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Fuss-free freezing [Product review]

October 20, 2012

Baby Nat is eight months old and enjoying every minute of eating semi-solids with two budding front teeth. To date, he’s had pureed pumpkin, beetroot, sweet potato, carrot and broccoli. He also loves his porridge cooked with a variety of fish, chicken and veggies boiled in fish or chicken stock.

I used to freeze all that excess food in ice-cube trays; unfortunately, I’ve also broken a few with all the banging and yanking to get the frozen cubes out. I gave up using them because it’s just too troublesome to be scooping baby food into cubed compartments while having to mind two tods and a baby Speedy crawlin’ Gonzales, who’s always toppling dustbins and putting dirt in his mouth. Using those ice-cube trays requires so much effort and precision. Using food cups, on the other hand, takes up just too much space in the freezer.

Why is why I was glad the folks at New Baby Singapore sent me Qubies, an upside-down ice-cube tray designed to freeze anything in a totally hassle-free way. Qubies’ dividers are made of high quality food grade silicon so the frozen food cubes are released once you pop open the cover. The tray is made of a new material called Tritan, which is durable and flexible, and best of all, BPA-free. All I need to do to freeze the pureed food for the baby is to pour it into the tray, snap on the divider lid and voila! I get pretty 30ml cubes after the food’s reached freezing point, without having to knock the tray and smash the food out.

It was pretty fun popping cubes out and the two older kids wanted to do it for me. They ended up finishing their baby brother’s pureed beetroot as well!

The people at New Baby Singapore are now giving a 10% discount and free normal postage with every purchase of Qubies. Send Elisa from the New Baby Team an email (newbabysingapore@gmail.com) or leave a PM on their facebook page. Remember to quote “MKQPromo” to enjoy this offer!

More details:

Qubies are available for sale online at New Baby Singapore. They retail at SGD$29.90 and are available in three colours: green, blue and pink.
For a demonstration of how Qubies work, check out this video. You can also join this group for tips and recipes.

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Motherkao's recipes

Lemony cheesy yum

October 19, 2012

One of my favourite combi for cupcakes is lemon and blueberries topped with cream cheese frosting and chopped almonds. It’s healthy and yummy, and something the kids gobble down in minutes.

Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes

Ingredients: (recipe makes 10)

120g unsalted butter at room temperature ( I use Greenfields butter)

125g caster sugar

100g self-raising flour (add 1.5 tsp baking soda if you use plain flour)

2 eggs

lemon zest from 1/2 a lemon and 1 tsp lemon essence

100g dried blueberries

For the frosting:

240g cream cheese

200g icing sugar, sifted

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp lemon essence

Chopped almonds (for the toppings)

Instructions:

1. Gather your little troopers. Prepare measuring cups, utensils and 10 cupcake cups. Preheat oven to 180 deg C.

2. Beat together butter and sugar till pale and creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in lemon zest and lemon essence.

3. Sift flour over batter and fold in. Add blueberries.

4. Spoon 2/3 of batter into cupcake cups. Bake for 15 minutes till risen and golden or till skewer comes out clean.

5. Cool cupcakes in a cooling rack. To make the frosting, beat softened cream cheese with icing sugar and vanilla and lemon essence till smooth. Slather generously onto cooled cupcakes and top with chopped almonds.

6. Enjoy.

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Motherkao's recipes

Steamed cakes for breakfast

October 17, 2012

One of the things we make every now and then is sweet Japanese steamed cake, also known as mushi-pan. It’s so easy to make; all you need is about 10 minutes prep time.

Steamed cake (Recipe makes 9)

Ingredients:

150g self-raising flour (add 1 tsp baking powder if you use plain flour)

2 eggs

4 tbsp milk

4 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp olive oil

Add any flavour, filling or toppings of your choice

You will also need: ramekins and cupcake liners

Instructions:

1. Prepare all that you need. Gather your little troopers. Fill a large frying pan with water (2/3) and bring it to a boil. Put cupcake liners in the ramekins.

2. In a medium bowl, sift the flour. You can use the shortcut for sifting by whisking 20 times. Ben loves to see flour falling through the sieve, so he helps me sift today.

3. In another bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar and olive oil, and whisk them together.

4. Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture, and mix till smooth.

5. Add toppings and mix well. Becks eats the dried blueberries as she adds them. The children add rainbow sprinkles to personalise their mushi-pan.

6. Pour mixture into lined ramekins and place in the boiling water to steam for 8 minutes. Stick a wooden toothpick into the cake. It’s done if toothpick emerges without wet batter.

7. Remove and cool. Enjoy.

5 Comments

Invites & Tryouts Milestones and growing up The Kao Kids

In support of Global Handwashing Day

October 15, 2012

I am one neurotic mother. I just can’t seem to be the kind that subscribes to anything-goes.

I ban tv programmes in the house (check out this article for the real reason why tv is banned in my home).

My kids don’t eat french fries from MacDonald’s (are you kidding me, didn’t you watch Morgan Spurlock’s experiment?).

They have been taught to say no to candies, gummies and lollies of any kind (there’s already enough sugar everywhere, so the only “sweet” they eat is the vitamin tablet).

And I make my children wash their hands A LOT.

Handwashing is proven to be one very effective way to prevent the spread of germs and illnesses. Ben and Becks wash their hands the first thing they return home after they take off their shoes, before and after every meal, after they’ve used the washroom, and whenever they picked their noses or scratched their scalps. They scrub their fingers, palms and lower arms thoroughly with soap whenever they’re done working with crayons, glue and paint. They wash their hands whenever they sneezed or coughed. And if they ate dirt, they not only washed their hands — I put them under warm running water and scrub them silly till they are spanking clean. All in all, I think they wash their hands more than six times a day. I also make sure they only touch their baby brother when they have clean, germ-free hands.

Which is why the Kaos are very glad to celebrate Global Handwashing Day with Lifebuoy today, together with others who are committed to do so in 100 countries around the world. Global Handwashing Day is an event to support a global culture of handwashing with soap and to raise awareness of the benefits of washing our hands. For the 5th year running, Unilever, through its Lifebuoy brand, will work with the Millennium Villages Initiative to bring hygiene education to children across 10 countries in Africa. This year, they hope to save children from potentially fatal diseases caused by poor hygiene and help them reach their 5th birthday.

And we can all do our part for this good cause by pledging to help a child here. With every pledge received, Unilever will commit to teach a child hygiene education through PSI, a Unilever Foundation partner. It’s just a click away; and no money is involved on your part.

I don’t like the the fact that more than 2 million children in African countries don’t live to see their 5th birthday, and even more so that these deaths can be prevented through regular handwashing with soap! I’ve done my part to pledge for this cause, and I hope you do so too.

And while I might relent in years to come and allow my kids to watch tv, have a Happy Meal and try a Chupa Chups, washing their hands regularly and as frequent as their neurotic mother deems fit is no negotiation. Gonna have to keep germs far and away!

To support Lifebuoy’s Global Handwashing Day and help a child reach 5, do make your pledge on Lifebuoy’s facebook page here.

This is a sponsored post. All texts and opinions expressed are Motherkao’s own.

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Becks Kao Ben Kao Everyday fun! Family life as we know it Milestones and growing up

“Your mother here. Over.”

October 14, 2012

There’s a new calm in the house lately. I’ve stopped shouting and barking orders in the house. I think my children are also happier without the yelling.

My husband bought me a set of walkie-talkie.

There’s something about speaking through the walkie-talkie. You don’t scream into it. You stay composed. You speak slowly and clearly. And you say “over” when you are done in a cool, collected way.

“Ben, come to the kitchen now for your vitamins. Over.”

“Aunty M, please make milk for the children. Over.”

“Becks, I want you to come back to the room. Now. Over.”

No more yelling. No more “COME OUT AND PACK YOUR TOYS THEN GO DRINK YOUR MILK AND STOP JUMPING ON THE BED — AND DO I HAVE TO SAY A MILLION TIMES DON’T YOU THROW MY PILLOWS AND BLANKET ON THE FLOOR WATCH IT YOUR BABY BROTHER IS NEXT TO YOU PUULEAZZE YOU GUYS JUST COME OUT AND PACK UP!!!!!!! NOW!!!!!”

You just can’t do that over a walkie-talkie. It’s not cool.

Over.

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Becks Kao Ben Kao Milestones and growing up The darndest kid quotes and antics

Say “aah” and let me feed you

October 11, 2012

My kids are now in the phase of wanting to shove food into your mouth. They like to feed you with whatever they’re eating, and with whatever you’re eating.

So just the other day at the dinner table, Becks was her usual fussy self. She didn’t want to finish her rice. She gagged looking at her veggies. She refused to clean up her chicken wings. All she wanted to do was to give me her unfinished food.

Me: No thank you, my dear. I want to eat my own food, and I want to feed myself.

She then looked at her father with those big round eyes, and asked, “Dada, I feed you your dinner, ok?”

Fatherkao: Ok, princess. You can feed me but I want to eat from my plate, not yours.

Just like that, she got away with not finishing her food. She started scooping rice and soup for her father and made him say “aah” everytime she was ready with a helping.

My eldest saw them having so much fun and asked if he could feed me my dinner. Being ravenously hungry, I declined his offer and told him to finish what’s on his plate. He proceeded to sulk for the longest time and tried to convince me to let him feed me, like how his sister was feeding fatherkao.

Me: No. My answer is no. You finish your food and stop copying your sister.

Ben: (starting to sob) But I want to feed you…

Fatherkao: Just let him do it. The next time he does it, you’ll be eighty years old, dear.

And just like that, he got away with not finishing his food. And I had the longest dinner of my life. I sat at the table and watched him scoop my dinner, bit by bit, shoving in mouthful by mouthful. That night, I realised that it ain’t such a big deal that they can’t finish whatever’s on their plate; but it is a big deal if I missed out this wave of TLC and have to wait fifty years for the next one.

5 Comments

Becks Kao Ben Kao Learning fun! Milestones and growing up The darndest kid quotes and antics

Animal madness!

October 9, 2012

It’s been noisy in the house lately. The Kaos are officially living in an animal farm.

He led the others with his “quack quack quack”.

She’s the little monkey jumping on the bed.

One little monkey jumping on the bed.
She fell off and bumped her head.
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
“No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”

Six little ducks that I once knew

Fast ones, skinny ones, fair ones too.

But the one little duck with the feather on his back

He led the others with his quack, quack, quack.

Quack, quack, quack-quack, quack, quack

He led the others with his quack, quack, quack.

Down to the river they would go.

Wibble wobble, wibble wobble to and fro.

But the one little duck with the feather on his back

He led the others with a quack, quack, quack.

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Going Out! Milestones and growing up The Kao Kids

Not ready for a vacation YET

October 8, 2012

I don’t know why we do it again and again. Ever since the kids came along, we no longer go to get refreshed and recharged. Instead, we’d always feel more drained and tired.

There was even once I attempted to do it without the domestic helper — in the name of “more quality time” with the kids. Who was I kidding? Fatherkao and I were totally bummed after that one.

I’m talking about going for a staycation.

We have a membership going on with the Copthorne chain of hotels and decided to redeem our complimentary night stay last weekend at Grand Copthorne Waterfront to celebrate Children’s Day. Of course, we had to book another connecting room to make sure everyone could sleep comfortably.

Now, a staycation with three kids in tow is like a simulation exercise for a family holiday. With every staycation, I learn to a) pack better, b) shush my kids up quicker for fear of the hotel management knocking at my door, and c) occupy them with available resources in the most creative way possible. Last weekend’s exercise had a new quickfire challenge: the baby was having a cold and a mild fever — so I had to pack medicine, nasal sprays and my mucus shisha, and made sure he was carried and snugged all the time so he wouldn’t be crying the hotel down. Then it poured on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, so we couldn’t check out the swimming pool and were stuck in two hotel rooms for the whole time. We had dinner, breakfast and lunch at Cafe Brio’s and only managed to take a short walk down Robertson Quay on Friday night when the skies cleared, but had to hurry back because my daughter decided to poop as she walked. Throughout the stay, the kids just ran from room to room, played with curtains and jumped on the beds, “swam” in a tub of warm water, while I nursed a cold and fatherkao watched movies on the iPad.

Every staycation just leaves us with the conclusion that we are not ready to fly and travel as a family yet; and we probably need more practice like this one before we go.

Till the next simulation.

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Motherkao loves... The Kao Kids

Hooked on shisha

October 7, 2012

Some of my friends have tried it for fun and loved it. I never did try; flavored tobacco through a waterpipe is still tobacco. I’m referring to the shisha, also known as the hookah.

But lately, I had to do it; I didn’t have much of a choice. The littlest one was all clogged up and my PD recommended this contraption to help ease his congestion.

I call this my “mucus shisha”.

7 Comments

(Self) Examination Love language Parenting 101 Re: learning and child training The Kao Kids

Understanding the five love languages [Part 3] – When saying sorry isn’t enough

October 5, 2012

A complete and genuine apology isn’t just saying “I’m sorry“.

There are five basic languages of apology: Expressing Regret, Accepting Responsibility, Making Restitution, Genuinely Repenting, and Requesting Forgiveness. To restore a relationship and sustain it, you need to deliver an apology when it’s due, and needed, in a way the other person recognises — and accepts — as an apology.

Some people don’t want to hear how sorry you are when you blow it; or have you explain the regret you feel – they want to know if you are making plans to right that wrong. “To make an effort to love ten times more to make up for the wrong you did is better than saying you’re sorry ten times”, and so says my spouse whose apology language is Making Restitution. Others like me, would be contented if you’d just tell me you regret hurting me and promise to never do it again. To hear the other person express regret, is my apology language.

It’s really interesting to find out how we’d like to be apologised to. When the kids are older, I’ll have them sit through the Online Assessment for their Apology Language Profile. I’m gonna be making mistakes as their fussy, neurotic mother along the way, and it’s important that I learn this so we can grow in this beautiful parent-child relationship together.

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