Migration of Homeschool Posts to a New Dedicated Blog

Now that I have finally decided to really go ahead with homeschooling my Mouse through Kindergarten, I guess I should really focus on it, and posting our journey will also help me to keep myself motivated and in focus. I have migrated all my previous posts on "homeschooling" to

Training A Mouseketeer

I had a chat with DH earlier tonight, about my Kindergarten plans for Mouse through this and the next year, when he would officially be in K1 and K2 if he were to attend an MOE-approved kindergarten. All along, he has not voiced any support or objection about my schooling Mouse at home, but has always left things in my control. For that, I am very grateful, just as I have always been grateful for his support through my choices to have a natural childbirth, breastfeeding, and delay vaccinations.

Very generally, I described the difference in focus between Kindergarten education in Singapore and the US, comparing based on what I have read and learned from a number of homeschoolers as well as what my first two children went through in their time (they both attended a local church kindy). Then I let him know the goals I have set for Mouse to achieve by the end of next year (effectively, completing K2). He commented that I will be actually teaching Mouse more than what our local kindergartens are teaching. We both agree that our objective is just to get Mouse equipped to a certain extent for Primary School education, which I will most certainly NOT be handling. We do not need him to excel in anything (although that would be a plus), but to enjoy learning, and enter formal school with motivation, discipline, and a willingness to learn.

I still tell myself that, if there comes a day when I do not want to continue this, there is a Church kindy just a couple of blocks away d:)

Three Layered Sponge Cake

This cake caused me a lot of anguish. I started two days earlier before the birthday celebration of a close friend and mentor, with previously successful recipes, but batch after batch failed (thick fatty layer on bottom of cake) till I was at my wits' end. Up till now, I still don't know what I did in the last batch that magically resulted in these almost perfect sponge cakes.

Anyway, here it is. A three layered sponge cake, filled between layers with cream and sliced fresh strawberries and kiwi, then topped with more fresh dairy whipped cream and fruits.

Happy Birthday Yvonne!

Inaugural Christmas Hampers 2014

I have always been attracted by gift hampers, ever since I was a little girl. The food ones on display on supermarket shelves are (usually) beautifully wrapped with cellophane and seem to contain the most delicious goodies anyone could want -- chocolates, cookies... I remember watching a commercial on TV by this gift hamper company called Noel. The scene of the delivery person arriving at a house to present the gorgeous hamper to the recipient family and their pleased and surprised expressions (okay, I now know it's all acting) left a strong impression on my little girl mind.

I think I received my first gift hamper after I had my first baby. Can't remember who it was but it was sent to the hospital. The contents were all baby-related, so hmm... I guess it wasn't for me but for my baby, haha. Nevertheless, thanks to those young childhood memories, I was immensely happy at receiving that hamper. I still keep the box that was used as the, er, hamper. It's a little mildewy though, probably from sitting in my wardrobe for years, hehe.

Nine years later, after I had my third baby, a Noel hamper arrived from a close Uncle and Aunt who were regretful that they couldn't attend the baby shower, which is actually known as the Full Month Birthday Celebration among Chinese people. A NOEL hamper!!! The brand I'd always seen on TV as a little girl! The child in me was so over the moon, I immediately telephoned them to express my gratitude. Needless to say, that box hasn't left my ownership.

Moving on, this year, I was cracking my brains as to what food gift to prepare for Christmas for my close friends and family (a yearly brain-cracking occurrence). I couldn't decide, so the lightbulb that finally light up suggested a little bit of each type. Aaaaaaand of course I had to give them in hampers! What fun! My chance to pass on a little of that warmth that I had received, first from the TV so many years ago, and then in recent years from the love and support of my family and friends.

I found three suitably-sized cardboard shoeboxes with lids that I could use as the "hamper". The lids were stuck on the bottom of the boxes to provide additional support for the base, as I knew that my items were going to be rather dense and heavy.

Next I lined the boxes with what I call bouquet paper cos I really dunno the official name for it, but it's what most professionally-wrapped bouquets in Singapore are wrapped in. Not cheap, this kind of paper, say at least $2 a sheet at any florist? I saved mine from all the bouquets I've received in the last thirteen years, not, alas, from dear hubby but from my ex-boss, who is also my close friend cum mentor. She gives me a bouquet of flowers every year when we meet to celebrate my birthday, and I save every sheet of paper from them. DH last gave me flowers when he proposed. I still have the wrapping papers from that bouquet d:)

This is the part I like best -- stuffing the hampers with goodies! I made fruitcake, brownies, chocolate syrup and granola, all properly packed, labelled and shelf-life stated. On a bed of colourful shredded paper.

Then I hit a snag. It was late at night and I don't keep cellophane paper on hand. HOW on earth was I going to wrap these hampers? I hit on the roll of plastic leftover from wrapping my kids' school books. Not the right kind but as long as it works, right?

At the end, I slipped into each box a Christmas card to add to the festiveness and they were done! 

I must say I enjoyed the process, although I do wish I'd planned this earlier so I could have prepared and bought all the materials for it. Majulah Lulu!

Japanese Strawberry Shortcake

After the relative failure of the Devil's Food Cake last month, I really wanted to bring my family's opinion of my cake-baking skills up again, so I set my heart on this Strawberry Shortcake that I'd heard so much about. Especially since it was for the birthday celebration of my sister.

Strange. The first few recipes on Google seemed to be making something like a scone or choux pastry, instead of a cake. I was getting increasingly befuddled.

Finally, I saw the words "Japanese Strawberry Shortcake" and THIS really seemed to be a kind of sponge cake. Later, I did more researching and realised that the "western" Strawberry Shortcake and "Japanese" Strawberry Shortcake are actually very different things. Perhaps the only similarity is that they both use whipped cream and sliced strawberries for filling.

It was an undisputed success! All loved it, okay, maybe except for the fussy Roast Meat of a son who doesn't eat strawberries. I regret forgetting to take a pic of the cut sides, so I can show how beautiful the cake looks with all the layers. Well, there are countless pics available online, as long as you search for "japanese strawberry shortcake".

Happy Birthday Jie!

Devil's Food Cake - First Try

It's my Dad's birthday, and we are having a family celebration tonight. Technically, it should be the combined celebration that includes my birthday celebration, the anniversary of my first cry being a few days later, but we usually only sing for my Dad.

Now that I've become the official family baker, it was a given that I should again be the supplier of the cake. I decided to try something new -- Devil's Food Cake. Sounds incredibly easy from all the various versions -- just cream the butter, sugar and eggs, then pretty much beat everything else in. No need to fold, no need to worry about deflating eggs, and assured dense chocolatey flavour. Bring it on!

The top few hits on Google yielded Nigella Lawson, Martha Stewart and a few others. I read them all (including the reviews where available) and then found David Lebovitz's recipe on the next page. I read it through and decided to go for this one because I've had success with his Madeleines (every single time) and like reading his blog.

Unfortunately, as everyone could tell after taking a couple of bites, it was a little too dry. I suspect it was the baking time, but it was weird because everyone's recipe says to bake for about that length of time. If I try this again, (and I will for sure, because my big boy loves it and is requesting it for his birthday next year) I shall have to decrease the baking time by 5 mins and test for doneness, something which I didn't do this time because of blind faith.

This has turned out to be my best and most cooperative chocolate ganache icing, though. Smooth, glossy, easy to spread, delicious.

Check out that sheen in the ganache.

New Home (again) and Old Memories (of Dettol)

We have finally moved into our new place, where we hope to "stay long long". After moving house every two to three years in the last 13 years (and all within our homeland, mind!), we hope we have learnt from our previous renovation mistakes. Our new home is bursting with custom-made designs and ideas from our house-moving journey, as well as incredible inspiration from Pinterest. I love Pinterest!

So a few days ago, I was tasked by hubby to "go get a bottle of Dettol". The two older kids were with me, and as we sought out the cleaning aisle at the supermarket, I felt moved to tell them about the role that Dettol (the original germicide liquid) has played in my life.

The smell of Dettol may be pungent and unpleasant to many, but to me it has always brought back the feeling of being loved and cared for. How is that possible?? Well, when I was a child, whenever I had a cut or some other open wound on my limbs, my grandmother would put a few drops of Dettol liquid in a basin or pail of warm water and bathe my wounds very gently. She doted on me a lot. This is one of my fondest memories of her, bless her soul.

Now the Dettol smell still lingers in our bathrooms because of some weird insects which seem to be frequenting them. It's a tender reminder of the way my grandma loved me.

The Day The HDB Approval Came

One of our biggest headaches in this renovation was the approval for hacking down a couple of walls. According to the ID, it had to do with this area (Bedok), which was supposedly notorious for being troublesome.

Well, it finally came and the team lost no time in knocking the walls down. We were, after all, very delayed in our schedule.

Balcony sliding door removed

Living room wall hacked to reveal new living room

Kitchen wall hacked to reveal new kitchen entrance

I literally jumped for joy!

Recipe for Steamed Chicken

This dish has become one of our family's favourite chicken dishes, because it's tasty, healthy and (for me) so easy to cook.

Lulu's Steamed Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken 1.5kg+-, neck and feet trimmed off (you can keep the bishop's nose if you want)

1/2 tsp salt

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 small piece of ginger, smashed

1/4 cup shaoxing 绍兴 or huadiao 花雕 wine

Method:

Get the steamer going on medium heat (ensure it's big enough to contain the whole chicken plus it's plate)

Rub the cleaned chicken with salt all over, inside and outside. Place the garlic and ginger in the cavity and place the chicken in a deep, heatproof dish.

Pour the wine over the chicken and place the whole dish in the steamer.

Set the timer for 30min.

After 30 min, remove chicken and plate from steamer and let cool on table for at least 15min before carving.

Leftovers are perfect for overnight bentos, as long as they are uncontaminated by saliva.

Finally, success with the Waterfall Braid

All thanks to my neighbour who asked me to try again even though I'd failed miserably at it a year ago on my daughter's hair.

Double waterfall braids

The highlights in her hair really bring out the effects of the braid. Here's a side view of the braid. We left her fringe out.

Update on the Haze situation 21 June 2013

The PSI (pollution standards index) in Singapore hit an all-time high of 401 today. Anything above 300 is considered hazardous so that's really bad. Thankfully, the winds changed direction sometime in the afternoon and we had about 5 hours of (considerably) clearer air during which the PSI hovered between 130 and 150. 

During this period of time, hubby and I decided to "air the house" - open all the windows and doors to allow some movement of fresher air into the house after being closed up for more than 24 hours. The air quality actually was pretty good, no burning smell, not choking. Barely hazy, in fact.

Round about 8.30pm we could tell by looking out the windows that the conditions were beginning to worsen, so it's back to closeup time again.

Things I am grateful for in this time of tribulation:

1. It's the school hols, so we do not have to go out except when necessary.

2. We have enough stock of our respiratory medications on hand, should I or any of the kids begin to get chesty. (I have, in fact, begun to require more frequent preventive doses.)

3. The kids will eat what I cook. This counts for a lot, since on really bad days, there simply is no excuse to leave the house. There's just more washing up, which does suck.

Things I will make a note of to do i.e. Lessons learnt:

1. Go procure a good air purifier after this is all over, if panic buying does not stop meanwhile and all attempts to hunt down purifiers prove futile. If the haze stops within the next couple of weeks and does not return, at least ascertain we get it by May next year (before the dry period recommences).

2. Always have a few N95 or equivalent masks at home. Remember to get child-sized ones.

3. 居安思危 - when you are in peaceful, safe times, prepare for difficult times. Singaporeans are perhaps too well-protected and reliant on our government to resolve all problems. I am sorry to say that I am like that. Must. Change!

Choke choke cough cough.. Haze please go away

So we haven't had conditions this bad since 1997, when the PSI was 226 at its highest. The talk all over Facebook is about the severity of the haze, and the lighting of fires in Indonesia (which is causing all this). 

One of the (most disliked) steps our family is doing to combat the haze is to close all our doors and windows (argh, stuffy) and to keep checking the PSI on the NEA website. The highest so far this time is 172 at 3pm today.

We were chilling out in my bedroom (actually going through mistakes in assessment books) with the aircon on when Ray looked out the window and gasped, "Wow! The sun is red!" and so I took a pic.

Red sun through the haze

With our naked eye, the whole sun is red, but this doesn't show through the camera lens.

Logistics before homeschooling

After a whole lot of homeschooling research this evening, I realise that we really need a proper schoolroom or school area before we can start schooling in earnest. Up till now, for most of Tot School we have been playing/learning anywhere and everywhere in the house, which is not too good because there are lots of distractions from his siblings and other stuff happening in the house.

When we moved to this flat, we had planned to have the two boys share a room in future (currently both boys sleep in my room although the big boy actually has his own bed in the other room). Big boy already does his homework there, since all his stuff - school, clothes, toys etc are there. He just sleeps with me. The opposite side of the room from where his desk is is actually supposed to be for the Mouse when he grows up and goes to school, but there's a toy cupboard that takes up lots of space.

So we are seriously going to have to do some major rearranging of furniture. I've been procrastinating (surprise, surprise) till my parents move house and my stuff that's at their place needs to be brought here, but now I'm motivated to try and get it done these June hols.

Stay away from me, Korean dramas!

Cheese cupcakes

I first fell in love with cheesecake years ago when I tried out (for fun) this recipe on Allrecipes called Chantal's New York Cheesecake. It took some time to make (and get right) but the final product was incredibly delicious. My daughter likes it too, and over the years often begged me to make it, which I seldom acquiesced because it takes some work, quite some cost and most of all, lots of TIME to complete (including leaving it to cool in the oven for at least FIVE hours and THEN chilling overnight in the fridge, ye gods).

A slice of New York Cheesecake

Then recently, I came across a recipe that made mini-cupcakes out of cheesecakes. It seemed so easy - just beat, pour and bake. Really? I had to try. The result of that recipe was passable cheese cupcakes (I didn't have mini muffin pans at that time) that were a tad hard and dry. However, it was fast to make, lower in cost (only half a kilo of cream cheese whereas a whole 9 inch cake required 1 kg at one go, that's not cheap!) and simple to complete, which meant I could do up a batch easily anytime we wanted a cheesecake fix. Best of all, I can double the recipe or halve it to my requirements. I wanted my cake and eat it! (Oh dear, this last sentence was bad grammar but I'm too sleepy to figure the right structure out).

I brought out my trusty Chantal's recipe to compare and decided to give it another go, this time using the ingredients ratio for Chantal's recipe but baking it the cupcakes way. The results? I don't think I've ever made more delectable cupcakes or cheesecakes in my life.

Cheese cupcakes

In the pic above, two cakes are topped with some chopped strawberries that have been mixed with sugar, and the others  are just topped with grated dark chocolate. A few members of my family prefer another topping - strawberries mixed with passionfruit.

And here are some I made for a family friend's birthday. All topped with only the strawberry-sugar mixture (ran out of dark choc).

Totoro Cookies

Thanks to my neighbour's craze over Totoro, we made a batch of these together this morning. If you're wondering where I found or bought the Totoro cookie cutter, it was made by My Neighbour (pun intended) d:)

My Neighbour (and our) Totoro

Ugh, my dough was way too sticky. It wasn't like this the last time I used this recipe (4 years ago), so I must have done something wrong. But it was fun, especially letting my almost 12yo use the leftover dough to cut out cherry blossom cookies.

All that are left of the cherry blossoms

Nobody heard the timer ring, so they're a little *ahem* overbaked. But still yummy! And soooo suitable for using in bentos.

So let me get this right...

They want couples to have more babies. They want women to return to the workforce asap after having these babies.

So now they are making it more difficult for young families, who are usually on a tighter budget and have less cash on hand, to own a car, no matter whether new or used.

Then how are we going to ferry our kids around (childcare, school etc) so we can get to work on time? And have quality family time together outside the home (and help contribute to the economy by shopping and spending)? And build the strong core that they want?

Sounds contradictory to me.

The Ugliest Loaves You've Ever Seen

I haven't finished reading the Jamie Oliver cookbook I received for Valentine's Day yet, but one good thing that came out of it so far is that I've gotten interested in baking bread again. I'm especially hung up on the Coconut Buns in the very first recipe, but I have to get my head around the way that he made them.

Yesterday, I was inspired to make some loaves suitable for panini, the Italian sandwiches that are more like American subs. Unfortunately, I had very little time to shape them as my 2.5yo tot was konked out on his father's shoulder and waiting for me to takeover, so they're ugly as... *insert appropriate word*.

They looked and felt really light and holey when I slit them for today's bentos for my children though, so I think they'll pass. Because the loaves turned out much bigger than expected (hahaha), I sliced one loaf in half before splitting and filling. So each kid brought half to school.

Recipe for Panini loaves
Ingredients:
4 cups bread flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano OR 1 tsp dried oregano
Pinch ground black pepper
2 tsp instant yeast
1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
1-1/4 cups warm water (40deg C)

Method:
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir with a large spoon till all ingredients are moistened. Dough will be sticky.

With well-floured hands, knead dough in the bowl about 5min, till dough is elastic but still rather sticky, and sides of bowl are clear of flour, flouring your hands when necessary. Resist the urge to add more flour to the dough.

Drizzle about 2 tbsp olive oil around the sides of the bowl and toss dough to coat. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and stick bowl in the fridge for 4-5 hours.

Turn dough out onto work surface and punch out all the air. Divide into 4 equal pieces, roll each piece into a round tight ball. Let rest 5 min.

Roll out and shape each piece into a rectangle about 12cmX5cmX1cm thick.  (I did this by hand)

Place loaves on silicone mat or parchment paper on a large baking tray, about 2 inches apart. Let rise uncovered in a warm place for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 220C. Dust loaves with flour and bake in the middle of the oven at 200C for 15min, rotating pan halfway through, till loaves are brown on top and bottom.

Remove and cool on cake rack at least 30min before slitting and filling.

Meringue Kisses

Over the weekend, I finally found something else to do with my 30+ eggwhites leftover from making kueh lapis legit, other than macarons (which I've failed at and do not intend to try again, yet) and steamed milk custard (which I love but am not in the mood to make). 

Meringue Kisses are new to our family, but I have seen them outside at some specialty bakery, think it was some stall at Raffles City. All those huge brightly-coloured round shapes.

I followed Laura Vitale's recipe and got the following results.

They're a little browner than what I've seen in photos online, but after two tries in which I varied the temperature and oven settings, I'm guessing this is the desired result of her recipe. In any case, they are really yummy, crispy on the outside yet melt-in-the-mouth inside. A little sweet, yes, but the descriptions online say that the sugar is necessary for the meringue to hold its shape while baking.

So I can continue to churn out more of these to use up more of those egg whites. I've already found one eager "receiver".

V Day gift from Hubby

Was supposed to be Christmas gift last year, but it arrived later than that d:)

Milestone Day

To give me a break once a week from driving to school 3 times almost daily, my eldest child who will be twelve soon, is going to come home on her own via public bus for the first time in her life. 

The whole journey is about an hour long, she has to change two buses (making a total of three), and she does not have a mobile phone. She has been very confident all along, and I know she can take care of herself and watch out for traffic etc. But somehow as the time approaches for her supplementary class to end, my heart rate involuntarily begins to increase and the jitters are invading my body. I'm very tempted to just drive to school to pick her up.

But I know I must let go and allow her to grow up. So I am going to take a shower and have a little nap (if I can).

And if she doesn't show up by 5pm I am going to walk down to the bus stop to wait.

Lunar New Year equals FOOD

I made a total of three batches oh kueh lapis. Oh goodness. I'd say the third try was the best, as batch #2 was wayyyy undercooked. Even after the portions I gave away, we still have lots left, maybe to keep till next year. Haha!

On the second last day of the old year of the Dragon, my dear kind neighbour blessed us with this lovely dish. And oh, what a glorious, delicious, good to the last drop dish of pen cai 盆菜! It tasted better than any I've eaten at Chinese restaurants.

Pen cai

For the first day of the Lunar New Year of the Snake when we went visiting, my 11yo girl who was born in the Year of the Snake sported a snakey Dutch braid which started from the front of her head to the nape of her neck.

 

And I have to share that one of my absolute favourite LNY dishes has to be what Singaporeans call "lohei" 捞起 (Cantonese) or yusheng 鱼生. A family (or group of colleagues, friends, etc) stand around this huge plate of vegetables on the table and, after all the blessings are called out by the serving waitresses (during which some ingredients such as raw salmon and all the wet dressings are added), everyone uses their chopsticks to stir and toss up the dish, all the while callling out more blessings. The higher the ingredients are lifted, the more auspicious.

Lohei with fellow PVs

 This dish is only available commercially once a year, at LNY time, and I can never get enough. So far this year I've had it twice, once with my family and once with my fellow Parent Volunteers of our school. I believe I shall have at least one more to go, hurray!

Wishing everyone a blessed and prosperous Year of the Snake!