January 2015 – HEALTH FREAK MOMMY

Puhoi Valley Cafe & Cheese Store, New Zealand – 22 December 2014

One of our most enjoyable meals in New Zealand was at Puhoi Valley Cafe & Cheese Store, about over an hour’s drive from Auckland. It is nestled in an idyllic valley surrounded by native bush. The cafe is a good size and opens out onto a large deck with seating under umbrellas. There were also seating inside the cafe but we chose the outdoor so that we could watch over the kids when they played at the playground.

There is a large playground for the kids and the pond has a fantastic fountain with ducks and swans swimming in it. As with most of the places in New Zealand, this place was surrounded by lots of greenery, fauna and flora, which are just so soothing to my eyes!

Picture perfect photography backdrop!! Love the greens to bits!!

I was struck with cheese fever the moment I saw this cheese platter!

Food was fantastic!

And I especially enjoyed this pea and ham soup…

This bacon and ham toast was to die for. The scones too!!

If we visit Auckland again, Puhoi Valley Cafe & Cheese Store will definitely in our To Visit checklist!

No. of times viewed = 344

Sherilyn Cooked Chicken Curry

My drama queen helped to dish up chicken curry one evening, just a few days before school reopened….

I would say she did 90% of the job! I helped to put the oil, poured in the curry paste and later poured in water. She did the rest! She was mighty proud of her achievement and so was I.

Later, she arranged her rice and all the dishes onto a plate and asked me to photograph it!

Apart from chicken curry, I also made a steamed minced pork with watercress, grilled saba fish and blanched some ladies fingers.

Having someone to lend a helping hand in the kitchen sure made my hectic weekday dinner preparation stress fly away. Besides, the yummy chicken curry tickled everyone’s fancy. The girls are big time fans of curry 🙂

No. of times viewed = 278

Braised Chicken Drumsticks and Eggs For Lunch Today – 20 January 2015

This pot of yummy braised chicken drumsticks and eggs in soy sauce, organic blackstrap molasses, garlic and star anise is awaiting the girls when they come back from school today…

I dished this up for dinner last night and kept 4 drumsticks for lunch today. I boiled 3 eggs just now and added them into the pot of boiling sauce. My girls are looking forward to their lunch, I know! *YUMS*

And today marks my last day as temporary cook, phew! The mil will be back from New Zealand tonite! 😀

No. of times viewed = 363

Nancy B’s Science Club Aquascope and Underwater Wonders Activity Journal

At a gathering with our close friends last Saturday night, we discussed about our next holiday destination. If all goes well, the kids will be heading to the East Coast of Malaysia to watch turtle lay eggs during the mid term school holiday!! When I told the girls about it, gawd, they pestered me non-stop about making the trip happen. See, I should have kept this news wrapped up and only break the news once the trip is 99.9% confirmed!

Should our holiday to the East Coast be confirmed, the girls can use their new AquaScope magnifier to explore the wonders of life underwater, thanks to Applecrumby & Fish again!

The Nancy B AquaScope that the girls received from Applecrumby & Fish magnifies finds up to 5x larger — you can even light up your subject thanks to built-in LED lights. Then use the attached thermometer strip to gauge and document the water temperature. This underwater telescope for kids comes with an activity journal that’s packed with fun science experiments.

Thank you very much Applecrumby & Fish for this fantastic educational toy. I hope that the girls get to use it in the sea water soon! 🙂

No. of times viewed = 207

Cool Granny!

My parents came to KL to help ‘babysit’ Alycia and Sherilyn when I brought Cass to HKL for her MRI scan on 30 Dec 2014.

While waiting for Cass’ turn to do the MRI scan at the pediatric ward, my mum Whatsapp-ed me these pix…

LOOK AT HER! LOL!

Complete with goggles too…

Alycia asked her granny to play nerf gun with her LOL!! It’s funny that my parents never played toys with us when my brothers and I were young but now, they are having so much fun and craze doing it with their grandkids! I must admit that I hardly have the time to play with my own girls. I guess that when I have my own grandkids, I will finally have the time and peace to relax, let go and chillax with them. I will then not have as many worries like I have now. No work to bog me down too. Oh, I can’t wait for the time to come. Do you wish the same too? 😉

No. of times viewed = 292

The Reality of Video Game Power

Millions of people all over the world spend over three billion hours collectively each week playing video games. Video games can be a fun way to pass the time. They give the gamer a chance to experience things they normally don’t, but when does it become a problem? Many are becoming concerned about the amount of time being spent in these alternative worlds.

The Appeal of Video Games
The attraction to video games comes from the ability they give people to become someone else. Players can assume characteristics that they don’t actually have. One is given the power to try out different personalities. Many games allow the individual to be their ideal self.

By taking on a new role, the player can become a hero. For most people this leaves them with a more positive feeling about themselves. Gamers are found to have the most enjoyment from playing roles that overlap with their real self. This shows that not all players are trying to escape from reality.

Children and Video Game Obsession
Children enjoy being able to be someone their not in real life. For many adolescents it’s a way to have power and control. During childhood and as a teenager one is told what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. By playing a video game, the child is the one with the power.

Children are also drawn in by the excitement. They enjoy the adrenaline rush, and games with skill levels give children a sense of accomplishment. This makes it hard for them to walk away from the game.

Kicking the Gaming Habit
Both children and adults can become addicted to gaming. They may need help from a professional counselor to stop playing. Video game addiction programs are now being offered by many facilities such as those at Morningside. For example, while in Morningside Recovery Programs, the addicted gamer is shown other types of activities that can be used to re-direct their attention. These types of programs also teach one communication and social skills.

Video games can be a great way to build self-esteem and while away the hours, but one needs to be aware of the dangers. Once gaming takes the place of reality, it may be time to seek help. When gaming time is limited, one is able to maintain their true self while still having fun playing.

No. of times viewed = 188

First Week Of School (12 – 16 January 2015)

I survived the first week of school! And so did Cass (who started Primary 1)!

After 3 days of waiting in the school to guide Cass and to give her moral support, parents were not allowed in the school anymore yesterday. Yesterday was the first time Cass sat on Aunty J’s van, along with her 2 sisters. We have been using Aunty J’s transportation for 4 years and this is our 5th year. I asked Aunty J to pick me up from my place at 12:30pm yesterday to follow her to school to pick up the kids. I wanted to make sure that Cass knew what to do after school dismisses. On arrival, I could not find Cass, albeit school had dismissed. I looked for her everywhere but could not find her. Suddenly, I heard “MUMMY!!!!” with a hard smack on my butt. I turned around and saw Cass… and she was chewing something in her mouth. This rascal had gone to buy JUNK FOOD from the canteen. She must have smuggled some money from her piggy bank to school. She proudly told me that she bought sausage (fark, rubbish!) and even treated her friend, Nicole to the sausage! I had expected this to happen. When Alycia and Sherilyn first started Primary 1, the same thing happened. To a kid, this is independence and new found freedom! I chided Cass for going to the canteen after school had dismissed and told her that in future, she is not allowed to buy food from the canteen after school as Aunty J would be waiting for her at the lobby and would not know where to look for her. I had a fun ride on the van with the kids. There were about 19 kids in the van and they were surprised to see me there haha! By the time we got home, I was feeling woozy from the ride in the cramped van. By the time I finished preparing fruit smoothie for the girls, it was already 3pm and I only had my lunch at 3ish pm.

The past 4 days had been very hectic for me. My cough, flu and sore throat resurfaced as I was brutally grilled by the scorching hot sun when we had to walk to the car park and into a car that was as hot as an oven! Then we were stuck in the murderous traffic jam for over half an hour in the car park in my oven hot car. Now, I have flushed cheeks and a tan on my face and arms. You see, I am just a puteri lilin and not used to doing chauffeuring in the afternoon. Plus the lack of sleep and anxiety all contributed to a compromised immune system. Today I can finally get back my ME TIME in the morning. We had to eat out twice a day for the past 3 days and finally I could find the time to cook dinner again yesterday. Today, I could cook lunch and dinner again. My kids are so happy! They are sick of eating out too.

This was what I dished up yesterday, something quick, which the girls loved.

Maggie Mee goreng, ala Mamak style. I used organic multi-grain noodles, one head of organic cabbage, 5 free-range chicken eggs, 1 carrot julienned, meat balls and 2 bulbs of garlic.

What made the maggie mee goreng tasted like mamak mee is the fish curry powder. It was my first time trying Baba’s range of curry powder and I must say that it is good and cheap. Plus it is free from MSG and other additives – only consists of spices like coriander seeds, cumin, pepper, turmeric, fennel, fenugreek and other milled roots and seeds. A small packet only costs 70 sen and I used half a packet. The spiciness is mild and my girls could stomach it.

I used an entire packet of organic multi-grain ramen noodles of 6 pieces.

What made me dish up maggie mee goreng was a disappointing order of maggie mee goreng last Saturday when Sherilyn ordered a plate from the Mamak restaurant but it tasted horrendous. I told her that mummy will cook an even better one and so I did! The girls loved it so much that they brought some to school for recess today.

How was your first week of school? For many, it is a new routine and stressful week but I am sure we all mothers overcame all the difficulties presented to us 🙂

Glad that the weekend is here again. I so need my beauty sleep! Happy weekend peeps 🙂

No. of times viewed = 200

Cass’ First Two Days In Primary School

For the past two days, I spent my entire morning in the school. It was Cass’ first two days in Primary 1. By the time we reached home after lunch, it was already close to 3pm. I konked out by evening but had to force my eyes to open till 11pm before I dropped dead on the bed!

Cass on her first day of school yesterday in the morning…

By the time school was about to dismiss yesterday, I saw that Cass has made a friend. She was playing with this girl who sat next to her. And what do I know… I made friend with this girl’s mum too and we clicked, not knowing that our daughters actually sat next to each other and are now besties!

This is Cass and Sherilyn on the 2nd day of school today. Sherilyn had bought a plate of noodles for Cass, which they shared.

After just 1.5 days, I made good friends with 3 awesome ladies, with kids in the same class as Cass. I also found out that one of the ladies’ son is taking the same van that Cass will be taking.

Today, we spent 6.5 hours yakking with each other (from 7am – 1:30pm), taking wefies with our mobile phones and have even started a Whatsapp chat group. Our first day was hectic, tiring and bored but today, we had a great time exchanging stories.

Tomorrow will be another day waiting in the school but it will not be bored anymore for we will have lots of gossiping and yakking to do to kill time 😀

No. of times viewed = 209

My Saturday – 10 January 2015

Today I did finally did something that I have procrastinated for a long, long time. I registered Cass for piano lessons! I should be proud of myself for living up to my mantra (and Nike’s too) of “Just Do It”!

But I am not jumping into the bandwagon just yet, like most Asian moms do, of forcing their kids to excel in music, be it piano or violin and compelling their kids to pass music tests with accolades. I told the Yamaha school owner that I want Cass to learn the piano, mainly for leisure and not for tests and collection of grades to show off in the resume. For a start, we will be getting her an electronic keyboard for her Pop Piano Course. From here, I will gauge her interest and I’ll play by ear to take the next step for Cass from her Pop Piano Course. Cass has been in cloud nine since I brought her to the Yamaha school this morning and has been telling me that she can’t wait to attend her first lesson next Saturday. I hope her interest will sustain and will not drop out like a ‘half bucket of water’ — that’s what the Chinese call someone who cannot complete or excel in something.

Back home, Alycia and Sherilyn had to do their duties before they were allowed to play with the iPad, iPod or watch the TV. They can always find something fun out of the humdrum. Like today, they challenged each other in a broom swinging contest… with Cass being the referee, ha!!

Happy weekend my dear readers. There is only 1 DAY LEFT before school reopens. My zombified days will then start again *SHUDDER!!* It will be another 5 weeks before the next holiday starts (for CNY) and I am counting down…. 🙂

No. of times viewed = 351

Grilled Crispy Sandwich For Lunch – 7 Jan 2015

Here’s a simple and wholesome lunch for Alycia, Cass and me today…

Grilled crispy sandwich with egg mayo, sweet corn kernel, mashed avocado, butter and cheese.

I also lightly toasted some macadamia nuts in the oven (while the sandwich is grilling in the oven. Killing 2 birds with 1 stone!), for us to snack on whenever we are hungry. Our snacks consist mostly of nuts at home.

As for desserts, we had Haagen Dazs ice cream… our guilty pleasure for today 😀

What’s for lunch for you today?

No. of times viewed = 204

Abandoned Baby

During Cass’ MRI scan at HKL on 30 December 2014, we met a very adorable baby boy of about 8 months old. He was placed in a crib next to Cass’ bed in the pediatric ward.

When I first saw him, I noticed how adorable he was. He was draped in a pink hospital gown. I thought he was a she until I saw a nurse changing his diaper. I asked the nurse if he was going in for a surgery but the nurse shook her head and replied “mak tinggalkan dia” (his mother left him) I was horrified and speechless! I chatted with the nurse and found out that the baby boy was abandoned by his mother at the hospital cafe.

At the time I saw this baby boy, he was crying non-stop. No one was free to attend to him yet. Finally a nurse came and gave him a bottle of milk. He grabbed the bottle tightly with both his tiny hands and sucked the milk hungrily while closing his eyes. He reminded me of my girls when they were hungry and sleepy when they were babies. He even looked like one of my babies when he was sucking the milk bottle with his eyes closed. Awwwww, the baby really tugged at my heartstrings and knowing that he is now an orphan, makes me want to take him home with me. The nurse told me that many parents from the pediatric ward wanted to adopt this baby but the hospital is now awaiting the Welfare officers to bring him away 🙁

While many childless couples out there are desperate for a baby of their own (I was once one of them), I just cannot fathom how some people can abandon their own flesh and blood. As for this 8-month old baby boy, his parents must be cold blooded and ruthless. After having him with them for 8 months, how can they have the heart to dump him? I have just met him for a short 1 hour and have already fallen in love with him. May God bless this little soul and may he be adopted by a kind couple who will love him unconditionally.

No. of times viewed = 225

Bedside Assistant Helps Seniors and Disabled

An adjustable bed rail, also known as a Bedside Assistant, is a wonderful device for anyone who is disabled or elderly and infirm. Being able to hold on to something that helps a person get up and out of bed or increase his or her in-bed mobility is a blessing and more than worth its weight in gold!

Since it fits any size home style bed and has a weight capacity of 300 pounds, it is versatile enough to be used by just about anyone who needs the aid of such a rail.
It can be easily installed without fuss or special talents because it has a tool free assembly and snaps together with just four parts. If you wonder about how secure it is, there are straps that attach the rail to the bed frame, there are snap buttons that hold the assembly in place, and the height can be set depending on the mattress.

It is of paramount importance to make sure that such a person will not fall out of bed and has a way of getting up with the assistance of the bedside rail. This is usually a necessity if the elderly or disabled person is able to mostly be independent but needs to rely on aids to accomplish certain tasks. Preventing injuries is a major concern in those circumstances.

Order today if you have a loved one who needs such a Bedside Assistant, and you will be doing that person a very big favor.

No. of times viewed = 219

1st Post In 2015

Hey everyone, happy new year! I haven’t got the mojo to write ever since I got back from New Zealand on Christmas Eve. There has been too much to be done and too many activities happening from Christmas through the new year.

In summary, here’s what transpired from Christmas Eve until today:

24 Dec 2014 – returned from New Zealand. Loads to clean up and wash up at home.

25 Dec 2014 – elder brother and family from Singapore arrived and stayed at our place. Christmas dinner at hubs’ aunt’s place.

26 Dec 2014 – parents from Ipoh arrived and stayed with us till 1 Jan 2015.

30 Dec 2014 – Hubs’ birthday. It was also the day that Cass went for an MRI scan at HKL. We reached the hospital at 9ish am and only got home after 6pm. Dinner at Japanese restaurant to celebrate hubs’ birthday.

31 Dec 2014 – Dinner at Jln Imbi Overseas Restaurant and then went to Bukit Bintang to join other revelers to count down. Omaigod, the streets were super duper crowded, filled up mostly by youngsters and tourists. They were spraying foam on everyone’s hair. Vendors were seen selling cans of foam everywhere. Everyone was in a frisson of celebration — they were screaming, spraying and laughing crazily. We got sprayed by the foam too. The crowd was crazy and I was so worried of losing sight of my girls. I held their hands so tightly I think I almost bruised their hands!

1 Jan 2015 – Brunch with parents before sending them to the train station. After everyone had left, I had a mountain high pile of laundry to do.

2 Jan 2015 – Accompanied Cass to school for orientation. She sat for the Linus test. While the kids sat for their test, we parents went to the hall for a briefing. I spent 2 boring hours trying hard to understand what was being said in Mandarin! Too bad, I could only understand 80% of what was being said. ** YAWN**

3 Jan 2015 – Sherilyn is down with stomach flu and has been puking and pooing. She has been lying on the sofa the entire day with a vomit bucket next to her and all covered in blanket. Tonight will be movie night with our friends and their kids. The drama queen does not want to miss the fun and suddenly, she told me that she is well enough to walk. See, I told you she’s a drama queen, ha!

Amid all these happenings, I have been feeling under the weather with cough, flu and a strep throat.. Thank God I am feeling a tad better today. If anyone of you has cough, flu and strep throat, try Manuka Honey (with UMF of 10+ and above) and liquid propolis.

Christmas dinner at the girls’ grand aunt’s place.