Thursday 21 December 2017

Silk Plants Direct review

Silk Plants Direct review                                        

Anyone who has been following me on IG/FB knows that I'm trying to grow my first indoor herb garden but so far it's not looking great. And Mr. Hubby has also had a history of killing my cactus plants when I was busy working as an air stewardess/hostess. Yes, you read that right, C-A-C-T-U-S!!!  (It was a small test, before getting "us" a puppy pre kids, thankfully he failed that test n we ended up having kids instead... muhahahaha)
This husband-wife DUO definitely has zero green fingers, more like brown fingers... Lols!!! (hoping our kids will turn out better)

So, when the opportunity came to receive fake plants delivered to my doorstep, this momma signed up immediately!!!
Fake=no need water=no need sunlight=no need TLC=no need to RIP...
This momma has to admit that I have NOT taken any initiative to beautify our home since we have moved 3 times in a span of 1 year in the USA and 2 times in a span of 6 months in Singapore! N who knows when our next move is. From past statistics, we might be heading in the direction of moving again ...
 
And since we travel so much, what better way than fake plants???

Silk Plants offers lots of variety ranging from bamboo, palm trees, center pieces, garlands, cactus ~> yes, fake cactus!!! , trees, wreaths, etc...
 
"Silk Plants Direct has been importing, manufacturing, designing and installing silk plants and trees since the 1980's through our parent company, a leading national landscaping firm. After starting the company with a focus on live plants and trees, we discovered that many of our customers found them hard to maintain and, in some cases, too costly. "
 
If you are clueless about plants/flowers (just like me), silk direct plants website is awesome whereby you can narrow down your search according to the color of the flowers of your liking or the shape or the size of the plant or whether you are looking for outdoor/indoor plants. If you are still hopeless, you can browse their bestsellers. Or if you are a self proclaimed plant expert, you can directly go to the plant species of your choice. As for me, I knew I wanted a wreath to beautify my bare front door and seeing how my neighbours have beautified theirs, I chose a bright yellow color to pop against my blue doors. (Yes, the peep hole is still a peep hole n can be seen! Mr. hubby made me check)
I think I made a pretty right choice on my wreath! I feel very Christmas-sy n in holiday mode every time I enter the front door...best of all, I can leave it hanging there all year long! #LazyMamaHack
 
I chose the 24 inch yellow Forsynthia wreath (comes in a pack of 2) and a Phalaenopsis white Orchid plant. Yes, I can barely pronounce those scientific names what more spell it correctly. Lols! I just know that it looks pretty...and by the looks of the pictures, I think the kiddos love it too!
 
The white Orchid plant is just the right size for our washroom aka downstairs bathroom.
Mr. Hubby asked if it had any smell to it. I wish!!! ***rolls eyes***
 
Just for fun, "My fake plants died because I did not pretend to water them".
  
Thank you CSI Wall Panels for sending these lovely wreaths and orchid which I selected and thank you for beautifying our home and helping us make it feel a little more homely!

Just for my readers who would like to purchase from Silk Plants Direct,  here's 10% off (except for custom) for those interested. 

Code: BLOGGER10

Disclaimer: I have received this product in exchange for my honest (with love) review. All opinions are solely our own.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
   

Thursday 14 December 2017

Tips and advice when moving with two young kids

Tips and advice when moving with two young kids

Those that know us probably know that we have moved 3 times in a span of 6 months in Singapore (right before we moved to the USA) and 3 times in less than a year in Charlotte (North Carolina USA). Life of a nomad. Yes, we might have to move again!  

So, I can proudly and confidently self label myself as "pro" when it comes to moving especially with 2 young kids in tow, apart from the labels "stress", "wacko", "crazy", "cuckoo", etc... that comes along as well. Lols!

Note that we did all the packing n unpacking ourselves. And had the movers moved them for us.
So since this momma of 2 young kids have been moving non-stop and living a nomadic life, I shall jot down tips and advise of moving with 2 young kids in tow.

Few months before moving day~

Sell, purge, donate any items that you won't need at your new place. This is a good practise to do a "spring clean" and get rid of unwanted stuff in your life. That way you will have less things to pack, move and unpack. When we moved from Singapore to USA, we blessed away and donated ALL of the kids toys!!! I was expecting tears but surprisingly Sienna and Skyler did not feel sad at all. They were happy that their toys will be going to another blessed home and will make another kid happy!!! Sienna was only 4 years old and Skyler 2 back then. This momma was so proud of them! (P/s: I did let them keep 1 soft toy each to bring on the plane with them. Sienna of course chose to keep her 1st teddy bear we gave her and Skyler chose his favorite Elmo)



Do not buy any groceries at ALL!
Okay maybe just some...for us it was the staples like milk, bread, fruits especially banana is a must in our family and vegetables.
I went all creative with my cooking n tried to use up things in the fridge, freezer (especially meat items) n as much from the pantry. Mr. Hubby n kids didn't complain of my new own-found recipes!!! Muahahaha...

Keep all valuables in one place n move it yourself personally. Mr. Hubby put all our important documents, passports, paperwork, cheques, cash, laptop, etc into his laptop backpack n we brought it over to the new place in our car.

Have a "go to" bag...
Everything from your hygiene items to diapers to sanitary pads (u never know when the time of the month will come) to snacks! Pack as if you are going on a short 4-5 days trip. That way you don't have to look thru tons of boxes just to find specific items.
Everything is there in your "go to" bag.
Also band aids for small boo boos for your little ones...
I'm glad I still had my bag all packed n ready from coming back from my in laws place just a few days prior to our move. I made sure to do the laundry right before we left my in laws place so that way we were ready n less work once we reached home.

Have your kids pack their own bag with activities, books, stationary,  favorite toy n soft toy just to keep them occupied during the first few days.

Keep the family comforters, pillows with pillowcases kept in a big plastic bag to keep them clean. I'm glad we did this n not let it get dirty. By the time we reached our new place, it was dinner time. We ate at a Chinese restaurant nearby, came back, unpacked a little while the hubby gave the kids their bath n I put new bed sheets on the beds n voila we were all snoring soon after. The washer n dryer were still not hooked up n laundry was not our priority on that 1st move-in day. Clean beddings instantly without having to start the laundry when we were all dead tired.

Label the boxes with BIG WORDINGS the room that it needs to be moved to n the itemized items in SMALL wordings. That way the movers knows right away which room the boxes are headed to in one glance. And I know exactly what is in the individual boxes when I needed something urgently n it helped to prioritize which box to unpack first!
You can also color code your boxes by putting colored sticky tapes on it but I didn't like that idea coz what if your movers are color blind? Just saying....or worst case, your hubby? No, my Mr. Hubby has "perfect" vision after his lasik treatment ... not that he was ever color blind before anyways, Lols!

On moving day~

Get some cold drinks ready for the movers!
We had some soda drinks that my family doesn't drink so we blessed it away to the movers n they were so pleased by this simple gesture as it was a really really hot day!!!

I had some magazines to be left for our new tenant, but it turned out to be a blessing within a blessing. My kiddos kept themselves busy with them while the movers were loading up the truck!!!



Get ready for kids to nap.
I left behind a comforter n pillows to make a makeshift bed where they can sit, lie down or nap! But yeah, naps did not happen during the move. 
We don't have family nearby to help nor have we engaged any babysitters before. But if you do, please take advantage of it! Your sanity will thank you!!!
In Singapore, our next door neighbor "jie jie" Jasmine played with Sienna and Skyler and kept them entertained at her place while the movers came in and out of our place. Made the whole move a lot quicker.

We left a welcome pack (drinks, lemon sachets, mock tails, etc) to our new tenant n had the kids drew a welcome note to go along with it. This kept them busy while mommy cleaned our condo that we were vacating n daddy was at the new place with the movers!

After moving in~1st day. 

Just do the utmost necessities!!!
I was in charge of getting the kitchen up and ready! (boiled water for our drinking water n cool it off). Cleaned and wiped down the fridge/freezer, microwave n ALL surface area. 
Unload all the food items into the fridge/freezer.
Hubby was in charge of setting n hooking up the internet n settling the kids (shower n brush teeth).

Have cleaning supplies ready at hand.
This is absolutely needed as the first thing is to clean, clean, clean!!!
I cleaned the previous place right before we left n more cleaning at our new place. Don't be fooled at how "clean" n spotless it looks at your new home. One wipe n the wipes were dirty. Our feet were somewhat black especially the kiddos from going around running n exploring the new spacious house. I don't blame them as they have only been used to staying in less than 1000 sq ft condominiums! So a medium size house feels like a mansion to them!

Have toilet paper ready at hand.
The kiddos had to pee n poo right the minute we got to the new place! 
What AWESOME timing right???

Have the food delivery phone numbers on speed dial at the new place! 
We didn't have to use it but just in case!!! 
N I have 2 ever hungry kids... so as mentioned we had plenty of snacks in our "go-to" bag!

After moving in (2nd day onwards) ~

You would find items that tend to be mixed up
Like things that belong upstairs but they are downstairs n vice versa!
(Think, coz we moved from a 1 level to 2 levels).
Don't be a superhero or OCD n quickly put it back in its place. You would end up running marathons up n down the steps like multiple times a day. Just leave it beside the staircase n inform hubby to bring up/down the stairs if he sees any item(s) bedside the staircase! 
Or ask the kids to do it for u! Sienna n Skyler gladly helped out...they think it's a game! 
Or if all fails, just do it ONCE at the end of the day!

Any other advice and tips?
Please feel free to share your experience.
Don't hesitate coz this crazy momma might be needing it again for our next move!

Happy moving!!!
Yes, I know that it's NOT a "happy" process, but why is it called happy moving??? Lols!!! 
Someone please enlightened me, as this mommy brain is not functioning.

Anyways, if Mr. Hubby and I survived 6 moves (and counting) and are still happily married, I'm sure you can do your move with your hubby and come out just fine! "Jia you!!!"

BELOW ARE 2 SETS OF PICTURES. 
The tops ones (when kids were bigger) was from our move in USA.












The below ones (when kids were younger) was from our move in Singapore.
















Monday 13 November 2017

<Review> Bookroo - children's book subscription review


Soon after this momma received her book (Being a mom is...) gift in the mail, it was the kids turn to received theirs!

But this time it came individually wrapped in different wrapping papers!!! 
By the way, it's pretty adult looking wrapping papers and not some tacky kiddish wrappers... LOLs


Sienna and Skyler thought it was Christmas already? Didn't we just go trick or treating???
So they tore opened their "gifts" and were happy to see colorful and inviting books and asked to be read to them immediately!!! 


But this momma was busy cooking, so Sienna decided to take matters into her hands and started  attempting to read it by herself! And of course Skyler had to join in the fun too...

I'm sure many parents out there can agree and relate with me that their kids have been showered aka "spoilt" by friends, family, relatives, etc by getting tons of toys which end up being played only a handful of times??? 
First, your kids gets extremely excited over it. 
Second, they start fighting over it the first few days. 
Lastly, after boredom sets in, the toys are left scattered all over your living room??? 
Finally, leaving clueless moms with what the h*** are we to do with all these bulky toys!!! 
Sounds all too familiar? Yes, my living room messy situation says it all...
Well I'm sure their intentions were done out of love... 
(disclaimer: don't get me wrong, Sienna and Skyler love receiving toys...which kid doesn't?)

But for future reference: Best advice is to spend quality time with the kids and make memories together but if distance is an issue, why not get them something more meaningful and useful instead? An experience like buying them annual passes to the zoo, science museum, football game, theatrical shows, or whatever your kid fancy. That way when you visit, memories will be made together! I know my kids always talk about places they went and did with <insert name here> and <insert name here>.
Another alternate is getting them BOOKS!!! One can never go wrong with getting books for a child...and getting one book is just never enough (unless your mother in law aka grandma works in a library ~> yes, true story)!!!

Bookroo is a subscription based company that sends out book according to your preference
(No strings attached as you can cancel anytime). You can choose the frequency and the age appropriate books for your kids or loved ones!!!

Love supporting companies that do their part in helping the environment and others too!!! 
Bookroo sends out books in recycled boxes... This momma is all about the 3 R's (reduce, reuse & recycle)! And another brownie point is that bookroo donates childrens’ books to children in need through Reach Out And Read!

Remember, "It's never too early to start reading to children!


This momma gives her stamp of approval and so did "Parents" magazine too for awarding Bookroo with being the "best subscription services for 2017"!

Just for my readers who would like to purchase this subscription based book for their loved ones, here's 15% off for those interested. 

Link: click here 
Code: CHAW

Disclaimer: I have received this product in exchange for my honest (with love) review. All opinions are solely our own.

See Sienna and Skyler in action with their books. Follow the sequence and see how they went from being individual "I don't wanna share, keep a distance away" to being BFF and book buddies!



Monday 30 October 2017

BEING A MOM IS… Children and Mom BOOK REVIEW

What perfect timing it is to received a book about "Being a mom is..." right after I did a blog post about "how motherhood has changed me"!!! 

"Being a mom is...Always being in love" written by Anna Belle.


Do keep in mind that I'm NOT a BOOK reader AT ALL...
Give me lifestyle/gossips/health/recipe magazines, yes yes yes!!!
But when this opportunity came, I had to grab this book coz as soon as I saw a preview of it, I was hooked!!! 
Not only it has beautiful cartoon-ish pictures, most importantly it has very very few wordings but don't get me wrong, these short wordings has deep meaningful & beautiful words to it!
And bonus points: How many adult books out there that looks like a children book???
As soon as Sienna and Skyler saw the book, they immediately told mommy n daddy to read it for them and Sienna attempted to read a few lines.

At first I thought it was gonna be a small, few pages kinda book... but boy was I wrong, it's quite large and has lots of pages!!!

This momma would like to share a few of many quotes from the book that resonates with me.

"Being a mom is... stocking up on diapers!"

"Being a mom is... Loving little fingers and toes "

"Being a mom is...accepting your mommy tummy"

"Being a mom is... reserving time for your mom too"

"Being a mom is...going crazy with stickers"

"Being a mom is... acting silly with your little ones"

"Being a mom is...going to the zoo annually"

"Being a mom is...sometimes difficult"

"Being a mom is... being showered with kisses"

"Being a mom is...crying during their kindergarten graduation"

"Being a mom is...when you are a grapevine"

"Being a mom is... giving them time to take on new challenges"

"Being a mom is... helping them pursue their dreams"


"Being a mom is... bundling them up on winter mornings"

"Being a mom is...a joy ride"

"Being a mom is... Loving your family"


This book is definitely a keeper as it will bring back lots of memories down the road (even now reading it made me teary eyed). Yes, every mom is different and will experience different things. Even each baby is different. No two moms are the same but ultimately LOVE "trumps" a.k a conquers ALL as the title of the books reads, "Being a mom is... always being in love"

Sienna and Skyler gave me a big hug and said "You are the best mommy!!!" right after daddy read this book aloud to them while mommy was listening + doing the dishes! 
***awww, makes me wanna do more dishes...NOT***

This book will make such a lovely gift to moms-to-be, baby shower, mother's day for mom/grandma/aunt/etc...

Just for my readers who would like to purchase this one of a kind book, here's 10% off plus FREE shipping for those interested. Hurry this deal won't last long.
Code: JCFRIENDS

Disclaimer: I have received this product in exchange for my honest (with love) review. All opinions are solely our own.