Seasons Greetings

Wishing Everyone a Merry Christmas and

a Happy New Year

Photo courtesy of Honey Star

Here is one of my all time favourite Christmas Song, enjoy :D

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,
happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
gather near to us once more.

Through the years we all will be together
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

Thank you Hubby for a wonderful Christmas Lunch and thank Pa, Ma & Sis for coming

.

Best part of Christmas... Presents!

Baby Dhiren 1st Christmas.

Baby Achieve A Milestone: First Taste of Semisolid

Baby Dhiren has his first taste of semi solid. Daddy fed him 2 teaspoon of very dilute Nestle Rice with breastmilk. Even though he is not 6 mths yet but we decided to let him try because he doesn't seem satisfied with just milk.

According to Hubby, it is a tradition to give Baby his first semi solid feeding using silverware, it's suppose to bring good luck.

A Review: Diaper Changing Rooms

Being a Mum, the first thing that I need to know when we go out with Baby Dhiren is, where is the Diaper Changing Room or the Nursing Room. As you know the condition of some of the mall toilets are not a pretty sight let alone the Diaper Changing Room.

I guess the basic should have in a Diaper Changing Room are countertop or fold down top, sink, rubbish bin and tissue. It will be a plus point if toy mobile, nursing or feeding section or even diapers are provided.

At Ikea

Ikea is very thoughtful, they even provide toys for toddler to keep
them occupied when mummy is feeding baby

At The Curve

The room is very spacious with 2 feeding sections, comfortable & clean.

At Bijou Cafe, Mont Kiara

This is a Baby Friendly cafe with limited but delicious menu, amazingly
yum yum cupcakes & other cakes and they even provide a diaper changing
station with branded diapers & wetwipes as well. Bravo!! Wish there is
more of this cafe out there...... if you know of any,
please please please let me know.

At Parkson, Pavilion


But to my surprise or even horror, some of the biggest, latest exclusive shopping malls don't even provide the most basic facilities!!!! If a mall can fully furnished the toilets, why not the Diaper Changing Room? We are so so disappointed.

At Pavilion


At the Garden

Finally...No more MetalMouth

WArning!!!!!!: The following is not for the faint hearted or those who just ate...... scroll down at your own risk

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Me with braces.

Been wearing braces for almost 2 years plus. I've decided to wear braces just before my wedding (don't ask me why, I don't know the answer myself.) But thank god, this is ceramic braces, which I heard is made famous by Tom Cruise. The braces is not too obvious when the wired is removed and transparent bands is used instead of the gray ones here.

A few Thousand Ringgit Smile

The metal was removed recently and my Hubby said, "Now, you don't poke the person next to you when you smile!" ...so bad :(

I Am A Zombie Mum

I have been losing sleep all this while with very little effect until now. My body response is super slow, after many months only now it sunk in. I've been going through my daily chores like a zombie.. and that is why no posting lately.

This Zombie Mum (which is me) has a heighten sense of sound. I can hear the slightest of 'eh' from Baby Dhiren. So at night I kept jumping up & disrupting my sleep because to attend to him but most of the time he was just turning, talking in his sleep or just farting...When motherhood turn Zombie Mum hearing to superhuman, fatherhood also turn Monster Dad (will explain later) hearing into super selective listening. He can sleep like a log through the night even Baby Dhiren screaming & crying! That is the most advance of all Superpowers.

The reason why my Hubby turn into a Monster Dad is because he snore like a monster. Nothing can stop him from snoring and that also contribute to my night insomnia. Sometimes I even need to do a karate chop on him to stop his snore (Is this consider to be spouse abuse?).

That's It! Can't take it anymore....so we got help from the pharmacy.

Item No. 1

Use as nasal spray suppose to keep the inside of the nose and throat moist so to prevent the noise of snoring but Hubby said it's feel like anaesthesia in the nose, horrible, horrible, horrible.


Item No. 2

To stick on the chin to prevent the mouth from opening so to stop snore but not effective at all for people who snore from the nose like Monster Dad here. So Hubby said might as well use this as a face mask or prevent wrinkle in the mouth area.

Back to square one, we are in a quest to look for the Nose Strip thingy which is out of stock in many pharmacy.....mmmhhh probably there are plenty of Monster Dad out there....To all the Zombie Mum hang on I am sure we can find a way to cure this

The Battle of the Cupcakes (Updated)

After I went to Marmalade Cafe in Bangsar Village last Sunday, I know that I need to re-write this posting.


I've been in one of my cupcakes craving mood recently......and I'm sure most of you have come across many many cupcakes reviews. So, I have decided not to review but to rate them in this

Battle of the Cupcakes:
Bijou vs Cuppacakes vs Marmalade Cafe


VS


VS

The RESULT:

The cupcakes in Marmalade Cafe in Bangsar Village are really Yum Yum, so much better than the one in Mont Kiara.

Do check out Honey Star reviews on cupcakes as well:

Zoe's Cupcakes
Marmalade Cafe's cupcakes
Bisou's (Bijou's cupcakes were from here)
Cuppacakes/ Wondermilk

While these babies were Homemade by ME!!!

L-R: Plain, top with Peanut butter, top with Nutella

They were good and don't look too bad at all :) What do you think?

For the Big Cupcakes Fan out there, do check out this amazing write up on all you need to know about cupcakes

Daddy is My Hero

When I have stuffy nose, daddy will suck out the booger for me(with a sucker device). But sometimes when it s dried up, which makes it harder to remove, then daddy will put 2 drops of saline water into my nostrils, wait for a minute for the booger to soften and then suck it out easily.

When I have tummy wind and it's so painful, daddy will apply baby oil on his hands and rub it rigorously together to heat up the oil so that it will relax my tummy and helps to release gas. After that I will let out a big manly fart.

When my tear ducts got blocked and my eye become watery and crusty, daddy will apply a warm cotton on my eye to loosen up the crust by putting a few drops of saline to help the eye to clean itself.

Daddy, what do i do without you?

Baby Dhiren 1 day old

Love,

Baby Dhiren

My Typical Day

0900
Wake up. Have a hot drink(my breastfeeding milk) to start the day before Baby Dhiren start making noise ( he usually make ee..ee..eh...eh sound but sometimes can be really loud). Change, put fresh sheets & fold the diaper cloths.

10.00
Prepare for his 'Bum Bum' (Bath session). He loves playing in the water and I love looking at him playing in the water. Dress him, clean up & quickly take a bath ( if Baby Dhiren is not screaming with hunger).

Around 1100
Feed him & try to put him for a short nap, if he doesn't want to sleep, will keep him occupied with his mobile (thanks to his Meow Meow Auntie, at least it buy me sometime for my bath if i didn't do it earlier).

Around 1200
Make a quick lunch for myself or if Baby Dhiren is not sleeping, will read him a book (he get very excited whenever i read to him, he'll start throwing his hands & legs and many times hitting my face), then put him in his chair.

1300 - 1500
Feeding....Diaper changing...Playing.....Trying to put him to sleep......wash & hang baby clothes...(Thanks to Hubby, i have a part time cleaner so no worry about house works)...Lunch & do some blogging.

1600 - 1800
Prepare dinner in between feeding, diaper changing & playing with baby.

1900
'Bum Bum' Time again. Dress him. Feed & put him to sleep. If Hubby is home early, I get to go to gym.

2000
Bath & have dinner.

2100 - 2300
Wind down. Watch TV & blogging

0030
Sleep

Around 0130
Wake up for feeding

Around 0330
Wake up for feeding

Around 0600
Wake up for feeding


Not everyday will be the same. Sometimes Baby Dhiren in his moody day will probably be crying on & off from 1300 - 1700....... or sometimes he will be an angel & let mummy do her things.

It is not easy taking care of a baby alone. The simplest thing like going for a shower, eat or doing the 'Number 2' needs meticulous planning and doing it fast will probably helps. Even though most of the time I'll be alone with baby, but Hubby is very very helpful & supportive, he'll help when he is at home & he even take the early morning shift so I can have some extra rest. My Dad will send Mum over on Friday to help & cook soup for me.

Thanks and we love you.

An Inconvenient Truth

Please do your part to save planet earth for the future of our children. Click on this....

All that Jazz...& a Whole Lot More

I finally found something to wear for Chicago the Musical... Been searching Hi & Lo from Curve to OneU to the latest Pavilion...ended up in Forever 21 (Strange name for a shop, or probably I'm not 21 that is why it sound strange to me)

Needed something to cover my big shoulder, tree trunk waist and my huge backside, so I was searching for long sleeves, batwing, loose and preferably sequins to draw attention away from the problematic areas. Gone through piles & piles and finally got this....

Even though it's not a dress, which i initially wanted, but it's still better than nothing. Especially since Hubby & Baby Dhiren were chasing me to hurry up for feeding (next time should bring more than 1 bottle of milk). So ended up with this and my reliable, versatile stretchy black pant (which followed me from my pre-pregnant to 8 mths pregnant to post-pregnant...really stretchy)

The top did cover the areas that needed to be covered but 1 slight problem, it flaunted my assets too much (this I should thank to motherhood & breastfeeding :D) Hubby was not too happy about it.


About the show, Chicago the Musical.....

The experience was great, my 1st musical, and our seats were just 3 rows away from the stage..cool! But for the supposedly stellar cast, London production, the costumes failed to razzle & dazzle me.. but nevertheless I enjoyed it and if it's good enough for Royalty ( Sultan Azlan Shah & wife were there 1 row behind us) it is good enough for me..

This is Chicago the Movie which I love, earned Catherine Zeta Jones an Oscar

To PQ, nice to see you there! And thank you for noticing the guest stars.....Even Momma can RAZZLE & DAZZLE!

Baby Dhiren 1st Diwali

Baby Dhiren experienced his 1st Diwali celebration but unfortunately because of Hubby recovering from a viral flu, we can't have an open house this year (the chef is sick, who is going to cook? :D Not me, ppl won't want to come). So it's just us .

Lighting the Deepa

Baby Dhiren 1st Oil Bath

Contemplating whether to eat muruku or pineapple tarts

All that Jazz.....& nothing to Wear

My Ex-company was so generous to invite me & hubby to attend the hottest musical in town 'Chicago the Musical' this coming Friday and I'm facing the biggest ( yes i really mean BIG) problem, that is nothing to wear!!! From my old size S to my now size ranging from L-XL depending on brands, is really depressing (mmmhh..I need cupcakes to drown my sorrow)

And this hubby of mine is so kiasu decided to wear his couple of thousand $$$ suit. When I asked him why, he said, 'Just a suit what, I wear suit to work all the time.' :( I don't want to look like a maid or an auntie standing next to him in front of my ex-colleague.

I WANT TO BE A YUMMY MUMMY!!

So Hubby decided to sponsor my quest for a clothes that doesn't look fat on me. :) Thanks muak muak. So will take time out this week to check out the shops...

My Hubby The Amazing Cook

This is one of those days where Hubby get very excited and inspired to try on a recipe [yeah yeah, i know i'm lucky to have a hubby who loves cooking :) ]. At first I was abit doubtful because of goat meat, can never stand the smell!! Hubby promise it will turn out good but nevertheless he also made a separate dish (knowing how fussy I am) same recipe but substitute with pork. Amazingly when i did a blind test, I actually preferred the goat meat then pork! So it is VERY GOOD. For those who are interested and adventurous here is the recipe:

Goat Kurma

1 bunch curry leaves
2 medium size onions
6-10 green chillies
1 inch ginger
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 ½ tbs oil
80ml coconut milk
600gm lean goat meat (cut in cubes) or substitute with lean pork

Grind up items 1-5 to paste. Heat up oil & brown the meat and add in paste. Pressure cook for 3 whistles then add coconut milk and continue to cook again for 1 whistle.

So this dish is best to go with either paratha or couscous. Hubby made both!

Paratha

2 ½ cup wholemeal (chakki atta) flour
1 cup buttermilk but we substitute with 2 scoop of plain yogurt dilute with milk & water
1 tsp salt
2 tsb oil

Mix all ingredient together by adding buttermilk slowly. Cover dough & set aside for 1hr.
After that roll it into a round shape, spread 1 tsp butter across the circle, fold it into half then quarter , press flat & roll it again. (Layers will help the paratha to puff up)
Cook it in a flying pan till golden brown

Couscous

Buy from Tesco and follow the instruction.

Bon Appetite!! Yum Yum

What do you do when you breastfeeding?

I'm proud to say that I had survived my 3rd month of feeding baby exclusively with breast milk :)

Baby Dhiren normally will take 15 mins to feed, 4-5 times in the day while expressing with a breast pump will probably take me around 30mins 1-2 times a day. Since I spend so much time on feeding, what do i do while feeding? In the books, they will tell you to feed in a quiet room and the mother is supposed to look at baby, have eye contact and do the mother and baby bonding.

But in reality, how long can you actually stare at baby? Probably during the early days but after a while, many feeds later (I really sound like a bad mum) don't you want to rest your mind and look at something else? (Probably is just me).

I NEED my entertainment! Watching 6 seasons of Carrie with Mr Big to Aidan to Burger to Russian Guy and back to Mr Big (Cant' wait for the Movie!!) helped me to survive 3 months of feeding. I know it sounds weird but watching TV really helps the milk flow!!!

So my feeding routine always involve Baby on one side and the remote in the other.

Introducing Baby Dhiren

To stay true to my Blog Title, lets talk about the man in my life (sorry hubby) ......introducing 'drumroll .....tum...tum....tum....' Baby Dhiren.

Only 6 days old and already so cheeky

The most eligible bachelor standing at 1.9 feet weighing at 5.1kg with a pair of big grayish brown eyes and a killer smile that put Mr Big aka John to shame. He is now 3 1/2 months old and already getting all the aahhh and the oohhh from the girls (Note: Mummy doesn't like the touchy touchy one, don't know where they last put their hands).

Baby Dhiren is an aspired football player. Looking at the way he kick the dangling ball I say he is definitely a striker. Even though he is friendly and easy going, but he is abit selective of the people he hang out with. He'll only talk to his best friend, Doggy Bear who can perform 'Old Macdonald had a Farm' with 3 of his legs, the other one is a bit out of tune. Mummy can foresee alot of girls trouble in the future.....but for now, I will be THE woman in his life.

My First

Have you ever wanted to do something which you can never find the time to do so?

1. I always wanted to make polymer clay dolls
   
2. I always wanted to draw and paint
3. I always wanted to bake cakes
4. I always wanted to start a photo scrapbook
5. I always wanted to learn a language
6. I always wanted to blog

So now I can at least cancel one of the item from my list.

This will be my recorded journal to a new chapter of my life, a first time mother and a full time housewife ( I've just quit my job 2 weeks back).
When life only revolve around baby and hubby.......blogging will be a way to keep me sane and just be myself.

So here I am...please talk to me :D

I am officially unemployed

After 8 years, this finally happen... I have the guts to bid farewell to my Boss, or rather I blamed it on my son as an excuse. Hat off to all the career mums out there.


Is having children an excuse for us to quit our job?

To all the stay-at-home mums out there, what is the reason for you to give up your career? (Feel free to answer if you have the time. Don't worry this is not a survey and I will not use this as a statistic.)

1. because raising a child take up too much of your time
2. because you are sick and tired of the rat race
3. because pressure from your hubby or family
4. dan lain-lain (If you don't mind to share, please tell us why)

For me is a little bit of everything. If you are thinking of doing the same, think it through..is it worth it? Be prepare mentally, physically & financially. Most importantly is the support from your family especially your spouse on your decision. And if you decided to do so, make sure to keep yourself sane by blogging of course :D All the best