I, as a new parent, would need to know. Hubby on the other hand need to go back earlier to take care of Sarah, so he couldnt attend even though he wanted to.

I got permission from CEO to leave office earlier that day. Thank you, Elijah. :)

Many of those who attended were either parents or early-childhood educators - Paulla's one of them! I learn a lot through the teachings as well as through the sharing and questions from the attendees.

The workshop presenter, Carolyn Choo, has been actively involved in education for more than 20 years, sharing her passion for literacy and literature with preschoolers, college students, undergraduates and adult learners.... like me! Hehehe...

Well.... what do i learn from the workshop? I'd say.... It was good! It was worth going! Let me share with you as much as I possibly can remember... :p

How can we encourage our children to enjoy the printed words?

For a start.... do you know that books have sound and smell, which little children can hear and sense the smell? Interesting right? There are some things that even we adults have no idea of. Children, on the other hand, are very creative – young as they are, and their imagination will grow deeper and wider as we adults help them to understand the links between sounds and shapes of the alphabets, that make the words, that make the sentences.

How to make book experiences enjoyable for both child and parent?
Here are some guidelines :-

• choose the right book (to connect with the children, we need to choose books that is suitable to the child’s development)

• use expression as you read

• point to pictures and label

• have the child respond (ask questions to encourage the child to think. Link the story to the child)

• have the child predict and link the book to life

• have child supply sound effects while you read (interaction makes it MORE interesting!!!)

• ask what sounds and smells might be in the story (ask the child what they can see, taste and smell… you cant get this on TV! Books stimulates the mind)

• review and retell

• a celebration of reading and of books but not a comprehension drill

In this workshop, we also went through the basic of the phonics tools, ie the "Letter-sound relationship". It was interesting. It brought me back to the days when i watched Sesame Street when i was a kid!

"c" - "a" - "t"...... "c" - "aaaat"...... "c" - "aat"........ "CAT"! Muaahahahhahaa! :D

Yep! That's how we should teach our child to read and not just memorizing letters or words. By this, even though the process might be slow, it will strengthen the foundation of literacy, and when they grow older, having this foundation will enable them to recognize all words.

So... firstly, train the child to hear the differences of SOUND - get to know the basic sounds of English (phonics). You can play games like "I spy with my eyes...", "Rhyme games" and "Songs & music & movement". If you have problems with phonics, do visit here
Remember this: Worksheets & workbooks are not for younger children. They need to move and use their senses!

Secondly, train the child to see the differences of SHAPE - use everyday items (in the house) to bring shape awareness to the child. You can do pairing activities like putting labels on household products. Introduce alphabet shapes.

Finally, match the letters and sounds. Once they are familiar with the matching of letters and sounds, they can match almost any words with its pronunciation. Start with three letter words, and when the child's ready, you may introduce more word patterns.

So parents, it's time to enjoy literacy with your child! :)

Baby Sarah crying a lot lately...

Baby Sarah's been crying a lot again lately... she may have forgotten the "deal" we made. Three months has passed but looks like she's still rather colicky, esp at night. Past few days was tiring for us parents and grandparents too. She'll cry till she gets tired and eventually sleeps at about 1am or later.

Drinking milk was also not as easy as when she was 1-2 months old. Again, she'll be crying her lungs out just before any feeds... nap time, and sleeping time. We really do not know what's happening to her.

Praying that she'll come out of this stage real soon. Apparently she prefers to be breastfed. I guess most babies do. She'll be totally quiet and smiling when i give a direct feed to her at night. That would also calm her down.

Flashcard!

Daddy playing flashcard with baby

Numbers & Words learning pack from "Universe of Imagination", purchased from Toys 'R' Us


Almost every night when hubby and i are back from work, we try to make it our daily routine (about 10-15 minutes) to spend time with baby Sarah using flashcard. She's pretty excited everytime we have flashcard times. I guess her brains are developing as much as her physical movements. Hehehe...

Thanks to CK and SP for the gift! It's really a good start of learning for our little one. For those who are thinking of buying flashcards to aid your young ones' learning ability, you can purchase these from Toys 'R' Us for RM32.95. I saw a few other kinds in bookshops like Popular, MPH, etc... Happy hunting & flashing! :D

A new discovery: Wanna fist fight? Kakakaka...

taken with flash.... no choice! she moves too much! kekeke...

watcha lookin' at???!!!

wanna fight???!!!

Well... not a fight actually, but it looks like one... :D
Another new discovery for baby Sarah... her hands! She's been trying to discover what's behind the mittens she's been wearing, but she's got long and sharp nails... a little tricky for hubby & i to look for the best time to cut her nails too... anyway, nai nai did it this time! kekeke... we did it before too, but babies nails grow fast... really fast, and so by the time we take out her mittens for her to explore, she'll be scratching her face! *ouch*

It's been about 3 weeks since the first time she "noticed" her hands... and just about this week, she's been getting more adventurous! She would grab daddy's fingers tightly and not wanting to let go until she gets bored of it! hahaha... (joking!)

Being a mummy, and watching my little girl grow up and discover many things slowly but surely is truly an amazing experience. There will be so much more in life that she will be discovering. Little discoveries everyday makes all the difference in her little world... and i'm so glad to be a part of that little world which sooner or later will not be so little anymore.

"Daddy & mummy will always be with you, dear Sarah. With our Lord Jesus guidance, we will teach you the ways of the Lord. There are just sooooo many things to show you... to teach you... to guide you... Grow up and enjoy your discoveries because they are God-given!"

Hubby always says he cant wait for baby Sarah

Publish Post

to grow up because he's got lots to pass down! God bless you, Silas dear! :)

Baby Sarah playing on her own...

Baby Sarah with some of her rattling toys. Her favourite is the red bear... :)

Baby Sarah on the move! Something that caught her attention is little brown rattling bear!

It's such a joy to see how much she has developed - physically & mentally. Baby Sarah has learnt the ability to play on her own! Praise God! :) Even though she might get pretty "bored" after some good 20-30 minutes, but that alone is truly an achievement! Her minutes of independence increase each time daddy & i add "new toy" to her playgym. hehehe... When she gets bored with the old one, the new one will keep her occupied for some time.... and we'll keep changing the toy and rotate it to keep her busy. Such unspeakable joy to watch her grow little by little everyday... :)

p/s - see how much toys accumulated above her?! hehehe...

Want some caffeine, baby??

Baby Sarah has not been sleeping as much as she normally does these days. Last week was a great progress as she slept through the night for days and that gave mummy & daddy sufficient rest too.
This week, she's been a little bit more "wakey". She sleeps about past 12mn and wakes up at 4+ or 5 for milk and wont sleep back until much later. Her eyes are just wide open!

Conclusion:
Breastfeeding mothers (whether part-time or full-time) should try to avoid drinking caffeinated drinks! *sigh* I've been drinking "teh panas" everyday and sometimes coke too. Looks like i have to cut that down to drinking none at all for the next few months. Will just try that and see if "that" is really the reason of her being so wakey!

So.... NO caffeine for baby Sarah for now! :p

Baby Sarah's first fall...

It was on Monday, 26th May... about 3+pm.

Pain? I believe so. She cried... and she made everyone who loves her cry. It's sad to see the pain she has to face at this very young age. Any parent who go through it will surely understand how we feel.

It was an accident - using the sarong. No one could actually explain how it happened. MIL was making milk in the kitchen for baby Sarah. Suddenly, she cried so loudly and the next thing we knew, she was on the floor, with a bump on her head! Her cousin Ivan was holding on to the sarong - panicked i believe... Well, all i can say is... accidents happen and we cant blame anyone for it. We just have to constantly pray for God's hands of protection upon our families, and especially now, i pray for His special hands upon baby Sarah, baby Reanne & Ivan too.

Lord, may Your guardian angels surround each little one... and all those who are taking care of little ones - In Jesus name i pray, Amen!

Well, initially, I didn't want to pen down hurtful moments, esp when it hurts my girl... but then again, "It's All About Life!"

Life goes on... right?! And we can always make the whole scene better by looking upon God and think positively. Thank God she is alright! And that is ALL that matters! :)

One thing to learn from here...
To all parents who use the "sarong" or "yao-yao": Place a BIG pillow under it... for 2 reasons:
1. To stabilize the equipment
2. If the baby falls, he/she will land on a soft ground

Never ever keep your milk to yourself!

To ALL breastfeeding mums: Never ever keep your milk to yourself! :p

Went to the movies on Thursday - the good ol' Indiana Jones movie. It was a 9pm show. The idea was that since i will be away from home for more than 12 hours, and that i don't have a place to store the expressed milk, i thought to myself... I'll just not express it for this one day. It's only one day... It won't kill...

OOPS! I was wrong! Dead wrong! Heard of engorgement? Well... yeah, i suffered from being naive. Anyway, just an experience to share... so for those new mums or soon-to-be new mums, if u r nursing your child and would like to continue giving breast milk to your child once you're back to work, make sure that you express it and store it well everyday (Get a minibar for your office if your office doesn't already have one). Before work (if you reach office really early), lunch break and after work are good times for expressing. So... there goes: Happy expressing!

I had to go to the toilet in the mall to ease the pain... it helps a little, but i was already feeling very very uncomfortable during the movie. *sigh*

A lesson learnt should be passed on! :p

One step at a time...

"I hope this phase will be over soon!"
"No, don't say that... i want to see her grow little by little"
"But it's tiring. I can't wait for the time to come when i can teach her lots of things i know"
"Well, the time will come. There is time for everything"
"Hmmm...." *quiet*
"I want us to give her the chance to learn one thing at a time... one step at a time" :)

Not sure whether you parents out there has this kinda conversation with your spouse. Well, i do! To me, i always believe in having a time for everything. Things don't just happen. They come in stages and if the stages are done and received in a positive manner, the outcome will be great. It's the same with being pregnant for women. Even though the first trimester may be hard, and you cant wait for the second, and later the third, you will find that you need to go through all those different stages of pregnancies to prepare both mother and baby for the final stage at birth.

During my pregnancy, that's what i told myself and from going through all that, i knew i was prepared to be a mother when the baby is ready to be born. There are of course some things that i do not know until and unless i go through it, but then again, it is those 9 months of pregnancy that had prepared me - in all areas - to be a mother and a good one too! I'm still learning.... and again, it's a lifetime process! For me, as a mummy... for Silas, as a daddy... and for Sarah, as a baby... let us just walk this walk one step at a time.

The cries of my heart...

Oh my girl... my darling girl... As parents, we're truly sorry for coming back late every night for the past 3 nights. Sometimes, we just couldn't help it. Perhaps, that alone made you uncomfortable and sad. Perhaps you knew, but all of us adults don't. We tried to comfort you, but sometimes to no avail. Last night, when mummy heard your cries, it saddens mummy because it sounded different from what i used to hear when i was around you. Your cries seemed to reach the limit, making it sounded like you were crying a lot much earlier and causing your voice to change. It looked as though you were crying, but yet there were no more tears. It truly saddens mummy to see you like that.

That was exactly how i felt last night when i saw her sleeping peacefully. It was already about 2am then. I couldn't really sleep until about 2.30am because there were just so many things to think about and to pray. She slept through the night last night - perhaps too tired. What i felt deeply was that she could sense both our presence and that alone brought change to her soul & spirit - giving her security & peace to sleep right through the night. She's a good girl. I know she is. I've no doubt about that at all. She cries when she's hungry or when she feels alone and perhaps insecure. Sometimes, we just don't understand why she cry so much at times. But i know deep down, she was needing something... or someone... to be with so she doesn't feel alone.

Lord, i pray that You would hear the cries of my heart. I do not want to make decisions that i would later regret. Grant us wisdom to raise this child the way You want us to. Help us to see her needs so that we can provide what is best for her. Lord, i pray that she will be happy at all times and be at peace. It saddens us to see her sad and cry for something we can provide but yet fail again & again. Help us to be better father & mother to this baby girl. Connect us with her. Connect her grandparents with her. Connect her with all of us and with You - In Jesus' name i pray, Amen!

Mummy Rachel on the 1st & 2nd day without baby... & work schedule

Physically tired... sleepy... but at the same time, busy working on backlogs at work, which diverted my attention from tiredness. I think of baby Sarah all the time and miss her much, esp when i see her picture on my yahoo IM display pix! hehe...

When i resumed work 2 days ago, i actually forgotten that i was on leave for 2 months (and that made a lot of difference to my daily work schedule) and that there is a lot of work to complete, both old and new projects.

My initial arrangement with CEO is that i will work from Mon-Wed once i resumed work. When i proposed this to him, my reason was to be there for my girl as she grows. I wanted to spend much of my time nurturing her, and at the same time to work for money. Well, you cant really get this kind of arrangement anywhere, so i take this as a privilege, ie to work a few days & then be a full time mum for the rest of the days in the week. It's a bit tough when comes to reality as work calls for much of my time (especially now). And since there's so much to do at this time, i told him i'll be working full week for until end of May, ie 2 weeks.

I do hope that things will work out fine... Am surrendering my plans to God for He knows what's best for all of us as a family.
So God, please be my Guest of Honor to erase and modify whatever that's in my agenda, according to Your will and purpose. Amen!

Lullabies for baby Sarah

Having baby Sarah has brought me back memories when i was a little girl myself, or perhaps not too long ago when i was a young teenager. One thing's for sure... because baby Sarah loves to listen to mummy singing her lullabies, mummy has to browse through her song bank stored in her brains (collection of over 20 years! hahaha!)

I've been singing to her some tunes to put her to sleep or to calm her down when she's feeling anxious or restless. Some tunes are actually unknown - just some melody that do not sound bad. :p Ask Sarah.. she's the judge! hahaha! Well, other than those unknown tunes, what's familiar that's been coming out from my mouth are some Worship songs (both English & Mandarin! wah, i can sing Mandarin songs! kakaka...), Christmas songs, Children songs (learnt when i was a kid in Children's Church... kekeke... songs like "This Little Light of Mine", "Ho-ho-ho-hosanna..", "Jesus loves me this i know" and "Jesus loves the little children"), and not forgetting the old faithful rhymes i learnt when i was a kid too! hehehe... It's kinda fun to think that i've not forgotten them. Having a song bank is really helpful to us both hubby and self because it got us closer with baby, and with our Lord Jesus too.

Thank God for songs! :)