Monthly Archives: October 2009

Easy Breakfast Menu

There is nothing really so extraordinary about this menu.  As a matter of fact, many of my readers might say ‘what the heck is so special about this’!

Most of the times, I wake up in the morning and feel like preparing something ‘special’ for my kids and hubby.  Tuesday morning is the only day when our family eats breakfast together.  It is hubby’s day off from work.

Since hubby wakes up late, around 9:00 every Tuesday, I prefer to prepare big breakfast for him to boost his energy.  Tease his taste and excite his senses!  What am I talking about?  Food of course.

Last Tuesday, I prepared my favorite omelette with red capsicums and slices of button mushrooms, rindless bacon, roasted tomatoes (can be pan fried too), a ramekin of baked beans and a bowl of fresh strawberries.

Simple breakfast ideas

Simple breakfast ideas

For the omelette, the mushrooms and red capsicums were cooked in a bit of oil first until wilted then seasoned with salt and pepper before mixing it with the beaten eggs.  My omelette was sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese before I cooked it.  That makes a big difference in taste.  Sooo delish!!

Oh, don’t be so impressed with the baked beans.  It was the one from tin which hubby brought from his shop to try at home.  I can share to you however a good recipe for baked beans in the recipe section one of these days.  Promise.

With the way our breakfast was presented on the table with freshly squeezed orange juice, nobody can say now that it was not ‘special’.

Time spent with our family is always special…it is not the food that is on the table but the appreciation and gratitude for whatever we have and share together as a family.

Raising Kids Is Indeed A Challenge!

I had a parents-teacher interview at kindie last Thursday.  It was intended to discuss with parents the development so far of the kids since they started attending preschool.  It was a one-on-one discussion and interview between the teacher and parents.

I was more than satisfied and happy with the way Alvin is developing in terms of intelligence:  numeracy and letter recognition, shapes, colors; motor skills; social skills, etc.  As compared to the time Alvin started kindie last January, he is now able to express himself much clearer in terms of words.  He is now very interested in singing and dancing.  He is brilliant when it comes to spelling.  This also includes word recognition which makes him remember that a certain word reads as such.  His memory is amazing for a two year old.  Please read related story that will give you hints on how to help your kids improve in spelling, word recognition, and help them get more interested in learning while having fun!

The teacher told me “We are trying to come up with new activities for Alvin so that he won’t get bored.  Maybe something that will challenge him more mentally.”  Although I don’t see Alvin getting bored with what he does everyday, I always wonder if he really will ever get bored of all this learning activities.  The thing is, it seems like for Alvin learning is a play and he is really having fun with it, which is really good.  Some parents might worry though if their kids are enjoying to learn and study and missing play to the point that they are missing a huge percentage of how their childhood should be.

Alvin fixing the bed and side table early in the morning.  Isn't he so sweet?

Alvin fixing the bed and side table early in the morning. Isn't he so sweet?

The best thing for parents to remember is that we should come up with all sorts of activities for our kids.   There must always be an activity where they can express their talents and playful selves.  It should not always be serious like doing homeworks all the time or reading books and studying.  For Alvin and Ivana, they have their weekly swimming lessons.  Ivana is also asking me to enrol her in dance classes which I definitely will.

Raising my kids is becoming more and more challenging to me each day as a parent.  There is something to look forward to everyday.  It is also an exciting experience when we discover something new with our kids’ abilities or skills.  Just have a look at my Alvin who surprised me with how good (not perfect though) he can fix mama and papa’s bed!

How challenging is raising kids for you?  Share your experiences and joy in parenting and raising your beautiful angels.  See you around lovely moms! :-D