Charity Flea Market TOMORROW!

Free tomorrow to see this girl do some storytelling with her mommy?




If yes, do come down to BUKIT BATOK EAST GEN Y, AIN SOCIETY YOUTH CENTRE (Blk 235, Bukit Batok East Ave 5 #01-21) TOMORROW for a charity mini market (from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) jointly organised by Ain Society and Team Trasformazione.


The first advert I saw over at Tina's facebook page. Within hours, ALL slots by mostly mompreneurs were taken up. (INCLUDING ME!)

Nyla and I will do our part for charity by bringing in our books.
10% of sales proceeds will go to the organization.




On top of that, Nyla and I will also conduct a fun storytelling session together for the children from 2 p.m. till 2.30 p.m!

So for those of you who haven't got a hold on our children's books, do pop by this very first Charity Fleamart we will be participating in! :)

All walks and races are most welcome to attend.
Happy shopping....eating...and being entertained tomorrow.
Looking forward to seeing you and your familia! :)

AURORA

Come to think of it...my elder brother, Bah's wedding was where it all FIRST started actually.
I'll get to that later...

Sorry you have to tilt your heads ah.... Just wanna be irritating because this picture annoyed the hell out of me by refusing to be edited! Aaaargh!


Damn, what's up with the make up girl? Dark red lipstick just ain't for me. Makes me look older. And how I drew my eyebrows. That's just so salah. Mr E, cute pimply on the nose by the way. :p





About a few weekends ago, I was scratching my head on what to wear to a close relative's wedding dinner. (Yes, Anies, it's YOUR wedding dinner I am talking about!)
I was looking at my wardrobe and found the 'princess' skirt (That's what my mommy calls it) I wore during my brother's wedding.
The skirt my mom painstakingly sewed because yours truly just wanted to look pretty on her brother's wedding.


I felt really happy to be 'reunited' with the skirt after about 7 long years! *Wipes dust off the skirt!* So newlywed, Anies, if it weren't for your occasion, this pretty stuff would still be in the cupboard collecting dust. :)


Back view of the skirt.

And yeah, you guessed it alright.
Another EUREKA moment for me.

I know I just released The Excluzif Ponchos but really, with Hari Raya coming, my mommy and I felt that our ladies would be thrilled to have us introduce our absolutely elegant soft organza and silky satin Princess Skirts.

While we were discussing, Nyla who was eavesdropping the whole time, interrupted and asked if she could name the skirts.
"Nyla, don't worry about the colours. More or less settled. I'll just use the colours you suggested before.... " I told her.
"No Mommy. I want to name the title of the skirts. They are Princess Skirts right? Can we just name all of them Aurora? She is my favourite Disney Princess."

So there you have it, dearies.
I would now like you all to meet my 'third child' (First: Toga/Second: Ponchos):

THE EXCLUZIF AURORA SKIRTS

I am all for versatility. Hence, I'd like to show you girls how The Excluzif Aurora Skirts can be taken in different directions. :)

If you have dinner and dance or formal events.....








Wedding- dinner- at- hotel invites?
This look is for you.



Really proud to be collaborating with CheekyChicas.
The pink and gold "Elegante"corsets I'm wearing are from them.
And they have a WIDE range of colours. Such pretty pretty corsets and they fit perfectly! :)


CheekyChicas is also kindly sponsoring a Hari Raya outfit for me. Thank you Trina and team! :)

Wear hijab also can be stylo mylo hokay!





Still have no idea of what to wear during Hari Raya?
If you already have lace tops, why not match with The Excluzif Aurora Skirts?



Give Nyla chance la ah. This year, she is not the model for 'First Girl' leh. The fact that I still model for 'First Lady' upsets her more! So yeah, now that she is modelling The Excluzif Aurora skirts, she's all okay already.


My beautiful sista turned cousin, thank you for doing the photoshoot with me. So touching when I received your phonecall. Love ya Ray! Irfan, thanks for the lift home. :)


My Mr E, you too! Despite the many scripts you had to mark, you came to help me carry all the stuff home. Mwaaaaaaah.



Nyla, thank you for not being cranky while waiting for mommy. Yeah, apparently everytime I went to change, she'd be posing for Jenny, the photographer! *Winks at Anna! Thanks girl!*

My sista Tina, thank you for not only the make up but the styling and art direction too! Hee! Congrats on being selected the choreographer yet again for the second year running for SIM-RMIT Annual Bash/Pageant! You're just awesome.


My sew terrific mom and the best business partner one can ever have, all these creations would not have been possible without you.





So my ladies, there you have it.

THE EXCLUZIF AURORA SKIRTS

MATERIAL: Soft Organza and Silky Satin

Size: Fits S-XL

PRICE: $77 (INCLUDES REGISTERED MAIL) - Hari Raya Special!

Will customise length. :)

Available colours are "Rose" Maroon, "Cotton Candy" Pink, "Crabmeat" Pink, "Midnight" Navy Blue, Star Silver, "Gold Coins" Gold (???! Nyla la!), "Toothless" Black.
However if you have other colours in mind, just let me know. I'll try my best to make your wish come true. :)

See you girlies at my mailbox!

SPLASH CART

Have you checked out the latest craze, peeps?
"What thing? What thing?" I hear you ask?

THE SLAP ON SILICONE WATCHES!

Now, now, I know 'slap on' might sound a little violent but really, that's literally how you put it on.
Absolutely cool!

Nyla for one, cannot stop slapping on her silicone watch on her wrist, Mr E and I keep hearing the 'Kapiak! Kapiak!' sound!



With a plethora of vibrant colours, you and your child can coordinate these watches with your outfits! Can matching matching!


If you would like to get more than 1, I suggest you just get ALL the colours la ah because you would be thrilled to know that these watches are inexpensive.

ONLY $5 each, be it for adult or child!
SAY WHAT?!

Really la. Doubt can get any cheaper than this. Outside selling for $10 leh. You can get TWO man!

• Like any other watches, these watches run on batteries. Should they become weak, just get the batteries replaced. :)
• The time needles for both adult and kid watches illuminate in the dark. *Guaranteed to be well loved by the kids!* (Kids just love these kinda things!)
• No fuss of buckles too!
• Waterproof and easy to clean
  

Here are some of the hot favourite colours as chosen by my tutees! Yes I am getting these watches as their Children's Day gifts, much to their delight!

Most of my boys would like the white one.
According to them, Eminem wore a White watch in his new music video with Dr Dre so they also want.
Ok boys, come 1 October, you all can feeling feeling Eminem ya! :)



Most of my girls (Nyla too) chose pink. Like DUH!



There are really plenty of colours!








Bet the kids (and you!) will love them right?!
There are really more watches to ogle at.

Before I pass you the website, here are a few suggestions.

Teachers, the slap on silicone watches really make the perfect gifts for your students! Children's Day is nearing. Don't forget to conduct a 'What is your favourite colour?' survey in class too!:p
Do pass around this info to your other colleagues and make the bulk order even bulkier! Heee!

You! In the office, reading my blog...Do share this great deal with your colleagues, ask them if they would like to order for their family members and then collate the orders!

Anyone planning birthday parties?!
The colourful watches are great 'party packs' gift! Instead of the usual candies and whatnots, slap on these colourful watches on your guests before they leave your party!

Let me share with you this link so that you will double confirm wanna buy the SLAP ON SILICONE WATCHES!


Okay my dearest readers, no Monday blues but a colourful one for us all thanks to SPLASH CART
Happy shopping yo!

Ways to combat an awful day

How do you solve an awful day?

Here are some suggestions thanks to my tweethearts and friends on Facebook! :)

Rozi- If its awfulness is worth my tears, I'll cry it out. If not, I'll window shop alone & treat myself to some good FOOD!

Azila- I listen to surah & read some zikir till I'm calm.

Nur Fadilah - I'll listen to Maher Zain's songs.

Zura - SHOP SHOP SHOP.....EAT EAT EAT.... Lol.

Lia- If I have the extra ka-ching! ka-ching! shall Retail Therapy. Else, I'll just wallop a bar of snickers, lock the room and ZZZzZzz.
Maddy- Turn to Allah and istighfar.

Edmund- Complain about the day to your wife. That's what best friends are for. :)

Cady McBronzie - I either bake or cook to calm myself down. Eating good yummy food makes me forget about my worries instantaneously.

Is- Was feeling crap this morning. Now, ME time with good hearty breakfast and newspaper. Reading makes my trouble minor in comparison.

Fathiah- Do deep breathing. Turn to my kids, hug tightly & kiss them.

Seerah - Rant it all on Twitter! There will be at least 1 person to make you feel better... :)

DaiaDingDong- Head home n mop d whole house wif dettol. Like lepas geram lah konon sental the floor dgn penuh semangat. I feel super happy after I'm done.

Diana Hairul- I'll start cleaning and cooking! That's what I'll normally do! While I scrub the walls or toilet, I'll vent it out on that.

Kyn Sueetchic- I'll role play with my kids and perhaps cry a lil bit in between n then whip up something the kids and I love. Then cry again. Hehe.... But the 2nd cry is like "no point crying' kinda cry. Heh. Ok, I sound confused right?

Ayu- Go shopping!

Themummyjournal - Knowing that someone out there is dealing with more serious issues like unemployment, poverty, etc puts things in perspective for me. On a more frivolous level, a little ME time works for me.

Nur Atiqah- I talk to my cats!! Lol cat freak muchhhh!

Prettyugly- I'll get a big hug from my gerls :)

Sheila- I'll focus my attention on my three lovely cats instead! They have never failed to put a smile on my face :)

Fyzah - I will eat as much as I can n will look forward to playing with my daughter as I get back from work.

Farida- Go back home, hug n kiss ur kids and ask them to do the same. U will feel better.

Lee Liyana- Write about it in my diary and have a tub of B&J. Or you can ring your other half and start complaining. Hahahaha.

Dyan- I'll talk and bitch about it to my other half, then go to youtube, find some funny videos or I plug in my earphones and drown myself with music.

Lzq Ai'PaesYeon- Hmmmm. Everytime without miss tau if I were to have an awful day, it will lead to me having diarrhoea..I don't even know why..so how to solve? hurhurhur ;)

Idah Kadir- I'll look at my kids' pictures in my IPhone and that will at least make me feel better.

Myself?
* Pray.
* If I'm in the mood for a good cry, I'll watch a sad movie and bawl my eyes out knowing that there are bigger issues out there and ultimately, learn not to sweat the small stuff. And then I'll realise how ridiculous I was to be upset over something unimportant.
* Watch Twilight and ogle at Edward Cullen.
* I'll either call my mom (when I'm angry at E) or E (when I'm upset with my family members or friends) Always nice to hear reassuring voices.
* Eat blueberry cheesecake. (Never mind that I will have the runs after that!)
*Go to the library. Just so peaceful and quiet there.
*Read Hollywood celebrity gossip magazines. Heee!
* Catch up with galpals I love.
* Just shut off from work, grab a good read and then sleep.
*Listen to music.
* Go to Harnies Beauty for manicure, pedicure, waxing and massage.
*Go to somewhere quiet and blend whatever creative juices I have in my head.

So my readers, what do you do to make yourself feel better on an awful day?

Those of you who are feeling crappy, I hope all these suggestions make you feel all better already! Besides, today is Friday yo!
Enjoy the weekend! :)

PS: Nyla too just updated her blog. What does she do when she is upset? Click here.

Rooqs and New Ponchos :)

Whenever we have Rooqy with us, we are always busy having fun. :)


Now that his parents are back after a short holiday and he is back in their arms, we miss him terribly. :(

But Rooqy who is very attached to his parents was missing his Mama and DanDan too much he did not have a good sleep on the 3rd night he was with us. He woke up twice crying for them. When he heard the doorbell yesterday afternoon, he squealed so loud and rolled on the floor for his parents. Too excited.

The past few days, my elder brother, Bah and I have been exchanging messages. He usually would ask,"How's Rooqy?" and my reply would usually be,"Very fine, Bah!"

I would also whatsapp some pictures of Rooqy having fun so that his parents would feel happy to see happy pictures of their son.
And then my Bah decided that he too must send a picture of himself for Rooqy to see.
When I saw this picture, I burst out laughing.


Man, what a syiok sendiri kind of picture sia!
*Shakes Head Clutches Tummy Falls to the ground Roll on the floor!*

Anyway, just glad that they had an enjoyable trip and that their Rooqy was happy with his Kakak Nyla/Uncle Man/Aunty Nura/Tok Daddy/Tok Mummy/Uncle Jambi












We miss you Rooqs! :(

Ok it's back to routine! As usual, every weekday morning, Nyla and I would be doing work.
Nyla is beside me doing her worksheet on ordinal numbers...



while Mommy here has something for her ladies!
Ready for the new batch of THE (extremely-popular-sold-out-in 2 days!) EXCLUZIF PONCHOS my girlies?!
As promised, here they are!
READY STOCK!!! Which means you can wear this weekend!




There are also new vibrant colours!


Hokie dokie!
Here are the available colours darlings:

"Vanilla" Cream
"Midnight" Navy Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2847014571728051376&postID=3296948777415184215
"Ocean" Turqoise
"Rose" Maroon
"Bandung" Pink
"Elephant" Grey
"Chilli" Red
"Cotton Candy" Pink

The Excluzif Poncho is free size (Fits S-XL) and a piece is just $55!

Very versatile (can wear with leggings/jeggings/jeans/shorts)
For the young and old alike...
For every shape and size. (Hides the multi-storey fats on tummy really well! Heee!)

Preggers and nursing moms, I wanna share Posh Spice's quote: “I fell in love with ponchos when I was pregnant with Cruz. They were my pals, the only things that had room for my tummy, my boobs and my back.”

The Excluzif Ponchos are really for EVERYBODY one! :)


So ladies, do be fast and email me at nuraesman@gmail.com if you would like to secure The Excluzif Poncho babes. :)
See ya all at my mailbox. Mwaaaaaaaaaah.

SPLASH!

I have been sending Nyla for swimming lessons every week for about 2 months now.
Nyla looks forward to her swimming lessons every time, always waking up many times the night before her swimming day and asking ,"Is it morning already Mommy?"

She is very tanned now even though I put like the whole tube of sunblock lotion on her religiously before her swimming lesson.
There will be no swimming lessons during the month of Ramadhan so I hope my girl will look like Snow White during Hari Raya. Heeee. :)

Nyla is very lucky to have a very patient and nurturing swimming coach. Thanks Kesy for recommending Coach Kok! He's really sweet unlike some coaches I observed who are pretty 'shouty' to their charges.



During Nyla's first lesson, she was embarrassing.
She closed her eyes in the water despite wearing goggles, hence always bumping into Coach Kok's tummy.
She also refused to wear a swimming cap because 'I look like a turtle!' In the end, she gave in because she was damn annoyed with her long hair covering her face in the water.


Much better with the swimming cap babe. Looking like a national swimmer already! Heeee.

Children paying attention to Coach Kok.

After about 8 lessons, I am very pleased to say that Nyla has graduated to the deep pool and she can swim! I am so proud of her for giving her best shot during her swimming lessons!


So now that she can swim, everytime we go swimming, she'll pretend to be a swimming coach.
Her instructions are exactly like those of Mr Kok's. :)

That's my mom learning how to swim from Coach Nyla!

Friday today peeps!
I am anticipating the arrival of my 2 year old nephew who will be spending 4 days with us while his parents go for a short romantic holiday. :)


So, Mr E and I will be parents of 2 children for 4 days.
Later in the evening, I will be bringing Rooqy to watch Nyla's last assembly performance at her school. She's excited.
Super duper weekend to all of you!

D for ______

The letter 'D' for Daily 10.
The letter 'D' for Discipline.
The letter 'D' for Diligent.
The letter 'D' for drilling when it comes to Mathematics.

I used to assign homework to my pupils every single day back then.

'Homework' here need not be the boring kind though.
I assigned them homework on a daily basis because I needed the kids to be responsible and carry out their tasks as instructed.

I shall give you a few examples. I am so glad I didn't throw the hard copies. As I looked through my stuff, I realised that I miss classroom teaching very much though. :(
Sad feelings aside, let me continue.

Let's say...
English lesson:
14/2. (Valentine's Day)
Note: Educators who are reading this, you might want to carry out this activity on Valentine's Day! My kids (and their parents!) loved it!

What I did was I wrote a love note to every pupil of mine.
Here is an example:

Dearest Ryan,

You are a very confident and responsible boy.
Remember the time I asked you to request for the forms at the General Office?
You did it so willingly and you did not even complain although it was your recess time.
It really warms my heart to see such a wonderful student like you.
All you need now is focus in your studies and trust me, you are on your way to success.
Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love,
Mdm Nura

And their task was to reply to me AND write a love note to a family member.So fun to 'mark' this activity can?!

Now, here is an example of homework related to Science!

If you notice, I always make sure that there must be parental involvement during these fun activities.

With the lower ability pupils, one of the factors which cause them to under perform is lack of parental guidance.

So when I took over these 'last classes', I tried my very best to get their parents/guardians and even grandparents involved.

And I am very pleased to say that the constant communication with these adults through letters influenced them to participate and most importantly, bond, with their beloved children.

With Maths, the fun activities were held during school hours and also, this is a subject that really requires constant and everyday practice.
When PSLE was drawing near, I came up with the idea of The Daily 10.
The children were required to practice 10 questions every day. Their parents were their 'supervisors' and markers.

The very next day, we'd go through the questions one by one. Some of these children would even volunteer to demonstrate how to solve the question in front of the whole class. (Cher! My mudder teach me another method. Very easy one!)

Such fun times.
Even though I am no longer teaching in a school, I try as much as I can to include fun stuff during tuition.

My tutees are really getting the hang of doing The Daily 10.

At first they sighed. Those who did not complete their Daily 10 would receive lashing from me and thus required to stay back.

I also listened to their feedback. Most of them complained that 'sometimes too much leh Mdm Nura. Somemore, our teachers also give homework.' I heard their sorrows and took away the weekends, much to their delight!

Instead of doing The Daily 10 for 7 days a week, the children now are maths-ing from Mondays to Fridays.

I expect my tutees to have neat handwriting. Why? Because their handwriting will represent them during their PSLE written examinations. Hence, I would like to share with you one of my tutees' The Daily 10 exercises. Thank you Heong Luck for allowing me to share with my awesome readers!

If his mother is busy, his elder brother will refer to the answer key provided and mark for him. Heong Luck then must settle the incorrect answers and do corrections. Should he (or any other tutee) is unable to get the correct answer, that's when we will discuss during tuition.

If your child is having trouble in Maths, please don't belittle them or worse, just buat bodoh.

Think Daily 10.

1) Order The Daily 10

2) Open your mailbox

3) Give to child

4) If it's the 5th july, take out the worksheet dated 5th July

5) Sit beside your child and look at him/her adoringly (LOL!) as they try to solve the 10 questions

6) Mark

7) Go through the wrong answers

8) Child does corrections

9) You mark the corrections

10) Give each other a big tight hug and a Hi-5

The next day, repeat steps 1 to 10.

I do have some parents complaining about their children:'Haiya....I don't think my child is disciplined enough to do The Daily 10 on an every day basis. She is hooked on computer games, the Internet and mobile phones..... He loves skateboarding and soccer too much...'

I damn pantang when I hear such stuff.

One: Adults, you need to exert more control and have that healthy balance of sensitivity and strictness.

Two: You cannot just tell your kid to do. You need to lead by example and sit down with him/her. If you want your child to be dedicated to The Daily 10, then you need to show you are interested.

Three: A Daily 10 session will only take about 15-30 minutes. Short and sweet. Be committed leh.

Even if this entry is not applicable to you because your child is not in Primary 6, I hope you are motivated to spend some quality time with your child after work!

If you are a parent of a P Sixer or know anyone/family members whose children are taking the PSLE, do let them know of The Daily 10.

Parents, today is 1st July.

91 days left to PSLE.

There's still time.

For the JULY issue of The Daily 10, my inbox: nuraesman@gmail.com is always open. :)

PS: Do indicate whether your child is taking STANDARD or FOUNDATION Maths because there are 2 versions of The Daily 10.

Cheers and I wish ya all a very happy weekend.