Can't Quit

You can quit your job when you are a banker, manager, accountant, salesperson, nurse, doctor, engineer....

Motherhood and parenthood is that one 'job' you cannot just give up and quit, can you? Can we?

WarZone

Tsunami.  Tornado.  Cyclone.  War zone.

This is the scene of post playtime (2 kids).  

It looks like war zone to me though.

I am so glad it is Thursday already!!  

Family Language

Picture sourced from google search

How many languages and dialects do you speak at home?  
Is your family language as 'rojak' as ours?

Me + DH =  English & Mandarin + teeny weeny bit of Hokkien
Me + Parents = Hokkien
Me + DH + Isabelle = English & Mandarin & Hokkien
Me + DS = English & Mandarin & Hokkien
Isabelle + Grandparents (Mummy's) = Hokkien & Mandarin
Isabelle + Grandparents (Daddy's) = Hokkien & Mandarin & Cantonese
Isabelle + Yee Yee = English & Mandarin
Isabelle + Ah Ku + Kim Kim + Yee Yee + Kor Kor = English
Isabelle + Cher Chers + Ko Kos = English & Mandarin
Isabelle = English, Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese & Bahasa Malaysia

She is very 1 Malaysia, isn't she?  

Her Babies

Please meet the additional 'family members' in our family. 

Inseparable soulmates.
Eat, sleep, play and even goes to the washroom together.

HAPPIE - 'Baby' with brown ears (background) - 
 BA-JE-YU - Little 'baby' (Sounds korean to me.  I don't know how she came out with this name but that is her name.)
According to Isabelle, Happie is the Mummy of Ba-je-yu.

And so, I am anticipating bigger luggages from now onwards whenever we travel.  Extra space for these 2 little 'babies'.

Did school holiday just said hello?  Here is wishing you and your loved ones a happy holiday.  Safe journey wherever you go and have lots of fun!

Cooking ~ Gyoza/Jiao Zi/Dumpling

DH suggested me to make panfried dumpling (or Gyoza in Japanese, Jiao Zi in chinese).  So here it is, please meet our Gyoza.

Before

Ingredients:

1.  A bowl of minced or ground pork (or chicken or beef)

2.  3 tsp of chopped spring onion

3.  1/2 tsp grated ginger

4.  1/2 tsp minced garlic

5.  5 pc of mushroom (diced) 

6.  3-4 pc water chestnut (diced) *this is to replace the napa cabbage called for this recipe and I don't have any in my fridge today*

Marinade:

1.  A pinch of pepper

2.  1/2 tsp sugar

3.  1/2 tsp soy sauce

4.  1/4 tsp sesame oil

You will need:  Gyoza/Dumpling wrappers (round)

Method:

1.  Mix all the ingredients and marinade.  Let it sit and marinade for 20-30 minutes or you can wrap the fillings in the wrappers.  Keep in the fridge and fry them when required.

2.  To fry, heat oil and panfried the dumplings till the bottom is crispy and turns golden.

3.  Once they are crispy, pour in water enough to cover about half of the dumplings.  Put on the lid. Let the water evaporate.  This should take approximately 2-3 minutes.

4.  It is ready when all the water dries up.

Ready 

Dipping sauce:

1.  2 tsp soy sauce

2.  1/4 tsp rice vinegar

3.  1 tsp thinly sliced ginger

Result:

DH - Can you make this once a week?

Me - Burp. Should have made more for lunch tomorrow.

Cooking ~ Kam Heong Eggplant (Baked)

 

Finally I had the chance to feed my urge to make this dish!!  Eggplant rocks and it taste so much better baked.  Kam heong style only make it taste even more heavenly.  The baked effect gave it a charred taste. Yum!

This recipe is similar to my previous eggplant attempt.  

Ingredients:

1.  1 eggplant (sliced and baked/grilled in the oven for about 10 minutes)

2.  2 tsp chopped garlic

3.  2 tsp chopped shallots

4.  3 tsp minced dried shrimps (pre-soaked and minced)

5.  3-4 dried chillies (soaked in hot water for 30 minutes)

6.  Curry leaves

7.  Spring Onion (for garnishing)

Seasoning:

1.  1/2 tsp sugar

2.  A dash of salt

3.  1 tsp soysauce

4.  1 tsp oyster sauce

5.   1/2 tsp fish sauce

Method:

1.  Prepare the eggplants and let it bake away while you prepare the sauce

2.  Saute onion and garlic in a pan.  

3.  Once onion and garlic is soft (before turning brown), add in minced shrimp.  Stir and saute till the little shrimps start to dance, a sign that they are fragrant and cooked.

4.  Add in curry leaves and chili.  Saute till fragrant.

5.  Add in seasoning and stir.  The sauce should be fairly dry.

6.  Add in the eggplants and stir well to ensure every piece of the eggplants is coated with the sauce. Dish out.

7.  Garnish with spring onion.

Result:

DH -  WOW!  Next time, bake and forget about steaming these babies.
DS -  "Eeeii... you tapau this dish, didn't you? (When told the truth) "This is seriously GOOD!"
Me -   Blissful.  I now know what to make for dinner the next time I have guest over at home!!

Cooking ~ Burger Cubes Stirfried Potatoes & Carrots

I cheated today.  I cheated with Ramli burger patties.  I cheated for the sake of our dinner. :)

This is what I do when I am too lazy to chop, mince, cut, marinate, etc.

Ingredients:

1.  3 pc of burger patties - diced into preferred shapes (optional)

2.  2 potatoes - diced

Picture sourced from google search

3.  1 carrot - diced

4.  Chopped garlic

5.  Chopped onion

6.  Chopped spring onion

Seasoning:

1.  1/2 tsp sugar

2.  1/2 tsp soy sauce

3.  A pinch of pepper

4.  Some vinegar or balsamic vinegar (optional)

            ~~ This dish uses no extra oil ~~

Method:

1.  Sweat out the oil from the patties by using nonstick pan.  Panfried it till they are crispy and turn golden.  Remove from pan. 

2.  Using the oil from the patties, panfried the diced potatoes and carrots till they are golden and slightly so.ft.  Push them aside.

3.  Saute the garlic and onion till they are soft.
4.  Add in seasoning except vinegar.  Sprinkle some water for some gravy.  Add more water if more gravy is preferred.

5.  Add in the burger patties and stir well. 

6.  Sprinkle a little vinegar and stir well.

7.  Add in spring onion, stir and dish out immediately.

Cooking ~ Kam Heong Eggplants (steamed)

Kam heong will go with anything and gives the dish an extra uumph don't they?  This is my simplified (and healthier) version of eggplant in kamheong style.  

Ingredients:

1.  1 eggplant (sliced.  It can be either baked, deepfried or steamed first.  I opted the latter as it is healthier and easier, for me).

2.  2 tsp chopped garlic

3.  2 tsp chopped shallots

4.  3 tsp minced dried shrimps (pre-soaked)

5.  Sliced or chopped red chillies (I used dried chillies as I realised I ran out of fresh red chillies last minute)

6.  Curry leaves

7.  Spring Onion (for garnishing)

Seasoning:

1.  1/2 tsp sugar

2.  A dash of salt

3.  1 tsp soysauce

4.  1 tsp oyster sauce

5.   1/2 tsp fish sauce

Method:

1.  Prepare the eggplants and set aside while you prepare the sauce

2.  Saute onion and garlic in a pan.  

3.  Once onion and garlic is soft (before turning brown), add in minced shrimp.  Stir and saute till the little shrimps start to dance, a sign that they are fragrant and cooked.

4.  Add in curry leaves and chili.  Saute till fragrant.

5.  Add in seasoning and stir.  The sauce should be fairly dry.

6.  Add in the eggplants and stir well to ensure every piece of the eggplants is coated with the sauce. Dish out.

7.  Garnish with spring onion.

Result:

DS - Good.  Taste clean and not as greasy.

Me - I prefer it baked than steamed.  Next time, will try baking the eggplants.

Cooking ~ Pork Belly Leek and Crispy Beancurd

This is one of the dish I grow up eating.  All the good stuff rolled into one, the greens, protein and meat.  I try to make one dish using beancurd atleast once every week and last week I made this.

Ingredients:

1.  2 pc of beancurd (diced and panfried)

2.  Porkbelly - sliced. Amount is up to individual preference

*Marinate with soysauce, a dash of sugar, pepper and shaoxing wine

3.  Leeks 

4.  Chopped garlic

5.  Sliced onion

Seasoning:

1.  2 tsp soy sauce

2.  1/4 tsp sugar

3.  1 tsp oyster sauce

4.  A dash of pepper

Method:

1.  Saute onion and garlic till they soften 

2.  Add in the pork belly and let it caramalised

3.  Once the pork belly slices turn golden, add in the seasoning.  Add a little bit of water and let it simmer.

4.  Add in leeks and stir well.  Don't overcook the leeks.

5.  Dish out the pork belly and arrange the previously panfried beancurd on the side

(Alternatively, the beancurd can also be cooked together with the pork belly).

Result:
DH - Leeks! Cook again soon.
DS - Ho ciak. Like Mom's.
Me - *flattered*

Cooking ~ Zucchini Penne

I have leftover anchovies in olive oil, zucchini and swiss brown mushroom in the fridge.  But they are not enough to make a dish each so I decided to marry them with penne.  Voila.. here comes the healthy-almost-vegetarian pasta!  Not forgetting, a big dollop of mashed potato stolen from Isabelle's lunch added a touch of creaminess and richness to this dish.

Ingredients:

1.  Penne (cooked)

2.  1 onion - diced

3.  Few cloves of garlic - chopped

4.  Anchovies (I used Johnny West)

5.  Yellow zucchini (peel off skin and sliced)

6.  2-3 swiss brown mushroom (sliced)

7.  Sliced spring onion

Seasoning:

1.  Salt and pepper (adjust to own liking)

2.  Balsamic vinegar

Method:

1.  Saute onion in a hot pan till they turn soft and caramalised.  Add in garlic and let it saute for another 1 minute or before they turn brown.

2.  Add in anchovies.  Break up the fillet into smaller pieces with the back of the spatula.

3.  Add in zucchini and mushroom.  Let them cook for about 1 minute. Stir.

4.  Add in salt, pepper and a sprinkle of water if mixture is too dry.

5.  Add in cooked penne.  Stir and make sure every piece of penne is well coated.

6.  Sprinkle a few dash of balsamic vinegar and stir well.

7.  Dish up and garnish with spring onion.  (If you like cheese, grate some cheese before serve)


Result:
DH - Yummy!!
Friend V - Good! Not too oily, moist enough and taste healthy :)

A Guide to Baby Skincare by Four Cow Farm

Dear Friends and Mothers,

I am so happy to share with you this warm invite from Wai Quan of Goodness Me to attend a talk of how to handle and to get to know more about baby eczema.  

Please do feel free to leave me a comment if you are interested to join.  Alternatively, you can register directly with Wai Quan.  Just remember to add in your email subject 'PinkBibs Friends' when you contact her to secure your seat.

Me and Isabelle are current fan of Four Cow Farm's baby wash after reading about this wonderful product in MieVee's review.  It is luxurious, safe and most of all, Isabelle mild eczema on her legs disappeared after 1 week of usage and has made no return so far! I am so glad I found this! :)

One Day When You Become a Mother

You will finally understand

... when your child cranky, you try your best to calm her down but it does not work all the time

... you can't make your little child obey every single word or instruction coming from you eventhough it might be for their own good

... a child is an individual and they have their rights (yes, you read it right)

... children have their 'off days' too and that it is totally alright for them to loose it once a while after all they are humans like us too

... that a child will stand when you ask her to sit, scream when you beg her to whisper and run wildly when you demanded her to crawl


... it is not your wish to have a sick child so yeah, blame it on the bad weather

... it is impossible for me to just pack and leave as and when I please

... how lousy it feels having to turn down all the invitation I get for ladies night out, hightea or even just a cuppa coffee

... why I have to drop whatever I am doing everytime the "Mummy!!!" siren goes on.

... the reason why we put ourselves second (or last) in most of the things that we do

... that punctuality is not always achieved as we need to clean someone's butt just when we were to open the door to leave the house for an outing.

... that it is not my choice to be backlogged fashionably and I have to wear flats ALL THE TIME. Try running after your little monkey in stilettos in future and I will award you with a trophy if you can outbeat me.

... that it's totally beyond anyone's control and it is not your fault when your baby scream and cry and screech in restaurant and how much you want to dig a hole and bury your head when others can't stop staring at you with 'that' look and how frustrated that feels and also how much you want to give them a big piece of your mind but you know you can't

... being a mother is not the most glamourous job in the world but it is one of the most meaningful job one could ask for

Friendship and Forgiveness

Some people like to cook or paint as a hobby.  Some maybe gardening, reading, shopping.  Unfortunately, some enjoys being the 'destroyer' (quoting from Max On Life, page 53 - Hurt)

I never thought that being a stay at home mom, all cooped at home, will still land me in the world of 'politics'.  Recently discovered someone I treated as a real friend, has actually been making not-so-nice comments about me to some other friends.  I should have sensed her agenda when she started to feed me terrible thoughts about them.  

She has seems to be isolating everyone from each other so that she remain as the only best friend to each of us by making up stories and twisting them up.  It is understandable wanting to please everyone and to be liked.  But achieving that by doing all these, is not right. 

As much as it astonishes me, it disappoints me on how an grown up would come up with such a plot.  Although it hurts (it REALLY hurts) so much to know this, I have decided to put an end to this ugly discovery by forgiving her.  Quoting Max (from Max On Life), "As long as you hate your enemy, a jail door is closed and a prisoner is taken.  But when you try to understand and release your foe from your hatred, then the prisoner is released and that prisoner is you"  

No, I don't hate her but my sympathy goes to her for trapping herself in such a way of life.  It sounds tiring.  And yes, I will still have her as my friend but keeping a distant away.  And even it is going to be  difficult, I don't want us to be enemies either (no time for this and would be too childish).  Call me silly, call me thick-skinned, call me whatever but at this moment, it feels right to do so.  I may not be the saint-est person, not the kindest, not the friendliest human alive but I am honest and true to all my friends and I know I did no sin. I hope she will come to her senses one day.

Wishing you and loved ones a wonderful long weekend ahead and do cherish the real friends around you.  They are truly gem!

Book Review *Max On Life*

MAX ON LIFE

Written By : Max Lucado

Publisher: Tommy Nelson

What Do I Think About The...

Content:

Straightforward, relevant, real and most (not all) of the remarks was concluded with a Bible verse readers can use as reference.  A compilation of real and day-to-day questions from readers and accompanied by Max's personal opinions and experiences.  Addressing issues about families, parenting, Christianity, financial, relationship etc.   

Structure:

A collection and list of Q & A format.  Extremely easy to read.  The categorised topics also made it a breeze to refer to. 

Book Cover:

Since it is a jacketed cover, I wrapped it with the plastic book wrapper so that I can preserve it for a longer time and make it more durable.  Very handsome profile picture of Max on the cover.

Overall:

This is a very good & valuable guidance book everyone and every family should have keep in their bookshelf.  

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of theirBook Review Blogger program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”