exercise — mamawearpapashirt

Little Lessons: More play, less tantrums

February 20, 2014 6 Comments

We’ve been spending more time with Javier lately, and notice that he’s shown some improvement from his tantrum spewing days.

Specifically we have tried to ensure he gets outdoor play every day. Since he’s now in nursery, whenever I bring him home I’ll encourage him to walk up and down gentle slopes and pick up dried leaves and twigs for doing art and craft at home.

On weekends when big sister is at ballet, he gets to do some exercise at the nearby fitness corner. He was happy just being able to run up and down the exercise bench, and jumping from one circular stump to the next. He was beaming with pride as he showed us how far he could jump.

I try to bring the kids swimming at least once a week. Though JJ doesn’t know how to swim yet and is pretty happy wading and crawling about in the shallow pool, at least he gets some evening sun and splashing action.

I know the kiddo hasn’t quite come into his own like big sister has, and we need to encourage and affirm him more. He even told us one day that he didn’t want to go to school because his friends don’t like him. And I’ve noticed that he’ll sometimes stand by the sidelines while big sister plays with her friends at the playground. I think two-plus or three can be a rather socially awkward age so I’m not pushing him too much. Thankfully he’s got one or two friends he can mix around with in church, so I really pray that he’ll grow in this area soon.

Play (by that I mean exploring, pretend play, physical activity, etc) is really an essential ingredient in the growing up years. It keeps the kids happy, and when they are happy, we are too. Cheers to more play and less tantrums!

PS. If you have a little lesson to share with us, please do link up below!

Photo credit: Prune Nurture

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Keeping fit for the kids

It was a privilege to be featured in a video project for Health Promotion Board’s International Women’s Day “Inspiring Women” campaign. Hearing their stories about how they try to live healthy and be a role model for their children inspired me too.

Ever since the kids came along, the topic of health has taken on whole new proportions.

I’ve never been so acutely aware of the food I put on the table, and the amount of salt, sugar, fats in them. I don’t count calories, but I’ve checked up on the kinds of fruits and vegetables that is better organic. (I don’t always buy organic food, so when I do, I try to make sure it counts.)

I’ve also sourced around for better alternatives to the meats that are available in our supermarkets.

Ever since I heard from Cindy that Swiss Butchery actually sells grass-fed and organic beef at reasonable prices, I’ve been making regular trips to the nearest store. They also carry hormone- and antibiotic-free chicken. These are pricier than the supermarket variety, but for the kids I think it’s a worthy investment. (Disclaimer: I’ve recently morphed into a budget-conscious mother, so please don’t judge me for choosing to spend on healthier food alternatives. I still have a budget to maintain!)

I also love to play and run about with the kids, and make the effort to go on run-dates with the hubby. (Okay, we really need to do this more often, but hey a small step is better than nothing.)

I guess I’m more aware now that whatever the kids see me doing, they are likely to follow for the rest of their lives. So it is a responsibility on my part to live healthy the best I know how, even in small ways like drinking water instead of sugary drinks, and limiting the availability of sweets and snacks in the home.

The bottomline? I want to be fit for the kids, so I can live life to the fullest and enjoy the days ahead with them. And so that they will grow up loving and cherishing their own health.

It’s only when I take care of myself, then I can take care of my family…Do you feel the same way too?

Little Lessons: More play, less tantrums

Keeping fit for the kids

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