Conversations with Georgia: The Year of the Hedgehog

With Chinese New Year just around the corner, we sat talking about how we could celebrate it in our own way, especially as it’s not a public holiday here. Somehow the conversation progressed from, who we would invite, what we would eat, when we would celebrate to…

Dad: It’s actually ‘our’ year. Year of the Rabbit

G: Why is it your year?

Dad: We were born in the Year of the Rabbit.

G: And me?

Dad: You were born in the Year of  the Dog…

G (at this point looking at little confused): …and after that it’s the Year of the Hedgehog!

Dad: … ????

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Everybody needs A Star Book…

to Reinforce the Positive and Encourage Achievement. First let me explain how we came to create the Star Book.

Throughout almost all of last term, Georgia, moaned and whined and made a fuss of going to school. She would be clingy and there were even daily tears.  It was awful! For those of you whose children skip happily along to school, you’re really lucky… 🙂

It helped tremendously that I knew and trusted her teachers and their feedback was always taken positively, and it was great knowing that we were partners working together towards a common goal. However, it was still a challenge every morning.

Over the Christmas and New Year holiday, as a treat to myself, (I had been good :)) I read Jack Canfield’s The Success Principles. Now if you like me watched The Secret and liked it but never really got to the practise of  ‘the secret’, Canfield’s book provides and almost step-by-step guide (an all very logical too) to achieving anything you set your mind to. One of the chapters in the book, suggests that you list every day, 5 achievements for the day (even if you did not accomplish things that you set out to do that day, if you reflect on your day, you will often find achievements each day) and to focus on goals for the next day.

So we thought, what a great way for Georgia, and especially for us, to focus on what we can achieve and to celebrate the successes each day, and that was how we came to create the Star Book.

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A note to Teddy Bears and Toys

15 January, 2011

A note sent home from georgia’s class…
I love the idea and the approach, don’t you?
🙂

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If Chinese Mothers are supposed to be superior….

then why don’t I feel like I’m the best mother in the World?

A recent article Why Chinese Mothers are Superior in the Wall Street Journal has caused a lot of controversy and raised a lot of emotion amongst it readers and it’s certainly worth a read. Being an immigrant (Malaysian Chinese) to a Western culture (we now live in the UK), this article has certainly struck a chord for many reasons….not least because I too am, to a certain extent, trying to instill my child with ‘Asian values’ while being surrounded by Western Culture (I wrote about this when Georgia was little more than 1 here);

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Unplugged…Parenting without a TV

The idea that watching too much television is bad for children has been around for decades and if you have children you would probably have read about one of the many studies expounding the evils of children watching television. That said, it is an amazing baby sitter and the ability to keep a child quiet for a significant amount of time simply by turning on the television is without a doubt one of it’s many appeals.

Have you ever wondered though what it might be like to ‘unplug’, to live without ‘live’ television at home?

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Walking in…

Today, for the first time since starting school in September 2010, Georgia actually walked in to her classroom without clinging on to me or whining! What a breakthrough!

The Secret: Her very own Star Book…read more about it here.

But for now, Well done Georgia!!!

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Thank you Dirk…

… if it weren’t for you, i would still be a completely guilt-ridden, full-time Academic and a part-time mum.

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Moving ahead!

Maths with Mrs Wall.

Mrs Wall is the Maths Co-ordinator for Georgia’s school.

On our way home from school, after a long first week back to school, we were making plans for our weekend when we met Mrs Wall leaving school.

“Oh, has Georgia told you, we had extra lessons today?” she said.

“No…” this had certainly piqued my interest.

“Oh, she’ll tell you more about it, I’m sure,” Mrs Wall added walking off.

Thankfully, she did turn around and say, “Georgia came to my Maths sessions and we did some Maths together”.

It turns out, Georgia is one of two children, in her class to be sent to Mrs Wall to ‘do Maths’. The other children are apparently from the year above. And when asked what she actually did in those sessions? Played games!

Sounds like fun…Way to go G!

What an acheivement!

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Conversations with Georgia: An Elephant on the M4

On the evening of the second day of this year (2011), we were travelling back along the M4 from Cardiff heading East when we saw the traffic alerts signs displaying “Animals in Road”. Now this is quite interesting because in all our years of travelling along the M4, we have never come across a message like this…

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In the blink of an eye…

… Christmas tree went up 
… presents started gathering under it
… the snow came and stayed for a while (beautiful but oh-so-cold at -6 degrees!)
… angel Georgia spoke her lines “…and we thank you all for sharing in our very special nativity” perfectly
… the last day of term came
… the snow that had not really melted, came some more  (I suppose we technically got snowed in when a door would not open – thankfully we have two – doors that is) 
… the presents hiding under the bed, managed to get dressed in some wrapping paper to join the other presents under the tree
… Christmas eve came, stockings were put up (unfortunately Santa was not welcome 😉
… friends came over for food food and more food
… New Years Eve arrived!
… and then New Years Day! 
… Welcome 2011!

I know it’s rather belated but Have a wonderful Year ahead everyone!

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