Friday, March 29, 2013

A Month of Smiles

March is a month of smiles.
Below are the photos which I managed to capture the beautiful smiles of my two boys.

Firstly, the smiles of my big boy Shern @ 3 years 9 mths old.
It is difficult to capture his smiles because he is always too fast for my camera. So I'm pretty happy to capture these precious smiles of his.



Next, the smiles of my cutie pie Khye @ 6 months old.
Oh, I can't believe my baby is getting so big now. How time flies.
It is rather easy to capture his beautiful big smiles. Just make eye contact with him and smile and he will smile back at you. Easy huh?
This month, his smiles are with 2 bottom teeth. No more toothless gummy smiles. Hehe.



And lastly, a few photos of my two boys together. Love love love.

It's 1.10am now and I'm going to sleep soon. Gonna dream of big beautiful smiles. Sweet dreams to you all. :D

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Reviews and Giveaway: Down To Earth's Human Nature Products

I know that natural products are good and all, but they usually come with a hefty price tag. So sometimes I need to think twice before purchasing them. But then my friend told me about Down To Earth's Human Nature - natural everyday products at truly affordable prices.


Down To Earth is a very simple company with a very simple goal, that is to have passion for the products they sell. They believe that a high quality product that is good for you, that won't make you or your family sick, and won't make you go broke isn't too much to ask.

So I was so happy when I was given the review opportunity to review some of their products. Jeanette from Down To Earth was so generous and she sent me a whole bag of their Human Nature goodies.

The products sent to me by the generous Jeanette from Down To Earth


1. Bug Shield Lotion

This product fascinates me. I mean, I didn't know that there is a lotion that works as a moisturizer while keeps the bugs away. This insect repellent lotion is easy to apply, non-sticky, smells great of lemongrass and is DEET-free naturally.

However, I feel that it doesn't last too long. It kinda lose its effectiveness after 2-4 hours and you need to reapply. Works well for short kids outdoor activity, but not those long ones unless you are there to reapply for them.
But I normally uses this lotion on my kids before going to bed, because we leave our windows open at night for a little breeze. And so far so good because our place has not many mosquitoes.
My kids sleep soundly at night and it smells great too. So yes, I like this product.


2. Tangerine Kids Shampoo and Body Wash

All Kids Shampoo and Body Wash 2-in-1 always win me over. I love using the same product for their hair and body. Is so much simple than me fumbling for different bottle of shampoo and body wash when my kids are screaming murder when I try to wash their hair!
And when used as a body wash, there is no lather and it works just as well. It doesn't dry Shern's skin as well thanks to the avocado oil and aloe vera content. 
So I just simple love this product, and the fact that it smells so fresh adds points to this product too. Totally score!


3. All Natural Baby Oil
I never thought this would be my favourite product that Jeanette sent me. Before this, I didn't even like using baby oil. I thought baby oil is greasy and yucky, and since I don't massage my baby, I'd never even bothered buying any.

But when Jeanette asked me to try putting a drop or two of this baby oil on Khye's milk rash on his face, I was so surprised to find that it is non-greasy. It somehow glides smoothly on Khye's cheeks and then it absorbs into the skin. And after just 3 days, the milk rash were all gone! Amazing! Now what is left are the scars. Doctors told me the scars won't be permanent though, and I really hope so!

I find that this pure sunflower baby oil not only moisturize, but it heals and nourish the baby. I also applied a little on my finger and then wipe it in Khye's navel/belly button and gently cleaned the black spots there as the oil provides gentle removal of stubborn dirt.

Furthermore, I also applied this baby oil on myself. I applied a few drops on my dehydrated skin on my legs. Usually I don't do that because I find other moisturizer too greasy for me. But I find this baby oil non-greasy after it dried up and it locked in the moisture when I applied it after taking a shower.

This is why I so loved this product. So many good uses. And if you are the type that do massage your baby, you can even use it to massage the baby for some mum and baby bond. Love it so much.


4. Body Butter Cream

As much as I loved the Baby Oil, I'm not so much in favour of these two Body Butter Creams. First of all, they are too luxuriously rich for me. Yes I know that body butter is supposed to be rich, so I think it is me with the problem, and not these creams.
After using them, I find them too greasy and it irks me that whenever my legs touches any part of my furniture or floor, it leaves a slab of grease on it. Eeekkk.
They smell lovely when I flipped open the tube cover. But upon applying them on my legs, they don't smell so nice any more. The after effect smell is just different from when I flipped the tube cover open.

So it is not that they are not working fine, as they moisturize very well, creating a rich layer to protect my legs against dryness. It is just me who didn't like the rich cream.

However, I've heard that they are well loved for many others who'd tried them, especially those with eczema or dry skin.So I guess you guys need to try them out for yourself!


5. All Natural Baby Lotion
This baby lotion however has my thumbs up. Instead of powder, I used this lotion on both Khye and Shern after shower, and is non-greasy and smells great too. It has a mild baby smell which I like. Just like the Bug Shield Lotion, it is also easy to apply, and I love that it is all natural.


6. Bubbly Gum Kids' Spray Sanitizer
Truthfully, the bubbly gummy smelled a little weird, and a little too overpowering. I would prefer the smell to be a little milder.
However, smells aside, I find this spray especially useful when sometimes I need to spray the tray of the high chair/baby chair at the restaurants, and also on toilet seat covers whenever Shern poos at the public toilet.
I can also foresee that I may find it useful to spray on surfaces or toys that Khye loves to bite on because of lately, everything goes into Khye's mouth the moment he gets his hands on them.
And also I liked that it is natural and safe enough to spray their hands as the aloe vera will protect the young skins.

But what I love most about this product is the convenient pocket size packaging, as it fits into my Storksak Emily Diaper Bag easily. Totally what I am looking for!



7. Pure Strength Men's Facial Wash
 
Finally, a product for hubby to try. According to hubby, he likes the citrus lemon scent, which is very refreshing. And he especially likes the little granules in the wash which is the bamboo granules for an effective scrub.
What I like about it is the size as I can foresee bringing the small packaging facial wash for our frequent domestic trips. 



All in all, I must say I love Down To Earth's Human Nature Products. They are natural and yet affordable.
Click on the links and see the price for yourself, and you will be amazed.

And oh, did I tell you that they also provide FREE SHIPPING when you order 3 products or more.
There is an ongoing promotion (valid until 1 Apr 2013) where if you buy RM60 or more (must include NEW products), you will get 10% OFF THE ENTIRE ORDER except for bundles. All you need is to login with a username and password to enjoy the discount!
You can also follow and like them on Facebook or their website or click here for the most current offers and news.



Giveaway (CLOSED)
I am pleased to announce that Down To Earth is sponsoring a mini package of 3 of my favourite Human Nature products which I'd chosen:
- All Natural Baby Oil
- Tangerine Kids Shampoo and Body Wash, and
- Pure Strength Men's Facial Wash

I chose these 3 products so that there will be a little something for everyone in the family. The facial wash for the daddy, the shampoo and body wash for the kids and the baby oil for everyone in the family. :)

How To Join?
All you need to do is just to leave a comment in this blog post and mention that you wish to enter this giveaway. It is this easy. Please leave a email address for me to contact you.
This giveaway is open to anyone with a West Malaysia mailing address. If you don't have one, maybe you would like to win one for a friend or family?

Giveaway ends on 7th April 2013 11.59pm Malaysian time. The winner will be chosen randomly on 1st April 2013 and will be posted in this post and will be contacted via email. If no reply from the winner within 48 hours, then I will redraw for a new winner.


Winner Announcement

Thank you to all who participated in this giveaway. The winner is Apple Tan. You shd have received an email from me on how to collect the prize.

Due to no reply from the winner after 48 hours, the new winner is Win Lyn. Congratulations.

* Disclosure: I received all the above items for review purpose, but no monetary incentive was received. All text and opinions are of my own and represents my honest opinion of the product(s).

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

10+2

As my sis, Wen is back from South Africa, she brought the whole troop with her, her hubby and her parents-in-law. So during the day in my mum's place, there are 10 adults + 2 kids. It's kinda packed and squashy with too many people in a little apartment. It reached the point where you gotta queue for your turn to pee. Hehe.

But on the other hand, we love having them here. It gives us a chance to bond as a family. And we got to be all touristy again showing them our beautiful Penang.
It amazes me sometimes how two families from different parts of the Earth come together and become this extended family, and how much we clicked!

So this is a photo of our beautiful extended family, in our apartment garden.
Erm...this is not exactly the best photo of the whole lot of us, but it is THE ONLY photo where Shern was not that cranky! (Shern was on super cranky mood during the photoshoot!)

16 March 2013

Welcome to Penang, Malaysia, and welcome to our family Ian, Oupapa and Oumama! ;)

*Photo by Chew Win Win

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

The Three Sisters

Reunited again.
Yes, Wen is back from South Africa for a month. And so I have been very busy with family activities for the whole month.

So what are the three sisters up to?
Come take a peek at the three sisters.

This is how they pose.
16 March 2013

This is how they pose again.

This is how they blow kisses.

And this is how they laugh.

Same smile. Same laugh. Same style.
This is what you call SISTERS.

This is a short post dedicated to my dearest sisters Shu-Wen & Shu-Min, by Shu-Yin :)


*Photos courtesy of Chew Win Win

Monday, March 18, 2013

Khye's Tooth Chart

Khye had his first tooth almost as early as his big brother.
To be exact, his first tooth (lower left central incisor) erupted on 22 Feb 2013 when he was 5 months old.

22 Feb 2013 - This pic was taken showing Khye's FIRST baby tooth eruption. You could barely see it, but it is there!

And about a week later on 1 Mar 2013, his second tooth (lower right central incisor) erupted.
Khye was drooling like crazy then, and always putting his fingers into his mouth. There were times when I saw 8 fingers all in his mouth, except for his 2 thumbs. Haha.

I posted on Instagram that I wanted to show everyone Khye's 2 new bottom teeth, but he kept on smiling n his tongue kept blocking them! Haha. My little happy chappy!
4 Mar 2013

And at last I managed to capture both Khye's two bottom teeth, and you could see them so clearly now as he has had it for awhile now, almost 3 weeks. And I love his super big wide smile.
18 March 2013 - Khye's 2 bottom teeth showing so clearly

I kept a record of Shern's Tooth Chart, and now I will also do the same for Khye as well.

 

A.CENTRAL INCISOR
B.LATERAL INCISOR
C.CANINE / CUSPID
D.FIRST MOLAR
E.SECOND MOLAR


Upper Teeth
A Right - 10 months 
A Left - 10 months
B Right - 11 months
B Left - 11 months
C Right -
C Left -
D Right - 16 months
D Left -
E Right -
E Left -

Lower Teeth
A Right - 1 Mar 2013 @ 5 months
A Left - 22 Feb 2013 @ 5 months
B Right - 13 months
B Left - 12 months
C Right -
C Left -
D Right - 14 months
D Left -
E Right -
E Left -

Monday, March 11, 2013

Huggies Dry Pants: Change for Better Convenience

* this is a sponsored post. However, all text and opinions are of my own, except for keypoints provided by Huggies.

I received a cute little red bundle inside the package last week with some free Huggies Dy Pants samples for my review. In it together is a small denim pouch and a cute little Huggues 'no more stuffy bum' pouch. Too cute.

The Huggies Dry Pants samples are in size M, L & XL. The guideline says M is for 5-10kg so I tried that on baby Khye because he was about 9.2kg last week.

Khye is getting a little more mobile now that he is almost 6 months old. So with this Huggies Dry Pants, even when he refuses to lie down for a diaper change, I can still change for him while he wiggles on his tummy.
"Koyak, Salin & Lepas" (Tear, Change & Release), it is that easy.

This is especially easier and more convenient for me in the future when we go out and Khye refuses to lie down for a change. No more fight and tussle over a diaper change on the go. It will be a change for better convenience with Huggies Dry Pants when we go out.
Before wearing it, I was a little unsure on which is the front/back of the pants. After some googling, I'm happy to say that the feature 'Wear Any Side Snug Fit' allow the pants to be worn any side while having a snug fit. I love this feature. No more fumbling on which is the front/back. Both sides are the same.

As expected size M was a little too fitting when trying to put it on him. But once it's in, it looks snug and fit, not too tight. I let him wear for an hour or so and went to check on him and there were no red marks. It is really snug fit and good. Khye was comfortable in it. It's Soft-Stretch Sides provide comfort and help prevent red marks even when Khye is on the move.

Look at Khye doing stretching and he seems very happy wearing the pants. And it doesn't seem to stop him from his normal routine of lifting his legs high up or even wiggling on his tummy.





And then Khye had a big poo. As Khye is an exclusive breastfed baby, it's mustard colour poo is rather watery which is normal. So I really needed a diaper which doesnt leak. I'm glad to say it's Quick Lock System and Double Leak Barriers really helped to stop leaks, but only on the sides near his thighs, so no leaking there. But because Khye was wearing M, which is a little too small for him, he had some leaks up on the back of his diaper. But totally not Huggies fault because when I wore him the size L, no more leaks up there!

And the quick Tear Away Side Seams made it a breeze to remove the soiled pants.

I also let Khye wore it to sleep. It lasted throughout the night for about 12 hours without any leaks. When I removed the soiled diaper the next morning, it was very full and heavy, but still no leak, which is very good.

So what is the downside of it? The only one I can think of is that Huggies Dry Pants sizes are rather small. Khye is wearing size M for other brands with plenty of space left for growth, but it seems like for Huggies Dry Pants, size L seems to be a better fit for Khye.

But overall Khye is a happy baby with Huggies Dry Pants because it is considered rather breathable for a disposable. So I will certainly consider this brand when we are out and about mainly for its convenience. As I mentioned in my previous post, convenience is the key when we are out and about!


If you are interested, you can request for a Huggies Dry Pants sample at http://www.huggies.com.my/huggies-community/request-a-sample.aspx
You can read more about Huggies Dry Pants on Huggies Facebook page.


Something To Brush Away The Monday Blues...

I have something for you to brush away the Monday blues. Bet you will be smiling away after watching this clip.

It's another short clip of my cutie pie laughing out loud on the Bumbo seat.
His whole face lights up when he laughs. Is such a joy to see him to happy.



Are you smiling now? :)
Happy Monday people!

Friday, March 8, 2013

Conversation with Shern @ 3 years 9 months

I'm sometimes amazed by what Shern understands....and he is not even 4 yet.


Shern: Mummy want to pengsan already. (while showing the faint action as he promptly fell on the floor)
Me: Who taught you the word pengsan? Do you know what is pengsan?
Shern: Pengsan means mummy fall down and cannot get up already!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shern: I want to eat a giant ice-cream
Pho-pho: Your giant ice-cream is so big and high up, how to lick or eat it?
(Shern thought for a moment and then said)
Shern: I can eat from the bottom then only eat up there. And I want a giant stick as well so that I can hold the ice-cream tightly!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


(I scolded Shern for some naughty things he did and showed him my angry look)
Shern: Mummy, why you mad? (I didn't even know he knows the word 'mad')
Mummy: Because Shern was naughty just now.
Shern: Mummy, please dont be mad ok? We are family!
(Lol)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


(After fetched him from his school, while sitting in the car)
Mummy: Shern, what did you do in school? Did you have fun? Did you sing and dance? Did you do drawing and writing?

Shern: Mummy, pls dont talk to me already. I want to sleep already!
(Lol. Coz usually he falls asleep in the car on the way home)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


(Shern saw a jie-jie playing downstairs our apartment, and he approached her)
Shern: Jie-jie, what is your name? My name is Yiu-Shern.
Jie-jie: My name is Paula.
Shern: Why jie-jie's name is like the Polar Express train?
(LOL)


Thursday, March 7, 2013

Khye Laughing Out Loud In The Hospital @ 5 Months

I heard a few coughing sound from Khye and I got scared. Not wanting him to be hospitalized like the last time, I took him to see the doc immediately. After 5 times of nebulizer treatment and still not well, doc suggested either we admit him for 2 days or we go to and forth the hospital for nebs and chest physio.

It would be too difficult for us to go to and forth the hospital for so many times a day, and since it was a weekend, I decided to stay in the hospital with Khye.

His doctor told me Baby#2 always had it worse than the firstborn, because of all the germs his big bro brings back from school. Poor 'lil Khye. If I'm sick, usually I won't pass it to Khye, because Khye has my antibodies from my breastmilk. But if other's sick, it is easier for him to fall sick 'coz he's still young.

This is my baby tiger sleeping. ;)
1 March 2013

My little baby sleeping on the big sofa bed
 1 March 2013


 A photo of Khye with Daddy & Mummy
2 March 2013

We didn't want Shern to come visit because the whole Paeds is full of sick kids. The last thing I want is for both kids to fall sick, then the mummy is sure to go crazy.

Khye with Daddy when he comes to visit.


But Khye was not so unwell like the last time. He still could drink and sleep. Just a few sounds of chesty cough and a little wheezy. He was still a happy chappy.



Below is a video of Khye laughing out loud in the hospital room.
I said the word 'doink' and there Khye goes laughing.
Enjoy the short clip.

After 2 days, Khye was discharged.
My happy cutie pie is back home. :D

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Muslin, Cloth & Disposable Diapers

I've been putting on hold the use of Cloth Diapers for Khye. This is because he poos a lot as a newborn. He poos like 5-10 times a day, and I don't have enough Cloth Diapers to go around. So I just use the traditional lampins (muslin cloths) when Khye is at home.

You can see these lampins on my portable trolley, on the second tray, all in whites, neatly folded and stacked up. These lampins are light and easy to dry, which makes it practical for newborns.


Only when Khye is bigger and poos less than I will start using the cutie colourful Cloth Diapers I love so much.

But no matter lampins or cloth diapers, I am not a full-time cloth diapering mum. I uses cloth at home, but when I'm out and about, I just couldn't be bothered by it.
Maybe because I am rather blessed that both my kids don't have overly sensitive skins, and thus using the right disposable diapers, they are ok with it.
So when we go out, I'll whip out a disposable diaper for him, and in my diaper bag, there will be extra disposables.
I am lazy to bring out the bulky cloth diapers and Khye poos all the time as a newborn, thus I need to bring as many as 4-5 diapers every time we go out for the just in case scenario. And i can't imagine lugging back 3 poo-stained cloth diapers back into my wetbag in my diaper bag every time Khye poos when we are out.
Preparing 2 kids when we go out is stressful enough so nope. Convenience is the key when we go out!

So I've tried a few different brands of disposable diapers out there. Some works for me, and some don't. Some can't hold much pee and leaks. Some feels plastick-y and not so breathable, some has really bad closure stickies, but a few are really good.
And the best thing about disposables is you just throw them away after your baby poos. No hassle. Really great when we are out and about.

So for me, I use a mixture. Muslins when the baby is really small and poos a lot. Cloth Diapers when they poo less and at home. And Disposables when out. This works for me.

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