Dolls that last and last and last...

If you have any sort of commuting to do with toddlers, you know you have to be armed with something to keep them occupied along the way.

The Double-G tag team

Today, Giselle (from the Disney movie Enchanted) and toddler Gingerbread boy (lets just call him George) are our chaperones. I know, I know...Giselle has really let herself go since settling down in "normal life". 

Gingerbread boy is about 10 years old and Giselle, only 7. Grandma had bought George for my two older girls when they were maybe 6 or 7 years old. He's held up pretty well because he was hardly played with really. 

Giselle on the other hand was a doll my husband bought for the second oldest (Miss N) when the movie came out and she loved it lots. 

Once the girls evolved from tweens into teens, the Barbie dolls and toys gradually got packed away. When they were growing up, they even had hand-me-down Barbies from my own childhood. These things just last and last! So now, the twins have hand-me-downs from their older sisters which obviously doesn't bother them one bit. 

But it did get me thinking about how much plastic goes into making these dolls and how many millions of these childhood playthings get tossed into the trash once their once loving owners outgrow them. The S$20 (or US$10) that's spent on one of these dolls is really billions of dollars worth of landfill cost and environmental hazard costs. Those Barbies my mother had kept for my older girls were "recycled" to a family in Indonesia after sifting out the ones my youngest girl wanted. I do wish I had straightened out the old dolls' hair first. Learn how to refresh your old Barbie doll's matted hair here. I'll be trying it on Giselle soon so that she doesn't look so raggedy and will be rightfully restored to her royal princess beauty. Right now she looks like dumpster princess.

I came across some other interesting upcycling of Barbie dolls at Waste Connect such as making jewellery out of Barbie doll parts... um, okay. Creepy much? 

 

(Photo credits to © Margaux Lange 2014. )

But oh well, just try to remember that these toys that bring our children but a moment's pleasure in their whole lifetime really chalks up a huge lot of plastic waste. So, before you go to the toy department, try to find some hand-me-downs or "recycled toys" (Or more recently termed "pre-loved toys") from sellers who haven't the heart to bin them and do your part in saving our earth AND appeasing your fussy toddler at the same time (at a fraction of the retail price, I might add!) 

Awesome parents Save the Earth!! Happy Weekend everybody!

Hop on the Eyeliner Express

Today started really well. Well it started great from last night since I finished the last of my overdue course assignments and ate three quarters of a family sized bar of milk chocolate (hey, brain food you know?!)

3 socks is just right

• I woke up early (despite disrupted sleep spanning all of 5 hours -thanks again to that overdose of sugar and cocoa) 
• Cooked an awesome dinner that's going to be waiting for me when I get home tonight (I wanted to post pictures of my spicy tom yam style soup and stir fried cabbage but that would've made me late and my phone was charging anyway)
• The kids got ready for school fairly fuss free (maybe only a 4 on a scale of 1 - 10) and 3 yr old Mr. I, insisted on wearing 2 socks on 1 foot and 1 on the other...all 3 of different colours. I let him because it's fun and cute and I didn't have time to insist on him adhering to the norm. (Not that he has to at 3 yrs old anyway... When else in his life can he get away with this right?)
• We managed to take the train instead of a cab ($14 saved! Woot woot!) 

GIMME!!!

And as I put my make up on in the train and the twins have a book each (still trying to snatch the other's of course but that was settled reasonably without me having to yell), I thought to myself, "Wow! I wish I could take a picture of me before and after my 15 minute make up routine and explain to mothers rushing to work everywhere that you really don't have to care what other commuters think cos you win - getting the kids settled and happily on the way to work and using commute time for self-grooming and not looking like a mess when you get there."

Then I chanced upon this video. What could you be doing instead of self-grooming? and I felt really accomplished! This habit of putting my make up on during commutes to work has always saved me time and given me some awesome eye liner control skills. It's like I've got built-in suspension in my arm now - be it moving car or train, that eye liner is going on, baby! I do everything from the concealer under my eyes to the lipstick on prepped lipbalmed lips. The twins usually want some lip balm too so that's worked into the make up routine. 17 years I've been doing this so I'm an expert of sorts you could say... after a while, you realize that nobody's actually looking. I always fantasize about someone taking a video of me whilst I go from bleah to bam! and posting it on youtube or something and some beauty magazine will want to interview me for my super make up on a moving train skills... Yeah, right. The caption for that video would be something more like "Mother with twins struggles to get make up on whilst breaking up a toddler tussle"...so exciting.

eye liner express

Yes we don't really NEED make up but it's nice to feel like we can do something for ourselves for 15 minutes and not "lose productivity". 

So, like Tracey Spicer says in the video - just minimize it to what you can get by with and don't give a damn about the bullshit that society expects of you. 

And give yourself a pat on the back for being awesome yet again!! ;)

Parents need to be Rhinos

What are some of the most embarrassing questions your kids have asked you in public? Especially when in a crowded train or waiting at a bus stop full of people... or even better, when everyone's praying in church. 

In my 17 years of parenting, these have been our super "I wish I had a bag over my head now" moments... 

1. Mommy, why do you have a bum bum? ~ Miss J at 3 years old in a crowded train.
2. Mommy, the sperm swims to the egg right? ~ In a crowded bus, thanks to school teaching about human reproduction when Miss E was 8 years old.
3. Dad, this is where Aunty Nancy used to stay with Uncle Luke right? ~ Whilst in the cab with Aunty Nancy's new boyfriend Uncle Mel... then when gestured to shush up, Miss E at 9 years old says "Oh you mean Uncle Mel didn't know about Uncle Luke?" *facepalm*
4. "So big! So big! Why? Why Mommy? Why??" ~ Mr. I at almost 2 years old when a large woman entered the elevator with us.

Ah... memories. Parents really need to have skin as thick as a rhino's hide and the social cool to answer such questions without lying... somehow.

Well take a tip from Ellen Seidmen on handling the most embarrassing moments with your kiddo without embarrassing yourself. 

And laugh yourself silly when you remind the lil' Miss or Mister about their unabashed questions when they're 17 years old... like I did. Hahaaaa

Things I wish I could do for my kids

I subscribe to plenty of early childhood education and home schooling blogs, websites and Facebook pages - everything ranging from teaching the Reggio Emilia way to funtastic art & craft ideas from preschool aged children.

I get so many wonderful, awesome articles and ideas everyday but except for making play dough and cornstarch goop I haven't really gone far with doing anything more. Sound familiar? I'm so glad we're on the same wavelength here. 

I would love to hear how you cope as working parents, parenting toddlers... did I mention that my toddlers are twin 3 year olds? Like, how do you get to work on time? How do you have enough energy to wake up at the crack of dawn to get your kids ready for school AND get to work on time? How do you even have time to eat? Or do you eat at all?? I know some days it feels like this but to those of you coping without help at home, you are my idols! Making these DIY toys and crafts are waaaaay down the list...

Despite the lack of energy, time and resources to do more, we can always admire and dream of the creativity and handiness these "super craft moms" possess. 

However, with the weekend soon upon us maybe we could gather a few things on lunch break or on the usual marketing trip to make these super duper amazing fun Discovery Bottles by Familylicious and buy ourselves that 15 minutes of peace to have lunch... at 5 o'clock in the afternoon... 

Magical Science Discovery bottles by Familylicious... Heck, I'd love to play with these to destress!

:) Happy days awesome imperfect parents! Keep on keeping on.