How To Exercise Your Toddler's Brain?

~ Posted on Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 10:05 AM ~

Just because I have a very active toddler who is constantly running around doing mischievious things, it doesn't mean he's getting enough exercises. Especially exercises to his brain. Yeap... I'm talking about the human brain.

So ladies and gentlemen, today, I present to you a step-by-step visual guide performed voluntarily by my now 16.5 months old toddler on How to Exercise Your Toddler's Brain™ (*I wonder whether I can trademark this hehehe...) :

VISUAL GUIDE

INSTRUCTIONS & REMARKS

Step 1: Start by slowly lowering down your upper body.

Try to slowly make your body bow down to a 90 degree position - kinda like you are bowing down to somebody. 

Ensure your legs are straight and your hands should be slowly lowered down and touching the floors as you bow forward and downward.

For a first-timer, you can use a small stool or anything that you can sit on temporarily while you slowly adjust your body to the right position.


Step 2: No cheating by bending your legs!

Your legs must be STRAIGHT! (Or at least almost straight!)

Get up & try again until you got it right!!

Look at the picture of Ben on the left trying to cheat his way out of this.

Now, his hands positions are correct but the legs like I mentioned MUST be at least almost straight.

Step 3: Once you achieved the right position, stay still and hang on as long as possible.

Look at the hands and feet now both touching the floor, while the head is gently resting on the floor as well. Now back to this, what we're trying to achieve is to get the bloods to go down to the brain. According to this website,

"Although the brain represents only about 2% of the body's weight, it utilizes about 20% of the body's oxygen. Normally, oxygen is carried throughout the body via the bloodstream. When the flow of blood is reduced or blocked, cells which depend on that bloodflow are deprived of oxygen (and other nutrients)"

Which is why this position is so ideal to get the blood to go to the brain! More blood = more oxygen!

Step 4: Why not throw in a face exercise too?!

While you are still holding up from step 3, why not throw in a face exercise as well? Just smile or laugh while you are trying to hold still to your position for as long as you can.

According to this website:

"Laughter generally increases activity within the immune system. It also decreases stress hormones that constrict blood vessels and suppress immune activity."

Step 5: Rest

Just like in yoga they have a resting pose, we too need to have a resting pose after exercising the brain!

So, just do what is shown on the left by Ben.

Rest all you want! You deserve it after such a hard workout to the brain! Laughing

(**Note: Parents should always be around at all times to supervise your toddler regardless what stunts he's trying to perform... and yes, this post is just to poke fun of the silly antics by Benjamin, please don't take it seriously, OK?!)

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Ben Gogh in the Making??

~ Posted on Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 1:05 AM ~

I know I'm bad. I called my son names...

One moment he is Ben, the Ben-pire.

Then he is Ben, the Ben-blebee...

And now, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to:

Ben, the Ben Gogh! Cool

Hmmm... ever since Ben picked up some color pencils and started scribbling around during one of our recent family outing to our close friend's house (their daughter is 2 months older than Ben), I decided to take out the Sketch and Etch toy given by my brother during Ben's 1st birthday. I still kept the shape magnets as I think they are still a bit too small for Ben to handle for now.

So, during our usual balcony time, instead of playing with water, I decided to let Ben sketch or scribbles whatever he wanted on the Sketch and Etch toy. At 16 months old, Ben is still not very good in holding the stylus but nevertheless, it's better than the first time I let him tried it. He just stuffed the stylus into his mouth (which is why I kept it until now). I took a closer look at what he came up with... not bad, not bad... at least there's something! Everyone's gotta start somewhere right?!

And I noticed he loves sliding the magnet eraser left and right. And he only does that after he scribbled on it. Clever!

Ben pausing for a while... looking for inspiration??

Picture below of Ben taken from the top where I stood over him heheheh... (Btw, unlike the superstitious Chinese customs which is to shave a baby's head bald when they turned 1 month old, we did not shaved Ben's hair at all since he was born. And yet, Ben had a headful of hair, smooth and soft, just the way we love it!)

Ben starting his weird antics... am not sure whether he's looking for more inspiration for his sketches or he needs that rush of blood to his head or something...

Ben got distracted by our dog barking at the people walking past our house. And yeah, him standing on the sketch board... sigh... will try again next time...

I wonder whether my son is going to sketch something like this for me one day?  Just thinking... Cool

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It's Positive!

~ Posted on Saturday, July 10, 2010 at 7:37 PM ~

On this exact date, around this time 2 years ago, I was in the bathroom. Getting nervous, unsure whether I'm doing the right thing... or doing it right... I've been hiding this secret from my hubby for a couple of days, and I've finally gotten the courage to do it and any minute now, I'm going to find out...

Tick * Tock * Tick * Tock * Tick * Tock *

Yeap!

TWO LINES!   IT'S POSITIVE!!

(*Btw, this photo was taken on 11th July 2008 cos I only remembered to do so the next day hahaha...)

I was excited, am not sure whether I should scream (and immediately decided not to as I'm still in the bathroom) and quickly planned how I should break the news out to hubby. As I was  thinking, I quickly cleared up all the box and instructions that came along with the pregnancy test box. I've been dreading the trip to the pharmacy from the day before to buy the pregnancy test, not because I don't want to get pregnant, heck, we've been trying for 3 months by the way. Anyway, I dread the pharmacy trip to get the pregnancy test kit because I was super duper shy and nervous. You have no idea how long I spent walking around the pharmacy, thinking which brand I should get, is it effective, is it time to use one (I mean, I was just a day late from my regular menstrual schedule), am I overreacting and is the pharmacist going to give me a weird look for buying one? In the end, I just grabbed the cheapest one and quickly pay and rushed out.

So on this date, around this time 2 years ago, I finally sneaked the pregnancy test kit into the bathroom with me, took my shower and did the test. Peed  into the container provided in the test kit, use the syringe and squirted some of the piss onto the stick and waited. And then got myself all nervous thinking, should it be the first few drops of piss or the mid stream or the last few drops? And will the food I had earlier interfered with the test results? Am I doing something stupid here?

And then the results appeared. And I forgot all my nervousness. Looking at that 2 lines, I told myself 'Oh gosh... I'm a mummy now!' I almost wanted to cradle that test stick and then I realised it had my pee on it. So anyway, after clearing up all the mess and cleaned up the test stick, I went out and waited for hubby to settle down. He was resting on the bed waiting for his turn to take his bath, so I asked him 'You want to see something?' then I showed him the stick. He was excited seeing the results cos we're officially now stepping into another level in our lives.

We're bringing a new life into the world.

(*Picture of Ben at 3 months old with me)

The rest as you all know, are history. Our dearest precious darling son is now 16 months old, he has mummy's eyes and mouth, daddy's ears and nose, and grandpa's big feet and height. Of course with my menses coming back into my life after 25 months (of bliss without one!) it also means I'm fertile again. Of course, we've been hearing family members and friends asking 'So when's the next one coming?' and I'm like not answering... sigh.... I don't know, for me, when I have the next one, Ben is going to have to stop breastfeeding soon and I don't want that. Am not going to rush into having the next one yet until Ben is a bit older, perhaps 2 years old+ or something...

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