4-Year-Old Gets 1364 Points for Bubble Breaker

20 Oct 2011: Yes, he did it! Two days ago on 18 Oct, Dyl, our 4-year-old, scored 1364 points whilst playing Bubble Breaker. To achieve this he burst a set of bubbles worth 1122 points and this he did without help from any grown-ups. Here are the 2 pictures to prove it. I am so amazed at how fast he is able to pick up the game, when he puts his mind to it. Just to give you some idea of the timeline ...

Some time in Sept this year, he watched me playing it and asked me what I was doing, probably because I was dithering over which set to burst. All along, he had been playing the game, which he picked up from my sister on a visit in Aug 2011, just for the sake of bursting the bubbles. So I told him that I was trying to see which set would give me more points. The bigger the links (i.e. more bubbles in the set), the higher the points and I then left it at that. Guess that set him thinking because from then on he would proudly show me sets of 11 bubbles or thereabouts, which would give him 110 points or more, ready for him to burst.

On 17 Oct, he showed me a set that would give him 522 points. I was incredulous, but put it down to luck. Few minutes later, he showed me another set which would give him 650 points or so. From then on he was showing me sets which would give him 700+ to 800+ points. I mean he had a system going and it was giving him the high points. Then next day, he gets these, whilst I was busy playing Wii. Hilariously incredible. Ijust had to grab my camera and take these to keep for posterity sake. Makes me wonder what this boy is capable of when he grows up.

Here's something for all you Wii enthusiasts. Try the Wii Sports Resort, Table Tennis Return Challenge. See how many balls you can return to the server before you are out. Dyl can return 202 balls, compared to my pitiful 58 balls. So he is currently holding the crown for that sport.

How Does Our Garden Grow

9 June 2011: "Mary, Mary, quite contrary; How does your garden grow?"

Well, no silver bells and cockle shells in our garden. Just plants, plants and more plant. With the passing of winter and the onset of spring, new shoots have been sprouting forth from our lawn and flowerbeds as our plants awaken from their winter slumber (if you know me, you should check out my 2 albums on Facebook). By the way, this posting is dedicated to my nephews Ben & Bryan, & their mum, my 'jie-jie' . I am so flattered by your request for another posting.

Anyway, seeing Mother Nature busy at work, my hands were just itching to grow some edible greens in this little plot in our side yard, which already has some raspberry bushes and chives growing (here is a picture of chives flowers). So faithfully I collected and planted potato buds, grape tomato seeds, butternut squash seeds, sweet red and orange capsicum seeds, carrot tops and little romaine "hearts" and celery stems. Then I hoed, weeded and watered (like real) ... no beads of perspiration as weather was still a little cold back then.

I think I have this need to prove I have at least ONE green thumb seeing the number of money plants that didn't survive my tender-loving care back in Depot Road. Even a plant, mama so lovingly tended and ... supposedly hardy and not requiring much except for regular watering, didn't survive my TLC. Came to the point where 11-year-old Del strictly forbade me to take care of the terrarium she made in school.

Back to my Owen Sound garden. After a few weeks and still nothing to show, except for the feathery carrot shoot which I first cultivated in a plastic cup on the window sill, before planting in the garden. Then Del so bluntly put it all in perspective by asking, "Mum, what happened to the tomato seeds you planted? We planted some seeds in school a few days back and already the shoots are out." My reply, "Maybe the birds or whatever critter in our garden got to my plantings." What else could I say. Can't admit that I don't have green thumbs, right? But there is a critter that digs holes as wide as the diameter of my arm in our garden. Could be a resident bunny or gopher or groundhog.

Then in late May, as I was hoeing the plot, I saw new potato shoots growing ... dark green shoots! Ha, ha, ha, my potatoes are growing!!! Here's a picture of one of them. There are 4 or 5 of these now. Here's something else. The squash seeds are sprouting too and there are about 10 of them, really solid-looking seedlings (will post a picture in next posting). The pale green leaves of the romaine hearts and celery have turned darked green meaning they are beginning to make food for themselves i.e. they are thriving. Keeping my fingers crossed that they will all keep growing and come to think of it, if this succeeds, they would be organically grown too :) . So look out for my next posting "As the Garden Grows".

Little Tyke's Winter Fun

Sledding/Tobogganing in our front garden

From this, taken on 6 Jan 2011 ...

... to this, taken on 29 Jan 2011:

The "scream" is just for fun, not out of fear.

We Learn to Ski

16 January 2011: We get a free night at the Georgian Manor Resort (one of those timeshare promos) in Collingwood, which is near Blue Mountain, a winter resort. Along with the free night was a $100 skiing voucher. Since Del was eager to learn how to ski, we paid for 2 Discovery Passes - one for Del and one for Dad. With these passes, a ski instructor guides them through, Level 1 - starting and stopping on flat ground; Level 2 - side-stepping up a small slope and practising the snow-plow stop; Level 3 - coming down a "bunny" hill. Then they are on their own to practise Level 4 - coming down a steeper incline. I was going to post a video of them skiing down a bunny hill but the uploading is taking toooooo loooong so no video.

We rented a pair of skis for Dyl because he was eager to try too. Unfortunately the new experience of frictionless sliding with restrictive hard-shelled ski boots was too much for him and it wasn't fun anymore. However, I did get a shot at skiing when Del became tired and since our boot sizes are similar, we switched our boots. It really is fun and I wish I had more time but I had a little someone in tow, and he wasn't a "happy camper" the longer we stayed out in the cold ... and believe you me (?), it is c-c-c-cold ...

Renovation Update 2

16 Jan 2011: Our "office" is completed. It features a red counter-top mounted on 2 kitchen cabinets and a drawer unit for an office desk made for 2, and a custom-made window seat. Still to come will be a sofa bed and book shelves, probably all from Ikea.
Del's room is almost completed. She only needs a closet organiser inside her closet and her stuff, which are still in boxes. We are in the process of finding spots for all her things which she is currently using. Only when these things have been put away can we then unpack her other items - mostly novels and handbags. For her bed, she is using her aunties' canopy bed (Daddy & Auntie Laurie used to use it as a 'jungle gym' when they were little). She also inherited her auntie's 2 dressers, desk, dressing table and night table.
The night we moved her mattresses into her room, 3-year-old Dyl requested to sleep by himself in his own room. He insisted on moving his bed there but mum and dad stalled. Finally after 2 days of stalling, he got his wish and moved into his own room on 10 Jan. He has been sleeping in his own room, by himself since then. The cute bit is he usually tells mum this when he is tucked in bed, "You go to the toilet, then change into your pyjamas and go sleep with dad. I will sleep in my room and Del will sleep in her room." Mum will then asks him, "Don't you want me to sit with you until you sleep?" His reply, "No need," so off goes mum, out of his room ... only to putter around upstairs hanging laundry or doing some light cleaning. Meanwhile, you hear this little voice singing to himself and talking to his soft toys - Puppy and Penglar. Fifteen minutes later, he is off his bed and at his door, "Mummy, can you keep me company?"
The other night when mummy was busy, daddy accompanied him to bed and literally gassed the poor boy's room. Mummy walked into the room just as he was telling dad, "You can go to your room now, dad. I can sleep by myself. See the bed is so small." Daddy sits up, looks at mum and mournfully says, "I've been banished because ..." Mum looks at dad and replies, "No wonder. I was wondering why his room was so smelly."

Dyl Goes Bob-skating

27 Dec 2010: After dinner, we decided to take the children ice-skating to test out their new skates. Del received hers as a birthday gift from Grandpa and Grandma, whilst Dyl got a pair of bob-skates for Christmas. Bob-skates are toddler skates with 2 blades on each skate and they strap on to the bottom of their winter boots. We got him these because we weren't sure how he would react to any fall if he had real skates on, given his propensity to get all stressed out when he can't do something for himself.
The rink we went to was an outdoor one. Del had no problems once she got over the initial "wobbles" - skating backwards and doing her crossovers and "lemons". As for Dyl, he took to the rink like a duck to water, for a first-timer. He went around the rink 3 to 4 times with no spills or falls, except for the ones he deliberately created for himself because he saw some people falling down. He even did a couple of toddler pirouettes. Grandma was impressed enough to suggest that we start him on real skates next winter.
Here's a video of him doing a pirouette on his skates:

Our 1st Winter Wonderland in O.S.

2 Dec 2010: It started snowing yesterday but most of the snow melted when the flakes touch the ground. By nightfall, with the drop in temperature, we had about 2 cm of snow on the ground. When morning came, everything was blanketed in white and our winter wonderland was right outside our window. It was still snowing at around 4.30 pm when we decided to go out and play with the snow. By then we had about 10 to 15 cm of snow in the garden. Dyl wasn't too thrilled getting into his winter jacket, splash pants, mitts, scarf, and hat - "No need, I tell you," he announces as he stands by the door with his "clompy" boots on. Fortunately mum's good sense prevailed and so here's a picture of him all "winterised" and ready to play in the snow.

Del showed Dyl how to make a snow angel and here he is doing one.

Ta-daaaa! Can you see Dylan's snow angel in the next picture?

Dyl had a fun time rolling around in the white stuff, crawling through it and just laying down in it. He can't really make snowballs so when he throws his "snowballs", they come down like confetti in his face'. Del on the other hand, made plenty of snowballs and had a fun time pulling at the snow-covered branches just so the snow would fall on her uncovered head.