A Dollop Of Me - Woman. Wife. Mother.

Volkswagen Family Day - the Sharan

2013-05-21T00:50:00.001+08:00

As a Rise and Shine partner, my family and I were invited to the recent Volkswagen Family Weekend. I am a little late in writing about this, as it was Bun's birthday last week! We had relatives in town for the celebration, and it was few happy, busy days for us.

In short, I have to say that Volkswagen and Rise & Shine did a fabulous job. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and Bubbles has asked to go again!

There were hot mini burgers, roast potatoes, ice-cream with various toppings, juices, coffee and tea made available for all. I thought the food and drinks were generous, and was glad we came with empty stomachs.

As it was Mother's Day weekend, there was a lovely pampering corner just for mothers, where various OTO massage machines were placed for mothers to use. I managed to get a much needed leg massage while nursing Bun in here.

There were many activities planned for the kids, and this tricycle area was Bubbles' absolute favourite. Although she rides a bigger bicycle at home, this set-up with road markings and signs was really fun to her. We were there early so she had the opportunity to ride several times.

Social enterprise Nutriville was there to organise several food art activities for children, including coffee painting, vegetable printing, and working with dough. The simple art work made nice keepsakes for children to take home.

Of course, besides participating in all the various activities, we were also there to test drive the VW Sharan! We bought a new car just last year, so Bubbles knew what it meant to go for a test drive, and was terribly excited. This is how the car looks from the front:

We had to wait a while for the VW folks to fit in two VW car seats for our girls. I thought it was visually appealing to have such matching seats (considering our own our orange and brown!). Bun was facing forward for the very first time, and she too, was thrilled to be in a different car. She kept smiling and waving to the sales rep who was seated in front! Like that:

The dashboard, and my dashing man('s knees) ;)

I am one of those people who knew close to nothing about cars before I owned one. We bought our first car in 2008, and prior to that, I wasn't even able to identify many car brand logos. Yes, I was that bad. I am proud to say that I have come a pretty long way since then, mostly due to car education from Roboman, and reading his many car magazines scattered around our home.

That said, I will focus on describing a few key features that I really like about the Sharan - the technical features can be found in the last photo of this post, and also on the VW website. If you are familiar with the VW ads where members of a family wear helmets, that is for the Touran, a popular mini-MPV model. The Sharan is a newer model, and bigger car.

As expected for a VW, the 7-seater car is well-built and sturdy. The interior is spacious, and its seats had comfortable leather. The drive was smooth, and the car was nice and quiet.

I first noticed that the windows have built-in sun-shades. I love this practical feature! It serves its purpose while looking neat and beautiful. When aesthetics are considered along with real needs, it is a big plus in my books!

The car boasts a moon-roof AND a sun-roof. For those who are unfamiliar, the former is a glass roof, and the latter a roof window that opens up. As our current car also has a moon-roof, I must say that it is an excellent kid-friendly feature - it is great for distracting crying babies and especially fun when there are pretty Christmas lights to view! The sun-roof is an added bonus, and will be great for cool evenings - to get in some fresh air. Of course, the entire thing can be closed up at the touch of a button too; for hot, sunny days where all you want is shade.

As a family with young ones, and frequent live-in guests, we were especially interested in boot space. The back seats fold completely flat, excellent for large objects like suitcases and such. Otherwise, boot space is still generous, even with the seats up. We could easily fit two our our strollers in there.

I guess the most telling was when Bubbles declared during the test-drive:
I really like this car, Daddy! Can you buy it?

If we haven't bought a similar (albeit smaller) car so recently, I would be singing the same tune!

Kitchen Exploits: Mother's Day Red Velvet Cake

2013-05-14T22:23:00.000+08:00

I baked something beautiful over the weekend to commemorate Mother's Day. It was not for my mother however, who does not like sweet treats, but for a group celebration among close friends.

This, is a deliciously moist red velvet cake. I used this recipe by The Pleasure Monger, and am so happy that I did. My friends said it tasted like red velvet cake from a well-known bakery in town!

I have only eaten red velvet cake (and it was a cupcake) once ever in my life, and so I don't have a taste benchmark for how a good one should be. It was thus encouraging that the friends enjoyed it and likened it to good red velvet that they have eaten.

I followed every step in the recipe except for two:

1. I didn't have Dr Oetker food colouring, so I used a teaspoon of what I had, and additional water to make up 40ml. The shade of red of my cake can be improved!

2. I forgot to add butter to the frosting (oops), hence the ugly crack after refrigeration. I bake in such a rush these days that I make mistakes like these more often than I should.

Despite these two changes, the cake turned out beautifully. I am tempted now to make it for Bun's 1st birthday, although it does seem a rather grown-up a cake for a baby's birthday, don't you think?

Do you like the little flags I made?

The Kinfolk World

2013-05-09T23:49:00.003+08:00

It has been a while since I have read a book from cover to cover in one sitting. It is something I miss however, and do try to get some reading done by having my half-read selection of books peppered around the house. (Okay, maybe "pepper" is a bit of an exaggeration, it is more like a sprinkling of a few.)

Recently, during one of my late nights where sleep was sacrificed to quench supper cravings, I sat down to eat, and read this entire issue of Kinfolk Volume 7.

The beauty of its words and photographs drew and kept me in its world page after page, until I regretfully reached the back cover. It helped, I am sure, that this issue featured ice-cream, had beautiful colours of spring used liberally, and showed projects that we can actually do here in Singapore's sunny and wet weathers.

At the end, it dawned on me that while Kinfolk is not quite a book, something was to be said about its hold over me to have read every page without interruption. I am always in awe of artistic talents, and this publication has, very obviously, been created by gifted team of people.

This explains what Kinfolk is all about:

And this is one reason why we like to serve ice-cream :)

So here is my public service announcement...

Kinfolk Volume 8 is now available for pre-order. I have been stalking its appearance and accidentally pre-ordered three copies!

Kinfolk Volume 7 is still available, as is Volume 6.

Now, if only I can get my hands on Kinfolk Vol 1!

Baking failures

2013-05-07T23:47:00.001+08:00

So it is not like I haven't been messing about in the kitchen at all, but that the little I have done hasn't resulted in much good.

I have been trying out some cake recipes, mainly in preparation for Bun's 1st birthday. The thing about cake is that I can get a whole bunch of photos without worrying about my food getting cold. However, a nice photo does not mean the cake tastes good! (or good enough for me to write about!)

At this point, I have to thank a few friends and a kind neighbour for accepting my not-so-great creations. Otherwise, my fridge would be saddled with more cake than we can consume!

Therefore, sorry, I don't have a recipe to share yet, although hopefully I will soon, given that her birthday is coming up in a couple of days! Gulp.

A lychee mixture squashed between some failed sponge cake:

Keeping it simple with sweet mango and toasted almond flakes:

Don't ask:

Do you like my new, bright pink cake stand? It comes with a transparent dome cover too. I got the stand+cover for a steal (S$10)! Mighty pleased!

Speaking of buying stuff for the kitchen, I have been told that ToTT is having a Mother's Day Sale till 12 May! There are discounts of up to 30% on a selected range of products, including special bundles.

Go check out the sale if there has been something you are eyeing. I wouldn't mind this elegant Boska Cheese Knife Set!

ToTT's opening hours:

Mon‐Fri: 11.00am‐9.00pm
Sat, Sun & PH: 10:00am‐9:00pm

Getting things done

2013-05-03T00:32:00.001+08:00

Oh, hi!

Oh dear, it has been 2 weeks since I got my hands on a computer and written on this page. I do feel like a crap blogger these days! This year, it seems, has been a tough one as far as getting-things-done go. Especially things that require time away from my children.

In my plans were a number of projects blog-wise, that started promisingly with a mini makeover. I also wanted to experiment more in the Kitchen, and I did for quite a while until I had to consciously choose sleep to make up for an increasing sleep debt.

I have also been terrible at contributing towards the online community that used to be so much a part of my life. Jack-in-the-box behaviour - where I randomly pop in to make quick, almost desperate attempts to skim through blogs, forums, and FB groups/pages to catch up and leave a comment or two - seems to be all that is manageable these days. Most of these pop-ins are done on my smartphone while breastfeeding Bun and when Bubs is either in school or asleep.

We really hope Bun sleeps better soon (she averages 2 ultra mini naps a day, and sleeps 10.30pm-7.30am with 2-3 wakes a night) so that we have longer blocks of time to actually get things done! I have her 1st birthday celebration to plan for, a work project scheduled next month to prep, and a number of home projects to tackle. Her Paed reckons she is just one of those babies who has boundless energy and does not need as much sleep. She thinks that Bun will sleep better once she starts walking, and can be properly exhausted by bedtime!

Still, we are thankful to have experienced good portions of much-treasured family time. A recent stay-cation was a fantastic getaway, a refreshing pull out of the mundane. I hope to write more about it soon, and leave you now with a few photos:

Wordless Wednesday - Past their bedtime

2013-04-18T01:32:00.000+08:00

Shhh...Going Wordless with
Sakura Haruka
Mama to 4 Blessings

Review: Philips Avent Steamer Blender and Travel Feeding Set

2013-04-16T00:31:00.002+08:00

Being a mother second time around has resulted in me being familiar with products created to make life with babies and small children more convenient. There are things which I would definitely recommend, and some owned that I would not have bought with the knowledge I have today.

There are also a handful of items that I wish we got when I had Bubbles, and then wonder if we should buy them now, knowing that we are on to our second, and last baby.

One product that falls into this final category of items is the Philips AVENT Combined Steamer and Blender. Philips AVENT is a sponsor of Rise & Shine, and I was thrilled to be able to finally try out some of their products as a Rise & Shine partner.

Here is the steamer blender, next to some carrots and leeks about to be cooked:

Bun didn't start off caring much for solids, although her interest has been piqued a little since then. We give her a combination of soft, mushy food fed with a spoon, and larger pieces for her to hold and self-feed. The former is to actually get stuff into her system, and she now loves trying to feed herself this way too. We do lots of steaming and blending before mixing her food in a variety of stock.

Here's how a bowl of steamed and blended carrots look. It took only 2-3 short whizzes on the blender setting to get the carrots this smooth! You can create different textures and consistencies by adjusting steam and blend times.

After using this Philips Combined Steamer and Blender for a few weeks, I do wish we bought this earlier, especially since Bubbles had a big appetite as a baby! It is just a really nifty product to have and use. It works literally like the product information says: Steam, Flip, Blend and Serve.

Previously, we used to steam food in a pot before transferring the cooked food into a blender. This Steamer-Blender combination saves us washing time, and takes away all the fiddly transferring of hot food.

Besides the usual vegetables, we have also been using it to cook meat, to great results. Here is an example with some pieces of chicken:

A smooth puree of chicken:

The product comes with two useful recipe booklets (especially for first-time mothers), and a guide that lists the steaming time required for different type of foods. I really appreciated how this guide allowed me to do away with guesswork:

I would definitely recommend this product, especially if you are having your first child. It does reduce quite a bit of the hassle that comes with cooking nutritious meals for babies. I can see ourselves using this beyond weaning too, to make items for adult meals like soups, sauces and dressings.

The only drawback of this product was how every part was fitted so tightly together at the start. I took quite a while (and quite some physical strength) to figure out how to take the machine apart for use when I first received it. But that said, once we got that initial part out of the way, this product has been a dream to use! Love!
------

Philips AVENT and Rise & Shine also sent over this lovely BPA-free Travel Feeding Set. Bubbles has adopted it as her own now, since she is the one who regularly needs to have food on the go. The product specification states that this is for 6m+, so I believe it was made for mothers to feed their babies with, although I do feel it makes a great gift for a toddler/preschooler.

The set comes with leak-proof lids and a spoon that has its own compartment. There are two removable dishes with lids for smaller feeding portions or snacks.

My favourite part is the optional anti-slip suction mat that you can stick onto the bottom of the box to prevent slippage. This is great for new self-feeders or if your child has to eat in a moving vehicle. We have to try this on our next drive up to KL!

One of Bubbles' favourite (and simple) meals. Check out the large garlic pieces - she loves them this way!

We have also been sent a Toddler Mealtime Set - the bowl of which you see in the photos of the purees. They are BPA-free too, and have anti-slip bottoms. A safe and practical starter feeding set.

Bun has recently bitten a huge hole in the teat of her sippy cup, so we are going to let her try this Toddler Cup soon! She is already able to drink from a standard cup, so this is a great transition cup for her to self-feed as it has a spill-proof valve. I never knew of such cups when Bubbles was younger, and am glad to be introduced to them now!

(products c/o Philips AVENT and post sponsored by Rise & Shine)

Scratching an itch

2013-04-14T22:09:00.000+08:00

I stayed up on Saturday night to scratch an itch - a redecorating itch.

Do you love our new paper lanterns like I do? They lend a whimsical feel to our home and make me happy to see them.

Put up this pretty Home Sweet Home printable in a matching colour and rearranged stuff on our floating shelves.

(and yes, places to rest my eyes on are now mostly found in higher up places, away from the riot of kids' stuff)

Soul Food

2013-04-11T22:08:00.000+08:00

It has been a while. Hours have been long, but days short, and weeks even shorter.

Deliberately, choices made have been made. People over things. Face-to-face interaction over virtual ones. One-on-one conversations over group hangouts.

Alone time with
me.
the husband.
each child.

Time carved out with intention. To slow things down. To focus. To be centred. To make space to listen, to converse.

Time too, for important individuals in my life. Not all photographed. Still more, I have yet to meet. Slow it will be, a lesson I am learning, too used to multi-tasking and wanting things done fast.

Food, it seems, has been poured as an additional blessing through almost all these interactions. Nourishment for bellies and souls. Lovingly homemade, wisely money-made, and always shared.

And so, I have lived the last 2 weeks.

Choosing the slow over fast. Putting the brakes on where they matter.

What else do you do, to slow things down in a sometimes spinning world?

A Round-Up

2013-03-26T00:35:00.001+08:00

March has always been a hectic month for us. First of all, it contains both mine and the man's birthdays, and our wedding anniversary.

It is also when there is a 1 week school holiday in Singapore - and for us, a large part of this last week was about helping my kids get over their fevers/flu. This meant staying indoors - no playground (poor kiddos, and me!) and lots of enforced rest.

This year, I agreed to take on a few work projects, and one happened to fall on my birthday last week. I managed to complete it plainly through divine intervention. I slept less than 2 hours the night before, with the girls feverish, and Bun waking up every 45 minutes from her discomfort. Still, I somehow managed to be present, to listen with intent, and to facilitate to help deepen the discussions. I really do love my chosen work-work outside of home, and this experience has proven it to me yet again. It was an intense day which allowed for only one milk pump at lunch time. A horrible case of blocked ducts resulted, but it was worth it.

When the girls got better, we did random things like take them to the beach after a dinner at home. Bun slept the entire journey there and back (home-car-stroller-car-home), and Bubbles was so excited at the sight of the sea and sand despite how we could not see much as it was so dark. We do need to plan another beach holiday, as she keeps reminiscing about our Krabi trip!

I haven't had any energy to either experiment or photograph new dishes for Kitchen Exploits, although I would like to try making these delicious-looking cheesy meatballs, and have to start learning to make a new cake for Bun's first birthday in mid-May - maybe something pretty pink like this.

In other news, three people told me in the past week that Bun looks like a doll :) Well, this little doll now clearly says Mama, Papa, Merc (milk), and Meow Meow (for cat, don't ask). She has started "walking" with a push walker, and has become somewhat of an expert at crawling up stairs. She waves enthusiastically at all babies, children and animals, and often adorably rests her little head on me as a loving gesture. There are six pearly whites in her small mouth, and I think two more are showing signs of wanting to peek out. Her favourite things to chew on are footwear, cardboard and her toothbrush (in that order).

Because of Bun's activeness and need for less sleep, I find her much harder to care for than Bubbles at this age. But...and I say this with a sigh...she really gets away with her bad sleeping and eating habits because she is so darn cute.

And so, my friends, I think April is coming up. Too quickly!

Our 6th. Happy Anniversary to Us!

2013-03-21T12:25:00.000+08:00

It was our 6th wedding anniversary over the last weekend.

We enjoyed a beautiful dinner, and took in the view of the Singapore skyline.

Pink Champagne. My first taste of bubbly in a long time.

A deep, meaningful conversation. One that is long overdue.

We just needed the time, and the space.

We talked and talked.

We found ourselves on the same page, once again. Despite the differences that come from us being two individuals with diverse gifts and preferences, we still share the same desire to converge. To build our marriage, and our family.

The relationship has taken work. It has also been a blessing. To be with a lifelong confidante, lover, and fellow parent.

Happy 6th Anniversary my sweetheart! To a lifetime with you!

Wordless Wednesday - Swings

2013-03-13T22:05:00.001+08:00

Shhh...Going Wordless with
Sakura Haruka
Mama to 4 Blessings

The Baby and a Facial

2013-03-13T00:30:00.000+08:00

Bun has been keeping me up every.single.night.

She goes to bed at 8.30pm, and wakes up with a demanding cry at 2-hourly intervals all the way till 7-ish in the morning.

I open my eyes each day feeling like my quota of sleep has been snatched rudely from me. (Or a big fat headache, if you prefer the less poetic version).

But then, as always, I look at her happy morning smile, and somehow I get through the day.

I reckon it is partly my fault for not reinforcing habits for self-soothing. Mostly though, I do think it has got to do with her very active nature. She is one rambunctious little baby. Exploring is prioritized before milk and food, and she therefore pops awake several times at night to feed.

Non-stop, eh?
A parent at the playground recently commented, as he watched her tirelessly crawl up stairs and tumble around, avoiding the legs of older children.

She keeps wriggling!
Another parent said, as she helped carry Bun while I climbed over a low wall to retrieve a ball tossed by Bubbles.

I think I'm going to take her to explore indoor playgrounds while her sister is at school in the mornings. After all, as I have discovered, most have free entry for under 1yos.

For my sanity, I got to let some of her energy be spent in places where she is less likely to eat twigs, bugs, or people's footwear.

Oh, and where the many bumps and knocks she gets are a little more cushioned.

With this backdrop of extreme lack of sleep, and having to constantly keep up with an active baby, a complimentary Restorative Facial by Porcelain - The Face Spa was like my birthday came early.

I haven't had a facial in more than 6 years and felt like some restorative work was certainly in order. The thought of being being in a quiet, restful place, and to lie down uninterrupted for almost 2 hours really, really appealed to me. Even the me-time traveling to and fro was enticing.

The loves...

Porcelain's location along a distinctive row of shop houses, away from busy malls
Ample parking within a walking distance
Clean, cool and quiet interiors
Ingredients used in this new (and not yet up on their website) treatment - safe for pregnant and nursing mothers
Personalized product selections
The head and shoulder massage!!
Therapists wear no make-up, upholding a good, natural skin philosophy

Thank you, Porcelain, for a lovely afternoon!

In need of Families

2013-03-09T00:36:00.000+08:00

We recently celebrated Roboman's birthday.

I baked a simple cake, and Bubbles diligently frosted and decorated it. We had a lovely, lovely afternoon putting this surprise together.

There were a few funny moments:
Mummy, Daddy is NOT one year old! she exclaimed, when she saw the solitary candle I selected.
Is that older than anyone we know?! when told how old Daddy turned that day.

When Roboman got home, Bubbles was so excited that she forgot all about keeping the cake a surprise.

Running to him: Happy Birthday Daddy! There is a cake in the kitchen!

There were lots of hugs, giggles and smiles. Even Bun was thrilled that something exciting was happening.

Mummy, for my birthday, can you just make frosting without the cake?

So we celebrated, as a family. A blessing.

Although it was Roboman's birthday, it was not difficult to see that the whole experience was a happy one for Bubbles too - one that echoed the love in our family.

Sadly, there are children who do not have the privilege to have family who can provide a safe and happy haven for them. Here in Singapore, there is a call to seek foster homes for children whose parents or guardians are sick and unable to look after them; or, more heartbreaking-ly, who are abandoned, neglected or ill-treated.

These children need to be given a safe and stable environment where they can be looked after and cared for until they are able to their families or be adopted. This fostering scheme is being run by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).

There is an upcoming roadshow about the fostering scheme coming up in April. It will be a family-friendly event with caricature artists present to do sketches, and balloons being given out.

Do help spread the word!

Fostering Roadshow

Do you love children and want to help care for foster children in need of a temporary home?

19-21 April 2013 (Fri-Sat)
10.30am - 9pm
Atrium, United Square Shopping Mall, 101 Thomson Road (next to Novena MRT Station)
Admission is free

To find out more about the fostering scheme, please contact:
Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) Fostering Scheme
Tel: 6354 8799
or visit www.msf.gov.sg/fosteringmsf.gov.sg/fostering

Wordless Wednesday - Sisters

2013-03-06T23:56:00.000+08:00

Shhh...Going Wordless with
Project Alicia
Sakura Haruka

When it rains

2013-03-05T21:28:00.000+08:00

We spend most of our evenings outdoors.

Tummies full from an afternoon tea, and bodies rested from a nap.

Sometimes it rains, and our plans for cycling, scooting, walks or playground have to be shoved aside.

We don't always let the rain keep us indoors. Decked in wellies and ponchos, we clomp around.

And feel the rain on our faces.

Or stick our tongues out to taste the sky drops.

Clomp, clomp, clomp.

Making memories.

Gloobaloo and the Enchanted Forest Tickets Giveaway

2013-03-04T23:07:00.000+08:00

The March school holidays in Singapore are around the corner. Have you started making plans?

I have to work for a couple of days that week (agreed on the project before realizing it falls during the holidays!), but hope to make up for it by planning a few fun activities for Bubbles to enjoy.

Here's something you may want to take your kids to - a homegrown children's musical: Gloobaloo and the Enchanted Forest (16 March 10am) presented by Big Boat Studio. I have a pair of tickets to give away - scroll to the end of this post to read about it!

Gloobaloo is a curious and cute alien from Planet Global who has travelled to Earth on his Big Boat Spaceship. He wants to make new friends and learn all about Planet Earth and her environment. Journey with Gloobaloo's fun filled stories and see how he solves every problem with his magic and creative ideas.

In this performance filled with original songs and energetic dance choreography, Gloobaloo and all his friends are in search of the Fire dragon that is destroying the plant life in the forest. Together with Chirpy and Grumpy, the wacky twins, Gloobaloo will make new friends with the friendly and playful bird, Wikki Zikki, who has feathers as colourful as the rainbow. Watch the graceful mushroom fairies prance and dance, meet the ageless unicorn who is the guardian of the forest!

Come journey with them and see how this exciting story unfolds!

SHOW TIME:
Saturday 16 March 2013, 10am VENUE: Kallang Theatre
Tickets are sold at SISTIC at $40, $35, $30, $25 (restricted view)
Book online at www.sistic.com.sg or at SISTIC Appointed agents.
Check out Gloobaloo's performances here http://www.youtube.com/bigboatstudio
Be Gloobaloo's friend on http://www.facebook.com/gloobaloo

Leave your email address in a comment on this post to win a pair of tickets! Additional chances for each Facebook "like" and Twitter follow of this blog's or of Gloobaloo. Just indicate your likes and follow in your comment! Contest closes on Sunday 10 March 10pm.

Kitchen Exploits - Roast Salmon with Red Cabbage

2013-03-03T20:31:00.001+08:00

I shared in the previous Kitchen Exploits post that we usually cook fish very simply. We are very happy to eat fish seasoned with a sprinkling of salt and pan-fried, or steamed with ginger before adding a dash of soy sauce. Additional flavours will come in the form of optional condiments served alongside the fish.

In fact, I do think it is best not to mess about too much with fresh fish. (If one really does like the taste of fish, that is!) Fresh fish in itself is delicately sweet and juicy.

However, since I am learning to be a better cook for my family and friends, I thought to try out this easy salmon recipe that caught my eye. I found this recipe in the September 2012 issue of Martha Stewart Living, and made a few tweaks.

I chose to leave the salmon skin on as it is full of good oils and we like the taste. However, the skin does not crisp in this recipe, so if you prefer crispy skin, I would suggest sprinkling some salt on the skin and to only apply the mustard marinade on the meat.

Besides baby potatoes and red cabbage, we also roasted cubes of butternut squash together with the fish. I only realised later that in my hurry, I forgot to photograph the squash. (as usual, I hate my food to turn cold!)

I found that the sweetness of the butternut squash really complemented the fish. In fact, I would venture to say that the dish does need something sweet to balance the flavours that are heavy on the mustard tangy-ness.

Roboman really enjoyed this, and welcomed the change from the usual ways we do fish. Bubbles on the other hand, preferred her usual plain salmon. I therefore always roast a marinade-free piece alongside ours for her! As for me, I had no idea roasted red cabbage could taste so good, and was pleased with how juicy the salmon turned out. All in all, this is a repeatable recipe in our household, and therefore I am sharing the recipe here :)

Roast Salmon with Red Cabbage

1 300g salmon fillet*

half a head of red cabbage, cut into strips

10 baby potatoes, skin on, halved

500-800g butternut squash (about half a regular sized one), skinned and cubed

grainy mustard

olive oil

salt & pepper

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1. Preheat oven to 200C.

2. Toss cabbage, potatoes and squash with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes.

3. Rub grainy mustard and lemon zest all over the salmon and place on top of cabbage among the potatoes and squash.

4. Roast for 15 minutes or until fish is just cooked.

5. Squeeze lemon juice over all.

*A bigger piece can be used, as long as it fits the tray with potatoes and squash surrounding it.

Yes, I am a Stay-At-Home-Mother

2013-02-27T15:19:00.001+08:00

The mind is all over the place.

Things to do. Words to read. Lists to write. Plans to lay out. Schedules to follow. Conversations to initiate. Issues to think about. Emails to respond to. Little bodies and minds to nourish.

Somehow, I managed to pull out this collection of photos from some of my recent Tweets, and place them here to make these ramblings more readable.

A stay-at-home-mother. I am one now, till the end of the year at least.

It is a privilege I relish. To have all the time to be with my children. To enjoy every baby chuckle, and endure every sleepless night.

Make no mistake, I know I really am doing this more for me than for them. Kids are adaptable and more resilient than we give them credit for, truly. I know they don't really need their mummy 24/7, even if Bubbles insists so, and offers to grow vegetables so that we can save money to live on one income :) Should I have chosen to work full-time, leaving them in the care of trustworthy caregivers, I am certain they would also flourish. Many families have done it that way, to beautiful outcomes.

But then I would have to hear about Bubbles' funny sayings second hand. Or watch Bun taking her first assisted steps on video. There would be less time for cuddles, flopping around on beds, and crazy singing at the top of our lungs.

Less time for comparing feet sizes while chuckling, trying out funky hairstyles, taking long, uninterrupted walks - twice a day. To pray with them. To hold their little hands. Less time to spare for all the things children simply need time to do. To spin long stories. To help them (help me) with chores. To learn grown-up things.

Perhaps they wouldn't come to me for comfort, or allow me to put them to bed. Maybe they wouldn't have memories of mummy being around for all those special times that they remember.

More importantly, there will be less opportunity to capture influencing moments. For just-in-time teaching, guiding, explaining. To show the wonderful, and to allay childish fears. To model values that I want them to adopt.

I lament about temper tantrums, the frazzled nerves from non-stop demands, and the constant blurry cloud in my mind from lack of sleep. I do. I do get grouchy, and roll my eyes. I do yearn to have more time for leisure.

But then I chose to do this. I chose to set aside these few critical years where it will be more about them than me. I chose, after sitting down with Roboman to work out our sums, and I need to remember. When remembering, I am glad I chose this. I am so every grateful that I can. Not without sacrifices, but still, an option.

And so, I cherish.

The days, the time, the experiences.

I wipe away tears and dole out hugs and kisses. They must know they are loved. No matter what. Not just by me, but by the family they belong to, and most of all, by their Father God.

Then I create sweet smells from the kitchen that will hopefully create beautiful imprints on their memories.

Linking up with The Playful Parents

Wordless Wednesday - For Little Feet

2013-02-27T10:07:00.001+08:00

Shhh...Going Wordless with
Project Alicia
Sakura Haruka

Wordless Wednesday - A Fishcake Cake

2013-02-20T22:30:00.000+08:00

Shhh...Going Wordless with
Sakura Haruka
Mama to 4 Blessings

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Psst there's a giveaway going on! Win a pair of tickets to the Rise & Shine Carnival and enjoy a picnic with your family. There are loads of prizes and activities lined up.
Share this photo and leave a comment! Contest ends Friday 22 Feb 5pm.

Flip for Joy Review & Giveaway

2013-02-19T23:00:00.000+08:00

How sweet is this photo of Bubbles being read to by one of her second cousins? She was sitting so still and listening so attentively.

I posted an interview with Jiang Meiru of Flip for Joy recently, and am happy that this online bookstore is helping, in its own way, to instil the love of reading in children.

In the last couple of weeks, I was thrilled to explore 6 books/sets from Flip for Joy with my girls and would like to share my thoughts about them with you. There is one $30 e-gift card from Flip for Joy up for grabs, and you may first scroll to the bottom of this post to read about the giveaway if you wish!

1. 摇摆的虫子（4册）
This is a set of small board books each with an attached finger puppet of an insect. Each puppet pokes through all the pages of a book, and Bun is really attracted to them. I would wriggle the puppets as I read the books to her. I love it that these books are written in both English and Chinese, which makes them value for money. These pocket-sized books are also small and sturdy enough to be thrown into diaper bags for trips out! This set makes an excellent gift for young ones.

2. 迪士尼宝宝系列 (6册）
It is hard to go wrong with Disney for kids, and this set of six board books prove it. If Bun was attracted to the finger puppets of the books above, I was drawn to the board quality and images of these books. These books are very well made, and the fiddle functions (as I call them!), with lift-the-flaps, mirrors, pull-outs etc, are of excellent quality - not the type that will easily fall apart as some books do. Soothing pastel shades are used throughout the books. The words in the book are written in a way that one will speak to a baby or a very young child. I found this charming, and admittedly picked up a couple of phrases to use when I talk to my children in Mandarin now. A great starter set for young children!

3. 点点多多系列一：在海滩、放风筝、玩游戏
Here are 3 out of 5 books from the 点点和多多 series. (Or Dot and Dash, as they are known in English). These books describe the characters in various fun and familiar situations - at the beach, flying a kite and playing a game. There are many touch and feel elements in the books, including cute pop-ups. The sentences used in the books are short and catchy. My children have many similar books in English, and I am glad they now have these Chinese ones too!

4. 顶级阅读系列 (18册）

A Chinese reading series! I was so glad to receive this and that Bubbles enjoyed them. There are 18 books in total and they have been developed for young ones to learn to read. I found the hanyu pinyin provided very useful, as with the summary/quiz pages at the end of each chapter. The earlier books have simple summaries of key words, while the more advanced books feature quizzes like fill-in-the-blanks to reinforce new vocabulary covered. Key words also come with English translation - a feature I also found useful as a parent. Other Chinese reading sets I've seen are of fiction. This one features themes of everyday life, like the environment, occupations, and seasons. I found that quite a nice change and would definitely recommend this set!

5. 奇妙洞洞书：马戏团 *注音
This is a beautifully designed and colourful board book that I understand was translated from an Italian series. It describes various circus acts while introducing a colours. I have yet to read this to Bubbles as it is written in a poetic form and the truth is that I am not yet able to read this fluently enough to make this sound as beautiful as I believe it should be. Thankfully, this book comes with hanyu pinyin as well, and I am sure I'll be able to read this well enough soon with practice! We read lots of English books with rhymes and poems, so I do think this is a great addition to a child's bookshelf!

6. 数一数，亲了几下
We are fans of Karen Katz and therefore this book caught our eyes. In true Karen Katz style, this book had delightful illustrations and sweet wordings. It covers the numbers 1 to 10 by counting the number of kisses a mother gives her baby. I found Bubbles attracted to this book because of the familiarity of the illustrations.

(books c/o Flip for Joy)

Receiving these recommended books from Flip for Joy made me a little more confident in Chinese book choices for my children. We sure do have quite a bit to work on as we don't speak much of the language at home, but we do try! Mummybean wrote a useful post about using an iPhone app to help with the reading of Chinese books to children. Roboman uses the Pleco app as we are on Android. If you are like us and sometimes have trouble reading Chinese characters, these apps are a godsend!

Flip for Joy is offering a $30 e-gift card (valid for 6 months) to one A Dollop of Me's reader!

If you would like a chance to win this card, leave a comment on this blog post telling us what you like about Flip for Joy, and your email address. We're giving extra chances for each Facebook "like" and Twitter follow. Just indicate your likes and follow in your comment!

This giveaway will end on Tuesday 5 March 11pm, Singapore time (GMT+8). Best wishes!

Links:
Flip for Joy Facebook
A Dollop of Me Facebook
A Dollop of Me Twitter

Happy Lunar New Year!

2013-02-19T01:27:00.001+08:00

Oops, I've fallen off this blog the past week haven't I?

We've been busy celebrating the arrival of the new lunar year ;)

Bun took her first flight.
She was so very excited. I kept getting reminded to keep her under her seat belt, but boy, that was a tough thing to do!

Up in Malaysia, we feasted. Home-cooked goodness for every meal. True to form, I dived too quickly into my plate of kuih pie tee, forgetting to photograph them yet again.

We set off mini fireworks and played with sparklers. Kids, ours and our friends', loved these.

I did too - the one who never played with fireworks as a child.

We had such a grand time, and kept the kids up late a little too much that a bad flu bug unfortunately caught up with us. We sadly had to cancel the Singapore-leg of Chinese New Year visitations to recuperate. Perhaps we'll make up for it over the next few weekends.

Happy New Year everyone! May the Year of the Snake bring you and yours much joy and good health!

Kitchen Exploits - Tomato & Sweet Basil Chicken

2013-02-10T21:17:00.000+08:00

Another chicken recipe? It suddenly occurred to me that it seems like we eat a lot of meat! We are actually quite fish people - Bubbles loves fish more than any other meat - but we cook fish so simply that it seems almost pointless to share my usual fish recipes! I have however, stumbled upon a roast salmon recipe that quite tickled our taste-buds. I'll write about that soon, I promise!

Back to the chicken recipe however, this one is really worth trying. It is so simple to do, and I particularly like how the chicken can be served in two very presentable ways. The original recipe was shared with me by my mother-in-law, who in turn picked it up from a church friend.

Making this only involves a seasoning of the meat and scattering of the other ingredients, before popping the whole lot into the oven. The taste of the meat is beautifully flavoured by the sweet basil leaves, tomatoes and whole cloves of garlic.

If hosting a small party, I would serve up whole chicken legs, with the condiments and gravy poured over it, paired with some choice carbs and vegetables.

For larger parties, I like to do this - mash up the cooked garlic cloves, tomatoes and sweet basil together with the cooking juices to make a sauce, shred the meat, and mix it all into cooked pasta. Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve. The sauce is a light, garlicky one that aglio olio lovers will appreciate! I have done this a day or two before big parties - only the pasta needs to be cooked on the day itself. This dish has received its fair share of compliments from our guests!

Enjoy!

Tomato & Sweet Basil Chicken

8 chicken legs

salt & pepper

2 small red onions, chopped

1/2 cube chicken stock, crumbled (optional)

3 cups sweet basil leaves

2 cups whole cherry tomatoes

2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in halves

10 garlic cloves, peeled

1 fresh chilli, finely chopped (optional)

olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Season legs with salt and pepper.

3. Place halved cherry tomatoes in a baking tray in a single layer.

4. Place chicken legs on top of the cherry tomatoes, also in a single layer.

5. Scatter onion, chicken stock, sweet basil, whole cherry tomatoes, garlic and chilli all over the tray.

6. Drizzle olive oil all over (especially the chicken), and give everything a bit of a mix.

7. Bake in onion for 1 to 1 1/4 hours until chicken skin is crispy and meat cooked through.

8. Serve shredded or whole (as in descriptions above).

Wordless Wednesday - Pretty Fabric

2013-02-06T08:59:00.001+08:00

Shhh...Going Wordless with
Project Alicia
Sakura Haruka