Food Marathon

What is great about Penang? Food, food and more food! :)

Thanks to parents in law, hubby and I managed to go eat, watch movie and do some shopping. It was really good. I checked my weight this morning and it was 2 kgs more! *sigh* Will have to ride the bicycle again but it's worth it. Hahaha....

Let's see, on the day of arrival, after unloading our luggage, we headed straight to our favourite 'Char koey teow' stall in Lorong Selamat. We had char koey teow, laksa, popiah and ice kacang. Mmmm...it's heavenly. Then went home for a short rest and off we go to have 'Ju char' (rice and dishes) at a seafood place at WeldQuay. Sorry, I can't remember the name of the shop but the food was not up to standard even though it is very famous. Next day, we had 'chee cheong fun' with really yummy sauce that has a hint of peanut butter in it. In the afternoon, can't remember what I ate but dinner was good. We went to Fettes Park for some really good western food hawkers' style. Believe it or not, after that we went to roam around and ended up eating Kimberly Street's Char Koey Teow and then discovered a nice 'Koay Chap' (Noodles with eggs, pig's intestines, duck meat and other stuff). Crazy huh? We were so stuff that we couldn't sleep!

Monday was another day of eating. We had our favourite Nasi Kandar at Campbell Street then we went for a movie at QueensBay Mall. In the evening, we went to have dinner at New Lane. Hawker food. We had 'Chee Cheong Juk' (Porridge with pig's intestine). Tuesday... hehe... another day of hawker food.... So as you can see... we really had a good time of eating, relaxing, shopping and some couple time. Thanks to my in laws for helping us to take care of Reese.

Lorong Selamat 'Char Koey Teow' - RM6.50

Laksa - RM4.00 (not the best but it was quite good)

Ais Kacang RM3.50 (The best is at New World Park)

Fettes Park Western Food

Oxtail Soup - RM7.00

Hubby enjoying the oxtail, it was good.

Lamp chop- RM13.00 (Quite good)

Chicken Cordan Bleu- RM9.00 (This is good with cheese and ham wrapped in the chicken)

Koay Chap stall at Kimberly Street

Check out the yummy food...

Porridge with lots of ingredient - RM5.00

Famous Chee Cheong Chok from New Lane

Our favourite Nasi Kandar Stall at Campbell Street

Their Mutabak is really good

Lots of dishes to choose

Our favourite is the Parsembor (not sure how you spell it) , fish curry and kurma chicken.. Sorry... forgot to take picture only remembered after we finish the food... hehehe... It's alot cheaper to eat nasi kandar in Penang

Cheese cake from my in laws. It was for our 5th Wedding Anniversary

A family photo with my in laws and brother in law and his wife

Blogging from Penang

Hi all,

Everything went smoothly as planned, I finally decided to bring my turtles to my mom's place and after having breakfast, we traveled to Penang. So far so good. From the day we arrived, hubby and I have been on a food marathon! Wait for me full report when I get back on Wednesday.... hehehe... been having a good time eating, eating and more eating. Reese was also enjoying his grandparents company while we get to go out roam around and eat without having to take care of Reese. Ah... abit of freedom... will be going for nasi kandar before heading off for a movie. :) Anyone one jealous of my freedom?? Hahahha.....

All's well....

Ah.... my new car came back and was diagnosed with a brake switch malfunction. Other than that, there were some minor defects on the car interior which I discovered and they will rectify them when I get back from Penang. I was so ready to shoot them and perhaps write in to the newspaper or even legal means to get a new replacement if my car problem not fixed by Saturday but later was told by hubby that the only way for you to get a replacement car is when you discover something wrong immediately you must ask for a replacement and not let them try to fix the problem first. The moment they lay hands to fix the problem, your warranty for the car kicks in and then it's not very lightly you can get a replacement unless something they cannot fix! So beware when you buy a new car. Not happy with it immediately demand for a new car before they attempt to fix it!

Anyway.... all's well and we are going to travel back to Penang on Saturday morning and be back on Wednesday. I am still thinking what to do with my poor turtles... forgot to bring them to my mum's place today. Should I make a trip to my mum's or leave them behind with alot of food? My little Reese is down with a little runny nose since yesterday evening... mmmm....

5th Wedding Anniversary

Happy 5th wedding anniversary dear and you know how much I love you and our little one. May we continue to grow in our relationship and to have many many more wonderful life experiences together until the day we go home to the Lord.

It has been an up and down journey the past 5 years and the best experience thus far is being parents to Reese and to really understand the joy of having a complete family. In our 5 years as husband and wife, we managed to travel, bought a house, a couple of cars, have a child, a complete change of lifestyle when Reese came about, watch countless of movies, do silly things, fight, cried, laugh, enjoy lots of good food and gadgets and many more....

It's quite an achievement! More to come baby....

*For those who are curious, I met my husband on the Internet on an American chat site. We were the only two Malaysians there. After chatting for a year or so, we met and fell in love. That was more than 11 years ago. We got married after 6 years of courtship.

New Car in the Workshop

*Sigh*

My Peugeot is in the workshop. There is some problem with the ABS problem and you know what? Apparently they have never encounter such a problem before. They had to contact their French counterpart in France for help! What luck I have. I hope I can get my car back before the end of the week so that we can go back to Penang as planned.

Terrible terrible. Hope it's only a small problem. I must say.... I really enjoyed my car this morning.... listening to some nice music and enjoying the drive. Agggrrr.... I want my car back.

I had a terrible experience with my second car a Toyota Vios. Hubby had to scream and shout and almost fight for a courtesy car while waiting for them to repair the new car then. My Honda Jazz was ok but now... my forth car... *sigh*

Spanking New Ride

Peugeot 407

I just got my new car!! But was so overwhelmed by all the features!! It's a Peugeot 407. My first continental car. It comes with a GPS cum multimedia system. I have always wanted a GPS and now.... my dream came true. When I went to get my car yesterday, it was really funny. The car is packed with so many features that even the sales person was having a hard time explaining to me and we ended up having 4 adults in the car trying to figure out some of the features. I guess it will take sometime for me to be familiar with the features. I think I will rely on hubby to figure them out and teach me. Easier for me! When I drove my car out of the showroom, I also had a hard time signaling because the signaling stick (not sure what you call it) is not on the right but left. So I ended up wiping my windows instead! (wiper stick on the right) Oh boy... really need to keep reminding myself.

This car has alot of automatic functions. These I like. :) Auto headlights, auto rain sensor and wiper will come on when necessary and a few other auto thingy.... can't remember. The best has to be the handling of the car and the comfort level. Ah.... I just love the car. Do I sound like a sales person from Peugeot? Hehehe... honestly... my best car ever. Before this, I drove a Honda Jazz which I loved very much but it's time to change because the car is beginning to give problems and each visit to the workshop will cost me between RM700 to RM1k plus... We are going to drive the new car to Penang this weekend. Looking forward to it.

The GPS system plus a bunch of buttons!!

Hot cross Pocoyo...

Reese latest version of Hot Cross Buns....

Hot cross Pocoyo,
Hot cross Pocoyo,
One the penny,
Two a penny,
Hot cross Pocoyo.

Hahaha... he is making up new lyrics every now and then... funny little boy.

I haven't recorded any conversations with Reese for a long time. Reason being, he talks so much that I just cannot remember all the great conversations we had!! People have been pointing out to us that he is very talkative. We are so used to it that we didn't realize it. Reese loves to imitate his favourite cartoon characters' dialogues and his English is very American and he has an American accent now. Too much Little Einstein and Mickey Mouse Club House? :) Oh well, will expect more American influence since his homeschooling program is American.

Some of his current favourite songs, poems and jingles that he recites:

Five Little Fishes (Fingerplay)
Five Little fishies swimming in a pool,
First one said, "The pool is cool."
Second on said, "The pool is deep."
Third one said, "I want to sleep."
Forth one said, "Let's dive and dip."
Fifth one said, "I spy a ship."
Fisherman's boat comes,
Line goes Ker-splash,
Away the five little fishies dash.

Three Little Monkeys (Fingerplay)
Three little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
"No more little monkeys jumping on that bed."

Did You Feed My Cow? (Call and Response Chant)
This is one of my favourite too because it's so funny to see Reese response to me with "Yes, Ma'am!

Mummy: Did you feed my cow?
Reese: Yes, Ma'am!
Mummy: Could you tell me how?
Reese: Yes, Ma'am!
Mummy: What did you feed her?
Reese: Corn and hay!
Mummy: What did you feed her?
Reese: Corn and hay!
Mummy: Did you milk her good?
Reese: Yes, Ma'am!
Mummy: Did you milk her like you should?
Reese: Yes, Ma'am!
Mummy: How did you milk her?
Reese: Squish, squish, squish!
Mummy: How did you milk her?
Reese: Squish, squish, squish!
Mummy: Did the milk taste good?
Reese: Yes, Ma'am!
Mummy: As good as it should?
Reese: Yes, Ma'am!
Mummy: How did it taste?
Reese: Yum, yum, yum!
Mummy: How did it taste?
Reese: Yum, yum, yum!!

Songs
Sweetly sings the donkey
Tingalayo
Bingo
Six Little Ducks
Animal Song
Nobody Likes me

Car seats

In Malaysia, car seats for infants to children is not compulsory. And sad to say the percentage of parents using car seats for their children is still low but I definitely see that it's getting more popular. You can see many brands of car seats being sold at baby shops.

When Reese was born, we invested on an infant car seat cum stroller. It was worth paying the high price then because it was really convenient not to mention safe. Then when he out grown his little car seat, we again invested on a good car seat for toddlers. Never regretted it. He is going to outgrown this one real soon. And last week we bought another car seat for Reese to be use in Daddy's car. Since daddy is having a hard time to get him to sit still in the car and not playing around risking a bump on the little rascal's head! This booster seat is alot cheaper than his previous ones simply because we are not sure whether he will reject it. :) Now that we know he is alright with it, will get a better and more comfortable one when he outgrown his current one in Mummy's car.

I really want to encourage parents to use car seats not only for safety purposes but also it's easier to control the child and a really plus point when driving alone. You don't have to worry your child doing crazy things behind you!

First car seat (Maxi Coxi)

Second car seat (Maxi Coxi)


Third car seat (Graco)

A peaceful week...

Last week was a good week for us. Reese was his old self again. The good natured boy with minimal tantrum throwing. :) We were able to get him to shower too (with new bathing toys).

Saturday was a quiet one. Took Reese to one of the usual hang out, One Utama. We wanted to eat something other than fish and chips but we didn't managed to because Reese knew the way to his favourite Fish and Chips Restaurant. He ran all the way there and we couldn't stop him. Haha...

So after that, we went to Toys 'R' Us to check out the sale and got Reese a jeep (RM5!) and a Speed Racer car (RM30). I was tempted to get Technics Lego which was 30% off but... considering we just purchased something very expensive (to be revealed soon)... better not spent so much! So that was Saturday.

Sunday was relaxing too. We went to have Reese's favourite pork noodles and then to Midvalley. Hang around for a while and went home with some groceries. In the evening we had dinner at home and then went to buy a new booster seat for Reese at The Curve. Then we used it in daddy's car. Reese was comfortable in it. Phew.. we were ready for rejection...but thank God... he liked it. We then went to Giant in Dataran Sunway and Reese had a lot of fun at the playground. He no longer fear tunnel slides. Then we had doughnuts at J.Co and was surprised that Reese liked the doughnuts. So he had 1 whole doughnut with some ice chocolate drink. It was a great end to our weekend.

Looking forward to this weekend when we will be travelling back to Penang for a short holiday. :)

Bathing Solution...

Last two weeks was tough getting Reese to shower. He will cry like there is no tomorrow when we shower him. We don't know why he resisted showering because usually he loves his 'pom pom' time! So in order to stop him crying so pitifully... I went to Toys'R's Us to get a few bathing toys. It worked! Yesterday and today.... he did not really resist.... :) phew... wonder how long this is going to last.

Reese in Genting

Last Saturday we took Reese to Genting Highlands. We did not go to the theme parks (Reese doesn't like rides and is afraid of them) only hanging around the Japanese Garden(he enjoyed running around the garden and going up and down the little bridge and looking at fishes) behind Themepark Hotel, had some food at First World indoor theme park and went for the cable car ride. Reese enjoyed the cable car ride. Initially we were not sure whether he will be afraid but went ahead and bought the tickets anyway... we were glad that the little rascal enjoyed it very much. He likes the cool air too. We spent a couple of hours there.

Values versus Head Knowledge

I was reading a comment from a parent in one of my regular homeschooling forum and this is what she wrote:

"The first buildings blocks of a child are values and not just head knowledge. It's so easy to be caught up with the latest trends in the world of education and those labels sound so good - Mental Arithmetics, Phonetics Programmes etc and indeed they are good but when you fail to look deeper, then the good robs you of the best."

Now that got me thinking.... this parent is so right. She went on and gave an example of a friend who has an 'A' star child who was given the best and nothing less but has minimal values.

"Her daughter, since young, has been to the best kindy, followed the best programmes, and won so many awards in school and yet , could not and do not want to do simple chores at home. She shouts at her parents, slams on the door and demands for the best.She argues with her parents using all the best methods she acquired and it's grieving her parents. They asked, Where have we gone wrong? We gave her the best?"

"Hey, Mums, you don't realise the treasures that you hold at home...which money cannot buy and the world envy you for. The best programs that you can give your children are the ones that cannot be bought with money......the ones that you create for your children, your prayers. Just wait for the time they blossom and you will beam..all the hard work, the tears, the sacrifices will bear fruit in your children!"

So it's about time to look at our strategy in bringing up our kids. We want a balance and not just children who study and do well but lack values. Kids these days are so privileged. Maids to serve them and parents who will do anything for them as long as they excel in school. Asian parents especially!! Better do something before it's too late.

Going nuts!!!!

Reese is getting impossible. Two days in a row throwing his super tantrum. Screaming, shouting, crying, kicking, jumping, hitting and throwing things. Today was really the peak until daddy had to discipline him in a very stern manner. He was locked in the room, favourite toys taken away and books as well. He cried over 30 minutes non stop from my mother's place to home and we just simply ignored him. So much so that at the end for the first time he actually said sorry to both of us. He cried and kicked and screamed so hard that after we came back not too long later he felt asleep. In the afternoon he was fine until dinner time it started again. Same treatment for him. Locked in the room without his toys and books. Daddy was very stern. I think it was a good thing. I am a little too soft. Eventhough I was not in total agreement with hubby's way but I am glad he is disciplining him. Now I just walk away when hubby disciplines him. I hope this tantrum throwing thing will end soon. It's very very difficult to bear!

Smacking his hands, scolding and shouting at Reese are becoming common. What next? I really don't want to use a cane to discipline Reese. Gosh.... getting so tough now..... Reese has always been a really easy child to take care. Rarely cries when he was a baby and never really throw tantrum. Now all has changed a few months ago. It's getting worse. We just cannot afford to give in any more. We don't want a spoilt child.

I am trying to be considerate and reason with Reese but at times it simply won't work. Books will tell you to be patient and bla...bla...bla... we tried but not working. Every child is different and we as parents are doing our best to make sure we are fair to him and at the same time discipline him. He is no longer a baby. He is very manupulative too. Ah... getting tougher being a parent.... what's next I wonder...

You know you are a homeschooling mom when....

You became a scrap collector... (to be used for arts and crafts or science/geography/math projects)

Doubling mind activities... (You are constantly thinking of what and how to teach using the things surrounding you)

Books and toys crazy... (Looking for great books and educational toys wherever you go)

Net addict... (Always surfing the net for educational/inspirational/motivational websites to improve yourself and your child)

Sensitive... (Anything with the word 'Home Schooling' will immediately cause you to be on full alert)

Became an opportunist! (Every minute is an opportunity to learn something! For example, Reese learned a little science during one of his poo session) :)

Jack of all trades... ( From being a fitness trainer to Scientist to waitress and even the janitor? ) :)

Couldn't care less about what the latest programs being offered to improve/enhance your child's academic progress. Seriously... there are tons of programs from mental arithmatic to phonetic programs out there that claimed to be good and bla..bla..bla... no doubt some of them are really good... but many parents don't realised that you can also do the same at home.... if you do a little research and mix and match.... you just might be able to teach your child effectively... don't need to waste money and time to send your children to these places....

Dreamer... (Dreams about lessons, laughter, sadness in your journey as a homeschooling mom)

Educator of some sort... (Educating others about homeschooling as an alternative route to learning)

Worrier... (As a new homeschooling mom... I am still not confident yet with my ability to teach my son)

Praying extra hard to God.... hehehe...

My journey as a homeschooling mom is still in it's infancy... but I am slowly getting the hang of it and loving it more day by day.... I am proud to tell anyone that I am a homeschooling mom!

The Dark Side of Preschool

Came across this article and I think it's pretty interesting. It's worth a read.


Excerpts from the article:

You send your child to preschool, hoping she will learn better people skills. Instead, she comes back with new behavior problems—-increased rudeness, or whining, or aggression. Spending lots of time with peers doesn’t seem to have improved her social skills. It’s made them worse!

It’s an experience shared by many parents, according to researchers at Stanford and the University of California.

Drawing on a massive, national database of over 14,000 children from diverse backgrounds, researchers examined the effects of preschool attendance on interpersonal skills, self control, and rates of aggression.

The results were remarkably clear:

“We find that attendance in preschool centers, even for short periods of time each week, hinders the rate at which young children develop social skills and display the motivation to engage classroom tasks, as reported by their kindergarten teachers” (Loeb et al 2005).

We might guess that the problem lies with poor quality preschool centers. But even high income children—-who presumably attend the better preschools—-showed increased behavioral problems if they had attended at least 15 hours a week (Loeb et al 2005). Moreover, the effect is dosage-dependent. The more time children spend in centers, the worse their behavior becomes.

Similar results were reported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHHD), which conducted a rigorous longitudinal study on the effects of childcare on children under 5 (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 2003).

Over a thousand children were tracked from infancy to kindergarten by investigators at over 20 prominent research universities.

Researchers found that the more time kids spent in non-maternal care during the first 4.5 years of life, the more behavioral problems they developed.

Problems included defiance--like talking back, throwing temper tantrums, and refusing to cooperate. They also included aggressive behaviors--being cruel, destroying toys and other objects, and getting into physical fights.

In addition, kids who spent more time in childcare were rated as less socially competent by their mothers and kindergarten teachers.

The rest of the article can be found here: http://www.parentingscience.com/preschool-stress.html

Bean Bag...

We just got Reese a nice big bean bag by Wow. I didn't know bean bags can be so comfortable and I think it's also good for my spine. When you sit on it, it will automatically envelop you according to your body shape and size and thus every part of your back is supported. It is also lightweight. You can move it around the house. I like it. Reese loves it too. It fits him perfectly and he uses it to watch TV and even drink milk lying down on it! :) It's a good piece of furniture for both adults and kids and it looks good too. :)

Playing with Ipod

See how comfortable he is

Can rest on it nicely

It fits him nicely

Lying down to drink his milk

Down with Fever and Throat Infection

Sick and didn't run around... just rest on the sofa and watched cartoons

Like a King

Out of the blue on Sunday night Reese became sick. He had slight fever and was trying to cough out something... We were baffled. Why the coughing suddenly? Daddy fed him his dinner of fried fish and suspected he might missed out a fish bone and Reese probably had a fish bone stuck in his throat. So how? He was feverish, and constantly trying to cough something out and at one point even used his finger to dig! And it didn't helped that a few days back my aunt mentioned about kids being struck with Autism after taking vaccination... that really freaks me out because I have heard of it before. Reese just took his Hep A a couple of days ago. Reese also vomitted a few times. So out of desperation, we decided to take him to a nearby clinic to check. Thank God nothing was wrong just a very 'red' throat and no fish bones.

Felt much better. Didn't sleep well at all because Reese still has high fever and was shivering (first time seeing him like that)... the thought of Autism still lingers and I stayed up to sponge him down for a good 45 minutes. When I went to bed, it was already 5am. By 7.30am, Reese was up and whining. Took him to the Pediatrician and was told that he has a throat infection. Has to monitor the situation because with fever and infection, his red blood cells might burst due to his G6PD condition. So Reese was prescribed Augmentine (Antibiotic to be taken for 7 days) , Aerius (cold and cough) and Uphamol (fever).

We used to have nightmares feeding Reese medication. This time around thank God it's alot easier. Very minimal resistance. So one thing less to worry. He is still feverish as I write this post, fever off and on and highest recorded was 38.8. Didn't sleep well yesterday as he was coughing. He is not used to it because this is the first time he experience something like that. So hopefully he will be better today.

I also took the opportunity to ask the doctor about vaccination and Autism, she explained that it was the MRR jab that 'might' cause Autism in certain children as claimed by an American doctor who wrote a research paper on that with some evidence but later he retracted it because he was found to have falsified the research or something like that. The pediatrician also said that should a child have Autism, it will show by age two with all the symtoms.

Making up songs, poems, jingles...

This is what Reese recite just now....

I see the moon,
And the moon sees cow,
God bless the moon,
And God bless the cow,
moooooooo.....

Original:

I see the moon,
The moon sees me,
God bless the moon,
God bless me.

It's funny what he can come out with. A week or so ago, daddy taught him this:

Row, row, row your kayak,
Gently down the river,
Merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.

Ever since then, he will substitute words to his songs, poems or jingles. He finds it funny and he enjoys it.

Future Inheritance

Daddy Reese is a Zoid collector from young. Mummy Reese (I) has recently become a Lego collector. Our study room is running out of space to accommodate our growing collection. When Reese is older, he is going to have alot of Legos and Zoids to play with! :)

Reese started to enjoy building blocks and the house daddy built is his current favourite toy. He will ask for the 'big' house when he wakes up in the morning, play with it during the day and before bedtime. He loves to go 'upstairs', open windows and doors, 'picking' flowers and 'Christmas' trees. Both Daddy Reese and I enjoy playing Lego with Reese.

Latest Zoids

Some of these are more than 20 years old

Most of them in the above picture were toys my hubby collected since primary school

My first Racer-Technic series by Lego

My first Creator Lego house and Racer series

My latest collection from the Coast Guard series by Lego

Reese having fun with the Lego helicopter

Playing Lego with daddy

Daddy design and built this house with lots of windows and doors and check out the funny looking truck!

I built a smaller house at the side... hehee..

This house has a second floor and it has a big roof top garden...