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Monday 30 December 2013

Farewell 2013

What is your New Year Eve plan?

Ours is to huddle at our home windows for the KLCC fireworks, eating oat porridge for supper and kissing The Little Girl on her chubby cheeks. Hopefully Bean won't cry, and if he does, he will very safe and secure in our arms joining us for this family tradition we started since moving here in 2011.

To think that this time, last year, he was but a bean. Look at him today, a 6 month-old with chuckles when tickled and twinkle in his eye when he smiles.

The Little Girl has grown physically and emotionally. She was the only child who became an elder kakak when her brother was born, she who fought her battles in sibling rivalry so zealously when she didn't need to as we have more love than ever for her. If only she would embrace that truth. In time, in sha Allah.

Good bye, 2013. Thank you for all the wonderful, memorable days, including those filled with trials and tribulations.

May Allah s.w.t. Bless us all abundantly in our strive to be better. 

With much love from my family to yours, Happy New Year!
Friday 27 December 2013

Islamic Arts Museum


So moving, I teared. 


Awestruck the entire time we were there!


SubhanAllah! 

If only we can afford the second piece above for our dining hall wall which is still bare, begging to showcase rare, raw, abstract art as these. I am not sure if they are even for sale.

Do you know of any other local artist with such style whom you can recommend? Thank you for your kindness in advance.


One Day At A Time


Don't grow up too soon, kiddos!

When we first had The Little Girl, my MIL use to compare her endlessly to her youngest cousin brother, who was born 3 months earlier. 

Don't we all agree that the difference of 3 months is a HUGE difference when it comes to babies?

Well.

I cannot stop my MIL from doing what she likes. So over the years, I had developed a "keep-myself-sane" tactic to shell myself from kiasuism. That way, she gets to say whatever she fancies, I just smile and move on. Every time I let slip, I get into trouble - so I learnt the hard way to just zip it.



Now with Bean, he is very blessed not to have any cousin his age. The fortune in not spending too much time with my MIL has also shielded him from this verbal comparison.

The Other Half and I are more than happy to let him achieve his milestones at his pace. No pressure. We did not coach him to roll over. Or crawl. Or eat. Or speak. We just let him be confidently himself. 



Sure, we care for him, sing and read lovingly, give him lots of cuddles and kisses etc. same as we do for his elder sister. 

Whenever we see my MIL and she starts putting negative ideas into our heads, we negate those for Bean through a silent prayer. Why speak negativity into life?

Let's just seize the moment, enjoy him being a baby, kiss those cute toes and snuggle up to warm fuzzy head that smells like butter cookies.

Bless!

Crinkle Cutter

Crinkle cutter was added to the Lakeland shopping list for my MIL to help me purchase one unit as I failed to hunt one down in KLCC and Bangsar Village.

When we were at One World Hotel for a staycation, we saw this by chance, at Aino One Utama Old Wing!


Needless to say, it is half the length of the crinkle cutter I had in mind. Beggars cannot be choosers, live with this I shall. 

Bean does find it easier to grip his vegetables and fruits, alhamdulillah!

Hope you enjoy baby led weaning as much as we do!

The Sususaurus Updates

The Little Girl was breastfed directly for 35 months before she was introduced to drinking Anmum formula (and started acting weirdly, going off solid foods - but to name a few).

We then tried switching her to UHT fresh milk. Her hormones started getting out of whack. The Other Half and I started researching into hormones injected into cows to produce more milk, faster; just to meet human demands. The reality is that humans do not really need cow protein or calcium in order to grow as alternatives in organic beans and legumes can be far more superior.

However, we were too late into the game. The Little Girl had grown attached to her bottle and nightly routine. So we thought of the next best option.




When the above supply run out, we have another brand. Same thing, different paddock.


We are still feeding her organic cow milk. Seriously, I feel that it is a little bit on the expensive side due to air freight charges whatnots that makes it RM13/litre.

The Sususaurus drinks about a litre per day. 

Please share with me, if you know of a better option. Is organic goat milk better, since it is also sunnah? Can we just replace with organic soya milk without jeopardising her hormones?

Help!

Potty Training Updates


Fact: Public toilets in Malaysia are often wet, dirty and smelly. Including the RM2 ones at KLCC, on high traffic days.

Remedy: Lifesavers such as this potty liner. 

Caution: Do not flush after use. Kindly dispose in the bin after use.

Lessons For Me, Myself and I


I am not that mother in purple. Far from it. I am here to share with you the hard, cold truth. Then commiserate and encourage each other on this tough, thankless path. 

The solace is, Islam places a lot of importance on the role of a mother in nurturing her children. And how we are to treat our own mother (MIL included, I automatically assume).

I fall short. Both ways. 

May Allah s.w.t. grant me ease and grace in this challenge, Amin!

Why Won't I Hug and Kiss Some People


No hard feelings. If you are just a friend, and I used to shake your hands or peck your cheeks but no longer do it, the above chart explains it so well. Heck, even my BIL gets none, not even on Eid.

I think a polite smile without gazing for too long will suffice for business meetings. 

Some folks think I am over-doing it. Whatever. This is my struggle, my journey. They can go and find their own challenge.

On the other hand, those within my mahram still get the TLC. Especially children.

*end of rant*

Astronaut Food

The packaging looks like the kind of food I had imagined astronauts would pack along on a return trip to ISS but I know my knowledge in such a topic is fairly limited.


All I know is, these are the most convenient, hygienic, travel easy, fuss free, organic purée Bean enjoys eating. 

There are days when this "ibu mithali" just wants to have it easy without loading up on the guilt bank balance.

What do you feed your young eater while on the go? Do share!

Thursday 26 December 2013

The Hunger Striker & The Ferocious Eater


Yes, I have this and readily confess that it makes my life that much easier. 

The Little Girl is on her second spell of hunger strike but drinking more organic cow milk. Wish me luck. Coaxing her to eat is a theatrical act. Consistently driving me nuts too, but I have to remain calm/collected/constant in practice...I often feel exasperated and remind myself that patience is key in faith. She likes cooking and baking, but not eating. Please suggest more ideas that I can try out!

On the other hand, her younger brother loves eating. Bean prefers to hold, cut and mash his own food so I don't always have to purée his meals. He has semi self-weaned breastmilk at breakfast, lunch and dinner time. Still feeds directly before his morning nap, his afternoon nap and evening before sleeping. On a good night, he is happy to sleep 7 hours before needing more. Alhamdulillah!

Do consider purchasing the book or App,  especially if you have a pre-schooler/toddler and baby combo; and have run out of cooking steam. I mean mojo.

Bon appetit and happy cooking!
Wednesday 25 December 2013

The Tired Mother

Sure, I have lots of laundry and ironing to do nightly, so much to catch up with the back log; that I sometimes shudder whenever The Little Girl has another change of clothing. Never mind Bean because somehow he is fine and clean despite eating. 

Emphatise with me. Tell me it is ok. Tell me you would feel the same fatigue as I do.

Just don't come and paint a silver lining behind my dark clouds.

Shoo!

Go away.

"Let's just be grateful we have clothing to wear and laundry to do."

First world problems, you'd say. I am so selfish, I'd agree. 

Sigh. 

Can never win in this empathy vs. sympathy dilemma. 

In conclusion, let me get this off my chest then back to work; and work on that pile till it is gone. Even if it is just for an hour.

The Bag Lady

Who does the packing of luggage when the family goes for vacation in your household?

I always do.

I start with the itinerary, so that I can zero in on the packing list for each member of the family. The big luggage that we use is then divided into imaginary quadrants for space budgeting.

Once everything is packed into its respective boxes/ziplock/towel wrap/nappy lined rolls/long rectangle Tupperware/LockLock (for keeping the awning of my slip on headscarf/tudung express in shape), I would line the entire luggage with unsewn kain sarung before bundling everything in. That is to keep the luggage lining clean. Anal, but preserves the cleanliness!

If any items were outstanding, a post-it note is placed on top so that I can easily place said missing item in once ready. When the packing is completed, and after zipping up, I always lock the luggage with a sigh of relief with a silent prayer of the luggage not going missing in transit.

Once we arrive, I always unpack and put away the luggage until the time comes for packing up to go home.

If travelling overseas, I split everything down the middle to be filled into two luggages. In the unfortunate event that one of the luggage goes  missing, we can survive for at least a day or two until the missing luggage is located/rerouted to us/have sufficient time to shop for new clothes after claiming insurance.

Please, please, please share with me your packing tips. Mine is tedious, I know. Bows head in shame.

Note To Self

"The believer sees his sins as if he is sitting at the foot of a mountain fearing that it might fall on top of him, while the sinner sees his sins as a fly that lands on his nose, he just waves it away. ['Abdullah b. Mas'ud]"
 
With that, bye bye to my tights, skinny pants and skinny jeans. Camel toes no more, even if it is hidden under a long blouse/shirt. You'd just never know. My last few occasions being out in the humid tropical weather with head scarf and all had been tough. Kept reminding myself that hell is hotter. Faith is being tested, plenty.
 
Also deleting of my ranting mojo about my SIL, MIL and own Cinderella complex. Inhale, exhale.  
 
Let 2014 be a renewed journey, and improvement of self. Amin!
 
Do share your new year resolution! I'd love to be inspired by yours.
Friday 20 December 2013

Assalamualaikum

Hello again! We are back from the suburban-year end shopping getaway at One World Hotel (the suites come highly recommended).

Well, LaundryMonster is being fought as I type this. Can only get to the details of the staycation after this battle. 

On the home front, my SIL will be home this weekend. All by herself. Business class return. How awesome is that? Two whole weeks without her 5 kids! I'd say she well deserves this treat!

Here is an early Happy Winter Solstice Festival and Merry Christmas. Happy New Year 2014!

My new year resolution are as follows:
1. Keep my temper in check.
2. Keep my mouth shut when angry.
3. Say nothing if there isn't anything nice to say (quiet blog this will be!).

Tough year ahead! Wish me luck and keep me in your supplication. 
Saturday 14 December 2013

Another Staycation

We are desperate parents looking for an easy way out, what can we say?

Hopefully this one will work out too!
Friday 13 December 2013

The Gardens Residences

The Other Half and I swiftly decided on this year end 4D3N treat as we have "first world problem" of not being able to shop properly at The Gardens and Mid Valley Megamall with 2 kids under 5 in tow.

We went, we shopped and we like it!



Even Bean approves of the 2 bedroom serviced apartment! We did lug along the Philips Avent 2-in-1 Steamer/Blender to purée some of his meals.

Favourable reviews to be updated...got lots to unpack now!
Saturday 7 December 2013

Stay-cation

Yes, you read right.

Again.

In the same city, different postcodes.

Why we love stay-cation is because we tend to take the city for granted, so it is nice to play tourist once in a while and try to fall in love with the city. 

The main advantages include the fact that we can cut short the holiday if we need to as it is within driving distance, have access to our usual world class medical care, and pack the kitchen sink along if we so fancy.

Speaking of the kitchen sink, Bean has the most luggage because we now have to bring his Phillips Avent 2-in-1 steamer/puree maker along. I figured it would be easier to cook his simple meals than trying to find something he can eat at the hotel...

Wish us luck!  
Wednesday 4 December 2013

Gymboree, Here We Come Again

By "we", I mean all 4 of us.

Yes!

Hampshire Mummy & The Little Girl are going to Level 7 Play or Arts III. The play school will be shut until January 2014, so we need to find filler activities until then and this seems like a worthwhile solution. We can't afford to go on vacation and stay-cation for a whole month!

The Other Half & Bean will be joining Level 1 Play. That is going to be a fun start for the nearly 6 month old kiddo, and The Other Half.

Oh, what an exciting year end this is going to be!

How do you fill your toddler and young baby's time? Do share!

Baby Led Weaning Progress


Preheat oven to 190C.
 
Cut organic vegetables to bite size, arrange on top of baking sheet in a non-stick grilling pan. We have a corn cob, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots and courgette/zucchini as photographed above.
 
Drizzle with some olive oil or give the cut vegetables a light butter wash.
 
Grill at 190C for 20 minutes.
 
Serve immediately and check temperature before feeding.

 

Please pardon the poor quality photo, I was in a hurry to serve dinner to the impatient starving kids.

Well, Bean skipped the corn (that was The Little Girl's dinner). He ate some sweet potatoes, pumpkin, zucchini and carrots. Yes, we did cut off the little burnt bits. But of course.

The almost 6 month old boy still has to work on his grip - as I could not find a crinkle cutter in KLCC, BSC and BV (the consequence of which The Grandparents have been assigned to purchase intended crinkle cutter from Lakeland at York, hopefully they can find one!).

Bean has two bottom incisors and coupled with strong suckling motion, he can eat up a decent portion of fruits and vegetables without choking. It does feel like food is being vacuumed out of my hands, and the mess is less than what of a bowl of puree can do. Alhamdulillah!

At the moment, he eats by sitting supported in his Stokke Tripp Trapp newborn cushion, under hawk eye supervision. When not eating, we do let him sit unsupported for a few minutes before catching him just in time before he topples over (a very cute sight of head being heaviest part of body!). In sha Allah, he will sit independently soon and we can upgrade him into the Stokke Tripp Trapp Toddler Set, and keep the IKEA Antilop for picnics at the sky deck.


How is your little one eating? Do share your weaning tips and recipes!