We cook what we can afford. And, as much as my kids love those plump juicy prawns, they can only enjoy them occasionally. It’s final exams week and, during times like this, I pamper them with food they like to make sure they eat heartily. A special occasion, in a manner of speaking, that justified ... (more)
Figure skating and the varsity football team
Posted on March 16, 2007 · 22 Comments
For the longest time, the head coach of the varsity football team has been recruiting Sam to join. Just for as long, she has been saying no. In one sense, her decision is a complete surprise to me. In another sense, I completely understand. Confusing? It’s like this. Since childhood, Sam has been the more ... (more)
Co-sleeping with kids
Posted on March 13, 2007 · 22 Comments
In the comment thread of The Family Bed, Christianne referred to a link to a New York Times article about ways to solve the problem of children wanting to sleep in their parents’ bed. I just read the three-page article and I am aghast. 1) Child sleep specialists and consultants, and sleep centers? 2) And ... (more)
Steamed chicken with ginger – garlic sauce
Posted on March 12, 2007 · 37 Comments
I’ve mentioned before that we have this Sunday arrangement — my husband does the cooking on Sundays. There are times when he makes palusot (headache, don’t know what to cook or he just takes us out for the day) but there are occasions when he surprises us with really, really great home-cooked meals. Yesterday was ... (more)
The family bed
Posted on March 12, 2007 · 11 Comments
I was reading an article about holistic parenting and wondered if Speedy and I had been observing a philosophy we didn’t even know there was a term for. I guess we have. There’s the family bed, for instance. It is a modern practice to let a baby sleep in his own bed (crib) and, in ... (more)
Any alternative to Whiskas and Friskies?
Posted on March 11, 2007 · 13 Comments
I was in the supermarket earlier and bought another 2-kilo bag of Whiskas. I really ought to call up a friend who owns a pet supply store in Eastwood City and ask if they sell cat food by the sack. The 2-kilo bags of cat food every two weeks or so is turning out to ... (more)
Pheasants
Posted on March 10, 2007 · 1 Comment
Above, my favorite pheasant of all — the Lady Amherst’s pheasant looks like it is wearing a veil cascading from its head down to its chest. According to Wikipedia, it is named after Sarah Countess Amherst, wife of William Pitt Amherst, Governor General of Bengal, who was sent the first specimen of the bird to ... (more)
Pale pink flamingos at the zoo
Posted on March 10, 2007 · 2 Comments
Wikipedia says that a flamingo with pale coloring usually means it is not healthy. At the same time, it does not seem to be uncommon for flamingos in captivity to appear pale not necessarily because they are unhealthy but because due of insufficient amounts of carotene in their diet. I’m not an expert in flamingos ... (more)
A side dish: buttered corn and carrots
Posted on March 10, 2007 · 6 Comments
When my kids ask for fried chicken — and they do about once a month — I try to vary the side dish that I served with the chicken. The same rule applies with grilled or roast pork or even fried fish. Grilled or fried meat or seafood is always better when there is a ... (more)
Conversations