Coca-Cola Rib

This has got to be the simplest dish I have EVER made and it is YUMMY.  I can safely say::: ANYONE CAN DO!!!

All credits go to my good friend from The Pink Pomegranate for sharing with me the dish

Ingredients?

• Prime Rib – 500g (ask the butcher to chop it into about 2.5″ long
• Coke – Half a can
• Char Siew Sauce – 1.5 to 2 chinese tablespoon (I use the one from LKK)

How?

1. Marinate the prime rib with the coke and char siew sauce for half a day
2. Put it in a pot, bring to boil
3. Lower down the fire to simmer till the meat can easily be tear off from the bone with a fork.  This takes about 1 to 1.5 hours.  When simmering, make sure some sauce is constantly covering the meat else the uncover part will be hard.
4. Towards the end, allow the sauce to be boiled till only less than half left.
5. Serve

Addicted to decluttering!

Here goes another EZmum says:::

“Storage spaces are always insufficient?

The only way to have more storage,

is to clear the existing storage spaces.”

After days of planning, shifting and decluttering, I shifted my ’school’ to one of our rooms.  Now the hall looks so much less cluttered, now, it looks more like a living room .

E said::: “Mum, now our house has a classroom!”

My ‘achievements’ from the last few days of decluttering

• I cleared up 5 levels of storage spaces
• tore down my homeschool shelf giving more breathing space
• my store-room and stationery now look so much neater!
• my study-room, aka classroom, now doesn’t have so many ‘junks’, bags and luggage around.
• cleared 2 mountain high of unwanted stuffs
• finally have all, but 1 ultra large, unsightly luggage, well kept into those cleared storage spaces

My helper with one of the trolley load of trash! (The rug went to a good family )

Ballet No More

Ms Z stopped her ballet class.  She confuses me!  She said:

“I like ballet but I don’t want to go for ballet class.”

Huh?!!?!!

Actually, I think I know why…

It seems that she doesn’t quite like the new ballet teacher.  Although Ms Z really learn a lot from her, but, she seems stricter.

Now, I don’t know what to do next.  Ballet from another school, or something else…. She seems to be into gym.  But she is reluctant to go for the class.  Perhaps, I should just wait…

I Win!!!!

I have never been that ‘lucky’ with Lucky Draws!   But this last week, I won!!! Actually, just $20 taxi voucher only lah

This is my 2nd time win in lucky draws.  My first was, I think a $300 March voucher when I was conceiving E.

This time round, all credits go to E.  We were in a Comfort Taxi that has the DHL ads on its car.  Inside it, E read that we could enter the lucky draw my sending an sms.  Well, I thought, why not   So, here we are, $20 lucky draw won!

Thank God and… thank you E

He is excited

He happily tried on the school uniform after we got it.

He has been saying “I can’t wait for 2009 to go to school.”

He already has his school bag packed according to the “To-Bring” list from the school.

My son IS ready for school

Vietnamese Dubbed TV

Vietnamese dubbed their foreign show using the same person, in a read from script manner, without emotions, or expression.  See::: (pump up the volume and ignore Z’s grumbling)

Secret to Easy Discipline

Is there such a thing as easy disciplining???  There is…

He is not sharing

My latest issue with Mr E is in the area of sharing.  He is growing, and he has been very protective over his things, his food, is everything!

Last week, when he was not willing to share something again, I decided not to persuade him anymore, but to wait for other opportunity to share with him, and at the same time, to allow God to work in him (and me).

The opportunity came…

Few days later, while we were walking home from our grocery shopping, with a very relaxed mental state, I was prompted to share with E about what the bible and God said about giving and sharing, and quoted:

“Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” ~ Luke 6:38

Also shared that the bible also said:

“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously…. for God loves a cheerful give.” ~ 2 Cor 9:7

What about me? Am I sharing???

On Sunday night, God prompted me super strongly, to give a pair of the crocs that I bought from the sale to my neighbour’s daughter.  I STRUGGLED!!! Tried to bargain with God.  “But God, I have already given P and M some of the T-shirts and skirt that I bought.”

Sharing is nothing when the thing means nothing to us.

Sharing is something when the thing means something to us!

I finally obeyed, and gave a pair to her, not grudgingly, but, from the bottom of my heart.

The fruit of obedience

Since Sunday, I noticed that E has been improving a lot in the faculty of sharing!  Just now, he asked me:

“Mummy, did you noticed I have been sharing?”

“E, yes, I did, and I’m really proud of you.”

Got the secret???

God – the secret… without God, we cannot.    And I’m really thankful to Him for making my parenting journey easier.

What I find most rewarding through this particular journey is that, other than me, E clearly recognised a higher authority, ie, God.  He knows that the bible is meant for us to obey, and when we obey what the bible says, the promises in the bible will be fulfilled in our life.  This is certainly the most importantly lesson learnt.

E (and me) are not there yet!  But, we are learning together.

Most importantly

This episode gave me a sense of relief and peace, cause I know the burden of parenting is not upon my shoulder alone, but God’s too.

Behaviour and Character

EZmum says:

“Do not take a child’s behaviour as his/her character.”

When children misbehave, it doesn’t mean they are going to remain that way forever.  They need us to show them the right way to behave, so that the right way will gradually form their character.

This thought crossed my mind after chatting with another mummy regarding her challenging time with her daughter.

When our children misbehave, many times, many parents will say things like”

“Why are you so naughty?”

“Why are you so selfish?”

“Why are you so lazy?”

I try to target the behaviour, NOT ther person.  Nobody is perfect, not we as parent, and certainly not our children.  Which is why they need us to be around to guide them.  They may misbehave, but they are also desperately needing us to show them the right way to behave.

Which is why, I have to work so hard to tame my mouth.  Instead of those I mentioned above, I have to say things like:::

“That is not the right thing to do.”

“It will be nice if you can share.”

“You will need to work harder in this area.”, etc etc etc…

Kidzworld at the Singapore Zoo

I have mixed feelings and thoughts about the new Kidzworld at the Singapore Zoo.

My reservation::: a zoo, is a zoo, is a zoo!!! It should be about animals, animals and more animals…

HAVING SAID THAT…

EZ, and many many other children, simply love the place.

And I got to give the zoo merit for making the dinosaurs look really real!  Z and my friend’s boy didn’t dare go through it.

Both EZ simply love the “River Crossing”

BUT…

Doesn’t it become a distraction on why we are heading for zoo??? Instead of going there with a mindset to see the animals, children now go there anticipating to play at the kidzworld!

Sigh… sorry, I know there are plenty out there who love the place cause their (AND MY) children love it. I Know my this post look really really messy, which probably spells my mixed-up opinions on the new attraction in our local zoo…

AND THE TIGERS…

I really hope they are doing well… and I really hope they will recover from the event soon…

LASTLY…

I still wish the zoo, is a zoo, is a zoo….. I like the Kidzworld, but wish it is not in the zoo…

Just My Opinion in My Space

Surviving the Croc Sale

We survived the crocs sale today! Phew…

Good buy? Let’s see…

• The crocs I bought for both my kiddos and I were about $20 to $25 per pair.
• Jibbitz – for Disney Princess, sold in a pack of 7 for $10.  Others, 2 packs of 5 for $10.
• T-shirts and tights – $10 each

Survival Guide:::

Go with a kaki

We have to bring our kids for them to try the sizes.  So one mummy watched them, while the others went off to get the ’stock’.  And we rotate.

Many cashiers, but after awhile, the line was still SUPER LONG.  Have someone go Q first.

Don’t go alone. One to watch the bags or queue to pay (super long Q), while the other go shop. And later rotate.

Just squuuuuuuuueeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzeeeeeeeeeeeeee

The stocks were not in a pile, but, a table separate the sales personnel and stocks from the customers.  So, try to go as near as possible, shout out your desired model and size.  Not sure about the size? Get 2 sizes to try. (See picture in my slide.)

HAPPY SHOPPING