Signs of Spring is here...

Weather: Mostly Sunny 0°C

Finally the gloomy winter is gone...i wish the economy will recover quickly from the gloom and spring forward to better days ahead...

i love seeing more sunshine now...and the day stretches longer till 7pm instead of the sun setting @ 4pm...the skies are more clear and weather is turning positive...no more below zero degree weather ! the trees are starting to green...can even feel the air is fresher...but with dat beautiful sight...of coz there is a downside...snow is melting...u get wet puddles and sloppy, muddy roads and pavements...but i hope the warm atlantic air keep coming and keep the temp high, i'm sure i can be in my PAPILLIO in no time...!

with the great weather, we finally have the chance to bathe our beloved car...who has not had one thru out winter...and of coz its a long wait at the car wash...

its a very different system here compared to back home...in SIN, we can have the "ah nehs" wash ur car @ the parking lot or go to the petrol station for manual wash...and they even wipe down dry for u! but here...u insert coins and select the type of wash u want....like high pressure soap, low pressure soap, foam scrub, high pressure rinse, etc etc...and every dollar gets u 1 min 15 secs...and we could insert coins to extend time till we are done...so when the times starts u have to grab the jet spray or scrub and race time...! its so fun!

steve will do the scrubbing and spraying and i'll b the shouting to him...50 secs ! 30 secs! 10 secs! the intensity feels like we're in a kinda game racing against time...!

we jus wanna get the job done using as little loonies as we can...

i realised i have never washed Pinky (name of family car) in sin b4 coz i hate perspiring...and with dat heat and washing car...no way...! but i get to experience washing our own car here and it really feels good after seeing the car spick and span...but sometimes i give up wiping the car dry when the wind chills gets too cold...anyway it dries up real quick...

there has been many "false alarm" that spring is REALLY here...coz when the weather seems to turn sunny and temp rising...the weather forecast would say we might have snowfall over the weekend...duh...

*fingers crossed*

My 1st Attempt @ Fried Bee Hoon !

The bee hoon in the picture might not look tempting coz i took the picture in a hurry due to a hungry toddler tugging at my shirt...but i assure u, it definitely taste alot better than it looks...

for my very 1st try in my whole life! i tink i did pretty good...or at least someone appreciates it alot...i was quite worried Darius might not like it since he is very picky when he sees green stuff in his food...(jus like me when i was young...truly my son...) but he gobble them all up...

im really afraid of cooking hard veg like green beans, broccoli, carrots etc...coz they might take longer to cook to soften up...but at the same time i might overcook my other ingredients in the dish...n when veg are not cook properly they have a yucky raw taste...which is a real turn off!
so when i threw in the bee hoon...i realise the green beans r still quite hard...so i had to simmer for longer time than instructed from the recipe...yes of coz i followed a recipe...! im a recipe follower...if there is no measurements in there...i cant do it...!

i was so worried the bee hoon might turn out to be mushy...but in the end...it turn out well!

so im going to try and perfect this simple yet fulfilling dish b4 i can present it to my hubby...

the critic...

i have been trying a new recipe every few days or whenever i felt like it...coz i feel bad for Darius to eat congee everyday...so i try not to give him the same staple food for dinner everyday...

i have tried homemade pizza which is real easy and takes only 5 mins...all sorts of pasta dish...tortilla wraps...quesadilla...ya not much of asian dish coz i feel most asian dish very "ley chey" (troublesome) and too much prep work to do...which i rather spend quality time with Darius than in the kitchen...but i still do try when i feel inspired...

its like running a restaurant operation here....make breakfast and serve...clean up and start lunch preparation...when its near 1pm make lunch and serve...clean up and start dinner preparation (when the prince is sleeping)...usually Darius will have dinner at around 6 but would depends on wat time he wakes up from his nap as well as his snack time...sometimes he will nap from 2-6pm...but if he naps only 2hrs...he will wanna have a snack after waking up at ard 4 plus pm...but i try to only give him fruit and serve dinner at 5 pm...like dat he will start to wanna snack b4 going to bed at around 8pm...which is usually bathe time...

ya i know i shd instill a strict schedule and not be so flexible especially with meal and nap times...but at the same time i wanna let Darius decide when he wants to eat...and how much to eat...but as for nap time its almost about the same time plus/minus an hour everyday...

i used to feed him at strict hours but i realised he dun eat well due to he is not hungry enuf...as adviced by the nurse...so letting him decide really works...but dat would oso mean i need to have healthy and fresh food prepared for him in advance...

u might be wondering y i cant do the all the preparation together...i did thought of dat...depending on the day's menu...but firstly im slow...im a beginner...and i handle the knife slowly but still cut myself many times...i run to and fro to check back the recipe on my lappy...

also i cant spend too much time in the kitchen coz Darius will crave my attention after playing alone for too long...

i feel more like a complete mother now...dat i prepare all his meals myself...instead of feeding him prepared baby food from Gerber and Heinz...it feels really great when i see him enjoying the food i made...felt like i did my role well...its so amazing this little guy can make such a huge change in me...i used to be the "take away" person...but my kids deserve better and healthier foods...thou not as yummy as take away food...haha...!

practice makes perfect...! if jO@nNe can cook...so can ANYONE...!

dAriUs' 14th mtH oLd gALLery...