May 2022 – HEALTH FREAK MOMMY

Random Updates ~ 28 May 2022

Another week zoomed past as swiftly as the wind.

The past one week I’d been busy arranging for a cataract surgery for the mil at Pantai Hospital. So many things needed to be done from finding her a Chinese ophthalmologist for ease of conversing to arranging for her medical claim from the insurance company, going to the bank to increase her payment limit to making sure that everything is in order on the day of the surgery.

The surgery was held on Friday (yesterday). I told Alycia to accompany her grandma to the hospital as she doesn’t have any class on Fridays for this semester. They spent the entire day at the hospital. Alycia brought along her laptop and did her assignment at Starbucks and continued with the assignment when she got back at night. The assignment was due yesterday.

The surgery went smoothly and the mil is now recuperating at home. The surgery is only for one eye; she still needs another surgery for the other eye a few weeks later. The mil isn’t allowed to bend her neck with the head facing downwards, be exposed to the sunlight or do any cooking for two weeks. The girls take turns to wash grandma’s hair with grandma seated on a chair in the bathroom. When the girls are busy, I help with putting eye drops into mil’s eye (3 types of eye drops/ointment) every few hourly. I’ll also need to accompany the mil to the hospital for a follow-up checkup next week. All these will repeat after two weeks when she goes for the second surgery.

For my next one month, I’ll try to whip up really simple dishes that aren’t too messy and don’t require frying. Oil splatters freak me out! And I’ll arrange for food delivery on days that I’m too busy and tired. When the girls have to go to school, my day begins at 4.45 a.m. and waking up at this hour really zombifies me 😴🥴

Thankfully there’s excess food from hubby’s central kitchen for the past few days and I didn’t have to cook much.

Hubby’s kitchen crew whipped up a Thai-themed menu today for a client’s event and we too had these Thai food for lunch and dinner. The Thai-themed menu continues tomorrow and we’ll be having more Thai food tomorrow 😋

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 0h1MYKE.jpg — Chicken chop with mashed potato, broccoli and cauliflower for lunch on Wednesday.

The cat food that I ordered for Haru was delayed for almost a month and was only delivered to me yesterday. I sent umpteen emails to Lazada (with a few ultimatum emails to warn them of impending action from my end) when no one bothered to help me locate the parcel nor acceded to my request for a refund.

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Preschool Preparations Tips You Need To Learn Now

Here are tips to help you prepare for your kid’s first day at preschool. First, have all materials and activities organized in advance. Then, establish a regular schedule and routine.

Time of tremendous growth.
The child’s shape changes significantly during preschool. Preparing for preschool norwalk ct is unlike newborns, they will have the angular appearance of a preschooler. The bones in the skull grow to create an angular face. Their upper and lower jaws widen to make room for permanent teeth. Shoulders begin to narrow, and the child’s body becomes more defined.

Physically, preschoolers are taller, leaner, and more agile than toddlers. In addition, their brains are more developed, and they’ll display more complex movements and skills. For example, they will be able to kick a ball with more speed and strength than their toddler counterparts. Their abilities in math and language will grow as well. Their IQ will increase as they learn more complex mathematics and children’s vocabulary.

Time for social awareness.
As preschoolers begin their school careers, they will learn about people, places, and events. Preschoolers will explore themself, class, community, and other cultures. They may share what they know or are interested in with the preschool teacher. This will help them understand others and work together. Play can also help children learn about working with other people, compromising, and problem-solving. It also allows children to explore different materials and ideas.

Time to develop self-sufficiency and independence.
Before your child starts school, it is important to encourage independence. Allow your child to explore while guiding as necessary. Do daily tasks without your help, such as getting dressed or eating. Practice this independence as much as you can. It will make your child more independent when school starts and more prepared for the transition.

Setting the table for meals is a great way to encourage preschooler independence. If your child can help set the table for the family, you can encourage them to clean up after themselves. This will build skills and establish a sense of family togetherness. Providing breakfast is a great way to teach independence. Preschoolers also need routines and consistency in their lives.

Time to develop social and emotional skills.
Social and emotional skills are essential for developing healthy relationships, expressing feelings, and getting what they need from others. These skills develop at varying rates in preschool children, so it’s essential to monitor your child’s progress and discuss any concerns with a healthcare provider. You can also model healthy social and emotional behavior, such as respecting others and being kind.

Social and emotional development involves a child’s experiences and expressions of emotions. These skills are essential for their school experience and their overall growth. Children learn to express their feelings appropriately, take turns, and form meaningful relationships with others. By starting early, your child can already experience the benefits of social and emotional development through play, family, and other interactions. It’s also essential for them to develop self-esteem, which is necessary for their future academic and personal relationships.

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Legend Seafood Restaurant, Bandar Mahkota Cheras

For weeks hubs had been raving about this Chinese restaurant that he went to a couple of times with his besties at Bandar Mahkota Cheras. This restaurant requires advance booking from their customers before going. If you plan on a walk-in, chances are you’ll be told that they are fully booked. Their dishes are often sold out due to their popularity.

The restaurant only opens at 11 a.m. and we were there a little before 11 and waited for about 20 minutes before the first dish arrived.

The first dish is pork lard rice, one of the restaurant’s signature dishes.

The pork lard rice came piping hot in a rice cooker. It has generous amounts of pork lard and gravy with bits of pork belly. This is the ultimate killer dish to thwart your diet plan if you’re on one. This dish is so delish and addictive that it’s just so hard to stop at just one bowl.

Totally stunning combination of flavors – rice mixed with aromatic crispy pork lard, gravy, and chopped raw garlic.

Sauteed baby French beans with smashed dried shrimps, red chilis and big onions.

Steamed chicken drenched in garlic sesame oil, served alongside minced ginger and house-made chili sauce. The chicken is so beautifully glossy with a luxurious mouthfeel.

Big prawns cooked in Nyonya style curry.

Squid rings cooked to tender perfection in a concoction of aromatic spices and chilis. The squid rings are all infused with decadent flavors.

Fried pork neck with an inhouse made dipping sauce. By the time this dish arrived, I was already very stuffed, so didn’t try it.

Silky smooth ‘Choy Heong’ tofu topped with fried minced pork.

The bill came close to RM300 for this meal.

After lunch, we segued into Ding Dang, a titbits shop just a few steps away. This super huge snacks shop is a paradise for junk food lovers as it’s replete with hundreds of types of biscuits, chips, nuts, candies and every snack you can think of. We bought some snacks home, of course. It’s really dangerous to walk into such an enticing titbits shop if you lack self-control. It can be hard to leave the shop empty-handed when every step of your way in the shop has something luring and screaming out to you to take it home 🤪

Legend Seafood Restaurant
Jalan Laksamana,
Bandar Mahkota Cheras,
43200 Cheras, Selangor
010-254 3216

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Questions To Ask Your Accident Attorney Before You Hire Them

After a motor vehicle accident, you might have questions. You might be confused about who is at fault, what your insurance covers, and if you need to file a report. If you decide to get an attorney, you should ask them a few questions about their services before you hire them. Lawyers and their services vary, so you should evaluate them on their reputation and past cases to see if they are a right fit for you. Here are some questions to ask your attorney before you hire them.

What Are Your Fees?

This question is essential for a lawyer after your accident or accident attorney. You may not have the funds needed unless they work on a contingency basis. This phrase means that you do not have to pay them unless you get money from your lawsuit. It is necessary to understand what kind of lawyer you are working with before choosing. You want your attorney to have had an experience with your type of case, no matter the cost.

Have You Worked On An Accident Case Before?

You want an attorney that has worked on your kind of case in the past with positive results. Lawyers that only deal with accidents are an option, and experienced lawyers that deal with many types of cases are a possibility too. Whatever kind of attorney you choose, look at their record and ask around to see what people think of them. You may find reviews from previous clients to give you an idea of what to expect.

Do I Have To Pay If I Lose?

This question is also necessary. If you lose the lawsuit, there are sometimes fees associated with this. You should ask who is responsible for these fees if you do not win your case. Even if you believe your lawsuit is solid and cannot lose, you should prepare anyway.

How Much Time Can You Spend On My Case?

Depending on who you choose, your attorney may have other clients booked. Too many clients at once can lead to your case getting drawn out and not receiving the attention it deserves. Ask how much time your lawyer can spend on your particular case and make it known that you would like to get started as soon as possible.

An accident is always stressful, but hiring an attorney does not have to be. Ask these questions and any others you may have to ensure you and your potential attorney understand one another.

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Mother’s Day 2022 – 8 May 2022

As I was typing the title of this post, the date suddenly hit me. It’s the month of May and the anniversary of Cass’ surgery and our 3-week nightmarish stay in Gleneagles Medical Centre (GMC), Penang exactly 13 years ago. The days spent with Cass at GMC were so overwhelming that it’s hard to repress the memories of the 21 nightmarish days spent with her in the hospital. Seeing my baby in pain with tubes sticking into her nose and body and not knowing what was wrong with her after the first surgery, the feeling of hopelessness and misgivings and finally the shock of seeing the 5-figure amount on our final bill when we were finally discharged left me in a complete funk – these feelings are sometimes still raw and impossible to palliate even with time.

Back to our Mother’s Day celebration this year!

Brunch was at Feeka Coffee Roasters. It’s our family’s first celebration at a restaurant since two members of our family recovered from Covid over a month ago. Finally there’s a little semblance of how our lives used to be pre-Covid days.

Feeka Coffee Roasters KL — Image source – theyumlist

Peruvian grilled chicken served with fresh and crisp watercress and a minty sauce.

Our verdict on the food? Just mediocre. Plus we sat outdoor at the courtyard and it was humid in the current sizzling heat.

After brunch we segued into the nearby Pizza Mansion to get takeaway wood-fire pizzas for dinner.

This place exudes the vibes of a pizzeria in the 1980s with songs of the 80s played. I suddenly felt like I was in an eatery in Ipoh Old Town back in the mid 1980s.

Pizza Mansion has another outlet at Happy Mansion, PJ.

Our 3 finicky girls devoured the pizzas once we were back home. They commented that we should have dined in at Pizza Mansion instead of Feeka.

Hubs also brought the girls to a bakery to get strudels while I surveyed another new bakery (Hogan) in the vicinity.

Our Mother’s Day lunch ended with a ‘saman’ ticket from DBKL! Hubs had parked right opposite Feeka thinking that it was a Sunday and it was a pretty quiet street with low traffic. But the DBKL officers (who were supposed to be on Raya holiday and not working on a Sunday!) were out to hunt down unsuspecting parkers like us! We didn’t even notice them though we were seated al fresco. About 20 diners who parked there were all greeted with the long ticket after their lunch 😑

No. of times viewed = 65

Same Dish, Four Meals Consecutively

Before the mil left for Ipoh last Sunday during the Hari Raya holidays, she cooked a huge pot of brinjal with minced meat.

The brinjals were from hubby’s central kitchen as he cleared his fridge. He usually clears the fridges at his kitchen when there’s a long break.

The portion of braised brinjal with minced meat was so big that I ate it for 4 consecutive meals! Sherilyn and Cass didn’t really like it as they commented that it was a tad greasy. Brinjals are like sponges, soaking up all the fat from the meat. Unless they’re steamed plain, when cooked with fatty meat or fried, brinjals can be really cloy.

As I just hate to throw out good food, I ate the same dish throughout the Hari Raya holidays. Waste not, want not!

To minimize the effect of the grease in the dish, I plucked a handful of sweet basil from our balcony garden and transformed the dish into an aromatic salad. Now it’s not so cloy anymore and I managed to salvage the dish from being binned!

My dinner for 4 meals. This is how little I eat for dinner on most days, sans any rice or carbs.

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Another Kitten?

NO way, though I’d love to!

Cuteness overload. Haru looked just like this when she was a baby.
Who wants to adopt this cutie? Whatsapp me at 019-2627 887 if you’re interested.

Hubby’s friend rescued a litter of kittens yesterday and this little cream baby kept calling out to me. Hubs sent me videos and photos of the fur baby and asked if I’d like to have another cat!

What? No of course! One is enough for now. Another fur baby would mean more of my time and money. I also have an allergy to Haru’s fur. My skin would itch after carrying her. I’m totally not ready for another addition to our family. Plus we know Haru would be so jealous that her sibling stole her thunder that she’ll probably bully her sibling and spite us.

When Haru was several months old, I brought her to meet her mother but this ungrateful child hissed at her mother. I could feel how heartbroken her mother was. I still see Haru’s mother roaming the streets every now and then and she still remembers me. She’ll meow as if to say ‘hello’ to me. My heart breaks each time I see how forlorn she is. I’m just so tempted to adopt Haru’s mom so that both mom and child can be together! But that’s just wishful thinking. I am not ready to have another pet now 😐.

No. of times viewed = 67

2 May 2022 ¬ Random Updates

Alycia is back in Ipoh to visit her grandparents. She followed her grandma’s (mil) friend who’s driving back to Ipoh and there’s one more seat in her car for Alycia to tag along. It’s been more than two years since Alycia went back to Ipoh and has not seen my parents for this long. This is the perfect time for her to go back to Ipoh coz she will not have any break until August this year when she completes her Foundation program. After a short break, she will commence her first year in uni.

The journey from KL to Ipoh took them almost 7 hours, using the old trunk road (as directed by Waze). The traffic on the highway was a bumper-to-bumper crawl. She met up with her course mates who are from Ipoh who took her for dinner. The traffic in Ipoh has been insane because of the Hari Raya holidays with much relaxed Covid SOPs. It’s crowded everywhere and the roads are jam-packed with cars. By the time Alycia finished dinner, she reached my parents at close to midnight.

We had lunch at The Butcher’s Table @ SS2 PJ before we sent off Alycia and the mil at her friend’s house.

Crackling siew yoke (roast pork) with salad.

Wild mushroom soup with warm sourdough toast.

House-made sausage. The sausage cost Rm10.50 each. Very costly but very yummy!

Sirloin steak with mashed potato and green peas.

After we dropped off Alycia and mil, we went to Barista Guild Asia for coffee and cakes, just Cass, hubs and I.

Sherilyn was at work at the cafe and couldn’t join us for lunch. She only works once a week, usually on Saturdays but she couldn’t work this Saturday because of a dance competition, thus replaced it with a Sunday instead.

As Sherilyn couldn’t work at the cafe on Saturday and weekends are the busiest at the cafe, Alycia covered for her. It was Alycia’s first day at work at the cafe yesterday and she very much prefers working at this cafe than at an international pre-school as a temporary teacher after her SPM last year. She totally didn’t like the job.

No. of times viewed = 40