Cheeks to Cheeks

I woke up (well, Belle came in screaming, “Wake up, Mommy!” and dragged me downstairs) with this…

The hubby and the oldest daughter made a triple decker french toast. It was really delicious. After breakfast, Belle was too excited about her swimming trip, she insisted to wear her swimsuit the entire morning. As she was playing downstairs, I was upstairs feeding Cassie and I fell asleep. Daddy had to wake me up just so we could bring Belle to the swimming pool.

The last time Belle was in a pool was during our trip back to KL (when she just turned 1 year old). For the first 15 mins, she loved the water. After that and after a few gulps of water later, she told us she didn’t like it after all. Ya-Ya and Nai Nai came to the community pool to watch Belle swim (with Mommy). Daddy was at the sideline with Mei-mei.

After swimming, we headed out to Tung Kee noodles for a quick lunch. While in the car, I asked Belle if she wants to go swimming again. She said “No” immediately…with a “I no like swimming.” I asked, “Do you want gymnastic or swimming?” and the reply I got was, “Gymnastic!” I guess she hated the fact she couldn’t control her movements when she’s in the water. Nevertheless, we will keep with our Sunday swim schedule. Instead of 45 mins in the pool, we will probably do 25-30 mins.

Belle fell asleep in the car on the way back from lunch. She didn’t sleep long ‘cos Mei-mei was too noisy while she suckled on me. Belle woke up and peered over Mei-mei a few times. After the 4th time, she insisted she’s awake and didn’t want to nap. Daddy then took her to Target while I rested with Mei-mei. Needless to say, I slept again. I had so much naps, I felt rejuvenated the entire evening.

We ended our Mother’s Day celebration with dinner at a new restaurant on Castro Street. We hardly eat out ‘cos Belle refuses to sit still for a Chinese meal. Last night, she was great. She ate 2 bowls of tomato beef noodles and some fish. Ya-Ya and Nai-Nai didn’t have to entertain her too. As for Cassie, she was an angel. Not a peep from her throughout the dinner.

So, yea, I had a great Mother’s Day this year. Thanks, hon, for making it a special day.

If I show this site, Upside Living, to my mom today, she will go bonkers buying stuff. Thankfully, she isn’t very good at online shopping. Otherwise, she will be shopping online the entire day. Nonetheless, I would like to get something for her as the products sold at Upside Living are simply exquisite.

Upside Living carries many unique gifts like sheep-skin pillows and throws, Italian pottery, wood sculptures and painted glassware. Upside Living is also one of the few growing trend e-stores that give back to the community. If you purchase from them, they will donate a portion of their revenue to programs that encourage, educate and provide micro loans to the poorest Entrepreneurs. It is like giving a golden opportunity to the earnest, with the hope of pulling them out of poverty.

This site gave me so many ideas on how to decorate my house. If only we could retrieve just one part of it from chaos created by our toddler, we may just have a little luxury space of our own. If you are like me, who loves luxurious decors, do check out their Luxury Guide. It is listed on their Quick Find (side bar). Have fun shopping!

This video was taken the week before I had to report back to work. It is a little blurry ‘cos I had the camera close-up. I don’t usually sound like this but it is how I talk to my babies. :) 

 Roses from our garden to yours…

We dedicate these roses to all Moms. Belle and Cassie want to wish “Happy Grandma’s Day” to their Popo and Nai Nai. Happy Mother’s Day!

In my years of business traveling, I have never rent a car from Advantage. Now that I have stop traveling for work, I am quite bummed out for not able to try out Advantage car rental services. Nonetheless, I am sure I will have my chance fairly soon.

Advantage has special offers on car rental now and to get the special rate all we need to do is apply the codes during booking. Some cars can be rented for $19.99/day and that’s cheap! Now, if only they could extend the promotional code dates for van rental. We may consider renting a van for our summer road trip. Everyone will be comfy and more room for the kids to throw things around. If you are considering to rent a car for your upcoming trip, don’t forget to look up on Advantage.

Here’s the second serie of Cassie’s smiling photos. These photos are a bit blurry ‘cos I was holding the camera with one hand while cradling Cassie with the other arm. I just love chatting with this little girl ‘cos she always smiles whenever we have our girly talks.

Read the rest of this entry »

Before I type anything, take a look at this…

Aren’t they adorable? Now, take a look at this…

(I can hear oooohs and aaaahs now)

I fell in love with these dolls the moment I laid my eyes on ‘em. These are the type of dolls that make girls and grown women goo goo gaa gaa over ‘em. O-kay, I’m not going to keep everyone in suspense.  I’m sure everyone is dying to know where they can get their hands on these dolls. These dolls are from Gifts Define.

Irma Niekum, the designer of these dolls, works with her team in Indonesia to create these crafty pieces. All of these creations can be purchase at Gifts Define e-store.

If I have known about Gifts Define in 2005, I would’ve gotten my baby shower favors from them. Now tell me, aren’t these party favors simply adorable?

Gifts Define collections are ideal for gift-giving from brides to babies to moms. The collections are chic, adorable and perfect as party favors. Have you ever received party favors that can only be consumed and be forgotten. With these dolls, it can be kept forever and who (in the right mind) would want to throw away such irresistable dolls?

I’m already hooked onto Irma’s designs just by looking at it. Look what I got in the mail?

This is perfect for my keychain, or I could attach it onto my toddler’s backpack. This lil Tiger is called Champ and he’s part of the Pocket Pets collection. These mini dolls are made out of wool felt and with close inspection, I can tell it has been hand-stitched with care. The seams are tight and neat. These Collectable Pocket Pets come with a sketch button, personality bookmark and in a paw print organdy bag.

Here are some ideas you can do with Gifts Define collectibles. Better still, hop over to their site now to check it out yourself. I have something in mind for both my toddler and 3-month old baby already.

~All photos were taken from Gifts Define with permission. Thanks Gifts Define for the lovely sample!~

p/s: Gifts Define donates a portion of its profit to ‘Suara Karya’ (Voice of Art) that helps low income women seeking better education and health care.

Now that we are aware of Cassie’s skin condition, I’m looking at skin prevention at a whole new perspective. I have to admit, I am not diligent when comes to applying sunscreen lotion. First, I find a lot of sunscreen lotion greasy and I hate greasy stuff on my skin; and second, I am one lazy person.

Let me tell you this, I have never been as diligent as I am now when comes to applying lotion and cream on Cassie. This also makes me think about Cassie’s future skin regimen. As of now, she has extremely sensitive skin and she will definitely need sun block that 1) protects her from the strong UV we get in this part of the world 2) dermatologist approved (that means fragrance-free, etc.).

Screen, Inc. products will be great for her when she’s in her teens. This sunscreen is relatively new in the market. It is also a product of love by two Moms, Laurie Nauman and Heather Neal, who aim to spread the importance of skin protection from neck up. Not a lot of people apply sunscreen on their face, neck, ears and lips and it is an irony that the first place we get burned is, yes, the FACE. We can always wear protective clothing to protect our body and limbs from the ray but it is quite impossible to cover our face, can we?

Screen received the Seal of Recommendation from the Skin Cancer Foundation. As you can tell, they stand behind their products and most importantly these products were born out of two Moms’ concern. When a Mom is involved, you know she only wants the best for her children. Now, if only I could get hold of one for product review.

Belle has the habit of stroking our arms whenever she sleeps. She has been doing that, gosh, for a long time. Sometimes she will be asleep, turn and her hands will reach out to the space next to her. If she can’t feel us, she will sit up and cry. That’s the reason why she still isn’t sleeping through the night on her own.

Here’s a close up of her carressing her Daddy’s arm…

Look at poor Daddy…

Wait till you see the following photos I have on the girls… Read the rest of this entry »

I love Chocolates. I can’t describe the joy I get whenever chocolate melts in my mouth. I, for one, particularly fancy chocolates that look as good as they taste. Needless to say, if the chocolate is not up to my taste standard, I will not consume it. Now, this brings me to one online store that stands behind their products. Gertrude Hawk Chocolates guarantees every item they sell and if a customer is not satisfied with the purchase, it can be return for full refund or replacement. One word: WOW!

Gertrude Hawk Chocolates claim it uses the freshest ingredients and on top of that, the recipes used are well time-tested. They have gourmet chocolates, fresh Fudge, chocolate covered cherries, sugar-free candy, truffles and others. All of these can be found beautifully wrapped and are sold under their Holiday Gift Collection.

Now, if I could get this message across the husband. Chocolates will be a nice gift for Mother’s Day.