Funny Kids

CE was playing with jie jie's rubber bands. Then he came to me, passed me a rubber band and said "wear". So I tied his hair and he was very happy with it. He went away and brought another one for me, wanting to tie some more. But I told him he's got no more hair to tie. LOL

Upon seeing her 'funny' li'l brother, jie jie also wanted the same hairstyle. So I granted her wish. Presenting the 'funny' duo...


Then jie jie wanted to take pictures with this 'crown' she made in kindy in conjunction with Hari Merdeka. (FYI: Malaysia will be celebrating her 51st Independence Day this Sunday.) She told me she's to wear this to school tomorrow. I guess they'll be having a Merdeka celebration in kindy. I wonder if she knows the meaning of Merdeka.

~ Wishing fellow Malaysians Selamat Hari Merdeka! ~

2x2 Meme

A simple tag from Ling. I've done something very similar to this before but don't mind doing it again since it's so simple. Hmmm... this is the third tag for the day. It's like I'm having tag diarrhea. hahaha

Two names you go by
1. Slavemom
2. Ginie

Two things you are wearing right now
1. Clothes
2. Spectacles

Two things you want very badly at the moment
1. Healthy kids
2. Vacation

Two things you did last night just before bed
1. Brush teeth
2. Kiss the kids goodnight

Two things you ate today
1. Bread
2. Porridge

Two people you just spoke with
1. XY
2. Hubby

Two things you are doing tomorrow
1. Take care of children
2. Blog hopping

Two longest car rides
1. From KL to Penang
2. From KL to Johor

Two favourite beverages
1. Milo
2. Horlicks

2+1 persons who are chosen to do this meme :
1. Sting
2. Bryan's Mama
3. June

Brillante Weblog Premio 2008 Award

I was so surprised to receive an award from a royalty. Thank you very much, Kylie!



Here are the rules that come with the award:

1. Put the logo on your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Add links to these blogs on your blog.

5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

I've randomly selected 7 brillante bloggers to pass this award to :
Ling, Sting, SueSue, Health Freak Mommy, Dora, Anggie & Doreen

Blogging Friends Forever Award

Ling gave me this wonderful award.

Rule

1. Only 5 people are allowed to receive this award
2. 4 of them followers of your blog.
3. One has to be new to your blog and live in another part of the world.
4. You must link back to who ever gave you the award.

I'd love to award more people but since only 5 are allowed, the award goes to :

1. Wen
2. Jaclyn
3. Jo-N
4. Kylie
5. Debbie

Warranty Period Almost Over

A few weeks back, I realised that my trampoline's cover was torn, revealing the sponge. I remember I bought it in August last year so the 1-year warranty's going to be over soon. I searched for the receipt and called up the outlet. The guy told me that for the cover, the warranty's only for half a year. Huh? But the receipt just states that warranty's 1 year, without differentiating the cover and other spare parts.

Anyway, I asked him to check for me how much it'll cost just to change the cover. He called me back later and informed me RM45. So expensive! I bought the trampoline for RM120 but the cover's RM45. Might as well buy a new one, and get another year's warranty, right? He also told me that the torn cover doesn't affect the usage, just that it doesn't look nice. hahaha It's not a home decoration or something, I can live with the torn cover.

~ torn ~

I also asked what I should check to make sure the trampoline's working fine. Better ensure it's in good condition while still in the warranty period. He said to check the springs, make sure they're not broken. If they are, you'd feel off balance when you jump. Okay, checked! The springs are all fine.

As for my exercise regime, it was 2 to 3 times a week at the beginning. But since April (since my previous maid left), I've not been very hardworking. I stopped for a period of time. Partially it was because the new Kakak couldn't handle my boy that well. So he won't leave me alone to workout in the room. Now I'm slowly getting back the momentum. It really does feel great after some jumping, even if it's just for 15 minutes. Must try to keep it up. No more excuses. :p

Sleeping Pattern @ 27 Months Old

CE is 27 months old today. Instead of the usual behavioural and developmental updates, I'll just talk about his current sleeping pattern.

He's an early bird, unlike jie jie who used to wake up after 10am when she was much younger. By 8, he would've woken up and disturb me already. The first thing he says to me is "nen nen" (milk) or sometimes "don" (meaning he wants to go downstairs). If I ignore him, he'll cry and cry. That's really irritating early in the morning.

It's quite easy to make him nap in the afternoon. If I'm watching tv, I'll carry him and rock him a bit. After he's settled down, I can sit down while carrying him (and pat him if necessary). And if we're in bed, he'll just lie on my chest or we'll lie close to each other. He normally falls asleep within 10 minutes. His naps usually last for 2 to 2.5 hours.

But night time is much more difficult. Maybe because he wakes up from his nap too late, can be as late as 6pm. Usually by 10, we'll switch off the lights and get ready to sleep. He doesn't run around or play in the dark, just roll all over me or lie on me. So I'll just have to lie with him in the dark for 1 to 1.5 hours. Most times, I'd also fall asleep with him.

And I've to share his pillow (he uses adult pillow). He insists that I put my head on his pillow. If I don't, he'll make a lot of noise and won't sleep. :-| Okay, fine. I have to put my head on his pillow. Next demand, I must either face him (he's usually on my right) or look straight. If I turn my face the other side (not facing him), he'll position my face properly by moving my chin.

Another thing he hasn't outgrown yet is his scratching habit. He still wants me to scratch his neck/shoulder during bedtime. But at least now I don't have to scratch till he falls into deep sleep. After a few scratches, I'd tell him it's not itchy anymore and surprisingly, he accepts that. On some nights, there'll be a few rounds of that scratch-stop-scratch-stop cycle. Grrrr... sometimes I get so mad that he's not "concentrating" on sleeping but demanding this and that.

When it comes to bedtime, I'm all his. Nobody else can hug me to sleep, not even jie jie. She's not even allowed to sleep next to me. A brief hug to say goodnight is okay. Gosh, he's so possessive! So PaPa likes to use this 'hugging' trick on him. When he gets down from the bed or doesn't lie down on bed, PaPa will say "Oooh, I go hug Mommy now". He'll quickly come and hug me (sometimes crying and whining) as if I'll be kidnapped away. LOL

Flame Of Friendship

Jo-N passed me this flame. I guess we're having Olympics fever so there's this Friendship Flame being passed around in the blogsphere. :-)

START.

The Flame of Friendship. A symbol of spirit of unity. The burning icon of love. Undying picture of hope. The hot symbol of oneness. The Flame of Friendship. And now it's your turn to pass on the flame!


Copy this post starting from the PICTURE ABOVE to the end and add your blog on the list below. Let's start FLAMING!

Tiklaton: We are the witness
Janeth's Vicy's Life Journey
My Precious
Pitstop
Thea is Blogger Happy
Thea is Berry Scrappy Too
Scribbles of My Life
In This Game of Life
Shimumsy's Republic of A
Princess Vien
Our Journey To Life
Life. Love. Family. Work. Travel.
One Hundred And Eighty Degrees
Rocks God's Gift
Only in Silence
Life In France
It's All About Play
Places To Visit, Food To Taste
Shower Your Children With Love - The Right Way
Slavery Bliss

Friends across the seas, let's join in the relay :
bp, Linda and Alicia

Little Known Facts About Me

Got this tag from Bryan's Mama. Will you be changing your nick to include baby Brandon? :D

So here it is! Directions! Now, Here Is What You Are Supposed To Do... And Please Do Not Spoil The Fun! Hit Forward, Delete My Answers And Type In Your Answers. Then Send This To A Whole Bunch Of People That You Know... Then, let me know if you're done, so I can visit your blog and know your answer. The Theory Is That You Will Learn A Lot Of Little Known Facts About Those You Know. Remember To Let Me Know When You are Done!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? While watching the TVB drama series this afternoon (yes, I'm a big cry baby :p)
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes, when I'm writing properly
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Chicken
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I guess so
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Depends on with whom
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? As the years go by, I'm getting more and more 'chicken'
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cornflakes
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Yes
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Nope
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Rum & raisin
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their height
15. RED OR PINK? Depends
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF? My short fat legs
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My mom (sometimes, I do feel guilty for staying so far away)
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? No, thank you (do once enough already, ok?)
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Blue shorts, barefoot
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Fruits
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Higglytown Heroes on tv
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Blue
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? New notes (money face hahaha)
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Hubby
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Of course!
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Badminton
27. HAIR COLOR? Black
28. EYE COLOR? Black
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Used to
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Prawns
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Pink
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Neither
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Both!
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Chocolates
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Friendly conversation
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Harsh criticisms
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Children story books
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I'm using a touchpad
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Cartoons
42. FAVORITE SOUND? Kids' laughter
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Neither
44. WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Australia
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Remembering birthdays
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Penang
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
Ling, Hazel and MummyInVain (would like to know you all better)

Old Became New

Another weekend's gone and I still haven't tasted my Korean food.
Why?
Because the kids are sick (yes, again!) since mid last week - with the usual, runny nose and cough. :( So not a good idea to bring them out.

Needless to say, we didn't go out during the weekend. I'm starting to get very edgy as I've been cooped up in the house for a few weeks already. Well, fetching XY back from kindy or buying lunch on the way doesn't count as "going out" okay. Hubby wanted to bring me out but I didn't know where to go although I'd really like to get out of the house. Shopping malls would be crowded. Sick kids better stay away from crowded places. In the end, I decided to stay in as the kids were coughing badly. Worried they'll get worse if they go out in the hot weather.

The 1-week school holiday has started. But there's no plan for any short getaway.
Why?
Because PaPa's extremely busy at work.

How am I going to keep the 2 kids occupied for one whole week? So that they don't drive me crazy? Last week, I took out the push car and a box of old toys from the store room. Oh, I didn't clear the store room (which is on our to-do list for the longest time), I just moved the boxes and things around and took out what I wanted. :p

They've been playing with their 'new' toys ever since. And as usual, snatching the toys is part of the fun. When no one's playing with the toy, it's lying there untouched. Once one of them starts playing with it, the other will come and snatch it. These are the wonderful beings we call kids. hahaha

It's a good idea to put some toys away so they see a lesser amount of toys. After a few months, exchange the current batch with the ones that were put away and the kids thought they've got new toys. Good trick, eh?

Both of them can't get enough of the push car. I got this from the Anakku points redemption a few years ago. Although it's been kept in the store room for more than 2 years, I'm surprised the lights and music still work. Didi likes to leave the lights on. If I switch them off when he's not playing with it, he'll quickly go and switch them on again. Funny boy.

~ posing with their 'new' toy ~

XY also likes to play with it. Although she's way too big for the little car, she sits on it and pushes it around with her long legs. Funny girl. (hahaha I have a pair of funny kids!) She likes to pretend she's delivering newspaper. Zoomed in front of me and shouted, "Newspapers! Newspapers!" while handing me the Winnie & friends mat (free gift from MamyPoko). Then zoomed over to where didi was playing, and did the same thing. And you know where she kept the newspapers? She sat on them! :D

~ the newspaper delivery girl, sitting on the ‘newspapers’ ~

I hope they'll recover fully quickly so that I can bring them for water play at the swimming pool or BIL's house during the week. They've just bought a bouncing splashing outdoor toy. Making them stay at home everyday is a big torture to them... and to ME too!

Bread Story

The li'l Master was a big fan of bread when he was much younger. Ever since he started solids and able to eat wheat-based food, he's been eating plain bread almost every morning. But he got tired of it when he reached 18 months old.

Now he takes biscuits for breakfast and occasionally bread. He has a funny way of eating bread. First, he'll bite and eat the sides/skin. After all the sides/skin are gone, he'll take a bite of the bread and chew, then spit it out. :-| If we don't stop him, he'll continue to bite, chew and spit. He's exactly like jie jie. She was also going for the sides/skin at one point of time when she was a toddler.

~ biting the sides/skin ~

~ no more skin ~

So what happens to the remaining bread? While he's engrossed in watching tv, we'll quickly feed him. Sometimes, he gets tricked, sometimes he doesn't. When he doesn't, I'll finish up the rest if the bread hasn't turned dry and hard.

He'll not eat (but play with it) when he's not in the mood for bread, even with jam or butter spread. I've also tried making nice shapes (star and flower) with my cookie cutters but he's just not interested. Sweet buns and flavoured bread, he's okay. Got to face the fact that he's a big boy now and doesn't like plain food anymore.

McDonald's Delivery

This weekend, we didn't go out for any meals. As PaPa isn't feeling very well (coughing now), the Korean food would have to wait another week. Yesterday, he was supposed to go out to pack dinner for us (he's going to eat the leftover meatball porridge from lunch) but he fell asleep on the sofa. So I ordered McDonald's delivery.

I included a Happy Meal, just to get the FuWa mascot. It's the Olympics season, how can we not have at least one mascot at home? hehehe It came with Yingying (Asia). And I didn't realise before this that it has a stamp (in the shape of the continent). So XY was very happy with her new toy and started stamping away after she finished her meal.

~ Olympic Games FuWa mascot, Yingying ~

McD's delivery is not as effective as Pizza Hut's. They took 50 minutes to deliver my meal and the expected time is 45 mins, where as Pizza Hut's just 30 mins. Imagine you've to wait almost an hour for your food. And McD's delivery charge is more expensive too. But it's still worth paying when you think about the petrol spent to purposely drive out to the fastfood outlet.

Fake Pizza

After a sumptuous lunch (as compared to a normal weekday) yesterday, it's sandwich for lunch just now. I had tuna sandwich while XY had egg sandwich. She just doesn't get tired of eggs. I think she wouldn't mind having eggs everyday.

I decided to try the easy-to-prepare snack which Jacss made. The recipe from her site :
1. Spread some tomato sauce onto the cracker.
2. Put some tuna and cheese on top.
3. Bake in the oven for about 2 minutes. (I set mine to 150ºC.)

~ the outcome ~

The kids were very excited to see the crackers. Well, their mommy is not very creative with food so when they see something different from their usual food, sure excited loh. CE didn't want his rice anymore. So I gave him one so that he'll go back and sit at his table. Look at him licking the tuna and cheese. I think this is the first time he's eating tuna. Hope he doesn't get any allergies later.

~ See his Rudolph nose? He just got bitten by a mosquito ~

I later asked XY if she liked the crackers. She said "hao3 chi1" (delicious) because "it has a cheesy taste and very crunchy." It's really tasty, something like crunchy crust seafood pizza (yeah, right!). But I can't take too many pieces coz it feels very dry and heaty.

Cravings

I don't know what's wrong with me these few days, but I've been craving for this and that. In case you're wondering, nope, I'm NOT pregnant. Well, it's common to associate sudden cravings with pregnancy. So I'm just eliminating that possibility. :D

Yesterday, I drove past a stall selling rambutans (1kg for RM12, is that cheap or standard price?) and I was thinking to myself, "Mmmm... how nice if got some sweet and juicy rambutans to eat." Then while I was blog-hopping, I saw SueSue talking about Korean food. Suddenly I miss the bbq beef and pork so much. Hopefully the urge to eat it is gone by weekend, otherwise hubby would have to bring us to a Korean restaurant to "cure" me. :p

Today, I felt like eating sushi. Have not been eating sushi for quite a long time already. So after fetching XY from kindy, we went to Sushi King for lunch. Ordered ala' cartes - sushi, donburi (for Kakak), seasoned scallops, california temaki (rolls), deep fried chicken nugget and garlic rice. I walloped 3 plates of scallops (seasoned scallops and scallops sushi). Oooo... totally satisfying! But the garlic rice was a big disappointment, as compared to those you find in Japanese restaurants.

Ok, one craving down. Two more to go. hehehe

Simple Dinner

PaPa played masak masak today and he cooked his signature dish, yam rice. He also tried to cook the vegetable curry (vegetarian style) but the taste didn't turn out quite right. As back-up, I asked Kakak to prepare sambal ikan bilis. :D

He's a better cook (very much better) than I am but he's not been practising. He used to cook when we didn't have a maid. I did the preparations and he'll be the chef. And he was the one to clean up after coz he said I took too long to wash. Well, since you can't stand my slow-motion, you do it yourself loh. hahaha

We invited BIL and family to join us. Just take the opportunity to get-together as we normally don't meet that often (especially the 2 brothers). Even though we live opposite each other, with their busy working schedules (what more with family obligations on weekends), it's no surprise that they don't have the time to hang out together.

The verdict : The sambal ikan bilis went very well with yam rice. The curry was too watery. The durians were a bit dry and some a bit hard, but very fragrant. Everyone was happy and full.

Outdoor Park

Yesterday I brought the kids to the outdoor park in our taman. The last time I brought them there was one year ago. (Didn't realise it was that long ago.) I don't remember PaPa bringing them to the park since then too. We don't bring them to the outdoor park often because of mosquitoes. There's an army of mozzies there and they're actually immune to the mozzie spray we applied.

The park was still in good condition last year. But now it's in a really pathetic state. It's poorly maintained, or should I say, not maintained at all. The equipments are very dirty and some are broken. But kids being kids, what do they care about cleanliness and insects crawling everywhere. They still enjoyed themselves.

~ so dirty... yuck! ~

XY played with the swing and climbed the web. This monkey of mine is not afraid of heights. I taught her how to climb up high till she can reach the bar and she was so proud of herself that she managed to do that. As for didi, he was very interested to climb the slippery plank. He's supposed to hold on to the rope but of coz he doesn't know how. So Kakak had to help him and hold him. He was stationed there most of the time, climbing up and down, up and down. At times, he wanted to slide down instead of climbing.

~ my monkey in action ~

~ preparing for an obstacle course? ~

~ sliding instead of climbing down ~

Surprisingly there aren't that many mosquitoes. Probably because it's not the raining season. Very hot indeed. I just let them play for short while coz I can't wait to get them home for a bath. Eeee...