a relatively short 2 hour volunteer work, could be fun for your child too

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Christmas Kettle Appeal Bell-Ringers

Assignment Name: 

Christmas Kettle Appeal Bell-Ringers 

Opportunity Available:

Late Nov - 24 Dec (Annually)

Commitment Level:
One-off, Project Basis, Regular, Adhoc

Location:

• To be advised
• Note: Do consider helping at heartland and "non-town" locations, as these areas do also require much help. Thanks.

Vol Requirements:

• Kettling is from Mon – Sat, 1pm – 9pm, late Nov - 24 Dec.
• Each kettling shift is 2 hours (starting from every "odd" hour i.e. 1pm, 3pm etc)
• 2 volunteers to a kettling shift
• You may choose to sign up in pairs with your friends or family or we will assign another volunteer to partner you for the shift
• Kettlers need to be 16 years old as at 31 Dec this year (unless accompanied by a parent/guardian, 21 years old and above)
• All volunteers will be required to be registered.
• For group/corporate volunteers, you are also welcome to adopt the pot e.g. for a day or period of time.
• Certification of voluntary involvement is available for registered volunteers upon request.
• We appreciate your help in assisting us to manage the scheduling of volunteers for shifts. Kindly consider your availability carefully to avoid inconveniences caused with last minute changes.
• Please sign up for alternate shifts with rest breaks in between (rather than consecutive shifts e.g. kettling for a whole stretch of 2 or more shifts), as this would be more manageable and less tiring. 
• For first-time bell-ringers, please sign up for one shift to try out if you like the assignment. We welcome you to return to sign up for more shifts after that.

Vacancies:

• 1000
• Individual, Group & Family Volunteers Welcome

Registration:
Please sign up at least 3 working days before to allow us to process and match you to a shift. 

1. Online Registration: Click here.   http://sav-opp.blogspot.sg/2010/04/christmas-kettle-appeal-bell-ringers.html
2. Phone Registration: Call our hotline (Tel: 6452-4093) from 4 Nov-21 Dec 2013, Mon-Fri (9.00am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-5.00pm). 

 For batch registration of 6 or more volunteers, please contact our Volunteer Resources Manager at Tel: 6555-0232,  5 Nov-21 Dec, Mon-Fri (9.00am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-5.00pm). 

Contact Person (for Clarifications):

James Lim 

Tel: 6555-0232

volunteer (AT) SMM.salvationarmy.org (replace (AT) with @ to email me) 

Registration Closing Date:

21 Dec

Opportunity Description:
The Christmas Kettle Appeal is a unique fundraising project that enables The Salvation Army to continue its work with the needy and underprivileged. Every year, staff and volunteers take to the streets ringing bells and encourage passers-by to drop a donation into the kettles. As such, we would like to extend an invitation to you to join us in this tradition and make a difference.

You can read about the Christmas Kettle story on The Salvation Army’s Volunteer Portal at http://bit.ly/bellringers. For a video on the history of The Christmas Kettle Pot (created by The Salvation Army in British Columbia), you may wish to visithttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0y3_4mlnAc. Read our volunteers' experience kettling here at http://sa-v.blogspot.com/search/label/kettling.

The Little Prince

Have always heard about the existence of the book "The Little Prince", yet have never really sat down and read the book

If you are this way as well.. below is a cheat-sheet on the story...

If Saint-Exupéry is to be believed The Little Prince is a book for children written for grown-ups. It can be read on many different levels to provide pleasure and food for thought for readers of all ages.

The author, an aviator, crashes with his aeroplane in the middle of the Sahara desert. While he is trying to repair his aeroplane, a little boy appears and asks him to draw a sheep. The author learns that The Little Prince comes from asteroid B-612 where he has left behind three volcanoes and a rose.

Before reaching Earth, he has visited other planets and met some very odd people: a king, a conceited man, a drunkard, a lamplighter, a geographer…  Since arriving on Earth, he has spoken to a fox who has taught him that to know someone or something, you must « tame » them, and that makes them unique. « What is essential is invisible to the eye, says the fox. »

In order to return to his planet and his rose, The Little Prince allows himself to be bitten by a poisonous snake: his planet is too far away, he cannot take his « shell ». The aviator, who has succeeded in repairing his plane, also quits the desert. He still hopes The Little Prince will return one day and asks us to write and tell him if ever we should meet his friend.Pour les lecteurs qui souhaitent se remémorer le livre et ses principales lignes, voici un résumé du voyage du petit bonhomme et de ses rencontres.

More about the planets visited by the Little Prince
Each planet the Little Prince visits can be seen as an allegory of human nature. If you have already read the book, we invite you now to take a new look at the different planets.

The king – asteroid B 325
In the book, the Little Prince meets a king who claims to rule over all with absolute power. His only “subject”, however, is an old rat that he hears at night. The king exercises his power over the sun by ordering it to set – but only at sunset. In order not to lose face, this oddity of a king gives only “reasonable” orders (“I order you to sit down”) – as good a way as any to satisfy his thirst for power. The Little Prince is not fooled, however, and sees the monarch as no more than another odd grown-up.

The conceited man - asteroid B 326
Wearing a hat as showy as it is ridiculous, the conceited man sees himself as the handsomest and the most intelligent man on his tiny planet. The Little Prince reminds the conceited man that he is, in fact, all alone on his planet, but still the conceited man wishes to be admired and applauded. The Little Prince is perplexed by such insistent vanity: “Grown-ups are really very odd,” he says to himself.

The drunkard –asteroid B 327
He lives alone with his collection of bottles and spends his time drinking to forget that he is ashamed of drinking. To the Little Prince, it is clear that the drunkard is deeply unhappy, and he wants to help. The drunkard, however, withdraws into sadness and silence. The Little Prince is left perplexed by this adult who sees no way out of his misery.

The businessman – asteroid B 328
The businessman is a large gentleman who is so very busy that he does not even have time to light his cigarette. He spends his time counting stars, which he claims to own. Then he writes down the numbers on a piece of paper that he puts in the bank. The Little Prince tries to make him see that he is wasting his life and that “owning” means being useful to what you own. He speaks of his rose, which he waters and protects. The businessman is left speechless, and the Little Prince once again finds grown-ups to be very disappointing.

The lamplighter – asteroid B 329The Little Prince is initially rather charmed by this character. His job is a useful one: to light the lamp at sunset. But the speed of rotation of the lamplighter’s planet is increasing all the time, and the poor lamplighter is forever putting out his lamp and immediately lighting it again. “Orders are orders,” says the lamplighter to the Little Prince who, in spite of everything, can only admire the effort this grown-up puts into being faithful to his orders.

The geographer – Asteroid B 330The geographer is an old gentleman who writes down, in thick books, the information brought to him by explorers. His planet is vast and magnificent, but he has no way of knowing whether it has rivers and mountains because “the geographer is far too important to waste his time browsing around”.  The geographer is someone who needs the stories of others in order to know things; for the Little Prince, on the other hand, it takes effort to know things. It is the geographer who advises the Little Prince to visit Earth because, he says, it has “a good reputation”.

source:    http://www.thelittleprince.com/work/the-story/

Baby Talk

I don't recall what I said when I was 3, but I definitely wonder if it is "normal" for my 3 year old to say all these strange, amusing and unfortunately "not exactly wrong" things...

mummy: this book is too difficult for you, you are too young...
3 yr old: wait, give me 10 mins... I will grow up

Goodie bags for kids' parties

http://bagagoodie.com

had a wonderful experience with them, allowing multiple customization to the goodiebags plus taking photos to show me the results after which change.  All these at no additional charge plus the price is rather reasonable, especially if want to get an odd number instead of buying in nice multiples of 10s or 12s

I will use their service again

Ice cream in a bagThis simple method for making ice cream does not require any complicated ice cream machine or even the help of a freezer.

Cookies and cream ice creamIngredients:

• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 oreo cookies crushed
• 6 tablespoons rock salt
• 1 small plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc)
• 1 bigger plastic food storage bag
• Ice cubes

Directions to make it:

1. Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
2. Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
3. Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.
4. Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.
5. Add in the Oreo crumbs and continue shaking for another minute or till it’s mixed together.
6. Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully.
7. Enjoy your yummy homemade ice cream!

Freeze & Stir method

Another super simple method to make ice cream is the freeze and stir. This particular way takes a longer time to make and also the extra step of cooking the mixture but produces a creamier ice cream consistency then the ice cream in a bag.

Chocolate – peanut butter ice cream
Ingredients:

• 2 cups of milk
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• pinch of salt to taste
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

 Directions:

1. Whisk together milk, cocoa powder, salt and sugar in a large saucepan.
2. Heat the mixture, whisking frequently until it comes to a full boil (when the mixture starts foaming up)
3. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until fully mixed
4. Chill the mixture thoroughly before transferring it into a deep freezer-safe bowl or container
5.  Place in the freezer for 45 minutes.
6. As it starts to freeze near the edges, remove from the freezer and stir vigorously with a fork or whisk, being sure to break up any frozen sections.
7. Return it to the freezer.
8. Continue to check every 30 minutes, stirring vigorously as it’s freezing.
9.  Do this for the next 2-3 hours or till the ice cream is sufficiently frozen.

Preparing for Primary 1

 

Toilet training: What to expect when

No magic age signals the ideal time to start the process of toilet training. Some children develop the necessary physical and cognitive skills as early as 18 to 24 months, whereas others aren't ready until they're 3 or 4 (boys are often slightly later than girls). Some children get the knack in a few short days, while it can take others a year or more.

What accounts for the wide age range in mastering this skill? Timing. Doctors have a saying about toilet training: If you start at 2 you'll be done by 3; if you start at 3 you'll be done by 3. For most kids, potty training takes 3 to 6 months – though if you get the timing right it may not take this long.

"If you catch them when they're ready, it may only take a month," says Denise Aloisio, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician in Rochester, New York. "But if you miss the signals or don't wait for their cues, it can take six months or more."

Signs of readiness

Your child must be physically ready to start potty training before you have any chance of success, meaning he can hold urine and stay dry for two hours or more (this indicates that his bladder muscles are sufficiently developed to store urine). He also needs to be able to recognize the physical signs that signal when he has to go, and act on them before anything comes out (no small feat when you've never had to think about this before).

It makes it easier, too, if he can pull his clothes up and down by himself. Steer clear of overalls if he can't undo the clasps.

Physical and mental readiness aren't the only factors involved. Motivation is key. If your child demonstrates a desire for independence and shows an interest in imitating others' bathroom habits, it may be an auspicious time to plunge into the process. Children may figure out how to have a bowel movement before they learn to urinate in the potty consistently because it's harder for them to delay urination.

What you can do

Your job as a parent is to make the toilet-training process as natural and non-threatening as possible. Keep a relaxed and positive attitude, and encourage your child to get accustomed to his potty. Let him help pick the potty out at the store, then let him play with it, look inside, sit his teddy bear on it. Then, ask him if he wants to sit on it — with his clothes on at first — so that he can get used to how the seat feels.

If he wants to take a rain check on this, don't push it. Explain how the potty is used in simple terms that he can grasp: "This is for making pee and poop in when you're ready to stop wearing diapers." (Use whatever words you're comfortable with for urine and feces, but be sure he understands them.)

By now your child has probably seen you and your partner use the toilet on many occasions. He may be more interested in just watching at this point. Role models take the mystery and fear out of new things, so let him watch.

After about a week of familiarizing him with the potty with his clothes on, empty the contents of his diaper into the potty, so he sees what's supposed to go in there.

Once your child is willing to use the potty, make it part of his routine — start with after breakfast or before his bath — and gradually increase from once to several times a day. Praise him for his success and brush off accidents or no-shows.

Don't rush to flush: Kids see pee and poop as an extension of their own bodies. They may be fascinated by and proud of what they put in the potty. Some children also like to wave bye-bye to their BMs.

Be careful not to push your child or nag. Just like grown-ups, children are much less receptive when someone is constantly on their case than when they feel like they're in charge.

Instead, watch your child for changes in posture or facial expressions that signal he has to go. If he grabs himself or grunts, for instance, let these be your cues to gently remind him about the potty.

Handle accidents and setbacks calmly and kindly. Just clean up the mess matter-of-factly and suggest that next time he try using his potty. You may also want to switch from disposable diapers to cloth diapers at this stage.

You're more likely to have success with toilet training if you choose a time to plunge into the process when all is reasonably quiet on the home front. As a deadline-oriented adult, it might seem logical to start training a few weeks before the next baby is due, just before your child goes to preschool, or when you're planning to move to a new house.

But 2-year-olds are contrary creatures, and the more they sense your not-so-hidden agenda, the less inclined they are to go along with it. So ditch the deadline, act casual about the whole thing, and let your child "own" the experience.

What to watch out for

If you find yourself getting angry or frustrated about potty progress, or if your child seems to resist toilet training, consider it a sign that you both need to take a breather. Too much pressure to perform can sabotage the whole exercise, so wait until you've regained your patience and your child seems more open to the idea — it could be a couple of days, or even months. If you choose this battle, you will inevitably lose — toilet training can only be mastered with your child's voluntary cooperation.

You should also stop the toilet training if your child is reluctant to use his potty or becomes constipated. If your child has infrequent bowel movements (less than three per week), if he passes either large stools or hard, pebbly stools, or if it is difficult for him to pass a bowel movement, talk with his doctor about possible constipation.

Address his health problem first by varying his diet (bananas are good for firming up BMs while prunes and other fruits are good for loosening them) and getting him to drink lots of liquids. Then you can try toilet training again.

What's ahead

Once your child is using the potty regularly, you'll gradually make the move from diapers to training pants during the day. In preparation for preschool, you may also need to help your child make the shift from the potty to the toilet.

Most children take longer to conquer naptime and nighttime dryness. Don't worry, though, if your child is not ready to take these toileting steps. When he's ready to learn these new big-kid skills, he will (and not a moment sooner).

In real life...

Cupcakes and more cupcakes....

Plan to bring cupcakes to cc's preschool for her birthday - to save the effort of utensils as well as easier for distribution

And just like anything else, be it her clothes or bags, I try not to have any cartoon motif. Because I stand by my belief that kids start from Barney --> Disney Princess --> nike --> LV ! Hence, tend to go for "no brand" graphics of plants and animals

sweetest moments
Friends forever cupcakes, 10 for $31.90
Delivery $15, self collection only from 10am to 5pm at serangoon

cake story
Garden Theme big cupcakes $3 each, minimum 15 pieces

cupcake mama
$2 to $3 per piece, minimum 12 pieces
$15 delivery, self collection at woodlands (can be after office hours)