Starting Young

NO, I'm NOT a tiger mum who force my baby to read a book at the age of 8 months. As if I can force him if he doesn't want to. 

But I always think two things: Start young, and start from home.

I started Kenzie with story books, nursery rhymes and flash cards at around 8 months of age, then by the age of 9 months or so, I exposed him to phonics (DVD) and also showing him alphabetical wooden puzzles while reciting the phonics with each alphabet. Before he turned 12 months, he knew his complete phonics from "Aah" to "Zzz" and some simple ABC's.

Oh, here's Kenzie boy when he was around 1+. Look at all his educational activities (except sleeping, hehe). Please note that he enjoyed it very much, ok? He chose these himself on the toys rack (over dinosaurs and wagons and trucks and guns) and I did NOT and would NOT force him to do things that he didn't like.

So to be fair, I started baby G with the same activity. But baby G has different personalities with his elder brother. He doesn't seem to be very interested in books, or when I'm reading to him. Unlike his elder brother, he would concentrate and listen to me when I was reading. His elder brother was very interested in books, numbers, alphabets and shapes before he turned 1.

Baby G would lick and chew on almost anything. Flash cards, books, cardboard, you name it. And last night when I was singing nursery rhymes to him from the book, he ignored me and kept targeting at the remote control (to chew). I continued singing anyway, LOL. I treat this as our bonding time.

Isn't baby G a cutie pie? Oh, I love smelling that bald head and I can do so for hours!

By the way, just for sharing, the below video is one of Kenzie boy's favourite phonics video. Wah, I "behtahan" because it is very "disco-ish". It is very "pop" and way too "noisy" for me. Maybe I am old already and cannot take the "loudness" of the video. 

Whenever Kenzie boy watches this video, I turn giddy and feel like screaming. But you may like it if you are a hip-pop person. ~ LOL. Enjoy.

*Please please, if you have time to layan, check out this video, k? I guess most kids (and adults) will like this (I like it too ok, but if I have to listen to this 100x a day with full blast volume, I think I will go cuckoo).

/a/ - "aah"

/b/ - "buh"

/c/ - "keh"

/d/ - "duh"

/e/ - "ehh"

and so on........

Training Pants

No, I'm not selling them. I just bought a few training pants for Kenzie boy, they are so cute and colourful, so just to post it here for fun.

Kids attending kindergarten are advised to be diaper-free by the time they enter, at age 3. Kenzie boy will be attending his kindergarten in January next year and I have not started Kenzie boy on potty-training. For kids not diaper-free yet, the kindergarten will help train them. The principle has specifically told us NOT to pack even a single piece of diaper in Kenzie boy's shower bag. They can help to train, BUT we, as parents, must also do the same and follow the routine at home.

And now, my confession. I'm worried this lazy mum (yes, I am talking about myself) do not have the will power and end up wearing diapers for him for my own convenience (especially during the night time) so that I do not have to get up in the middle of the night changing wet sheets! 

I check the training pants and it feels like normal underwear, but with water-proof material. These pants cannot be treated as diapers. They can only help "smooth-en" the potty-training-and-diaper-free process. They can hold a small amount of leak, but I don't think they can absorb any wetness. 

I hope Kenzie boy will sort of know, and will be ready to tell us or head to the potty once he feels the "wetness" on the pants. 

Here I am, looking at the training pants, wondering how to start, where to start and when to start.

Lazy Mom's Recipes

Time for another food post. I post what I like. Been feeling down and stressed for the past few days.

Today's about what to cook if you are lazy and have lots of complaints everyday about everything (Yes, I am talking about myself).

And don't complain. It's all-chicken today.

Three stuffs always work when I am lazy to cook and "open wok" ~ One-pot chicken rice, roast chicken and soup. All are very easy to cook and a life-saver when:

1) I don't know what to cook

2) I am too lazy to cook

3) I am having a bad-hair day, but still need to cook (because we can't eat out with two babies around, and the hubs is not free to tapao food) and just want to simply whip up anything

*Warning: You can be lazy to "open wok" and stir fry (and deal with the oil splatter, smelly hair, oily walls and all), but you cannot be lazy to chop and marinade the ingredients. 

I don't know about you, but I am ok with chopping up ingredients and marinating them, I could work very very fast on it. 

The One-Pot Chicken Rice

Marinate chicken pieces with sesame oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce, pepper, ginger and crushed garlic. No measurement as I agak-agak in all my cooking (and all turns out well each time, ahem). Wash rice, fill up the rice cooker with just enough water or chicken stock (in this case, I use the soup which I have boiled), chuck the chicken marinade together with the rice and soup into the rice cooker, add more oyster sauce and soy sauce, close the lid, and press "cook". 

*I don't have anything else in my fridge. Else, I would have added mushrooms, chinese sausages and long beans for some greens.

Some people will cook the chicken first, and then dump the cooked chicken chunks into the rice cooker when the rice is almost cooked, give them a stir, and cook for another 5 minutes. But if I were to do that, then it's not "lazy" style already, right?

The Roast Chicken

*Note: The picture below is NOT recycled from the previous roast chicken post. This is a different roast chicken recipe, using different marinade and vegetables.

Roast chicken is one of my favourite thing to bake in the oven as I could chuck whatever I like with the chicken and marinade together. It always turns out delicious after baking. Nothing can go wrong with roast chicken. You gotta trust me on this. Even if it's just pepper and salt.

The above lazy and simple roast chicken is made from just tomato sauce, oyster sauce and pepper (yeah, no kidding), together with some vegetables like bell peppers, cauliflower and (purple) sweet potatoes (the sweet potatoes will oxidize and turn slightly black if you use the orange or yellow ones, but who cares, they are covered in the dark marinade anyways). Leave for a few hours (if you have the time) and bake at 200 degrees for 1 hour or so. Before baking, as usual, generous blobs of butter on the chicken.

The Soup

Lastly, soup. Another simple and wholesome recipe for lazy moms like me. No oil splatter, no frying, no smelly hair.

Soup ingredients: Chicken, "snail" slices (heong loh peen), potatoes, carrots, onion, sweet potatoes (optional; but for my case, it's already in the fridge for 2 weeks as it's for baby G's pureed baby food). 

I make do with whatever I have at home, and these 3 types of food can never go wrong on days I don't know what to cook. I will prepare everything in the morning (before the rascals wake up), and when it's almost time for dinner, I just press: "ON" on my rice cooker (to cook the chicken rice); press "ON" on my oven (to roast the chicken); and press "ON" on my Vees Delicooker (to boil the soup), and they will do the rest for me.

Plan B

Warning: Rant and quite a long-winded post.

Those who know me should already know that I would be sending Kenzie to stay with my parents starting next year and we can only bring him back to stay with us during the weekends, and then, back to my parent's place again on Sunday evenings. 

And those who read my blog regularly would already know the reason is because Kenzie will be attending his kindergarden. I have to depend on my mum (who stays in Cheras) to takecare of him and send him to the kindergarden nearby my mum's (and not send Kenzie to the kindergarden nearby my house) because we have to leave the house early in the morning and cannot make it to send him every morning.

Because of this, I am having sleepless nights. Not to mention how many times I cried too.

I am actually very reluctant to let go of my boy and only see him during the weekends. I am ready to make sacrifices, which include resigning from my job (and find something nearer to home) so that I can still fetch Kenzie around and not be separated from me.

God then showed a way.

Plan B.

Previously, I did not choose the kindergarden (let's just call it Kindy K) which is just nearby my house because of the morning timing. They operate from 8am onwards. School time would be from 8am-12pm. Daycare starts from 12pm-7pm. But the problem is, the hubs and I need to leave the house by 6.45am every morning because of the distance+location+traffic problem. Nobody was willing to take in my kid and open the door for us at 7am. The earliest they offer is 7.30am. I checked. I called. I asked.

But the day before yesterday, I didn't know why, I called the principle of Kindy K again (I first called her about half a year ago, but Kenzie was too young then to be enrolled). We chatted and I told her my problem.

She suggested to me. Why not:

1) "Transit" Kenzie at the current nursery at our usual time, meaning 6.45am (which is located just downstairs of our condo), and she will pick him up at 7.30am to bring to her kindy (meaning Kenzie waits at the nursery every morning for about 45 minutes). A small fee will be charged for this I am sure.

or

2) Send Kenzie to baby G's nanny (I send baby G down to the nanny's at 6.30am daily and then, go to work right away), let him stay there for about an hour, she will come to the nanny's house to pick him up at 7.30am and bring him to the kindergarden (in this case, I do not have to pay for Option # 1)

Long story cut short, we went to Kindy K to see the principle yesterday and we have decided to send Kenzie here because I didn't want to be separated from Kenzie. I am happy that God made a way for me when there seemed to be no way. 

Fees is still not cheap though, have a look. 

I don't like to reveal too much or personal stuffs in my blog, but look at what the grandma said last night. Grandma hung up on my call too. She made me feel like I am doing a very wrong thing and not good enough for my kid.

Short "Jail Break"

Finally I can post something on shopping and eating out. Ever since having baby G, I have been staying at home on most weekends and public holidays. With two kids around, it's hard to go shopping, let alone eating out. When we need to buy groceries and house stuffs, one will stay at home and take care of the kids, while the other goes out (and shops in peace). In my case, I'm the one staying in.

Anyway, one fine weekend, my mum offered to (try) and takecare of the two kids and asked us to go dating. 

Went to Ikea, bought a sofa cover, bathroom mat, baby chair tray, some Swedish meatballs, chocolates and some house goodies at Ikea, but forgot to take any pictures because the hubs took the loot back to the car before we crossed over to Ikano for lunch. 

Anyway, here's my little loot from Daiso, Ikano ~ a cute flower mug, kitchen sponge, dust cleaner for clothes and two washing nets (I could have bought more, because once I enter Daiso, there's no coming out, I would be trapped inside for hours).

Then, lunch in Bubba Gump restaurant. 

We ordered a plate of clam chowder soup & Cajun chicken strips with Bleu cheese dipping for appetizer.

Hubs had the Cajun grilled chicken, and I had the burger with onion rings and mash (instead of fries).

Overall, it was a fruitful outing. Managed to buy things for the house, had a good short date and a nice lunch. Think I should do this more often and take more advantage of my parents.

The 3 Botaks

The 3 botaks having dinner at Craving's @ Tesco Cheras because the hubs wants to try their popular "sang har mein". The last time we went, we saw almost every table with this, so we make it a point to try this time.

Kids eat free here, yay! Yeah, call me Aunty Kiasu, but I always look out for kids-eat-free restaurants when we dine out, heh. So it's always an advantage of bringing Baby G out too, so that we get 2 free kiddie's meal (but accompanied with 2 adult's meal la). 

Free kiddie's meals: Craving's fried rice and fish and chips (picture of the fish and chips not taken due to the kelam-kabut-ness on the dining table when all the food come together). Each kiddie meal is accompanied by 1 vitagen.

I ordered the famous crispy chicken chop burger (with mash instead of fries), and the hubs had "sang har mein".

*Oops, forgive me. I dress Kenzie boy in pink again. Well, at least Baby G is wearing a pastel violet romper, haha.

So, back to the post's title. Hubby went for his hair cut last week and he looked like a monk / military soldier when he came home. I was surprised to see his almost-bald head. Need some time to get used to his new look, haha. 

After he came back, he immediately took Kenzie boy out to the same shop to have his hair cut pulak. So both of them have the same hair style now. Baby G is still hairless now at 7 months. Ok, he has some strands of hair, but overall, we can still see his scalp, so, he is considered still botak. 

I so need to post this in my blog, coz I think all 3 of them look cute. Ok, not 3, but just 2, haha. Kenzie boy and Baby G look really cute and adorable, don't you think? Ok ok, I know, Baby G is wearing a pink romper again.

From Hero To Zero

I suddenly thought of someone, so I decided to write about him.

Someone's wife took control of his money starting this month. He will only have RM500/- a month, for 20 working days or; RM25/- per day. 

I asked him:

Me: So which option did you choose? RM500/- a month or you have to ask for RM25/- everyday?

Him: Up to me

Me: Cheh, still want to talk like you are so powerful like that. What about weekends?

Him: Weekends can claim how much I use, if I go out with friends

I don't know what's the reason, and I don't want to ask the reason behind this money-control thingy. He asked me not to tell others as he didn't want to let anyone know about this. 

If you are a guy, would you let your wife control you like that? And, if you are a lady, would you control your hubs this way? 

And let me warn you, if you do this to keep your hubby from straying or flirting, please, let me ASSURE you he will still have his own way of doing it even if you control his everything, even his life! If he likes that girl, that young sweet thing, then there's always a way - nomatter how you control him. 

*If there's a will, there's a way*  

He frankly told me he feels like a bird without wings now. But I prefer to call it ~ From Hero To Zero.

I'm Not A Health Maniac

I made a not-so-healthy dinner for Kenzie boy and I kinda felt guilty about it because I just dumped in whatever I could find from the fridge. But the thing is, he finished the entire bowl of noodles. 

This not-so-healthy bowl of noodles consist of: Half yee-mein, 1 mini chicken sausage, 1 meatball (from Ikea), leftover chicken soup which was in the fridge for 2 days and 1 egg.

I have a confession to make and I hope I'm not offending any mummies out there. I'm not a health freak tiger mummy who insist to always have (very) healthy and organic food for kids. And I'm not one of those who serve millet and red rice for toddlers. When it comes to food, they eat what I eat.

I have seen parents cooking organic rice, organic meat, organic fruits and organic vege for their toddlers, and even buy organic baby clothes, duh. Then, they go eat fried lekor!!?? Wtf?

So if I don't use organic stuffs, means I'm not a good mummy izzit?

Visit any forum or toddler groups, and you can observe, there's this trend going on with the (organic) millet, quinoa, red rice, brown rice thingy to serve to toddlers. If I serve baby G with white rice porridge, does that make me a not-so-good mummy as well?

Say what you want. I serve my toddler with nasi lemak, chips, Twisties, cakes, kuih, KFC, nuggets, sausages, Coke, "tong sui", tau-foo-fa, luncheon meat, ice cream and other non-organic stuffs. So?

Balls

No, not testicles you hamsap! I know what you are thinking.

I invented some creative meat-balls made from: minced meat, mashed potatoes and apples. 

Mix everything together and marinate with soy sauce, pepper, Lea & Perrin's and McCormick's all-spice powder. Shape into balls and bake at 180 degrees for about 45 minutes. Dab a blob of butter on every ball before baking.

Good for kids who doesn't take fruits or vege. Of course you can add in more stuffs, like brocolli / chopped carrots / onions / cheese, it's all up to you. Can trick the kids to eat whatever they are not eating.

Be More Aware

Baby G is 7 months old now. Look at how time flies. I remembered not long ago, I just gave birth and breastfed him. He doesn't take the breasts now and I missed the feeling of him suckling my breasts.

I remembered after about a week giving birth and breastfeeding, lumpy milk ducts formed on both my armpits. Yes, you read it right, on both my armpits. It felt like "soft marbles" and it could "move around" when I squeezed on it. When I squeezed them, hell, it was painful but I wanted to know what was inside, so I squeezed harder. White-yellowish milky liquid oozed out. I believe it was breast milk, no? The lumps stayed in my armpits for more than a month. After confinement, they miraculously dissapeared. Did I think about that big C word? Yes I did, for a moment.

A friend of my sister's is only 30, mother of 2, breastfeeds, has no family history of cancer, yet, she was tested positive for breast cancer at 3rd stage recently after a "milk lump" didn't go away after a few days. 

So be more aware of your breasts. Wearing a pink ribbon is just not enough. 

If you know of any warriors or survivors, somebody wanted me to create awareness and spread the word that AXA AFFIN, in collaboration with National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM), are supporting cancer patients currently undergoing treatment under their program. For every blog posted by one blogger, AXA AFFIN will fund the NCSM daycare usage to one cancer patient going through recovery for one day.

If you are interested to blog about this and want to know more about how this blogger campaign works, you may contact her.

Disclaimer: This is not a paid post and I am not in any way related or working for AXA, but I am just sharing what I think every women should be aware. It could happen to you, whether you are 13 or 31, and whether you have family history of cancer or not.