Kids- What is bullying and signs that you bully..

Just felt like sharing this article. We might think that the facts in the articles are just some kids-stuffs , growing-up-things-that-you-have-to-face, etc. Think again! Just put yourself in those bullied childrens' shoes. Also, try to imagine what IF your children are being bullied and picked on, all the time?! Read on..

http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/signs-that-you-bully.aspx
WHAT IS BULLYING?

Signs That You Bully

Okay, time for the truth. Or at least time to consider if you have a confession to make! Take this quiz to find out if you've ever bullied someone. Put a check in the boxes if you've done these things before.

~There's a boy or a girl (or maybe more than one) whom you've repeatedly shoved, or punched or physically pushed around in a mean way just because you felt like it.

~You had someone else hurt someone you don't like.

~You've spread a nasty rumor about someone, in conversation, in a note, or through email or instant messaging.

~You and your friends have regularly kept one or more kids from hanging out or playing with you. Examples: at your lunch table at school, during sports or other activities, or activities that are a part of a club or other kind of group activity.

~You've teased people in a mean way, calling them names, making fun of their appearance, or the way they talk or dress or act.

~You've been part of a group that did any of these things - even if you only wanted to be part of the crowd.

If you checked any of these boxes, you're not alone. All over the country, in all types of neighborhoods and schools, there are all types of young people who bully others. Bullying is serious business. It causes young people a lot of pain, and it can affect their ability to do well in school and their general happiness. But it doesn't have to be that way. By visiting this site - and taking a look at our Webisodes - you can learn about better ways to treat your friends and acquaintances, as well as become part of the solution to this serious problem!

Definition of bullying..

Is bullying a part of growing up? Is it just something your child has to go through, and make
him/her ( i think boys are proned to being bullied than girls, am i right?) believe that she'll come out stronger, braver, more confident, bla,bla, because he/she had passed thist one phase of his/her life? So, while some parents are teaching their children emphaty, being kind and thoughtful to others, sharing ( be it your food, toys or even friends), there are also those who never seem to care enough to instill the values in their children. Don't just brush it off. Think what if your child is being bullied? Think think think...

http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/what-is-bullying.aspx

WHAT IS BULLYING?
What Is The Definition of Bullying?
A lot of young people have a good idea of what bullying is because they see it every day! Bullying happens when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose and the person being bullied has a hard time defending himself or herself. Usually, bullying happens over and over.
Punching, shoving, and other acts that hurt people physically
Spreading bad rumors about people
Keeping certain people out of a "group"
Teasing people in a mean way
Getting certain people to "gang up" on others Bullying also can happen online or electronically. Cyberbullying is when children or teens bully each other using the Internet, mobile phones or other cyber technology. This can include:
Sending mean text, email, or instant messages
Posting nasty pictures or messages about others in blogs or on Web sites
Using someone else's user name to spread rumors or lies about someone.

Take a look at Webisode 5 to see an example of cyberbullying. There are many ways that young people bully each other, even if they don't realize it at the time. Unfortunately, not everyone takes bullying seriously, including adults.

This is one of the main reasons that the Youth Expert Panel has worked alongside the representatives of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) to develop the Take A Stand. Lend A Hand. Stop Bullying Now! Campaign.

having fun with playdough..

This is the playdough recipe that is used in Hafiz's preschool. Mr Dave was so nice to share the recipe with the other parents, and we have been making it 3 times, since. Next, i will ask tempe recipe from Mr Dave, dengar kata dia suka sangat makan tempe, he might have his own simple recipe to make them, who knows? ehehe

Playdough recipe
( adik, kakak abang and bibiks, sila ambil kertas dan pensil, atau anda boleh kopipes dan tampal di fridge menggunakan fridge magnet Vladivostok yang anda kirim kawan tempohari :D)

Use proportions of:
1 Cup of flour
1/4 Cup of salt
2 tablespoons of cooking oil add water ( to desired consistency)
~ waaahh..kalau taruh gula dengan sedikit vanilla essense, sudah boleh buat biskut raya nih! :)

Method:
To make regular playdough, just mix up the ingredients then add oil and enough water a bit at a time to see how things are working out.
If you make it a bit sticky, then the kids can add extra flour to play making things. You might want to start with a little water, then build up to the consistency you want.

Some kids like to prepare the playdough themselves, a sticky dough is great so they can add extra flour. Umar loves making shapes, scluptures and doesn't bother to modify the dough. For him, i usually make playdough with just the right consistency so he can start right away..
Oh yeah, we added food colourings and flavourings as well. We have had blue playdough with banana flavour ( what a weird combinations), eggyellow-coloured strawberry-flavoured and apple green colour with vanilla flavour.

From the start to the end ( 'end' means until the dough finally crumbled all over the floor, because it dries up really fast here..), there will be testing assumptions, tasting, tasting and tasting... Oh, did i mention tasting? Here are some photos from our 2nd day of having fun with our playdough.. I hope you have fun making your own playdough too! Try it!

Playdough – sedia untuk diapa-apakan saja…

Umar’s blue colour, banana flavoured dough..

If it were to be a dough-nut- I’d call it Smurf Do-Nuts!

Hafiz- mula mengapa-apakan doh tanah liat itu..
Tenaga dalaman diperlukan untuk membuat prints
sebegitu rupa, ya adik-adik..!!

The boys in action.

my rolling pins......

Umar's Smurfs Do-Nuts?

Umar menggelecek dan menggentel!!


Lutfil, Umar (dan siputnya)

Lutfil seperti biasa, menunggu 'bantuan' sampai..

Lutfil cuba modify antennae siput Umar..jaga-jaga..’praaappp!- bunyi antennae itu dipatah-patahkan..(adegan ini tak dapat disiarkan, takut mengganggu ketenteraman awam..)

Hafiz must have thought making siput out of a playdough is ‘kacang’, and was out to prove that he can do better than Umar!

Hafiz’s siput . The siput I think is a bit nervous, ye lah..kaler pinkish kan…
(Note the reflection of the snail, never thought it would show up that clear..the table top must have been so shiny –clean or maybe oily-shiny? Errkk)

Umar is always into animals/living things. I had thought that he would make a T-Rex, or creatures from the oceans, or a sea-horse. Turned out it was a snail!
The red fish was Lutfil’s. Don’t worry, it doesn’t smell that bad, and the taste is the combination of roses and mango..! care for some tasting?

colour of my life..

Every weekends , i will be reminded of the promises i made to the boys. Tuntut janji tuu..When they asked if they could cut a picture out of an old newspaper, play games on PSP, help me bake cakes, make playdough( they like to make rather than play playdough!), use water colour or the tempura paint, the answer is always
"Wait till Friday/Saturday/weekends" ( 'weekends' is when i don't feel like being specific, so it could be friday, saturdays or the next weekends) :D
Umar will of course, remember what he asked for, and what day i told him he could do it then.

So, early Friday mornings he will bug me to take out the brushes, paints, paper, scissors, glitter glues, all the necessary stuffs neededto produce that magnificent piece of art. As other kids, they love mixing colours and painting their favourite subjects, Umar's the natures and ocean livesand it is cars, planes, horses and cats for Hafiz. Lutfil is not so choosy and he'll just paint anything and ON anything! ishhh...:D
Photos that were taken last Friday...









On top of that, they use the glitters to put that glamour touch to their final work. It's amazing to see them put all their focus and energy on the papers and colours. It amazes me more to see how they perceive their surroundings, by what they put on the paintings. Sometimes, it's from their imaginations, or books they have read, or from places they have been to.
Umar did some paintings on beaches ( siap dengan pokok kelapa membuai-buai) and lots of sketches on ocean-floor creatures-
that's definitely from picture in books he'd seen, or maybe NatGeo Wild or even Nemo! haha

It is the only time when i can have the TV all to myself ( BBC Lifestyles is what i want to watch), because at other time it is either Baby TV, or Disney
Channel or NatGeoWild ( news can only be watched in the mornings). That, or i switch it off altogether, semua orang tak payah tengok.
However being me, memang suka playing with paper and colours; so i will join them and show off my art talents - macamlah ada pun..hahah
DH masa ni is either watching us or doing his work on his computer, takut nak join, karang kena gelak kuat-kuat punya...!! heheh





When it's time to clean up the mess, i will just need to sing a song out from barney's show, 'Clean Up'and Umar, Hafiz and Lutfil will quickly come to the rescue. "Kalau tak mau, next week no more painting for you"- ini janji Ibu yang ingat!!

Yeeha..


Life has been good.


Alhamdulillah, things are going very well with the kids and oh yes, i have only Lutifl to accompany me during my morning march to morning coffees, arabic class, badminton lessons, cooking class ( last Tuesday's was Kek Gula Hangus, siap tapau lagi). Bunyi macam banyak giler aktiviti kan? Eh, memang banyak pun. Oh ya, tidak terkecuali my dear Playgroup classes every Monday and Thursday..The other 2 boys are at schools from 7.15am to 1.30pm.

Umar is now in Year 1 @K1CS, Khart0um Int'nal Community Scho0l, while Hafiz goes to KAS ( Khart0um Amer1can School). Yup, they do go to different schools. Why? For Hafiz, I wanted him to go where he is going, and Umar wanted to go to his current school- the fact that they offers swimming lessons and horse-back riding contributed a lot to his choosing the school.



Anyway, seeing that they enjoy schools and coming back with stories of friends, teachers, current projects, books they are reading are enough to convinced me that they should be where they are now. The 2 schools look so different in appearance and 'feel', but i am sure they provide just the same best quality education and nurturing them just the way it should be. hehe..emak-emak biasalah, semua mengharapka yang terbaik, anak-anak harta kita wehhh..!!

I take Hafiz to school everyday at 6.45am, with the block van ( ya macam van pekerja kilang di tanahair kita).Now that i have 2 schoolgoing children and DH's workplace doesn't have any cafe ( ok, tipu, bukan takde cafe, but not the type yang dia boleh beli and makan- terlalu local taste, withflava beans and local salads, and he's an expat - eh betullah kan?), so i have to prepare breakfast and meals ( to bring to schools/office) for 3 .

Lihat menu-menu di bawah ini:

Breakfast: Cekodok pisang ( DH), cereal (Umar), Roti with Nutella spread ( hafiz).Lunch box menu: Nasi goreng (DH), cucur pisang (Umar- percayalah, inilah yang umar bawak ke sekolah..habis!!), hafiz- roti sapu nutella( kalau Londobisco roll cake habis, atau kalau yang chocolate flavour habis , dan yang tinggal strawberry aje-which he doesn't fancy! habis tu siapa nak makan yang rasa strawberry tu?!!).

Atau, set yang ini juga: Breakfast: Nasi goreng ( DH), cereal (Umar), susu (Hafiz)- sonang bona!Lunch box: Nasi goreng ( DH), Mee goreng - for both Umar and Hafiz.Umar and Hafiz ni tak reti makan nasi goreng, tapi mee goreng ok. DH plak tak suka mee goreng, nasi goreng dia sukaaaaa!!Kadang-kadang DH bawak nasi putih dengan lauk-pauk, ( fish fillet goreng tepung with some sauce, or daging masak asam pedas with lots of tomato chuncks, fried thin-sliced beef mixed with some long beans, etc.

Harap-harap teman-teman semeja makan DH ku itu tersangatlah impressed dengan my cooking dan mungkin menyuruh wife-wife mereka memasak yang serupa: fish fillet goreng tepung? ikan bilis goreng? sheessh!! ahahah- tak lawak!!Tapi jangan adalah yang menjeling dan mengkomen dalam hati kalau nampak hubby bawak nasi lauk telur mata bersos kicap atau emm..bawak cekodok pisang!! heheh...Pagi-pagi memang sangat gedempun-gedempang kitchen kitorang, sampai kakak rumah bawah tu dah biasa sangat tanya: apa lah yang kelentng kelentang pagi-pagi tu ?:. eh, masaklah kak,western ada, thai ada, menu panas panas!! Kang orang tak tau pulak saya masak untuk seluruh ahli keluarga terchenta! heheh( sekali tengok DH bawak roti sapu coklat je pi ofis, akak ni mesti tau sebab hubby dia seofis ngan DH, maknanya lunch partner jugaklah! Bocor rahsia !!
Tak habis lagi. I take Hafiz to school, DH still at home, and i really , really like it if Lutfil has woken up from sleep by this time. Biasanya i hint to my DH, "hari ni ada arabic class at 9.30am, or morning coffe at 9.30am,or badminton lesson at 8am". I f i am lucky, he'll give Lutfil a bath, and that usually is a BIG relief! Susah gilerr biasanya nak mandikan dia, dengan amuknya, dengan rengeknya, orang lain start badminton pukul 8am, i datang 9am. Patutlah 'stroke' i tak pernah improve!Asyik lambat sampai training ..heheh. Kalau morning coffee tu, asyik mkan dessert je lah, pasal main menu dah habis! Not complaining here..i memng suka target dessert dulu pun..
Tengah makan dessert kat acara minum kopi tu, mata asyik tengok jam, pasal at 11.30am kena naik van lagi ambik Hafiz at school. Bawak Lutfil dan bersama geng Van Sekolah, kami menngharungi panas terik dan bahang, merentasi.... Eleh, Mohammed yang drive pun rileks je , madam-madam ni nak kena bukak mulut and bukak cerita je sepanjang jalan tu. Tapi i pernah jugak tertidur selama 15 minit dalam van tu, penat beb!! Sampai rumah biasanya i goreng mee je ( mee kicap ), atau kalau tanya Hafiz, dia mungkin cakap" Ibu feeds me roti canai for lunch" hahha..buleh dipercayai jugaklah dia haha.Hafiz kalau mintak i buat apa-apa yang dia nak makan, it's either roti, or mee or donuts! Kalau kek coklat, dia makan semua , except yang i buat! Ngapalah anakku ni. Eh, Ibu buat sedap tau! :D

Umar is more on the cheese-pizza-bread-fresh milk-cereals types of food! I think he has sweet-tooth just like me. Tapi i suka pengat, dia suka tak eh?

Oh ya, I have this resolution to finish the current stock of cream cheese. I have been doing this creamcheese buttercake for the past 2 weeks. I have made this 6 times already, and i still have about 400g of creamcheese that could make about 2 butter cakes. Patutlah my pants and khakis yang selama ini elok-elok muat dah tak muat.Okay, lepas ni berkain batik. Tak pun pakai seluar punjabi yang pakai tali je, verryy flexible! haha. On the other hand i managed to gain the 6 kgs that i lost ( and thought that would be forever!!) isk, isk !! Jangan berani congratulate me. Nahas anda nanti! Dari mana agaknya all those kgs/pounds came from? Emm..let me wonder !! Ye lah tu..!!