Facetime

If there's any lesson that I learnt this weekend, it is that I've learnt to really looked at my children's face. And perhaps put a name to their faces too, over here. I've been referring to them as the son and the kid, and truth be told, I get confused sometimes. Not just you, as a reader. 

So to set the record straight. My elder son is called Benjamin and the second son is called Jeb. There. 

As I was saying about a lesson I learnt this weekend was through looking at their faces right. I think next to a face of sadness, a disappointed face ranks the second. Especially of a child's. 

We were running late from an appointment and all the while I was rushing around preparing the stuff to head out, I keep yelling out to Benjamin to switch off the DVD he was watching. (He was watching a Thomas Sing-Along DVD and by now, he has know most of the songs by heart and the sequence to it). 

I told him to shut it down and he would reply "One last song Mama. The next song is Never Never Give up!"

Okay. Song came and during the song, he excitedly told me the next song was Down by the Dockside, which by now I'm already all strapped up, with Jeb, and ready to go. So I cut him off and said no. 

With that, he just gave a downcast look and said okay. 

And that, was the moment if I had missed, I would have robbed him of his excitement. Simply by not looking at him and brushing him off.

And thus, I said, "Okay, but it is really the last song". 

And with that, I gave him back his excitement. 

And we left the house on a happy note. 

Sometimes throughout the day when I might be busy with the cooking, cleaning or my phone (ahem), I would either give a cursory nod, mumbled some stuff or a quick wave to acknowledge him. Or when sometimes he'll be so excited to show me a new discovery he found, I would give a non committal grunt and he'll be so insistent and go, "Look, look Mama! Look!"

And it forces me to stop whatever I was doing and really look. It might be a flower, a dried leaf, a butterfly, a snail, some toys he found, some bug crawling or something and that to me might be insignificant but to a three year old kid, it is a life, alive. 

Lesson learnt. 

I put a mask over his bolster and it has become his new best friend.

New best friend is tired and sleeping. 

No. I am not the one who cut his hair.
His hair just grew wild after we shaved it off few months back.

And sometimes when I feel so squeezed out of air, I just have to look at them and it helps me to breath again.

Hada Labo 3-in-1 Ultra Hydrating Perfect Gel

{SPONSORED REVIEW}

We all know what happens when we don't get enough sleep. We'll get tired, restless, suffer from lack of concentration and not to mention, those horrendous dark eye rings and eye bags.

On top of these, our skin, being our first line of defense, tends to bear most of the brunt from the lack of sleep too!

Saggy skin, dull complexion, blotch and patches, you get the drift.

As a full time working mother of two, sleep is very important to me. Not only that, but what I use on my face before I go to sleep is even more important. Cleanser, toner, serum, essence, eye cream, moisturiser and the occasional face mask to boot, its an arsenal of products on my face!

Sigh. The price for beauty.

Since sleep is the time when the body repairs itself, Hada Labo introduces the new Hada Labo Ultra Hydrating Perfect Gel to replenish the skin's moisture while you sleep.

Less products = less steps = quicker time off to bed!

from the kind people from Hada Labo

glob of goodness

The Hada Labo gel has a rich cream texture that is non-sticky, allowing your skin to feel light even after applying. Be sure to thoroughly massage into your skin to allow it to be absorbed fully.

After trying it out for the past week, my skin became smoother, softer and it does really give off a dewy glow. As my skin has been rather dry due to the long hours in an air conditioned office and thrown in the mix of hot weather, I'm really amazed by how quickly I can see the results. 

Prior to using the Hydrating Gel, I've also been using their Moisturising Lotion on its own. But coupled together, its an awesome combo! Now my SKII has been relegated to the side. True story.

The Hada Labo Ultra Hydrating 3-in-1 Perfect Gel is now available at selected Watson's stores.

*Disclaimer: I was sponsored the gel for review purposes and not compensated in any way. 

3 Scratchers

If you have boys, you know where this is going to lead to.

I know dogs scratch themselves, alot. But what I didn't know was boys scratch too. Till I lived with one. Boy, man, that is, not a dog.

And man can they really scratch.

Its not just scratch scratch and done. It's full on hardcore scratching, making sure every piece of skin is scratched, up down, left right, up down again, left right and then some. It's fast, hard and brutal.

And you know they got a good scratch when there's a contented sigh. I should know.

My 3 year old use me as a scratcher. He always comes to me to help him scratch.

"Faster, harder, Mama. Higher, HARDER!"

The husband also uses me as one.

"Faster, to the right, higher a bit, no down a bit, left a bit, no no down a bit, yes yes that's it, no a bit more, ah yes yes that's it! AHHHH!"

Sounds exciting doesn't it?

So it comes as no surprise that my 10 month old also scratches himself. This is often done whenever I lay him down for a diaper change. Off goes the diaper and the scratching comes on.

It's hilarious watching a 10 month old scratch.

With all these scratching around, there is no need for a pet. They can just scratch themselves into a frenzy.

Weekend at Pasar Bella

Oh, this weekend was a good one. We went to this new place, Pasar Bella that was opened recently at Turf City. The concept is sort of like a farmer's market, only that it is indoors instead. There were lots of stalls selling fresh organic produce, cakes, jams, coffee, waffles, flowers and there was also this guy who was seated on his day bed the entire time we were there. Goodness knows what he's selling though. 

My hair and face was having a good day.
And can you spot the camouflaged baby?

We reached there about 12, so we grabbed some lunch first and decided to try Omakase Burger as it had good reviews on it. 

Ladies and gentleman, this is how an almost $20 burger looks like:

I tried the Deluxe Cheeseburger. No sides, no drinks.
Just the burger alone costs $15.90.

I have never paid that much amount of money just for burgers alone. We ordered 1 burger, 2 burger sets, 1 kid's set, 2 side orders of french fries, 2 drinks and it came up to almost $80! And the kid's meal is the only one that comes with a set. So, if you're not that hungry you can just order the kid's set, which gives you the option of a mini cheeseburger, chicken sandwich or parmesan chicken with fries and freshly squeezed orange juice at $13.90. Much more value for money! *cheapskate mama*

We stopped for a while to grabbed some coffee and waffles.
The coffee's aroma is simply too inviting.

The husband had beer with the roast pork belly.
Best.Combi.Ever. 

And the sister is back for a week for work and also for her friend's wedding.

Getting to know one another.

With her favourite boy.

And I end off with my favourite boy.

The handsome and the fishball.

To a good week ahead! 

Downtime

These past week has been rather bland. With my mum sick, the kids sick and the haze, we were cooped up at home, almost self quarantined, and it almost drove me crazy.

For a girl who likes her windows wide open, I had to endure closed windows and doors when the haze PSI level went up to almost 400. It was hot. It was stuffy. It was insane.

And so, the fan and air con had to work extra hard to cool us down. I am bracing myself for the electricity bill when it comes. 

I got sick too, just yesterday. My body felt hot internally but I was feeling cold on my fingers and toes. And to top it off, my pms has been riding quite high and I'm not quite feeling the rainbows. 

I feel really down.

Nevertheless, I am going to chin up and be thankful for:

The husband. 

this was one of the clear days when we venture out to get dinner OUTSIDE.
he knew that I was feeling restless after cooping up at home,
so he decided to be brave and asked if I wanted to go check out JEM.
he super dislikes crowds, so this was his way of loving me.
and the son is doing his 'Thomas' face. this is how 3 year old rolls yo.

Happy kids.

all masked up to beat the haze!

this photo shall remind me that brothers in diapers
are brothers in cahoots.

he always gets excited when he sees his father on the laptop.
so we generously gave him one.
a spoilt one for him to bang away.

 And being vain.

keep calm and put on lipgloss.
loving this shade from Mary Kay!
get yours here!
be pretty and get to do some charity at the same time!

And for all good things to come!

Linking up with:

A-Z

A fellow SMB mummy did this and since I've not much happenings to blog about, thought it'll be fun to join in!

A. Attached or Single? 

Attached for the past 11 years.

B. Best Friend? 

Hmm, I don't have a best friend, but good friends, yes.

C. Cake or pie? 

Cake

D. Day of choice? 

Saturdays!

E. Essential Item?

Toilet paper

F. Favorite color? 

I don't have a favorite color, I like them all!

G. Gummy bears or worms? 

Gummy bears

H. Home town? 

Singapore

I. Favorite Indulgence? 

Bubble tea or chocolates

J. January or July? 

January

K. Kids? 

2.

L. Life isn’t complete without? 

Family, love, laughter, good food

M. Marriage date? 

25th September 2008

N. Number of brothers/sisters? 

1 sister

O. Oranges or Apples? 

Apples

P. Phobias? 

It used to be lizards falling on my head. But I'm not really afraid of them now.

Q. Quotes? 

Live, love, laugh

R. Reasons to smile? 

My kids and sometimes the husband, ha.

S. Season of choice? 

Autmun

T. Tag 5 People. 

To whoever is reading this! Just join in and don't be shy!

U. Unknown fact about me? 

I am afraid of contact lens

V. Vegetable? 

Tomatoes! 

W. Worst habit? 

Procrastinating

X. Xray or Ultrasound?

Are you asking about super powers? Then I take X ray!

Y. Your favorite food? 

Egg mayo

Z. Zodiac sign? 

Libra

Join in the fun too!

iCook

I'm really a noob when it comes to cooking, baking or anything related to making raw food taste good. Just ask my husband.

I only started making food proper was when I had to feed a weaning baby and even then, it was mostly puree or mashed up stuff. Porridge, I had to consult my mother-in-law over the phone and asked her how long more do I have to stir that gooey mush. And noticed I said making food, not cooking, because cooking to me involves alot more untesils and ingredients than a pot and wooden spoon and rice.

So can I just be proud for all of 5 minutes and present to you my awesome dish?

Over the weekend, I made this. Oh yes, I actually did.

Steam Salmon and Brocoli!
All I did was sprinkle some sea salt on it and steam for 10-15 mins.
It tastes really good!
Or either that,the expensive French sea salt really does wonders.

He asked what did the fish die die.
So I told him the fish had to die die so we can eat it.
1 meal, 1 life lesson.

I knew I wanted to get some brocoli for the boys and myself but I had no idea what to paired it with. So I spontaneously grabbed some salmon and then, what?

I'm deathly afraid of frying fish and I have an oven with a broken hinge. So I did what I knew best, when in doubt, steam it. But even then I had to google for 'How to steam fish', 'How long to steam salmon' and 'Can brocoli and salmon be steam together?'

Thank goodness for the gazillion pages of like minded people whom have no idea how to steam a fish. And for those who do, you rock.

Served with pasta or mashed potatoes, it is a healthy dish that meets all your dietary requirements. And with this new found confidence in cooking, I'm going to try out more new recipes for the boys and myself!

Linking up with:

A Juggling Mom

If you have any other fuss free recipes that doesn't require much preparation or washing up, please share! My boys and my stomach will thank you for it!