One Hour Florist: Photoshoot Flowers

Exciting...someone is going to do her maternity shoot. Not going to disclose much of the theme, clothes etc. here. The only reveal I am going to do is my flowers because you know my thoughts about flower...such a fragile beauty. Before you know it, they will start wilting so is always best to capture them fresh.

If you are quite a last minute person, then you might want to check out One Hour Florist. You can order and recieve your flowers within an hour. Fortunately for your, One Hour Florist is quite reasonable in their pricing so you don't have to a pay an arm and a leg for dilly-dallying. You just have to fill up the occassion and the age group of the receiver and they will spruce something up for you. And...they can even help you pen a message.

In terms of the quality of the flowers and arrangement, I think it is quite value for money. My only problem was this was for a shoot and the very leaf-like plants were not the most resilient. They really struggled to survive. You will get to see more when the photos are out! I actually told them it is for a maternity shot and One Hour Florist sent roses. 

To be honest, I thought it would be carnations. Does roses remind you of mothers? Apart from that, this is really a beautiful piece. Most of the other plants and flowers were highly resilient. They survived a move to my in-law house and traveling to the studio in terrible conditions. Yes, my Hubs is no plant lover. This precious baby was being thrown around. 

I savaged whatever left of it after the shoot and the Hubs said it looked as though I was doing a craft out of it. Haha. Somewaht it is true, cos after dismantling the flowers and tossing away those I knew would never make it the next night, I had a new bunch waiting to be placed into a recycled bottle (cos I too appear more excessive than I already am to ask for a vase...) 

Sorry guys but no more photos for now...because I don't want to throw in any spoilers for the shoot. You will see more of them in due course, so just stay tune and continue reading ok!

New Group Buy Alert: WEBUY

I have to admit that I am quite a fan of online shopping and also groupbuys because of the discounts that come with it. So I came across this groupbuy app that is quite innovative (quite a bummer you can't use it on your computer but only on your phone so it is like forcing you to download on your phone...) It is called WEBUY and it let people who are living near each to buy items in batches and enjoy discounts because you are basically buying in bulk.

During lockdown, I would have said this is a fantastic model because my area had no informal group chats for group buys. Out of curiousity, I downloaded the app to explore the features. Generally, there is a lot more deals for food produces. Especially if you cook at home or is a foodie at home, this app might be for you. :D

One of my biggest grouse was that the initial prompt was in mandarin, which I have to be frank...I suck in it. You can safely see more than 10% off, but the quantum value isn't much. This is because for food, the cost price is already quite low so it can be quite hard to see slashing rates. :P They don have very trendy food and WEBUY have kindly sent some over for me to try! I am pretty excited about it and will be updating here on the taste!

To get more bang for your bucks, subscribers of the Prime Plan which cost $9.90 a month will get 5% cashback on all purchases. On top of that, you will receive monthly $8 vouchers on top of subscribers only offers!

For those of you who are young and fun, you might  want to try out their “WEBUY La La La (辣辣辣) Mukbang Challenge” with a prize money of S$828 for the fastest attempt to finish a cup of
spicy Suan La Fen (酸辣粉). You just have to post the video of your attempt (i.e. the
Mukbang video) on your social media platforms with the hashtag #WEBUY828 and tag a friend
by 6 September 2020. Make sure you start your video from the pouring hot water into the cup and preparing the item. The clock will start counting from the time you start eating till the time you finish and show an empty cup.

To make sure no one walk home feeling sad, WEBUY is throwing in 1000 WEBUY coins for anyone who competes in within a minute. Generally, I like doing such challenges but my baby is no fan of spicy food, so we are giving it a miss this time round. But if you have a stomach of steel, you should totally try it (cos the money is quite worth it!) :P

Kundal Hair and Body Care

Now that the baby is sort of ready to arrive anytime, my new concerns revolves more around my postpartum. Will I slim down? Will I have breastmilk? Will I lose hair? Will I have time mask my face? Will I this? Will I that? Honestly, I think baby stuff are nearly settled, but my 4th trimester stuff are barely settled. 

Hairloss is one of the fears I have. Although everybody tells me I have so much hair, there is no harm in losing some. Erms...What! I won't be washing my hair during confinement but after that I need to regain the glory of my mane. So the Kundal package came in time! I was quite intrigued with this brand because it came with many scents on Shopee!

1. Honey & Macadamia Natural Shampoo and Hair Treatment ($17.77 for 2 promo pack)

Kundal's shampoo are paraben free and silicone free haircare. For the Shampoo, I tried out the baby poweder scent and it is quite true to its name. The shampoo foams well but to be honest it is not particularly impressive. I am however very impressed by the hair treatment. I got it in white musk (honestly not sure what it is) but I really don't like the strong, floral woody scent. It is my least favourite scent to be honest. 

The hair treatment I have to say works wonder. After using it, I can immediately feel the effect. My hair felt really soft and silky. If you ask me, the hair treatment will be the lingering scent, so it is important to choose scents that you like. Next time, I think I will pick the same for both. But white musk is definitely off the list. 

2. Honey & Macadamia Body Wash ($10.50)

My requirements for body wash are not very high - I just need them to foam well and have a lingering scent. Usually I use a soap bar, but I still use body wash when I go to gym etc. It is just too much of a hassle to bring a wet soap to and fro the gym, haha. Kundal's bath wash works well for me and I think I did well this time well with the cherry blossom. I am not sure about you ladies, but my favourites for body wash are either the fruits or the flowers. They always make you and the bathroom smell so so good. 

3. Macadamia Ultra Hair Serum ($10.50 each)

It really depends on your hair type and condition, but not everyone needs to use hair serum. Usually if your hair is long, frizzy or dry, you would generally have to use some hair oil to maintain. I personally don't have any favourite brand, I usually a nice scent and it cannot make my hair feel stick or greasy after use. Generally, after using hair oil, you will notice your hair become glossier and shinier. 

For the serum, I picked Ylang Ylang and I have to say this is my favourite. I adore the sweet flora scent. Given that the Kundal hair serum actually meet my requirement, I might be using this moving forward. Psss...I usually use the hair oil in the morning cos when you use it at night, it might get on your pillow and cause acne growth. :D Hope this review helps. 

Have to admit...it feels good receiving non-baby related packages for a change. :P

DIY Newborn Shoot: What we got from Sunflower Bee

Given what happened during Covid's lockdown, I feel like I have grown to become a Mum that is getting overly prepared. Being pregnant during this period is not really the easiest thing, the gender reveal was already such a pain to plan. And even during phase 2, most mothers (including me) will have to survive without a confinement lady. And maybe...I won't even do a maternity shoot.

But...I don't really want my baby to miss out on his newborn shoot. Because they always look so darn adorable in those shoots and they will only be mini that once. Being kiasu, I decided to start (yes, you didn't hear wrong) accumulating items/ props for baby's photoshoot should the worse befall. My photographer friends have been shaking their heads at such early planning, but you know what it is always good to have a plan...

I have to admit that this is no easy feat because I will be roping in a lot of help from my friends. The first thing to do is to decide the number of theme shoots to do. I settled on 3 because that seems like the right number. The second thing to decide is really the type of shoots we are going to do. Honestly, when you are doing a DIY shoot, you really can't try to complex stuff. Complex props with silk cloth etc. are always pretty but it would totally be unmanageable. 

And so, I thought the easiest would be to use knitted wear with props. I wil be playing with blankets/ muslin covers for the background of the photo. There is a few places to get the "costumes". Some places included Taobao, shopee etc. which the price can be really low but the quality questionable. You could also rebuy from other Mums but their theme and your theme in mind might differ totally. Carousell was a very good place if you plan to get custom-made pieces. Here are some goodies we got from Sunflower Bee.

1. Thor - God of Thunder ($60) 

Sunflower Bee does a lot of crocheted pieces, if you are not after newborn pieces, you can also check out her other works. One of her more iconic pieces would be for the fans of Marvel. Yes, my little baby is going to be the God of Thunder. Thor didn't use to be my favourite hero until Endgame when he became a self-depreciating fatty. Haha. A fan of marvel myself, I have my Marvel shirt ready (provided I slim down after popping to fit in).

Fortunately for baby, Mummy has a friend who is crazy about Thor. This means Auntie B is practically bringing her house of merch to style baby too. Haha. Baby, don't let your head grow too big too fast ok, otherwise you are going to disappoint Auntie B who is already brainstorming how to make you the cutest little god that walk (hmm cry) the surface of Earth.

2. Pokemon ($32)

This is a hot favourite among the uncle and aunties. You know what baby, Mummy has a pikachu top which everyone always tease her for when she wears it on dress-down Friday. Finally, this top might come to good use. Uncle has kindly sponsored his newly bought Snorlax for you to sit beside and compete on who is cuter. 

And Mummy has a pikachu pillow whom she has gotten years ago ahead of your arrival is finally going to be put into good use. All this is very exciting. In fact, this is Daddy's favourite theme for you, my boy. But...he has no poke merch so don't bank on your old man to make you cute ok! Psss...adults take note, Sunflower Bee can make you a magikarp hat. 

3. Jughead ($48)

This one might be the most difficult theme to pull off. Your silly Mummy might have blessed away her old comics. For those who are younger, this is Jughead's hat from Archie's Comic. Baby, your grandma insists that she has the comics stashed away somewhere. Sigh. I am not entirely sure how I will be dressing baby in this one. But I guess it will be a surprise. 

If you guys have any ideas or Archie Comics to bless my way, I welcome you. Hope you guys have fun reading the prequel to baby's shoot. Now that we are counting down literally to his arrival, I am praying that everything goes well. Hopefully, my post-partum mood is nowhere near depressing and I am still in the mood for some creative endearvours. 

Try it Free: Dewysoft Super Soft Tissue

Someone should really slap me for being a judgy little biatch lately. I think if my quick conclusions were accurate, it might still be okay. But the truth is always far...very far from my conclusions. So the lucky us received some free tissues from Dewysoft to try it out.

It was quite exciting because we were the first few people in Singapore to test it and these tissues were made of bamboo fibre, which is 100% biodegradable. It sounds really for the environment. Most importantly, there was even aloe vera added on the surface to give it a super smooth surface. I was also told that the tissues were really good for people with a sensitive nose (ME!) and even for babies.

But when I first opened the packet of tissue, I got quite a shock of my life. The tissue was yellow (cos it is unbleached, girl)! The thing is all the tissues I ever used in my life were a nice pure white. Yellow gave me this impression that the tissue was not as refined. Dewysoft also had little patterns on it which I mistook as dirt patch. (This is what happens when you are biased!)

BUT...I have to admit I have never been more wrong in my life because this is one of the softest piece of tissue I ever felt in my life. And this was truly the day I learnt never to judge a tissue by its cover. The only part Dewysoft didn't quite live up to was its promise that it doesn't tear easily. To be honest, I think it tears quite easily and I think it is really because it was too soft. 

The aunty in me quickly did a price comparison because I was so keen to do a switch. So usually, I use the cheapo Watsons tissue (which is about 1 cents a piece). Dewysoft is about 3 cents a piece. Comparitively, I think it is definitely more expensive, so I am thinking that maybe I will save these precious tissues for days when I have a bad flu (maybe I won't look like a rudolf anymore). 

For those who are keen to try it for FREE, you can apply here as well. Honestly, I think more work can be done on the website cos it looks like phishing site. But I can assure you that it is absolutely legit cos it is from their official website. For those of you who have tried it, let me know your thoughts, do you think I should spend more on my tissues? I am sure the wiping of dirty tables doesn't deserve such premium products on them. Hehe. 

Home Tester Club: Colgate ProClinical B150 Charcoal Battery Toothbrush

Usually, sites that offer free review products always make me raise an eyebrow. But the curious cat in me always tempt me to "sell my data" and and test whether these websites truly promises what they say. So, recently I came across Home Tester Club. Compared to Try and Review, the preliminary questionnaire is way longer but I find the review items more premium and relevant to people who are having their own homes.

Like always, I don't harbour too much hope but was pleasantly surprised when I was shortlisted to review the Colgate ProClinical B150 Charcoal Battery Toothbrush. Initially, I have to admit that the packaging didn't impress me too much because batteries just doesn't look very advanced. And when I de-construct the toothbrush, it just looked very meh on the inside.

However, after using the Colgate ProClinical B150 Charcoal Battery Toothbrush, I was absolutely sold. First of all, it is can be around a low $20+ when it is on sale. Working on AAA batteries also meant that when you travel, you don't have to worry about misplacing the charging wire etc. It is the perfect travel toothbrush for me. 

My favourite functions includes the tongue and cheek cleaner and its soft bristles. Don't estimate this little boy cos it is as powerful as any other electric toothbrush. It does have a 2 mins. timer, but that is really more of a frill for me because erms I brush my teeth very fast (less than 2 mins). Note: I have no decay at all so my brushing is still effective ok!

Ending with a photo of me brushing my teeth cos I am extra like that. I even used a unicorn filter to match my unicorn pjs from The Puffy Fluffy. Actually, you know what, this brush would be perfect if it comes with a nice box so that I can bring it around. Colgate, if you ever read this, can send me a nice holder please. Hehe.

More Baby Clothes: Feat. Kidcrafter and This Fine Tot

Many of you should already be quite familar with Kidscrafter. If you loiter Bugis quite often which I obviously do before Covid, you would notice a pushcart selling baby/ children's clothes in a pushcart. What you may not know is that they actually have a online store. For days like this which it is not convenient to go down, you can actually purchase offline and you know what, they come in a very nice, swag box. 

Kidscrafter is very well-known for their tongue-in-cheek rompers for the babies (mine are from the latest collection which I feel isn't as iconic as the Starwars, comics or fruits series). As your kid grows older, you will definitely love their boys and girls series. Their girls' series in my opinion still wins hands-down, but for the boys, they hold quite a good selection of stylish clothes that even a Mum like me would nod heartily in approval and open her wallet :D

For the price-point ($18 per piece), the quality is more than decent. In fact, the price is even more attractive for the children's collection. What impressed me really was the neck buttons at the side of the romper. As you all may know by now, I am very troubled by my big baby. Buttons like this really comforts me greatly because it will ensure that he can fit in even if he grows too fast and his clothes will have better mileage. 

Once baby's size is confirmed and we more or less how much more clothes people are going to gift us, I will probably get him a few iconic pieces LOL cos this mummy love to take photos of her baby in cute clothes. :D

One of the fellow Mummies has set up a store and I thought it would be great to show her some support and do a shout-out here. Personally, I hold high regards to from-mum-for-mum type of stores. This Fine Tot works on a PO basis and sells quite a variety of items - books, toys, bibs, teethers and even clothes. 

The Bamboo Cotton Onesies came in a set of 2 and is truly my favourite. I have been sourcing for holely, breezy clothes and this is totally what I am looking for. It is size 100 and can fit up to a 11-13kg baby. Price-wise, it is quite reasonable at $11 for 2. Since there is 2 pieces, I will include one of this piece in the giveaway. 

The other piece is the Cotton Modal Sleeved Onesie ($12) in sage. This piece is significantly smaller and is expected to maybe fit a 3-6 month baby max. I quite like the design of this piece because it has a nice texture and buttons at the top are not the typical snap on. It is definitely pretty but I am not sure whether it is the most practial. Maybe I will just leave it unbuttoned and baby can look sexy.

Maybe is just me, but I have this onesie is a little disproportionate. The onesie seems to be stretched and the arms area seems to be very tiny. I am not sure if this would eventually work well on the baby because if his arms are thick, I don't think he will fit in. But the good news is, if it doesn't work for my kid, I will include this in the giveaway as well :D

My Cielito: Sanity Crystals and Accessories

Lately, I do feel my hormones going wilder than ever. Unlike the other mums, I am not weepy or depressed. But I do get very angry easily. It doesn't take much to trigger the aggression within me. Food delayed...fumes. Things don't go my way...explodes. Nobody is listening...*raises voice* I don't know man, is it the kid's personality or is the lack of proper rest doing all these to me.

I am quite relieved to receive this package from Cielito. I am not sure how familiar you guys are with crystals, but it is known to have healing elements. In my package, I also received some crystals which included rose quartz (which will help to bring back harmony in my relationships), amethyst flowers (for patience and balance) and smoky/ clear quartz (which can help to relieve stress and negativity). It is quite therapeutic to hold them in my hands, even if they don't really work, I might buy a few more cos they make good deco for the house and my future garden. 

If you are into colourful accessories, I would recommend the Saorsa ~ Rainbox Tourmaline (5mm) - $46. Mine is on the tight side for my wrist even though it is really small. But I have to admit that I really like the sun charm and it looked really good as a stack bracelet. I stacked it with Jovial ($26) which allowed quite a bit of room for my wrist since it can be adjusted. 

If you are into the properties of crystals, Jovial consists of Angelite ( a stone of peace and camarderie) and Morganite (a stone of love and compassion). Please don't be surprised to see these bracelets appearing even in future posts on my wrists, I really need to tap on the crystal's powers to cool myself and the baby's rising temper!

My first DIY Terrarium KIt

I should have done this a lot earlier during lock-down when I was absolutely bored out of my mind. The Hubs and I tried our hand on doing our first terrarium during one of our anniversaries and I had fun ordering him around. (Yes, as a pregnant lady, my family is very uncomfortable with me touching soil and doing any form of gardening so I used the Hub's hands to build our first ever terrarium.)

This is the A-Grade Premium DIY Terrarium Kit from Masons Home Decor. At around S$110 after sales, you get quite a bit of gardening tools. I had a choice of a giant glass pot or a hanging pot, 4 succelents and got my handy set of mini tools and spray bottle. I even had some ornaments to decorate my terrarium should I choose to. 

Funny thought, when I first saw the bags of different soils, they looked really so much like grandola bits. Guess, I must have been too hungry. It was not very difficult to make our choice. We couldn't pick the floating pot because our house wasn't ready yet so decided to save it for later. So gigantic glass pot it was. The pot was actually big enough to put all 4 succulents. 

But between me and you, the Hubs and I didn't have the greenest thumb so we were also petrified that all 4 would die at one go, so we decided to do a 2-by-2 - one representing myself and the other representing him. Hehe. The mini tools came in very handy because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to participate. Tip:  Be prepared, wear your own gloves if you are doing it!

The kit came with a set of instructions. It is quite simple and intuitive though I wouldn't say I follow through exactly :P I am just not a person who follows instructions. Basically you just have to put the biggest rocks in and pile in the smaller grains. After that, you have to mix it up a little. I don't think we did that very well cos after that we had a bit of problems placing the plants in the soil snuggly. 

If you are wondering why this woman's terrarium looks like it has additional plants one, I actualy tried to transfer some plants from my Farm Florist's bouquet over. Yup, I like some of the plants a lot and thought maybe, just maybe I can graft them and grow them :P

Here are some of my leftover tools! As of now, I am tendering each plant with a lot of care because I am basically the only one stuck at home and some days it can get really lonely. So a plant like this to let me shower some attention too is awesome. I just hope I don't over-waeter them and kill them instead. 

If you are afraid of messes like my Mum, I can assure you this kit is very fuss-free. Unless you have a slippery hand and spill your soil etc., it is basically pouring into the glass pot! Personally, I still find joy in building my own terrarium even though it may not look the best. But if you are a perfectionist, you can get the ready-made terrariums. With my new home also on its way, I have to admit I am very excited about my own little home garden. Will share about it later maybe in Q4. Hopefully, these babies survive till then *fingers crossed*

Affordable Bloom Box from Farm Florist

Sometimes a woman should just keep her thoughts to herself. When I was a lot younger, I thought I was not much of a fan of flowers since they don't live long. And so ever since the only flowers I ever really got was for our wedding. But as I aged and sometimes purchase bouquets for my mother or other women mentors for special occassion in their life, I started to appreciate why these blooms bring so much joy to people.

My Dad on the other hand love his plants and flowers and the reason he gave was simple "humans all love pretty things...and a well-arranged bouquet is very pleasing to the eye" On my dating anniversary, Farm Florist sent over a Bloom Box which made my Dad over the moon. The Hub was a bit suspicious which made me a little pleased. Maybe he will be a little jealous and get the hint.

This is my first ever bloom box by the way. Bloom Boxes are a cheaper alternatives to bouquets. I think they make very good housewarming deco and farewell gifts to ladies at offices. However, please don't give your lover this cos girls still prefer to hug a bouquet. If you are wondering why they are cheaper, it because the back of the box usually rather bare. For Farm Florist, I have to say that I am quite impressed cos the foliage at the back also look good. 

This is the Surprise Roses Bloom Box - Large (valued at $65 with free delivery). It is quite value-for-money. However, you don't really get a say in what you get. Nonetheless, I was quite pleasantly surprised because I really like the arrangement and that wild vibe to it (in particular the purple thistles and fruit-like plant). It took me a while before I figured that this looked very similar to my wedding flowers. No wonder I love them so much!

The only grouse I have with flowers is that they die a bit too fast for comfort, so me trying to be smart, attempted to graft out the green plants so that I could at least hold on to whatever remainder of the Bloom Box I had. I was scolded by my father because he said I destroyed the beauty of nature. For info, none of the photos in this post required further edit. 

The Bloom Box was so gorgeous that my Dad and Hub could not differentiate whether some of the plants were real. My Dad even stuffed his face to sniff around and tore out a few parts to verify. Oh gawd, so who is the real destroyer of nature now! I hope my grafting survive because I want to show off these babies and that I have a green thumb during my housewarming!

HiBlendr: Must-have thrill

I haven't been posting that much photos of my chubby self here, so most of you probably still have a healthy looking image of me in your head. The same can't be said for my family. The Hub, my family and even myself have been slowly getting used to my rolly-polly image. My tummy has been popping out for so long that honestly I can't even remember how it feels like to have a nice, flat tummy!

Resolution to self: To hit back the gym after baby arrives and have a more fit slender image. I didn't post much here, but before I knew I was pregnant, I actually signed up for a gym membership and was hitting the gym around 3-4 times a week to prance around LOL! cos I wanted to win my company's most active award...like WTH. Yes, that's how motivated I am by rewards!

When I saw the a portable blender at HiBlendr, I was quite excited about it cos I wanted to make fruit juices (which I know are not that healthy) and protein shakes for the men in my house. The mailing takes quite a while so you need to time your purchase ahead. It can be charged by USB which means that I can even use a portable charger to ramp it up if need be. The juice cup wasn't too heavy so you could just bring it around. 

One thing we noted after trying it was that the blender was rather powerful. It can even crush the ice. This led us to thinking perhaps we can use this to blend baby's food too and make his very own whitebait powder when he arrives. Quite a bit of use already for this blender I have to say. My only grouse is the colour. Navy blue looked really good in pictures but it is actually a lot darker in reality. 

The blender is quite easy to use and clean. In fact, we use the blending action to clean it. Basically, all you have to do is fill the blender with the goodies and close the cover until you see green blinking lights. Then give it a long press to start the machine. To stop it, give it one quick press. Initially, I was very gentle with it and didn't manage to seal it tight enough. 

As part of the safety measures, the red blinking light would appear. Also, the blender will not start if it is not sealed properly. Now, his blender is the hot stuff in the house. Every day, I will hear it at least once grinding a milkshake in the kitchen. My Mum's quest is now to make the most delicious milkshake. Check out our first ever avocado milkshake. (Pss...you can add gula melaka to make it tastier!)

Merry & Joyous: More bodysuits and cute hooded towels

Hohoho, this is a post with a massive amount of baby clothes. Most of you have commented that apart from a few selected places, most of our purchases still seem to be abit high. So today, we are going to prove to you we can find baby clothes that are within the lower price range. Merry & Joyous holds bulk baby bodysuits and have so many designs that you need to set aside some time to look through every collection.

By now, we have so many blessings from friend and family for 0-6 months, I decided to give them a try for the 9 months range since they are 100% cotton. Also, if the quality isn't as good, at least baby's skin would be less delicate by then.

I have to admit that Merry & Joyous had a few collection that were so cute. As you can see, I picked the sets that contained  a Moose Collection, Racoon Collection and Giraffe Collection. The quality were varied. To be honest, the quality of the boring pieces were better (softer and lighter) while the cuter pieces were of thicker material that may not be as comfortable for baby.

The clothes came in Kiddiezoom packaging so I did a bit of research on the brand. Honestly, I do see such pieces being donned by babies in Singapore so I feel reassured that the quality should be at least decent. My only grouse was that the one of the sets I select came with a duplicate piece. So I guess that means we are adding this to the giveaway in Dec. Woohoo!

Like the other baby bodysuits, this one came the metal buttons at his bottom and can widen the opening at the head area. Till now, I have to say I am terrrible at deducing the sizing. All the baby clothes thus far look really small to me. My first impression initially was "is this really for 9 months?!?". So I did some comparision, and indeed they were bigger than my 6 months collection. Oops!

Each sleepsuit cost roughly around $5 to $6, so the total damage for this amount of clothes would only be around S$60.  I think it is quite a decent price for clothes that are of such cuteness level. Another Mum shared that these were closing down sale prices at some places (which I totally agree). I recently got a $3 3m-shorts and that was from Robinsons moving out sale. 

The hooded towels are probably on the higher side in terms of price (around S$16 to S$22)...oops. I have to admit that I cave in because they were so cute. And now, Merry & Joyous  holds even more hooded towels of different designs. Yes, I know my baby is too small to use it for now, but I can't wait for him to grow into them already. Personally, I really like the quality of the organic bamboo towel. It is just so soft!

Design-wise, the lion design wins hands-down. But the quality is definitely nowhere near the organic bamboo towel. It also came with a button and was designed as a wrap and a button for the neck. From looks alone, I find the design a bit odd but we will only know whether it truly works when baby arrives. That's all I have. The next few posts might still be baby-related because I am totally in nesting mood. The Renovations series will be launched in Oct when baby arrrives, so stay tune adulting folks!

All about Gestational Diabetes: Machine, Diet and Prick Results

As I have mentioned in my earlier posts, I am sadly diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. It is a condition that usually happen during the third trimester whereby the mother's blood sugar level become too high. If not managed properly, baby may be oversized, diabetic since birth or stillborn. Generally, gestational diabetes is genetic (I come from a strong family history of diabetics) and it is likely I will get this again during my second pregnancy and in my later life.

I have to admit when the doctor sent me my report, I was very crushed. My mood was rather bad that day and I think I even took it out on anyone that was in my path. Although it was not exactly unexpected given my diet and family history, it was still very disappointing. (Just because you know you will die one day doesn't mean you will be fine with death!)

Usually the clinic I go to will rent out the machine (at around S$40+) , but as my luck may have it, there was no machine left. Probably due to Covid, the idle lifestyle of many mothers have caused a surge in Gestational Diabetes patient. Was a little bit annoyed because this meant I had to do extra research on my own. The silver lining was I got this whole new set at (around $50 +) and I probably need to replace the strips and lancet ($6.90) at around $30 and this would probably last me well till baby arrives. 

Sharing time, get them from the Polyclinic Pharmacy! They are the cheapest there, anywhere else the price is exorbitant. Also, you don't have to see a doctor. You just need to walk in and make your purchase. It might just be a blessing in diguise cos after using the equipment, I have to admit I prefer having my own given that the price is so close to a rented piece. It would have been a lot better if this was claimable by insurance, but sadly it was not. 

I can understand why some Mummies with Gestational Diabetes get frustrated. I also struggled with the machine on my first day. I did 6 pricks and my first try, I had to do 3 because 2 of them failed. To help other Mummies, set the lancet at 2.5 and prick pointing finger at the side. After much trial and error, I found this the least painful and will draw out enough blood. 

Collect the blood at the bottom of the strip instead of wiping it across the test portion. The strip will "suck" the blood upwards for testing. It takes a while to really get used to it. The next challenge is really to find the balance of the diet, which I found very difficult. I decided to share my meals and prick results because I couldn't find any resource on it and had to try myself to get it right. Note: all our bodies react differently to different food (I can barely take any brown rice but this might not be the same for you).  

Meals and Prick Results (For reference)
** Will be updated as and when I eat something more interesting

Under

1. 1 Avacado and Green Tea - 5.0
2. Chicken soup (infused with 1 bottle of Brands Essence) with spinach + 2 Strawberries + Half a curry potato - 5.4
3. Half cup of milk + Half bottle of vitagen + 2 Strawberries + Fish Soup with Broccoli + 1 M&S Cookie - 5.1
4. Half a Fried Fish and roasted chicken with lots of vegetables - 5.2 
5. 2 pieces of chwee kueh with chai po and fish soup - 5.3
6. Meat and Veg (BBQ Buffet) - 5.2

Pass

1. Kaya Toast + Chinese Tea - 5.6
2. Kaya Toast + Instant Coffee + You Tiao - 6.4
3. Fish Soup + 3 slices of pumpkin cake (chinese version) - 6.2
4. Yoghurt + Cheese Toast + Green Tea - 5.9
5. 1 KFC zinger patty (alone) + steamed fish filet - 6.4
6. Half a chilli crab bao + Green Tea + Yoghurt + Half a popiah + 2 Spoonful of Hubby's Ee Mian - 6.2
7. Thai  Basil Rice Set Meal (Only ate Half the Rice) + Half a Chicken - 6.5
8. Half a bowl of Yam Rice - 5.8
9. Yoghurt with Aloe Vera bits and Cheesy Egg - 5.6

Fail 

1. Salad (including corn) with Brown Rice as base - 7.0
2. Grandola (with dried fruits and raisins) with milk - 8.2
3. 1 Peach + Kaya Toast + Lipton Milk Tea (no sugar) - 6.8
4. Pork Bun + Red Bean Bun (super small) + a sip of soya bean - 7.7
5. Vegetarian Beehoon - 9.0
6. Soon Kueh + Half a cup of Teh-Si + Half a bowl of beancurd + 2 chicken wings - 7.0