DIY- We did our own Zhua Zhou!

 The Hubs and I decided to do a DIY project because:

• I was really inspired by the Japanese mothers who came out with artistic renditions of the Zhua Zhou
• I am not one to follow the norm (LOL!)
• I just didn't want to spend money on something I cannot foresee myself using more than once 
• It was really more meaningful to make our own!

It would have supported our decision more if either of us were good in art, we ain't by the way. Despite being busy folk, we committed ourselves to 2 hours to draw them out. 

You can either draw on shrink plastic (buy from Daiso/ Art shop) or on harder paper. But because this was quite a last minute decision on my part, we decided to draw on drawing block instead and laminate them. It was actually more fun than I thought...the Hubs and I competed on who could draw better (I know you guys must be laughing your asses off because both sucks!) with our baby looking on. 

Better drawers like my own Bro could draw without reference but husband and I had to Google for images. I admit we actually "rig the results" by only drawing occupations we preferred. Oops. We used markers to colour as they were more vibrant.

Just for fun, we also created "Just like Daddy", "Just like Mummy" and "Be Myself" cards. I really hoped he picked himself given how narcissitic he has been. But nope. He only used the cards twice and I doubt he is ever using them again. And to be honest, the whole egging the child on to grab something is quite over-hyped. 

Apart from us (the parents) being excited, our guests stared on pretty blankly. Everybody preferred watching him unwrap his present. Aftermath joke, my son found it funny to trample on my face. Sobs. The only good thing about this, we didn't spend much and we actually had fun making it Hehe. 

Total damage: <$10

It is quite an easy project too! (If people who can't really do art do it, it ain't that hard LOL!)

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Baby Turn 1: Best Icing on a cake

The kid turning one is possibly one of the biggest milestone in their life (at then) and also their parents'. Undeniably,  I was super anxious about our baby becoming a toddler. I guess somehow I was relieved that I reared him up a good 1 year. You know I could barely keep myself alive but I managed to keep baby and my husband healthy and alive for so long LOL. 

Usually, the 1 year old party is a super big affair. I was also a bit stressed in keeping up with societal pressures of being a good Mum (throwing good parties is possibly one of the checkbox in the checklist) and it didn't help that Covid was in its way with its ever-turning restrictions. 

In the end we split our celebrations into 2 days and had to get 2 cakes. Coincidentally, we booked a baking class ahead and basically baked the 2nd cake for my child (pretty meaningful). But unfortunately, it wasn't in line with the theme. Our first cake from Layere is extraordinarily beautiful. We shared some photos privately with our friends and most of them were gushing over it too!

One of the comments we got was - how did the cake look so coordinated with the birthday banner. So here's a tip - we actually send Layere the photos of our banner ahead. The aliens (inspired from Toy Story) were additions because my son loves them. Everything is so cute, it was so painful to cut and in the end eat them. 

I am sure many people share the same fear as me of icing - though they look good, they taste horrid. Usually, they are the leftovers at every kid's party. Surprisingly, the icings made by Layere was not surfeiting sweet, thank god. In fact, each of us even chewed on a piece. It was actually that good!

Internally, it was a chocolate sponge cake, which I personally felt had too much cream within. But I am willing to overlook it because the icing was so good. Overall, I would really recommend their services for anyone who is looking for customised cake. Layere look good, taste good and made everyone (esp. the birthday boy) feel good! <3

Happy Birthday, my little love. 

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Never judge a cake by its cover

Too many times I have judged my sweet treats by its cover. Our house is having a lot of birthdays lately. This also means a lot of cakes are being tried. Quite a lucky find this year because I think I just tasted the best chocolate cake ever and it would be such a pity not to share it here. 

My father went from a snotty "what a plain cake" to "OMG, where did you get this from? Let's get them again for XXX birthday." 180 degrees change. This tasty cake came from Dig in Cakes. The cake we had was the 8" Royal Chocolate Truffle Cake ($72).

We ordered the 8" cake thinking that it would be a bigger affair (before covid restrictions set in). It was so good everyone had 2nds but were still left with about a quarter. There were so much sweet treats that week that by the time I had time to attack my last quarter (no pun intended), it was already more than a week. And dang, this cake still tasted as good. What sorcery is this!

Honestly, before this, I have never heard of Chocolate Truffle. Maybe it is just premium dark Belgium chocolate that made all the difference. The only grouse would probably be the simple exterior. With the candles on it, I would think it does look more classy and less plain. 

We had the Cake and Flower Bundle, and boy am I in love with the Medley Bouquet ($85). The rainbow gerberas are so instagrammable and very me as well. Quirky and colourful LOL! My husband insisted they are fakes but they are real, just that the colours are sprayed on. It was very fascinating for my boy too. 

My heart did die a little when they withered so I am not trying to make the dried versions so that they can join my other dried florals as part of the home deco. Will update if I succeed! :P

By the way, this is a cake delivery service, so don't worry if home restrictions 

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We went to the zoo (Covid Edition)

Decided to do this post because there are probably many parents out there who are contemplating to bring their kids out and are hesitant. Some tips from us to you so that there are at least some things to look forward to during this Covid.

Dressing our little one in the classy and simple Polo Bodysuit in Beige ($39.90) from The Baby Closet

1. To minimise the risk, go during a weekday. That's what we did, we took leave to do that (but oh wells so many days and nowhere to spent it on anyway) There was barely anyone, the most people we saw was during the feeding session and everyone was scattered around quite safely. 


2. Packing list: We brought a lot of food, snacks, milk and water for baby. (There is a water refill station near the Ah Meng Restaurant). For the adults, we only brought water and an umbrella haha, so much difference!


3. In terms of baby travelling tools, we used a stroller and and the carrier. On top of that, we just bring along our diaper bag (read our review here) and our food bag. We actually took a grab (for parents without car), that's how we travel "light".





4. Shows: To be honest, I have no idea how to book any of them. It is limited to 50 slots. Even though I was there trying to book 20 mins after the session opens, I still fail to book them. So no tips from me cos I am unsuccessful. 


5. Feeding time: I had a bit more success in that, maybe because you needa pay for the sessions. Still, you needa book ahead online. We failed to get any slots to feed the giant tortoises which were scary by the way. We ended up feeding the goats which were really fun (video is up on our IG)


6. Carousell ride: The rides were still available. We ended up taking it 3 times because it was 1 for $4 and 3 for $8. No brainer which one is better right? Haha. You even get your choice of animals because you have the carousell to yourself. Shiok. 





7. Don't be disappointed. Our little one didn't react to the bigger animals (which we thought were more fascinating) maybe because we never exposed him to them. He was only interested in the penguins, dogs etc.), basically on the animals he have seen in books.


8. Duration: We stayed from about 10am to 4pm (6 hours). Pretty long for a baby standards. Baby took a nap at around 11am (He needs 2 naps daily) and another after we left. So depending on your child, you can plan accordingly the items to do based on their nap time. Won't advise to stay too long if you have a fussy baby.


9. Things to pack: We packed an additional set of clothes and 2 diapers. Lots of wet wipes and a hand sanitiser! Psss...the toilet near Ah Seng Restaurant is the cleanest and most baby-friendly.

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Going Green - Raeusables Sponge

Ever reading this article on Dead White Men's Clothes, it has set me thinking on re-usable fashion items. To be honest, I am guilty for purchasing more clothes than I can ever wear this lifetime. However, for women we do have more style-trends and I don't think I can survive not keeping up to them. 

So, I thought about options using our rags and spare clothes. I came across the Raeusables Sponge from Cheeky Feys and decided to put them to the test. Usually, we use synthetic sponges at home. 

1. Aesthetics: Our original one is pretty simple and doesn't look too awful in our kitchen sink. But you have to admit that the Raeusables Sponge is practically a piece of art. Kinda of obvious who reign supreme. 


2. Price: In terms of price, both are priced quite similarly, the difference isn't jarring. You get more discounts if you buy more synthetic sponges at home. Raeusables Sponge is priced at $3.45 a piece. 


3. Material: Both have the smooth sponge surface and a rougher netting like surface. For me, it is quite surprising that the Raeusables Sponge cleans as well as our synthetic piece. :)





Squeezing out water: The inner body of the Raeusables Sponge is made of rags so it doesn't squeeze out water as well. Personally, I am ok with this. But my husband who likes a dry kitchen at the end of the days hates that he can't squeeze out that much water.

At the end of the day, I think it is really up to how much you want to do for the environment. Personally, I feel reusable sponges are quite a good option to downgrade our old clothes into. Especially when some of our clothes are made of very good material. Am thinking of embarking on more "green-related" posts. Will probably start a new series next year :D

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The Happy Moo - Yummy Beef Jerkies

It has been a long time since I last tried beef jerkies. It is more of an ang-moh snack and we barely see any on our sunny shores. My impression of beef jerkies is that they are tough and are almost as difficult to bit through as nougats. I always wondered why people even love them. I reckon it must be because they are healthy snacks!

I had the opportunity to try the herd - Lemon Ponzu, Mala and Truffle ($45) from The Happy Moo. To be honest, I was really impressed with the taste. They were easy to bite through and being rather Asian, I thought they would go really well in my plain porridge. The one that blew me away totally was the Truffle (which can be bought on standalone basis at $17).

I figured I must have been exposed to badly made jerkies in my younger days or this has been marinated to suit our Asian taste buds. Out of curiosity, I researched a little more on these tasty snacks. So beef jerkies are basically dehydrated beef which are marinated. (The Happy Moo version probably taste more superior because they are slow-cooked). 

Online forums had some interesting questions on why beef jerkies were seemingly more expensive. (LOL!) Beef itself is generally one of the more expensive meats and a good cut would definitely cost more. I would have to say given the "stay-home-days, I have been plumping up quite a bit and guilt-free snacks (no fat, no carbs, no MSG) are definitely items that should go into my home pantry :P

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Baby's 100 Food

Finally. we have finished our 100 foods. Really wanted to cheat on so many times, but I am glad we didn't. It was actually difficult to think about the 100 food to feed cos those references available online were not very "asian".

Eventually, we agreed to feed baby the food we ate on a daily basis. It helped that my parents and in-laws choice of staples are quite different. Thanks to baby, we added a lot more spices to our cooking. Better cooks now LOL!

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Pororo Park: Free before 1 year old

The rising Covid cases was quite a turn-off, but after much thought we decided to head to our first ever visit to an indoor playground - Pororo Park. Marina Square was very sparse on a weekend and there were mostly families loitering around so that very much set my heart at ease.

Some tips to make your trip more enjoyable or to obtain more bang for your bucks:

1. In terms of pricing, my initial thoughts was that the price is quite steep. If your child cross 1 year old, it would cost nearly $30+ for a 2 hours slot. Try to go before baby is 1, and he can go in free. For both parents to enter (and enjoy), it would cost only $15.


2. Pororo Park isn't very big (given that adults are more used to USS size playgrounds), but there is a good 10 stations. It is probably considered massive for baby and to be honest, he spent a lot of time on the Gallop Station and the Jungle Gym.


3. Each session is about 2 hours. Try to come on time (we didn't) otherwise there might not be enough lockers for you and your child may not be able to enjoy the full experience. We had 2 parent to 1 so one of us was forever lugging the diaper bag and carrier around. (Update: Heard from the other mums, the lockers ain't very clean)





4. There are no shows during the Covid season. Just photos opportunities which you needed to queue for. Personally, I think you can give it a pass cos it is quite silly really. 


5. There are specific timings for the rides and you can queue for the ride again. My child really loved the Gallop Station so we went 3 rounds on it, that did take up a lot of time for other things. If you can afford it, it is ideal for both parents + 1 helper to enter the premise. Your helper can help to queue while 1 parent go on the ride with child and another to be the photographer. 


6. Generally. Pororo Park was very clean when we visited. Nonetheless, we still lugged around our sanitiser cos baby is still at a stage which he tries to put everything in his mouth. And I am too paiseh to leave his saliva-ed toys around. 





7. You need to wear socks (both for the adults and the little one!) Okay la, the socks ain't very exorbitant. $3 for a pair and the quality is still pretty decent. So don't be too hard on yourself if you forgot to bring a set. 


8. Bring lots of milk and snack for the little one. My boy had a milk break halfway. He found a cushion and just posed there to drink -_- He had to take the train himself. No fussing, maybe cos he had a snack in his hand. 


9. Bring a sweater too! The temperature is not cold, but if your child is young, just don't risk it!

Overall, we did have a lot of fun and met many other kids around his age. It was quite assuring cos I used to think he was pretty slow in his development. But seeing other kids who are progressing around the same pace makes me feel that at least he is not alone.

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How to take baby's passport photos

Hey parents, some of you may know already...your baby actually get to make their first passport (lasts 5 years) free of charge. Although they probably won't get to use it given the Covid situation, it is still cute to make that first passport for them. Here's some tips on how to get that mugshot. 

1. To be honest, ICA is really lax with the baby's shot. I failed my 3 times, but his is a one-shot kill. We took 20 different photos and shortlisted these 3. I made everyone in the family choose but in the end guess what, only 1 made it. So much for choosing.


2. Tools: Handphone. Yup, you don't need a professional camera. Just some nice natural sunlight outdoors and voila!


3. Number of helpers: 3 (excluding me the photographer) Actually 2 helpers would do. 1 to carry him and 1 to make funny faces so that the baby would look at the camera. 





4. You still need a clean background though and we used this photo app - Photo Room. It removed so cleanly and it is so darn fun. I ended up creating quite a bit of silly photos too. It is great for removing messy backgrounds at the back. 


5. With this app, you can just pick one of your old photos. We still specially take for the occasion because cos we wanted to give him a smart shirt to wear. 


6. In case you are thinking of getting your child to dress up for the shot, only dress the top would do, haha cos bottoms would be cropped out.





7. Approval timing: It takes about 1-2 days to be approved. By right, ICA will send you an alert. Otherwise, just check back the site on the status. 


8. Collection Points: Not sure when this was implemented but you don't have to go down to ICA anymore. You can collect it at your nearest post office at a fee. It is so much more convenient given that everyone is like WFH. 

Ending off the post with some silly edits using Photoroom. Muhaha!

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