I'm a full-time mummy

A few weeks ago, a mummy friend of ours asked me to recommend the appropriate materials for drawing or writing. I shared to her one of the advice I got from my SIL who has loads of experience!

Use big size marker pens (non-toxic and best if easy to wipe off types)

To be honest, I never thought such tip would make any difference! I have previously tried on all sorts of activities for my 3.5 years old boy and also got myself frustrated when I see my boy not holding the pencil/pen properly. A friend shared this article with me and I was relieved to note that my boy is actually on the right track - in terms of his pencil grasp development.

Next step was I realised giving him doodling exercises like drawing lines, coloring, dot-to-dot does not make significant results until I applied my SIL's tip above. I took the leap of faith and gave my boy a red colored marker pen. Non-toxic ones of course!

I had previously refrained myself and my boy from touching a marker pen as I am really worried seeing marker pen stains all over my wall, furnitures and etc. Hence the leap of faith... So when I decided to give my boy the red marker pen, I sat right next to him and gently remind him to only use the marker pen on papers and books.

The first few times he was given the red marker pen, you can see his face beaming as he doodled and colors the white paper. Red bright thick ink flew across the paper and I then realised I should have done this earlier.

Why red? It is an eye catching color and also Ben's favorite color.

Why marker pen? It's ink is thick and the marker pen size is big, good for toddler to hold and grasp with their small fingers. It gives them confidence to hold a big pen - easier too I realised.

That's when I think back of all the wasted time and money I spend on getting my boy to use children color pencils or small size colored pens... I mean, they are good but not appropriate for his age now. At least not until he mastered his pencil grasp skills.

So now whenever I let my boy doodles, I gave him the red colored marker pen to use. I'm not too worried about the results of his doodling and drawing yet (there are parents who are very concerned that their child must be able to draw straight lines etc etc), my objective now is to ensure my boy mastered his pencil grasp skills.

You see the pictures below? You see how my boy holds the marker pen? That is the right way to hold the pen for his age, you know?

So, yeah, what I'm trying to say in this post is,

If you want your child to learn to write/draw,

build up their pencil grasp skills first,

before spending unnecessarily on tools which are not age/phase appropriate!

Just my 2 cents... That's all the updates I can share for now, feel free to ask and share if you have feedback!

I thought this app will make a good opportunity for me to teach my 3.5 years old boy about types of occupation and I feel that I could also use Ratatouille as an example in this app since it is quite similar (as in mouse/rat doing something out of the ordinary). Anyway, my review as below...

* Title: The Guard Mouse
* Price: $3.99
* Category: Education
* Released: Oct 16, 2012
* Version: 1.0.0
* Size: 67.4 MB
* Language: English
* Seller: Auryn, Inc
* Rated: 4+
* Requirements: Compatible with iPad.Requires iOS 4.3 or later.

Description from the product page:

"Clyde, a mouse guard at Buckingham Palace, whose job is to keep wee animals from straying on to the royal grounds, gives his visiting cousins a tour of London. This story app will introduce London to children in a picturesque way."

* It is engaging and interactive and I love that we can also touch the objects in each page on the screen and the words pop out to tell you what it is!

* I love the navigation features (Home button at top right corner and Pages at bottom page)

* I was not a fan of watercolored illustrations before this but I think my perception has changed after trying out this app. The drawings on each page is simply breathtakingly beautiful!

* I used the opportunity in this app to teach my 3.5 years old boy what does a palace guard do, and also showing him the beautiful scenery and sightseeing spots in London.

* I do however feel the price $3.99 is a bit high for this app though.

You can purchase the "The Guard Mouse" app from the iTunes App Store.

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the promo code to redeem the application for free from iTunes Store 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. And if you'd like to read my previous iPad Apps reviews, you can do so by reading this post of mine called "My iPad App Reviews"

I received an email from Applecrumby & Fish asking whether I would be interested to review one of the products range in their store and oh boy, who am I to say no to trying out awesome products for my family and I right?! So here goes my review for the "Putto Secret Foam Wash":

Description from the product page:
"Putto Secret Foam Wash is as unique as it can get. A baby body wash which is in liquid form while in its packaging, foams up wonderfully once pumped out. It is convenient to use and cleanses gently but effectively. Most importantly, it will never dry out baby's sensitive skin. Putto Secret Foam Wash does not contain Sulphates, Parabens nor Mineral Oils."

 The bottle is just about the right size and easy to hold. The nozzle is protected with a transparent cover which is good. My initial reaction when I squeezed some out onto my palm is: "What?! Just some bubble? Huh?!" but wait... read on... 

To be honest I was thinking how much bubble and foam could there be since I just squeezed out a small amount but wow, to my surprise, there's a lot of foam coming out just after a few seconds. It smells good, not too overwhelming at all.

I used it for both my kids twice a day and their skin stays smooth and supple. Although this can be used as a bubble bath, I decided not to as I feel it is very precious and you have no idea how crazy my kids go whenever they have their bubble baths. They take forever to play in their bath tub so I'm reserving this foam wash solely for applying directly onto their skin and rinsing it off.

The plus point in this product is that it is baby skin friendly, and it does not contains preservatives and colouring agents. It also promotes scar relief and provides high moisturising elements. I like that it is also suitable for all skin types especially for dry and sensitive skin.

What a great product that is also safe to use on our little one's skin!

You can get this at Applecrumby & Fish website.

Yes, yes, we are all waiting for this glorious moment! Just read below for the giveaway terms and entry form, OK?

* The winner will receive a 150ml bottle of Putto Secret Foam Wash.

* The winner will automatically be qualified for a professional photoshoot for their baby at the Mid Valley 4th Children & Maternity Expo from 30th Nov - 2nd Dec 2012.

* If the winning child is between ages 6 months - 4 years old, photos will automatically be submitted for a chance to be one of Putto's Secret Angels, Putto's Baby Ambassadors for 2013.

(** Note: More terms & conditions on the photoshoot will be provided to the winner later - do note that you need to cover your own expenses to travel to the photoshoot location in Mid Valley so if you are not in Klang Valley, you can still submit your own photos for the baby ambassadors contest)

To enter the giveaway, kindly read and follow the instructions as stated in the Rafflecopter form below.

• You can enter either via login through your Facebook account OR just key in your name and your valid email address. 
• Please also leave your valid email address in the post comment so that I can contact you if you win this giveaway.
• To enter the giveaway, you need to answer the mandatory question which is shown in the giveaway widget below.
• Please take a minute to read the Terms & Conditions listed in the Rafflecopter widget!
  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So what are you waiting for?!! Hurry up! You have 2 weeks time from now to join in the fun and try your luck!

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the product 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.