A Lovely Christmas Tale

It's so nice to read a children's Christmas story that focuses on the joy of giving to the needy,  as opposed to Santas, elves and toy factories. We just finished this cosy bedtime story and it sparked off a discussion about who Santa Claus really was. A St. Nicholas Story or The Fiercest Little Animal In The Forest by Terri Reinhart, illustrated by Patrick Reinhart The pine marten was the fiercest little animal in the forest. When other animals came near him, he growled and snarled and snapped at them. Then the animals ran away. Read the full story Don't forget to check out...

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Little Guilin 小桂林

We discovered Little Guilin by accident. We got lost while driving back from lunch at Sunny Choice Organic Cafe. When we drove past Bukit Batok East Ave 5, the astounding view made us abandon any plans to bring our children home for their nap. We parked at an HDB carpark and had a lovely walk. The locals are probably immune to it, but the scenary was so beautiful and there was such a great sense of space, that we felt like we were overseas! It's an easy walk, and there are dome-shaped caves for people who want to rest, picnic, or meditate! We went slightly...

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The love of a little girl

Today, the little girl woke up early. She cut an apple into slices, put them in a lunch box, filled up a water bottle, and packed them in her Daddy's laptop bag. She explained, "I wanted to eat the apple, but I love you so I packed it for you to bring to work so you won't be hungry at work." I think I have never seen Daddy go so soft and marshmallow-fuzzy. Such is the joy of having a little girl's love. ...

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Why do men sneeze so loudly?

At a playground with the family. Three 9-year-old boys are playing nearby. The Husband: (explosively) Ah CHOOOOO! A Boy: Listen! There's a dog! (Catches sight of Pan and freezes) Oops. The boys start to giggle, and so do we! * On a separate note, it is said that your sneeze reflects your personality. Basically - You Are What You Sneeze. A loud, explosive sneeze is likely to come from an outgoing, demonstrative person while someone who’s shy will try and hold back, resulting in a stifled, Minnie-Mouse style expulsion, says neurologist Dr Alan Hirsch. Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/...

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The Influence of Barney on Businesses

I must confess that of late, a few of our evenings have been spent at United Square, awaiting the appearance of a purple celebrity. It was 6pm on a Saturday night,  and the restaurant was packed, each table with at least two eager children. The air was filled with anticipation and even the adults seemed more cheerful than usual. All the children seemed unusually well behaved. By 6.50pm, my own husband could bear it no longer. Armed with two portable chairs, he strode out of the restaurant to reserve place with a good view. At 7pm, the restaurant was practically empty. When I commented...

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The Laid-back Parent

Happiness is oversleeping till 10am and waking up to see this: The little girl had set the breakfast table and even prepared our favourite drinks! It seems that the less parents do, the more space children have to blossom and find themselves. We love our children and it is so easy to fall into the trap of over-parenting and depriving our children of truly owning their experiences and being independent. Here's the book that made me lazy: The Idle Parent The Idle Parent: Why Laid-Back Parents Raise Happier and Healthier Kids, by Tom Hodgkinson Many parents today...

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Has it really been four years?

Since my last blog post, yes, it's been four long years.I guess it got lost in the midst of diapers, tantrums, runny noses, sandcastles, crayons, cuddles and the general excitement of having two Energizer Bunnies invade our home. A highly-welcome and blessed invasion, I might add! If it wasn't for Shumin's private investigation efforts, I wouldn't have remembered the dive-in-i-am blog! It's somewhat outdated now, so I've moved on to a new blog to chronicle our homeschooling journey and our new life as we throw caution to the wind and pursue our dreams. Anyway, I now know, thanks to Shumin,...

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