I'm a full-time mummy

We just bought some board games and card games to play with our kiddos. It took me a while to find the board games in the bookstore I went to, all hidden away in a corner barely touched... I was telling our 5.5 years old boy, back when mummy and daddy were little children like him, we don't get to play with iPad or go out or even doodling and drawing on tons of papers like what he can do now. I told him in our time, we are lucky to be able to play these board games and card games.

Hubby initiated the idea to get these games, he wanted to teach Benjamin how to play Chinese chess (a bit advance I feel for his age now), to learn Chinese words as well as to have fun playing games with other people (family time!)

Since I was in-charge of getting the games, I settled on a compendium of 15 board games (my primary goal is to teach him to play snakes and ladders which I feel is appropriate for his age now). I also bought the Chinese chess set and a deck of playing cards (Snap!)

We started with playing snakes and ladders, explaining to him the rules, teaching him how to roll the dice and move the pieces over the board. This will reinforce his counting skills, directions and order of number as you move your piece along according to the number you rolled. It also teaches him to move towards the goal and I was also teaching him what numbers that will cause him to be eaten by the snake or move upwards by climbing the ladder to get him excited and nervous as well hahaha...

We also played a few rounds of Snap card games. Again, explaining the rules of the game to him before we proceed. This game teach him to be alert and pay attention to the matching cards and whoever collects the most cards wins the game. This game brings back memories of my childhood as well! The countless time I smacked my cousins' or friends' hands real hard hahahaha!

I think other than a lesson for him, it is also a lesson for us parents as well. We definitely have to be more patient when playing with our kiddo, to gently remind him of the rules, to be patient and follow the rules and not bypass everything just to be the winner and that in playing games, there will be winner and loser but that is not the end of the world.

We tell him sometimes you might be ahead of everyone but you never know, suddenly you get eaten by the snake and ended up last. Sometimes you move slow and steady (like the tortoise) but ends up winning. We tell him losing is not everything. Most important is the spirit in playing, to enjoy the games with others.

We will definitely be continuing on with these games!

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Almost 2 months ago, I received an invitation to review one of Mabel’s Labels Back to School combos. At that time, our 3 years old Alyson will be due to start her K1 in about 3 weeks time so I decided to review the "Ultimate Back to School Combo". Anyway, let's continue with my review below...

About the sponsor:
"We’re Mabel’s Labels, award-winning creators of high quality labels for the stuff kids lose! ® As four moms frustrated by our children’s belongings leaving home, never to return, we decided to create the very best personalized, waterproof name labels and tags possible. Since our start in 2003, we’ve continued to build on this commitment to excellence and our growing line now features child safety products, household labels and seasonal items. We sell worldwide through our website and across N. America via fundraisers at schools, daycares, camps and other organizations. Select products in our Write Away!™ line are available at Canadian Walmart stores and, in the US, at Target."

You can choose from 4 limited edition solid palettes or 40+ multi-coloured designs, plus 3 special back-to-school motifs (bus, books and apple) but I have decided on Solid - Pink Lemonade for our girl since she loves pink color stuff and solid palettes as I feel it is easier to see her name. I also opted for the Princess with Tiara icon which is something she would go crazy for as she is into princess-y stuff at the moment.

I provided the necessary information required (Name to appear on the labels, Icon of my choosing and whether Multicolor or solid palettes) and got my product in a few weeks time. There are altogether 40 Skinny-Minis™, 50 Tag Mates™, 16 Shoe Labels and 2 Teeny Tags™, all nicely compiled into a nifty little booklet which can be easily carried around.

I like the 2 cute Teeny Tags™ which are waterproof and UV resistant. They have a very solid feel and I like that I can easily use it as a keychain for our girl's backpack.

I peeled off one of the Skinny-Minis™ label and stuck it onto our girl's water bottle. After daily washing and drying and ehem.. rough handling by a ninja-ish 3 years old, I'm happy to report that the label stays strong and still in its place.

Although we have since pulled our 3 years old girl out from her preschool, I am definitely going to make good use of them on her other belongings.

What I like about Mabel’s Labels Ultimate Back to School Combo?

* They are very easy to apply.

* Prompt & very friendly customer service and the labels are neatly compiled into a nifty little booklet!

* The Skinny-Minis™ and Tag Mates™ are dishwasher and microwave safe

* The Shoe Labels and Teeny Tags™ are waterproof and UV resistant

* They look so cute and girly on our girl's belongings and there's tons of trendy designs to choose from, which makes it very unique and eye catching!

You can browse for more products at http://www.mabelslabels.com/

Do note that their back to school labels are only available until September 30, 2014 so hurry up and get some for your kiddos!

Do note that I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the products in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.