Unplugged, unwired, disconnect

I’m not so Amish that I have never used the TV, laptop or phone to entertain E – especially in a time crunch emergency. Let’s be honest: a lot can be done during the half hour that Manny mends something.

But I’m not comfortable with how essential these gadgets and gizmos have become on kids’ play list. So I’m always looking for ways to occupy E with toys that don’t require a plug point or batteries. Blocks, Play Doh, finger painting, colouring, drawing, reading, running around, playing in his plastic pool, chasing birds, picking up leaves...honestly, I’m running out of ideas and Manny is still winning by a mile!

My latest discovery is a plastic version of a Japanese fishing game. The original net is actually made with paper that will disintegrate in the water so kids race against time to scoop out as many live fish as possible.( I know this because they did this once on Amazing Race Asia. It’s ok; my mom is fine with me watching TV.)

I found this in Daiso, and E and I spent the better half of Saturday morning fishing, creating mini whirlpools in the basin and getting wet. For some educational value, I tried to get him to fish by colours, shapes and numbers, but mostly, we just fished for fun.

He managed a half hour on the game and probably could have gone on longer if I didn’t pull him away because he was thoroughly soaked!

Did he learn anything? I don’t know. Is there any use in knowing how to fish floating plastic bits? But I’d like to think manipulating the net helped develop his motor skills and because there was so much risk of mayhem, I was forced to stay put and play with him instead of checking Facebook or reading the papers.

Tomorrow he’ll probably be asking for ‘Hot Dog!’ (that’s code for Mickey Mouse) but today, it’s 1 for me, 0 for the wired world.

It’s the big 2!

Where did the time go? It seemed like it wasn’t too long ago that I was desperately trying to pacify a wailing baby who had cried for 3 hours non-stop.

And now, look at him! He loves running around aimlessly with mad exuberance, chatters non-stop (albeit in baby language still), knows the alphabets and numbers 1 to 10, and is a super bossy little fellow.

I went into party planning frenzy for his first birthday. 3D cake, cupcakes, party packs, booked up a restaurant, the works! And afterwards, I wondered why I invited so many people, many of whom made the invite list only because they had kids – not because we were even that close! And why all the fuss? E didn’t even know what was going on.

This year, more practical heads will prevail. Forget the sugar-loaded 3D cake that nearly gave me diabetes. Forget a restaurant-based party with proper food; he can only sit still for an hour anyway and I’m still rather strict about his diet. And forget the guest list! He only has 5 friends, 4 of whom are at the babysitter’s – and 1 always bites him (maybe she’s not his friend, hmm....).

But there will still be some fanfare, just at a much smaller scale. We’ll bring cupcakes to the babysitter’s house, let the kids run around in the garden like mad elves for a bit, split the goodies (and let their parents deal with the sugar high later that night) and go home. For a 2-year old, I think that’s equal to the party of the year.

Here, have a look at my ‘mood board’. Well, yeah, I couldn’t resist some level of frenzy.