Breastmilk Booster: Best of 3 Worlds Review

We are actually quite familiar with 2NutGuys products and we love their nut spreads. (Read about our review here.) About a year back, they branch into the lactation booster world. During my last breastfeeding journey, I tried mostly lactation cookies as boosters. But I never tried nut boosters. It was only this round that I realise given that nuts are packed with healthy fats and antioxidants, it can be a milk booster for some. 

You would think that since I am a second time Mum, I would already know what I am doing. But nope, for the first month I suffered from an engorged, infected boob to becoming once again an undersupply mother. To be honest, by now, I can keep my emotions in check. And I was also time-strapped with #1 fighting for my attention so I struggled with finding time to do power pumps. 

By now I know some of my boosters - Fennel Tea, Salmon, Avocado. And also to set expectations right for new mums, boosters are quite a hit and miss and the effects may not be the same. To be quite honest, I didn't expect that huge a boost when I first consumed the Best of 3 Worlds from the 2NutGuys. I don't consume their products daily but only as and when I need that boost because I don't have that much space in my freezer. 

Apart from my own review, I will also be adding some feedbacks I obtain/ heard from my Mummy chat groups so that you guys can have a more balanced view and make an informed decision. 

Roasted Almom Milk ($57.90) for 2

This is my top booster and I love the taste of it. I was actually quite shock when I heard some mothers complained about the drink being too thick. Perhaps it is because I really like the taste of the Almond Paste Chinese Desserts, so this was really up my alley. In fact, I think it is even more tasty than those Chinese Dessert Shop, lol.

My husband had a bit too because I said it was damn good and he agreed. But too bad, no milk production from his tits. Haha. For Mums who find it too thick, you can actually add milk to dilute but yet not compromise the taste. Honestly, I don't think I can take this every day. Once a week would be my preferred choice. 

2. Mummy's Nutmond Butter ($27.90)

I have always loved their nut spread. It is very creamy and thick. Personally, I like them best on my bread (non-toasted). You can also spread them on coffee biscuits as well. This is my current staple for breakfast. It does give a boost though not as obvious as the Almom Milk. There was this one day, I tried a spoonful on its own. It was so sinfully fulfilling, I ended up eating 3 spoons of it. Highly unrecommended way of eating if you still want to go back in shape, LOL!

On normal days, I would take the naked nutmond butter ($21.90) because it is cheaper and doesn't contain sugar. 

3. Mummy's Walnut ($17.90 per pack)

This is my least favourite among the 3. I actually prefer the original taste of the walnut better, without the pepperish spice. Among the 3 boosters, this is the easiest to bring around and the perfect snack size. When I am hungry, I just pop 3-5 to give me the much needed energy. 

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Because it works for me, I would like to share this discount code with other lactating mummies out there, you can quote"10CHAA" to get 10% off . The code can help you save some money on your trial purchase or on your boost journey. #BecauseIKnowHowHardItIs

Our first live theatre show - and it didn't went well

Everybody probably only thinks I write only about the good stuff. But the truth is, parenthood is truly unpredictable and not everything is always a bed of roses. I don't have much photos for this because...my hands were so occupied (with the carrying of my toddler). 

The day started pretty bad because my child wanted to take the public transport instead of cabbing down. We ended up being around 5 minutes late (not too bad) and by now I am actually quite chill when it comes to punctuality with my toddler. In fact, we weren't the latest either with quite a bit of family coming in after us. 

Sadly, my toddler was absolutely frightened by the dark theatre. We did try going in but he would fuss non-stop. And me, being afraid of being judged and boo-ed, acceded to his whims. We ended up watching the first half of the show through the intermission screen outside. 

The staff at Victoria Theatre was really kind. When I voiced my concerns, her words stuck me deeply: This is a children's production. Of course, it will be constantly interrupted by the needs of the kids. She gave lots of encouragement and even got me a plastic chair to sit outside. Eventually, I did brace myself and went in again. My kid still fussed intermittently but honestly no parent shooed me out. 

I know many of you must be thinking "what a waste of money". I am sharing this story because I wanted to say the waste was not the money but the experience. The acoustic of a live show would be so much more animated and engaging than staring on the screen, which he could have done any day. And the production - Stick Man was actually insanely good even from outside. Sigh.

Also just to encourage other parents who have gone through "waste" like me, don't be dishearten. We must remember that a child doesn't necessarily have to react positively to every experience. In fact, my son humming to the tune later at night and chatted to me about the plot. I guess actually he enjoyed it, he just wasn't used to the dark. So we will be trying again because I am quite a fan of the arts and other parents have assured me that it does get better with time. :)

All you should know about manuka honey

Ever since I had a bad sore throat and was searching on natural remedies (cos this breastfeeding mama is somewhat a purist and is anti-medication), I became interested in the natural goodness of honey. Since I have dumped in so much precious time to research on it, I thought I should just do up a post and share with you guys what I have learnt.

I have always assumed that the higher the UMF (Unique Manuka Factor), the better the honey was since it was more expensive too. Although my previous assumption is true, it is more important to know what are the health benefits you are looking out for.

For the longest time, I have been only taking UMF20 and above honey. The thing is such honey are more known for its medicinal properties for wounds and healing purposes. Much as I am a spendthrift, I wouldn't waste such precious golden honey on my skin. I was tempted and quite desperate to try on my eczema because it was so bad at one point but my husband said I was mad, LOL!

For an average Jane like me, I am actually looking to consume the honey on a daily basis and add it as a more natural form of sweetness to my food and beverage. Guess what is the UMF needed for this? Only 5! So all the roasted char siew/ bak kwa made using UMF20 honey was just perceived goodness that we consumed. I have been wasting so much money T_T 

If you are a Pooh Bear like me, remember never to use a metal spoon to scoop your honey. Reason being, the acidic Honey may react with the metallic surface and damage/ reduce the healing properties of honey. Also I make sure to wipe my spoons dry before dipping it into the honey jar. Generally, you just have to keep your honey in a nice cool environment, not necessarily in the fridge. (I prefer them at room temperature if you must know).

Currently, I get my Honey from Robinsons because when I use the code "ForFunk10" I can get an additional 10% the sales price. If you buy the bigger size, it would be cheaper per gram but I won't really recommend that because I feel it is easier to spoil when it comes to food product. Taste-wise, all manuka honey taste the same at least to me. I just make sure the source is from New Zealand, that's all. 

In terms of food, it mainly acts as a sweetener and we use quite a bit when we make our own bak kwa or char siu. It also taste really good when you add them to breakfast cereals/ oats. My son (older than 1 years old) and I also have a scoop daily. If I have a sore throat, I take it like a soother too!

Might share a few recipes too if any of you are interested, just drop me a note :)

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For our readers only, from now till 31 Mar, quote "ROBS-FUNK" to receive an additional 20% on top of the sales for the Hotel Collection from Robinsons and North Island Manuka Honey. After 10 Nov, you may still quote "ForFunk10" for 10% off any item at Robinsons. 

Food Tour 29: Not So Good Food

We are always eating and to be fair not all food we eat are great...sadly. So here's a list of food which is really not up my alley. Sharing it because I get angry when I put on unworthy calories and I don't want you to suffer the same (fat)e as me. 

1. Artemis Grill & Sky Bar

This was really quite annoying because I had such high expectations. The ambience was great and I had a nice Marina Bay Sky view with perfectly plated food. The taste was just off. Went with a bunch of people and everyone said the same. This was the CBD 2 pieces set lunch - I was so disappointed I even gave desserts a miss. If I remember correctly, these are the Iberico Pork Loin ($48) and root vegetable Consomme ($20). For the price we are paying, I definitely can eat something tastier.

2. Eggslut

There was a point there were quite a bit of influencers raving about it and there would be a long queue outside the store. So, I was always very curious about it. Finally, I paid them a visit now that I pop and have lesser food restrictions. After trying the food, I am pretty sure the reviews from the influencers are paid and not to be mean, they are lucky to even survive the pandemic. The fluffy egg is really good... but not good enough to be worth the hype and price. The coffee was excellent by the way (Well saved Common Man!) 

3. Jia He Xing

I am not sure if you guys noticed but restaurants now tend to have an operating time and the kitchen will stop operating at around 3pm until dinner time. This was apparently so for most of the places at Marina Square. I had no choice but to dine here because I was hungry. There are quite a bit of people there (not sure they are there by choice) but I personally felt the food a bit blend for my liking, won't see myself coming here again unless there is no other choice. The chilli, however, is fantastic and can be bought back in bottle form. 

Mattel Playhouse: For train lovers

Recently, our little one got a Thomas toy set from his uncle (very interesting toy so I have linked it here) which was very fun even for the adults. That sparked our interest in Thomas because oh well he isn't a toy from our time, LOL! My son is super obsessed with trains and would take every train ride in the malls (if any). So when he heard that Thomas was coming to town - Mattel Playhouse, we thought we should pay it a visit. 

Just to set expectations, so that parents won't be disappointed, read on!

1. Go during weekdays (non-peak). There is a slight discount (not much) but because it is the same price across adult and child, every dollar saved matters. Also there will be less people so your kid can get the maximum amount of playtime (no queues)! And you can get good photos too!
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2. Each playtime slot is 1.5 hours. And my kid was 40 mins late to his. Admittedly, I was a bit stressed because I was afraid he won't get to enjoy all the stations. But the truth is, he only wanted specific stations and would stick to them. By the time he warmed up and wanted to play the 4th station, time's up!


3. The place is rather small and seemingly underwhelming. To be honest, I had a "is this all" moment, but my kid felt otherwise. He was quite occupied by the trains (took it 5 times) and spent the remaining time on the exercise and arcade stations.





4. You need to bring your own socks but some of the stations (which my son didn't go on anyway). Personally, I really wanted him to race on the Hot Wheels tracks cos it was so insta-worthy but he said no and I had to respect his choice. 


5. No food and Thomas merchandise on sale. Was more bummed about the latter because I was starting to grow some real love for this train after being on it 3 times myself. 


6.  The tickets is quite pricey. 3 of us works up to be near $70 (Quoted "SUPERM10" for 10% discount), but since we (including the adults) took the train rides so many times. It is kinda of worth it because a train ride at the mall would cost us $6 per pax.

Special Mention: I have to say the staff there are extremely kids-oriented from all the indoor playgrounds we have been to. They made an exception to my boy upon knowing he was late to let him have 5 mins extra time on the ball pit slide so that he could leave having fun and with a smile. The lady at the exercise machine station was also very encouraging and engaged my son thoroughly during his play there. Even though at times he was playing the machines "his way", she would just gently tell him with a smile what would be the proper way. 

A guestroom so fine - My Oak and Sand bedsheet review

My son's room sometimes doubles up as the guestroom/ quarantine room (should any of the family member gets re-infected with Covid). And this room serves only the finest bedding I have to say. And this fine bedding is from Oak & Sand. If you don't know, one of my favourite materials for bedding is tencel (the other being bamboo). 

The bedding we featured is the Tencel X Naia Luxury Bedsheet Set ($179.90). Not cheap I know, but the comfort level was WOW. The colour collection is decent but if you want a wider choice, check out their Tencel Lyocell Premium Bedsheet Set ($108.50). Personally, I am digging the Languid Lavender Purple and Himalayan Muted Pink. 

Some of my friends also use Tencel sheets and would complain that the sheets would get some piling after washing in the machines. Mine never did. Here's a tip: You need to put the sheets in a washing net before putting it in the machine. And also, always read the instructions. If you are too lazy to read the instructions, cold water is usually safe. 

My only grouses with Tencel is that they crease easily. Yes, you can see it in the photos. That's because after being a Mother of 2, I no longer have time to iron my beddings. But if you do, the sheets would not just feel like lying a Hotel Bed, it will even look like a Hotel Bed. 

Here's a closer look on the comfy beddings. It is really silky soft and smooth. I would have to agree that it was definitely made for the humid weather of Singapore. It was cooling even if you weren't using the air-con and just the fan. Our mattress were a bit thicker than the normal mattresses but this sheet still fits snuggly. The set doesn't come with the bolster set. But the bolster price is quite reasonable ($19.90) and the price can drop lower with promotions.

Overall, I would really recommend this set, especially the bolster cases cos the price is really CHEAP! My son uses these sheets even though he is just a toddler because that he sleeps a lot longer through the night in cooler beddings. If he has better sleep, I too have a better rest!