Cooking Lessons

I've always had my kids help me whenever I bake cakes or muffins. But I decided to give K a go at cooking a dish all by herself. Scrambled eggs seemed easy enough. I let her do everything -- cracking the eggs, putting the seasoning, beating the eggs, turning on the gas, putting the oil, pouring in the eggs, scrambling it and dishing it out. I just stood watch and played the boss barking out orders. The pictures I took above is actually her second time cooking eggs. First time must pay more attention to teaching and making sure no one gets hurt (including the eggs) instead of taking pictures you know.
Well, now she wants to be the official egg scrambler in the house. I have no objections. What she doesn't know is that this is mommy's sinister plan of having her take over all cooking tasks in the future so mommy will have more time to blog. MUAHAHAHA. Just kidding.

I think apart from scrambled eggs, other essential beginning cooking lessons are:
1. How to cook rice
2. How to cook instant noodles
3. Cooking sausages (the Americans call them hotdogs)

With these 4 lessons, I think they are saved from starvation.

What was the first thing you learned how to cook? For me it was cooking rice. I remember my amah would make sure I didn't wash it too many times (or else all the vitamins will be gone). Then how to measure the water. I remember one time she commented on how nice the rice turned out. Wah, felt so proud about it. But I also remember she didn't trust me to cook the fish. I knew that I knew how. But she took the opportunity away from me and did it herself. I remember thinking in my head "how am I going to learn if you don't let me cook?"

Mama's tips:
1. Encourage your child to learn living skills - don't chase them out of the kitchen.
2. Trust them... even though you don't.
3. Once in a while, let go of your need to shelter them (or do everything for them). Give them room to learn and grow.
4. Eat their cooking even if it's a bit flawed (yes, a BIT flawed, not plenty flawed to the point of giving you food poisoning). My kids would eat all my less-than-perfect baking like it was the best thing they ever had. So it's only right that I return the favour.

SAHM or FTWM tag

I was tagged by The New Parent on whether I would choose to be a SAHM (Stay-at-home-mom) or FTWM (Full-time-working-mom). Let me include the rules to this tag first.

Here are the rules:
1. If you are given a choice, SAHM or FTWM? Give at least 3 reasons.
2. Include your name in the thread below.
3. Tag 3 other people.

List:
1. Immomsdaughter prefers to be a SAHM
2. Miche prefers to be a SAHM.
3. Msau prefers to be a PTWM.
4. Everydayhealy prefers to be a SAHM.
5. Jazzmint prefers FTWM.
6. Cheryl prefers to be a FTWM but will consider SAHM.
7. Mom of Cairo prefers to be a PTWM.
8. The New Parent is a WSMWTMC (but would like to be a PTWD).
9. Lian choose to be a SAHM

My choice would be... SAHM
And that is what I am now. Why?
1. Don't have to go crazy fighting traffic jams everyday.

2. Don't have to go hunting for the right babysitter/daycare and then worrying if they are okay, or if they are exposed to negative influences, or if they are getting the right kind of stimulation, or if they are being disciplined the right way, or if they being instilled with the right kind of values. By staying at home with my kids, I take full responsibility on how they grow up. In this crazy world today, it is vital for mothers to be in the home.

3. Still referring to babysitter/daycare, I think it puts a damper on how many children you can have. If you have one, it's still okay on your pocket. If you start to have 2 or 3, then it starts to get expensive. By staying at home, I don't have to limit the number of children I have according to how much I can pay a babysitter/daycare. Also, kindergarten is expensive. By staying at home, I can homeschool my kids. Kindergarten level -- I can still handle. Teaching calculas -- maybe I'll think twice :)
What I'm saying is, by choosing to be a SAHM, my choice of how many children I want to have is not influenced by money issue. I believe having children don't have to be expensive. It only gets expensive if you make it so and choose all the "must-haves". Some of you may think, "wah, it must be crazy with 3 kids now." Actually, let me tell you, it's not so bad la. You might not think you can handle it, but when the situation presents itself, YOU CAN. Of course this doesn't mean I'm planning to have 8 kids!!! Hehehehe.

Being a SAHM is definitely an adjustment. Plus, it depends on your attitude and what you value in life. For me, I want my children to know that anytime they come home and yell "Mom?", they will get an answer "Yes, what do you want?" Children need that kind of security. As long as I am able to give that to them, I will.

Of course, if you really need to earn a little extra cash, there is the option of being a WAHM (Work at Home Mom). That's why I have my little bookshop. So, come and support me okay?

Now this tag is passed onto:
1. Big Pumpkin (because I love your writing)
2. Hui Sia
3. Health Freak Mommy

Baby Milestones: 6 months

1/2 years old already. My, my, my... time has gone by quickly. Let's take a quick look at what BabyD has been up to:

• The discovery of feet.
  At first he would just grab and play with it. Now it's considered a food item, just like all the other things he grabs. He makes it look like it's so yummy. Maybe I should have a try too. Baby's feet that is, not my own feet lah. Don't you wish you were still that flexible?
  
• Mastered the art of turning.
  He is wayyyy more active now. He turns so effortlessly onto his tummy and back again.
  
• Octopus hands.
  Grabs everything in his sight... and so quickly too, much to the distress of dear mommy.
  
• Inch-ing like a caterpillar.
  He is always on a lookout for something to grab. He is so adamant that he can actually move his butt inch by inch towards the object of his focus. Really like a caterpillar that wriggles and lifts the butt to push himself forward. This activity is often turned into a form of entertainment for us dear parents as we put things just out of his reach for him to grab. Kinda like a donkey with a carrot in front. I'm sure we will grow to regret our motivating him to reach out for things. It's like encouraging an octopus to grow more hands. But it's okay. We'll sacrifice our sanity for the sake of development :)
  
• The making of U-hu glue.
  He is entering into the stick-to-mommy phase. When someone else is carrying him, he will constantly check to see where I am. If I am nearby, he will sound his signal that time's up and that he needs to return to the comfort of my arms.
  
• Apprentice in training.
  Baby is always observing what his siblings are up to. His eyes are fixed on them and you can really see him just taking it all in. Scary! You won't believe it but he will sometimes call for his siblings. He will cry when they suddenly leave his presence and be pacified when they return again.
  

Time-Out Box

Fed up of seeing 'barang-barang' (things) left on the floor? I AM!

Really tiring to always repeatedly tell the kids to NOT leave things on the floor, to put their things back where they belong. I even tried the soft approach; cooking up a story about how their things have a home, like how they have a home. And that the things need to 'go home'. How would they feel if one day mommy took them out and forgot to bring them home? Well, that's how their things feel. Nice story eh? But not effective.

To always pick the things up for them would be to spoil them. To collect the things and throw them away would be cruel and also not economical. So, I decided to come up with THE TIME-OUT BOX.

The Time-Out Box is the home for all 'homeless' things. The box I use is quite big because it has to accommodate badminton racquets. The ideal 'treatment' would be to just pick things up and put them in the box. But I still have a soft spot and give warnings before I do a sweep for things.

How to redeem? Well, I have a chart to record down the days they give me 'good attitude' during study time. Every 'good day' earns a smiley face. For every smiley face, they get to redeem one item from the Time-Out Box. Of course you can set up your own conditions. It could be every kind act or every time they clean-up their plate. In a way, you get to reinforce two behaviors at one go; kill two birds with one stone sort of thing.

Okay, that's my latest trick.

How To Eat Spicy Food

We've been trying to teach our children to eat spicy food. Only one, so far, seems to have inherited this trait from the father - KokoD. Jiejie K is like me -- can't take so much spicyness.

Mamas tips on how to eat spicy food:

1. Eat, DRINK, eat, DRINK, eat, DRINK some more :)
2. Don't scare your child or make it sound like something negative. We are always trying to protect our children. So when there is any spicy food, we automatically sound the warning "*Lat-lat ah. Eat this one instead (give something non-spicy)". Psychologically we already train them to stay away from spicy food. Instead we should encourage them to try. Of course warn them of the spicyness, but don't turn them off e.g. "This is a little spicy, wanna try? I have some water ready."
3. Don't give up on your first try. If they don't like it this time, maybe try again another time. My kids, at first, didn't want to eat the curry chicken we cooked. Only after many attempts at introducing it did they venture to try. Now they love it.

*Lat-lat means hot-hot in chinese

Language Problems

Here is a funny one for you guys:

I was sitting on the floor with baby on my lap. My leg then fell asleep and started tingling all over -- pins and needles. 'Koko D' comes around and tries to move my leg:

Me: Don't touch my leg. I've got pins and needles.
Koko D: Where got? No. No pins and needles (looking at me like I'm the biggest liar).
Me: No lah. Mommy's leg feels prickly all over like pins and needles poking because Mommy sit here too long with baby on the lap. When you feel like that, you say you've got pins and needles.
Koko D: I see no pins and needles.
Me: Yes lah. I just FEELS like there are pins and needles.

Poor guy. He must think we talk crazy sometimes.

Secretsss....

Dani over at Lonely Hurts mentioned in his review on my blog that he and his brother kept secrets. It made me wonder if my kids kept any secrets from me. Actually, I wonder if they even know what a secret is. He is an account of my "interrogation":

Me: Do you guys know what a secret is?
K&D: No.
Me: A secret is like when something happened, and you don't tell mommy. Is there anything both of you know but don't tell me?
D: No
K: Yes
Me (getting curious): You have a secret, K? What is your secret?
K: Kung Fu!
Me: Huh? Kung Fu?
K: Yes, Kung Fu.
Me: You mean you have secret kung fu moves?
K: Yes lah.

So, I guess I am safe for now. If her only secret is about her kung fu, I have nothing much to worry about, or do I?
Conclusion: Mama's interrogation tips can wait till they are older.

Tag Time

Okay, it's time to catch up on my tags. I have been tagged by Miranda, Big Pumpkin and J@n!ce to do 8 random facts about myself. Actually, J@n!ce's tag says 7 things but nevermind-lah. 8 facts it shall be.

The Rules:

• I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.

• Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

• People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

• At the end of your blog, you need to choose people to get tagged and list their names.

• Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Okay, let the tag begin:

1. I got my golf handicap when I was 11 and started to play competitive golf thereafter. I won my first state open at the age of 14. It was the Perak Open at Royal Perak Golf Club.
   
2. I was honored the title Malaysian Sportswoman of the Year 1992.
3. I was conferred the award Ahli Mangku Negara (AMN) by the Yang diPertuan of Negeri Sembilan when he was Agong.
   
4. I am the only Malaysian to have won the Malaysian Ladies Open and did it 5 times.
5. I hate, hate, hate migraines. I get them at least once a month. No it has nothing to do with my menstrual cycle. I get it when it's too hot, when I'm too tired, when there is haze etc....
6. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some people know us as the Mormons. Getting baptized is one of the best things that I did in my life. I have learned so much from the church: what is this life about, how to be happy, the importance of family, how to be a good parent, how to face trials and tribulations etc....
7. I love reading good children's books. That's why I started my online bookshop for children and parents.
8. I love to sleep in and hate waking up early in the morning. I am a night person.

Okay, hope I didn't sound too braggy at the beginning. Just some of my achievements that are kept in the cupboard since becoming a mother. So since the opportunity was presented to me, thought I'd bring them out :)

This tag is now passed on to:

• LonelyHurts
• MiaBambina
• Monster Mom

Now on to the next tag. Karen Yiau and Momofcairo gave me Blogivitis. I'm to list 10 symptoms that define me as 'infected'.

1. I gladly sidetrack into blogging and blog hopping instead of posting up books to sell at my bookshop.
2. Camera is always ready to take pictures for blogging purposes.
3. Cannot just post the pictures, but must scrap them first (when time permits). Must add some 'spice' to the blog so people will come back. Everyone enjoys scraps. Plus give me an outlet for some creativity lah.
4. I use my blog to blackmail my kids -- "I'm going to show all the aunties how naughty you are".
5. I also use my blog to encourage my kids -- "Wah, so clever. Let me go tell all the aunties how clever you are."
6. It makes my day to see comments on my posts. Blogivitis makes me crave for more, and more, and more comments. Good comments okay, not spam and hate mail. Don't you agree that your motivation to blog increases when you see more people visiting you.
7. I know more about my bloggy friends than I do my neighbours.
8. I eat 2 packets of Tom Yam noodles so I can torture myself with the spicyness (I'm one who can't take very spicy food)... so I can get rid of my headache (and it worked)... so I can finish this post and publish it tonight.
   
9. I am sitting here, cracking my head as to what other symptoms of blogivitis I have instead of going to bed (it's now 12:35am) and getting the sleep I need.
10. AND last of all, I know I have blogivitis when my children asks to use the computer and I tell them NO, with the excuse that mommy has to do work on the computer... when actually it's just blogging.
    

Okay, now passing this infection to...

• SiwwyPig
• Mommy of 2 Angels
  
• Jean's Diary

That's it for my tags this time.

Get Reviewed

I was blog hopping the other day and came across Dani's blog called "lonely day in Lonely Hurts". Just by leaving 3 comments and answering 4 questions, you get a FREE review and a chance to win a brand new iPod shuffle.
He has already done the review on Mamasbagoftricks, so I'm on my way to getting that iPod.

Of course, I'm NOT asking you to join in his little offer. My goodness, why would I want more competition to win that iPod? So remember, don't join okay, DON'T JOIN!

p.s. : You wouldn't happen to know anything about reverse psychology would you?)

Tips for a Clean Table

Have a messy table?

Here is a quick solution: Put a 5-6 month old baby on your lap as you sit at the table. Within 5 minutes, everything within his reach will be polished with saliva before being swept right off the table. Ta-dah... a clean table!

Unfortunately now you have to clean the floor. Sigh!

p.s. Have you heard of the "elevator" game? Baby drops/throws stuff on the floor, you pick up, they drop/throw again, you pick up again... WARNING: Side effects of this game are backaches, dizziness and irritation. Best to not play at all. Stay alert and don't let yourself be pulled into this game.

Baby Milestones: 5 months+

I just get a kick out of watching baby doing his 'stunts'. And I love his expressions too.
Well, what is baby up to these days?

• Grabs everything and puts in his mouth. It's amazing how fast he can grab stuff off the table. Now eating with him on my lap is impossible. Well... it's possible but my plate has got to be like almost on the other side of the table.
  
• Stares intently at people and what they are doing. Watching his sister and brother, he has probably learned that running around and screaming is normal.
• As you can see from the scrap above, I tried to see how well he could sit on his own. We're almost there.
• Baby also had his first taste of solid food about 2 weeks ago -- mashed potatoes. I know we are suppose to wait till he is 6 months old before introducing him to solids... but he seems so ready. He gets so excited when we sit around the table to eat. And you know what? He hasn't really spit out any of the food we give him... except when he doesn't want any more.

Mama's tip for babies of similar age:

• Always have lots of handkerchiefs around to wipe all that saliva.
• Milestones are great but each baby develops at different rates. Go with what you know is best for you baby. For example, I KNOW this baby is ready to eat. He doesn't have the extrusion reflex and is eager to grab the food of my plate.
• Give plenty of opportunities to play with his hands e.g. toys with buttons to push, dangle something in front for him to grab. Of course, everything will end up in the mouth, so no teddy bears yet okay. Best is to have those teether toys.
  
• Play peek-a-boo.
  
• Always show him your smiling face.
• Nursery rhymes and lots of knee bouncing to the rhythm.
  
• AND lots and lots of HUGS and KISSES.
  

To Tell or Not To Tell

When I had my second child, naturally I employed my eldest daughter to help me keep an eye on the younger. She had no problem playing the role of "Tai Kar Che" (big sister). However, sometimes it gets out of hand. In a way, I've led her to become "Miss Bossy". She constantly breathes down her brother's neck, barking out what he should and should not do. Sometimes I have to remind her that I am the mother around here, and not her. Hahaha. Then there is the habit of reporting everything the brother does. Everyday I hear:

"Mommy, do you know what D did?"
"Mommy, D blah blah blah..."

It's like her brother has become her obsession.
Now, here is my dilemma. I would like to know if the little one is getting into trouble, but I don't want my girl growing up to be a tell-tale. And I don't want the little one to grow up despising the sister.
It's good for me to know some things but I don't need to know everything. So how do I tell her where to draw the line?

Here are some tips on tattling:

• Don't do it because you want to put the other person down and make yourself look good instead (e.g. Mommy, D made a mess in the room. I already cleaned up my mess)
  
• Don't tell me if the problem can be solved among yourselves (e.g. Mommy, D took all the pillows and won't give me one or Mommy, D spilled his drink)
• Don't do it just so you can get the other person in trouble -- revenge purposes (e.g. Mommy, D ate your last chocolate)
  
• Tell me only if he is going to get hurt or in danger (e.g. Mommy, D fell off his bicycle and is bleeding)
  
• Tell me if something is damaged (e.g. Mommy, D sat on the baby gym and broke it)

I guess the underlying principle to know when to tell and when NOT to tell is: Am I helping or hurting? And have I tried to solve the problem?

Okay, don't think I'm a smarty pants and came up with this solution on my own. Just so happen I still have 1 copy of the Joy Berry book on Tattling. If you want it, you can get it at my bookshop whilst it's still available. Only RM10.

Well, it's definitely a lesson I will have to repeat often. My daughter's "reporting" habit is quite deeply ingrained. Hope I am able to teach her to make good judgement when it comes to making the decision on whether to tell or not to tell.

Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from 22 June 2007

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact Lian (limailian at gmail dot com).

This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will not necessarily be identified as paid or sponsored content.

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To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

I say again and again...

They say children learn through repetition. And so, this is what you hear almost everyday at my house (usually in the screaming mode):

• OI! I'm talking to the wall ah? (Even the kids have learned to use this phrase)
• No playing with water. You have 5 minutes to bath... (after a while)... are you putting soap yet?
• Don't play so rough, someone is going to get hurt... (usually followed by) See, when I say you don't want to listen. Now you get hurt, you come running to me.
  
• Oooooi... too noisy, too noisy.
  
• Aiyoh, look at this mess. Clean up, clean up. You guys like living in a rubbish dump ah?
• You have eyes to see right? (referring to papers and what not left on the floor)
• Oklah, I guess this is going to the time-out box. (Things that are not kept in their proper place will be put in the time-out box. The kids can't take them out until they do something good to redeem the items).
  
• It's late, calm down already. Stop running around. Go do something quiet, like reading.
• Don't wake up your baby brother ah.
• D, stop moving so much. You're like a 'cacing' (worm) you know.
• K, can you please turn on the bathroom light for your brother.
• Finish your food pleeeeaaaase. How to grow? Junk food you can eat so much. Good food don't eat so much.
  
• Yes lah, yes lah, 'loyar buruk'. Usually directed at Koko-D coz' he have answer to everything. (loyar buruk = lousy/crooked lawyer, usually used for smart mouths).
  
• Yes Boss. Usually directed at Jie-jie K coz' she likes to tell everyone what to do, including her parents.
• Keep your hands and legs to yourself (to control the fighting).
• Enough both of you (also to stop the squabbling).
• Nooooo, don't put that in your mouth (directed at baby).

Even with all that repetitive screaming, the best repetition comes at night.
"Good night, I love you".

Backup Your Blog

You've invested time, effort and brainpower into building your blog. It would count as a catastrophe to suddenly lose it all due to a technological glitch or human error. That's why backups are important. If you have a blogger account like me, you already know that there is no backup feature. So here is a solution I stumbled upon -- BlogBackupOnline.

It is really easy. All you have to do is create an account (50MB free) and then register your blog(s). Then you can make a full backup. You can also schedule automatic daily backups. With the backup, you can download it to your hdd in the form of RSS 2.0 format. Not just your blog entries are backed up but also your comments and embedded images. This feature is also useful if you want to move your blog somewhere else.

At the moment, BlogBackupOnline supports the following platforms:
Blogger, WordPress, TypePad, Friendster, LiveJournal, Serendipity, Windows Live Space, Movable Type, Terapad, Vox, and Multiply.

Okay, this is my good deed for today. This is NOT a sponsored post but a community message from Mamas Bag of Tricks. Hahahaha.

Father's Day Tribute

It's Father's Day and so, like many others, I'm dedicating this blog entry to my dad. I did some scraps for my dad last year. I'll share them here this year. The scraps were not just to honor my father, but also a way for my children to know a little bit about their grandfather.

Here he is during his college days at Pakistan Veterinary College. He still remembers the food, the bed and the boring subject of domestic animal's anatomy. I also remember his stories of how he and his friends would sleep on the roof under the cool night sky.

Sports run in my dad's blood. At college it was athletics and badminton.

Later on, it was bowling.

Oh, and I'm sure you're not surprised... golf.

My dad is the greatest contributor to my golfing success.
Never pushy, ever patient, always encouraging, amazingly patient.

Here I am at the airport with my family. They were sending me off to further my studies in U.S. Look how we all don't have tummies yet. Hahaha. As we gained our tummies, dad lost his.
Anyway, it was my dad's vision that made all of this possible. Thanks Dad!

In case you can't read the poem in the last scrap:

What Makes A Dad
God took the strength of a mountain, The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun, The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature, The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages, The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of the morning in spring, The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity, The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities, When there was nothing more to add,
He knew his masterpiece was complete,
And so, he called it... DAD

~author unknown~

Math Exercises

I remember wayyy back in school, my teacher use to give us this mini math quiz called 'congak'. She would quickly rattle off 10 multiplication questions and we had to quickly write down the answer. Although it was a source of stress for my young soul, I admit it quickly embossed the multiplication tables into my brain.

Well, I want to give my children that kind of strong foundation in math. I don't want to be satisfied with their finger counting ways. I want them to look at a sum and immediately know the answer. At this point, I'm not talking about multiplication sums but simple addition. So, I've been giving K one page of sums to practice everyday. I'd write the time she start and the time she ends so we can monitor if she is getting faster.

Anyway, she was working next to me one night while I was busy click-clacking on the computer. After a while I paused as I heard this tap-tapping sound next to me. Whaddaya know... this little girl is quietly working away on her sums WITH A CALCULATOR.

Look at her cheeky laugh when I told her that that was not allowed. Although I reprimanded her for not using her brains to the sums, deep down I applauded her because:
1. She is ingenious enough to find something to make her work easier
2. She knows how to make technology work to her advantage

Sigh! This is one of those times you want to discourage but also encourage. So how? So do both lah:
"Hey, cannot cheat. You are doing this to train your brain. But clever-ah, you know how to take the calculator to help you. BUT cannot okay?"
Talk about a confused parent (shaking head).

Travelling Europe

Here is another blog entry about travelling. Many people I know love to travel around Europe. I remember uni friends who would save up money to backpack Europe during summer vacations or after graduation. My golf travels only took me to Europe once. I was priviledged to visit Belgium. It was a really good experience for me and I realized why some people are drawn to that part of the world (including my father). The buildings, the landscape (I got to visit a castle), the streets, the culture... just the whole feel of the place is so rich.

Anyway, if you are planning to visit Europe, you can go to Easytobook.com to make hotel reservations. Actually, do that only if you are visiting Amsterdam, Barcelona or Rome. They've listed 298 Amsterdam hotels, 580 Barcelona hotels and 752 Rome hotels. They offer hotel discounts up to 75% and NO booking fee.

Well, here's hoping I get to resume my travelling one day.

Malaysian List of Bloggers

Okay, here is the latest list of Malaysian Bloggers.

Once Upon A Time Money Making Blog Bubba Stuff Little Raymond's quaint melody Seraph Chronicles Route Brumeuse Coder's Talk Reggae And SKA Art Of ApOgEE THE VEGEMASTER LIFE Boonage Coretan Pengalaman Mat Silverhorsegunnysack BLUEAPPLE scribbles Diet & Detoxification Karma Kameleon Hsien's Dirty Little Secret The Rojak Blog keeyit My Life Online Fun Stuffs Donny's Bits Nicholas Chan's Blog dream of's DESIGN strike freedom 115 Truly Malaysia It's another new day Lisan's Scribbles Ramblings of a 22 years old The Towering Joe Life's a Breeze Life's Roller Coaster AceOne118 In His Time in His time The New Sanctuary a life full of surprises Sketches of Life Shannon's Old Space Pikey Dude SEO & Online Marketing Blog ShowMeMoneyBiz.com Snapshots kahpengBlog I am Who I am yung . silent whisper Simple Life One blog.One girl.One story The World Through My Eyes Why Malaysia? Etcetera~Etcetera Giddy Tigers Make Money Online: Exploring The Dark Side of Blogging Xilly's Blog Malaika Xiao Yu My Home Recipe SQKIKI’s Simple Tech Nukilan Jejari Azhad ITCHY HANDseng Just My Lil' Organic Life Oooh La La... Weird World of MerapuMan Fibre Art The World at My Fingertips Organic Income Organic Parade Shopping Flavor Daily postings of a chung ling student Something about LAI KennyP’s Technology Blog Women Mumbles KuKuJian.com Lyon & Wien Under The SUN Crumbs In Life SotongZai's Flow In the Ocean allthingspurple Christene's Kitchen toxicle.org [ Wood ] [ Earth ] [ Cheap ] [ Flight ] COMtech Ah Ling's blog Memoirs.:*CRoSs mY hE@Rt ~WoOLaLA~ vivivava Design My Mothering Corner Shoppingmum’s Home Office My Filling Station Shopping Mum All about Beauty Shoppingmum and Kids datotalrandommessy.grey Notes from my heart Joy Montessori wahlau's online hut Cedric’s Asylum mott’s mutterings Just My Thoughts delephant Incoherent Ramblings HOT STUFF Make Money Online with Malaysia Love AGLOCO MONTESSORIMUM.COM Funky Cookies Earn Money Online PabloPabla's Whatever Make Money with Blogging Paris Beaverbanks Free Links Giveaway Free Blogger Templates Blogsreview.Net Making a Living 5xmom How to be a Better Blogger My Women Stuff Hochiak! Delicious Asian Food Best Recipes Champagne Tastes on a Beer Budget Daryl's Discovery Journey The fluff must go somewhere

Kitchen Experiments Elliottwave Signal Internet-Crazy Blog Newopps Blog Make Money Online Review Center Little Penang iFlicks Healing tips and home remedies Ornamental Fish Grasp! Seize! Get hold of it! Life Snapshot Mental Freedom, Por Favor Eat. Live. Be Merry! Funny Junk Addicting Flash Games Pictures Video Clips mott’s island Clinke Bidding Directory Blog Easy Home Cooking FrenzRSS.com Pink Poison Store Show Me Health Biz The Undeniable Beauty - Revamped An Anonymous Journal Cyberpartygal Blank Canvas She Rambles On charcamayne Money Online | Adsense Money | Tips For Adsense Belajar Cara Membuat Blog Wordpress Usahawan Internet Peluang Perniagaaan Internet iNicholas Made In Penang Syaf The Geek snapshots of life with Cheng Leng iCalvyn.com Blogging Through Depression & Life Trying to Save Money novatech personal playground Little World Of Thoughts Sumber Dekorasi & Laman Anda Menarik.com INSIDE MY MIND Sleepy As Usual blogs">thoughts ---> blogs Share Everything In Life Value Bookshop’s Reading Notes Tips and Tricks to Happy Parenting BERSAMA MEMBINA KEJAYAAN THE BITCH CLUB datotalrandommessy.grey Artmaker BlogWawasan.com life is beautiful Adino Online Penang Homes Physical-e A Mom's Diary Health Freak Mommy mrdefinite.com - It’s hot Tracking Movies SquareCookies MonkeyWong Voice of a Glass Doll Online Article Directory Bambang Wise Life Advice Kaklong Online Portal Down Memory Lanes Sleeping Princess Online Bisnes Forex Marketing Blog project010 ProTechWang.Com Bleargh Pigeon Card Pianologist KCLau’s Money Tips The Great Swifty Speaketh Mr & Mrs. Imran If fate allow our destinies to meet From chopstix to steak knives Where's My Noose? Duke Amiene Rev Mum & Kids In Wonderland Yum-Yum Cuisine Software, Web Development and Technology just another ordinary story Mummy In Vain's Little World How To Solve Your Question FáLLiÑg LéÃVéS add this to my life Free Encyclopedia High Paying Keywords try-test arshad's photojourney EvelynHolic RajaBLog.info Lovelymummy's Bay My Yummy Cruise Home Sweet Home Lovely Mummy OnlineBisnes Malay Blog Purest of e2wen MyAnimes MySpace Blog Badruzamani.Org Parenting Life Forum Newbie Bisnes Internet & Blogger Mohd Sufian A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words hcfoo's blog Amazing Grace The Sanctuary Welcome To cHrIstInA_YY's Pink World Defying Destiny Dead Boredom Seeking Freedom Travelogue An amazing & adventurous journey Erin Nurjenna [B][E][A][U][T][I][F][U][L] Fluffy's Day Off My Fairy-Tale

Playmates

I had something to do and so I asked the kids to look after their baby brother for a sec. When I walked into the room a few minutes later, I saw this little face peeking from in between his bro-sis. They were all sitting on a bolster playing motorcycle :) And the little bum squashed between his siblings looked like he was having fun too. They all looked so cute like DO-RE-MI. Hahaha.
Thank you 'jiejie' and 'koko' for being such good babysitters. Hope you guys are always this close and have more good times together.

Funny Faces

I'm usually taking pictures of the children smiling, trying to look cute or something. Well, decided to do something different this time. Told them to give me a silly face.

THIS is their silly face. Aiyoh, so kayu. They didn't know how to make a silly face. One just open the mouth and play with her tongue. The other one just open mouth and laugh and laugh and laugh. I think we need to work on our 'drama' skills a bit. Next time maybe I'll ask them to give me a scary face, see what they come up with.

How about you, what silly faces can your children come up with?

Costume Fun

A few years back, we had a children's Halloween party at church. We thought it would be fun to let the kids dress up in funny costumes. We don't get much chance of doing that around here in Malaysia. Anyway, I made a cape for my girl and she became Little Red Riding Hood. That cape is still around, though heavily abused. It's been used for all sorts of things according to their imagination -- blanket, superhero cape, carpet etc....
My boy was lucky to be loaned a tiger suit. He didn't like to wear the head-part of the suit. But he looked real stripey cute.

Anyway, my point is children like to dress up. It fuels their imagination. Some people have a whole chest of old clothes to play dress up. And if you don't want to end up like me, sewing disasters instead of wearable costumes, you could look out for costume sales.

Apart from Halloween, when would you wear funny Halloween costumes? How about having a costumed theme birthday party? Ooooh, I'm sure all the little girls would want to dress up as a princess or an angel. And the boys can be a fire fighter or a Harry Potter. If you need more ideas on children's costumes, you can refer to HalloweenAndCostumes.com
They also have costumes for adults. Hehehe. Imagine dad in a spiderman's costume. You don't have to buy the costumes, you can rent them for such special occasions.

Well, next time you're thinking of a party, consider having a costume party.

Fathers Day Idea Kit

I hear many parents with young children ask, "eh, what activities can I do with my child ah?" Well, Father's Day is coming up and I've put together a Father's Day Idea Kit.

What's in it?

• There is a very simple, inexpensive gift idea
• 4 easy recipes you could help your child prepare to treat daddy
• Lyrics to some cute Father's Day songs
• Ready to print Father's Day book
• Ready to print blank Father's Day coupons

The gift and Father's Day book will require some craft or art work. How much and how difficult depends on you. Of course, with young children it is best to stick with basic cut and paste. I've posted some photos of what I did with K at my Value Bookshop Reading Notes blog.

Meanwhile, download the Father's Day Idea Kit and let me know if it was beneficial to you. If you think it's a good tool, pass it on to your friends.

Baby Can Grab

Itchy hands, itchy mouth... aiyoh! Baby now likes to grab everything to put in his mouth. No, he is not teething. But it's quite entertaining to see him trying to reach out for things: The focus, trying to zero in on the object and moving his uncoordinated little hands and fingers.
The best part is when he grabs and hangs on to your fingers. Aaaaah, feel so loved.

Food Around The World Tag

I was tagged by Health Freak Mommy to do this food tag. Finally am able to do it as my mom came to visit and I got her to "tapau" this favourite food of mine all the way from Seremban. Now I have a photo to go with the tag.

So, what is it? HAKKA MEE


There are two shops in Seremban that makes this. The owners are related, brothers I believe. One shop is on the upper floor of the market, whereas the other is opposite the post office in front of the market.

The noodles are homemade and so far, I have yet to find it anywhere else. Sorry, it's not halal. The noodles are mixed with a slightly thick sauce with minced pork. It's really yummilicious. I usually order the medium bowl. If really hungry, the large sized bowl.

The shop outside the market cooks the noodles longer. It's still chewy, but not that chewy. Unfortunately, you have to wait longer for your order.

Now, I tag:
1. Min (again, I know you have an eye for good food)
2. Lion City Girl
3. Lyanne
4. Sandra (care to share some fantastic East Malaysian cuisine?)
5. Marsha

Instructions.

**Start Copy**

Proposition: What is your favorite food in your state or country?

Requirements: Find some info about the food and show delicious pictures of it?

Quantity: FIVE PEOPLE.

Tag Mode: You leave their blog and post link and add to the list below.

Mybabybay loves Asam Laksa from Penang, Malaysia
JustMyThoughts loves Penang Char Koay Teow
My Lil Venture loves Laksa Sarawak
Montessorimum loves Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun
Health Freak Mommy loves Dim Sum from KL, Malaysia
Mama's Bag of Tricks loves Hakka Mee from Seremban, Malaysia

My Junior Golfers

Here are videos of K and Koko D's golf swings. Not bad lah. At the moment, they are still dribbling the ball -- meaning the ball has yet to take flight. That's why we can still play at the little grassy area at the back of our house. I've tried not to give lengthy instructions to them. Trick is to let them enjoy, and not push them too hard. Stop when they don't want to anymore.
One of these days I shall write why my father is a fantastic golf coach.

Earn Money With...

I know many of you out there have heard about people making money off their blogs. I bet you are thinking what can you do or what else can you do more to monetize your blog. My recommendation is Text Link Ads.

If you already have it on your blog, then I'm sure you know it's ability to add some pocket money to your wallet. Almost everyone knows about Google Adsense, but unlike what many people think, it takes hardwork to make money there. It's not as simple as putting it up on your blog and then writing whatever comes to your mind. You may earn money that way, but it's real peanuts. I know coz' I'm one of the peanut earning nuts. So I'm truthfully telling you here, this blog of mine earns peanuts from Google Adsense.

Reason why I'm mentioning Text Link Ads, is because I earned a mini sum of money this month. More than I've earned from Google Adsense the last few months. So, what I'm saying is that the potential to earn from Text Link Ads seems to be better for small timers like me.
Of course you still need to do a little work. Mainly increasing the popularity of your blog. So, getting traffic and incoming links helps boosts your money making potential.

Anyway, just thought I'd share this with you moomies and pappies. If you think you want to give it a try, just click on the banner above.

Meaning of My Children's Names

I have been tagged by Sandra. Yes, I'm trying to catch up on my tags. Have another food tag but can't do that yet as I have no pictures.

Anyway, regarding my children's names, it was decided that DH would choose the English names and me the chinese names, BUT both had to agree upon the name chosen. So, how did this chinese illiterate choose a chinese name? I just chose what sounds I liked and then checked the dictionary to see if they had good meaning. Hahahah.

Well, below are the meanings of their names. With my boys, their English names have no meanings. DH just came up with them out of the blue. As long as people can't make fun of it, sounds decent and nobody has it, it passed the name selection test.



So now I tag:
Min
Lia
Jesslyn
DrAston
Big Pumpkin

**Start Copy**
Proposition: What is the meaning of your kid’s name?
Requirements: write about what or how or why you giving the name to your kids.
Quantity: FIVE PEOPLE.
Tag Mode:1st - You leave their blog and post link and add to the list below. 2nd - Let the blogger you want to tag know they been tagged by comment in their blog or etc.

Msaufong-SQ & Kiki

Shoppingmum and Kids-Justin and Isabelle

Chooi Peng-Kai Wen

Judy-Terry

Dragonmummy-Nicole and Marcus

Jasmine-Faythe & Vyktore

Anggie–Jeremy Chang Ee Jay
Chanel–Jeriel Lim Jing Yong
Sandra - Indiana & Maya
Ai Lian - Karina, Damus & Danic