Moroccan Chicken

MOROCCAN CHICKEN (Thanks, Audrey, for sharing this!)

Preparation: 30 minutes
Serve: 4

1 kilo of white chicken without the skin….cut in bite size…..cook it with a bit of curry and orange juice.
2 oranges or 3 clementines peeled or oranges
12 fresh dates
6 radishes
¼ cup white almonds crushed
2 soup spoon of lemon juice
2 soup spoon olive oil
1 pinch dried mint
2 pinches Garam Masala or curry
1 soup spoon honey
salt and pepper

1. Cook the chichen
2. Mix the chicken with the clementines, the dates, the radishes and the almonds.
3. Mix and whip the lemon juice, the oil , the Garam Masala, the mint and the honey. Salt and Pepper.
4. You can serve this over couscous, but I serve it with quinoa

Note:

If the dates are dried, soak them in boilling orange juice for 15 minutes.

Argh!

Last week, I was beginning to enjoy being a stay-home mum. And I honestly believed that I could really learn to enjoy all the juggling, especially the cooking and cleaning. But right now, I am beginning to detest it again. I just feel like screaming, crying, and moving back to Singapore.

Presto Mama!

Motherhood is really giving me a new spin on the term, Carpe Diem.

In the past, I would have whiled away half an hour just doing nothing. Nothing of note like surfing the net mindlessly, vegetating out in front of the telly watching yet another episode of TyraShow or just stoning.

Now, even 10 minutes of quiet seem like a LOOOOOOONG time that can be used to accomplish a LOT. And 30 minutes is like an godsent glimpse of eternal bliss!

In 30 minutes now, I can:
- Do the laundry/ clean the house
- Prepare and/ or cook a meal
- Check mails, keep in touch with friends
- Have a meal

In 2 hours, I can now:
- Vacuum the house
- Do the laundry
- Prepare another meal
- Shower and change
- Eat a meal
- Complete a unit of writing for work

I’m truly amazed at how much more I’m achieving with every minute than I have ever before in my life. (What have I been doing with my life all this while before I had a baby?!!!) In a way, I’m really leading a more fulfilling life – no more wasted time. Every second now counts for something.

For many years, I have tried to work on bettering my time management and multi-tasking skills with little success. Who would have thought that having a baby is how I will learn them best!

Off I go now to enjoy my cup of coffee while he naps. I am so pleased with how much I’ve achieved thus far, if I may say so myself.

Elisha Turns 5 months old Today!

My baby has been with me for 5 months already! He was born on 19 September. Of course if we want to be exact, he is 21 weeks 6 days.

I cannot believe how fast he’s come along. And I cannot believe I’ve spent every single day with him since his birth. The longest time I’ve been away from him was for 5 hours when I went out to run errands. I wonder if I can cope with being apart with him for a day.

Elisha is blabbering a lot more, and is louder than ever. Today, we thought we heard him say the word ‘HUG’. He was probably playing around with all his newfound consonant and vowel sounds,  and accidenally blended  ‘h’ with ‘ug’ to make ‘HUG’. Nonetheless, being parents, we were thrilled. I squealed with glee and I whisked him off the bed to give him a great big hug.

A part of me wishes that he will grow up fast. But I know that once he does, there is no going back. So I really do relish this time I have with him. Sometimes, I just do nothing but sit and watch him. Quite unproductive, I know, but I can’t help it. It gives me great joy just to sit or lie near him just to admire or smell or cuddle him.

Yes, I LOVE ELISHA!

Gimme Some Joy Juice, Please!

A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22 (NASB)

I haven’t been the happiest or nicest person to be around these past weeks. I’ll be the first to admit this, and my husband will not protest. I’ve been grumpy and disgruntled about where my current place in life. I’m not speaking philosophically but rather plainly. I’ve been rather upset about being here in Macau. Yes, I am glad that our little family is reunited here but I am really missing my home, and life in Singapore. Other than my family and friends, I really do miss Singapore – her sights, sounds, smells, and oddly enough, the people there.

What I’m experiencing right now is probably termed ‘cultural shock’.  There seems to be a million and one things I find odd and horrid. Smoke clouds in most eateries. Stroller-unfriendly pavements polka-dotted with dog poo. Crazy drivers who are perpetually in a rush, have an aversion to slowing down at crossings and subscribing to an unsaid motto to mow down as many pedestrians as possible. I’ve lost count of the number of cars that have tried to accelerate past me as I’m pushing my baby in the stroller. Aargh. There are more peculiarities, but I think I should stop.

I finally went to church last Sunday and lo behold! God spoke to me about my need to change my attitude through one single verse – “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7). The pastor said, “Of course none of us here are actually in exile.” But I do feel like I’m in exile here!

The way life goes, I know I have a choice about my own attitude. Do I want to be whiny and miserable? Or do I want to enjoy my life? Of course I want to enjoy my life, especially with my little baby. (I don’t want to raise a sour puss either!) So to do this, I’m telling myself to start looking for the good every time I get irked by the idiosyncracies of this place. It’s darn hard work but I think it will help keep my sanity.

To get started on my joy journey, here are 5 good things about my life in Macau:
1. I’ve found a group of wonderful Christian ladies at the Tuesday Bible Study Group.

2. I’ve made three new friends today – Anya (German), Hsiao Hui (Malaysian) and Mei Yee (Hong Konger) – and they’re great fun.

3. I get to be a stay-home mom. This was something I planned to do from a long time ago.

4. I get to enjoy watching Elisha grow and change every single day.

5. I am becoming better at managing household chores and my time.

Accidental Hiatus

Well, it’s probably been a month since I last posted. It’s been a crazy time of many adjustments for me. I spent three weeks back in Singapore and had limited net access. Plus, I had limited energy reserves as I was caring for my little Energizer bunny of a bub.

Now, I’ve been back in Macau for almost 3 weeks. The first 9 days back was spent with the company of my mother, so they flew by more quickly and enjoyably. Yet, I could hardly find energy to spare. This past week I’ve been trying to figure out the best way of juggling various demands of mothering, wife-ing, housekeeping and work.

As blogging is listed in my Top 5 To-Dos for 2009, I thought I better whip myself into action. Thankfully, the baby is asleep right now. It’s been a fight for the past few days to put him down at night. Hopefully, he stays asleep for several more hours before he wakes to nurse. And I do hope that this post will mark the end of my recent hiatus, and the beginning of MORE me-time.

Laundry’s done. I’ve got to run to hang them up.

Sleep Camp: Update

Training Routine

Here’s a brief outline of what I started doing to help Elisha develop a regular nap routine as well as training him to fall asleep independently:

• Off to Bed 1.5 hours after being awake, regardless of whether he is tired
• Side-Coaching: This includes explaining to him what he is feeling, why he needs to rest. A sample script : “I know you’re tired. It’s alright to be tired. There’s no need to cry.You just need to close your eyes. You’re crying because being tired is not a good feeling. I understand. Just close your eyes, relax and drift to dreamland. You will wake up with more energy. We will play and learn together when you wake. “
• Play white noise and a rattle
• Minimal carrying, rocking and patting
• Encouraging him to listen to his body cues e.g. “You’re yawning because you are tired. Your brain needs to rest.”
• If he cries badly, I pick him up and give him a tight 8-second hug him and affirm his ability in learning to fall asleep.

Progress Update

I am so proud of how far Elisha has grown in the area of sleep! Here’s why:

• 4 day naps established: Elisha took 3 days to adapt to this schedule.  Each nap lasts 45 minutes on average. They tend to be 15 to 30 minutes longer if we’re out for a walk.

• Less Tears When Tired: He hardly cries now when he is tired and needs to sleep. At today’s late afternoon nap, he cried for a mere 30 seconds. I picked him up for a hug, and he cried for another 15 minutes. When his eyelids began to droop, I laid him back onto his bed, and he soon fell aslep.

• Less dependence on being carried or rocked or patted: At this evening’s bedtime, he just stared dreamily at his teddy mobile before drifting off to dreamland. I didn’t have to carry or pat him. I didn’t hold his hands either.  He woke up a little after but that I think is because I turned him onto his tummy prematurely.

What’s Worked

• The Use of Affirming Sentences: I believe using positives like ‘ You are a gentle and considerate baby. You like to sleep.’ helps influence his behaviour more effectively than using ‘Don’t’ s and ‘No’s.
  
• Power of the 8-second Hug: This helps to calm and settle him quickly. I just hold him really tight and tell him how much I love him, and how proud I am of him learning to fall asleep independently.
  

Reflections

When I saw Elisha smiling in his sleep as he was entering his sleep cycle, I was so glad I didn’t continue with the ‘Cry-It-Out’ method on him. I think the methods I’m trying out with him are more gentle and suited for his temperament. I’m even tempted to conclude that CIO is an unnecessary alternative in sleep training because there can be gentler means. I’m even thinking that the ‘No-Tears’ method does not wear the parent thin and create a demand-monster out of our children as its critics have stated.

Of course, every method has its supporters and detractors. Ultimately, it is the parents’ individual decision to choose one that best suits their parenting style and children.For me, I’m sticking to methods that are gentle on the spirit of both parent and child.

Little Rapper

Elisha doing the ‘Hip, Hop, Hooray!’ when he turned a month old.

(This set was taken on 19 October, 2008.)

A Few of My Favourite Shots

My little prince, how you have grown!

I’m Okay, Mama!

After crying for several minutes, Elisha finally fell asleep. He seemed to be saying, “I’m fine, Mama. Don’t worry about me! I’m a-okay!”.