Happy 4th Birthday Iman & Ranya (12 December 2015)

My babies is now 4 years old. Can't believe how fast time flies, such bittersweet moment for me to watch them grow but at the same time wanting to freeze time and protect them in my embrace forever *sobsob*

Since we already pre-celebrated their birthday with the kindy mates, I didn't want to have any big celebration done. The twins begged me for a cake to cut on their actual birthday, so we had a small celebration with my parents and our siblings in attendance. Of all the themes they can choose from, the twins decided on the one that is not easily available in Malaysian stores -> "Doc Mcstuffins". There's Minnie Mouse, Frozen, Sophia the First etc but noooo they had to choose Doc Mcstuffins. One of the sales assistant was like "who? what? Princess Elsa nak?" hahaha

I found a set of Doc party hat in GM for RM6 and that is it, no cups, no plates, no nothing. I don't want to spend a lot of money on the personalize ones online so I DIY 90% of the deco and cake.

The Deco: Super simple but the twins loved it. I used readily available table cloth and trinkets in my house to minimize spending and got some helium balloon from GM which cost a small fraction than if we were to purchase it in party shops. The twins were grinning from ear to ear, awesome how kids appreciate the simplest gestures...

The balloons came in the pack of 5, but Lan and I decided to only use 3 and keep the remaining two hehehe. Made the whole deco even more festive :) 

Ice cream cake made by moi. OMG I think I'll just bake the cake the next time. Don't get me wrong it tasted good and looks presentable, but it took me 2 days to complete the process and once it is out of the freezer, it melted within 10 minutes, so it was super messy. Thank god the twins loved the cake.

Clockwise: Party packs and birthday cake banner ( I designed the label myself and printed it out), store bought party hats and plain paper cups with Doc Mcstuffins stickers I bought for RM0.60 per sheet. So much cheaper than the paper cups ones sold online. A little creativity will bring you a long way :p

 Happy babies...

A hug and presents from Abang. They fight all the time, but they are fiercely protective of each other...

 Our tetamu terhormat :p 

Finally, Ranya got the Baby Alive she wanted. The twins received a pair of Nerf Guns, a makeup table (which Lan hated), new wardrobe for their Barbies, Princess Legos, Stationery set, a cash register and new bags for school. Alhamdulliah murah rezeki my babies....

Ohhh not forgetting the gift from their Pak Long : Their own giant bubble set to play with at home. I think we shall start our own giant bubble business at home after this. Hahaha

Alhamdullilah, thank you Allah for blessing me with these two angels. They have made me a better person and also made Lan and I better partners. Mummy, love you very much Iman and Ranya. I pray that you'll grow up into intelligent and solehah young women, who one day will change the world for the better, Inshaallah. Amin

TCAZ 2015 End of the Year Activities

I've been religiously collecting pictures of the munchkins from their kindy's page so that I can document it all in my blog. I'm sure one day they would love to see their old photos and in case there's no hard copy photos around, they can always rely on my blog *Inshaallah*

Warning: Picture heavy post. 

Little Spy Day : The 5-6 year old was given the task as "spies" to locate the kidnapped 4 year olds. They had to follow the clues provided by the teachers in order to complete their mission :)

Ryan as a spy

Iman and Ranya as kidnapped victims

Trip to KL Bird Park : A trip to learn about birds and its habitats. The children was also encouraged to bring their own camera, and a team of professional photographers was at hand giving the children lessons on how to aim and take pretty pictures. 

My babies together-gather. Last year where they'll be in the same school togather *sobsob*

Festival Kesenian dan Kebudayaan Islam Antarabangsa , Putrajaya : Ryan's trip under his Pra Tahfiz to observe artifacts on  Islamic cultures. There's a video of Ryan being interviewed by a TV crew, will try and extract it from FB and post it here. 

Toys Day Out: The children are encouraged to bring their own toys from home and play together with their peers. I was around during this exercise and I find it very interesting. A good lesson on sharing. 

Sambutan Hari Jadi Perdana November and December Babies: The school had a mega celebration for Nov-Dec babies before year end so that these children will be able to celebrate with their friends. My children insisted on birthday cake a month before their actual birthday and I obliged :p ( I'm a sucker for birthdays hehe). The look on Iman and Ranya's face is worth the trouble, they were so happy and excited. 

I got them cakes from Wondermilk and made the printouts myself. Happy that the kids liked it.

 There's 7 other kids celebrating together with my munchkins

My Babies!!!

Alhamdullilah for a good learning year :) May Allah grant us with more learning opportunity and beneficial knowledge 

Photos credit :TCAZ FB Page. 

The one where my baby graduated (from kindy but still....)

With just a blink of an eye, it is already December 2015, so much good stuff have happened for the past few months and I shall proceed to blog about it all before the end of the year.

Date: 25 October 2015 (Sunday)

Venue: Crystal Crown Hotel, Klang

Occasion: Ryan's Graduation Day and Iman and Ranya's Talent Day

After 3 years in Tadika Ceria Az-Zahrah, my baby boy has graduated and will be starting standard one next year, Inshallah. He have grown and developed so much and I'm super proud of him Alhamdullilah...

1. Ryan is now able to speak in a more eloquent and less "pelat" manner.
2. He's more comfortable speaking in English and I've seen him use more complicated sentences of late (rather than his usual 2-3 words structure).
3. He's able to independently read his Iqra' textbook, memorize 12 short surah and the first 18 ayat of Surah Yassin.
4. He's able to remember all the actions for all 5 waktu for prayers, we still need to work on his recitations of course. 
5. He's able to read quite fluently in BM *yeay*
6. He's able to understand simple Math's concept (numbers, more-less, big-small etc). He's also quite good with additions (both on paper and mental calculation). 
7. He has awesome geography skills (at least for a 6 year old). He is starting to appreciate the differences between state and country :) He knows for example that New York is in US, Kyoto and Tokyo is in Japan and London is in England. 
8. Ryan love drawing. We got him a sketchbook which he call it his "game book". He will draw his Superheroes, battle plans and maps and pretend that it is a part of "video game".
9. He's able to float and swim for a few short strokes. He's a bit rusty, hopefully we'll be able to synchronized our timetable and get swimming lessons back in our roaster early next year
10. He have become quite a "Master Builder" and is super obsessed with Lego. A hobby that I encouraged. 

As much as we're happy that he's thriving academically, I'm more excited about his emotional, mental and physical development. It is no secret that I'm a huge supporter of "learning through play" and I credit Ryan's improvement in relation to his phonological issues based on the play activities that was conducted at home and his school. Alhamdullilah, we made the right choice in choosing TCAZ for Ryan and his sisters. I admit we don't see the development in 3Ms instantly unlike the more "academic" schools but what I do see is this...

Not only does he have the ability to READ, but there is the love of READING,

He not only know how to COUNT but what COUNT most...

We can't thank the teacher's enough for their dedication. Hopefully Iman and Ranya will also benefit from the school, Inshallah.

Muhammad Ryan Daniel was awarded the Anugerah Mutiara Putera 2015 for his developments and achievement this year. Alhamdullilah he won the special award two years in a row :)

My handsome boy confidently leading the ikrar, My heart burst with pride as a mother who watched him struggle to speak properly 3 years ago. 40% of his development can be attributed to the teachers and family support but I will say the rest he did himself. One of the most determine person I know (adults included :) )

Reciting Surah Yassin as a part of his Pra Tahfiz performance

Play acting the life of a "Turkey Boy"

Princess Ranya who had a meltdown earlier but quickly bounce back and gave the performance of her life :p

My Bollywood Princess Iman, who can't get over the fact everyone was clapping after she and her friend did the cute Indian dance head bopping thingy. "Mummy, kenapa semua orang gelak bila kakak nyanyi???" Hehehe

 My sweet babies, during their first kindy performance. 

 With my little superstars...

Our Birthday in Hijrah

All of us knows our birthday in accordance to the Gregorian calendar but not everyone (myself included) knows our birthday in the year Hijrah. I only know of Ryan's birthday according to Hijrah calendar and that is only because I was praying for him to be born on Muharram but he came 3 days too late. Anyway found this app and thought I should document this in my blog for easy reference in the future :) More post coming soon...

Hazy State of Mind...

I have a lot of things on my plate at the moment both at work and at home so my mind is all over the place. I have so many thing to write about but seriously do not know where to start. Maybe I shall wait when my mood is a bit better, or else I'll end up ranting like a mad woman :p

THINKING HAPPY THOUGHTS!!! 

We managed a quick gateway to run away from the haze and to celebrate my dad's birthday. Instead of our normal beach holiday, we opted for a trip to the highlands. Everyone had fun but I think I'm more of a beach person. I'm so in need of a trip to "sea gaze" soon. Don't think that is possible, with the horrible haze situation. 

Check out my reviews by clicking on the links :)

• Review of our trip to Colmar Tropicale
• Animal Park, Bukit Tinggi

Gosh, I do need a holiday but December can't come soon enough with work obligations, minimal leave left and the fact that my parents are going for their umrah soon inshaallah. Oh my and Ryan is starting school soon, so preparations needs to start ASAP. 

Having 3 little children can really put a huge hole in your pockets. Alhamdulillah we're still stable financially and can still afford some "extras"  but with the rising prices, I would really need to reassess my spending. 

As much as I want to be angry at the ministers and the government, I know I'm also responsible for my  own spending habits. The world financial situation is not at its greatest, so I need to spend less and save more. We need to make some lifestyle changes. Hopefully, there's some good news coming from the upcoming budget which will benefit the rakyat as a whole. 

It is frustrating that I've been paying taxes to the government since day one of work but am not able to enjoy much of the "giveaways". No more BRIMS please. Whateverlah kan... changing the government is not possible at the moment so I'm gonna focus on changing myself. I WANT TO IMPROVE MY SPENDING HABIST. (hoping that typing in caps will get the message across better :p)  kenapalah susah sangat nak istiqamah bab ni??? Hopefully I can change for the better. Pray for me???

Anyway have a good week everyone. Stay in and away from the haze ok...

Makan Time @ Batman Cafe and Capricciosa Restaurant, Sunway Putra Mall

DC Superhero @ Batman Cafe, Sunway Putra Mall

I've been promising to bring Ryan to this cafe since we came across the review on FB. Finally managed to make the trip during the Hari Raya Haji break. The store is actually a part of the DC store. There's some superhero inspired decorations including Batman tables but nothing super exciting.

The food however is quite interesting. Since we arrived around 1130 am, only the breakfast menu was available, there is not much menu choices but taste-wise (and based on looks) it pretty much met with our expectations. 

 My delicious Kryptonian Exodus Hot Chocolate

 Metropolis Hero Waffle (Mixed Berries Waffle) and Man of Steel Soda. This hands down is my favorite combo. Totally loved the pineapple and jelly bits in my drink. 

 Even the ice cubes has the Superman Logo on it to Ryan's delight.

Rightwing Rampage Pancake (Blueberry pancakes) and 'Why So Serious" Soda (Dark currant soda and vanilla ice cream). Ranya loved the pancakes which she shared with my sister. The soda is a bit masam for the kids liking but my sister enjoyed it. 

My super excited superhero. Planning for another visit soon to try the lunch menu. Ryan was pumped to try the Batman Pizza but it wasn't available. 

Capricciosa Restaurant, Sunway Putra Mall

A few hours after our shared breakfast, the kiddies was hungry (again!) so we settled for one of the restaurants in the mall before heading home. Since everyone was game for Italian food, we decided to try out Capricciosa Restaurant for lunch.

Since it was our first time at the restaurant, we opted for the "Value Set" - The one we chose was for 2-3 persons, consist of baked chicken, aglia olio spaghetti, clams, croquette cheese rice, grilled lobster, a slice of tiramisu and 3 selections of house soda. My favorite was the olio and clams. The lobster was a major disappointment as it was totally overcooked and ended up super rubbery. I was happy with the rest of the dishes though. 

We ordered Mango Lychee soda, Lychee iced tea and the Lime and Mint soda which was a part of the set. At RM89.90 the set was value for money :)

 For the kids, we ordered the kids meal @ RM9.90 each. Ryan ordered the sliced chicken pizza which was HUGE (8 slices) more than enough to be shared between him, my sis, Lan and I. 

The twins wanted pasta, so we ordered the tomato based spaghetti for them to share. The pasta was accompanied with wedges and side veges. Both meals also came with a scoop of ice cream each. We were all happy and full at the end of the lunch. 

I recommend both eateries for others to try :) 

Harry Potter Baby Shower D.I.Y Ideas

I was tasked with hosting a baby shower for Najwa last week. So the first thing I did was to choose a theme as it will be easier to coordinate decorations that way. A few theme choices come to mind but since the mummy-to-be and a few of the attendees are avid Harry Potter fans, I decided to go in that direction.

Before I started working on the gifts and deco, I went to several arts and craft shops to scout for potential ideas and to work out my budget. The pros of choosing a theme like Harry Potter is its novelty. I think it is a fresh and quirky theme to work with. The only problem is there are not many ready made items, which can easily be bought of the shelves, which means plenty of D.I.Y projects *yeay*.

Project 1: e-Invite

The invitation is the easiest project of all. After I've finalized the date and venue, I went straight to Microsoft Paint to work on the template for the invitation. With some inspiration taken from Pinterest and google *lo and behold* an Owlgram for the invitees.

Project 2: Diaper Cake

I think I've shared the method of constructing a diaper cake in my previous post "How to Make a Diaper Cake". This time around I've decided to create a 3 tier cake, with a baby blanket acting as a base for the top tier. I choose an owl to represent Hedwig (Harry's Owl) and made her wizard hat from black construction paper. To further complement the cake, I bought quill ribbons, owl toys, round glasses and printed the Hogwarts crest. Of all the diaper cakes that I've made so far, I would say this is one my favorite :)

Project 3: Personalized Rompers 

This was not a planned project, I first ordered the rompers from an online shop, but the seller backed out at the very last minute (horrible experience didn't even inform me until I send in messages to ask). I had to think of a back up plan real fast. Since there is no RTW Harry Potter rompers available in Malaysia, I bought some plains rompers in Mothercare and Sharpie "Stained" (for use on fabric) and started "staining" the fabric. 

My designs are usually freehand, but to be safe I drew the design with pencil first and trace it back with marker. It is a time consuming process as you're not working on a smooth surface, so make sure you're not in a rush while doing this. Once you're done, just leave the rompers for about an hour to dry before pressing on the design with hot iron for the colors to set in. After that, you wash the rompers in cold water and leave it to dry to ensure that the colors will not run. I made 3 different design, 2 of which with iron-on Owl embellishments. The rompers was roll over and is a part of the diaper cake "ingredients". 

Project 4: Potter Decos

Customized Decos

• Harry Potter inspired cupcakes from The Baking Fairies
• Owlgram personalized brown bags for each attendees to bring their goodies home.
• Magic Potions (Amortentia - Red, Felix Felixis- Yellow, Veritaserum-Blue and Dragon Blood- Green) as customized favors for everyone. I've you're wondering, the gourmet soda is from the Jelly Bean brand that I purchased from Candylicious OU.

Decorations D.I.Y which are not clearly captured in the photo above

• Bertie Botts Every Flavored Candy in a Martini Glass (I bought Jelly Bean in tropical flavors, to get the rainbow colors. FYI, they have one which offers similar flavors to the ones in the book (earwax, grass etc) but I don't think my friends and I are that adventurous)  
• Gringots Gold Chocolate Coin 
• Charm Chocolate in House Colors (Hershey Kisses in Red, Blue, Yellow and Green Foils)

I had so much fun planning for this shower. Alhamdulliah everyone had fun and the mummy to be loved the concept. OMG now I'm itching to throw another party, maybe I should start planning for the kiddies birthday in December :p

Press on the link for more ideas on Harry Potter Party DIY

Happy D.I.Y-ing everyone