Caterpillar Story

This is my beautiful Periwinkle plant. It's a very hardy plant and the best flowering plant in my garden (not like I plant a lot of flowering plants).

Then one day, it became "botak" (bald) overnight. We thought it was the rabbit but she seemed an unlikely suspect. Upon further inspection, we found the culprit. Can you see it?

Yeah, there were more than 15 of this "it". This was the last one on the plant that was not "murdered" yet. Decided I should take a picture of it before it's execution. Just in case you are a pro-caterpillar person, I have already been reprimanded by my brother for being a butterfly-killer. And yes, he is right. The plant is growing back it's leaves again. But I still really, really, really hate caterpillars/worms/leeches or anything that looks like it.

Well, guess what? The butterflies must have had a convention or something and spread the word about how wonderful my garden is to bring up their little ones. The victim this time is not my periwinkle plant but my curry plant. I didn't know caterpillars ate curry too :) This time, I put some of them in a jar. Sorry, I had to kill the rest. I'm pleading my case under the excuse of exercising pest control. Anyway, my kids were taking a good look at their "science experiment" when suddenly out darted this red color fork-like tongue. Immediately there were screams of "eeeeee" and "ewwwww". Take a look at the pictures below. What is that??????

I've never seen such things before (so disgusting and "geli"), so I went to Mr. Google for some answers. I believe it is called an osmeterium. It can emit a foul smell, so you could say it is a self defense mechanism. So many years of schooling and I never knew of such thing.

I have about 4 caterpillars in a jar... errr... actually 3 left (1 died). I hope they make it all the way to becoming a butterfly. Not just because butterflies are better looking than caterpillars, but also I want to know WHICH BUTTERFLY IS THIS!

P.S. You can read about my previous 3 caterpillar projects here:

• Science in a jar
• Caterpillars again
• Lime butterfly again
  

Gum Care Tip

A few weeks ago my teeth became extra, extra sensitive to cold. I ended up in a dentist's chair to get rid of a toothache. I had a hole in my tooth and had to get a filling. But the hole was not my only problem, I have a very bad case of receding gum lines.

The dentists asked me if I brushed my teeth very hard and use hard bristle toothbrushes. My answer "Yes". She asked me how long I have been brushing this way. My answer "I don't know. A very long time." She said "Probably since you knew how to hold a toothbrush eh?"

That got me thinking... where did I get the idea that I need to brush my teeth vigorously hard to get it clean? And the best part is, I think I've passed on that idea to my kids.

The dentist advised me to switch to a soft bristle toothbrush and brush gently. And that is the message that I passed on to my kids when I came home. My daughter said "Oh, ok" and my son said "I thought I need to brush very hard to get all that dirt off my teeth."

MAMA'S PARENTING TIP:
Teach your children to brush their teeth gently. Don't let them suffer from receding gum lines later in life.

Baby is 7+ Months Old

BabyK continues to progress at a fast rate. 2 weeks ago I was elated that she could push herself off the floor onto all fours, like this:

Hey, no escaping out the door.

Then, she learned how to push herself off the floor into a sitting position.

A few days after that, she started to do this. Yup, she pulled herself into a standing position.

This is one very busy baby. We can all learn some lessons from babies. So today, it is
BABY'S PARENTING TIP:

• Work hard
• Keep moving forward
• Progress everyday
• Don't give up
• Improve
• Learn new skills.

Stylish Mother's Day Cards

To my American and Canadian friends, there is a very special deal over at Tiny Prints waiting for you. There have just launched a new line of stylish printed greeting cards called Tiny Prints Greetings. They have cards for Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays, anniversaries and graduation.

What's So Special?
You can personalize it, schedule it and even send it online.
They have 3 plans for you to sign up:

• Super Sender - Annual membership fee of USD16.99. Pay USD1.99 per card.
  
• Savvy Sender - Annual membership fee of USD 5.99. Pay USD 2.99 per card.
  
• Pay as you go - No membership fee. USD 3.99 per card.

What's The Deal?

• They are WAIVING the first year's membership fee.
• You get the first 3 greeting cards absolutely FOC (free of charge).

This is perfect for that Mother's Day and Father's Day that is coming up. Grab that deal now. Just click on the affiliate banner below:
Personalized Greeting Cards from Tiny Prints.

Buns, Buns and More Homemade Buns

Friday I made cinnamon buns. Yummm!



Today, I made sausage buns (and a few cinnammon buns).


It's bun fever in my home now. Really putting that breadmaker I bought a few months ago to work.

This is the dough recipe I used. I found it online and it turned out really good. I will just list down the ingredients. For further details on how to make it, you can click here: Harvest cinnamon rolls.

Dough Recipe:
1 cup milk - warm (they asked to heat it in microwave but I didn't)
1/4 cup warm water
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature and beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 cups bread flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten (optional)* (I didn't use it)

The cinnamon buns I made came out really huge. I admit I'm no expert at spreading the dough, rolling and cutting them. It turned out to be quite a messy job. If you really want to do it right, I guess you can check out YouTube. Maybe that's what I should have done in the first place. Hahaha. This video below shows you how to spread the dough so it forms a rectangle. The guy has another video that shows you how to roll the dough after that.



If you want to make the sausage buns, you just take some dough and roll it in your hands (kinda like when you play with playdoh and roll it to make it look like little snakes). Then you take a sausage (Americans call them hot dog) and twist the dough around it.

MAMAS PARENTING TIP:
Just a warning about sausage buns that you buy at the store: This one time a friend of mine bought sausage buns for a "makan" gathering, I discovered that it was moldy inside. Some people had already eaten some. They didn't know because they didn't look inside. Also, on a few occasions my kids got a stomach ache after eating sausage buns we bought at the store. I suspect the sausages were not fresh anymore and that's why they were selling it for cheap. So, do think twice if you're going to buy sausage buns at the store.

How To Easily Back Up Your Blogger Posts

It's painful to lose your blog that you have nurtured for many, many years. So, don't forget to backup. If you have a blogger account, you can use this utility to backup. You can save all your posts in an atom/XML file. Check out this page to download the utility.
Blogger Backup

Okay, that is my good deed for today.

Baby is Almost 7 Months Old

*This digital scrapbook was done with Polaroid My Memories Suite.
Click here for more information: Software For Scrapbooking

From the moment she opens her eyes, she is ready to explore. She can wiggle her way around now and she's always after something e.g. books and papers left on the floor, water bottles, the table fan buttons. I can't imagine when she can actually crawl. That means she will get to things faster. Oh boy! Right now she can push herself off the floor. She's been practicing hard. She gets on all fours and rock back and forth, as if ready to launch. Her siblings say she is doing "pumping" exercises. No wonder she has so much upper body strength. Hehehe.

I see no teeth coming thru yet.

She can call for you like if she wants you to carry her. Instead of saying mama or papa, she will just whine like "hmmmm hmmmmm" and have her hands stretched out.

She's not really eating solids these days. She seems to have lost interest. Maybe it is because she was sick a few weeks ago. But there is no fast rule that babies must eat solids at this age. Until she is ready, breastmilk is still #1.

Lil' K, lil' K, you really know how to keep your mommy on her toes.

Put Fun in Fundraisers

Last year, my girl came back from school with a card. It was a card that most parent's dislike. No, not a report card. It was a donation card. The kind that have you asking friends, colleagues, neighbors and relatives to write their name and how much they are willing to take out of their wallets. I hate doing that. When I was younger, my school had me do that too on occasions. I remember my mother was so bold as to approach the Yang diPertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan (the king of our state at that time) to donate. They used to play golf together once in a while.

Anyway, this kind of fundraising is not a good idea if you ask me. It's a win-lose situation. I know charity means not asking "what's in it for me?". However, shoving a donation card into someone's hands and asking for money is like slapping them with a summons. There is no excitement there. People would appreciate getting something back in return. How about brochure fundraising? For example, over at FastTrack Fundraising, they have brochures for gourmet cookie dough. So, instead of a donation card, people get to flip through a brochure to select what yummy cookie dough flavor they want to buy. There's also brochures for scented candles, magnetic fridge frames and Crayola cooking kits. Another cool fundraising idea is to sell discount cards. You could approach local stores like restaurants, hairdressing salons and recreation places to participate. Everybody likes discounts.

So, a message to whoever is planning a fundraiser, especially schools (cause really, the mom is always the one going around asking for money, not the kids), please be a little creative and make it fun.

p.s. If you have lots of money and want to do some good in the world, you can check out the philanthropy forum.

* Brought to you by your friends at FastTrackFundraising.com

Homemade Buns

Mung Bean Buns

Normal buns (dinner rolls)

This is what I've been busying myself with the last 2 days. The kids have not really been eating the bread loaves I've been making. So, I decided to make sweet buns instead. Looks like I can't make them fast enough. They are gone in a wink of an eye. Just as I take them out of the oven, I will have one kid ask "Mommy, can I eat one now?"

The first batch was made with just bread flour and mung bean filling. Then Sis. Joyce suggested that I mix in some wholemeal flour so the kids' little tummies would feel more full. Tried that and the buns still came out good.

Okay, if you have a breadmaker and want to try making these buns, here is the recipe.

BUN RECIPE
2/3 cups water
2 eggs (beaten)
2 tbsp butter (my butter was hard so I just broke it into chunks)
3 cups bread flour/high protein flour (if you want some wholemeal, make it 2 3/4 cups bread flour, 1/4 cups wholemeal flour)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp yeast

If you want to add some filling, this is what you do. The filling could be red bean, mung bean, chicken floss (expensive) etc.... After the dough is ready, just pinch out a small ball of dough. Oh, put some butter on your hands so it doesn't stick to your fingers. Okay, flatten out the small ball of dough on the palm of your hands. Add in some filling. Fold the dough up to cover the filling. Then, flatten the dough slightly. How big the balls of dough depends on how big the buns you want.
Arrange them on your baking tray. Brush on some egg white on top of the balls of dough (this will give you the nice brown color on top). If you want, you can add to the taste by sprinkling on some sesame seeds (looks pretty too). Leave them on the tray and cover with a cloth for about 30-45 minutes. You'll see the balls of dough grow in size.
Pop them in the oven. Bake 200 degrees for about 15 minutes (until the top is a nice light brown color).

This is how you eat them: OPEN WIDE WIDE... AUM!

Get A Read or Spell Software for F.R.E.E.

Just a heads up for parents with children who are just learning to read and spell. Head over to this blog post of mine to learn how you can get a free ClickN Kids account:

Free Reading & Spelling Program Giveaway from ClickN KIDS

Do You Think Of Death?

Do you have grim, morbid moments? I do. When I was little, I remember waking up one night crying because I dreamed my mother died. My daughter has had a dream like that too. She dreamed I died and she woke up crying. Sometimes, I would ponder... what would happen if my husband died or if I were to lose one of my children. I wonder if I would be able to bear the pain? My parents are getting older everyday. I know one day in the near future, I will have to see them go. Can we ever be ready to handle death?

A friend of mine passed away a few days ago. Earlier in the year, a friend's sister lost her son. I cannot fathom the grief the family is going through. Are there any words that can bring comfort?

Easter is just around the corner and reminds us that Christ has overcome the bands of death for us. We will all be resurrected. There is the hope that families can be together forever. HOWEVER, we will still feel the emotions of losing a loved one.

During those days of mourning, I would think hiring a professional like Funeral Agent is important. I know I will be too devastated to even think how to plan a funeral. It will definitely be helpful if someone else could handle stuff like transporting deceased , paperwork and funeral services. All these things needs to be done competently and with compassion. The last thing you need is more stress.

I pray I will have the strength to face such trial when the time comes. May we all find peace and joy this Easter season.

"I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:"
(John 11:25)

*Brought to you by your friends at funeralagent.com

Mommy, SNAKE!

We had a snake "almost" come into the house yesterday. We were in the living room when our opposite neighbor came calling to tell us our rabbit had run to our next door neighbors house. Next thing I know, my girl is yelling (with real terror in her voice), "Mommy, SNAKE!" At first I thought she was playing a practical joke on her siblings (like she always do) but I looked anyway and saw the snake curled around the grill of the front door.

I quickly asked my neighbor to back away. Yelled for DH to come down. Like a hero, he came to save the day. He managed to kill the snake with a "cangkul" (hoe). Thank goodness it was a baby snake and didn't know how to retaliate yet. We don't know what kind of snake it was. Definitely not the harmless green garden snake. This one was black.

I shudder to think where the mother is. Or if there are other baby snakes. I thank Heavenly Father that we saw it while it was on the grill door. I'm thankful that it didn't slither into the house somewhere to hide in a corner. I'm grateful my DH was around to take care of the problem.

The rabbit was at my neighbor's house probably to escape from the snake. We tried to coax her back but she wouldn't budge. My neighbor said it looked like she was "menggigil" (shivering). Don't know what the snake was doing at my house. Looking to have a nice "rabbit" dinner or maybe "hamster" dinner? Whatever reason it came to my house, it gave me a reason to stop my son from singing Lady Gaga's song. I said all his "ula ulala" made the snake think he was calling him. Afterall, in Malay, "ular" means snake.

The dead snake in the "longkang" (drain).
Who can tell me what snake is this?

MAMA'S PARENTING TIP:

• Tell your children the story about The Boy Who Cried Wolf. It's not funny when the wolf (or snake) is real.
• Make everything into an educational opportunity. Time for me to do a lesson on snakes.
  

Funny T-Shirts For Boring Wardrobe

I like wearing T-shirts. It's comfortable and practical for my "work". It is perfect for cooking, cleaning and running around in this crazy heat. However, there are days when I look into my cupboard and wonder what to wear? Most of the t shirts are plain colored. Some have a little design to it. Sadly I admit, my t shirt collection is quite boring.

Maybe it would help to add a fun shirt like Nerdyshirts funny tshirts. The amount of time I'm spending on the computer these days, I could qualify to be a nerd. But no, the t-shirts there are not just for nerds. It is for anyone who wants a break from their boring t-shirts. They have a white t-shirt with graphics that make you look like you're wearing a working shirt with a black tie. They also have movie t-shirts such as The Hangover t-shirts. That one is quite cool. It makes you look like you have a baby strapped to you. New moms probably won't buy that though. They already have real babies strapped to them. Hahaha.

You know, sometimes life gets busy that we forget to laugh. Just yesterday I looked in the rear view mirror of the car and noticed I'm getting frown lines on my forehead. So, if your life could use a little humor, maybe a funny t-shirt will help. Why not take a humor break now and look at some funny pictures.

*Brought to you by your friends at Nerdyshirts.com

Baby Updates

We finally got around to cutting babyK's fringe. It is no more poking into her eyes but they are also no more wispy looking. I'm bummed about that. She looks so different after the cut. Just goes to show the influence of hairstyles on a person's look. Yeah, I know she still looks cute:)

SHE CAN SIT!!!!!
This is like one of the best milestones for baby. Errr... actually, best milestone for mommy because when we go out shopping, I don't have to carry her that much anymore. She can sit on the shopping cart. Such wonderful relief for my achy arms. However, she's not that steady yet. She will sometimes throw herself backwards. So we still have to kinda support her.
Oh, and that toy musical box she's playing with... that's her sister's. K got it for her 1st birthday. It was a gift from my brother. Can you imagine? That toy has lasted 8 years, through 3 different kids. The battery hasn't worn out and it is still working. Talk about a long lasting toy.

Time To Baby Proof The Home

I was just thinking the other day, in about 3-4 months, babyK will probably be walking. Her older 3 siblings all started walking between 9-10 months. This means we need to again increase our vigilance. It is time to once again look at my home and think what needs baby proofing.

• The baby gate for the stairs need to be installed again.
• Kids like to stick their fingers into "holes" like electrical outlets. I'll need some caps for that.
• They like to play with wires. Need to make sure that all wires are neatly tucked away.
• Look to see which furniture corner needs cushion. You know kids, they run without looking where they are going.
• Keep nagging the kids not to leave stuff on the floor, especially small things that baby can choke on.
• Make sure medication is stored at a place where children can't reach.
• Anything that is poisonous need to be kept properly like Clorox, detergents and cleaning products.
• Check existing toys for choking hazards.
  

It is scary that so many potential accidents can happen in the home. In fact, children are more likely to get hurt at home than outdoors.

If you are wondering how to baby proof your home, you can take a look at KidSafe. They offer the largest online selection of quality baby proofing products and child safety tips. Safety 1st, KidCo, Evenflo and Mommy's Helper are some of the brands they carry. You'll find stuff like Baby Gates, Child Safety Locks, Corner Cushions, Outlet Covers, TV Guards, Door Locks, Appliance Locks, Window Guards and much more. You might want to check out their KidSafe Blog too. They highlight stuff like product recalls, hazardous products, home safety tips and child safety products.

*Brought to you by your friends at kidsafeinc.com

Hyperactive Kid?

There are times when I get worried about my eldest son. He can't sit still and seem to bounce of the walls (and my bed!). I keep telling him the chair is for his butt and not his head or his feet. Yes, he rarely sits down normally. He is either upside down, facing backwards or with his feet on the chair. He also always gets the "do-you-have-ants-in-your-pants" comment from me. His pants doesn't last very long. The knees always gets worn out because he likes to be on the floor (even in public). He was also having holes in his shirt because he kept chewing it. Thank goodness he has sort of stopped doing that now (after many, many angry reminders from me).

I get worried about his aggression too. Sometimes he gets sooooo angry. If he was a whistling kettle, he'd be going "WoooOOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOO" with steam coming out his ears. And his "default" way to handle it is to hit someone.

He likes to make funny sounds; you'd think he had a built-in sound effects system. His mouth can be like a radio that doesn't have an "off" button. Usually, it's on "repeat" mode. For example, he has been singing Lady Gaga's "Oola oolala, rama ramama". And it's that same 1-2 phrase/lines over and over again. (Mommy is going "aiyo-aiyoyo). Talking about yo-yo, there are times when his emotions are like a yo-yo; one minute he is high, the next minute his mood changes to an ugly low.

BUT, he is not always like that. He has his good-boy moments too. Plus, I've not had any complaints from his teachers. He can sit down and read or draw when he wants to. When I give him work to do, he can focus.

It's just those times when he seems to be out-of-control that gets me worried. Even a church friend agreed that maybe I should get him evaluated for hyperactivity.

Soooooooo........... we took him to see a pediatrician yesterday. Guess what? He was on his best behavior. He sat down nicely, quietly and spoke with the doctor decently. Of course the doctor thought me and DH were nuts to bring in such a good boy to be evaluated for hyperactivity.

Well dear Doctor.... YOU'VE BEEN CONNED. My son even admitted that he had cheated the doctor. Sigh! Maybe he is not hyperactive afterall, just very cunning and too much energy. The other day he said to me "Mommy, why are you sleeping? It's only 2pm. It's not even night time yet."

One good thing came out from taking him to the doctor. He had some good advise for my son. Doctor said "Don't watch television, don't play computer games and no fighting. Read more books and listen to music". I paid RM35 for that advise. Ironically, that's what I've been telling my kids all these while. I guess when a doctor says it, it sounds more authoritative. When mom says it, it's nagging :)

MAMA'S PARENTING TIPS FOR LESS HYPERACTIVE CHILDREN:

• No TV
• No computer games
• No fighting
• Read more books
• Listen to music
• Give them more attention
  

Need Help Setting Up Your Own Blog?

You know that people are making money through blogs. I'm sure you'd like to get in on the action too right? Well, the first thing you need is to get your own blog. Of course you can use one that is hosted by blogger or wordpress, but it is recommended that you get your own hosting.

If you feel overwhelmed by all that's involved in getting started, do not fret. My friend Kelly has a great opportunity for you to make the leap in style. All the hard work of installation and theme set up will be done for you - you'll even be able to watch!

It's all part of Blog Week - a special event running from March 15th to 19th. You won't believe the deal she's put together for you. It includes you domain, three months of hosting and a blog set up. Click here to learn more: HELP ME SET UP A MONEY MAKING BLOG

P.S. If you're not sure how to make money through blogs, she's also got another deal where you can upgrade your deal and access her Blog Internship. She'll teach you how to blog, how to promote your blog and how to make money with your blogs.

What you waiting for? Go check it out NOW.


*Yes, the links are affiliate links.

What Would Your Custom T-Shirt Say?

I love this baby onesie that says "bad hair day". It's really perfect for babyK as she really does have some bad hair days. I have another one that says "I love Daddy". Obviously I bought that to "polish daddy's shoes"; motivation for him to take care of her more often so I can have some free time. Heheheh.

So anyway, I was thinking, if you had to write something on your T-shirt, what would it say?

I was looking at some Cafepress custom t-shirts and saw some that might suit me. There's one that says "I'm not bossy. I just know what you should be doing." And I'm sure my daughter would reply with the T-shirt that says " All I hear is blah, blah, blah, blah, blah..." :)

There are some food t-shirts as well. There's a cute one that says "Cereal Killer". DH would probably wear the one that says "Got Chili?" He can really eat spicy stuff. As for me, I would definitely wear the one that says "Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first." Some days I would need a shirt that says "What to cook?" If you're a mom who cooks everyday, you'll know what I mean. Sometimes you just want to get away from cooking the same ol' stuff. That's when websites like the Food Network comes in handy.

Other sayings that should be on my T-shirts:

• Go to sleep
• No, you can't use the computer
• They're not my children. I'm just babysitting
• I make milk. What's your super power.
• I'm not nagging. I'm just reminding.
• I'm baby food.

So, what would your T-shirt say?


Brought to you by your friends at cafepress.com

Baby is 6 Months Old

Baby is now 6 months old. Gone is that little baby I once held in my arms. BabyK is getting big. Went for her hepatitis B jab yesterday at the clinic and they weighed her in at 7.5kg.

Gave baby her first taste of solid food. Mixed some rice cereal along with breastmilk. She took it with no problem. I can see she is sooooo ready to eat. No gagging or pushing the food out with her tongue. Plus, she tries to grab the spoon herself. When I'm drinking water, she will try to grab my cup too. Once in a while I've given her plain water to drink. Unfortunately she ends up playing with the bottle more than drinking the water. Nevermind, at least she is exposed to the taste of plain water.

So, what else is this little girl doing at 6 months?

• Discovered her feet. Feet are now a source of entertainment. They seem to taste pretty good too.
• Little explorer. Can't crawl yet but she can move around. She will either tumble around or "worm" around on her tummy. In our home office, she's discovered where we keep the recycled papers (right at the bottom of the book shelf). She will constantly "navigate" herself there to rustle, crumple and eat the papers. If not, she will head over to my chair and try to lick it. I really have to keep 2 eyes on her. I need to grow more eyes and hands. An octopus baby needs an octopus mommy, ya know.
  
• Likes to put her hands on our face and mouth.
• Getting sticky. We're hearing more often the "I want mommy" cry.
• Discovered her voice. It can be pretty noisy when she decides to test out her vocals. A few nights ago I heard her say "Ah mama". I swear that's what she said. Last night I thought I heard her say "nen nen". I'm hoping she learns to say "papa" first. That way, she'll call papa every time she needs a diaper change or a bath or whatever. Heheheheh.
• Can sit up but with support.
• Sense of anticipation. I like to play with her "Round and round the garden, goes the teddy bear". When I say "one step, two step", she already anticipates that I will tickle her next.
  

Chilling out with the BIG teddy bear.

Mama's Parenting Tips

• Siblings really need to learn NOT to leave things on the floor. Baby puts everything in her mouth.
• Mop your floor everyday. Yes, when baby becomes mobile, mommy has more work to do.
• Sing nursery rhymes to baby. You can also start reading to baby.
• Instead of giving baby a pacifier, give baby a good rubber teething ring. I wish they had Sophie the Giraffe here.
• Don't give baby juice to drink. They'll get used to the sweet taste and won't want to drink plain water later on.
  
• When baby gets sticky, a baby sling becomes very handy.
  

Printable Games For Birthdays

What is the most important thing at a kid's birthday party? FOOD!

What is the next most important thing? GAMES!

It's no secret that kids need to be entertained at a party. You're asking for trouble if you invite a bunch of kids over and then leave them to entertain themselves. Here is one solution for you: Printable Birthday Party Games.

If you don't want to waste your energy thinking of what games to play, then take a look at the games below. These are easy and fun games. You can quickly finish your task of coming up with games using the resource below. Just click on the affiliate links below to get what you need. Have a fun birthday bash!
Printable Birthday Games

The Deluxe Birthday Party Games Collection - $19.95 Our entire collection of 44 printable games is included in this collection! Includes all our fabulously illustrated Birthday and Over-The-Hill games, plus the Personalize It! games. As many printouts of as many games as you want. Start printing as soon as you order

Birthday Picture Bingo-$6.99 A bingo for all ages to enjoy, even the youngest players. All squares have pictures so even the younger players can be a part of the fun. Call Card with pictures included. Start printing as soon as you order!

Birthday Charades & Pictionary - $ 6.99 Keep the entire group entertained for hours! Kids can play in teams or individually in this fun game of charades or pictionary with over 90 different cards. Start printing as soon as you order!

Birthday Hunt - $ 6.99 Turn out the lights and get your flashlights ready, it's time to find the Birthday Cake! Players search in the dark for paper cake cut-outs that were secretly placed around the party area. Start printing as soon as you order!

It's Easier To Shop Online

Shopping for young children these days is so convenient. I just have to sit in front of my monitor and click-click here and click-click there. I don't have to deal with restless children in the car. No need to pack 1001 things like diaper bag or snacks. Don't have to stress that the kids are playing kung-fu in the shop. No need to worry if can find parking space or not. I can just sit calmly and take my time browsing the internet for baby and children stuff.

The only problem is you cannot feel and inspect the product first. However, if you buy well known brands, you can usually trust the quality. Yeah, they may be a bit pricey but they usually last longer. You don't know how many toys my children have got that didn't last more than a week. Heck, some didn't even make it past 24 hours. For example, grandma bought a toy helicopter for D2's birthday last year. It had lights, sound and could move. The next day, the body fell apart. Another example, we bought D1 a toy martial arts set that had a plastic sword. Not long after, it broke at the handle. So, when it comes to buying toys for children, try to get good ones that are durable. If not it's like being "penny wise but pound foolish".

Anyway, back to shopping online. It's amazing what you find sometimes. I came across a website that sells Jellycat. Do you know what's a Jellycat? Sounds like something you can eat ya? But no, it's actually a very popular brand of plush toys. Some people collect them. Every year they come out with 2 new designs.They are really, really soft and come in different sizes. The truffle dog looks really cute and hugable.

There's also the Appaman brand of clothing. Apparently, celebrity parents love to buy these. Maddox and Shiloh Jolie-Pitt have been seen to wear it. Feedback says that it's very durable and it is easy to get stains off the fabric. The designs are trendy and most important, kids find it very comfortable to wear.

Barefoot Dreams is another brand that has been used by celebrity children. Their products include luxurious blankets, throws, robes, hoodies and v-necks for children. Suri Cruise (daughter of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise) has been photographed adorning their BambooChic Toddler Hoodie. I guess they, like so many other parents, cannot resist the super soft fabric. I wouldn't mind a cozy, soft blanket for myself.

Well, that's my little find for today. One last tip before I go, to save money shopping online, don't forget to look for coupon codes and sites that offer free shipping.

*Brought to you by your friends at http://www.loulouscorner.com/

The Wrong Way To Protect Your House

DH decided to net up the gate so we could let our rabbit roam free. When I looked out to see what the rabbit was doing, I saw her at the gate, looking out very intently. I thought, "Wow, we have a guard rabbit."

But then DH told me to take a closer look. Actually, she was keeping an eye on the cat outside. I wonder what the cat was thinking? And I wonder what the rabbit was thinking?

Cat: What long ears you have? And where's your tail? Can you meow? You walk funny.
Rabbit: Have you never seen a rabbit before? And no you can't come in. This is my territory.

The Size Of Farts

Poooot.

D2: (Looking at D1) Ewwww
D1: Not me-lah. It's baby. I don't fart small-small.
Me: Then? You fart big-big?
D1: No, I fart medium. You think I fart like "kerbau" ah?
Me: Wakakakaka.

Why he used the word "kerbau"? Because his teacher told the class not to "mandi kerbau".

Translation:
kerbau = buffalo
mandi kerbau = To bath like a buffalo meaning to not bath properly.

Baby is 5 Months Old

Baby is now 5 months old and weigh 7kg. She was a very good traveler when we "balik kampung" for the Chinese New Year celebration. Slept in the car almost the whole time.

So, what is baby up to at 5 months?

• Loves to grab things. I just love to see how she concentrates, trying to improve her hand-eye coordination. The baby gym has come in handy. Play time now is mostly dangling something in front of her to grab.
  
• She can turn onto her stomach and then back again easily. So, we have to be more careful where we put her down. Don't want her falling off the bed or sofa. Usually we just put her down on a mattress that's on the floor.
• Everything she grabs goes into her mouth.
  
• Loves to play peek-a-boo. She will laugh.
• Beginning to recognize people. Just this past week, she started to cry when other people carried her. She didn't do that before. I guess the "glue" is beginning to form :)
• Doesn't sleep much during the day. Her naps are fantastically short; sometimes it is only for 10 minutes. But she sleeps well at night.
• She's starting to wear "bigger" clothes. I had to go through my "storage" of old clothes to see which ones she can fit now. Found some nice dresses. It is more fun to dress a baby girl than to dress baby boys. Hahahahah.
  
• Likes to stand. Grandma keeps complaining that she'll grow up to be bow legged.
  
• Likes us to stand when we carry her. She'll sound her "siren" if we sit down too long.

When we went back home for CNY, both grandmas complained how baby's hair was too long and was making her hot. So, out came the scissors and snip-snip. Daddy was the hairdesser. I had to convince him not to shave her head like what he does with the boys. Take a look at the "before" and "after" photos.

BEFORE

Her hair doesn't stand up so much anymore.

Hair only stands up in the morning. Talk about bad morning hair. Hahahah.

"Messy long hair makes me hot mama."

AFTER

Gone are the cute curls.

Daddy's boy style hair cut.

But the front still very long. We didn't cut the front. Will have to eventually coz' it's getting into her eyes. Baby says "Don't I look nice now?"

Need To Shrink Your Phone Bill?

Save money, save money, save money! That's what everyone is trying to do these days. One way to achieve that is by being a smarter shopper. Unfortunately, it can be quite confusing when trying to compare and choose certain services like credit cards, savings accounts and cell phone plans. All the different companies bombard you with enticing offers left, right and center. Which one to choose?

Life is busy enough... yes, even for us stay at home moms. The last thing I want to do is sit down and maul over which is the cheapest cell phone plans. Bad enough I have to think what to cook everyday. Well, if you want a personalized recommendation for credit cards, savings accounts and CDs, cell phone service and even gas stations, you should take a look at BillShrink.com. They have made it easy for you to choose the best deal. They have you answer a few questions to learn about your situation and needs and then offer recommendations that will save you money.

Now, the website also features an area for business owners. You can go there and have them recommend business credit cards options that will improve your bottom line.

Just in case you are wondering, their recommendations are independent and unbiased. So, to my American friends out there, if you are looking to save a little money, have a look here and see if this is a good resource.

*Brought to you by your friends at Billshrink.com

Scrapping My Lil' Chomper

I used My Memories Suite to do this scrapbook page. Click here to see my step-by-step tutorial on how I did this layout: How To Digital Scrapbook With My Memories Suite

BabyK is my first baby to suck her thumb. Well, sometimes it's more chewing than sucking. The 2 questions I always get when people see her gnawing away are:

• Is she hungry?
• Is she teething?

Neither. She's just at that stage ya'know. I've tried teething rings but she can't hold them properly yet. Her favorite are either her fingers or ours. Anyway, I caught this picture of her so cutely chomping away. I hope it's not going to be a habit that is hard to break.

Securing Your Memories Online

Last time, in the days of our parents and grandparents, when you wanted to walk down memory lane, you opened up the photo albums. Unfortunately, photos don't say much about the memory being captured. I remember always asking my mother "who is this?" and "who is that?" when looking at photos of my ancestors. Sometimes she would answer "I don't know".

Nowadays, we parents are blessed with technology that make record keeping a breeze. We can do digital scrapbooks and write blogs to note down those special family moments.

My Heart Will has taken record keeping one step further. Using their services, you can store your journals, photographs, audio and video recordings, and scrapbooks securely for 10 years. What you upload there is not open for everyone to see. It's an online safe box and only those whom you give visitor status can view the information.

You can use it as a Time Capsule. That means you can write personal messages for your children, husband, grandchildren and have that message delivered at a certain time in the future like their graduation, birthday, wedding day etc.... Pretty cool. So, in a way, you can still live on even when you're already dead. Reminds me of a show where the father died (from illness) when his son was just a baby. So he left video recordings for his son and the mother would play them during his birthdays.

Many of us parents are blogging about our children's milestones. It is scary to think what might happen if our blogs were suddenly wiped out one day. Have you been doing backups? Plus, sometimes it is not so nice (and not very safe) to blog about too personal things. This online safe box is an interesting concept. If this sounds interesting, click here to read more about My Heart Will Store Memories.

* Brought to your by your friends at myheartwill.com

Baby Gym

Mom's got me working out too hard. This is what you call "play-till-you-drop" concept.

Steps To Making Homemade Bread With Breadmaker

Ok, I promised I would put up the steps to making plain white bread with my bread maker. Here it is:

This is what the whole unit looks like.

It comes with a measuring cup and measuring spoon. You just take the bread pan out to put all the ingredients in.

First to go in is 1 1/3 cups of water and 1 tbsp of vegetable oil.

Next is 1 tsp salt, 3 1/3 cups of bread flour, 1 tsp sugar and top it off with 2 tsp of yeast.

Put the bread pan back into the bread maker.

These are all the buttons for different selections. The first button on the right is for you to select the bread's crust color: Light, Medium, Dark. This time round I chose to make a "light" crust. Next is "menu". By default it is set to "basic" setting which is what you use for plain white bread. Other settings are like "french bread", "wholewheat bread" etc.... You have 12 settings. If you want to make buns or pizza dough, you can have the bread maker knead the dough for you and then you put the dough in the oven.
You can also set the timer on. For example, you can put all the ingredients in the night before and have the bread ready in the morning. So, let's say you put all the stuff in at 10pm and you want to eat it at 7am. You just set the timer to 9 hours. Once your press the start button, you can see the timer counting down.

There is a window at the top so you can see what is happening.

Simple white bread will take 3 hours to be ready. The bread maker will beep to let you know it's done. Then it will keep the bread warm another 60 minutes if you don't take it out yet. Oh, forgot to mention that the machine will beep at 2 different times. The first time is to let you know that you can add extra ingredients if you want such as nuts or whatever you fancy. So, don't panic if you hear it beep the first time and see that it's not ready yet :)

Okay, so here is the finished product: nice warm bread. You take the bread pan out and let it cool down for like 5 minutes. Then you turn it upside down to "dunk" the bread out to cool on a rack. If you leave it inside the bread pan or on the table, the bottom will be wet from the steam. So remember, you have to let the bread cool on a cooling rack.

Ok gals, hope that is what you were looking for. Very simple.

Funny Conversation With Kids

On the way to "pasar malam" yesterday, this is a conversation we had in the car. Don't even know how we got to that topic.

D1: Mommy, a teacher died in the toilet
Me: Huh? Who told you that?
D1: Another teacher. He said a teacher died in the toilet because of the smell.
Me: What? Died because of the smell?
D1: Yeah, we cannot go to the toilet so many times. One teacher, one time only. For example, if I go to the toilet when teacher xxx is there, then if I want to go again cannot. But if it's another teacher, then can.
Daddy: You all don't flush the toilets izzit? Nobody wash the toilets ah?
JiejieK: Ya, nobody wash. The toilet "memang" smelly. Every time I go I have to hold my breath.
D1: Oh, I don't do that. I just smell.
Me and daddy: Wakakakakakakaka

And D1 innocently asked, why you all laughing?

The Aroma Of Homemade Bread

For the longest time I've wanted to get a breadmaker. Well, I finally got one. Tesco came out with their own brand and it only costs RM199. That's real cheap compared to other brands, and there's not much choice here in Malaysia.

So, how did my bread turn out? Take a look.

So far I've only done simple white bread. Turns out quite nice. I want to do whole wheat bread because it's healthier. Unfortunately stupid me bought the wrong thing when I went to the baking shop. I was suppose to get whole wheat flour, I got whole wheat instead. Anybody knows what I can do with whole wheat?

Just in case you're wondering how to make bread with a breadmaker, here's basically what you do: Throw in the ingredients in the recommended order (read the instruction manual). Mine says to put liquids first (water, oil, milk), then the dry stuff (flour, salt, sugar) and last of all, yeast on top. Press a few buttons to select the mode and color of crust. Then, press start. Walla! 3 hours later, you have nice, warm bread to eat.

I am going to enjoy my breadmaking the next few weeks. Anybody have a nice breadmaker recipe, please share.

Chinese New Year Decorations

My Chinese New Year decorations every year is very minimal. I usually take 3 angpows, clip them together then string them up. Well, this year I'm inspired by Mumsgather. She wrote a post about how she and the kids spent some time doing angpow crafts. So this year, I taught the kids how to make fish angpows. You can get the instructions here. Here they are hanging on my wall:

When they were done, my girl counted and proudly declared they had made 44. Mommy immediately said "choi, choi, not a good number, make some more." KokoD also made some. But in the end I had to "repair" a lot of his work. I also tried making an angpow lantern. Here is how it turned out:

Mamas Parenting Tip:
Fish angpows are very easy to do. I would say suitable for children 6 years and up. Must be able to handle scissors well and avoid stapling their own fingers :)