Playing around with children room ideas since my daughter is growing up and might have her own room soon. 

For the girl's room design, I chose a look I like with a feminine taste and that princess theme that many girls like. 

I have included links to the furniture which resembles the one in the photo. If you like the look, feel free to shop it and build a similar room as well. 

I wonder what’s the new hit song they have composed that is the equivalent of “Let It Go”? 
One thing I know is that it’s going to be super catchy and extremely attractive, and everyone around the world is going to be crazy over it. 

The world is so skilled at producing high-quality animation that captures the imagination and arrests the heart. That’s the danger of the quickly incoming Frozen 2. 

I have no qualms watching it myself because I know that it’s just for entertainment and I don’t covet magic or anything, but to a little child watching it, it is tempting them to seek magic.

The main character, Arendelle’s Queen Elsa, is a character designed based on the Snow Queen from Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale, who is basically a witch. 

Elsa was born with ice magic and is able to use these magical powers whether for good or evil. 

““‘Don’t turn to those who are mediums, nor to the wizards. Don’t seek them out, to be defiled by them. I am Yahweh your God.” ‭‭(Leviticus‬ ‭19:31‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

We know that magic and witchcraft is of the devil. He has an extent of supernatural power, but it is greatly inferior to God’s power.  

“The magicians tried with their enchantments to produce lice, but they couldn’t. There were lice on man, and on animal. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is God’s finger:” and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them; as Yahweh had spoken.” ‭‭(Exodus‬ ‭8:18-19‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Try as he may, the devil can’t create life. His powers are no match for God’s. 
After all, he is a creature whereas God is the Creator. 

Should we allow our children to watch Frozen 2? I think it’s ok if they are able to understand that it’s purely for entertainment and enjoying a well-written, fictional story. 

However, if they don’t understand that, you may find them dressing up as Elsa after watching the movie, and pretending to have ice magical powers. 

Don’t underestimate what a sampling of the occult from a young age can lead to — it’s not just harmless fun. 
As they grow up, they may be tempted to seek hidden power from dark sources, such as playing with ouija boards, casting magical spells, or practicing witchcraft.  

Satan wants them hooked from young, so that they will be easier to tempt and deceive when they grow up.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs‬ ‭22:6‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

The question I want to ask you is: Who is training up your child in the way he/she should go? 

Are they acquiring a taste for God’s word, or for the deceptions in the world? 

This is important because what they are trained in from young, will be difficult to  remove from their programming when they are old. 
​

When your child becomes an adult or begins university studies, it can seem like the world is their oyster. Did you know, however that stress, anxiety, and depression are among the most common adjustment problems youths face as they cross the bridge from childhood into adulthood?

A study of over 10,000 students showed that many students can struggle with adaptive social and emotional skills, though the good news is that these issue can be overcome.

​In addition to taking advantage of specific programmes at universities to promote mental health, students can also rely on one powerful tool that can help them feel that they are never alone: their faith.

Hi dear reader, we just attended Disney on Ice at Singapore Indoor Stadium earlier today. It was the first-time ever for Maeleth, Amilee and I. 

In short, the experience was world-class and awesome! 

I don't want to give away too much spoilers in this post in case you're planning to go over the next few days (the show runs until 24 March 2019) so I'll focus on sharing tips on how you can stay ahead of the horde of show-goers before and after the show! 
​

I still remember how excited I was when my daughter Maeleth Sarah Goh at 30 months old (2.5 years old) is finally peed in the toilet bowl after so many months of encouragement.

She used to be so afraid of sitting on the toilet bowl and would cry and strongly protest everytime we attempted to carry her to the toilet bowl. But it's true that when she's ready, she'll do it.

Perhaps she grew taller and the hole of the toilet bowl looks smaller now to her than it did previously.
Whatever the case is, be patient and don't worry or compare when other kids are starting. When your child is mentally prepared, he or she will want to try.

The night when I asked Mae "Do you want to sit on the toilet bowl?" and she replied "Yes I want to try", I was so shocked. I was expecting the usual answer: "No!".
It's these moments in the parenting journey that are so fulfilling and amazing to experience firsthand.
My heartbeat was racing excitedly and when I saw her pee for the first time while sitting on the toilet bowl, my heart swelled with happiness!
Only a parent will understand this feeling. It's funny how the things that excite you change when you become a parent!

We skipped the potty (the little kids sized portable toilet bowl) because we feel that if your child gets used to the potty, then you have to retrain him or her to use the actual toilet bowl later on.

Without further ado, here are some kids toilet training tips that we believe helped Mae to eventually become mentally-ready to use the toilet bowl.

The number of young adults and children that claim to be Christian has been falling. According to research conducted by the Pew Research Center, a majority of millennials, or people between the ages of 18 and 29 believe that faith in God isn’t necessary to be a good person with fine morals and that the number of young people that are confident there is a God has diminished over time.

This is possibly because the younger generations haven’t been able to connect with God and their faith in a way that makes sense to them.
Nowadays, millennials want to see and experience things for themselves and not just be told what to believe.

If you’d like to help your child connect with God, you might want to bring them to see their faith up close and personal directly from the source.
By taking a trip to Israel, you can show them 2,000 years of Biblical history and help them identify with God at some of these inspiring sites.

Dog ownership in Singapore has risen considerably in the past few years, with over 62,000 canines providing love, companionship, and unconditional friendship to families. Pet numbers (including cats and other animals) as a whole are even more impressive, with numbers estimated at over 825,000. If you have a family with children and you would like to make it bigger and more active in 2019 with the addition of a pet, how can you ensure that you do the right thing by your pet and your children, and that your pets gets all the loving care that God intended?

​Before looking at individual things we can do to foster a good relationship between our kids and pets, it may help to see what the Bible had to say on the subject. In Luke 12:6, Jesus spoke of the power of faith, referencing sparrows. He noted that sparrows may have been sold for a couple of pennies, but “not one of them is forgotten by God.” Psalm 147:9, meanwhile, describes how God ensure that all living creatures, including ravens, had enough food. Genesis notes that God created human beings in His own image. It was his intention that we should take care of all creatures on the Earth the way He cares for them… and for us. It is important to understand that when we are dealing with pets, we are very much God’s representatives. We must ensure they are fed, medicated, and loved, to honor the role that God gave us as their keeper.

​It is important to research well into the needs and character traits of each pet before bringing one home. Depending on the age of your child, certain pets may not be suitable. For instance, iguanas are cute and often sought after by little children, but they need to be trained to go against their natural ‘scratching’ instincts. This will take various hour-long sessions, so unless you can train your iguana prior to taking it home, this pet might be best left for when a child is a little older.

Disclaimer: We received a sponsorship of one term of "Playgroup" classes for Maeleth in exchange for writing this review.  All opinions stated are my own, based on our experience during the classes attended for the year 2018. Mae's teacher was Teacher Deng Ying.  

If you're reading this blog post because of the giveaway, here are the terms and conditions of the giveaway:

1) Trial class is limited to playgroup and preschool classes at Parkway Parade.
2) Trial class is limited to new students who have not tried Hua Language Centre's trial classes before.
3) Trial classes are not exchangeable for cash and cannot be re-sold. 
4) The trial classes must be redeemed by 31 March 2019.

I used to attend Hua Language Centre during my Primary School days for tuition, and it's certainly nostalgic to see my daughter attend the same enrichment centre to learn and improve! Wow, time has really flown by. 

We have been bringing Maeleth for her Playgroup classes at Hua Language Centre's Parkway Parade branch on Saturdays to learn mandarin!
We began in July 2018 when Mae was 2 and a half years old, and at this time of writing this blog post (November 2018), Mae is already able to count from 1 to 10 in mandarin, and say some nouns in mandarin. 
Most importantly, she has developed an interest in the mandarin language which I believe will help her to enjoy learning it in school, and throughout life in the future. 

We don't really speak much mandarin at home, except when we need to say things that we don't want Mae to know, like when discussing how to hide her medicine in Vitagen bottles. Therefore, I find it really important that she has some exposure to well-spoken mandarin.

When we attend trial classes for different enrichment centres, one thing my wife Amilee and I always listen out for is the teacher's spoken accent. If he or she doesn't have an accent that we want Mae to emulate, we won't sign Mae up for the classes, since we believe that children will probably imitate the manner of speech that they hear.  

​About the Author of this Guest Post:
​Jemmy is a trained psychometrician with an expertise in Child Psychology and has over 10 years of experience working in primary education with a special focus on gifted children. He is a contributor with IQ Test Centre, an organisation for IQ testing of children between 5 and 16 years old. Read more of his content on his website, and on his Facebook account. 

The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14) tells us the story of three servants, each set on their way with a number of talents.
When the servants return, two come bringing gain and have multiplied the talents given to them by their master.
They are praised but the third one, who so feared to lose his given share that he buried it, is cast out, for he brings the master nothing more than that with which he set out.

This parable can be understood, today, in the most literal sense: talents are given to us for cultivation, to be nourished and to be multiplied.
Any parent who sees signs of giftedness in his or her child might need to consider this as a talent, one they should nurture and not bury.
Let's take a look at how to raise a gifted child within the Christian faith.

The parable of talents reminds us that we should cherish the gifts within ourselves and others.
Raising a gifted child means, on one hand, that we should embrace their gifts and help the child pursue and develop them.
Whether it is in the arts, the sciences or somewhere else, a talent should be nurtured.
This can mean that the parent should provide opportunities for the child to practice their talent and encourage it, for in this way their gift is honored.

However, honoring and nurturing the gift doesn't mean reducing the child to their ability.
Many parents are enchanted with their children's gifts or view them as the only thing that matters.
This can lead to a lopsided development, especially in regards to the emotional and social aspects of life.
Children who are very smart can still struggle with making friends, fitting in, and developing the capacity for good relationships.
Often, this occurs because children might be “out of sync” with their peers, so it is important to help children manage these aspects of their life and ensure that their life is fulfilled.