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Invites & Tryouts Nat Kao Product Reviews

Yee-ha! [Skibz bib product review + giveaway]

December 8, 2012

I’m a Kao-boy everday but today I’m for real.

By jingo you’re right, I’m a cowboy today! I had some good ol’ beef porridge t’day and finished it all, the whole kit and caboodle, y’know.

And best of all, this Skibz bib cowboy jig is makin’ me look real macho! No more dribblin’, spillin’ – howdy pard! I could wear it all day!

And just so you can be a cool cowboy dude like me, my Mama’s gonna give away 5 Skibz bibs here on her blog to spread some Christmas cheer! Ain’t that swell? You can check out the cool Skibz designs here.

 

This is how you can stand a chance to win in 3 simple steps:

1) LIKE Little Safari Shop’s Facebook Page

2) LIKE Motherkao’s Facebook Page (if you’ve not already done so!)

3) Leave a comment telling us which design you’d like to win for the giveaway. Don’t forget your name and email address so we can contact you if you win!

Giveaway closes 20 December 2012. 5 winners will be picked at random!

UPDATE: We’ve picked our 5 winners! Congrats Jack Kie, Adeline, L Lee, Irene and Lydia!

More details:
  • Skibz, the ultimate dribble bib, is recommended for children aged 0-3 years. It’s made of 100% cotton, looks like a scarf but works like a bib, and is available at the Little Safari Shop.
  • Skibz retails at SGD$20. Motherkao’s readers get 5% off the retail price if you order before 10 Dec. Just quote “Motherkao” when you place your order.

** Disclosure: The Kao-boy received a Skibz bib from Little Safari Shop for the purpose of this review. All text and opinions are the Kao-boy’s (mother’s) own.**

Bento Attempts Food, glorious food! Invites & Tryouts Product Reviews

Boxing the kids’ dinners [Product review]

December 3, 2012

My new hobby of making picture bentos for the kids have been keeping me busy lately, both in the kitchen and online (shopping and learning from other bento blogs!), and it was timely that JED Packs! sent over a set of Tyrrell Katz Working Wheels Snack Boxes. Ben was into construction vehicles since he was two years old, and it’s been more than a year now since his love affair with trucks began. It all started with observing the multiple construction sites springing up all around us in car rides, and many trips to the library to learn the functions and purposes of each vehicle and how each truck works. By two half, this boy could name every construction vehicle he sees in books and at work sites, knows the difference between a steam roller and a backhoe loader, and can explain to us what excavators do and how cement is mixed in a concrete mixer.

So you can imagine how happy he was to receive a set of these. Opening these snack boxes of different sizes like Russian dolls certainly made his day.

These snack boxes are pretty and handy to have in my stash of bento boxes for the kids. Yesterday, the kids were a little under the weather. Becks was having a cold and a fever, and Ben didn’t seem to have much of an appetite.

I made the children some soba with a happy lion in these snack boxes and that cheered them up a bit.

*JED Packs! will be having their Christmas sale this Tuesday (10am-7pm) and Wednesday (9.30am-5pm) at the Orchard Hotel. You can find more Tyrrell Katz lunch accessories and snack boxes, and other pretty stuff there. Check out their fb page for more details.*

**Disclosure: We received a complimentary set of 3 snack boxes for this review. All text and opinions are our own.**

Christmas happiness Food, glorious food! Motherkao loves... Product Reviews

Eat well this Christmas: featuring Preparazzi [plus a giveaway]

December 1, 2012

[Product / Service Review]

It’s hard enough to be juggling a full-time job and minding three kids. It’s even harder if you expect a mother like me who’s trying to get her juggling act together to serve up piping hot homecooked food for dinner every day or host a party with homemade meals. Or ask me to plan how to celebrate Mother’s Day / Father’s Day / Mom’s birthday / Dad’s birthday / In-law’s birthday / whatever Day for the extended family.

So it’ll be great if someone could deliver healthy gourmet food to my doorstep (sick of pizzas and curry chicken in a bun already!); or better still, prepare the food, semi-cook it, and let me do the last minute heating up and garnishing so I can look good and get all the credit.

Enter Preparazzi. I’ve been calling them for help every time I need to have gourmet food delivered to my doorstep.

For Father’s Day last year, as of every year, the extended family stayed in the comfort of home and feasted away. Preparazzi did all the slicing, dicing and seasoning. All we needed to do was to pop the chicken and the accompanying sides into the oven. We ate healthy, fuss-free.

The birds were seasoned and the vegetables were prepped for us

There was also glutinous rice stuffing in the juicy chicken!

For my mother’s birthday last year, we had their signature roast pork crackling with caramel apples, specially seasoned with Preparazzi’s very own spice. For that one, we just reheated when we were ready to eat. Didn’t work up a single drop of sweat in the kitchen at all. Mom loves Asian flavours and this dish had the whiff of it fused to the aromas of the roasted pork and spicy apples. Absolutely mind-blowing.

Preparazzi’s Signature Roast Pork Crackling, photo courtesy of Preparazzi

When I lost my appetite in the first trimester while preggers with Becks, Preparazzi’s home delivery service brought me gourmet tingkat for a while every day. I could even make special requests – like if I didn’t want to have spices added to the mains that particular day, or when I preferred to skip fish and have chicken instead. It was like having a personal butler, and it was nice to be pampered this way, at least for a while. The only work I ever did was to pop the food into the microwave as instructed.

Chicken Rendang, photo courtesy of Preparazzi

Preparazzi offers a service that deals with all the fuss and mess so that you can enjoy the fun bits of cooking and entertaining. They prep the food in cooked or ready-to-cook options, just so you get to impress. Their goal is to help people cook, eat and entertain better, which is perfect for busy people! What’s even better is that they scour the region for the freshest produce and choicest gourmet foods, and blacklist preservatives and additives, just so you can be assured that every bite you take is of the highest purity. I can attest to that: I’ve had their food on many occasions and so far, I’ve not been disappointed. So if you’re hosting a get-together this festive season, or any celebration, big or small, you can just give these folks a call and they will show up with great food at your doorstep.

~~~

*Yay, it’s time to do a giveaway!*

This Christmas, be the star at your dinner party.  Preparazzi’s bespoke culinary services include a well-appointed delivery service, an indulgent bar and bistro dining experience and of course, a luxurious private chef service for a plush night in. Check out their Christmas party packages and other festive goodies here.

Gula Melaka Caramel Glazed Ham (1kg) $58

Roast Turkey with Traditional Sausage and Walnut Stuffing, Gravy and Cranberry Jam (4kg) $220

Specially for the readers of this blog, order from Preparazzi’s Gourmet Delivery Menu and get a 15% discount for your orders. Quote “KAO” at the voucher portion when you check out.

Preparazzi is also doing a giveaway just for Motherkao’s readers! Win their 2kg Signature Roast Pork Crackling (worth $80), redeemable only in January 2013.

This is how you can stand a chance to win in 4 simple steps:

1) LIKE Preparazzi’s Facebook Page

2) LIKE Motherkao’s Facebook Page (if you’ve not already done so!)

3) Leave a comment on this blog telling me how you would define eating well.

4) Leave your name and email address (only if you want to be contacted if you win!)

Giveaway closes on 16 December 2012. A winner will be picked at random. 

UPDATE: And we’ve picked a winner at random! Congratulations to Dominique! Preparazzi will be in touch with you shortly. Enjoy the roast pork crackling!

**Disclosure: I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. All text and opinions are solely based on my experience using Preparazzi’s gourmet home delivery service and dining at their bistro.**

Becks Kao Motherkao loves... Product Reviews

A dragon for the princess

November 22, 2012
My mommy’s won a backpack
From another mommy blog she read
She meant it for the baby
But now it’s mine instead
 
She said it was a pity
If we waited months to use
Twas’ such a tempting offer
Something I just couldn’t refuse!
 
So in goes my favourite Honey Stars
And many other things
It’s now my little trusty bag
Though I’d wished it came in pink
 
The dragon’s really kinda cute
I’m growing to love it so
I hear it’s “Limited Edition”
So you bet it’s gonna follow me
Everywhere I go!
 

*We won a Limited Edition Skiphop Zoo Pack “Dragon” (Little Kid Backpack), courtesy of MummyMoo and JED Packs! JED Packs will be having their Christmas Fair @ The Orchard Hotel (The Ballroom & Lavender Room) this December (4th, 5th). Check out more Zoo Packs and other pretty things for the little ones there! More info on their fb page here.*

** Disclosure: We received no monetary compensation for this post; all opinions and texts are Motherkao and Princesskao’s own.**

(P/S: I really wanted to keep it for Baby Nat, since he’s born in the year of the dragon; but oh well, anything to make the princess-her-royal-highness happy. She looks great carrying it anyway!)

Invites & Tryouts Product Reviews

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.
Everyday fun! Product Reviews

More stix-ky fun [and a discount code for you]

September 15, 2012

I posted some time ago about how my kids made little crawlies out of the Wikki Stix Mini Play Pak sent to us.

I left the Wikkis at our bomb shelter and told them to fiddle with them to create whatever their imagination takes them whenever they want; and when I last checked, this was what I saw:

Something about a monster having his heart locked up in a box. Uh-ok…

*Good news for readers of this blog*: You can now enjoy a 10% discount off any online purchase of Wikki Stix this month. Just quote the discount code Blog1209 upon checking out. They deliver worldwide with no minimum purchase. There are Wikkis in 3 lengths: 6 inch, 8 inch and 3 feet-long ones called Super Wikkis! Check out Wikki Stix here.

Everyday fun! Product Reviews

Stix-ky shapes and letters [Product review]

August 28, 2012

Recently, the good people at Think Thank sent us a Wikki Stix Mini Play Pak that consists of eight Wikki Stix in assorted colours and an idea sheet on how to use and play with these sticky things. Wikki Stix are yarn-like sticks for creative play made in the States that’s totally safe, non-toxic and allergy-free. They are made from acrylic hand-knitted yarn and a food-grade, microcrystalline wax, derived from the petroleum refining process (which is also found in lip balm and cheese) and are great for independent play and learning.

When Ben and Becks saw the Play Pak, they’d thought they were in for a gummy treat! When they realised they couldn’t exactly eat them, they took the Stix apart and clowned around with them. They didn’t actually manipulate or mould them into anything immediately. We were learning a lot about animals the past week, so it was no surprise that they first imagined them to be colourful worms, and then proceeded to stick the Stix on each other’s bums and laughed at their “tails”.

I took the chance to teach them colours and shapes. Since the Stix adhered to any type of smooth surface and are self-sticking in nature, I turned an Ikea box/tray over and got them to make the shapes they knew.

I wished we had more Stix in the pack and that they were longer in length to mould and twist. At some point, the kids were snatching each other’s Stix because there weren’t enough to go around.

After playing with shapes, we wanted to see if the Stix could stick on glass surfaces too, and since we had a glass kitchen door, we used some Stix to make the first three letters of the alphabet.

Again, I wished we had more of them to go around so I could complete my lesson on the 26 letters of the alphabet. But who was I kidding? At three and two, as you can see from the last picture, they were more interested in making worms of all sorts – spiny worms, curly worms, all-bunched-up worms. They had more fun with worms and tails than shapes and letters with Wikki Stix!

MORE DETAILS:
  • Wikki Stix is now in Singapore! You can check out their facebookpage here.
  • You can also contact Adeline at info@thethinkthank.com or visit the Wikki Stix website for more details about the product and where to get it.
  • *UPDATE*: Good news! Readers of this blog can enjoy a 10% discount off Wikki Stix come September! Watch this space for the promotional code!
Food, glorious food! Going Out! Reviews

Wild honey yum

June 24, 2012

I’m the sort who can eat breakfast for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Actually, I am the sort who can eat eggs, butter and toast any time of the day.

So I heard from friends who raved about this restaurant that serves all-day breakfast. And I got the husband to indulge me a few days ago to have breakfast for lunch.

Wild Honey serves different possibilities of breakfast. We went to the one at Mandarin Gallery. The European Signature ($19) I had featured Eggs Benedict, prosciutto ham and mushrooms on a thick slice of toast. I’m not into food reviews so the best word I could use to describe what I ate is “yum”. I could use the toast to soak up all the oozing egg yolk from the eggs Ben and that, was very satisfying for me. Becks had forest berries in a bowl of bircher muesli, which they call their Swiss breakfast ($12) and my husband had a generous portion of spinach salad with slices of sweet potato and pumpkin ($16) and a cappuccino ($6).

It was a pleasant experience. The wait staff was chatty and friendly. The ambiance of the place was cosy and lovely. It wasn’t crowded but that’s because we went on a weekday. The breakfast was scrumptiously worth every cent I paid for.

Would definitely go again to try their version of a Tunisian breakfast. I heard the tomato stew with fried eggs and chorizo sausages are to die for.