Clearing the cobwebs!

Cough Cough Cough! OMG it has been so long. Dah bersawang sawang! Apologies for not updating. Lots of things have happend. With 4 kids, by the end of 2012 we finally moved back to Malaysia for good, when my youngest was only 4 months old, settled down and live happily ever after. The end. Or so i thought :)

Our lives have changed ever since. From a full time mum and ex-accountant, I decided to go back to work in a totally different field. I survived for 5 years and today, it’s back to square one as a full time mum. Why? Because 'I love my kids so much' *wink even though my son said "Mummy you always get angry with me all the time". Hahah

Ya, so here I am. Will try to blog as much as possible like before or even more, make new friends, try new things, eat more cake, drink coffee, participate in any events and be happy!

How to get Money quickly

An old blog post that was never published that written somewhere in 2011!

While I was busy in the kitchen, suddenly I heard Husayn running down the stairs and screaming:

Mummy, mummy, you know what? I know how to get money quickly.

Smiling and curiously I asked him, How?

You just go to www get money quickly dot co dot UK

I just smiled and let him do the talking...

Well, I was always so busy with my cooking and baking all the time and when he asked why can't I play with him, I always said I need to cook and sell my food, we need money because I'm not working.

Isn't he so sweet. Trying to help me no matter what way.

Hmmm... I blame the TV. How hard I taught my kids that money doesn't come easily. We have to work hard for it. But a simple advert can manipulate kids minds, just like that.

O yeah now I don't have to do anything and yet we can still be rich. How I wish it was as simple as that my dear :)

Home sweet home-Day 3

I keep telling my friends that I love to stay longer in the hospital after I deliver my baby. But this time, the nurse keep asking me when I want to be discharge since day one. Haha.

Is not that the hospital that I was admitted is so 'posh' or has 1st class services but I guess these only few days in there is the only days that I truly have my own 'ME' time and I don't have to do anything. It's like holidays for me.

Hmmm, but as much as I like those days I'm still glad and happy to be home to my own bed and my family.

ready to go home

My other kids were so excited and can't wait to see their baby sister home. As a surprise they made this home made cards and banner just to welcome Baby Ameena. How sweet. Thank you darlings!!!

Welcome to the world!

Salam Ramadhan untuk semua umat islam tak kira dimana berada. I know it's a bit late but I hope each and everyone have a meaningful and barakah month this year Insyaallah.

Alhamdulillah, after a lengthy 'warning' period and quick labor, my healthy baby girl was born on Saturday evening, 16 Ramadhan 1433, 4th of August 2012. Both mommy and baby doing well Alhamdulillah.

Hello world-fresh from the oven

Today it's her 7th day into this world. We haven't officially register her birth yet but Insyaallah we will call her Ameena. Her big sister Ameera choose the name and both her brothers keep calling her since in my tummy by Baby Meena! Insyaallah hopefully you will beautiful as the name and menjadi anak yang solehah didunia and akhirat. Amin.

Hello my dear!

Assalamualaikum, Hello and how are you?

Waaaahhhhh, lama nya tak update blog. 6 months to be exact. Why? Because today is my Baby Hisham 3rd Birthday. Time flies but seriously, he is still like a baby. He still refused to potty train, spoke baby langguage and acted like a baby. Owh, he even called himself baby.

Ah well, no matter what mummy still love you and of course you always be my baby forever after. Happy Birthday my darling. Semoga menjadi anak yang soleh dan berjaya dunia akhirat. Amin.

As for me, lots of thing happend for the past few months. Husayn, Ameera, Mine and hubby birthday, New year, went back to Malaysia (for a short holidays), my brother got married(the first one after me), and many good and bad news. But, to conclude, Alhamdulillah. Life is great and Thank you Allah for everything.

I know I'm not that famous, but I'm so touched when people do and keep asking me about my blog. What happend, why there is no update and others question. Insyaallah I'll try my best to keep it going. I wish I have somebody that can read what inside my head and translate them into this blog. Hahaha. Yeah right.

So till we meet again. Enjoy your weekend and Happy 3rd Birthday agan my baby boy. Muaaaaahhhhhh...

Forgetful Mummy

Compared to my relationship with my other two kids, with Hisham, I always forget and constantly mix up his age and date of birth. Last month, I was pretty sure and had been telling everyone that he is 2 and a half years old already. I even told my husband that it was about time for me to stop breasfeeding him. If my memory serves me well, the Prophet SAW also stopped at that age so, I suppose there's no better time.

Hmmm, I'm still struggling to do it (to fully stop breasfeeding Hisham) and got all frustrated but over the last few days I just realised that he's only 2 and a half today. I've always thought that he's a big boy but masks his real age with his cheeky baby face and petit baby figure. He still breastfeeds. Seriously, the milk is he's life, energy as well as nutrition and it comes exclusively from me. He refuses to eat or drink anything else. Emmm.. OK to fair on him, for the past week he has started to eat small bowls of cereal with milk but that's it. He doesn't want to eat any meat or poultry or any other solid food. He would eat only 3-5 spoonfuls of plain rice or pasta. Oh, and he want to do it all by himself without any help.

He still speaks in his baby language unlike his brother who could speak fluent English at only 1+ year, full sentences, correct past/present tense and all. But yes, I do understand most of what Hisham says so that's OK.

Despite all that, he is one healthy baby, cheerful and a clever boy. As much as I want him to be independant like his brother and sister, I know I will miss all the moments that  spend with him so much i.e. waking up at night to breastfeed him, cuddling and hugging him, and doing all that I'm doing with him now.

Happy TWO and a HALF years old Hisham. You will always be my baby. Muaahhhhh!

I Can Turn

Usually when I visit our local Leisureplex with my kids, I'd normally let the kids play for a few hours while I enjoy some coffee by myself. On this particular occasion, I could hear them from afar, repeating the same thing to each other:

Husayn: Ameera, look, look at me. I can turn!

Ameera: Look at me too. I can turn.

The conversation went on, I was smiling at the fact that the two of them were enjoying playing together but at the same time I was more than a bit surprised (and teruja) and almost had a heart attack when I saw what they were doing. After making sure that they were safe, I managed to take a video of what they were doing. Well, just look at it for yourself... 

Remember: Do not do this at home kids!

Bike to The Beach

That's just what Hisham says every time he wants me to give him a ride on my bike. He pretends that we're going to the beach by bike. Yeah right.

Believe it or not, 5 years ago I went to a particular bike shop in town and saw this particular bike. It was like love at first sight but I never thought of buying it because it was so unbelievably expensive. Well, it is absurdly expensive for me as I don't work full-time plus, it's quite an unnescessary thing so, even though I wanted it so much, it had a big N-O written all over it.

But, I guess you never know your luck. Rezeki jangan di tolak. Along came the Bike to Work Scheme in Ireland which made bikes more affordable and my dearest husband managed to stretch the budget (well, he was actually nice enough and settled for a cheaper bike for himself) so that I could get my own dream bike - complete with child seat for Hisham of course. Now, I have to be forever indebted to him for his kindness! What ever... I still love you Yang! Hehehe...

As everyone in the family have got bikes of their own, whenever we have some free time, we would get to ride together around the area or at the nearest park. A good, healthy activity, isn't it?

Anyway, as my husband needed to use the car to work yesteredy, I decided to ride my bike to pick up the kids on their way back from school, at the bus stop. Isn't it cool?

School Break

Last week was the school holidays for the North Dublin Muslim National School. While other national schools had finished their mid-term break a week before, my kids just had theirs last week to coincide with Eid.

On top of the Eid celebrations on the weekend, we also had a small birthday celebration for Husayn as his birthday this year falls on the same day as Eid. I didn't officially send any invitations out to my friends as I know it's Hari Raya and in truly Malaysian open-house style, people were most welcome to come and join in the party.

Anyway, here's a few pics of what we did for the rest of the week...

We went to McDonald's. A must to keep the kids happy and entertained.

We went spent most of the day at our local Leisureplex.

We visited a few bike shops and finally got helmets for all (except dear Mummy - boohoo!).

We made Cupcakes together. That's Husayn holding up his specially-designed cupcake for Daddy.

And, we just had as much fun as we could...

Now that the kids' break is over. It's time for me to finally get a break!

Husayn is 5 today!

Hope it's still not too late to wish all my family and muslim friends 'Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha' and Happy Birthday to my big boy Husayn.

Mummy, Daddy, Ameera and Hisham love you so much. Be a good boy ok.

Hope each and everyone had a Barakah and fabulous one.

A Month of Change

It's been 2 and a half years already but he still looks like a baby. With his petit size, his pelat speech and constant cries to be breastfed, people definitely think he's barely 1 year old when they see him. Other than the breastfeeding, he only takes one tiny pot of fromage frais and little bit of plain pasta per day, he refuses to eat anything else. Not surprisingly, as the milk he gets also doubles as a source of food and liquid, he doesn't drink any other form of liquid.

To be honest, I'm a bit worried but thankfully, he is one active baby (ahem...sorry - I get confused myself sometimes) little boy.

When he does something bold, it's just so hard to be mad at him. The way he acts, he looks like he doesn't understand a thing but the truth is, he's a big boy now and understands full well when he's done something he's not supposed to do. He can sing, is extremely good at using an iPhone and iPad (as is the norm with most kids these days), can identify lots of different things and he can even differentiate most colours. The most important thing is he can make cheeky face and your heart will melt away. I know I've said it repeatedly at this stage but, I constantly find it hard to think that he's going to be 3 soon.

Oh dear, I really hope this baby-ish thing will be over soon. If it doesn't, I'll be in big trouble as I'd be too soft and let him get away with everything under the sky. Help!

I'm Just Too Busy To Write...

But, despite being extra ultra busy lately, I still felt that I had to post this today. Hahaha. As my husband would say, Ntahapahapalah you nie. Ahaks.

OK, let me explain why this is so important. I went to city centre with my sister in-law earlier today and I met this dude. He was right in front of my own eyes (the dude in the red jumper, not the mat salleh pak cik in the leather jacket).

There was a really huge crowd as everybody was busily watching a dance scene being played out in the middle of a pedestrian-only street. I'm pretty sure most of the people watching didn't even know who the fella and his female friend were (with the exception of a small Asian crowd that was there too). One thing's for sure though - everyone that was there definitely enjoyed the whole thing. I was only a meter away from the famous actor.

Unfortunately, security around the set was quite tight and as the security personnel kept chasing away people from the area, the picture above is the only proof I have. Well, I'm happy enough though.

All the hassle was for shooting a scene out of a new movie that will be due out in cinemas June 2012. The movie is called Ek Kha Tiger.

Could You Survive a Tiger Attack?

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of being invited to a birthday party which was held at Dublin Zoo. A party at the zoo was definitely something different for us and I do think that it's a brilliant idea - lots of space for the kids to run around and extremely educational too (even for the adults!).

As we were part of a group, our tour/party host brought us to see a not too often seen tiger feeding session. It's kinda scary now when I think that the only thing that separated us from the tigers was a wall of glass...

Pretty cool isn't it? It also made me wonder whether I'd be able to survive if I was lost in a jungle and I just happen to come a cross a very hungry tiger? Climbing a tree is not an option then isn't it? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....

Well, we had so much fun and my friend (the host) made all the food and goodies for the party herself. She's so multi-talented.

Happy Birthday Neelakshi and thank for inviting us. We hope you'll have many happy birthdays to come.

My First Homework

It's been a week since Husayn started school and he seems to be fine. No complaints or whining about it except for his now routine morning request where he will try his luck and ask whether it'd be OK for him to miss school for the day. It's not that he doesn't like it, it's just that he would love to stay home a bit more, climbing on my bed and cuddling up to me while at the same time, do away with his early morning shower.

Anyway, after a week, he excitedly told me yesterday that he finally got his first piece of homework from school.

As usual, when his Daddy gets back from work, Daddy will ask how he did in school and such. Yesterday, the conversation went like this...

Daddy: Husayn, how was school today? Mummy said you have homework today. Did you do it already?

Husayn: School was fine Daddy. Yup, I did my homework. It was too easy and boring. Just joining the dots, Daddy.

Maybe Mummy and Daddy should have a word with Husayn's teacher. Let's give him something more fun and a lot more complicated to work on! Or maybe, Husayn should start colouring in the pictures as well as joining the dots.

Back to School

It was Monday yesterday. After a week of being busy with Eid and everything else remotely related to the festivities, the kids returned to school after their long summer holidays. This time around, it was Husayn's first day at big school. He was so excited and because he didn't want to miss his big day, he was on his bed from 8 on the previous night. Unfortunately, he didn't actually sleep until 10. I think he just couldn't stop thinking about the day to come.

He settled down very well in class and  refused to let me pick him up after school as he preferred to go home by the school bus with his big sister.

Time certainly flies, I guess. It's time for my baby boy to be a bit more independent. I'm a bit shahdu but equally happy at the same time. Mummy prays for the best for you kids. Mummy loves you.

Eid Mubarak from Us in Dublin

Alhamdulillah....just want to wish you and everyone a...

Egg Fried Dried Tofu and Vegetables

Ever since the start of Ramadan up to this very day, when we're hungry, we tend to think about different kinds of food to eat when iftar comes along. Unfortunately, there are no Bazaar Ramadan and such in Dublin so having meals home-cooked is the only real viable solution. Since it's only the two of us (my husband and I) who actually eat a full meal, every alternate day, I'll try to cook something different such as an appertizer or a dessert to add to the main meal so that we won't get bored with the same dish. For example,  i've made sardine rolls, Roti John, Prawn fritters, etc. etc.

And, this is Dried Tofu with Eggs and Vegetables that I've been making for most of the past few weeks. It's so simple but yet so tasty. A relatively healthy source of protein to sustain you for the remaining fasting days ahead too...

To make it, you will need:

Fried Tofu (about a handful will do)
Eggs (or leftover egg whites from making all those Raya cookies) - the amount of eggs depend on the amount of tofu you have.
1 Carrot finely chopped
1 Spring Onion finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

And this is how you can make it:

Combine all the ingredients except for tofu in a bowl. Cut the tofu in the middle with an "X" shape. Take out all the tofu "flesh" and put it in the bowl with the rest. Turn the tofu inside out so it's shaped like a flower cup.

Heat oil in a small pot or deep fryer. Make sure you have enough oil to completely submerge the entire tofu. Put 2 teaspoons of egg mixture in the prepared tofu and deep fry until golden brown. Toss the tofu to rain any excess oil and serve with sweet garlic chili sauce.

PS: Feel free to add meat like minced beef or chicken or even shrimps/prawn in the mixture - for an added difference.

This Year's Kuih Raya Sale

As soon as Ramadan started, few of my friends started asking me whether I was going to sell any kuih raya this year. Unsure of whether I would be selling any myself, I just said InshaAllah. One day, somebody actually just went straight to the point and made a request that I make some for her, if possible. So, I guess that's when this year's journey began.

Alhamdulillah, since last weekend I had started taking orders for a selection of kuih raya. I still don't know whether I can handle so many orders as I don't have anyone to help me with the preparation and the baking of the kuih. To make things worse, my loyal "bibik" isn't around this time to mind the kids (Oh Nani, this is when I need you so much...ahaks). But, as I plan to keep my promises to so many people, I'll just have to put in the effort and get it done. Yes, get it done, Nana. Just do it and all that...

Anyway as promised in my previous post these are some pics of the cookies I've made for sale:

"Nana" Carries: My favourite and undisputed #1 hit in the house (the portion I baked for the home was gone as soon as they were ready!). I blame the kids. It just means that whoever plans to come over to my house for Hari Raya won't get to savour this. Hehehe...

Mummy Nana's Colourful Kuih Suji

Nutty Mocha Cookies for the coffee and chocolate lover

There's also a few others that I like but just haven't gotten around to making. Wanting to offer something unique this year, I even  made some special Limited Edition treats for customers who fancy something different to bring as buah tangan to a friend's house during Hari Raya. When I say Limited it really is quite Limited as I only have 10 Jars of these special treats available. Hehehe Mummy Nana's so lazy lah...

A special home made treat by Mummy Nana which was designed in collaboration with my little brother.

Thanks to everyone for buying and supporting me to date. Don't hesitate to contact me if any of you are interested to order before or even after Raya. I'll definitely try my best, OK?

A New "Baju Raya" for Mummy Nana's Blog

It's been a very busy few days for me of late. Due to popular demand (OK, a few requests from friends), I've decided to take orders to bake Hari Raya cookies once again. I'll write about it in the coming days, InshaAllah.

Seeing that it's Hari Raya which regularly involves the purchase of new items of clothing, why should this old blog be left out? So, as of today, I can proudly present my new Baju Raya  logo for the Mummy Nana blog and side business. The logo was specially designed by my little brother (he's not that little anymore though) who along with a close friend (ahem...) had recently set up his own design and printing business.

Personally, I think the logo is simple yet very nice. Just the way I like it. So, if you're like me and might be interested in having something professionally designed (I've been told to stress professionally - my bro holds a degree in the area so, this is a serious business for him and not something he picked up after watching a couple of videos on YouTube) or printed e.g. logos, business cards, labels, tags, invitation cards, etc. you can contact him directly at firdaus[at]graphikr[dot]com. He has promised to cater to your needs accordingly and of course, as he's just starting out, will price himself as competitively as possible.

Just tell him Mummy Nana sent you. Do check out his website for more information, ideas an inspiration.

Ameera and Ramadan

The hours can be too long here to fast this year especially if you're just learning to fast. Alhamdulillah, Ameera still manages to do it with minimal complaints. To be honest, we don't actually force her to fast every single day and have settled for every alternate day instead. So far, she's managed to fast for 6 full days. I think that is more than a great achievement. Even we as adults, struggle ourselves to do it this time around.

For some reason, she doesnn't look too tired and can be found playing outside with her friends or riding her bike with her "bike gang" and to top it all off, she can also be seen jumping up and down in our back garden. But, as soon as she's stuck indoors without anything to do, she'll start to complain. Oh Ameera...If I were you, I'd rather just stay home and if possible, take a good long nap. Hehehe...

Well, this is what she had for last night's iftar.

With her request of rice and chicken curry with four different types of drinks

Well done Princess! Mummy and Daddy are so proud of you.