Healthier and Happier Kids With Naturel Products

Getting our children to eat right is a challenging task for parents these days.  Mothers want their children to enjoy nutritious and balanced home-cooked meals.  I am relieved that my son appreciates and enjoys eating home-cooked meals I prepare for him.

Being a very active and school going kid, eating right daily is very important to provide him with the needed energy to carry him through the day and also for physical growth and mental development.   A balanced diet must contain carbohydrate, meat & protein, fruits & veges, dairy and a sparing amount of oil, salts and sugar.  I try my best to prepare different varieties of food from the 5 food groups to get the most vitamins and minerals.

The Malaysian Food Guide Pyramid

We hardly eat out during days when he has to attend school.  I prefer to cook simple dishes 5 days a week at home, it's more healthy that way though the kitchen will be closed during weekends.  His morning usually starts with eating 2 slices of bread with peanut butter spread and a cup of cereal drink.  For lunch and dinner, we will have at least a vege dish, either soup or stir-fry with chicken meat or pork and a tofu or egg dish.  He is a fruit lover and eat practically any fruits and I make sure this goes into his daily diet.  I have to replace his dairy intake with yoghurt since the day he refused to drink milk two years ago.

I prepare lunch box for him to bring to school during school days.  He used to cater food from the school canteen last year but the food served was either too oily or salty in my opinion.  I, in particular did not like the sweet cordial drinks that came with each meal. 

His lunch box for yesterday - last day of school before the start of a week holiday

One slice each of fruit cake and sugee cake homebaked by my auntie, breaded chicken fingers and mandarin orange.

I wish I could share more photos of the lunch box I prepared for the boy but then they were so simple that I did not bother to take photos.  My boy specifically requested "undecorated" lunch box.  This boy of mine is weird and doesn't appreciate decorated food.  He says decorated food are for girls only. *roll eyes*

My happy kid. :)

For cooking oil, we go for Naturel Blend, a healthier and non-saturated oil with Omega 3 and Omega 6. The food prepared using Naturel oil do not lose its taste or texture even when kept refrigerated for a few days.

Naturel's range of products

Mom, I'm eating right

Naturel cooking oil is made from 100% pure and natural ingredients and it provides a balanced ratio of Omega 3 and 6 and is cholesterol-free. 

They seek to inspire Malaysian to be a part of “Join The Naturel Living” today and embark on a healthier, holistic lifestyle. The Join the Naturel Living (JTNL) campaign is a long-term campaign by Naturel to encourage Malaysians to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle which covers the three pillars - Eat Right, Keep Fit and Beat Stress.”

Naturel Blend cooking oil comes in 3 pack sizes: 1kg, 2kg and 3kg and are available in all hypermarket and supermarkets nationwide.

Naturel cooking oil range includes Naturel Blend, Naturel Sunflower, Naturel Canola, Naturel Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Naturel Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Naturel Pure Olive Oil.

In addition to cooking oil, Naturel has a range of margarine which include Naturel Soft Margarine, Naturel Reduced Salt Margarine, Naturel Reduced Fat Spread and Naturel Fat Spread with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  We always have a tub of Naturel Soft Margarine kept in the fridge. It contains Omega 3 & 6 and is cholesterol free, a better choice compared to butter when it comes to heart health.

Stay Calm..

I know.. I know.. but it's easier said than done..

Four Problems, Three down though I am still nursing my flu

Left with one.. A STICKY ONE! to deal with *sigh*

Have a Good Weekend, everyone..

Book Found Finally..

The first thing my boy told me when I went to fetch him from the school last evening was: "Mommy, teacher found my Science Activity Book".  Here the story goes....

Before the start of last school holidays, my boy told me he didn't get his activity book back after passing up for marking while the rest of his classmates got theirs.  He went up to his Science Teacher and asked as he was confident he had passed it up.  Not bothering to check if she had misplaced it elsewhere, the teacher instructed my boy sternly that he must get a new book.  I took it lightly as he had never really lost any of his books in the past and somehow the book would reappear, be it mistakenly brought home by his peers or being left in his drawer.  I asked him to ask around if by any chance any of his mates had taken it and slipped into their bags but the book remained missing.

When the school reopen last Monday, I urged him to check with his Science teacher again but he was so reluctant in doing so for fear of being reprimanded, remember he was being shut off the first time. *sad*  He took the easy way out by asking me to get him a new book.  Not wanting to argue with him, I started my book hunting craze.. why the craze?  Another story unfolds..

Just before the last school holiday started, my boy came back from school and told me about one of his classmates who got reprimanded by his class teacher.  What kind of punishment imposed, you may ask.. To wash 3 school toilets!! And how did he get himself into this?? For losing his Maths activity book and not getting a book replacement after few warnings by the class teacher.  Scary, huh?

Coming back to my boy's case, I was almost certain the book would have either been misplaced by the teacher somewhere or his peers accidentally took his.  Not wanting my boy to be the next "part-time toilet cleaner", I went on a book hunting craze, calling up all bookshops even the publisher wasn't spared but to no avail.

Irene was truly a God Send when she responded to my blog posting.  She asked me to try SBL Bookshop.  I quickly googled their contact number.  The call was answered by a friendly Malay lady and when she told me they kept only SK books, my heart sank but she quickly added that SK schools and SJK schools shared the same Science in English books and the book that I wanted was in stock. Yay!  Why didn't it cross my mind?  All this while I thought SKs were using Sains (BM), I am partially right, ok! My boy is gonna be the last batch using KBSR syllabus.. Blame it on the MOE's fickle-mindedness! And Oliveoylz, thanks so much for your kind offer.  I feel so blessed to have known you and the rest through the blogger world!

Ok, how did my boy get his book back?  I actually called up his school while hunting for the book and asked to speak to his class teacher.  She was not at the office and the line was passed to a male teacher to which I explained the whole episode.  My message was passed on to his class teacher and she took my boy to see the Science subject teacher to get things sorted out.  Finally, the book was found at the bottom of stacks of books, unmarked.. *bummer*

On another side note, thanks all for the comforting words and words of encouragement.  With all of you around, there will surely be a brigther tomorrow!

p/s Since my boy's book reappeared, I am keeping the book I bought from SBL Bookshop.  Should anyone of you loses this book *touch wood* hahaha and want to get a replacement, just let me know by leaving a comment here, ok.  No charge for the book, I bought it for RM2 only,  you only need to pay postage.  The book title is "KBSR Science Activity Book Year 2 by Chong Kum Ying, Quek Yoke Hua, Chang See Leong. Publisher: Zeti Enterprise.

Fuming Mad!!!

Ever since I came back from my hometown last Friday, I have been "welcomed" by waves of problems, one after another.  First, my paypal account got hacked followed by my apartment tenant who has been giving me tonnes of headaches throughout his seven years of tenancy and only when I asked him to move out did I realise that he had unsettled electricity bills of RM2k++ and that the account had been terminated since June last year!  Obviously he got the electricity on through illegimate sources. My mistake for not checking closely.. 

And nope.. my problems do not stop here.. my son told me he lost his Science Activity Book and his subject teacher wanted him to get a new one as replacement.  I had been calling up all bookshops (Popular, Pelangi, MPH, the publisher, Borders, Kinokuniya...Have I missed out any??) but but to no avail with all giving me same answer.. Sold Out and the publisher has stopped printing KBSR books in line wth the new KSSR syllabus. *Deng*

And and...that's not all..   Now I am here down with a bad flu trying to print out the TNB bills but but... BUT..  my printer just refuses to do its job!! *fainted*    

Xiang Xiang Pan Mee @Prima Square, Batu 4, Sandakan

My boy with boy boy..

We took the 7.15am flight from LCCT last Sunday and touched down at Sandakan Airport slightly over 10am.  We went for brunch at Xiang Xiang Pan Mee with my sister and hubby and my mom.  All of us ordered soup pan mee except me who ordered curry laksa pan mee.  The pan mee was slightly different from what we had in KL.  It was served with fried wantons other than minced pork, anchovies and spinach.  I tried some of my boy's fried kuay teow, the taste was satisfactory though a bit too sweet to my liking.

My eldest brother who was nearby with his family dropped by to have a drink and at the same time settled our bill. :) 



Sushi King @Ikano Power Centre (IPC Shopping Mall)

The night before flying back to my hometown, daddy suggested we had Sushi King for dinner.  We ordered one set meal each but the boy could not finish his as he chomped down three plates of sushi he picked from the revolving conveying belt before our food arrived.

The boy's set

Daddy's set

My set

Side order - I love the spider Temaki.. Yumz and there's a buy 1 free 1 promo going on till end of this month.

Kids' School Shoes

As my boy enters his second year of primary school, I have gained some valuable experience in choosing the right and gorgeous school shoes.  When he first went to primary school last year, I got him two pairs of school shoes and let him wore them alternately throughout the week.    I discovered that frequent washing of the shoes would have worn them out faster.  One tip for parents who are shopping for school shoes for their kids.   If you choose to buy the velco type for convenience and easy use, do choose the biggest straps available for stonger bond.  I made a wrong choice choosing the wrong design coupled with double/triple velco straps and frequent washing, the bond literally weakened after only a few months.   My boy started complaining about his "loosen" shoes after only three months wearing them.  He told me that he had to adjust the straps every now and then and even shared with me on one incident, quite hilarious I would say.  It was during PE session that his teacher asked him and his mates to run as fast as they could if they wished to get shortlisted for participation in the upcoming Sports Day.  His shoes gave way and shot ahead of him a split-second approaching finishing line. LOL..

I learned my lesson and with less washing and bigger velcro straps, he still wears his current pair of shoes after 8 months.  When the shoes get too black/dirty, I apply a coat of shoe white on them and they will look clean again.

E-Dictionary

Do anyone of you here own an e-dictionary?  Apple Tree is having a promotion at the boy's school tomorrow.  Their new model D98, a flat screen i-pad look e-dictionary is selling at RM498 net.   This company carries out ongoing yearly or bi-yearly promotions  at the school.  My boy has been bugging me to get him one since last year.

Care to share your views on this product?

Homebaked Delight

Fruit cake

No, I wasn't the one  who homebaked these two loaves of yummilicious cakes.  Biu yi ma (mom in-law's cousin sister) was the one behind the scene. My baking skill sucks and the only cake I baked was cheese cake and only cheese cake that I baked but it was like eons ago since I last baked.     I love the cakes to bits, not too sweet nor oily to cater to the older folks, oh did I mention, biu yi ma is in her 80's and still going strong. 

She is one strong and determined woman that I salute and look up to, sort of single handedly raised up her only son who got himself a government scholarship and is now a doctor in his late 50's.  Why sort of, you may ask?  Her husband was not so lucky to have had a secure and well paying job so she took up stenography course and turned herself from a housewife into a fulltime working mother.  I have my full respect for her. 

Sugee cake

Inheritance Of Book Collections

The boy inherited a set of children's dictionaries and encyclopedias from daddy dated back to 35 years ago.  As school holidays are around the corner, we brought home the young children's series from parents in-law's house while the senior series remained there due to lack of space in our condo. Some of the books from the preschooler's series are still kept in our old house.  I will eventually move all the books here to complete the set when I get a big and tall book shelf to house them. 

Though some of the information in the books are a bit outdated but nevertheless they do make good reading materials.  I hope my boy treasures his inherited book collections and passes it down to his offsprings in the future.. Oh, am I too ambitious?  I am predicting things that would only happen in at least 20 years and that's only if I am still healthy and alive to be able to see things happen.  Oh, I probably think too much and too far jor..:)

A dictionary from yeh yeh to daddy and the boy is the proud owner now

The picture illustrations look so classic, don't you think?

Part of the encyclopedia set

Delight In The Beauty That Surrounds Us

My boy climbed up to our bed 15 minutes before 8 this morning and his mouth mumbled,"Mom, I want to go for sports"... with both his eyelids still closed. Lol...    We went for a brief badminton session before heading to the nearby playground.   I walked casually around the park admiring the landscaping and the beauty of nature that surrounds us, flowers, trees, plants, birds, bugs, and snapped photos of them.

Nature constantly offers us simple pleasures to love. Opening ourselves up to the beauty around us is a way to bring more happiness and peace in our lives.

Signing off with a photo of the boy..

I Feel Good, Mom..

I have to jot this down before it slips off my mind.

After dropping my boy at school yesterday afternoon, I headed back home.  I have a habit of checking my car's back seat before pressing the lock button on the remote control device.  I saw my boy's hand-carry bag there and obviously he forgot to take it with him when I dropped him off.  I quickly rushed back to his school and had to park my car along the roadside as the traffic got busier by now nearing morning school dismissal.  When I walked into the school compound, all the kids were already gathered at  the assembly hall waiting for dismissal of the morning classes before they got to their respective classrooms.  I spotted my son chit chatting with his friends and called out to him.  I gave him his bag followed by a hug and a peck on his forehead and wished him good luck on his exam before leaving.  

While in the car heading home after school  in the evening, he told me that his friends laughed at him simply because I hugged and kissed him in public.  I then asked him if he felt ashamed of my actions and he said No, mom, Definitely not.. I feel good actually.  Awww.. I was over the moon and felt like I was in love again, boy..  *Excuse me for syiok-ing sendiri here*  I pray that I would continue to get the same reply from him ten years down the road. Ahem...   

Last Day Of Exam..

Today is my boy's last day of exam. Yippeeee!!  The boy and I are going back to my hometown in Sabah next Sunday for 5 days.  Double yippeeee!!! :)  My younger sister takes few days off from work and will be our personal escort throughout our stay there.  My mom has been busy scouting and stocking up on ingredients to cook me delish dishes that I can hardly savour here in KL.  Ian has been so excited about seeing his beloved cousins again..once together, they will not part with each other.. doing things together... eat, play and sleep non-stop till the day they have to say goodbye.  It's a yearly affair for us and sometimes hubby will join us but he can't make it this time due to work commitment. 

Before our "Balik Kampung: trip, we will have a picnic at our neighbourhood park with a friend of two kids this coming weekend.  I can't wait to see the kids roaming around freely in the park, have a dip of their feet in the shallow stream and not worrying about getting themselves wet and dirty.  How often do city kids these days get to do things like that with their packed school related activities? Looking back, my childhood spent in a small town and having grown up in a place where beauty of nature was just a stone's throw away, mine was by far more lucky and care-free compared to city kids these days. That's why I dropped the idea of sending him for tuition, never mind that he is not in the top 5 or 10 in class or worst, drops to normal class next year, as long as he is able to catch up with his studies and not lagged behind, that's good enough for me. 

He got back his Chinese and BM Penulisan papers, which he scored 92% and 91% respectively, good marks to me though there're few of them in his class who scored full marks. The standard is getting tougher and though Penulisan papers are not in the calculation of average marks, they do play a role in the marking system.  When more than one student have the same average marks (which is not uncommon),  the result of the Penulisan papers will be used to decide the position of the student in class.   I keep reminding myself not to set too high an expectation on my son and in the process, turning myself into a "Tiger Mom". *Keeping fingers crossed*

We will go for our "happy hour" after fetching him from school later and also to drop by at Popular Bookshop to grab the boy a book as promised.

The Bright Kid Challenge: The Debater (Part 1)

I read this book, The Bright Kid Challenge by Andrew Fuller a while ago and thought I would share it here on what I have learned from this book.

This book shows you how to handle and nurture smart kids who aren't bad, but have found ways to get away with doing bad things, .  They come in a variety of types:

1.  The Debater
2.  The Negotiator
3.  The Competitor
4.  The Manipulator
5.  The Passive Resister
6.  The Dare Devil

Let me start with the first type, The Debater for I believe my son falls into this group. 

Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to boast about how smart and gifted my boy is.  He is just a normal kid.  To me, all normal kids are bright kids, they are incredibly smart, irresistibly adorable and ultimately admirable.  But they have found a way to get what they want and will keep using it over and over, driving parents and teachers crazy!    I find this book useful with tips for parents to not only understand and handle these sweet but difficult kids, but develop their skills into positive life habits that will let them make the most of their natural talents.

The Characteristics of A DEBATER:

• is very determined,
• has a strong sense of fairness of right and wrong,
• always argue the point,
• is very verbal - they can use language well,
• is energetic to the point of being driven,
• is often not tuned in to their own emotions,
• is aware of resentment and a lack of fairness, which often disguises an insecurity about whether they are good enough and lovable enough, and
• can be indignant.

STRATEGIES FOR PARENTING DEBATERS

• Don't debate these children for long periods; instead, respond with affection.  For example, "You poor dear, you must be so unhappy to be feeling that way, let me give you a hug."  Deal with their hurt feelings.  Offer understanding rather than pity, then set up opportunities for success.
• Set aside some special time with these children each week that is child-directed is particularly valuable. (This is a good idea with all kids, but is really helpful with Debaters.)
• These children need to have structured times, e.g., start at..., finish at.... Then they can know that this time belongs to them, and they don't have to struggle or complain to maintain your attention.
• One-on-one time often works best to begin with.  These children have learned that one way to get affection and attention is through disputes.  Non-verbal signs such as ruffling their hair or patting their shoulder work well as reminders that they are loved.
• Families with Debaters need to have consistency and structure lifestyle, put routines into family life and ensure everyone gets a fair go.
• Debaters are masters of emotionally accusing others.  If allowed to, Debaters can spend enormous amounts of time accusing and blaming others until it becomes a habit.  Either walk away, saying, "I can't listen to this right now," or look at them sadly and say, "I can see you must be feeling very sad in order to be saying those things.  Come and have a hug."

Personal Verdict:

Ian posesses most of the characteristics of a Debater.

1. He has a strong sense of right and wrong and takes words and promises seriously.  We have to be exremely careful not to simply give promises or he would argue the point until you eat your own words. In other words, don't make promises you can't keep.  
2. He is insecure and needs lots of reassurance that he is loved and this is where hugs and kisses work wonders!  Really, parents, if you are reading this, TRY IT!  We always remind him of his past success to boost his confidence whenever he is down and in doubt of his own abilities and this works pretty well on our boy too.
3. He is a routine boy who prefers to have a timetable to structure his time for study, sports and play.  He feels calmer and secure to know that a part of the scheduled time in the timetable belongs to him.
4. He is a very active boy that apart from his studies, we have to slot in some physical activities to burn off his excess energy, be it running freely in the park, playing badminton/table tennis, swimming, his Aikido lessons or just about anything that can help burn off his excess energy and that includes cutting down his sugar intake).

Basically, I have some of my parenting strategies laid out in point form here.  Parenting takes Courage, Commitment and Patience in which I believe I get along so well with the 2Cs (syiok sendiri, ok) while struggling with Mr P.  Mr P... Oh.. I want you so desperately... let us be good friends, ok.. *keeping fingers crossed*

Dinner at Madam Lim's @Tesco, Mutiara Damansara

Claypot mixed vege tofu

This is a backdated post.

Madam Lim's is one of the favourite hangout place for me and the boy and once a while I will take him for a TGIF (Thank God It's Friday!!) ice kacang treat and simple dinner after school.

We decided to patron this restaurant one of the days during CNY with dad in-law and ordered a few simple dishes.

Sambal vege

Foo Yong Egg

Chicken Chop

Ice Kacang

The bill for four was slightly over RM40 inclusive of tea and ice kacang but hubby commented that the food was so-so though I thought it tasted okay.