Advent calendar

All done!
Finished stuffing every pack with something
There was more chocolate than anything else
Hiding their designs
Don’t look mama!

My eldest wanted to make her own advent calendar this year. Not that we have ever been making them all these years. She just decided she wanted to make one this year. Mind you, we are not religious. So much so, that this year is the first year we have a Christmas tree at home. We just never got round to it before. We were usually never home anyway for the holidays. But we are doing it this year for the kids.

I bought all the items needed and got them to design their own boxes. It took them 3 days to finish colouring everything. Then one morning when the girls were in school I packed and stuffed each packet with stationery and chocolate.

Now every evening after school, they will run to the boxes to open their surprise for the day. Sometimes it is fun but sometimes they fight. Kids! Though I put in the same things for both boxes but because they get to choose their boxes everyday, they both get different items each time.

What most interesting about this whole thing was that M doesn’t know what an Advent calendar is? I looked at him incredulously and laughed. I mean, he is the Christian in this house and he doesn’t know what an Advent calendar is! Now he knows. 😄

This is our Advent calendar adventure. Our first, and I see it, the first of many more to come.

Toodeloos!

2017 just flew by…

Where did 2017 go? I remember it just like it was yesterday when we were braving snowstorms that grounded our flight in Istanbul for days. I remember the havoc that the airport was in after many days of flight cancellations and delays when we finally got into Istanbul. We were lucky to be diverted to another town, Elazig, and set up at a newly opened hotel (literally opened the day before we arrived) for 3 days before we got the clearance to finally fly into Istanbul and make further arrangements for our next flight home. Finally in Istanbul we waited a whole day for our flight that kept getting delayed till it was finally cancelled and I insisted that I do not want to be on the next flight out but in 2 days time as it was after midnight and they are finally flying people out and I know from my experience, that the airline will do its best to clear its backlog and we might still be bumped off the next flight we thought we were already booked on. With children, I rather we rest well and check out the city and finally get to really fly out instead of waiting around in the airport. By this time, the airport was already out of many things. A family was stranded so long that they ran out of diapers and couldn’t find any on the airport and they couldn’t get out of the either. Luckily I had enough to pass them some. Poor family. We finally got in on the 12th of January when we left on the 6th.

It felt like it was just yesterday! Now it is already the 19th of December!! 2017 has been a beautiful year and seeing that it just flew by it must have been a good year too. Because only when you are having fun, is when time flies. Little munchkin has grown so much and is a little tornado. The hashtag that I gave her on Instagram is #TornadoJ. I can actually say she is living up to it. Little bumblebee is not so little anymore. She is only 3 but taller than most 5 year olds. She has always had a strong character and I can also say that she is also living up to the hashtag that I gave her on Instagram, #HurricaneZ. My little forces of nature. I am so lucky to have them.

So, thank you God for a wonderful 2017 and for my family and all that I have been given and for keeping everyone safe and bring on 2018!!

A very Merry Christmas to all who celebrate and a Happy New Year to all!!

adding hashtags here #feelinggrateful #feelingloved #thankfulforeverything

 

Welcome baby Lilee!!!

image

Hello everyone!! Before I even post  any updates on myself I have to post about a new addition to the family.  My parent’s 2nd grandchild baby Lilee Iman!!!!

She is also so so so cute! Did I mention she is cute! I am biased like that. Both my nieces are so beautiful and cute everyone else please move aside! 😄

We have a nickname for her in the family but I have another. Her bountiful hair has me calling her pineapple head. 😂 They stand up straight!!

You can see my sis and her precious colour coordinating in this picture above. My sis loves prints and guess what her baby is wearing? Hehehehe! Jen, Lilee is adorable and I love you both to bits!!!!

Sending my love, hugs and kisses to my beautiful nieces and my family back home! Happy Easter and I love you! Continue reading “Welcome baby Lilee!!!”

Happy New Year!!

Hello!! Yes, yes, I know…I have gone MIA again. I just saw that my last blog post was in November and now we are already in the middle of the first month of the new year! Just wanted to wish all my readers (if you are still dropping by or lurking around, thank you!) Happy New Year!!! May 2014 be better than the last year!!

I am presently in my last few weeks, patiently waiting for my life to change and turn upside down forever. Most likely my next post will be about our little addition.

Till then, stay tuned and Happy New Year!!

Welcome Baby Erin!

Well, hello!! It has been a really long time. There is a reason for this silence. In my precious email, I wrote on a few things happening that had kept me very busy. I am still dealing with it.

Actually, I started writing about what had kept me busy and even before I finished the first paragraph, I have changed my mind. I have even changed the title twice! The content too. So, this is the new post.

I was lucky enough to be home when my SIL gave birth to our family’s first grandchild!! I am so thrilled to see baby Erin!!!

Baby Erin and her proud parents!
Baby Erin and her proud parents!

She is so cute!! and I am a proud aunt! Don’t care what anyone says, she is the cutest!! I am bias like that!! hehehehe!!!

Your dai gu is sending her love, hugs and kisses from Italy!! And she will see you soon and give you huge cuddles!!!

Love ya!!! oh…and of course you too, ko and S!! 🙂

p/s: by the way, the photo is nicked from my bro’s fb page!

Seriously, thank you!

Seriously, Thank you to all my followers and lurking readers! Even when I am such a crappy blogger and often times, I go on long stretches of MIA-ness (if there is ever such a word) you still come back to read my blog. I am touched!

After being away for while, I just checked in on my notifications and found out that I have not only survived one year, posts more than a 100 posts (a feat in itself when you think how lazy I am), I have more than 50 followers! Hey, for me it is a big number! Considering I never thought I would get even 10. Okay, okay, I know it is no big deal but for me…I would like to celebrate every little milestone in my blogging adventure. 🙂

Once again a big THANK YOU! I will try to blog more often, write incoherent ramblings, sound more interesting than I actually am, post more interesting photos and bring you along on this adventure called MY LIFE!

Have a great day!

By the way, Chinese New Year is round the corner. Would be ushering the snake in on my own this year….

Toodeloos!!