CNY Playdate

We had a CNY playdate at one of our mommy's place today. Great to have a playdate for our kiddos to meet up and get together for few hours during CNY. As for mommies, isn't that great we get to meet up too? There are so much things to update each other, we loved to chat, we are open to all sorts of topic to discuss. We exchanged our thoughts and experience on how to handle with our kid's behaviour, growth milestones & etc.

A bit difficult to gather all our kiddos to take a group photo, they moved almost everywhere as the function room quite spacious. Therefore, I have to take them individually - Eager, my gal, Kean and Issac.

'Ang Bao' exchange time! We, mommies feel so excited and are having fun distributing out the red packets instead of our kiddos, they are more interested with all the toys rather than receiving red packets.

Reached home at about 3pm, after changing, take nap, she slept for almost 2 1/2 hours, think she is really tired.

CNY Gathering

We have celebrated our 3rd CNY together, and I am so honour that our CNY gathering hosted twice at my place - last year and this year.

We have YuSheng bought from Marriott as appetizer, Hot Pot as our main dish and home baked cheese cake for dessert.

On the spot, we can't remember meaning of the YuSheng ingredient, so we just say various 'auspicious wishes' out loud while tossing the shredded ingredients into the air.

After doing some google, here's the auspicious words to say when putting the YuSheng: -

Raw fish - 年年有余

The pomelo/lime - 大吉大利

Pepper - 招财进宝

Oil - 一本万利,财源广进

Shredded Carrots - 鸿运当头

Shredded green radish - 青春常驻

Shredded white radish - 风生水起,步步高升

Peanut - 金银满屋

Sesame seeds - 生意兴隆

Deep-fried flour crisps in the shape of golden pillows - 满地黄金

Snap! Snap! Snap! No idea how many times I have clicked. I just want to capture the best shot for them. I enjoyed capturing every moment of all the little ones, as for the most challenging is to have all the kiddos do the posting in front of my camera. Mission impossible!

Did some cropped and collage, the final result quite satisfied and here's the group photos.

新年快乐! - 'bai nian' (拜年) from our kids to their parents. We want them to learn the Lunar New Year custom whereby the younger generation pay their respect to their elderly.

Family Photo

Lunar New Year greeting from TTKfamily.

GO Xi Fa Cai

恭喜发财

Festive Reunion

I have a great day, with great food served for the day, but I can't sleep with a stomach full of festive food, ended stay wide awake blogging.

Saturday night received a text, TTKfamily are invited over for CNY reunion dinner at my cousin's house. My plan for Sunday have to change, so Hot Pot for lunch and dinner at my cousin place.

Wow! Really had a heavy meals for the day.

Here's the TTKfamily Hot Pot for lunch!

Reunion dinner at my cousin place. Managed to meet up my other cousin (they are sibling) and chat with three of my cousin's son, I don't know what the exact relationship terms, confused me more after reading the family relationship chart.

Gifts Received

My gal brought back a CNY gift bag last week Friday from her Preschool - two mandarin oranges and a bag of red packets.

Another gifts received from my neighbour yesterday, some CNY deco for me, the deco just came in time as I planned to buy some. Lanterns and toy for both kids, they loved it so much.

Thanks you!

My First Chinese New Year Card

I know trough time, my talents will surface

And true artist I will become... ...

Soon my CNY greeting card will now have meaning.

I will learn to be creative with the exposure given

Support, love and guidance

cut and glue and paste

A true masterpiece, who knew?

Time and effort glue each piece

No reason, nor thought of waste

Cautiously, the work evolves

And for the moment, time stands still

I will create what I hold dear

A priceless work of art

This is my experience doing this greeting card at home with my mom guidance will stay forever in my heart

Auspicious Plants For Lunar New Year 2012

Beside decorated with Lunar New Year cutting paper or ornaments, this year is my first year to decorated with some Auspicious plants. Some people called it as Lucky Fortune plants too.

Here's the plant I have for this year: -

Pussy Willows (银柳, Yin2 Liu3)

In Mandarin sounds like 'Money' (银両, Yin2 Liang3)

I bought it from IKEA few weeks ago. I just found out from my friend it is a good sign where Pussy Willows sprout new shoots and leaves, it symbolise the arrival of prosperity and growth in prosperity.

Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena Sanderiana)

I bought it from IKEA too few weeks ago. This plant is to bring prosperity, fortune and happiness. I decorated the plant with some ribbons and lucky ornaments.

Money Plant Jin Qian Shu (金钱树, Jin1 Qing2 Shu4)

Also known as Gold coin Plant or Zamioculcas Zamiifolia (ZZ Plant) or Fortune Plant. My plants grow, is that mean begin to attract wealth luck to my family? :)

It happen 7 months ago, I pluck the leaves at my MIL place and planted to my pot. Now, one of my pot having a stem with 2 leaves and the another pot, a stem pop out from the soil, yet to see any leaves.

Crassula Ovata or Jade Plant

I planted few leaves in my pot 7 months ago, I get the leaves from my MIL place too, the leaves doesn't grow into a plant. I will try to plant it again.

15th Day of CNY - 元宵节

So fast 农历正月十五日, 元宵节快过了! Last day of CNY. How did you celebrate? You are welcome to share your day with me if you want.

We have been long time eating out since I delivered Wayne. Today I decided to cook, went to market then prepare the ingredients. It is a simple dishes just only for 2 of us: soup (carrot, white radish, dried squid & spare ribs) and fry scramble egg with onion. I didn't capture down my dishes, what a waste.

As for Wayne, he has his carrot porridge (double boiled), mash banana & watermelon juice for the day. He also tried out a new taste of food - that is potatoes, looks like he does not enjoy much.

This is how I spend my day with my family... ...

7th Day of CNY

Clean up the house, changed bedsheets and pillow case for ttk's (my hubby) parent.

My father-in-law, mother-in-law & sister-in-laws come over to my place, they reached here around 5pm. Take a rest then they accompany Wayne and bring him out for a walk.

Today is the 7th day of CNY - in Chinese today is everyone's birthday 人人生日. We have our late dinner around 8pm, due to the crowd of people eating out.

2nd Day of CNY

A Little dizzy and headache but feel better compare to last night. As usual, take my breakfast then watch HK series movie '10 Brothers'. My condition worsen in the afternoon, 38.2°C - fever again, think that I can enjoy my day but end up staying in the bed. 6:00pm appointment, yet I have not recover, last solution is to take panadol. Can I take panadol while continuing breastfeed my baby? My finding is 'Yes, you can'. For more details, you may visit the following sites:-

http://www.breastfeeding.org.sg/breastfeeding/articles/stillbf.html
http://www.panadol.com.sg/panadol-soluble.html

Let me share my experience what will happen to him while I breastfeed him after consuming panadol. He is still with me, healthy, active and of course he is my adorable son.

Go to my cousin (Dennis) house and visited him & his family. CNY gathering! We have our dinner together at Muthu's Curry place, to

I have 4 cousin nephews in Singapore, Scott, Shaun, Stuart (3 of them are Dennis's sons) & Fredrick (Patrick's son). This is my 1st time meet up with Fredrick, hope I have spell his name correctly. Although Fredrick attended the dinner with us, but I don't have much time to chat with him, hope to chat with him on the next meet up.

1st Day of CNY

I am not feeling well , fall sick with mild fever. Wish to share my day but not allow me to do so. Just stay at home and rest. Spend most of my time in the bed. This is how I spend my 1st day of CNY.

CNY - Reunion Dinner

After Wayne last feeding, already 3 o'clock in the morning, hubby and I still busy cleaning up the house. We must finish up all the works before Chinese New Year, 29Jan2006. So we try our very best to finish as much as possible. 'wang tian bu fu you xin ren', with tiredness and sleepiness, everything still under our control. CHEERS!!!

ZZZZZZzzzz... ... (Sleeping Time... ...)

1, 2, 3, 4, 5... ... Time Passes very fast, without noticing it, is 6 o'clock in the evening, dinner is ready.