December 23, 2007
December 22, 2007
Watch This!!!
I was laughing so much when my gf called and told me to check my email. This cute thing by jibjab is so funny. Only thing that makes it funny is when the people in it is someone you know. My kids were laughing so much when we showed this to them. My friend had added my kids' and her kids' photos into this video. It was so weird to see a 9 month baby doing the jiggle.
Note: You may have to click on the "Play" button twice. The first 3 kids in that is passing the ball are my gf's kids and then the later two (one tat is hanging on strings is Greg and the girl jumping is Gillian)
First one is Christmas Tree. Enjoy
This is the Office Party:
Disco Party:
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Note: You may have to click on the "Play" button twice. The first 3 kids in that is passing the ball are my gf's kids and then the later two (one tat is hanging on strings is Greg and the girl jumping is Gillian)
First one is Christmas Tree. Enjoy
Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!
This is the Office Party:
Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!
Disco Party:
Don't send a lame Starring You! eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!
December 8, 2007
Breakfast with Santa
I woke up at 6am because my Gilly came and jumped on me. We tried waking up Greg and he too didn't give me any trouble. My kids were Angels this morning because we were having Breakfast with Santa at Nordstrom. We were on time as traffic was smooth... oh well there wasn't any traffic this early on a Saturday.. wow.... something I'm not used to when it comes to Chicago traffic.
Gilly and Greg insisted on getting their balloons even before we got to our tables. Greg asked for an airplane and Gilly got her snowflakes. After we got to our tables, the kids decided they wanted their face painted. Gilly had a cute reindeer on her cheek and Greg suddenly changed his mind. And we say girls are fickle???
We had a long table as we had a big party. Our party consisted of 7 adults and 12 kids and we sure had a nice time. The kids enjoyed their breakfast and were good to finish all their food. Halfway through the meal, Santa walked in the cafe and Greg ran to greet him with a big hug.
After our meal, the kids got to take photos with Santa and they each got a Santa mug with candies filled.
*Spoiler for kids*
This is our 2nd time having Breakfast with Santa. This Santa has "visited" Nordstrom annually and I am spoilt by him. I've never seen such a "REAL" Santa as this Santa. He has this Rosey looking face with his natural white hair and beard. Having seen him, I don't get excited when I see other Santas... He has this Magical aura that makes me think he is real.
A man walked by in the shopping area and he told me "There is one Santa downstairs that looks real, you should go down and look for him". I grinned and told him "I know who you are talking about cos we just had Breakfast with him" Oh... well... I've taken some photos of him and the kids and I didn't know which one to chooose as the kids were looking in 10 different directions.. so you guys get to see all of it.... Enjoy... And don't you agree he really looks real with his rosy cheeks??
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Gilly and Greg insisted on getting their balloons even before we got to our tables. Greg asked for an airplane and Gilly got her snowflakes. After we got to our tables, the kids decided they wanted their face painted. Gilly had a cute reindeer on her cheek and Greg suddenly changed his mind. And we say girls are fickle???
We had a long table as we had a big party. Our party consisted of 7 adults and 12 kids and we sure had a nice time. The kids enjoyed their breakfast and were good to finish all their food. Halfway through the meal, Santa walked in the cafe and Greg ran to greet him with a big hug.
After our meal, the kids got to take photos with Santa and they each got a Santa mug with candies filled.
*Spoiler for kids*
This is our 2nd time having Breakfast with Santa. This Santa has "visited" Nordstrom annually and I am spoilt by him. I've never seen such a "REAL" Santa as this Santa. He has this Rosey looking face with his natural white hair and beard. Having seen him, I don't get excited when I see other Santas... He has this Magical aura that makes me think he is real.
A man walked by in the shopping area and he told me "There is one Santa downstairs that looks real, you should go down and look for him". I grinned and told him "I know who you are talking about cos we just had Breakfast with him" Oh... well... I've taken some photos of him and the kids and I didn't know which one to chooose as the kids were looking in 10 different directions.. so you guys get to see all of it.... Enjoy... And don't you agree he really looks real with his rosy cheeks??
Delimas Curry Chicken
This week has been a very busy week for me. Cooking our meals has become a big chore as I've so much to do with driving the kids around and getting ready for Christmas. I'm now in my max speed knitting as much as I can. We have been having alot of spagetti and ABC soup for our dinners. I've been craving for curry chicken and remembered, Raymond See of MyTasteofAsia did send my some free gifts and one of them was the Delimas Curry Chicken Paste.
I quickly got the chicken and started to cook and boy..... it was so easy and quick. I didn't have to cut any garlic or pound any spices. I just needed chicken, potatoes and the paste.. and that was it. It looked delicious and it tasted delicious too. I am glad I did buy more of this paste in my last order. I am planning to give these paste away as X'mas presents to some friends who don't know how to cook curry but loves curry. I now know I'm giving away a nice and delicious present.
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I quickly got the chicken and started to cook and boy..... it was so easy and quick. I didn't have to cut any garlic or pound any spices. I just needed chicken, potatoes and the paste.. and that was it. It looked delicious and it tasted delicious too. I am glad I did buy more of this paste in my last order. I am planning to give these paste away as X'mas presents to some friends who don't know how to cook curry but loves curry. I now know I'm giving away a nice and delicious present.
December 3, 2007
Three Little Pigs & Polar Express
We had a very nice weekend despite the bad weather. My kids' God mom had gotten us tickets to the Chicago Kids Company's Three Little Pigs Performance. The day started out bright and sunny and as we got out of the house, it started snowing. We weathered the snow and traffic jam and quickly sneaked into the theater to enjoy the 2nd half of the show. The kids loved the performance, and to my surprise Greg was jumping and laughing and clapping and singing along with the actors. Gilly however who was still interested in the performance kept her "cool" composure. The actors were very talented and their voices were beautiful. It was hilarious when they rapped and danced hip-hop when they story was about the Three Little Pigs. It was the kids first "live" theater show and I am planning to take them for the next performance of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears".
When the show ended, we had a chance to take some photos with the actors and Greg to my surprise ran up to the wolf and "hit" the wolf. He did that twice and I didn't know if I should reprimand him or laugh at him. I guess he isn't afraid of the Big Bad Wolf. By the time the show ended, it was snowing pretty hard and we all drove through the crazy traffic to Matsuya for sushi and my favorite Katsu Don. It must be at least a year since I've eaten katsu don. We stayed the nite at my friend's place as the storm had changed to ice rain. When we went out at 9pm go do a carry-out, I did my slide so that I would not fall.
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When the show ended, we had a chance to take some photos with the actors and Greg to my surprise ran up to the wolf and "hit" the wolf. He did that twice and I didn't know if I should reprimand him or laugh at him. I guess he isn't afraid of the Big Bad Wolf. By the time the show ended, it was snowing pretty hard and we all drove through the crazy traffic to Matsuya for sushi and my favorite Katsu Don. It must be at least a year since I've eaten katsu don. We stayed the nite at my friend's place as the storm had changed to ice rain. When we went out at 9pm go do a carry-out, I did my slide so that I would not fall.
The next day, we missed mass but was in time for CCD. We bought lunch and went home to rest. Shhh!!! the kids slept at 2am so they were tired but they didn't know what was in store for them next. At 2.45pm, we got the kids into the van and the next thing they realize we were parking in the Train Station. I had booked us 4 tickets for the Polar Express. The village annually rents a few coaches and kids would go on the Polar Express. We went all the way to North Pole (Joliet) and hunted for Santa Claus at North Pole. When we found him, he followed us back to Tinley Park. In the train we sang Christmas Carols and Santa Claus mingled with us. He gave the kids a bell and the kids had fun eating Santa cookie and drank hot chocolate. Greg who loves trains got to sit on the Metra train for the first time and he definitely enjoyed his train ride with Santa.
We sure had a fun and busy weekend and I had trouble waking Greg up this morning. Even when I pulled his pants off.. he just jumped and snuggled under his sheets. Only when I told him that it was my day to volunteer in his class that he did jump out of bed.
We are going for "Breakfast with Santa" this coming Saturday at Nordstrom. I'll keep you posted with photos.....
November 24, 2007
Thanksgiving Dinner
This year Thanksgiving is just among us 4. I didn't want the hassle of too many people and decided to have a quiet dinner. I guess I'm too Malaysian and not having the zest in celebrating Thanksgiving. I remember last year he told me that we should get at least a turkey as the kids are starting school and he thought Gilly would feel left out when the kids talk about their Thanksgiving meal. Alright, I dragged myself out to Dominicks and got a Oven Ready Turkey Breast. Something simple and easy, and the kids had a good time. This year, it just became automatic that we would go get the "Easy" turkey. Maybe one day I'll try the whole turkey.
This year Thanksgiving day is also our wedding anniversary. Its been 8 years and hubby was nice to surprise me with a nice bouquet of yellow roses. He remembers that I love yellow roses. I guess we had our romantic dinner with 2 candles named Gilly and Greg. For some of you, we have 2 wedding anniversaries. We got married in front of a Judge in November then in March we had our church wedding so don't get confused if you hear me mention wedding anniversary again in March.
One of my girlfriend, Katherine, did invite me to her place when she found out that we were not going to go to the in-laws. But I just wanted it to be us 4. Thanks Katherine for the invite, it made my day knowing you do care for this silly Malaysian Chinese woman.
Back to dinner, we had our "dinner" at 2.30 pm.. I know its a weird time but by the time the food was done... we just couldn't resist the food. OK... don't laugh at my mismatched plates, I'll try to go to Linen N Things and get better utensils for next year. Lesley and Gert, do remind me when there are good sales.
We have since finished our turkey and have still alot of cornbread stuffings and sweet potatoes. I guess we will still be eating it for the next 2 days.
Here are some of my photos from our dinner. Greg must be really growing cos he didn't do his "gobble gobble gobble" chant anymore. He usually does that before he bites into a piece of turkey.
My rascals before digging in
I'm done.Andre Rieu is starting on PBS... gotta go watch him play and imagine myself as good as he is... what a dream... hahahahaha.. ciao
November 16, 2007
Hit Me One More Time!!!
My 4 year old boy and 7 year old girl are fighting alot these days. Gilly has become more physical as she would hit her brother if I'm not near her. I've caught her hitting or kicking her brother. Two nights ago, the little one came running to me, crying that his sister hit him on his face. I finally told her I'm just gonna let her hit her brother and not punish her. I told her that all she does by hitting him is to teach him how to hit. One day he will grow up and be bigger than her and then when he hits her, she has to bear with it as she was his hitting teacher. She was quiet for a long time and knew to go read her storybook to stay safe.
It was Greg's bath time and I told him he was allowed to have his bubble bath. He enjoyed himself and had the whole tub to himself. The next night, Gilly asked if she could have her bubble bath. I told her No because Greg was given the privilege of bubble bath as he got beaten the night before. She didn't kick a fuss to my surprise. However, my little rascal realize what was happening.. and next thing I saw him egging his sister and I could hear her screaming... He was bugging his sister and saying "Hit me one more time! Hit me one more time!" He figured out that if Gilly were to hit him then he gets to have another bubble bath.
Luckily he hasn't heard Britney's song "Hit me baby one more time".
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It was Greg's bath time and I told him he was allowed to have his bubble bath. He enjoyed himself and had the whole tub to himself. The next night, Gilly asked if she could have her bubble bath. I told her No because Greg was given the privilege of bubble bath as he got beaten the night before. She didn't kick a fuss to my surprise. However, my little rascal realize what was happening.. and next thing I saw him egging his sister and I could hear her screaming... He was bugging his sister and saying "Hit me one more time! Hit me one more time!" He figured out that if Gilly were to hit him then he gets to have another bubble bath.
Luckily he hasn't heard Britney's song "Hit me baby one more time".
November 13, 2007
My crazy day
My daughter has taken upon herself to be the board of censorship. Last night, she showed me a birthday invitation that she had received last week. Yes last week and her reasoning for not showing it to me was "Mummy, I'm not going to this party because I have to go to the Tree Decorating event at the Brookfield Zoo". I was surprised and yet tickled to see her reasoning. Oh Yes... I rather go to the Zoo so I don't need to show you this birthday invite. Knowing if she had no other events she would jump to any invite and shove the invitation card on my face. I just had to call to RSVP to the boy's mom and apologize for the late RSVP too.
I realize that my baby, who is now 7, has learnt to show me what she wants to show me. Hence becoming a censorship board.
Yesterday, seem to be a busy day for me. First I had to see what was in my Gilly's huge bulging bag. Yes, she took upon herself to lend her teacher 2 of her Enid Blyton books which were hardcover. Plus bringing her photo album to school for god knows who to see. Imagine, her bag which is almost as big as she is when its empty whatmore when its bulging heavy. I had to remove all her books and told her to think about which book she wish to loan her teacher and take it another day.
Greg had a mild fever and he loved me so much, he had to run upstairs to come puke at me. Yes, he was watching TV downstairs and ran upstairs pass the powder room to come vomit on me and the carpet. Later I asked him if he knew he was going to puke when he ran upto me. He said YES... golly gee.... I asked him why didn't he run to the powder room which was nearer to him.. he just shrug and gave me a blank look. Puking on Mummy must be a thrill thing to do when one is sick. Thank God for Bissell SpotBot which makes my cleaning easier.
My mother in law has gone in for a masectormy, she found out she had early stage breast cancer. Last Sunday, she asked me how to say urinate and poo in English. She doesn't speak too much English and living all these years in Chinatown she could get along fine with just speaking Chinese. I spent 2 hours online trying to find chinese words and its english translation. Just simple words like thirsty, painful, cold, hot or fever, urinate and No.2 which one would say to a nurse. I finally did print them out in a 4 x 6" card and laminated it. Sent it to my brother in law and hopefully he didn't forget to take it with him to the hospital. At least with that card, she could point at the english word which is next to the chinese words she needed to express. Now don't laugh at me for taking 2 hours to come up with 10 words. I don't read nor write chinese so it was pretty challenging for me. Luckily I had friends who were online that checked on my task.
I pray things will go smoothly for her. I guess breast cancer research has advanced so much these days that one knows their chances of recovering is higher. She just has to stay overnight and doesn't have to have radiation because of her age.
That's part of my crazy day ... and I managed to blog as well in the midst of all the chaos..
Adios
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I realize that my baby, who is now 7, has learnt to show me what she wants to show me. Hence becoming a censorship board.
Yesterday, seem to be a busy day for me. First I had to see what was in my Gilly's huge bulging bag. Yes, she took upon herself to lend her teacher 2 of her Enid Blyton books which were hardcover. Plus bringing her photo album to school for god knows who to see. Imagine, her bag which is almost as big as she is when its empty whatmore when its bulging heavy. I had to remove all her books and told her to think about which book she wish to loan her teacher and take it another day.
Greg had a mild fever and he loved me so much, he had to run upstairs to come puke at me. Yes, he was watching TV downstairs and ran upstairs pass the powder room to come vomit on me and the carpet. Later I asked him if he knew he was going to puke when he ran upto me. He said YES... golly gee.... I asked him why didn't he run to the powder room which was nearer to him.. he just shrug and gave me a blank look. Puking on Mummy must be a thrill thing to do when one is sick. Thank God for Bissell SpotBot which makes my cleaning easier.
My mother in law has gone in for a masectormy, she found out she had early stage breast cancer. Last Sunday, she asked me how to say urinate and poo in English. She doesn't speak too much English and living all these years in Chinatown she could get along fine with just speaking Chinese. I spent 2 hours online trying to find chinese words and its english translation. Just simple words like thirsty, painful, cold, hot or fever, urinate and No.2 which one would say to a nurse. I finally did print them out in a 4 x 6" card and laminated it. Sent it to my brother in law and hopefully he didn't forget to take it with him to the hospital. At least with that card, she could point at the english word which is next to the chinese words she needed to express. Now don't laugh at me for taking 2 hours to come up with 10 words. I don't read nor write chinese so it was pretty challenging for me. Luckily I had friends who were online that checked on my task.
I pray things will go smoothly for her. I guess breast cancer research has advanced so much these days that one knows their chances of recovering is higher. She just has to stay overnight and doesn't have to have radiation because of her age.
That's part of my crazy day ... and I managed to blog as well in the midst of all the chaos..
Adios
November 12, 2007
Improved French Bulletin Board
I improved on my bulletin board eventhough I told myself that was it. I wasn't going to work on it again. But knowing myself that somehow the board needed something I couldn't help myself. I dragged the board to a friend of mine (she lives in chinatown) who is very artsy.. and she gave me her constructive critique and suggestion. Hey.. she even sponsored some supplies (knowing she has endless amount of craft supplies). I've added more batting to make the board look more plushy plus just tiny paper flowers added more dimension to the board. I did find a cute Hello Kitty photo and printed it on those T-shirt transfer papers and iron it on the cloth. I am not too happy with what I did with the Personalized name as I didn't get it and the ribbon to align properly (hate to blame it on 11.30pm, last minute work but I guess I was getting too tired and reckless). I do hope the little girl loved it as its one of a kind present!!
We did drive by this forest preserve that does fence in some elks. This township is named after some Elks and I guess that is why they do keep some elks in the forest preserve. The kids had never gotten near an elk and were thrilled when dad told them to gather some leaves that had fallen on the ground to feed the elk. At first, the elk took few steps back but when he or she saw the kids reaching out with leaves, it timidly walked towards them and ate off their hands. Greg was giggling and ran to get more. I had to remind him to slowly walk towards the elk as the running will scare it away. They fed the elk a few more times until the elk walked away. The kids were dissapointed and we told them the elk was most probably full. They understood and jumped back into the van saying "we will come feed the elks again".
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We were at the party this Saturday at one of the suburb Park District. For some overseas friends, we have Park Districts (kinda like Town Council that runs special programs or facilities for their town residents. You can rent their facilities for parties and this one happen to have a huge carousel and climbing thingy (similar to McD's playland). The kids had fun as they had the carousel to themselves and could run between rooms to either play on the carousel or climby thingy... They play for 2 hours and our kids sure did have fun.
We did drive by this forest preserve that does fence in some elks. This township is named after some Elks and I guess that is why they do keep some elks in the forest preserve. The kids had never gotten near an elk and were thrilled when dad told them to gather some leaves that had fallen on the ground to feed the elk. At first, the elk took few steps back but when he or she saw the kids reaching out with leaves, it timidly walked towards them and ate off their hands. Greg was giggling and ran to get more. I had to remind him to slowly walk towards the elk as the running will scare it away. They fed the elk a few more times until the elk walked away. The kids were dissapointed and we told them the elk was most probably full. They understood and jumped back into the van saying "we will come feed the elks again".
While we were in the neighborhood, I decided to drive by our old apartment, we stayed there for almost 2 years until we had our house built. It was a tiny 660 sq.ft apartment, eventough it was rental and it was tiny, we sure had good happy memories there. Hubby did say, "why bother going back there". I told him it was a nice reminder of how we all started our lives as a family. PLUS.... there is this playground near the apartment that has an awesome slide. Yes... this slide is so cool as its not a flat metallic slide, its made of rollers so when you sit on it.. the rollers will roll you down and Gilly would make some sound and with all that bump.. you make a bumpy ahhhh sound. Even Greg who was sleeping by the time we got to the park got all excited. He loved making the bumpy ah ah ah sound too. They got to play for 5 minutes only as it was getting cold. Sorry, I forgot to take any photos of the kids on the slide. I know somewhere in my archives I do have a photo of Gilly on it. Maybe one day I'll hunt for it.
Until then, have fun friends.
November 6, 2007
My First French Bulletin Board
I just made my first French Bulletin Board also known as Ribbon Bulletin Board. Its was pretty easy to make and this will be a present for a 7 year old girl for her birthday. She asked for Hello Kitty things and as I could not find a nice Hello Kitty Fabric, I managed to find Hello Kitty Ribbons. Should I start selling them in future??? I hear they usually retail U$40.00.
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Sweet Memories
During my days in Convent Klang (in the late 80s), a friend introduced me to Jazz and the song that stuck with me was Garden Party by Mezzaforte. They are an Iceland band so getting a CD of them in USA is pretty hard and costly. I was so excited to find this clip on Youtube. Don't you love YouTube. Enjoy this song as it does brighten my day whenever I listen to it. Hwee Zee if you are reading this... this one is for you!
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Chicken Varuval
I was immediately tempted into cooking this dish after seeing it at GertWan's blog. The photo below shows my attempt at it. I hope it I got it right but I know for sure it tasted good. It was my first time cooking using the cardamon spice. I never knew that spice was expensive. Maybe I should go to Indiantown to see if I can get it cheaper. I like this dish as it doesn't have coconut milk and that means not so fattening.
Chicken Varuval
Gilly ask to photo her eating a little curry for Grandma to see.
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Chicken Varuval
Gilly ask to photo her eating a little curry for Grandma to see.Chicken Varuval Recipe:
Ingredients :
- 1/2 chicken - cut into small bite size pieces
- 1 pcs of cinnamon stick
- 2 cardamoms
- 1 pcs of star anise
- 1 tbsp of black soy sauce
- 10 curry leaves
- 1/2 cup of water (optional)
- Sugar, salt and pepper to taste
Blended ingredients:
- 2 medium size onions
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 2" of ginger
To make into paste:
- 2 tbsp of curry powder
- 2 tsp of chili powder
- 2 tsp of tumeric powder
- Heat up oil and add in cinnamom stick, cardamons, star anise and curry leaves. Stir fry for a few second until frangrant.
- Add in the blended ingredients and sautee until it turn light brown.
- Add in the curry paste and stir fry for a minute.
- Add in the chicken and stir fry until chicken well coated with the paste. Add seasoning.
- Add in black soy sauce and a bit of water if chicken get too dry. Cover and simmer slowly until chicken is really dry and done.
- Check seasoning and serve warm.
November 2, 2007
Boo!!! Halloween Day
Halloween came and went so fast. We had a very nice day and were lucky to have a dry cool weather. Here are a few photos of the kids with their costumes. Gilly was a witch that didn't want to wear her hat and Greg wanted to be Fireman Sam but I refuse to pay £30 to get an outfit from UK to wear for 1 day. Gilly did want a broom (those glittery ones) and I told her that she will be busy running around with her pumpkin bag that she won't have any hands left to carry her broom. Her dad did suggest she "borrow" mum's broom in the garage. She reluctantly agreed "No Broom" and later during her "collection" I quickly pointed out to her a mom that was carrying a broomstick for her child and said "That is why I didnt' want to get your a broom." She grin and ran to collect more candies. Gilly is now 7 and that means I don't use the camcorder too much these days. I laugh when I see parents with camcorder as that usually indicates those are "new" parents.
Greg winking as the party is about to start.
Greg waking out of his classroom with his treat bag !!
Gilly at her school Halloween Parade.Parents are invited to come watch this parade.
The Kids ready to go "Trick or Treat" with baby Kylie our neighbor.
Now to the next house for more!!
These are the kids' pot of gold and every parents' nightmare.
We always get alot of candies as our neighborhood enjoys Halloween. Trick or Treat starts from 3.30pm till 7.00 pm. We started at 4pm this year and the kids only ask to go home after 2 hours. We came hom at 6.30 and by then... not many trick or treaters came by.. and that left us with a bucket of candies that wasn't distributed. Don't worry, Gilly's school has requested for candies (no chocolates) to be sent to the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. So I'll be sending them away again after we have sorted out the chocolates. I've been doing this for the past few years. Why waste all these candies which will help our soldiers. I guess that is why I don't mind walking around collecting candies as it goes to good use. Ask your village if they do have this service where they send candies or donations to the soldiers. That will help ease any parents' nightmare of sugar overload.
This is all from our Halloween this year.
October 30, 2007
My Hydrangea
I love plants and I guess I got that from my parents who love to go to nurseries when we were young. My mom loved orchids while I love anything that has color. I remember getting all excited when I first saw the blue hydrangeas. This ball of blue tat is so pretty, I notice that I do love delphiniums too which is also blue. I guess living in Malaysia, I never got to see so many blue plants thus appreciating their beauty now.
3 years ago, I managed to buy 4 of this macrophyllas from Home Depot for $15 each. Yes, when I planted them, I did pray that I didn't kill them. To me $15 for a plant is alot of moolah. The location I planted was at the side of my house and it slopes. And I guess because of this, 2 of my plants bloomed right from the start but the 2 that is at the higher elevation didn't. This spring, I asked someone from the nursery why my plants wasn't blooming and he told me it is most probably because all the nutrients are flowing down to the 2 bottom plants. I did raise the bed up and this year, my 2 "problematic" plants started blooming.
I finally managed to take some photos of my hydrangeas. I had to wait for weeks as it was always windy. Yes, remember Chicago is Windy city so we do get our fair share of wind in the suburbs. Even when I took these photos, it was still windy and that's why I had to hold the flower.
Now, I've to go learn how to prune my Nikko Blue Hydrangea. I've already learnt how to make change this flower from pink to blue. Hopefully I don't over prune it that there will be no flowers next year. I'll keep you posted with my experiment on Hydrangeas.
October 24, 2007
Kids and the Value of Money
Eversince Gilly was 4 years old, I've been slowly teaching her the value of money. I guess money will always be a factor for anyone of us. Its just hard for us to say NO to our adorable kids whenever they plead for a new toy. Its amazing too how they try to figure out what to do with their need for toys and money.
I remember when she started going to her classmates house to play, she would come home telling me that her friend has a walk-in closet and she wants one too. Another time when we drive by the single family houses, she tells me she wants a house that has 3 car garage. I've always told her that only daddy works so we can't afford a bigger house.
Then came the time when she would ask for a baby sister, mind you Greg was already 5 months old. She would keep asking and coming up with suggestions too, she would say her baby sister can wear her old baby clothes. Another time she told me that we could have a baby sister because she is not wearing anymore diapers, the baby could have her share of diapers. Everytime I would have to tell her "No, because only Daddy works we can't afford it". I asked if she wanted to go to daycare while I go work but she would have to stop her Ballet classes and preschool. So she knew mum working is a bad idea. Finally she came up with the cutest 4 year's old toddler logical suggestion... "Mummy, why don't you have more husbands. That way you have more money and we can have more babies". I could stop laughing while driving her from preschool. Note.. alot of times this topic would come up while to or from preschool. What a good suggestion.... More husbands = more money.. hahaha
Last week, Gilly was invited to a birthday party. I only had $10 in my wallet that day and I jokingly told her, "Gilly, you have more money in your wallet than I do, why don't you buy the present since you are the one invited". She had this serious look meaning she is thinking about it and she said "OK". So off we went to Target, as usual I found a gift that cost $20 and told her to look for some cute lip gloss as gifts as well. I saw this 3 lipgloss pack for $4.29 and picked out one, next thing I hear is Gilly pointing to this single lipstick pack and said "mummy, this one". I told her no, just buy the 3 pack one.. and then I hear this protest "Mummy, NO... this one cost only $2 while that one cost $4.29. This one is cheaper". I smiled and said "oh.. when mummy pays you just grab anything but when you pay.. $4.29 is expensive???" At the cash register, I was tickled to see her expression when the cashier told us "your total is $31.80", Gilly gave that pitiful sigh cos she had to dig out all her $40. I grin cos now I know my daughter knows the value of money. By the way, I did pay with my money but took hers and kept it aside. She still doesn't know I do intend to give it back to her. She did notice she didn't get back any change from her $40. When we walked out, I asked her if she knew how I always feel having to buy presents for all her birthday parties, she grabbed my finger and said "Yes, Mummy".
I'm relieved now as I do notice she knows how to not just spend whatever money she has on silly Barbie dolls. It used to be a hard time when she has $5 and insist on buying a Barbie becos it cost $4.99. She knows now that is she keeps it and collect more money she can buy a better toy. She did frown when one day she was forced to take out more money to pay sales tax. Poor girl was given an early dose of Uncle Sam. Oh.. now I remember, we were at a nursery and this nursery sold this cute plant called Sensitivity plant. I recognized this plant and refused to pay $4 for it. I told her she could buy it with her own money and she did the next time we went to that nursery again. Reason why I didn't pay $4 for that plant was it was the Malaysian "Touch Me Not or Malu Malu". You know the one where you touch it and it will close its leaves... yes I wasn't going to pay $4 for a WEED. Gilly gladly brought out the $4 to only find out she had to pay a few more cents because of Uncle Sam. She sure wasn't happy with Uncle Sam.
I've also introduced her to donation, 2 weeks ago, she helped me fold all her brother's new clothes. I paid her $5 for that tasks. Before you start saying I'm crazy for paying her $5, let me explain that it was alot.. ALOT of new used clothes. It was 2 full loads of clothes to fold. Clothes that even me and her daddy didn't want to fold. She surprised me by folding all. Guess $5 does work wonders for now. Even when my hubby question my judgement.. I told him, "Look you didn't even want to fold it and she did, dont' you think she should get that $5?" He kept quiet. Back to donation, I gave her the money before we went to church and there was this envelope assigned for a Church in Africa, I asked her if she wanted to donate to this African church. She gave me the puzzled look and I told her how her $1 will help pay for alot of kids' food in Africa. She quickly said OK. then asked if $1 was enough. I told her we donate how much we think we can afford. Happily she put the $1 into the envelope and I could see she was proud when she put the envelope into the collection basket during Mass.
I guess every parent goes through the money factor with their kids. I hope I can bring up a child that will not abuse her credit card once she is in college. For now, I'm enjoying seeing my girl is trying to figure out how money works. Please free to let me know your experiences with your children about money.
Continue reading...
I remember when she started going to her classmates house to play, she would come home telling me that her friend has a walk-in closet and she wants one too. Another time when we drive by the single family houses, she tells me she wants a house that has 3 car garage. I've always told her that only daddy works so we can't afford a bigger house.
Then came the time when she would ask for a baby sister, mind you Greg was already 5 months old. She would keep asking and coming up with suggestions too, she would say her baby sister can wear her old baby clothes. Another time she told me that we could have a baby sister because she is not wearing anymore diapers, the baby could have her share of diapers. Everytime I would have to tell her "No, because only Daddy works we can't afford it". I asked if she wanted to go to daycare while I go work but she would have to stop her Ballet classes and preschool. So she knew mum working is a bad idea. Finally she came up with the cutest 4 year's old toddler logical suggestion... "Mummy, why don't you have more husbands. That way you have more money and we can have more babies". I could stop laughing while driving her from preschool. Note.. alot of times this topic would come up while to or from preschool. What a good suggestion.... More husbands = more money.. hahaha
Last week, Gilly was invited to a birthday party. I only had $10 in my wallet that day and I jokingly told her, "Gilly, you have more money in your wallet than I do, why don't you buy the present since you are the one invited". She had this serious look meaning she is thinking about it and she said "OK". So off we went to Target, as usual I found a gift that cost $20 and told her to look for some cute lip gloss as gifts as well. I saw this 3 lipgloss pack for $4.29 and picked out one, next thing I hear is Gilly pointing to this single lipstick pack and said "mummy, this one". I told her no, just buy the 3 pack one.. and then I hear this protest "Mummy, NO... this one cost only $2 while that one cost $4.29. This one is cheaper". I smiled and said "oh.. when mummy pays you just grab anything but when you pay.. $4.29 is expensive???" At the cash register, I was tickled to see her expression when the cashier told us "your total is $31.80", Gilly gave that pitiful sigh cos she had to dig out all her $40. I grin cos now I know my daughter knows the value of money. By the way, I did pay with my money but took hers and kept it aside. She still doesn't know I do intend to give it back to her. She did notice she didn't get back any change from her $40. When we walked out, I asked her if she knew how I always feel having to buy presents for all her birthday parties, she grabbed my finger and said "Yes, Mummy".
I'm relieved now as I do notice she knows how to not just spend whatever money she has on silly Barbie dolls. It used to be a hard time when she has $5 and insist on buying a Barbie becos it cost $4.99. She knows now that is she keeps it and collect more money she can buy a better toy. She did frown when one day she was forced to take out more money to pay sales tax. Poor girl was given an early dose of Uncle Sam. Oh.. now I remember, we were at a nursery and this nursery sold this cute plant called Sensitivity plant. I recognized this plant and refused to pay $4 for it. I told her she could buy it with her own money and she did the next time we went to that nursery again. Reason why I didn't pay $4 for that plant was it was the Malaysian "Touch Me Not or Malu Malu". You know the one where you touch it and it will close its leaves... yes I wasn't going to pay $4 for a WEED. Gilly gladly brought out the $4 to only find out she had to pay a few more cents because of Uncle Sam. She sure wasn't happy with Uncle Sam.
I've also introduced her to donation, 2 weeks ago, she helped me fold all her brother's new clothes. I paid her $5 for that tasks. Before you start saying I'm crazy for paying her $5, let me explain that it was alot.. ALOT of new used clothes. It was 2 full loads of clothes to fold. Clothes that even me and her daddy didn't want to fold. She surprised me by folding all. Guess $5 does work wonders for now. Even when my hubby question my judgement.. I told him, "Look you didn't even want to fold it and she did, dont' you think she should get that $5?" He kept quiet. Back to donation, I gave her the money before we went to church and there was this envelope assigned for a Church in Africa, I asked her if she wanted to donate to this African church. She gave me the puzzled look and I told her how her $1 will help pay for alot of kids' food in Africa. She quickly said OK. then asked if $1 was enough. I told her we donate how much we think we can afford. Happily she put the $1 into the envelope and I could see she was proud when she put the envelope into the collection basket during Mass.
I guess every parent goes through the money factor with their kids. I hope I can bring up a child that will not abuse her credit card once she is in college. For now, I'm enjoying seeing my girl is trying to figure out how money works. Please free to let me know your experiences with your children about money.
October 23, 2007
Win a Kiddix Computering Software from Momviews.net !!!
What is Kiddix?? Its an operating system that allows us parents to monitor our kids internet activities without having to worry about sickos out there preying on our children.Here are the Kiddix Platform key benefits:
- Kiddix is designed from the ground up with your family's needs and safety in mind. Kiddix provides for children ages 5-10 an entertaining environment which includes: a word processor, calendar, email, web browser, educational material, games, a separate account for each child, and a suite of innovative parental controls and monitoring tools. It is estimated that building a comparable system using traditional PC software would cost well over $700 and not include any games or educational material.
- Kiddix is hassle free for parents - translation: Kiddix is simple to set up!
- Kiddix is designed to keep your children secure. From day one we chose to base out software on Linux and open source software because the threat of viruses, malware, worms, and spyware is almost non-existent. This is compared to a traditional PC operating system, which has over 200,000 variants of malware attacking at the speed of the internet.
- Kiddix creates a brick wall between your data and your children. Your child will not be able to access any files outside his or her own account inside the Kiddix Platform, making the system much more secure.
- Kiddix can be installed on most PC's and next to your current operating system, so there is no need for extra hardware to be lying around.
Win a Kiddix Computing Software from Momviews.net. 2 winners will be chosen. Each at $75.00 Value
There are 2 easy steps and 2 easy ways to win:1) You simply make a unique post about Kiddix and MomViews, in your own blog/site with a link back here at MomViews.net
-OR-
1) Email 3 of your friends about this contest with a link back here and CC'd to momviews@gmail.com - Subject: Kiddix
2) At Momviews.net, you must comment below so they can be directed to your blog/sites and or expect an email from you.
Contest will run from Oct. 23 - 28th and a winner will be announced on Oct. 29th. Good luck!
October 22, 2007
Lemongrass Chicken
Tomatoes in my garden are ripening and I dont know what to do with them. I've been making too much ABC soup until Greg is sick of it. I browsed thru Gertrude's blog and saw this tempting recipe and today, I plucked a few red chilies from the garden and tried out this recipe. Do check out her blog as she is very creative. I was amazed at her idea of using roti pratha to make something else.
We all loved it and because it wasn't hot enough, Gilly was able to enjoy the dish too.
Continue reading...
We all loved it and because it wasn't hot enough, Gilly was able to enjoy the dish too. 
Lemongrass Chicken
Ingredients :
- Half Chicken (wash and cut into bite size pieces)
- 2 tbsp of turmeric powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 lemongrass - smash it with the back of your knife
- 1/2 cut of coconut milk
Blended Ingredients :
- 2 tomatoes
- 5 red chillies
- 1 big onions
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1" ginger
1) Marinate chicken with salt, pepper and turmeric powder for an hour.
2) Blend the blended ingredients and set aside.
3) Heat up some oil in the wok and brown the chicken on both side. It don't have to be cook. Dish out and set aside. Remove the oil and leave about 2 tablespoon in the wok.
4) Saute the blended ingredients until fragrant.
5) Add in the chicken and lemongrass and stir fry for a few minutes.
6) Add in the coconut milk and simmer until the dish is dry and chicken is cook.
7) Check seasoning and dish out.
8) Serve with warm rice
October 10, 2007
My Neglected Baby
Koh Weng Shan, Shan as we all call him is my 1st baby. He is my 9 years old shih-tzu whom I've had since he was 12 weeks old. He was the one that was pampered for 2 years. He was groomed daily and got to go everywhere I went. He got to sleep on my bed and would jump to top of the backseat(where the speakers are located) whenever we went out in the car. Then came the day we brought Gilly back from the Hosp. Poor Shan was pushed aside for sometime. Now he wasn't allowed to get onto the bed as we feared he would eat baby Gilly. I didn't have any time to brush his hair anymore and we started getting him the "Puppy Cut". Gone are his long long lovely hair that got tied up. I think he likes it short, sometimes when I try tying his front hair, he does a funny dance and next thing I know the rubber-band is gone.
I sound so terrible neglecting this dog when my kids were babies. Funny thing is this dog has not blamed me for the "neglect". He has been a wonderful dog to my kids. My kids when they were babies had abused him but he never once growled or bit them. I've been very fortunate to have such a loving dog.
When Gilly used to cry in her crib, he would run to the doorway to see her then coming running into the kitchen to look at me, then run back to Gilly. He would go back and forth until I would go check on Gilly. Later when Gilly was in her Terrible 2, I would catch her pulling his beard and lifting him up. His front paws would be up in the air and he would just wriggle to free himself off her. He never yelp to say he was in pain nor did he growl.
I once caught Greg, when he was also 2, pulling Shan from one end of my foyer to the other (about 30 feet distance). Oh... I forgot to mentioned Greg was pulling him by his tail. And this Dog just let Greg have his fun. He just walked away the moment Greg let go off him. No... He has never bitten my kids.
He thinks he is getting a treat, that's why he is doing his "stand"
2)Greg is now touching the fur
Continue reading...
I sound so terrible neglecting this dog when my kids were babies. Funny thing is this dog has not blamed me for the "neglect". He has been a wonderful dog to my kids. My kids when they were babies had abused him but he never once growled or bit them. I've been very fortunate to have such a loving dog.
When Gilly used to cry in her crib, he would run to the doorway to see her then coming running into the kitchen to look at me, then run back to Gilly. He would go back and forth until I would go check on Gilly. Later when Gilly was in her Terrible 2, I would catch her pulling his beard and lifting him up. His front paws would be up in the air and he would just wriggle to free himself off her. He never yelp to say he was in pain nor did he growl.
I once caught Greg, when he was also 2, pulling Shan from one end of my foyer to the other (about 30 feet distance). Oh... I forgot to mentioned Greg was pulling him by his tail. And this Dog just let Greg have his fun. He just walked away the moment Greg let go off him. No... He has never bitten my kids.
He thinks he is getting a treat, that's why he is doing his "stand"
He has had this red ball since he was a few weeks old.
These few photos below were taken in sequence:
1) Greg is eyeing on the dog.
2)Greg is now touching the fur
3) Greg going for the kill...
No.. we quickly got the dog to sit up before any harm came to him and YES we did wash Greg's hand. Greg was about 10 mths old when this photo was taken.
What prompted me to blog about Shan was an incident that happened 2 days ago. From 10 am till 4pm, Shan was acting weird. He kept running into the kids' bathroom and I kept calling him out. Not only did he run into the bathroom, he would be sitting in the bathtub. Yes, weird. I concluded that he was telling me he wanted his bath. I do bath him about every 2 weeks even when I do send him to the groomer. So there I was thinking "wow my dog is so smart". hahaha.. Even when Gilly came home she notice Shan running into the bathtub and also thought he wanted a bath. I was busy doing 3 loads of laundry and at 4pm, with Gilly home we went down to get the last load. Only then Gilly notice that his drinking bottle was empty. hahaha.. all this while Shan wanted was WATER... and I guess in his doggie world, bathtub = water= thirsty. There goes my theory that my dog is smart.
I do have to admit he is very well trained. ahem ahem.. by me. Before the babies came, I had all the time in the world to train him. He does obey certain hand signals and I don't have to scream "sit" or "come here" or "stand". He doesn't run out of the door whenever he sees the door open. He doesn't go into our bedrooms and doesn't jump onto sofas as he knows he is not allowed to do so. Believe it or not, he used to pee and pooh on command. Hubby took over the duty of walking him for his "relieves' and didnt' bother using those commands. So Shan doesn't respond to those commands anymore. He is basically a bright, loving and adorable dog.
Only damn setback now is that he doesn't get hugs from me anymore nor is he allowed to lick me. 2 years ago, I found out I was allergic to him. That explained alot about the bumps that I get whenever he licks my hands and legs. I do give him a pat here and there but I've to make sure I wash my hands right away. That also explained why I'm always congested. The day I found out I was allergic to my Dog, I told myself that Shan is family and I do not get rid of family. I just know now on certain days where pollen content is High to take anti-histamine.
If anyone who is thinking of getting a dog and are planning to have babies anytime soon or have small kids now. Think of getting a Shih Tzu. They just have a sweet personality that they will do well with your babies.
October 8, 2007
Kuih Bingka Ubi
I found this recipe from Lily Ng's blog. Tried it a few times and my family loves it. I'm surprise my hubby likes it alot as he usually doesn't care too much for our Malaysian kuihs. I made this kuih last weekend for Sunday's After Mass fellowship. A fellow Malaysian who just joined our church had volunteered to cook curry chicken and bak kut teh. Feeling bad, I thought maybe I'll make some snacks. To my surprise, the mainly Chinese church members who mainly comes from Hong Kong and China loved the Kuih Bingka and even asked for the recipe. Here is a photo of it, I kept a few pieces for my neighbor to try and he loved it too.
Continue reading...
Like what Lily said, in USA its easy to make because we have frozen cassava and canned coconut milk. Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
1 lb grated tapioca(cassava)
1 cup sugar
1 cup coconut cream and 1 tbsp for glazing
1 stick (4 ozs) butter
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
Method:
1) Grease a 6" x 6" square tin.
2) Preheat oven at 375 F
3) Mix all the ingredients in a large glass bowl and microwave on high 1 minute at a time until mixture is thick.
4) Pour into greased tin and bake for 30 minutes.
5) Glaze the top with 1 tbsp of coconut cream and broil/grill until brown.
6) Cool before cutting into pieces.
Note: if you use frozen cassava, remember to squeeze the water before mixing in Step 3.
October 4, 2007
Being Thankful
** ADDing ** Today is October 4th, 2007, exactly one year ago, I lost my baby who was only 11 weeks old. Baby Drew as I call him/her, would have been born April 30, 2007 if he/she was strong. God has plans for Baby Drew and my loving Grannies would take good care of my baby for me. Baby, you are in my mind everyday. We all love and miss you.***
**NOW BACK to BEING THANKFUL**
A week ago, I received my latest Reader's Digest and I put it in its usual spot, next to my throne. Yes I consider it my light reading and its funny how I still manage to finish it before the next subscription arrives. I read it page to page and this month's was just as enlightening as last month's articles. Until I came to one article written by Deborah Norville... and no it wasn't about celebrity gossips that I usually connect this writer to. I was surprise at how her article impacted me. It was about being thankful. Two simple but powerful words.. "THANK YOU".
We often take things for granted. Our lives, our spouses, our kids, our parents, etc. Sometimes when we get that sinful "self-pity", we think the whole world is against us or when we see our friends driving a lexus and us in our beat up car... We must remember how lucky our lives are and be thankful for what we have.
When I read her article, I understood what she was writing about. I've experienced a few hard hits in my life where even at my lowest point, I told God that I trust that he has a plan for me and I'm just holding on until the rough ride is over. I always believe when one door slams hard at you, another opens for you. Was it hard to say Thank You for that experience?? It was, but I've learnt when you are grateful for what you have, you are a happier person.
There are days when money is a big issue for us. Being a single income family, I guess alot of us find it hard to do many things except pay for the house mortgage, car payments, utility bills, food for the family, and children's classes. There are days, I long to fly back home to visit my parents and see my one nephew that I've yet to meet. There are days where I see my gfs going on a shopping sprees and not having to worry about $$$. Sometimes I'm guilty of feeling self-pity but you know what... I realize I'm lucky to have a loving husband who helps me out alot with the kids. He is the one that will wake up middle of the night to go check on the kids. He is the one that will make sure the kids have enough to eat when we are at a party. He is the one that will walk away from his group of friends to let our kids have a blast of their time playing something while I get to chat with some friends. For that.. money isn't everything. I would not trade anything for him. Although sometimes I want to kick his butt for watching TV all the time hahahahaha... Ling, if you are reading this... Thank You.
My parents, I've never appreciated my parents until the day I became one. I then understood my mom more. I remember I wrote her a nice card thanking her. I wrote every word from my heart and alamak... she thought I bought the card from Hallmark. I'm sad that I don't get to see them that often and knowing they are getting older makes it harder for me when I can't get to be with them. I'm so grateful that now with the modern technology, I get to call them on SKYPE at a cheaper price. Mom, sometimes we have our misunderstandings but know your words are powerful to me. I may not see eye to eye with you but alot of times, they do help me. Thanks MOM... Daddy hates to flying but would make himself fly all the way to Chicago just to see my kids. Dad, knowing everytime an opportunity comes for you to go somewhere, you always say "No, I rather go visit my grandkids in Chicago". Whenever I hear that... it shows me how much you love me and my kids. Thanks Dad.
My brother and sisters... You know how much I appreciate you guys. Clara is like a Santa Claus to my two kids. Whenever they see a box delivered.. even when its not from her.. They think its from their E.E. Your visit to Chicago was the highlight of our year. We love having you here and wish you would move here. Even when our kids fight, it may be stressful but I'm glad to see them have their fights cos its part of them bonding. Edwin, the calls that you make to us.. even just for a chat means the whole world. You checking on us once in a while and always thinking of the kids.... Thank you. Ian, my brother in law and Jennifer, my sister in law, Thank You for being wonderful in laws especially to my parents. Your respect and love for my parents means alot to me. I know how miserable some parents are when their in laws treat them badly and you both have been good to my parents.
I've been blessed with many friends. Some friendships as old as I am... You know who you are and I thank you for being my friends. Your friendship not only means during good times but also when I'm down. You guys put up alot with me and know that you are always in my mind. Your opinions have always made me a better person. Being a stubborn friend, I may not see eye to eye with you sometimes but even when you think your words don't mean a thing, they are at the back of my mind and slowly I would see what you mean. You, my friends do not force your opinions on me but they do influence me and for that, Thank You. Some "friends", that I've stopped putting priority, you will always be in my heart and prayers. You may not hear from me anymore but that does not mean I've forgotten you. I just can not deal with you and your negativities anymore. I need to put you aside as we have nothing in common anymore. Somehow you keep showing me an ugly side of you that I refuse to let cloud my days. I do not hate you nor despise you. I just hope one day you will be happy. I do Thank You for the years of happy friendship we have.
My recent trip back to Iowa, I found out that my old lady boss passed away. When I left my job, I left on bad terms. She listened to a new person who was suppose to be my new boss. He told her untruthful things about me not knowing he had to get rid of me because I knew he wasn't qualified for the job. Imagine a bed-truck drive without even an undergraduate degree being a director of IT?? I shared an office room with him and discovered his incompetence but he was smart in playing politics and convince lady boss to rid of me. She did that as she was blinded by this person and even believe him when he told her me and the system administrator are putting virus into the computer network. Actual truth was the system administrator was helping me out at the library computer, we where working on y resume as I was out of a job. I needed his help as I knew alot of technical things but didn't know how to write them into a resume. Now.. why would a system administrator want to put virus into a network where he would have to correct later???
Lady boss didn't realize that.. she was too blind. Oh Well.. I never went back to the office until I heard that joker was fired and escorted out by security a year later. By then I was married and Gilly was a year old, we went into my old office and I walked into her room to say Hi to her. She had that "guilty don't know what to say" look on her. She tried to say something and I knew being a 70 year old lady, it was hard for her to apologize. I quickly told her, "Mrs Kimball, don't worry about it. I am grateful for what had happened. Because of you, I have my family. Because of you, I was forced to move to Chicago to look for a job. Because of you, I got to see this wonderful guy more often and we got to date and I'm now married to him. Because of what you did, I now have a daughter. I have no bitterness over what you did. I'm grateful for how my life has turned." The expression on her face was one where a tonne of weight had lifted from her. We hugged and it felt good. It was nice to hear her tell Gilly "Here, this butterfly is from Grandma Kimball". I got to see her one more time and I'm glad we made our peace. I hope she has a good time up there now.
When I read this article in Reader's Digest, it all made sense because I went thru bad times and said there will be good out of this. And I now have some silly article to validate that being Thankful does help you in your life.
Do try reading it when you can ..
here is the link. http://www.rd.com/content/the-new-science-of-being-thankful/
Continue reading...
**NOW BACK to BEING THANKFUL**
A week ago, I received my latest Reader's Digest and I put it in its usual spot, next to my throne. Yes I consider it my light reading and its funny how I still manage to finish it before the next subscription arrives. I read it page to page and this month's was just as enlightening as last month's articles. Until I came to one article written by Deborah Norville... and no it wasn't about celebrity gossips that I usually connect this writer to. I was surprise at how her article impacted me. It was about being thankful. Two simple but powerful words.. "THANK YOU".
We often take things for granted. Our lives, our spouses, our kids, our parents, etc. Sometimes when we get that sinful "self-pity", we think the whole world is against us or when we see our friends driving a lexus and us in our beat up car... We must remember how lucky our lives are and be thankful for what we have.
When I read her article, I understood what she was writing about. I've experienced a few hard hits in my life where even at my lowest point, I told God that I trust that he has a plan for me and I'm just holding on until the rough ride is over. I always believe when one door slams hard at you, another opens for you. Was it hard to say Thank You for that experience?? It was, but I've learnt when you are grateful for what you have, you are a happier person.
There are days when money is a big issue for us. Being a single income family, I guess alot of us find it hard to do many things except pay for the house mortgage, car payments, utility bills, food for the family, and children's classes. There are days, I long to fly back home to visit my parents and see my one nephew that I've yet to meet. There are days where I see my gfs going on a shopping sprees and not having to worry about $$$. Sometimes I'm guilty of feeling self-pity but you know what... I realize I'm lucky to have a loving husband who helps me out alot with the kids. He is the one that will wake up middle of the night to go check on the kids. He is the one that will make sure the kids have enough to eat when we are at a party. He is the one that will walk away from his group of friends to let our kids have a blast of their time playing something while I get to chat with some friends. For that.. money isn't everything. I would not trade anything for him. Although sometimes I want to kick his butt for watching TV all the time hahahahaha... Ling, if you are reading this... Thank You.
My parents, I've never appreciated my parents until the day I became one. I then understood my mom more. I remember I wrote her a nice card thanking her. I wrote every word from my heart and alamak... she thought I bought the card from Hallmark. I'm sad that I don't get to see them that often and knowing they are getting older makes it harder for me when I can't get to be with them. I'm so grateful that now with the modern technology, I get to call them on SKYPE at a cheaper price. Mom, sometimes we have our misunderstandings but know your words are powerful to me. I may not see eye to eye with you but alot of times, they do help me. Thanks MOM... Daddy hates to flying but would make himself fly all the way to Chicago just to see my kids. Dad, knowing everytime an opportunity comes for you to go somewhere, you always say "No, I rather go visit my grandkids in Chicago". Whenever I hear that... it shows me how much you love me and my kids. Thanks Dad.
My brother and sisters... You know how much I appreciate you guys. Clara is like a Santa Claus to my two kids. Whenever they see a box delivered.. even when its not from her.. They think its from their E.E. Your visit to Chicago was the highlight of our year. We love having you here and wish you would move here. Even when our kids fight, it may be stressful but I'm glad to see them have their fights cos its part of them bonding. Edwin, the calls that you make to us.. even just for a chat means the whole world. You checking on us once in a while and always thinking of the kids.... Thank you. Ian, my brother in law and Jennifer, my sister in law, Thank You for being wonderful in laws especially to my parents. Your respect and love for my parents means alot to me. I know how miserable some parents are when their in laws treat them badly and you both have been good to my parents.
I've been blessed with many friends. Some friendships as old as I am... You know who you are and I thank you for being my friends. Your friendship not only means during good times but also when I'm down. You guys put up alot with me and know that you are always in my mind. Your opinions have always made me a better person. Being a stubborn friend, I may not see eye to eye with you sometimes but even when you think your words don't mean a thing, they are at the back of my mind and slowly I would see what you mean. You, my friends do not force your opinions on me but they do influence me and for that, Thank You. Some "friends", that I've stopped putting priority, you will always be in my heart and prayers. You may not hear from me anymore but that does not mean I've forgotten you. I just can not deal with you and your negativities anymore. I need to put you aside as we have nothing in common anymore. Somehow you keep showing me an ugly side of you that I refuse to let cloud my days. I do not hate you nor despise you. I just hope one day you will be happy. I do Thank You for the years of happy friendship we have.
My recent trip back to Iowa, I found out that my old lady boss passed away. When I left my job, I left on bad terms. She listened to a new person who was suppose to be my new boss. He told her untruthful things about me not knowing he had to get rid of me because I knew he wasn't qualified for the job. Imagine a bed-truck drive without even an undergraduate degree being a director of IT?? I shared an office room with him and discovered his incompetence but he was smart in playing politics and convince lady boss to rid of me. She did that as she was blinded by this person and even believe him when he told her me and the system administrator are putting virus into the computer network. Actual truth was the system administrator was helping me out at the library computer, we where working on y resume as I was out of a job. I needed his help as I knew alot of technical things but didn't know how to write them into a resume. Now.. why would a system administrator want to put virus into a network where he would have to correct later???
Lady boss didn't realize that.. she was too blind. Oh Well.. I never went back to the office until I heard that joker was fired and escorted out by security a year later. By then I was married and Gilly was a year old, we went into my old office and I walked into her room to say Hi to her. She had that "guilty don't know what to say" look on her. She tried to say something and I knew being a 70 year old lady, it was hard for her to apologize. I quickly told her, "Mrs Kimball, don't worry about it. I am grateful for what had happened. Because of you, I have my family. Because of you, I was forced to move to Chicago to look for a job. Because of you, I got to see this wonderful guy more often and we got to date and I'm now married to him. Because of what you did, I now have a daughter. I have no bitterness over what you did. I'm grateful for how my life has turned." The expression on her face was one where a tonne of weight had lifted from her. We hugged and it felt good. It was nice to hear her tell Gilly "Here, this butterfly is from Grandma Kimball". I got to see her one more time and I'm glad we made our peace. I hope she has a good time up there now.
When I read this article in Reader's Digest, it all made sense because I went thru bad times and said there will be good out of this. And I now have some silly article to validate that being Thankful does help you in your life.
Do try reading it when you can ..
here is the link. http://www.rd.com/content/the-new-science-of-being-thankful/
October 2, 2007
Busy Busy Busy but Busy with What???
I've been very quiet for hmm... a long long time. I feel so guilty when I look at my blog and notice its still the same mooncake entry. hahaha. I guess my regular interest readers must be wondering if I'm alive or busy or sick as I've not breathe a word here.
I've to admit that I can't seem to find time to do everything. At the end of a Friday night, I'll look back at my week and wondered what I've produced. I'm shy to say... NOTHING!!!!
Yes, I did take the kids out on a rainy day on Sept 25th for them to walk around with their lantern. Nobody burnt their lantern as I was smart this time to use Playdoh to hold their candles. The kids got to only walk for 15 minutes as that was about the window period of dryness. Poor kids... its ok... we will save the rest of the lanterns for next year. Some of the kids didn't get to walk with us as they thought it would rain the whole time. I do have their photos but have not uploaded them. Will do so if they are any good.
I'm just basically the "Secretary of Transportation" these days.
Mondays, I send Greg to school for his 2 hour session, then I'm busy cooking dinner for Monday and Tuesday because I teach piano on Tuesday.
Tuesday, I run around doing errands and when Gilly gets home, I only have 15 minutes to deal with her snack and homework. Then my student arrives, by the time I'm done with 3 students, its dinner time and also check on Gilly's homework.
Wednesday is when I drive Greg to his Pre-school and later his Speech therapy and in between I'm cooking dinner. Then when Gilly gets home she has to snack and finish her homework before I drive her for her cartooning class. In 2 weeks her cartooning class ends and her Brownies begins. Yes she is a Brownie, just like I was during Primary school days.
Thursday is when I get to "relax" abit but that is when I try to catch up with housework and dinners for Thursday and Friday. Sigh... if only I can afford Molly Maid... dream lah....
Friday... that is where Greg has preschool then when Gilly comes home she dashed up to change to her ballet outfit and we rush out for Ballet.. and when we come home, I bring home another student for piano lessons. Then dinner.. that is when if I don't cook on Thursday, we just eat chinese fried rice. Chinese restaurant in my place is basically chop suey.. so we only order Fried rice and Singapore noodles.
Now... see when I look back at my week, it seems like I didnt' do anything or rather there is nothing to show of my "productivity". Yes, some of you are laughing thinking of me teaching piano. Alot of us went through hell during our young days preparing for the ABRSM and I guess my years of youth torture has paid off abit. I do enjoy teaching the few girls that I have. I don't charge alot as I do have my 2 kutus upstairs while I teach. I do not like the fact my kids have to stay in my room while I teach and decided to not take in anymore students. Occasionally my student will hear me scream at my kids to "SHUT UP" while I teach. Hey.. other places charges $15 per 30 minutes session so they are getting a deal. Its nice teaching these kids and knowing I'm not terrorizing them like how my teacher did to me. It took my college Professor to show me playing piano in a different light.
I notice cooking seem to be something that I have to do all the time. No wonder I'm so bulat.. haha
My 2 kutus are now fighting even more. Sometimes I wonder what I can do to lessen it. My boy has learnt to sit on his sister when they fight. He grunts alot now when he is angry and I just got 3 minutes of it this evening when I told him no more butter cake. Anyone with any good ideas?
Oh.. Gilly did come home with her 1st progress report and she did get all As. Since the C fiasco, she now gets scared if she gets a B. Am I asking too much? I've been asking myself this question alot these days. I don't want to push my kid too much. She has gotten used to her regular school schedule. I do have a timetable printed to help her remember what to do. At least now its all words. I remember during her early Kindergarten days, I had to use clipart pictures to represent, school bus or breakfast or bedtime stories.
The show "House" is starting and I guess I'll keep you posted with my activities later.. perhaps tomorrow??
Continue reading...
I've to admit that I can't seem to find time to do everything. At the end of a Friday night, I'll look back at my week and wondered what I've produced. I'm shy to say... NOTHING!!!!
Yes, I did take the kids out on a rainy day on Sept 25th for them to walk around with their lantern. Nobody burnt their lantern as I was smart this time to use Playdoh to hold their candles. The kids got to only walk for 15 minutes as that was about the window period of dryness. Poor kids... its ok... we will save the rest of the lanterns for next year. Some of the kids didn't get to walk with us as they thought it would rain the whole time. I do have their photos but have not uploaded them. Will do so if they are any good.
I'm just basically the "Secretary of Transportation" these days.
Mondays, I send Greg to school for his 2 hour session, then I'm busy cooking dinner for Monday and Tuesday because I teach piano on Tuesday.
Tuesday, I run around doing errands and when Gilly gets home, I only have 15 minutes to deal with her snack and homework. Then my student arrives, by the time I'm done with 3 students, its dinner time and also check on Gilly's homework.
Wednesday is when I drive Greg to his Pre-school and later his Speech therapy and in between I'm cooking dinner. Then when Gilly gets home she has to snack and finish her homework before I drive her for her cartooning class. In 2 weeks her cartooning class ends and her Brownies begins. Yes she is a Brownie, just like I was during Primary school days.
Thursday is when I get to "relax" abit but that is when I try to catch up with housework and dinners for Thursday and Friday. Sigh... if only I can afford Molly Maid... dream lah....
Friday... that is where Greg has preschool then when Gilly comes home she dashed up to change to her ballet outfit and we rush out for Ballet.. and when we come home, I bring home another student for piano lessons. Then dinner.. that is when if I don't cook on Thursday, we just eat chinese fried rice. Chinese restaurant in my place is basically chop suey.. so we only order Fried rice and Singapore noodles.
Now... see when I look back at my week, it seems like I didnt' do anything or rather there is nothing to show of my "productivity". Yes, some of you are laughing thinking of me teaching piano. Alot of us went through hell during our young days preparing for the ABRSM and I guess my years of youth torture has paid off abit. I do enjoy teaching the few girls that I have. I don't charge alot as I do have my 2 kutus upstairs while I teach. I do not like the fact my kids have to stay in my room while I teach and decided to not take in anymore students. Occasionally my student will hear me scream at my kids to "SHUT UP" while I teach. Hey.. other places charges $15 per 30 minutes session so they are getting a deal. Its nice teaching these kids and knowing I'm not terrorizing them like how my teacher did to me. It took my college Professor to show me playing piano in a different light.
I notice cooking seem to be something that I have to do all the time. No wonder I'm so bulat.. haha
My 2 kutus are now fighting even more. Sometimes I wonder what I can do to lessen it. My boy has learnt to sit on his sister when they fight. He grunts alot now when he is angry and I just got 3 minutes of it this evening when I told him no more butter cake. Anyone with any good ideas?
Oh.. Gilly did come home with her 1st progress report and she did get all As. Since the C fiasco, she now gets scared if she gets a B. Am I asking too much? I've been asking myself this question alot these days. I don't want to push my kid too much. She has gotten used to her regular school schedule. I do have a timetable printed to help her remember what to do. At least now its all words. I remember during her early Kindergarten days, I had to use clipart pictures to represent, school bus or breakfast or bedtime stories.
The show "House" is starting and I guess I'll keep you posted with my activities later.. perhaps tomorrow??
September 21, 2007
Mooncakes!!!!
I had a knock on my door yesterday to find a box for me.
When I opened it, I notice who sent it to me and was pleasantly surprised.
I usually will have to pay to get a parcel from them. hehehehe giggles all the way to the kitchen.
Voila!!! When I opened it, I saw a pretty box.. yes.. its Mooncakes.
Mooncakes from Taukeh Raymond See of My Taste of Asia (www.mytasteofasia.com).
Thank You So Very Much!!!!! I wished we had MyTasteofAsia 10 years ago when I was still living in Iowa. Just to get to a chinese grocery store was a 2 hour drive. I'm glad now I don't have to bug my sister to send me stuff. Malaysians living in USA especially those living in smaller cities must be relieved that they can now get authentic Malaysian food supplies. My kids love Mamee noodles which is so much cheaper than that Japanese version called Baby Star.
Now.. how many years have I not tasted Mooncake??? Hmmmm... I took a bite from those in Chicago Chinatown and found them way too sweet and never ate anymore. So its been about 12 years since I've eaten one good one. I don't take things too sweet and usually look for the yolk as that would balance the sweetness of the mooncake.
I took a bite at the Lotus Paste Mooncake and to my surprise it wasn't that sweet. I tried the Pandan flavored and liked it too. I had never tried anything besides the lotus paste and beanpaste. The pandan variety was something different. I remember when I was young and my mom had put in a quartered mooncake into my tupperware. hehhee I remember a few days later when I opened my tupperware.. I found my "moldy" mooncake. I guess being away from the mid-autumn celebration for so long, we do appreciate our culture that we took for granted. I am gonna savor my mooncake. Will let you know later if my kids will like it. I blog when they are at school.
I'm planning to get a few kids in the neighborhood to walk with my rascals carrying the paper lantern. During my mom's last trip, I told her to get me lots of paper lantern as they are so expensive here. Must remind my mom to go get more again as I'll be running out of it pretty soon. Last year we had 8 kids that had fun walking around with their strange lantern.
Pandan Flavored
Continue reading...
When I opened it, I notice who sent it to me and was pleasantly surprised.
I usually will have to pay to get a parcel from them. hehehehe giggles all the way to the kitchen.
Voila!!! When I opened it, I saw a pretty box.. yes.. its Mooncakes.
Mooncakes from Taukeh Raymond See of My Taste of Asia (www.mytasteofasia.com).
Thank You So Very Much!!!!! I wished we had MyTasteofAsia 10 years ago when I was still living in Iowa. Just to get to a chinese grocery store was a 2 hour drive. I'm glad now I don't have to bug my sister to send me stuff. Malaysians living in USA especially those living in smaller cities must be relieved that they can now get authentic Malaysian food supplies. My kids love Mamee noodles which is so much cheaper than that Japanese version called Baby Star.
Now.. how many years have I not tasted Mooncake??? Hmmmm... I took a bite from those in Chicago Chinatown and found them way too sweet and never ate anymore. So its been about 12 years since I've eaten one good one. I don't take things too sweet and usually look for the yolk as that would balance the sweetness of the mooncake.
I took a bite at the Lotus Paste Mooncake and to my surprise it wasn't that sweet. I tried the Pandan flavored and liked it too. I had never tried anything besides the lotus paste and beanpaste. The pandan variety was something different. I remember when I was young and my mom had put in a quartered mooncake into my tupperware. hehhee I remember a few days later when I opened my tupperware.. I found my "moldy" mooncake. I guess being away from the mid-autumn celebration for so long, we do appreciate our culture that we took for granted. I am gonna savor my mooncake. Will let you know later if my kids will like it. I blog when they are at school.
I'm planning to get a few kids in the neighborhood to walk with my rascals carrying the paper lantern. During my mom's last trip, I told her to get me lots of paper lantern as they are so expensive here. Must remind my mom to go get more again as I'll be running out of it pretty soon. Last year we had 8 kids that had fun walking around with their strange lantern.
Kam Lun Tai Mooncakes. Isn't the box pretty?
Lotus Paste with Double Yolk
Pandan Flavored September 20, 2007
Steamboat Dinner
Notice the amber glowing under the pot?? Yes, its the old traditional charcoal ones and not the easy gas type.
Kids showing off their new spoons
Last night we just had our first steamboat dinner. My mom gave me her precious steamboat 5 years ago on one of her visits and finally after all these years of collecting dust, we finally put it to good use. I'm sure she would have chuckle seeing photos of my rascals having fun with her steamboat.
The kids had a blast throwing food into the pot and fishing what they liked. We had to be extra careful with Greg as he was capable of tipping the table. He did listen when we told him what would happen if the soup were to fall on him. Yet we still kept an eye out for him. Gilly is bigger now and enjoys picking her own food.
However because we started it later than expected, we ended up feeding the mosquitoes too. Yes we did use the citronella candles but... it wasn't 100% efficient. The kids want to do it again and we may just start earlier this Sunday. Oh.... we had to go borrow charcoal from our neighbor too hahaha.. so hopeless lah me. Good thing was he started the fire for his BBQ pit so it was just nice. I had nice hot coal without having to do the hard work. Phew!!!
Below are a few photos of my "baby" growing up so fast and I've can't find my remote control to pause his growth. He is now in the 4-year preschool program and he just enjoys it. Next year he turns 5 and will be in Full-Day Kindergarten and he is looking forward to sitting the yellow schoolbus that his Ci-ci has been sitting for the past 3 years. My baby is getting very cheeky (mischevious) and yet loving too. He tries to help me "mop" which sometimes when I'm in a rush and finds it "tin tay"( hokkien for in the way) but its ok.. he is enjoying it plus its training time for him later on. He doesn't know he has to mop the floor when he is older.
September 19, 2007
Grandparents Day
My Daughter's Grandparents Day celebration was yesterday. In one of my postings I did mention how she didn't want to go to school. I did make a nice t-shirt with photos of her grandparents on it. She loved it as it was a surprise for her. She woke up finding the t-shirt hung on her closet door.
A week ago, she brought up the topic again and this time asking me, her dad or someone to go for that day. She was desperate to even suggest one of her uncles and aunts. I had to explain that its hard for someone to take a day off. It was hard to hear her say "I'm going to be all alone on that day".
For a week, this Grandparent Day has been mulling in my mind. I finally decided that I'll go and Daddy will have to take the day off to watch Greg.
I was one of the youngest "Grandma" in the class. hahaha... They had a little card with individual student's name on it that the grandparents were to sign. Gilly brought me hers and I signed on behalf of my parents. Oh!!! when I walked into her classroom, her teacher was at the door to greet me. She quickly remarked "I liked Gillian's shirt. We got her to come up and show all of us her t-shirt and talked about how far her Grandparents lived". So, Thanks Godma MJ for that suggestion. It sure made her feel special.
After looking around the classroom (like I've never been in that class) we proceeded to the lunch room to have a light lunch. We found a spot to sit and Gilly loved her treat of Flakes chocolate. I know.. I'm not suppose to bring unhealthy food to school but hey... its Grandparents Day and Grandparents are suppose to SPOIL their Grandkids!!!
As I reached home, I had about 3 minutes (that is how near her school is to our house) drive to reflect on the Grandparents Day. I am SO GLAD that I did go on behalf of her Grandparents. She was correct about being all alone if we didn't go. Most of the kids had their grandparents there. Alone sitting at his desk was a Boy who didn't have anyone there. Even when the whole room was filled with kids and their grandparents, nobody noticed him. He said his grandparents were not coming and they didn't speak English. He was so miserable and when I asked if he wanted to join Gilly and I for lunch, he put his head against his table and didn't answer me. A few minutes later I saw his eyes were all red. I empathize with him as I know that would have been Gilly if I wasn't there. Later when Gilly went to him to ask him to join us, she came running happily telling me that his Aunt came. That was nice but being late too didn't help.
Lesson learnt, listen to the subtle signs from our kids when they cry out for help. And follow our motherly instinct. I know some will say our kids have to cope with whatever that comes their way but no matter what, as a mom if I can help... I will, no matter how busy or "unimportant" it seems.
Here are a few photos of her t-shirt for Grandparents Day.
Continue reading...
A week ago, she brought up the topic again and this time asking me, her dad or someone to go for that day. She was desperate to even suggest one of her uncles and aunts. I had to explain that its hard for someone to take a day off. It was hard to hear her say "I'm going to be all alone on that day".
For a week, this Grandparent Day has been mulling in my mind. I finally decided that I'll go and Daddy will have to take the day off to watch Greg.
I was one of the youngest "Grandma" in the class. hahaha... They had a little card with individual student's name on it that the grandparents were to sign. Gilly brought me hers and I signed on behalf of my parents. Oh!!! when I walked into her classroom, her teacher was at the door to greet me. She quickly remarked "I liked Gillian's shirt. We got her to come up and show all of us her t-shirt and talked about how far her Grandparents lived". So, Thanks Godma MJ for that suggestion. It sure made her feel special.
After looking around the classroom (like I've never been in that class) we proceeded to the lunch room to have a light lunch. We found a spot to sit and Gilly loved her treat of Flakes chocolate. I know.. I'm not suppose to bring unhealthy food to school but hey... its Grandparents Day and Grandparents are suppose to SPOIL their Grandkids!!!
As I reached home, I had about 3 minutes (that is how near her school is to our house) drive to reflect on the Grandparents Day. I am SO GLAD that I did go on behalf of her Grandparents. She was correct about being all alone if we didn't go. Most of the kids had their grandparents there. Alone sitting at his desk was a Boy who didn't have anyone there. Even when the whole room was filled with kids and their grandparents, nobody noticed him. He said his grandparents were not coming and they didn't speak English. He was so miserable and when I asked if he wanted to join Gilly and I for lunch, he put his head against his table and didn't answer me. A few minutes later I saw his eyes were all red. I empathize with him as I know that would have been Gilly if I wasn't there. Later when Gilly went to him to ask him to join us, she came running happily telling me that his Aunt came. That was nice but being late too didn't help.
Lesson learnt, listen to the subtle signs from our kids when they cry out for help. And follow our motherly instinct. I know some will say our kids have to cope with whatever that comes their way but no matter what, as a mom if I can help... I will, no matter how busy or "unimportant" it seems.
Here are a few photos of her t-shirt for Grandparents Day.
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