Talk to me

The time has come.

I can finally hold conversations with Lydia.

At two and a half years, she has finally gotten to a point where she can tell me exactly what she wants to specific detail.

Not to boast but she has excellent language skills for a two and a half year old.
She can understand two languages (English and Korean) but she speaks English more fluently than Korean.

While she was young, I saw on a TV show that you shouldn't talk to your babies in baby language as it slows down your child's language development.

Ever since then, I have always spoken to Lydia in full sentences like I would speak to an adult.
Of course I would use easier words for her to understand but structure wise, I always speak to her in correct grammar.

I think this has helped her develop her language skills a lot.

So parents! Remember to talk to your children in full sentences!
Children mimic how you speak so always be aware of how you speak.

Happy talking :)

My baby

So all my posts are about my children.

But there is one sibling of mine in particular which on nearly all of my posts are based on.

Lydia.

Lydia is my two and a half year old sister whom I'm practically raised from birth.

Lydia

My world revolves around her and will probably continue to for a little while.

She teaches me so much about unconditional love.She loves me when I'm looking like hell in the morning, after I tell her off, even when if I've been away for the whole day.

The list never ends.

She makes me laugh like there's no tomorrow, she annoys the hell out of me sometimes too.
But because of her, I've felt this new kind of love which I think only parents get when they have children.

(Sounds kinda cheesy but it's true!)

As she grows older, she'll teach me new things and I'll teach her new things.

We have this amazing connection that I've never had with any other person.
She just knows me and loves me as I am. Which is so hard to find these days.

Gosh I sound like some mushy emotional person.
I'll stop now.

P.S This is Lydia with my other little sister who is 6 months old! I love her to bits too :)

Hannah and Lydia

(Their clothes are matching because my mum's cute like that)

Leaving the nest

Well I think that title is pretty misleading actually.

Lydia my sister technically left the nest for ONE hour.

Some of you may not think this is such a great feat but ever since she was born, she hasn't been an hour away from any one of our family members.

So sending her to day care for the first time was a big event especially for my mum and myself.

I could totally understand the emotions that parents go through when kids leave home or start at school.
It was like this mixture of love and overwhelming emotion.
I think mum shed a silent tear in the background (She never cries in front of me)

Mum and I were a bit worried because we heard from other parents that kids get separation anxiety and cry a lot when they first get separated from parents.

However, that was not the case with my sister.

She is very extroverted and loves meeting new people and going to new places.
So starting day care as a bit of a treat for her!

First day!

As soon as we dropped her off, she was like BYE! and went off to play.

Too easy.

But, other parents shouldn't be caught off guard in case their children are a bit more emotional and start crying.

Just prepare your hearts and prepare for a flood of tears. 

Swimming not floating

Being able to swim is such a vital skill to have especially if you live in Australia.

For me, since I lived in Korea, it's not uncommon to not know how to swim.
So I learnt how to swim when I was 8 in New Zealand.

BUT!

I believe children should learn and know how to swim from a young age.
You never know when they'll need to use that skill to save their own life.

So currently, Lydia attends swimming lessons at :

C2K at the RSL in Castle Hill

Here are some details for the lessons she gets:

• From memory, fees are around 70 something a term
• Usually groups of 4-5 but sometimes Lydia's had just one other person in her group
• 30 minute lessons
• Most days of the week available for lessons for kids
• Caters for all different levels of the kid's swimming ability

So the back story of Lydia's swimming experience goes like this:

My sister had a very traumatic experience with a mean teacher who literally just left her in the water with some airless floaties in the middle of the pool to get her "used to the water"

SHE'S TWO AND SHE'S NEVER BEEN SWIMMING BEFORE.

Crazy lady.

So she pretty much traumatized Lydia and she cried her eyes out for the whole thirty minutes.

Then we changed teachers and Lydia met her new teacher called Jane.

Jane is SO lovely. 

We told her that Lydia had a bad experience with her old teacher and immediately Jane knew what to do.

For the first couple of lessons, she would just hold Lydia in the water to get her used to being in the water again. 

She would talk to her constantly and made her feel safe in the water.

Then gradually, a girl who used to feel scared about going in the water would be the first one on the pools edge to jump in for her lesson.

Crazy right?

Lydia swimming by herself

I credit Jane for everything.

Without her, Lydia would still be scared of the water.

I would recommend C2K for kids swimming lessons. 

Especially if Jane is your teacher.

If not, I believe it's still a very good value for money.

Money spent here could save your kids life in the future.

Photo Credit:

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/b4NyxbDDcKw/0.jpg

http://www.alfaleisure.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/CMK-Fitness-Aquatic-Centre-600.jpg

Bath to Shower Time

Bath time.

Usually the dreaded time for parents but Lydia for some reason loves her baths.

But these days, something else in the bathroom as gotten her attention.

AKA the shower.

Since she was a baby she's been in the bath tub.
She plays with her floatie friends and buckets splashin' about and making a mess.

But ever since she started getting swimming lessons and gotten used to getting water on her face, she seems to want to love the shower.

Pretty much all she does is just stand under the water and play.
That's it.

But like all kids she needs to be occupied so I can wash her hair and body.
So I like to throw in some of her toys in the shower so she can just play while I do my thing.

Works. Like. A. Charm.

I wash her quickly and then I let her just stand in the shower and do whatever she wants for a couple of minutes.
This usually just includes drawing on the wall or making water cupcakes.

Which I think is great because it lets her use her imagination!
Plus water play is always good for kid's development!

So now if someone is having a shower in the house, she'll take everything off and be in the shower within the space of a couple of minutes.

At our house, the shower is not a private place anymore.

Finding Nemo

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming swimming swimming.

The famous line from the famous movie.....

FINDING NEMO

This Walt Disney hit is currently is my two and a half year old sister's favourite movie... because she loves fishes at the moment.

As a 20 year old, I currently enjoy this movie as much as my sister. But I think most people do!

I find that this movie is particularly good for kids to watch.

Why?

1. It's educational
   
   It teaches kids about sea creatures, sea life etc whilst being enjoyable and engaging.
   Kids learn better when they're having fun!
   So by watching this movie, they're subconsciously learning about sea life without even trying!!!
   HOW GREAT IS THAT?!
   
2. It portrays sharks as friends
   
   To some people, they might think this is weird or stupid.
   From the first time we went to the aquarium and saw a shark, my sister has been so scared of them.
   BUT, from this movie, she's learnt to see them as friendly and as friends.
   So she's not scared of them anymore!
3. It's easy to understand
   
   For kids, this understanding the language and the film is a major barrier from them enjoying the movie.
   If even my two year old sister can understand, most kids should be able to understand and enjoy the movie!
4. It has good morals
   It teaches kids about the value of family, friends and working together to solve problems etc.

Overall, I totally recommend this movie to parents who want to show kids a movie that is fun and educational.

But beware, you might have to watch this movie more than 50 times in a row.


Photo Credit:
http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110414150223/pixar/images/9/93/Finding_nemo_ver2_xlg.jpg

Play area review: Jitterbugs Playland and Cafe Castle Hill

DON'T GO HERE IF POSSIBLE.

That's probably the only thing that I can say about this place.

Playground review: Jitterbugs Playland and Cafe Castle Hill

This "play area" is located within Castle Towers, in Castle Hill.
I don't even want to give you a map.

However, if you need to go here for whatever reason, it's located on the middle level, past the elevator next to Roger David.

Disclaimer: There will be no photos because the two times I have been there, I didn't take one photo. Plus there are no photos that truly depict what this place is like on google images or their website.

So let's start from the walk in.

The initial appearance is not bad. It's colourful and you can tell its a playground for kids.

You walk in, and it's a different story.There's this smell. It's like the smell you get when you visit gymnasiums.

Feet and sweat. Bad feet and sweat.

I'll just leave it at that.

Here are my reasons why you SHOULD NOT go there.

1. Prices are $5 for non walkers and $10 for walkers.
Which initially seems fair but then when you look at the equipment and space, it seems like a waste of money.

2. The space is so minimal. 
I can't compare it to anything but let's just say it's not enough space for kids to run around like they should.

3.  There is equipment EVERYWHERE.
The space is minimal but they overload with equipment.
By equipment I mean a lot of soft play equipment such as cushion-y blocks and shapes
There is a lot of big equipment and it's just everywhere so you don't know where to put your feet.

4. The toys and equipment are dirty.
It's not like there's physical dirt on it, but since it's been used so much but it hasn't been disinfected or washed, you get the dirty feeling even when you're just sitting on the ground.

And for most parents, hygiene is a issue. If you pump disinfectant every two minutes, I recommend you stay away from this place.

I even have a comparison example!

My sister owns a white teddy (Her favourite) and at the play land, there was the exact same white teddy.
Needless to say, you could tell which one was Lydia's from a mile away.
I mean we don't even wash her teddy THAT frequently...but this playland one was just atrocious.
Instead of white, it was dark grey.

Ew.

5. Service is terrible. 
The employees are just so uninterested and don't provide a friendly experience.

So I've taken Lydia to this place a total of TWO times.
Since then I've found a place that is better value for money and better for kids in general!
It's top secret cause it's that good :)

If you're ever at Castle Towers and have an urge to try out this place,

DON'T. JUST DON'T.

If you want to check out their website, here it is:
http://www.thejitterbugs.com.au/playland/

Fish, fish and more fish.

Another one of my mother's hobbies except for popping out children is to find fun places to take Lydia.

One place that we visited over the summer was the Sydney Aquarium.

It's a world famous location that most tourists make sure they visit when they visit Sydney whether they are young or old.

Since we don't live in the city, we had to bus to Town Hall station and walk from there.
It's not a long walk so it's do-able even if you have kids!

Location of the aquarium

Usually there's a enormous line of people waiting to buy tickets and get in.
But luckily, we had a Merlin pass which allowed us to go through straight away!

NOTE: If you have young children, make sure you pre-buy your tickets or buy a Merlin pass in advance to ensure that you're not waiting around in the line for a long period of time!
As most parents know, kids have a very short attention span and therefore you don't want them to get bored and make a fuss in the line!

As soon as you walk through the doors, there is a photo area where they take a couple of snaps for you in case you want to buy it after your visit.

(Usually, I would pass on this photo time but since it was my sister's first visit to the aquarium, I reluctantly smiled for some photos)

Walk through display areas

When you think of aquariums, you just think of fish on display.

BUT!

There are more than just fish to look at in this aquarium.
Sydney aquarium offers a large variety of different sea creatures in beautifully coloured displays that really enhance the viewing experience.

But the main feature of the aquarium I think are the WALK THROUGH TUNNELS.

Walk through tunnels

The tunnels lets people to walk through whilst looking at sea creatures above their head, on the side etc.

Kids love it as it's like an up close experience with sharks, fishes and there's even a dugong!

If you don't know what a dugong is, let me enrich your minds!

A dugong!

There are so many other features to the aquarium such as:

• Touch area where you can touch certain sea creatures
• The glass bottom boat
• Glass floor displays
• and so much more!

But the main thing parents are concerned about is KID-FRIENDLINESS

If it's not kid friendly, I ain't going. Is the motto I now live by.

My sister usually rides in a stroller as she'll go out of control if she's not strapped down.
Therefore, the main concern for me when visiting the aquarium was whether I would be able to go round easily with my sister.

Luckily, I went on a quiet day which left a lot of space for me to push her stroller round.

HOWEVER, If you decide to go on a busy day when all the tourists go, you're going to have a bad time!
Make sure you try and go on a week day and preferable in the afternoon or early morning!

Overall, a great experience for kids to have fun whilst learning about sea creatures!
I would highly recommend the Sydney Aquarium to all parents!

Photo Credit:

http://www.animalnational.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Dugongs.jpg
http://seesydneypass.iventurecard.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/SLSA-logo_HD_CMYK_R.jpg

http://national.atdw.com.au/multimedia/tnsw/ATDW_Large_Landscape__9234209_FX51_SLSA_2652_300dpi_20cm_rgb.jpg

http://media.au.timeout.com/contentFiles/image/sydney/events/museums/shark-mission-2013-guests-face-their-fear-of-sharks-at-sea-life-sydney-aquarium.jpg

TV Review : Mister Maker

There are so many TV shows for kids these days and some parents are unsure of the content of the shows their kids are watching.

As for me, I think I have watched every single kids show possible so I know of the content that is shown.

So, with my never-ending knowledge of kids shows, here's my review of a TV show!

TV review : Mister Maker

Mister Maker is a TV show for preschoolers which focuses on 

SO much goes on in one episode. It's hectic.

I pulled this off wikipedia just to show how many parts are in one episode

Every episode has the following sequence:

1. Has a creative idea and demonstrates the procedure

2. Shape dance and make a picture

3. Minute make it time

4. Colour Kids

5. Frame-it

6. One more creative idea is demonstrated

7. Time to go

All that within in a twenty minute episode.

The program overall is very fast paced and jam packed.

I could even say it's a bit too much for preschoolers to handle.

There is just one part that really annoys me: Minute make it time

This is when they try and make something in less than one minute.

To be honest, I think it's a dumb idea. I don't understand why we need to make something that fast.

He just runs around like crazy for a minute and makes the most basic item.

There is absolutely no way a preschooler could make something that fast and with that precision.

There's also another reason why we don't watch this program in our house.

My sister is terrified of the Mister Maker.

Mister Maker

I've come to the conclusion that he's just kind of freaky....
I mean look at him!
He always has his eyes wide open and has this freaky accent which I believe is British.

So overall, 

I think this program is more suited for older kids. Especially with the making part.
There is just so much that is going on at once and preschoolers don't usually have the attention span to watch the full twenty minutes without being overloaded.

For more information of Mister Maker, Check out their website:
http://www.mistermaker.com/

Photo Credit:
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/201008/r614685_4086470.jpg
http://zapp.trakt.us/images/fanart/4357-940.jpg

Product Review: Munchkin Light My Way Portable Light

Continuing on from the previous post concerning sleep, I thought I could suggest to parents a small solution to make the bed time process a little bit easier.

So, here is my product review for a nightlight produced by Munchkin!

Light My Way Portable Nightlight Product Review

Munchkin Nightight

This nightlight has contributed hugely to my sister's sleeping time.

Mum bought this as a solution to her being afraid of the dark once she started sleeping by herself.

In the dark

Features according to their sites include:

• Battery-operated owl night light is a comforting friend at bedtime
• Perfect for toddlers, with its easy-grasp handle and one-button switch
• Timer automatically shuts off after 20 minutes to conserve battery life (3 AAA batteries included)
• Featuring LED technology that's cool to the touch
• 2+ years
  ( From http://www.munchkin.com/light-my-way-portable-nightlight.html)

And I wholeheartedly agree and praise every single one of their features!

Just to elaborate on the features give above:

• The size is perfect and there are no sharp edges which means she can have the owl right in her arms.
• The automated timer of 20 minutes is amazing as it doesn't require me to remember to turn it off. It usually takes my sister 20-30 minutes to sleep and it's usually perfect in turning off just after she's asleep
• The one button switch is perfect for little fingers and it's easy to use so my sister can turn it on any time if she needs it.

With the wall socket nightlights, if your wall sockets are far away from the children, it may not have the desired effect but with this portable nightlight, your toddler is able to have it right by their sides for use any time!

A child sleeping with the nightlight

It's currently selling for $12.99 on the Munchkin website

(Although, I'm not too sure if they sell it in Australia as my mum bought it from the US. 

If they do sell it here, I believe it's fairly pricey)

But if you're toddlers are having trouble sleeping and need a night friend to accompany them, 

I highly recommend this nightlight as a small step to your children having more ease in sleeping.

Click here for the more details on the Munchkin website!

http://www.munchkin.com/light-my-way-portable-nightlight.html

Happy sleeping!

Photo Credit:

http://www.munchkin.com/media/catalog/product/1/1/11569_alt3.jpg
http://thepennywisemama.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/photo-3.jpg
http://img1.targetimg1.com/wcsstore/TargetSAS//img/p/14/32/14323623_130225074850.jpg

Goodnight, Sleep tight, Don't let the bed bugs bite.

Sleep.

The one thing that parents lack the most whilst raising kids.

Ever since my sister was born two years ago, non-interrupted sleep is something that I value a lot.

The night time is something that I fear every day.
Not because it's scary for me, but as it is a constant, never ending battle to keep my sister in her own bed and sleeping through the whole night.

Why is this a struggle? you may ask.

Let me explain where the world of favouritsm and sleep come together.

So, not to brag but I am literally my sister's most person in the whole entire world.
Which is not a good thing when it comes to sleeping.

Since I am her favourite person, I am the only person she wants when she wakes up crying from nightmares or anything else.

So when she wakes up, it's a drop-everything-and-go situation.

Like many kids she's scared of the darkness and being alone so she requires me to sit next to her, comfort her and hold her hand until she's asleep.
It doesn't matter if i'm studying, eating, or sleeping in the same room in my bed.
I need to physically be next to her so she can see me.

Sounds fun? It's not.

I am constantly interrupted and I'm always on edge knowing that she could wake up at any moment even when I'm sleeping my bed in the same room.

As a result, my body is used to functioning without deep sleep or a short sleep. 
Whoop-dee-doo

It doesn't matter though because sleep is for the weak anyway.