happy caity

On Caity’s 4th birthday, she got a big doll any little girl would fancy. But one look at it and she shoved the gift away, refusing to accept it. Weee! The poor thing is hidden in the cabinet waiting for the chance to play with Caity.  I’ve noticed tough that she likes playing with her small dolls. So its not that she doesn’t like dolls at all.  I guess big isn’t her type and she is being choosy. Lately she’s even asking me to buy her Moxie dolls, specifically the Magic Hair Colour Streak Studio Dolls coz she wants to color their hair too. Oh well…

When we went out earlier, she asked if she can take her baby with us.  She just looked irresistibly cute carrying the rocker… like a mini Mama!

We left it in the car later as we’ve got too many things to mind already. We told her, baby doll would feel cold outside.

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas… la, la, la, la!  Lots of Christmas markets all over Prague can be found, and the smell of heavenly baked scents always find its way to our nostrils. Caity always requests for trdlo or trdelnik, a crusty pastry rolled in sugar with cinnamon and nuts. Yum!

Holding a trdlo…

Sweet love. Hubby and Caity were waiting for me and Adie (lil’ bro) at our building entrance, opening their arms wide for Adie; as we got nearer, the two kids ran to each other and hugged.

Outfit:
Hooded coat – Takko
Checkered top – Takko (picked at the shop by Caity herself)
Jeans – Hannah Montana
Boots – Nelliblu
Cap – The Children’s Place
Beaded necklace – handmade by Caity

Hmmmm I see purple everywhere! and hey, its only 6 days to go before Christmas!

Share with us your kid’s style! Don’t forget to use the new badge in your entries: (junk the old one please.)

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Or link up to Happy Caity! Do visit the other entries and leave comments. Remember, it’s the season of giving, so give your precious comments! (: Comments make us HAPPY! I’m sure it will make you happy too!

Caity came home the other day, proudly handing out this pretty little thing:

It looks like a bowl made from plaster of paris, with embossed leaves and butterfly.  I think they’re supposed to color those objects but Caity managed to made an abstract green/brown smudges on it.

Me thinks it makes for a perfect mini-platter for these sweet brown treats you call chocolates:

Pick one and enjoy! (:

Our entry for Thursday Brownies.

Caity and her creation.  She said it’s her and her lil’ bro.

The kids have this magnetic puzzle toy which you can form into clowns, trees, boat and other things their creative minds can think of.  It comes with a small rectangular metal sheet where you put the colorful shapes. It has some pictures which kids can follow. Caity loves playing with this and she already knows how to copy the pictures but mostly, she just makes her own figures. I mounted the metal sheet on the wall so its easier for the kids to stick the magnets.

That’s Mama (with dangling earrings) according to Caity.

Our entry for:
Colorful Weekend
Kids in Doodles

We went on a weekday and there weren’t any activities for the kids to do, but the plain sight of the pumpkins got Caity all excited and happy already. She was in awe looking at the piles of colorful pumpkins on display. “Can I touch this? Can I buy this?” In the end she chose a small round pumpkin for herself and later on came with a much smaller one “This is for Adie“.  What a thoughtful big sis!

There were no real tractors and wagons around but Caity and her little bro enjoyed taking turns riding in the toys vehicles they have.

I heard they also have chicken and turkeys but we only saw the rabbits.  The cute bunnies were enough to bring a smile to Caity’s face.

One pumpkin for Caity. One pumpkin for Adie.

On the way home, we stopped at a small store to buy refreshments.  Behind it was a small park with lots foliage bursting in colors of golden yellow, burnt orange, reddish brown… a pretty sight! We sat on a bench and munched on our food while enjoying the beautiful show of nature – leaves falling at every blow of the wind, and the crackling sound they make with every little steps the kids made.

Then it was playtime!

Caity isn’t in a tiptop shape and we decided its best for her to stay at home until she’s well. Her fever didn’t come back anymore but last night she got up from her sleep and coughed wildly.

I’ve been running a homeschool for her since Monday so she doesn’t miss her school. What do they do in school anyway? They learn and sing songs, do artworks, play and play and play. Nothing this Mama can’t do. But oh well, you toss in other things I have to do at home and that makes me a very busy Mama!

Anyway, here’s what we did on Monday (little Adie included). It’s all about indoor fun these days as the weather has been deplorable but not as bad as in other countries in Asia like Thailand.

Colored rice in a tub!  I threw in some fusilli and animal pasta to make it more interesting.   Others call this as sensory tub.  Then I gave them stacking cups and ladles for scooping the rice.  It was instant fun for the kids.

It lasted a little longer until Adie started pouring the rice out of the green carpet. Yikes!  It was easy to clean up anyway but takes time! Extra work for me.

Caity sorted out the animal, and fusilli pasta (which we called wriggly worms).
And in the afternoon, when the temperature got a bit warmer, I let them play outside in the balcony with their coats on!  Their sensory tub needs a little upgrade though.  I’ll try mung beans, and other pasta forms next time, add in some new cool tools for scooping and pouring too.

Try this with your kids! It’s too easy to do! And I’m 100% sure you’ve got the materials hiding there in your kitchen cupboard.

Caity’s curiosity about origin of things is at its peak. She’d go “HOW? HOW?” instead of the usual WHAT or WHY kids would ask.

I’d get a shirt from her closet, and she’d ask, “how did you get it, Mama?” I’d answer, we bought it from the store, or it’s a gift from Tita, etc. Then she’d say, “Thank you Mama, thank you Táta! Thank you Tita!” Yes family and friends, those gifts you gave her when she was still too young to even appreciate are now given credit and are profusely thanked for by Caity.

One time, I played her a new Winnie the Pooh video in the computer and she asked “how did you get it?” I told her I got it from the internet.  Sometimes when we buy things online, we tell her that we got it from the internet too. Where did Adie come from?  That question had been asked already, folks. Fortunately she still remembers when I was pregnant with Adie, so telling her that her little brother came from my tummy didn’t elicit countless questions.  This Mama was spared from a bit of explaining! (:

Yesterday, when we got home from school, she started calling my attention. “Mama! Mama! Look I have *bolí!”  She pulled up her leggings to show me a small bruise on her knee.  “Oh!  How did you get it Caity?” I asked with concern.  In a matter-of-fact tone, she answered . “I got it from the internet.“  Haha Are you kidding me Caity?  Really, I don’t know if she was joking or not, but whatever.  It simply sounded funny!

Did your kids go through this phase too?  I know kids often ask “what’s this?” or “why?” at a certain age but I want to know if asking “how?” is also common or it’s just my Caity. (:

*bolí = Czech for pain or painful

“This is Mama, this is Táta, this is Adie, this is Caity, this is Bába, this is Tita…” and so on.

Aren’t they cute?  Some look like the one-eyed monster Mike Wazowski from the movie, Monster Inc.

Caity is back into drawing and coloring lately. This is one activity that they do in school often. Every time I pick her up in the school, she always hands me a drawing or pictures she colored.

Last weekend, her dad bought her a ream of bond paper coz we ran out of scratch papers for her artworks. I also bought her a new set of watercolor.  When we got home, she immediately asked for the papers, took out the colored pens and started doodling.  In only few minutes, she filled about 10-15 papers with her kiddie arts.  And yes, she painted too! (:

I framed her painting and displayed it in the living room.  At her speed-of-light rate in making artworks, I’d say we’d have to buy a truck load of frames to display them all!
*Oh, if you have papers with one side unused or without print that you need to discard, we’d gladly have it. Let’s recycle and save trees!

That was an awesome, art-filled, and Colorful Weekend for Caity!

11 challenges! Kids of different ages playing the games! Parents going gaga helping and cheering for their kids! Who will succeed? Only those with perseverance to finish all the tasks given and and the stamina to endure the long, tiring walk! That’s Pohádkovy Les.

So we came, joined and … didn’t win any prize. hehehe but Caity had fun (at some point) until she got tired and didn’t want to do two of the obstacle games. Out of the 11 challenges, we failed to join the first one coz we didn’t know then the whole concept of the activity. The two tasks, she got stamped on her booklet even when she vehemently refused to participate. The guys in charged probably took pity on our tired little girl who was being carried by her dad.

Starting the game with cotton candy.

Challenge 3 – building a pyramid.

Pausing for a pic. (:

Challenge 4 – Fishing.

Challenge 6 – Pushing the cart, going through those orange cones.  Bigger kids had to push with water bottles in their carts.

Challenge 7 – Pirate looking for the treasure chest.


Challenge 10 – Solving a puzzle.

Checking out her booklet.

Grumpy pose with Winnie the Pooh and Piglet.

Happily riding the pony.

Anyway, Caity went home with loads of new experiences, free goodies and got to ride on the pony for free too (she’s crazy about pony rides!), so it was still a time well-spent.

Caity is fond of wearing my accessories. She’d borrow my bracelets or necklaces which sometimes lead to mishaps.  You know how kids (mis)handle things.  So I got a chipped stone pendant, a broken string, or missing beads.

When we were out shopping in a toy store one Sunday afternoon and I saw this DIY bracelet/necklace, I immediately foresee the creative play Caity will have making her own accessories.  Also kids are more interested in using or eating stuff they make or took part in making.  So it’s a better choice than buying her ready-to-wear products.

Wooden beads.

Caity stringing a bracelet for Mama.

Caity wearing her beaded accessories.

She’s been using it everyday when she gets home from school. (:

Caity was such a brave little girl on her first day of school. She didn’t cry or made a fuss when we left her there. I think she was excited with all the new toys she saw that she didn’t mind us leaving her. We (Hubby, little Adie and I) stayed for awhile to help her get acquainted with her new environment, but when it was time for us to go, she bade us bye-bye without any problems.

First she made a circle, then I told her to put eyes, nose and mouth, etc… she drew a face! (:

Even little brother gets to play in the school.

When I picked her up after lunch, I asked her teacher if Caity had been a good girl, and with eyes open wide she told me our girl was very good. That made me a happy mama. For the first time in her life, she was with strangers for about 4 hours and behaved pretty well. (: Way to go Caity girl!

Caity told me she ate ABC, drank water, went to pee and washed her hands by herself, played cooking, jumped on the yellow bed, and played with toys. I am looking forward to lots of interesting stories from her each day after school.

Pics taken on Sept. 1, 2011