(2008/07) July 2008

[bluebearypie]

SY,
Eh, no recipe la. I just chop and throw everything into the pot. I don't put any salt or seasoning. Only marinate the beef with salt, pepper, and sesame oil. Boil for 1.5h then put it into the thermal pot for 6h. I think it could be shorter but I dunno cos it's just in there until time to eat.

dd,
Yah, that's what I suggested last year and still we had plenty of leftovers.

Well, anybody is welcomed to bring stuff as long as you bring home your own leftovers ya?

 

[pinkbunny]

Wow bbp that sounds like a yummy recipe! What? No beancurd chicken?? Oh what is a halloween party without beancurd chicken?

Sy
Lemon chicken? Slurp!

DD
Oh good idea. I'll bring my small-quantity stomach. All 4 of them

 

[cellow]

howdy DD

been a rough few days at work and at home. i wanna vent, but i dunno where to start even.

sigh. the ILs are here this Sat. Every time they come, I cannot get a full night's rest as I then have to sleep in with C2. contributing factor to my bad mood.

bbp,
yes beef stew for the boys too please! will skip the cookies for myself and C2, although C1 will happily munch a few, i can imagine

pb,

not yao kiew la. tis normal to be constantly hungry when pregnant.

jo, glad you feel better abt the pronunciation that G faces. C1 cannot pronounce his S and TH and BR sounds as well.

 

[sychua79]

bbp
thanks. maybe i shall try... so u dun put anything else like soy sauce etc?

mummies
how to make mac n cheese that is not dry? jh loves mac n cheese but i find that it always dries up fast.

pb
yes the lemon chicken is nice...my kids love it also!

DD
chilly down under? tot supposed to be hot...weather is weird.

cellow
how long are they staying this time round??

 

[cellow]

sy,
3 or 4 weeks. whatever. at this stage, what is the difference between 3-4weeks.

 

[pinkbunny]

SY
i add milk in my mac and cheese!

cellow
chill.... enjoy your remaining few days of freedom!!

 

[sychua79]

cellow
my my....yes like what PB said, enjoy the remaining days of freedom!!!

PB
but it dries up very fast. i also add milk inside leh...

 

[dee2dou]

yup.. rain just stopped as we landed so was chilly.. but is warming up as the days go by...

okie, internet check in done and all set to fly back to my baby on 2 days' time!

loving the weather here now though

 

[sychua79]

iherb
doing another spree. can take about USD 40-50. if anyone wants to tag, let me know asap

 

[jogwyn]

Cel: thanks! Ya, was kind of worried initially, not anymore! Thankful that such platforms exist so we can counter check with one another.
And *big hugs*... to your rough days. Jia you! I'm sure you can settle everything!

Mac & cheese: butter, milk and cheese sauce instead of just sprinkling the cheese on it.
SY: you can try melting your cheese in the milk- the Mac will absorb all liquid so it won't be that dry. I also add mushrooms and that help to keep the moisture also. If you want really fattening and creamier Mac & cheese, add cream on top of milk, lots of cheese, mushroom and bacon!

hope this helps!

 

[batgirl]

*hands up for YAKULT tour!*

Yakult tour
1. PB + 1
2. Youpi + 2
3. SY + 2
4. bbp + 1
5. dustee + 1 (only if afternoon tour)
6. cinbunny + 1
7. Jo + 1
8. Qing + 1
9. bbG + 1
10. batgirl + 1 (will reconfirm if can take leave after date is confirmed!)

 

[batgirl]

Cellow,

*pat pat* the storm will be over in a jiffy. Your stuff is with me in the office. This week a bit busy. If you need it urgently, please let me know ok?

PB,

You are back from BKK or haven't gone yet? The floods looks really bad.

 

[pinkbunny]

Sy
You are my savior! Was just thinking jialat cos I had forgotten to order something!

Pm u later ok?

Wah jo! Bacon! Yum. Honestly I have never bought bacon before. Is it the raw streaky bacon in a pack at freezer area. Or the sell by weight kind in fridge area ah? (Where they sell sausages). Which one is better, oh bacon expert?

Magic pot
Conversation with cellow at romulus prompted me to ask: anyone here has the magic pot? The kind boil on stove for a while then leave in the insulated container until soup/porridge is magically cooked via electricity?

Can let me know what brand? Thanks in advance!

Oh jace
You were asking a long time ago re luggage and packing for trip. Should ask bbp! If I remember correctly she went to france with (listen up, folks!) ONE BACKPACK for two adults and one declan! Ou xiang, wo hui yong yuan zhi chi ni!

 

[1stlittlestar]

Afternoon ladies ... recently busy so no time to visit the forum.

BIG SIGH... ..... *HAIZ*
xun mei mei is sick ... had fever for the past few days now no more fever but super phelgmy and coughing quite badly...
We are supposed to fly off on 23 Oct morning.

Now i am lost. I dunno what to do ...

Really feel so sad. This trip is so difficult to come true. Maybe God is trying to tell me that I should not go at all?????!!

What will you all do?

 

[cellow]

pb,
here. search for 1.5L shuttle chef
http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/messages/581296/6074757.html?1316681420

jace,
go go go since rare chance.... dose mini xun with medicine!

 

[sdchick]

Jace
Aiyooo.. nowadays it's like that. Emma is down as well. Dun worry She should recover a little faster since no more fever. I would still go and bring medicines. Tell your PD you're doing to HK so can get medicine. Recently PD gave Emma medicine for the phlegm which I thought works quite well. Ventolin + Chlormine for the day and for night she's given Bambec + Aerius. And since the phlegm was green *yuck* he gave her antibiotics for 3 days. She recovered in 5 days.

Yakult tour
1. PB + 1
2. Youpi + 2
3. SY + 2
4. bbp + 1
5. dustee + 1 (only if afternoon tour)
6. cinbunny + 1
7. Jo + 1
8. Qing + 1
9. bbG + 1
10. batgirl + 1 (will reconfirm if can take leave after date is confirmed!)
11. SD + 1 (will also reconfirmed). Black out dates for me is from 21 to 30 Jan 2012

 

[bluebearypie]

PB,
Sorry, no beancurd chicken. Really the quality has gone downhill. You could always check out SY's lemon chicken

Bacon - got 2 types: streaky and back. Back bacon is "healthier" cos it's easier to remove the fats cos the meat comes in one area.
Travelling - eh, our backpack was super big, those 70l kind one leh. We also had 1 small backpack for day use.
Thermal pot - I think it's yi fen qian yi fen huo. I redeemed this rather cheapo magic pot with Shell points and I don't think it works well. My cousin got me a Tiger thermal jar and it retains heat really well!

Cellow,
No prob to the beef stew. Only scared nobody "appreciates" my cooking.

SY,
No leh, I don't put soya sauce. I did try marinating the meat before with soya sauce but after 3 rounds, Mr bbp says best one is marinating meat with salt, pepper, sesame oil and no other seasoning into the stew.

Jace,
Agree, go! Anyway, all your stuff is paid for and booked already right? Go but take it slow la. Slower than you would usually do it.

 

[pinkbunny]

Go johnny go go go!

I mean go jace go go go!

Medicine and vitamins and go!

I've flown at the start of a fever and but recovered during course of trip (winter some more). I think the excitement will help to make her feel better too

Cellow and bbp
Thanks for magic pot info! Bbp I have a tiger thermos but it just keeps warm, not "cook". Not "magic" hahahha

Ooooo cool night everyone (esp DD!!). Enjoy!

 

[jogwyn]

Pb: back bacon is definitely healthier compared to streaky. But if you want to indulge then streaky bacon lah. It's more sinful but it makes a dish more inviting! once in awhile... Just eat lah! Oh ya, I always buy them over the bucther counter in supermarket. And a hundred grams goes a long way. Use sparingly.

Magic pot: tiger is best! I have 2 sizes, 3l and the 6?or 6.5l. Really good to use. Good for soups, stews and curries. Some of my friends use it to cook porridge but I think it's not suitable. What about the pot? You want to buy? Robinsons is having a member sales I heard.

 

[jogwyn]

Jace: I'll still go. I'll just dress her warmer, bring along my med and feed her soupy stuff in hkg. You may want to buy sterimar to use it on her now. Can get from guardian pharmacy. It's sea salt water, use it to clean nose. Quite effective.

BBP: have you tried marinating the beef with kiwi fruit or worstershire sauce? It's very yummy and fragrant!

 

[youpi]

PB
I've wanted to buy that for a long time! Thermal Magic Pot, right? The mums who use these say to get the recognised Jap brands like Tiger or Zojirushi (sp?) as these work much better than the Endo types. May get at the next OG sale. Cheaper there, apparently. Erm anyone knows?

Jace
Go see PD again to get official go-ahead. PD may be able to give you stronger meds for her symptoms to ease sooner. You just need to make sure that plane pressure will not make her more uncomfortable. Have fun!

Bbp
Beef stew for 1.5 boys please! Thank you for offering!

Halloween
Are you all really going to dress the kids (and yourselves) up? I am quite exhausted and brain dead. Can't think of anything.

 

[jogwyn]

Youpi: yes, the 2 jap brands are worth investing in, really good quality. Zorujishi and tiger.
I think the prices across the departmental stores are the same, the difference lies with how many % off. I think members' sales are worth for getting your set.

 

[pinkbunny]

Jo
Wow marinate with kiwi? How?! Sounds so cool! Shatre, share!!

Oh I think robinsons pte sale was yesterday. And I've given up all my dept store cards liao. Any kind soul needs a shopping kaki and wants to invite me? *flutter eyelashes*

Youpi
We'll be dressing up. But simple costumes nia. Poppy's been looking forward to her costume for a long time. I've yet to start work on it though in my mind it looks absolutely fabulous

Oh OG also will sell? Cool. I feel stuff's cheaper there somehow. Ah cellow also posted a link for us to see re magic pots

Been wanting to buy since poppy started eating solids. Figure now with 2, I'll need all the time shavings I can get right? Plus I'm not really buying anything new for the baby (poor thing) cos already have all the big things. Except if it's a boy... Then may I rely on the kindness of those mums who have boys and don't intend to have more kids, and their kind donations of lovely boyswear? *super flutter of eyes*

 

[sychua79]

PB
is your tiger thermal the same as mine? the food jar? it can cook porridge actually. what u do is to boil the porridge for about 10 min and then pour it in when it is boiling, it will continue to cook. i used to cook like that for the kids. save gas!

and it works really well.

depends on how much and what u intend to cook. if u get those thermal pot, of cos can cook for more pple. but i heard from fren u need to put enough water into it.

bbp
so no need to put water or anything into the beef stew when u cook? just dump the meat and the veggies inside? time to dig out slow cooker!!

Jace
i think as long as u bring hte med along it shd be fine. no fever most impt. when we went japan, jh was a bit sick also. runny nose, cough etc but also ok.

re iherb
those who want to order, PM me soon ok?

 

[pinkbunny]

SY
oh yes iherb. can i have this please

1. http://www.iherb.com/Barlean-s-Kid-s-Omega-Swirl-Lemonade-8-oz-227-g/36567?at=0
x 2 bottles


2. http://www.iherb.com/Disney-My-First-Gummies-Multi-Vitamin-60-Gummies/36929?at=0
x 1 bottle


thanks!

jo
my 2nd item in the order list, that's the one poppy is taking now. not sugar coated. you asked before

SY
i'm not sure if we have the same tiger thermal. but i think it's called the food jar yes. i'm not sure if it cooks the way you mentioned though cos each time i made porridge for poppy, after i put it (fully cooked) into the thermal jar, when i take it out, it looks exactly the same as when i put it in. so i really wonder leh, if i can do it your way.

i'd like to get one that allows me primarily to cook porridge, and ultimately, soups! cos you know la, my hubby does not take meat, but i find it very bland to make veggie stock. and too much ikan bilis also no good right? cos so salty. i like my bak kut and chicken bones stock. but it's so troublesome to keep an eye on the pot.

 

[pinkbunny]

wow thanks for the detailed info re bacon!!!

 

[pinkbunny]

There was talk re school closures recebtly? Poppy's is 31 oct. Anyone can come out to play?

Also I'm not sure if 7 nov is a public holiday (I THINK so) but I'll be conducting a storytelling session and lantern craft at central library on that day, 12noon to 1pm. I think it's either free or $2, registration required, through www.pl.sg (national library website). Come join!

 

[teddyhope]

PB
Yeah the Tiger food Jar is also a magic pot. But like what sy say must boil boil boil make surely is really very hot then pour into it to continue cooking. But cos of the pouring it loses some of the heat I feel.
During E time I've mostly relied on cooking via magic cooker. I use the Endo 1 cos the size is small enough for porridge. What I do is just put chicken drumstick in with water to boil few mins, throwing the rice n boil abt 10 mins. Must make sure it's boiling really hot then transfer into the pot to keep.
The meat will be those melt I. The mouth n separates very easily.

E bad thing is if u want for porridge for the kids only.......dun get a big pot. But small pot cannot really cook anything else. Cos doesn't work that well if pot big n u only cook very little
portion.

Youpi
I find that the magic pot prices r best during sale. Got mine very cheap during Isetan Private sale.

 

[sychua79]

PB
yes it is the same. tiger thermal food jar. what i do is to boil the porridge for about 10 to 15 min (not say cook until very soft yet) then put it into the jar. will come out nice and soft. u can try it.

my sch closure is 28 oct....

i agree with dor. if only cook porridge. dun get big pot. cos need to put water till a certain level before it can cook nicely.

mummies
my fren started this. check it out. got some nice stuff.

http://thejewelaffair.com/

 

[bluebearypie]

PB,
Oh, and when I was shopping around for thermal stuff, the pot auntie told me that if you wanna make it even better, put boiling hot water inside for 10min to "heat" up the jar. Then it kinda works the same as a magic pot.
Lovely boyswear - you dream on la. If you do get a boy, you will finally understand why mothers of boys are so frustrated. Clothes are not as nice and worse, at least double the price. Why double the price? You go to Cotton On Kids and see. Girls - dress = $15. Boys - Top ($15) + Bottom ($15) = $30. Oops, lotsa angst just came rushing out.

Jo,
My cooking style is minimum effort, maximum results. That's the reason why I love cooking stews. Just chop and throw everything in. Hence, marinating stuff with exotic stuff... a bit too leh cheh for me I'll leave them to the real experts here in this forum.

youpi,
Beef stew noted. Anyway, it's going to be beef stew and rice cos not putting potatoes into the stew. So.... it won't be the kind of stew everyone's probably used to.
Costume - no need for me to do this year cos my friend passed me her son's costume. Heh heh.

SY,
Alamak, forgot to say, yes need water. Slightly more than enough to cover all your ingredients cos during the cooking, water will be boiled off.

dor,
Ah, now I understand why my Endo pot didn't really work as well. Cos it was way too big a pot for a little porridge. But it still works to a certain extent la. Especially for brown rice porridge, it definitely helps to open up the grains.

 

[jogwyn]

BBP: sure sure... Can understand. Me too, always go for efficiency.

Pb: kiwi is a natural tenderizer, so is papaya. So if you use it to marinate and cook stews, the beef texture will remain tender.
And yes, buy the magic pot, it really make magic! And it's time efficient, for mummies like us!

Thanks for info about gummies. Noted!

SY: can I tompang this?

2. http://www.iherb.com/Disney-My-First-Gummies-Multi-Vitamin-60-Gummies/36929?at=0
x 1 bottle

 

[pinkbunny]

Thank you magic mummies! I will try your method, dor and sy,this weekend!

Wow today I started feeling discomfort in tummy. Maybe too much food haha. Overly yeow kwee. Some of the mummies in my #2's thread have already started feeling BH! Wow so early. I'm only about 14 weeks. Sheesh I can't even remember how many weeks. With poppy I knew everything, what was happening during the week, if she was growing eyelashes of fingernails... Now so slack. Hai...

Bbp
Haha I know how frustrating it must be to get boys clothes! That's why I'm always so happy at cotton on! I've gotten dresses for poppy at $5!!! But the boys section.... Um always so blue and khaki hor?

Ok I won't flutter my eyelashes your way

Oh no I forgot if I've asked: aAny kind mummies can lend me their super tok kong breast pump? I have a medela electric (one side only) and an avent manual. Avent pump until my hand sng, medela so noisy and quite frankly, I'm not amy yip (remember her?). Ok dolly parton. I'm not dolly parton but the "cup" is like a bit small for me.

Wait. Now there's a bit of dejavu moment happening here. ...

Jo
Did u say you had a "something that begins with A brand but not avent" that gave you litres of milk in a day and very kindly offered to lend to me?

(If my memory is wrong please don't feel obliged!!)

 

[bluebearypie]

PB,
I can help Jo answer you. She very kindly offered her AVENT DUAL ELECTRIC pump to you! Ok, the reason why I remembered is that to me, that particular brand and model is like the Birkin of breast pumps. I remember salivating over it.
What's BH?

 

[bluebearypie]

Lobang must share:
http://www.outlet.com.sg/thedeal/view/index/id/694/icecream-milkshake-onceuponamilkshake
I tried their milkshake at the Maxwell Chambers outlet about 3 years ago. SUPER DUPER nice! So the ice-cream must be nice too right?

 

[jogwyn]

BBP: thanks! What an expression!

Pb: oh no, your preggy memory is developing! I thought we already settled that? You said I can take my time to pass to you?

you want it now? Can be arranged.

mine is an avent isis duo as BBP mentioned.

 

[pinkbunny]

bbp
ok i don't know birkin (oops am i the only one?) - is it like birkies?? um you mean like the volvo of breast pumps?

BH - braxton hicks. false contractions.

jo
ok ok thanks. yes it is pregnancy brain and i will load up on my fish oils thanks so much for the loan of your volvo. and yes please take your time; i am in absolutely no hurry. just wanted to make sure i got that all gaodim-ed

halloween party
would anyone object if i brought chocolate apples for the kids? essentially it's just apples that the kids can dip in choc sauce la.

 

[bluebearypie]

PB,
Please. Volvo. Not even close. lamborghini maybe. I had to google to get that spelling anyway.

Halloween party:
Nope, I won't object but do make sure everybody brings home their own share of the apples ah.

 

[pinkbunny]

sorry. rolls royce can? or bentley?

i just bring a few apples to cut at your place ok? then force every parent to eat whatever their kids don't

 

[bluebearypie]

Sure, no prob. As long as I don't have to eat apples for the next 5 days or something like that. :S

 

[pinkbunny]

Tiger food jar
Thanks SY and Dor! Tried ur method and wow the rice grains really opened up and it's so nice! But I added too much water (put more than usual just in case). And I also boiled for a bit too long cos after I started then I remembered to boil and put hot water in the flask. My hand-leg slow la. Now I know.

Hey does it only work for porridge huh? Or other things also can? Like what?

 

[sychua79]

PB,
bbp is right. usually i warm up the tiger jar first before i put the porridge inside. glad that it works! after a few more times of practice i m sure u will be good.

hmm, i tot of trying soup but din try. cos the quantity is so small. and since already use for porridge, dun think will use for things like chrysanthemum tea...so i use only for porridge

jo
i place order liao.....

u need? i can help u place for my next round.

PB
i would love u lend u my breast pump but i think it's not working well. and i dun think it's worth it to repair. the last round i replaced some parts, i spent 160 bucks...

Mummies
anyone keen on checking out punggol waterway next sat morning? jh has no swimming so tot of bringing them there. let me know if any mummies keen and we can arrange something.

 

[cellow]

quick one on thermos shuttle chef
PB,
i bought 2 inner pots for the 1.5L shuttle chef. one for C1's (later C2's) porridge. the other for adults' soups, stews, ginseng tea, red date confinement tea etc etc. it is used every single day in my house.

precisely because of what the girls say abt the size, i hestitated to buy the 3L or 6L. if not enuf water, it wouldnt cook properly..... at least with the 1.5L, i am able to jam all the cooking solids inside. if too kao, then dilute with sauce/water/watever liquid before serving. so far ok.

2 thumbs up for the 1.5L shuttle chef

bbp,
3 years ago and you remember!!
eh to me, there is no birkin of breast pumps. all the same. tak glam one. LOL
personally i like medela PISA for speed, medela freestyle for portability, and ameda lactaline for thoroughness in extracting the milk. totally biased opinion as i have only tried these 3 plus the medela mini electric plus (waste of money, dun buy!)

btw, anyone drinking Enfagrow? i have many many tins expiring Oct 2012. too many for C1 to finish drinking by that time. sell at below market rather than see it go to waste.

 

[dee2dou]

Wah super frustrated! Was disciplining the kiddo just now and the other one who's supposed to be half the parent ended up worse than the younger juvenile, teasing him and opposing me instead..how to not discipline the bigger kid in front of kiddo grr!!!

 

[pinkbunny]

DD
Send big kid to naughty corner! Hahahahha

 

[hanabiwaiwai]

Hi all, long time no come in... just wanna ask u gals about toilet training...

Anyone can share tips on toilet training for night time?

XP is diaper-free in daytime, though occasional accidents still happen... there was one night she wanted to wear panties to sleep. at 12 midnight I was bathing her and washing bedsheet

 

[sdchick]

HI Waiwai!
Emma has been diaperless at night for 7 straight days *yay*

My strategy (may not work for everyone):
Her last milk was at 9. so before she sleeps at 10 I would get her to pee first. Then I put diaper for her. I reminded her that if she feels like she wants to pee she can wake me up at night and I'll bring her to the restroom. At first she didn't wake me up so I monitored approximately when the diaper is wet at night. I would wake up say, around 3 am and check the diaper. If full, the next day I would get her up to pee before 3 am and then afterwards put the diaper back. It's a chore but she got used to it in a week's time so she will wake up between 3-5 am and ask me to bring her to the restroom. After that I will put on her panty and told her that she shouldn't pee cuz she's wearing panty (I would also line the bed with waterproof mattress protector). After another week, she can hold her pee till morning and if she can't she would wake me up at night. So far I haven't gotten any incident and I still line the bed with a mattress protector, just in case. Good luck!

 

[pinkbunny]

Wow congrats to emma and mama for saying bye bye to diapers!

Girls, I'm a bit worried: Poppy's got serious dark shadows under her eyes. Like a stranger came up to us and said "you've been sleeping late haven't you?". Umm she sleeps 830pm to 7pm and gets about 1.5 hours of nap time. That's 12-13 hours a day, which is enough for a 3 year old! But why the eye bags?

I wonder if it's cos she wakes up several times a night. She is ok to fall asleep in her own bed by herself. She accepts it and doesn't even come out with a mountain of excuses anymore. But she still wakes in the night and comes to our room and we walk her back but if she gets up again and we're not there then it just keeps going on.

I just know that if either of us sleeps with her she'll sleep so much better. Heck we'll all sleep much better. But that would be going gostan in terms of sleep training and I so don't want to do that.

Have already tried putting a stuffed toy with her but she doesn't really have a strong bond with one in particular so that didn't work. Told her to count to 20 in her head before coming to our room, hoping she'll fall back asleep before reaching 20, reassured her we're just on the other side of the wall... All no use.

Help, any ideas? Poor poppy shouldn't need to put on concealer at age of 3!

 

[sychua79]

PB
i used to think they are dark shadows due to not enough sleep but it may be a sign of allergies. does she have blocked nose? sensitive airway etc? whenever my kids' allergy problems starting, the dark eye rings will surely surface. a PD told me before that it is a sign of allergies to come.

 

[pinkbunny]

SY
Yeah I read that online too but I'm not sure if she's got any allergies. She is having a little bit of runny nose though.

What are JH and JX allergic to?

Oh and btw I mean she sleeps till 7AM not PM haha

 

[pinkbunny]

did everyone have a nice PH?

my little spy told me NOISY ZOO was not as fun as the others like TODD THE BIG GREEN FROG. she and BB went for it while i mad a made dash around JL. GOT SALE, GIRLS!!!! 20% off most things!

if anyone is keen, there is also the foodtogo thermos jar at 20% (original price $50). been wanting to get it for a long time too cos it's so small and compact. i remember lugging around the big tiger one while having to ergo poppy. i so don't look forward to the weight in my bag!!

does anyone have it? any comments?

oh btw, a big shout out from our old friend delphine (mum to denise and desiree). her account got hacked into so she can't log in so she's secretly and quietly spying on us on and off. HI DELPHINE!!! *big wave*