Weekend Home Spa: Ginger Honey Scrub with Organic Raw Cane Sugar

I'm sharing one of my favourite recipes (by demand!), so get your gears and enjoy a organic weekend spa at home! 

Isn't it lovely? :D

1 cup Organic Raw Cane Sugar

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Organic Raw Honey

2 teaspoons Ground Ginger

8 drops Ginger Essential Oil

4 drops Lemongrass Essential Oil

Combine all ingredients and stir well. 

Store in an airtight container and you may use it immediately. I keep my scrub in the refrigerator, because I like it cold. Scrub on hands and body then rinse with your favourite shower gel.

Now happy scrubbing! :)

Day Out In The Park!

Grandpa busy with the little adventurer!

It was yesterday that we decided to just go for a walk in the park. First time ever since Darling started walking by herself. Shoes on, let's go!

It's late afternoon after the sun came down a bit so it was rather crowded. We chose a spot with flat cement trail to put her down but she's kinda afraid of touching the ground and only wanna cling on me.

So I carried her for a while (regretted not to bring along the sling!) around to show her things and people with kids. Then we put her down near the pond with lots of birds nearby.

At first she kinda refused but Dad managed to distract her by holding her hand and walked her to the birds. In less than a minute she got used to the grass and enjoying with smiles all over on her little face.

Having fun after warming up :)

The ground is slightly uneven and rather hilly that she fell a few times but no big deal. Just that she's kinda freaked out when her hands touched the grass! :D

A few times that I came close to her, she'll try to cling on me instead of walking. So I kept my distance and let Grandpa and Grandma to entertain her.

Everyone had a great time, especially our little adventurer :)

Review: Nursing Tea

While celebrating my milestone of nursing passed my Darling's first year, I'm struggling with low supply lately. It's getting obvious especially after my beloved menses coming back on the dot of my Darling's first birthday. Milk supply dropped dramatically to half of my production I used to make.

So I was searching high and low on galactagogues that can help me increasing my supply. Started with fenugreek, 1 teaspoon mixed with warm water. I surrendered to the bitterness that made me almost puke. So I added honey that at least diluted the bitterness a bit. After a few weeks of trying, it's been rather disappointing so I stopped and try the Joy Angel Nursing Tea from Fabulous Mom instead.

The result? It doesn't work for me.

RM38.90 comes in 20 sachets

Few of my breastfeeding Mommy friends swear by Earth Mama Angel Baby's Organic Milkmaid Tea. So out of desperation I decided to give it a try. 

RM41.90 comes in 16 sachets

The result? Pretty satisfying!
My supply increased 1-2oz each pumping session. Still not enough for me but it works!
My nursing colleague Mel researched that the right dosage should be 3 sachet (a sachet each cup) a day but previously I was taking only 1 sachet for the entire day. So I'll increase the dosage and we'll see if it works better!

Comparison of ingredients: Milkmaid Tea's ingredients are all certified organic while Joy Angel's are 100% natural.
As you can see from the boxes' label, Milkmaid Tea includes wider range of herbs which I guess why it works better for me!

Important to note:  Before working to increase your milk supply, you need to first determine if it's actually in need of a boost.  There are many things that can make you think that it's low when it's not.

Read more: Lactogenic Foods for Breastfeeding

Does any of the nursing tea work for you? What other booster you would like to recommend?

Breastfeeding Joke #1

While we Mommies are exhausted from nursing around the clock, now take a break and enjoy your daily dose of joke (Yes, we have more to come!).

Which is your favourite? :)

Darling is 14 months Old!

Paying full attention to the TV commercial!

Darling turned 14 months old today! Did I miss anything???

She's a little adventurer now goin around with her soon-to-stabilise steps to discover every corner of the house. Lots of fun and exercise for all of us! If we pick her up while she's walking happily, she will be making noises an just wants to get down to the floor.

Oh no, I just realised my little gal has grown so much. Real soon I will be missing carrying and holding my baby! :'(

So that you won't be regret later? Make sure you had lots of skin-to-skin contacts since your baby is born. Carry your baby will definitely not spoil them!

Soap Master Wannabe!

Of late I have been spending lots of my very limited free time in making soaps. That's my latest hobby :)

It all started by attending the soap making class by Puuuv Soap. The class was specially designed for making breastmilk soap. 30% of us are nursing moms :) we had a really great time sharing breastfeeding tips and making soaps from our very own breastmilk.

Yes, those are our very precious breastmilk!

After securely placed in the mould, wrapped in towel or placed in cooler box to keep warm for 3 days.
Can't wait to unmould my soaps!

The result? Wonderful!

My very first handmade breastmilk soap!

Interested in making your own breastmilk soaps?
I highly recommend Puuuv Soap, just speak to our friendly instructor, Suumey!

I'm officially a Soap Master!

A Year Wiser

It was my first birthday celebration after having my baby. As my literally first birthday after giving birth was too busy with confinement and overloaded with sleepless nights and messy routines.

Hubs told me the day before,"Tomorrow we go for dinner ok? Just the two of us." Hmmm... It was rare cuz we've been goin almost everywhere without leaving our Darling behind.

So he brought me to a nice English pub, Bull Dog in Sri Hartamas. It's been a while since I had my last pint of Strongbow, love it! We had some awesome authentic English pub food.

It's been a while since my last pint of Strongbow!

The signature dishes are Toad in the Hole, Pigs in the Blanket, and some really good porky stuff. While leaving the place, I told Hubs that we must do this often. Date nights mean so much to me! (Which Mommy doesn't agree!)

Publika is the hottest in town!

Next, we headed to Publika for dessert. This place is totally hot! You'll forget that you're actually in Malaysia. Plan B, the place where we had our dessert, was jam-packed that you line in the long queue to get a seat. And the dessert? Totally yumbs!

Must-Try in Plan B: Chocolate Truffle Torte & Carrot Cheesecake!

I was so satisfied with our date night, without hoping for any birthday present. Hubs surprised me with a pretty handbag. He said I can use it as nappy bag, so I can look good being a mother. Isn't he thoughtful?

That's how much I can stuff into my new nappy bag!

My Sweetie Turned 13 Months Old!

"Muah!"
A wet kiss that melts my heart falls on my face, as her arms go around my neck and she rests her head on my chest.

Sorry, Mommy forgot about it! My Darling turned 13 months old last week and I forgot to jot down her milestones as I did religiously every month over the whole year. She has became sweeter & sweeter each day.

You're an expressive little Darling. At bedtime, instead of falling asleep in my arms, you'll search my chest and tell me, "Nen Nen." Before pooping, you'll tell us,"Poo Poo."

Other than that, you can already recognise lots of things by names and pronounce rather accurately. Only thing is that you still calling Grandpa as "Ga Ga" instead of "Gong Gong". :)

You're a little music talent. Dancing away by shaking your butt with raised arms everytime we play you nursery.
When I'm only humping the tunes you'll know which song and join the singing.

We're more amazed each day as you learn so quick. Instantly pick up new gesture or words after only first demo. We are so proud to have you! :)

Love ya lots,
Sweet Pea Mom

Scary Mommy Manifesto

Learning to walk soon!

My sister-in-law recently came back from Melbourne with her 2 kids - a three years old toddler and a six months old baby. We were having great times (Yea, great) together, practicing my mother skills with this energy-never-dry-up toddler. Well, I would say that I'm so looking forward to my Darling's toddlerhood (....NOT!).

I solute how my sister-in-law handle her two kids, can't imagine how am I gonna do it myself. I better be well prepared in case I turn into one of those moms who's completely drained and just wanna get out of it! If you ever get caught in the situation, you'll find yourself more related to the article I found recently:

Please solemnly recite the following before proceeding:

• I shall maintain a sense of humor about all things motherhood, for without it, I recognize that I may end up institutionalized. Or, at the very least, completely miserable.

• I shall not judge the mother in the grocery store who, upon entering, hits the candy aisle and doles out M&Ms to her screaming toddler. It is simply a survival mechanism.

• I shall not compete with the mother who effortlessly bakes from scratch, purees her own baby food, or fashions breathtaking costumes from tissue paper. Motherhood is not a competition. The only ones who lose are the ones who race the fastest.

• I shall shoot the parents of the screaming newborn on the airplane looks of compassion rather than resentment. I am fortunate to be able to ditch the kid upon landing. They, however, are not.

• I shall never ask any woman whether she is, in fact, expecting. Ever.
I shall not question the mother who is wearing the same yoga pants, flip-flops and t-shirt she wore to school pickup the day before. She has good reason.

Self -feeding in progress :)

• I shall never claim to know everything about any child but my own. (Who still remains a mystery to me.)

• I shall hold the new babies belonging to friends and family, so they may shower and nap, which is all any new mother really wants.

• I shall attempt to not pass down my own messed up body issues to my daughter. She deserves a mother who loves and respects herself; stretch marks, cellulite and all.

• I shall not preach the benefits of breastfeeding or home schooling or organic food or co-sleeping or baby wearing to a fellow mother who has not asked my opinion. It's none of my damn business.

• I shall try my hardest to never say never, for I just may end up with a loud-mouthed, bikini clad, water gun shooting toddler of my very own.

• I shall remember that no mother is perfect and my children will thrive because, and sometimes even in spite, of me.

Excerpted from "Confessions of a Scary Mommy: An Honest and Irreverent Look at Motherhood: The Good, The Bad, and the Scary" by Jill Smokler. Published by Gallery Books.

How about you? Are you looking forward to your baby's toddlerhood?

My Darling is 1 today!!!

Looking forward to toddlerhood!

My Darling is 1 today!
She's growing too fast isn't she??? I couldn't keep up at all!

Which day that you won't surprise Mommy with your little tricks?

- This morning you stirred from sleep, rolled over on me, rested your head on my chest, gently patted me :)

- You have been doin 'Touch the Bug, The Bug Flies!' by touching your finger tip on your palm, but Mommy still trying to show you to raise your hand when the bug flies away

- When someone farted, you'll go "Oh!" then follow by "Poo Poo". You did that when you farted too :D

- When Mommy sing, "How much is that doggie in the window?" You'll go, "Wow wow!" that's your favourite song of the month :)

- You learned to 'share' your food. Picks up a piece of bread, give to Mommy but wouldn't let go and put it back into your mouth! But sometimes I suck it out from your tiny pincher grasp and say thank you to you ;)

- "Where's your phone? Hello Hello?"
you'll put your toy mobile phone near your ear and smile :)

- "Where's your ear?"
you'll hold your ear and when we're impressed you smile delightfully

- Express your sympathy when you heard someone "Ouch!" or cry from pain, you'll ask with a "What's wrong? Are you alright?" face, then gently touching with your hand

- Rest your head on our chest when we said,"Oi Oi". Or you'll rest on the cushion when we throw you one on the floor.

- Mommy's got the first-time moment with you! After happily seeing Mommy making monkey sounds, you started making your own! That was oh-so-cute! :) then you kept making that sounds to get Daddy's attention :D

- Whenever someone's phone rang, you'll be the most excited one who's looking for the phone and reminding others to answer the call!

- We're still going strong in breastfeeding (Yes, I know!) I'm so proud of my little nursing champion (Proud of myself too!).

- And did I mention that you have a total of 8 teeth now? That's such a great milestone for my little gal! :)

I'm prouder each day!

Love,
Sweet Pea Mom
xoxoxo