Brave as Can be

My little tot, CJ is a boisterous little boy. He is high-spirited, active, inhibited, riotous(!). But, occasionally something random scares him. A new fan that oscillates, the sound of a remote-controlled car, the roar from a life-sized neon dinosaur in a park and just a couple of days back, he freaked at the sight of his classmate's birthday cake - a cookie monster with googly eyes. I mean children are supposed to like cookie monsters and dinosaurs right?

Many people do not talk about these issues but apparently general anxiety is quite common with kids this age. The cause of this fearfulness is paradoxically their increased understanding of the actual world. I do not know how long this will last but hopefully not too long with this book that looks like just what we need.

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I would welcome any other recommendations. How do you deal with a fearful toddler?

Evolving home and an awesome train table

Being a SAHM is the hardest thing I ever have to do. No doubt spending time with my toddler is a priority, I do not neglect my home. I try my best to clean, spruce it up and of course, now, more so than ever, keep it functional.

Eventually, the clutter simply started annoying the hell out of us. I try not to possess things and follow Marie Kondo's philosophy of keeping only things that spark joy. Despite this, we still needed storage solutions, space for the toddler bed in our room (!) and needed a whole new feel altogether. We have outgrown the urban grey walls and felt that our home should suit our active toddler as well.

As a result of too much HGTV (kidding!), we are in the midst of a major overhaul of our home. Wall hacking, built-in storage solutions, space-saving solutions, smart home and so on. I believe your home should always evolve with you.

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PS. Isn't this train table awesome?! I think mommies of boys can relate!

Mombie. Life as of late.

As someone who gets agitated easily when things don't go according to plan, the past 6 months have taken on a whole new level of craziness. Being a new mom has been the most trying, most humbling, most emotional experience in my life. It has also been the most rewarding.

Everyday, for the past 3 months at least, I try to have a routine but really, Christophe shows me who's boss. Sometimes when its time to nap, he decides to bounce around the bed, and I play along 'cos I find him too adorable. I do not know how mothers do it with a fixed schedule. Sometimes I doubt myself, maybe I am not disciplined enough, maybe I am not following it through so he gets mixed signals, maybe I should have waited 5 mins before picking him up since birth, maybe, maybe, maybe. This is especially so with the sleep training. What sleep training? There's no training. He cries, and we pick him up.

So! this is what our routine is like everyday.

6.00-7.00am C wakes up hungry. Feed. Most of the time he decides not to sleep after that.

7.00-8.00am Flurry of activities. Change diaper and out of the sleep suit. Place him in the bouncer, let him spend a few mins with daddy before he goes to office. I wash up and make the bed. Once daddy leaves, I will wash the bottles that were used for night feeds, set up the sterilizer, boil new batch of water, top up the water dispenser. C watches me from the bouncer. I pass him a cold teether before he gets cranky.

8.00-9.00am On a good day I make coffee to brace myself for the day ahead. I let him play or attack Sophie the giraffe while I take sips of my coffee. At this point, I also decide what he should play with that day. I have an issue with toys conquering my living room. I think its a better idea to rotate his toys to keep things fresh.

9.00am Feed breakfast/milk.

9.30-10.30am Nap time (sometimes he naps for 10 mins but most of the time 30 mins) / Prepare lunch for C

11.00-11.30am Lunchtime for C (so far he hates fish porridge, broccoli with potato, carrot with potato but thats another story altogether)

12.00pm Bath

12.30-2.30pm Feed. Naptime. I wash bottles (never-ending) and dishes, shower on a good day and have lunch.

2.30pm Feed.

3.00-5.00pm Play. Reading. Head out for fresh air/shopping. Feed.

5.00pm Dinner

5.30-6.00pm Depending how tired he gets Bedtime Routine

6.30pm Feed and Bedtime.

7.00-9.00pm Wash bottles (again), sterilise, boil water, laundry, clean up play-mat, wipe toys especially teethers, sweep the floor. If C wakes, feed and pray he'll fall asleep soon.

After 9.00pm Collapse on the sofa/bed.

Unglam but happy! Wefie by yours truly.

9.00pm to 6am C wakes up 3-4 times at least and this has been so recently. Sometimes for a feed and sometimes crying to be carried/rocked to sleep.

Chicken over pasta in 15 mins

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Happy holidays! I decided to whip up a quick simple meal this stay home Saturday while the baby napped. Quite pleased with how it turned out. I just had 1 plate, 1 saucepan and a ladle to wash. LOVE!

I got some ingredients stocked up in my little pantry. Thank God for Redmart. Who needs to be at a supermarket physically these days (!)

// 15 mins Easy Peasy Pasta Dish (that your kids will love!) - Recipe for 2

1 can Prego pasta sauce (Tomato, basil and garlic)
Linguine
10 CP's cooked honey chicken mid wings
(Optional) Chopped garlic
(Optional) Old El Paso chilli spice mix

Directions

1. Microwave the wings for 3 minutes and get the meat out of the bones while pasta cooks.
2. Set aside cooked pasta.
3. Add olive oil to the same saucepan that was used to cook the pasta. Add chopped garlic for some flavour.
4. Add pasta sauce
5. Add cooked chicken meat
6. Optional// Add half packet of chilli spice mix
7. Simmer then cover the pasta that was set aside with the sauce.

That's it! All in 15 mins or less!

PS. I added the chilli spice mix to neutralize the Prego sauce as I found it a tad sweet for my liking.

Ikea classics that will never go wrong

We Singaporeans simply love Ikea too much. Not just for the furniture/home accessories and other knick-knacks, but also the hassle free meals. Who doesn't love Ikea fried wings (chicken), right?

I personally do not go specifically to hunt for furniture in Ikea as we prefer long-lasting one of a kind pieces but these are stuff I wouldn't mind getting. I feel they get your creative juices going as your wouldn't want your affordable pieces to look cheap.

/ DOCKSTA Table, White $349

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/ MALM Chest of Drawers, $59-$199

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/ I have to say THE EXPEDIT, $69-$179

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/ STOCKHOLM rug, $399

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/ RIBBA Frames, $3.90-$11.90

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// 2015: Collect Moments

Hello! A brand new year indeed. 2014 was epic with the new addition. The first half of the year, I lived next to my toilet bowl. Second half of the year, I felt great, loved my new growing belly and decided to just focus on myself with yoga and quiet me times. I still think it was because of yoga that my baby came out with just 3 pushes(!) I loved yoga and I miss it everyday.

The end of 2014 was pretty crazy with caring for a newborn on my own at home, and preparing for my sister's wedding. With all these, I haven't had the chance to sit down and think about getting my act together again. I want to see where my blog direction will head towards. Will I be another mommy blogger? We'll see.

For a start, my sweet hubby got me this spanking new Macbook Air to get me going, so that I can stay with beanie and still blog away.

Happy New Year all! Collecting moments will be my goal for this year and the years to come.

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Surviving Pregnancy

Not many of us are blessed with a smooth, morning sickness-less (!) pregnancy. 

As I am currently in the homestretch of pregnancy, and in the light of recent news of Kate Middleton's condition of hyperemesis gravidarum making a comeback during her second pregnancy, I began reflecting on what worked and what did not work for me especially the first 5 months of pregnancy (I was diagnosed with mild hyperemesis gravidarum and was put on drips in the hospital). Not fun. 

Pregnancy Survival Kit by anyta1 featuring a dop kit

First Trimester 1+2 // I did not use these items although some friends swore by it. It took a lot of energy for me to go look for the Preggie Pops (available at Maternity Exchange) I heard that Mothercare carries it but I couldn't find it so I eventually gave up. I will stock up and give it a go the next time 'round. Seabands are available at the Guardian Pharmacy.

First/Second Trimester 3 // I stocked up on Uncle Toby's yoghurt/muesli bars as being on empty stomach makes the nausea worse. If there were any gaps between meals, I will snack on these bars and it helped a great deal. Sometimes to be on the safe side, I will have a slice of wholemeal bread with jam after the muesli bar.

I have heard ginger ale helps with nausea but carbonated drinks made things worse for me.

White bread gave me constipation so I avoided that as well.

First/Second/Third Trimester 4 // To avoid looking like a train wreck, put on some eyeliner and gloss. It opens up your eyes.

Second/Third Trimester 5 // I am at my 9th month now and till date I haven't had a single stretch mark. I do not know whether I owe it to my genes or  this Clarins Tonic Body Treatment Oil. It is quite pricey but cheaper than laser treatments IMHO.

Second/Third Trimester 6 // Yoga kept me occupied and relaxed most of my second/third trimester. I felt pretty good about myself and that is really important for an expectant mother. I still feel that yoga had a part to play in regulating my emotions and keeping me positive especially after a very difficult first trimester. Not to mention the toning of muscles to aid in childbirth.

Second/Third Trimester 7 // I got pregnancy jeans from Motherswork. It is so comfortable and slimming and I think that I will be able to get away with wearing it even post-pregnancy. I feel that tent dresses only make you look bigger than you actually are so I avoided maternity dresses/tops.

Third Trimester 8 // Now that I am in my last leg of pregnancy, the only dress that keeps me comfortable is a black sleeveless maxi from H&M. Its not a maternity dress so I'll still be able to wear it after I pop.

Third Trimester 9 // Ah-ha! The Upsie Belly' Belly Support Belt. It supports my lower back as the baby gets heavier and I wear it 24/7 (almost). Sleeping was a chore and very painful till I found this. It was really hard to change sides as I feel I have a bowling ball inside my tummy.

First/Second/Third Trimester 10 // Uniqlo AIRism bra top is a savior because you get away with wearing less especially during an exercise session or at home.

If you are considering breastfeeding, you shouldn't be wearing bras with wire.

Uniqlos bras are worth considering as well.

First/Third Trimester 11 // For soothing relief, essential oils are the answer. I avoided all except citrus oils during the first trimester just to be on the safe side. I do not know if they really help with vomiting but I did feel slightly better after I used it with a diffuser while lying down and resting.

I have also heard that peppermint helps and clears your head while lavender helps with relaxation (for sleepless nights) and even during labour. 

Party Planning :: Away to the woods ...

Recently I have been pinning pictures of kids' birthday parties. I think I have had enough of tacky parties that take place most of the time here. Enough of Frozen y'all! Let it go already (sorry, can't help it) It's now time for more creative ideas/themed parties. Recently my sister, Flora threw me a tea-time woodland themed baby shower and I loved the fact that it was not a predictable typical baby boy shower. Perfect for parents who choose not to find out the gender of the child.

{all photos by yours truly}

Cupcakes/Cakes: Sugarie Sweet
Party/Card design: My very talented graphic designer sister,  Flora
Props: Stylist's own/ TBA
Teatime Delights: TBA

Well ... hello!

… I'm not dead yet. I've just got a bun in the oven. As first time parents, we are really excited and nervous to meet this little guy (yes, a little man!). As I am typing, I can feel him being all hyper in my tummy. He reminds me of Rodin's The Thinker.

A new chapter unfolds.

// 20 week sonogram

Destination Thursday // How to pack for winter?

It can be quite a challenge for those living in the tropics, to pack for winter. During our coldest days in Singapore, all we need is one cardigan (!) So for me, I learnt it the hard way.

My very first winter holiday was in New York where I layered like crazy and looked like a dumpling in every photograph. I also wore high heeled boots (bad idea!). When you have sub-zero temperatures, you will be more concerned with keeping warm. Additional leg aches and blisters ... not necessary.

Last year we went to Europe for 2 weeks. We were anticipating cool, comfortable weather as it was the beginning of Spring but we were welcomed with winter weather. So it was quite a disaster as you can expect. I was better prepared for the last trip I went with my husband to Europe in Dec 2013.

There were some learning points I gathered from all these trips and I am more than happy to share them with you.

+ Try to be comfortable and avoid heels especially in cobblestoned streets in Europe. Your feet will thank you.
+ Always cover your hands and head - the extremities. You'll feel better instantly. Match your beanie/headgear with your glove.
+ The base layer should always be a thermal wear or something in wool. Never cotton.
+ If you know its going to be a cold day or temperatures might dip, wear a thermal top, wool sweater and an outerwear. Pair your outfit with a pashmina shawl and keep another neutral colored one in your bag (Just in case you desperately need to stay warmer or someone needs it).
+ Drink lots and lots of water. You can easily be dehydrated and you would not even know until headache strikes.
+ When you travel, always always keep an umbrella in your bag. Winter weather is mostly rainy. You wouldn't want to be wet AND cold.

//image by yours truly

I have prepared 10 different outfit combinations for you with just 5 tops. Bring along neutral colored accessories/scarfs for easy mix-match. The accessories will instantly polish your look.