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Daphne

pregnancy

Ready for the push

August 16, 2012

I’ve been doing a lot of nesting lately, so much so that I feel like a bird. Which is saying a lot because you all know how much I hate birds. They’re pesky and squawky and poop everywhere but one thing’s for certain – our feathered friends sure know how to prepare for their babies.

Like baskets. I mean, what’s up with the urge to put pretty baby things into little baskets? These birds make it look so cosy and baby-friendly.

For us humans, that’s what drawers and cupboards are supposed to be for but then it just doesn’t have the same appeal as baskets. I put all these tiny onesies and swaddles in drawers where they can’t be seen and it’s like “meh”, so I arrange them in baskets and every time I walk past, I can run my fingers across and go “awww wook at all the teeny tiny wompers“

Having a newborn does terrible things to your brain, ok?

There’s also a practical side to it – easy access. Infants vomit and poop and spit up so many times a day that it’s ridiculous to have to open the drawer, close the drawer, open the drawer and close the drawer again every time they need a change. The smarter thing to do is have them all laid out within easy reach. So…baskets.

While we’re on the topic, it’s very therapeutic to fold and re-fold baby clothes because OMG WHY ARE THEY SO SOFT??

If you look at it rationally, there’s no real need to nest. Having done this twice before, I can state for a fact that babies don’t give two hoots about whether their onesies are folded nicely or not. Maybe it’s psychological. Like when you’re welcoming someone important into your home, you get everything prepped and ready as if to say “hey, you’re special and we can’t wait for you to arrive.”

In any case, we’re ready. Now if only I can find a way to make the baby come out sooner.

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giveaways reviews ads

Scissors, Paper, Stone

August 14, 2012

Advertorial

I’m not very handy in the kitchen so I have to rely on handy kitchen aids to make my culinary escapades a lot less painful.

Actually, it’s not the cooking itself that’s annoying but the chopping, cutting and prep work, which can easily take 30-60 minutes per meal. Now, I can come up with many other more productive ways to use my 60 minutes, and standing around chopping chicken does not rank high on my list of fun things to do. Throw in the fact that I’m not very skilled at slicing raw meat so the process is a time-consuming and frustrating one.

Thanks to the 3M folks, I recently tried the Scotch 3M Kitchen Scissors and it is now one of my favorite kitchen tools. When it comes to kitchen scissors, I’m not particular about fancy schmancy functions. I only have one requirement, which is to be as sharp as possible, so I can cut through stuff quickly and easily.

The last time I tried cutting a raw chicken with a pair of scissors, it wasn’t a pleasant experience at all. It just wouldn’t cut through the meat cleanly and I had to use both hands (and a lot of force) to press down on the scissors and even then, it was a struggle. And I really don’t like struggling with a dead chicken. 30 minutes in, I could feel the chicken mocking me, like “hah, not so easy to eat me now, is it?”

So naturally, I did the chicken test with the 3M scissors.

The verdict is that this is one badass pair of scissors because it cuts through raw meat like paper. With a little bit of extra force, it even cuts through bone. Just let me say that the next dead chicken that thinks it can put up a fight ain’t going to be having the last laugh.

Besides being tough enough to cut through meat, it’s also delicate enough to cut through any kind of food item you can think of. Bread? Easy peasy. Boiled eggs? No problem. Vegetables? I could do it blindfolded while carrying a kid. Ok, you probably don’t want to try the blindfold bit but I’m just saying that it can be done.

If you’re the sort who’s into the frills, you’d be happy to know that the scissors are detachable, which makes them easy to wash and also kind of cool because it’s not just 1 pair of scissors but hey look, now it’s 2 separate blades! Also, it’s corrosion-resistant and reduces bacteria breeding.

*3M is having a contest to give away 10 pairs of Scotch™ Premium Kitchen Scissors. All you have to do to take part is answer the following question.

“Scotch™ Premium Kitchen Scissors helps to reduce bacteria breeding for better food safety. True or False?”

Send your answer (along with your full name, NRIC, mobile number and email address) with the subject title “Mother Inc: Scotch™ Premium Kitchen Scissors Contest” to officebiz@mmm.com by 27 August 2012.

If you don’t know the answer, let me give you a hint: Read the post. y’all!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of 3M. All opinions and text are my own.

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picture perfect, travel

Travel babies

August 13, 2012

The kids are travel babies. We’ve been back from our last holiday for less than a month and they’ve been asking about their next holiday.

“Remember we went to Gold Coast so fun right?”

“We play with the sand, see the animals, sit roller coaster…was it fun, mommy?”

“Shall we go again? I think we need a holiday.”

To their credit, they are fantastic travelers. They don’t fuss on long car rides, they stand in queues patiently, they eat whatever we eat and they seem to actually enjoy being cooped up in a plane for 7 hours.

But with Finn’s impending arrival, it doesn’t look like we’ll be traveling for a while and we’ve told them as much.

So for the next best thing, I’ve been working on a series of travel photos to put up in their room so that from time to time, they can look at the pictures and talk about how much fun they had and find that happy place again.

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