Ok, I'm officially declaring the month of February and March as Wicked months since I'm already sharing songs about this play for weeks now.
Here's another favorite song called "Popular" sung by Glinda.
Before leaving Kuala Lumpur, we had lunch at our favorite local restaurant - Old Town White Coffee.
TO continue my previous post about the article I came across last week - 10 Common Mistakes Parents Today Make by Kari Kubiszyn Kampakis , here are the next five common mistakes of we parents make these days...
Mistake #5: Missing the wonder of childhood. The other day I found a Strawberry Shortcake sticker on my kitchen sink. It reminded me how blessed I am to share my home with little people.
One day there won't be stickers on my sink. There won't be Barbies in my bathtub, baby dolls on my bed or Mary Poppins in the DVD player. My windows will be clear of sticky handprints, and my home will be quiet because my daughters will be hanging out with friends instead of nesting at home with me.
Mistake #4: Raising the child we want, not the child we have. As parents we harbor dreams for our children. They start when we get pregnant, before the gender's even known. Secretly we hope they'll be like us, only smarter and more talented. We want to be their mentors, putting our life experiences to good use.
But the irony of parenting is that children turn our molds upside down. They come out wired in ways we never anticipated. Our job is to figure out their inherent, God-ordained bent and train them in that direction. Forcing our dreams on them won't work. Only when we see them for who they are can we impact their life powerfully.
Mistake #3: Forgetting our actions speak louder than words. Sometimes when my kids ask a question, they'll say, "Please answer in one sentence." They know me well, for I'm always trying to squeeze life lessons into teachable moments. I want to fill them with wisdom, but what I forget is how my example overshadows my words.
How I handle rejection and adversity... how I treat friends and strangers... whether I nag or build up their father... they notice these things. And the way I respond gives them permission to act the same.
If I want my children to be wonderful, I need to aim for wonderful, too. I need to be the person I hope they'll be.
Mistake #2: Judging other parents -- and their kids. No matter how much we disagree with someone's parenting style, it's not our place to judge. Nobody in this world is "all good" or "all bad"; we're all a mix of both, a community of sinners struggling with different demons.
Personally, I tend to cut other parents more slack when I'm going through hard spells. When my child is testing me, I'm compassionate to parents in the same boat. When my life is overwhelming, I'm forgiving of others who slip up and let things fall through the cracks.
We never know what someone's going through or when we'll need mercy ourselves. And while we can't control judgmental thoughts, we can cut them short by seeking to understand the person instead of jumping to conclusions.
Mistake #1: Underestimating CHARACTER. If there's one thing I hope to get right in my children, it's their CORE. Character, moral fiber, an inner compass... these things lay the foundation for a happy, healthy future. They matter more than any report card or trophy ever will.
None of us can force character on our kids, and at age 10 or 15 character won't mean much. Children care about short-term gratification, but we, as parents, know better. We know that what will matter at 25, 30 and 40 is not how far they once threw the football, or whether they made cheerleader, but how they treat others and what they think of themselves. If we want them to build character, confidence, strength and resilience, we need to let them face adversity and experience the pride that follows when they come out stronger on the other side.
One of the fun times that we also treasure during our one week vacation in Langkawi was the duty free shopping!
I came across this article - 10 Common Mistakes Parents Today Make by Kari Kubiszyn Kampakis and it was such an eye opener for me. I'm also guilty of these mistakes so I thought of blogging it here to remind of these mistakes and hopefully I don't get to do it anymore. Hopefully!
Mistake #10: Worshipping our children. Many of us live in child-centered communities. We're raising our kids in child-centered homes. Our children love this, of course, because our lives revolve around them. And for the most part we don't mind either, because their happiness is our happiness. It thrills us to do for them, buy for them, and shower them with love and attention.
Mistake #9: Believing our children are perfect. One thing I often hear from professionals who work with children (counselors, teachers, etc.) is that parents today don't want to hear anything negative about their kids. When concerns are raised, even concerns voiced out of love, the knee-jerk reaction is often to attack the messenger.
The truth can hurt, but when we listen with an open heart and mind we stand to benefit. We can intervene early before a situation gets out of hand. It's easier to deal with a troubled child than repair a broken adult.
Mistake #8: Living vicariously through our children. We parents take great pride in our children. When they succeed, it makes us happier than if we'd done it ourselves.
But if we're overly involved and invested in their lives, it gets hard to see where they end and we begin. When our children become extensions of us, we may see them as our second chance. Suddenly it's not about them, it's about us. This is where their happiness starts getting confused with our happiness.
Mistake #7: Wanting to be our child's BFF. When I asked a priest to name the biggest mistake he sees in parenting, he thought for a moment and then said, "Parents not being parents. Not stepping up to the plate to do hard things."
Like everyone, I want my children to love me. I want them to sing my praises and appreciate me. But if I'm doing my job right, they'll get mad and not like me sometimes. They'll roll their eyes, moan and groan, and wish they'd been born into another family.
Seeking to be our child's BFF can only lead to permissiveness and choices made out of desperation because we fear losing their approval. That's not love on our end; that's need.
Mistake #6: Engaging in competitive parenting. Every parent has a competitive streak. All it takes to stir this monster in us is another parent giving his or her child a leg up at our child's expense.
I hear these stories a lot at the junior high and high school levels, stories of broken friendships and betrayals due to one family blindsiding another family. In my opinion, the root is fear. We fear our children will get left behind. We fear that if we don't jump into the craziness, and pull out every stop to help them excel early, they'll be stuck in mediocrity the rest of their life.
We had a little bit of "photoshoot" while in Kuah Town so I'm sharing a few photos of the whole family.
SO here you go...
I specifically liked Kuah Town apart from all the tourist spots we went to in Langkawi because it still has a touch of the "old" town that I expected before coming to Malaysia. I love the colorful walls and floor tiles. I felt like I was in an old Malaysian town.
I was also impressed by this huge eagle right in the middle of Kuah Town.
Langkawi’s main town, Kuah, is located on the southeast corner of the island and is the arrival point for most of the ferries. If you’re arriving here with the illusion that you’re going to see clear white stretches of beaches as far as the eye can see, then you’re sadly mistaken. They’re located elsewhere on the island. SOURCE.
Kuah is a town which sits on reclaimed land and the waterfront sadly looks like a mucky and murky strip. Ships are ever-present in the distance and the looming mountains on the nearby islets are visible during the day but truthfully the Pantai Cenang and Pantai Tengah stretch is the place to go for clear and inviting views of the crystal clear ocean. SOURCE.
That being said, Kuah is not without its charms – the town has many excellent duty-free stores selling everything but the kitchen sink. Confectionary, tobacco and perfumes are easily found; the stores may not always be pretty, but they serve their purpose. In other words, apart from the numerous duty-free stores, there’s little to stop you proceeding to the beaches on the north side of the island. SOURCE.
Isn't it obvious that Wicked has invaded my mind for weeks now?
Here's another song that caught my heart.
Yes -
We couldn't be happier,
Right, dear?
Couldn't be happier
Right here
Look what we've got
A fairy-tale plot
Our very own happy ending
Where we couldn't be happier -
True, dear?
Couldn't be happier
And we're happy to share
Our ending vicariously
With all of you
He couldn't look handsomer
I couldn't feel humbler
We couldn't be happier
Because happy is what happens
When all your dreams come true!
HAHA! Check out this souvenir photo taken at Enchanted Kingdom last 2010.
Our quick island hopping in Langkawi was just a couple of hours but it was also unforgettable. With a speed boat that brought us to every island and yes, with ultimate speed in going to and from the places, it was indeed memorable!
Swim at the natural fresh water lake of the pregnant maiden. Allow hundreds of ikan keli ( Catfish ) to massage your legs. An unforgettable experience! According to the legend of the pregnant maiden, women who were unable to conceive, became fertile after drinking water from the lake. Many tourists were known to have collected & brought bottles of the fresh water back home.
