Nappytales

Aid of Hope - Charity event for Typhoon Yolanda Survivors

2013-11-14T06:57:00.000+04:00

A rePost from my facebook timeline

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Filipino Unite for a Cause in collaboration with The UAE Red Crescent Society

We invite you to an…

AID OF HOPE
Charity Event for The Victims of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)

Date: 15 November 2013, FRIDAY
Time : 8:00am - 5:00pm
Location: Zabeel Park - Amphitheater / MegaBowl

This charity event is aimed at gathering much needed donations that will be sent to The Philippine National Red Cross, through The UAE Red Crescent Society.

Donations can be made in Cash or in the form of essential goods such as Medical Supplies, Tents, Blankets, Canned Food, etc (Please note: “The Philippine Red Cross does not accept rotten, damaged, expired or decayed goods. Though we appreciate your generosity, PRC also discourages donations of old clothes as we have more than enough to go around.”)

Schedule of Activities:

1) Walk-for-A-Cause (9:00am-11:00am) - Will be an “Open Amount Donation” with Red Crescent Donation Boxes at the “Start” area

2) Yoga, Zumba, and Body Combat (8:00am-10:00am; 3:00pm-5:00pm) - Will be an “Open Amount Donation”

3) Balloon Making / Face Painting / Clown / Magician / Fun and Games for Kids (All Day)

4) Printed Photos / Art / Paintworks / Sketches of Filipino Artists – Works for sale with 100% going to charity

5) Family Portraits, Photography & Videography (Funshoot around the Park) (10:00am-5:00pm)
- Tickets for Photography/Videography/Arts will be through Tickets, in denominations of Dhs. 100 / 50 / 20
▪ Dhs. 100 – Full Photography & Videography package activities
▪ Dhs. 50 – For Artworks, Sketches, Paintings, Printed Photos
▪ Dhs. 20 – Single Portraits & Family Portraits

There will also be small UAE Red Crescent charity boxes placed around the event area for cash donations.

For Donations in the form of goods, we will be having LBC boxes where they can be dropped-in, and thereafter Freight forwarded by LBC to The Philippine Red Cross.

Ways to help survivors of Typhoon Haiyan for those overseas

2013-11-12T06:56:00.000+04:00

Survivors of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) need your help.

We have friends who's family is in Ormoc and Palompon Tacloban who have not slept in days trying to contact relatives, after 3 days they finally got good news that everyone is safe. Omar's two kids are lucky that they have coconut meat to eat.

Some survivors don't have shelter and food.

If you are wondering how you can help, I have a list of organizations below accepting donations.

Philippine Red Cross

World Food Programme

Save the Children

Unicef

Habitat for Humanity

The Philippine Consulate of Dubai is hosting a Brunch for Cause this Friday (November 15), you can also drop off relief goods that day.

Thank you.

Brunch for a Cause for Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda Survivors

2013-11-11T10:49:00.000+04:00

Ube Cheesecake

2013-11-04T11:26:00.000+04:00

For the past month I've been working on improving the taste of the Ube Cheesecake. Daddy C who is a big fan of Ube Cake requested that I re-create the taste of ube ice cream for the cheesecake.

The first batch of ube cheesecake was baked using just mashed boiled ube and the 2nd batch was enhanced with ube flavoring. I discussed the boys comments with Sandy my sister from another mother who lives in Vienna and she suggested I try making it again but this time use halaya (jam). See ube doesn't have any distinct taste you need to add butter and salt to boiled one or macapuno to enhance it's flavor.

Joy my fellow SAHM friend here in Dubai called up asking where I bought my ube and that she's planning to make jam, I asked her for the recipe - she adds cheddar cheese in the halaya unfortunately she was not able to give me precise measurements because the recipe her Mama gave her doesn't use any kind of measuring tools. I went on and made halaya with the help of Daddy C who suggested I add a bit of sugar or cheese till finally it was just perfect.

Ube halaya cheesecake was serve to guests during V's birthday and everyone asked for a second slice (a good sign!). Using halaya for the cheesecake mix definitely improved the taste.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:4]

Drop me a comment below once you get to try the recipe.

Banana Pistachios Oat ChocoChip Cake

2013-10-29T08:58:00.000+04:00

Banana!!!! say it the way Minions do.

Banana is a staple in our pantry, I buy it every week but we are not big banana eaters. When Daddy C see's them turning black he would always tell me "Why didn't you pack me 1 to eat in the office?" but he really doesn't bother getting one to eat at home.

Growing up in Davao meant we had a variety of bananas available - lacatan, latundan, señorita, and saba (this are the only ones that I know). My favorite among them is the "señorita" it's a small one with a whiter flesh and you can eat all in one bite.

Yes. I buy bananas and wait for them to turn black which means they are very RRRRRipppe and then the kitchen fun begins. I bake something and viola it's gone in a day or two plus it is also a healthy school snack for LittleMan V.

The original recipe which I got from AmbitiousKitchen is vegan and gluten free. I made use of the quick oats I have in the pantry added some left over ground pistachio's from V's cake and laban milk (which is what I use whenever recipe calls for buttermilk).

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:3]

Skylanders Swapforce

2013-10-28T16:49:00.000+04:00

V was excited for October to come. It's his birthday month and ActiVision will release a new batch of Skylanders the Swapforce (USA release Oct 13 and UAE release Oct 18).

It's only during his birthday that we allow him to buy an expensive toy but just one and if it's too expensive he get's to choose between having a party or just the toy (he usually choose the toy). This year was different Lolo Dino (my Uncle Dad a resident of Kansas City) asked him what he wants for birthday and Christmas without any hesitation he told his GrandPa names of Skylander characters that he wants to add in his collection and to make sure Lolo doesn't forget anything he made a list.

Daddy C and I decided that we buy him the Skylanders SwapForce Dark Edition starter pack as a gift. I make him a birthday cake and we have dinner.

October 13 came and Lolo Dino was up early to visit several toy shops with a list of Skylanders. Visited 3 toy stores and only found 2 characters, on his last stop he found the Dark Edition starter pack and decided to buy it since he didn't want to answer V's question on why he only found 2 from his list. We didn't tell V that Lolo got him the starter pack he only knew of the two characters.

A week after his 6th birthday the package finally arrived, the look on his face was priceless! LittleMiss C not to be ignored also got Minion Dave from Lolo.

Before getting married I was the one getting spoiled by my UncleDad (he was always up early to get me my Harry Potter books) now I'm being ignored!

Thank you Lolo Dino for your gifts!

Daddy C and LittleMan V went Skylanders hunting last weekend and sad to say Swapforce edition still not available in UAE.

V is 6 and his MineCraft Cake

2013-10-24T09:23:00.000+04:00

V designed his Minecraft cake.

It was a week long holiday here in Dubai when LittleMan V celebrated his 6th birthday. We initially planned to have a family celebration and have dinner at his favorite restaurant but he insisted that I make him a cake and have 3 of his friends from school come over.

Aside from playing Skylanders he's also into Minecraft (I think every kid is) so before he request me to make him a figure cake I suggested he design his very own minecraft cake. He's eyes lit up and requested that he make the cake with me.

Top view of cake without the figures.

Cake is made of four minecraft elements: Jelo for the water, rice krispy treats for sand, chocolate cake for land area and pistachios for grass.

The figures you see on the first photo is made of paper we printed from this site. Daddy C made all the figures assisted by our birthday boy.

Crab Festival at Chimes Far Eastern Restaurant

2013-10-23T10:43:00.000+04:00

I've been to Singapore twice - first time was with my Uncle Dad and it was also the first time that I got to taste the famous Chili Crabs it was so good! My 2nd trip was with my boys (LittleMan V and Daddy C) sadly during this trip we didn't get the chance to enjoy them crabs.

Mud crab is not widely available in our local Dubai market, it's one of the things I miss from my hometown-Davao. I grew up having a seafood feast every weekend which my whole clan enjoys. A simple steamed garlic crab dish eaten with rice using our hands and ice cold Coke just makes me so so happy!

Eating a good mud crab dish is an unforgettable experience that brings back childhood memories which is exactly what I had for lunch at Chimes. Daddy C even commented that I am in my happy place - like a little girl enjoying every bite licking my fingers making sure I don't waste any sweet-chili sauce.

The sweet sticky chili sauce was so inviting since it's chili bite slowly tickles your senses that you just want more! I had my Singaporean Chili Crab with steamed white rice (the serving was good for 2). On our next visit I'll try it with bread.

MyNappytales family arrived minutes after they opened for lunch and we had the whole restaurant for ourselves. It was a cozy place with an open kitchen which V absolutely love, he's always in awe looking at the chefs tossing food.

LittleMan V ordered Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce which he happily shared with LittleMiss C. They clearly enjoyed every bite since we had to order another plate. I must say the peanut sauce was really good. I am such a "sauce" lady.

Daddy C ordered his favorite Tom Yum Kung which has generous amount of shrimps and the tangy sour spicy soup has a distinct aroma of galangal and kafir lime leaves.

Daddy C particularly enjoyed Pad Thai Noodles he almost finished the whole serving!

We have already scheduled our next visit with friends before October ends.

IshitaUnblogged also reviewed Chimes - Singaporean Chili Crab at Chimes

Craving for Crab?

Dine at Chimes Far Eastern Cuisine and take advantage of their Crab Fest for the whole month of October.

AED 109 per dish, served with rice or bread.

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Chimes Far Eastern Cuisine

Seven Sands Hotel Apartments, Al Barsha 1, Dubai

04 3234211 / 800-CHIMES (244637)

Disclaimer: MyNappytales family enjoyed the lunch hosted by Chimes Far Eastern Restaurant. All opinions stated are my own.

Giant Nutella

2013-10-14T14:52:00.000+04:00

Nutella prepared something big to celebrate Eid.

And just so you get a clear picture on how big it is

Vs jaw dropped and wide eyes when I showed him this photo. "I want one!"

Apple Puff Pie

2013-10-03T14:44:00.000+04:00

My boys had another version of Easy Puff Snack which I also enjoyed with my second cup of coffee this morning.

Here's a detailed photo on how I prepared this puff snack which I like to call Apple Puff Pie

Put your apple filling in the middle of your thawed store bought puff pastry.
Apple Filling: mix thin slices of green apples with sugar and cinnamon.
Cover it with another square puff pastry.

Seal the sides by pinching & folding. Put holes in the middle to release air.

Brush with egg wash and bake for 15-20 mins at 180c.

enjoy!

LittleMiss Car Seat Update

2013-10-03T10:25:00.000+04:00

It's been two months since I posted our family car seat outburst so here's an update.

LittleMiss no longer argue's whenever I put her down and even manage to have a good snooze.

How did we do it?

Stay strong. Yes, it really is difficult to see your child crying (my heart is torn to pieces when this happen) but having your child strapped in the car seat is the safest way to travel.

Ignore. She cried in her seat begging me to get her - ignore! V would start singing and tell stories but we all ignored her and she eventually stopped and started laughing with whatever Kuya V was doing.

Mirror. 6ambabies at twitter gave me the advise. It did wonders! She was busy for a good 20 minutes staring at herself :)

Toys. Something to keep her busy.

We don't have any plans just yet on moving her to a forward facing seat specially after reading that rear-facing seat is the safest choice. Read links below.

The Swedish (rear facing) car seat approach - Children sit rear facing in our Swedish seats which provide unbelievable protection. We keep our kids rear facing mainly for the great protection of head and neck. As doctors say, "we can fix arms and legs – we can't fix head and neck"

One-in seven parents put their children at risk by moving them to a forward facing seat.

School lunchbox week 3 and an Easy Puff recipe

2013-09-30T06:58:00.000+04:00

Some of our lunchbox food this week is just a repeat if what V had two weeks back. He just insisted on not bringing his heavy thermal Sahara lunchbox.

Since my V requests almost the same kind of lunch food I will try and feature something new every week.

I was getting bored preparing the usual deli meat sandwich every morning, as I was staring at our fruit bowl full of red and green apples (Vs favorite fruit) a sudden craving for McDo's apple pie happened.

Honestly I'm running out of ideas on what picky eater V will eat in school. Any suggestion?

Easy Puff Snack

Ingredients:
Store bought Puff Pastry
Egg wash (1 beaten egg + 1 tbsp water)

Filling:
Apple ( any fruit combination you fancy)
Or
Deli Meat & Cheese

Procedure:
Pre-heat oven at 180 C
1) defrost frozen puff pastry inside refrigerator overnight.
2) spread your pastry on a floured surface, if you find it to small stretch it a bit with your rolling pin.
3) spoon the filling of your choice
4) seal by joining the ends together similar to wrapping a gift or envelop
5) brush top with egg wash
6) bake for 20 minutes

Apple Cinnamon Filling
Mix thin slices of apple with a tsp of cinnamon and a tbsp brown sugar (or honey). Adjust sugar and cinnamon quantity according to your taste.

Deli Meat Filling
Place meat on top of puff pastry and your favorite condiments (my boys like mustard & ketchup) then cheese.

Philippines is Miss World 2013

2013-09-29T06:40:00.000+04:00

Congratulations Megan Young!

My bestfriend Jory was in Bali to cover the pageant for OPMB Worldwide. He witnessed the crowning of the first Miss World 2013 from the Philippines!

He finally got his dream of witnessing a pageant history our country crowned! Ever since he started covering pageants as a photographer our girls have been runner-ups and now we have a crown.

School Lunchbox Week 2

2013-09-23T08:48:00.000+04:00

Second week of school was a bit difficult. V starts and ends his school day complaining/asking why he has to spend a really long time in school, they all do really a lot of work, and that he misses his old school. I keep telling myself it's just an adjustment period and that we made the right decision.

This school week we welcome a new lunch box - GoodByn Bynto. You can see from the photos below that it has 3 compartments, I can fit everything in 1 box!

Deli Meat Cheese Sandwich, Yakult & Milk, and Strawberry Grapes mixed fruit.

(I was not able to close the lid after taking this photo so I took the milk out and placed it inside his bag)

feedback:

Bynto came back with half of the sandwich and a few pieces of fruits.

V liked his new lunchbox because it is easy to carry and doesn't take lot of space in the table.

Rice, 15 Chicken Nuggets, and Apple Oranges

feedback:

Tiger box came back home with the rice and 8 nuggets

September 18 - He kept on asking me to feel him because he's hot (aka fever) while eating breakfast, I assured him that he is fine and healthy. When it was time to go down to wait for the bus, V started crying because he's nervous he won't be able to do good work in school. I was holding back tears as V went inside his school bus crying. I sent a message to his adviser asking her to talk to V and assure him that school is fun.

2 Apple Puff, 2 Yakult, Strawberry & Grapes

feedback:

1 apple puff

Dad C decided that he will drive V to school which made him really happy.

Mix of Nutella & Cream Cheese square bread, Spam & Cheese sticks with ketchup & Yakult

feedback:

1 Spam Cheese stick, 3 pcs of bread.

His classmate D ate one of the spam cheese stick.

School Lunchbox Week 1

2013-09-22T13:52:00.000+04:00

Yes, I know we are on the 3rd week of school but it's never too late to share V's school lunchbox.

Parents were reminded during the school orientation to pack healthy lunch for kids to bring since unhealthy sweets can make young ones be hyper active.

V's school start very early, assembly time is at 7:20 am and 8th period ends at 1:40 pm. I initially thought that Grade 1 will have two breaks (1 for snack and 1 for lunch) but they only have one at 10:25 am till 11:00 am, when the teacher told us about this all the parents reacted with one question "Won't the kids get hungry?" to which the teacher replied with "That's why you should make sure they eat a healthy heavy breakfast."

My week 1 lunchbox ideas for V was to send him a filling snack/lunch to school and preferably something that is warm. During our vacation I bought a Sahara Tiger Thermal Lunchbox this keeps food warm for up to 8 hrs (C did prove this to be true, lunchbox was prepared at 5:30 am and stayed warm till 12 noon). V's complain on this lunchbox - heavy and big.

I was on a search for V's perfect lunchbox something light, has compartments and something that will keep food warm. The search led me to Daiso I purchased this rectangular shape clear box, silicon muffin cups and clear square box with lid.

I'm giving myself a pat on the shoulder for managing to pack a pretty healthy lunchbox for V. Here's what I prepared for 1st week I just forgot to snap a photo of his 1st day lunch.

1 Cream Cheese, 1 Nutella & 1 deli meat animal shaped sandwich, Full Cream Milk, boiled Corn, Apple & Olives.

feedback:

V came home telling me that his classmate ate 3 sandwiches, good thing he ate all of his corn.

Rice topped with Broccoli & Carrots, Apples & Oranges, Banana Oat Muffin, Chicken Adobo strips with Quail Eggs

feedback:

V came back with 1 muffin, untouched rice, 1 pc of apple slice, half of adobo strips

Rice, Boiled Corn & Edemame beans, Shrimp Hakaw

feedback:

Rice and half of the corn & edemame came back home

Yag Go! Chocolate Milk, Deli Meat & Cream Cheese Sandwich, Yakult, and Apples

feedback:

V ate all his apple and came home with half eaten sandwich.

Overall I'm happy that V ate most of the food I prepared for him. V doesn't want to eat a lot in school afraid that he might go potty #2 and he requested that I don't send him with a lot of food in school.

What did you pack for your kid's school lunch? & What is your favorite lunch box container?

1st week of Junior 1

2013-09-16T08:39:00.000+04:00

*sigh*

My V all smiles inside his classroom for Junior 1.

I asked him if he'll stop kissing Mama in front of his friends because his in grade 1, V replied with a hug and wet kiss telling me I will never stop kissing you Mama. ( I will come back and show him this post when his a teen and refuse to give me a kiss!)

We have survived 1st week of school and I admit I was the one nervous that I won't wake up early enough (bus pickup at 6:13 am) and that I won't pack enough food for him.

I've been crazy searching the stores for the perfect lunchbox since V complained that the Sahara Tiger lunchbox is too heavy but hey it keeps his food warm even after 6 hrs!

Vs week 1 school lunchbox feedback is that I send him way too much food. Too much? He comes home complaining he's soo hungry! He explained that he doesn't want to go potty #2 at school that's why he doesn't want too much food.

How was your 1st week of school?

V beat the claw game machine!

2013-08-29T08:36:00.000+04:00

I won Mama! For the first time I won!

Beaming with delight with a screaming LittleMiss beside him.

After the claw game drama which broke Vs heart, I was hesitant to make him play again but he would insist every time we see one.

I finally gave in when he insisted that he wants to do it for his LittleMiss. He maneuvered the claw from left to right and finally settled above the toy pressed the red button. Viola! Claw grabbed the toy and dropped it.

V won!

Ginataang Munggo

2013-08-22T10:18:00.000+04:00

I am talking to my sister via facebook, she's in the office and even though storm Maring has left Philippines it still is raining back home. The recipe I am sharing today is perfect to give warmth to a rainy season.

Ginataang Munggo is a mix of glutinous rice and green mung beans cooked with coconut milk and sweetened with either sugar or condensed milk similar to ginataang mais.

It's 9 am and the kids are still sleeping. I am enjoying a little bit of "me quiet time" while reading the newest addition to our bookshelf - Momofuku Milk Bar. I am planning to prepare at least three recipe from the book every month.

The husband has been giving me hints that he likes ginataang munggo, the dish was suppose to be a surprise for him to enjoy for afternoon snack but then the nearby grocery delivered the wrong item and didn't bother to come back for my glutinous rice. My dear husband had to go down and buy me glutinous rice a key ingredient to enjoy his merienda.

Ginataang Munggo (Mung Beans and Sticky Rice Pudding)

1/2 cup Mung Beans

1/2 cup Glutinous Rice, washed

3 cups Coconut Milk

6 Tbsp Sugar (or 2 Tbsp condensed milk)

2 Tbsp Milk

Procedure:

1) Toast mung beans on skillet until brown

2) Cool mung beans and crack using a blender or almeres (mortar & pestel)

3) Simmer 2 cups of coconut milk

4) Add rice and let boil. After adding the rice make sure you give the pudding a good mix every 5 to 10 minutes.

5) Once you got the rice & coconut milk boiling add Mung beans.

6) Simmer till rice is soft and mushy and the mung beans still has a little bite to it. If the rice and mung beans still not cooked to your liking pour in the remaining 1 cup of coconut milk, and if you ran out of coconut milk don't worry you can add either whole milk or water till the pudding texture you like is achieved. *We like our ginataang monggo with a little texture that's why the mung beans are a tad bit under cook.

7) Stir in your preferred sweetener.

8) Serve warm with a little bit more of milk.

Enjoy!

Car seat outbursts

2013-08-21T08:26:00.000+04:00

This is not the usual cutie patootie posts about our LittleMiss.

I don't drive so I always sit at the back with the kids, C and I find the seating arrangement convenient so I can attend to whatever request V and LittleMiss needs (water, food, tissue, breastfeed - yes I've found a way to feed LittleMiss while both of us are buckled in the back).

We bought V his car seat when he was around 3 years old and he never had a meltdown while seated. LittleMiss however started fighting getting strapped on to her car seat, carrier and stroller at 11 months. Most of the time I give in and end up letting her sit in my lap. Why? She starts crying, screaming and vomiting that we end up not having a fun family day. Once she ended having a mild fever from her car seat outburst from Al Qusais to Dubai Mall.

Photos below taken while we were waiting for Dad C to come back.

As soon as I put her down this happens.

And when I still refuse to get her she vomits.

Her outbursts has cause me stress whenever we go out. I've tried offering her toys, singing favorite songs, and breastfeeding (this usually works) but as soon as she unlatch we're back to crying.

Any advise? Should we change her car seat? Ignore her completely? (ignoring her is really hard for me)

Food we ate along Nathan Road

2013-08-20T08:11:00.000+04:00

One will never go hungry along Nathan Road, Hong Kong. Sharing with you some snaps of food we enjoyed during our 5 days stay.

Gong Cha - We ordered Taro and Black Tea. C and I thinks that it needs a little more flavor and sweetness, but it might be just us asking the wrong mix? They speak very little English we had to give our order fast (long queue behind us).

Almost everyone walking with us had this particular bubble tea in hand.

Food Corner - Located just a block away from our hotel this food stall was a busy one, they had siomai, fish balls, beef tripe, pork innards, octopus meat and a whole lot more.

V's favorite food place along Nathan Road.

We had a long walk to reach Nathan Congee & Noddle place for breakfast.

I ordered Congee with Pork Liver

a complimentary sweet bread in every table

Hubby C ordered Beef Noodles

Food on Stick - We passed by this place and it had a long queue which tempted us to join the crowd as well. Sold here are Squid/Octopus and Pork innards on stick served cold with mustard and what I think is hoisin sauce. Taking photo was not allowed, good thing I was able to snap a photo of the stall name before they opened.

Cafe de Coral - We discovered the restaurant on our last day located in the 2nd floor of a building across the Food Corner.

As much as I want to explore the food scene along Nathan Road it was quite challenging with a baby who refuse to sit on the stroller or carrier and who was not happy on a crowded place. When the kids are older we will go back and try to eat at each food stall along Nathan Road.

*photo taken using my iPhone 5

World Breastfeeding Week 2013

2013-08-01T16:55:00.000+04:00

Happy Breastfeeding Week! All milking mama's

Breastfeeding week starts today till August 7. Here in Dubai though we celebrate it in November because the country observes Ramadan this month.

LittleMiss turned 13 months and still breastfeeding. I weaned V from the breast weeks before he turned 2 years old, this time though I have no plans of weaning her by that age.

I would like to thank my MIL for staying with us when I gave birth and for my husband C for the support and always cheering that we can do it.

Thank you also to Breastfeeding Q&A UAE Group for the listening, advise and stories that accompanied me on the wee hours while I feed my baby.

Read more abouth this years theme at World Breastfeeding Week

Reach out and share your breastfeeding journey Mama's!

Giveaway: Smurfs 2 movie tickets

2013-07-30T11:38:00.000+04:00

*Giveaway close. Winner has been notified.

It has been a week since we got back from vacation and I'm slowly getting back to our usual routine.

We missed a lot of events here in Dubai while having a grand time back home, so happy though that we are back just in time for Smurfs 2 movie!

I'm giving away two movie tickets to watch Smurfs 2 from "Build-a-Bear Workshop"

Who is your favorite Smurf?
Leave a comment below to win the tickets!

Winner will be announced Saturday, August 2, 2013.

Skylanders Limited Edition for E3

2013-06-20T11:52:00.000+04:00

LittleMan V requested that we put his collection on the blog, so here it is.

We give V rewards whenever he does good in school (he was perfect in all his dictation sheets in class and passed school entrance exam), and he would always ask for toys and on that particular toy store trip he was looking for the Trash Pack toys but it was not available. Good thing it was not available!

Daddy came home one night with the Skylanders PS3 Starter Pack and from then on Vs collection has reached to 30 characters. He's watching videos and reading about them. He made a video about them which I recorded using my iPhone.

We followed Skylander gamers on youtube and he learned about the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) and asked us to go the expo. He felt really bad when he learned that those who went to the expo got limited edition Skylander characters. I told him that one of Mama's friend was in the E3 expo, both V and Dad exclaimed that Mama has cool friends. I even became the coolest Mom when I told him that our twitter Dahlink Nick got a Limited E3 Skylander character. V asked if he can visit Uncle Nick and get to see his Skylanders Bronze Hot Dog E3 Release.

Before I got a chance to ask Nick if we can see his Skylanders E3 release I got a message inviting us to drop by his office for some E3 goodies. So we did right after Vs graduation, and we were in for a big surprise.

Uncle Nick handed him goodies from the expo and also gave V two Limited Skylanders E3 release - Silver Spyro (E3 2012) and Bronze Hot Dog (E3 2013). He was beaming with happiness and declared to his Dad that Uncle Nick gave him the best gift of his life. THANK YOU Uncle Nick!

V's friends declared him the coolest!

2013 School Year Ends

2013-06-19T08:41:00.000+04:00

My LittleMan V graduates from Kindergarten.

Yesterday, he bid farewell to his school friends and teachers. It was our first graduation ceremony and along with other parents we have each witnessed how our children grew from the teary eyed KG1 babies to confident KG2 students.

This September he will move up to big school as a Year 1 student in a new school.

A big THANK YOU to all his teachers, classmates, nanny, and school bus driver for making his kindergarten life a fun one.

V leads the boys as they sing "Glowing Inside" to say Thank You to Mom & Dad

Breastfeeding in Public

2013-06-15T17:07:00.000+04:00

You are sitting in a cafe enjoying a cup of coffee when suddenly you overheard someone asking a mother to breastfeed her child somewhere else because that person thinks its inappropriate and disgusting.

What would you do?

Sian from our UAE breastfeeding group posted the following videos conducted by abcnews.com on how customers in a cafe reacted to the situation.

Breastfeeding an infant in public.

Breastfeeding a toddler in public.

I am very happy that UAE is a breastfeeding friendly country. I have breastfed Vierte when he was a toddler and now Chloe who is 11 months, in public with and without a cover and I haven't had a bad experience.

Some malls and establishments here have dedicated baby rooms where a mom can breastfeed her baby.

On the Breastfeeding Q&A UAE Facebook group, the most common question asked for new expat families is whether they can breastfeed in public.

Here's an excerpt from Sian's article on breastfeeding in public.

The great news is that both Islam and UAE society are in favor of breastfeeding (the Qur’an in fact teaches that babies have the right to breastfeed for two years), and it is common for mums and babies to breastfeed in public places wherever you are in the country. The Ministry of Health has publicly affirmed the right of a mother to feed her child wherever she is without being hassled, and the Department of Islamic Affairs confirms that this is perfectly acceptable, as long as the mother remains appropriately covered and follows normal dress etiquette if men are present -

See more at: http://brightbabyhood.com/breastfeeding-public/?wpmp_switcher=desktop#sthash.XIVqozNi.dpuf

Link to the complete article here

Just like any hungry adult, when a baby is hungry that baby needs to feed.

To be able to breastfeed a baby is a blessing. God blessed each mom that gift and power to nurture her child.

Next time you see a mother breastfeeding her child be thankful that you get to witness such blessing.

Don't ask her to move to the toilet to feed her child unless you're willing to enjoy your meal in the stall next to them!