Photo credit: MaristPoll
Out with the old and in with the new! Whatever parenting flaws you think you have, this is a great time to pen down those new year’s resolution and start 2018 on a clean slate.
As a parent, it’s totally understandable to be overwhelmed by the stresses that come with it. Make a promise to better yourself as a parent and a spouse. Revive the joy of parenting!
1. Don’t say “No”
Some parenting experts believe that saying “no” too often can breed resentment or plant seeds for future rebellion. Tell them the reason why they shouldn’t act that way in a calm and explanatory approach.
This takes a whole lot of practice and patience to get used to, but let’s start somewhere. Make it a conscious effort!
2. To be more patient
Talking about patience, we all need more of it! I’m sure there are moments when you snap at your child and make some ridiculous threats, and then feel guilty after for behaving that way. You’re not the only one!
So the next time your baby is driving you insane, take a deep breathe. Step away for the time being, get someone else to take over and calm down! After all, baby can sense your frustrations and anxieties.
3. Read to baby daily
It’s never too young to start this habit! Even if your infant doesn’t understand what you’re saying, she is picking up rhythm and tones of your voice. Make reading part of your bedtime routine, it only takes 5 minutes! Baby will eventually surprise you with the words they’ve picked up along the way.
4. Take more photos!
Babies grow at lightning speed. Before you know it, they’re calling you ‘mummy’ and blink your eyes again, they’re starting school. Photos are the best way to preserve the memories of their growing years. You’ll never get them back! Start snapping more of them in the new year, I promise you won’t regret it.
5. Cut back on technology
Especially for working parents, this is for you! We spend more time at work than we do with our kids, so let’s make the most of it when we’re with them. Refrain from using your mobile and watching TV with them playing alone in the background. Be emotionally present and engage in quality bonding sessions. You can have your me-time after they’ve gone to bed.
6. Time to get back in shape!
If you’ve not started your post-birth exercise routine, get on it NOW! Especially if baby is already older than 1 year. There will never be a ‘right time’ to start, there will always be baby duties to do, it’s just a matter of making time for yourself.
There are plenty of 30 minutes workout routines out there! Some you can even do at home. So stop making excuses, mummies!
7. Remember that you’re also a wife!
Without realising, you’re so focused on baby and being a good mum, that you’ve neglected your partner. Many times, you’ve snapped and vented your frustrations on him because of baby-related issues. It’s common!
In the new year, make a promise to ensure that you’ve save some of your love with your super-fantastic-supportive husband which you might have taken for granted. Set your kids a good example of a healthy and loving marriage to make them feel secure and confident!
8. Start a monthly tradition
It doesn’t have to be as elaborate as an overseas trip, but planning one fun tradition for your family each month builds togetherness and wonderful memories for them! It can be a movie night in with fun snacks that you’ve made together, or an excursion to local attractions like Pulau Ubin, Sentosa, Gardens by the Bay. It’s all about the experience!
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VivoCity is celebrating the Chinese New Year with a ton of activities and events in their mall! CNY is a time where we meet up with our loved ones and friends to eat lots more yummy food than usual (and with less guilt too!), and celebrate the bonds and memories that tie us together.
Lucky draws and freebies are also available during the CNY period, just head down to the mall to find out more details.
Here’s what you and your family can expect to find at the mall this CNY (besides a whole lot of snacks and good food):
Joyful Beginnings With Tangs
Now – 14 Feb @ Level 1
Ok, the snacks are here! Right out in the open, you’ll be greeted by rows and rows of CNY delights – more than 40 brands are there for you to choose from. With snacks ranging from tarts, bak kwa, nian gao, and crispy fish skin, and pre-orderable goodies like pen cai, yu sheng, and carrot cake… can we say that post-CNY is going to be another period of intensive exercise?
Magnificent Blooms Of Spring
Now – 2 March @ The Plaza outside VivoCity
A floral garden with gazebos and Chinese zodiac signs that light up at night give your family some nice backgrounds for insta worthy shots.
Drumming Up The Festivities
Performances from Taiko Drums and Lion Dances will definitely put you in the mood for CNY, and here are their dates!
Taiko Drums
Hip Hop Lion Dance Flash Mob
Lion Dance by Yi Wei Athletic Association
Visit website for more details.
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It’s that time of the year again – Chinese New Year music playing in every shopping centre you go to, the smell of bak kwa (and eating it until your throat is sore), turning on the TV to watch a Stephen Chow movie (it feels like they cycle through each and every one of his movies during CNY), meeting up with relatives that you see only during this period, and finding the correct angbao to give to the correct kid!
Welcome to the Year of the Dog! Gong Hei Fat Choy!
One thing that we parents need to remember is that there’ll be a lot of house visits, and it’ll be a pretty tiring time for both baby and you; baby is sensitive to many things outside, and when baby gets affected, you’ll be affected by extension.
So here are some tips to preserve your sanity during CNY outings with baby:
1. Comfy Clothes, Spare Sets
This is Singapore, the land of the hot and humid (not counting the super cold temperatures early this year), so we’ll naturally be wearing clothes that are cooling. However, CNY is all about showing off those new clothes and looking as chic and dapper as possible, but that may not be the best idea when it comes to feeling comfy.
Remember, you’ll both be bombarded on all sides by inquisitive relatives (especially so if it’s their first time meeting baby), and we’re trying to minimise the areas of stress as much as possible! Keep your hair tied up as damp hair sticking to our necks is annoying, sit close to a fan with baby, and make sure you and baby stay hydrated.
It also goes without saying, but keep a spare set of clothes for baby at hand – you never know when baby’ll get messy! You may also want to bring some baby-friendly deodorant for yourself to stay smelling fresh, as you’ll definitely be on the move and sweating quite a bit.
2. Be Well Stocked With Baby Essentials
With that said about the extra clothes, keep baby’s other essentials well stocked up too – ensure that there’s enough food and snacks for them! A hungry baby is a crying baby!
Also, take note that while CNY goodies are yummy, they’re not really safe for baby to eat. Stop any relatives or friends from feeding baby those goodies, no matter how insistent they are that ‘it’s okay for them to eat it’.
Ample amounts of diapers will take a load off your mind, as you don’t need to worry about finding them for baby.
Bring baby’s favourite distraction entertainment/comfort items in case they get bored, or when you need to free up some time to eat (hungry parents are cranky parents).
3. Plan Your Visits Out In Advance
Your family should have quite a few places to visit during CNY, so make sure you plan ahead and prioritise the homes you’ll be going to. Try to keep your visits as few and as short as possible (without offending the hosts), and try not to stay out too late.
Friends and relatives who have a baby tend to be more understanding of your situation, and if you need to breastfeed, they’ll understand that you need a private room to do so! Take note that if you’re breastfeeding, wear some tops that make it easy for you to nurse.
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Gong Xi Fat Choy! May you have a healthy and prosperous 2018, full of love and opportunities! One thing I realised with CNY is that it actively gets in the way of some of our New Year’s resolutions – especially the ones that are related to weight loss and starting the year out all active and fit.
And since we’re parents who want to set a good example for our kids to follow, showing them that we’re able to commit to an active and lifestyle is something that we definitely want to pass on to them.
So here are some tips to staying healthy during this indulgent period!
1. Always Remain Active
The festive period isn’t a good enough reason to shy away from working out. It doesn’t even have to be hitting the gym every single day (where my most used piece of equipment is actually the mirror) – all you need to do is some moderately intensive activity for 10 to 30 minutes to get your heart pumping; even brisk walking is good as long as you’re keeping your pace up.
Here’s what I do to try and keep active after work: I stay at Sengkang, so what I do is I alight from the MRT at Buangkok and walk all the way back home. For that distance, it’s a good 15 to 30 minutes of walking, depending on how fast I go or which route I take – if time (and my kids allow), I’ll take a more scenic but longer route home. I do this at least 3 times a week.
If you feel more at ease in a group, there are always Facebook groups who organise cycling or jogging activities from time to time, or you could even go for a class with your partner! Yoga has never been more fun for my wife when she saw how utterly inflexible I am; at the end of each class, it feels like I’ve just completed a 5km run – I’m literally out of breath and dripping sweat!
2. Fill Your Stomach Up
It sounds counter-intuitive right? But it works… with the right foods that is! CNY is a period where food is given freely from seemingly bottomless snack tins, and there are 2 parts to this point for us to take note of.
Firstly, before heading out from your home, ensure that your stomach is well prepared for the painful journey ahead by filling it with enough healthy snacks like fruits, nuts, yoghurt, and other things that are high in fibre and protein, but low in carbs. This’ll trick your stomach into being full, so that you won’t be able to eat the more dangerous (but yummier) alternatives!
Secondly, while you’re outside for long periods of time at your relative’s or friend’s places, your stomach will definitely empty when time passes. It’s important to note that when hunger comes, your senses will enter a heightened state where your mind recalls the taste of the goodies and your nose betrays you, tempting you with promises of something delicious.
Things get particularly dangerous when you’re surrounded on all sides with goodies like kueh bahulu, kueh lapis, kueh bangkit, bak kwa, loveletters, and the dreaded pineapple tarts. It’s at times like these where you’ll need steely willpower, a clear mind, and handfuls of healthier snacks like roasted watermelon seeds and pumpkin seeds to fill up your tummy.
3. SLEEP
Ok this one is pretty straightforward – sleep more. It sounds simple, but during CNY, you’ll be bombarded left-right-centre with requests to play mahjong, cards, or just chill until way past the bedtime for both you and your kids.
Your kids are your best excuse to escape from those visits, but if somehow or another they’re already back at home and in bed (they’re so lucky), then it’ll be difficult to leave!
Sleep is important because it keeps you fresh, energised, and generally in a good mood. And in addition to that, getting adequate sleep helps keep your immune system strong! The less sleep that you have, the more likely you’ll fall sick.
4. Drink Water, Stay Hydrated
Drinking enough water helps you detox your body. We’re constantly losing our fluids, so it’s important to keep it topped up whenever possible to avoid dehydration. Generally, we drink enough water in our day-to-day lives to remain hydrated, but for CNY, simply drinking water will help you stay full enough to prevent you from munching on snacks!
5. Be Kind To Yourself
Truth be told, it is CNY, so you should enjoy eating as much as you can without feeling too guilty! Staying ‘healthy’ during CNY is more than just taking care of your body; you have to take care of your mind too.
The more pressure that you put on yourself to be a certain way or to stick to an overly difficult exercise regimen, the more stress you’ll be under. Don’t watch your weight too much – we’re only human and things rarely go to plan, so don’t fret over random weight gains over the CNY period.
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Dear Mummy,
Thank you for picking me up from preschool just now. Seeing you is the best part of my day. I love it when you fold me up in your safe arms and I can smell you again. You are MY mummy and no one smells like you. You are my everything and I’ve missed you. I’m so happy to see you again!
I might be a little teary because I haven’t seen you all day, but you should know I’ve had a really fun time! I’ve done so many cool things, but right now I just want to be cuddled by you and have your special mummy-ness wash over me.
Please don’t ask me heaps of questions about what I did on the drive home, like who I played with, what I made for craft or what I ate for lunch. You can ask me one of those questions, and I might answer it if it’s easy, but my brain is fried from my busy day and it’s finally quiet now here in the car. Kindy with all those little friends of mine squealing, chattering and making noise is really, really loud! I just want to stare out the window, look for concrete trucks and be soothed by the gentle hum of the car engine. It relaxes me and I need to unwind after my stimulating day.
I know you said you need to go to the shops to pick up a few things but I just want to go home and chill for a bit. The shops are even more noisy than kindy. All those beeping sounds and bright lights really mess with my head. So can we please just go straight home? Don’t worry about dinner. There are eggs in the fridge.
Also, I know you are worried about me having too much screen time, because you love me and always want to do the best by me, but please Mummy, I’ve been running around all day with my friends and the last thing I feel like doing is ‘playing out.
My wonderful teachers have also introduced me to so many new things (I learnt five new words that start with the letter S today and that an octopus has eight legs – that’s a lot of legs!). I’ve played with puzzles, built a Mobolo rocket, painted a rainbow using five different colours and made ‘moon sand‘ from flour and oil – so much fun! ‘
I also had to sit still for story time (and you know how hard I find that) and I had to turn on my ‘listening ears’ so I could play Simon Says. I also had to remember a bunch of things today – like that I need to say ‘excuse me’ every time I talk to a teacher, and to flush and wash my hands with soap after going to the loo. So now, I just want to zone out. I know you feel the same way after you kiss me goodnight. I need some down time, I need Peppa Pig!
Yes, I ate at kindy (and it was yummy! I love those sugar-free muffins and the cut up fruit that we get) but I was so distracted by my little buddies that I didn’t eat enough. I’m really hungry now. I know you don’t want me to spoil my dinner, but on preschool days, I do need a little afternoon snack. Maybe we can have a later dinner tonight? Please Mummy?
I know I’m a big boy who goes to preschool now, but after a day at kindy, I’m spent. I want to be a baby again because you mother me when I get all cuddly. So I think I’ll be needy tonight. I’ll probably whine and whinge and I might even insist that you spoon feed me my dinner. Sure I can use the Spiderman spoon and fork myself, but I like sitting on your lap and pretending I’m small again.
I also want you to cuddle me off to sleep. I want you to lie next to me so I can smell you. Maybe you could pat my bottom and sing me that song you used to sing me when I was tiny? That one about closing my eyes? I still remember it and it soothes me.
Tonight I want to feel like your baby again. Being a big boy is tiring and it sometimes stresses me out a bit. I don’t know how to be one, I’m having to learn, but I do know how to be a baby. I want to grow up but I also don’t want to just yet. I’d like to be able to cut with grown-up scissors and even drive a car one day (that would be cool!), but I think I will stay little for a bit longer. Until I am ready to take the next step by myself, can you please wait for me? I’ll get there.
So Mummy, this is how I feel after a day at kindy. I’m growing up, but I still want to be your baby for a time, and that time is almost over. Let’s enjoy it for as long as we can. I love you Mummy x
Article was first posted on Babyology and written by Lana Hallowes
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