Hazel Ceej

  A child's feet grow rapidly. It's a fact known to many parents or those in child care. So it is safe to assume that your child's shoe size is not the same as the last time you went on a shoe-shopping trip. The American Podiatric Medical Association suggests measuring your child's feet before every new shoe purchase. I fall short of this. And even if I did measure, I still would not have known we were to measure 'no matter how recently the feet were last measured.' I don't remember my kiddo regularly wearing typical socks while trying on shoes. And I don't remember myself inspecting his feet for signs of irritation after trying on shoes.  You may join me in making a note to self: socks and signs (of irritation) If you don't mind secondhand shoes, the advice is to avoid them as they 'could cause fungal infection.'  I remember a colleague proudly telling me how she bought her daughter's shoes for 25 cents at a garage sale. And I remember w

Fortunately Arlo's story is one of love, concern and creativity, unlike Missy's . Animal lovers would nod on Arlo needs glasses by Barney Saltzberg . Families with dogs might be interested too. It's not just the story I am interested in.  Arlo Needs Glasses is an interactive picture book. What children do not like names on pages that appear in equivalent of lights with letters that are outlined in different hues? They get to pull a tab and be part of the activities in the story. An eye chart in the doctor's office is shown on this book. Letters blur with the pull of a tab giving readers the idea of what the lead character might be seeing. It would even be more interesting to be able to detect words, which reviews of this book, suggest are hidden in the eye chart. Saltzberg spells out "phoropter," he uses the Broadway-marquee lettering, as if children are picking up a party favor when they look through the accordion-style fancy-dancy binoculars. At the very b

Meet Leo, the baby leopard. For 100 baht (about 3.40 USD) he's yours to cuddle and feed. The milk in his bottle is very little, just enough to be consumed in 2 minutes or less. Leo lives in Kanchanaburi. ABC Wednesday

In a fairytale world, she's the damsel in distress and he's the gallant knight in shining armor who comes to rescue her from the tower of the evil witch. Enter reality - CJ in a golden steed green bike and Pinky gallop to the sunset head to the lift of a six-storey apartment building. They speak different languages. They also have different personalities. He is an introvert; she is obedient. And sweet. When asked to kiss him she obliged. Click!  goes the knight's little professor's very first kiss from a girl besides his mom. ABC Wednesday

In this post: Booking Through Thursday and Thursday Thirteen Quick–what are you reading right now? Would you recommend it? What’s it about? Pocket Finance by The Economist Books . Does it count? It's one of thousands of finance books out there; a "guide that outlines the complexities of financial concepts and practice through essays and alphabetized terms." If you are in higher education, Southeast Asia region- finance, accounting, management sort of stuff, you might fancy it for side reading. Come to my nook and we'll discuss it over tea. Coffee if you like or martini. It's just that at work there's talk of gearing up subject content for business undergrads; things like the AEC (Asian Economic Community), etceterati. This is back-up just in case. Thursday Thirteen: International Book Week There's a bit of fun going on around FB in honor of international book week. Bookworms are invited to grab the closest book to them, turn to page 52, and post the 5th s

They are only minutes and we have big things that require days, months or forever to do, so do we spend hours discussing the minutes or do we just play it by ear? Managing My Minutes: Do I Really Need To ? s hows why and how the minutes matter. It is when the work is great that there's a need to pay attention to little details. In a sea of chores moms or anyone managing a home may hope the children or loved ones in the household will cooperate so things are done quickly. But that may not be always the case. You wonder why the Jones children behave better, their obedience systematic. Is there a secret trick for that? Author Lorrie Flem points you to a law in the natural world that serves as a guide to help you understand what you might be getting wrong. It's not magic, nor a 'get-rich' formula but an 'app' you can actually make use of. This e-book works around a concept most of us deal with whatever social roles we play - schedule. Now I usually treat schedule as

"Oh Mary! ... find some useful employment!" ~ Mrs Bennet, Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen's 500-piece 18" x 14" jigsaw puzzle looks to me like one heck of useful entertainment. The moment I saw it on a shelf by the check out counter of Asia Books, I decided it was mine even before I read the blurb - "Settle down for a cozy afternoon with this literary-minded puzzle. Cleverly packaged in a booklike box... it features illustrations from the Regency Era paired with quotes from Jane Austen's beloved novels." Alas! I have had the misfortune of not having touched this most prized possession since I bought it last year . Therefore this is one good reason to look forward to rainy afternoons at home on that russet hardwood dining table. If only I were home. ABC Wednesday