My Little Fashionista

*picture sourced from google search

Mummy: Time for nap

Isabelle: Take out… change… *trying to remove her t-shirt*

Mummy: No, no need to change darling. We will just change your diapers.

Isabelle: Take out... change… change… hat…. *whining away*

Story

Isabelle insisted me to change her into her jacket with a hood for her nap, when all I wanted to do was change her diaper. It sounds crazy to be wearing a jacket at home with weather like ours! Well, thank God weather today was cool after a heavy downpour and the jacket is quite appropriate.

She would sometimes make choices of shoes for us when we were going out too. And yeah, did I mention she can't tolerate me wearing glasses and even tucking my now long fringes behind my ears?? AARRGH!

Little fashionista in the making perhaps?

Oh boy.....

Hands : Rescued

My hands has recovered so much and almost back to its original state after my last post.

The remedy was my DH who helped me with the dishes and washing. Thanks my dear for your sacrifice! It meant so much more when I know you did something that you don't really fancy but you did it anyway, for me :) Love you!

*picture sourced from google search

And thanks to my DS for this wonderful tube of magic from Aesop! It really does what it claims. Quoting from the label on the tube "This luxurious formulation of hydrating botanicals will transform even the most abused and life-weary hands". I have only used less than a quarter of it and the effect is so obvious! It can even be applied on feet and specially good for cracked heels too. Proven and endorsed by yours truly.

The Aesop-cant-live-without magic potion!

Crib or Co-Sleep

*Picture sourced from google search

Few weeks ago, I decided that it is time for us to return Isabelle to her crib. I anticipated it will need a LOT of getting used to after having her co-sleeping with me since she was 5 months old.

So the adventure begins. We tried for 2 nights. And as expected, I had the worst and most dreadful 2 sleepless nights of my life. I woke up like a million times to check on her and to hold her hands poking my hands into the crib through the railings (holding her hands while we sleep is a habit I picked up when she starting co-sleeping with me). I miss having her next to me, I miss turning over and smelling her hair and sometimes, with her legs in my face.

Here are some pictures of our co-sleeping milestones and mostly taken when I woke up in the morning before leaving my bed or in the midnight. They are also reasons why I simply can't just wean myself from sharing my bed with my little precious.

Isabelle at 6 months old, sucking her fingers in her sleep.

Picture taken when I woke up in the morning.

Isabelle at 7 months old.

Picture taken in the midnight when I return to bed after a visit to the washroom.

Isabelle at 14 months old.

Picture taken in the morning when I woke up.

On the 3rd night, I was a happy and blissful mummy again ... because Isabelle was back in my bed... sleeping and snoring away, right next to me.

I guess there are things we need not rush into. There are things in life with kids that we should cherish as long as we could. Cuddling, co-sleeping, carrying them when they are as heavy as 20 bags of rice. I even miss having to rock or pat Isabelle to sleep which she doesn't need that anymore now. They are going to grow up and we are going to miss doing all that with them one day, soon. And did I mention, I think our babies do grow up, way too FAST! So for now, I am going kiss and cuddle her as much as I can while she still allows me to!

2 years being a Mom

*picture sourced from google search

Come this May 8th, I would have achieved my first 2 years of being a Mommy (and yes, I have a long long way to go still). What have I learn throughout this journey?

• my time is no longer mine alone but I don't mind
• patience is the key to everything
• not everything will go our way all the time
• practise what I preach
• multitasking & priority setting is the best life saving skill one can learn being a parent especially a sahm with no extra help at home
• how just a smile from our precious little one can take away any anger and frustration
• how simple things in life can make me smile ~ a hug and when Isabelle finish her meal
• now, I know, how my parents get their grey hair! :)
• I am so so so so extremely grateful for what my parents has done for me, truly
• I now know how much parents would sacrifice for their child and their love is so unconditional
• I love my parents even more now
• Leaving my job is the hardest yet best decision I have made in my whole life!
• There is a chinese saying that goes like 'raising a child for 100 years but worry about him for 99 years' and I can't help agreeing to that.
• God is so awesome and amazing in creating a life itself

Cheers to mummyhood!

All Highlands Trips with Family

Ji-Yee (Mom's sister) is in town from Taiwan for a visit with her 2 children and a grandson. It is always nice to have a reunion with relatives we rarely meet. Ji-Yee has 13 kids! Yes, 13!!! And she is 82 this year. With that many kids, it is not surprising she have her offspring in almost every corner of the globe. She spent her time in between Taiwan, Canada and United States. How blessed eh?

As usual when we have guests coming from abroad, we brought them to a few popular local holiday destinations. Since they are not a fan of warm weather, we decided to bring them to the highlands here. Genting and Cameron Highlands. So here is the agenda.

KL & Penang

Covered by a relative - brought them to all the local spots and even a day trip down to Malacca.

Genting Highlands

~Day 1

While we waited for our room in Highlands Hotel, we adjourned for lunch at Genting Palace Restaurant. No photos of the delicate and delicious food because we were all so hungry we literally vacuumed down all the food. Had some dimsum and also nice Chinese dishes to go with rice.

After lunch, our rooms were ready. We spent a while to divide the rooms for our 'entourage'. One room for DH, me and Isabelle. One for Mom and Dad. The bigger room for our guests as there were 3 adults and 1 young child.

Our room - Highlands Hotel

As it was almost 3pm when we settled down, we decided to let the 2 kids take a nap before we go out again.

6pm, everyone got ready to leave for dinner. We settled for dinner at Good Friends Restaurant, one floor right above our hotel. Despite all the reviews I read online, food being served slow and etc, I was glad it didn't happen to us. Again, no photos because we were, again, too hungry to take any photos of the food. But it was yummy!

Dinner, accomplished. As Ji-Yee could not walk very far, Mom went up to the room with her to rest and catch up. The rest of us hit the Indoor Theme park. Played some games and won 457 pieces of tokens. Exchanged 2 pewter keychain with the Skyway logo (good souvenirs for our Taiwanese guests) and 2 pieces of cartoon stickers for 2 kids. Perfect!

Indoor theme park at Genting Hotel

A picture before we head back to the hotel

Misty. Temperature 17.5 degress celcius

DH suggested we leave Isabelle with my parents while 2 of us go 'dating' to the casino. We did and I almost won RM50 with the jackpot but I lost it again. Verdict : Never try to gamble, no matter what and how, win is far from possible.

~Day 2

Had dimsum for brunch, at Good Friends Restaurant again because it was the only outlet with available tables, everywhere else was fullhouse. Food was served slow maybe due to the crowd. But everything was delicious.

Good morning!

View from room - Cable car and Ria apartment

Head back to hotel to pack up. After packing, I head back to the casino. No, not to gamble. I went to the WorldCard counter to collect my card I lost like donkey years ago.

Went to the garden near Theme Park Hotel for some picture taking. Then down we go to adjourn to Cameron Highlands.

DH who has initially planned to return to KL after Genting, changed his mind and head to Cameron with us! And who was the happiest? Yours truly! :)

We stopped at Ulu Yam for the Loh Mee for a late lunch. I am not a fan of Loh Mee but it turn out to be very good! So different from the Loh Mee we can find in KL! 2 thumbs up!

Cameron Highlands

~Day 1

The journey continue and my nausea begin once we reach the windy road of Cameron Highlands (nothing new to me and my family). The stop at the Lata Iskandar Waterfalls did not help a bit. I puked 3 bags of Loh Mee and some coffee. I know, disgusting. I'll spare you the rest of the info. Since I had no help in the car because DH was driving and there was only me to handle Isabelle while my head and stomach churns like mad, I was thankful that she was very cooperative and sat in her car-seat the whole journey up the hill.

Isabelle and Hsien-Chu at Lata Iskandar Waterfalls

Reached our destination at 6.45pm. Head to Chefoo and then straight for dinner after we downloaded all the luggages. Dinner in Cameron, none other than steamboat. After that, pasar malam!!! After so many trips to Brinchang pasar malam, this is the first time I had Brinchang apom! It is so so so so yummy! The shredded coconut filling against the crispy batter is heavenly!

It was like 10pm when we head back to Chefoo. Good night!

~Day 2

Breakfast at Excellent Cafe as usual. I had my nasilemak and coffee. DH had curry meehoon and Isabelle had banana honey pancake. I can't remember what the rest had. But everything from this place is good and never failed us.

Chill out at Chefoo a bit. Took some pictures. Let the 2 kids run and play at the playground. Packed and left for Sungei Palas Boh Plantation Centre. It was raining quite heavily when we reached but soon after that, the rain stopped. We had a table at the edge of the cafe overlooking the plantation and mountains. Beautiful. The misty mountain tops look magnificent. The air was cool, crisp and clean after the heavy downpour. The aromatic tea, delicious pastry and the weather was like a match made in heaven.

Time for tea at the Boh plantation cafe.

Beautiful misty mountain tops (background)

The yummy cakes!

Clockwise from top left: Lemon butter cake, apple pie, sandwich, butter cake and cinnamon carrot cake (BEST!)

End of good times means beginning of nightmare, for me. Another round of nausea and throwing up. And again, nothing new. Thank God Mom was in the car and she took Isabelle so that I could well, throw up to my content. :)

Cooking ~ Cultural Medley

From left :

1. Indian - Toovar rice

2. Chinese - Panfried pumpkin steamed rice flour cake

3. Western - Home made sour cream (to go with crackers - not in the picture)

4. Western - Warm potato broccoli snap-peas salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing and feta cheese

I made second attempt on my pumpkin steamed rice flour cake (kim kua kuey) earlier and it was successful this time!

It is Friday and it is lazy day for me! When I thought of just having the pumpkin cake and a warm potato salad for dinner, my lovely friend buzzed me and she had a special Indian rice for me! Saved my day!

It is called Toovar Rice, an Indian fried rice with toovar beans. She is good with her spices so her cooking is always very fragrant and rich with the beautiful spices. This dish tasted rather similar to briyani rice but with an extra kick to it.

Home made sour cream

Ingredients:

1. 4 tbsp low fat yoghurt (I used Sunglo)

2. Pinch of black pepper

3. chopped spring onion

Method:
Mix everything together, combine well and keep it chilled before serving.

Warm potato broccoli sweet-peas salad

Ingredients:

1. Broccoli (cut into small florets)

2. Snap peas

3. Potato (cut into wedges)

Method:

1. Steam potato wedges for about 5 minutes

2. Add in broccoli and snap peas and steam for another 2 minutes

3. Remove and leave aside while dressing is prepared

Balsamic vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1. 2 tsp of olive oil or vegetable oil

2. 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar

3. pinch of black pepper

4. half tsp of minced garlic

5. approx 2 tsp of sundried tomatoes (cut into strips)

6. Feta cheese (preferred quantity)

Method:

1. Mix well item 1-5. Drizzle on top of the steamed vegetables.

2. Top with feta cheese