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Showing posts from June, 2011

Planning to go out

Having a kid really changes your life. Not just the ‘big things’ like your outlook and philosophy in life. But mostly little things. MANY little things. Which I suppose all add up to become a big thing too. For one thing, leaving the house requires planning. Maybe I’m just a little on the obsessive side, but sometimes I have to start thinking and planning ahead the night before.

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6-month update

Hello! Who’s turning 6 months old tomorrow?

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The Chocolate ‘Mug’ aka MacGyver Cake

It’s a chilly winter evening and I’m curled up on the couch in my favourite turtleneck, licking a spoon of chocolate cake which I whipped up 60 seconds ago in just 60 seconds. Yes, you heard me… SIXTY SECONDS! They’re calling it the ‘ Chocolate Mug Cake ’… and it’s NOT a typo… when I say ‘mug’ I really mean MUG. Some of you are aware of my minor obsession with four-ingredient recipes but this one beats them all. Just THREE ingredients. To assemble one serving: Start with one mug Then add… A quarter cup of sugar (I used just under a quarter) 1-2 tablespoons of cocoa And one egg Whisk everything together until it’s nice and frothy. Then pop into the microwave for one minute (or just under if you like it more gooey). And voila… CAKE! I was amazed at how cake-like the texture turned out despite the fact that there was no flour… soft, fluffy and moist. I topped it with some whipped cream and it was like eating a mug of pure hot chocolate in cake form. I handed hubs his mug ...

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A movie meme

It appears that memes are a great way to fill space on this blog. So here’s another one which I got from here This one is very similar to the Top 100 Books idea, but with movies. This list is from AFI’s list of top 100 movies . I’ve marked the ones I’ve watched in bold and for an extra touch, decided to add a star next to the ones I really liked. So here we go…

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More bandanna bibs

After my discovery of the uber cool bandanna bib , I went on to make a few more for the drool patrol… They were a big hit in church today – most people remarking how cute he looked in his ‘cowboy bandanna’.

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First foray into solids

After all that gearing up for the solids plunge , Nathan’s first dipstick test into the wonderful new world of solids was actually somewhat anticlimactic. I was bracing myself for an onslaught of protests, spitting, messes, food faces and other such antics. But once he took that first mouthful of rice cereal… I think he was hooked!

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Childhood smells

A friend recently posted a status update on fb sharing about how the smell washing her cast iron pan suddenly evoked strong memories of her mum washing her old wok in the kitchen. Studies have shown that smells have a strangely strong link to memories from our distant past… more so than sight and sound. It got me thinking about what familiar smells I sometimes come across that immediately transport me back to a specific place or time from my childhood. Here are five which I randomly thought of…

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Gearing up for the solids plunge

Just the past couple of nights, Nathan has been suddenly waking up an hour after he goes down for the night. This was unusual as he has been sleeping through the night from 7pm till 7am the next morning for some time now. We’ve been cracking our heads trying to figure out what’s wrong… too hot? too cold? teething? sick? hungry? We run through the whole list trying everything we can think of to help him settle back down again. Perhaps he just wants to be held or had a nightmare… so eventually after running through everything, we just hold him and rock him gently until he’s calmed down enough to go back to sleep. I posted an anecdote about this on fb and got a huge response… the majority of the respondents suggested that it could be a sign that he’s ready for solids. I’m not wanting to rush him into solids but if it really is the reason why he’s been waking up, I don’t want to hold him back from it if he needs it. So I’ve started making some preparations to gear up for the plunge.

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The little gnome and his guests

Late Sunday afternoon, our home was graced by the presence of two lovely ladies. He was a little grumpy after his nap, but he eventually warmed up and allowed himself to be carried by the girls.

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The coolest bib ever

I just stumbled across the coolest discovery – Bandana Bibs! I tell you I’m so loving this idea. I just can’t get over how ingenious it is. Right after I came across the pattern, I immediately went through my fabric stash, hauled out my sewing gear and made one of these little babies… My little boy is a major dribbler, especially with the teething, so I can never have enough bibs. I’m gonna make a whole heap more of these.

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Something hot and red to counter the chill

Yesterday I mentioned a tomato soup recipe I tried out. With the onset of chillier days, I felt like making something soupy and stewy and warming. This recipe I came across in a magazine seemed like a quick and simple fix. We’re not big fans of tomato soup but I think it turned out quite nice. I like the touch of chilli for a bit of heat. If you’d like to give it a go, here is the recipe… 800g canned tomatoes 1 small carrot, chopped 4 garlic cloves, chopped 1 chilli, chopped (optional) 1 tspn sugar 2 tbsp olive oil 250ml water Salt and pepper, to taste 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 slices sourdough bread (I just used ordinary bread) Place tomatoes, carrot, garlic, chilli, sugar, olive oil, water, salt and pepper in a pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. In another bowl, soak bread in balsamic vinegar for about 10 minutes. Add the bread and basil to the soup and simmer for another 10 minutes Then blend in a food processor or with a ...

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7 things I did today

Day 2 of this long weekend so far was spent… #1. Agonising over two new scratches on my little boy’s nose… “Hooooooney, trim those nails!” #2. Letting Nathan have a run on the high-chair for the first time... Although he’s not quite mastered the sitting-up-on-his-own skill yet, he was able to sit up with plenty of support from the Ikea high-chair-cushion-thingy accessory – I think the padding provides a kind of bumbo-seat effect #3. Exploring my newly discovered playground – pinterest (you need an invitation to join – I have five to give out if you’re interested) #4. Trying out a tomato soup recipe I found in a magazine – just for fun as our household is not generally a fan of tomato soup #5. Enjoying a slice of sticky date pudding drizzled over with butterscotch caramel, which I made using this recipe #6. Getting affirmation that I’m now back to my pre-pregnancy weight – discovered I’m able to fit my ao dai again which I bought while on holiday in Vietnam seven years ago...

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Super easy sweetened condensed milk cake

In case some of you were wondering “ will there be a blog post today? ” I decided since I’ve been having such an excellent blogging streak, I shall not let you down. Yes, even in the midst of this lazy long weekend. Today I took a break from sewing and decided to get busy in the kitchen (I think my hubs has been feeling rather neglected lately). Here is something I recently tried out in the baking department: sweetened condensed milk pound cake . Crazily easy to make and still able to generate plenty of appreciative ‘yums’ from your audience. The recipe calls for: 120 grams butter ½ cup caster sugar ½ cup sweetened condensed milk 1½ tspn vanilla essence 1 cup self raising flour (or 1 cup plain flour + 2 tspn baking powder) 2 large eggs Then to assemble: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy Add vanilla and condensed milk and mix till well combined Add in flour (mix in gradually in 2-3 additions) Add in eggs and mix everything together well Pour into cake/loaf pan Bake at...

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Questions people ask me about cloth

Today is cloth nappies laundry day. Various people have also been asking me questions about it offline, so as my mind is on cloth nappies today, I decided to do a post on the subject and answer some of those questions. 1. How long can they hold up? Modern cloth nappies can actually hold up very well for long stretches. I always use them when I’m out for this reason (as well as for the cuteness factor). Although I aim to change him at least every 2-3 hours, I have however gone for a stretch of up to 6 hours with my itti bitti d’lish nappy (pictured on the right) with no problems at all. 2. How often do you need to change him? At home I use traditional muslins/prefolds and usually change him twice during each wake-time – once when he wakes up, and again before he goes down for his nap. If he does a poo I change him immediately. So altogether, his bum receives a fresh nappy between 7-10 times throughout the day. I love the liberating fact that I can change him as often as I...

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A dose of Nathan

Today is officially the first day of winter on this side of the globe! What better way to kick-start the new season with a good dose of Nathan. My little boy has been polishing his back flipping expertise over the past couple of weeks. He is now very adept with this trick and happily spends his tummy time flipping onto his tummy and back again the other way over and over. When he first started out, he encountered the usual rough spots…

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More Popular Posts

Our DIY outdoor chalkboard

Today’s entry is not so much a post as it is just a way to showcase the latest addition to our outdoor play area… Our new mega sized outdoor chalkboard!

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Learning about snails

This past week has been all about snails.The children are always fascinated by the snails in our garden and ask endless questions about them.A couple of weeks back, one of my boys stumbled across a snail crawling along the ground.

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DIY magnet shapes

A couple of weeks ago, I had posted this snapshot of these set of magnetic shapes I made on my Instagram. I received a few curious questions on how I made them.

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Three Questions

And so Nathan’s very first day of kindergarten is over. It was a mixture of good, bad, sweet and sour. I think that so much happens throughout the day, it can be challenging for a little person to filter through it all.

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My cup runneth over

These days my days are packed full to the brim. From the moment I wake up to the sound of Grace calling through the baby monitor and Nathan’s cheeky face peering at me over the edge of the bed… to the evening when I finally tuck them into bed and say goodnight.

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