ParentWonder

Helping Parents Succeed

The important lesson of letting go

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Portmouth-Sofa-Caprice

Before the GST (Goods and Services Tax) kicks in next month on April Fool’s Day, we have a few big ticket items to buy.

Sofa being one of them.

As usual, we bring along J and K to look for a new couch to replace the existing worn-out set that we have been using for 12 years (that shows how frugal we are!). J and K are very happy to help us scout for the new sofa set. We are looking at a wide range of materials: from leather to fabric, from rattan to teak.

In the end, after 4 rounds of shopping, we set our eyes on a set of bold-colored fabric sofa which we think will brighten up our living room which mainly consists of dark-colored wood furniture. K was with us then (but J was attending a birthday party elsewhere) and he consented our choice of sofa. All ended up happy with the selection and it will be shipped a week later. [Read more…]

How to motivate your child the Steve Jobs way

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Steve Jobs

If you know or read about him, Steve Jobs was not a guy with excellent PR. He said what he thought. He was so straight forward that some people call him rude and many couldn’t get along with him well.

Despite that, Steve was one of the entrepreneurs that revolutionized the world across five industries. He had touched the lives of billions of people. He had changed the way we live, work, and play.

Yet, with his poor human-relationship skills, how did the Apple co-founder convince his colleagues to create what he envisioned?

If you think he lured his workers with money, you are wrong.

If you think he tempted them with power and control, you are wrong too.

Anyway, here’s how he did it: [Read more…]

The untold benefits of tidying up a home… on a big scale

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tidy home
Photo Credit: Marc Dufour

In the past one month or so, our family was busy doing a major tidying up (it’s not planned that way but coincidentally the timing was just right for the annual Lunar New Year spring cleaning) ever since we moved into this house.

It’s tiring but meaningful and worthwhile.

Even though there are still minor areas we need to clean up, it’s not too early for me to reap the benefits of a clutter-free home.

The principles outlined in the book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” fit nicely in the concept of what a minimalist home should be. [Read more…]

ParentWonder has a new look!

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Screen Shot 2015-02-12 at 2.27.34 PM

In the previous post, I shared with you about a huge project of tidying up my home that I am still embarking on.

The result?

A clutter-free, spacious home that I really like. So do my wife, J and K.

This is not the end. I continue with the cleaning spree and it has now spread to my blog: ParentWonder.

Yep, you guessed it right. I “tidy up” the website by removing the unnecessary designs, buttons, links, graphics, and everything else I deem would create distraction on the website.

Once again, the result? [Read more…]

Learning this simple concept could make your home tidy

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Tidying Up
Photo Credit: Nathaniel Rosa

All this while I have been dreaming having a minimalist house. That is, as simple as possible, for everything.

I want the house to be clutter-free with clean, simple look. To have the home stuffed with furniture and lamps and decorative items (and toys!) is the least that I want.

Funnily, having a simple house is not simple. And I have been putting off this dream until now.

Not that I am lazy to go after it but I don’t know how to begin.

As luck would have it, I think I have found the formula to having a tidy home. I have tested it with some of the items and I am very glad with the results. [Read more…]