What a week!

I have just recovered from vomiting and diarrhea. I got it since Monday. Trust me, you don’t want to go through this (forgive me if it sounds gross but that’s what happened):

First day: Vomited several times 8-10 times.
Second day: Diarrhea, 7-8 times. Mainly watery stools. Completely knocked out. Took a 3-hour nap.
Third day: Diarrhea, 3-4 times. Vomited once.
Forth day: Diarrhea once.
Fifth day: Hooray, solid stools. Started to crave for foods.

Sounds bad huh? There’s more.

For angry children, validation goes a long way to calming their behavior.  Showing your child that you understand why she is upset and trying to resolve it with her demonstrates that you are on her side.  As adults, we should be mature enough to not throw a tantrum in response – "Will you stop whining?  I can’t stand it anymore." 

Missing girl: Nurin Jazlin

Have you seen Nurin Jazlin?

I don’t usually post negative news here (rape, murder, assault... you know what I mean). I think we have had enough everywhere else. I just want to send out positive vibes here.

But I CAN’T give this a skip. As a parent, I know how heart wrenching it is to have lost your beloved child. By posting a story about Nurin, I hope I could help in the search of this 8-year old Malaysian girl.  

Nurin, a Year Two pupil at SK Desa Setapak, failed to return home after going to the night market in Section 1, Wangsa Maju, at 8.30pm on Aug 20.

There has been no inkling of where eight-year-old Nurin is despite a massive nationwide search.

If you have seen this girl, call +6 (03) - 2031 9999 (Malaysian Police).

Let’s pray for the safe return of Nurin.

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Follow on update:

September 21:  Bad news. The police have confirmed that the body found in a sports bag is Nurin. But the parents denied that it's their daughter yesterday. However, with overwhelming scientific proof produced, the parents have to accept the sad news. According to this blog, the body will be claimed this morning and funeral (burial) would probably be held after Friday prayers today.

Our deepest condolences to Nurin's family. RIP, Nurin Jazlin.

"No man is an island."

Does teaching children social skills really matter? You bet.

Helping your child develop social skills at an early age is something parents must do if you want your child to thrive later in life.

Why teach children social skills?

1) They become more people friendly and people oriented.
2) They learn to get along with people.
3) They learn how to share, not being self centered.
4) They learn to care for other's feelings.
5) They learn there are things beyond family members.
6) They become more confident.
7) They learn to cope with differences.

I saw a vast improvement in my preschool daughter last weekend. During our visit to my friend’s house, for the first time, J played with my friend's daughter without our company.

At rail stations and shopping malls around the world, reports are popping up of people, particularly young children, getting their toes caught in escalators. The one common theme seems to be the clunky soft-soled clogs known by the name of the most popular brand, Crocs.

One of the nation's largest subway systems — the Washington Metro — has even posted ads warning riders about wearing such shoes on its moving stairways. The ads feature a photo of a crocodile, though they don't mention Crocs by name.

Four-year-old Rory McDermott got a Croc-clad foot caught in an escalator last month at a mall in northern Virginia. His mother managed to yank him free, but the nail on his big toe was almost completely ripped off, causing heavy bleeding.

At first, Rory's mother had no idea what caused the boy's foot to get caught. It was only later, when someone at the hospital remarked on Rory's shoes, that she began to suspect the Crocs and did an Internet search.

Full report: Got Crocs? Be Careful on the Escalator  

Bed wetting is a very common issue for children of all ages. It can be embarrassing for the child and frustrating for the parents. To help your child overcome bed wetting, you need to find a solution that you are both happy with. Your child will tend to have more accidents if they feel a great deal of anxiety over the situation. It is a good idea to start by having your child examined by a doctor. Some cases of bed wetting are the result of various medical issues.

Age and Stage

Once medical problems have been ruled out, you need to take the age of the child into consideration. Some children are able to be potty trained (here's how to potty train your child in just 5 hours) at an early age, but their body hasn’t developed enough for them to hold their urine throughout the night. This can be handled by allowing the child to sleep in pull ups or plastic underwear until their body catches up with them.

Another suggestion is to keep the mattress dry all night with this Handy's Plus waterproof pad. It's an easy solution for bed wetting problems and the pad can absorb up to 6 cups of liquid. 

The death of a 3-week-old Tucson infant in his home Thursday morning shows the dangers of a controversial yet popular practice called co-sleeping.

Co-sleeping — a parent and an infant sharing a bed — was a contributing factor in the death and in two other infant deaths here this year.

Thursday's is the 11th such case Sgt. Carlos Valdez, a detective in the Tucson Police Department's dependent-child unit, has handled since he began his job in July 2005.

"It's heart-wrenching when a mom asks me 'How did my baby die?' and we have to say 'It's possible it was from sharing the bed with your baby,' " Valdez said.

Co-sleeping is debated in medical and parental circles.

On one side there's the added bonding that mom and dad can have with a baby who is sharing a bed with them. For moms who are breast-feeding, it's convenient. There are cultural and economic reasons adults and infants share beds, too.

Full report: Risks of parent and baby sharing a bed

I would like to share some interesting (and useful) posts with you. You may want to add them to your reading list.

• Cool Chalkboards Your Kids Will Love – Here’s an excellent tip if you don’t want your kid mess things up during art time. While you’re there, check out other posts by Dr. MOZ, mainly on gadgets.

• Stop bleeding the Cuban way – Tried and tested natural way just by using sugar. Handy for family accidents.

• Build a Reading Family: How to Share Reading with Your Kids – I can’t emphasize more on the importance of cultivating reading habits in children. Some awesome tips on making reading fun with your children.

Moms-to-be who have low vitamin D levels during pregnancy appear to be at increased risk for suffering from pre-eclampsia, according to a study.

Pre-eclampsia is a condition of pregnancy that usually begins with high blood pressure. The disorder may also lead to seizures, kidney failure or stroke. It slows the growth of the fetus, can cause early delivery, and can be fatal for the mother and the infant. The cause is unknown and there is no treatment, except to manage the symptoms.

In the new study, "women who developed pre-eclampsia had vitamin D concentrations that were significantly lower early in pregnancy compared to women whose pregnancies were normal," lead author Dr. Lisa M. Bodnar, from the University of Pittsburgh, said in a statement. "And even though vitamin D deficiency was common in both groups, the deficiency was more prevalent among those who went on to develop pre-eclampsia."

Full report: Low vitamin D tied to serious pregnancy complication

All of the safety devices available on the market often confuse many first time parents today. Baby proofing can become a scary and sometimes expensive task. If you feel that you are overwhelmed, there are child safety experts you can hire to come to your home, inspect it, and tell you their recommendations of what should be removed, locked up and replaced. This can be expensive though, and many of us feel we can do it ourselves if we have some general guidelines to go by.

Despite the fact that Guy Kawasaki had been interviewed so many times before, this is a rare gift. Why? Because previous interviews were more on business, marketing, and blogging. But in this exclusive interview, Guy reveals his life as a father of four children and shares his insights on parenting.

In case you’ve not heard of Guy Kawasaki, he is a well known venture capitalist, author of many books such as The Art of the Start and Rules For Revolutionaries, and the former chief evangelist of Apple. He recently launched a new website called Truemors.com.

Today I was in the post office, hurrying to mail off my books to Amazon. I was annoyed at the long line, and slow service. My anxiety heightened, and annoyance set in, until two little angels, disguised as young boys, crossed my path. 

One of them, 14 months old, with wild red hair, a Latin accent, and a cleft chin said, ”Hi!”, emphatically with a gleam in his beautiful blue eyes.

He laughed, as another one nearby heard the exchange and joined in. “What’s your name”, he asked? 

I told him and he worked hard to pronounce, Sally. He giggled and told me that he had an older brother, named Thomas. His eyes lit up as he told me all about him. 

Then he turned to the little angel (boy), and said, “Would you like a hug?” The little one said, “Yes”, and the two of them engaged.

I was mesmerized.

It may be good for frugal families, as the title suggests. But after reading the article by Maine Mama, wealthy families can put theses ideas to use if they don’t want to have spoiled children who do nothing but ask for money.

Maine Mama shares her three strategies:

• First, involving kids in our financial goals.
• Second, letting the kids make a lot of financial decisions themselves.
• Third, try to say "yes" as much as we can.