Thursday, January 27, 2011

Secret Weapon

Tao has found a way to deal with her elder sister, Tian. Her new set of sharp teeth!



How can something so innocent looking be so harmful .....

If Tian snatches toys from her and she does not manage to retrieve it, Tao will just surrender temporarily. Then she will bite her sister's toes, thigh etc when Tian is unaware to retaliate and she finds that it is funny to see her sister cry in pain.

I personally feel it is very cute and funny way for a 1 year old to deal with circumstances but I have to be fair and have to reprimand her.

She will sometimes bite us playfully but we always stop her and reprimand or smack her before it becomes a habit.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

My kids love blueberries!

I drove my PIL and Tian to Singapore last Saturday because they wanted to buy New Year goodies. They bought a lot of things like dried scallop, dried oyster, salmon, cod fish, dried white bait fish, stuff for steamboat etc.

I found treasure in one of the shopping centres. Blueberries! I always plan to buy locally but they are not only expensive (RM9.90 for a punnet of 125g) but the berries look wrinkled and mouldy. I got the same amount and packaging in Singapore for SGD2.80 (converted to RM is around RM6.50 per punnet).

We bought 2 punnets of blueberries and 1 punnet of strawberries

I add those blueberries into my girls oatmeal with fruits (normally I will just add single fruit like apples, pears, bananas, raisins, dried blackcurrants etc) for their breakfast. They like their blueberry oatmeal a lot and they have been having this for a few mornings and they are not complaining yet. Even my elder girl who always likes chocolate milk to be added to her oatmeal manages to polish off her oatmeal without chocolate milk.

Oatmeal with apples and blueberries!

I cook oatmeal and add some fruits for my girls every morning so I have to be creative in varying the fruits so that they will not get sick of their oatmeal. I am glad that they have been having this for almost 6 months and they are still willing to finish their oatmeal without much coaxing.

Baby oats that I always buy in bulk for my daughters

I have something to admit. I do not like to eat oatmeal but I am introducing this to my daughters' meal due to benefits like soluble fibre (prevents constipation) and there is a claim that kids who have oats for breakfast will have better concentration than their peers who do not have any oats. No wonder I was always sleepy when I was in school. Haha!!


Wednesday, January 12, 2011

She says.....

Hubby was asking Tian to answer something and Tian simply guessed and got the answer correctly.

Hubby: (Direct translation from Mandarin) Like this you also 'mao1 chong4' (Mao1 Chong4 is a Taiwanese way of expressing getting the answer by guessing blindly)

Tian: Mao (Cat) is not Chong (Heavy) because it is very small. Kou (Dog) is Chong (Heavy).

Kids are so cute.

P/S: I find it hard to express my kids humour in my blog because I can't write in Mandarin. As I was educated in Bahasa Malaysia since Primary School, I am only able to read little Mandarin. It makes me quite determined to send my kids to Chinese Primary School but I will be worried about their command in Bahasa Melayu and English. Is there any better way to decide?

Monday, January 10, 2011

What is your occupation?

This is the question that I find most difficult to answer and hate most.

Until last year, it had been 1) QA Engineer 2) PA (Program Administrator) or Planner

Since I have resigned from my job last year, I always hesitated before giving an answer.

I can't reply, 'Not working' (seems like doing nothing) as I am helping my hubby in managing administrative side of his business. I filled my position as 'Finance and Admin Executive' in KWSP Borang A when I submit EPF for our employees. However, I feel that I am exaggerating if I tell people I am a Finance and Admin Executive and what if they ask me which company I am attached to. Certainly it will be an anti-climax if I answer, 'I work at home for my husband's company'. Haha.

I don't like to inform people I am self-employed although I have my own registered company. It is only generating a meagre income from some inconsistent trading business.

My friends say to tell people I am 'Sau Nai Nai' (Lady of Leisure) but I think it is far from it. I work like a bull and I don't even have time to stop at cafe for a cup of tea when I am running errands outside. Lady of Leisure must have a lot of free time to have high tea, go shopping, do facials etc.

So I begin to answer this question depending on situations. Credit card agents will get answer that I am working for my husbands company so that it is easier to get the credit cards. When I meet my old colleagues, I would tell them I am assisting my hubby in his business. When I meet people that make small talk with me, I would tell them I am a SAHM.

Who am I?

Saturday, January 8, 2011

First Week of Pre-School

Tian breezed through her orientation week and first week of pre-school last week. She was a bit hesitant during first day of her orientation week as she told me she wanted to go to her old pre-school. From my previous posts mentioned here and here, I have enrolled her to this new pre-school after she attended her previous pre-school for 6 months.

She settled down well in her new pre-school. She did not cry ( I think going to pre-school before helps) and did not want to go back when I went to fetch her because she wanted to play at the small playground at the yard.

This morning, after having her breakfast and when she was watching TV, she told me I had not fetched her to school. I told her today is Saturday and she could only go to school on Monday.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Second Trip to Desaru Beach

We went to Desaru Beach (again) on the Sunday after Christmas as MIL requested to bring SIL and her sons for the outing. I was quite apprehensive because it would not be easy to take care of 4 kids (some demanding, some whiny, some naughty etc). Another reason that I was quite reluctant to go was that I needed to drive a separate car to fetch SIL and her sons.

As expected, I heard a lot of, 'Are we there yet?' and whining, which did not spoil my mood as much as what happened on the way back.

We reached beach and the weather was awesome. Clear skies and beautiful waves! The kids were having a great time.







We had lots of foods (mostly prepared by MIL) and ice-cream bought from the ice-cream vendor. My girls enjoyed the sands more than the sea though.

On the way back, I was driving ahead of hubby although I was not very familiar with the road but I thought I could follow the road sign like normally when I drive alone. But I left out one factor. Demanding kids! Within 10 minutes after we left a petrol station for a toilet break, I heard a request for toilet again. For goodness sake!! I needed to take note of a correct right turn but the 7 yo requested for a stop at a petrol station which would be on the left side. I told him to wait while I search for petrol station and he started making angry hissing sound and mumbled words under his breath. Obviously, I missed the right turn home and I had no choice but to drive ahead for a petrol station. Luckily for me, the kid went to the toilet and I managed to make a U-turn and proceeded to the correct junction.

I was annoyed (seething with anger, to be exact) and decided to end the day early. I called hubby to go directly to a restaurant for dinner instead of going home, bath kids etc and going out again.

The 7 yo said, 'I want to go home and take bath first' due to he wetted his pants a bit when holding his urine. I told him to bear with it as we were only having a quick dinner and would go home straight away. He began to cry. Luckily, there was a spare shorts otherwise I thought I would be requested to make a turn back home. Phew!

Have you been in similar situation above? You are not the mum but still need to persuade the kid to behave and listen to elders. It would have been a lot easier if it was my kid. A smack would have settled it all.

I could not say my kids were on their best behaviour either. Tian accidentally kicked a whole lump of sand into a container of half eaten 'fried bee hoon'. I was not there to witness this so I could only reprimand her when she told me what happened. If I were there and the adults had warned her not to kick the sands but she still did, she would definitely be smacked.

Christmas Break

We went back to hubby's hometown for a few days as SIL and her sons were back from KL for holidays. My 2 girls were having a great time there due to PIL's house was a corner house with a spacious yard.

Tao was trying to taste an orchid leaf. Yucks!


Creating havoc on grandma' garden. Occasionally, we could hear shouting from their grandma, 'Don't pluck this!', 'Don't touch that!' etc.

We went back to our house before Christmas because I planned to go to Singapore to celebrate Christmas with my ex-colleagues.

In fact, Christmas is also our wedding anniversary but we never seldom have chance to celebrate together. No chance to celebrate with hubby only. But hubby did compensate with a gift which I will write about it when I have a chance.

A mini sized Christmas tree that I put up on 24th night with small gifts and tit bits for the kids.


A very nice chocolate fudge cake bought by my ex-boss for our celebration in one of ex-colleagues house in Singapore.