Fried Udon

My MIL gave us some udon a few weeks back. I've never cooked udon before so didn't really know what to do with it. But it seemed like a good idea to take it out of the fridge today for some easy cooking. I need a break from Christmas food. Decided to fry it and it turned out pretty tasty.

INGREDIENTS

• Udon noodles
• Prawns
• Fishball - quartered (or halved)
  
• Vege - sawi
• Crabstick - cut to bite size
  
• Garlic - minced
  
• Teriyaki sauce
• Soy sauce
• Black soy sauce

HOW TO COOK
Fry garlic until slightly golden, then throw in the prawns, fishball, crabstick and vege. Stir fry for a while. Add the udon noodles, then put in the sauces - teriyaki, soy sauce and black soy sauce.

Christmas Gift For Busy Moms To Make

It's been a while since I made Honey Snaps. My daughter has been pestering me to make them, so I thought why not make them as Christmas gifts this year too. But instead of putting them in plastic bags, I bought plastic containers. That way, the recipients can use the containers after they finish eating the gift.

If you're looking for a baking project that you can do with your children, this would be it. It's easy and won't take that much of your time (unless you're doing lots and lots of it). Click here for the recipe: Honey Snaps

Simple Box Pinata

Once again I made a pinata for my Church Christmas party. However, it has been raining and so making a paper mache pinata was out of the question. My clothes has been taking days to dry, what more paper mache. I remember reading how someone made a box pinata. So I decided to give that a try. It seemed fairly easy and less of a hassle than the paper mache one. So, here it is:

This is my Santa Claus pinata

Made another one for the Single Adults Christmas party. Just used crepe paper on this one.

Making this pinata was really easy. Just recycle a cereal box and decorate it however you like. For the Santa pinata, I first wrapped the box with some black paper I had handy. Then I took a piece of white paper and drew some eyes. I wanted a 3D effect so I wrapped some cotton with paper to make the nose. Then glued on some cotton to make the moustache. Cut out circles to make Santa's beard. Used some more cotton and red paper for his hat. Poked 2 holes on the sides and inserted a string so the pinata could hang. Children may find it difficult to break open this kind of pinata. So, here is a tip:

• When you make the pinata, turn the cereal box upside down. That means the top of the cereal box is at the bottom. Don't cover it with paper. Don't put too much celophane tape either. You want it sealed enough to hold the candy but not so strong that the children can't whack it open.
  

This is my daughter having a good whack at the Santa pinata.

I didn't do much with my box pinata. I was looking for something easy and fast. You can always be creative and make the pinata look like a horse, star, castle or something interesting. It's a fun project to do with children and they'll love it during a party.

Note: Click here to see how I made a Snowman paper mache pinata.
Lazy to make one, you can click on these affiliate links to buy one.

Black Dragon Shaped 22in x 10 1/2in Pinata

Rainbow Shaped Donkey 16 1/2in x 10in Pinata

T-Rex Shaped 22in x 7 1/2in Pinata

SpongeBob Buddies Pinata (String Pull Style)

Pinata Fillers Party Supplies

Christmas Ornaments

My Christmas tree is so boring. The ornaments are so "common". The Christmas ornaments in the shops are also so "blah". Not much choice and nothing interesting. I like the idea of having a collection of personalized Christmas ornaments. For example, wouldn't it be special to get something like this to commemorate baby's first Christmas?

Baby's First Christmas Ornament Pink Bootie

The Christmas tree then becomes more than just a decoration but a treasure trove of memories. Talking about Christmas trees, I think I'll try to get a nice fiber optic one in the next few years. I don't like to deal with strings of Christmas lights that don't last long. Plus, my children are asking why our Christmas tree is so small. This is what my son said "Last time the tree looked big to me. Now that I'm taller, the tree looks small."

Note: The picture is an affiliate link. Click on it for more details.
You'll find more of such ornaments at this affiliate link:

russellrhodes.com special Christmas ornaments,gifts and plates

Online Shop Malaysia For Babies And Children

Do you do much online shopping? I know some of you are still apprehensive about it. I too think many times before I decide to purchase something online. However, with 4 kids it is the better option for me. It can be madness and highly stressful trying to shop with that many kids in tow. I found it especially helpful when I was in confinement and wanted to get a car seat for baby. Thank goodness Little Whiz was having a car seat sale at that time. Even then, I was in 2 minds about it: "Buy? Don't buy?" I was afraid I would not choose a good one because I couldn't physically inspect it. I spent some time doing a little research, scouting the net to hear what people were recommending. Then I also had to think about my budget restraints. Also wanted to know if it really was a good deal or not.

In the end, I decided to go ahead and made the purchase. Was really glad to know that shipping was free. Item arrived not many days after in good condition. Baby loves the car seat, thank goodness. It acts as a rocker too. I just wish it could be reclined.

This is 2 week old baby in the car seat. It's a Halford. It wasn't inclined enough so I put a lampin behind her neck for more support.

This is 2 month old baby. She's grown into the seat, so it fits her better now. She sleeps longer in the car seat then if I were to put her lying down on a mattress.

Little Whiz is a good place to shop if you're looking for baby and children stuff. They've got lots of stuff like baby furniture and bedding, baby slings, books, cds, dvds, toys, strollers, car seats, breast pumps, nursing accessories, toilet training and diapering stuff, skin care for baby and home safety products. They've also got stuff for pregnant mothers. Check them out to see their vast collection.

I notice they've got regular promotions. Their prices are not too bad. If you need to get baby stuff or want to get a gift for someone's children, do give this retailer a try. Click on the banner below and rate them yourself.

Note: The links on this post are affiliate links.

Christmas Gifts For Kids

Image by minifig via Flickr

Getting Christmas gifts for my kids is always a breeze. They make sure I know what they want. Of course they don't always get everything they ask for. Their first choice is usually off our budget. For example, kokoD wants a Transformer toy. A good one is quite costly. There's always the cheaper ones but they look really cheapo and probably won't last very long.

There's really not much surprise when it comes to my kids Christmas gifts. When I go shopping, they are usually there with me pointing out what they want. They see what I put in the cart. This year, my daughter wrapped the presents, including her own. So much for surprise. Hahah. She chose a train set, KokoD1 selected a Ninja set and KokoD2 got a car garage set. To them these are cool kids toys. We don't buy a lot of toys for them throughout the year. So we don't mind giving them a "treat" during Christmas. However, we normally don't go over RM50 per toy.

Even though my kids already know what their Christmas gifts are, they are still enthusiastic about it. The big problem now is they can't wait to play with them.

I still like the idea of giving them a surprise, so I find opportunities to get little gifts they don't know about. These are less expensive stuff but things they enjoy and like nonetheless, such as wallets, pencil cases, girly accessories, pocket games etc....

The last few years we've bought candy for their Christmas stockings. This year we are staying clear of candy. They've been having a bit too much these days. Even if we don't buy for them, they will get it from aunties, grandma and grandpa. So, NO CANDIES this year. Instead we are putting stationary like colored pens, erasers, rulers etc....

2 Month Old Baby On The Move

She's only 2 months old and she is already moving around herself. When I'm on the computer, I will put her down on a mattress next to me. I was so surprised the other day when my younger son yelled "mommy, baby on the floor". I looked and there she was, off the mattress. I put her back on and she started kicking herself off again. By the time I got the camera, she was already half way off the mattress.

Even at night when we sleep, I will wake up to find that she's moved from vertical to horizontal position. I guess this is a sign of what I can expect from this baby. Another one to keep me on my toes.

MAMAS PARENTING TIP
Never underestimate what babies can do.

Baby is 2 Months Old

 

This baby is getting big too fast. She's no longer the tiny baby I brought home from the hospital 2 1/2 months ago. I remember when I had my first baby, time seemed to pass by so slowly.  But with this baby, time seems to be flying by like a jet plane.

Baby's last weigh in was at 5.3kg. She's put on 1kg every month. She's not a ferocious eater, unlike her brother kokoD2. Still has a bit of reflux but I believe the condition is improving. She doesn't throw up milk as often. But she does get  painful attacks once in a while. She would be calm as a summer breeze one minute and then suddenly break out into frightening screams. Her face will turn red and she cries until her breath runs out. Thank goodness it doesn't go on for hours. To calm her down I have to carry her upright. I still have the Sleepy Wrap and it's been very helpful. It makes carrying her upright less strenuous and she falls asleep fairly quick when I use it. Sucking on the breast doesn't help when she's feeling uncomfortable. You'd think that "nen-nen" was the answer to everything. Not with this baby. Sometimes I give her the breast, thinking it would help calm her down. What I get is "scolding" from the baby. Yes, this 2 month old baby knows how to "scold". And if I still insist, she bites me. Ouch!

We're still doing our "fart exercises". She enjoys it when we move her legs up to her stomach and down. I  laugh every time she farts coz' she'll give a smile of satisfaction. It's like she's saying "Aaaaah, all is well now."

Even after 3 kids, it's still amazing to me how babies learn. I can see conditioning taking place. For example, when I place her on the changing mat before her bath, she calms down. It's like she knows we are getting ready to bathe, so she just waits there. Also, one night she was a bit fidgety. I tried carrying her to put her to sleep but it wasn't really working. I put her on the mattress next to my computer. She was still fidgety. I then took her to the bedroom and put her on the bed. She fell asleep by herself. She's learned that that particular bed means sleep time. 

Her hair is getting longer and standing up more. Her full head of black hair grabs people's attention wherever we go: restaurants, hawker stalls, the market, shops. The standard comment we get is "wah, she got a lot of hair ah?"

At 2 months, she's started to coo. She likes people to talk to her and now, she kinda talks balk. She's got lots of expression now, unlike last month. No more expression-less face. Her smile brightens everyone's day and can melt away her father's bad mood.

MAMA'S PARENTING TIP:

Babywearing is awesome. To me, investing in a good sling is better than getting a stroller. Most of the time, I see parents pushing the stroller while carrying the baby. The baby stroller ends up like a cart to store bags and stuff. A sling takes up less place. A stroller takes up almost the whole car boot (trunk). Plus, I think when baby keeps sitting in a stroller, they become lazy to walk. I don't know, that is just my opinion.