Flash cards

A parent of one of my ex-pupils from school gave me some handy tips today on how to raise bright kids. I asked her for tips – not that she thought her boys were bright. And after I lamented on the lack of time I have to actually engage them in enriching activities every day, she told me to make full use of the six weeks of holidays, and that I am going to do.

So I pulled out some of the old flash cards that I made last year. I abandoned the flash cards the moment M started pre-school. I just didn’t have the energy to keep it up and that’s a lousy excuse. And while M started on flash cards when he was eight months old, I have not even started L on that and he’s already fourteen months. L also doesn’t know as many words as M did at the same age. M’s vocabulary at fourteen months was perhaps thrice as wide, no kidding.

M was keen to review the cards. I’ll see how long we can keep this up. I cannot do the Glenn Doman method of doing this five times a day, five sets of five words. Mine is the abridged version. But I suppose any exposure is better than none. Today’s words were of some of his favourite food – egg, spaghetti, cake, ice-cream and bread. L’s words for tomorrow would be Mummy, Daddy, car, clock and socks.

I wonder why

kids never seem to tire of playgrounds and parks.

MacRitchie Reservoir - one of the places we frequent

I need some new places. One would be the Jacob Vallas (or Ballas?) Children’s Garden, as recommended by two friends. Another is Fidgets, which I came across in a local forum. Neither is new. Just that we’ve never been there. Now I’ll just have to try to convince the hubs to try these out without his usual skepticism.

What won’t I do for him?

The best thing about M’s music class is that he thoroughly enjoys it. Which is fantastic. The worst thing about it, though, is that the parents (read: I. Me.) have to do the homework

which consists mainly of materials preparation for the following week’s lesson. Cutting. Pasting. Attaching.

The poor boy has got a gut infection. Was given Pedialyte (an electrolyte-packed drink), Colimix for abdominal pain, Lactogard and Reutofene, both probiotics for gut health. That, and the horrible swelling of the gums where the molars seem to be erupting, has caused him much discomfort and that, trust me, has got an effect on everyone else in the family.

Early this morning, after the boys were awakened, little L reached out from the father’s arms to get to me, wanting me to carry him. Seeing this, the elder brother wrapped his arms around my leg to stop me from moving any further. Any other mother might have irritated to have to deal with such sibling rivalry before the crack of dawn but I was thoroughly elated. Barely half an hour later, I was saddened by the thought that while I am so loved, so wanted and so needed now, I would one day become only the second most important woman in their lives. Silly me.