Sweet Cherry Jogger

I saw this jogger at Jaya Jusco, Mid Valley last week and wanted to purchase it immediately so that I can start my daily jogging regimen again after delivering my 3rd baby. The price is RM400+ and there is now a 20% discount. I now have 2 old strollers at home and I used to put Alycia and Sherilyn in the stroller to go jogging with me in the morning whenever they woke up early together with me. However, pushing a 15kg+ toddler (then) on a stroller while jogging is a big feat and completing 30 mins of running whilst pushing a toddler is considered no mean feat. Running uphill pushing a toddler in a stroller would send me huffing and panting. The next day, my hands would ache. A stroller is only for strolls and its wheels are not designed to be made running on the road, uphill and downhill.

I had wanted to get a good jogger (McLaren or Prego) but the price tag made my jaw dropped (between RM1k - RM6K). If I were having my 1st child, I can still consider getting a branded jogger. Since this baby will be my last child, I want to get something that's cheap.


Has anyone used the Sweet Cherry jogger before? Is it good? Can the wheels survive all the running on the rough tar road, uphill and downhill?

I Am Dreaming Of Owning A Home Gym

Hubby is a member of a gym in one of the shopping complexes here but lately he has not been going to the gym regularly due to a hectic work schedule. Though he has not been going to the gym, he still has to continue paying the monthly subscription fees. I find that it is such a waste of money to pay hundred over bucks every month for something that he is not making full use of. If only we had enough space in our house, I would have asked him to buy a treadmill and a weight equipment so that we can workout at home. It costs much cheaper, more convenient and more practical this way, to have a gym of our own at the comforts of our very own home.

Registration In Primary School

It was a tough decision for me - to send Aly to a Chinese school or to a kebangsaan school? I was all the while more gamed towards a kebangsaan school as I didn't want Aly to go through the stress of studying in a Chinese school. Moreover, I had wanted Aly to study in a school which is located just minutes away from our house which would be very convenient for us to bring her to school and pick her up. If Aly is accepted into this Chinese school that  hubby really wanted her to get into, she would have to wake up really early in future to get ready for school. The traffic jam on the one-way road leading to this school is horrendous and parents are now spending between 2-3 hours a day chauffering their kids to and from school.

Hubby has been very steadfast in his decision to send Aly and Sher to a Chinese school. He said he will do all the chauffering of the kids in future. So on Tuesday, he went to that Chinese school and registered Aly there. He didn't have to wait for long as it was the school holidays. The result of the registration will be out in July next year. I can't imagine my 3 kids going to a Chinese school in future - the heavy load of homework, the endless tuitions and me on the road almost the whole day chauffering them around and sitting down with them till midnight every night to ensure that they finish their homework. I shudder thinking of this life.

Loving Sisters

When Alycia and Sherilyn are in a good mood, they can be really loving towards each other. They will hug each other and call each other in the sweetest tone. They will feed one another during meal times and will help one each other dress up or put on the bib. But when sibling rivalry ensues, all hell break loose - there will be nasty name callings, mud slingings, hair pulling and hitting each other. Normally I have to step in to stop the fight. Most of the time, they are loving towards each other and it's really heartwarming to see them acting lovey dovey towards each other like this :

Alycia Can Write Her Name

Finally Alycia can spell and write her own name but she seems to write the letter 'c' and 'a' the other way round. She also writes the number 8 in a very funny way, i.e. first she draws a circle, then she draws a bigger circle right below the smaller circle. No matter how many times I have held her hand to guide her to write it the correct way, she would still revert back to her own way of writing it. However, yesterday she finally managed to write the number 8 correctly, in the correct order of stroke. Alycia has been practising her writing skills everyday, on her own without being told. I was overjoyed when she ran to me yesterday and said "mummy, I can write 8 already!" So practice indeed makes perfect!


Look at the letter 'c' and 'a' - they are written 'terbalik' and I have to hold her hand to write them in the correct way.

Lovely Gifts From Koo Mah

The gals received yet another big box of surprise from koo mah from Hong Kong 2 days ago. When the box was opened, they were tickled pink to see a box full of gifts from Hong Kong Disneyland and Japan Disneyland. One of the items that was really unique and caught their eyes was a pen for them each with the head of Minnie Mouse on the top. At the press of a knob behind the pen, Minnie Mouse's body would pop down. Check out my other blog to see what other goodies koo mah bought for the gals.

If She Continues To Be Good

If my new temp Indon maid continues to perform well, I am absorbing her as a permanent maid. I had spoken to the maid agent last night and he told me that it would not be much of a problem to make the switch. However, it's still too early to evaluate this maid sufficiently in every aspect as she's only with me for 1.5 weeks. Last night after my conversation with the maid agent, I asked my maid if she's happy working for us and she said yes. When I asked her if she would like to continue working with us, she smiled happily and said yes. Hopefully this maid will continue to perform well and continue to treat my kids well. These maids normally change their attitude (for the worse) and performance will also slacken over time and I just hope my maid won't. With 2 toddlers and 1 baby coming soon, I really need a good maid to help relieve my burden.

I Told You She's Really Destructive

Nope, it's not what you think. I didn't wallop Sherilyn till the cane broke. It's Sherilyn who broke the cane. Told you I wasn't exaggerating when I said she's destructive. She has broken many toys and ruined many of my things. When I wasn't looking last week, Sherilyn played with the cane till she broke it. I don't know if she broke it on purpose or by accident but she sure was glad when she told me that she broke the cane.

Sometimes when she misbehaves herself in public, I would threaten to cane her but she would tell me this "mummy, you didn't bring the cane out oso!" She can really outwit me sometimes.

Sherilyn And Her Terrorizing Threes

I remember that just before Alycia turned 3 yo, she mellowed down tremendously. She changed into a more likeable toddler who is more obedient and takes instructions well. Her temper tantrums and melt downs were also reduced tremendously. With Sherilyn, it's a completely different story. She has transformed from her Terrible Twos phase to a real Terrorizing and Torturous Threes phase. Apart from her frequent puking episodes, Sherilyn is very disobedient, turns deaf to my instructions most of the time or switches to selective obedience mode, is extremely mischievous and active, is destructive, wants things done her way all the time which really gets on my nerve. I get so pissed off with her disobedience and stubbornness that I am yelling at her and threatening her most of the time. Distraction and sweet talks no longer work when she wants things done her way.

Her eating habit is still the same - she eats no meat and rice (but likes fried rice) but goes crazy over bread and noodles - plain noodles that is and won't touch any meat in the bowl, except for a few fishballs and a few strands of vege. It's a battle during meal times but if there's a bowl of noodles or a plate of sandwiches placed on the dining table, mealtime will be a breeze for us as she will eat them on her own without any fuss.

I wonder when Sherilyn will get over her Terrorizing Threes phase and learn to eat a proper meal without any fuss, like Alycia. When my third baby arrives, I will not have the time or patience to sit at the dining table for 1-2 hours every meal to coax her to eat.

No Spaghetti But Yummy Fishballs

I promised Alycia who has been bugging me for 2 days to cook spaghetti for her that I will indeed cook spaghetti tonight. But we got a surprise from the gals' sitter this afternoon. She had bought some fresh 'kau yue' (mackeral fish) from the wet market this morning and made some yong tau foo, fish balls, stuffed tofu pok and stuffed bitter gourd for us. That's my all-time favorite! So poor Alycia was a tad disappointed that she could not eat spaghetti tonight. Nevertheless, she can eat noodles with yummy homemade fishballs. I'll cook spaghetti tomorrow - promise you darling!

I Hate Sore Throat

I hate sore throat because I feel damn lousy, damn sick, I lose appetite, I can't eat what I like anymore, especially spicy food and fried food, I fall sick eventually if I don't get enough sleep, I will surely pass the virus to my kids and I have to eat bland and cooling stuff to heal my throat. Before the girls fell ill, I had sore throat. I was very careful that they did not eat my saliva and I took full measures to heal my sore throat. I only drank fresh milk for breakfast, followed by a few wedges of red dragon fruit and a bowl of organic tau foo far (bean curd) with red beans an hour later. I also gargled my throat with salt water throughout the day and night and gulped down thick Manuka honey. Drank lots of water, barley water and chrysanthemum tea and avoided fried food and heaty food. The sore throat went away after 2-3 days without the need to see a doctor. Several days ago, the sore throat made a come back as the ping pong effect of the virus from me to the girls and from the girls came back to me. Again I followed the same regimen. Today, I am free from sore throat! But my poor girls got my virus last week. Thank God they have also recovered now.

My Maid's A Weight Watcher

And she's just like me - on a low carbo diet. Initially, I was a tad suspicious as to why she's so vain. When I offered her jelly with santan (coconut milk), she turned down my offer. The next day, I offered her again, she smiled and told me that she's afraid of getting fat from the santan. She dared not even drink coconut water or eat the flesh of coconut... for fear of getting fat!

On many occasions, I noticed that she didn't eat any rice but only ate meat and vegetables, like me. I asked her why she didn't eat rice and she told me that she's afraid of gaining weight! Alamak! When I could not contain my curiosity any further on why my maid is so terrified of getting fat, I asked her if she had a boyfriend.... and she said yes. She is engaged to a guy who is currently working in a factory in Taiwan but they have not seen each other for many years. No wonder she's so watchful of her weight. I guess she wants to look slim in her wedding gown. I wonder if their relationship will last as both of them have not seen each other for years, though they have been engaged to be married for 7 years already.

You Cheer Me Up Award

Jo-N presented me with this award. I would now like to pass on this award to these blogging pals of mine for they have always cheered me up :

Ashley's Mom
Mamabok
Shern's Mom
Hui Sia
Montessorimum
Mamajo


Thanks buddy for always cheering me up.... with your continued support shown to my blogs and for helping me out whenever I needed it!

Sorry Jo-N I took quite some time to complete this tag.

Outcome Of My Modus Operandi

My modus operandi went really smooth 2 nights ago. After putting the gals to sleep at 11pm, I went downstairs to work on my computer.... till 12 midnight, my so-called Cinderella curfew hour. Sherilyn slept soundly and she did not cry or puke! I had also reduced the amount of milk (by 2 ounces) and diluted the milk for Sherilyn as milk is known to aggravate the production of phlegm. Hopefully I have found the 'right formula' to prevent Sherilyn from crying and puking at night.

My Maid Sure Knows How To Make My Girls Laugh

That's my maid's strong point - patient with the girls and loves being in the company of the girls. I don't think it's for show coz she looks really genuine. She also seems to be very jovial when she's with the girls. When the girls were sick, she was very patient when it came to feeding the kids their medicine. She would clown around, say silly things and sing to make them laugh and eat their medicine. Anyway, I think it's still too early to gauge her thoroughly. She's only with us for slightly over 1 week and I need at least another 2 weeks before I make a decision whether or not to absorb her as my permanent maid, and provided there is no restriction in absorbing her.


Sherilyn who looked so moody and listless here...


and my maid trying to 'thum' (sweet talk) her into swallowing her medicine.


and she succeeded in making Sherilyn swallow her medicine happily.


Alycia laughing at my maid's silly antics.

Chinese Cabbage

I have always wanted to ask someone this - why are there always black dots on chinese cabbage, especially on the whiter part of the leaves. Though the chinese cabbage look fresh and crisp, there are still black dots on the leaves. Does anyone know if the black dots, if eaten will cause any harm? Are they fungus or are the dots a part of the composition of the leaves? My gals and I love chinese cabbage but each time I cook them, I throw almost a quarter to half of the leaves with black dots on them, which is really a waste.

My Modus Operandi

Before I went downstairs to work on my computer, I told Sherilyn that she cannot cry and puke. I told her firmly that mummy has work to complete and she has to behave herself and not give mummy and kakak work to do in the middle of the night. I then gathered Alycia and Sherilyn and said a prayer to Father Jesus. Before I left the room, I placed plastic sheets everywhere on the mattress and a bucket on the mattress. I told Alycia and Sherilyn that if they feel like vomiting, they have to vomit inside the bucket. I then gave them each a hug and kiss and told them that I love them. Well, it's 12 midnight now and I have to go up now to check on the girls. Hopefully my modus operandi works this time.

Dim Sum At Sheraton Imperial

We had eat-all-you-can dim sum at Sheraton Imperial several weeks ago. I must say that their dim sum have improved in taste and variety as compared to a few years ago.

What are your favorite items when it comes to dim sum? Mine is always the desserts!

Stay updated for more pix of what we had there......



The mango pudding and 'lai sar tong yuen' (rice flour balls filled with black sesame paste) were very tasty.

Black Cloud Hanging Upon Us

The black cloud has been hanging on our family lately. Today, hubby met with an accident after his appointment with his client in PJ. A man in another car who despite saw hubby's MPV coming, made a quick U-turn but stepped on his brake all of a sudden when he saw another on-coming car. Hubby could not brake on time and crashed onto the car. The front of hubby's MPV was badly wrecked, so is the other party's car. It so happens that the other party is a driving instructor and invigilator! Now we are left with no car and hubby has to borrow a friend's car. He may even have to rent an MPV until his own MPV is fixed. What a bummer right? This is hubby's first major car accident in his 20 years of driving as he has always always been quite an adept driver. Our only consolation is that hubby is unscathed in the accident, though he will have to burn a big hole in his wallet if he rents a car.

I Really Need To Buy A Laptop

One of the things that I must get myself this year is a laptop. I was just telling Barb last week that since I can’t get down to my little home office to work at night, I really should get myself a laptop so that I can work upstairs in my room when the girls are asleep. Sherilyn my brat is controlling me to the point that I can now no longer get down to work at night even when she is fast asleep. If you have been following my blog posts, you will know what I mean, as this brat has a tendency to cry till she pukes at night when she can’t see me next to her. I’ve seen some laptops selling between $299.99 to $699.99 at buy.com and after I have done some survey on the pricing and type of laptop that I need, I will be on my way to buying my very own laptop soon.