Lava Queen

As I mentioned before, we used to travel quite often before the arrival of our baby princess. Since she turned 1, we thought it was about time to share this passion for the world with her and hopefully she will love it too :D Our Japan trip begins tomorrow... We are super excited, of course, since we missed the cherry blossom full bloom during our trip to Korea (Yay to Sakura!!). Hehe. But there is a huge difference in the preparation for trips, now that we have our LO! It used to be 'Just the necessities', but now there's a looong 'To Bring' list! Packing Before : Just check how's the weather and start packing the night before. Bring basic toiletries and clothes fit for a 'fashion show' since we'll be taking lots of photos.  Matching top/bottom/dress, matching scarves, matching shoes :P After : Check and monitor the weather from a week before. Shop around to make sure LO has the right clothings to keep her warm. Start planning...

Understanding your child's defiant behavior is the first step to knowing how to handle it! This is the 'sequel' to my previous post: Handling my 16 mo screaming toddler . She's now 17 mo, still screaming but lesser I think, or maybe my ears are immune to the screams (haha). I've been trying different ways to tackle the screaming; sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Anyhow, here are some of the ways I've been using: Talk, talk, talk.... A LOT She can now say a few more words like some of her body parts, certain shapes, some animals/the sounds they make, and even point to the things that I mentioned. I noticed she has been observing my lips and trying to imitate some of the words or at least the sound of it every time I talk to her.  My tactic: Just go on talking (and yes, sometimes I do feel like I'm a recorder on repeat mode or talking to the air...Lol). Describe what I'm doing, how's my day so far, about the weather, what I...

Another new dessert establishment! Nestled on the first floor along Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi, Foo Foo will definitely woo all dessert lovers with their FINE desserts. As we were halfway climbing up the 25 steps, one of the owners (I assume) who was behind us quickly offered to overtake and opened the door for us! (Maybe he thought I must be struggling carrying my 10kg LO up the stairs. Haha!) But because of that, first impression: Superb service!! We were ushered to our table almost immediately and seeing it was our first time there, that same guy gave us some suggestions on what to order or try. We settled for the Mango Lychee Ice Cream Slice with Fruit Salsa since it was a damn hot day and also the Strawberry Tart. Mango Lychee Ice Cream Slice with Fruit Salsa. This (supposedly their best seller) was truly refreshing especially on a hot day! It's somewhat like a cheesecake;  a thin layer of lychee jelly, mango ice cream and fresh mango sorbet on  a layer of...

You can add some sugar to the flour and oat mix to make it sweeter :) Ingredients: 100g red apple, finely chopped  50g All purpose flour  20g steel cut oats 20g butter Ground cinnamon (Optional) Preheat oven to 180°C. Divide evenly and place chopped apples in muffin tray cups lined with paper. Sprinkle some ground cinnamon on the apples. Rub butter into flour, stir in the oats and sprinkle over the chopped apples. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 mins.

We usually use green raw papaya for soup. It's sweet, neutral in nature, promotes digestion and lubricates intestines. Peanut helps to strengthen spleen, moisten lungs and promotes urination. Walnut benefits the brains and nourishes skin. This soup is suitable for both adults and children. Naturally sweet and nutritious. Green/unripe papayas also helps increase lactation in new mothers. Ingredients: 2 taels (Approx 75g) peanut 2 taels (Approx 75g) walnut 10 red dates, piths removed 1 papaya Approx 300g pork rib Peel papaya, remove seeds and cut into big pieces. Scald pork ribs in boiling water for 5 mins. Rinse and set aside. Put all ingredients with 3 litres of water in a pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn to low heat and simmer for 3 hours. Off heat and serve.

You can add in other veggies like zucchinis, cauliflower etc, and even meat! This is a snack that's packed with whole grains, veggies, protein and calcium. It's easy, healthy and all you need is a few ingredients you have in your fridge. Plus, these snacks are a good way to use up whatever bits and pieces leftover in the fridge: carrot, broccoli and peas, in my case. Ingredients: 1/2 cup of quinoa, cooked and cooled 1/2 cup of cooked veggies (boiled, steamed etc) 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 an egg Preheat oven to 170°C. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients til well combined. Divide the mixture evenly into the cups of the non-stick muffin tray and press down to pack it in firmly. (You could use mini muffin trays to make them into small bite sized ones) Press down to pack them in firmly. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 mins or til golden brown.

Don't you agree that Moms all have superpowers because they can juggle so many things at a time? Hehe. 8th of March, 2016 was International Women's Day, and also because I've watched  three good videos   recently, I would like to share some thoughts on women, especially on being a mom!  Let's start with SAHMS since I'm one of them :D. As I mentioned in my post Being A SAHM , a stay-at-home-mom is one of the most undervalued career. Most people assume that SAHMs just stay at home with their kids, so they don't actually work, and that going to work is harder. But is that really the truth? In my opinion, each of us have our own role to play, but doesn't mean that one party has to do ALL the work. I'm lucky my hubby does help out in doing housework and in taking care of our LO (Just so you know, the kid doesn't belong to me ALONE, she's OUR kid), but I've heard some moms complaining that their family members/busybody aunties/some distant re...

This recipe yields 5 meatballs and my LO ate 3.5 :D Ingredients: 60g pork meat, minced 1 small potato, steamed and mashed 1/4 small carrot, cubed and steamed 1 Laughing Cow original Swiss cheese wedge (I ran out of cheddar cheese >.<) 1 slice yellow onion, finely chopped 1/2 tsp bread crumbs 1/2 tsp Italian herbs 2oz homemade stock Pinch of flour, for thickening Black pepper, for seasoning Olive oil, for frying Preheat oven to 200 °C. Combine minced pork, herbs, cheese, bread crumbs and season with some black pepper. Using hands, mix all ingredients til well incorporated. Shape the meat into balls, place them on a lined baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 mins or til they are cooked through. In a medium pan, sauté chopped onions with some oil til soft. Add in a pinch of flour, stir and cook til lightly browned. Pour in the homemade stock, bring to a boil and boil til slightly thickened. Serve meatballs with the mashed potatoes, carr...

So, my Big Day of the year again. Heee.. Last year this time we had French at Maison Francaise  - Good food, good ambience (One of the 10 Best Romantic Restaurants in KL ), good service and a darn good soufflé (They claimed they serve the best soufflé in town). A little on the pricey side but definitely worth the price. This year, my hubby suggested Vineria.IT - a chic looking Italian restaurant in BSC.  Take your time going through the menu. You'll be spoiled for choice as there is an abundance of options; antipasti, secondi piatti, pastas, salads, sweets and a variety of wood-fired pizzas.  Brodetto di Cozze e Vongole. We began with the Brodetto di Cozze e Vongole - Fresh mussels and clams in a delicate broth of white wine and garlic, served with rustic bread. The mussels and clams tasted fresh and the sauce was right on the spot. A great appetizer for any seafood lover :D Spaghetti ai Frutti di Mare. Spaghetti, cooked to al-dente, with c...

Egg roll v minced prawns, carrot & spinach noodles. Ingredients: 2 large prawns, minced 1 egg 1/4 small carrot, shredded 1 tsp cornstarch  1 tsp finely chopped ginger 1/2 bundle of Heinz farley's spinach noodles Black pepper, for seasoning Oil, for frying Put the minced prawns, shredded carrots and ginger into a medium bowl. Add cornstarch, season with some black pepper and mix til well combined. Beat the egg. Heat up some oil in a non stick pan, pour the beaten egg in and swirl the pan to spread the egg as thin as possible. When done, remove and set aside to cool. Spread prawn paste evenly on the crepe, roll it up and steam for about 8 minutes. Spread, roll and steam. Make sure everything is thoroughly cooked. Remove and cool slightly before cutting into slices. Cook the spinach noodles as per instructions. Serve with the egg rolls.

My all time favorite: lotus root! This soup is said to be suitable for those with weak 'qi' & blood and blurry vision. It's also suitable to be taken during the confinement period as black beans can help replenish blood, promote secretion of breast milk and brighten eyesight. Yummy and nutritious. Ingredients: Approx 600g lotus root, washed and cut into pieces 1 tael (Approx 37.5g) black bean 1 tael (Approx 37.5g) walnut 5 maces (Approx 18.9g) lotus seed 5 maces (Approx 18.9g) dried longan  5 red dates, pits removed Approx 300g pork bones (For confinement, replace with 1 black-bone chicken) 2500ml water Scald pork bones in boiling water for 5 mins. Remove, rinse and set aside. Rinse and drain black beans. Heat a wok and fry the black beans without oil til the skin cracks. Set aside. Rinse remaining ingredients and set aside. Put all ingredients and water in a pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, turn to low heat and boil for 3 hours. Serve...

So... it has begun. One minute she's as happy as a lark - smiling, humming and casually strolling around the house, and the next, she becomes a ball of rage - screaming, shrieking and trashing. Temper tantrums can literally be a headache, but unfortunately, it is a fact we have to face when there is a toddler in the house. Despite the term 'The Terrible Twos', I read that temper tantrums can start as early as 12 months and continue til the age of 4 or beyond. Entering the Terrible Two Territory. Why is this happening? There are a number of causes, which include: They learn to assert their independence and start to want to make their own decisions They are opinionated and feel that they are lacking control over emotions, circumstances and people They are at a stage of development when they have very strong feelings (frustration, jealousy, rage, disappointment, boredom etc) but they have limited ways of expressing them through words, so they will do any...

Another waffle place in my neighborhood! As its name suggests, Walffeine (a portmanteau of waffle and caffeine) specializes in serving waffles, but with a twist, for e.g. waffle burgers and waffle sandwiches, besides the usual sweet dessert waffles. This tiny little waffle place is located right opposite the Seapark wet market, sharing half a shop lot with a CD/DVD shop. Note that Walffeine is a Muslim friendly cafe and only HALAL ingredients are used in their menu :). We were ushered to our table by a friendly Malay waitress, who then took our orders. The interior is very simple - grey walls with wooden tables and steel chairs.  The interior. Honestly, I was disappointed. I had imagined this tiny place would be filled with the sweet smell of waffles the moment I walked in, but no. Our orders took quite some time to come, probably about 20 minutes.  Savory waffles: Texas Chicken Burger, served with chips. This is the Texan chicken burger, which is basi...