What Mums Truly Want - Mums speak up!

There are a couple of 'celebrations' which I avoid simply because as a marketer by profession, to me, it is all clever marketing. With Mother's Day around the corner, I decided to reach out to some mummy friends and ask them - "What do you truly want for Mother's Day?" Is this 'day' like what we expect - roses and lavish meals? Here's the low down:

"Sleeping in will be awesome for me. Else, I will take a 2 hour massage. Any time alone is goooood!" 

Sandra Tan, mum of 3, www.sanses.com 

"Peace in the shower. Make that a long shower."

Cheryl Tan, mum of 2, http://privikids.blogspot.sg/

"This Mother's Day, I wish for a vintage pearl ring. I once heard if someone buys you pearls, you will have happiness all your life!" 

Lennie Hong, mum of 2

"Honestly, if I can ask for one thing, it's to have my own dedicated craft room or perhaps a customized beading table where I can hide all my supplies without having to clear my current dining table workspace every single day, when it's time for a meal. But for now, I will be more than happy to settle for a phone upgrade. This is as materialistic as I can get!"

Adeline Oon, mum of 2, http://accidental-mom-blogger.blogspot.sg/

"My husband to up his life insurance payout amount upon death!"
Mel Loh, mum of 1

"I want a husband-and-me-only vacation! Haha!"

Klessis Lee, mum of 2, http://www.jbabiesinthedaisies.com/

"What I really want for this mothers' day is, everyone at home to be on automatic mode - I don't need to be nagging or reminding anyone at home to get what needs to be done." 

Pauline Wong, mum of 2, http://mamabliss.blogspot.sg/

"I'm still sleep deprived as the whole gang snores, gnash teeth and I literally wake 10times a nite to make sure all blankies are covering exposed tummies.... someone didn't sleep on the cat. So yes, sleep is good."

Carolina Chalker-Tan, mum of 2

"I truly wish for happy families everywhere. With love, we can conquer everything. And so, I wish for loving families." 

Chai Ooyyoan, mum of 1

"What I want - is also what every mom wants. For the kids to be happy and healthy. That's the best gift to me. They happy I happy. They healthy I lagi happier. No need make cards lavish dinners, gifts etc."

Jacquelene Pang, mum of 2, Sowing Seeds of L0ve 

"I want half a day to myself. Eat, shop, stone, whatever, without the 'village' & the husband cannot call/text me to check on me. I went to the polyclinic on my own 1 time and he called to check my whereabouts. He pretended to ask in jest but I know he was panicking at home. I ended up cutting short my alone time at Compasspoint and bought lunch for everyone. So anti climax... I was beginning to enjoy myself at the Value store...."

Liza Poh, mum of 2, http://motherof.xander.sg/

"Seriously I would be happy with a real big hug and kiss from the boy and a day with no tantrums."

Audrey Soo, mum of 1

So, there you have it! What mums truly want - Mother's Day is not just about a meal or flowers. For most of these mums, it's a simple chilled out "me moment". :) As for me, I have been having some really rough personal issues lately and I wish for peace, protection and basically for the family to be well. I pray that God will continue to watch over us. If you can, please keep my family in your prayers and that would be the best gift for me. :) Here's wishing all you great mothers out there:

Source

Love, Mama Sue

If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts, food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram! 

Parenting with Love - Letting It Go, Not!

My heart dropped and my blood must have froze over 100 times in that short session that Dumpling went for her first ever ice skating class. Gawd, it was awful watching her from a distance. I must have died when I let go of her hands (she had to pry her fingers off my hand) as she entered the rink. She has never done ice skating before and I was thinking "what on earth was I even thinking of?" Why did I agree to send her for ice skating class? What ensued were a million doubts that ran through my mind.

"What if she falls?" (Ya I know, that's stupid.) "What if she bumps her head?" "What if she falls flat, sprawled across the ice and someone skates over her fingers and sever them?" (I know that is morbid but seriously, have you guys not have the same thoughts when it comes to ice skating?)

It does not help when some kid in her class kept falling over and they sorta all went down like dominoes.

This was what happened...

but this is what I "saw"

And while she was shuffling to work on her footsteps and balance...

It felt more like this..

(Source)

I was texting a friend non-stop in the earlier minutes telling her how my heart stopped and that I just can't let it go. No one warned me that it is gonna be this hard as the kiddo grows older. No one told me how my heart will be in my throat as she becomes her own little person and becomes more independent. No one told me that IT WOULD BE ME, who will have separation anxiety.

Where did my baby go? It was just yesterday when I was still holding her as she slid down a slide. Someone please hand me a remote control to stop the time!

If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts, food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram! 

Book Talk Tuesday! The Princess Fables Book - $50 Amazon / Paypal Gift Card

About the Book

Title: The Princess Fables | Author: Marc Clark | Illustrator: Eric Hosford | Publication Date: December 5, 2013 | Publisher: Seven C's Productions | Pages: 115 | Recommended Ages: 3+ Summary: The Origins of THE PRINCESS FABLES: When the author's daughter was just beginning the first grade, she was not happy about school. So when he would wake her each morning, whatever she would say to get out of going became the subject for a PRINCESS FABLE. If she'd say, "I don't want to," he'd make up a tale about The Princess Who Always Said, "I Don't Wanna". If she pulled the covers over her head, he'd tell her the story of The Princess Who Hid Under The Covers. By the end of each Fable he'd have her dressed and ready for school, with her eyes wide open and full of hope... THE PRINCESS FABLES are eleven inspirational stories for young girls who may still dream of being a Princess. Each Princess embarks on an adventure of self discovery and along the way, learns about the importance of trust, devotion, courage and the power of love. These classic tales transport little girls to a time and place where they are the heroines and can create their own happy endings. Every delicate pen and ink illustration reflects the classic fairy tale drawings of the late 19th century. Award: The Princess Fables was just awarded an Honorable Mention at the 2014 Los Angeles Book Festival.  

Purchase

Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Print)

The Buzz

In a recent review by the Island Waves publication, Trey Seal wrote, “The Princess Fables is a book that brings back the nostalgia of the classic fairytales from our youth and is highly recommended for young children.”

Excerpts From Amazon Reviews:

"Marvelously original, soulful, and witty tales! Modern fables with funny and moving twists. I hope these stories make their way to kids everywhere!"

"What a beautifully illustrated and well-written book."

"A charming and witty read, with stunning illustrations. The Princess is adorable and the book conveys a very positive image for little girls."

"Great read for the little princess in us all!"

 

About the Author: Marc Clark

Marc Clark is the author of several plays and screenplays, a writer and producer of commercials, promos and television content. Marc is the father of two and currently resides in Manhattan.

Book Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

* $50 Book Blast Giveaway *

Prize: One winner will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice) Contest ends: May 27, 11:59 pm, 2014 Open: Internationally How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, Marc Clark and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Foodie Fridays - Korean Seafood Pancake

I love Korean food. I love the mesh of sour and spiciness. When a person mentions Korean food, most would think of Bibimbap or Kim Chi soup. For Dumpling and I, it's Korean pancake and bulgogi (for her) spicy beef soup (for me!)

The seafood pancake is one item that we would always order when dining at any Korean restaurant. So I decided to try and cook on our own. Here's our attempt ;)

:: The gathering list

As our version is seafood pancake so basically it can be any seafood items which you like:

Pancake
1) Scallops (chopped into bits)
2) Shrimps (chopped into bits)
3) Spring Onions (I chopped mine into about 1.5 - 2" long)
4) Korean Pancake mix (Check the instructions on the packaging - for mine it was to mix 500gm with 800 ml of water. I halved that for one pancake. If you are using a pancake mix, no egg is required.)
4) Cooking Oil (I used about 3 table spoons, If if is not enough, you can add more along the way)

Optional: I sometimes add in crabsticks (kani) and if the kiddo is not eating, slivers of sliced red chili (seeds removed)

(This is the pancake mix we used)

Dipping Sauce 

1) Vinegar
2) Light Soy Sauce
3) Water
(Mix equal parts of the above - i.e 1/3 of each)
Optional: chopped garlic added to the dip (Dumpling is not into garlic so we pretty much leave this out)

:: Hot Tips

I decided to add a photo of "what not to do" as above. LOL. This was one of my earlier attempts where I made 3 rookie mistakes. 

1) I did not use a FLAT pan (which resulted in a nightmare of attempting to flip the pancake over without the bits of seafood falling out)

2) I added WAY TOO MUCH of the ingredients where the flour mix could not bind the seafood as it was too 'thick'

3) The ingredients were cut a tad too big and took forever to cook.

:: The cookout
1) Add a generous amount of oil into your pan. As I am terrible with flipping the pancake over, I used the HappyCall Pan instead. So, what I did was also to spread a bit of oil on the top 'lid' too.

2) Pour in enough pancake mix where it covers the entire base with a bit of 'batter' to spare and then add in your seafood and spring onions. Sprinkle them evenly.

3) Press down the seafood into the batter and wait till the bottom is browned. The trick is to cook initially on "high fire". This process takes quite long for me - to press and hold and yet wait for the seafood to cook. So please cut your seafood into smaller bits and add sparingly. I know of some people who will toss the seafood separately prior and you can do that too - it helps to shorten the cooking time.

4) When the bottom is browned and the seafood is cooked, add another thin layer of the pancake mix over the seafood and then close your HappyCall Pan 'lid' and flip the pancake over. Open up the lid and press down the pancake.

5) Prepare the dip. Cut pancake into sections and serve hot. :) (Dumpling likes the flour part because she likes the chewy feel. If you prefer the crispy version like me, diced up your ingredients to small bits and spread them out sparingly; this allows you to cook faster and coat better, making it flatter and crispier)

  If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts, food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram! 

Book Talk Tuesday - Earth Day Special: Chinese Picture Books

In view of the upcoming Earth Day, Dumpling and I have been reading titles on 'nature' and on protecting the environment. Amongst some enjoyable ones: one title from the 巴巴爸爸 series, Berenstain bears and 如果地球被我们吃掉了which I have previously blogged about in a giveaway here.

Here are 3 more titles which we have also enjoyed:

:: 我的环保行动书: 垃圾放哪里
This is part of a 我的成长故事图画书 - 我的环保行动书 series which I recently bought and which I am starting to really like. This series has about 30 odd titles in all and is segmented into various larger topical groups with about 4 books under each topic. 

The entire series is suitable for younger children with its cute illustrations and simple explanations. 

In this title, it serves to explore and introduce the concept of recycling and taking care of our environment through the eyes of a boy who lives next to his teacher. 

The sentences are kept short and simple and the story is done in an interactive manner through the speech bubbles by the students and teachers. 

:: Charlie and Lola 查理与劳拉系列

Translated from an English title, everyone's favorite pair of siblings takes us on an educational "tour" on being ecologically friendly through Lola's imagination and experience! Lola comes to understand the importance of looking after our planet through recycling and leads her school to take part in a contest where they win and plant a real tree in recognition of their effort. Lola's 'never-say-die' spirit and perseverance shine through in this lovely story.

I bought this as a 15-book set. Here's the link to view on dangdang. 

:: 树真好

This last story is not a story on recycling but a gentle poetic story translated based on the English title "Tree is Nice" by Janice May Udry . The title is not based on any storyline but on how and why a tree is nice but with examples on what you can do with a tree and on a tree. Its simple approach brings about much beauty and how this unsung hero is able to do so much (and in turn let us do so much) in an understated manner. What's also lovely is its lovely illustrations which won it a Caldecott medal. 

This is one title to be enjoyed on a quiet morning where you can spend time looking through its illustrations and be reminded of the simple joy and beauty a tree brings us. 

"This is one of those books which prick a child into a realization of the beauty of the everyday world." - New York Times

This post is the second post of an Earth Day series. Part 1 shares how we recycled old envelops, newspapers and postcards to make a Corner Page Bookmark. Click on the photo to head to the post :)

If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts, food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram!