Tuesday, July 17, 2012

My Secret Garden :)

When it come to our house, my husband's pride and joy would be the 1ksqf garden. That is "his territory" as he's responsible with the planting, watering and taking care of the garden. Anyway, this year we're making the garden as our "couple project", a DIY project for us to tackle together (bonding mahh...)

It is common knowledge that both of us don't share much of the same interest other than the kids :p Gardening is just something that we both enjoy doing (among other things haha) I don't really like the getting dirt under my nails part (I confined my activities to watering and trimming plants) but gardening brings back fond childhood memories and reminded me a lot of my late Wan. I remembered how Amir and myself use to "help" her tend her garden, getting hose down with water and picking flowers and fruits to play masak-masak *smile*

My main objective is just that, to create a space where my children can run around making their own beautiful memories together *insyallah* Earlier this year, we commissioned for the contractor to build us a gazebo like structure to house Ryan's playhouse (yes mengada ;p)


Garden view 1 year after moving in : 
As you can see the surrounding area is pretty bare :p

Lan managed to plant some palm trees outside the house, lilies and this purple morning glory like flowers.

 We bought close to 10 types of plants from the nursery and several big tempayan looking vases

 After a week of studying landscaping magazines and websites we decided that we (hubby haha) will dig a small pathway from the balcony to the gazebo using square granite stones and river stones.

A picture of my handsome gardener at work :p

 The result :) now we have flowers planted around the perimeter of the garden and a small herb (kitchen) garden for edible plants at the end of the house.

Last weekend, the kiddies having fun in their mini pool :) can't wait when Iman and Ranya starts walking, then the real fun begins...

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Of Big Baby "Skool" and Tiny Babies Developments :)

Hello!! I've been abandoning my dear old blog as I can't find the time to type post even short boring ones. That's the problem with working in a unit that is greatly understaffed but received millions (exaggeration) of proposal/ review etc.

*pfffttt* I'm not gonna defiled my blog with boring work entries. Anyways, I've just came back from a 4 days break. It's just a break (not holiday ye people) to run errands and laze around but I had too much fun I wish it didn't end :p Hubby took some time off at the same time, so we manage to tackle a "couple project" that we've been planning for quite some time. I shall call it the "backyard beautification project" ;p I shall blog about it more later on.

Other than running errands for my dad and working on our landscaping project, I managed to register Ryan at his new Pre-School next year. It is quite early but places are limited as the skool takes only 10-12 4 year old per year. I chose the skool out of convenience, it is nearby Ryan's daycare (in fact it is run by the same person) and though it is situated in the suburbs (another word for KAMPUNG haha) their accreditation's is very impressive. The skool was featured in TV Al-Hijrah for introducing the Al-Bagh.dadi Al Quran recitation method and also in the PAMA magazines twice. It is also registered under KMM or was it KPM? so there's quality control there ;p The teaching medium is 60% BM and 40% English.

For 4 years old classes is pretty much focused on "soft skills" and developing motor skills. There's the normal language classes (i.e ABC, 123, AlifBaTa ), music, arts and craft, manners, Islamic studies (basic doa/aqidah/manners etc). There's also class trips (They went for a visit to Kid.Zania and a fruit farm this year) and some end of the year 2 days 1 night camp + sport day for the kiddies (errkkk sleepover for my lil baby??)  To teach basic manners and sharing, every Friday the kiddies is encouraged to bring their own food and share it with their friends (ala2 pot luck). All these sounds so fun and impressive I signed Ryan on straight away haha

Actually Lan and I did do a bit of kindy shopping. There's some discussion going on about sending Ryan to a kindy in Shah Alam, but my parents vetoed the idea as it is not very practical esp with the array of good kindy that is mushrooming and popping up in Klang + Bukit Tinggi areas. I relented and we decided the skool Ryan is going would be a great choice for him *insyallah*

The main concern on sending Ryan to school is the age factor. You see since his birthday is in December he is actually going to be 3 where  most of his school mate is actually already 4. I worry that he may feel a bit overwhelmed with the ongoing but the teacher comforted me that it won't be a problem. My mum also voiced her concerns over the fact that Ryan is not fully potty trained and he is not much of a talker and may not be able to communicate well with his peers, she thinks that we should wait a year before sending him to skool.

I think differently because I've seen Ryan interact and take instructions in his current skool. My lil man who  is very manja at home is actually the most independent and obliging young man in school (this is not me saying but based on feedback from his caretaker in daycare). 

Since we practise dual language at home (both BM and English) he is able to take instructions and even communicate in both languages. So I think we got it covered *insyallah* Anyway lil kids are like sponge so it is a big mistake to limit knowledge and information at this age, sending him to school early means the more he'll learn and I'm sure he'll enjoy it. Ryan was all super excited during his skoll visit on Monday, he shook hands with all his future teachers, greeted his future classmates and even had a short conversation with the headmistress about how much he love "yellow cars" - charmed the socks off everyone - Atta boy!!!


As for the cost. Monthly fees is not much different from what we're are currently paying but the registration fees is double my registration for Masters fee :p so Lan and I have to start saving.. A LOT :p... It is ok baby, you concentrate, have fun and study hard and make mummy,daddy, atuk and nenek proud. Come to think about it I better start saving for Iman and Ranya's school fees too, though it is 3 years away, bearing in mind it is DOUBLE the cost haha

Iman & Ranya : 6 months Development Chart

  • Both are able to roll around from one side to the other so it is quite dangerous to leave them unattended on the bed as they may roll off it
  • Both can sit assisted for about 10-15 seconds :)
  • They're starting to recognize faces, so they are not very receptive to strangers esp Iman
  • Both love eating esp Ranya : I've introduced the girls to rice, chicken, carrot, pumpkin, spinach,corn, avocado, potatoes, sweet potatoes, apricot, banana and mangoes. Fish and biscuits would be next on my list :)
  • Iman can hold her own bottle, Ranya can too (she does it once in a while) but mostly refused :p A bit of a Diva being the youngest and all
  • Both can make sounds that sounds like maaammmaaa and ammeeekkk... Iman love making the "raspberry" while Ranya love to laugh in a cute barky kinda way
  • One interesting thing that I observe between the girls is in terms of developed interaction. With Ryan and most babies under one year old that I've either encountered or babysat, they are usually not that receptive to other babies their own age but the twins are different in that sense. They are able to "play" and interact with each other. Last week Iman was cooing to Ranya who find whatever it is Iman was saying hilarious and they started laughing and amusing each other for a good 5 minutes (which is a long time in babyland :p) How cool is it to have a build in best friend since you're in the womb kan?
  • Ok this is a one time occurrence but I swear to god that Iman stood on her own while supporting herself on the walker for about 10-15 seconds. I have yet to try it again sebab kena marah by my dad yg takut cucu dia jatuh hahaha

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Wordless Wednesday #18





Note: Last month lepak photos @ Meatworks,Citta Mall with the SeVen7 + honorary member Nia :p

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Happy 6 Months Birthday, Princess(s)

Dear Iman Khadeeja & Ranya Fatimah,

I can't believe that you're already 6 months old today :)
Seem just like yesterday when I gave birth to both of you and we first laid eyes on each other for the first time...
It was L O V E

It is not easy to take care of both of you at first but in some ways I believe that both of you understood enough to not make it even more difficult than it need to be.
Thanks for being so considerate darling...

I love looking at both of you "playing" together.
I hope you'll take care of each other (and abang) to the day when I'm no longer here... 
How lucky for both of you to have an "instant" best friend since in the womb 

I truly never cared whether I was pregnant with a girl/boy before, but now that I have both of you here I'm glad because we are now the "ruling party" at home - Girls Rule!!

I can't wait when you are both old enough for us to play dress up.
Super *double* cuteness...
I hope you'll grow up to be anak-anak solehah, healthy, happy, considerate, intelligent and gorgeous girls
*insyallah*

Ohhh and I love that though you may look similar both of you have very different personalities.
I can't wait to find out and learn more about you everyday

Mummy, daddy and abang love you both so much Iman and Ranya
*hugs*

Monday, June 11, 2012

Ryan-Saur-Us :)

Some pictures from our visit to the National Science Centre for the Dinosaur Live Exhibition.

All in all I can say that the trip is a success as Ryan is able to appreciate it more this time around. The minus points was he thought that the dino is real and he got a bit scared and wanted to be carried all day way through. At least he didn't start wailing like some of the kiddies there :) I'm gonna let the picture do the talking...

 T-Rex Fossils

 Entrance to the Dino Live

With my cheeky boy

 In the dark and creepy exhibition hall.

Hehehe lepak ngan Allasourus
(the smaller cousin of T-Rex i.e. the crazy man eating dino is Jurassic Park :p)

 Ryan: Bring it on
Mummy: Alah don't la grow up so fast, sayang!!

 Ryan enjoying the "science" bit

 Doing the puzzles

 When I grow up I wanna be a grasshopper?
Ehhh that do not sound right :p

 Ok la.. I'll be an astronaut instead (insyallah)

 Or a scientist and become a future Nobel price recipient *amin*
(yeah reach for the sky darling)

:p

Friday, June 8, 2012

Making a Home...

The one thing that takes up a lot of my time and attention other than my children is my house. I love my house and I love the process of turning my house into a HOME :)

Buying a new house straight from the developer means you're literally buying an empty space. The good news is you have a 100% say on the designs and most fixtures in the house. The bad side? Obviously is the COST. For a young couple such as Lan and myself who've only started working for 5-6 years, the cost to beautify our crib do put a huge hole in our pockets. Renovations and furniture does not come cheap so instead of doing everything in one go, our reno plans are done in stages in accordance to the affordability factor of the moment :)

For example before we moved in the house, the only additional renovation we did was to add in tiles to the living room, secured house grills and kitchen cabinets. Over time we managed to add in the wallpapers, installed new gates and commissioned for a small gazebo to be build for Ryan's playhouse (this was more of Atuk's project rather than mummy and daddy's :p). Last week we extended the laundry area by putting additional grills for additional security. What I really want to do next is to tile the whole porch area. Hopefully I'll have enough $$$ saved by the end of the year to do so ;p ( I guess I should stop shopping and start saving instead haha)

As for interior designs the only completed room at home is Ryan's room and the kiddies playroom downstairs. Funnily enough the first room that I furnished when we moved in was Ryan's. I didn't even bother buying anything new for my bedroom, just hauled all my old furniture from our Shah Alam home (Your babies will always comes first when you become a mother ;p) Heheh I even went furniture shopping for Iman and Ranya's room during pantang. I remembered dragging Lan and Ryan around Klang to find the perfect wardrobe for the girls.

Anyways now that the kiddies room are done and dealt with, I'm moving on to the living room. I'm currently dreaming and drooling over these console table :) Solid wood in the darkest shade of brown *yummy*

 Simple classic designs

which I plan to decorate with bright coloured ornament, lamps and vases 

Anyway, I went browsing in Ikea yesterday and I saw this gorgeous outdoor plant shelves. I WANT IT so bad. Gorgeous kan? I can imagine lining up colourful geraniums on it... *saya suka saya suka*
Hubby thinks I should look around first before buying it *maybe -__-*
Should I? oh well I can wait a few more weeks, I guess...

Have a great weekend ahead everyone *muackz*

Friday, June 1, 2012

Dino-chooo

As a kid I LOVE the Dinosours (still do actually) dulu nak jadi palentologist but tah macam mana stuck end up as a lawyer :p Ryan inherited my love for the big monsters (he can't help it really since I buy Dino related books/CDs all the time to encourage him :p ) Anyways Lan and I plan to bring him to the Dinosour Live Exhibition at the Science Center (which is seberang jalan to my office) this weekend. Ryan went last year but he was too young to appreciate the exhibition but since he's currently at the stomping and roaring stage (i.e. like T-Rex) maybe he'll enjoy it more. We'll see...



This will be a short boring post coz I can't breathe. Currently recovering from a very bad bout of flu... There's a flu bug at home that just won't go away. It started with Lan - Ranya - Iman - Me -Ryan - Me and now back to Iman *sigh* what to do.... 

Friday, May 25, 2012

How to Make a Diaper Cake...

My colleagues and I was thinking of a perfect gift for a friend's baby shower and we came up with the idea of a diaper cake. Practical but cute. Anyway I volunteered to make the diaper cake despite never making one. Googled the instructions and I have to say it is quite easy :) Much easier than making a real cake hehehe....

1. Get the ingredients : Diapers (in this case 28 pieces), rubber band, ribbons, cake base, plastic stirrer, loads of cellophane tape, ribbons, stickers, a plush toy (to be used as the "topper") and whatever additional goodies of your choice (in this case I use chocolates and baby jumper)

2. Roll up the diaper and secure a rubber band around it. For a small cake you would need around 19-20 diaper rolls to make the cake base. Tie a ribbon or use a big rubber band to secure the base.

3. Stick the stirrer in between of the diapers to ensure that the second tier won't fall off..

4. Secure the plush toy in between of the first tier diaper. Make sure the bands around the diapers are secured so that nothing will fall off.

5. Finally, tie a ribbon around the band and decorate your cake  :)

The result :) "saya suka..saya suka.."

P/S: I know my instruction is pretty crappy. I'm just too lazy to go over each step. Check out this site if you need a proper instruction... How to make a diaper cake

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Of New Toys and Birthday...


Hi!! my BB and Ipod has a new BFF. Meet the latest addition to the family, my new Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 :) It's a joined birthday gift from my parents and Lan and I'm a very happy camper....

Anyways after 3 months of campaigning for the new iPad, I did a total 360 degrees, when hubby brought me out to buy the tablet on my birthday. Spent almost 2 hours circling iMachines, Harvey Norman and Celcom but I wasn't able to decide on the iPad. For someone who usually make split decision purchases the fact that I'm hesitant wasn't a good sign. I can tell Lan was a bit pissed but if I'm gonna spent good money on something it better be worth it :p

One thing that put me off the new iPad is the size. I want the tablet to act as a travelling companion thus it must fit in my handbag. The iPad does fit my bag but just barely. Even worst due to the new changes the new iPad is slightly heavier than iPad2. Yes the new OS is faster, resolution is clearer and the camera takes better pictures but that is what my DSLR is for, right? So I went home empty handed that day because I just can't make up my mind.

During our iPad "test drive" in Harvey Norman I stumbled on the SG Tab 7.7. I was all "heeyyyy me like you :p" it is half the size of an iPad and not as heavy. It uses the new Android OS Honeycomb, the camera is just so-so as compared to the new iPad but it supports all of the apps that I'm currently using in my iPod touch so I was slowly liking the idea of the tab. Hubby "pooh-pooh" my idea because he wanted me to get the iPad but as much as I love him he's just not much of a gadget person to be taken seriously (haha I'm so mean) So after we went home, I googled for reviews and asked around. I got pretty much good responses so made up my mind and bought it the next day :) It cost as much as the new Ipad so why not,huh?

I've been using my tab for a week now and I'm happy with it. Some of the apps are really useful. Contrary to popular belief I don't use my tab JUST to play games (haha) I've downloaded some useful toddler apps for Ryan and a baby tracker for Iman and Ranya. Will review some of the really cool ones when I have the time.

On Turning A Year Older...
Neways Alhamdullilah I'm a year older and maybe a bit wiser :p .I've been blessed with a wonderful family, awesome husband, beautiful children and sooo much more. Hopefully the new year will see me becoming a better muslim, wife, mother, daughter, employer and maybe a student again?? hehe insyallah. Pray for me...