Friday, September 18, 2009

A Special Birthday [不一样的生日] ~ 4/4

I like writing little stories for my girl. I shared my thoughts through these stories I wrote to her.

This story in particular... it started off with a project she has to do in school "Who Am I?"

In this project, she needed to put together all the photos on how she celebrated her birthdays since birth. She needed to write a few sentences about her birthdays. Obviously it was mummy's job as well. I started off searching for the relevant photos hoping to bring back some memories of the past. I must say that we didn't celebrate every birthday in a grand way.

As she was doing it, I noticed that she was kind of upset when it came to the "quiet birthdays".

I decided to write this story for her.

For ease of reading, I have split the story in four parts.
Please start from "A Special Birthday [不一样的生日] ~ 1/4".

Little Story for your child to read

"Hi children, please pass up your little birthday story. Let teacher see whose story is the most special one." Homeroom teacher said first thing in the morning.

Cheng passed up her little story happily. Everybody else in the class did too. Some even brought along their birthday gifts and photos.



****************************
"Class, I have read through all the stories and they are very lovely. I have chosen one special one to share with all of you." Said the teacher.





My little Birthday Story

My birthdays were very simple. It was almost the same every
year. There was only a little cake and that's all. Neither a big surprise presents nor Barbie doll.

But, I enjoyed every moment of it because every year my daddy and mummy would make me a birthday cake. They learned to make different fruit cakes because I enjoyed both fruits and cakes. Most of all I love rainbow.
When I was one, my daddy and mummy made a strawberry cake for my birthday.
When I was two, my daddy and mummy made an orange cake for my birthday.
When I was three, my daddy and mummy made a banana cake for my birthday.
When I was four, my daddy and mummy made a green apple cake for my birthday.
When I was five, I had a blueberry cake for my birthday.
When I was six, they made me an indigo Hello Kitty (my favourite of character of all times) because there was no indigo colour fruits!
Now I am seven years old, my daddy and mummy will make me a purple grape cake.
They did give me a birthday present every year. I wish to thank my daddy and mummy for what they have done, this little birthday story is for them.
~~ Written by Cheng ~~


给孩子自己读的小故事
“同学们,请你们把你们的生日小故事交给老师。让老师看看谁的生日最特别、最棒。”今天一早老师向全班同学说道。

真真很开心的交上了她的生日小故事。同学也交上了他们的小故事。有的同学还带了他们的生日礼物和相片给老师看。

****************************


“同学们,老师已经看过了所有的生日小故事。老师选了一个很特别、又很棒的小故事。让老师读给你们听。



我的生日小故事

我的生日很简单 (jiǎn dān),每一年的生日都是一模一样的。只有一个蛋糕,没有朋友送的大礼物,也没有Barbie 娃娃。


可是,我过得很开心。因为每一年的生日,爸爸和妈妈会给我做一个蛋糕。 爸爸和妈妈为了我的生日每一年都学做不一样的水果蛋糕,是因为我很喜欢吃水果,又喜欢吃蛋糕,也很喜欢彩虹 (cǎi hóng)。

当我一岁时,爸爸和妈妈送给我红草莓蛋糕。


当我两岁时,爸爸和妈妈送给我橙味蛋糕。

当我三岁时,爸爸和妈妈送给我香蕉蛋糕。

当我四岁时,爸爸和妈妈送给我青苹果蛋糕。

当我五岁时,爸爸和妈妈送给我蓝草莓蛋糕。

当我六岁时,因为找不到靛 (diàn) 色的水果,爸爸和妈妈送给我一个靛色的hello kitty (我最喜爱的卡通娃娃)蛋糕。

现在我七岁了,爸爸和妈妈会送给我紫色的葡萄蛋糕。
原来,爸爸和妈妈每一年都有送礼物给我。我要谢谢我的爸爸和妈妈,所以我要把这个生日小故事送给他们。
~~~ 真真写 ~~~

The world becomes much more beautiful if there is
LOVE and APPRECIATION in it.
如果有爱和感恩的心,这个世界会变得更美丽。

A Special Birthday [不一样的生日] ~ 3/4

Little Story for your child to read 给孩子自己读的小故事

"What are you making this year?" Cheng's daddy asked.

"Cheng turns 7 this year. I am going to make her a grape flavour cake, come, let's do together! Cheng's birthday is coming soon, I hope we can make a nice and delicious grape cake for her." Cheng's mummy said.

"It is already 12 midnight. You are always busy making cakes when it comes to her birthday, aren't you?" Daddy replied.

"Cheng likes to eat fruits and cakes. So, we will make a nice fruit cake for her every year."

"You made a nice Hello Kitty cake last year. Why don't you make the same one?" Daddy asked.

"We have been making rainbow cakes for Cheng all these years!" Mum replied happily.

Cheng's daddy and mummy were busy making cakes, mixing the flour, add in the eggs, sugar... and chatting away.

Cheng was awaken. Soon, she realised that every year her daddy and mummy would be busy in the middle of the night making birthday cakes for her. They were colourful cakes every year. They were rainbow cakes!



“今年你又做什么蛋糕给真真过生日?”真真的爸爸问道。





“真真今年七岁了。我给她做葡萄 蛋糕,我们一起来做吧!真真的生日快到了,希望可以做个好吃的葡萄蛋糕给她。”真真的妈妈说道。





“现在已经十二点了。你每一年到真真的生日,三更半夜 (sān gēng bàn yè) 就忙着做蛋糕。”





“真真喜欢吃蛋糕,又喜欢吃水果,所以我们就做一个好吃的水果蛋糕给她。”





“去年你做的hello kitty 蛋糕,也很好吃。为什么不再做?”





“从一岁到现在,我们给真真做的是彩虹蛋糕呀!”妈妈开心地说。





真真的爸爸和妈妈在厨房里边谈天、边做蛋糕。放面粉、鸡蛋、糖等等。





真真被爸爸和妈妈的声音吵醒了,真真才发现原来每一年的生日蛋糕是爸爸和妈妈三更半夜、很用心地给真真做的。而且 (ér qiě),还是每一年都不一样,是彩虹蛋糕!




A Special Birthday [不一样的生日] ~ 2/4

Little Story for your child to read 给孩子自己读的小故事

Cheng thought it over and over, and she decided to write a very special birthday with plenty of presents to her teacher.

"Cheng, come and have dinner. Do your homework after dinner." Mummy was shouting from the kitchen.

Cheng kept writing and writing... until ah... she finished writing her story. She was happy because there were many guests came to her birthday party and she received plenty of presents until the whole house was turned into a toy shop!

Teacher would be happy to read my birthday story and it is going to be the best special birthday ever. Cheng thought to herself.



真真想了想,打算写一个很特别、又有很多礼物的生日会交给老师。




“真真,快来吃饭。吃完饭再做你的功课。”妈妈叫着。




真真写啊、写啊、终于写完了生日会的故事,她很开心,因为生日会很特别、有很多朋友带了很多的礼物来,把整个家变成了一间玩具店了。



真真想老师一定会说真真的生日会最特别、最棒了。

A Special Birthday [不一样的生日] ~ 1/4

Little Story for your child to read 给孩子自己读的小故事
"Children, how did you celebrate your birthday every year? Write them down." Said the homeroom teacher to all the students one day.
"you can write down what you get on your birthdays, how did you celebrate every birthday? Where did you have your birthdays? Who did you celebrate the birthdays with? Let's see whose birthday story is the best and the most special one."
After listening to what the teacher said, Cheng felt very sad because her birthdays were just and really nothing. Only a cake, and there was no present from anyone but a cake. Every year, her birthday was celebrated on their little round dining table at home. Daddy and mummy would sing her a birthday song, followed by Cheng would cut the cake. It has been the same thing over and over every year. What could Cheng write to please her teacher and her classmates?
Other children must have very special birthdays, vaca-birthday on a cruise, in nice restaurants, on boat. In addition, they would receive plenty of presents and gifts too! Games, Barbie dolls, remote control car, airplane and others. But, Cheng didn't have anything.

给孩子自己读的小故事

“同学们,你们每一年的生日是怎么过的,把它写下来。”老师对学生们说。

“你们可以写下每一个生日得到的生日礼物 (lǐ wù),过了一个怎样的生日会,生日在那里过,和谁一起过生日。让我们看看谁的生日会最棒、最特别。”

真真听了老师的话,苦着脸儿在想 , 因为她每一年的生日,只有一个蛋糕。没有礼物,也没有什么特别的生日会。每一年的生日都在家里的小圆饭桌上过。爸爸和妈妈唱生日歌给她听,然后真真切蛋糕。
每一年就是这样过。真真不知道要写什么交给老师。

其他同学的生日一定很特别,去旅行过生日,在餐厅开生日会,在船上开生日会。
而且,会有很多礼物吧!有电动游戏机、Barbie 娃娃、电动汽车、玩具飞机 等等。可是真真一份礼物也没有。

Friday, September 4, 2009

How to nurture good eating habit?

It was my husband who started it actually and surprisingly it worked.

It was not the first time I had to pick up rice[sss] from table or from the floor or at the edge of her bowl after my girl had her dinner. I am sure this is nothing new to any mums in the world.

It was not the first time her daddy warned her to be more careful. I tried giving a big plate, a big bowl whatever. It doesn't seem to work. No matter how big the plate or the bowl I gave her, still rice[sss] everywhere! This time even worst, she got rice droplets on her clothes and on her arms too because the plate was so huge that as she ate, the rice[sss] that was at the edge of her plate got stuck onto her clothes and her arms obviously.

One day my husband couldn't stand anymore. His nagging, his explanation, his story about how difficult a farmer's life was didn't seem to work at all. So, he started his award system.

If she finished her meals with no rice droplets anywhere (floor, bowl, plate, table, clothes, arms....) she will be given 15 stars. Everyday at the dinner table, she could also catch daddy or mummy in case one of us spill over some rice droplets. If that happened, she got 5 more stars ontop of the 15 she got. The 15 stars in her little mind seems a lot because usually I would grant her 1 or 2 only if she bath on time or she practice her piano etc.

She was very "hardworking" when dinner time came because she liked to be police! It didn't take too long. I guess a few days perhaps. She started to have good eating habits. Somehow, no more rice droplets around her territory. Automatically she learned to scoop properly sufficient enough to fit her mouth. Occasionally she would take her bowl up and checked if there was any left-outs. Her eyes won't stop looking around our territories too in case we made mistakes. It added more fun during our dinner time too because we looked out for each other as we ate. She would come out with new rules like any rice droplets that got picked up before we finish the meals, considered OK (obviously that was when she dropped them haha!!). When we had noddles for dinner, she would say penalties would be excused as there were noddles, not rice (because sometimes it was hard for her not to have some noddles diving off her bowl haha!!).

She has been doing so well nowadays that we started to do away with granting anymore stars. we have no more problem of wastage of food, rice droplets everywhere. I save my job of picking up rice[sss] too!

Of course, one important thing to educate them as we apply this rule -- if we have meals in outside our home, in restaurants, we are not suppose to pick up any of the rice droplets from anywhere and put them in the mouth!

Simple Action but Great Results!

One day out of the blue, my girl was asking me why I didn't give her anymore certificates with stars since she has been so cooperative in her home studies nowadays.

Well, the story was like this. it started with her being very tired and unwilling to study Malay and Mandarin at home (since these subjects are not in her school syllabus but she will need it one day when we are back to our home country. Therefore, her teacher, obviously it is me!, has to conduct the teaching at home.). I recalled I started off by giving her lectures over lectures the importance of studying these languages. It doesn't seem to work. She was alright for the first few lessons, after that, her old habits came back again.

One day I drew her a graph to show her what has she been doing over the past one week. Do check out the story in my blog under Does one solution always lead to another problem? what had happened. I promised her that if she did well in the entire week's study, I will give her a nice certificate with 50 stars. I have been doing that for a couple of weeks since June 09. During summer holiday, we were back home to KL and you know obviously when it is holiday, there are things that we won't need to do, including preparing the certificates! When we were back to Hanoi at the end of our summer break, I totally forgotten about this. She said: "Mum, it is over 2 weeks we are back here and you didn't give me any certificate?" Ops! Sorry, everybody forgets once in a little while. Mum forgets all the time!!

Actually the truth was, I thought, since she has been behaving well all these while, I guess i could do away with this "artificial" stuff. But, it seems otherwise.

So I quickly printed out a nice special colour certificate with 500 stars (to recover her losses so to speak!) and she was so happy and she filed it in her little pink folder.

I guess this method really works!! Try it out!!