He was really excited (although he pointed out that the parcel didn’t have his name on it!) and LOVED the book cover, which was in his favourite purple

He immediately clambered onto my lap and ordered Mummy to: “READ!!!”. Well, Mummy (who’s very particular about fonts) loves the handwriting-styled font the author and illustrator chose.

The race car in Ferdinand’s dream bubble scored another point with the boy and I could read through the story easily as “Ferdinand Uses the Potty” is written in a simple rhyming scheme.

Since the boy is toilet trained for the day, he can identify with the toilet, the word “pee pee” and having a tummy ache. However, the language used was slightly above his age level and also, the lack of descriptive words had him slightly puzzled…

Nevertheless, the storyline kept him hooked to the book from start to the end. For this, I think the author and illustator have down an excellent job.

At the end of the story, the boy turned to me and we had this conversation,

“What happened to the frog?”

“He went to pee.”

“Where? In the toilet? Show me…”

I showed him the page where the frog leaps up high above the toilet but it’s clear neither of us could see the frog doing the deed.

Because I’d found “The Potty Book for Boys by Allysa Satin Capucilli and Dorothy Scott useful for his potty training, perhaps the team may want to make it a bit more obvious what Ferdinand the frog is doing in the toilet?

“Ferdinand Uses the Potty” has bright and colourful illustrations with a flowing storyline – check out the book yourself hereif you’re in the process of toilet training a preschooler

To prepare for our book discussions, I looked for the book in the library and totally enjoyed it

Margaret Simon is a 12 year old girl (sixth grade) whose parents move out of New York into New Jersey for a better life, in which case here refers to getting Margaret away from her Jewish grandmother…

Margaret’s mother is a Christian and you’ll find out how poorly and un-Christian her family is later in the story!

Anyway, Margaret’s parents want her to grow up and discover for herself which religion (if any) she would go for once she’s really sure. Because of this, Margaret is estranged from her beloved grandmother who loves her very much. Hmm…

Although the book starts out with a RELIGION tag, you’ll find that “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” is a beautiful, coming-of-age story that is a perfect read for pre-teens out there.

You’ll read about Margaret:

• adjusting to a new neighbourhood and a new school;
• making new friends – she finds herself in a clique of one of the “coolest” girls in school but finds out surprising facts about her later on…
• growing up and dealing with puberty i.e. periods, breasts, BOYS
• finally realizing that it’s OK to know what you like / dislike and stick with your decision even if it feels like it’s the wrong thing to do.

Our world today is sooooo crazy with peer pressure pushing our kids into trying out cigarettes, alcohol, drugs and violence, it’s increasingly difficult to be a parent or a teacher steering our young people towards the right direction.

It’s even more difficult to be a teenager, I think!

Looking for a Christmas present? Buy “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” or a collection of her books “Best of Blume: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret/Blubber/Iggie’s House/Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself.”

I know I’m checking out Judy Blume’s other books because this lady can write

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Yearling (June 1, 1986)
ISBN-10: 0440404193
ISBN-13: 978-0440404194

I’d checked out private schools and international schools too but the former still follows the Malaysian education system (or Singaporean) while the latter will paralyze you financially especially if you have TWO kids.

HOW ABOUT HOMESCHOOLING?

I became interested in homeschooling when we relocated to China and I met:

a) a pleasant American young man who was homeschooled from the age of 3 – 14 and
b) foreign / expat families who found the international schools too expensive (unsatisfactory) OR were on the move a lot.

We agree on a few points during our discussions:

1. Homeschooling allows your child to progress at their own pace
I like this feature because if your child progresses ahead of his/her grade level, he/she can start the next grade level earlier.

On the other hand, if he/she is behind on one or two subjects, you can coach him/her without the feeling that he’s behind the rest of the class!

Homeschooling is especially helpful for Special Education because you can adjust the pace according to your child’s needs. The curriculum for homeschooling includes audio and video materials (besides books), which help to support and enhance a child’s learning experiences.

2. Homeschooling has a balanced curriculum
I had the chance to coach a young girl studying at the international school, which follows the American education system. The American national curriculum comprises:

• Language Arts (or English as we know it),
• Natural Science,
• Social Science,
• Math, Arts,
• Foreign Language (French/Spanish),
• (U.S. and World)

with electives in subjects like Art History, Renaissance Art and Physical Education.

I really like their Language Arts, Natural Science and Foreign Language subjects, which are nothing at all like our “text-book oriented approach” in Malaysia…

If my kids can follow the US-based education system without having to be in the U.S., why not?

3. Homeschooling provides an international experience
An out-of-date curriculum, overcrowded classrooms, incompetent (or overworked teachers) and increasing crime rates, homeschooling is fast becoming a popular option for many families.

And since many of our public schools are not as “muhibbah” as they were in the past, you find most students sticking to their own race or etnic group.

I am especially sad about this aspect because I grew up with a mix of Chinese, Indian, Malay, Punjabi, Eurasian, Filipino(a) and Thai classmates and schoolmates.

Homeschooling provides an alternative because many homeschooling families connect via video chats and even meet up with each other if they happen to be in the same town

I know my toddler had a lot of fun mingling with little friends from Argentina, Colombia, China, Hong Kong, India, Nigeria, the Philippines, Taiwan, the UK and the US during playgroup!

4. Homeschooling is mobile – no need to sign your child in / out of school each time you move!
Families on the move love that most homeschooling programmes have their curriculum online. If you enrolled your child at the international school, it’s *really tough* on your child when you move because he/she will have to adjust to:

a) a new school;

b) new teachers and

c) make new friends…

While parents tend to say,

“They’re young. They’ll adjust. They’ll be fine.”

it’s not entirely true. Children need a sense of stability – imagine how you’d feel having to make new friends every few months or every year? Read about Bastian Fauvell’s experience (whose father is in the US Air Force)  in “Flying Solo by Ralph Fletcher“.

Also, children need a sense of responsibility. Moving them around makes them feel that they can always start afresh at a new place – they don’t think they have a problem if they don’t get along with people in the current school. They’ll be moving anyway!

Homeschooled children are still connected to their friends as they make new friends.

Also, if you decide to return to the public school system, you’ll find almost 100% of your homeschooling work / grades recognized and accepted.

5. Homeschooling is quite affordable

Unlike international schools, which cost up to US$10,000 a year per child, a virtual homeschooling package may be as low as $US625 per student – per year. Family packages are also available if you sign up more than one child.

You can use the savings from this to supplement the virtual learning experience with books, other materials and field trips.

All in all, I find that homeschooling provides an interesting alternative to our public school system.

Do you homeschool your children? I’d love to hear from you and know more about your experiences

My boy was only 3 then, sweats a lot and didn’t fancy anything over his head. Also, there were limited characters he was familiar with since he’s a HUGE Thomas the Tank Engine fan. He also only knew about:
- Bob the Builder and
- Fireman Sam

Gosh, I wish we could have bought these *CUTE* costumes (with the accessories!!!):

As I only had ONE costume outlet to shop at, I only found the little Musketeer the most suitable. To join in the fun, I dressed up as a Musketeer myself. It was pretty easy since I only needed a buccaneeer blouse, stretch pants (like jodhpurs) tucked into boots. I also got myself a feathered hat to match LOL

This year, he’s into more characters as he’s reading more Winnie-the-Pooh books (he used to identify with “Roo” and loves “Tigger” but now he says he looks like “Christopher Robin”).

After watching Batman & Robin and Batman Returns (rather violent and I’ve hidden away the DVD), he’s declared himself as “Batman”. In jest, I said that I was “Catwoman” and he found that really funny! I guess poor Dad is Robin LOL

He just *LOVES* the segment when Batman puts on his costume – you know, the mask, the gloves, the utility belt and of course, the arrival and opening of the Batmobile!

For now, I approve of Batman (and not Superman due to the fantasy of flying off roofs) and think he’d look really cute strutting about in a Batman costume

Check out the Batman, CARS, Musketeer and Winnie-the-Pooh costumes below:

Unfortunately, his preschool here will NOT be celebrating Halloween, which means his Batman fantasy is very much confined to the TV.

Sigh! I hope that they’ll have drama, dress-up sessions and theatrical events though because he LOVES imaginative play and dressing-up…

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! Have fun dressing up

A young married woman myself (with a living husband), I certainly didn’t want to read about such a horrifying situation.

When my father died suddenly in 2008, PS, I Love You was the first book I grabbed from the bookstore. When you lose someone so dear and important in your life, it didn’t matter whether the protagonist in the book was a woman, a man and whether the person who died was their father or husband. I just NEEDED to read a book about someone else who’d recently lost their loved one.

P.S. I Love You is about Holly who loses her childhood sweetheart and husband, Gerry, to cancer. A few months after he dies, Holly finds a package Gerry sent to her mother’s house – it contained 12 letters for her – one to open each month!

Of course, Holly is very, very happy to grasp at this last “conversation” with her beloved Gerry, especially as her only fragment left of Gerry was his voicemail recording. When his scent starts leaving his clothes, the bedding and the apartment in which they live in, Holly looks forward to the beginning of each month when she can still “keep in touch” with the dead Gerry.

The letters really help Holly to get through the first year of Gerry’s death because they got her out of the house, focused on DOING something new and also to move forward in her life.

Reading P.S. I Love You, I could identify with:

• her desperation to hold on to EVERYTHING that reminded her of her happy times with Gerry. Unless you’ve lost someone who died, it must seem crazy to you when one clings on to the dead person’s photos, personal items,  clothes, cigarette ashes – anything that person used, bought or used;
• her sense of loss and confusion. Gerry was Holly’s anchor and compass in life. He motivated her, helped her to focus on what’s important and most importantly, set her on a straight path ahead. Similarly, my father’s personal values, beliefs and expectations keep our family together – even though we didn’t agree with him on a lot of things, we knew exactly EXACTLY where he’d stand on various issues in life. Losing such an anchor can really shake you to the core until you find yourself again…
• “It’s been a year. You’re STILL grieving over him?” The most common, over-used and over-rated sentence I’ve heard said to my mother and our family is “Time will heal.” Yes, that’s right and the sentence isn’t “Time will heal in ONE YEAR.”

When someone has been an important part of your life (50-100%?) for more than 10 years, how do you expect that person to get over his death or absence in just 1 year?

I really sympathize with Holly here because she is a young widow and when she is seen with another man within a year of Gerry’s death, tongues wag and people even accuse her outright of being “unfaithful” to her late husband.

I find it really ironic that people would say, “He’s gone. Look ahead of you. Move on with your life.” but when she actually does that, people are shocked! Somehow, they expect her to continue being the Black Widow and if she does…I’m sure they’ll go tsk, tsk, tsk, “She can’t let go of the past“.

And somehow, people seem more forgiving of the depressed, grieving person even though they’ll say, “She should have moved on with her life…” when a young widow ends up alone and sad.

How many people do you know who’ll say,

“Wow, look at her now! She’s gotten over her dead husband and is moving on with a new life. A fresh start. I’m sure her husband will be comforted to know that she’s getting on well without him. She can survive.”?

Before my father died, he was worried for us and left a few last instructions (which, of course, got us all angry because it felt like he had given up hope). On hindsight, they were his last messages. And I sure wish he’d left us more because now, we’ve only got his diaries, his books, his lectures and of course, our memories.

Overall, I think P.S. I Love You is a good read for someone going through grief and loss. However, I think the book painted a rather rosy and perfect picture of “life after a death” because Holly found replacements for the various roles Gerry played in her life through her father, Gerry’s best friend, Holly’s older brother, Holly’s younger brother and her new male friends.

Real life isn’t like that at all!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

# Publisher: Hyperion (November 6, 2007)
# ISBN-10: 140130916X
# ISBN-13: 978-1401309169