Door of communication

We were at the jewellery store about a year ago, searching for the perfect diamond ring for my brother to present to his true love on their upcoming solemnization. As we were admiring through the dazzling jewel collection, my daughter (at that time she was about 4years old), started tugging at me and calling out to me to get my attention. Soon it broils to a tantrum. I knew this could only mean one thing - she wants something.

My husband assumed she wanted candies from the shop next door. So he took her there to get her off my shoulders so that I could concentrate on the task at hand.
After 5 minutes they returned, Alyssa looking sullen, and my husband with a big frown on his face.
"I can't figure out what she wants. She doesn't want to talk. She just shakes her head at every item I showed her. I give up."

I knelt down to make myself at the same eye level as Alyssa.
" Alyssa, I know you want something. But I would only know if you would tell me what it is. I promise you, I won't scold you. You have nothing to be afraid of."
Still she kept quiet.
I saw her eyes wandering to the jewellery collection behind me.
" How would you like a necklace?" I prodded her gently.
I saw a faint glimmer of hope in her eyes. I knew then that I had hit the nail right on the head.
I promised her I would get her a necklace the next day. Suddenly, she was all smiles & all traces of tantrum disappeared.
Sometimes we forget that the best way to communicate with our child is by talking to them. Just imagine ourselves in their shoes. Give them opportunity to talk. Kneel down to their eye level and REALLY look them in the eyes. Hear them out. Don't be so hasty in jumping to conclusions and punishing them. And stick our words when we say we won't over-react. Don't close the door of communication for our children. It's very, very precious. Once it's closed, it will be locked forever.

How to gear up your kids for a doctor's visit

" Duduk diam! Jangan gerak2, nanti doktor tu cucuk!"
The 3 year-old boy looks at me with big round eyes, then starts screaming at the top of his lungs.
And there goes my golden opportunity to build rapport with my little patient :(.

How many times have I heard parents of young ones misusing my scary identity (i.e., the one with authority to poke a needle into their kid's bum) to threaten their children for their own short-term gain? Countless number of times!

As a doctor and mother of two, I have never EVER threatened my own two kids with the syringe and needle. No matter how they misbehave.

The reason is simple: doctors are good human beings. And you want your kids to be able to differentiate between good and bad people instead of "labelling" them blindly.
Associating doctors or nurses with everything negative would condition the kids' minds to think that these are bad people, so the next time they see a healthcare staff in white uniform or stethoscope pass by, they would automatically cower.

Here are a few tips to minimize their trauma the next time you need to take your little ones for a visit to the clinic:

1) Purchase a doctor toy kit and invite your child to role play. For example: "Alyssa, let's play 'doctor-doctor'. You be the doctor, mama jadi orang sakit.
Hmm, Dr Alyssa, I have a cough. Can u please check me? (Let her auscultate your chest with her toy stethoscope). And I have a sore throat. (Let her shine a torchlight down your throat). That way, they would have a "feel" of what is going on in a doctor's mind - nothing monstrous!
2) Let them watch Doc McStuffins over and over again :)
3) Instead of associating doctors with "cucuk", try describing them from a more positive angle. "Daniel,  remember on our last visit  to  the  clinic,  the  doctor  gave  you a  sticker  for  being a  brave boy. I  was  so  proud of  you!"
4) Buy story books with pictures that illustrates visits to the doctor. That way, the child knows what to anticipate during the visit.

5)  Offer them  something  to  look  forward  to  after  the  visit. As soon as  you  exit the  consultation  room,  shower  your  child  with praises, and plenty of hugs and kisses. Afterwards,  take  them  to  the  playground or the ice-cream  store for  some goody treats.

How you indoctrinate your child from young will shape your child's judgement and perception of other people as they grow older. Teach them from a young age to regard everyone with respect and compassion, not unnecessary fear or hatred towards other innocent beings.

Hope  this helps :). Share if  you  find  this  useful. 

Let kids be kids

During our east coast road trip a while back, we stopped by the Cherating beach to stretch our legs and get a glimpse of the beautiful beach before continuing on our journey ahead....the kids were soo excited to see the beach! 

Alyssa asked permission if it was ok for her to get her clothes wet. 

After a moment's hesitation, I nodded. Beaming from ear to ear, she jumped into the splashing waves and within seconds, she was fully soaked. Soon after, her little brother followed suit. And there they were, fully clothed, splashing happily into the salty waters. I could only watch in horror and knock myself on the head for CONSENTING them to mess up their lovely attire. 

Honestly speaking, I didn't think the kids would go further than getting their little toes wet. Or else I would have taken the trouble of changing them into their swimsuits first. But I was totally wrong. The damage was done.

I wanted to get them to stop. But then again, I decided not to.

I reflected upon a heart-wrenching article written by a mother who tragically and unexpectedly lost her toddler in a car accident. 

She begged all parents to let their kids just live in the moment. 

Little reminders like for instance it's ok if the kids sometimes don't finish up the veggies on their dinner plates.
She reminded other parents not to yell out their frustration at their small kids for not living up to that ridiculously perfect expectation that we adult have unfairly imposed upon our little ones.

Little things like that.
Let kids be kids and have fun.

Because life is unpredictable.

 Today they're here, in one split second, Allah can take them away from us. And we might have big regrets later for not letting them have that five precious minutes of joy. Sometimes we have to let loose and shut out that perfectionist voice screaming inside our head things like"OMG these kids are ruining their beautiful Levi's and I'm going to have a hard time with the washing up later! Quick, make them stop!!!"

Before we open our mouth and be that spoil-sport mummy, just remember: 

No-one will remember the messy washing-up afterwards...nor the tedious task of ridding the sands from the car seats & floor.

But the sound of the kids' laughter as they splash in the waves...

The joy glowing on their innocent beaming faces as they venture deeper into the salty waters...

Priceless!

THAT is something that will remain in our memory forever. Not regrets about dirty clothes:)

So let's count our blessings and thank Allah for giving us these beautiful children. Bite our tongue. Continue smiling. And let the kids have fun and get dirty once in a while. Trust me, it's good for their immune system anyway ;).

Homemade Sausage Buns

Yesterday I received a bunch of spring onions from a neighbour (Isn't that sweet of her?). Frankly speaking, I'm not a big fan of spring onions. Kalau makan mee sup or any dish where they sprinkle spring onions on top, I would be the first to separate them spring onions and 'curi-curi' put them in Hubby's plate....huahuahua...

So, erm... how exactly do you prepare a dish where you can chuck in lots of spring onions without having to subject yourself to that awkward 'springy' aftertaste? 

By popping the spring onion-sprinkled dish in the oven of course!!!

So I decided to make sausage buns and sprinkled them with collossal amounts of spring onions on top. The results?

BEST!!!!!!!
hihi

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients (makes about 8)

For bread:

- 250g bread flour, sifted

- 1 egg

- 25g softened butter

- 125ml fresh milk

- 5g yeast

- 30g sugar

- 1/2 tsp salt

For topping:

- Sausage

- Mozarella cheese

- Mayonnaise

- Chilli sauce

- Spring onion, chopped 

Method:

1) Mix the yeast, salt, sugar, fresh milk and egg in a bowl.

2) Add in the sifted bread flour and knead for 2 minutes.

3) Mix in the butter and knead until you get a smooth and elastic texture.

4) Cover and let it poof until double size (mine took about 2 hours).

5) Punch the air out and shape it into a long oval shape, like this:

6) Place a piece of sausage and wrap it tightly.

7) Cut them into 8 pieces and pull each of them over

8) Let it rest for another 30-45 minutes. Top them with mayonnaise, chilli sauce, spring onions, and Mozarella cheese.

9) Bake it at 160degree Celcius for 12-13minutes....

....and VOILA!

Hubsy and the kids loved it! Every crumb of it was consumed within 12hours after it was out from the oven. 

But guess what???!

My super-duper picky-eater kids put aside the spring onions on THEIR buns and 'curi-curi' put them on MY plate :P

To a Wonderful Dad :)

Before i was married to my husband, I noticed that he's a natural with kids. Chidren from all ages seemed to be attracted to him like a magnet. After i get to know more about him, I start to realize bit by bit that he is just the right father material. And that's when I decided that I am ready to move on to the next phase of life with this wonderful man.

When we had Alyssa, our lives totally changed. The sleepless nights, the breastfeeding woes, nappy-changing and the endless uncertatinties that we faced. Both of us had no first-hand experince on taking care of a baby, and it definitely was not as easy as we thought. 

But my husband was determined to be a hands-on daddy. During my confinement, every night without fail Alyssa would cry for hours, and only fall asleep after cuddling her in our arms. The moment we put her down, she would start screaming. To make matters worse, Alyssa had problems with latching. I had to wake up every 2-hourly to express milk to feed my baby. I was totally exhausted from chronic sleep deprivation. Compounded with hormonal instabily, I was at my wit's end. I would burst out crying for absolutely no reason. I realize I was suffering from post-partum blues. I needed help. And my pillar of strength was my husband. 

He would wake up many times at night to feed the baby and change her diapers. He would stay up all night to cuddle our baby just to make sure she sleeps. Even though the night before he was on-call at the hospital,with no sleep for the past 36 hours. Even though the next morning he has to set off for work before 5.30am, and return after 6.30pm. It was not easy, but he sacrificed his own sleep just so that me and Alyssa could have ours.

Thank you S, for being the best daddy and husband that I could ever ask for. I couldn't ask for more. We love u lots! Happy Father's Day!!

KL's Farm In The City

Last weekend, we took our kids out for another outing with Hidayah's family at Farm In The City in Seri Kembangan. Just like the name implies, its a combination of a farm/mini-petting zoo with a 'kampung' ambience right in the heart of the city. Just perfect for the kids! :)

The best part about this place is that you can feed the animals as well as pet them. The kids (and us too!) had lots of fun feeding and touching the animals up close and personal. Surprisingly, the animals were very tame and friendly! The staffs were cheerful and pleasant too.

The farm opens from 10am-6pm (weekdays), and 9.30am-6pm (weekends). Its closed on Tuesdays, except for school holidays and public holidays. Fees are RM30 for adult (Malaysian nationality) and RM25 for kids below 12years. Children who are less than 90cm tall gets to enter free of charge.

In front of the entrance. The place is stroller-friendly, which makes it very convenient for family with young kids.

Alyssa insisted on wearing her headscarf even though the day was hot. She would make a big fuss whenever we try to remove her headscarf! Haha...(i'm proud of you darling).

The schedule for main activities. Don't miss out on the animal feeding & show!

 What did the fox say? (apparently he didn't say anything!)

You need to be at least 90cm tall to have a go on the pony ride (none of our kids qualified for that yet though).

That's Alyssa's Papa petting the raccoons!

Feeding the fish and swan at the pond

If you look hard enough, you can see a porcupine in this picture...

 Isn't the Marmoset monkey cute?

Alyssa just LOVES the rabbit farm!

...but freaked out after being 'attacked' by a group of hungry rabbits :)

 ..catching 'longkang' fish. The fish was so fast, we didn't manage to catch any   :(

 At the birds' sanctuary.The birds are so tame, they will literally feed off your palm!

BIG tortoise (yup, they love kangkung!)

Check out the expression on Alyssa's face.....priceless!

Aren't we cute? :)

Clockwise from left: Azkiya (Dayah's eldest daughter), Alyssa, Aufa (Dayah's second daughter), and Dayah's nephew (not sure his name)...peace!

Azkiya is not afraid of the goat :) 

...group photo with Hidayah's family...say cheese!

To those family with young kids, this place is highly recommended for you. I think it's more exciting than taking the kids to the zoo, as they get to feed and interact with the animals here. In the farm, most of the animals are free to roam about safari-style (except for a few which are enclosed in their sanctuary).  

Be sure to bring along lots of water as it can get hot during the day. And I recommend going early as I notice that as the day progresses, some animals tend to ignore the food being shoved upon them as they have been fed by the visitors who came early (perut sudah kenyang maa...). Don't be afraid to bring along your kids' stroller as they have a convenient stroller-track. And bring plenty of snacks/energy bars to keep your kids alert and perky throughout the outing! :)

Unplanned Udang Galah Road Trip

A few weeks back, we brought our kids 'balik kampung' to visit my aunt Mak Teh in Temerloh, Pahang. The tranquil kampung environment was just the break we needed from the hustle and bustle of city life (if u consider Ipoh busy enough!). We called up our old friends Hidayah (who works nearby at Klinik Kesihatan Maran) and her hubby Fauzan over to join us overnight at Mak Teh's house.

While catching up on old stories, suddenly Fauzan casually mentioned, "Korang, nak tak esok kita pegi makan udang galah dkt Laban Chondong...." 

           ..........and before we knew it, the next day we found ourselves packed in our faithful old Honda CRV, embracing ourselves for a 180-km roadtrip to Leban Chondong just to eat udang galah! Owh, and we dragged along our kids too (3 hyper-active toddlers and 1 baby). Yup, we're dat crazy!!! Did i mention that we LoVE adventures? :)

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Along the way, we stopped by Pekan for some cendol and rojak at Hamid Cendol....yum yum!

Check out Daniel's drumstick! *chomp!*

The journey took us about 4hours (with many pitt-stops along the way). Finally we ariived at our destination. It turns out to be R&R Leban Chondong. There are many stalls selling udang galah, but many recommends the one at the end, which happens to be attracting the largest number of customers. 

The iconic udang galah statue in front or the R & R

can't wait to dig in!!

The udang galah came in different sizes, from C (smallest) to A+ (REALLY big!). The price of the dish will depend on the size of the prawns. We settled down with B+ sized prawns.

Yummy udang galah!

Kedai Makan Mak Ngah

...tido kekenyangan.

We arrived back in Temerloh at night. All in all, it was an enjoyable trip. We all had fun, and having friends who are "same head" (sekepala) with us makes the trip more worthwile. Would we do it again? Definitely!