Toothpaste Usage

Thank you Mommies, for all your comments about the use of toothpaste in my previous post. Seemed like most of you have used First Teeth toothpaste. XY used this brand too when she was first introduced to toothpaste. I didn't let CE try that coz I don't feel comfortable with him swallowing so much of it, although it's supposed to be edible. A few gulps once in awhile, I guess it's safe. But the whole thing every time he brushes his teeth? I'm a bit skeptical. After all, it's still toothpaste, not food. LOL That's why I'm waiting for him to be able to spit out the water first before introducing toothpaste.

It's been almost a week that I've taught him to spit out the water after gargling, but he's still drinking it. Since I'm using boiled water, he can drink all he wants. I think after a few weeks of trying, if he still doesn't get the idea of spitting, I'll get him First Teeth toothpaste. Hopefully he'll think that it's yucky and spit it out. If he thinks it tastes good (and swallow it all the time), then I guess I'll have to postpone the use of toothpaste. Not an issue I'm sure, as they're only milk teeth.

Toothbrush Upgrade

~ new toothbrush ~

I started using a toothbrush to brush CE's teeth today. Not using toothpaste coz he doesn't know how to spit it out. Before this, I was using the finger toothbrush. But recently, he doesn't like to brush his teeth. So we're quite slack in his dental care for quite some time now.

I bought the Kodomo toothbrush (for age 6 months - 3 years) for CE. XY's also using the same brand but for different age group. So they look very similar, just of different colours - pink for XY (obviously) and blue for didi.

He was quite happy to brush his teeth when I gave him the toothbrush. I suppose he likes to imitate us. He didn't want me to help and wants to brush on his own. Well, he was playing more than brushing - biting, sucking and tasting it. And he didn't want to give it back. It was difficult to help him coz he was holding it too tightly and he didn't follow my movement. When we're done brushing, I doubt his teeth are very clean, but better than not brushing at all, right?

Then I tried to let him gargle. Gave him a cup of tap water, he took a sip but swallowed it when I asked him to 'phooi!'. So I demonstrated for him. And I let him try again. And he swallowed the water again! I think I'd better let him try with cooked water next time. Let's see how long his fascination with the new toothbrush will last.

Playing Together

The house is always very noisy when both the kids are awake. They like to play with each other, which is of coz a good thing. But they're still too young to play gently. They're always very rough with each other, especially during play time.

Recently, CE is back on his bad habit of pulling jie jie's hair. And he really does pull very hard sometimes, to the extent where he'll pull some out! Jie jie is one funny gal. When didi wants to pull her hair, she doesn't want to get up quickly. Still sit or lie down and let didi pull. Then shout and complain to me that didi's pulling her hair. Sigh... can't they play quietly AND safely. Yeah, wishful thinking, I know. hehehe

Another game they like to play is catching. It's so dangerous to run around in the house. So many sharp corners and the tiled floor is very hard. XY loves to run and CE likes to catch. And they'll be screaming and laughing all the way. I know that's fun but it's just too noisy and unsafe. So I don't allow them to run in the house. I do bring them out to play in the garden in the evenings but they don't play catching on the grass. Not so fun maybe? Without all the challenging 'obstacles'.

They also like to play this game where didi will hold on to jie jie's shirt and walk behind her. It's quite safe if XY walks slowly. I'll just have to keep reminding her to slow down when they're at it. As an active girl, slow motion is something quite foreign to her. LOL I really love to watch them play together happily. I hope they'll have this special bonding forever. As for their rough play, guess I'll have to wait for them to grow a little older to be able to practise gentle play. In the meantime, I'll just use earplugs. :D

~ you lead, I follow ~

What Do You Think About Me

I got this 'funny' tag from Dora. I'll change this a little and take away the last 15 questions as they're rather irrelevant for virtual friends.

A) LIST OUT THE TOP 5 PRESENTS YOU WISH FOR :-
1- Sick-free kids
2- Plasma tv
3- Relaxing holiday in a luxurious hotel
4- A driver
5- Zoom lense

B) THE PERSON WHO TAGGED ME IS: Dora

C) YOUR 5 IMPRESSIONS OF HIM/HER:
1- Young
2- Out-going
3- Friendly
4- Sporty
5- Practical

D) MOST MEMORABLE THINGS HE/SHE HAS GIVE/DONE FOR YOU
-> Added me in her blog roll. (Thanks, girl!)

E) THE MOST MEMORABLE WORDS HE/SHE SAID TO YOU
-> "new buddy"

F) IF HE/SHE BECOMES YOUR LOVER, YOU WILL
-> Not consider it coz she's already married!

G) IF HE/SHE BECOMES YOUR ENEMY, THE REASON WILL BE
-> I've gone cuckoo! (LOL... I don't make enemies one, ok.)

H) PASS THE QUIZ TO 5 PEOPLE THAT YOU WISH TO KNOW HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT YOU :
1- Wen
2- Sting
3- Healy
4- Hazel
5- Jacelyn

Baking Tips

I got these tips from Hotel Equatorial's monthly brochure which features their dining promotions. I'd like to share these baking tips on temperature, cookware, ingredients and techniques with you here.

1. Turn on the oven 10-15 minutes before you plan to use it to allow time for it to heat to baking temperature.

2. Shiny pans reflect the heat, and are your best choice for cake baking.

3. Have all ingredients at room temperature for best results.

4. To speed up the softening of cold butter, grate or thinly slice it and let stand for about 10 minutes over a bowl of warm water.

5. Toss nuts, raisins and chopped fruits in flour first. This will help keep them suspended in batters.

6. Cool the cake thoroughly before frosting.

7. Apply a thin layer of frosting to the cake then refrigerate until it is set before applying the final, heavier layer of frosting. This will seal in the crumbs, ensuring a clean final appearance.

Incomplete Attire

The little girl woke up immediately when her mother asked her to. It was very different from the usual mornings where she'd give the "I'm sleepy" excuse and continue to sleep. Today was different because of her favourite activity in school. Her mother said, "Got water play today" and she's up.

In school, when it was time to change into her swimming suit, she didn't take off her underwear. She just wore her suit on top of it. So after her water play, she didn't wear any underwear as there wasn't any clean and dry one in her bag.

When her mother fetched her from school, she told her mother that she wasn't wearing any underwear. Her mother was shocked. The little girl explained that it got wet when she went for water play. And her mother was still shocked. How come the little girl is so blur? It's not the first time she wore her swimming suit or go for a 'swim'. So why did she think that this time she needed to wear her underwear underneath her suit? The mother is still very confused. :-|

An Award & A Tag

Forever Friends Award
Thank you, Wen for this friendship ball.


Prettiest Mom Tag

I got this from MummyInVain. As different bloggers have done it differently, I've decided to use the original version.

Before I was a Mom
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

The first chain of tag :
1. Lovelymummy
2. Pek Imm
3. Momisodes
4. Ling that’s me
5. Janicepa
6. AnnieQ
7. Allthingspurple
8. Montessorimum
9. clumsy mommy
10. Sandra
11. KittyCat
12. VivianZ
13. Sweetpea
14. Sasha
15. Giddy Tiger
16. Wen
17. Jo-N
18. Janice Ng
19. BlurTing
20. ViEmwk
21. Cookingmomster
22. Dancing Queen
23. Eternity
24. MummyInVain
25. Slavemom

Here's to all the pretty mommies out there.