The Temporary Kakak

Before I continue with my post, here's wishing all mothers out there :

Happy Mother's Day!

I wonder if the kids can keep their promise of being extremely well-behaved just for the day.
:-)

The kids' exams are over... phew, what a relief. Luckily CE's exam was 1 week before XY's so I had time to coach them individually. Revision with CE was quite a breeze as his syllabus wasn't a lot. As for XY, although this was the mid-year exam where all the subjects were tested (8 altogether), I didn't spend that much time revising with her. We totally left out Moral (books not given back by teacher) and just browsed through PJK (only 1 writing book to look through). Anyway, these subjects are not calculated in the overall marks so I concentrated more on the 4 major subjects. :p

There's another reason why I didn't spend much time doing revision with XY. I was busy being the temporary Kakak. We gave Kakak a 2-week holiday back to her kampung as she wanted to attend her BIL's wedding. She's been with us for 4 years already and this is the third time she's gone back. Actually house chores are not difficult work, they are just time consuming. But I've got plenty of help. XY helped with sweeping and mopping the floor, using the magic mop. She also helped to hang the clothes sometimes. I only needed to iron the kids' school uniform coz hubby ironed his own working clothes. I rarely cooked, just a few times of simple noodle soup for lunch. We ate out during weekends and for dinner on weekdays, we "catered" from SIL. :D She was so kind to offer to cook for us. We ate at their house most of the time (I don't even have to clean up after that as she's got a helper) and packed food home for hubby (he's usually back from work quite late). When Kakak came back last Saturday (5th May), I happily passed all the work back to her. Ahhh... back to my blissful life.

Oh yes, while the kids were digging for stationeries for their exam, they found some "treasure" in the drawer. I've kept them there and forgot all about it. They are brand new, box unopened. Hubby won them in a credit card contest last year. I'm putting them up for sale. It's great as a gift for your little ones. XY likes to listen to it. She's learning a new Mandarin song (还是要幸福) by Hebe. I've printed out the hanyu pinyin lyrics, together with the Chinese characters, to help her pick up the language. Anyone interested to be their new owners?

Apple iPod Shuffle 2GB (4th generation) - BLUE
Price : RM109 (retail price : RM169)

Apple iPod Shuffle 2GB (3rd generation) - BLACK
Price : RM99

School Shoes

This is a sponsored post.

We bought XY’s first pair of white school shoes 2 months before the start of the school year (Standard 1) because she needed it for her kindy graduation ceremony. I chose the PVC type as they are easier to clean, without the need to put shoe whites. I also bought another pair made of canvas as a spare, in case of rainy days. The PVC shoes are double the price of the canvas ones. However the PVC pair only lasted half a year. I don’t really like the canvas shoes as they get dirty very easily. Now I’m waiting for the year end ‘Back to School’ sales to get her another pair of PVC school shoes. How nice if their school shoes are black in colour, then we don’t have to worry so much about white dirty shoes.

I always have problems buying shoes for my kids, especially boys shoes because my son is very impatient and fussy. Even though I bring them along for trying, I don’t really know how to check if the shoes fit them perfectly. Sometimes I can’t even feel their toes so I’m not sure if it’s too tight, too loose or just right. And kids being kids, it’s difficult to get a proper feedback from them. But after watching this video on YouTube that shows how to fit buckle-up school shoes for girls, I now have a rough idea. It shows you how to check around the ankle, sides, front and top part of the shoes. Now I have more confident in buying shoes that fit them perfectly and comfortably.

The Hat Hunt

The other day, I was helping my sister-in-law to look for a hat for her baby girl. They will be attending a wedding dinner and she wanted to get a hat for baby, who doesn't have much hair now. :D I was browsing the net and I came across this website which has a wide selection of really cute kids and baby hats. Those are winter hats so it's not suitable for our weather here. But for those who are staying in countries with 4 seasons or you are planning a winter holiday, do check out Winter Hats Boutique.

There are so many designs to choose from and I particularly love this bright and colourful Kids Sunflower Beanie. Maybe I can get this as a gift for my niece. I heard that they are planning a holiday to Korea during winter next year. It will be perfect for my cute little niece.


Apart from kids and baby winter hats, Winter Hats Boutique also has a wide selection of women winter hats and men winter hats. You’ll be spoiled for choice. And at a very good bargain too. With this coupon code, "15OFF", you can get 15% discount off your purchase. Good news for folks in USA and Canada, shipping is free! I am sure the shopping experience with them would be a pleasant one as they are committed to providing the best customer service. Happy shopping!

** Note : I was compensated for my time. All opinions are 100% mine. **

Member's Mark At Sam's Club

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Member's Mark. All opinions are 100% mine.

With the increasing cost of expenses, we are always looking for products that are more economical, but without compromising the quality, especially when it comes to infant formulas. Store-brand formulas like Member's Mark Milk-Based Formula offers wholesome milk-based nutrition and costs up to 52% less than national brands. You can be rest assured the quality is not compromised in any way as Member's Mark meets all strict FDA guidelines, with complete nutrition for baby’s health and development. It contains the lipids DHA & ARA to help support brain & eye development. Member's Mark infant formulas are featured exclusively at Sam's Club.

Have you seen the new packaging Member's Mark has come out with? I personally think it has a very classy and clean look. Every can comes with easy-to-read product type, age and benefit indicators. This enables the customers to read the label easily and clearly to decide on the product that's suitable for their babies. Although it now has a new look, the product is the same and the formula didn't change. The value and the can size is still the same.

With the ‘Savings Calculator’, you can find out how much you will save by switching to Member's Mark. You can also request for free infant formula samples. For more information and to access their ‘Savings Calculator’, do visit http://www.membersmarkformula.com/. And on Facebook, you can find them at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Members-Mark-Infant-Formula/41995099898.

Cute Maternity Clothes

This is a sponsored post.

Are you pregnant and looking for unique and trendy maternity clothes? There are so many cute and trendy maternity styles in the market these days, like those offered at kikisfashions.com. You'll be spoilt for choices. Their prices are up to 75% lower than the maternity boutiques. There's always something new and fresh to choose from as they rotate their stock often.

Do check them out and make use of their exclusive discount for Bloggers and Friends of Bloggers. To receive an exclusive 20% Off, just use coupon code "blogfriends" during checkout to apply. Happy shopping!

Charter On Demand

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.

When you have to take care of children at home, you don't have much time to do your own things as you have to fulfill the children's endless needs. The only time we can sit down and do our things, undisturbed, is when they are asleep.

I love watching tv series but when I've missed some episodes here and there, I can't really follow the show and would give up watching it. I can use a tape recorder but with so many interesting shows to watch, the recording schedule can be quite confusing. It would be difficult to keep track of the many recorded shows.

Do you know that if you have Charter digital, you have On Demand, which is free to access? Just select the show you want, and it will start immediately. With over 6,000 shows and movies, and hundreds of HD shows to pick from, you can watch any show, anytime you want. Your children can also watch their favourite cartoons anytime they want. With these at my fingertips, I don't have to go through the hassle of renting movies or buying dvds. Hop on to their site and learn more at charter.net/ondemand. You can also get updates and fun extras on Charter’s Facebook page.

Special Walmart Store Brand Formula On Sale

As parents, we want the best for our child. When we are looking for infant formula as an alternative to breast milk, we tend to choose name-brand formulas over store-brand ones. Although store brand formulas comply with the FDA standards, some consumers would prefer name-brand formulas.

One of the reasons being companies that produce name-brand formulas are specialised in producing baby food or formula. To be competitive in the market, they have the research and development team to produce the best formula milk. As for store-brand formulas, they may lack the R&D and they are not specialised in these baby foods. Therefore, some parents are not so confident with store-brand formulas.

As of October 1, 2009, a new Women, Infants and Children initiative aimed at increasing breastfeeding rates among families reallocates funding for all currently provided foods, including infant formula, baby foods, juices, and fresh fruits and vegetables. With a reduction of infant-formula subsidies, parents who previously had most of their formula paid for by WIC, may now have to purchase formula on their own.

If you are worried the new WIC program will affect you financially, Walmart is having a promotion on their store brand Parent’s Choice Infant Formula. For a limited time, parents can buy two cans for just $10!
* Parent’s Choice Milk Infant Formula is on sale in a 15.5 oz (440 gram) can for $5.00 each.
* Parent’s Choice Gentle Infant Formula for babies with fussiness or gas is on sale in a special 12.9 oz (366 gram) can for $5.00 each.
These special cans are available exclusively at Walmart.

Unsightly Lawn

We engaged a gardener to cut our grass coz hubby was too lazy to mow the lawn. The lady came on Monday morning. She was wearing an oversized jacket, long pants, boots, big spectacles and straw hat.

The kids were really funny (and embarrassing). First, it was jie jie. She wanted to see what the lady was doing so I asked her to see from the window in the computer room. Then she referred to the lady as "Uncle". When I told her that's not an "Uncle", she continued with "man?" "No." "Abang?" hahaha "No." She was a bit confused when I told her that's an "Aunty". :D

Next was didi. He was peeping from the front windows. He too referred to the lady as "Uncle". :-| So jie jie corrected him. I hope the lady didn't hear any of the kids conversation. That'd be so embarrassing, right?

I spoke to the lady about the grass, which has dried up. She told me not to let the grass grow too long coz it'll cover up the roots and they'll dry up and die. We have to maintain the grass, trimming them every 2 months or so. I also need to water them on non-rainy days. They aren't as hardy as I thought they are. hehehe I'm really hoping with more care, the grass will eventually grow back.

From this green lawn one year ago...


... to this brown patch now. What an eye sore.

Affordable Stylish Eyewear

This is a sponsored post.

Everywhere we go, we hear people talking about the current economic situation. Times are bad, our spending power has decreased. We need to save more for rainy days. We must cut back on our spending and spend wisely.

We no longer spend unnecessarily on luxury items like replacing our current mobile phone or digital camera with a more high-tech model. We don't keep up with the latest fashion in clothing. We plan ahead when running errands so that we don't have to drive out just to buy one loaf of bread. At home, we teach the kids not to waste resources like water and electricity. Do not keep the running when not in use and switch off the lights when there is no one in the room.

But when it comes to eyeglasses, we can still afford to change according to the latest trend. ZenniOptical.com offers high quality and stylish prescription eyeglasses. And they're very affordable too, from as low as $8. They have many varieties of stylish frames - full rim, half rim, rimless and sunshades. Without middlemen and virtually no advertising budget, they are able to sell their own manufactured frames direct to customers at a very low price. Therefore, we can still afford to be trendy when it comes to eyewear.

Reverse Phone Lookups

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Whenever I got missed calls with an unknown number, I'll be wondering who called and why. If the person doesn't call back immediately, it'll be on my mind till that person calls again. Don't you just hate that feeling?

If you're staying in the United States or Canada, there's a reverse phone lookup service where you can lookup owner's name and address for any missed calls with unknown phone number. And you can check an unknown number that appeared in your phone bill. This service on LookupByPhone.com is also very useful to trace harassing telemarketers, prank callers and annoying callers.

To find out owner's name, address, carrier, and other details, do a search by phone number. It works for cell phone numbers and unlisted phone numbers. You may have to purchase these information as they are not public record. You don't have to worry about the owner being notified of the search because all the lookups are 100% confidential.

Stylish Eyeglasses

This is a sponsored post.



If you are looking for affordable yet high quality and stylish prescription eyeglasses, ZenniOptical.com is the place to go. You will find a vast selection of frames and lens to suit your individual needs. Their prices are really low because they sell their own manufactured frames direct to customers, eliminating middlemen. What really caught my attention is that even their cheapest range ($8 eyeglasses) have anti scratch coating and full UV protection. Now everyone can afford to change eyeglasses often to suit the latest trends.

No More Unwanted Calls

This is a sponsored post.
Do you get irritated when telemarketers call your phone while you're busy and start to introduce their product in a rude tone? There's a way for you to block unwanted calls from telemarketers. After registering your phone number, it is removed from any database telemarketers may have. You can check out the No Call List Information at Who's Number Is That.com.

Another service that is offered is Reverse Cell Phone Lookup. This is especially useful for business owners. It includes owner name, address, provider, and more. And if you don't want your personal information to be accessed, you can remove it from public data, so that searches like reverse lookups won't reveal any of your private information.

My 'Twins'

No no no no... I'm not pregnant with twins (thanks to the effective birth control method :p) but referring to the kids' look-alike baby smiling photos. hehehe Time to reveal the answer.

Deng... deng... deng... deng...

Pic 1 - baby in blue pajamas is XY
Pic 2 - baby in red bear prints is CE

Good guessing everyone! For those who got it right, Congratulations! (you don't need a medical dictionary to figure that out, right? hehehe) But if you didn't, it's totally understandable coz even PaPa couldn't differentiate some of their baby photos at one glance.

By the way, I didn't choose their pictures in blue and red clothes to mislead you. It was just a coincidence. Really! And the red bear prints tee is a hand-me-down from XY. :D

Traditional Costumes

CE finally agreed to wear the traditional Chinese costume PaPa bought for him from Vietnam. I wanted to let him wear it when we went visiting on the first day of CNY but he kept pulling the shirt after I buttoned it up. He almost tore off the buttons!

Since I foresee that we won't be visiting anyone else this CNY, I tried to coax him again last Sunday (dinner at BIL's). If he doesn't wear it now, he won't be able to fit into them next year. After his bath, I tried to bribe him with Honeystars. I managed to wear and button for him but within 1 minute, he was trying to rip off the shirt again. Ok, maybe it wasn't comfortable for him. Too tight at the neck area? Never mind, no need to force him. So I changed him into normal clothes.

Then I went to take my bath. When I came down, I saw that he was in the Chinese costume. Kakak managed to wear it for him. And he was fine with it. Didn't look uncomfortable or anything. I asked her how many Honeystars she fed him with. She said none, she just bribed him but didn't give him any. Hmmm... my precious boy, so obedient to Kakak (well, sometimes he does bully her too). But hats off to her, she does have a way with kids.

XY wore her áo dài (traditional Vietnamese costume). And I managed to take a picture of them together. XY had to hold CE's hand. If not, he'd be running to me, want to kepoh and see what's in the camera.

~ Master & Missy ~

When we went over to BIL's house, upon seeing that XY and CE were in traditional costumes, SIL tried to put on the Chinese costume for CH too. He's also refused to wear it all these while. But he allowed SIL to wear for him that night. Must be because he saw that CE was in a similar costume. Kids are such funny creatures. At 2+, he's already aware of fashion? Interesting... *scratch head* Too bad we don't celebrate Halloween here. I'm sure they'll look super cute in pirate costumes or medieval costumes.

Many hours later, CE decided he's had enough of that costume. He started to rip off his shirt again. I had no choice but to take off his shirt and pants, although we were in the living room. So he was only clad in his diaper. Guess he doesn't know the meaning of embarrassment. Had to borrow a pair of CH's pajamas. They're just 5 months apart and are almost of the same size.

Well, mission accomplished. They have both worn their traditional costumes.

Stylish Eyewear

This is a sponsored post.


Spectacles have become a fashion these days. There are so many designs and colour to choose from. Some people who have perfect eyesight would also wear spectacles as an accessory.

When I saw “Zenni Optical: Sell Rx Glasses $8 with case!”, I had to check out their website. They have many varieties of stylish frames - full rim, half rim, rimless and sunshades too. Their prices are really low as they sell their own manufactured glasses frame direct to customers, eliminating middlemen. With such low prices, I can afford to change designer eyeglasses every year to follow the latest trends.

Enrolment For Primary School

The time has finally come when we've to enrol XY for Primary school. We've not decided on Kebangsaan or Chinese school yet. And there isn't much time to dilly dally as we've to register by March. Here are the reasons why we chose a particular school :

Kebangsaan school
* I'm worried I'm not able to guide her in her homework/studies as I don't read nor write Chinese. And we don't intend to send her for tuition classes (at least not in early Primary years). PaPa is Chinese literate but can't possibly wait for him to come back from work to coach her, right?
* She can still learn Chinese by sending her for extra Chinese classes. But we'll need more effort in our part to create an environment for her to learn Chinese at home, in terms of reading and writing.
* Worried that she'll have to spend an extra year in Remove Class.
* Her English is much better than Mandarin at the moment. She speaks mainly English at home. Am a bit worried she won't be able to adapt or find it hard to catch up. But I guess this point is not too significant as we can prepare her now by sending her for Chinese lessons.

Chinese school
* She'd have a good base in Chinese after 6 years of formal education.
* The culture is a little different. The students are more disciplined and exposed to Chinese cultures. (I wonder if it's true or it depends on the particular school.)
* I think her English standard can be maintained as I'll be speaking English with her at home.
* Even non-Chinese are sending their children to Chinese schools, so why aren't we? LOL

Have you enrolled your kids for Primary school? Whether or not you've enrolled them, or they're already in Primary school, what was the main reason you chose that school? Kindly share your thoughts.

Ushering In The New Year

This is a sponsored post.
We’ll be entering a new year very soon. And for the Chinese, the lunar new year is less than two months away. A lot of people like to spend the new year in a new house. So there'll be lots of renovation going on this time of the year. Quite a number of houses around my neighbourhood are undergoing renovation. It's no longer the quiet and peaceful neighbourhood that we first fell in love with.

You can apply for a loan when you purchase a property but you'll need cash for renovation. One option is to apply for a personal loan if you're a little tight on your cash flow. Apart from renovation, you also need to allocate some budget for furniture, electrical equipments and landscaping.

It's also quite common to overspend during this festive season, especially if you're using credit cards. Just buy and sign. In the end, you'll end up with a huge debt. In order to get out of high-interest debts like credit card loans, you can look into debt consolidation. You may want to check out Consolidate Debt Loans. It allows you to make single monthly payments to clear all your debts such as credit cards, housing, personal loans or any other financial obligations, with low interest rate.

If you have any debt issues, manage them today so that you can have a peace of mind ushering in the new year with your family and loved ones.

Planning For Family Vacation

It's the year end and we're thinking of going for a family vacation. Singapore would be a good choice. There will be lovely decorations for Christmas. The kids have never been to a zoo and I really like Singapore Zoo as there are lots of animals to see.

Hawaii vacations sounds good too. Maybe I should check out the Hawaii vacation packages. I doubt hubby would be interested in Mexico vacations.

When we go for vacations (unless we're following a tour), we normally book the hotel room online because of the better deals. Hotel Reservations offers hotels, motels, resorts, flight and car rentals. I can search for the best hotel deal based on my travel date. It can also show me the hotels near a specific landmark or location, eg. Orchard Road or Sentosa Island. With young children in tow, it's always easier to stay near to the places of interest we intend to visit. Whenever the kids are tired, we can head back to the hotel for a rest.

If you're planning your year-end vacation, do check out this site. It offers great discounts (up to 70%) on world-wide destinations.

The Need For Insurance

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Insurance is a part of your financial planning. When things happen unexpectedly that requires a big sum of money, at least you have some financial back-up. Some people like to buy life insurance that is linked with investment. However such investment usually doesn't give very high returns as compared to returns from investments on stocks or unit trusts. But if you don't have the time nor the expertise to invest on your own, this kind of investment-linked insurance is a good choice.

Medical insurance is also important to ease some of your financial burden when your family is suddenly in need of medical attention. We have got life and medical insurance for ourselves and the kids. We also bought the home insurance to cover any damage or loss due to fire, flood or theft. It's important to protect your home as it's one of your largest financial investments.

Car insurance is a must here in Malaysia so your vehicle is insured against loss or damage to the vehicle and also to third party injuries and properties. With so many general insurance companies around, you should compare car insurance quotes to get the one that best suits your needs.

If you think that you haven't gotten yourself or your assets covered sufficiently, do look into it now to protect yourself and your loved ones against unnecessary financial burden.

Photo Printing Made Affordable

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Nowadays, printers are very affordable. Some homes even have a laser colour printer for personal use. But the ink cartridges are very expensive. I have two printers at home. The old one is at least 6 years old. Last year, we bought a colour printer especially for photo printing. So you can imagine how much we spend on ink cartridges.

At Cartridge Finder, it’s very easy to find the right cartridge for my printers. I just need to select the printer brand and model. I’m also able to compare the prices of different merchants via PriceGrabber. So I can get the best deal by just looking at one site.