Blowing Bubbles

When was the last time you had blow bubbles? It does not matter if you are now adult. You still can have fun with your spouse, friends, animals and/or kids. Wouldn't you want to make yourself and others smile?

I found two giant bubbles at Target for a dollar each. Good Deal, huh? It was my purpose to have a fun summer for my kids including my husband.

Brothers exchanged their coloring bubbles into the tubes. The orange and blue changed to brown. They loved it!

My husband eventually joined the fun activity when he came home from work.

Special Treats

How does drinking Triple Berry Smoothies sound to you? David bought and brought two packs of Fruit Smoothies home from Costco. It was REALLY EASY and DELICIOUS!

Get a pouch of Triple Berries and pour into Smoothie Blender

Pour a cup of milk in a blender

Husband and Wife cheer for our Special Treats: Triple Berries Smoothie

My Weekend's Workshop

Last weekend, I attended two days of Handwriting without Tears workshop. It was quite expensive to attend the workshop, but it was WORTH!

Along with four different sign language interpreters, it certainly helped me follow the instructions easily (10.5 hours of training.) I took a lot of notes and received tons of products for Pre-K to 5th graders. I can use it for both of my sons and my upcoming Pre-schooler students.

Did you know that it is important to use lots of hand-on activities before learning to cursive?

First, it is important to teach the young kids to recognize all of the Capital letters first before they move on to the lower cases. While teaching the Capital letters, you can use the Wooden Shapes, Roll dough clays, Stamp and See Screen Board and Slate board. The Slate Board is the last thing you teach before teaching your student/child on a piece of paper.

Too often, we assumed it is the best to give a large size of pencil or crayon at age 3 or 4. Wrong! The speaker said it is important to encourage them to constantly practice on using fingers appropriately. You can also pretend you are dropping straw on a floor, and have them pick them up. It is good for the gross motor.

Also so many of us have learned to write with many dash lines or dot lines while learning to cursive writing. It is very confusing for some of the students because they are not able to follow the letters or line throughly.

With the wooden, any adult can teach the prepositional phrases: under, over, around. Kids learn fast while using a lot of physical movements. I loved the idea!

Since I have learned a lot and collect a lot of products (that s why I paid awful a lot of money.) I even purchased a book: Mat Man Shapes. It teaches the children to use the shapes (can be used for drawing body, houses, Snowman, etc), rhymes, imagination, exploration and community.

The next workshop will be for Handwriting Without Tears for Special Needs. I am anxious to go for another one in the Early 2009. Even better, I can use my extra Professional Growth Hours!

Oh, I am so excited to start working with my young pre-schoolers in a few weeks from now.

Mr. Mom's Weekend

While I was away for a short business trip, David was extremely lucky he didn't have to change the boys' diapers, waking up in the middle of the night, using strollers, or especially carrying them around the stores. For two entire days, they were laying themselves back with their dad. The nicest part was sleeping peacefully until nine a.m. on an air mattress next to their dad-- just like no more waking up in the middle of the night, crying. Wasn't he lucky?

The boys are even luckier that their dad knows how to cook delicious meals. I have to admit that he is far much better than I actually cook. I do have to follow many simple recipes from the cook book. David is an excellent role model for the boys to look it up, and let them know it is alright to have a male cooking for others. Perhaps for their future wife? Oops, it is too advance to think about this?

Most of their "chilling" afternoon was playing with the computer. Who knows they will be sophisticated like their dad, who is addicted to the computer? I can tell you that I am pretty amazed how fast they had learned. It may be good and bad for them to be addicted to the computer. The good parts are that many future jobs are required to have skilled in computer and schools are required to do typing for research part. The bad parts are that there are too many free games on the computer.

In reality, in the life of the temporary stay-at-home dad, changes happen fast. It is already come up, if you count summer vacation. This fall, the boys are going to start their public school soon, first and second grade. What happen to the past seven years? Like I said the times goes by REALLY FAST-- given David a privilege the time with his two wonderful sons are one of the precious stay-home dad experiences. So, don't forget to spend the quality of times with your loved on: children, nephews/nieces, grandchild/ren, or cousins.

Dealing With Rebellious, Challenging Children

As my children are getting older, they are able to communicate with me a lot more. However, there were times they rebelled whenever David and I ordered them to do the simple chores or eating healthy nutrition.

Right now, I am dealing a lot to keep their disciplines up:

1) Requires them to eat two of Omega-3 Vitamins before getting out of their table. Otherwise, they will have to stay at the table for an entire time until they finish swallow the vitamins..

It happened to Dylan, who refused to use Omega-3 Vitamins. His brother was the opposite. Thus, my sister in law and I made him to sit at the table. We have watched him making ugly face, begging, tearing his eyes. But he eventually swallowed two Vitamins an hour later. Was I being mean?

Just this evening, my husband and I encouraged Ryan to drink a whole cup of milk during his meal. His tenancy to drink at least one fourth of cup. We told him that using a cup of milk will increase his calcium.

Know what he said to us? He said, "You don't talk to me. You both are being rude." Right after his comment, I had a snap and told him immediately, " I am going upstairs to turn your computer off until you finish the whole milk!" Boy, he was MAD at me. But my punishment worked because he then drank the entire milk.

2) Requires to do simple chores: taking light trashes out, making their own bed, putting their toys away. Once in a while, I encourage them to shredded the OLD and important papers. If they don't help me, then their privilege will be taken away: TV or computer. Or I would dare to throw their favorite toy to Goodwill ! (that was my sister in law's advice, thanks!)

Just this afternoon, Dylan and Ryan helped me to shredded the papers with my supervision. They nearly gave up. I told them. " You will not be able to keep the Hot Wheels you have it in the boxes if you don't help me." It scared the heck out of them!

Their behavior had changed a lot better after I had shared my frustration with my sister in law. I even asked her to talk to them out because I know too often children listened to other adults better than their own parents. I thanked to my sister in law, Deby who took her time to yalk them out last week.

There were times of this evening, I simply asked them to put the dishwasher towels, plastic bags and few other small things away for me. They made NO obligation. Let's hope their behavior continue this way.

If you have any valuable lesson you have learned from your parents, please give me an example and I might use it for my kids if their misconduction appear again.

Business Trip

This is the first Business Trip I will be out of town for two days. It is mainly about teaching me how to work with Pre-Schoolers on Handwriting Without Tears. I will fill more blog news when I return.

1. Handwriting Without Tears Workshop
2. Challenging Kids
3. Mr. Mom's Weekend
4. ?????

Silly Billy

That is the our Silly Billy Son, Ryan.
From the Webster Dictionary, "Silly Billy" defines a clownish person.
Thus it suits Ryan's personality


Ryan thought putting goggle would be the best
to see through the sprinkles.

Ryan tried to tell us that he was exhausted and
wanted to hit the sack in his suitcase.