Happy mid week! I would like to share something awesome with all my friends and readers out there. Would you like to win Golden Village Gold Class movie tickets? Simply download PickatSG app, and head down to Craft Cafรฉ anytime from 31st July to 6 August! Check in with the PickatSG app, upload your photos onto Instagram and hashtag #PickatSG and #CraftCafe. You instantly win exclusive Pickat designed Instaprint cards which you can collect at the counter! On top of that, you are eligible to take part in the weekly draw where you stand a chance to win Gold Class movie tickets! Have fun and good luck! ๐
Author Archives: missuschewy
Ah Yat Abalone Forum Restaurant: Family Dinner Before Misterchewy Travels to USA
Yesterday, we sent misterchewy off in the wee hours of the morning. He will be in working America for two weeks! Chanelle was sleeping when we plucked her out of bed at around 3am. She woke up with a very puzzled look and was surprisingly very well behaved throughout! It was a very sad moment for me to see misterchewy walking towards the departure gate and my tears started rolling down my cheeks :'( It’s gonna be our first time being apart for so long after 5 years together. Speaking of which, it’s our 5th year dating anniversary tomorrow! ๐
A week before his work trip, both our families had dinner together at Ah Yat Abalone Forum Restaurant at Hotel Grand Pacific. All photos were taken by misterchewy! The food was generally quite good. Sorry no time to go into detail!
Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy ๐
Chanelle’s Milestones at Four Months Old!
I’m guilty for being a lazy mummy and for not charting Chanelle’s developmental milestones on a regular basis. I figured it’s better late than never. Four months whizzed by and our darling girl has developed quite a bit, both physically and in terms of attaining age appropriate milestones! ๐
Physical Growth: Chanelle looked a little scrawny as a newborn even though she weighed 3.36kg and was 50cm long at birth. 3 weeks ago, her weight had doubled to 6.7kg and her length was around 61.5cm. We often joke that Chanelle is as heavy as a bag of rice and she has ‘Michelin’ arms and legs! Very nice to cuddle ๐ You can check them out here when I previously blogged about Chanelle’s lunar 4th month traditional celebration. ๐
Feeding: As much as I would like Chanelle to be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months, she is currently on one formula feed before her bedtime (sometimes none, if I latch her to sleep). While I’m at work, my mil bottle feeds Chanelle with expressed breastmilk which I store chilled in the refrigerator. To save myself the trouble of pumping and bottle feeding at night, I let Chanelle latch on and I get some sleep too. I don’t intend to introduce solids at this stage because she hasn’t begun to show interest in our food, so I suppose she isn’t ready yet.
Social: Chanelle is now very alert and aware of her surroundings. She started to smile a little more often at around 2 months. I was initially worried that I might have given birth to a grumpy baby or an angry bird because she was always frowning as a newborn. I’m quite relieved to observe that she’s generally a happy baby who’s ever ready to flash her million dollar smile but she can be pretty angsty like her mummy when her demands are not being met on a timely basis. Ok, Chanelle is impatient like mummy too. *Sigh* On a happier note, my parents actually recorded Chanelle laughing out loud continuously when my mum played Peekaboo with her. ๐
Language: Chanelle has started to coo and babble, which is really very cute. She is able to hold “conversations” with us by babbling on and on for a few minutes. Sometimes, it sounds like she is complaining about her day and we try to respond in a manner that sounds like we empathize with her. I recorded some of her babbling conversations and it brings a smile to my face when I replay them. ๐
Motor Skills: We started Chanelle on her very first Tummy Time when she was around 2 months plus and it went quite well because she was able to lift her head up for a few seconds. She also likes to be carried upright and instead of resting her head on our shoulders, she lifts her head up and we could tell that she used quite a bit of strength to support her back and neck because of all the wrinkles on her forehead. LOL. Tummy Time is now a breeze for her and she managed to flip successfully at 3 months plus. Currently, she flips from back to front and from front to back, just like flipping roti prata. HAHA.
Hand-Eye Coordination: We found it somewhat increasingly easy to attract Chanelle’s attention by rattling a toy in front of her. She is also able to recognize members of the family and her gaze follows us across the room.
I guess that’s all for now! I post photos and videos of Little misschewy on Instagram from time to time and if you are interested, do visit my profile @missuschewy ๐
Paradise Pavilion: Best Peking Duck in Singapore
When we celebrated my dad’s birthday at The Fullerton Hotel’s Town Restaurant last year, I was still in the early stage of my pregnancy. I remembered that my mum actually said , “This time next year, there will be a little baby to celebrate together with us!” ๐ This year’s celebration sure feels a lot happier than the last with Baby Chanelle around!
My mum did her own research by reading up on food blogs and finally decided on Paradise Pavilion under the Paradise Group, located at Marina Bay Financial Centre. I fell in love with the sophisticated contemporary setting upon stepping into the restaurant.
It has this very posh yet cosy feeling.
Diners will be able to marvel at the Peking duck chefs executing their craft in full view. The fire brick oven had been constructed in a traditional fashion with imported materials from Beijing. Apple wood is used for roasting of the Peking duck which further accentuates its full flavour and fragrance.
To start the dinner, we each had a very yummy appetizer of crab meat with a hint of wasabi.
A hearty bowl of Double Boiled Chicken with Morel Mushroom Soup ($12) to warm the tummy!
One of my favorites that night, the Fillet Cod with Miso Sauce ($18) was firm and flaky, topped with delicious miso sauce that was sweet yet savoury.
I was looking forward to trying the Kurobuta in Garlic Sauce ($16) but felt that the sauce was a little too overwhelming and covered up the taste of the kurobuta. On a more positive note, the meat was really tender.
Paradise Pavilion is renowned for its Authentic Apple Wood Roasted Peking Duck ($88) which is arguably the best peking duck in Singapore. Please bear in mind that reservations are required. It is served straight out of the oven and is carved deftly before diners.
The duckโs breast skin is the fattiest and crispiest part. It is served separately as thin slices and best enjoyed on its own or with a dab of sugar.
The rest of the sliced duck meat was wrapped in rice flour sheet which was kinda thick so I ended up eating the tender duck meat on its own!
The Ramen with Lobster in XO Sauce ($28) certainly wowed all of us. The lobster was the size of my palm! Ramen was actually like ee-fu noodles and had a spicy kick to it.
Little misschewy was sleeping in her pram while we were busy eating and when she woke up, she was all smiles ๐
We were lucky enough to catch the fireworks display which was part of the National Day Parade rehearsal!
Everybody loves Baby Chanelle ๐
Love family dinners like this! We will be back for Paradise Pavilion’s peking duck! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy ๐
Paradise Pavilion
8A Marina Boulevard
#02-01
Marina Bay Financial Centre
(Ground Plaza)
Singapore 018984
Tel: 6509 9308
Opening Hours
Lunch:
11.30am โ 3pm (Mon to Fri) Last order 2.30pm
11am โ 4pm (Sat, Sun & PH) Last order 3.30pm
Dinner:
6pm โ 11pm (Daily) Last order 10pm
Baby Chanelle’s Lunar 4th Month Traditional Celebration
Mummy missuschewy took leave today to celebrate Chanelle’s lunar 4th month! It’s also a good time for me to update my blog while the little girl is having her nap at the moment ๐ I woke up at around 11am this morning to find Chanelle lying on her stomach with her head raised and looking at me. I was very surprised because she actually let me sleep in peace. LOL.
1) Trim Hair
Just bumming around in her Exersaucer from her aunts and uncle (my cousins) Sharon, Elaine and Darren! To begin Little misschewy’s lunar 4th month traditional celebration, I snipped off a bit of Chanelle’s mohawk hair. I’m not sure of the significance of doing so but my mil said to shave Chanelle totally bald and I was against it because we had already done so after her full month. Anyway the person didn’t do a fantastic job so Chanelle has really funky hair now! ๐
2) Ang Bao
Both grandmothers prepared a red packet each for Chanelle as a form of blessing. We had opened an OCBC Mighty Savers account for her over the weekend so this is gonna go into her savings! $$$ Kaching! $$$
Looking intently at the ang bao.
Hmm.. Looks edible! Haha Chanelle is starting to put things into her mouth. At times she doesn’t want the pacifier and prefers to stuff her entire fist into her mouth and her hands would be wet with saliva. We reckon she might be beginning to show signs of teething.
She seems pretty interested in her Exersaucer too!
3) Chives (Ku Chye)
I joined the March 2014 EDD mummies group on Facebook and learned that chives (ku chye) play an important role in baby’s lunar 4th month traditional celebration. I wrapped a stalk of chives around my finger and rubbed it along Chanelle’s gums. This signifies a smooth sailing and painless teething journey ahead! ๐
Want a piece of drumstick my little darling?
Oh Mummy.. Is this really for me?
4) Chicken Drumstick
Ok then! I shall take a big bite out of this delicious looking chicken drumstick! Om nom nom nom! Haha ok what I did was to let Chanelle lick the drumstick instead. She will be blessed with good food and let’s hope that she will not be a fussy eater like her Papa! Lucky me, I get to eat the drumstick after that ๐
5) A string of biscuits
For the final ritual, my mum helped to string 8 Marie biscuits using a red thread for me to bring back to my in laws’ place. We tied it around Little misschewy’s neck and she sat there #likeaboss. I had seen photos of my cousins doing this to their kids and it never fails to amuse me!
One by one, I touched Chanelle’s lips with each biscuit and recited “qit ta ta” in Hokkien, which translates to “wipe dry dry”. Yes, you might have guessed it. This is to prevent or minimise drooling!
Well, does this ritual thingy really work? I’m not sure but I definitely hope it does! Anyway, neither of our parents did this for us when misterchewy and I were babies but they were open to the idea when I told them about this. It was fun and the photos captured will serve as nice memories many years down the road! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy ๐
Matching Beushoes for Mummy and Child
– Sponsored Post –
I shall start off this post by quoting Marilyn Monroe, โGive a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.โ Our shoes certainly play a very important role in our everyday lives and it can either make or break your day. I’m here to introduce to you Singapore’s first bespokes shoes for children, be*U! Hitting the shelves at Takashimaya Department Store and TweenAge earlier in May this year, be*U is an award-winning luxurious children shoe brand which encourages originality and personal expression. This is made possible with over 600 designs, 100 colors and 6 different types of leathers such as kangaroo, cow, lamb, ostrich, horsehide and crocodile.
Apart from the unique appearance of the brand’s range of shoes, be*U places a strong emphasis on quality and uses only the finest genuine leather sourced from Europe and America to produce award-winning products that embody the true spirit of fine craftsmanship and attention to detail. Do you know that each pair of shoes is painstakingly handmade by well-trained artisans and requires 10 hours of workmanship? This includes cutting of the leather, sewing, stitching and embossing of the name and message, making each pair truly unique.
This gift box set comes with a variety of motfis that you can choose from for your child to match his/her various outfits. It also upps the fun factor as well!
All the designs are done by hand and the leathers are cut out piece by piece by experienced craftsmen. What you see here is just a very small fraction of what is actually available. There are designs that are gender neutral and gender specific.
The ingenious idea of incorporating velcro enables the easy interchanging of different motif designs. Who wouldn’t love a pair of shoes like these? Your little one gets to choose his/her own motifs whenever wherever!
Apart from the special gift box set, these are some of the many shoes from be*U’s kids collection. As you can see, the possibilities are endless! All the designs are so cute!
Chanelle is really lucky to be able to own her very first pair of walking shoes from be*U even though she hasn’t even started to crawl. Haha! A very lovely red and pink Narcissus design from the kids keyboard collection.
Examining her kicks with much interest!
Much thought went into designing the perfect pair of be*U shoes. The signature patented keyboard outsole is an award winning invention. The keyboard outsole maximizes the flexibility and shock absorbancy in the heel. Stitched by hand instead of glue, the outsole is certainly built to last for a very long time!
Children learning to walk tend to swing thus the heel counter helps correct walking postures as it contains a stiffener to provide solid support to the heel and hold the feet more firmly. Body weight is also supported by the heel thus reducing the extra tension created, resulting in an excellent environment for children’s foot development.
be*U shoes are equipped with adequate cushioning of the insole and a built-in arch for ultimate comfort and support for the feet. The shoes also open up widely and allows kids to put them on easily, without the help of an adult.
be*U shoes use the classic stitch because it will not unravel. The hand-sewn lined thread is coated with wax to make it smooth, waterproof and to prevent rotting.
If you notice from the photo, be*U rounded shoes are extra wide, and thus mimics barefoot walking closely. The rounded edges provide more room for the little toes and allow feet to move, grip and feel the floor. This way, little feet can grow properly and develop strength and musculature through the grasping action of the toes.
The new ankle-high cut provides more support and hence more protection, which lowers the risk of ankle sprains.
It may be hard to believe but children’s feet perspire heavily! be*U only uses 100% genuine leather as it is a breathable material. It is not only more durable but also helps to keep the childโs foot cooler and dryer which prevents blisters, discomfort and odour.
Mummy missuschewy is also very lucky to receive a pair of Ballerina shoes to match Baby Chanelle’s! The adult ballerina comes in five different widths and mums are welcome to customize their pairs as well. The other be*U signature in the ballerina range are the 12-hour shoes, which are designed for long periods of standing. With a wider width, shock absorption, energy-return insole and high durability outsole, the 12-hour ballerinas provide the ultimate comfort that cannot be found elsewhere. I can’t wait for Chanelle to start walking so that we can wear our matching shoes and conquer the world together! ๐
We are happy to offer a discount code to parents who are keen!
1) ‘Like’ be*U’s Facebook page and/or Follow be*U’s Instagram account to view more designs.
2) Place your order online (not valid for purchase at retail shops) by emailing order@beushoes.com or dropping a private message on Facebook. Quote ‘missuschewy’ to enjoy 20% off! This promotion is valid till 31st July 2014.
Lucky Baby Princess Playpen
– Sponsored Review –
Ever since our traditional wedding last March, I have been officially staying with my in laws but we still return to my parents’ place to stay over for the weekend. The husband and I are so used to sleeping together on a super single sized bed in my bedroom for the past 3 years since our ROM. He stays with my family most of the time back then because it’s so much nearer our workplaces.
Now that we have Little misschewy, the three of us squashed in a tiny bed doesn’t seem like a good idea at all. Thanks to Lucky Baby, Chanelle has her own comfortable space to sleep in! Do you know that Lucky Baby is a long standing Singapore brand that has been producing quality baby products for almost 50 years?
There are a few designs for Lucky Baby’s range of playpens and I naturally wanted this princess design for Chanelle. So lovely!
I really love this playpen for its cute princess design and bright pink and purple colors! Just looking at this makes me happy ๐ Also, the playpen is huge and spacious, measuring 110cm in length, 78cm in width and 77cm in height. It also has a unique central locking system for added stability and safety.
The playpen comes with a bassinet which is wide and detachable. Parents like us will appreciate that there is a safety strap so that you don’t have to worry about your baby rolling right off when you are not looking even for just a split second.
There is a side toy bag which I use to keep some diapers. Really convenient when I change Chanelle’s diapers in the middle of the night because all I need to do is reach into the bag and grab a clean diaper.
Music, vibration and daylight functions. I use the music function mostly to keep Chanelle entertained.
My parents bought a playpen mobile which fits nicely. They also got Chanelle a set of matching mattress, pillow, bolster and blanket.
Looks like I don’t have much of an excuse to not bring Little misschewy along for our staycations in future?! The playpen can be easily dismantled to fit into this travel bag which makes it too convenient.
Here’s Little misschewy looking real cosy in her playpen ๐
Big thanks to Lucky Baby and also Agnes for delivering the playpen! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy ๐
Selfies with Baby Chanelle
So one Sunday morning, while misterchewy was away, it was just me and Chanelle cosying up to each other on our super single sized bed. She’s 3 months old now. This little bubba is extra cheerful and smiley in the mornings so I decided to take some selfies with her and was extremely happy with the results! ๐
Now that I have gone back to work, I really miss lazing in bed with our little one, planting kisses on her face and smelling her belly. I miss doing these on a daily basis. Weekends are extra precious now!
And there will be times when Chanelle actually wakes up in the middle of the night like around 4am and starts cooing nonstop. When we see that she’s entertaining herself and smiling a lot, we go back to bed. Hehe. I really love our baby. Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy ๐
Take a Selfie & Win a One Night Stay at Hotel Clover The Arts
Hello everyone! Have you been taking too many selfies lately? Now is your chance to take a selfie of you and a friend at Hotel Clover The Arts in the most creative way and stand a chance to win a one night staycation just by following the above listed steps! Good things are meant to be shared! All the best! ๐
Sawadee Thai Cuisine Singapore Food Review
– Invited Tasting –
I shall start off this post by saying that Sawadee Thai Cuisine is my favourite Thai restaurant in Singapore. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this because it’s an invited session. In fact, I had blogged about my experience in 2010 after my mum introduced this gem to us. Don’t play play, my mum is also a foodie. She used to frequent Sawadee Thai Cuisine with my grandma and aunts during lunch (they work together) and one day, she told me that the restaurant at Sembawang had closed down and that she was feeling very sad about it. LOL. I also felt sad la, until not long later, Andrew’s email came to say that they have relocated to a more convenient location at Bugis! Quickly shared the good news with my mum and she went there for lunch with the entire gang that very same week.
Recently, misterchewy and I dropped by Sawadee Thai Cuisine together with fellow blogger Mag from Modgam to try out one of their Father’s Day menu ($168+ for 4 person) which will still be available this weekend. Coming back here felt like being reunited with an old friend, and there was this warm and fuzzy feeling when we were trying to get used to the restaurant’s new look. We had some drinks while waiting for the dishes to be served. The Lemongrass drink was quite sweet and aromatic.
Tea lovers should definitely try their Thai Iced Milk Tea which was very fragrant and not overly thick.
Prior to this visit, I had not tried more than half of the dishes from the Father’s Day menu and the Thai Rice Crackers were one of them. Doesn’t the dip look like chicken mayo? Haha. The rice crackers tasted bland on their own but when topped with the creamy chicken dip, this turned out to be a pretty yummy appetizer.
Generously stuffed with crabmeat, the Thai Crab Cakes was a delight to bite into due to its crunchiness and it was packed full of flavour.
The Tom Yum Soup is one of our must-orders at Sawadee Thai Cuisine. We learned that they actually cater to local tastebuds and the boss claimed that many customers provided feedback that their tom yum soup was too spicy so it has been made slightly less spicy. I was eager to try it and it was quite spicy for someone who eats small chili padi all the time. My dining counterparts did not manage to finish their share but I really loved the spicy fiery kick and it was also deliciously sour. Not forgetting the generous chock full of ingredients we found in the pot. One word – SHIOK!
Just as its name suggests, the Three Flavoured Grouper was a delectable combination of sweet, tangy and spicy. Best to eat this when it’s served piping hot so that the fish doesn’t soak up too much of the gravy and turn soggy. We could still taste the sweetness and freshness of the fish underneath that golden crispy layer.
I was happy to see Pandan Chicken because I remembered having it back then when we went to Bangkok and I loved it so much!
Marinated before being wrapped, the pandan chicken was tender, juicy and very flavorful.
I was quite surprised to see the Fried Fish Maw with Beansprouts because it seemed more like a Chinese dish to me. Or is it? Whatever it is, all of us loved this! It had a very nice eggy taste and was deliciously soft and fluffy! It might look like a simple dish on the menu but everyone should order this.
Sawadee Thai Cuisine’s Olive Rice is one of the best that I have tried. It had just the right amount of greasiness and tasted extra flavorful when mixed with dried shrimps. And of course, the strips of chicken were the icing on the cake.
The first dessert that we tried was Durian Glutinous Rice. I’m a bigggg fan of durian and this was very much to my liking!
For those who don’t eat durian, the Mango Glutinous Rice is a much safer option. The chunks of ripe mango tasted exceptionally sweet and it was an interesting pairing with purple glutinous rice.
Lastly, we had the Thai Red Rubies which all of us felt wasn’t sweet enough. Of course we had to give them the benefit of the doubt after having two extremely sweet desserts. And to be fair, the red rubies were very crunchy.
Here’s a photo of Mag and I, taken by misterchewy. We had a wonderful meal at Sawadee Thai Cuisine and will be back for my old favorites such as stuffed chicken wings, thai style otah and thai green curry! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy ๐
Sawadee Thai Cuisine
9 Tan Quee Lan Street
#01-01
Singapore 188098
Tel: +65 62386833
Opening Hours:
Daily
11am – 2.30pm
6pm – 10.30pm