Myopia & What Helps

Nearsightedness is a common concern for children in Singapore.  It does not help when the parents are also blind bats.  Because nearsightedness can be hereditary.

We are all myopic.  So it was not surprising when E needed spectacles too.  We have been going to the eye doctor, a professional, since E had strabismus.  Although he no longer needed those eye patches, his myopia increase is something that has to be controlled.

At Primary 1, he was prescribed with his first pair of spectacles.  After 6 months, we were back at his Paediatric Ophthalmologist for review and alarmingly, his myopia increased pretty rapidly.

What's done cannot be undone.  It is definitely there to stay.  There is no cure to myopia.  The only way is to prevent it from further increasing.

Myopia arises when the eyeballs are longer than normal, which changes the angle at which light enters the eye and therefore the ability to focus on distant objects.  Thus, light rays from distant objects focus in front of the retina instead of on the retina. 

We all blame the reading, the gadgets and screen time.  We all know about limiting our time for using handheld devices and TV.  We all know about looking out to far distance.  But it all does not stop there.

We should take a break after 20 minutes of looking into handheld devices.  Which I am now making them be accountable for it themselves.  They set a timer on the iPad or timer and stop when it rings.

We learnt from the doctor that sunlight is good for the eyes too.  Reading up myself, I learn that we should all spend at least 20 minutes daily out in the sun, without sunglasses or tinted glasses.  Morning sun will be the best if UV is a concern (the bad harmful impact.  Sigh.)  For now, I tell the boys to get out to the field to walk or play after eating during recess to get their daily dose of the sunlight.

The boys are reminded that their eyes belong to them and we can only nag at them this much, threaten them that much.  They have a long way to go and should always love themselves.



Disclosure: I am not a doctor or a medical professional.  What is stated is my personal experiences and what I have learnt as a parent.

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Of Myopia and Spectacles

Do I have perfect eyesight?  No, I do not.  I started wearing spectacles at a ripe young age of 10.  Being myopic at 10 during my time was considered early.  Wearing spectacles at 10 years old for my boys' generation is almost a norm.

A first world problem, I call it.  Because of the increased exposure to electronic devices, it is pretty inevitable.  Spending lesser time outdoors (regardless of how much we try to, there is only so much we can do due to the fact that they go to school, we go to work) does not help.  Having myopic parents contribute to that fact too - myopia is genetic.

So what can we do?!  Control the progression of myopia, of course!  As much as we can. 

I mean, apart from having good reading habits such as not lying down to read and not reading in the dark, having a good pair of spectacles is important.

Do you think this is the right way to read?  Of course not!

A pair of eyeglass frame and lenses is not just to help with the vision, it is something that is to be worn for long hours.  So comfort and long hours wearability should be taken into concern.

Now, D is a primary school boy.  One who runs and plays with classmates, one who is probably not  as gentle with his spectacles as any adult.  A pair of eyeglass frame has to be durable!  At least something that will not break before his next eye checkup.

This pair of eyeglass frame from Nanyang Optical fits my bill!  Being slightly "flexible" means that I do not need to deal with breakages that occur so often.  How many times have we heard of people complaining that the hinges or side arm coming apart?

Anyway, a visit to Nanyang Optical always start with an eye assessment.  Something that is common at every optical shop to ascertain the degree of myopia, what surprises me was the colour vision test.  That is something not every shop does and I think it is a good move.

Nanyang Optical inhouse brand "Eyelet" is what D is wearing now.  He says it is comfortable and what you should also know about is the lenses that they recommend.

Like I mentioned earlier, a pair of spectacles should be one that it is not only of comfortable eyeglass frame.  The lenses should be good too.  How do we ascertain what is good then?  To me, it should be able to help with the slowing down of myopia progression.  And that is what MyoVision by Zeiss is all about.

We have all heard about Zeiss.  A renowned manufacturer of optical systems, MyoVision addresses myopia progression.  This comparison below may be able to help you understand it better but for me, what I now know is that, D has refrained from glancing through the sides of the lens because the MyoVision lenses "forced" him to look at things through the centre of the lenses.  I remember how he used to glance sideways to look at things. But he is not able to do so now because of how MyoVision lenses are designed - there is a lower focusing degree towards its peripherals.  As such, D has no choice but to turn his head and look straight at wherever and whatever he wants to see.  With that, I am hoping his myopia will be somehow controlled and progresses slower.

And ohhhh, Nanyang Optical not only sells optical products.  They educate the young ones on myopia prevention tips.  Love it because sometimes no matter how we parents nag, the effects are not as great compared to what these professionals say.

Myopia is irreversible.  All I hope for is not going to the optician regularly because of the increase in myopia.  Thus, I believe a good pair of eyeglass frame and lenses for children is indeed required.

Disclosure: We were sponsored a pair of Eyelet spectacles for the purpose of this review.  All photos and opinions are true to my own unless otherwise stated.

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Introduction to POSB Smart Buddy Programme - Should You Fear It?

In this day and age, technology is something we have to embrace.  Trying to work against it might bring fears and resistance.  But if I were to work around it, look at it positively, life will be much better right?

Frankly speaking, I went to the introduction of the POSB Smart Buddy Programme with a hint of skepticism.  When I first heard of this programme, my initial fears were about the inability to learn counting money due to the lack of contact with it, understanding the concepts of paying and getting back the change.  And of course, the touch and feel of real money and what it meant.

As the world's first in-school savings and payments wearable programme for primary school kids, it is essentially a watch with features.  For the child to pay his food at the school canteen or bookshop, track his steps and in-school location.  Now, this is only available at selected schools who have embarked on the journey.  

Hearing from other parents whose children are using this in their primary schools, it was not that all negative.  To me, the features such as tracking a child's steps, knowing his location is a yes for me.

A chargeable by USB wearable, this watch is easy to set up.  Simply download the app from the different smartphones' app store, activate the payment chip that goes into the watch and viola, the rest is a breeze.

We were unable to test the payment out in the school as D's school is not in the programme but I understand that parents set a daily allowance and when the child uses it at the school canteen, the amount used will be automatically deducted.  Parents can track what the child spends on and what he / she bought.  This definitely eliminates the "trust" issue because it's all known.  

If I am the parent on this programme, I will tell the child to just let me know what he wants to buy.  I mean, we all grow up and went through this phrase whereby we secretly bought that country eraser or pretty clip and hide it from our parents. However, there is no need to with this as we will all be able to know what is bought.  From there, we can explain to the child on how he should be spending his allowance and hopefully, he understands the logic of saving. 

Now, this feature is what D exclaims is the coolest.  The steps tracker.  I have never tracked his steps and am amazed that each day, he takes about 6000 steps,  From this number, I can actually tell a few things - whether he was active in school or was unwell and not moving much.  Not that it is real-time but I guess, it gives that little insight of what he does in school, apart from just him saying, "I went to the field to play! or "I was not feeling very well so I sat at the canteen during recess time.".

I wish that the watch is introduced on a larger scale basis.  I would like to see how it can include the locator feature island-wide - not to the extent of the exact position real-time, but at least for primary school children, the ability to track when they reach and exit school, board and alight the public transport and from there, we will be able to know how long it takes to reach home or if they are home.

Beyond the fears of children not being able to count money, we should look at the prospects of this watch, and I think, "when you can't fight them, why not join them?" (in terms of technology) and make it a better wearable for the better of our children.

Disclosure: We were given a POSB Smart Buddy for the purpose of this review.  All photos and opinions are true to my own unless otherwise stated.

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Simple Meals - We Can All Do It!

A homecooked meal is a labour of love.  Who agrees with me?

No matter how simple a meal is, I believe that if it is cooked with love, it is just as good, if not better than "outside" food.  And I believe too that if a meal is cooked when angry and frustrated, the food will just not be nice.  So, I rather not cook when I'm feeling angry.  Because being able to cook for the family should be a happy thing!  :)

I get angry only after the meal, when washing the dishes.  Haha!

Cooking simply on weekdays is what I have been trying to perfect.  Within 45 minutes.  It is not impossible with proper planning.  I realise that when I have a meal plan set up before the start of each week, it is achievable.  I use lots of kitchen "gadgets" too - rice cooker, thermal pot, pressure cooker, oven.  Truth be told, I love steaming most because that means lesser washing and mopping.

While trying to retrieve my photos from my hard disk drive that died, I did not blog much.  I was mostly on Instagram and Facebook.  Interestingly, a lot of recipes I added in there are so easy that it needs no blog posts.

So, here's the link for those very simple recipes, or find the Simple Meals at the sidebar to find those others that I do blog about.  Like my Facebook page to get up to date or access to those simple recipes that I do not blog about.

With the aim of cooking for our loved ones, regardless how simple a meal is, I am sure it is a delightful one.

Let's all work towards that!  :)

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Influenza - An Adult's Version

Influenza is not unknown to most of us.  We know them by H1N1, H5N1 etc.  Lately, there seems to be new mutations going around.

Influenza is not the common cold or runny nose.  Also known as the flu, which many often mix it with common cold, it is a illness definitely more severe.  Why I say so?  Because I have been through it.

It all happened when E was down with fever.  Initially diagnosed as the start of a common cold by the GP, it got worse and he was hospitalised.  I remembered when we were at the hospital, the paediatrician commented that I sounded bad too and might have caught the same bacteria / virus as E.    But, the mummy in me had to set right my priorities which was caring for the little boy.  What I did was simply buying off the shelf Danzen from the pharmacy to help with the anti-inflammation and anti-swelling of the painful-but-still-bearable throat.  

Of course, I have to thank Serene for bringing some of the Young Living essential oils as I used quite a bit of Copaiba for my throat.  I think that helped me with keeping whatever I caught at bay temporarily.

E had blood tests and an x-ray done and the diagnosis was influenza and mycoplasma which caused the roller-coaster fever and croup.  Double whammy.  He managed to ride out the influenza without antiviral medication but had antibiotics for the mycoplasma.

When he was discharged after 4 days, we were all so happy.  Little do we know that it was the start of me falling sick.

I was so tired the next day, we thought it could be just fatigue.  But we knew it was not when a high fever was spotted.  For one week, I was literally "floating", drifting in and out of sleep.  The medicine made me even sicker as in I felt a weird film of stuff covering my mouth and lost all appetite.  The amount of medicine to take for easing the symptoms made me nauseous.  Can you imagine I actually bought gummy bears and ate them after each medicine?!

In any case, I declared contracting influenza worse than natural child birth.  I was down and out for almost a week.

Antiviral medicine would help in easing the symptoms and promoting recovery if they are taken within the first two days.  I did not take any as I was pass that crucial two days and had to ride it out. 

Well, I survived.  But not without lots of sleep, warm water, medicine.  The boys were out and about doing their own things and the hubs did almost everything he could without bothering me.

Influenza is on the rise according to the news lately and is characterised by the sudden onset of the following symptoms:

- Fever
- Headache
- Chills
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Muscle aches
- General fatigue

More details can be found at the Ministry of Health website.

For people who are at a higher risk of developing complications of influenza, please consult your doctor if you suspect if you are having influenza.  There are tests that can be done quite quickly, such as the nose swab test, for diagnosis.

All in all, it takes definitely more than 2 days for recovery.  So, work is out and so is looking after the children.  Have standby help is what I will advise.

Though we all wish we will never fall ill, we really never know.  I guess, just be prepared to deal with it, come what may.

Oh, the good and the bad of it is that I took a pretty long time to regain my appetite.  Mentally yearning for a lot of food but when those were placed in front of me, I could only stomach a few mouths.


Disclosure: I am not a doctor or a medical professional.  What is stated is my personal experiences.

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Two Hospital Admissions - 'Horrible Mum' or 'You Did All You Could!'

Warning: words only, no graphics.

As I sit in a room in one of the most expensive district in Singapore, I wonder.  I wonder what I have done or have not done that made it the second stay in 6 months.  No, I am not having that nice, cocktail-in-hand kind of staycation.  I am in Mount Elizabeth Hospital.

I wish it was just a dream but it wasn't.  The hard sofa bed, disruptive sleep is all real.  E was admitted for a second time for fever and cough (layman terms).  Everyone has their fair share of fever and cough every year so what does it warrant an admission?  Not when his fever was for 6 days and a cough that sounded chesty or barking.  And I do not demand the admission.  It was at the doctor's advice.

Don't judge as to why and how I allowed just a simple fever and cough to develop into something more serious.  It wasn't within my control.  If I could, I would probably make sure they are never sick, but sometimes life loves giving us lemons (pun intended).

Okay.  Back to that simple fever and cough.  Both episodes that caused admission were similar.  Fever that didn't seem to go away for a few days.  The first day or two when we went to a GP, it was diagnosed as a start of a common cold.  Paracetamol and some cough medicine and that's it.  Then we have well intended friends who suggested that it might be viral fever, that will break in a few days.  Granted, it could really be.  The only 'wah lau eh' moment for viral fever for a FTWM like me means - cannot go school; I cannot go work because who knows when viral fevers break.

But when a worsening cough develops after a couple of days of fever, I know deep down it's not that simple.  Mummy's instinct probably.  I struggled within myself  as to whether to send him to the A&E (on a weekend) or our regular PD because on one hand, I was afraid to be judged by people or doctors who think that well, it's nothing serious, why am I fussing over it.  On the other, I fear for a decreased oxygen level as he was coughing every other minute.  #Parentingwoes

But I guess I made the right decision because on both ocassions, he was hospitalised for at least 3D2N. Now then came another guilt.  What have I done to cause this?  Was it something I ate during pregnancy?  Was it what I have been feeding over the years?  As much as I try to juggle between work and family (and I thought I was doing okay), such 'events' simply dropped me to the lowest point from wherever I was.  Back to ground zero.  And it does not help when people comment on what you should have done or what you should not have done, even though there are no scientific or medical basis to them.  Who can totally relate?

I only know from both stays that fever has to be controlled before they allow discharge.  Drinking water is one of the most important thing one can do.  Always listen - there are various types of coughs: chesty, croup, barking - whatever you call it.  But if it sounds weird, or uncommon to the usual cough, always wise to check it out.  Because coughs can be due to various reasons - it can be viral or bacterial and most times, only a blood test can determine.  And if it's a bacteria and it is not treated, the body system will continue to fight the bacteria, thus the fever.  Once the right diagnosis is given and correct medication is administered, the fever will go down.

Totally random post because I guess we all know that we would have wanted nothing but the best for our children.  For now, it's back to picking up the pieces and climbing up that 'Best Mum' ladder again.  But then again, I know my sons never doubted me being their best Mum.  That's what matters most. 


Disclosure: I am not a doctor or a medical professional.  What is stated are my personal experiences.

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Problem Solving Maths with the Essential Know How and Tools

Mathematics has always been my favourite subject when I was still in school.  It still is actually.  But as I grew older, I "returned" many of what I had learnt to the teacher, a.k.a forgotten everything.  Common?  I guess when I was younger, I was simply trying to learn what I can in order to pass the examinations.  When asked about a certain way of solving a Maths problem then, it's probably all about "Because Mummy / Daddy says to do it this way." or "Because Teacher XXX says use this method.", without really understanding why.

Now, as a parent of a Primary 2 child, I seem to be going back to school once again.  That addition and subtraction format, the reading of the weighing scale, and of course, the problem sums.  D, the P2 boy, has never attended any mathematics enrichment classes or tuition classes as this mummy here believes in helping him as much as I can, on my own.  This also mean that I have to constantly be in tune with the education system.

When Marshall Canvendish Education ("MCE") invited me for it's Heuristics workshop, I jumped at that opportunity.  I have heard so much about MCE's workshops from friends and I knew this was going to be an eye-opener.

Why?

Firstly, heuristics - I was already stumped by this word.  Sounded profound but it actually isn't that bad.  Layman terms: problem-solving.  

Secondly and most importantly, I knew the syllabus has changed (as compared to my school days).  I knew too that there are definitely a lot more methods when solving word problems that I never knew of.

If you do not know, the Mathematical Processes consists of two parts: Thinking Skills (Know How) and Heuristics (Tools)

Thinking Skills
Classifying
Comparing
Sequencing
Anaylzing parts and whole
Identifying patterns and relations
Induction
Deduction
Spatial visualization

Heuristics
Use a diagram / model
Make a systematic list
Look for patterns
Work backwards
Use before-after concept
Use guess and check

In all word problems, we need both the tools and the know-how.  Missing either one, we will not be able to understand the problems.  From Primary 1, children are taught to use diagrams / models to solve their word problems.  They start from easy models, cultivating this habit of drawing models as this will help them visualise situations and Maths problems as they grow older and advance to the next level.

I vaguely remember about having learnt and used model drawing in school, using "units" when solving Maths problems.  While at the workshop, I could still do some of the Maths problems, although my model drawings were not the best visual representations.  This is exactly what Ms. Peggy mentioned about learning to use models to help with Maths problems instead of using memorisation.  With the use of models, it helps clarify the problems and also to allow us, the problem solvers to interpret them correctly.  It is all about understanding and comprehending the questions.

Though it was a 9am to 3.30pm workshop, there was never a dull moment.  I know of people who complain about workshops being monotonous, listening-and-copying-notes-only, but our trainer, Ms. Peggy Foo is brilliant.  Every participant had a chance to participate and the class (less than 20 participants) was lively with interactions and hands-on practices.

Apart from learning about model drawing, guess and check and other heuristics, a big takeaway was about how to help a child by identifying and analysing his / her learning difficulties.  I do not want the boys to rely on memorisation and forcing them to do practice papers after practice papers.  Thus, I view this as something crucial in their learning journey and I would like to assist them as we tackle the primary school years.

I would say it was a great 6 hour spent, as I leave the workshop understanding more about heuristics and how I am able to better help my children with their Maths problems in the near future.  Sounding like a broken recorder, but it's really about being involved with the children's studies and not feel helpless when they ask for help.  Definitely not because I am a tiger mum or a kiasu mum because you know I am not.  :)

You may wish to click here and here to have some understanding on heuristics and the model method.  As humans learn better with hands-on examples, coupled with explanations from someone with experience a.k.a. a trainer, you should consider attending the many Parent Workshops that Marshall Cavendish Education organises.  Almost everything from English to Maths.  Chinese too.

With the June school holidays here and soon over, parents with PSLE children will definitely benefit from MCE's Parent Seminars or Student Workshops.

There is an upcoming non-PSLE workshop, Problem-Solving with Bar Models (Upper Primary) happening on 10 June 2017 and I am pleased to inform that MCE has offered a 50% discount to one of our readers.  

To be lucky winner to pay only $42.50 (usual cost $85) for an almost 6 hour workshop, here are the steps to enter:

1. Be a B.C.D.E. That's US Facebook page fan.

2. Be a Marshall Cavendish Education page fan.

3. Like and share the corresponding Facebook post (your post must be made PUBLIC for me to see it).


Giveaway ends 5 June 2017, 11.59pm.

Please note:

- Winner will be chosen at random.

- Tickets are not exchangeable for cash and are not transferable.

- Prize will be given out by sponsor.

- Winners will be announced on blog, Facebook and notified by email.  Please respond within 24 hours, failing which, a new winner will be chosen. 

- The giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

Good luck!

At the beginning of the post, I mention about reading much about MCE's workshops.  Depending on which school level your child is in, you may in interested in reading the experiences from my mummy blogger friends and I am sure, you will gain more insights, just like I did.

Mummy Ed - Stretching Your Child’s Mathematical Abilities – Marshall Cavendish Education Workshop 2017

Mummy Serene - Marshall Cavendish Education - P3 & P4 Maths Coaching Workshop

Mummy Christy - PSLE Student English Workshop by Marshall Cavendish Education & PSLE English Workshop for Parents – How to Tackle The English Paper

Last but not least, read Mummy Jennifer's thoughts and experiences here.  Though we attended the same Heuristics workshop, you can tell that every individual has their own thoughts and views.  No doubt it's all positive experiences!

Disclosure: I was invited to the workshop by Marshall Cavendish Education.  No monetary compensation was received.  All photos and opinions are true to my own unless otherwise stated.

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