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Rearranged Room

Its been just over a month since i made a mini room make over with the help of Cik Nora, the lady who cleaned our house once a week.


BEFORE:


Bed in the middle, Desk to the wall.

Extreme clutter with unwanted wooden side table, luggage for Oz trip

This is after folding up the PlayPen
But still not enough space for T to play around nor pray. Worse is i'll be pumping at my desk and he'd either be at the playing area (too far can't see) or beside me (too many sharp edges and very tight maneuvering space).
So decided to gather the broker spaces. NOW:

Bed pushed to the wall ( i have since closed the gap to 2-3cm as opposed to 2-3inch)
Table to the center.


Now we have lotsa space to play and pray! Weee
Next up:
  1. Throw the computer box away. its been a month already! So irritating!
  2. Re-Plaster walls
  3. Paint room
  4. Reposition wall shelf nearer to table for access.
  5. Carpet?

Bit by Bit is the way to go.

The only unhappy thing about this arrangement is that it made me LOATHE to MAKE MY BED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HATE IT I HATE IT! So i just straighten the quilt without bothering to neaten the bedsheet itself. HAH! I'm so lazy, i know!

Oh another thing, Tufeil was supposed to be sleeping on a cot on the floor with this new rearranged position... but i havent got around to do it because... i dont want to accidentally step on him while using the computer and him sleeping in the dark. Noise also travels on the gap under the door.

Hee =D

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Blogpress

How to upload photo?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

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Official CNY 2010 Celebration

Fri, 19th Feb 10

It's Lion Dance Day!


Fierce!



Acrobatic!

Just Look where the "fore" legs are!



It's coming!


Approaching our 8 oranges pyramid



Nom nom nom



4 heads are better than 1



Lucky number



We had a Lantern Making Competition.



Each floor to form a team of max 5. Create a lantern using red packets in 15 minutes!


At the very last minute - like, 2hours before the competition, we decided to form a team! And came up with this:


A ball and scallop fan ensemble.


The team!


We had to contend with 8 other entries looking something like:


From left: A coin in an 8 coin, A Hot air balloon, a pink lantern, 2 balls...



A Hat, Ours, the T...


AND!!!



A Human lantern!!!

Despite breaking the fundamental rules of using the provided red packets, the Human lantern won! Perhaps for their creativity and thinking out of the box and their er... presentation?

But really, we were supposed to win. Being the RecClub Rep, i looked at the score. Apparently, the Judge of the Day gave us the highes point being 25. But ME the mini judge was extra critical on my team's performance - giving only 13 out of 20 based on Creativity, Difficulty, Speed and Overall appearance - when most other teams were given 15 - 18. Ended up in 3rd place. But we had fun and bonded nicely.

The best part: The winning lantern was supposed to be hung at our Education Site. Now, how do u hang a Human? *oops*

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CHOCK BLOCKED

It used to be only a handful of the more popular web-based messengers were blocked in the office. Your usual eBuddy, iLoveIM and the sorts.

I was getting by with www.radiusim.com mostly and imoim.web-messenger.eu after msn2go.com and koolim.com failed me. In other words, i did extensive research.

And now EVERYTHING is blocked. even NEW platforms that i have never used before were blocked too. Facebook, Multiply and Twitter were already banned many moons ago. BLARGH!

THAT DOES IT!

I'm getting my iPhone TODAY!

My contract expires somewhere in July but am able to recontract now and even got a $150 voucher to purchase a new phone. Initially, this voucher is not applicable for iPhone purchase so i let it go. Patience is really a virtue now that they've retracted that exception.

SO DON'T TELL ME THEY ARE GOING TO BLOCK IPHONE USAGE TOO! COS I PAY IT WITH MY OWN MONEY!

I mean, C'mon! Some pple can't work without music in the background, other pple (read: me) can't work without chatting or at least feeling the virtual presence of my great friends simultaneously.

HUMPH!

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I need to lose weight! HAHA

Ok i know im very weight obsessed. i even want my baby to NOT gain too much weight. I can't believe some pple actually think Tufeil is skinny! I'm like.. HUH! his cheeks are 1kg each ok!

On the other hand, i also like to eat!

But i think my appetite has returned to normal. I think maybe at 8th month of breastfeeding. Also at this point i think that i start to regain the extra weight i've lost after giving birth. Chet! I sooo cannot fit into my jeans anymore. EYEWWW Ugly sight!

I totally loathe the buncit-ness of my tummy. But i'd like to think that my stretch marks are getting lighter and lighter.

While i doubt i have time during lunch time to squeeze in GYM AND PUMP, i think i can do slimming treatments though. Now i just need to finish paying off my computer and then we can buy that package at De Beaute, International Plaza.

In the meantime, i sooooooooooooooooo need a massage!!!!!!!!!!!! My body feels soooooooo tired and aching. Ok that's partly cause i'm down with a cold.

I've got a fantasy:

When Tufeil turns 1 year old, i wanna go for a week long beach vacation ON MY OWN. this is to help ease Tufeil thru the transition from Breast Milk to Formula milk and to let him learn to sleep without nursing. And i will have ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL the time in the world to sleeeeeeeeeeeep, to go for spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasss, to snorkle, swim.... and devote some time to the Almighty too (let's not forget that).

My heart aches to realise this dream. But... DREAM ON, they'd say!

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What a Day!

Yesterday i came home to this:

SURPRISE!!!
My Mum and Dad who was at home on medical leave, brought him to Sri Nada for hair cut. It's been almost 6 months since his last shave that we all started to get irritated with his long hair. Esp cos he perspire quite easily.

So Round like his Mummy.


So diff to get a good shot of him from my irritating hp cam. PLUS he likes to claw at the phone. Shortly after this snap, he grabbed the phone and threw it on the floor and the housing came off as well as the battery. This has happened a lot of times i dont care anymore. i just put it back together again.


The date and time got resetted to 1 Jan 2000 8:00am. and i forgot to wind it back correctly until when i opened my eyes and saw light in the sky. oh no 7am already!!! and i'm supposed to take the train to work.


I was out by 7:20am. and speedwalked to the mrt station. I saw next train is coming in 1min and could hear the screeching sound already so i ran up the escalator and.... midway TRIPPED forward!!


Gosh my shin grazed the step's teeth. But i cant afford to miss the train. Next one's coming only in 5min. So i straightened myself, slipped my sandals back on, gritted my teeth and continued climbing the escalator.


Boy am i glad to have caught it cause it was not as full as usual and i managed to get a standing position in front of 3 students clad in ITE uniforms. Meaning they should be alighting either at Yio Chu Kang (or is it Ang Mo Kio?) or Bishan. True enough they alighted at Bishan and i got a seat.


Only then did i brave myself to touch my throbbing shin. Felt bumpy. Blue black's coming i think.

At work, i kept on bumping on things.


In the pantry, i knocked over an empty 10l water container. Avoiding embarassment, i said to David, "Look what your stare made me do."

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Chicken Casserole and Tofu Salad.

Did some more cooking over the long weekend.

This would be my very first attempt at cooking CHICKEN!

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole (14 Baby Serving)
1 Chicken Breast
1 Potato, peeled
1 Cup Broccoli, florets
2 Tbsp Cheddar Cheese

1. Place the chicken and potatoes in a steamer pot over boiling waterand cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the broccoli and continue to steam another 3 minutes or until thechicken is cooked through and the vegetables are fork tender.
3. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth(or leave chunky for toddlers). You may need to add water from thesteamer pot to make smooth.
4. Cool and serve.

Errr... i have NOO idea how to clean chicken.


PLUS! I dont have chicken breast but using chicken leg. It was sooo difficult cutting the fats off. I tried two different knives.. in the end, i used the kitchen scissors. VERY EFFECTIVE! but i cut away some meat also in the process.


I was also making a double batch of mashed potatoes. the 2 pounds of potatoes were in the pot boiling and then i had an idea!

Why don't i just steam the chicken on TOP of the potatoes?


I had ever heard that the flavour of the chicken will seap thru to the potatoes below. I had a few worries, though:
  1. some of the water overflowed to the steamer basket. i chose to ignore it.
  2. Water spewed over even after covering it, making the gas turned orange. so i turned down the heat.
  3. The chicken meat looked kinda black/dark after cooked. I decided its normal

For Broccoli, i used the Heinz pureed one since i still have one jar unopened cause i doubt T would like it on its own.

I dont have a food processor, so i stripped the Cheddar slice and mashed the potatoes.



And i mashed the chicken using the old school mortar and pestle.


Mixed!

I tried just a teeny weeny bit and I dare say it tasted.... revolting! hahahah Then again i don't like nor hv ever eaten broccoli before, but i shldnt deprive my baby from such nutritional value now, shld i?


That was Tufeil's dinner that night. He took to it, albeit reluctantly. He ate very slowly. But kept at it when i offered. Then i saw some white stuff in his mouth. He can't chew much of the chicken! and i actually hooked it out with my bare fingers! I wldn't have dared do that normally but i was scared he would choke that i just plunged and did it. No choice.


Suspect its bcos the thigh part is more difficult to mash. It came out in strands. So I sieved thru the chunkier or longer chicken strips out and gave him tiny tiny bits plus more of potatoes.


The next day or two, i consulted with a friend who said i can actually just blend it. But the blender we have reeks of gallons of chilli and onions and wat nots. Then mummy pulled out a mini blender. and Tufeil ate better after i blended it all again.


I dont know why but i was interested to make this. Maybe cause it contains yoghurt and i want T to have variety in his diet.

1/3 of a Block of Firm Tofu, rinsed and drained
1/2 Cup Celery (1 stalk) , Chopped
8 Baby Carrots
1 Tbsp Veganaise, Mayonnaise or Yogurt
1/2 Tsp Lemon Juice
1/8 Tsp Turmeric
1 Tsp Mustard

1. Wrap tofu in a towel and put something heavy on it — like adictionary — for 10 minutes to remove as much water as possible.
2. Place carrots in a steamer pot over boiling water for 3 minutes.
3. Add the celery and continue to cook for 4 minutes or until thevegetables are fork tender.
4. When the vegetables are cool, place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until everything is combined and little pieces remain.
5. Serve


I am sooooooooo clueless about vegetables, i had to ask mummy, "When they say celery, does it mean just the stem or include the leaves too?" Mum said just the stem. I've never eaten celery in my life! Much less see it in its full form before being cooked.


I didnt have a lemon juice nor mustard. Decided to skip the latter and replace the former with... ORANGE juice. LOL! well at just 1/2 teaspoon, it can barely do any harm, can it? hahahha




That's the mini blender.




I steamed the vege in rice cooker. Much easier. I think.


For fear Tufeil won't like this, i serve it with his favourite mashed potatoes and he ate solemnly.
I

'm thinking pureed beet and sweet potatoes next for calcium.

I kept thinking beet looks like dragonfruit and was quite surprised it looks like turnip when i googled it. I'm pretty much vege-phobic, you see.


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My CNY 2010 Holiday

It's a SUPER LONG Weekend and we had a good time!

Sat, 13th Feb (10.5months old)

We went to Fidgets @ Turf City. Tufeil woke up at 8.30. So by 10am, we cabbed it there.


It was my first time being at Turf City. And i hafta say it looks very.... OLD.



Likewise, it was a big of a disappointment when i saw the indoor playground. The lights make it look boring and dull. The baby area is minimal. Worse, its soo small, i can't go in to help Tufeil with the slide. But i love the mini cars! Tufeil cant reach yet nor know what to do w it, though.



Slide in the background.

Loved the balls but wldnt crawl around.

Im a baby too!



In the middle of play, it was Tufeil's naptime. Managed to rest for 30min before he woke up by some children's screams.



In the Big Kid's Playground now



It was much more exciting there. For me. LOL. I love how Tufeil held the ball well. Because he used to not be able to control his grasp well.



The cafe said that they bought all their ingredients from Giant's Halal dept or whatever but i still felt cautious, so didnt buy anything save for Mac'n'Cheese for Tufeil. the Mac was sooo rubbery, i had to break 1 macaroni into 6 pieces b4 giving it to T. He LOVED it, tho.



Took the free shuttle to Toa Payoh and lunched at Burger King. HAH!



Sun, 14th Feb.



As it happened, Ash got free tix for my parents to watch Everybody's Fine starring Robert de Niro. And i tot, Hey! Since this is a family drama (ie not too loud for Tufeil as an action packed) movie, I wanna join in too! Luckily, i got a ticket right next to my parents' seats.



Here we go!


Tufeil was just slightly cranky before the show. But i planned to nurse him in the cinema so he'll become quiet. Just after the show's started, I called Ayah - who was entertaining T outside - in. Gave him his milk. Thankfully, the person next to me is a malay girl in tudung and all. T kept turning to look at her. and we smiled. But this is only effective for like.. 10min.


After that, he wanted to play! So, taking Mummy's idea, i went down to the first row right in front of the screen. There was a small light at the corner so i sat him there while feeding him a biscuit. Unfortunately, the half biscuit's finished and i wanted to go back up to my bag to get another piece when i heard somebody said, "Get Him Out!" I then, quickly detoured out of the theatre, much embarassed. There was a short flight of stairs just by the door and i let him climbed up and played there for awhile.


Got tired and decided, i wldn't be going back inside but its only 45min thru the show. I waited for another 30min before Ash would finish with hers.


So we explored the kiddy section @ Cathay Level 9.

Even let him finger the stickers on the floor.

He was particularly intrigued by the blue splats.


What made it worse was, i was still recovering from a slight diarrhoea. So while everybody was in the movies, i had a calling but had no choice but to restrain the desire to go to the loo. LOL. and i managed to. Thank God.

When we met Ash, i suddenly had the idea that i could go back inside while he played w her. Oh well i only got the last 20min of the show. Pathetic but i'd grab anything that i can get lor.


I related the Get Him Out incident to the family, Ayah said that he had noted there was this lady just two rows in front of us who asked, "Later when the movie start how?" when T was crying during the LOUD advertisements. Ayah said they didnt hear T's cute playing voices at all. Even if they did, it was very distant and faint. That lady was just petty. and this kinda observation doesnt come from him very often.

And i sort of regretted being overly embarassed by the incident and should have just continued sitting in as long as i could. After all, he was just playing / talking... not WAILING or anything. More so when i came out and saw T asleep in Ash's arms. I could have soothed him to sleep in the cinema and caught the whole show. Cheh!


Next time, maybe?
Mon 15th Feb 10
D

idn't do much except for dinner (or was it lunch?) at Siam Kitchen at Causeway Point.

Tues 16th Feb 10
Swimming!!!
W

e went out right after Tufeil woke up at 8.30am and prepared our bfast. Walked to Woodlands Sports Complex in swimming attire all but ate first. Maybe because we didnt straight away jump into the waters, Tufeil was somewhat excited by the goings-on around him and wasn't afraid of the water at all. The water was just as cold as Sengkang's but he was still ok with it.


Spent about 1.5hours there! hahaha Tufeil got wrinkly after just 15min!


Showering him was quite ok. Just a quick one with him on the floor. Changing him was quite difficult but after 5min i got him dressed single-handedly. I had to repeatedly ask him to stand up while he kept going down on sitting position. Forgot to bring Minyak Telon! Also forgot to bring some of my own things, but since u can't actually see it... so whatever lah! Thank god its just a short walk back home!

Yikes!


That must have explained the restlessness i felt when i got back to work the next day. SO TIRED!!!!!!

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Roasted Pear & Apple

Mon, 8th Feb 10.


I saw a Roasted Pear & Banana Puree Program on weelicious.com and tot what a delicious mix! Tufeil used to like Banana until i mixed it baby oatmeal and now he vehemently refuses it. So i'm hoping with the mix with pear and a roasted taste, he will like it.

Unfortunately, the bananas were all eaten already. My fault for putting it off for a few days. So i decided to do with apples and pears instead.


Skinning the fruits are ok... but i scratched my head. How do i pit the core? Or is it core the pit?


Mummy and Ayah have always done it for me. I've seen him do it but i'm afraid i might overestimate my strength and cut myself instead. So i halved them first on the board and in the same position, cut a triangle from the top. Wasted a lot of fruitmeat. but that's the only idea i had. After awhile it got easier.




Again, i was acting like a Pro. While baking / roasting the apples, i pureed papayas (a no brainer!). Was about to start skinning pears when the oven pinged at the end of 20+min.


After letting it cool for a bit, i threw it in the baby food mill. OH MY GOD IT IS SOOOO HARD!!!! Hmmm maybe it wouldn't work on apples? So i went to steam it in the rice cooker for another 15min or so. Hmmm the maid did it this way the last time so i should be able to do this.


In the meantime, i skinned the pear.


Out goes the apple and in goes the pear into the Oven. I hafta tell you that the apple is still VERY HARD for the food mill, in my opinion. But found that its easier to twist when i put in only half instead of full to the brim. and managed to finish them with great difficulty. spooned to ice cube trays and freeze. I dont know if the brown colour is the result or roasting or oxidisation.


When the pears came out, one look at it and i know its hard. Even tho i could poke it with a fork no problem. Into the steamer then.


This time around, my energy and resolve were totally depleted. This is just so hard!! Worse, it was already 10.30pm. Tufeil might wake up anytime now and i havent even prayed nor prepare for next workday. My injured left wrist was sore from all the action too.


So i gave up. and asked for somebody else's help to continue milling the pear. Thanks!


Its just miraculous that Tufeil managed to sleep for 2hours while i cooked. Its as if he knew! =) Thanks my baby! MUACKS!

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Tufeil News - 10.5months old

That night after cooking for him, we went to bed as usual.

I nursed him at first. And then he removed himself and thrashed around. I dont know what gave me this idea to suddenly want to sleep train him ie not nurse to sleep but sleep on his own. So i refused him his milk. Of course, crying ensued.

At the 10 min mark, my mum came in and asked what happened? Told her the above.

Another 10 min passed by and he still didnt wanna be soothed. But i kept telling myself, "If i give in now, he might think that its ok to demand by crying." and accordingly tuned out his cries. But other inhabitants of the house couldn't do the same. They felt i was torturing him. Mum urged me to just give him his milk, pity on him, he still doesnt know anything.

When i finally relented, it took some effort calming him down. He was suckle a little, and then cry, suckle a little and cry. It was as if he was still afraid i won't give him fully. That was the scene that broke my heart.

He slept poorly that night also. Waking every hour for a suckle. Kesian!!!

I blamed myself totally. It was my fault that i didn't prepare nor warn him in advance which is the Step 1 in the Whale Done Parenting wisdom. I resolve to start training him after 18months old, when hopefully he can better understand what i say and then i can tell him, "Tonight we are going to sleep on our own."

```````````````````````````````````````

His separation anxiety is quite bad. And then i got this from BabyCentre Newsletter for 10month 3 week old:

As babies begin to pay more attention to what's going on around them, it's
not unusual for them to develop new fears. In fact, it's a normal developmental
stage. Your baby may suddenly cry and cling to you upon hearing even familiar
sounds such as the dog barking next door, the vacuum cleaner or the doorbell
ringing. You can comfort him by providing lots of hugs and kisses. This will
reassure him that you're standing by and all's right with the world.


The email couldn't be timely enough. I just noticed that he's started to fear animals! He would clung to us more tightly whenever a foreign living thing with whiskers, tails are moving about. We were gonna give him a kiddy ride on Sesame Street wagon but he was afraid of ELMO!! Can u imagine that?? hehee so cute! Save money!

But you know who would capture MORE of Tufeil's attention than me? It's none other than his Atok! Grandpa! Oh That suits me great. Cause when i reach home, fed him and pumped, it would be time for my shower and he will gladly flail his arm for his Atok! Alhamdulillah for this.

````````````````

In other Tufeil News, his bottom two teeth are on really the verge of erupting! But i think at 10.5months, this is considered late? Note to self: Give him more calcium.

Tufeil is either in some kind of growth spurt or he is making up for all the lost eBM he missed while he was ill. He's drinking 4 bottles of AT LEAST 80ml (preferably 100ml) but i'm producing just 3bottles of 80ml! HELP! Ya Allah, please make it so that i have enough milk for my son.

Just last night, i let him roam around on the floor. Then left him in the living room where nenek is watching tv and atok is using the pc. Then i rushed to find which tudung to wear for next work day. As i walked to the service balcony to iron it, i found my darling Tufeil in the kitchen. Alone! Awwww my baby was searching for me! Before that when he crawled to the kitchen he did find me there.

Then while ironing my tudung, i sat him in the kitchen with some toy my eyes on his back. When i finished 1 min later, he found him not in the kitchen, nor the living room but in my bedroom!!

Ohhh my emotions is a mixture of pride and guilt. Guilt cause i let him roam around unsupervised. Pride cause he's actually brave enough to go off on his own now!

He's growing up too fast now! Masya'Allah.

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Actual Cooking for Tufeil

Sun, 7th Feb 10 (10months old)


I just came back from a sleepover @ Nan's place and discovered just how much Tufeil LOVES mashed potato. All these while i had been giving him KFC's, Popeye's and Breek's mashed potatoes. Expensive and troublesome to go out and buy, so suddenly i decided to make them myself!


Well, a few days before that, i already discovered www.weelicious.com and found the recipe for baby mashed potatoes and other easy things to make. Anyone who knows me would know that i'm crap at cooking. If you were to rate me from 0 to 10 0 being worst and 10 being excellent, i'd be like.... -2!


So i started from the EASIEST THING to cook.

EGG YOLK

1 Egg, fully cooked
1 Tsp Water

1. Crack and peel egg.

2. Separate the cooked egg white from the yolk (parents can eat the egg white for a protein boost which you’ll probably need at this early hour).

3. Place the egg yolk in a bowl.

4. Mash with a fork and add water until it makes a thick paste.

5. Serve.


Hard cooked eggs

*This method creates an egg that is fully cooked but still silky, not dry, overcooked and easy to mash
4-6 eggs, any size, white or brown will do

1. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with water.
2. Bring water to a boil.
3. Turn off stove and let rest for 10 minutes.
4. Remove hot water from eggs and cover with cool water until eggs are room temperature.


I don't eat boiled eggs myself so have never boiled them before. And i also doubt Tufeil will like it, so i only made 4pcs. I kept chuckling inwardly to myself at how many times i hafta consult the instructions again and again, as simple as they are! Thinking... rest for how long? Was it to remove the water first or rest first? Is this considered boiling yet? How long do i let it remain boiling?


The recipe said only 1 tsp of water to every egg.... but i thought it was TABLEspoon. But even after 4 of them, the mixture was still too thick so i added another 2. *Shrug*


Actually at the same time, i was also doing mashed potatoes. Again, i laughed at myself. Action pro sey!


Mashed Potatoes (Serves 4 = 2 Cups)

1 Lb. Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and halved
1/3 Cup 2% Milk
2 Tbsp Butter
2 1/2 Tsp Salt, divided

I have NO idea what 2% milk is. I took it to mean Fresh Milk. But then we dont have them in the fridge (nobody in the house drinks milk! me i drink CHOC milk. Certainly can't put THAT in mashed potatoes now, can i? haha) and all the other ingredients were available (Surprise!) and i cldnt wait to get started.

So i replaced 2% milk to Express BreastMilk. HAHA. Also, i was afraid if it turned out badly so i only did HALF of this proportion. So that comes out to 5pcs of potato @ 8oz, 80ml of eBM.....

Instructions:

1. Place potatoes, 2 tsp of salt and cold water to cover the potatoes in a large pot.

2. Bring the water and potatoes to a boil.

3. Reduce to medium heat and continue to boil for approximately 15-17 minutes or until fork tender.

4. Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan or in a glass bowl in the microwave until warm and butter is melted.

5. Mash the potatoes using a ricer, food mill or potato masher in a bowl until smooth.

6. Add the warm butter/milk mixture and 1/2 tsp salt and stir to combine.

7. Serve.


I had to google what is a ricer (still don't know), food mill (I have but a kiddy version, so i dont think its up to mashing potatoes) and a potato masher. As it turned out, the last item is actually the thing you use to fry burger. Check! Yayy we have that!



Instruction said to turn down the heat to medium and continue to boil. But I wasn't sure if it was boiling yet cos the bubbles were so small as compared to when i was boiling the eggs. PLUS, the gas on my stove at high was not too high so i didn't bother to turn down to medium.



WOW! The potatoes were SUPER soft and sooo easy to mash! So that i only mash under 1min. It was a magical sight when i poured it the milk + butter and stirred. It was like a revelation to me... "So thissss is how u make mashed potatoes" was what really went thru my head like a flashing neon sign.


Finally, i braved myself to taste it. U know w the eBM and everything, i was a bit scared. But i chided myself, "You're gonna let ur precious baby eat this after all, so it should be safe by you, first!" So i took a pinch, and it was..... TOO SALTY! and CHUNKY!

I realise now that i forgot to halve the BUTTER and SALT! How? how? how? Er... I actually didn't do anything to correct it. Decided that Tufeil would probably like Chunkier potatoes. and praying the salt will pass thru his body system all right.

Dinnertime!

Cldn't decide to give egg or mashed potatoes. Then remembered the Whale Done Parenting method to intro new food that he's likely to reject with his favourite so i gave him both!


Sure enough he didn't like the egg but digs the other. So i slyly (and guiltily) mixed a little of egg yolk IN the potatoes. I braved a try myself and the yucky yolk's taste is totally reduced by the salt - u can't taste it.


It was also a livelier and more entertaining mealtime that night as i devised a few Whale Dones for Tufeil after each bite. He laughed a lot that night. And it made me REAL happy that i had it in me.

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Looking Out

30th Jan 2010


I actually want to write about the food i prepared for Tufeil but am running short on time today. So i just pepper my blog with some pictures of Tufeil.


Now that my bed has been pushed to the wall, Tufeil LOVES standing, hand supported by the railing and/or the window grille. Every morning when he wakes up and i'm in bed too, he would roll around and excitedly want to stand there. (If i'm not around, he would just cry for attention.)

Even if the window is closed, he would still love being there.

The thing i dread the most when he stands there is the 3 - 4 inches gap between the bed and wall.



So far i've caught him twice when he slipped. What if i'm not around to catch him?


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Contradictory Morning

I arrived office just 4min after 8.30am (my official starting hours) and i still havent pumped!

Thought of skipping it, but Monday is always an auspicious day to pump after the weekend. Usually i'll get the most on MOnday and then supply will decline thruout the week till the next weekend.

Didn't think i would be missed for 15min so i sneaked away.

Then at the pantry, my colleague remarked, "Wahh mrt so empty today. everybody's started going on leave." My jaw quite literally dropped. Traffic was a killer this morning!!! I dont know what happened cos i was asleep. All i know is at 8.20am, we just exited Bukit Timah Road, a long way's away to my office yet.

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Whale Done Parenting.

Ok I've just finished reading this book and while its nothing new, its a great reinforcement for me.

To be honest, i really dont like reading self-help books. It's always sooo utterly BORING! But Ken Blanchard's books are great. I have the One Minute Apology and it's such a light read, it's almost entertaining!

In this case, it is just the same. The message is simple but is reiterated thru different scenarios with a nice storyline. Don't bother remembering the names tho! Let me attempt to summarise what i understand if only to reinforce in my own head.
Basically, Positive Parenting encompasses these 3 steps:
  1. Setting your child up for success
  2. Ignoring / redirecting failures or mistakes or undesired behaviours
  3. Praising desired behaviour aka Giving a Whale Done! lol

Setting up for success is about arranging the situations so that your baby is less likely to make mistakes or would be primed for the desired action. Eg:

  1. Going to bed, make him nap less during the day so they'll feel sleepy by evening.
  2. In potty training or going to the dentist, make him associate these places with fun play. Meaning their first visit does not necessarily contain any action but just familiarisation.
  3. Telling him ahead of time what's expected of him, "Today we want to share toys."
  4. Time Out when the going gets tough.

Ignoring failures is important! Giving in to them will only reinforce the issue. Meaning if in the first place you said your baby can't have the sweet, but when he cried you relented, you're essentially saying that he will get what he wants if he throws a tantrum.

I can ignore a wailing toddler but not sure if i can a small baby. So that's when Redirecting skills come in handy. Again, nothing new here. We can attract his attention with something else. But what's pointed out in this book is to redirect to positive behaviour directly connected with the problem. Eg:

If he says NO to bathtime, ask him, "Would you like to wash (insert fav toy's name) for me, please?" <<--I've heard this strategy before but in naming it a redirection to something doable, it makes a lot of sense and can give more ideas for variation.

or

If he refuses to share his toy w another baby, say "Can i have a look at your toy? What's his name?"

And then comes the BIGGEST part of the step. PRAISING / REWARDING for good behaviour.

"Oh Baby you're so nice to have shared your toy with me!" "Well done for playing quietly while mummy and daddy talk."

Yes, we will always feel appreciated after being praised and everybody would like to receive some. A few pointers from the book though:

  1. Always vary your reward to keep the element of surprise hence the motivation to do as asked.
  2. Variety can include: food, physical like hugs, kisses, a pat on the back; verbal "Mummy loves you for being brave at the dentist!" "It makes me happy hearing you say Please and Thank You"
  3. Timing is everything. Immediacy to reward right after your child has done right so it will stick into his head that being good is great. Ahaks!
  4. Be careful not to reward for negative behaviours.
  5. Do not expect your child to do it right straight away but To praise even for small incremental achievements.
  6. Go all out to catch your child doing something good and praise him! and ignore when he does something annoying.

There are more to it than just these so you need to pick up the book to get the whole idea. I do have some confusions though like... How do i apply this to an infant who doesn't understand words yet?

I know i may be underestimating babies. But imagine, how do i tell him... "Would you like to give mummy that wire?" I guess they would say that IF he happens to give it to me then i should praise him and he would associate the word to the action. But if he doesn't??

And then, how do i understand what his cries mean since he can't express his wants yet. What? Do i leave him to cry? like when he wakes up at night crying. He sleeps next to me, I can't just ignore him now, can i? Or if he did sleep a bit longer, would he understand when i say, "Good job baby! You slept longer than usual. It helped mummy to do the housework. Shall we sleep all thru the night without waking up tonight?"

Often the trouble scenarios in the book would describe what they should have done or what to do the next time but never say what they do at that very moment! How do they get away from the scene???

If food is a treat, would giving him his dinner after bad behaviour reinforcing it too?

How do we know for sure that praising for small steps would make him do the whole thinga majig one day and not just stick there mid-progress? Wouldn't it confuse them when they revert to doing the wrong and we didn't say anything to it? I'm thinking of maybe... getting them to eat veges. We praise if he had taken a bite. But he refused the next bite and we kept quiet. He might think that this behaviour is condoned, won't he?

Now where can i meet Mr Blanchard to address all these lingering questions?

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Tragic!

Just as i thought to myself, i shall write here that there;s nothing to report, Tragedy Struck!

Ok i'm being a bit over dramatic.

But I simply hate being late for work. And that although i reached office this morning earlier than the past 2 week average, ie at 8:10 am, i ended up being grossly late!

Because i realised that i forgot the pump unit! AGAIN! I brought all the bottles and everything but the machine itself was left at home. And i can easily imagine why. Because i haven't been pumping when i get home for quite a long time that when i started this week, i didn't pack it back into my bag and it was left on my desk. *Pull hair!!*

And so i quickly called Ayah who had just dropped me off to come and pick me up again. Luckily he was still in town area. Then we dropped Ayah off at the office and i drove back home. I cldn't imagine reaching office with severe tardiness and still excuse myself to pump so i smsed Mummy to say that im coming and tt i'll b feeding Tufeil so she won't heat up a bottle or put him to sleep yet.

So i finally reached office embarassed at 10.15am! After parking the car at Ayah's office and taking a cab down to mine from there.

I can already imagine them thinking, "What a careless girl, Julissa is. Always forgetting her pump. How long do we have to give her face. Excuse her little breaks. How long does she want to pump for?"

I realise i don't have anything to say for myself as it's totally my fault. Forgetful young me. At least, its the first time in the whole of this yr~ haha.

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