February 7, 2010
I used Phoon Huat’s muffin flour, with creamy creamy President french butter…
The melty chocolate chips, also from Phoon Huat…
“Ibu, can I have some more please…”
February 3, 2010
We turned 2 yesterday alhamdulillah, but I was away for work, and I did not have the chance to post this up. But today is apt too, cos exactly 2 years ago, at this time, we were having our first quiet moment together as a couple… after the crazy two days of marriage ceremonies. I remember how quickly he whisked me away from the house full of relatives, and we escaped to the car to say a private hello to each other. That moment, in the car, was I believe the symbolic start of our journey together… I realised at that moment, and in the days that followed in the beautiful Maghreb, how lucky I was to have married a fellow traveler in this journey in life, how lucky I was to have not just found love, but a partner in His work, and a best friend…
Fast forward 2 years, and I feel so thankful that Allah placed this wonderful, forgiving man in my life. Who would have thought that the studious boy who I thought was quite dull, and the stuck up girl he thought I was would fall in love years later, and be here right now. We’re two! Two! I know it doesn’t sound like a lot, but I feel as though we have been married many, many more. I thought I was the only one who felt this way but D confessed he felt the same. Is it a bad thing, we wonder? Or are we just sooo comfortable with each other that we feel we’ve been married for a long time? Or is it that so much has happened in these two years? I admit, we have packed a lot into 2 years; my pregnancy, the birth of our darling ‘Umar and the subsequent year of us figuring out how to be parents. D changed jobs, and we’ve also kept our promise to travel and explore Allah’s earth together. We’ve gone away more than D would have liked, the prudent man that he is, but I am grateful for all those amazing adventures that have strengthened our relationship, and I look forward to much more.
Looking back, I must say we have been blessed with so much, and our love has only strengthened the past two years. I hope our marriage has made us better persons as individuals, and I can only pray He will continue to guide and protect us just as he has been doing the past 2 years. We have been through deep valleys and have been on mountaintops. Literally, and figuratively. I am beyond grateful that Allah has allowed me to experience a glimpse of His love for me through the love that I’ve found in our marriage. Not just the love between us both, but an increased Love for him, and others around us… our son and our parents most definitely. There’s something about marriage and parenting that makes you appreciate your parents so much more than before… you realised it must not have been easy for them, and so you try, best as you can, to place them high on your priorities list in spite of now having a family of your own.
When I think about our marriage, I think about how amazing it is that Allah, in His infinite wisdom, has planned and formed this relationship. How love between two people, for the sake of Allah, can foster more love… love of doing good, love of filial piety, love of our children, our family, and by extension, our community. What used to be difficult and challenging, is now made easy by this partnership.. what used to be blur and unguided, is now a much more defined plan that just needs careful and consistent (istiqamah) execution. Yes we get distracted sometimes, but we always have each other to motivate, to remind. Its like everything falls in place. Not that it’s perfect at all, but it’s such a beautiful picture. We have our down and difficult days… but as a team we always always sort it out, and get things back on track again alhamdulillah. May Allah continue to help and Guide us…. and continue to protect and foster this Love as He has done for the past 2 years…
Abang, thank you for all that you have done and sacrificed, for me, and our little boy. Thank you for your patience with me, your generosity, your guidance and reminders, and most of all, your love. It has been a good ride. Strike that. It has been a great ride. I look forward to many more years and adventures with you inshaAllah. You ask me if the fact that we feel we’ve been married a long time means we’re tired of each other. I think not. I could not have asked for a more loving, more responsible husband… or a more doting father to my son. It feels like I’ve known and loved you all my life, cos you are like… an old sweater. Comfortable, cosy, lovely smelling… I can never tire snuggling with you. You keep me warm, and safe. Best of all, you stretched to accommodate my stretching girth, loving me in spite of the love(ly) handles I’ve acquired.
Happy Anniversary Abang. I’m blessed to have you in my life. I love you more and more every day and I can’t wait to look back in 50 more years and say “I thought I loved you then”…
January 24, 2010
To me, a quintessential Sunday is one where the order of the day is to do nothing, and just clear your mind, before the busy work week starts again. I’ve been feeling a little under the weather, so my best friend told me to take things easy and not cram a bezillion things to do on my precious Sunday. I took her advice and did just that. After the regular Sunday grocery shopping, we went home.. and made no further plans for the day. I cooked lunch, and attempted the Quintessential Chocolate Chip Cookies… my second bake from Sherry Yard.
You know, I’ve always wondered why, while chocolate chip cookies are supposedly so easy to make, and often the first bake attempt of a 12 year old, I never managed to PERFECT that chocolate chip cookie. You know the type that that tastes like those you get out of the pretty bell jars of coffee houses and hotels. Which is why I really appreciate Happygrub cookbook gifts, cos the detailed instructions (and stories behind each recipe!) makes for fantastic first attempts. These cookies with huge chucks of chocolate were really really good… so good I’m a little worried D would get addicted to them. Oh I should add that this was also my first time baking with Valhorna Guanaja, a Happygrub favourite 
An extract from the cookbook below:
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From Desserts by the Yard:
Quintessential Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Makes 48 cookies)
One day Thomas Boyce, who was then a line cook at Spago and is now the chef de cuisine, grabbed one of my chocolate chip cookies, looked intently at it, and said, “The best chocolate chip cookie should have a reflective aspect to it, like this.” What he meant was that the chips should be large and shiny. To achieve this, you have to use high-quality chocolate. I use bulk chocolate (you can find this in restaurant supply stores) with 64 percent cocoa content and good fluidity. A good brand is Callebaut. I cut the chocolate into 1-inch pieces so that my cookies have substantial chunks, which do shine and certainly melt in your mouth. I prefer to shape the dough into logs and chill before baking. If you need to bake right away, spoon heaping tablespoons 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1-inch pieces*
Method:
1. Place racks in the middle and lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour and baking soda and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter on medium speed until lemony yellow, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Continue creaming the mixture on medium speed until it is smooth and lump-free, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.
4. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed for 15 seconds, or until the egg is fully incorporated. Do not overbeat. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. On low speed, add the sifted flour mixture. Beat slowly until all of the flour is incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the chocolate chunks and mix in.
*If you soften the chocolate briefly in the microwave, you will be able to cut it up without the chocolate breaking into little shards. Place on a plate or small cutting board in the microwave and zap three times for 5 seconds each.
6. Remove small handfuls or spoonfuls of one half of the dough from the bowl and center them along the bottom of a sheet of parchment or waxed paper, creating a log about 11/2 inches wide and 12 inches long. Fold the parchment over, creating a sausage. Twist the ends over and wrap in plastic. Repeat with the remaining dough. Chill for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight. (The dough can also be frozen, well wrapped, for up to 2 weeks.) When the dough has chilled, remove it from the paper, and using a serrated knife, slice 1/3-inch-thick rounds off the log. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. (To bake the dough without chilling, see headnote.)
7. Bake, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through the baking, for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and slide the parchment off the baking sheets onto a work surface. Cool the baking sheets between batches. Allow the cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving, or allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. (They will keep for up to 3 days at room temperature.)
Sherry’s Secrets
If you want your cookies to be flat and crispy, when you go to turn the baking sheets from front to back halfway through the baking, tap them down on the inside of the oven door before sliding them back in. This will cause the rising cookies to fall.
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By the way, I came across a great post with all the tips that I wish someone had given me when I was baking my first chocolate chip cookie as a 12 year old. After all these years of overbaked, underbaked, too thin, too thick, too chewy, too crunchy cookies… I finally learnt what makes a fabulous humble chocolate chip cookie. The recipe comparison at the end of the post is so enlightening. I love Yard’s and will definitely try Greenspan’s and Daley’s next!
It just seems like a must-have mommy skill you know, to make great chocolate chip cookies. I was very encouraged today when ‘Umar gestured to the cookie jar… he really loved the cookies, so that makes two boys!
January 23, 2010
I touched down last night, determined to spend quality time with D and ‘Umar this weekend…
After ‘Umar’s swim class, he very promptly nodded off to sleep, so we took the opportunity to enjoy some quiet couple time at Jones The Grocer @ Dempsey nearby. I loved the coffee… would have had more than a cup if D had let me. Thanks FH for the recommendation… their coffee blend is really gorgeous! I had the mochaccino and D had his strawberry-banana milkshake (my man is so predictable)… see how his fingers are so possessively wrapped around them!
Then the boy woke up and wanted lunch. We headed for Zam Zam to feed him junk food the mamak way. Don’t ask me how we got there when it wasn’t even on the way home. Somehow conversations between a husband and wife who hasn’t met for a couple of days can cause a lot of missed turns! Zam Zam murtabak, which I daresay is the best in all of Asia, and maybe the world, never fail to disappoint. Although ‘Umar hasn’t really taken to greasy food and preferred to go hungry.. which is a good thing! Cos it means more super-greasy-but-yummy murtabak for me!
P.S. Weekends in Singapore is a series of photo blogging entries I’m only just starting. Cos why just blog about vacations when we all do many equally interesting things here at home on our short, but meaningful weekends?
Alhamdulilah for Home…
cos I think we don’t say that enough.
January 23, 2010
This was a couple of Sundays ago on Arab St, with my beloved halaqah sisters. Fika is pretty little place at the end of Arab St… perfect for our girlfriend rendezvous. It was a long overdue gathering, and we had (tactically) arranged for some of our hubbies to have teh tarek together nearby, while us girls caught up over coffee, cake and swedish meatballs, and the babies kept themselves entertained…
My little boy saying hello to Iman the “Umar way”… he’s a little too friendly and may come on a little too strongly with his pawing and hugs and kisses… I like to think he’s very ukhuwwah (Islamic brotherhood) – oriented!
My compulsory cup of coffee… D wasn’t there so I had seconds!
Helwaa gifting… I love this shot!
All of us! Almost. We missed you Kia (and Baby Amelie) and Marlina (and Baby ‘Ammar)!
My verdict on the place? They tried to be as baby-friendly as possible, but I think its more a place for quiet adult conversation, without little hands threatening to topple over the pretty cups and plates Food was pretty high quality, desserts just alright, but overall a tad pricey (relative to the small servings). You pay for the pretty ambience I suppose, and for this reason alone, I’d sure go back for a quiet afternoon coffee with D.
January 21, 2010
The sun came up and when I looked through the curtains, I can see Manukan Island beckoning me. I slept literally on the beach, cos if I open my ground floor balcony door, and walk 100 steps, the waves would probably touch my feet.
But nope, no snorkelling or swimming for me this time.. as I’m here on work assignment, without my two boys. What’s the beach without them? Ok sorry sorry, its still a wonderful creation of His, but you know what I mean. This travel assignment marks the start of a series over the next few weeks. I could let myself get depressed over being away from ‘Umar, or I could tell myself that work is an amanah (trust, responsibility), that I signed a contractual agreement in full knowledge of the travel requirements of the job, and lastly, something we all forget sometime when we whine about work, we are being paid a salary for this. So I’ve told myself to quit whining and just do my job well.
I’m making the most of my time here, using all the empty pockets of time, that comes with not having a baby and husband, by being a diligent employee working after hours, going to the gym after official dinners, blogging, reading the Quran without interruptions and taking long baths. I don’t sleep very well away from ‘Umar… cos my body’s trained to wake up every couple of hours to nurse him. So I’ve been up since before the sun peeked on Tanjung Aru, and now I’m off to take a long walk on the beach, before meeting boss for breakfast.
Missing you my little baby… but this photo taken on one of our own Singapore beaches made me smile this morning. You’ve got such an infectious curiosity for His creations… love you baby see you tomorrow night
P.S. Yes I’m not the sort of mother who worries about her little one getting dirty. I love to let him explore textures, sights, sounds, especially out in the nature. Seeing the world through his eyes is just amazing. All I need is some wet wipes, and an extra change of clothes handy, and I’m fine with ‘Umar crawling around on the grass, sand and strange places (urm, shopping malls, but that’s more cos I need my hands free for shopping and ‘Umar just can’t sit still in the stroller!). He’s such a curious explorer its a good thing he stopped putting his hands in his mouth already!
January 18, 2010
My dear ‘Umar,
The day has arrived, and you are now officially 1 year old my little baby. Ibu still cannot believe it has been 365 days since I first held you in my arms. I still think about that day. All I need to do is close my eyes, focus a little and I am still lying down on the surgery table, holding you for the first time, looking at your tiny face and your two alert little eyes staring back at me. I’m still stuck in that fragment of time. And I wish I would never ever come out of it..
The memories of your first year my darling, as I look back over the days and months of the last year, are vivid and poignant. Ibu remember how we waited anxiously for your arrival over the 2 days of labour, how I talked to you, coaxing you to come out and meet us. Ibu remember the moment you were placed on Ibu’s chest and I looked into your eyes and feel completely, irrevocably in love. I remember holding you close and smelling that heaven scent of yours, wanting to keep you in my arms as long as I possibly could. I remember the first time I brought you to my breast, how eagerly you suckled, how you looked at me with those expressive eyes, as if reassuring Ibu that its gonna be all right, putting away all of Ibu’s insecurities about motherhood, breastfeeding… everything. You’re doing a good job, Ibu, you seem to say. I just looked at you and knew, in my heart, that we’re gonna be a great team, with Allah’s help and protection.
And we have been a great team alhamdulillah, you, Ibu and Ayah. We smile to remember the joys of all your firsts… your first social smile, rolling over, sitting up, laughing, eating your first grub, crawling, getting your first teeth, playing a game of peekaboo…. developing that charming, curious and playful personality.
Looking at the world through your eyes have been such an adventure. Your keen observation of everything around you is a good reminder to us how you will not only pick up our good habits, but also all our bad ones. So you make us aspire to be better persons, better role models for you. You never ceased to amaze us at how much you are absorbing, when we least notice it. I will never forget these moments… when as a 8 month old, you took my flashdrive and tried to poke it into the computer’s USB port (I made a silent du’a that perhaps, one day, you would be a computer engineer)… when as a 9 month old, you would enthusiastically crawl to your book basket when we ask “Umar do you want to read a book?”… when as a 10 month old you would pick up a mobile phone and hold it near your ears. At 11 months, you started doing the salam, kissing the hand of anyone who offers you one, then you would automatically wave “bye-bye”, not yet understanding that you can salam at “hello” too. And lately, you have been bumping your head a whole lot. You have bruises from crawling into and through small spaces, knocking your head on table legs and table tops. You, my little darling, have absolutely no fear, jumping off the edge of everything, the bed, the pool, the stairs.. thankfully we have been there to catch you each and every time so far. Seems like you always want to take the bull by its horns, nothing is too scary, no mountain (or stairs) too high.
Whenever we catch a glimpse of something new that you learnt, we sometimes wish we could record on video every single day with you. A tiny part of me would love to freeze this video in time and hold onto you as a 1 year old forever. But I always have to chide myself, for Allah has blessed me such a healthy and thriving little boy subhanAllah, and no mother should du’a that her child stays a baby forever. Not mentally, nor emotionally or physically. I know I couldn’t convince you to stay a baby and let me hold you forever, so I will hold onto the memories of each day with you instead. No promises, but I’ll try not to annoy you someday with stories of your adorable childhood…
My dear ‘Umar, you make me feel so privileged to be given the gift to love and care for you. I cannot look at you without thinking of how Allah has given us the tremendous blessing of being your parents. He has blessed us in ways we could never imagined, and we can only du’a that we make good this amanah of raising you. They say that everyone inherits the qualities related to his/her particular name. We pray that it continues to be true for you, as we see your personality emerging to be the strong-headed, intelligent, sensitive, energetic and charismatic boy that you are. And love, oh you’re such a loving little boy… Like your namesake you may be strongheaded on the outside but you’re so full of love. I see love in your eyes when you look at me while nursing, I see love in your heart when you crawl onto my lap when I read the Quran, I see how much you love your peers when you reach out to other babies to pat them, hug them, giving them open-mouth wet kisses (often making them cry cos you come on too strongly my dear!). May your love towards Him and all those around you grow with your age. And may all your virtues be a source of “coolness for our eyes” one day… and a blessing to the community, Ameen.
Oh I love this “haiya’alassolah” shot By the way, oh yes… everyone asks if and when you will start walking. When do you suppose my dear? You seem to be in no hurry and we have no intent of rushing you. Sometimes you will humour Ibu by standing up and taking a tottering lurch towards me before giving up, resuming your quadrapedic lifestyle, and crawling to your destination in a flash. Its just easier and faster isn’t it? I suppose you see no reason to change what’s already efficient *grin* Take your time sayang. Those wobbly little legs, which just about carry your weight now, will one day carry the weight of your dreams, desires and expectations. As you go through each milestone in your life, remember to always seek Him for direction… then take small, but sure steps my dear son…
… and we’ll be here, right behind you.
Happy birthday ‘Umar
May Allah keep you in His protection always.
January 18, 2010
Made Sherry Yard’s fugdy “Out of This World Brownies” over the weekend for my little boy’s birthday bbq. Work has been ugh, too busy, so I thought I’d be unambitious and start with a new brownie recipe and attempt a cake proper next year. Oh, pls save your well-wishing comments for ‘Umar for my next bday dedication entry… hopefully up by tonight, cos he’s one today! Just posting this up first cos someone’s bugging me for it!
To family who were lucky enough to overdose on my brownies, you MAY leave comments to tell me how “out of this world” they were!
From Desserts by the Yard by Sherry Yard
(Another cookbook gift from Happygrub! How lucky a girlfriend am I…)
Tip: You can use this handy conversion chart.. I have this pasted on my fridge.
3/4 C + 2 T all purpose flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 C (one stick) unsalted butter, chopped
1 oz unsweetened chocolate (Yard recommends Michel Cluizel Noir Infini 99% but I used couverture choc from Phoon Huat)
7 oz bittersweet chocolate (Yard recommends Scharfeen Berger but I used… some Belgian choc)
2 large eggs
1 C sugar
Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with pan spray.
Sift together flour and salt and set aside.
Melt the butter and both chocolates (either in the microwave or on the stove). Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Allow to cool to 90F.
Using a stand or hand mixer, beat together the eggs and sugar until fluffy. With a whisk, gently beat in the butter and chocolate. Fold in the flour.
Scrape batter into prepared pan and place in oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through. Brownies should be slightly firm to the touch and a crust should form on the top. A toothpick will not come out clean.
Allow to cool in pan to room temperature before serving.
Additional tip from Happygrub: Don’t try to cut the brownies when warm, it will be too soft and crumbly. When cool, pop it in the fridge for an hour or so and cut when chilled. Serve at room temperature. For a prettier effect, dust with icing sugar before serving.
January 6, 2010
Motivated by ‘Umar’s sponge-like capacity for learning subhanAllah, we are exploring how we can better teach ‘Umar to read the Quran and learn Arabic. Having started the Doman programme we are now curious on whether the same “teaching whole words” method would work in Arabic. My Googling hasn’t got me very far… after over more than 40 years of Doman’s Gentle Revolution, yes the Arabic version has been developed, but it appears to be available only in Indonesia. Help.
In the absence of any organised literature on the subject so far, I did my own mulling, and concluded that the Doman method can well be applied to Arabic, but probably needs some tweaking? Since the Arabic alphabet has at least 3 forms; at the beginning and middle and end, as well as the vowel marks or tashkeel, it does seem like it would be very confusing indeed to introduce whole Arabic words to the child without a proper introduction to the alphabets and the tashkeel. Intuitively, the Iqra’ reading system that was made popular in our part of the world seemed the closest to the Doman method, as it is a kind of phonics system where you don’t have to know the alphabets to read, but just read according to the sound of the Arabic vowel patterns. Remember how Book 1 starts with the alphabet and then add the short vowels… this seems like an ideal way to start. Hmm… I’m tempted to produce my own flashcards from Iqra Book 1 and 2.
I have looked through all the materials in the Islamic bookstores here but find that most of the flashcards only stop at introducing the Arabic alphabets. There are some word flashcards in the stores but often the illustration is bigger than the word. I have yet to find a Quranic Arabic reading system that I think ‘Umar will find stimulating, after learning English the Doman and Titzer way. So far we have only introduced these two basic materials to ‘Umar…
My Arabic Number Book – I really love this book, the words and illustrations are really clear and colourful.
and My Baby’s First Quranic Book – A very basic alphabet book passed down from ‘Umar’s cousin (thanks Kakak Huda!)
While we are still looking for suitable flashcard / reading material, I’m reading up on forums regarding the best way to teach Quranic Arabic to toddlers, and have found some very interesting discussions and materials uploaded online by parents around the world subhanAlllah. This powerpoint presentation on the Arabic alphabets with the Fathah is just one example. SubhanAllah for the internet. May Allah bless all the selfless parents out there who share the materials they painstakingly developed with unknown parents like me from halfway around the globe.
There are alot of e-flashcards online but I prefer the physical flashcards… cos (a) I believe in the importance of parent-child interaction in the teaching to read, (b) I like how the child can touch, feel and play with the word card, (c) flashcards are portable, you can learn anytime anywhere, and (d) I think we need to reduce electronic exposure to TV and PC where we can! Oh our poor little baby’s eyes. Hmm looks like I may have to create my own. Oh no… I’m not very patient with things that involve handiwork. I hate cutting, pasting and writing!
I will share more as I learn more along the way, but for now I welcome any suggestions, ideas and past experiences. There seems to be a dearth of materials on teaching Quranic Arabic to very very young children, and I’m excited to explore what else we can do to nurture a love for the Quran in our little ‘Umar, apart from frequent exposure to us parents reading the Quran, and listening to recitations in the car and around the house…
May He guide us in this journey…
January 5, 2010
When we first realised that Umar can read, the first thing D said to me was: “Don’t blog about this.”
I nodded. I was just stunned at that moment. Part of me felt proud of him. But part of me felt scared too, scared of myself. I didn’t want to shout out and tell the world, not until I’m able to make sense of the hows and whys. In my head I was just thinking “SubhanAllah, subhanAllah…” and the Spiderman quote “With great power comes great responsibility.”
Hehe. So drama.
You see, I have always had this fear of turning into the psycho-nut Singaporean parent. You know the sort, there’s no need for me to describe. Which is partly the reason why we introduced ‘Umar to a reading programme quite late, well late compared to other parents who start from birth. I always thought the idea of flash-carding a baby seemed bizarre, and well, a little kiasu.
It wasn’t till ‘Umar was 6 months, and I noticed his early love for words. Although we started reading to Umar since he was born, we did it more to cultivate an early love for books and reading and not so much to teach him how to read. We enjoy the bonding that books provide, and it is Umar’s favourite winding down routine at the end of the day. But apart from these reading sessions, we started to notice him paying particular attention to words around the house; peering at words on D’s t-shirts, on the notes stuck on the refrigerator, or when words come on the television. This was when I started to wonder if I was in fact not doing justice to my son’s amazing thirst for learning subhanaAllah.
So I talked to a friend who I suspected did a reading programme for her baby. I say “suspected”, cos just like me, she was also a tad bit embarrassed about being a “super-on” parent. But cos I knew that this lovely sister would not do something unless she strongly believes it will contribute to the development of her son as a purposeful servant of Allah, I sought her counsel. We chatted, met bawah block, went through materials.. and then she told me to check out this blog, and from then on, as I discovered The Gentle Revolution, I was hooked. And relieved.
I was relieved to learn that it IS possible to teach your child many many things without being a psycho-nut parent. I was relieved to learn that there is a reading programme out there that is about celebrating each child’s strengths and potential, one that stresses on enjoying the process of learning.. and one that lets our children teach us how much they love to learn. I bought, borrowed and stole the various Doman books, and I daresay we are raising our son daughter differently from what we would otherwise have done without having read these books. Its not just about teaching your baby to read or do math, but its a parenting style that Doman advocates.. one that nurtures and respects the child’s love for learning, and encourages parents to actively participate in the learning process and challenge your child to fulfill his or her potential, and not leave his or her learning to “chance”.
We were very fortunate that D’s sister already had the Doman “How to Teach Your Baby to Read” and “How to Teach Your Baby Math” sets (thanks Kak Long!). And we were even more fortunate to be blessed with a helper who is so supportive and has been my partner in developing a nurturing learning environment for our little Umar at home. At 6 months, ‘Umar started the Doman reading programme with Nik during the day, and me doing one session at night. We were never very consistent about it… abandoning the programme when Umar fell ill, or when the household got busy. Which is what the book recommends too, to take breaks and not try to cram the programme into your schedule cos it will just make everything forced and not fun anymore. So as long as we had time, and Umar enjoyed the very very short reading sessions (his eyes would light up when we take out the cards), we would do it. Along the way, we bought the fantastic Your Baby Can Read DVDs by Dr Titzer, which is really using the same method as Doman, but with visual description so the child learns faster. We also started using the smaller, more portable flashcards from the same series… the lift-the-flap kind which Umar really enjoys cos he gets to see the actions after we read the word to him.
A few weeks ago, I started playing word games with Umar.. and this was when we realised our little 11 month old baby can read subhanAllah. Part of me wants to think its a coincidence that he picks out the right words, but I tell myself if I don’t believe in my own child, who will. I must believe in Allah’s great bounties too, and with each new word that Umar learns, I must remember to make du’a that he grows up to be a du’at who uses his knowledge in His cause. SubhanAllah, I am so encouraged by ‘Umar’s thirst for learning… may Allah keep me steadfast and patient!
Here’s little ‘Umar during one of our word games session. This is not testing, this is problem-solving. Testing is an absolute no-no in the Doman-method. Hope this video motivates my mommy-friends who have already started to introduce gentle reading programmes to your little ones… or are thinking about it! But reminder to myself especially, don’t get too carried away please.. just enjoy your baby, and add this to the fun that you already having every day
Video description: Umar picks out cards in the “word game” that we occasionally play after reading sessions. He gets distracted, which is normal for babies his age, cos of their mobility, and their incredible curiousity about the world. In the interest of keeping file size small, I had to edit the video to erase the long time I spent waiting for him to come back and finish playing the game. Patience pays off, as he eventually agreed to pick out another word. Noticing his restlessness, I end the game. An important Doman rule is “Stop before your baby wants to stop”.. to keep him always thirsty for it. I switched off the video, and offscreen, showered him with hugs and kisses, telling him how wonderful he is and how much I love teaching him. This last bit, though unrecorded, is the most crucial part of the teaching process SubhanAllah.
May Allah guide us to become good parents to little ‘Umar, to teach him to seek beneficial knowledge.. knowledge that increases his Iman and Taqwa to our Lord… knowledge that will guide him to better serve his community, in the pursuit of the pleasure of Allah. Ameen!
December 30, 2009
This is for all my mommy friends who are thinking of introducing swimming to your little ones. Since we’ve been having so much fun in the water with ‘Umar, I thought I should share abit about the joy and benefits of infant swimming, as well as the swim school that ‘Umar is enrolled in (psst to Kak Mar sorry I took so long to answer ur qn!).
From babyswimming.com, a great website about infant and toddler swimming:
The benefits of “baby-friendly”, infant/toddler swimming are unique, uplifting and contribute to the positive development of the whole child. Through the soothing medium of water, we are able to tap into the child’s potential, both within and without.
Researchers have documented that the stimulating effect of child-paced infant/toddler swimming lessons has the potential to increase intelligence, concentration, alertness, and perceptual abilities. Improvement in social, emotional and physical development has also been published. Of course, the manifestation of such inspired cognitive, personal and motor development takes time, patience and repetition.
We read up quite a bit about swimming for infants before we decided to enrol him in swim school. Once we were convinced of its benefits, we went hunting around for a swim school that runs gentle, child-centered programs in a fun and positive environment. We saw the swim centre that uses a neck float in a tub, but there was just something unnatural about putting a neck float on a baby and leaving him alone to swim in a tub. We thought skin-to-skin bonding with parents should feature strongly in an aquatic programme. We did borrow the neck float and tried it with Umar once or twice and while he enjoyed the water, he never could stand having something around his neck for very long.
So we were lucky to have found aquaDucks / Swim Centre Verhoef. They ticked off all the requirements of a baby-friendly aquatic programme. Their coaches are swim coaches trained in early childhood development, and their lessons use toys, games, songs, motion and verbal communication to stimulate learning interactions. Their lessons are child-paced, focusing on building the child’s self confidence, personal development.. and most importantly, respectful of each child’s feelings during the learning process. Not once have I seen the coaches push a child too hard, or rushing the child to do what he/she is not ready to. Their style is very nurturing and patient, forever smiling and expressing joy in learning, which fits well with our own parenting philosophy.
We enrolled ‘Umar as an aquaDuck at the class in Tanglin Village when he was about 8 months. It has been so much fun that I feel selfish not blogging about it. Though the emphasis is on the fun and bonding (majority of the parents that join the lessons are daddies), alhamdulillah after just 2 months of lessons, Umar’s able to demonstrate the following skills: close his eyes and hold his breath on cue when dipped underwater, perform a sitting jump off the side of the pool (we sing humpty dumpty as a cue!) and reach for and grab onto the side of the pool, an important safety skill.
I highly recommend aquaDucks, and Coach Nurun in particular; she’s so good with the babies… ‘Umar loves her! Alhamdulillah, though ‘Umar started lessons a little later than the recommended 6 months, he was already very comfortable in the water by the time he started classes. Why does ‘Umar love the water so much? It could be the swimming and snorkeling I enjoyed while I was pregnant with him, or it could be the fact that I spent some time labouring in the water to ease my contractions, but I think what was most critical to our little ‘Umar’s love for water at such an early age was the homebathing tips sent by Coach Nurun when he was 4 months, which I’m happy to share below. Our first email exchange follows…
I wrote…..
Hi,
My baby just turned 4 months. Is it possible to start him on lessons at this age? I am interested in your complimentary trial session. We are heading to the Maldives for a vacation in early June and would love to learn some basic safety rules as parents, when handling baby in a pool/lagoon.
She wrote…..
Hi
Thank you for your email and interest in the aquaDucks program.
We encourage infants to start lessons at 6 months mainly for the
following reasons;
- Their neck is normally stronger and can hold their head steadily by this age
- They are like to have their necessary vaccination jabs
- They are able to express themselves better
Of course there is still a lot you can do at home now. Please see attached a home bathing article written by the aquaDucks founder Koen Verhoef. This is something you can do daily in the comfort of your own home.
As for your vacation, just a couple of tips:
- Keep the water sessions short (30 minutes at any one time would be
sufficient)
- Be sure to dry baby’s ears and hair thoroughly after the pool session and before entering an air-conditioned area (although in Maldives there is hardly
air-conditioned area!)
- It can be very windy in Maldives so have extra towels ready for quick wrap
up after pool session to keep baby warm and dry.
- Would be good idea to put on some baby sunscreen to protect baby’s skin from the sunny skies in Maldives.
- Always supervise the child (even if using a floating device)!
- If going into sea water with baby, please be mindful to ensure he does not ingest too much water.
If you are going to be residing in a villa in the Maldives, they tend to come with large bath tubs. You can fill the tub with water and practise the home bathing tips with you child then. The tubs are huge so it is kind of a swimming pool, of sorts for baby!
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to email us, even while in the Maldives! We are pleased to help where we can.
Best regards,
Nurun Anwar
Swim Centre Verhoef
That’s 4 month old Umar and me in the lovely lovely (subhanaAllah!) waters of the Maldives. I used a Wallababy water mesh sling in the water, and in the shower when practicing the above homebathing tips in the shower. Hope this post proves useful to all my mommy readers out there who are looking forward to have a splashing good time with your little ones!
Finally, thank you aquaDucks for bringing such joyful learning moments with our little ‘Umar! We can’t wait for the next term to start!
December 30, 2009
My MIL bought one too many in Hong Kong, so I’m helping her find it a good home, at S$140 or best offer please. Good deal for a full leather, large capacity wristlet. A great handbag alternative, perfect size for your purse, handphone and all important tissue pack. Lunchtime, daytrips, supermarket shopping, running to pick up the kids
Comes with Coach giftbox, soft tissue wrapping and paperbag.
To hubbies: a gift for your pretty wife perhaps?
Psstt… I bought a wristlet recently too and I found it oh-so-useful for mommies who need both hands free to manage our little ones when running errands or eating out!
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