Of Buses, Bees and (Gasp!)B*tches

Case of the Missing Bus

Jeddy: Mummy, where's bus?
I rummage through his big big basket of toy vehicles and finds his red double decker.
Me: Na, here's the bus.
Jeddy stares at the bus, and then stares back at me.
Jeddy: Where's bus?
Me (perplexed): Isn't this your bus?? What bus are you talking about? You have only one bus, don't you?
Jeddy: No, 'bus' lightyear!
Me (long pause)
Me: Riiiiight.......... I'm sorry......
Rummage through basket for the Buzz Lightyear car.

--- :S ---


Case of the Bee

Jeddy and I were having our breakfast at the dining table. As usual, he's playing with some cars while eating.

Jeddy drops a car under the table.
Me (eyes never leaving the newspapers): Jeddy, go pick up your car please.
Jeddy crawls under to pick up car.
Jeddy: Mummy, bee!
Me (springing off my chair and dragging Jeddy out in record time): Bee?!! Don't touch! It'll sting you!
After planting Jeddy 3 metres away, I went back to peep under the table. And my oh my, what a big 'bee' I saw. For some reason, there is a capital letter 'B' printed in bold and black on the underside of my Ikea table. Chehhhh.......
Me (feeling quite foolish): Err.... Jeddy, you're right. It's a 'B', yes. But don't worry, this 'B' won't sting you one.

--- :S :S ---


Case of the 'Vulgarity'

Jeddy was reading a book beside me while I lazed on the couch.

Jeddy (turning to me): Dirty b*tch!
Me (does a double take): What??!!! What did you just say?!!!
Jeddy (with gusto): Dirty b*tch!
Me (gasp!!!!): Jeddy! Where did you learn that from? And why are you calling me that?!!!!!
Jeddy points to a page in the book and repeats offensive term.
Me (understanding dawns upon me): Jeddy boy, you mean it's a dirty beach... Yes yes, this beach is really dirty with litter all over, isn't it? Ok Jeddy, repeat after mummy, it's a dirty beeeeeeach.
Jeddy: Dirty beeeeeeach....
Me: Yes yes, very good. Beeeeeeeeach. (wipes sweat off brow)

--- :S :S :S ---

Jeddy Loves Pasir Ris Park

Jeddy's always bugging me.

About going to the park.

"Build shandcashtles? Build shandcashtles, Mummy?"

And then once we get there, he steps on any sandcastle I try to build.

I think you meant destroy shandcashtles, Jeddy boy? *roll eyes*

Still, he gets lots of fun out of it. I especially love to bury all his toy cars in the sand, much to his frustration. Snicker.

Going there around 5 plus pm in the evening is the best. You get a bit of sun that's not overly scorching, and a lovely breeze. You can stare out into the sea while the kiddo pretends to be Bob the builder with his dump truck. :)

I always choose a spot that's above the high tide line, so we still get some shade from the coconut trees, but yet are close enough to hear the waves crash rhythmically onto the beach. Pure therapy, I tell'ya.

:)











































It's off to the playground after wash-up and a can of ice cold drink from the vending machine.

Here's Jeddy rediscovering the see-saw scooter. And to think he was terrified of this just a few months back. Now I have to literally peel him off it, complete with thrashing legs.

But guess he was just having waaay too much fun...































































And so did I.

:)

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So-Easy Lemon Butter Cake

And super yummy too!

Now I must emphasize that I am no baker and I have never ever baked a cake, save for brownie-ready-mixes. And those rock-hard cookies that I've baked have mostly ended up in the bin, after the first one went into the mouth. *bleah*

So whether you are better or worse when it comes to baking, and you so happen to crave for a lemon butter cake, then try this recipe! It's not too sweet and is really both fluffy and moist when fresh from the oven. Here goes.

......

Ingredients:
185g unsalted butter
240g castor sugar
35g corn flour
2 tsp lemon juice
180g self raising flour, sifted
60ml full cream milk
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
4 eggs
1 tsp lemon essence


Method:
1. Put all ingredients (I'm not sure if the sequence matters but I put in all the dry ingredients first, before adding the wet ones) into a mixing bowl, and beat at low speed for 1 min until well combined.

2. Then beat at medium high speed (I used number 3 on my mixer where the highest is 5) for 3 minutes.

3. Pour batter into a lined baking tin (I didn't line mine though) and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 mins or until cooked (toothpick comes out clean).

......

That's it!

Well, my cake was a little too dark at the top for my liking, so I might adjust the baking time to about 30 mins the next time. Just watch the oven from 25 minutes on... cos different ovens do heat differently. .. I think... :P

Fresh and hot from the oven


















Eh, auntie, I think your cake is a little burnt on top.























Say ahhhh.....























Not bad not bad






















This cake keeps well in the fridge too. Just let it thaw a little before tucking in. :)

Have fun baking and do let me know how it turns out for you eh?

:)

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Oh My Aching Fingers...

Jeddy is into The Little Einsteins lately. It's all he ever watches. Try making him watch another cartoon and he will protest, "No [insert cartoon name] ! Watch Einsteins?" No amount of cajoling will work.

*narrow eyes*

I was then toying with the idea of getting some Little Einsteins toys for him. *pun unintended* But couldn't find anything decent. Erm, more like I couldn't find one that fits my budget. The rocket toy with two figurines costs a whopping $150 the last time I checked!

Well, in times like this, I do what I do best. Carve stamps! ;D

So there you have it. 10 hours of carving over 4 days. The entire cast of the Little Einsteins in rubber stamps!

I used a super tough material (PZ Kut) for these stamps so they could weather Jeddy boy's rough handling and my, were they super tough to carve as well! Glad my fingers and neck are still intact upon completion. Let's just say that Jeddy is not getting another set of rubber stamps for a while... :P






































































The things a mummy would do for her kids... *wistful sigh*

;)

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Looooong Time No See

In case you were all wondering what happened to us, nothing! Just got a little lazy with the blogging, that's all. ;P

Not sure if it's the same for you parents out there. The number of photos taken of the kid seems to be inversely proportionate to his/her age. I looked back at Jeddy's photo album when he was a couple of months old and there were more than a hundred shots in the 2 month old folder. Fast forward to today, he had less than 5 shots of him last month.

Whoops!

Anyway, here's how Jeddy looks like now, at a little more than 2.5 years old. He still has those crazy hair that defies gravity though. ;)























Yes, yes, it's the fish farm again, I know! *blush* But it's a really good place to go to, especially with the choking heat these days. It's nice to hear running water and feel the cool wind when it blows over the ponds.... but here are the pictures of Jeddy in his school uniform.














































And what a difference a few months make! Jeddy is able to feed the fish much better now, and without any help from me. He would go from pond to pond, drop a little food, watch the fish gobble them up, and then add some more. This is unlike in the past where he would dump the whole box of food into one pond in a mere second. Lucky for the fishies in that pond!























Now let's see when is the next time I update this blog again...... ;D

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Oh wait! I also crocheted my first pair of baby shoes! These will go onto the feet of a little girl called En Xuan, Peifen's number 3. :)


















.......

Lunching with Fishies

There's this lovely fish farm about ten minutes walk from my place. Jeddy and I would every so often pack our lunch boxes (and some fish food), and head over there for a nice, cooling and quiet lunch, far far away from the four walls and the TV set.

On a weekday, it's almost certain we'll have the whole place to ourselves. That's extra lovely.

Jeddy usually heads for the ducks and tortoises first. That's my favourite too. I enjoy the part where I try to sneak pellets to the tortoises without the ducks noticing. Not an easy task for sure! Jeddy is in charge of distracting the ducks with chubby fistfuls of pellets while Mummy drops the food right into the tortoises' mouth... All I can say is the ducks are awfully sharp, but I'm sure the tortoises managed to get a pellet or two at the end of it all. It's a competitive world out there, even in a pond eh?

After that, we move on to the much less chaotic feeding of the fishes. There's still a lot of jostling around for food, but definitely no snapping at heads like over at the ducks' pond.

Here fishy fishy fishy...















































At the end of the 'aisle', there's also a poultry farm of sorts with a variety of birds to gawk at. We are not allowed to enter, but it's still fun to feed them with the fish food pellets.

















After making our rounds and stuffing the stomachs of all things fishy, birdy, and shelly, it's time to stuff ours.

Relaxing playtime after lunch
















Nothing beats sitting on this swing after a good meal, with the sound of gentle running water in the background. Even when the roosters raise a racket, it's still one word. Peaceful.











































Well, although not mentioned here, there are a host of activities offered on this farm, from longkang fishing to getting a foot spa featuring tiny fishes that nibbles. *eeks*

Let me know if you ever intend to pop by with your tots. Jeddy and I will walk right over.

;)

......

Random Jeddy

Random #1:

We recently converted Jeddy's cot into a toddler's bed. Little bugger was actually able to climb out of his cot by grabbing on to the barrier and swinging his legs over like a pro (or more like a monkey!). Hubs and I had a fright when Jeddy appeared at the door of our study room one night. He had climbed out of his cot, opened the bedroom door, walked through the dark hall and then opened our door!

Needless to say, we feared for his safety. One wrong move and he could fall headfirst. We are talking about falling from a height of more than 1 metre here!

Ok, so here is Jeddy's 'new' bed (loving this 2-in-1 cot-bed), and he's obviously very pleased with it. ;)

















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Random #2:

Having some random fun with Jeddy's blankie and a clip!

Man, never knew Jeddy could look so much like a girl. ;D






















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Guido Stamp Completed!

This stamp is waaaay better than the Lightning McQueen stamp, in my opinion, that is. ;) Well, Jeddy Boy is lovin' it. He's got it on his tees, and he gets to play stamp with it too! I sure hope this Guido stamp is hardy enough for Jeddy's rough handling!


















A crazy thought just flashed. I could carve stamps out of the entire cast of Cars!!! In mini sizes though, just for Jeddy to play stamp-stamp with. ;D Keep y'all updated!

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Kitty Encounters

Jeddy Boy loves cats. I think he likes cats more than dogs. I've seen him take off whenever he spots a cat, following it into the bushes if he has to... But I've never seen him cast a third glance at a dog.

This is Jeddy's favourite cat in the neighbourhood. It helps that she's also the friendliest. There are about 3 cats in the neighbourhood park. A skinny black one that always manage to outrun Jeddy, a white obese cat that hacks and hurls its stomach contents onto the playground (Euks!), and this little ginger cutie.

Yo! It's me again!


















Want a massage?


















Ok, just relaaaak.....


















Oh, by the way, I love cats too. Waaaaaay better than dogs. ;P
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Jeddy Wears...

(1) A DIY-stamped shirt.

Most of you wouldn't know, since I have never blogged about it... that Jeddy LOVES Cars. As in the Pixar film. Not a day goes by without him dragging me by the finger to the study and saying 'Cars?' repeatedly... *sigh* This boy would gladly sit through the entire show if we let him. He could even remember parts of the script!

Thank goodness he's still too young to follow the entire plot. We would mostly play his favourite scenes and then skip right to the ending song, where a satisfied Jeddy Boy would then do a nerdy dance routine to it.

Anyway.

Since I carve stamps for a living (sorta), I figured a Lightning McQueen stamp would be great for Jeddy Boy. Plus he has a couple of home-wear white tees that I can stamp on.

So here is Jeddy Boy and his new old tee! ;)











































Hearing Jeddy Boy go "Lightning!" when he sees the shirt makes the 2 hours of carving worth it. :)

(Side note: A day after carving this stamp, I realized that Jeddy's favourite character on the show is Guido. *faint* Well, looks like Jeddy's getting another rubber stamp soon!)


(2) Glasses!

Plucked out the lenses from a pair of old glasses the other day to try them on the little one. Boy, did we have fun! :)






















The makings of a grouchy Ah Pek.






















(Another side note: Jeddy the fashionista paraded around the house with the glasses perched on his head like he was donning a pair of Gucci shades. *tsk tsk*)

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