Being Mom

Since fun play has been the topic of the week, I have chosen to share a recipe that is suitable for a party or get together.  Skewers are also at the top of my list when it comes to party food. It looks attractive and it's easy to handle (you can eat it without the need to use a plate).  OK. Lets get cooking! THIS WEEK's SPECIAL:  Prawn and chicken skewers Ingredients: Shelled and deveined large prawns, chicken meat cut in cubes (you can use either thigh or breasts), soy sauce, dark soy sauce, grated shallots or onions, white pepper powder, the white part of spring onion, onions, cooking oil and of course, the skewers.  1. Cut the large prawns into two to three portions.  2. Put the prawns and chicken cubes in a bowl and add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, grated shallots or onions and white pepper powder. Mix well and marinate for two hours.  3. Cut the white parts of the spring onion to 1.5 inch.  4. Cut the o...

Hi! It's time for some fun play! As I have mentioned in my earlier posts, I would be putting up an activity for kids every week and this week, I am sharing with you some simple fun we had when my children were younger. I happen to have some photos of them playing "stacking" and "building" using boxes, Jenga pieces, pillows and some other toys and household items. Watching my children at play has been one of my favourite hobbies and I get to know them better as I watch them doing what they love. OK. Lets get started. WEEK 4: FUN PLAY THEME: STACKING / BUILDING PROJECT: STACK / BUILD WITH TOYS OR HOUSEHOLD ITEMS CHALLENGE 1: PILLOW STACKING Level of difficulty: EASY See who can stack the most number of pillows CHALLENGE 2: STACKING BOXES OF DIFFERENT SHAPES Level of difficulty: Easy to Moderate (depending on the shapes of the boxes) See who can stack the most number of boxes We were making a city and that day. My son...

SCENARIO A "I feel so lonely. I have lost most of my friends since I become a stay-at-home mom. We have no friends to go out with." SCENARIO B "I don't feel safe taking the kids out on my own without my hubby. It is safer to have one adult to one child when we are in public places."  SCENARIO C "It's too tiring. The packing, unpacking, putting them on the child seat, one by one."  SCENARIO D "The hand foot mouth disease (HFMD) is getting out of hand. Better stay indoors."   Whatever your reasons, please do not let them stop you and your children from having fun. IT'S ALL IN THE MIND, you know. ALL IN THE MINDSET.  You can still have loads of fun by staying indoors. Believe me. I have survived being a stay-at-home mom for seven years, with only two children and a handful of friends I meet occasionally.  If your children are bored of playing indoor games you can bring the outdoor activities indoor....

Tofu is one of my favourite food. There are a few kinds of tofu but my favourite is the firm white tofu. It can be prepared in many ways: steamed, plain fried, marinated and fried are how I usually cook it. Today, I am going to share with you a simple yet flavourful recipe of marinated firm tofu. THIS WEEK's SPECIAL:  Marinated firm tofu served with stir fry mustard leaves Ingredients: Firm tofu, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, grated shallots or onions, white pepper powder, mustard leaves, salt, cooking oil.  1. Cut firm tofu to desired size. 2. In a bowl, put in soy sauce, dark soy sauce, grated shallots or onions and white pepper powder and mix well. Add in firm tofu and let it marinate for at least 20 minutes.  3. Wash and cut musturd leaves.  4. In a wok or pan, heat oil (about 2 -3 table spoons) and fry the firm tofu. Fry for about 5 minutes each side. Arrange the firm tofu at the centre of a plate.  5. Using the same wok, ...

Hello!  How was your day? I hope it is all well and..  are you ready for another interactive activity for early learners? We will be doing the English language this week so, I am starting with the alphabets. You can do either the letter sound first and then use the same chart for the name of the letter or you can do both. It's up to you (or rather, the child's learning abilities).  WEEK 3: ENGLISH LANGUAGE TOPIC: ALPHABETS Note: This activity helps a child to have an idea of what alphabets are for. If you have read the activity on WEEK 2, you would have an idea on how to go about this one.  PROJECT: DIY ALPHABET CHART Note: One chart for each alphabet  1. Prepare the materials as in the pictures A and B below.  One glue stick Labeling stickers, and write the words on. Pictures of words beginning with the alphabet you are teaching. In this case, I am teaching the alphabet "K" and the words are "kiwi", ...

Do you like soup? I believe the Chinese do because soup is always one of the dishes served at a banquet or at reunion dinners.  I remember my mom used to prepare soup very often because she had to work so she just use the slow cooker to make it and when my sister and I got home after school, we would serve ourselves to lunch. We had beef soup very often that it is almost the only soup I remember drinking during my childhood days.  However, in my own household, we do not cook beef very often so I only make either chicken or pork soup.  THIS WEEK'S SPECIAL: Brisket bone (pork) Chinese yam soup Ingredients: Brisket bones (300-400g), Chinese yam (30cm), tomato (1 large), yellow onion (1 large), carrots (1), leek, ginger (1), garlic (1 clove), salt (to taste), water (700ml) and Chinese parsley for garnish.  1. Parboil the brisket bones for about 2 minutes.  2. Boil the water in a pot.  3. Meanwhile, prepare and cut a...

Hi! It's time of the week for kids activity again! I have been thinking 💭 and decided to rotate a number of categories, ranging from art and craft to math and the English Language. I am looking at including FUN PLAY too! For this week, lets look at numbers. WEEK 2: MATHEMATICS TOPIC: NUMBERS Note: This activity helps a child to understand the meaning of numbers better than just recognising the digits or reciting the numbers.  PROJECT: DIY NUMBER CHART Note: One chart for each number 1. Prepare the materials as in the picture below. A3 drawing paper and prepare it as the picture below.  NEXT, YOU WILL NEED (refer to the picture below) Note: The followings are for the  child  to put on the above chart.  labeling stickers ( Write the numbers on the stickers. If you are teaching the number "3" then you need three stickers and write "1, 2 and 3" on the stickers )  DO NOT  use different colours.  ...