Utterly Boring Saturday

It's just moi and Ashley today, doing nothing but staying at home eventhough it's the weekend. Hubby has gone out with his buddies before sunrise to Sepang for the Merdeka Millenium 12-Hour Endurance Race. Nope hubs is not one of the drivers. He better not or else I'll smack his head :-) He's just there to support his buddy who is one of the drivers. He'll be back around midnight if his friend can finish the 12 hour race. Ashley has been asking for her daddy all day long and wants him to come home soon. She has talked to her daddy on the phone this morning but sadly it was just a short chat cos Sepang was very noisy. So what am I gonna do today? Good time to catch up on the Moonlight Resonance drama :D

Another Busy Day

It was a busy day for us today. Just got home not too long ago. We went to my dad's office this afternoon. After that, we headed to The Curve / Ikano for some shopping :D What else is new eh? hehehhehehhehe. I wanted to buy a top for a coming dinner and finally found it at Tribeca. Has anyone been to this little boutique at the Curve? The clothes are really nice and I found a few pieces that I really adore. However, I need to watch my budget and can only get 1 :-) Luckily my sisters were around and they offered their opinions on what is nice and what is not. I am really glad with the outfit that I bought. Phew.....no more hunting around for a dinner wear. Oh, I also got a little cute top for Ashley at The Brands Outlet ;) La la la la la.....what a fruitful shopping day :D

WaaaaaaaChaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What I'll Be Having For Lunch

I finally dug out my sandwich maker yesterday. Ashley said it looked like a frog :)

Opened a can of chili/tomato tuna (ok...not exactly healthy here but I felt like eating something a bit spicy)

Cut some tomatoes and cucumbers

Voila....tuna sandwiches for me and my mom :) Yum Yum! This meal will last me till evening :-)

Funny Sleeping Position

Below are photos of Ashley when she is sleeping. I find it strange that she sleeps in this position. Wouldn't it be tiring for her? I would always straighten her legs whenever I see her bending over like that. Sometimes she would sleep on her back but most of the time, she's like this *slap forehead* Not very good for her back eh? I think I have seen some children sleeping in this position too when I hopped to other blogs. What about you? Do your children sleep like my lil' missy?

Two Little Things About Me

Got this fun meme from Sasha (TagsnSuch.blogspot.com) some time ago. Sorry for doing it late :) It is a 2 x 2 meme about me and what I do. Here it goes :-

Two names you go by
1. Barb
2. Loh Por

Two things you are wearing right now
1. White tshirt
2. Red shorts

Two things you want very badly at the moment
1. To lose 5 kg (God help me please!!)
2. Go on a vacation. Anywhere by the sea would be nice.

Two things you did last night just before bed
1. Turn off the fan
2. Blog-hopping, what else?

Two things you ate today
1. Yummylicious bread for brunch
2. Fishball soup for dinner (diet mah)

Two people you just spoke with
1. Ashley - "Good nite"
2. Ashley's daddy - "Pls close the door"

Two things you are doing tomorrow
1. Hoping to do some paid posts
2. Ironing

Two longest car rides
1. To Montreal from Toronto
2. To Detroit from Toronto

Two favourite beverages
1. Ice Coffee of course :D
2. Orange Juice

2 persons who are chosen to do this meme:
err..not passing this tag to anyone this time :D

It has been a week already ......

since I started my diet ;) It was not easy....especially the first few days, but I survived :D I have 2 pieces of toast, a slice of ham, cucumbers, tomatoes and a cup of coffee in the mid-morning. For dinner, I will have a bowl of vegetable soup. In between, I would snack on fruits like guava or peaches. I feel a bit lighter now and I hope to lose more very soon ;) I was craving for some chicken salad yesterday and decided to go out for dinner. I ordered a Grilled Chicken salad. Guess where I went?

My all-time favourite restaurant - Bumbu Bali in Bandar Puteri, Puchong :D Sadly, the portion is much smaller now. I mean there are still a lot of veges but the grilled chicken? There were only a few small slices including some chicken skins :( My hubby ordered ordered the usual Nasi Campur Tiga and he too noticed that the portion is smaller now.

Here is the cute waitress taking our orders :D

Calling All Bento Crazy Mamas

Hey, if you are into Bento stuff, do check out this lovely lady's blog - http://blurangel.com/blog/. She is selling some nice bento stuff at great prices. You can leave a comment or email her to place orders. Min is in Singapore now and will be going back to KL this Friday. So hurry and place your orders. She'll poslaju the bento stuff to you :D

Mosquito Repellants

It has been raining almost everyday for past one week. Rainy days are good as it is cooling but this means my clothes won't be dry in a day :( When it rains frequently, those pesky mosquitoes will have a field day. They are too many of them in my house now. I am really obssessed about trying to prevent Ashley from being bitten. She already has so many scars on her legs :( Every morning when she comes downstairs, I would apply this Bio Z repellent stick onto her legs and hands. It contains citronella oil, lemon grass oil and granium oil. The Bio Z is safe for kids.

I also bought the Children's Repella Herbal Insect Repellent Cream by 21st Century at Guardian Pharmany. It contains citronella, soybean, eucalyptus and coconut oil. I find the smell rather strong and this could be a thing to drive away the mosquitoes. I only use this at night. Oh, it's toxic-free and Deet free.

My cousin gave me a bottle of the Avon Bug Guard Insect Repellent Spray which she bought from the US. She brought 2 bottles back as she was afraid her kids would be bitten by mosquitoes during her vacation here. This spray contains Vitamin E and my cousin said it's really good. I have yet to try it though. You see, I have all kinds of repellents. Oh, I also use the Moz Away spray and spray them onto Ashley's clothes when we sleep with the windows open at night. Am I nuts? ;)

A Day At Mid Valley Mall

I went to the Parenthood Exhibition at Mid Valley yesterday with my 2 blogging mommies friends, Annie and Angie. Then we met up with this sexy mama for a short while :) She was shopping for some baby stuff for her 2nd baby who is due very soon. Don't know how she managed to make her way around the exhibition and bought so many stuff.....that place was packed!! Since it's a Parenthood Exhibition, many parents came with children and strollers. Gosh, I have never seen so many mommies using the baby slings on their babies before. They look so happening carrying their precious ones in the colourful swings. Makes me wanna carry a baby in a sling too.....err...I wonder if Shireen would lend me Baby C? LOL. The only stuff I bought at the exhibition are 2 packs of Huggies Ultra diapers. Only RM23.50 per pack...real cheap. I use this now for Ashley when she goes to bed. Works just as good as Mamypoko (and cheaper too) :D

We saw many parents holding this nice purple bag and quickly asked for one...hehehehehe. This bag is free when you sign up as member with Huggies.

Now..what am I going to do with it eh?

Oink Oink Biscuits

During the Mid Autumn Festival, I would always buy these cute "piglet biscuits" which come in a plastic basket. Seeing them bring back fond memories of my childhood :) I love eating them when I was a kid and I always pester my mom to buy them. I also look forward to taking out the biscuit each time and admiring its cute shape. The ones that I eat as a child came with 'kuaci' but sadly, I can't find those anymore. Ashley is also very fascinated with the "piglet biscuits" and likes to eat them too. I haven't bought the piglet shape ones though. I got her the butterfly and flower basket :D It cost rm1.50 for a basket of 2 biscuits. Hmm....I should get a cute lil' piglet for her tomorrow when we go to the mall. There are more varieties at the shopping mall.

No More Spoonfeeding

More than a year ago, I wrote a long post about Ashley who stopped drinking milk when she was 8 months old. At that time, I was really freaked out. It just happened one day and she simply refused to drink any milk at all. Actually she disliked milk when she turned 3 months old. Ashley wouldn't finish her milk each time and I would have to sing to her in order for her to finish it. Then when she completely stopped drinking milk at 8 months old, I tried changing bottles, gave sippy cups or straws but she still won't drink her milk. In the end, I had to spoonfeed her while letting her watch her favourite dvds. So, the spoonfeeding went on until she was around 2.5 years old *shake head* After that, I began to hold a cup for her drink her milk and gradually get her to hold it herself. Now, feeding her milk is not a headache anymore. She would hold her cup and drink it. Sigh............it is not easy to be a mother :(

fat fat fat

that's me. F-A-T. i look like a whale now. last year, around this time, i managed to lose some weight....actually i went back to my pre-Ashley weight. somehow, the kilos that i have lost managed to find their way back :( sigh.....i'm only eating 2 meals a day and yet, the weight keep increasing. last night, i told myself that i need to do something about this. i have to shed some kilos and make sure they don't come back this time. so today, i started to eat differently. ok, i'm actually on a diet.

it's back to 2 pieces of wholemeal bread, some tomatoes, cucumbers and a piece of ham for brunch. dinner would be a bowl of vegetable soup. of course i still have a cup of coffee in the morning :) boy i'm hungry now but i better not think of food. the first day of the diet is the worse and i feel like i'm going to faint now.

dear god,

please give me the willpower to lose weight

please help me to stay motivated

please don't let me think of wanton mee, pan mee, curry mee, bagels, muffins, cakes and all those sinfully delicious food

In The Spirit Of The Olympics

Do you watch the Olympics every day? What is your favourite event? My husband is into the martial arts and swimming events. Oh yeah, not forgetting, the beach volleyball too.......sun, sand and girls in sexy costume :) My favourites are the swimming and gymnastic events. Whenever we watch the Olympics on tv, Ashley would never fail to entertain us with her own version of the various events. I have captured some of my baby's Olympics moment below :D

Weightlifting

Cycling

Badminton

Gymnastics

When she is all done, she would sit down and say, "I'm so tired" O_O

How Much Water?

Ashley did not like to drink water when she was a baby. After she had her first fever when she was one year old, her paed advised me to let her drink more water. I became paranoid and kept pushing her to drink water. It was not easy and there were lots of crying and tantrums each time I asked her to drink :( Eventually she started to drink more and cried less whenever I hand her the cup. Ashley is the kind of kid who would not ask for food or water. Therefore I won't know when she's hungry or thirsty so I sort of keep a schedule in my head.......9.3am - breakfast, 11.30am - 1 cup of water, 12.30 - lunch, etc. My mum thinks that I am giving Ashley A LOT of water now and feels that she could drink less :S I did some calculations and found that Ashley is drinking about 1.3 litres a day. This is excluding the milk she takes 3 x a day. She doesn't like juices so I'm giving her only plain water. However she is starting to like Vitagen :D So, how much water do your kids drink?

Ashley & Ashley

Our special visitors on Friday were none other than my dear blogging friend, Shireen of Momsie Tales and her sweetie Ashley. So glad to finally meet Shireen and little Ashley. Yup......there were 2 Ashleys in da house that day and I even called Ashley out loud to see if both would turn and look at me...hehehehehehe. My munchkin was so happy to see Ashley mei mei. I think she treats her like a baby doll :D Both of them played together while Shireen and I chatted. The lovely scrap below was done by Shireen. Nice eh? Thanks very much. It was great to meet up with you and cutie pie Ashley. Next time we must really hang out at Starbucks ;)

Another pic of Ashley & Ashley

Crunchy Temptations

Do you what are in the bowl? They are banana fritters, banana balls and fried "lin kao". I bought them from a stall near my home. This stall is pretty famous here and they make the yummiest banana fritters around. They open around noon and are done by 3pm. We had some special visitors yesterday so I got some of these crunchy stuff for my guests. Oh, actually only 1 guest can eat this and the other one is still not allowed to eat them *chuckle* Want to know who dropped by? Come back and visit my blog again later, ok? ;)

Another One To Her Collection

One of Ashley's favourite store at the mall is Speedy Video. She loves to go through all the children's cds/dvds such as Sesame Street, Barney and Hi5 at Speedy. However, she doesn't ask to buy any of these things and would leave the store (quietly) whenever we tell her that it's time to go :) Even when we ask her if she wanted any DVDs, she would say no. Last weekend, my hubby brought her to Speedy Video again and according to him, Ashley spent a long time looking through the Hi5 dvds. Then she picked one up called "Growing Up" and asked her daddy to get buy it for her :D

Since she got home, she has been watching this Hi5 dvd three times a day *slaps forehead* The songs are starting to drive me crazy! Someone help me please!! We have been asking her to watch other shows but she doesn't want to. What's up with this little girl of mine eh?

a cat or a leopard?

A few nights ago, while my mum was folding her clothes in the living room, Ashley began to play with the clothes. She started digging the clothes and pull out the t-shirts and throw them around. Suddenly, Ashley saw my mum's underwear O_O. She quickly put it on and crawl on the floor. Then she started "meow-ing". The lil' missy was pretending to be a cat because of the prints on the underwear......muahahahahahhahaahaha.

Yes, I kid you not. It is really my mum's underwear....with prints and all. Just so you know, mine are like Bridget Jones's knickers :D

She didn't want to take it off and watched tv wearing the silly thing.

*GASPS* She found another one in orange

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Since Ashley loves to eat nuggets whenever we are out, I thought I'll make some for her today. I followed Shireen's recipe which I have copied and pasted below:-

Chicken breast, blended
1 tbs wholemeal flour
1 tbs corn flour
2 eggs
A dash of pepper and salt
Mixed everything in a big bowl,
Scoop out spoon by spoon and fry them in a non-stick pan

Once I was done, I put 2 pieces in a plate for the lil' missy and gave her some ketchup too. She took 10 minutes to chew a small piece of nugget *bangs head on the wall* You can tell that she didn't like her mama's cooking eh? She can gobbled McD's nugget in seconds *slaps forehead* My nuggets were a bit dry but other than that, they were pretty ok :) In the end, I was the one who finished them. Guess I'll add more eggs next time or maybe change the flour. I used the organic wholemeal bread flour :)

Chicken nuggets made with love

My Cheeky Queen

When I was having some "Me" time at the spa centre on Saturday, Ashley spent the time at the mall with her daddy, yee yee and por por. First, she went to the bookstore and checked out some books. There weren't many selection so she got bored real fast, according to her daddy. Then she goofed around at the mall with her yee yee and por por and sat on all the rides she could laid her eyes :)

posing for photo

she wanted to take a photo with the elephant

Then while walking around the mall, she saw a cute little headband at one of the stalls and quickly tried it on. Seeing how cute the headband is, her yee yee bought it for her. However, the RM9 headband didn't last 10 minutes on her head. She took it off and didn't want to have anything to do with it for the rest of the night :( Below is a photo of her being cheeky after she put on the pink headband.

Am I Nuts?

Are You Normal or Nuts? I have been asked this question today. Hmmm.....I would like to think of myself as a normal, regular person with some quirky habits :) One of these habits is that I must close all the cupboards or closets properly. I cannot stand to see any clothes or things sticking out from them. Is this normal or am I a little cuckoo? My 3-year old is picking up on this habit too *gasps* Each time she closes the cupboards or drawers, she makes sure that nothing is sticking out from them. If they are, she would open the drawers, stuff the things back and close it again.

I also have a huge phobia with lizards, whether big or small. I get goosebumps just seeing them and I am extremely terrified of them. Another one of my phobias is crossing bridges. I get this feeling that I am going to fall anytime soon while walking on the bridge eventhough they are sturdy :D I tend to walk really slow and hold on to the railings tightly. I know, crazy huh? What about you? Do you have any quirks?

Recently, Reader's Digest asked the question - Are You Normal or Nuts? in one of its articles. One of my favourite quirks mentioned is a dislike for talking. I find this really hilarious because the person with this behaviour is afraid that people will think that what he/she said is stupid. Therefore, this person chose not to talk. I guess this person would probably have very few friends. Why don't you check out the article here and have a good laugh.

a day of pampering ;)

i finally moved my butt and went for full body massage yesterday (the first time in my life). is that gasping sound i hear? yes...i am that 'ulu'...hehehehehhe. went to this little nice place called Wellness Sanctuary at Plaza Damas. the massage was really good and i had the 1 1/2 hr session of aromatherapy & shiatsu. very relaxing and rejuvenating. i chose the peppermint & lavender massage oil yesterday. the massage session is rm60 for 1 1/2 hour. i think i am going to sign up for their package - buy 10 get 2 free at rm600 :) Wellness Sanctuary also has Spa Buffet, Body Exfoliation, Slimming & Detox and Foot Reflexology.

just in case anyone is interested, here is the tel no. 03-6203 4092 / 03-6203 4093. they are open from 9am to 11pm daily. it's best to call for appointment.

Soaking my feet before the start of the massage

one of the massage beds

i thought i could have a really good sleep last night after the massage but i was wrong :( my sisters and my mum were also at the mall and all us had some coffee and cakes at a new cafe called Le Passione (i think). the coffee was pretty strong and that kept me and my hubby awake all night. only managed to sleep around 4am *slaps forehead*

Halloween Costumes

One of the festivities that I love is Halloween as it is a wonderful time to see adults and children all dressed up in their creative halloween costumes. I also enjoy seeing all the spooky decorations everywhere. Halloween is also a time for parties, masquerade balls, costume contests and more. This is the time of the year that people who are normally restrained would let loose a little.

I remember a really funny incident which took place during Halloween. Many years ago, my husband and I were staying in Toronto with my brother-in-law. During one Halloween, my brother-in-law did not have enough candies to give out. Some of the children were rather disappointed that they did not get any candies during Trick-o-Treat. The next morning, my husband discovered some smashed up rotten eggs on his car's windscreen and bonnet :) I guess some kids were really unhappy about not getting candies the night before. So, after that incident, we made sure that we always enough candies to give out during Halloween :)

Do you know that eventhough I love Halloween, I have never been to a Halloween party before? I am sure it would be a lot of fun to dress up. If I have the chance to be invited to one, I know where I would get my costume from. It is at CostumeCauldron.com. This online store has the finest collection of Halloween costumes for adults and children. Costume Cauldron has over 10,000 masquerade items to choose from. It is easy to shop at CostumeCauldron.com as I can just browse through their products by costume types, accessories or props. If you are looking for some Halloween costumes, this is the best place where you can find everything you need to dress up and have some fun. Those who wish to be adventurous can find a variety of gorgeous and sexy Halloween costumes here. Best of all, Costume Cauldron offers worldwide shipment. I browsed through their toddler costumes and found this cute Dora costume which I think would look really nice on Ashley.

Well, I think if I were to let her choose, she would probably go for this pretty Barbie party princess costume which comes with a tiara :)

Halloween is less than 3 months away so hurry and start shopping for your unique Halloween costume at CostumeCauldron.com. I am sure you would love their wonderful collection. Also, if you wish to find out more about the Halloween costume history, just click on the link provided. Enjoy your shopping!

Oops I Did It Again ;)

I went out and bought Ashley another lantern *grin* I just can't resist this cute butterfly lantern. After all, she's a girl so she ought to have something girlish :) Now she walks around the house with 2 lanterns in her hand. When I brought her out to the shops near our house this afternoon, she insisted on taking the butterfly lantern with her *shake head* I cannot believe my eyes....I saw the CJ7 lanterns being sold too. Nope, I'm not gonna get that for my lil' missy :D

Shopping Craze Again

Before my cousin and her children returned to NY, they spent the last week in KL. They were in Ipoh most of the time as her family is in Ipoh. So, what did she do in KL?? Went shopping of course :D We spent the whole day at Ikano/Curve one Sunday. My favourite store, The Brands Outlet has so many pretty clothes for girls. My cousin bought a set of princess pyjamas for her daughter and also a hoodie top and capri pants for Ashley. My mum who came along aslo bought Ashley a pretty dress. Below are photos of Ashley's new clothes:-

A pair of cute Next capris

A short-sleeve Carters hoodie

A lovely dress from por por

A sweet white cardigan top from FOS

My Neighbour

My neighbour, a retired man in his fifties, is really into gardening. He has turned the little plot of land which is in between the front of his house and mine, into a garden. There are morning glories, roses and a few other green plants in that garden. He also put up a really neat fencing around the land. Every morning, he would go out and tend to his garden. Then, three times a day, he would water the plants without going out of the house. What he does is that he would stand at the edge of his porch and splashes the water onto the plants. It is a really funny way of watering the plants. My little one would laugh everytime she sees him doing that. Sometimes there are cars parked just beside the garden and they would be wet from all the splashing. Those car owners would have to get a car cover if they do not want any free car wash :)

How To Take The Stress Out Of Moving

Moving to a new place is fun and exciting but the move itself is not. The anxiety of moving house is one of the most stressful events that can occur in a person's life. Many people prefer to move their belongings to the new house themselves by hiring a van for a few days. However, this can increase the stress levels of the move dramatically. It is much better to leave the hassle to a professional company if you want to reduce the stress and fewer breakages. One reputable and experienced moving company which can handle your move is Humbolt. This Boston Moving Company is the oldest and most experienced in moving company in Massachusetts and has been serving customers for over 50 years. They specialize in local and international moving assignments. Humbolt handles car shipping, art storage and employee relocation services. They have a team of professional movers who have undergone rigorous qualification and training program to handle your personal items with care. This award-winning mover has even moved a painting worth $135 million from New York to L.A. Many customers have returned to them as repeat customers and even referred their friends and families. Therefore if you planning to relocate and want to make your move a pleasant experience, contact Humbolt now.

Doing Her Business

Ashley still poo poos in her potty and she only does her business upstairs....in the bedroom...at a specific spot. Don't ask me why because I am still trying to figure it out *lol* However, when we stay at a hotel, she's willing to poo eventhough we are not in the same bedroom. Thank God! So each day when she wants to poo, she would go, "Mommy...poo poo". If I'm slow, she would say, "Mommy, poo poo. Hurry, it's coming out. FASTER!!!!" O_O

"Poo Poo Mommy"

It's coming OUT!!!!

See, this mommy is so bad...still taking her own sweet time to snap a few photos...muahahahahahah.