What's so funny about Dr Seuss's books?

My twins had fallen in love with Dr Seuss's book and I don't know why? Maybe the books are silly and funny. To me, the story line might be a little nonsensical and the pictures a little wried. But as long as the kids love to read, it is what really matters.

We first read Dr Seuss's ABC:An amazing alphabet book and Hop on Pop during their toddler's years. The pictures are colourful, the words are huge and rythmed. I believe that's why they were very attracted to it and were generally able to sit through the session. But for toddlers who do not have long attention span, like my twin daughter, I would recommend that you read the books in a few session instead of one.

After repeated readings, my twins started to recognise the alphabets and soon able to read simple words! I discovered that when they took the books themselves and were reading aloud by themselves one day.

Recently, we got them another Dr Seuss's book "One fish two fish red fish blue fish". It is more of a "read it all by myself beginners book". Saying so, this 50-odd pages books still need to be read in a few sessions for my three and a half years old pre-schoolers. Currently, they are only able to read by themselves the first few pages of this new book.

Get the books :

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*Note : All books recommended here are read by my children and found worthwhile recommending.

Related post : 4 Useful Tips to get your child to read

3 Most Effective Ways of Managing Tantrums for Busy Parents

From experience and reading books on managing tantrums, I find that the 3 most effective ways or methods of managing tantrums are as follows:

• 1. Prevent or avoid it : The best way to manage tantrums is actually to prevent tantrums from happening. The key is to find out the cause or causes of your toddler/kid's tantrum. What are the factors triggering the tantrum? Is it hunger, tiredness, lack of sleep or perhaps simply an inability to express or communicate their needs? For example, if you know that your toddler/kid is going to flare up or throw a tantrum after switching off his/her favourite TV program, then pre-empt him/her about 10 minutes before that. Give your toddler/kid another reminder 2-3 minutes before you switch off the TV. Young children basically do not like sudden changes or to be caught by suprise.
  


• 2. Distraction : If you sense that your toddler/kid is about to throw or has started a tantrum, try distracting him/her. "Shall we go to the pet shop to see Elmo's goldfish, Dorothy?", " Shall we play hide-and-seek now?, "Do you want to eat your favourite yogurt now?". The trick here is to find something else that will catch the toddler/kid's attention and led him/her to another action instead of letting the toddler/kid focused on his emotions.



• 3. Ignore it : If all else fails, then simply ignore the tantrums. Do not attempt to shout or argue back (most parents under stress tend to have this reaction, it is important to keep your cool or control your rage at this moment) with your emotionally charged toddler or kid. That will make the tantrums worse. Sensing that you are not giving him/her any attention on his tantrums, the toddler/kid would eventually "cool down".

These three tried-and-tested ways or methods of managing tantrums work even pretty well with twins. Try it and share your experience with me.

Recommended book for managing tantrum if you need one :

The Twins' Curiosity about Pets

Recently, my neighbour bought a hamster, probably for their two schooling kids as a pet or maybe for some auspicious reason in the year of the rat (Chinese calendar year).

They happened to put the hamster outside their house and next to the shoe rack. So my twins, Asher and Gwyneth, discovered this little cutie thing inside a big "cage" and ignited their curiosity. Actually, even the mommy finds it too "irresistable" not to look at what the hamster was doing.

The little hamster is so smart and cute - it saw my twins and kept staring back at them. Then it struggled to stand up for while before crawling up the "stairs" of the cage and sniffed for attention. (As in the picture) My twins "squealed" for delight and were obviously thrilled by this action of the hamster.

As we couldn't bring the little cutie out to play, it "sadly" slided down and went back to hide in the "bushes" and slipped for a nap.

Oh, when the twins are sick!

What a rat year this is! On the first day of Chinese New Year, Asher was down with fever and vomiting, and we knew that our house visiting is going to end on that day.

He was running stubbornly high fever, despite continuous 3 hourly alternate doses of paracetamol and Ibuprofen (an NSAID). So on the third day of Chinese New Year, when one of the clinics are opened, we quickly brought him to see a paediatrician. At certain time, Asher was running about 39 - 40 deg C fever, it was terrible for us and him. The paediatrician said he caught Influenza ("the potent flu") where some of the symptoms are fever, vomiting, diahorrea, muscles ache, lethagy, running nose and cough. Asher got all of these symptoms with mild vomiting and diahorrea.

The Dr said that the fever is going to run for around 5-6 days before everything settled. I was thinking there goes my sleep again. I am usually more "afraid" of Asher falling sick because he has allergic rhinitis and when he is sick, his blocked nose will "bug" him even more for the whole night. Basically, I lose sleep together with him as he will keep calling me every half hourly to help him.

This Influenza fever that Asher caught this time was rather "fierce", it just refused to come down for 5 days and was hovering around 38 deg C even after medication. We had even given him "Ling Yang water" to cool the fever and I think that sort of help him a little. On the 6th day, he started to feel better and was more "alive", but by then he had lost some weight.

When everything looked "rosier" for the next few days, Gwyneth started the next round of fever though milder than Asher. And Gwyneth had a shorter road of recovery as she probably only caught "secondary influenza" from her brother. By then, the mommy is the third victim who caught the flu bug!

Twins' Chinese New Year Celebration

It is the fourth year that the twins are celebrating their Chinese New Year(CNY). But this year, at nearly three and a half years old, is supposingly the year where they began to be more aware and "conscious" of the real happenings around them.

It was quite a good start, with their pre-school teaching them some CNY songs, and the twins were singing days long before the first day ("Cu Yi") of CNY. On CNY eve, we had reunion dinner with the twins' paternal grandparents and their 3 uncles plus families. They both receive the first CNY red packets ("Ang Pow") from their grandfather during the dinner.

After reunion dinner, we went to pray at the Waterloo Street's Kwan Yin Temple, near my parents' place. (See Pic) Later the twins visited my parents with whom they also met their uncle and auntie for a sort of second semi-reunion dinner. *smile*

The twins were delighted, partly because they could go to different places, and also because this year they were able to play behind a Volkswagen van we borrowed from their eldest uncle("Da Bo").

Should young kids watch TV?

I guess the reply would usually be,"why not?". But some parents were cautious on this, especially for toddlers below 2 years old. Perhaps due to some reports by experts saying that young toddlers expose to TV at an earlier age could threaten their attention span. Some recommended that only toddlers after 2 years old be allowed to watch TV and that parents should also limit the time spent on TV for only an hour per day.

Actually I have also been limiting the twins' time spent on TV for an hour a day. But since 8 months old, I had allowed the twins to watch educational video for the most half an hour daily. Sometimes, mommy just need to take a break, so the TV comes in handy in this case, and particularly for taking care of twins. Nevertheless, being selective on TV programmes or videos is good, as you keep a watch on what's the kids are "receiving on air".

TV is such a powerful tool that the kids easily learn or pick up what's shown on it. A good example is the recent MOCCA "sexy man" ads,"the kitchen is over there, the toilet is over there.......". The twins laughed each time the "sexy man" appeared and would follow exactly his action and words. Hmmm.....that's the power of TV advertising!

So what have the twins been watching? Not too long ago, we discovered a recommended programme - "The Little Einsteins".

Initially, we thought it is some kids scientific cartoon, but it turned out to be a programme on classical music and general knowledge.

In fact, I use it as a beginner classical music lesson for the twins. The twins could now hum a few classical pieces like Beethoven's Ode to Joy, Dvorak's New World Symphony No.9, Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, Mozart's Symphony No.40 in G, etc. I consider this as a "breakthrough" kids cartoon which had such a terrific impact on them!

Weekend Outings

During weekend, we usually bring the twins to certain places that they will enjoy, mainly places where they could play and splash with water.

Swimming pool, a few shopping centres like Vivocity and Millenia Walk(in picture) where there are real shallow water pool to let the kids have some fun.

Sometimes doing something different provide new stimulation for the twins. And just like any kids or adults, they always love new places and things.

The twins' friends call me Mommy!

Everytime I went to the childcare centre, either to send or bring the twins home, their group of friends will all crowd around me and start talking to me.

They will begin calling me,"Mommy, mommy,....... I have this or that at home" or sort of complaining to me,"Mommy, mommy, Asher and Gwyneth used the crayons to draw on my T-shirt.....". One or two of them will even piggy back on me when I happened to squat down. It is kinda of interesting because their friends simply do not call the other parents the same. Once a grandparent even asked her granddaughter,"Is she your mommy, why did you call her mommy?".

Actually, I do not have a clear reason or idea why the twins' friends called me Mommy. Perhaps in the initial period when helping the twins to settle in the childcare centre, some of their friends got familiar with me when I went with them to a few excursion trips? Or maybe I speak in the kids' lingo and seems to be always listening to them? Nevertheless, it is a good feeling and you suddenly feel as if you have a bunch of kids "idolising" you. *wink*

Gwyneth and Asher are aware of this and sometimes they will protest to their friends,"She is not your mommy! She is my mommy!". And both will start pulling me away from them. *smile* What a silly fun!