Babies - Is there such a thing as a Mother Superior? AMY CHUA in person!

If you have been following the latest discussions on WSJ on Amy Chua's style of parenting then you will love this one.  Watch Amy Chua on CNN

The 'Tiger' Mum shares her views in person. In our humble opinion, there is one logical conclusion, for sure .. and that is that Chinese or not, she is definitely pretty good at selling books. LOL and enjoy! 

- Elaine

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By The Way - All I want for Christmas is ...

This Christmas instead of surprising her like I normally do, I decided to just ask my five year old daughter, Alexis what she would like for Christmas. So I dutifully handed her the Toys R Us ‘Great Christmas Book’ with its gazillions of hottest toys and asked her to pick three items and the deal was that I would buy her favourite item.

I silently kicked myself after that, asking myself what I had set myself up for but it was too late to take back the offer. Well, ok a quick glance through the book confirmed that the most expensive toy was a Playstation 3 costing about HK$2,200 (S$400) and she was unlikely to want that as we already have a Wii so I consoled myself that at most I would end up spending about HK$1000 (S$100) if she was really going to take advantage of the situation. And since she is my only baby … what is a hundred bucks at Christmas (at least I hoped that would be the extent of the damage!)

To be sure, I checked back with her a couple of hours later just before we left for the Toys R Us store on what her 3 choices were and I was surprised and almost ashamed at myself for not realising that value is not what makes a 5 year old happy. 5 year olds have no concept of value and that is the beauty and the innocence of childhood something that we have all forgotten along the way.

What makes a 5 year old happy is ‘HEART’! Her three choices were a Pony Barnyard from My Little Pony (HK$139 or SG26), a Zhu Zhu Pet Hamster that squeaks and roller skates (also around the same price range) and Googly bands! And her top pick (she proudly announced) were GOOGLY BANDS? What in the world were ‘googly bands’? They turned out to be colourful rubber bands in a packet of 12 each that bounce back into the shape of animals, objects, cars, trees or virtually anything when you stretch them out. They are worn as rings, bracelets or can be woven into necklaces or just simply used as rubber bands for your hair and the total value of one packet of 12 bands – the grand sum of HK$12 or S$2.40. Her request was to buy her two packets of those and surprise her by not telling her the design. I asked her if she was “sure” and she said ‘yes’ with great certainty and wide eyed glee, fully convinced that this was better than the Barnyard and the Hamster. I was touched .. such is a child’s heart.

I got her the two packets and of course along the way (just before Christmas) bought her a few small things, a very pretty bejewelled pendant necklace with an owl on it (cost me about S$20) that she chose from a street store in Taiwan because she thought it was “big girl” jewelry and  a “spork” (cost about S$5) a cross between a spoon and a fork with a cerated edge that allows you to cut things, which she has insisted on bringing out with her, everyday since when we dine out. Thrilled by these simple pleasures she has also been on the internet searching You Tube to watch tutorials of how to make a necklace with her googly bands.

I guess the point I take from all this is that childhood is about fulfilling and enjoying the simplest of  pleasures, not for what they cost but for what they are . Grand gestures, though well meaning have no place or value to a child. The heart wants what the heart wants and that is as simple as it takes to be happy!

I plan to bring that into the year ahead so have a Happy Start to the New Year everyone … I know, I will!

- Elaine

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Babies - Fancy yourself the next Top Pregnant Model?

I could not stop staring at this publicity shot. This would have been my choice of wardrobe for Bella in Eclipse when she was pregnant with Renesmee. LOL, mums of adoring Twilight fans and overaged groupies, I know you know who you are and you know who I mean.

No, these are not pics of pregnant vampires or goths with child but instead this is a publicity shot for EGG Maternity, a very forward looking and might I say seriously stylish maternity brand that hails from New Zealand. They have been expanding slowly (pardon the pun), globally - of course and this contest to search for the next Top Pregnant Model is already in its 5th year running, with the contest starting this month, (August). 

So if you are gorgeous and in the family way or know someone who is and is 6 to 8 months pregnant by 31 Oct this year then get registered by sending a completed entry form with a full length up to date photo of your pregnant self at your local EGG store. Entry forms are available from all EGG stores and stockists and will also be available online at the EGG webstore – www.eggmaternity.com.! 

The winner gets flown to Auckland, New Zealand from anywhere in the world and gets to strut her stuff in a professional photo shoot to become poster-girl for the upcoming EGG All Seasons Winter 2011 catalogue and accompanying advertising. Along with pampering and styling on set, the winners also receive an EGG wardrobe and a full set of images to treasure from the photo shoot.

- Elaine

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Babies - Precious Baby Gifts for the Tiger Baby!

Here is a cute gift for a baby born in the Year of the Tiger - Poh Heng launches a limited edition Year of Tigger Medallion in 22K yellow gold featuring the fun loving, charismatic and vivacious Tigger from Poh Heng’s Disney Babies series. Known for his exuberant and boisterous nature, Tigger is captured beholding a gold ingot, which is regarded by the Chinese as a symbol of prosperity and abundance. Flip the medallion to the back, and you will see the 福 symbol engraved – an expression of good fortune. Note the purposely ‘kitschy’ special packaging in vibrant hues of red, green and pink with a cheerful and energetic Tigger on the glossy cover dressed in Oriental finery. Available at all Poh Heng outlets from January 1 2010 onwards for S$208.

If you are looking for an exceptionally cool baby gift and are feeling particularly generous, head to Loang and Noi and get something from their MiniMe collection of anklets, rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets and even cufflinks for junior. 

Choose from a Baby Dino ID tag pendant (S$380) a pair of earrings in 925 silver (S$980 a pair), cufflinks in 925 silver (S$1,150 per pair). Also available in the Hirafu Bear designs, every purchase comes in the signature Loang and Noi gift box and specially-embossed ribbon. See www.loang-noi.com.sg

- Elaine

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By The Way – Safari Zoo Run

Okay, sometimes we just can’t be too serious. So how about running in memory of the monkey? After all, she did help put the Singapore Zoo – and possibly the rest of our sunny island – on the world map more than any other fancy luminary… even if she had a reputation for being a bit of a hairy prima donna. But a bit of respect for the dearly departed…So back to my question: how about running for the monkey?

Into its 2nd year the Safari Zoo Run takes place on 6 February 2010 (the day she went to the zoo up in the sky) with a Fun Run for adults and older kids (above 10 yrs old) spanning 6.2km the night safari and the zoo routes in total.

What’s more, 10-12 year olds can take part in the first ever aLive Fastest Kid run which takes them through 3.2 km of the night safari route.  Registration has begun and closes on 10 January 2010, with limited places still available. Flag-off is at 3:30pm on 6 February 2010 for the Fastest Kid run, with girls and boys competing in two separate categories.Hopefully the animals in the Night Safari will be kept away to ensure no one becomes the lion’s meal or runs into a lazing rhino…..?

A registration fee of $25 will entitle each kid to a Safari Zoo Run dry-fit running tee, a Safari Zoo Run bib number, a F&N goodie bag on the race day, completion medal. The Fun Run costs $38 to register and flags off at 4pm.

Log onto www.safarizoorun.com.sg or pop into any Runninglab or The North Face store to register.

- Ee Waun

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Go goo-goo and ga-ga over eeni, meeni, miini moh

Ok, so your girlfriend is having another baby (yes, that girlfriend – the one with everything). And, yes, her last baby shower already looked like somebody looted Mothercare and Toys “R” Us! So it’s time for you to get creative and pick up something from a brand she isn’t likely to have -- at least not yet, as you will be the first to pick it up (remember, you read it here first!). 

We recommend eeni meeni miini moh®, an award-winning Australian children’s lifestyle brand that’s launched its first-ever soft toy collection for babies and children, now available at EGG Maternity store in VivoCity. The four characters: “eeni”, “meeni”, “miini” and “moh,” each retailing at S$29, have their own unique personalities. 

The collection includes two vintage-inspired ragdolls, Harriette and Mathilde (S$59 each) and three hanging toys -- a bird, elephant and heart – perfect above the cot, on the pram or in the car.

You might also want to check out the fun shower and baby items that make great gifts: mini- to large-sized comfort blankets (S$27 to S$66) from the NooNoo range, or baby togs from EGGShell, made from 100% organic cotton and bamboo. 

Available at:
EGG Maternity
1 Harbour Front Walk
1-58 VivoCity
Singapore 098585
T: (65) 6376 8135
www.eggmaternity.com.sg

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Surrogate Parenting - Not Welcome

I was pretty annoyed when I was having dinner with a friend and she turned around and told my daughter to be quiet as the grown ups were talking. She beckoned to my daughter’s crayons and suggested that she keep drawing and tell us when she was done. 

Granted that this was the second time my daughter had interrupted us in the course of our dinner conversation. The first time had already seen me giving her the same firm warning. 

But my daughter is 4 and as we all know, this is a tender age where she is still learning, and has to be taught not to interrupt and all the other areas of etiquette that make a child socially acceptable. The crux though is that as her parent, I would like to impart those lessons myself and I prefer that they not come from other well-meaning mums. 

Perhaps it is me being unnecessarily sensitive but I DO NOT appreciate other people telling my child what to do. This friend is also a mother and her children are older than mine, but I feel what she did was rude and imposing, at least in my books. To be fair, I am sure it was well-meant, but in my eyes, it was misplaced, unpalatable and these good intentions intruded into my private space. Way out of line, darling. 

We do go out on occasion with her family and sure, her kids misbehave too and when they do, I let their mom do her job as this is the person that should be their rightful disciplinarian. Since when in any parenting book, is it ok for you to allow your child to go by some other person’s dos and don’ts? For me, the carte blanche for matters in discipline should only be extended as far as the Grandparents or the main caregiver and no further. Even then it does not extend to my parents or my husband's parents physically punishing my child. I do not believe in sparing the rod to spoil the child either but that decision should be mine and my husband’s and no one else’s. 

I know that everyone lives by a different rulebook but how do you tell someone that it is NOT alright to tell someone else’s child off, especially with the child’s parents are sitting right in front of you? I also do not appreciate someone else overtaking my authority and I was offended. 

The perfectionist in me was NOT a happy camper but the PR person in me put up the usual “hostess with the mostest” front as I was hosting dinner. Plus it was just one of those nights at dinner where I did not feel like picking a fight so I told myself to let it go and did not say anything. Still incensed, I made a mental note that the next time this happens, I will not let it go without making my feelings clear. 

Why is it that other people feel a need to discipline your kids in front of you? Is that ok? What are the boundaries if any? And what would you do if you faced a situation like mine? Or in fact if you had indeed told off someone else’s child? 

Put your fingers to the keyboard and share your most candid thoughts. Drop a comment at the end of this article, tell us on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=41203999356 or email us at simplyfabulicious@gmail.com 

By EY 

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When Clowning Around is Just Fine

This isn’t your usual outing to the orchestra, with proper concert attire accompanied by hushed tones. In fact, your kids will probably do a double take when they see Melvin the Clown coming on stage.

Melvin Tix is a clownductor extraordinaire who can do it all! He will introduce the young audience to the orchestra, perform brass solos on a mini trumpet, trombone and French horn, as well as conduct the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

A Clown’s Guide to the Orchestra – part of the SSO’s Concerts for Children programme – will be a lively introduction to the different sections of the orchestra. Who knows? This may just be the thing that gets the young ones hooked on good music.

Starring Petter Vabog as clownductor Melvin Tix, the evening promises to be an entertaining one: from the energetic Circus Polka, to the classical Radetzky March, Op. 228, as well as familiar children’s favourites like Old MacDonald had a Farm and the rousing Carnival for Clown and Orchestra. The hour-long concert is best for children from five to 12 years old. Sadly, there's no admission for children four and under.

Victorial Concert Hall

14 March, 10.30am & 12.30pm

Tickets: $25 and $30 from SISTIC

Tel: 6348 5555 or website: http://www.sistic.com/
SSO’s Web site: http://www.sso.org.sg/

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Valentines Day with your kids

OK so the man has lost his sense of sweeping romance or worst still, he is out of town… don’t despair. Valentines Day can still be very special if you make it so and what better day than to teach the kids a thing or two about the language of love.

Not inspired? Well here are some snippety, simply fab suggestions:

Express that Love

With kiddies from 3 to 6 years old, a ‘get-down-and-dirty’ event always gives you hours of great bonding and lets face it, spending time with them is the greatest act of love especially when you can think of a million other things you’d like to do with your day.

The artist in me came alive when I got my 4-year-old Princess her very own 100% recyclable cardboard Princess Castle playhouse from the folks from Brushh. We spent three hours just bringing to life our new home with markers, crayons, poster colour paints, and the conversation flowed from which of her dolls should move in to why bricks were not green and if she could spend the night in it. Yes a mother’s love is truly unconditional! The best part is that after you are done, you not only have a DIY creation that your child can play make-believe in but if you are creative you can still reassemble this beauty by folding it inside out and giving it a fresh makeover, new design and a new paint job, all over again – after all they did say “recyclable”. There are three designs to knock you out – the Rocket Ship, Mighty Jungle and the Princess Castle at $49.90.

Just call the number below and mention that you read about this on SIMPLY FABULICIOUS and you will get an exclusive 20% off the $49.90 retail price (bringing it to $39.90) with free delivery thrown in. Offer applies to all Simply Fab readers till 31 May 09.

Available at:

Brushh Playhouse

Tel: 6738 5840

Website: http://www.brushh.com.sg

Labour Of Love

Perhaps it is better to give than to receive and here is a brilliant opportunity. Although this is slightly before Valentine’s Day itself, the lead up to it as a pre-Valentines Day initiative makes it an affair “from the heart”. In my books, that qualifies as a labour of love.

Pull all your family together for this charity project. The folks from Pan-Pacific Hotel, together with Radion International, a non-profit organization involved in disaster and humanitarian relief operations, are organizing what they call a “Container of Hope” this weekend (7-8 February). The objective – to fill a 40-foot container with dry or canned food, used clothes and linen, toiletries (toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap), medical supplies (first aid kits, gloves, masks, bandages), electronics (solar panels, water filtration systems, torch lights, batteries), bedding and baby clothes/supplies (feeding bottles) to send to the poor and marginalized in Thailand.

Do it at:

Pan-Pacific Hotel, 7 Raffles Boulevard, #03-03

7 to 8 February (10am to 5pm)

Call: Benjamin Goh at Tel: 97975709 or ben@radion-international.org

http://www.radion-international.org

Home Made With Love

With older children, work on a project for Grandma and Grandpa. Think simple home made movie on a DVD or if you’re more tech-savvy, loaded up on You-Tube. Or why not homemade music CD with all the old-time love songs that gramps used to serenade grandma with? Better I am sure than any Hallmark Card!

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Sole Support

Let’s all empathize here. You know how it is like when the kids are finally in bed, hopefully asleep and we finally get to have time to ourselves to vegetate, watch TV, read the papers or log onto the computer and catch up with work. Yes, we’re all familiar with the feeling……and of course, the silent desperation when they just don’t wanna go to sleep and you’ve got a presentation due to be finished by the end of the night for the office tomorrow.

Well, I stumbled upon a sure-fire means to get my kiddie to bed. Foot massage. Yes, tell me it’s too indulgent, spoiling the kid, spoiling the market….but believe me, darlings, this works. And no, I don’t do it all the time. Only when I’m desperate do I whip out this most potent secret weapon.

It’s easy – once I finish reading her the bedtime stories, I turn off the lights (except the nightlight), sit at her feet and do unto her little soles what I wish someone would do for mine. The best ingredient? Johnson’s Baby Bedtime Lotion which has some calming aromatherapy ingredient worked in which claims to help kiddie sleep better. I slather it on, which makes the kneading easier. And I have no particular massage technique – just press down the middle of the sole from toe to heel, then work around the heel and ankles, and the top of the feet…..and do it leisurely. It won’t work if you try to rush it through – they’ll sense your impatience. And no conversation please. She’s snoozing within 5 minutes – often even before I get to the other feet.

A friend offered another podiatric tip too. Whenever her kiddie gets the sniffles at night, she smears a layer of Vicks on her daughter’s feet at bedtime, rubs it well in, then puts on a cosy pair of socks. Seems that it stops the runny nose after a while. I have never tried it, but it’s an effective old wives’ remedy…..not that we are old wives of course! Banish the thought!

by EW

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