1st day De-Tox

There's a crazy fad going around now, and it's De-tox! yeah, it's something my friends, (which means 30 somethin's and older) are talking about and doing. I never thought I'd get to this stage, but (sigh) i finally have.

Anyways, i went to Cheryl's new pharmacy, called CHERYL PHARMACY yesterday... a Truly unique experience. It's like stepping into a cozy home with all sorts of interesting products which make you feel like you've gotta buy buy buy. Nothing like the boring medicine smelling pharmacy you find outside. You've gotta go there to know what I mean. ANyway, yes, so I bought bought bought...... am especially happy with the organic shampoo which has a lovely aroma and brings this cool, clean tingly feeling to my scalp. Also happy with the yogurt maker. :)

And yes, I was persuaded to buy Juvanex, a detox program. I think I need it for lotsa reasons....
So I started that today. Anyways, it says in the booklet, "to maximise the effect, try to follow eating suggestions inset." So I looked at the suggestions and it said "Day 1 and Day 2 - fruits every 2 hours." "Day 3 and 4 add vegetables to fruits."
I thought...that sounds easy, and went and bought a WHOLE lot of fruits.

So today, I started. Juvanex in the morning followed by fruits. ........ but err....... my stomach wanted more........ more......so I thought a bit of wheat bread won't hurt, and I had that. Then came lunch....... and I had more fruits...dragon fruit, pears and grapes. I drooled as i watched my children swallow their rice, vege, chicken and potatoes....... *drool Drool* and began to wonder if I'd survive this, just one day.

I've to disappoint you by admitting that when Jo couldn't finish her drumstick, I reasoned that food should not be wasted, so I helped her finish it. hahaha..... but ok, it was just 2-4 bites.

Then I decided to take my mind off food, go swim. So swim we went. and after the swim, I was totally LONGING for food, esp a bit of meat...not pork or beef, just some good fish. I love fish. I stole some cereal from my kids and went home and had more fruits.

so I decided to read the booklet again, and to my relief saw, "a small portion of brown rice with vege soup" is allowed. ahhhh.... that was a tremendous relief!! That concludes my first day of detox. I feel ok, not tired or grouchy as they said some might feel. However, I do feel a little hotter than usual, so I've got my air conditioning running at full force.

Let's hope I survive the second day without breaking too many rules. I suppose I want to follow it as closely as possible to get max results and also hopefully to loose some weight. I still need to get rid of that post pregnancy fat, which seems to have become "permanent deposit" around my waist line.

Anyway, one thing i learnt today, i probably can never be vegetarian. haha...

Baking again..

This week I decided it was time to take out the mixer and start baking again after a few months rest. The last time i baked was for Christmas, and i Was baking so much, I didn't wanna bake at all after that.

Well, as you all know, Nel's started kindergarten, and she has to take snacks to school everyday. Sometimes it's sandwiches, but she mostly prefers biscuits (cookies). So, I decided better make her some wholesome, healthy ones free of preservatives and low in sugar. :)

Well, I picked this Oatmeal COokie recipe from Martha Stewart's cook book. mOdified the recipe a little by cutting ammount of sugar by half. Usually I add raisins, but this time, I thought I'd make it a little more sinfully delicous. I replaced the raisins with really good bitter sweet dark chocolate. The result.......................... ahhhhh....absolutely delicious.

I gave a batch to Aunt Gladys. She's my mum's friend since the time I was about 7. Later she sms'ed me and the message goes "thanks....very delicious, all gone in 5 minutes!" Nel loves it, so I'm happy, coz it's nutritious. :)

Looks kinda sparce, but that's coz we had already eaten them, warm, fresh out the oven....before I took this shot.

yeah...oatmeal, wheatgerm and good good dark chocolate.

one batch of cookies here..

Then, I decided we'd bake some sausage buns. Junee helped me out on this one... I'm afraid the bread didn't turn out as tender as I'd like it. Fault of the recipe I think. ok, my fault too for experimenting way too much. I added Atta flour to see if it'd turn out well. Anyway, it makes really good breakfast rolls if eaten hot with cream cheese spread. slrrpppp........ i think I'll go get some now. see ya.

Picture taken before entering the oven. No pictures after that. Was too busy tasting.

Super Moth

COnversation with Nel today:

Nel: Mum, why can't my dolls and teddy bear talk like the ones in the story book and cartoons?

Me: coz, that's all imaginary, they're only in stories and on TV, they're not real.

Nel: Mum, is someone watching us on TV?

Me: Why do you ask that?

Nel: well, we watch people on TV all the time, so surely someone else must be watching us on TV.
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Conversation with Jo while reading a book on farm animals:

Jo: Look mum, baby cow likes to drink mummy's milk, and baby Goat likes to drink mummy goat's milk.
(Jo turns the page)
Jo: Look mum, baby chicks like to drink mummy chicken's milk.

Me: No, Jo, baby chicks don't take mummy chicken's milk. they eat grains. Look at this Jo, the mama chicken can lay eggs! lots of them.

(Jo looks....and after a moment says)

Jo: Jo cannot lay eggs. ....... but Jo can Eat Eggs!!! yummy. :)
(Jo turns the page to look at a picture of a lady milking the goat)
Jo: Mum, why is the lady.....why is she pulling the the..... the...... the....... the............ milk?

Me: She's milking the goat, when she pulls the milk comes out.

Jo: (thinking hard...) Mum, is it pain? Is it pain when the lady pulls it like that?
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Anyway, today we met a Super Moth! Actually this Super moth came by our house last night and hovered around the porch light.

This morning, while driving the kids to school, I looked in the rear view mirror to see Super Moth stuck to the back window! I told the girls "Look, the moth is stuck on the glass!" The girls got REALLY excited!!
After 10 mins of speeding down the highway, it WAS STILL THERE! "Wow," I said in a screechy high voice pretending to be the moth, "I wanna go school, I wanna go...wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee this is fun!! wooo hooooooooooo"

Then the moth started sliding slowly towards the edge of the car. I told the girls to say goodbye to it, but Super Moth decided to hang on!!!!!! and it DID!!! I dropped the girls, drove back another 20 minutes, and the moth was STILL there stuck fast on the back glass! Simply Amazing! So I grabbed my camera, and then proceeded to see if I could get it into a glass container. That's when Super MOth decided to say adios, and it flew off. I admit, I missed it when it left, for it sure created a super morning for us all. haha...

Dear Moth wherever you are, I hope you don't end up as bird's food.
now I must go google Moth to find out about it's amazing ability to stick on glass through wind, turns, bumps and brakes. It must be an adrenaline junkie!

Super Moth
Super Moth on edge of car, but hanging on tight.

Pretty aint' it?

Close up of its beautiful wings

here's a weird conversation with Jo which I had yesterday. In my younger cousin's terms, the conversation would be described as "Lame." haha....

Well, it all started coz I have a dog named Camel. My friends have asked if I was crazy to name my dog Camel coz it might confuse my kids. Plus, at one time I too had a cat named "Dog" and a rabbit named "Kitty."

So it was over teh tarik "pulled tea?" while waiting for Nel to finish ballet class...

Me: Jo, do you have a camel in your house?

Jo: Yes, camel is in my house.

Me: A Camel in your house???!!!!! (eyes opened wide in shock and horror....)

Jo: Yes, and it's in my kitchen.

Me: In our kitchen?????? Oh my gosh, how can that HUGE camel get in our kitchen??? A Camel is supposed to live in the desert or in the zoo....

Jo: My camel can run and fetch balls and it likes to lick me, like this! (sticking out her little tongue)

Me: A Camel that runs and fetches balls??? Jo????? How can a camel do that???? (and here I whipped out a paper from my handbag and began drawing a big picture of the real camel, and a picture of my tiny poodle named Camel.)
Me: So Jo, which Camel are you talking about? which camel do you have in your house?? the big one or the smalllll one?

Jo: (pointing to the poodle) This one of course! my camel has curly hair. But I like the Big Camel. I want! I want! I want! My daddy took me to the zoo to look at the camel and I gave him grass to eat. I want that big camel mum. Can you buy me one???? I want I want!

Me: staring at her and wondering why on earth does she want a camel. and ok...trying hard to control my laughter, coz I had to look very serious about this matter of having a camel in the house!

Anyway, the people sitting near us must've thought we were crazy, or my daughter was over imaginative talking about a camel that can run and catch balls and which lives in our kitchen. :)
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Camel

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BTW, it'z crazy how hormonal changes wreak havoc in our bodies. Couple that with certain geneticically related tendencies...it creates some miseries for a 30 somethin.
One is the ballooning body. most female in my family are pear shaped. Ok, so Jennifer Lopez is supposedly pear shape, but she's fit and trim and has extra padding on the top. Problem with this body is with a lack of exercise, that pear is gonna turn into a plump plum!!

hormonal changes.....arrghhh.....affects lustre on skin, thinning hair, temper changes, and for women, sooooo many many many changes as we age. SO many of my friends are going for laser skin treatment, slimming treatment, hair treatment...... boy the cost of living for a 30 somethin is REALLY high isn't it? I have yet to splurge on such treatments... but may consider a few in the near future haha...

weaning

Well, the election has come and gone...was my first time voting. thought, I had to do my part as a citizen of this country...
The results are out, and really, it's just mind blowing, the way the results have turned out. :) the people have spoken, the message is clear, and I just pray that things in this country will start to improve. HOpefully the opposition will carry out the things they've said. Otherwise, I suppose things will swing the other way again in 2013. Nuf bout that. http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/ (<<-- go here to read more about it.)
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Some updates on ze kids.

Jo's still strong headed as ever. I'm finally REALLY trying to wean her. The last few attempts were half hearted attempts...as I didn't want to loose that special bonding that comes with nursing. I've refused most of her requests for mummy's milk...and she kinda understands. Although she still begs for JUST one...and so I give in to just one.

There's mixed feelings in weaning.... first it's relieve that the sleepless nights will soon come to an end. Currently she wakes about twice a night instead of the usual 5-7 times. On the other hand...there is a tinge of sadness that she's no longer a baby...the baby that snuggles close to mama several times a day to be very close to mama. She loves to go off on her own to play now. However, the bonding which nursing brought about is still strong. Even when playing on her own, she returns every now and then to give me a hug, or say "I love you mum." :)
One drawback is, it is so VERY difficult to make her sleep nowadays. With nursing, that little girl is sedated in a very short time. Without nursing, it takes almost an hour to put this little monkey to sleep. She's very active.

Also, little Jo's imagination is very vivid and wild. The other day, I was about to just drop on the bed after a tiring day when she shouted "DON'T SIT!" I jumped up and asked "What????"
Jo replied "There's an ostrich on your bed, don't sit on it!"

oh well...blah blah blah. Nel's coping well in kindy. She loves it, and the teacher loves her. :) She's still struggling with the Chinese language.... but excels in all other subjects. ok, will end here....

or the kids will grow very wild soon without my supervision. :)