Reflexes

Celebrating Life

reflexes — Tue, 01 May 2012 11:10:17 +0000

Saw some friends posting news about their new born. And it’s definitely a great event to celebrate. Social Networking wasn’t quite an in thing back when we celebrated our kids. But yes we did do the ‘posting’ available to us so to speak. Perhaps the way births are celebrated are also changing. Of course most of us have heard about dads rushing for find, say cohiba cigars for sale, when their boy comes out (though a quick look at my favourite search engine says it is given for both boys or girls!). But seriously, I have yet to receive one. I guess what’s really important is that we continue to celebrate newborns as they come. They are definitely blessings.

iKnow

reflexes — Tue, 01 May 2012 10:35:26 +0000

It could just be an expression. “I know!” Kids, including mine, just have to say it every so often. One can be offended, including parents. But could it really be that… “they know”? Well, they have heaps of information available to them. This is much more than what was available to the previous generations. Or at least, it is much easier to access. Search engines, online libraries, ITIL, technical manuals, forums, videos, e-learning, and so on. There’s just too many. So next time you tell something to your kid and they say “I know”, give them the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps it is true in some cases. Now don’t raise that eyebrow. iKnow.

Shoulder Season

reflexes — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:24:02 +0000

We are well into Autumn. While we can still get lucky at times to have a fine weather, these are on its last weeks or days before we head to the colder months ahead. So that spells a temporary goodbye to lazy late afternoon barbecues beside hammock stands. Anyway, as daylight becomes shorter and shorter, it really becomes more challenging to have backyard activities in the early evening.

Game Out

reflexes — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:16:51 +0000

Our youngest daughter is slowly ‘outgrowing’ some of her past favourites. But perhaps one thing that can’t be outgrown (even for some of us who are already, well… ‘mature’) are puzzles. It is just a case of moving up from a 4-piece puzzle to maybe a 5,000 piece set! Or perhaps from wooden puzzles to digital puzzles. I guess there is no doubt that this game goes as one of the most popular games of all time… for kids from 1 to 92!

Band Rehearsal

reflexes — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:05:13 +0000

Our kids are in full swing with learning their respective musical instruments. It does bring great joy as they patiently go through the pains (sometimes literally) of improving their craft. It is challenging though as we have limited space at home. But really, if they want to learn something new and it is something we can ‘afford’ such as a guitar, then we’d likely look into going to Music Man Guitars and Bass to get them started as soon as possible. If they can only play these instruments all at once then we’ll have a daily band rehearsal.

If I Could Meet A Character From A Book

reflexes — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 05:51:37 +0000

If I Could Meet A Character From A Book
By CNVA
2 Armadillo/2012

If I could meet a character from a book, I’d like to meet…
Well… Someone you too, would like to meet.
Meet… Greet…
Meet… Greet…
And while he does look like some meat
I’m sure he is not someone you would like to eat!

Let me see if you could guess who I am talking about.
He is quite popular and that is without a doubt.
Kids like me read him once, twice, or more…
We won’t stop there… we’ll get mum and dad to buy more books from the store!

In some of the books he is very funny…
In some, very crazy…
But a closer look and there is a lot of meaning
In the rhymes and words that we are reading.

For example…
He says he can read with the left eye
He can also read with the right eye
And he can read with eyes shut too!
But it is something that is hard to do!

If you notice I sound like a book read out loud by your mother
Then you may already know the character…
Some of you may already know the answer…
Oh yeah!… there was even a fish, Sally and Nick her brother…

The character I’d like to meet and have a chat…
He wears a tall, red and white-stripped hat…
He has a big red bow tie…
I’m about to tell who he is… so please don’t cry.

Yes he is the star of “I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!”
You know him for sure… He’s the Cat in the Hat!

Tools of Trade

reflexes — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:28:42 +0000

My daughter seems to be enjoying her wood work elective in school. There they get a chance to work with some machines that we parents probably wouldn’t let them go near to. Drills, cutters, and maybe soon some end mill. But with good instruction and safety gears and procedures in place, then they should be alright. Sometimes it is nice to look back how we wouldn’t want our toddlers to go near a pair of scissors!

An Ounce of Inspiration

reflexes — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:08:32 +0000

I am quite convinced that most parents would want the best for their children. From giving them the best food on the table, clothing, education and so on. We want to give them a home that they can grow up and be inspired in doing well on their own. Setting up a nice study room or area with proper lighting or some inviting cellular shades and other furniture will likely create some inspiration to keep them going as they go through those daily home work from school. What we can give would obviously vary depending on each family’s situation. But perhaps if we look or think a bit further, then perhaps, we could find and give something that is more than an ounce of inspiration.

Collections

reflexes — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:56:39 +0000

A few weeks back, someone was telling a story about how his kids made various collections. And indeed I thought that most of us, perhaps in our younger years, had this “collection” in one way or another. I had a collection of dolls when I was a kid. My kids now have their own collection of many other things apart from the toys that they cherish. Now there could be people who collect more of things that sparkle such as precious stones and anything you can say buy gold coins at Golden Eagle. Why people are motivated to have their own collection of something is probably driven by different things. For children, it could be a sense of accomplishment that they could put together a few things, or perhaps a sense of achievement that they could think of something unique to collect.

Another Pad

reflexes — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:23:05 +0000

The third iteration of the famous iPad is rumoured to be announced in the next few weeks. There are a lot of evidence suggesting this. One is the typical lifecycle of the first 2 releases. Another is the fact that some retailers have started to offer the iPad2 at discounted prices. There is almost no doube that this will yet be again a top pad to beat. I thought the playbook was a good contender. But it is a pity that is not easy to find the playbook for sale here in Australia. Well, not just yet. The US price seems to be alright especially for normal media consumption use.

Gear Up

reflexes — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:45:57 +0000

My husband was scheduled to play keys at church last Sunday. For some strange reason, the keys at church started to have issues. Good that our home was just a short distance away and they were able to use our own. Hopefully the keyboard would be repaired soon and without much dramas. But I’m sure my hubby will be happy to find a new kurzweil sp4-8 to replace the old Kurzweil at church. We’ll se how things go this coming Sunday. Who knows? But in the end, it doesn’t really matter which keyboard it is as long as it can make some music in praise of our Creator.

Gearing for the School Year

reflexes — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:21:43 +0000

In a few more weeks, school will once again start all around Australia. My kids are still young but obviously they move up one stage and soon they will have to decide on what they want to do further in their careers. I guess it doesn’t hurt to give the kids some basic ideas on what types of jobs are available even when they are still at an early age. Engineering, Medical, Veterinary, Radiologic Technician Jobs, Computing Jobs, etc. All of these have their own ‘flavor’ which suit different people. Good that schools here give an ‘intro’ to these during electives in high school.

End of Year Hurrah!

reflexes — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 06:03:36 +0000

The kids finished school year 2011. It was a great year for both of them and I can only be thankful for the blessings that they received. And not only that. I am even more thankful as I know that they have been blessings to others. These are indeed precious as a gold bullion or even more. Well, it’s a break for now. It may sound too early but we are excited on what the Lord will do next year!

As Long As It Works

reflexes — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 01:33:54 +0000

Kids are just too precious. And that will remain true even how old they may be. Parents would probably still remember times when they would protect their little ones from everything including insect bites, scratches, or bruises. When they start going to school, that ‘protection mode’ will definitely be “on” as there are more elements that could hurt the kids both physically and emotionally. Even in their teens, we find ourselves finding things that will be good for them (yes, including skin maintenance such as gratiae for those adolescent skin issues! At the end of the day, it will only be natural for many parents to be on this role for as long as it works.

Stocking Fillers

reflexes — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 09:10:56 +0000

For many who are hunting for gifts for Christmas, personalized gift items are ever growing in popularity. Well, I think it is because of the ‘personal touch’ that makes these things attractive both for the giver and receiver. And they are quite flexible too as there are already suggestions for fathers, mothers, grandmothers, and grandfather gifts. Adding a name or personal message creates that personal touch which makes the gift giving/receiving event more memorable.

Girly Things

reflexes — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 09:06:02 +0000

Having daughters is just a blessing both ways. The girls can borrow some of the my stuff and in turn, I can also borrow theirs! Though reality could be that it may be a bit lopsided on one side. I think the same could be true for other mothers and daughters out there. They could be sharing clothes, or makeup and other cosmetics (including the one you can see when you click here). I guess what makes it fun and worthwhile is the relationship that is built while ’sharing’.

Level Up

reflexes — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 08:41:39 +0000

Kids grow up pretty quickly. But as most would say, growing with them is the best part of growing up! It is just rewarding to see how they progress from toddlers and on to primary school and on. Helping and teaching them to make decisions are some of the rewarding moments especially when we see them make life decisions such as choosing careers. Whether they chose to go for Registered Nurse Jobs or take up Engineering or run their own business, the outcome can only be rewarding. Regardless of what age or stage you and your child is in, there will surely be times when you can all have fun as you take the next level or step up.

Sweets and Toys Season

reflexes — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 07:58:06 +0000

There seem to be two major things occupying several aisles in shoping centres or shopping malls today. These are sweets or lollies for the Halloween Trick or Treat and of course, toys for Christmas. Chocolates, gummies, and a whole multitude of sweet goods are on display to attract the kids and other sweet-toothed adults. Toy trains,
rc trucks electric toys, dolls, or toy pets are also jostling position with the sweets waiting to be wrapped and make it under the Christmas tree. The next eight weeks or so will definititely be busy in these areas. You could almost imagine the laughter and joy for those who are successful to get something and the tears and agony of those who can’t convince mom or dad to grab something.

Busy Room

reflexes — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 07:56:00 +0000

The kitchen is perhaps one of the businest part of the house. It starts early in the morning, gets busy throughout the day and ends late in the evening for the last coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Cupboards or cabinets open and shut many times as things get taken out and packed in every so often. Things get stacked low under cabinets and also stacked way high sometimes needing sturdy step stool to reach things. It is busy not just because moms stay in it to do all of the above. It is busier because the kids, and the dad sometimes couldn’t wait and sneak into the kitchen to ask if the food is ready. It is a very busy room.

Fear Factor

reflexes — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:56:36 +0000

It is often portrayed in movies how children tend to ‘fear’ dentists or dental procedures. And with that we may start thinking whether the fear in real life is actually ‘inspired’ by what kids see on television or on the movies. And this is where the suggestion to bring kids to a dentist in their early years to rub out this fear. Parents need not wait until something needs to be done. It can start from a simple check for the child to experience sitting on ‘the chair’. So the next time, kids won’t jump out of the same seat when the dentist starts to bring out his dental supplies for say, a routine cleaning. Our kids reacted differently to this. But now, both of them now find going to the dentist as just another trip to the dentist.