Make healthy choices

My husband and I have a couple of indulgences in the house that Adam is not allowed to have. 1. Decaf coffee for me, and 2. Diet Coke for my husband.

Scene 1

Adam: Mommy, nak susu..

Mommy: Ok jom..

Adam: Mommy, letak honey

Mommy: *honey dlm susu? where did he get that idea?oklah letak je*

Adam: Mommy amik sudu, letak.

Mommy: ok nah..

Adam: Ha...susu honey, coffee adam...

Scene 2

Adam: Mommy, air gas

Mommy: ha?Adam nak aie gas ke?

Adam: Ni, air gas Adam *tunjuk his bottle of fruit juice*

Mommy: oh yeke.....

Adam: Adam minum air gas *drank the juice, then buat muka mcm minum air masam*

Adam: hmm masam air gas.

Scene 3

Adam, Mia and I just got up, cuddling in bed.

Mommy: Adam, Mommy bgn dululah ye..Mommy nak buat coffee.

Adam: Coffee Adam?

Mommy: Susu honey ke?

Adam: Ha ok...coffee Mommy, coffee Adam. Kacau Mommy, kacau Adam (kacau dgn sudu). Minum Mommy, Minum Adam.

* few minutes later*

Mommy: nah adam..coffee Adam.

Adam: letak honey?

Mommy: A'ah..dah letak honey..

Adam: Ha yes...

Sekaya House

Continuing with yesterday's theme of Seeking the Wild, I chose a small 'nature spot' for us. This nature spot can be anything from a pot of herbs on your windowsill to a riverbank in the middle of the jungle. For us there is this small little playground about 3 mins walk from our house. There are lots of greens around, a small safe playground and most importantly, Adam loves this place. We only stumbled across this little hidden gem recently and ever since then he has been asking to go there every time we went out. It is close and safe enough that i can easily take both of them there even without my husband around.

We try to spend as much time there as possible, maybe a few times a week. Sometimes we go there on the way back from playing at the children centre, sometimes in the evening after Daddy comes home from work (summertime is great for this because there's sunshine until 9.30pm).

On our latest trip to the playground...

Mommy: Adam, let's make a house for the squirrels.

Adam: *pondering* Yay! Sekaya House! jom... (he calls squirrels sekaya)

Adam hard at work making his Sekaya House

You know, when I suggested the idea to Adam, I was fully prepared for him to not fully grasping the idea of making a house out of the toys of the Earth. I thought maybe he'll just take some sticks and stomp around, that would've been good enough. But I underestimated the creative energy of a child. All I showed him was how to clean the leaves out of some sticks to build the border of the house and he then took charge of the whole project.

The leaves = 'Mommy sekaya sleep here'

The cherries = 'Sekaya eat this, sekaya eat'

The flowers = 'Mommy go amik flowers. Sekaya nak flowers'

Two boys came over curiously watching us building this house. One of them accidentally stepped on some of the sticks;

Adam: No! No! Sekaya House!

the boy: *looked down* Oh, okay...

Then they started helping us too..hehe...

I'm proud of Adam, I am.

p/s: Does anybody know any spot in the UK (preferably near London and reachable via public transport) where you can swim in clear river/lake water? I am really craving for this (hence our recent trip to Serpentine Lido and Memorial Fountain, but they're not quite what i'm looking for yet). If you know a place please leave a comment, i'm desperate!

to my brother Hilmi, imi ingat tak last year klong pegi tmpt imi..masa otw nak ke airport naik train, kite ade nampak satu big riverbank ade org tgh mandi2 sungai?best sgt tmpt tu wlaupun ternampak skejap je while the train stopped..sampai skarang teringat2 tmpt tu...

Seeking the Wild

We've always loved going to the parks with the kids but recently after reading Soulemama's The Creative Family I'm feeling even more inspired to connect with nature and as she put it; 'seeking the wild'. We may not be able to go camping or to the beach right now but like she said, do not let your financial or geographic position stop you from enjoying nature.

So often we can get caught in the grind of daily life that we forget to be fully present, be mindful and enjoy the simplest things in life. Like the warmth of the sun of our faces, or view of the green grass in front of our eyes. But sometimes if we just be still and be present, we can see how beautiful it all is...and how blessed we are...

I hope these photos inspire you to seek the wild too ;)

p/s: Photos taken at the gorgeous Princess Diana's Memorial Fountain. Those of you in London, this place rocks! mari2 kite pergi ini tempat ok...Those of you in Malaysia, omg this place reminds me of Sungai Gabai..ok, it's not quite as wonderful as Sungai Gabai though..i miss Sungai Gabai!

Father's Day weekend

How was your father's day? Hope it was great...Oh I miss my dad...he was the best father in the world..sigh..

Last weekend we celebrated Father's Day at the Serpentine Lido, in Hyde Park.

Adam had a wonderful time...

with his best Dad in the world...

Great place..we do recommend it..perfect for an outdoor party..

the playground is really safe and you can just let them roam and play..

You can swim in this lake in the Lido ( but not other places at the lake) . The water looked kinda murky and there are ducks swimming in it but people seem to be swimming anyway..the view there is amazing..

I'm so grateful that summer is here. We're trying to enjoy summer as much as we can...it's the perfect time to go out and enjoy nature.. It feels so good let loose and just play like children. It's like reliving childhood through our children eyes, where everything is wonderful and magical. even simple things like having our toes dipped in sand..

Mia @ 5 months

Really? 5 months already??

- She's rolling really fast all over the place.

- err..she fell off the bed once :( my bad. nasib baik jatuh atas my pile of fabric...

- she loves to hear singing. Esp the Miss Polly and Hokey Kokey song.

- She's got the cutest smile.

- She loves getting a massage. and a bath. She'll give you a huge smile if you give her either one.

- her no 1 entertainer is...Adam of course. He'll dance, sing, play his guitar, kiss her, give her his toys, he'll try all sorts of things to make her happy. If nothing works he'll just wait patiently holding her hands while she's crying. Then he'll call out for Mommy or Daddy ' Mommy!/Daddy! Kung Mia...Mia angis...'.

-she's all chubby and yummy now.

You know, it's only been 5 months but already I can't imagine what our lives was like without her. Her beautiful round face, that sweet smile, those little toes. How did I sleep without smelling that intoxicating baby smell?

Mia, Happy 5 months birthday! We love you like crazy!

Little by little

Yesterday I set up this - Art Wire, a neat idea from this book. Basically just a piece of string ( I used leftover yarn) and these cute little clothespin from Portobello. Adam went crazy over this "Mommy nak snake!!! (anything yg sepit2 semua jadi snake, don't ask me why)'. He kept climbing over his kitchen to try and help me clip his art here. I want to set up the same thing on my sewing wall too to put little pieces of inspiration but i can't put thumb tacks on the wall here so that'll have to wait.

As you can see the ideas from that book are really simple but makes a difference. I'm committing myself to trying them out, one at a time.

Ok this one isn't from the book but i thought it's about time this iron board got a cover. probably it'll motivate me to iron more. or not ;)

Mia's curduroy pants

I made this using an Ottobre pattern (you'll see a lot of these i'm afraid. there are 40 patterns in 1 issue!). I am loving these pants! they look really cute on her and really girly! (suddenly I remember a certain curduroy with polka dots that I saw next to this fabric...hmm...when can i go fabric shopping again....)

the pants matches Mia's blouse I made earlier. Adam has a pair of brown curduroy pants too. You know, I bought that brown curduroy fabric to make pants for my husband...how did I get distracted into making these..hmmm...when will i ever learn to sew for adults if i keep getting addicted to sewing for those little toes, scrumptious as they are?

and now for a random photo from my day yesterday;

I sat next to the window to knit...and then this little boy came and covered me up with his quilt. Oh how sweet. I was able to knit probably 2 rows only before somebody screamed for my attention but, it was really nice anyway to have that precious little pocket of time to sit and knit...

I started this knitting project right before i gave birth to Mia - it was my 'labour room' project..as if i had time to knit in the labour room! hehe...i've recently taken it out again and i'm glad i did..knitting is so soothing..although, Mia probably would grow out of this already by the time i finish it..

For Adam

When was the last time I sew for Adam? Kesian Adam kan..asik sew for Mia jer...ok..last night i managed to make something for that little angel of mine..

Since finding fabric for boys are near impossible, i cut into my nightshirt that I never use any more ( can't nurse in this one) and made him...

those jammies! olololo cute la senyum camtu boleh tak? budak tak mandi ni...

peluk adik..

Mia's wearing her outfit from yesterday..

she's full of yumminess...makes me want more kids ;)

a pencil holder and more tiny little clothes

i made a pencil colour holder for Adam. it's a project from this book. very easy to do.

it rolls up nicely...

and now for mia...a blouse from an Ottobre pattern. I love Ottobre! first time i tried one. Usually commercial patterns confuses me and opening and tracing a tissue pattern takes forever...but Ottobre patterns are on thick magazine type paper, making it much easier to trace...and also, it's such a great bargain, 40 patterns in one issue!

the top is another Ottobre pattern....and the pants i traced from one of Adam's old pants that can now fit Mia...then I added some ruffles to make them girly..

i'm planning a lot more sewing projects....i'm trying not to lose the momentum..

London Market - Old Spitalfield

Lately I've been visiting some of London's wonderful markets. The vibe at each market are so different, and certainly more intriguing than the usual high street chaos. Last weekend my husband wanted to stay home, celebrating the World Cup, so Mia and I took the opportunity to go out exploring on our own. On Saturday we went to Portobello Market with my friend Nurul while her husband, my husband and Adam went to another friend's house to watch football together. Portobello Market was awesome, a lot of vintage fabric and haberdashery this time and I got some great wooden toys for Adam...no photos of Portobello though. The next day I went with Mia to another market - Old Spitalfield.

It's a covered market, so great for rainy days. Yesterday we had sunny weather though..

This market is full of handmade items! it was so inspiring...most sellers won't allow any photography though, some of their patterns are copyrighted. This particular lady however was really friendly and let me make her photo with her creations. aren't those skirts/dresses beautiful?

you see that pebble-looking face? the stall owner makes them herself using paper? fuh..taktau camne..she makes the pebbles, then draw faces on them, then make the applique, then stick the pebble on pins so it can be pinned on the applique. cute!

This guy was selling old album..with old photos in them! kinda weird but i thought it was interesting..

I liked this old typewriter..i was day-dreaming how nice it would be if i can buy this then me and Adam can type on this, maybe make up stories or write love letters to Daddy :) tapi it's a bit expensive so tak jadilah...

a stall selling hand knitted baby clothes...that old lady was sitting there knitting more stuff..

i love london markets..sigh..who wants to come with me next week?hehe..

About being creative

Do you remember this post? Ummi Saeed was right on point with her comment. I was reading this amazing mama's blog. After some reflection, I decided that instead of feeling intimidated and avoiding her inspiring blog, I should make use of that inspiration and actually do something about it.

I bought her book, the Creative Family. This book is great! Full of great ideas on creative activities with children. The ideas are simple, and could easily be implemented in our own house. I wish there were more photos though, photos could be so inspiring without much words. I mean, look at that front page photo, I am totally making those yummy linen pants for my kids!

I've scanned through the book whenever I get the chance and I've decided to start with the part about making art with children.

We don't normally draw in our house. We live in a rented house with rented furnitures and we're afraid to get it dirty. So usually Adam's drawing and painting are limited to when we're at the children centres.

But not anymore. I'm making a change. I bought some wonderful non-toxic, natural, environmental friendly art supplies recently. According to the book, when drawing and making art with children, use the good stuff. Choose few high-quality materials instead of a lot of cheap materials that will soon break. I struggled with this idea since the good stuff cost a lot and there are a lot cheaper options. But I proceeded anyway with some of the art supplies that the author suggested. I am so glad I did because these tools work! The colours are vivid and the resulting artwork is beautiful..in the process I also realised that the children centres actually use the high quality, more expensive tools too! bagus betul government diorg ni sponsor...

Adam was thrilled! He went to work right away...I love watching him concentrate..

I also sat and worked next to him. I don't think I'm very talented, drawing-wise...but I'm taking hints from the book..just sit and let it flow. Adam will watch and learn and we can both be inspired by each other. After some time he came and sat on my lap and tried to draw on my paper.

Me: Adam, I'm drawing this. Why don't you go and draw on your drawing book there?

Adam: No Mommy, Mommy ajar Adam...

OMG.....silly mommy... of course!

trylah jugak nak ajar Adam...hehe..though i think he's probably more creative than i am..children are inherently creative. There's a lot we can learn from them. I feel so privileged to be able to relive childhood through my children's eyes..

Of course as a hardcore train-lover, anything can be turned into trains..literally.

It's just a small change, but it's a step forward. We have a lot more to learn. I need to learn to let go of my need to control for example thinking about the mess i have to clean up etc, and focus on just enjoying the moment and being creative with my child. Adam needs to learn to respect the tools and not try to destroy them. I'm planning a Family Drawing Time soon and to make it a regular session that everybody in the family can enjoy. My husband is actually a very talented artist, though he hasn't drawn in a while- he once drew a full sized portrait of me and it was beautiful. I think Adam can learn from him. And we can learn from Adam and his overflowing creativity.

I realised that if I can fit a little bit of creating in my my daily life, i can feel myself becoming calmer, more centred, less easily upset, more in tune with my children and just overall more happy. So now I'm making a point to make time for creating...I've taken out my knitting again (I stopped after giving birth to Mia), I'm sewing more, and now i'm even drawing! And it feels good...Also, in this beautiful summer weather, I'm also consciously making a point to enjoy the beauty of nature..it feels good..alhamdulillah...

Sewing season is back!

Finally! I'm getting back in the groove now and it feels good! The sun is shining...summer sewing is here and I've got to thank Adam for it :) I think he's finally at the age where he can almost participate in the sewing. He still tries to climb all over the machine, run over the needles, grab the scissors, stain all the fabric etc...but at least now he listens when I tell him - 'No Adam, instead of climbing on the machine why don't you sit next to me and help me push this back button while i'm sewing?' Or ' No, not the big scissors, take this small one and you can have these fabric scraps to cut with'. (of course he calls scissors SNAKE for reasons i can't yet comprehend but that's beside the point). Now i can sew while Mia is having her morning naps..Hopefully soon I can let Adam learn how to sew for himself too...

Anyway, here are the recent results of my sewing sessions;

Another wardrobe makeover for Mia - The top was her long sleeve onesie that doesn't fit anymore..pretty soon a lot of her onesies are not gonna fit anymore..these dresses are soo easy to make and takes very little time..does anybody want a tutorial? But it's way too easy, you probably don't need one to whip this up..

Here's an action shot of the little princess..she's now happily rolling all over the house by herself. We love watching her!

and another one cos she's too precious ;)

An apron I made for a friend. She doesn't read this blog, i don't think so, so this shouldn't spoil her surprise. She's my very good friend here..she loves cooking..even when she comes visit she'll bring us lunch. During my husband's birthday, I went to her house to bake my husband a birthday cake..she taught me how and let me use her fancy baking equipments..I hope she likes this apron..

more sewing projects coming (hopefully) and also there's another crafty family project that i'm very excited about coming into place in this house...well, not a big deal or anything but i'm really excited about it. I'll update tomorrow...

Adam..Adam...

Adam this morning...

He woke up early...i don't know, maybe 6 ish...my husband took him out to the living room, while I slept with Mia..Then he came creeping back in bed with me. My husband had fallen back to sleep on the couch. Adam tossed and turned next to me. Couldn't really sleep. 'Mommy selimut?' 'Mommy selimut lagi?'. After some time..

Adam: Mommy, poop?

Me: Adam poop? Nak tukar pampers?

Adam: Ha...jom..

And I got out of bed. Went to the bathroom. I'm a sucker for everytime he asked me to change his diaper because he VERY RARELY is willing to have his diaper changed.

Me: jom Adam

Adam: No, ni nak main...

Me: ??? *pulak daaaah budak ni...*

I went to make a cup of coffee. A toast. Checked my mails. Then he came to me, probably bored playing by himself.

Adam: Mommy, nak kung

Me: Hmm..tanaklah...tadi Adam cakap ngan Mommy nak tukar pampers kan? Lepas tu tanak pulak?

Adam: Ha'ah *nodding* Ok2..Sorry? *looking really sorry*

Oh be still my beating heart. I love that boy.

Tutorial: Nursing Top - wardrobe refashion

When you're a nursing mom, every time you shop for clothes you've always got to think about whether you can breastfeed in any clothes you buy. You probably have to reorganise your existing clothes too, put away all the other tops that are hard to nurse in. Whenever i say to my husband ' bang, i like this top a lot..but..i can't breastfeed in it!' He always replies ' It's ok, you can alter it later. Turn it into a nursing top'. And i'll roll my eyes..mcmla his wife so clever boleh tukar semua top jadi nursing top...but deep down i also take it as a challenge...nursing tops are expensive! it would be great if i can alter my existing wardrobe...

So this is my first attempt..i'll share it here because it's so easy i bet anyone can do it too..

Start with a couple of t shirts of the same or coordinating colours. Dig into your old clothes. Or you can get these cheap anywhere. This project work best if you use cotton knit shirts. These shirts I used were actually one of mine and one of my sister's that i accidentally brought to london because they are identical. (sorry Acah, klong gunting baju Acah! hehehe....)

Cut the extra shirt into strips of 3.5inch width (If you're not making a nursing top you can use narrower strips). I have 3 strips here but I actually cut 4 (the fourth not in photo).

Cut away one of the seams and open up the strips.

Gather your strips. To gather, use a long stitch on your machine and pull one of the threads.

Pin you first ruffle around the neckline.

Sew the ruffle on. The great thing about working with knit (t-shirt fabric) is that knit doesn't fray. So you don't need to hem, or finish the raw edges of your fabric. Put the shirt on and mark two horizontal lines where your breasts are. You probably have to enlarge the photo to see my lines there.

Pin your second ruffle on and sew.

Continue with the third ruffle. Cut the horizontal line that you marked earlier (remember knit doesn't fray but you can sew zigzag around the 'hole' if you like). I didn't and it's holding up great. I also added a fourth ruffle underneath but didn't have any photo of that.

Here's the result;

Very feminine, girly nursing top that is very easy to nurse in discreetly. You can make this pretty top even if you're not nursing. Try it!