A Traditional Ceremony

My brother who lives in another town came last Friday night.  I’m so happy for him; he has job promotion yet should be moved to the capital city (Jakarta, Indonesia). He doesn’t plan to ask his children and wife to move along, as his office gives him a week off after three weeks work.

On Saturday afternoon, we (my brother, hubby and I) visited my father’s and mother’s graves. On Sunday, we attended a family occasion that threw by an aunt. You may call it a baby shower celebration that held one to two months before the baby is born.

My brother, hubby and cousins

Last Sunday, my aunt and uncle had their daughter’s nujuh bulanan, a traditional prenatal ceremony held during the seventh month of a woman’s first pregnancy. The mother-to-be is wrapped in seven layers of batik fabric or dress and doused with water –by her parents and other senior relatives- to wish her good tidings. Every one prayed for the safety of her pregnancy and babybirth. 

Blue Monday

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Waste Not, Want Not - Changing Your Family's Food Waste Habits, One Generation at a Time

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In 2010, approximately 13 percent of the world’s population was hungry—and by hungry, I don’t mean, “I can’t wait for dinner, I’m starving!” No, these 925 million people across the world were without food and may not have had a meal for several days. At the same time, over 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted every year, globally. While not wasting food in your home probably won’t help to feed a hungry family across the globe tonight, a little perspective certainly gets the point across. Awareness and efforts to stop food waste can help to conserve our resources and improve our environment. One big step toward a less wasteful future is to teach our children to not waste food. When people are raised a certain way, they generally maintain those practices for the rest of their lives and pass the same habits to their children. Your efforts with your children could help to conserve food and waste for generations to come.

Education
If you tell your child they can’t do something, they generally don’t understand why. They end up thinking you’re just being mean because you can be. Take the time to explain to your children the value of food. Tell them about the families who go to bed with nothing to eat. Explain to them that wasting our food is harmful to the environment. Not only does food waste go to the landfill, but the excess packaging is tossed as well. Giving your child a reason for your actions will go a long way toward earning their cooperation.

Meal Time

Children are often picky eaters. If you son or daughter absolutely hates green beans, don’t expect that to change. Serve them an alternate vegetable that they will eat instead. Don’t expect a miracle. Some compromise will need to be made. When filling their plate, serve small portions. If they want seconds, that’s fine, but smaller portions will cut down on leftovers at the end of a meal.

Yep, You Too

Lead by example. Your children can be hard to convince sometimes; however, explaining the reasoning behind your decision and holding yourself to the same standards will earn points towards full cooperation. Children will always follow your example, especially when you don’t want them to.

Nobody’s Perfect

No matter how hard you try, there will be leftovers. Whether there’s a hunk of meatloaf on your plate that you simply can’t finish or an entire bowl of pasta that no one touched, waste is waste. Teach your children the importance of storing and reusing leftovers. Try having leftovers for dinner, one night a week.

Your family’s efforts might not make a very large dent in the big picture. However, teaching your children the value of food and the consequences of waste will help ensure a better future. Several generations down the road, your descendants will know the importance of limiting their waste and protecting the environment. Think of the impact if even a small percentage of the population changed the waste habits of their future generations.

Kristy Edison writes about savings and environmental responsibility at www.homeownersinsurance.org.

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Binturong (Arctictis Binturong)

Hey...do you bring something for me?

I smell something nice here...

 Binturong also known as the bearcat; but he is not a bear or a cat. As a nocturnal critter, binturong sleeps on branches. The body is covered with coarse and thick black fur. It has lighter or silver fur on its face, to make it appear larger to other animals (source:wikipedia). This binturong lives at the Ragunan Zoo (Jakarta, Indonesia).

Camera Critters

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How to Help Small Children Cope When a Newborn Sibling Arrives

The trick to keeping a young sibling happy when a new baby arrives is to make the sibling feel special and want to help. A smooth transition can be made if the experience is a positive one.

Prepare them

- Take the time to explain to your youngster that a new baby will be joining your family in an upcoming season. “This summer you’ll have a baby brother!” Keep the exact date vague. Children do not understand why babies do not always come on a specific date.

- Encourage realistic expectations. Avoid making false promises. An angry child will use a false promise as “proof” to validate their feelings. It can also cause an issue with trust. The new baby will not be an adequate playmate for the child for many months, and pretending it will be will only cause more issues later.

- Have the child help with preparations. Encourage them to feel good about doing something for the new baby. Even if the child is only carrying a couple of diapers into the nursery, praise them for a job well done. Tell them what a good helper they are. Discuss how they can continue to help once the baby arrives.

- Talk to your child about having a new sibling. Find out what, if any, fears they have. How do they feel? It is important to emphasize your love for the child will not change once the baby arrives. It is just as important to acknowledge their feelings.

- Stay consistent. Keep with your child’s current schedule. Maintain bedtime rituals.

Sibling birthday – celebrate!

-Arrange for your child to sleep over at a favorite relative or friend’s house once labor has begun. The birthing process can be frightening to children. Better to have the child with someone who will make them feel special.

-Prepare a small gift bag or gift for the older sibling to receive when he or she meets the baby for the first time. Think of a birthday party goodie bag. It will further support positive association.

When the baby arrives home

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- Find ways the older child can help. Being useful will make them feel good.

- Stick to the same routine with the older child. Meals, playtime, and bedtime are all important rituals to children. This will also help the baby adjust into the routine of the household.

- Dedicate 1 on 1 time to your older child. Babies need a lot of attention, and the older child may feel slighted. By taking as little as 15 minutes a day to spend alone with your older child, you will reinforce the bond that you share.

It can be tricky to introduce a new baby into an existing family. Keep things in a positive light, acknowledge the older child’s feelings, and staying consistent will help the entire family adjust.

Author Biography: This article was written by Briana Kelly, who regularly writes articles and guest blogs on the subject of childcare and parenting. She writes on behalf of Giraffe Childcare, a Montessori School based in Dublin, Ireland.

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How to Make a Flower Press

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Pressing flowers is a very creative way to preserve floral mementos important occasions or places you have visited. Making your own flower press is not hard and can be done with materials around the home or purchased at the hardware shop. Pressed flowers make lovely gifts and cards or can be used to decorate the home. Other items that can be decorated with flowers include bookmarks, journals and notebooks. Pressing flowers can be a way of reducing stress and a peaceful way to express your creativity. Next time you order flowers online or bring home flowers from the florist or garden consider putting one or two aside to press.

Choosing Flowers for Pressing

• The best time to pick flowers for pressing is on a dry day in the afternoon. If you pick them too late they may have wilted slightly so try to catch them at a time when they are dry but not wilting.
• The best flowers to use are flat ones like violets, daisies, pansies and geraniums. Herbs such as lavender, mint and sage look nice when arranged around pressed flowers.
• Grass, weeds and fronds can make an artistic embellishment on a pressed flower arrangement so remember to collect some of this.
• Bright coloured autumn leaves, seeds and bark also contrast well when arranged with pressed coloured flowers.

Preparing Flowers

• If you have chosen flat flowers such as violets they can be pressed whole, without any stem.
• With thicker flowers like roses, remove the flower head then pull the stem out before removing the best petals. The best petals are the ones with no spots or wrinkles and lay as flat as possible.
• If you are out on a bushwalk or on holiday and you find something that you think you may want to press wrap it in a tissue and keep it. Once back in your accommodation you can press your holiday flower inside a phone book or a bible using news or tissue paper to protect the book.  

Making a Flower Press

• Cut two pieces of wood to your desired size. Consider the size of the plants and flowers you want to press. Between the size of an A4 page and an A3 page is a good size.

• Drill a hole in each corner of both the wood pieces. Match the drill bit with the screws you intend to use.

• Trim cardboard into pieces that fit between the pieces of wood. The corners will need to be trimmed at an angle to make room for the screws.

• Repeat the same trimming process with blotting paper.

• Alternate the layers of cardboard and blotting paper and stack between the wood pieces. Place two pieces of blotting paper then one piece of cardboard. Continue this pattern until you have reached your desired thickness.

• Place your prepared flowers, leaves and herbs between the two pieces of blotting paper and cardboard. You can put as many specimens as you like into the press as long as you have enough blotting paper between cardboard pages.

• Push the screws up from the bottom of the press and slide the washer and wing nut on the exposed screw. Tighten the wing nut onto the pieces of wood. Tightening the wing nut is what creates the pressure that presses the flowers.

Alternatives for Flower Pressing

• Strapping 3 belts or secure straps around your wood will have a similar effect as long as you can secure them tightly enough.
• Ironing flowers that are secured in between two pieces of wax paper works however long term health of the pressed flower is not guaranteed.
• For a makeshift flower press simply layer unprinted newspaper and two layers of tissue paper inside a phone book or other heavy book and weigh the book down with other heavy objects.

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Today is My Husband's Birthday!

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 You're the reason my life is worth living
You're the reason every day is worth waking up to
You're the reason there's a smile on my face
You're the reason the sun shines on me every morning
You're the reason I want to celebrate every single day of our lives
Wishing you a very Happy Birthday
May you get everything you hoped, dreamed and wished for.

(source:wishafriend.com) 
I dedicated this post to my birthday's husband :)

BlueMonday 

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The Resting Flamingos

Captured at the Ragunan Zoo (Jakarta, Indonesia)

Some interesting facts about the flamingos:

Flamingos live an average of 20 to 30 years. They rest by standing on one leg. The ‘knee’ of the flamingo is in fact an ankle joint and the lower leg bends forward.

Their pink or reddish color comes from the algae, diatoms, and small crustaceans the birds eat. They also eat aquatic insects. 

Flamingos eat with their head upside down in the water, so they can suck water and food in with the front of their bill. Mud and water drain out the back of the bill. The food is caught by finger-like projections called lamellae in the bill/mouth. Flamingos hold their breath when feeding.

Source: thejunglestore.com

Camera Critters

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