I am writing this as a result of a conversation with a new parent today who was wondering if all the anti-colic medication in the pharmacies actually work. This is because her baby has been experiencing many stomach problems since she was born.

For those of you who have children, you will know that babies are at their cutest when they look like the above – calm and contented.

However, when they experience babies stomach problems, most commonly known as colic, it will be horrible for the mummies and daddies. This is because the babies can cry and cry and we will not be able to figure out what is it that they want to say!

Apart from colic, babies with reflux can also be difficult to handle as we cannot figure out how much of what is consumed is actually spit out!

So, dear readers, can you share your experience in using some of these anti-colic medication? In your opinion, are these medication safe?

The other day I was having a cup of coffee with a friend and we were lamenting on how the earth has changed and how polluted the air was and how the weather is taking a turn for the worse.

And then she told me about how she is making her own household cleaner for her dishes. I admit I am a nature lover and I am all for preserving it … but I have not thought of making my own cleaner!

For a while I thought she was a little mad until I found this article in the Star yesterday which tells us how to make a household cleaner as well as stain remover! I am reproducing it here for the benefit of us all.

* 1) Fill a large, wide mouth jar with citrus peels (e.g. lemons, oranges, limes or grapefruits).

* 2) Cover the peels with white household vinegar.

* 3) Let it brew for four weeks, shaking the jar occasionally (just to mix it a little). After four weeks, strain the mixture two times.

* 4) Use as laundry booster (toss in with your whites). Mix 1/2 cup per 4.5 litres of water to dilute and place in a spray bottle for use as a window cleaner, counter top cleaner and floor cleaner.

* 5) For the laundry stain remover, mix 1 cup hot water, 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide. Store in spray bottles. Spot treat stains and soak overnight.

There, sounds pretty simple right? I think I might just attempt to do this. But I do wonder in that 4 weeks of brewing … is there any smell which may potentially make me feel faint?

Do you have any other ways of making your own cleaners?

I started giving my son paint and brushes when he was about 3 years old, just for variety. And over the months, I have also given him potatoes to stamp and different sizes of brushes for variety.

Today, I received a mail from Kid Crafts Magazine and it was filled with ideas on how to get kids different types of tools to paint.

Some ideas to substitute paint brushes are:

You can also use these as stamps/ stencils:

Isn’t this great? I am going to start collecting different types of twigs now for my son to start painting now!

Do you have any other ideas to share?

With Ryan, I tend to play Legos and puzzles with him. Alternatively, I also play with Pop-Onz with him. He likes to make and invent things.

With my little baby, I tend to play peek-a-boo and sing to her. Now, you can see why Ryan will be bored with my play with Megan while Megan will be so fascinated with Ryan’s inventions that it will be grabbed and dismantled in no time.

Sigh, this is a stage where I wish where there are dress up games which can help me transform in a flash for the both of them. That way, I can entertain them even when I am changing my costume!

I also play cooking games with Ryan when I am busy cooking in the kitchen. Actually, it is more like imaginary play where he is helping me with the cooking and washing. In reality, he is playing with water in the basin!

Thankfully Ryan is not hooked to any video games just yet. I must be careful so that he is not addicted to it and in turn put his health in jeopardy. With Megan, I am all the more determined not to let her be in it as well.

Can you tell me about any other games which I can play with my 8 month old and 4+ year old together?

These days, if you would like to buy computers and stuff, I doubt one would actually go shop to shop just to compare models, prices, features, etc. I think by the time you get to the third shop, you would have felt pretty overwhelmed by the sales persons or the amount of models you see, but that may be just me.

Knowing me then, a friend told me about SHOPwiki. Apparently, they have a huge database of products which are available online and it helps by providing people like me a good place to shop and compare before I ultimately buy.

To start of, I was looking for a printer. Should it be for normal printing or should I go for the one that also prints photos? Should I get a plain one or should I consider the one which can fax, print and scan?

Next, I was also looking for the computer itself. Can you imagine all those brands out there? The last one I had was a cloned one and I found out that the price of a cloned one could be more expensive than a genuine one!

Then I wondered if I should get a laptop or a desktop? A desktop would obviously take up space, but at least I can choose the keyboard and mouse I like, which is very important to me. But a laptop offers me so much more freedom!

And lastly, what kind of speakers should I get??

Thank goodness there is SHOPwiki! At least I can keep the sales people at bay!!

Do you have any ideas on the above? Please share!