98% of Happy Mothers

Ever since Aiden and Ian were engaged to be part of the Friso Gold Yes Experiment last April, our entire household has embraced the new milk on the get go. Ian is on Step 3 every three to four hours while Aiden is on Step 4 as his warm glass of milk before bed time. To date, the two boys have been full time on Friso Gold for over eight months, and counting! 

The most common concerns for me as a mum raising two boisterous boys are boosting immunity and building resistance. As part of growing up, my boys are eager to explore the world and try new things… which ultimately expose them to circumstances that may impair their health. 

Friso Gold helps children grow stronger from the inside. Starting with improving their digestive system where germs and bacteria first attack to strengthen their immune system.

Here are some other benefits your child will get with every glass of Friso Gold:

Other than the fact that the milk is 100% imported from Holland (I never knew that!!!), I am also very much in love with the packaging. For starters, each Friso Gold tin comes with a spoon holder, so that you don't have to dig around in the milk powder to retrieve the scoop. Totally hygienic, I advocate for every milk powder brand to adopt this ingenious design! Each tin also has a protection lid which seals brilliantly but is easy to open and close. However, my personal favourite is the accurate dosage leveler in the tin. Being an engineer and an avid baker, both require for me to be quite particular about precise measurements. With the very handy dosage leveler strategically located just at the top of the tin, I am assured that every time I prepare my children’s milk, it has the correct ratio of milk and water. Sheer pure genius!

Aiden really loves the taste of Friso Gold. I have noticed a marked improvement in his alertness and energy levels. Ian on the other hand cannot really articulate his love for the milk, but is constantly saying "Yeay!!", whenever I ask him if he wants his susu. Simple gestures like these ultimately convince me that Friso Gold is the best choice for them. Not only do they enjoy their warm milk, in turn I am also comforted by the fact that they are nourished to grow stronger from the inside. 

Happy, healthy and physically fit, with Friso Gold I’m confident my kids are able to enjoy the great outdoors. Similar to our sandbox experience in Week 3 of the Friso Gold Yes Experiment, we recently had a trip to the beach where I allowed the kids to experience nature first hand. They swam in the sea, dug for hermit crabs and built sand castles all day long! Knowing that my kids have a stronger natural body resistance courtesy of Friso Shield, I was a worry-free mummy and gave them their space, honoring their joyful moments. Thank you Friso Gold,for that priceless memorable experience.

Last but certainly not least, I am not the only one happy with Friso Gold, but 98% of Friso Gold mothers are also happy with Friso Gold products.* Discover the reasons behind the love of mother and child for Friso Gold at http://www.frisogold.com.my/products/friso-gold-3#friso-gold-reviews

#FrisoGoldMY #FrisoGoldMalaysia #LocNutri #preservesnutrients #easydigestionforstrongerinside

Disclaimer: *Results based on a database survey of Friso Gold mums.

First Week of Big Boy School!

Fuhhhhh... we survived the first week at Big Boy school. Surprisingly, it went quite smoothly, I must say. Aiden is no longer tugging at his tie and complaining of the heat. It has been an interesting week, but it was a time well spent to acclimatize to a new environment.

Here's a recap of his one week of school:

Tuesday - 2nd day of school. I went to work as normal but as soon as I drove into the office parking, I suddenly had a panic attack. It suddenly occurred to me that I forgot to show Aiden where to go after the van drop off! Suddenly I had this image of a confused Aiden crying in a corner, wondering where his friends were. *mak drama lebih* Texted a neighbour to request for her son (who is in the same van as Aiden) to tolong tunjuk Aiden to his class. That risau feeling stayed with me the whole entire morning so after my meeting, I left the office just before lunch time (thank god for flexi hours!) and drove to school. Upon arriving at his school, I took a spot behind some trees and started stalking (yes, I repeat stalking) Aiden.

This was what I saw. A very responsible Abang Ammar showing Aiden where his class was. Terus rasa lega!

Went to say hello to Aiden, and he excitedly showed his wallet. I had refrained from giving him his wallet, for fear of him misplacing it. Instead he took matters in his own hands and made the executive decision to bring it to school! 

Kiasu Mummy! I drove for half an hour from office to school just to see you for 15 minutes, baby!

I asked Aiden why he brought his wallet to school. As expected, he wanted to go 'shopping' at the canteen. Well I guess it was a successful attempt because a fellow mother whatsapped this photo of him during recess:

I got this photo during a meeting and accidentally laughed out loud in glee. *giggles* Can't believe he managed to buy his own drink! Chocolate milk!

Came home in the evening, with a hole in one of his socks! Aiden makan stokin ke, anak bertuah oi! *shakes head in dismay* That night I asked Aiden what he bought with his pocket money. He answered, "Chocolate milk!" I tried enticing him into buy something else, "Aiden, you know you can also buy mee goreng with your money?" He answered, "I don't want. Mee goreng is only one ringgit!" (He didn't see a point in only spending one ringgit when he can spend the entire two ringgit pocket money I give him daily! Hah, don't think my son will be saving money anytime soon!) *traits of a shopaholic*

Wednesday - 3rd day of school. Felt more confident of Aiden's ability to navigate through school. No stalking activities this time, mainly because I had meetings all day long. All my worries were also put to rest when fellow reporters (mummies) started whatsapping photos of Aiden throughout the day. Thank you, ladies - for keeping an eye on Aiden! You know who you are!

Reporter reporting that Aiden arrived safely in class.

Kiasu mummies waiting outside the school gate for evening pick up.

As usual, I asked Aiden what he bought with his pocket money. He answered, "Milo! But Mummy, you can also buy Milo in a cup for one ringgit, so with two ringgit I can get two!" Wow, he is really intent on spending every single cent of his money!


Thursday - 4th day of school. Had plumbing problems so I took the day off. Tried making bento for the first time - a simple dinosaur shaped cheese sandwich. I hid myself behind some pillars and watched as Aiden opened his lunch box. He excitedly showed his friends... "Wowwww, hey look at what I've got!" he exclaimed. Soon, Ian announced our arrival by calling out to his brother. And for the first time, I witnessed my son buying his own drinks at school!

Aiden showing off my amateur attempt at bento and his Milo in a cup. And Ian having a cold Milo drink at his brother's recess table.

Gang rehat!

Picked him up from school and asked him how school went. Usually getting anything from him is like squeezing blood out of a stone. But instead of the normal "I don't remember", he eagerly told me:

Aiden: Mummy, today teacher asked me what I wanted to be!

Me: So what did you say? (expecting him to say astronaut)

Aiden: I told her I want to be an Oscar!
Me: An Oscar? What is an Oscar??? 

Aiden: Awwww you know, the one with the gun and they have lots of troops!

Me: Ooooooo, askar!!!!! *giggles*

Friday - 5th day of school. Since it was the last day that parents were allowed to 'stalk' their kids in the school compound, I decided to take the second half of the day off. Arrived at the school hall just as the teachers were putting the kids into their new classes. Yup, depending on their orientation exam results, they were streamlined into new classes. I had cautioned Aiden the night before that he be may be split from his best friend Hisham. It stressed him out greatly, so I was really hoping for them to still be together in the same class. Despite a slightly drama moment for me when I couldn't find Aiden with Hisham, Alhamdulillah, I was soooo glad to find that both were maintained in the same class.

Mee goreng with sliced hot dogs and a chocolate milk to boot.

Deliriously happy that they were both maintained in the same class.

Took the opportunity to accompany Aiden for a visit to the tandas. As expected, he covered his nose and ran out. Oh well, Aiden. You will simply have to adapt. Kalau dah sakit perut, kena pegi jugak kan?

Well done Aiden, for completing your first week at school. Mummy and Daddy cannot be with you anymore during school hours, but we have much faith that you will learn how to be independent and make new friends. Seeing you be sociable with your new friends, them calling you "Ai-den" (Ai rhyming with why) made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I wish I have a rewind button and can turn back time to when you were a clingy toddler. But I know it is time for me to let go and allow you to bloom in this new chapter of your life.

As for me, I'm still adjusting to this whole schooling mum routine. I have new found respect for mothers who are also 'drivers' for their kids. It is exhausting! With the unforgiving weather nowadays, the heat is becoming quite unbearable. And it's funny how time flies and you find yourself squeezing errands between drop off and pick up. Not to mention checking his school bag daily for messages from the teacher and helping out with homework. One week down, more to come! Good luck to all of us!

Goreng Pisang Mawar, Johor Bahru

It is such a hot day outside. I would give anything to have a cold drink and a good plate of banana fritters, just like the one we had at Goreng Pisang Mawar, JB.

Anyway, this is a continuation of our end year holiday. After our full day trip to Universal Studios Singapore, we spent the next day enjoying JB. We got a great deal at Thistle for their Executive Room - City View, but upon arrival we discovered that the room was much smaller than the Sea View. Not only that, the Sea View room boasted a bigger bed, an arm chair and a shower cubicle... imagine the difference! Finally we decided to upgrade to the Sea View room. So lesson learnt for next time!

The view from our Seaview room.

Bigger bed, extra arm chair and even a shower cubicle.

Goreng Pisang Mawar is probably the most famous pisang goreng in JB. Whenever I tell someone that I am heading to Thistle JB, I always get a recommendation to try the banana fritters. Initially, I simply couldn't understand what the whole hype was all about, I mean, how good can a banana fritter taste like, right? Or so I thought...

Goreng Pisang Mawar is located just a stone's throw away from Thistle Hotel. Ample parking spots, so why bother to walk when you can drive? Don't be fooled by the name, cos it doesn't only serve banana fritters for tea time, but they actually start operating at 11am for breakfast!

Nearly all the tables were filled with people.

Bananas galore!

We went at around 1pm. Despite a very heavy buffet breakfast, we were wowed over the menu and decided to have Laksa Johor and Nasi Lemak as an early lunch. Both were good but I thought the Laksa Johor was a better choice.

Aiden fell asleep while waiting for the food to arrive. *chuckles* Ignore my frizzy hair, thanks to the swimming pool.

Finally, the banana fritters arrived! I looked at it suspiciously. Biasa jer nampak? Looks like any other ordinary goreng pisang. "What is so great about it?", I thought to myself. I took a bite. Yeah okay, it is crispy on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside. But still... biasa jer? Seriously, why the heck is it so famous???

And then Hubby pushed a small steel container towards me. "Makan dengan sos dia la baru sedap!" I looked at him warily. Never in my life, have I had banana fritters with any kind of sauce. I thought he was pulling a fast one on me. He poured some of the black suspicious looking 'sauce' into a small shallow dish. Sambal kicap with cili padi, rupanya!

I dipped my goreng pisang into the sauce and gingerly brought it to my mouth. Imagine my surprise, when a burst of flavours exploded in my mouth! The sweetness of the banana fritter, when combined with the hot, spicy and savoury sauce, was soooooo good! Who knew that sambal kicap could bring the experience of banana fritters to a whole different level??!!

Needless to say, my diet went down the drain that afternoon. I couldn't stop, the sauce made the meal so appealing and addictive!

Golden and crispy goreng pisang, fried to perfection.

That awesome savoury sauce.

This is no ordinary karipap. I'm not talking about the size (it was huge!) but rather, Hubby and I both agreed it tasted like Shepherd's Pie!

Goreng Pisang Mawar gets two thumbs up from all of us. Next time you're in JB, this is definitely a must-try.

Pisang Mawar

No.888, Jalan Sungai Chat, Johor, Malaysia, 80100, Malaysia

Business hours: 11am - 5pm

First Day at Big Boy School!

New school boy hairstyle. Goodbye rambut jambu! *cries*

Yesterday was Aiden's first day at Big Boy school. After an extremely successful orientation day just a few days ago, I guess I got complacent by assuming that he would adapt easily to his new school life. It turned out not to be as easy as I thought.

Initially, it all went well. He ate his lunch, got dressed and even posed outside the house with his new hairstyle. During the photo shoot, he started complaining about the weather. But then the van arrived, and he got on it, all pumped up and excited.

Holding on to his neck, still not used to having to use a tie to school.

Happy face in the van.

It got worse as soon as he arrived at school. For starters, Aiden is not used to the new schedule of going to school in the afternoon. By the time he got to school, the sun was shining brightly above his head. As soon as he arrived at the school gate (I was already waiting for him there), he complained about the heat, tugging on his collar and tie with both hands. Because of this, he refused to listen to instructions (what more smile at the camera), so I ended up having to take his hand and help him find his classmates. When we finally found the line for his class, he kept protesting that those weren't his classmates, even going as far as to claim that he had never seen them before and they were not in his class when he took his orientation exam. All this, just because he couldn't find his friend Hisham in the said line. *sigh*

I tried to pujuk him, even pointing out to their class tags and comparing it with his, but he simply refused to believe me. In the end I just forced him to sit in the queue and wait. He gave me a sullen look and sat.

Muka tak puas hati... no smiles at all!

The kids were then led into the hall for their first school assembly. He followed the line and then sat with the other kids, still refusing to acknowledge them as his classmates. *shakes head in dismay* Very stubborn, this one!

The assembly was held in Malay (of course!) but I doubt Aiden understood even a quarter of it. Soon I saw his eyes wandering around and then staring into space. He was bored to death!

First school assembly for Aiden!

Parents were not allowed to enter the hall, so we waited outside. 

Real Kids gang reunited!

The school assembly was extremely longgggggg. In the end Hubby and I left the school compound as we had some errands to run. We made a pit stop back home as well to pick up Ian and then rushed back to school for Aiden's recess time.

We arrived a few minutes after the bell, so by the time I walked to the canteen, the Standard One kids were already there. I panicked for a bit, because I didn't provide Aiden any bekal, nor did I give him any pocket money (because we were going to be there with him). In the end I found him sitting beside Hisham and some of his other classmates, and beckoned for him to follow me for a crash course in buying food from the canteen.

The first thing he asked for was a cold drink, so I taught him how to line up to buy drinks and gave him some money. I told him he could choose anything (from the fridge) and pay for it himself. Guess what? His face lighted up, all the bad mood from earlier simply disappeared. He was super excited at the prospect of going 'shopping' for drinks with his pocket money!!! #futureshopaholic??? He got even more excited when the guy handed him his change!

His chosen menu for recess - kuey teow goreng and Milo packet drink. Muka terus senyum!!!

Ian insisted on some money for himself too!

Back in the hall after recess. Ian was checking out a boy's bag... which featured his current favourite character - Lightning McQueen! Once he even grabbed the bag and attempted to run off with it! *chuckles*

At last, a genuine shocked face smile!

Finally in the classroom. Animatedly showing Hisham, his change from the earlier purchase of the Milo packet drink.

Sharing a light moment with his best friend, Hisham.

So that was how his first day went. I guess the key to getting my child to love school is to sogok him with pocket money and the promise of 'shopping' at the canteen. Terus looking forward to school the next day! *giggles*