Kids being kids, they love beautiful colours. Auni has been pestering me to help her to bake rainbow cupcakes. Problem was, we didn't have all the colouring. So the trip to Phoon Huat over the weekends achieved this.
Finally, she got to bake her rainbow cupcakes.
This is indeed a hit with the little ones. My cousins and nephews who came over our place requested me to help them bake too.
Here is a video of Auni with her rainbow cupcakes.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Indulge...
I love to indulge in sweet stuff like once a week.
My all-time favourite dessert is the Red Velvet Cupcakes. I first saw this about 2 years ago on Bobby Flay's Throwdown. Here's my daughter sharing on how to bake red velvet cupcakes :)
My all-time favourite dessert is the Red Velvet Cupcakes. I first saw this about 2 years ago on Bobby Flay's Throwdown. Here's my daughter sharing on how to bake red velvet cupcakes :)
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
On Allowing Your Child to Eat Sweet Stuff
I've had some concerned friends asking me whether I allow my child to consume lots of sweet stuff especially after reading Auni's blog and watching her video on baking (her blog is http://itsybitsyskitchen.blogspot.sg).
Truth is, I allow my child to eat chocolates and such once they are above 2 years of age. But of course, as a parent, I am concerned about their health. So, I only allow them to indulge in the treat about once a week.
Auni loves to bake. And since it is a very good hobby, I encourage her to do so. She searches the YouTube for baking ideas and will share with me what she wants to bake. For now, it is a weekly kind of thing (I hope we can still do this even when I've returned to work).
However, Auni does not always eat what she bakes. She loves the act of baking itself, but not the end product. For e.g. she prepared the No Bake Lemon Cheesecake for hubby and me but she didn't have any for herself. Reason being, she does not like cheesecakes. But she loves to make them. Auni loves chocolates. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate. I give my kids dark chocolate. We have a bar of Old Gold dark chocolate stored in our house.
I know of parents who totally do not allow their children to consume sweets or chocolates and no fast food either. And giving their child purely organic food. Like I've said, I'm not one of those parents. I allow my children the occasional indulgence. I'm sure those parents have their reasons for doing so.
What about you? Do you allow your child to eat sweet stuff?
Truth is, I allow my child to eat chocolates and such once they are above 2 years of age. But of course, as a parent, I am concerned about their health. So, I only allow them to indulge in the treat about once a week.
Auni loves to bake. And since it is a very good hobby, I encourage her to do so. She searches the YouTube for baking ideas and will share with me what she wants to bake. For now, it is a weekly kind of thing (I hope we can still do this even when I've returned to work).
However, Auni does not always eat what she bakes. She loves the act of baking itself, but not the end product. For e.g. she prepared the No Bake Lemon Cheesecake for hubby and me but she didn't have any for herself. Reason being, she does not like cheesecakes. But she loves to make them. Auni loves chocolates. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate. I give my kids dark chocolate. We have a bar of Old Gold dark chocolate stored in our house.
I know of parents who totally do not allow their children to consume sweets or chocolates and no fast food either. And giving their child purely organic food. Like I've said, I'm not one of those parents. I allow my children the occasional indulgence. I'm sure those parents have their reasons for doing so.
What about you? Do you allow your child to eat sweet stuff?
Friday, September 7, 2012
On Tandem Breastfeeding
So here's the promised blog on tandem breastfeeding:
After I was sent to the ward, my family came shortly after and brought along my 2 girls. Auni and Ulfa were excited to see me and the baby (though i think they were more excited to get the gifts hubby and I bought for them :) we told them that the gifts were from the baby).
We named the baby, Nuha. Auni and Ulfa both kissed the baby. Talked to me. I think Auni talked to me more. Ulfa was more interested in the toys. Auni was afraid that I was in pain and she kept on stroking and kissing Nuha. She has always been very caring towards her family members. When it was time for them to go home, they both hugged and kissed me. Both Ulfa and Auni went back with my brother and sister-in-law So after my delivery, I was discharged the next day with my baby. On the day I was discharged, my hubby brought along my 2 girls to fetch me and Nuha from the hospital.
When we got home, Ulfa was still alright seeing me nurse Nuha. It was during nighttime when she wanted to be breastfed too. I told her to wait till after I nursed Nuha. So after nursing the baby, I nursed the toddler. The next day, everytime Ulfa saw me nursing Nuha, she wanted to feed too and this time, she refused to wait. She will cry, wanting to nurse at the same time. So, I had to feed Nuha on one side, and Ulfa on the other.
It was actually quite funny to see one small baby and a toddler nursing side by side...as days drew on, it got quite tiring too. It was too trying to position both together to feed. Plus when Nuha had her growth spurt, Ulfa wants to nurse at every feed.
So I did what I think all mothers have to do at one point of time. I had to "sweet talk" her. I had to persuade her to stop breastfeeding. It was tough at first. Every time she cried, I caved in and breastfed her.
Finally, she stopped nursing completely after 2 weeks of "sweet talking". I must say that it was a join effort by hubby and me. Hubby also participated in the "sweet-talking" and persuasion. He would carry Ulfa and distract her when I was feeding Nuha.
Now, if you ask Ulfa whether she wants to be breastfed, she will say, "No, Ulfa's 2 years old. Ulfa drink milk from cup." :)
I had envisioned myself breastfeeding Ulfa for 2.5years. But I only managed to do it for 2yrs 3mths. Nevertheless, I am proud of myself for having achieved thus far. Now breastfeeding Nuha, I hope I can do as well too.
I really salute those mothers who are into total breastfeeding. It is no easy feat. But the bond it creates, it is simply special :)
After I was sent to the ward, my family came shortly after and brought along my 2 girls. Auni and Ulfa were excited to see me and the baby (though i think they were more excited to get the gifts hubby and I bought for them :) we told them that the gifts were from the baby).
We named the baby, Nuha. Auni and Ulfa both kissed the baby. Talked to me. I think Auni talked to me more. Ulfa was more interested in the toys. Auni was afraid that I was in pain and she kept on stroking and kissing Nuha. She has always been very caring towards her family members. When it was time for them to go home, they both hugged and kissed me. Both Ulfa and Auni went back with my brother and sister-in-law So after my delivery, I was discharged the next day with my baby. On the day I was discharged, my hubby brought along my 2 girls to fetch me and Nuha from the hospital.
When we got home, Ulfa was still alright seeing me nurse Nuha. It was during nighttime when she wanted to be breastfed too. I told her to wait till after I nursed Nuha. So after nursing the baby, I nursed the toddler. The next day, everytime Ulfa saw me nursing Nuha, she wanted to feed too and this time, she refused to wait. She will cry, wanting to nurse at the same time. So, I had to feed Nuha on one side, and Ulfa on the other.
It was actually quite funny to see one small baby and a toddler nursing side by side...as days drew on, it got quite tiring too. It was too trying to position both together to feed. Plus when Nuha had her growth spurt, Ulfa wants to nurse at every feed.
So I did what I think all mothers have to do at one point of time. I had to "sweet talk" her. I had to persuade her to stop breastfeeding. It was tough at first. Every time she cried, I caved in and breastfed her.
Finally, she stopped nursing completely after 2 weeks of "sweet talking". I must say that it was a join effort by hubby and me. Hubby also participated in the "sweet-talking" and persuasion. He would carry Ulfa and distract her when I was feeding Nuha.
Now, if you ask Ulfa whether she wants to be breastfed, she will say, "No, Ulfa's 2 years old. Ulfa drink milk from cup." :)
I had envisioned myself breastfeeding Ulfa for 2.5years. But I only managed to do it for 2yrs 3mths. Nevertheless, I am proud of myself for having achieved thus far. Now breastfeeding Nuha, I hope I can do as well too.
I really salute those mothers who are into total breastfeeding. It is no easy feat. But the bond it creates, it is simply special :)
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Our Virgin Trip to SingKids @ Changi Airport T3
Last Friday night, hubby and i brought the kids to Changi Airport to eat Popeyes. We know that there is SingKids there so we decided to check it out. We reached there at about 8.30pm (coz we went after work).
I thought that they were going to close at 9.30pm, however, the branch at Changi Airport T3 opens till 11pm! Last admission at 10.15pm. The minute my girls saw the place, they wanted to play and forgot all about being hungry. So we let them play.
Their charges:
Off-peak - 2hrs playtime ($18). Admits 1 child & 1 adult
Peak - 1 hr playtime ($18). Admits 1 child & 1 adult
Subsequent hr: $10
Additional adult: $4
*Socks required. Can be purchased at $2 per pair.
I bought a Deal.com voucher online for SingKids that allows the kids to play for 3 hours. So we used that. We didn't have socks so we purchased it from them. A total of $8 for 4 pairs.
I must say that my kids really enjoyed playing there. The place is aged appropriate for kids especially those below 7 years of age (though their rule states 1 to 12 years old and that the kids have to be below 1.45m tall).
The pros:
Kid-friendly
Safe environment
No big kids running down the little ones so you need not worry about that
The Cons:
Only one - the place is kind of small. My girls were done playing in 1.5hours time. Or the probably realised they were hungry.
So after that we headed to Popeyes which is also in T3 and closes at 2am.
Overall it was fun there and my girls loved it. They actually requested to go there again :)
You can check out their website here.
I thought that they were going to close at 9.30pm, however, the branch at Changi Airport T3 opens till 11pm! Last admission at 10.15pm. The minute my girls saw the place, they wanted to play and forgot all about being hungry. So we let them play.
Their charges:
Off-peak - 2hrs playtime ($18). Admits 1 child & 1 adult
Peak - 1 hr playtime ($18). Admits 1 child & 1 adult
Subsequent hr: $10
Additional adult: $4
*Socks required. Can be purchased at $2 per pair.
I bought a Deal.com voucher online for SingKids that allows the kids to play for 3 hours. So we used that. We didn't have socks so we purchased it from them. A total of $8 for 4 pairs.
I must say that my kids really enjoyed playing there. The place is aged appropriate for kids especially those below 7 years of age (though their rule states 1 to 12 years old and that the kids have to be below 1.45m tall).
The pros:
Kid-friendly
Safe environment
No big kids running down the little ones so you need not worry about that
The Cons:
Only one - the place is kind of small. My girls were done playing in 1.5hours time. Or the probably realised they were hungry.
So after that we headed to Popeyes which is also in T3 and closes at 2am.
Overall it was fun there and my girls loved it. They actually requested to go there again :)
Super Mom on a Guilt Trip
Aren't we all super moms? We wake up at 6 every morning. Clean the house, get breakfast ready, bathe the kids, serve them breakfast, play with them, put them down for a nap, cook lunch, do laundry, serve lunch, clean up, wash up, take the kids with you to grocery shopping, play with them again, prepare dinner, clean up, read to the kids, put them to bed. And that's when we have OUR time. And then we sleep at 1am and wake up at 6am again and the cycle continues...
No, I am not complaining. As tiring as it is, I love being a mom. I love loving my children and I love being loved by them. But there are times when I feel like I am not doing enough for them. Like when I am doing laundry and they are playing with each other and I am thinking to myself that I could stop doing what I am doing and join them in their play. Or worst, when I take a short tv break, I feel really guilty. Why am I watching tv? I should be teaching them something, or play with them.
I have never left them to the care of anyone else just so that I can have a ME time. I know it is essential to have that. When I first had Auni, it was possible to do that. Now with 3 kids, it is almost impossible. Almost, but not entirely possible. Hats off to those women to manage to have a ME time to recharge. I have been spending too much time with my kids that if I leave them for awhile, I'll just be thinking about them all day long and won't enjoy myself.
Like when Auni goes to school, I miss her. When Ulfa and Nuha are asleep and I have already woken up, I miss carrying them and seeing their smiles. But I won't wake them up, no! I still have tons to do. Like blog...hehe...
Is there something wrong with me then for feeling this way. I feel like it is a sort of an attachment problem. Maybe I have grown too attached to my kids. I need to deal with this. Afterall, I'll be back to work next year. And honestly, that is something I am really not looking forward to.
No, I am not complaining. As tiring as it is, I love being a mom. I love loving my children and I love being loved by them. But there are times when I feel like I am not doing enough for them. Like when I am doing laundry and they are playing with each other and I am thinking to myself that I could stop doing what I am doing and join them in their play. Or worst, when I take a short tv break, I feel really guilty. Why am I watching tv? I should be teaching them something, or play with them.
I have never left them to the care of anyone else just so that I can have a ME time. I know it is essential to have that. When I first had Auni, it was possible to do that. Now with 3 kids, it is almost impossible. Almost, but not entirely possible. Hats off to those women to manage to have a ME time to recharge. I have been spending too much time with my kids that if I leave them for awhile, I'll just be thinking about them all day long and won't enjoy myself.
Like when Auni goes to school, I miss her. When Ulfa and Nuha are asleep and I have already woken up, I miss carrying them and seeing their smiles. But I won't wake them up, no! I still have tons to do. Like blog...hehe...
Is there something wrong with me then for feeling this way. I feel like it is a sort of an attachment problem. Maybe I have grown too attached to my kids. I need to deal with this. Afterall, I'll be back to work next year. And honestly, that is something I am really not looking forward to.
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