ContentedMom

"Dog Boy Girl"

2012-01-27T00:06:00.000-08:00

D looked down from the hotel window and saw a couple in the pool, not exactly in their best behaviour.

D remarked " Kan na dui gou nan nu! "

To which A, innocently responded " Dad, where? where? Where is the dog?"

The adults just burst into laughters while the kids displayed blank and perplexing expressions on their face!

Reunion Dinner 2012

2012-01-25T08:04:00.000-08:00

First time in over a decade that we had a formal family reunion dinner in Singapore. We had a table at the Hotel and it was a nice dinner, in comparison to the restaurant setting which would typically turn the table 3 or 4 times on the eve of CNY. I heard of dinner being served at 4pm on the Eve, in order to turn the table 4 times!!

We didnt have to rush our dishes but quite the contrary, we needed to remind the captain to expedite as they were served too slowly to our liking. We started the dinner at 7pm and didnt finish till almost 10pm! What a leisurely dinner on a CNY eve!

Lo and Behold

2012-01-24T08:02:00.000-08:00

What an interesting dialogue between the two.

E and N were playing with toy swords and guns.

N " Lo and behold, speak your last words! "( pointing the sword at E)
E " Che-che, speak what?"

N " Speak anything you want "
E " I dont know "

haha...Little E obviously didnt know his Che-Che's lingo. " Chicken and duck talk ya?"

Home sweet home

2012-01-23T00:03:00.000-08:00

At the end of 10 days, we were all ready to head home. We had a bite at the business lounge before heading for the plane. The kids helped themselves generously with the snacks on display. It was a smooth ride home. Thank God for the wonderful vacation and I have to thank myself for piling up 2 extra kgs which almost left me with no dress to wear for the wedding!! :( Well, the extra fats seemed to know that it didnt have a place in me. It vanished within 4 days Phew! :)

Old hang out places

2012-01-22T00:03:00.000-08:00

Since the kids had company at home, we sneaked out on our own for a couple of hours. We had our favourite Vietnamese beef noodles in China Town and we went back to school for a quick visit. The law school and the business school were both undergoing some renovation of somesort. It brought back lots of good old memories. How we used to attend the 8am lecture (by choice) but were hardly on time. Oops! There was little spoonfeeding by the lecturers. We were left on our own pretty much. As a result, I had lots of free time during school terms and I got myself some part-time jobs as time fillers. This made me a "rich" undergraduate vis a vis many of my peers. Looking back, it was both enriching and rewarding in many ways.

The Garden - part 2

2012-01-19T07:02:00.000-08:00

We were taught to pick the low hanging fruits first right? E has intelligently put it into practice and this got him into big trouble! I am sure grand-aunt would have forgiven him by now :)

The Garden - part 1

2012-01-18T06:02:00.000-08:00

This was almost like the "Garden of Eden" to the kids. They had so much fun playing all day long in the garden, picking pebbles and berries, and hidding in that "umbrella tree". Nic was quite badly burnt by that seemingly mild and harmless sun for refusing sunblock.

They intended to build a bird's house using the said material. Something went terribly wrong soon after! E discovered a "guava tree" which was in fact, a pear tree. He started picking all the baby pears from the tree and this got grand-aunt really mad. See next post.

Family lunch - Yum Cha

2012-01-17T00:03:00.000-08:00

Family lunch after the grand event. Something light and casual. It brought back good old memories. The restaurant hasn't changed a single bit. We used to frequent this restaurant during school days. Looking back, it was such a luxury to be able to dine and lunch at restaurants as an undergraduate though we didnt think much of it then.

The grand reception!

2012-01-15T05:15:00.000-08:00

The church ceremony was followed by a grand reception which cost over AUD40,000! It was a cosy and romantic dinner hosted by the bride and groom. A mere 12 tables for 100 very special guests only.

While the adults were enjoying our meal, the kids were being taken care of upstairs by a Nanny, hired by the host for the benefits of her guests. How very thoughtful :)

We were back to Aust for 10 days and the wedding fell on the 8th day and guess what, at the end of the 8th day, I had ballooned up so much that I had difficulties zipping my dress! Throughout the dinner, I had to sit very straight up in order to allow for passage of food. Haha

The day (a.m.) - part 2

2012-01-14T00:03:00.000-08:00

More photos of the grand event!

The bride and parents, arriving in a polished vintage car!

Mr Good-Looking and Ms Pretty Flower Girl were generously helping themselves with the food at the reception after the church ceremony.

Great grandma was tasked to "baby-sit" 2 great-grandsons while we were all busy with "dont know what"! heehee

AUD1000 wedding cake!

2012-01-12T00:03:00.000-08:00

I must comment on this cake. The most pricy cake I know of with a tag of AUD1,000! I almost fell off my chair. It goes to show how expensive labour cost is in Aust! My guess, the direct material cost including the rack/stairs/ornaments would have just been AUD150 to AUD200, at best.

Wedding of the century! (a.m.) - part 1

2012-01-11T00:04:00.000-08:00

It was such a magnificent event! Looking at how my cousin has grown over the years and eventually settles down with the one whom she has chosen brought tears of joy. B is a qualified solicitor and she runs her own practice. She was beautifully dolled up by the make up artist, assisted by Valent who has also been trained in this area. Valent was such a great help throughout, seeing to every single detail. She flew in only hours before the rehearsal and she didnt have much rest till the big day was over. Thereafter, she literally slept around the clock to make up for the loss over the past 2 days.

Little E was so pre-occupied with his ipad that he was totally oblivious to his surroundings. He was so gorgeous in his lttle TUX! How my little baby has grown! Soon, he would be joining the 3 handsome young men!

N and J did a wonderful job and we were so proud of them :)

Handsome young men

2012-01-10T00:05:00.000-08:00

Look at these 3 eligible handsome young men, standing at over 6 feet tall! Not too long ago, they were still in diapers, you know? :)

I remember how cute and small J was when I was there for Uni, how he used to come home from school and hide in one corner to consume all his junk and throw the wrappers under the stairs. It was all good until one fine day, my auntie decided to do a major spring cleaning and Oops!.....What did we find? heaps of sweet and chocolate wrappers.....oh ...oh....someone's in trouble!

As for D and Ja, they immigrated at a young age and as such, I didnt have the opportunity to mingle with them much. That said, this trip did us good. We got to know each other much better and even N and E were drawn close to Ja. They kept wanting to hang around him and Ja was included in their kiddie play, though I am not sure if it was Ja's preferred way of spending his vacation :) Thanks Ja, for being such a great "baby-sitter"!

Now, we were all ready to set off for the grand event. Stay tuned....

Rehearsal

2012-01-09T00:03:00.000-08:00

I must say it was a fair bit of hard work for the kids. Oh, by the way, Jeremy took the role as the page boy eventually, replacing E. E was deemed too playful and I couldnt agree more. It would have been chaotic had we proceeded with the original intention.

Strawberry picking 2

2012-01-08T00:02:00.000-08:00

We intended to pick cherries thereafter but the kids were tired out. Also, we had a time constraint to head back home as the Church rehearsal was scheduled at 2pm. Well, we did have something "cherrish" - cherry ice-cream!

Strawberry picking 1

2012-01-06T00:04:00.000-08:00

First time for the kids. They absolutely enjoyed the experience, in particular the sweet treat after the "hard work".

Dinner is ready!

2012-01-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

Now, dinner's ready! We had The Feast of the Year, literally! Well, we didnt really cook the meal. We decided to have takeaways from some very good restaurants and have the meal in the comfort of our own home.

We had fusion! You name it we had it...Chinese Roast Duck, Japanese Sashimi, Fusion Lobster noodle, Salad, Abalone soup, and some other dishes which slipped my mind by now. The meal was nicely wrapped up with some freshly brewed latte. My BIL invested in a AUD2k coffee machine (and a cup warmer) which churns out much better coffee than any of the coffee outlets you know of. :)

Home entertainment

2012-01-02T00:04:00.000-08:00

While waiting for dinner to be set, we found our respective entertainment. The kids knew who their preferred playmates were. Group A - 7 and above. Group B - 7 and below. Lachy was so kind to stick with E though he technically would be admitted to Group A. Lachy has been such a great cousin throughout! Thank you Lachy!

By the way, it was freezing cold at 16C in door and I had little more than a lacy singlet on. haha

Family Gathering

2012-01-01T00:02:00.000-08:00

A good workout at the playground prior to dinner by the park. It was rather cold for a summer day! Barely 17C.... Nice glass of red with an assortment of meat in cool breezes. What a luxury!

Nic assimilated into the Aussie culture pretty much instantaneously, acquiring the accent too, while E maintained a good consistency with little compromise, causing his cousins to raise some eyebrows in a few occasions....

Christmas party

2011-12-31T00:02:00.000-08:00

Baked a chocolate log and a cookie tree for E's pre-school Christmas celebration. The sweets were gone way before the mains! Well, all kids love sweets right? I was delighted that the log and the cookies were so popular amongst the kids. They were not overly sweet but just right! In fact, the homemade log beat other commercial logcakes flat as there were still plenty left despite being more beautifully accessorised. heehee :)

Give away fruit cakes

2011-12-30T00:02:00.000-08:00

Freshly baked and nicely wrapped fruit cakes, given away for Christmas!

Coffee Log Cake

2011-12-29T00:03:00.000-08:00

Made this for a cell group gathering. I was so glad that it beat the logcakes from some renowned bakeries flat! Typically, commercial logs are overly sweet and dense. They need to be baked in this manner in order to achieve a longer shelf live unlike homemade which are consumed fresh.

Dino's world

2011-12-28T00:05:00.000-08:00

E conveniently picked up a couple of toy Dinos here as a start of his collection :)

Log Cake 1

2011-12-27T00:02:00.000-08:00

First attempt at a Christmas Log Cake, assembled by N :).

Dino

2011-12-26T00:02:00.000-08:00

I can proudly claim that I am a pre-historic dinosour expert now.

I have to read tonnes of books on Dinosaurs everyday, simply because this is E's latest passion, surpassing his once favourite Buzz Light Year & Woody and soon to be forgotten Ben-10.

His collection of Dino is growing by the day. T Rex, Stegosaurous, Diplodocus, etc etc

I really can't recall how his interest in Dino was built upon. All I can remember is, one fine day, he picked several books on Dino from the library and eversince, his choice of books has been circling around these extinct creatures. Of course, to encourage more reading, we also brought him to the Dino exhibition and he was totally astounded when he cast his eyes upon his almost real sized idols.

Like sister like brother, E also does not have any urge to read on his own though I know he knows the words if he bothers to read them one by one. He wants a short-cut. He wants to be read to. (Thank god, with peer pressure, N is reading much more on her own now). I guess I will have to work harder to encourage him to read on his own though I must confess, I have not tried much :(

2011

2011-12-24T00:03:00.000-08:00

The year is coming to an end in less than 2 weeks. We are very thankful for all the blessings for the past 1 year, just like in every other year.

The kids are doing great at all front, be it academic or otherwise. We, adults have had a fruitful year too.

L has had a challenging but rewarding year.

He now tries to live a more active lifestyle instead of being a couch potato. He swims and goes to the gym more regularly. He moved on to a new employment and is doing better than ever. Hours are much more regular and he has more time with the kids now. Thank God for walking with him throughout.

As for me, I am always thankful and I do count my blessings everyday :). I am glad that I picked up cooking/baking, a joy and satisfaction which I have never experienced. Deserving a mention is my driving skill. It has definitely improved but there is still plenty of room for improvement. The slow progress is due to a lack of motivation to drive when L is around. So, I do lack practice but still can get by when I need to drive. Well, put it this way, driving is not a joy to me and so, I would avoid it if I have a choice and this explains why I had not driven earlier when I have had my licience since high school! This also explains why L has not been successful in persuading me to change our car which in my view is still pretty good by the standard of many. Hear this conversation :

L " F is going to get his new Panamera. He has been dreaming about it and losing sleep over it and so his wife gave him the green light. He asked his wife which model he should get and she said he should go for the hybrid instead eventhough it would cost $70k more. F asked if you would think the same. I told him my wife would say " keep on dreaming!..." "

Above pretty much sums up our 2011. As we all know, 2012 would be a rocky year. Like it or not, we will have to get through it. With faith, we will make it.

Merry Christmas to all and God bless!

Whose bed?

2011-12-22T00:03:00.000-08:00

E loves to sleep with me (or it is just on my bed?) :)

The one unhappy person would be L. This means he would have to sleep on E's bed.

L " Ethan, time for bed "
E " Ya, I am already in bed " ( in my bed that is.... haha)

L " No, go back to your own bed. You are sleeping on my bed"
E " No, this is mummy's bed and I want to sleep with mummy"
L " If you dont go back, you will sleep outside tonight"
E " This is mummy's house not your house. So, I can stay here"

The fuming L was getting really mad....To appease him, I volunteered to sleep on E's bed instead. E was too tired to put up the battle with L. E went...z.zzzzz before long.

A threat...

2011-12-20T00:07:00.000-08:00

E has learnt to "threaten".

E " Mummy, did you buy me a toy ?"
Me " No. You didnt ask for it, did you?"
E" but I want a toy and I want it now"
Me " No, Ethan. I dont have any for you."
E" No, I want it now. if you dont buy for me, I will say your bread is yucky!"

Me " Very well, since the bread is yucky, then I shall pack it for Michele instead. I am sure she would love the soft yummy chocolate chip bread"

E " No, you can not pack for Michele, only for me......woo...woooo woooo"

Kids do learn fast, good or bad :(

Matchstick cookies

2011-12-18T00:03:00.000-08:00

E has been pestering me to make some matchstick cookies. He saw the pictures in the recipe book and fell in love with them. So, here we go.

Nic rolled the dough out and then she left for her taekwondo class leaving E to bless them with the final touches.

See how dedicated he was? One dip into the chocolate and it went straight into his mouth.... We didnt have many left at the end of the session :)

Hair cut...

2011-12-16T00:03:00.000-08:00

E has a phobia for haircut. At the sheer mention of one, he would run 10,000 miles away. From my recollection, he has only been to the barber three times and the service was rendered while he was screaming and yelling for release. I had to sit him on my lap in order to hold him down. Gosh, what a painful process!

Ever since, I decided to do the job in house, as and when. I would snip off some of his hair while he plays, or watches TV. Sometimes, with little resistance while at other occasions, a strong fight would be put up. He would run and hide in the bath until I relent. Sigh! I hope he would outgrow the phobia sooner than later :(.

We are back!

2011-12-14T00:02:00.000-08:00

Finally, we are back! We have been away for a good 10 days and it was time to miss home. The kids didnt mind coming home unlike the previous trip. We had lots of yummy food and fun. I shall be uploading the photos soon..... :)

Ang Gu Kuih

2011-12-12T00:03:00.000-08:00

Ang gu kuih made using mooncake mould...haha

We loved these AGK very much. I used the orange sweet potato to make the skin and filled it up with homemade mungbean paste. Healthy and delicious :)

Almond Cookies

2011-12-10T00:02:00.000-08:00

Yummy almond cookies. We would always have some of these in the jar :)

Homemade Dragonfruit Jam

2011-12-08T00:03:00.000-08:00

The kids didnt really fancy this jam but it agrees with me :) and so I ended up consuming the bulk of it.

Crispy Cheese Crust Loaf

2011-12-06T00:06:00.000-08:00

Another loaf of our all time favourite crispy cheese crust bread:) E is the smartest of all. He would just attack the crispy crust, leaving the bread behind. :(

Little sweet nothing

2011-12-02T00:02:00.000-08:00

E is one cutie pie really.

He came very close to me and whispered some sweet nothing which I couldnt hear at all. I politely requested him to talk a little louder and he went " Mummy, I love you, you are the best!"

I was instantly rocketted to cloud 9! I gave him a tight squeeze and big kiss on his forehead! My little darling!

It reminded me of L who "coerced" E into saying the same to him, with a dangling carrot. L, you'd better invest some time with the kids before it is too late!

Rose' birthday

2011-11-30T00:03:00.000-08:00

We took Rose out for lunch on her birthday. I was informed by the 2 little spies that Rose likes vanilla cakes and so I baked her one filled with raspberry fresh cream and she was very pleased with her cake. It wasnt the best looking cake that I have ever baked due to time constraint. I did it very late at night after all were asleep so as to give Rose a surprise on the next day :)

To express our thanks to her for looking after the kids, we also gave her an "ang-pao". The kids drew her cards which I thought were rather pretty too.

Home Made Peanut Butter Recipe

2011-11-28T00:03:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:

250 to 300g of peanuts ( for a family of 3 to 4 ,up to 1 week consumption)
pinch of salt and sugar to taste
1/2 teaspoon of oil (optional)

1. Roast peanuts till fragrant.
2. Remove coat.
3. Blend till it turns powdery.
4. Add oil to stimulate the production of the natural oil from peanut (optional. If no oil is added, it will just take longer to turn it into a paste)
5. Pulse several times till it turns into a paste
6. Add salt and sugar to taste

Daa...daa....100% fresh homemade peaunut butter !

Consume within 5 to 7 days for optimum freshness (since no preservative is added)

Enjoy :)

Happy Belated Birthday Su!

2011-11-27T05:02:00.000-08:00

A double chocolate walnut birthday cake for a dear friend of mine!

Counting down....

2011-11-25T00:05:00.000-08:00

We are counting down to our year end vacation....Well, i shouldn't count this one as a vacation. We dont count home trips as vacations right? Hmmm.....Well, well, at least we get to detour to another state to attend my younger cousin's wedding...now this is the real excitment!!

There will be a Church wedding ceremony. E and N will be the page boy and flower girl respectively.....and I get to be an "old-bridesmaid on stand-by"....haha....isnt it funny? :)

It will be a mega family reunion of somesort. Relatives flying in from NZ, Singapore, HK and Malaysia. We won't be able to bunk in with my aunt and so we will be putting up at a serviced apartment, given our sheer number (easily 20 to 25 of us). First time hiring a car for our own use! We never needed to hire any as there were several spare cars to go around but obviously not for this busy period when my aunt and cousins would be fussing over some last minute wedding preparation.

I look forward to going back to Uni for a casual walk just to see how things might have changed over the years; dining at our favourite restaurants; eating our favourite sorbet ice cream; walking down many streets in the City for old time sake. Looking back, it has been such a long long time... From a Uni under-graduate to being mum......and God has been kind to us in every aspect of our lives.

Homemade peanut butter

2011-11-24T00:03:00.000-08:00

Homemade peanut butter! My personal favourite :)

Xiao Mantou Recipe

2011-11-22T00:02:00.000-08:00

1 egg yolk
Potato starch 130g (pan fried and sifted)
Fine sugar 2 tablespoon (to ajust to your liking)
Milk powder 1 tablespoon

1. Beat egg yolk and sugar till pale yellow
2. Add milk powder and potato starch
3. Depending on the size of the egg yolk, you may need to add some milk/water to form a pliable dough
4. Divde dough into portions and roll into the shape of a rope
5. Cut into pieces - 1 cm per piece and roll into a ball
6. Bake at pre heated oven at 170C for about 20 to 25min, or until it turns light golden brown.
7. Enjoy the cute little Xiao Mantou.....

I love You

2011-11-20T00:04:00.000-08:00

Little E, well not so little anymore, gave me a shock, in a pleasant way the other day when I picked him up from his pre-school.

E " Mummy, wait. I have to give something to M"
Me " Oh, ok...what is it?"

Guess what I saw? E handed a handwritten note to M : I love you.

A 4 yo giving a love note to another 4 y0? I didn't know E could write that. We all had a good laugh and the teacher commented " Oh, your son starts early"

Well?....I agree, it is a definitely too early!

Star Award

2011-11-17T00:04:00.000-08:00

The happiest moment for Nic indeed. L and I were at a cocktail party after a conference and the phone rang.

N " Mummy, Mummy! Today, I went on stage to receive the Star Award. I got a $20 book voucher and a certificate. I didnt do my student leader duties today because I went on stage. So, I will resume my duties tomorrow. My teacher said I have to behave and do well in my studies in order to be a student leader"

Me " Wow! Excellent! You did us proud!! Well, what more do we need to say? You have been absolutely fantastic. Congratulaions! I will be back soon. Can't wait to see your certificate"

Guess what? When I got home, I saw a crumbled certificate (close to a piece of "giap chai" :(). This little girl had happily chucked it inside her bag. Well, thankfully we still managed to salvage it.

English paper

2011-11-16T00:02:00.001-08:00

The expression was slightly different.

Nic " Mummy, I scored 45.5/50 for English...but no one scored 50/50. A scored 42, B scored 40, C scored 43, E scored 38"

Me " Oic. It must have been a difficult paper I would image. Well, we can go through the paper later and see where you have gone wrong. but, you still did well!"

This little girl has her own mind and assesses things in quite a matured manner, relative to many of her peers, in my view. She has the concept of "relativity" which I think would help her as she progresses. Afterall, we are all connected and everything exists in a delicate balance, right?

Maths paper

2011-11-14T00:02:00.000-08:00

Nic came back from school, with a gentle smile hanging over her lips. Just a gentle one.

Me " Hi Cutie, how did you go in the Maths paper?"
Nic " Ok"
Me" meaning? "
Nic " I scored 100%"
Me " Wow! That's another achievement! I am very proud of you! Why arent you as chirpy as you were yesterday when you received your grades for your Chinese paper?"
Nic" Oh...I dont know... may be because many pupils scored 100% in my class and I was the only one who scored 100% for Chinese"

Me " Ah....you felt more special then ya? Regardless, I think you have done wonderfully well."

Oh well, that is my little gal. Fairly competitive but not so diligent :)

Chinese paper

2011-11-12T00:04:00.000-08:00

N rang me.

N " Mummy, I got back my result for the Chinese paper today"
Me " Great, how did you go?"
N " The teacher said only 1 pupil scored full marks"
Me " Oh really! Who is that pupil?"

N " ME!!! ME!!!"
Me " Wow! That is absolutely fantastic! You did exceptionally well! Congratulations"

N " So, how many stickers can I buy this Saturday?" (that was the reason for the call :) )
Me " As many as you wish"
N " Really?? yeh!!"

L and I were more than pleased to learn about N's performance. N has always been an achiever in all that she sets out to do. We know our little girl is very attentive in class despite not being very dilligent and organised/careful (E.g. keeping the text books in the locker even during exam period, doing her Friday homework on every Monday morning, learning her spelling/ tin xia in 5 minutes and sometimes not learning at all , making silly mistakes in Maths etc ).

We are very thankful in everyway!

Wholemeal Chocolate Chip Loaf

2011-11-10T00:02:00.001-08:00

I just love this loaf of wholemeal chocolate chip bread!

It is so full of texture and yet soft to the palate. It was so good with a generous spread of home-made orange jam. I like the tangy sensation of the orange jam followed by the sweetness of the chocolate chips! We will surely be making more of this going forward! Yummy!

Exotic roast pork pizza

2011-11-08T00:04:00.000-08:00

We had such an exotic pizza for dinner over the weekend. Unfortunately, no pictures here. Due to technical fault, I have not been able to download any pictures from the camera :(

We baked many mini pizzas with sardine, cheese, cherry tomatoes and onions/ garlic and a larger pizza with the extra roast pork topping - home baked too! Instead of eating the roast pork pizza, N chewed up the entire plate of roast pork on her own!

I was stuck in the kitchen from 23opm to 530pm just to get the pizza dinner ready by 530pm! In between, I got a loaf of bread done up too as N loves to dip fresh bread into olive oil/balsamic vinegar as a side dish. It was tiring but as long as the kids enjoy it, I wouldnt mind doing it again :)

Gingerbread man

2011-11-06T00:02:00.000-07:00

A day full of fun activities. E' first attempt at baking. He was all excited about his first gingerbread man! "One chocolate chip for the gingerbread man, one for me, one chocolate chip for the gingerbread man, one for me......."

He insisted on packing the cookies for his teabreak in school! He loved them too much to share with his friends :)

Brown Belt...

2011-11-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

2 more gradings....yes. just 2 more and N will be holding a pom belt (black equivalent) until she turns 15 for a full conversion to black!

She is now a proud Brown :)

The instructor's comments :

Nicole is very good at her pattern. She has very good memory. She learns very fast, despite not practising her pattern at home. Now, what she needs to brush up on is her sparring. She is so afraid of hurting her opponent. She tends to hold back her kick. That will not work as she progresses on. Otherwise, she is doing well!"

Congratulations Cutie! You are doing a great job! You can do it, just let go of your kicks!

At 4.....

2011-11-02T00:03:00.000-07:00

E has shown vast improvement in all areas lately. He is able to write many words freely on his own. When asked to do some academic exercises, though not quite interested, he is able to spell out and write the names of the objects shown. (E.g. Bat, cat, pin, van, apple, school, table etc). He has progressed to recognising and writing verbs and adjectives (e.g. happy, sad, slow, fast, clean, messy, sleep, run etc ).

What I am more excited about is his ability to decode a word phonetically. It is such a great contentment to see him try to make out of some alphabets.

He even sets his own mathematical equations:

4 + 3 = 7
2 + 2 = 4
5 + 1 = 6

I just realised that he could "draw" his chinese name too. Somehow, he is able to join the strokes and lines together to form his name. How very creative :)

His latest interest is in dinosours! He has been drawing so many versions of them...his all time favourites are Triceratops and Ankylosoraus ! Even I have to learn the super long names with him. They just get my tongue twisted....haha

Double chocolate banana cupcakes

2011-10-30T00:06:00.000-07:00

A rich double chocolate (dark and white) banana cupcake. Absolutely delicious though it meant some additional laps to work it off :)

Happy Go Lucky

2011-10-28T00:05:00.000-07:00

At times, I must confess, I do admire N's "happy go lucky" perspectives of life. She would leave everything to the very last minute, be it homework, tests, or piano.

Occasionally, I would ask if she has learnt her "tinxia" and here goes our dialogue

Me " Nicole, when is your tinxia?"
N " tomorrow"
Me " have you learnt?"
N " kind of "
Me" What is "kind of"?"
N " Oh, I mean I browsed through it already"
Me " Oh? Browsed through it? So, does it mean you have learnt it?"
N " well, not quite. I will learn it tomorrow morning"
Me " Why cant you do it now?"
N " It is ok. I have plenty of time tomorrow morning. I only need 5 minutes"
Me " Ya, precisely. why dont you spend 5 minutes on it now?"
N" Oh...I have something more important to do now"
Me " Such as?"
N " I am doing colouring"

At this point, I knew I had to give up asking and trust that she would spend 5 minutes to learn it the following day :(

Lovely curtains

2011-10-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

We sold our other property and we needed to clear the unit up before we could hand over the keys. We disposed off the electrical appliances (European made, and almost brand new) at dirt cheap prices and we also removed the curtains since the buyer did not express any intention of keeping them though we would be happy to leave them behind. The worst case scenario is, if the curtains were left behind and they end up in the trash! That would be a $2,800 trash! They didnt come cheap. We invested in it for the sake of the first tenant.

We tried to make use of them at our residence instead. We paid a little alteration fee (relative to that hefty $2,800 if we were to make another set) to have it refitted. Well, we are happy with the outcome. Now, our bedroom is almost 90% pitch dark when the curtain is drawn and this means, we can stay in a little later without being greeted by the early morning sunshine at 7am! Thank God for his seamless plan!

A day at the beach

2011-10-24T02:03:00.000-07:00

After reading much about Pooh and his kite flying day, we thought it would be great for E to experience it on his own~. He was absolutey mesmerised when he saw his kite flying higher and higher.

N and E then proceeded to have a taste of salt water. N was sturdy enough to withstand the strong incoming wave but not for E, quite evidently. He got himself soaked in salty water and insisted on changing to a set of dry clothes but we didnt have any. He was meant to change to his swimwear before heading for the beach but he did not. So, he ended up having to wear his swimming trunk home and there were millions of reluctance! He was so self conscious that he kept pulling his shirt down :).

Very original indeed.....

2011-10-22T00:04:00.000-07:00

Me " Nicole, did you say you are having a test today?"
Nic " ya, Chinese writing test"
Me " Have you prepared? "

Nic " Err....no..because there is nothing to prepare. The teacher will give us a picture and we are to write some sentences to describe it. I dont know what the picture is going to be, and so, there is nothing to prepare "

I just had no rebuttal :(. I lost.

This is how N tackles exams and tests......though I may not necessarily agree with the approach. Apart from careless mistakes, it has "proven to be an effective way" for her. Phew! I really pray hard that she would put in more "minutes" (not hoping for hours) as she progresses.

I have not seen her "study" for any tests or exams in the past 10 months. She claims that she does it in the mornig when I am at work. Rose confirms it but she says it is only for 5 minutes or so.

Outing

2011-10-20T00:03:00.001-07:00

We had an almost perfect outing if not for the not so pleasant parking experience in the mall! Picked the kids up and off we went for lunch. As expected, the parking area was very congested as it was lunch time. I circled up to the 5th floor and finally found a lot. Well, I knew I would have a problem reversing it in at the 1st attempt as the car was not positioned at the optimum turning point. I tried again....and still I was out by 2 to 3 inches. Then the driver in the car behind wasnt at all helpful or forgiving. He gave me a horn and I got really agitated. I just drove off!

Then I found another one, right next to the exit. Again, the traffic was heavy and I just gave up until I saw a perfect lot for a nice straight head in! haha.

The kids had a good lunch, followed by some shopping and we headed for bowling thereafter.

The evening concluded with a nice swim in the pool before it started to pour. Poor Ethan only got to soak for 1 minute before he was greeted with a heavy downpour, as he joined in much later. Overall, the girls had a good time together, despite a minor bruise on N's knee when she tried to balance on the waveboard.

I promised myself I would do better at parking next time! I know I can, with more practice!

We are looking forward to another gathering! This time, we are going to bake with the kids and bring the bakes to a park for a picnic. How lovely!

BBQ Pork/ Char Siew Recipe

2011-10-18T00:05:00.000-07:00

500g of pork (pork belly or marbled)

Seasonings:
2 tablespoon of oyster sauce
2 tablespoon of light soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar (to adjust to your liking)
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
1/2 teaspoon 5 spice powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
dash of pepper

1. Wash and dry pork
2. Marinate with seasoning for at least 3 hours or longer.
3. Transfer pork and seasonings into an aluminium foil and wrap it up loosely.
4. Bake at pre heated oven at 220C until the pork is beautifully caramelised.
5, In between, turn the pork to ensure even coating of the seasoning.

6. Enjoy the juicy char siew!

Movie outing

2011-10-16T00:05:00.000-07:00

Since N doesnt have to attend school for 4 days next week, I decided to take some time off to keep her company. I made plans with a friend of mine whose child is in the same ballet class as N. We are going to head for a movie, followed by an early dinner.

Instead of driving, we plan to take the bus! Nic is all excited about the bus ride. She has been pestering me for one for the longest time!

I am so looking forward to our outing!

Soft potato buns

2011-10-14T00:04:00.000-07:00

Super dee soft potato buns with various fillings - choc chip, rasins, cheese and cranberries. The kids simply adored them :) Each brought 2 pieces to school. Nic ate her share while waiting for her school bus!

Homemade hamburger meal

2011-10-12T00:05:00.000-07:00

100% homemade hamburger meal, starting from the buns to the chicken patty to the oven-baked french fries, which was otherwise highly discouraged in this household.

It was the kids' best dinner, so they claimed!

Share or not to share

2011-10-10T00:03:00.000-07:00

E can be such a cutie. He came home with 2 "piggies" and couldnt wait to share them with Nicole. As soon as N appeared at the doorway, he went running towards her.

E " Che che, I have 2 piggies from school. I share 1 with you. Here you go, you like the pink piggy right?"
N " ok, thanks"

However, within split seconds, he changed his mind.

E " Mummy, can you tell che che to give me back the piggy? "

I was like...errr.....you offered to give it to her and now, you want it back?

Thank God, he changed his mind again and they ate their piggies together happily ever after..... :)

Hopscotch

2011-10-08T00:04:00.000-07:00

It was almost 11pm and the 2 were still chatting away, while I was half way through my dreamland. I could still hear half the conversation.

E " Che che, do you want to play hopscotch in the bedroom? "
N " How? it is so dark"
E " Just hop on the bed and we can bounce"
N " No, mummy is here and she will scold us"
E" We dont tell mummy, we do it quietly"
N " Hello! She is just right next to you"
E" Mummy, can we play hopscotch please ?"

(I didnt answer)

N " Mummy is asleep already, I think"
E " alright. Let's sleep too"

Within minutes, there was complete silence! Both batteries went completely flat after such a long day!

Kiddo dialogue is just so pure and full of life!

"D" again

2011-10-06T00:04:00.000-07:00

When it comes to achievements, Nic has bagged many.

She really surprised me with her piano results. As I have mentioned many times, N simply dislikes repetitive work. She drags her feet to the piano 3 times a week for just 15min each (the least I impose on her when her teacher encourages a daily practice of 30min each for her grade).

We went to the counter to retrieve her results and when I saw it, I was literally speechless.

Then, I asked N to read for herself.

Me " Nicole, can you see your name and grade?"
N " Yes "
Me " Do you think you did well?"
N " I dont know"
Me" What did you score?"

N " D....did I pass?" (This little girl assumed that A was the best grade and obviously D was something quite bad)
Me" So, D is for Donkey?" ( I was pulling her legs. Nic kept very quiet)
Me " No sweetie, You did very well! You passed with flying colours! You scored a Distinction again! Good job!"

N " Really? I got a distinction? hahaha... you tricked me! " (still in disbelief)

There she went hummning about and jumping with joy! The first person she wanted to share the good news with was her grandma! Then, she remembered our promises to her. She would assume L 's ipad and I would get her a pair of roller blades! She definitely deserved them all!

Well, I will have to speak with her teacher to assess if she would be ready to take on the next challenge next year - Grade 5 that is! Regardless, I think N has done a fabulous job, as always and we are thankful for the blessing!

Jeremy's birthday

2011-10-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

It was a belated birthday celebration for Jeremy! I baked a chocolate cheesecake for him :) We had a mini celebration at his home with his cousins, including 3 who came to visit from HK. The three little ones really looked up upon him and adored him. They insisted that he should feed them and bring them to the loo. J was so proud to assume the additional responsiblities of taking care of his little cousins.

Re-election

2011-10-02T00:03:00.000-07:00

N was truly over the moon. She couldnt wait to broadcast the good news. As soon as she got off the school bus, she ran straight to the bathroom. She needed to do her big business and she just couldnt wait. She "summoned" me to the bathroom while I was busy getting her dinner ready.

N " Mummy! Come! I have something to tell you"
Me " Yes, 5 minutes, after your shower. I am getting your dinner"
N " No, Now...I must tell you now!"

Me " Ok. ..what is it then?"
N " I was re-elected as the class monitor for term 4 and I am shortlisted as 1 of the 6 pupils to be nominated as a P2 student leader next year!"

Me" Wow! Congratulations! You must have done a wonderful job in term 1"

N " Ya, initially Mrs V said to keep me as the class monitor for 1 year but she changed her mind. She said she should give other pupils a chance, but now she changed her mind again because she said I am better. The other children are not carrying out her instructions well and she ends up getting me to do the job anyway. So, I am the monitor again"

I was like....wow!...there are so many little steps to becoming a P1 class monitor...

Good job Cutie!

1st year anniversary

2011-09-30T02:10:00.001-07:00

Today is the last day of September 2011. Sometime last year of the same month, I chanced upon my oven of 1 year old now and that was the begining of my baking/cooking journey. I have not looked back since. It has been a rewarding 1 year. I have learnt much and will continue to learn. It is such a joy to know friends/fellow bloggers who share the same interest/passion.

My loyal portable oven has been a fabulous partner! Apart from cakes, breads and cookies, it has also produced delicious roast pork (siew yoke) and roast bbq pork (char siew), speaking of which I need to get some done up for tomorrow's bbq party. :)

Happy baking!

BBQ pork

2011-09-29T00:02:00.000-07:00

Home roasted BBQ pork.

It was delicious! The meat was nicely caramelised. Within minutes, the entire piece of pork was devoured :) I only make this occasionally as it is not exactly a very healthy food choice. Sugar and fats!

Almond Cookies Recipe

2011-09-27T00:02:00.000-07:00

55g butter
100g flour
45g icing sugar
1 tbsp almond powder
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 egg
1tbsp fresh milk
1 tbsp milk powder
1/2 tsp baking powder

1. Mix Butter and icing sugar till fluffy
2. Add vanilla essence and egg.
3. Add flour, almond powder, milk poweder and baking powder
4. Add fresh milk
5. Pipe into desired shapes.
6. Bake at preheated oven at 170C for about 25min or until golden brown.

Lantern making competition

2011-09-26T00:04:00.000-07:00

4 years in a row, N won prizes in the annual condo lantern making competition. Her pinkish red lantern (first from the left) won her the second prize this year. She was very pleased with the results indeed and so were we.

Char kuey teow - home fried

2011-09-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

Very rarely would L comment favourably on my bakes. He doesnt have a sweet tooth, so he claims.

So, I decided to make something savory. Our favourite CKT, though rather unhealthy, the stall bought verson that is,

I did it without the added dose of lard and it tasted pretty good despite a lack of it. My " stove fire" was strong enough and it had a taste of "wok hei".

This stingy L only commented " hmm...not bad, perhaps you can consider operating a stall....do you have somemore in the kitchen?....add more chilli please "

Good driver in the making (2)

2011-09-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

Again, N and I were home late but this round, we ran out of luck. There was no single parallel lot left. Those left were either on a slope or meant for smaller cars. I prayed hard. "Lord, please guide me or else we will be stuck in the car for the night" (though I knew I still had the option of parking at the visitors' lots or at other blocks further away)

First attempt at Lot a was no good. All I heard was " Mummy, no no! You are right in the middle of the pole...you are going to bang it...."

Ok....I gave up on Lot a and gave Lot b a go. "ok ok....you are doing fine...keep going.....no no..stop...you are going to hit our neighbour's car! " (It was a squeezy double lot for 2 smaller cars which even L would avoid).

Ok...another try.... I moved forward and reversed again. " Good good! I think you are almost there....no but you are too close on this side....i wont be able to open the door...I will bang the pole....."

Ok...again.... " keep going....no no...slanted..."

All in all, 4 attempts just to squeeze the car in! So much for a "gold" driving licience holder!

My next mission is to venture out of my comfort zones. (ie. going to work, sending nicole to school on Saturdays, a few nearby shopping malls and grocery shopping) I am targetting AMK! Wish me luck! :)

Sweet little cupcakes

2011-09-20T00:03:00.000-07:00

Teachers' day cupcakes for E's and N's teachers. All individually packed into a pretty carrier bags on that day itself. E's pre-school teachers, especially, were delighted to receive the little cupcakes.

E

2011-09-18T00:02:00.000-07:00

E is truly a thoughtful and sensitive child. Occasionally, he may hurt me unintentionally, be it a knock or a kick. As soon as I show a pitiful face, he would start to apologise profusely, to the extent of breaking down. At times, I dont even have to initiate it and he just knows it.

Isnt it simply so kind and thoughtful of E?

A good driver in the making

2011-09-15T00:05:00.000-07:00

This is really funny.

N and I were home late and the condo car park was pretty full, with only a few odd lots left. I was undecided. Eventually, we spotted a relatively "good" lot. A single parallel lot...ah....a single lot...hmm

So, I tried to reverse into it. Technically, it should be a rather easy park as there were no cars, front and back but the trick was on the marking. I couldnt see it as it has faded terribly. N somehow could steal a peek of it by climbing up in the back seat.

Obviously, I was not within the box and she yelled " Mummy, stop. Don't turn the steering wheel. I can see the marking on the floor. Let me turn the steering wheel for you"

I was like....hahaha....my little girl can park the car for me?

In the end, I just got out of the car to see where the marking was and I got it in (without the little driver's help). Mummy has pride too...:) N really made my day!

Jelly mooncake

2011-09-13T00:02:00.000-07:00

First attempt in making jelly mooncake. It was quite an experience. I used carrot as the yolk and orange as the fillings. It turned out fine. These were just meant for home consumption upon the kids' request to have some ice cold jelly.

I also made a batch of traditional baked mooncakes and little piggies but I forgot to snap some pictures...well, gotta wait for another year then :)

Moon cake 3

2011-09-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

My give-away mooncakes to relatives and friends.

I filled them with :

red bean paste or mung bean paste with melon seeds, almond flakes

red bean paste or mung bean paste with sesame seeds

red bean paste or mung bean paste with feraro rocher

The winner was none other than the Rocher! Crispy on the inside and soft on the outside. :)

All were pleased to receive them as they were all made from scratch. No articifial colouring or preservatives, low in sugar and fats. Happy Mid Autumn Festival to all :)

Lion King

2011-09-10T00:04:00.000-07:00

N was privileged, very much indeed. She watched the Lion King with L, seated at the first row, right in front of the casts!

I didnt expect L to purchase the platinum tickets. It was such an extravagance to spend S$480 for a play of 2 hours for 2 persons. Well, on second thought, perhaps it wasnt such a big deal as it served a good bonding purpose between the father and the child. I am sure N enjoyed every moment of it and hence made it worth every cent!

Thank God for His generous blessing on us :)

Snowkin Mooncake 2

2011-09-08T03:37:00.000-07:00

Second attempt at snowskin mooncake. My parents loved them as they were of the right sweetness and they were as fresh as they could get :). From steaming to eating, all up within 2 hours. I will be giving some away to friends who like mooncakes :) These are easy to make, relative to shaping and cutting fondant!

Buy and Sell

2011-09-06T00:04:00.000-07:00

I remember we played alot of "buy and sell" when Nic was about 4 yo. It was my way of teaching her the values of money and mental maths. Now, we are repeating the same play with E and it was E's first time at it. He showed tremendous interest in the play but he was obviously not observing the rules. He set his own.

Me " How much is this plate of pasta?"
E " $5"

Me " Ok, I will have a plate, here you go, $5" (and I took the plate of pasta from his "stall")

He came running after me.

E" Mummy! you can not take my pasta. It's mine"
Me " But I paid for it. You took my money"
E " No, the pasta belongs to me. Give me back"
Me " I know. We exchanged, remember? You have my $5 now"

After 2 sessions, he has learnt the concept of buy and sell. Now, he wouldnt insist that I have taken his merchandise. He would happily part with them, as soon as he receives his money.

Nicole's 7th birthday

2011-09-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

It was really a challenge in all aspects : determination, physical wellness and faith.

Being a new kid on the block for such fanciful gimmick, coupled with a mini oven with limited output per bake, it took me a long long time to deliver just these:

25 fondant cupcakes ( 2 bakes)

60 fondant cookies (4 bakes) - as goodie bags

A 2 tiered fondant hello kitty cake (3 bakes as it was made up of 3 cakes)

The killer was in the fondant decoration. I did everything from scratch.

I baked and froze the cake; melted the marshmallow and rolled it out; and got the fondant readily cut out the night before; and

I decorated the cake the next morning and I had to make do with whatever coloured marshmallows I had, since I didnt want to introduce anymore artifiicial colouring

I didnt get to bed till 230am and I got up at 7am to work on the deco as the cake had to be delivered by 10am! I did it though in my view, there is still room for improvement on the shaping and cutting techniques! Thank God!

Well, seeing the megawatt smile on Nic's face and hearing all the good comments with "uuhhss" and "ahhs" made it all worthwhile :) Upon seeing the colorful cake, E turned possessive.

E " This cake is for me, not for you che-che! I like it. Mummy baked it for me!"

N " Whatever you say, it is mine!"

E " No, it is mine.......etc ...etc"

I had to pacify him before it turned into an ugly fight. The price for that was a Power Ranger cake for his next birthday! I hope he would change his mind then, to perhaps just a chocolate cake :(

Happy Birthday sweetheart! Trust you had great fun with your friends :)

Durian Golf Cake

2011-09-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

It was rather challenging moulding the golf club and the golf ball as the fondant wasn't behaving the way it should :(. It was plain stubborn somehow! Plenty of room for improvement definitely! The objects looked hideous! Yucks!

The D24 durian cake was otherwise well received :)

Muffin vs bread

2011-08-31T00:04:00.000-07:00

E and N just love to contradict each other.

E would say " Mummy, can you bake some choc chip muffins for me for tea tomorrow?" and N would not hesitate to jump in " No, mummy, bake my garlic bread first. I told you so last week and you still havent baked them" In return, E would get agitated " No, I dont like garlic...no garlic bread...just yummy choc chip muffins"....and it went on and on.....

At the end of the episode, I ended up baking both. Muffin was easy peasy but it took 3 to 4 hours to get the garlic bread out as the bread dough needed time to proof. It was ok, meanwhile, I just entertained the kids. :)

Pandan snowkin mooncake

2011-08-29T00:04:00.000-07:00

First attempt at snowskin mooncake. Pretty easy. This was made from fresh pandan juice and hence its green appearance. Nic and I decided to fill it with red bean paste and almond flakes. Not a bad idea at all :)

As we rolled, we ate (the skin). It was chewy and sweet, just like gummy bears. heehee :) Upon completion of our tasks, we actually grew tired of eating the end product haha :)

Bedtime reading

2011-08-27T00:03:00.000-07:00

E is another cutie pie with a "selective" elephant memory.

I am so glad that our recent library trips have rekindled his love for reading....or least his love to be "read to". We have been reading a few of his choice books for the past several nights before bedtime, so much so that he knows that I have skipped pages and lines. I must confessed, I got really tired reading the same book of over 30 pages every night. This is not all, he would have 7 to 8 books all lined up for bedtime reading. :)

I read ".....Hopper tried to push to wheelbarrow up the hill and when he finally made it there, he had a big feast of easter eggs, marshmallows, jelly beans and chocolate bunnies."

E " No, you havent finished reading the first page....It should be " Hopper tried to push the wheelbarrow up the hill and a strawberry cream filled easter egg rolled down the hill to the stream. When he finally made it there, he had a big feast of easter eggs, marshmallows, jelly beans and chocholate bunnies"

He would regurgitate it without casting an eye on the words at all. Pure memory work!

Okara Bread

2011-08-24T07:07:00.000-07:00

Some beautiful okara buns! Soft and fluffy, no doubt!

Multi-flavoured -
a) pure mung bean fillings
b)cheese fillings
c)chocolate chip fillings
d)raisin and cranberry fillings

First simple fondant cake

2011-08-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

Nothing to shout about. Just a simple fondant cake over the weekend. No different from playing with playdough. I definitely need to gather more gadgets to do a better job. I have no measurement board, no cutting knife, no special cutters...just a pair of hands, a heartshape cookie cutter and the tip of the cream pipe.

Nic was delighted at receiving a pink fondant cake though, just for a change and a little fun :) The piece of artwork was almost discarded instantly as the cake was sliced up. I wouldnt allow the kids to consume it as it was nothing but a piece of sugary sugar!!

Moist and soft carrot cake

2011-08-21T00:03:00.000-07:00

Moist and soft carrot cake with little fats. I baked these for a friend who is a big fan of carrot cakes.

Back at home, we have different types of eaters. One will attack the cream cheese toppings, while the other will only eat the cake. As for me, I like to eat it in its complete form ;)

Girls' toilet?

2011-08-19T00:02:00.000-07:00

E needed a toilet break and as usual, I took him to the ladies' but this time, he paused.

E " Mummy, why are you taking me to the girls' toilet? I am a boy. The boy's toilet is over there"

Me " Err...because I cant go to the boys' toilet...." (hoping that he would not probe further)

E" then I can go to the girls' toilet?"

Me" for now yes, not when you are older and can manage on your own"

Good friend

2011-08-17T00:03:00.000-07:00

Nic was kind of confused. She couldnt decide who to invite to her birthday party. There was one girl she would like to invite but somehow, this girl has not been friendly to her lately. E was quick to jump in.

E" Che che, you can invite me, I am your good friend too"

E " I will be your good friend, if you dont scold me so often"

E" and if you dont scream at me, all the time"

E " and if you dont step on my toes. I can go to your party"

I wonder how N felt......ashamed? or annoyed? Just one little cutie pie... :)

Simply mathematics

2011-08-15T00:04:00.000-07:00

E seems to have some fair idea of mathematics though I must confess, I have not been a key contributor towards this achievement.

Me " how many pieces of brownie did you bring to school today?"
E " 3"
Me " if i give you 3 more pieces tomorrow, how many will you have?"

Immediately, he displayed all his ten fingers...and showed me 3 fingers on each hand and started counting and he got the answer!

E "6"
Me " Very good! Since you have 6 pieces, if you give 2 pieces to your friend, how many will you be left with?"

Again, he worked his fingers. This time, he opened up all 5 on 1 side and another finger on the other. Thereafter, he closed 2 and he got his answer!

E "4 but I won't share with them. I will eat it all by myself "

One greedy little piggie, but a smart one!

Ms Cutie

2011-08-13T00:02:00.000-07:00

Vanity seems to be in the blood.

As I was trimming N's fringe, she yelled and screamed " Stop! Mummy. Stop! I AM CUTE ENOUGH AS IT IS.....See? Cute isnt it? Dont need to be any shorter...and it is flying all over me" (Self praise?? OMG!)

Right after the shower, she chased me out of the bathroom and God knows what she did inside for 15min before she finally reappeared.

She came out with 2 pony tails and 1 big fat pink hair clip on the fringe!

My kitchen

2011-08-11T00:03:00.000-07:00

Some friends have asked that I take some shots of my renovated kitchen and I delegated the job to Rose and here you go : ), totally unedited , as original as it can be.

See my mini portable oven? This was the angel which brought me into the world of baking 10 months ago. I had no intention of getting it but was simply attracted to the fabulous offer price and ever since, it has been my good kitchen companion.

Chocolate Raisin Wholemeal Cookies

2011-08-09T00:03:00.000-07:00

Light and crunchy and of course, healthy. No butter was used. Only grapeseed oil but there was no compromise on the taste.

This was the motivation for me when I started baking end of last year. I wanted something healthier for the family. Well, if you care about the types of food your kids are taking everyday, you may wish to consider doing the same. Truly, it is not so difficult. If I can do it, so can you :)

Nowadays, we make our own jam and peanut butter too. Totally free from perservatives, artificial colourings, additives and flavouring! For those who know me personally, you would know that I had never been much of a kitchen person, let alone baking/cooking. The kids change me :) for the better, I hope :)

Long term debtor

2011-08-07T00:03:00.001-07:00

I tried to inculcate the value of money in the kids. N wanted just another bag. I declined her request initially but seeing that she was so persistent, I made a deal with her. I would lend her the money and she had to repay me for the bag. Well, the deal was sealed.

2 months had passed by, still, she had no savings for repayment. She spent all her allowances.

Somehow, one fine day, a mathematical question popped up while we were heading home after our grocery shopping trip.

Me" Nicole, if 2 bottles of milk cost $11, how much does 1 bottle cost? You have to give me the answer before we reach home and I will waive a portion of what you owe me" (we were about 2 minutes away from home)

She was challenged and determined. Within 1 minute or so, she popped the answer - $5.50! and so she had her debt reduced by $5.50:)

Differences

2011-08-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

I see differences between N and E.

N is serious and attentive and is ever ready to learn new things while E is playful and cheeky and the only thing he shows interest in is play. As each child is unique in his or her own way, hence, I don't see this as a weakness of E but simly his uniqueness :)

Last Sunday, while he was playing with his toys (Lego, empty Hello Panda tin, cooking set etc) , I casually pointed out a few words printed on the toys and got him to repeat the spellings after me. (Panda, table, bottle) and I left it as such, and went on to prepare the ingredients for making snowskin mooncake as N wanted to have a hand in it.

We successfully made our first batch of snowskin mooncakes - pink (beetroot) and green (spinach) filled with red bean paste and almond flakes. Nic was licking off the snowkin before it was turned into a mooncake. It was simply so delicious! I will upload the pictures shortly. Stay tuned.

Soon, it was time for bed. I asked E.

Me" Do you remember the 3 words we learnt just now while you were playing?"
E " Which words?"
Me" Panda, table, bottle"
E " ya"
Me" can you spell them? Spell Panda"
E" P-A-N-D-A"
Me "Good job. How about table and bottle?"
E" T-A-B-L-E, B-O-T-T-L-E"
Me " Absolutely fabulous!"

I was very pleased with the results. This little boy has a magic brain just like the sister. The only difference is, this special magic brain works at his own leisure speed and time :), totally beyond my control. :(

Lady Gaga

2011-08-03T00:03:00.000-07:00

As usual, Rose went off on a Sunday. When she got home, Nicole announced her arrival.

Nic " Oh, Lady Gaga is back!"

I was surprised at that remark and followed up with some questions.

Me " Do you know who she is? and where have you seen her?"

Nic " I dont know her but I know her songs!"

Me " Excuse me??"

Nic " I listen to Auntie Rose's radio while waiting for my school bus"

Wow! That is a form of exposure! I didnt know about this gaga-e thingy till recently but this little one already knows her songs!

Coffee Cake

2011-08-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

One of my colleagues was leaving and she mentioned that she liked coffee cakes. So, I decided to bake her one on her last day. She was very touched indeed:) Well, I was glad that my small gesture brought a big smile on her face :)

Good luck, H!

Residents' Day

2011-07-30T00:04:00.000-07:00

Once a year, the kids will have a chance to get together with other children in the same condo on a large scale basis - Residents' Day!

This year, again Nic won a prize for the coloring competition :) while E participated just for fun. His ladybug was superdee colourful and I thought it was very creative. He insisted on doing every single stroke of colour on his own!

The weather was rather warm and humid and their rosy cheeks were just so pretty! That didnt last very long as they quickly sneaked back home for a quick chill as soon as they were done with the coloring!