Vanessa has been hitting a period where she is getting nightmares.  So far, it’s been once a week for 2 weeks where she will wake up and then wake me up (because we sleep in the same room) and tell me she’s scared and doesn’t want to sleep by herself.  It’s not like night terrors or even frequent nightmares, but enough out of her usual sleep pattern that I’ve noticed it and want to help.
Apparently, nightmares begin to truly develop when they are toddlers (aged 3-6).  This is when they …

Lately, I’ve been sleeping REALLY well.  It’s probably the best sleep I’ve had since being pregnant with baby #1 back in September of 2006.  Yes,  that’s almost 4 years of unmanageable, poor sleep.  Can you believe it?  Although I don’t sleep in anymore (nothing past 7:00 AM), my nights are still crash sleep and I feel pretty rested afterward.  So how did I do it?  Read on my sleepy friend, read on!
The sleeping place is what it is.  A place to sleep.
I don’t have computers, television or anything distracting in …

I’ve been taking some preventation measures since discovering the frequency in which mold grows on EVERYTHING in Hong Kong - (you can read my previous article on “How to remove mold or mildew from HONG KONG walls?”) especially where I live on the island.  Just want to share with you so you can take them too and hopefully reduce the growth rate of mold.  I recently opened a box of wallets I don’t often used, only to find that 4 out of 5 of our wallets were moldy.  Needless to …

This is kind of a continuation of “How To Come Up With Content For a Blog” and since I like to promote blogging and expression of ideas and free speech and virtually try to brainwash everyone to start a blog of some sort, it’s an added bonus when your blog can generate revenue.
So instead of typing out my approach to friends each time a friend launches a site or blog, I’ll simply throw them this page and hopefully they can self discover their way to some incentives.
For starters, lisatong.com isn’t my high earner …

My sister came up with this topic idea and I think it’s fabulous!  I tend to focus on the operational side of things rather than the emotional side, so this bodes well for learning and reinforcing from my end as a parent to my children.
How do you explain the presence of a new person in the house?
How do you explain who this person is?
How do you explain what they do and why they do it?
I see the challenge of “explaining the role of your domestic helper to your children” in …

This is a continuation of Domestic helper issues and how to deal with them (Part 1).  If you’re looking to hire a domestic helper in Hong Kong, you may want to check out this article first: “How to hire a domestic helper in Hong Kong”
No domestic helper is without problems.  In this sense, I don’t mean that the helper herself has problems - it might be a mismatch of personalities between you and this other someone.  You are after all living under the same roof and when opinions or tastes …

As my experience with photography is growing, I’m actually quite proud of some of the work I’ve managed to output.  Hence, my showcase here (scroll down  - it’s a long post).  Recently, the kids and I (along with the grandparents) ventured out to Disney Land in Hong Kong for a fun day in the sun and here are some shots.  To truly be able to capture moments in any type of lighting, you really need to understand the basics of photography.  And not just using the “automatic” feature as my …

 
This article isn’t Hong Kong specific - although some of the suggestions here are for places where the pollution is high and the air quality just isn’t there.  I write this post as thoughts of how I can create a fresher breathing place for my kids (and self and husband).  My husband has asthma, so clean air is almost a MUST have for our family.  Here are a few proactive tips you can apply to your house to help keep the air clean.

Avoid using carpets.  Carpets creates micro debris and …

 
I came across this really GREAT article in the bbc today titled “Can a toddler have an eating disorder?”  It struck a chord with me so much because at times my children are difficult to feed.  It’s much worse with grandparents looking after them, because they fall into the same syndrome that the article mentions.  That the children are in control and not the caregivers.
I have since learned not to give into their tantrums and step away from being crazily concerned that they aren’t eating.  With my first daughter, I …

This is the ultimate product for eliminating nail biting activities.  In fact, it can also be used for other things like eliminating the pacifier or thumb.  Warning:  It’s extremely bitter and tastes disgusting.  I’m sure there are other products similar to this, but for both Vanessa and Natalie, it has been effective for a variety of “unique” habits.
Vanessa is the ultimate nail biter.  I don’t know why children do it, it might be a fun habit to keep them busy - but I haven’t been as firm in using this …