Looking through the window ...we can see two stripes of pink. I'm very excited but also very, very, very ill. Normal programming will resume when I resume feeling normal. It's wick MDH has been telling Stardust the story of 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. After a few retellings, we realised that Stardust was more interested in the growing Beanstalk than in Jack and his skyline adventures.  Stardust even disassembled one of his musical instruments and excitedly distributed all the green beans into various receptacles in his room in the hope that one of them would sprout into a Another dream Stardust woke up from his nap early, sobbing piteously.  I went to see him, but he did not want to get out of his cot, so I let him be.  He carried on weeping for a few minutes, then called for me. I had no idea why he was feeling so sad, so I asked him why he was crying.  He just kept saying, 'Stardust is sad'. After a while, I asked him if he had a bad dream and he shook his head and said, " Movie Night Eating: Grilled meltique beef steak, medium rare Swiss brown mushrooms and onions in gravy Baked russet potatoes dripping with grated cheese Boiled peas Drinking: Pear juice Watching: 1. How Stella Got Her Groove Back (What?!  Don't judge me, ok?!  It was on TV!) 2. Dogville (Intriguing, sad and horrifyingly true to life.) Susanna Wesley's Household Rule #7 Here are my thoughts on Susanna Wesley's Household Rules: Rule #7: Give them nothing that they cry for, and only that when asked for politely.This rule is ABSOLUTELY enforced at my house.  I absolutely detest children who act like they are the boss of the household and whine or scream for what they want.  And I blame the parents who give in to them.  Yes, it is much, much easier to give in Bottoms up Stardust's breakfast this morning (30 minutes):1. One small glass of milk2. One small glass of orange juice (heavily diluted with water)3. One bowl of oatmeal with a spoonful of honey4. One handful of blueberries5. Half a boiled egg My breakfast this morning (5 minutes spread out over the course of 30 minutes):1. One small glass of water2. The other half of the boiled egg3. Three bites of toast Caricatures So, we are at the Singapore Art Museum, after having climbed up THREE flights of stairs in order to find the children's interactive corner (note to Art Museum Curator: are those stairs meant to act as some sort of deterrent?  I thought the whole point was to encourage parents to bring their children to the museum!). The corner was set up with pencils and paper, and there was a section where We love Bear Grylls We watched an episode of 'Man vs Wild' yesterday evening after dinner (we usually watch a documentary during the evening meal, but anyone who has watched 'Man vs Wild' would know that it is hardly appropriate dinnertime entertainment). I am a big fan of Bear Grylls.  He is an all-round great guy and a good role model - and it is such fun watching him because he seems to have a real passion for Susanna Wesley's Household Rule #6 Here are my thoughts on Susanna Wesley's Household Rules: Rule #6: Require all to be still during Family Worship.I do not think that it is unreasonable to expect a very young child to show respect by maintaining a reverent attitude, especially during important occasions.  I do think it is unreasonable to expect a very young child under the age of 2 to uphold silence and remain seated for Stardust's Youtube Favourites: Cyndi Lauper's 'True Colours' I love the song 'True Colours'.  It's written by Billy Steinburg who is famous for so many 1980's hits like the Bangles' 'Eternal Flame' and Madonna's 'Like a Virgin'.  According to his website, he originally intended the song to be about his mother, but worked with his lyricist to make the song much more ambiguous, so that it could be applied to any relationship between two people. I actually Movie Night - with Stardust! (updated) The Aged Ps managed to score some free tickets to 'Toy Story 3' and we're going to take Stardust along with us.  His very first picture show! I hope he enjoys it. I hope we enjoy it too! I am going to bring along his milk and a few snacks, in case he starts to get loud. (updated 10:28pm on the same day) Well, that was AWESOME! We were a little worried because it was a 3D movie and required Bring back my Bonnie to me Every morning, after breakfast, Stardust and I go downstairs to play.  We are fortunate that there are several families with young children living in our block - and we frequently meet each other at the playground.  Stardust's favourite playmate is a little girl called Bonnie.  Bonnie is a little French girl, a tiny little spindly thing with curly blonde ringlets all over her head, grey-green Little physician I haven't been feeling well lately - it is a combination of smog and overtiredness, I guess. Yesterday, I had a stonking great headache in the afternoon and was lying down on the couch trying to rest whilst still valiantly attempting to engage in Stardust's games. After watching me gesture at him feebly for a few minutes, Stardust climbed up onto my stomach and looked me in the eye. Stardust: Susanna Wesley's Household Rule #5 Here are my thoughts on Susanna Wesley's Household Rules: Rule #5: To teach a child to pray as soon as he can speak.I should think that this rule still applies to families who do not subscribe to any particular religion. Every family will have certain key beliefs or traditions that they hold sacred and would like to pass onto the next generation.  Christianity is the foundation on which we have Man for hire Name: MDH Objective: Seeking a position that utilises my extensive experience and knowledge in the field of parenting  Strengths:1. Proven ability to act quickly under pressure 2. Understanding of all key health and sanitation concerns3. Basic mastery of feeding, bathing and diapering techniques4. Full range of managerial and disciplinary skills5. Persuasive speaking competent Experience:2008 - A Healthy Breakfast This morning I woke up feeling incredibly grouchy. So I had potato crisps for breakfast and I felt much, much better. (Don't tell MDH) Have a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there! Stardust's Youtube Favourites: Owl City 'Fireflies' Now, I know that I already posted a video of Captain Valor performing this particular song, but the original Owl City music video is just so lovely and whimsical that I had to share it. Stardust is fascinated by all the mechanical vintage toys, especially the robots and the giant silver airship (he gets very excited about it and will exclaim "Fish coming out of the cupboard!!" whenever we hear Great Singapore Sail Here's a beautifully photoshopped picture of what Orchard Road, our main shopping district, is looking like during today's monsoon, which incidentally coincides with the Dragonboat Festival.  (Picture credits to Grace) I was planning to head down there today to take advantage of our sale season and get some much needed essentials (i.e. it's time to buy some new bras), but I'm so glad that I Susanna Wesley's Household Rule #4 Here are my thoughts on Susanna Wesley's Household Rules: Rule #4: Subdue self-will in a child, and those working together with God to save the child's soul.I think this rule works in every family, regardless of religious affiliation.  It really is all about the purpose of discipline and the people who are responsible for care-giving. The definition of 'self-will' here refers to the selfish Children's Season at the Museums A week or so back, I wrote about visiting the National Museum and International Museum Day 2010.  Stardust and I (and the reluctant Aged Ps) did actually go to the National Museum that day, but it was crowded and noisy, so we wandered through a few exhibits and decided to call it a day. I promised Stardust that we would visit the museum later that week so that he could really enjoy the new Movie Night Eating: Chicken Katsu Curry with peas and carrots McCain Smiley Faces Drinking: Mango juice Watching: 1. District 9 - brilliantly constructed, thought-provoking and hideously gruesome.  Highly recommended. 2. The Brothers Bloom - I always promise myself that I will not pick up another Adrien Brody film, but this one had Mark Ruffalo in it so I could not resist. Never leave the window open Today, I left the kitchen window open all morning whilst I was downstairs at the playground with Stardust. Stupid,      Stupid,           Stupid me. I came back to find that my kitchen and dining room had been tastefully decorated with a multitude of golden glistening drops of very, very wet bird muck. The culprit was sitting the lip of the kitchen sink, chirruping proudly at us. It would not Awesome Daddy! This daddy is totally awesome!  I am really impressed by the things that he creates for his children - his toys look cool, encourage imaginative play and (best of all) are cheap as free.  I also like the fact that this daddy doesn't limit himself to traditional 'manly' creative outlets like woodworking and metalworking, but is adept at sewing, embroidery and knitting, putting a masculine spin on Ten things I did today 1. Made 5 litres of pork stock from leftover pork ribs 2. Mopped floor 3. Cleaned paint off sticky little fingers 4. Mopped paint off floor 5. Repaired dismantled toy xylophone 6. Disentangled 3 foot long slinky from the coffee table 7. Cleaned porridge off sticky little face 8. Mopped porridge off floor 9. Successfully conducted the Hunt For The 100th Piece Of A 100 Piece Duplo Set 10. Mopped 5 minutes alone with... ...markers.Just in case you're wondering, I didn't freak out over his attempt to draw tiger stripes on his face.  Stardust actually went to a party where they had face painting and he was trying to recreate the event.  I took him to the mirror and showed him that if the ink doesn't come off then it will stain his face for a long time because marker pen ink is not always washable like face paint. Susanna Wesley's Household Rule #3 Here are my thoughts on Susanna Wesley's Household Rules: Rule #3: They are required to take medicine without complaining.I like the fact that Susanna Wesley specifically states that the child should not complain about having to drink bitter medicine.  There is nothing more off-putting than a whining and complaining child.  A child who sees fit to whine and complain about medicine is one who has Preparing for Sunday School I'm teaching Sunday School to the pre-nursery kiddies this month.  The kids are all around Stardust's age - from 18 months to 3 years old.   I hope I survive. Have a good weekend! Pardon Me Celeste and I are having some teething problems. After using a PC for nearly twenty years (yes, my family was one of those progressive families that purchased a computer way back when screens were green.), converting back to the Apple Computer is a little bit strange.  As much as I adore Celeste, I have to get used to her shortcuts and her bizarre US keyboard that has all the punctuation in the Movie Night Eating: Barbequed pork ribs shellacked with honeyBlanched green leafy vegetables Potato wedgesRice Drinking:Passionfruit and orange juice Watching:1. The Good, the Bad, the Weird This. Film. Is. Genius.(MDH says: A western set in the east, huh...does that make it a Noodle Western?) 2. The Imaginarium of Doctor ParnassusIt was very, very odd.  Okay, maybe it was odd because the lead actor died Conversation (7:30am, Stardust has just woken up) Stardust: Mumby, Mumby!  Moon next to me! TSCD: I don't understand.  Where was the moon? Stardust: Moon next to me!  Moon next to me! TSCD: In your room? Stardust: Noooo, moon next to me, moon in the clouds!  I see the clouds, I climb up the clouds, I sit on the moon! TSCD: You sat on the moon? Stardust: I sit on the moon!  I sit on the moon; I sit like this.