Organising Lego Using Storage Boxes

Somewhere around the beginning of last year, I rekindled my love for Lego and bought a few boxes to play. Somehow it also sparked an interest in my girl and since then she has been clamouring for everyone to buy her Lego.

Initially I used to store them in Ziplock bags but soon we've got so many boxes that it started to get messy. Plus, it was very troublesome for my girl to play with the Lego as she had to pour it out of the Ziplock bags and pick up the pieces one by one (if she's not finished with it yet) to put it back in.

I had an idea to organise the Lego by putting them into boxes so that she can easily play out of the boxes and yet keep the pieces separate. As usual it was at Daiso where I found the perfect container that is big enough to store the pieces yet shallow enough for my girl to play directly out of the box.

Bought more than a dozen storage boxes from Daiso
(yup, we have a lot of Lego.. and I'm planning to buy more *grin*)

The boxes worked perfectly!

My girl happily playing with her Lego Friends collection straight out of the box

The lid is also used to store her Lego pieces while she's playing so that it will not be all over the place
(Of course this is not foolproof as kids being kids, certain pieces still get dropped or misplaced anyway.
Nevertheless, at least it is controlled!)

As usual, the OCD in me ensured that the boxes were correctly labelled with a cut-out of the box that the Lego came in so that you can identify its contents immediately (helps that the box from Daiso is transparent as well).

This box obviously contains Lego Friends =)

The boxes can either be stacked like the left or the right (I have more than what is shown here now haha).
For the OCD folks who noticed that one of the boxes is not labelled, I threw away the original Lego box before I came up with this idea unfortunately.

Whenever either I or the girl want to play with our Lego, we simply choose the one we liked from the stack! =)

Laying out the pieces of our newest box of Lego City on the lid

Girl and I divided the "work" between us

The finished product! =)

Girl and I were in charge of building it while my boy was in charge of playing with it. He loved it!

I found that this method really worked for us so I thought that I will share it with you. Hopefully it will work for you. Do you have any other ideas to organise Lego? Let me know!

*This post is part of my series on The Madeline Standard of Organisation. 
Read on for more of my practical and sometimes extreme tips for organising your life! =)

Robots in Disguise

I was an all-rounder when I was a child. I played with Polly Pocket, I played with Ninja Turtles. I played with Barbie dolls, I also played with cars.

I've always wanted a Transformer but my folks took one look at the price tag and bought me a lollipop instead (they thought it was too blardy expensive. And they still do -_-).

Now that I can afford to buy one for myself, I can't cos it's really weird to be buying a toy for a grown person (yes I'm looking at you my "I shall not name names but you know who you are" friend). I've got more important things to buy now.. you know, like makeup, bags and shoes.

So imagine my excitement when Hasbro offered to send me one! Yes it's for me. I did warn them that it was for me since Baby Boy can't play with it yet, and they still sent it to me! (Good people) *big grin*

Optimus Prime, ages 8+
(Yay! I fit the age range! :D)

Baby Boy also showed interest to this box of blue, touching and biting it (maybe he was more interested in the box, I don't know).

"Wah what's this?"

Analyzing the words and pictures on the box
(Like real only)

How the Optimus Prime looks like when taken out of the box
(Got standard leh!)

His sword & shield are detachable :)

I went right into "transforming" it into a truck, which is not easy especially if you're doing it for the first time.

Half truck, half robot!

Before & After
Now you see me, now you don't!

After I got the hang of it, I could do it with my eyes closed! :)

I'm sooo living my childhood dream! *laughs*


P.S: Ok fine, I will keep this for Baby Boy until he's 7 as I doubt Optimus Prime and the Autobots will die (long live Cybertron!). Till then, it's mine! *evil laughter*

Disclosure: A complimentary Transformers Age of Extinction Optimus Prime toy was received from Hasbro Singapore for the purposes of this review. No monetary compensation was received; all opinions are my own.

Personalised Plushed

In celebration of young entrepreneurs, I've decided to lend my support to young people trying to sell their wares online to supplement their income while they're studying or looking for a job. I've been there once in my life and had always appreciated it when someone gave me their support (hell, I still appreciate it when people give me their support now. Thanks everyone!).

For the month of May, we bring to you Plushed, the brainchild of Dorothy, a fresh graduate from university. Her love for making adorable little soft toys and keychains led her to sell her wares online.

I wanted to get a toy for Baby Boy and I love owls so it's no surprise what I chose:

Super duper cute Midnight Owl

"What is this? Yum!"

Personalised with his name at the back

Special requests like names or dates are welcomed, you'll just have to email her to ask. She tries her best to accommodate every request, even if it's a bit out of this world.

I asked her if she could make a keychain for my girl made up of letters of her name and, you guessed it, an owl. She asked for my girl's favourite colours before sending me a mock up and I loved it! =)

Mock up of how the keychain will look like

Final product! Cute isn't it? =)

Can I have both please?

I was going to let my girl use this keychain for her school bag but decided against it because it was simply too cute for everyday use, if you know what I mean. For now, I'm hanging it in our room as a decorative piece =)


GIVEAWAY!
Plushed is giving away a Personalised Keychain (name, animal and colour of your choice) to TWO lucky readers!

Simply follow ALL these steps to qualify:

(1) Leave a comment on this blog post on your favourite item from Plushed (go ahead and check, I will pretend I didn't see =P)

(2) Like both MadPsychMum and Plushed on Facebook

(3) Enter all THREE of the above entries into the Rafflecopter widget below
(Don't forget to do this as we'll be using the widget to pick the winner!).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The other entries are optional but you may enter them for more chances of winning! Good luck! =)

Terms and Conditions of this giveaway:
a) This giveaway ends on 10th June 2014 (Tuesday) and is only open to readers living in Singapore.
b) Participants must complete all 3 entries and enter them into Rafflecopter in order to qualify (you must actually comment if you said you've commented. I do check!)
c) The winner will be drawn randomly via Rafflecopter and must respond within 3 days after being contacted by me otherwise another winner will be drawn.

~~~~~

P.S: Get FREE shipping by entering this coupon code "madjune2014"!


Disclosure: Complimentary plush toys were received from Plushed for the purposes of this review and giveaway. No monetary compensation was received; all opinions are my own.

For the Love of Renting Toys

Started in 2006 and ran by my friend Elaine, Rent That Toy! provides toys for rental so that parents can get a variety of toys for their kids (from birth to 4 years old) to play with at a lower cost and without the hassle of storing them when the kids outgrow them.

I like that their website is pretty easy to navigate and you may shop by the age of your child or by the brand of toy that you like.

Screenshot of the website

They offer a variety of well-known brands (see screenshot above) and some of the most popular ones include Evenflo Exersaucers and Little Tikes slides, ride-ons and kitchen sets.

When my girl was about 6 months old, we rented the Jumperoo for her as I wanted something that could entertain her, train her motor skills but does not cost too much.

Now that she is almost 4 years old, I decided on the Little Tikes Super Chef Kitchen for her because no way in hell would I buy a massive thing like this that costs more than my most expensive pair of shoes, takes up serious real estate and will likely be abandoned by my attention-deficit preschooler in, oh I don't know, 5 minutes? True story.

Little Tikes Super Chef Kitchen

She loved it and played with it for all of 2 hours before she got bored with it. She still played with it once a week (when she's in the mood to cook, she says) but for the other days, that poor kitchen just sat around the house collecting dust! I was immensely grateful that we didn't buy this!

Needless to say, we return the kitchen one month later so that some other child can enjoy it and rented the Little Tikes Large Slide instead. The girl has been bugging us to get it for her every time we went to Toy'r'us and the hubby almost bought it for her (of course I vehemently objected)!

Our house is filled to the brim with more things than I can count with my hands and feet (my kids are really privileged!!).
See how the large slide took up so much space in our house (and ours is considered relatively large)!
Unless you have a garden in your front/back yard, it's probably not a good idea to buy this.

She literally screamed (oww my ears!) when she got home from school. "What is this? Is it for me?!? Yippee!!" she yelled.

Climbing up and sliding down

"I can sleep on this mama!"

And I became the best mum in the world again (for like maybe two days, until I start yelling at her to pick up her toys and go to bed). She loved the slide more than the kitchen and played with it almost everyday so at least that made all the lugging (it's not light!) and finding a good spot for it in the house worth it.

Nevertheless, after just a few weeks, the slide was yet again played with less and less so it just sits there and takes up space in our house. Thankfully we have the option of returning it!

As for my boy, we got the Evenflo Exersaucer Mega Farmyard for him.

My boy loves pushing himself to stand in this Exersaucer, which can be adjusted to fit him perfectly

Your babies can feel free to bite on the toy/s (they always do, there's no stopping them!) as Elaine ensures that all the toys are always sterilised, washed (if fabric) and in good condition before renting them out.

We put him in the Exersaucer whenever we are busy doing something around the house and need something to entertain him. He really enjoys the Exersaucer and unlike his sister, was able to play in it for longer periods of time.

Turning himself 360 degrees to enjoy the different toys on the Exersaucer.
He is particularly intrigued by the one with music and lights.

Looking at his own reflection in the cute apple-shape mirror

Why Toy Rental / Rent That Toy! is good:

1) Environmentally-friendly: it gets used again and again. Minimal wastage.
2) Does not take up space: Return it when the child does not play with it anymore
3) More variety: you may rent as many as you like over many months
4) Less expensive: most of the toys cost less than $50 to rent
5) Hassle-free: sure you can buy new and re-sell but to me that just takes too much time and effort.
6) Loyalty Programme: members can earn points, which can be redeemed for discounts on future orders!
7) Toys for a Party: Rent That Toy! also provides toys for kid's birthday parties so that the kids can be entertained while parents can enjoy adult conversations.


And now for our GIVEAWAY!
We are giving away $40 Rent That Toy store credits to THREE lucky readers each!

Simply follow ALL these steps to qualify:

(1) Leave a comment on this blog post on your child's favourite toy from Rent That Toy! (hint: you can get some ideas by visiting their website)

(2) Like both MadPsychMum and Rent That Toy on Facebook

(3) Enter all THREE of the above entries into the Rafflecopter widget below
(Don't forget to do this as we'll be using the widget to pick the winner!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The other entries are optional but you may enter them for more chances of winning! Good luck! =)

Terms and Conditions of this giveaway:
a) This giveaway ends on 31st May 2014 (Saturday) and is only open to readers living in Singapore.
b) The $40 store credit is valid till 31st July 2014 for one month of toy rental only
c) Participants must enter all 3 entries into Rafflecopter in order to qualify (I always check!).
d) The winners will be drawn randomly via Rafflecopter and must respond within 3 days after being contacted by me otherwise another winner will be drawn.

~~~~~

P.S: Enjoy a 10% discount at Rent That Toy! by simply entering this discount code: "MAD10OFF" (valid until 30 September 2014).


Disclosure: Complimentary toy rental was received from Rent That Toy for the purposes of this review and giveaway. No monetary compensation was received; all opinions are my own.

The City, A Playground at Liang Court

If you haven't already heard, there's a new playground in town. But unlike other indoor playgrounds that are focused on expanding your child's energy, The City looks to expand your child's knowledge and imagination. Here, you can be anything and everything that you want to be!

The minute we're done with the registration, my girl dashed to the big kitchen in the middle of the room where she was transformed into a culinary chef.

Chef Girlee working in her dream kitchen!

It even has a dish drainer =)

My girl is a big fan of kitchens and sinks so this station was definitely one of her favourites. I had to drag her out of there after a while in order to explore the rest of the place!

There were many other stations where you could take on different occupations. For instance, you can pretend to be a teacher in a classroom.

Pretending to be a teacher and drawing on the whiteboard

My girl loves to mimic her teachers and order her paternal grandmother around at home so this was really fun for her. Unfortunately, as I was too worried that she might draw on everything else except the whiteboard (plus there weren't any willing "students" available), we had to move on quickly to the post office located just next door.

Posting a letter at the post office!

I helped Girlee to write a letter to her paternal grandmother and she learned how to post it. And that's all we did because there were not many props at this station. I wished that they had included a postman's outfit with a postman bag though as that would have made this station a lot more fun.

Next was the hairdressing salon, every girly girl's heaven.

Helping her to curl whatever little hair she has got! *laughs*

She didn't spend too much time here as she doesn't like to have stuff in her hair. It was also the same at the police station.

Wearing her police outfit and patrolling the neighbourhood

She's still too young to know how to steer properly (but at least she tried to ride it when ordinarily she wouldn't even get on) and therefore lost interest after going only one round around the track.

Her attention was captivated by the many dolls found in the clinic, where she got to dress up as either a doctor or a nurse. Girlee chose the latter..

The NURSE is IN!

Nurse Girlee Nightingale takes great care of her patients =)
(Really can't get enough of the cute outfits! *swoon*)

She spent a significant amount of time looking after this baby, putting on her diapers, giving her a change of clothes and feeding her (sadly, the rest were ignored!). She looked so serious it was really fun for me to watch. After a while, I thought it would be fun for her to change into the doctor's outfit too but she refused! That was surprising as the pockets had so many fun doctor's equipment in it, you would think she will be all up for it.

We heard some commotion in the station next door and popped by to take a look. The supermarket was buzzing with chattering little customers!

The shopping carts look just like the real thing!

"Yay! Finally a supermarket that's MY size!"

"Hmmm which milk should I buy?.."

I thought it would have been better if the shelves were labelled clearly so that 1) children can learn the names of the items and, 2) it would be a great help to whoever is packing the shelves (yes I know, my OCD is acting up again *laughs*).

My girl had an awesome time choosing what to put into the cart and then checking out the items herself.

Mummy helped to unload the cart while Girlee scans the items

After that, I got her to pretend to be a supermarket packer and return the items she "bought" back to the shelves! She loved the experience so much, she went through the cycle again =)

When I got bored after a while, I persuaded her to go explore something else. She decided that she would like to sit at the cafe (which was conveniently located beside the kitchen) and have tea while I was supposed to serve her.

There's nothing like chilling out at a cafe with a friend

She really loves baby Calla a lot.. but maybe a little too much as she tended to squeeze Calla's hand with a little too much force -_-.

When she was finally bored with tea, I got her to pack up (as she took the liberty while I was chatting with other mums to mess up the cafe!) and we moved on to the dress-up corner. There were many outfits to choose from but I chose this princess one for my girl to wear =)

I pretty not?

She was actually very reluctant to try it on but I insisted so she gamely put it on (although it was really too big for her). I found some happiness in seeing her looking like a princess, you see =)

The final station was the superhero corner.

You can be a superhero too!

Superheroes like to help people in need so since our friend Poppy wanted a tunnel that was tall enough for her to walk through, we were more than happy to be of assistance! Did we succeed?

Why, certainly we did! =)

My girl loved this place so much that I had to force her to leave, which was surprising considering that she woke up at 7am and hadn't had lunch yet! Normally she would have been super grumpy by now so I was amazed that she was not. It really goes to show how much she truly enjoyed the playground!

However, although there were a lot of fun things to play with, I thought there could be more props and more outfits available. If more children are expected to play in the same area, there may not be enough of toys and outfits to go around.

In addition, there should be a lot more staff than the 2 that were on duty that day. One was in charge of the counter and only one was watching out for the children, which to me is really not sufficient. This is especially since the main door is not fenced up, the security of the children could be compromised as they could easily run out. It is preferable that there be at least 1 staff overseeing 2 stations (ideally 1 staff at each station) to make the experience more enjoyable for both the child and the parents.

This playground is suitable for younger children ages 2-7 years old but not for older children as they would be too tall for most of the toys and might even find them extremely boring. It is also not suitable for kids who are more action-oriented and thrill-seeking.

Nevertheless, despite its weaknesses, I think we will definitely be back as my girl had a blast! She loves it and I guess that's what really matters at the end of the day =)

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This post is part of my MadPsychMum Fun in Singapore Guide to all things exciting for kids! 

Check out other fun playgrounds and attractions in Singapore! =)

You can also follow us on Instagram or join us by using our hashtag #mpmfuninsg! 

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Disclosure: An invitation to their opening was received from The City for the purposes of this review. No monetary compensation was received; all opinions and text are my own.

The Benefits of Play Therapy

Photo credit: zach.wise via photopin cc

Play is an important part of a child’s development. It promotes exploration and mastery and allows the child to express themselves in a non-threatening environment. Recognising the power of pretend play as a way of self-expression for children, child psychologists and therapists are increasingly using play therapy in their sessions.

Therapeutic Play is Important for 7 Reasons:

1) Communication
In situations where the child finds it difficult to talk about their painful experiences, for example sexual abuse, play is often used as a mode of communication between the psychologist and the child. As play is seen as separate from reality, the child is also able to freely express negative feelings that they may have towards their parents or other adults which may otherwise not be expressed in real life because of fear.

2) Pleasure
And since play is essentially fun, even the most withdrawn or resistant child will be open to therapy if you engage them in play!

3) Therapeutic Alliance
At the same time, play also strengthens the therapeutic relationship between the psychologist and client where the latter learns to trust and open up to the former. Such a therapeutic alliance is necessary in order for therapy to be successful.

4) Insight
Therapeutic play also provides an insight into the child’s thought processes, personality and even psychopathological symptoms. The way a child reacts when they win or lose the game can inform the psychologist on their coping strategies or highlight any atypical behaviour.

5) Socialization
Because the therapist is also a player in the game, he/she is able to model to the child the right behaviour in a social situation. For example, the child can observe how the therapist deals with the disappointment of losing the game and learn the appropriate tone of voice to use. The child also learns how to follow rules and how to react in a socially appropriate way (for example, not screaming when he loses or gloating when he wins). Such social modelling is essential for the development of social relationships in any child.

6) Cognitive Development
Intellectual challenge is often used in many games hence cognitive skills such as memory, concentration, logical thinking and problem solving are often developed as a result. The ability to think logically and rationally is important in therapy as it leads to self-reflection and understanding. When the child is able to draw the link between their actions and its consequent behaviour, they are more likely to rethink their actions.

7) Enhance Self-Esteem
The experience of playing a game promotes organisation, mastery of anxiety and self-esteem. The child learns how to take turns, follow rules and feel a sense of satisfaction when they win. The success of the game also prepares the way for deeper therapeutic interventions in subsequent sessions.

The moral of the story?
Don’t Underestimate the Power of Play =)


P.S: As far as I know, certification in play therapy is not yet available in Singapore. If you do know of any avenues where certification is available, please do leave me a comment with the contact =)

Reference:

Schaefer, C. E. & Reid, S. E. (2001). Game Play - Therapeutic Use of Childhood Games. John Wiley & Sons, Inc: United States of America.

I Can't Believe My Baby Is TWO!

She was just this small 2 years ago today when I went into labour and delivered her just before midnight.

She was so small she could fit nicely in my arms, I mean,
her favourite pillow looks huge compared to her!

Oh, how much she has grown!

For her birthday this year I didn't have anything fancy planned since we figured she wouldn't remember it anyway.

And it so happened Disney Junior invited us to Spruce for the unveiling of the newest addition to their programmes on the same day, so I thought we'd go and check it out.

Introducing Doc McStuffins!

Doc McStuffins is all about a kind hearted little girl who goes around fixing up her toys and sharing the message of good health at the same time. Finally more shows for little girls!

Baby girl watching intently despite being sleepy since she missed her nap time

I think this is enough proof that she likes it =)

Of course no event is ever complete without food.

Our plate of food

Since it was her birthday, I let her call the shots on what she wanted to eat and boy, was she demanding!

Girlee: Mummy I want fries!
Me: Ok, here you go. How about some sandwich?
Girlee (shakes head): No, no, no. I want this one (points to something on the plate)
Me (pointing to the burger): This one?
Girlee (shakes head): No, no. This one.
Me: Nugget?
Girlee (frustrated): No, NO! THIS one.
Me: Oh, fruit tart!

And then she went on to eat only the fruits but not the tart -_-". I totally did not set out to raise a princess so I don't know why she turned out like one *sigh*.

Anyway, we also met a lot of the other fellow SMBs and their kids!

The best photo we had of the kids as it was super hard to get this photo!

Our group shot. Surprisingly quite nice =)

After the event, baby girl was sooo tired that she fell asleep the minute her head hit the stroller! I'm actually proud that she could even last that long without fussing too much =)

She only awoke just before her birthday celebratory dinner at Jurong Point's Swensons.

She acts like the Queen 88% of the time so she might as well look like one *laughs*

I actually searched high and low for a cheap (so I won't feel heartache if she breaks it) but pretty tiara and managed to find this one at Chamelon for $7.90. And since baby girl started to get restless while waiting for daddy to arrive after work, we took out one of her birthday presents for her to play.

And she ended up looking like some Arabian princess

When her daddy finally arrived, I ordered a children's meal for Girlee, which came in a really cool pirate's ship!

Loving her food in a pirate's ship

I have to say she really liked it very much and ate almost everything, even the corn (although she didn't finish because it was still too hard for her but at least she tried it)!

And finally, they served the cake that baby girl requested for: ice-cream cake!

Happy Birthday to Her Royal Highness!

Damn proud that she managed to blow out 1 of the candles herself

We were so full at the end of the day but everyone was all smiles because the Queen herself decreed that she "liked the cake".

The day ended with baby girl playing with her birthday presents, especially her toy shoes!

No Cinderella is complete without her glass slippers
Thanks for all the lovely birthday gifts! =)

Although we didn't throw a big party or go to the Bird Park like I had planned in my head, I think it all worked out eventually since baby girl had a blast.

Happy 2nd Birthday Baby Girl!

Mummy loves you very, very much! *kisses*

Disclosure: An invitation to the bloggers event was received from Disney Junior Asia. All opinions and text are my own.