Christmas 2017 is on its way…

Our Christmas craft for 2016 (which was a Christmas tree) was left hanging at the entrance till it faded and some pieces flew away too! 🤣

I did ask if she wants a physical Christmas tree, but she declined! Ok then, we continue with our Christmas craft, which is a snow man! She added her idea of putting Peppa skiing family stickers on the art! She even reminded me the brown stick for the snowman arms, which she drew!

Simple and nice, I guess!

This time Christmas; I ‘enrolled’ Noelle to two things!

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t exchange programme with another pair of mother-child – this is sort of 'stranger' mama pair;-so both of us get to make new friends! We need to get a book each for the pair by asking each other questions – getting to know them more. We also enclosed mama's past snack to the package and made a Christmas card for them! We have this courier out!

This is kind of fun; and we would look forward to doing it again next year – probably roping in Nikki too!

We want to maintain relationship with one of our first play dates via the penpal system – so we had something sent out for him via the snail mail! Putting stamp and sending into the post box – a tradition which I think we should never ‘forget’!

Hope both parties like them! 😊😊😊😊

🤔 Next year, probably we will look for a pal that stays ‘over-the-sea’!

PPC mui choy pork belly

I modified from previous traditional way <here> and certainly find the PPC way much easier and time saving! I have ingredients prepared the night before as I know morning will be super rush for me!

Ingredients:

Pork belly blanched and cut to pieces, and then marinated overnight with one tbsp dark soy sauce, one tbsp light soy sauce, one tbsp sesame oil and one tbsp corn flour (with this marination, I do away with seasoning in the cooking)

Sweet mui choy and salty mui choy, one packet each soaked over night and cut

Ginger and garlic, stripe

One cup water

Under bake (vege) mode, stir fry garlic and ginger in oil.

Add in marinated pork belly and stir.

Add in mui choy and stir.

Add in water to cover ingredients!

Close lid, seal it and out mode steam for 20 min.

Done! I only removed after the pressure is released automatically.

Independent and happier mealtimes

One is 23mo and the other is 4y11m yesterday! Yes, one more month to their big DAY! It is really just like a blink of eye – especially Nikki!

I am pretty happy that generally they behave quite well during mealtimes when I am alone with them! Usually, like today, I will just cook and leave it on the dining table – and they will settle themselves – while I handle Norrah, if she is awake and clingy (like today)! Most of the times (like today) I will be away on the sofa and get some rest while they eat. Sometimes they want me to sit with them.

There might be ‘food wastage’ but I still allow them to make their call to say ‘enough’ – usually they will eat a reasonable among. There might be mess (especially Nikki) but I often just close one eye! I don’t want to stress over mealtimes – my duty is just to ensure healthy home cooked meals are prepared! I even told my hubby to count whole week calories instead of per meal basis! Life much happier now during mealtimes!

Never stop trying or adventuring alone with kids

At times, I am put off from going out with three. Not only I have to watch over them carefully, but I have to figure out place that is convenient for me to get my stuff together with them!

Probably some will say ‘crazy lady, no use brain. Bring out three kids alone so dangerous you know?’ (I have not heard this yet la; self drama in my mind😂)

Some will say ‘Yala, better stay at home’. Others will say ‘you did a great job! I admire you!’ (The ‘fans’ kinda friend). The better friends will say ‘please take care when you go out with them!’

But the best of all friends will say ‘Please don’t stop trying!’

Yes, I will never stop trying or adventuring with my girls!

Thank you for loving my kids

The ‘season’ is here. There are few books warehouse sales around. The gifting season is upon us (I have so many people on mind😫)! But one thing – I have to “clench on is my purchasing power”. Sadly, this is one of the saddest part of being a stay at home mum (sahm) – though my hubby never restrict me from buying anything – well, he gives me a credit card and there’s free-to-use cash at home but I always do have this enormous guilt of spending 😕- as we are a single income family! (And we never bet on lotteries! 😝plus not on any financial cord.) If ever I spend more on something, there, of course, is something else that we need to forego. We are living on a piecemeal basis and I can’t afford to have my hubby being away always on weekends to work.

Since my postings about my girls – that was way back in 2013, I made a lot of friends. And some become so close that my girls treat them as real aunties! I am really not sure what’s the power of attraction but my girls especially Noelle has received many gifts from various mummies (aunties/ grand aunties). She always comes to people’s mind, I think. Well, although I am so grateful of the gifts she received (looking at their excitement when opening gifts), it has also become a ‘guilt’ part of me – as I could not return the same value (in terms of monetary) to them. From grateful to guilt, at times, I feel ‘shameful’ to receive or even to meet people!

But as I was relating this to a friend yesterday, she told me – ‘people are giving because they LOVE your kids; and not expecting you to give in return (if so, they won’t be giving)!’

Well…OK. So, I have to accept ‘receiving’ with an open heart – I remember saying this one or two years ago! And now brace through this kind of feeling!

Thank you for loving my kids.

P/S:

I used to record thankful messages but it then make me feels that I am ‘luring’ people to gifting – so, I have actually toned down!

But hey, if possible, don’t make me feel guilty anymore, don’t send my children presents! 😊😊

PPC Foo Chow red wine paste chicken

Finally I got hold of the Foo Chow red wine paste (from my aunt). Together with ginger wine (given by a friend), I could easily cook this dish in the pressure cooker!

The ingredients used:

Ghee Hiang sesame oil, 4 big tbsp Foo Chow red wine paste, chicken , ginger stripes, about 300ml ginger wine and garlic

Stir fry ginger and garlic with sesame oil under bake (vege) mode.

Add in the chicken and stir.

Add in the red wine paste and stir.

Add in ginger wine (amount just nice to cover the chicken) and stir.

Close lid, seal it and I used ‘Steam’ KPT10. The reason being – I know I will likely keep it warm and I don’t want my chicken to be too soft!

Done!

Taste great with mee suah!

A loving father to the kids

Life is ‘lonely’ after having three kids, seriously. Time is running so fast each day! But what makes up for it – seeing my kids enjoying themselves when their papa Chee Wai is around or their day day question ‘papa are you going to work today? Short, long or medium?’ (Meaning how long)

Though I nag a lot on him (I know – but it serves as reminder), hubby has been very involved in our little family – the bond he has with the kids is indescribable – while he does 😤 on them sometimes, his heart is always as soft as tofu to them! 🙄🙄 e.g. ‘You do again I slap you ah?’ Repeat 10x, but only ‘slap’ when he is extremely sleepy…..🤣

I enjoy seeing moments like – him bringing them to fit dresses/ swim wears while I am baby wearing the youngest, him putting them to sleep instead of me, him searching for the online cheap diapers for the kids, him preparing the fruit snacks now daily in the morning etc. Keep up the good job (what is mentioned here – please continue doing 😝)

Great article here for men who want to embark on a fatherhood journey: <click>

Skin improvement with Cetaphil baby daily lotion

We haven’t really buy lotion since her eczema recovered plus I just put her on occasional Chinese parsley bath – eczema hasn’t return (cross fingers). Then came the chicken pox, her skin turned very rough and looks like ‘sign of eczema 😨😨😨’. We had this sample Cetaphil baby daily lotion from Norrah’s hospital welcome gift (the pic one was our recent purchase from AA pharmacy) – we tried it on Noelle! It works ‘amazingly’. Even peeling skin over her toes ‘healed’! Some marks are smoothing/fading away too! 😁😁😁

Review: Slim.mee Noodle Fettucine

We recently receive free samples from Slim.mee noodle! Today we are trying their Fettucine!

Seriously, just need 3 minutes for it to be springy and chewy!

Great for rushing mummies like me! I tasted it – somehow like egg noodles to me. Both my girls enjoy eating it, though. Early lunch without fuss!

I just added some mushroom in soup and cheese for them!

Review <video>

Empty bowls:

Note: This is NOT a paid advertisement. We just receive free samples!

When mama’s down

I wouldn’t ‘thank’ my hubby for taking EL yesterday when I was down. Well, we work as a team and the kids are ‘ours’. Actually I wasn’t expecting that he will take off as he was bogged down with work. I even told him to go to work and prepared food for the day in the kitchen while he was having his breakfast.

Ultimately, he decided to take off when he saw me lying on one bed wrapping myself with blanket (it actually started the night before – I think I got chilled) while the three were on the other bed – after he came out of the toilet! Seriously, fortunately he did – I don’t know how to survive the day if he wasn’t around.

I was in the room sleeping almost whole day – with all the screaming, crying, ding-dong outside the living room 😂 (I couldn’t be bothered) – with occasional Norrah and Nikki sent in for nen nen! Wow, I think I slept the most in this whole year – this was THE best rest/me time probably!

When I went out to the living room to sit (even today), Noelle would ask ‘mama you no more shiver oredi?’ And Nikki ‘mama no fever’ (while touching my forehead) – at those moments, I feel so blessed that they cared! 🙂

When you are a stay at home mum (sahm) with no helper, you are the ‘pillar’ of the home! And, your hubby has to ‘reserve’ some of the emergency leaves when the wife is down (at least the hubby doesn’t have to EL when the kids are sick cos mama is around)! Having said that, it is so important to take good care of our own health!

Today I am back on my duty as 24/7 mama! I asked Noelle if she enjoys papa taking care of them! She said YES! And when I asked if she prefers mama or papa to take care of them (🤔 I know such comparisons shouldn’t be made😝) and her answer was ‘PAPA’! 😒😒😒😒😒😒😒

P/S: Thanks to the ladies who messaged me personally and showed concern; I think you ladies are used to seeing my daily feeds/my girls!🙄 but sincerely, arigatou 😊😊