Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from July, 2012

Hakka abacus beads from scratch

Inspired by my mother, I decided to take on the challenge of pulling the classic Hakka abacus beads dish from scratch.This is my version of the recipe (adapted from My Kitchen Snippets)To make the dough for the abacus beads:450 grams taro/yam, cleaned, peeled and chopped
170 grams tapioca starch
½ teaspoon saltSteam taro until soft (about 20 minutes) and mash while still hot. Mix in tapioca starch and salt. Allow mixture to cool slightly then knead to form a soft dough.Adjust consistency by adding a little water if it’s too dry or more tapioca starch if it’s too wet/sticky.Pinch off marble sized pieces of the dough, roll into small balls, then press gently in the middle to make a small indentation.Bring a pot of water to boil, then drop in beads one by one. The beads will rise to the surface once they are cooked. Removed them with a slotted spoon and set aside.For the stir-fry, the ingredients can be varied to your preference, but here is a general guide on what you can include:2 tbsp o…
3 comments
Read the rest of this entry »

Gardening experience with Nathan

Last week on one of my SAHM days, I decided to take advantage of the free school holiday activities at the nearby shopping centre.The highlight for that week was a Dirt Girl World gardening activity - each child got to decorate their own pot and plant a little seedling to take home.As a general rule I do not like gardening. But I thought it was a good opportunity for Nathan to explore the wonderful world of dirt and soil without me having to worry about cleaning up the mess afterward.Here are some photos I snapped at the activity…This is little oregano seedling I chose for him to plantHe helped to scoop the soil with a trowel and gently pat down the little seedling the assistant placed in the containerNathan getting engrossed in marker colour choicesOnce we arrived home, we transferred the seedling into our garden
(as advised by the assistants at the activity corner)The transplanting of the seedling to our garden was not part of my original plan. But I did want to give the baby oregano…
Post a Comment
Read the rest of this entry »

Early thoughts on potty training

So today out of the blue during lunch, Nathan pauses mid-bite and says to me “poo-poo”. Now he’s learnt how to say “poo-poo” for a while now to tell me when he’d done a poo. So I get up to sniff his bum and peek inside his nappy. No poo.After a minute or so, he paused and called out “poo-poo” again - a little more earnestly this time. But after another check, still no sign of poo. I was a little puzzled. Then on a whim, I decided to whisk out the potty set I had and plonk him down on it.He was midway through a poo as I plonked him down, but he managed to make a small deposit successfully.I cheered and hoorayed enthusiastically after he finished and let him examine his poo afterwards. He was extremely fascinated with it.My potty training attempts have been fairly erratic over the past few months since I got this potty set. I had read up on early potty training methods, but always found it challenging to make Nathan sit still in the potty whilst waiting for something to happen.I decided…
Post a Comment
Read the rest of this entry »

More Popular Posts


DSC07989Our DIY outdoor chalkboard

Today’s entry is not so much a post as it is just a way to showcase the latest addition to our outdoor play area… Our new mega sized outdoor chalkboard!

READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

SnailCraftCollage2Learning about snails

This past week has been all about snails.The children are always fascinated by the snails in our garden and ask endless questions about them.A couple of weeks back, one of my boys stumbled across a snail crawling along the ground.

READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

[image%255B6%255D.png]DIY magnet shapes

A couple of weeks ago, I had posted this snapshot of these set of magnetic shapes I made on my Instagram. I received a few curious questions on how I made them.

READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

DSC06501A_thumb[1]Three Questions

And so Nathan’s very first day of kindergarten is over. It was a mixture of good, bad, sweet and sour. I think that so much happens throughout the day, it can be challenging for a little person to filter through it all.

READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

DSC05282My cup runneth over

These days my days are packed full to the brim. From the moment I wake up to the sound of Grace calling through the baby monitor and Nathan’s cheeky face peering at me over the edge of the bed… to the evening when I finally tuck them into bed and say goodnight.

READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY »

Catch up with me on Instagram @livingserenely