Great birthday party

Lukas used to live next door but had moved recently. His mother invited us to his birthday party at the grand-uncle's place. We enjoyed ourselves. The weather was great that day and the venue was calm in the countryside.

The theme of the party was around Mickey Mouse. Boy, the decorations put up by Nadia just blew me off. It was a small party with Lukas' family and us and she put in such efforts.

Toddler A1 had so much fun with his friend. As you could see from the pictures below, any kid is bound to enjoy himself. We got Lukas a fire engine truck and he loved it.

The boys having lunch on their own picnic table with Lukas' grand-father watching over. Toddler A1 had too many hotdogs that day.

Mickey everywhere!

We miss Lukas and Nadia a lot. We do promise to keep in touch and try to do activities with our boys togather.

Rice dumpling

In the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, the chinese celebrates the dragon boat(Duanwu) festival. On this day and even during the month, one can find rice dumplings everywhere in Singapore.

I remembered that when I was young, my mum used to make those Nonya rice dumplings. For a long time, those were the only ones I ate. In my late teens, I came across the common meat rice dumpling made by a friend's mother but I still preferred mum's.

Having lived in France for so many years, I never celebrate Duanwu festival. OK, celebrate is a big word cos even in Singapore, for me, it was eating a few rice dumplings that mum made for the occasion. I think I only bought rice dumpling once in my entire 8 years here.

Last week, Ai Yi (aunty in chinese), the kids' nanny asked if I would like to eat rice dumplings. She offered to give me several but after knowing that her rice dumplings are dessert rice dumplings, I told her to just give me 3. I never like sweet rice dumplings though my mum had been converted since many years. I think that is one of the reason why she no longer does Nonya rice dumplings.

When I came back from my Helsinki trip on wed, I saw 3 rice dumplings sitting on the kitchen table. I ate one in office the next day and I enjoyed the slightly salty glutinous rice with a sweet big red date. I called home to thank Ai Yi cos' I won't see her until tues. It was really nice of her.
I took a pic before sharing the 2 left with Seb that evening.

Now that I have kids, I should maybe learn from my mum or Ai Yi the making of rice dumplings. I do hope that tradition continues and my kids will be eating rice dumpling made by their mother.

Dalloyau

We bought this cake for my mother-in-law's birthday celebration at Galleries Lafayette gourmet. I had to take a pic of it as it looked good and tasted good, even for a non-cake person like me. If you do happen to be in Paris and come across a Dalloyau tea salon, try it. It is just as famous as Ladurée.

There are also Lenôtre and Fauchon which creates lovely to the eyes and tasty food.

I have been eating and eating these days. Now, I understand why most middle age mums put on weight so easily. I do crave for sweet things at times and this was so unlike me before having the 2 boys. Will write more about my other food indulgences soon.

First Aid training

2 weeks ago, I took up a 2 days first aid course with my 3 colleagues. This course was oriented towards working environment as we would be certified (workplace) first aider. The company sponsored the course. But this did not mean that we could not help others in the public.

We were 10 in total and the instructor was a fireman. He had lots of experiences and shared with us many of his life experiences. Accidents could happen anyway, anytime and often in normal circumstances where we least expected it.

The first half day was spent on reading on the slides shows about PREVENTION. It was interesting though most were not applicable for office environment. Examples like wearing protective gears for factory works, not obstructing the corridors and stairways with cartons, reading the notice carefully and following the rules on how to use dangerous machine just to name a few.
After that, we had practical lessons. We were taught how to assess a situation when someone was in trouble. Was there any danger around him? Would it endanger your own life if you go to his help? Was it possible to get him out of the danger? If the surrounding was safe, check if he was bleeding, if not, check if he was choked, if not, check if he was concious and breathing, if not, check if he was unconcious and breathing, if not, .... As we eliminated the options and came to a conclusion, we had to administer the appropriate first aid before the medical team arrived to take over.

On the last day, each of us had a chance to try out giving cardio pulmonary resuscitation CPR to dummies (adult, child and baby). For hygiene purpose, we were given a face for each of the dummies. For the last hour, we did role play. One victim and one rescuer volunteered each time and the instructor came up with a scenario unknown to the rescuer. The instructor used professional make up and he could simulate injuries like amputation of finger, burns, bad cuts, blues. They looked real and it was gore at times. This really helped to enforce our experience in this training.

I am happy with the training as I got to know a new friend whose parents live near my in-laws. But the most important thing I gained is knowing that I could be helpful if my family or strangers need first aid. I felt equiped and confident.

For those who are interested in this area, there is a site at BBC on first aid skills tests. I just tested myself on CPR and it was exactly as I was taught. Try it, you never know, with this little knowledge, you could save lives.

Neighbour's day

Today is neighbour's day and as usual, a gathering was organised for our residence at the gardien's office. Neighbour's day is something recent and this is the third year our residence organised it.
In the evening, people brought along drinks and tibits and cakes and we just mingled around and chatted. I brought toddler A1 along while Seb stayed at home to take care of baby A2 who was sleeping.
I just came back from Helsinki yesterday night and brought a pack of sweets fabricated in Finland. I got to know a few new neighbours and even a neighbour who had been there for a few years but we just never met. We had an interesting conversation. This residence consists of 4 small buildings totalling 99 apartments. With people moving in and out, there are always new faces.
Toddler A1 was shy at first but overcame his shyness fast when he was offered chips and orange juice. He played with some big kids at soccer and when the younger kids arrived later, he run around with them. It was also a good chance to talk to other young parents and exchange tips on where to go and education etc...
One good thing out of this neighbour party is that I now have 2 contacts for baby sittings on weekends. When the kids are older, it would be nice for Seb and I to hang out a bit without them for a evening.

Solo parenting

Our challange for the next few weeks: solo parenting.

As I had written before, I go on work trips at times. Since having baby A2, I had not been on any overnight trips. Well, it is starting again. A new project starts in Helsinki with one of my fav client. It requires a few trips in a span of 2 months. I know that I would enjoy working on this project yet I felt unfair to Seb for having to take care of the boys alone.

So coming monday, Seb would be going to Lille for a day trip meaning he leaves the house really early and comes back late. I would have to wait for the nanny to come at 9am and be home by 6pm. As I have less flexible hours than Seb, I would have to take half a day's leave. I can't reach office at 10am and leave by 5pm. (Peak hour traffic takes me an hour between home and office). Good thing that Seb does not need to travel much now. Or he tries to travel on Wed, the day I don't work.

From Tues to Thurs, I would be heading to Helsinki. I will leave home early and be late home on thurs. As I am working 80% now, I would have my friday off from work.

Then comes the month of June. We will be spending 5 days in Brittany as a family starting from 01 June as we have a long weekend due to the public holiday on 02 June.

In the second and fourth week of June, I will be heading to Helsinki again for 3 and 4 days respectively. On the third week of June, Seb would be away in London for 3 days. I will be taking half day leaves on Tues and Thurs; always the issue of nanny.

Seb and I would take turns to do single parenting in June; him more than me. He is confident that he can manage it. As for me, I am stress over putting the boys to sleep as they both require attention during sleep time.

A friend is asking how we can cope with the coming few weeks. With good organisation, we should do fine. It won't be easy though. We had been lucky in the past year that my mum was here to help out so if one of us was away, the other could cope easily. Now, we are on our own.

The playpen

Baby A2 is starting to crawl and like his brother, he does it backwards for a start. He is such an active boy that it is time to set up the playpen. Toddler A1 was so excited when he saw it that he wanted to get in too.
The 2 boys even played togather in the playpen. We can work in the kitchen at peace now knowing that the 2 are confined in the playpen. Had we known that toddler A1 would like it so much, we would never had kept it when he started to walk. (We wanted to make space for him in the living room.)
Baby A2 is teething and the 2 front lower teeth had cut out. He is eating well on fruits and vegetables. He has not tried meat yet. The only complain I have is that he sleeps so little. He hardly naps.
Toddler A1 is growing fine too. Brought him for his 2 year old checkup and pediatre asked him to name the animals in the book. He could not since he was not speaking much yet. He could make sounds of animals though. Upon the pediatre's instruction, I asked toddler A1 to fetch a toy from the table and he did as told. The pediatre understood that he was learning 3 languages which might explain the slowness in speech. However, she still prescribed an audio examination for toddler A1. Huh? She is just a procedure base person. I realised that many medicial staff gave extra examinations over here. Either they are over precaution, or they are just protecting themselves from mis-diagnosis. Anyway, most examinations are paid partially by social security and the rest top up by mutuelle. Still, sometimes, it takes up a lot of our engergy and time. We shall wait and see for toddler A1.

Summery spring time

Spring is here and usually we do get a week or two of freaking sunny days. However, it has been hot like summer since we come back from Singapore. People we know told us that the weather was good even while we were in Singapore. That makes it a total of 4 weeks of summery spring time.

The tourism industry is happy while the agriculture industry is worried. No rain means crops are not growing well. No fresh pasture for the cows and hay meant for winter is already being used.

The cherry and strawberry season is already here. Usually, it is in two weeks' time. I am not complaining cos we are enjoying this good dry, warm weather. It is easier to support the heat when there is no humidity unlike in Singapore.

2 sundays ago, we had a picnic with Anca and family at the park nearby our place. Last weekend, we were out again. Seb suggested a walk in the park of the Chateau de Chantilly. The drive up north took us about 30minutes. We took the double seater stroller as we predicted that toddler A1 would want to be carried and not walk. Our prediction came true. It took some coaxing and an afternoon snack for him to walk and not "koala bear" hug his dad.

The visit to the park is not free but I guess the money was put to good use as the lawns are well maintained. It is a lovely big park and we only cover less than a quarter of it. There are ducks in mating games and swans with their nests at the riverbank. This swan was protecting its 3 cygnets.

We enjoyed our little outing and everyone slept in the car on the way back except the driver, of course. Thanks Seb for the getaway.

On Sunday, we went to church and since it was another beautiful day, we decided to have lunch outside. We wanted to try something new other than those regular resturants we go to. After all, most of them are small eateries with limited space for stroller.

We headed for the 6th district of Paris as there are many brasseries (french traditional restaurants). We ended up at Le Petit Zinc as there was a table at the terrace with space for a stroller and in the menu, there was something vegeterian for Seb. It is never easy spotting vegeterian dishes in brasserie. The food was good and the wine Seb ordered was very good too. He had noted it down and we would definitely get some for home consumption. Even the service was good which was pretty rare in Paris.

I hope the good days continue to stay and it would rain at night while we are sleeping. I understand our farmers' plights and hope their harvests would not be too badly affected.

Ironies

Back to work and back to listening to news on the way to work.
Yesterday highlight was on a mother and her four teenage children found dead in their home. The father had disappeared and he was the main suspect. Another news was on a suicide case of an employee for France Telecom. He left behind a wife and four children. What an irony. 2 families broken up by deaths.
Suicide cases in France Telecom is not new. People who worked all their lives with France Telecom could not handle the pressure of change management. Some employees with Renault put an end to their lives too due to work stress.
If job is bad, just quit. Simple as that, isn't it?

SIA and Changi airport

When we arrived in Singapore, we were surprised to see at Changi Airport Terminal 3 this stroller service. We gladly put toddler A1 in it and chunked our hand luggage underneath the seat. It was such a great idea that I wish France CDG airport would implement it.
And I really appreciate Terminal 3 for being kids friendly. After checking in, we just wait around the playground while toddler A1 had his last fun in Singapore and me giving baby A2 his last milk feed.

Pleasant things did not just end there. The custom officer gave us a $5 beverage voucher when she saw that it was toddler A1's birthday. However, we just had dinner so I gave the voucher to the cleaning lady.

And Singapore Airlines presented us a birthday cake which we used as a belated celebration at home. Of course, you would have to inform SIA that you wish for a cake. ;) Thanks Diana for the tip but we did not have champagne offered.

Back from Singapore

2.5 weeks passed by in a wink of an eye. When we arrived in Singapore, Baby A2 took more than a week to sleep properly. He would sleep during the day time and not at night. Seb and I hardly had the energy to do much during the day. Only for the last week did I start to feel it was my holiday. We did however go on short outings like market for breakfast, going to the playground and to the swimming pool.

Toddler A1 enjoyed himself at the pool and playground. It was always difficult for him to leave the pool or the slides. At the food center, he discovered milo and drank it almost every morning.

We visited the zoo and toddler A1 just wanted his dad to carry him. Poor Seb. The weather was too hot for him and he had to carry his son.

But I think that toddler A1 had more interest in the animals this time round than many months ago at the Thoiry Zoo.

I tried to meet friends who contacted me. But most times, it was for a short period. I organised a BBQ and ended up having Tim and Carmen BBQing for us in the heavy rain. Poor them. Really appreciated their help. Despite the downpour, most people turned up and it was just great seeing old friends coming with their kids. I just wished I had more time for each.

Before leaving, we celebrated toddler A1's birthday. He turned 2. He is no longer a baby.

The flight back was uneventful. Someone got sick when we were nearing Paris and the plane had to do an emergency stop at Frankfurt. Toddler A1 did not want to sit for the landing and cried so much that he vomitted his morning milk. The medical team came onboard and sent the sick passenger to the hospital. We landed in Paris 4 hours late. The captain did update us regularly on the passenger's condition. She was out of danger as of last info.

This trip felt so short. With kids, we were just occupied with them. We are leaving for Chartres tomorrow to spend a night. Monday is Easter and there is the yearly chocolate egg hunt in the garden. After that, vacation is truly over. It is back to work!

The worse is finally over

Baby A2 had fever for 4 days and finally, the temperature was starting to get lower. Since my last post, we had sleepless nights over the weekend. Baby A2 had spots all over him. They were big and nasty and there was more spots than what toddler A1 had. Normally, fever was expected for 48 hours. But on monday, my poor baby was still running a fever and I took child sick leave to stay with him. We went to the doctor and she confirmed that it was a rare case. I think she meant serious too. When we consulted her on last wed, there was only a spot. Now, it was full blown.

She prescribed antibiotics among other medication for baby A2. He had to take them for 8 days. We were not even sure if we could still stick to our flight plans. We could fly only if his fever had subsided and no new spots appear. To be on the safe side, we would consult the doctor again on friday before taking the final decision if we fly the next day. It would be very obvious that my baby had chicken poxs though the spots were starting to dry up since yesterday.

My poor baby. He was in great agony over the weekend and it broke my heart. He won't want to stay in his bed or his bouncer. We had to take turns to carry him 24hours. It did not help to lower his temperature since we were passing our body heat to him. This little bundle of 6 months had suffered too much. I pray that he would be spare of pain for a long time to come. Teething not included.

Grounded

We are suppose to be on the plane heading to Singapore at this moment. However, baby A2 is having chicken poxs. All thanks to his brother who passed it to him. This is about the 5th day so it is still contagious. We postpone our trip by a week.
Seb and I are so looking forward to our vacation. But life with kids is full of surprises. So we just have to be patient for another week.
Toddler A1 is healing well. He have lots of spots all over his body but they are drying up slowly.
Baby A2 is starting to have lots of small spots on his head and body. We put mittens on him so that he would not scratch himself but he is not too happy about it.
We will have another few sleepless nights before heading to Singapore and hopefully get some rest since granny is more than happy to take care of the babies.
Counting down the week. . . . .

Ox tail soup

I first tried ox tail soup in Australia. My neighbour made this soup the malaysian style and it was delicious. He gave me the recipe and I did it a few times in Singapore. Only my dad and I appreciated it.

Since married and living in France, I had never do ox tail soup. Seb does not eat meat and it takes hours to stew the soup. But recently, I started to notice those ox tail in market and super market. As winter was coming to an end, I decided to make a small portion of ox tail soup. It would not be appropriate for summer.

I added in ginger, carrots, potatoes and califlowers. Just cook until the meat was tender. It was just as good as in my memories. Toddler A1 tried it and finished his lunch. Next winter, I will try to make this soup more often. By then, I won't be eating this dish alone and I hope my 2 boys will like it.

PS: This soup was made 2 weeks ago before toddler A1 got chicken pox. I won't dare to feed him this "heaty" soup while he had chicken pox.

Chicken pox

Sigh. Just 2 weeks before we head for Singapore and toddler A1 is down with chicken pox. I noticed a red dot on his tummy on friday and on saturday, during his music class, I noticed more dots on his neck. After his music class, we went to the doctor and confirmed that he had chicken pox. He would recover in 2 weeks time. But then, most likely baby A2 would have get it from his brother.
If baby A2 does get chicken pox before our departure, he would not be able to fly. We would have to wait until the spots dry up. So in either case, I have to go to the doctor the day before our departure. I need a certificat saying that toddler A1 is fit to travel. If baby A2 is sick, I would need a certificat saying that he cannot fly. This will allow us to change our flight dates free of charge.

That aside, toddler A1 is sleeping really badly these few days.His chicken pox is strong and there are marks all over him. He wakes up crying and scratching. My poor boy. Seb and I are like zombie now. Amazing that toddler A1 is still so active during the day.

So we won't know if we can fly next week until the last min as the incubation period of chicken pox is between 10 to 15 days. Still, we look on the bright side. It is better for him to suffer now than when he will be older.

Fresh peas

I'm always buying the same kind of vegetables. During winter, it started to be boring. So before leaving for the fresh market on Sunday, I asked Seb for some ideas. He mentioned green peas, french beans and mushrooms. What new ideas. Usually I just opened a can of green peas. I had never bought fresh ones.

I was glad to find all the above vegetables he mentioned at the market.


After his lunch, Toddler A1 was happily helping me to remove the peas from the pods. It occupied him for a good half hour while I finished my lunch.
For dinner, we had fresh peas and mushroom for dinner. The peas tasted much better than frozen or canned ones.

Tulips at home

I received a bunch of tulips from my upstairs neighbour as I invited her over for brunch on sat. We often crossed each other and she would ask about the kids. She had never seen baby A2. Due to her busy schedule, we finally managed to settle on a date. I also invited Nadia, my next door neighbour and M. Jules from the last floor. It was a good gathering.

I was not a fan of tulips as I thought they won't last long in a vase. But surprisingly, they looked good and were still standing straight after 2 days. I'm happy to have them at home and might buy a bunch the next time I chanced upon such fresh ones.

Life's routine

Can't believe that it is already March. For the past two months, we had settled into a nice routine. Each morning, toddler A1 wakes up at 5am. It is his bio clock and we can do nothing about it. Either he manages to doze off or Seb would give him his milk bottle. With luck, toddler A1 would fall asleep until around 6.30am. By then, baby A2 would wake up for his milk feed. I would start to prepare for work and leave the house by 7.15am. I start work at 8am.

Seb would take care of the 2 boys until Ai Yi comes at 9am. She is usually early which means Seb zooms off on his scooter and reaches office by 9.15am. Ai Yi takes good care of the 2 boys and we can tell as toddler A1 would rush to the corridor to greet her when she presses on the inter-phone. Baby A2 breaks into a smile when he sees her.

At 6pm, I would be home and Ai Yi updates me about the happening of the day. She notes down everything too but in chinese so it is really just meant for me. I would update Seb when he comes home. During the day, Ai Yi prepares the meals for toddler A1, plays with them, change them, bath them, do their laundry, educate them. She cleans up after toddler A1's mess. If she has extra time, she could vacum or even mop the floor. We always return to a neat home. But after she leaves, within 15 mins, toddler A1 would be messing up the living room or his playroom again.

Seb comes home after 7pm. I would cook diner for us with toddler A1 standing on a stool "helping" out. I invited him once and am now stuck with this routine. Now, he would rush to the hall and push the stool to the kitchen when I start cooking. Baby A2 would be in his bouncer watching us patiently. He loves to watch his brother. Once diner is prepared, we would stay in the living room and entertain ourselves silly with music, books or the laptop until Seb returns.

On the days when I am not working, I would bring the kids to the park if it is sunny. With Ai Yi, toddler A1 has a routine. But with me, it just does not work. He does not want to nap with me around. Once he dozed off on his high chair while having his afternoon snack. He was too tired to resist. We were talking to my mum on skype and she witnessed it direct. Just way too funny.

By 8.30pm, toddler A1 has his evening milk feed (he loves milk and milk products) and Seb would put him to bed. We would relax a little until the last milk feed for baby A2 between 9.30pm to 10.30pm. Then lights out!

There are evenings when Lukas would be at our place or toddler A1 at his place for some play time togather. We would miss our neighbour very much when he moves in 3 months time.

Many people wonder how we cope without family help around and with 2 young kids. We survive. I admit that having a good nanny is a luxury as we can have peace of mind at work.

Je t'aime, moi aussi.

During the day, I sent an e-card to Seb. I sent it to an email address that he hardly consulted as I did not want him to get spam mails (advertising) in his personal email. When we spoke over the phone in the afternoon, I told him to go check out his mail box. That's how unsurprising and unromantic I am.

In the evening, once out of the office parking, I saw 2 men carrying roses. I quickly called up Seb. The conversation went like this:
"Hey, don't buy me flowers."
"Trop tard."
"Oh." I felt disappointed but rapidly, very happy.
"Why?"
"Because they are very expensive."
"Is it?"
"It's ok. I love you" and I started laughing in delight.

Girls are girls! I don't want to spend my hubby's money as price of roses are rocket high today yet I feel so good to get a dozen of roses on Valentine's day. The marketing trick is really getting into us!

8 years of marriage has made him more romantic and me more practical.

O'Kari hammam

For our wedding anniversary last year, Seb offered me a hammam treatment with a massage included. Hammam is turkish bath.

I finally found the time to go relax on Sat while Seb took care of the boys. The 4 hours treatment was great. This was the first time I tried hammam. I was expecting some privacy but it turned out to be an open space. Good thing it was small and cozy with only 4 "workstations". A friend told me that the hammam she went to in Morocco was too crowded for her. There were like 60 women at the open space all chatting away at the same time.

I enjoyed the steam bath and found it more pleasant than sauna. I had 2 exfoliations; one with black soap based on olive oil. It felt weird at first to have someone scrubbing away but I got used to it quickly. There was also a wrap with some nourishing natural herbs. Rose water was used on my hair and it smelt so good. To end it off, there was a relaxing massage. So relaxing that I fell asleep and did not want to leave.

When I finally left O'Kari, I checked my watch. 3hours and 45minutes had passed so quickly. I wished I had stayed 15mins extra. After all, it was supposed to be a 4hours hammam treatment. Personally, I never thought of trying hammam as I would prefer a good traditional massage to tense out those stiff shoulder muscles. For the price, I could go on a short weekend trip or gotten a new leather bag. Still, I enjoyed myself and I thanked my kind husband for giving me such a sweet surprise. And what did I get him for our anniversary? Gee... A jazz CD. I will try to do better for this year.