Doing The Karen Cheng
Posted by Cottontimer on 28 Jun 2008 | Tagged as: Megan, Memes and Quizzes, Motherhood
Inspired by Karen Cheng
And still a slinging mama. Here I am using my “home” sling which is a TaylorMade waffle weave stretch cotton sling.
Introducing Megan
Posted by Cottontimer on 16 Jun 2008 | Tagged as: Megan, Motherhood
Born last Monday
3.78 kg (8.3 lbs)
Do Not Feed the Ducks
Posted by Cottontimer on 06 Jun 2008 | Tagged as: London, Our World
Oops. I honestly did not know how bad it is to feed the ducks, geese, and swan that live on the River Thames just outside our house. And I was just thinking of going with Stephen to feed them some stale bread and popcorn.
From Liveducks.com:
Wild ducks need to eat the green foods that grow naturally in their environment in order to maintain good health and a normal lifespan. Their ability to fly and retain natural instincts for survival depends entirely on the foods they eat. By feeding wild (or dumped domestics) you are contributing to their early death, shortening their lives ten-fold.
Within 15 Feet
Posted by Cottontimer on 05 Jun 2008 | Tagged as: Relationships
Maybe Marv and I should try this because neither of us have a clue about what the other does for work.
From On a Short Leash: Did you hear about that Buddhist couple who’re never more than 15 feet apart? Well, we tried it. By David Plotz and Hanna Rosin in Slate
Is your name too masculine or feminine?
Posted by Cottontimer on 04 Jun 2008 | Tagged as: What the @#!
What the @#!? The Swedish National Tax Board has denied a couple the right to name their baby girl “Elvis” because the name is too masculine. Coincidentally, Stephen was doing some workbook pages today to help him prepare for the Singapore school system. One exercise had him distinguish between Mary and Ted as feminine/masculine names.
For example:
Tick the correct answer.
Mary is at the shopping centre with her mother.
Mary is at the shopping centre with his mother.
Sheesh. Why not go all out and teach the kids more tricky names like Marion, Sasha, or Hsien?!
Bunk Bed Safety
Posted by Cottontimer on 03 Jun 2008 | Tagged as: Health, Kids
Stephen had such a fabulous time playing on the top bunk bed at his friend’s house last week that we thought we might get him bunk beds when we move to Singapore this summer. Now I’m not so sure.
A study in the journal Pediatrics has found that more than 35,000 children and young adults get hurt on bunk bed each year. Half of the injuries affect children under age 6 and they were related to falls having to do with the ladder or jumping off. Most injuries were cuts, scrapes, and bruises but 20% were fractures.
…most bunk bed–related injuries are associated with objects around the bed, by children playing in and around the bed, or by children jumping on and off the bed
Even worse, males are injured more often than females. There’s even “bunk bed fracture” caused by children jumping or falling with their feet/legs out-stretched.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends:
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Guardrail gaps are <= 3.5 inches to prevent hanging and strangulation
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Side rails are present on both sides
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Mattress foundation is sturdy and secure
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Mattress of correct size is used
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Children younger than 6 years should not sleep in the upper bunk
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Children should be discouraged from playing on bunk beds
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Night lights should be used to prevent falls
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Hazardous objects should be removed from around the bed
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Bunk beds should not be placed too close to ceiling fans or other ceiling fixtures
My sister and I shared a room until I started high school and for part of that time, our beds were in a bunk bed configuration. I don’t recall us ever getting hurt on it but then again, our friends were not allowed to play in our bedroom (our house rule kept guests in common areas like the living room) so there was never rough housing going on that involved the beds.
Read the Pediatrics study if you feel like freaking yourself out over bunk beds. 
via NY Times
Hello, Red Fox
Posted by Cottontimer on 30 May 2008 | Tagged as: Knick Knacks, London
This morning we found this little red fox asleep at our front door. My mother-in-law says it’s good luck because foxes belong to the Canidae family. Cats, on the other hand, are bad luck. I’m unable to confirm what she says but OldSupersitions.com says that seeing a lone fox is good luck.
NB: Hello, Red Fox is an Eric Carle book.
Parents Abandon Newborn Twin Girls
Posted by Cottontimer on 29 May 2008 | Tagged as: What the @#!
This can’t be real.
A BRITISH couple abandoned their newborn IVF girl twins at a hospital – because they wanted boys.
The mum aged 59 and dad, 72, conceived in India with fertility treatment and returned to England for the birth.
They told horrified medics they did not want the “wrong sex” babies immediately after the Caesarean section in Wolverhampton.
~The Sun, May 29, 2008
Somebody tell me this is a hoax.
On the Hunt for LEGO at Flea Markets
Posted by Cottontimer on 24 May 2008 | Tagged as: London, Parenting
The value of a collection to the collector lies less in its importance, surely, than in the excitement of the hunt, and the strange places to which the hunt sometimes leads.
~Graham Green, in his introduction to With All Faults by David Low via A Pound of Paper by John Baxter
I went to my first flea market (car boot sale in British parlance) at the beginning of the month with my sister. What were we on the hunt for?
“Vintage” LEGO Bionicle sets.
The flea market is a once monthly affair at the local school. More than two years after moving here, I was finally going to check it out. We’d seen people before with their loot - worn-out wooden stools, lamps, bags of clothing, etc. but had never gone ourselves. When we drove by the advertisement the day before, I had a flash of inspiration that perhaps we could find old LEGO Bionicle sets that weren’t sold in the stores anymore and were sometimes available for exorbitant prices on eBay and Amazon Marketplace.
My sister and I arrived at just after 7 am when the flea market opened. For about $1 USD admission fee, we were on the grounds where half the sellers were still setting up. Within 5 minutes of starting our rounds, we got lucky. A bag of jumbled Bionicle parts sat on the ground next to the stall of a father and his 10-year-old son. They sold us the whole lot plus a LEGO PC CD-ROM game for about $10 USD. (FYI, one new Bionicle set ranges from $10-20 USD to as much as $80+ here in the UK.) For the next 30 minutes or so, we continued roaming and asking sellers with kids toys or children in tow whether they had any LEGO Bionicle for sale.
Nothing.
We were on our way to the snack stand for a breakfast bacon sarnie (sandwich) to eat on the walk home when we passed a basket with some Bionicle sets in their original boxes. JACKPOT! The woman said she had six sets but after rummaging around the trunk of her station wagon, she found 10 sets.
How much? $2 USD a set would do.
“That’ll keep your little guy busy for an hour,” she said.
Obviously, she doesn’t know my Stephen. He plays with his LEGO for hours a day and even when he’s not busy building something, he’s designing new creations in his head.
Although nothing we bought was in complete sets, for LEGO builders like Stephen it’s the parts that are important. If baby #2 hasn’t arrived by next weekend, I may go by the flea market again to see what others I can find. He tells me he’s now interested in Exo-Force as well.
The crazy things us mothers do for our kids. Collecting really is about hunting in realms beyond our usual haunts.
