For the past two years, we have been making personalized gift tags for Christmas. Two years ago, the gift tags were simple computer printed affairs but especially designed by … [Read more...]
Soap bubbles
October 14, 2008 By 17 Comments
Last Sunday, Alex was washing her hand in the kitchen when she called to show me something. I looked and said, "Hold it, let me take photos." These were taken with my tiny … [Read more...]
Playing with dolls can be educational
October 10, 2008 By 21 Comments
When Sam and Alex were young, I did not encourage them to play with dolls. It's just such a stereotype -- as though telling girls that they have no future but taking care of … [Read more...]
Are analog clocks obsolete?
September 13, 2008 By 13 Comments
First of all, sorry about the comments lost during the server migration yesterday. Couldn't be helped, really. Had to migrate (and there will be a second wave in a couple of … [Read more...]
Kids and money management
September 2, 2008 By 24 Comments
(Today's column) There is an interesting recap on Blogher about parents' ideas on how to teach kids the value of money. One father says, "I don't like the word … [Read more...]
What is pikot?
August 12, 2008 By 42 Comments
(Today's column) Every three years, my husband's eldest brother, his wife and two sons spend three weeks in the Philippines. He and his wife have been living in a suburb of … [Read more...]
The shy child and the cactus
July 28, 2008 By 27 Comments
Sam was a shy child. A very shy child. She was chatty enough with people she felt comfortable with but around strangers, she was the Ice Queen until she was ready to thaw. It … [Read more...]
The difference between girls and teenage girls
June 28, 2008 By 10 Comments
Every time we pass by a shop window displaying girls' dresses in pretty floral pastels, I reminisce about the days when I chose all of Sam's and Alex's clothes. That was a … [Read more...]
Back to school, part 2
June 12, 2008 By 10 Comments
In many ways, the school year opening is like Christmas. Children expect treats in the form of new shoes, bags, uniforms, supplies, lunch boxes and even new accessories to … [Read more...]
When choosing a house to buy, everyone gets to vote
May 31, 2008 By 12 Comments
When my parents bought our family home, my brother and I had no say in the matter. I was a little over a year old and my brother was a newborn infant. So, voting was out of … [Read more...]
Junk food generation
May 20, 2008 By 16 Comments
The online version of The Australian recently published a report about a growing movement of parents to ban junk food ads especially on television. The reason? Because "the … [Read more...]
Art work inside a sketchbook
April 25, 2008 By 31 Comments
She's 14 and she's going to be an artist. Her dream is to be able to do what they do in Pixar and she diligently practices everyday. She reads her daily dose of Naruto then … [Read more...]
Crocs and escalators
August 28, 2007 By 45 Comments
No one in my family wears Crocs -- too expensive. Well, even if they weren't, they'd still look too clunky for my size 6 feet. But the aesthetics and price of Crocs aside, … [Read more...]
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