The metamorphosis of caterpillar 🐛 to butterfly 🦋

Since MCO, we were ‘gifted’ by nature four caterpillars. Only three managed to metaphor to butterflies. This (in the video) is the third one, which we picked from our balcony garden – to be specific from our lime tree – two weeks back.

My kids really enjoy the experience of watching the transformation from caterpillar (larva) to pupa and to butterfly. It taught them patience and how to enjoy ‘nature’ – despite just staying at home (especially during MCO). This also coincides with my Year 2 kid’s Science work in school – lifecycle; which mean she really had a first hand experience (in fact, when she got back to school, she even told her Science teacher about it😁😁).

I, myself, also learn quite a bit from these metamorphosis (I don’t remember myself experiencing this before). I learn that:

• butterflies actually like laying eggs on lime trees
• caterpillars only eat leaves from the original plant 🌱
• we can’t pick and keep a ‘too’ young caterpillar (dirty green), but leave it to a little bigger (bright green) – that’s the reason the third caterpillar die
• don’t touch the caterpillar’s body, but pick it using leaves or branches
• keep the caterpillar’s ‘home’ damp by wet tissue and need to clean up its poops (for the first three days especially) – this actually taught my kids a little responsibility
• the caterpillar’s home needs a little branch so that it can weave its cocoon
• when the larva turns into a pupa, it just requires us to change the wet tissue to maintain the dampness (no more poop, thereafter)
• after the butterfly emerges (from our experience, it takes approximately a week for a pupa to turn into butterfly), it needs some time to learn to fly before we release it

Enjoy the video!

just sharing our experience <<

Video: https://youtu.be/aeN4E0VGSHE

Norrah turns 3 years old

We have our usual small celebration at home. We celebrated a day earlier as Noelle’s going school tomorrow. Cake specially baked by Noelle and papa; and decorated by Noelle (Noelle’s idea!).

Collage photos of her 3rd birthday: https://youtu.be/3WX1TVYHsms

Basque Burnt Cheesecake

While I was thinking what to bake for Norrah’s birthday (about three-four weeks ago), Noelle came with the idea of she baking for Norrah. I actually asked her many times if she is sure – as I need to figure out what to bake for Norrah if Noelle wasn’t serious.

Though Noelle knows how to bake ogura, she came with the idea of having strawberries in the cake since it was Norrah’s favourite fruit. With only papa’s help, I figured out they need something easier. 🙄🙄 So I suggested Basque Burnt Cheesecake, which myself haven’t try before (both eating and baking) as she can easily decorate with strawberries and I heard it is no fail kind of cake. I searched for some old recipes (which used by my mummy friends – which is proven passed) and I gave the links to them.

On Tuesday, when I fetch Noelle from school, I brought her to the bakery shop to buy ingredients. And yesterday evening, they baked it. I just sat and watch (of course, criticising. Hubby says they had a very fierce instructor🙄😂). This morning, they decorated it. Mission completed!

I have never tasted burnt cheesecake before; so I am not sure if this is perfect but it is surely edible. Plus the little birthday girl 👧 gave thumbs up!

Video: https://youtu.be/u8R69-Rk9OQ

Our priceless gift 💝 from Noelle….and her papa!

Besides the cake, Noelle suggested (last week) that she will cook fried rice with her sous chef papa for us. They did everything (cutting, cooking and washing) – with some guidance from me (of course, in between kena shoot 🤭😂). For dinner, she made us coleslaw. Her sous chef grilled the lamb (which I marinated yesterday) and cooked spaghetti (with can cream soup🙄🤣 – better than nothing).

Noelle also ‘surprised’ us with a card (actually she bocor her own secret on Wednesday🙄🙄, telling me she did something during English class – when she completed her work; but will only show me on birthday wor….I also acted 🙄🙄🤣🤣). She also made an Elsa puppet from wet tissue and highlighter for Norrah. Though it looks kinda ‘hantu’ 🤣, I love her creativity 🥰.

Thank you very much for giving me a little off day today from the kitchen! 🥰🥰

I hope they will grow up remembering that it is not the big parties or cakes that matter on birthdays; but appreciating the little things in life (note: this is my way of teaching my kids and I am in no way criticising people who celebrate birthdays in different ways. ✌🏻)

Video: https://youtu.be/dScTO_milu0

On the actual day:

Our first time dine-in after more than 5 months

….before going, I was still deciding between take away or dine-in 🙄🤭 my hubby says it was ultimate DINE-IN. 🙄🙄🙄 Three of the girls were over joyed when we told them about the decision to dine-in today.

We have not seen the three girls eat so much for a long time. Both Noelle and Nikki ate at least/close to 10 pieces of sushi. So did Norrah eating more than 5 pieces. Everyone had a very happy meal!