Lifestyle Changes

My life revolve around "the boss"




Lack of sleep,lack of energy has extend itself to my cooking adventures in the kitchen too...Yet,I cannot help but drool over the mouth-watering food recipes featured in magazines,but to attempt it,oops,I never seem to have the timing for it,Too many recipes which I have to shelve it first,hmm..things will be better as time pass,I hope,haha...One-dish meal has become a common feature in our family,and it is certainly going to stay,with new dishes thnrown in now and then...By the time,clover retire for the night,I am so exhausted that I want a snooze myself after attending to her for more than 10 hours a day,to slave over the kitchen,that can wait....haha...Geez,I am getting more and more boring...haha...

Sweet potatoes week

Called it PMS,but every month I will develop a craving towards a particular dish which I can lap it up for a few days in a row,leaving my lao gong baffled...haha...Once,it was fish head curry,as a result,my lao gong had to endure eating fish head curry with me for days,haha...And another time as I recall it was cabbage soup,hence I must have it,until my family got so sick of it,they sworn off it for months,haha.....This time round,it is local desserts,so I bought sweet potatoes,few different types as it will make the dish more appetizing,and include in a packet of starch cubes...Simple to make,and I enjoy chewing on the sticky,chewy starchy cubes,though they are nothing more than tapioca starch,haha...Hmm...now I just have to wait for my lao gong to book out from his reservist to try the next sweet potatoes longan red date soup,yum yum...

Hi,HP,I suppose my friend was too engrossed in our conversation and hence failed to notice clover,it was a moment too fast,I had just turned to chat with them and tucked into my food after playing with clover when it happened...sigh...

I agree wholeheartedly with you that exercise plays an important role too,come to think of it,there are quite alot of factors to look into,such as stress management,genetic factors,etc...Oh well,lets just live well and enjoy every moment..

Being Kiasu Pays

Am glad to share that after two months of experimenting with organic foods,clover's immunity has improved,yipee,though she did not have the luxury of having all organic foods,neither do I really advocate that as I feel that it is better to have a mixture,in case she develop adverse reaction next time when she dine outside...Read that it is the norm for babies to have 6-12 colds before they turn one,oh,not clover,if I can beat that figure,I will...haha..I do not favour the idea of being confined at home all the time too...Being with clover 24 hours of the day,7 days a week can be overwhelming,hence I do miss human(adult)interaction...hehe...It does not help when my lao gong is not at home most of the times,and with no extra help now that the babysitter called it quits after 3 visits,well,I had to lug around with clover everywhere I go..

As all my friends know that I come in a 1big,1 small package,clover even received her first wedding invitation card,haha...Imagine that,the card cordially invite clover and me,leaving out my lao gong since he cannot make it...Geez,this will be a card which I ought to keep it as a memory keepsake...haha...A wedding card for a 9months old baby indeed,haha....

A good lesson learnt today

No matter how much I try,at times I fail to be viligant enough,and thats when accidents occur...Met up with a friend for lunch,clover was sitting merrily in the highchair,with the strap snugly around her waist ,playing with her toys and curiously scanning the strangers around her...Mistake no 1 I made was having her sitting besides me,facing her would be a better option,but given the space constraint,sometimes,this was not so feasible..Somehow,clover slipped,the strap tightened around her neck,making it impossible to cry out...I was tucking into my food and chatting with friends when I felt a tug on my shirt....To my alarm,clover was strangled!!Immediately,I released the buckle,one hand supporting her lower body,thank goodness,my little ger was saved in the nick of time,had she not tagged at my shirt,I shuddered to think what could have happen....

A lesson learnt today,one that I like to share and reflect upon....I hope that does not make me a lousy mum though,hehe...This incident make me more cautious,it did not deter me from meeting friends for meals,but whenever possible,I like to place clover in the pram from now onwards,thank you,no highchair for now please...

My Wish

I harbour a secret wish-one that may jolly well seem like a tall order....haha...If possible,I love to be free from chronic illness,disability or even death till my little ger is able to fend for herself independently,holding a stable job,is a happy,confident young lady....Over the msn chat one day,out of the blue,my friend ask me "Have you notice that people around us are dropping like houseflies?"Given a random count,I can easily rattle off at least 5 names of friends or relatives who had passed away before 35.We are living longer but not necessarily healthier...oops...Posed this question to friends and collegues as to who will look after their kids should anything happen to them,touchwood,all I got was a shrug of the shoulder and a brush off with"aiyah,why worry so much?"

One insurance agent even added that while the dead are no longer aware,clover still need to survive...haha...good sales pitch but he clinch the deal,I certainly do not want clover to worry about finances in her growing up years....An ex-colleague of mine recently passed away due to liver cancer,leaving behind 3 kids below the age of 5 and a struggling hubby trying his best to make ends meet...Upon hearing this,my lao gong and I decided that it is better to insured ourselves and clover should tragedy strike....Settling on a guardian is an issue,as our parents are aging...sigh....whatever will happen will happen eventually,meanwhile,enjoy the day while it last...Rejoice in the fact that we are still healthy and strong,haha...Baked a batch of peanut butter orange cookies with a generous addition of macadmia nuts for friends who took the time out to meet me for lunch even on a busy working weekday...so sweet of them...hehe...since I still have some time left before going back to work in full force,now the good time to meet friends up...hmm..whos available next week?haha...

HP,you are certainly fortunate to have a doting mother who emphasis on good nutrition and I suppose that has rubbed on you too...hehe...Obesity is always the precursor to many chronic diseases but that does not mean one must be fat to be suffering from heart diseases ,stroke etc,cholesterol is also another culprit...lets eat healthily together,cheers :)

Chua,it is amazing how babies develop their own taste at such a tender age,don't you think?haha...I would love to hear more stories about your baby too,thanks for dropping by,mummy...

Natt,I have report to my new school already though I have yet to attend the meetings,clover is getting more chatty,learning how to walk and feed herself,goodness,I am going to miss her so much when Igo back to work...haha..

Love- Hate Relationship with water

Clover's "black face" when given water


Water-the essence of life,yet I hardly bring myself to drink plain water,given a choice,I pass it for juices,tea,coffee and my weakness,season ice lemon tea...It must be seasons,no other brand will do,that is how picky I am with my drink...haha...Sigh,all the diuretic drinks make me lose even more water straining my kidneys,that is certainly not a wise idea...Hence,home-brewed soup to the rescue,haha...Without seasoning,I enjoy slurping my soup,this soup contains all the natural goodness from organic raw peanuts,first time I ever try it,the leaves tasted like spinach,and with the sweetness from green papaya,I drank the whole lot without much urging...haha...

Like me,clover dislike plain water too,no matter how much I try to coax her,her lips will automatically pressed together when a drop pass her lips,no wonder my lao gong joked that like mother,like daughter,we both have a common dislike,haha....Suggestions from friends to add in ribena,delrosa syrup were to no avail,just as determined I am to made her drink,she is equally headstrong in resisting...haha...Screaming till her face turn red,pushing the bottle away,the naughty baby wins...Working around the problem,I now turn to home made juices,soup which she happily gulp down...Oops,not a good solution..What if she turns out to be like me?Better be a good role model and drink my plain water too...haha...In time to come,clover will also follow,monkey see,monkey do...haha...

I am what I eat-literally

OOohing and AAahing over the food pictures featured at others' food blog put mine instantly to shame,haha...Oh well,better to be true to myself,for while such desserts are to-die-for,it should be an occasional treat...hehe....With the flu virus at its peak,we are more vulnerable than ever to fall ill under such harsh weather...I always make it a point to include more fruits and vegetables in my daily meal..True,nothing is foolproof,but at least I try and have on numerous occasions managed to keep flu and cold at bay....Once I remembered getting into a verbal arguement over this with one of my ex-colleague,he believe that kids should not be restrain over their food choices,as it will backfire with most of them flockering over to the fast-food outlets, being deprived and eat even more of the unhealthy food,me on the other hand feel that kids ought to be taught at young,with parents leading a good example on eating healthily,drilled on healthy food choices,with fast-food being a eating out once in a blue moon...Eventually nobody win,we stubbornly stick to our guns...haha

The first time I visted a local organic farm,the farmer while explaining on the benefits of organic produce,plucked a ladyfinger,use a hand towel to clean off the surface dirt and offered it to the crowd,for a while,nobody came forward,in my mind,I was thinking"raw ladyfinger,so gross with sticky sap,must be awful"..To our surprise,a little boy came forward,eagerly took the ladyfinger and munched on it happily..Naturally,that got me curious too,after getting my hand on organic ones,I took a huge bite,to my surprise,it is crunchy,without much sticky sap and has a sweet aftertaste,the organic apples and passionfruits were also much sweeter than conventional ones,nice on its own...without fanciful dressing...hehe..My frds,shall we organise our eating out at an organic cafe?haha....