August 20, 2012

Guest Post: What it Means to be a Full Time Mom

Dominique Guest Post, Parenting and Kids Motherhood, Parenting

Today we are having a fellow SMB(Singapore Mum Blogger) mum sharing her thoughts on motherhood here at Dominique’s Desk. Let’s welcome Regina Moo of MummyMoo to the blog

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I race to him at the end of the work day, and am usually greeted with a squeal and a staccato hug. He then takes his shoes out, and prepares to come home with us. The routine works well for him… he has his cousin to play with in the day (as opposed to being an only child) and at the end of the day, he comes home with the two people who love him more than anything else in the whole wide world. It’s been working out, so far.

Weekends are sacred. Try to take him away from me. I bite.

I don’t know if this will be a permanent arrangement. I think that work is good for me and my family. It keeps me sane, and ultimately, the pay check also helps in meeting the escalating costs of having and maintaining a child in Singapore. I am doing what feels best for everyone… and we shall see how it goes as the boy gets older.

I am not justifying my decision to be a full time working mum. I read through what I’ve written so far, and I’m reminded again as to why I think that this is a course of action which I feel that we are comfortable with. I have had the luxury to make a choice, and for this I’m grateful.

That said, I really take my hat off to all Stay At Home Mums. It’s not easy handling everything, and juggling everything else atop of handling one, two or more! children who are usually more needy and demanding than many adults. I’m constantly amazed by the Stay Home Mum’s ability to keep everything together – and even though there are days when things could be better, they still solder on, for heart and home.

I still wish to have more time with my son, especially when I’m reminded over social media about the events of the day as recounted by the SAHM and on days when I’m missing him so much at work that it hurts. However, I have made my choice, and for now, it’s working out in all our favour.

I’m a Full Time Working Mum but it doesn’t make me a lousier mum than those who stay home with the kids. The time I have with my child is precious, and I have learnt the true value of it only because I don’t have the luxury of spending as much time as I am able to with him. We spend quality time together, as a family, and as much as the boy has brought us joy… we think that he’s happiest when he spends these precious moments with us, too.

Author’s Bio:

Regina documents her little family as they grow as one, charting everyday mundane events to milestones that will chart the shape of their future. She is enjoying being a wife and mother, two personae that she has never thought of becoming – in the past. She takes pride in being a working class stiff trying to be a first class Mum! She hares her thoughts about parenting and personal experiences at: MummyMoo

August 3, 2012

Guest Post : Craft With Your Child Today!!

Dominique Guest Post, Parenting and Kids

Hi, my name is Adora and I am mum to 2 lovely girls, Poppy and Calla. I also run a crafts-for-kids business, which teaches kids to use either recycled products, or items easily found in their homes. I’d like to say that I intended for all this to happen, but I only started crafting with my firstborn when she was about 1.5 years old, as a way to entertain her inquisitive nature. I slowly invited her friends over for group crafting sessions, and it evolved into a business.

When I tell people what I do, I often hear things like “But I don’t have the time” or “I’m not creative enough”. It doesn’t take a lot of time to sit down with your child to create something. You can do the following craft, for example, in less time than the duration of an episode of Dora the Explorer:

Paper plate ladybug craft, done with Poppy, aged 2.5 years

You’ll need:

1 paper plate

1 piece of red paper

1 piece of black paper

Glue

A stapler

Paint

Instructions

1 – Trace outline of plate on red paper then cut out the circle, and fold into half and cut into 2 semi circles

2 – Paint centre portion of plate yellow

3 – While plate dries, cut out 6 small circles and stick them as dots on red semi circles

4 – Cut out “legs” and stick them on side of plate (when child is not looking, reinforce with staples)

5 – Cut out black semi circle as “head” and stick on plate

6 – Stick on wings, overlapping a little on the top where “head” is

Crafting is a great way to bond with kids; you can also incorporate many hidden lessons and values during that time. For example, through the ladybug craft, I managed to reinforce certain things with Poppy, like shapes, colours, and numbers.

The great thing about craft is that you can often opt for variations to suit older or younger kids. For example, through the ladybug craft, younger kids can learn about shapes, colours and numbers, with the help of their parents. Older kids can cut out the shapes on their own, and draw on and colour the dots instead of cutting and pasting.

One craft that I like very much is this home-made night lamp. Store bought ones are really pretty but also way out of our budget. So we made this one afternoon, when Poppy was about 3:

Home-made night lamp

You’ll need:

One piece of hard plastic (we used A4 sized OHP plastic)

Double sided tape

Paints

Markers

Instructions

1 – Cut and paste one stripe of double sided tape along the short end of plastic

2 – Draw out sea creatures (fish, seaweed, seashells, starfish) with marker

3 – Invite child to paint the drawings. Set aside to dry

4 – Turn plastic over, and paint blue all over. Don’t worry about ‘painting over’ the fish because that’s on the other side. Set aside to dry

5 – When dried, simple roll into a cylinder and fasten with double sided tape. Put small battery operated candle in the middle and enjoy your work of art

One thing I realised through my many craft sessions is that parents tend to want to do their kids’ crafts for them. If we don’t watch episodes of Chuggington and Little Einstein on their behalf, by the same logic, we shouldn’t be taking over their crafts. Set aside enough time for them to explore the different kinds of materials, take the time to explain the steps to them. Don’t treat it as a chore, but something enjoyable for you too.

Don’t be put off be the mess; there’s nothing a layer of newspaper and a good vacuum cleaner can’t fix! If you’re concerned about your lack of creativity, don’t be. Simply search for “Crafts for _________ year olds” online, and you’ll be spoilt for choice with the number of ideas available. Have fun!

About Adora

Adora is mum to Poppy, 4, and Calla, 3.5 months. She tackles meal-time mayhem, kitchen disasters and playground politics on a daily basis. In between breaths, she writes for parenting magazines on a freelance basis and runs a crafts-for-kids business. She enjoys cheap chocolate, smelling her baby’s neck, and would really like a good night’s sleep. Adora blogs at http://www.gingerbreadmum.com