Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone! Enjoy eating mooncakes and playing lanterns and catching up with family wherever you are.

Our photo moment of the week The weekend is finally here! We’re enjoying an extra-long one here in Perth with the Queen’s Birthday holiday falling on Monday for us in Western Australia. My mum has just arrived for a month-long visit, so we might kick things off with a nice and easy-going outing with her this weekend. Here is this week’s stash of linky treasures… Top 50 most weirdly innovative shopping bags Sinfully yummy strawberry butter (only three ingredients) The sweetest little playset featuring The Princess & The Pea story The flash cards in the photo above are from Mr Printables ~~~ And a this beautiful poem titled ‘A Mother’s Prayer’ Oh give me patience when wee hands Tug at me with their small demands. And give me gentle and smiling eyes. Keep my lips from hasty replies. And let not weariness, confusion or noise Obscure my vision of life's fleeting joys. So when, in years to come my house is still No bitter memories its rooms may fill. (Author Unknown) ~...

A couple of weeks back I tried out this awesome fruit salad recipe to bring to a pot luck picnic. The recipe came with a warning that it would be polished cleaned at any pot luck or gathering. I like coming back from pot lucks with an empty bowl so this sounded like a winner. The original recipe featured grapes as the main fruit. But as they were currently not in season here, I used a mixture of other fruits: Three green apples (cubed) Three red/fuji apples (cubed) One punnet of strawberries (sliced) Plus half a can of pineapple (optional) To bring it all together is a sinfully rich but oh so yummy cream cheese dressing, which you just need to mix together: Approx 200g cream cheese Approx 100g sour cream 1/8 cup of icing sugar A dollop of forest fruits yoghurt (optional) Combine everything together to create the most delicious fruit salad you’ve probably ever tasted… And yes, the bowl was completely cleaned out at the picnic – and I promise it wasn’t only because of me. I c...

We just live off the laundry pile Happy Wednesday! (Just remember, we’ll be over the mid-week bump by tomorrow, so hang in there!)

Just because it’s nice to take a moment and look back at where we began… When… During my university student days in Perth, Australia. Where… We happened to be attending the same church. How… I was serving in the children’s ministry (Sunday School) at church at that time. I was tasked to organise getting a tape recording of the Sunday sermon to circulate among the other kids ministry helpers who had to miss out on the main service… and the person in charge of the tape recordings was none other than… my future husband! (although I didn’t know it yet at that time). . Then… Our initial weekly exchanges to get hold of the latest sermon tape recording soon progressed on to regular online ICQ chats, then a couple of phone calls during the week, and soon we both realised that we couldn’t stop thinking about each other. We both knew… When he asked me out for ‘coffee’ one day and after some casual chit-chat we finally had the ‘serious conversation’ on how we felt and where this was going....

A common question I get asked by people who just found out that I juggle between work and parenting is “ so do you cook every day? ” And the answer is: Yes. Pretty much. But like most mums, I have my own back of tricks – pre-made stuff, shortcuts and freezer stash items. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy cooking. But, as much as I want to put together a picture perfect meal in Anthony Bourdain style, most days it’s a race against the clock to pull together a decent meal for my hungry boys. My five favourite express-meal helpers include: Garlic infused olive oil – saves time on chopping garlic Dried anchovies (ikan billis) – for quick soups or a yummy fried topping My pressure cooker – soups, stews and casseroles made in half the time Classic cocktail of Chinese sauces – oyster sauce + soy sauce + kecap manis The freezer – where I stash pre-made stuff like frozen fishballs, Ikea meatballs, frozen veg, ready-made sauces as my instant fall-backs for meal preparations So ...

Our photo moment of the week Phew! I’ve had a pretty chaotic work on the office-work front – just lots of firefighting, ad hoc requests and conflicting deadlines. So I’m really glad the weekend is finally here. I’m planning to just chill and relax with my boys and do nothing in particular. Some weekends are perfect just like that. Some linky treasures to ease you into your weekend… Sweet and fun ways to describe the love of your life DIY no-sew criss-cross headband Homemade vanilla extract 20 beautiful and cool fonts for your computer Yummy and healthy veggie packed carrot and zucchini cake Have a terrific weekend folks! ~~~ P.S. More linky treasures and photo moments of the week

It’s mooncake festival this month. Stores have started selling mooncakes since early August and we’ve succumbed to buying one or two cakes when we were out shopping. This year I decided to venture to make my own mooncakes. After some research and scouting various recipes, I settled on making snowskin mooncakes. Mainly because I like them and they are rather hard to find in Perth… and because the recipe is actually a bit easier than the conventional baked version. I found this recipe on fatboo.com to be the best one as it had detailed photos explaining the various ingredients and process. Here is my version of the recipe… For the homemade filling, I made three different types: red bean, black sesame, and a nutella flavoured one. All the filings start with a base of red bean paste. First step is to prepare the red bean paste : Soak 1kg of red azuki beans in water overnight. Image from wikipedia The next day, transfer the beans into a pot, cover with water and cook until beans...

With Nathan at the library petting zoo on my day off work So Nathan is turning 21 months in a few days. Our lives went through a drastic change since his arrival. I got a taste of life as a SAHM, which then transitioned to a WAHM as I started working part-time from home , and then on going into the office a couple of days a week. So where are things at now? Well I now work three days a week as an analyst at a market research and consulting firm. The other two days are spent living out my SAHM persona, which believe or not, is more physically draining than my days at the office. Whether for financial reasons or a desire to keep up with one’s professional/career development, many mums eventually decide to go back to work after having a baby. Working part-time is currently the ideal arrangement for me. I love it because… I have time to really BE in my son’s life , to play with him, hang out with him, cook for him and just ‘mother’ him. I am able to keep my professional skill...

Our photo moment of the week We’re having a fun-filled activity-packed weekend – with potlucks and picnics and barbeques and friends. I’ll be trying out the most awesome grape salad you’ve ever tasted (which I understand is guaranteed to be polished cleaned at any potluck). And if time allows, I’ll be also venturing to make snowskin mooncakes . Some linky treasures to kick-start your weekend… Zooey Deschanel rocking old-school wayfarer glasses DIY earrings made from paperclips Badass babywearing 15 ways to stay married for 15 years And finally this lovely poem which is a great reminder for all parents: I hope my children look back on today, And see a Mother who had time to play! Children grow up while you're not looking, There'll be years ahead for cleaning and cooking, So quiet now, cobwebs; dust go to sleep. I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep. I want to be remembered as a mother who had time to play.

Like all working mums, I juggle two personas between my work career and my role as a mum. I work part-time three days a week as an analyst at a market research consulting firm. On the other two days my SAHM/WAHM persona comes alive (read: play dates, mothers’ group, story time sessions and the like). Both types of days are busy and activity packed, but with work-in-office days I pretty much can’t miss a beat, especially the first part of the day before heading out the door. So here are the things I do to make sure that everything runs smoothly the moment the alarm clock goes off in the morning: #1. Prepare a packing list : Although most things are pretty standard, it’s strange how easy it is to miss something. So after several episodes of important items being left out, I finally prepared a Comprehensive List of everything that needs to go in the bag. I can tell you that having a list really makes life so much easier. Saves brainpower in trying to remember to pack this and that or...

Our photo moment of the week What are you up to this weekend? We had a chilly blast of weather in Perth earlier this week, so I’m planning to do a ‘soupy’ weekend and cook up a few warm and cosy soups. Came across some really cool stuff which really blew my mind and really made me realise that we are SOOOOO living in the 21st century! I’ve picked the following new ‘battery juice’ technologies to share with you guys… A portable fuel cell charger that runs on water which can be used to charge mobile devices or digital cameras. Power Felt – a thermoelectric fabric that converts body heat into power to charge mobile devices whilst inside its owner's pocket. A Richard Nicoll handbag that charges your phone while you’re on the go. Stationary bikes set up at tables where people can generate their own power to charge their devices whilst having meetings or exercising. New shoe technology that lets you charge your phone while you walk or run. ~~~ Have an awesome weekend fol...

One of the most delicious things in the world to me is getting a big slobbery kiss from my little boy right smack on the mouth. Yes, that’s right. Turns out I am one of those weird moms who kiss their babies on the mouth. To tell you the truth, my family does not practice the kiss-on-the-mouth thing with each other. In fact I used to think it was weird and a little icky whenever I saw other parents and children doing it. But a few months back one afternoon, hubs arrived home from work and I greeted him at the door with a kiss. Nathan was standing next to me watching this exchange intently. He immediately started tugging at my shirt excitedly exclaiming “ keeess! keeess! ”. So I knelt down and started turning my cheek toward him, but he just went ahead and planted a big wet one right on my mouth. It was really wet and slobbery. But also so delicious and sweet… and it felt just so natural and right. I was hooked. Since then, our private family kisses are all received on the mouth...

I haven’t posted an update on Nathan in a while, but rest assured that he is growing and developing and learning new things all the time. Not a day goes by without some new discovery. Anyway be prepared for some mummy-gushing over her son’s awesomeness. I know every kid is probably learning and developing new skills all the time just like mine. Nevertheless it still never fails to blow my mind every time my boy does something new. So at just over one-and-a-half years old (20 months to be exact)… here are 10 things that Nathan does which amaze me: Call all his regular friends, carers and family members by name . He already can tell me the names of all his buddies at day care.   Able to ask specifically to chat to his grandparents ( po-po and gung-gung ) on Skype.   Recognise and name the primary colours yellow, red, blue, and also green.   Count from one to ten . And fill in missing number sequences too. This one is hubby’s absolute favourite. I imagine he...

Our photo moment of the week Today is officially the first day of spring down under and it’s also Fathers’ Day in Australia this Sunday. Do you have any special plans with your dad or family members this weekend? We went out for a picnic at Araluen Botanic Park today (the spring flowers were absolutely gorgeous ). And on Sunday we’re planning to go flea market shopping to pick up some treasures from other people’s junk. Anyway here is this week’s instalment of linky treasures… A totally new perspective on the definition of true love 10 conspicuously expensive purchases , including a $666 douche burger What modern day wardrobes of Disney princesses would look like And 5 things fathers should teach their little boys ~~~ Happy Fathers’ Day and have a great weekend!