March 2010 – HEALTH FREAK MOMMY

My Daily Battle

Ever since Baby was diagnosed with Grade III Kidney Reflux when she was about 2 months old, my life revolves around her PEE! I have been sniffing her soiled diaper every single day for the past 22 months. Now, I have to coax her to pee in the potty. When I first started to potty train Baby, she would obediently sit on the potty to pee and poo. Now, she is regressing. Each time she shows signs of wanting to poo poo, I will bring her to the potty. But she will protest and resist pooping into the potty. I wonder why. She was alright with pooping into her potty for many months under 2-3 months back. Now she is also strongly protesting peeing in the potty. She would struggle and scream murder and cry till she almost pukes 8 out of 10 times she is brought to the potty to pee.

When I have no means and energy left to handle this child, I will tai chi the chore to my helper. This is a typical scene almost everyday. Baby is breaking everyone’s back!

Having said all these, Baby is bringing joy and laughter to everyone. She is really a charming little girl who will melt even the coldest of hearts. She speaks pretty well now and can reply me with logical, intelligent answers. Baby will turn 2 years old in 9 days’ time.

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Daddy’s DNA

When it comes to completing her homework, Rascal #2 is a real slacker and I’d rate her 1/10. I am already freaking worried how she’ll cope in a Chinese primary school in 2 years’ time…. worried about how she’s going to wake up at 6am and get ready by 6:40am, worried about the homework load, discipline and all that jazz related to a Chinese medium school. Hmm, perhaps I should not worry and tai chi the worry to the hubs coz it’s his bright idea that his girls must study in a Chinese school.

When it comes to homework, rascal #2 does not seem to have the slightest worry and anxiousness that she may not complete them on time to be passed up to her teacher the next day.

Here, she was only willing to do her homework at 11pm after returning home from an outing the whole day.

Check out the wall clock pointing to 11:10pm. It was only at that godly hour that she was willing to sit still and seriously complete her pile of homework without any fuss.I think she definitely has all her daddy’s DNA.

No. of times viewed = 405

Hormel Chili and Dinty Moore

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hormel Foods. All opinions are 100% mine.

For weeks, the girls have been pestering their daddy to bring them to Wendy’s for lunch. Their wishes were granted when daddy brought us all to Wendy’s several weeks back. When I tasted Wendy’s beef chili with beans, I felt nostalgic. Many aeons ago, a friend of mine gave me several cans of hormel chili with beans and Dinty Moore beef stew. I was hooked on them instantly. I remember putting the Hormel chili on top of my hot toast and down it with a mug of hot chocolate. I was so hooked on the beef chili with beans that I had it for dinner for 3 days straight. The next 2 days, I had Dinty Moore’s beef stew with vermicelli! I was in college then. I am still hunting for Hormel’s chili at our local supermarkets here but have no luck in finding them.

Hormel Chili and Dinty Moore products have been around for 75 years. Dinty Moore has remained the number one selling stew in America while Hormel is the nation’s leading chili brand. They are one of America’s tastiest comfort food, right at everyone’s convenience. Dinty Moore products and Hormel chili taste absolutely delish in harty meal recipes such as Chili Cheese Dip, Easy Shephard’s Pie And Chili, Chili Ole Dip among other great tasting recipes.

If you remember in the 80s, pro football player Fran Tarkenton was tapped to promote Hormel chili. Your granddad and grandma would probably still remember that the characters Jiggs and Maggie from “Bringing Up Father” were used in Dinty Moore advertisements in the 30s.

If you are like me who’s always trying to come up with great tasting recipes for my 3 fussy kiddos, you have to check out www.hormelrecipes.com. There are plenty of tasty, healthy and quick-to-make ideas for all three meals of the day.

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Day 1 Post Eye Surgery

I think Baby is not very much traumatized by the Chalazion eye surgery that she had undergone 4 days ago at ISEC. That’s because each time after seeing the ophthalmologist, she gets to eat Baskin Robins ice-cream, can have lunch with daddy and mummy at the restaurant and can go shopping at Jaya Jusco. She can have all of daddy and mummy’s undivided love and attention without sharing them with her 2 jie jies. She associates going to the hospital with fun time 😀

This is Baby 1 day after the eye surgery. We were at ISEC Mid Valley to have a post-op check up. The consultation with the ophthalmologist only lasted 5 minutes and cost us RM130! This bomb shell is pretty big eh? Praying hard that the insurer will reimburse us the cost of the surgery this time.

After the eye check up, we went down to Mid Valley to have lunch at Delicious. Baby whose appetite ain’t very good lately chomp down a small plate of pasta, which she shared with daddy.

After lunch, she had a box of Glico Pretz, her favorite biscuit sticks in the car on the way home. See, hospital trips ain’t that frightful anymore with so many goodies and rewards from daddy and mummy, right?

No. of times viewed = 598

A Toy Parrot That Responds To You

This battery-operated toy parrot is no ordinary toy. It will chirp in response to your voice, to vibration and to loud noises. The hubs bought it at only RM9 from a street peddlar at a coffee shop. Ever since he bought this parrot 2 days ago, everyone in the family has been clapping hands, banging on tables and chairs and raising our voice kakakakakakaka!!!! This parrot also helps to douse away our anger. Each time my mil or I scream and scold the 3 rascals, the parrot will chirp too, as if telling us to shut up LOL!!

If your kid wants a real bird as a pet, go get him/her this toy parrot. It’s an awesome toy.

I am expecting my next batch of clothes from my supplier very soon. Head over to Old And New Stuff For Sale to see the new arrivals. Prices are nett, with FREE shipping 😀

No. of times viewed = 406

Precious Gold

When I was a kid, the only time I had the chance to wear gold jewelry is during Chinese New Year and sometimes during wedding dinners. Gold was very precious then (well it still is) and wearing gold jewelry on normal days would risk having them snatched by snatch theft in broad daylight. When I was a kid, my cousins and I would be donned on our best outfit and accessorized with gold jewelry from head to toe during Chinese New Year every year. We would sort of compete and compare and see who had the thickest and most glittering gold jewelry. Gold is always thought as the safe haven investment and many believe it will hold its value in uncertain economic or political situations. If there is anything I want to invest in if I had the extra wherewithal, I will definitely buy gold bullion, which is a pretty safe bet.

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Baby’s 2nd Day Post Eye Surgery

Today is the second day after Baby’s Chalazion eye surgery. The right eye is no longer red and swollen. It looks near perfect, except for a tiny scab right under the eye lid.

This morning I brought the 3 girls for a walk to the market-on-van to get some meat and veggie. Then we walked to the shops to get some noodles and kuih. When we reached home, I placed the kuihs on the dining table and then went into the bathroom. When I came out from the bathroom, I saw Baby standing on the chair with both her elbows placed on the dining table, and her her mouth was full, so full she could barely mouth it… and grated coconut all was all over her mouth and on the table. She had climbed up the dining table, grabbed the ondeh-ondeh kuih, opened the plastic box and gobbled down 1 ondeh-ondeh. Gosh, she looked terribly cute muahahahahahah, like someone who had not eaten for days. Truth is, last night she refushed to eat her dinner and only drank soup.

I just had to snap pix of this rascal coz she looked too funny and cute.

Lately, we have to be extra cautious of what we place on the dining table. Baby now loves climbing up the table like a stray dog scavenging for food and drinks (and bones too!) just when we are off our guard.

Today Baby has been driving me up the wall with her rebellion and persistant refusal to drink her formula milk. But despite all the headaches and backaches that she’s causing me, I thank God that she’s now healthy and active. Her surgery 2 days ago had put me back into perspective. Before and during the surgery on Thursday morning, I told God that I do not mind Baby driving me up the wall. As long as He brings Baby back to me safely, I will be very thankful to Him.

See the toy parrot on the table? This toy is awesome and has been making everyone in the house clap hands, bang on the table top and shout. Stay tuned for my next post on this toy parrot!

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Cassandra’s Eye Chalazion Surgery

Baby’s eye chalazion surgery went smoothly yesterday, though the surgery was delayed and we had to wait for 2 hours. When I had to carry Baby while she struggled as the anesthetist put the gas mask on her, I felt like I was reliving my nightmarish days at Gleneagles Hospital Penang during her 2 surgeries last May. That was the 3rd time in 1 year I had to put Baby on the OT table. For those of you who had gone through putting your small child on the OT table, you will know how sick and overwhelming the feeling is.

When Baby came out from the OT with the female anesthetist carrying her, she was still sleeping. When I carried her, she started to fuss. She was crying not because she was in pain but she badly wanted her fix – my boobies! She latched on to her comfort tools for a good half an hour while I snapped her pix with one hand haha!

This was how Baby looked about 2 hours post surgery.

Baby’s first post-op meal – daddy’s sesame seed bun from the Big Mac.

3 hours post surgery and Baby was her happy, bubbly, chatty, jumpy self again. She got to eat ice-cream as daddy and I had promised her that she would get to eat Baskin Robbin ice-cream after the surgery.

Her lunch yesterday (after fasting for half a day with her last meal at 10pm) consisted of mummy’s milkie, Unisoy organic soy bean milk, 1/4 sesame seed bun from daddy’s Big Mac, lots of Cheerios and 1/2 scoop of strawberry cheese flavor ice-cream from Baskin Robins. Despite having gone through a short traumatic time when the gas mask was put on her, she nevertheless enjoyed herself at Mid Valley after the surgery.

You can hop over to my other blog to view more pix of Baby.

No. of times viewed = 1146

Baby Going For A Minor Eye Surgery Tomorrow

Notice the red bump on Baby’s lower right eyelid? Well, it’s called a Chalazion. We brought her to see the eye specialist at ISEC today and she’ll be in for a minor surgery first thing tomorrow morning to clear up the pus. She has to fast too from 5am tomorrow. This will be Baby’s 3rd surgery in one year… and I will have to relive my nightmare of putting her onto the OT table again tomorrow 🙁

Do hop over to my health blog to read more.

Updated on Friday, 26 March 2010 12:02am – hop over to my other blog to view pix of Baby at ISEC before and after the Chalazion eye surgery.

No. of times viewed = 916

Guess Who Had A Bad Temper tantrum?

Guess who threw into a fits and lay on the floor face down, with her face on the floor mat? And she just lay there like a statue on the floor for a good half an hour, not exactly crying but just being sulky and refused to eat dinner. Don’t play cheat by looking at the labels at the end of my post ar 🙂

When Baby saw her jie jie throwing tantrums, she said “jie jie notti!” LOL!!

For those of you who like eating pizza, check out my other blog to see how my mil made healthy homemade pizzas.

No. of times viewed = 315

Better Watch What I Do!

Every night before I turn off the lights and hit the sack, I would apply cream on my beat up feet with cracked heels. Then, I will put on a pair of socks so that the cream remains on my feet and not on the bedsheet. The other night, when I was busy working on the computer, Baby went into my room, took my Cosway cracked heel cream and applied on her feet.

She sat on the floor, squeezed the cream out from the tube and applied it on her feet, in exactly the same manner I apply the cream on my feet every night. She even rubbed her 2 feet together after applying the cream, just like how I do it, LOL!!! Oopps, my secret is let out of the bag!

Then she put on the socks on her feet but the socks looked more like boots on her tiny legs… and she looked absolutely hilarious yet cute. My mil and I had a real good hearty laugh at this tiny mini me 😀

On another note, tomorrow we will be bringing Baby to see an Ophthalmologist. She may need a minor op to remove the abscess from the boil/sty under her right eyelid. I shall write about this in my healthiswealth.com blog.

No. of times viewed = 239

Spoilt Rotten By Daddy

My kids are spoilt rotten by daddy. He is a yes-man to his 3 angels while I am always the baddie at home. Rascal #2 cries, fusses, dilly dallies and throws temper tantrums every single morning. Each time she dilly dallies, kakak and I will threaten her that she will not get her hair tied by either one of us. Sometimes she listens to us and sometimes she could not give a damn coz she will always run to daddy, who is always her savior. I will always end up chiding off the hubs for spoiling his girls rotten.

One morning 2 weeks ago, rascal #2 did not get her hair tied up as she misbehaved. She dilly dallied and took almost an hour to gulp down her milk. When she was about to leave the house for school, with her hair untied and uncombed, she whined and complained to daddy that no one tied her hair. Guess what, daddy tied rascal’s hair, though his coiffuring skill sucks big time. I was both burning mad yet wanted to burst out in a guffaw when I saw him struggling with rascal’s bunch of hair LOL!!!

Though steaming mad, I just had to snap this pic. My girls will grow up to love daddy more than me, I just know it.

By the way, check out my blogshop, Old And New Stuff For Sale for more new arrivals. Effective today, there will be FREE shipping for all orders (ladies clothes only) with no minimum purchase!

No. of times viewed = 220

9 Fish Heads For 3 Little Hungry Kids

My mil fried 9 fish heads and made a small pot of soup with veggie the other day. Later, she fished out the 9 fish heads to debone them. My 3 rascals saw mah mah with the big plate of fish heads. One by one they lined up to be fed with fish with a pair of chopsticks, just like 3 little kittens waiting for fish from their master muahahahahaha, I think they looked too cute!!

It’s funny that something so bland will taste so good IF you have to fight to eat it! Put 9 long fried fish on the plate and I’m quite certain they would not fight for the fish.

No. of times viewed = 321

Baby Choked On A Piece Of Ice Cube

Baby’s latest fancy is to suck on ice cubes. Everyday, she will pester me for “ice cold“. Ice cubes have now become my #1 bribe whenever she fusses and refuses to pee in the potty or drink water. But after today’s incident, I think I will not give her anymore ice cubes to eat on her own. Just a moment ago, while sucking on ice cubes with her 2 jie jies at the dining table, Baby choked on a piece of ice cube. About 5 minutes into sucking the piece of ice cube, she cried and gasped for air. I dashed to her aid and pat her back with my hand. Thank God, the piece of melting ice cube shot out from her throat immediately and landed on the table. Thank God the piece of ice wasn’t lodged in her throat. That was a real scary incident. I almost lost her! Had I not been around her, she could have choked to death on the piece of ice cube! Accidents and tragedies happen in a split second.

This post also serves as a warning to all you parents out there. If you want to let your toddler suck on a piece of ice, make sure she eats it under your watchful eyes.

My sweetie-pie has now transformed into a naughty-pie. She’s at the height of her Terrible Twos phase now. I pray that it will not intensify coz I am already at my wits’ end with her all-day horrible temper tantrums now.

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What The Gals Have Been Up To This School Hols

We were supposed to make a trip back to Ipoh early this week but had to call it off when Baby’s urine looked very suspicious of an impending UTI. Thank God, her pee looks clearer since yesterday. You can hop over to my health blog to read more about what I have been feeding her to clear her urine.

As for my 2 older girls, especially Alycia, I give them Math sums to practise everyday. Alycia has to practise her Ejaan and Ting Xie for next week. I am also making her memorize multiplication by 5 so that she knows how to tell the time. Randomly, I practise sukukata with her. Alycia’s getting lazier during the school hols and I need to scare her / exaggerate a wee bit by telling her that if she fails the Linus exam, she will be put in a special school for the slow learners, which would be very embarassing. My mil has also been coaching the girls Mandarin.

Here, Sherilyn is practising her hairdressing skill on Baby. She would try to practise her coiffuring skill on my hair or Baby’s hair at every chance she could seize! She even put a small blanky on Baby as a makeshift hair saloon drape.

As for Baby, she is getting naughtier and naughtier each day. Her Terrible Twos symptoms are now displayed loud and clear. Thank God I have a helper to help me handle her as she is getting really handful and definitely not easy to manage or to get her to do anything now, especially peeing / poo poo in the potty. In this pic, kakak is blowing a bubble (those gooey liquid that can be blown into a bubble with a short straw) for Baby. These days, Kakak has to help me entertain/distract Baby all the time so that I can get some work done on the computer. Otherwise, this baby monkey will climb on table tops, sofa tops and chairs. Just yesterday she fell off the couch and chair twice.

Guess what Alycia found hidden in rascal #2’s school bag? A handful of punched paper wastes! Don’t know why lar she wants to bring those punched papers to school, silly Sherilyn!

The school hols is coming to an end and guess what? I’m glad that it’s going to end soon coz with 3 monkeys at home 24/7, I am going nuts!

No. of times viewed = 252

Guess How Much This Chunk Of Siew Yoke Cost Me

I ran past the market-on-van the other morning and this chunk of siew yoke (roast pork belly) hanging on the van caught my eyes. I thought the most it would cost me was RM10 but when the seller told me the price, I almost flipped! Anyway, cost aside, this piece of siew yoke was really delish. The meat was very tender and juicy. It’s a piece of roast pork belly (siew larm) and the meat wasn’t tough or rough at all. My mil cut the siew yoke into smaller pieces and stir-fried them with garlic, soy sauce, sugar and chinese cooking wine, YUMS!

How much do you think this chunk of siew yoke cost me?

No. of times viewed = 416