Kids Biennale 2008

There is no school today for Kimi so brought him to the Kids Biennale. Hope he will appreciate art, never too young to start right?

Really, I love children art just so because they are imperfectly perfect! I still have some cards which Claire and Sarah made for me when they were in kindergarten! I know, I know.. am such a hoarder! But cards are really very sentimental to me ... I love them better than the presents itself and even more so it they are handmade, so precious!

Anyway, asked Serene and Estelle along for a little fun!

Wow, mum! Look at the lovely art pieces drawn by so many gor gors and jie jies!
Turtle! My current favourite sea creature

And ... parrots too! They are colourful and pretty!

Such colourful little men - let me touch and feel what it is likeWhat many many cute faces ... are they real? Let me grab one out ...

Estelle : Kimi, my mummy said "see only, no touch ok?"

Self-explanatory - the kids' favourite room

Mummy, shall I draw you a picture?

Let me use 2 hands so you will have a 'colourful' picture ok?

More doodling area - the 2 cute kiddos

I am so tickled!

Hmm, look how I am in full concentration? I want to draw many many colouful circles at the same time with 2 hands! So, mum, is this considered as multi-tasking too?

After 1 month of not feeding well (more like not feeding), look how much thinner Kimi has became

Watering can!! I like! Let me water the flowers first.

Come Estelle, let me show you how to water these flowers

Well done, Estelle! You are a fast learner!

Before going, I must feel and squeeze the sand .. yucky!

Steamed Prawns With Lemon Grass & Dried Shrimps

Saw these extra large prawns that looked too good and fresh not to buy. Steaming them would be the best!

Hb loved it!

Ingredients

• 6 extra large prawns
• 2 stalks of lemon grass, sliced thinly
• 1 lime
• 5-6 tbsp dried shrimps
• 6 tbsp Thai Fish sauce
• Dash of pepper
• 2 tsp dark brown sugar
• Sesame oil
• Cilantro

Method

1. Remove shell of prawns, leaving the head & tail intact (clean and remove centre vein).
2. Mix fish sauce, pepper, brown sugar and lime juice from the lime and pour over the prawns and let it marinate for at least 30mins.
3. Soak, wash and drain dried shrimps. Let it 'roast' in microwave on high for 2-3 mins, stirring occasionally. Or you can dry fry in pan without oil to crispy and golden brown.
4. Put roasted dried shrimps in processor and grind till fine. Set aside.
5. Put a few drops of sesame oil in the steaming tray/bowl and lay the prawns in it. Sprinkle 2/3 of the dried shrimp 'powder' over the prawns.
6. Steam for 15-20 mins (depending on size of prawns).
7. Remove cooked prawns, sprinkle balance of dried shrimp powder, cilantro and another squeeze of lime on top and serve hot. ENJOY!!

Tips

• If you like spice, you can add some sliced chilli padi and let it steam together.
• By adding the balance of the dried shrimp powder after steaming, increases the fragrance and crunch level.

Cutting of 16th tooth

All 16 are cut now but still at least another month or so before all the canines and pre-molars are fully sprouted and not bothersome.

Pls cheer me on and pray that the next month will be a better one for me! :)

Animal Friends

It's so difficult to record or take pix of Kimi these days. Whenever you whip the camera out, you can be sure he will look away or decidedly not do what you wanted he to... kids just have a mind of their own, way before their time these days!

I'm lucky today that I managed to capture this ...

Black & White

I bought this Brainy Baby book when I was pregnant with Kimi. And only read to him 2 or 3 times before as he didn't seem very keen on this book.

Hence, when I pulled this book out today and asked him to point out the black silhouettes to me and which he did correctly, it gave me a pleasant surprise!

Kimi is relatively good in recognising things even if they are not what he is used to seeing like disproportionate animal caricatures/cartoons, line drawings and so on. But, it did not occur to me he could also pick out silhouettes.

Well done, Kimi!

Holding on ...

Hb removed the table too soon before I could give Kimi his plum. So I sat next to him and held the fruit bowl up for him.

Kimi took the bowl from me and held onto to it and started to feed himself. Of course, I had to help him a little at the end cos he was eating so slow!

BB Macaroni Soup

A warm and soupy lunch for a cool day and a fussy tot with equally irritable gums.

I've been incorporating seaweed into Kimi's diet for some time but recently, I've also added wakame and so far, he's taking it quite well.

If possible, try incorporating some seaweed into your baby's diet as it is very beneficial. You can use wakame, kelp or kombu. Buy them from organic stores and add to soups or porridge.

Ingredients

• 2pcs of 1-inch sweet corn
• 2 broccoli florets
• 1 tbsp 'nan xing' (Chinese South almonds, sweet)
• 1/2 tsp 'bei xing' (Chinese North almonds, bitter)
• 2 small florets of white fungus (soaked till expanded and soft)
• 2 strips of wakame, cut smaller
• 3 tbsp of diced pumpkin
• 2 tbsp of ikan bilis (soaked and washed and place in soup bag)
• 30g minced pork (marinated with dash of pepper, soya sauce, sesame oil and corn flour for 15mins)
• Some elbow macaroni (boiled and set aside)

Method

1. Boil a small pot of water and add all the ingredients except broccoli when it is bubbling.
2. After boiling for 15mins on medium-low fire, shape the minced pork into small balls and add to soup.
3. Let it simmer for another 15mins.
4. Add the pre-boiled macaroni and broccoli and let it simmer for a further 15mins
5. Serve hot. ENJOY!!

Tips

• Do not serve baby with the white fungus or almonds unless they enjoy munching crunchy stuff. If baby is keen and able to chew well, you can shave the corn and add the kernels to the macaroni. For older toddlers, they can munch it from the cob!
• Buy good quality white fungus, those that have not been bleached and ask for those for boiling soups so it doesn't melt. There are some that we use for desserts and require them to melt so that it becomes a thick soup.
• This soup although simple, the use of white fungus & almonds are very good in dispelling phelgm and soothing the lungs after coughing bouts.
• The sweet taste of corn will entice fussy tots and it is also good for cooling 'heaty' ones especially during teething.

Thru tinted glass ...

Found an old pair of sunglasses (yup! those are mine, funky right? And you've always thought I was some old, boring hag? Ha!) and decided to let Kimi play with it instead of throwing it away.

Play with it he did but he also 'dismantled' it after a short while. It's ok, I meant to throw it out anyway. Glad he had fun and so much laughter playing with it!

Hi, how do you do? (see my hand extending out for a handshake?) Remotely resembles John Lennon? So retro ya?

Ok, let me explain zees ... (me, trying to sound cultured and using a frenchy accent, finger actions all included and of cos cannot forget to ...
look cool as well ...!)
Aiyo, sian ah... explain so much (with French accent some more) also don't understand?

Ok, let me adjust my glasses and try again ....

Arghhhh... think let me remove this pink glasses, move it up on my head (so can still look cool) and then I can speak clearly to you in Singlish! Understand liao bo?

BB Chunky Tuna Cake

This is quite similar to the BB Salmon Fish Cakes I made earlier except this is more eggy, omelette style. I used the Mickey Mouse cookie cutter which I had, to cut out and imprint Mickey's face. Very happy the cutter was able to imprint it, thought it would only work with cookies or bread.

I wanted to keep the mushrooms and asparagus separate but you can chop it all up and add to the egg mixture for a complete meal. Mix and match different ingredients like tomatoes, celery, broccoli, salmon, ham, etc for different taste.

Upon seeing his Mickey Mouse meal, Kimi's reaction was : "Wow!"

Ingredients

• 1 egg (small or newborn egg)
• 2 tbsp of mashed potato (optional, better if used)
• 2 tbsp of tuna (canned in water)
• 2-3 tbsp of milk or cream
• 1 spear of australian asparagus
• A few shimeji mushroom
• Dash of pepper
• Dash of dried mixed herbs

Method

1. Beat egg lightly and add milk and beat lightly.
2. Mix in mashed potato & tuna (or you can use pumpkin or sweet potato).
3. Stir till lightly combined and dash some pepper & dried mixed herbs.
4. Add a little oil to a small non-stick pan and pour mixture in when hot.
5. Once it is cooked, turn the other side and let it cook till golden brown.
6. Remove and cute with interesting cutter shapes.
7. Serve with stir fry asparagus and mushroom.
8. ENJOY!!

Tips

• You can omit the potato and replace with other kind of starch or no starch ar all. But definitely taste better. Or you can use sliced pre-boiled potato instead of mashed, depending on baby's preference to texture.

Jab & Chomp

Dinner for today - Food that are fork and fingers friendly! Soyu & Basil Salmon, Boiled Broccoli With Peach Centres and Cream of Pumpkin (more like a mash so Kimi can dip the salmon and brocs in it.)

I started to let Kimi self-feed yesterday and he finished about 80-90% of his meal on his own and I will feed the last few bits. He loves using the fork but not so keen on the spoon. He's now avoiding anything that remotely resembles 'porridge'!

To be able to feed thus when it's his 1st time using a fork (yesterday used fingers), it's FABULOUS !! Well done Kimi! Keep it up, Mummy and Papa is so proud of you!

Masterpiece

A lovely design that Kimi 'built' in the bathroom yesterday! Look at how he stacks from large to small and the intermix of colours used. Nowadays, he also ensures that the heart is the right way up too.

Ma-ma Hopeful, Again!

Esctactic! Finally Kimi will say MA-MA when prompted and not just papa or pa-ma. Enjoy the sweet sounds, I did trememdously!

Chicken With Sha Shen & White Fungus Soup

With the sleepless nights and errand runnings, hb is definitely tired out. I was also down with a runny nose and sore throat. A result from extreme lack of sleep - I'm having insomnia of late.

So, I made this soup for hb, myself and my parents-in-law. All of us really needed this soup to replenish all the lost energy and soothe our tired bodies.

Although I was so tired, I told myself I must make this and quickly went to buy the ingredients when Kimi and hb were sleeping after we returned from Ah-ma's creamation.

My sleep sacrifice was all worth it cos when hb drank the soup, the first thing he said was, "So refreshing!" * Very Happy!*

Soup Efficacy

• Heatiness due to late nights and lack of sleep
• Removes phelgm and moistens lungs

Ingredients

• 1 kampong chicken, skin removed
• 150g Sha Shen (沙參, Radix Glehniae)
• 150g Yu Zhu (玉竹)
• 150g White Fungus (白木耳), soaked

Method

1. Blanch chicken boiling water. Remove and run in thru tap water. Set aside.
2. Wash the 沙參 and 玉竹and set aside.
3. In another pot, bring the water to boil on high fire.
4. Once water is boiling and bubbling, add in herbs and chicken.
5. Let it boil on high for 20 mins and transfer to slow cooker base. Let it cook on high for a further 3.5 hours.
6. If using stove, after the 20 mins, switch to very low heat, covered. Ensure that the fire is small enough to ensure small surface bubbling.
7. Once the soup is ready, you can sprinkle some salt. I do not add anymore as it is tasty enough.
8. Serve hot. ENJOY!!

Farewell ... Ah-Ma ...

Hb's paternal grandmother passed away last Thursday, 4/9/08 in the afternoon. Although we are saddened by her departure, I believe it is also a relief for her. Compared to many others, she is considered 'fortunate' to have 'suffered' only 1+ year, deteriorating faster the last few months. She lived to a ripe age of 96, hardly a common feat these days.

I met her in 1988 when she came back from China after having gone back to Swatow to live with her daughter for some time. She was a sprightly old lady almost always armed with a loud, infectious cackle that made her eyes disappear.

Being the tough 'dragon lady' she was to my mil, accepting no nonsense whatsoever, she was, however, always warm to her grandchildren and to me even before hb and I were married. She would fondly hold my hands, stroke my cheeks or placed hers against mine. Such was the unabashed ways she would display her affections.

Even at 70+, almost 80, she would continue to walk to the market for her grocery, cooked her own meals, handwashed her clothes and even helped out with ironing my fil's work shirts. She even had the memory of an elephant to boot!

But, sometimes, she was just as greedy as any young child, 'stealing' titbits to eat when she is not supposed to. There was once, she complained to my sil, asking her why the snack was so hot... well, she tried the silica gel! Luckily, she spat it out when she felt the burning sensation.

And then, you'll be surprised by her hospitality - despite having a good memory, we believe she had selective memory and remembered only the important stuff. Why? Cos from the time that you walk in the door, she will ask you to eat or drink, only to repeat again, a couple of minutes later. And this can go on till you walk out of the door! Sometimes, we laugh it off, sometimes, it drove us nuts!

Besides being independent, she is quite an active paricipant in her church activities. Going on day trips even at 80+ years old! No doubt the oldest charge there! And we will hear about her trip for the whole month!

Ah-ma's health deteriorated after she had a fall and sprain her arm. It's funny how old people, when surrounded by their friends and being mobile gave them a lease of life. Take that away and they are quickly reduced to almost an invalid. It's rather heart-wrenching to see someone so active and full of life to have life slowly dissipate from her.

It is with much regret that Kimi did not have the chance to meet this sprightly old lady when she was still cackling and telling us not to speak ill of the people on tv lest they hear us. I think Kimi and Ah-ma would have made each other very happy, cackling and laughing their '1-line smile' together!

There are just so many anecdotes I can share, these will become memories for us all. Memories we will hold dear. Today, as per Ah-ma's request, her ashes were scatterd at sea after creamation. Indeed a brave and unconforming move for someone of her generation!

Farewell, Ah-ma, may you find happiness wherever you may be! We will miss you!

Cutting of 15th Tooth

Keeping my fingers crossed cos only 1 more left to 16! Then hopefully fuss-free till the last 4 when Kimi is 2.

Chayote and Pork Ribs Soup

Normally I make this soup with a whole chicken but hb requested for steamed Ginger Chicken so I substituted with Pork Ribs. Not as sweet as chicken but good enough.

Soup Efficacy

• Relives heatiness
• Chayote is chockful of vitamin A
• Reduces water rentention

Ingredients

• 2 medium chayote (Fo Shou Guo) de-seeded and cut in large wedges (do not remove skin)
• 300g large pork bones
• 300g pork ribs
• OR substitute pork with 1 whole chicken (skin, fat, head and tail removed)
• 2 slices of ginger
• 6 red dates (de-seeded)
• 2 tbsp of wolfberries (Gou Qi Zi)

Method

1. Blanch all the meat in boiling water. Remove and run thru tap water. Set aside.
   In another pot, bring the water to boil on high fire.
2. Once water is boiling and bubbling, add in the ginger, red dates, wolfberries and pork.
3. Let it boil on high for 20 mins and transfer to slow cooker base. Let it cook on high for a further 3.5 hours.
4. If using stove, after the 20 mins, switch to very low heat, covered. Ensure that the fire is small enough to ensure small surface bubbling.
5. Once the soup is ready, you can sprinkle some salt. I do not add anymore as it is tasty enough.
6. Serve hot. ENJOY!!

Naughty Corner

Look at my cheeky monkey...putting his hands on his chest (don know what he means though) and after this, he was grinning and grinning ... so cute! How to be angry for long?

Cat has been using the naughty corner on Tong for some time oradi and I've been itching to start too! But I reckoned how Kimi could stay still for 2 mins (1 min per year of age). I was also wondering which corner to put him - not many corners in my house!

Well, I was wrong! Sometimes, I think too much... (that's what hb says all the time!). I was so upset that he played with his juice from his drinking cup and have it spilled all over the floor. I wasn't bothered about the cleaning up. But, Kimi is one that loves to run and bash around all the time... if I had not spotted the puddle/s of water earlier, he could have slipped and fall.

I pulled him to stand at the wall next to the Buddha and told him what he did wrong and stood away from him, looking at him. He stood there so still that I could hardly believe my eyes. So, I quickly tried to snap a pix of him looking so serious and guilty.

It's been so long that Kimi would willingly pose or smile at the cam... But, today, he smiled at it and I could not contain my laughter anymore and burst out laughing so loudly he ran happily towards me.

That ended his naughty corner stand but I will definitely use that again... what a nice way to get him to stay quiet and still for 2 mins!