I know. I'm late. hey, but i'm penning this down on the last day of Chinese New Year. Chup Gor Meh (15th day in Dialect) so technically, i'm not late right? Ok, excuses excuses. But definitely legit. You see, Small K developed a fever on Day 9. It spiked to 40 degrees celsius on Day 10! I was terribly guilty as I checked him at 730pm before putting him to bed. He was good. 37.4. But, 2 hours later when the hub came home and checked, the boy had shot up to 40!! We stripped him naked and sponged like mad. I didn't quite sleep that night. Waking up almost every hour to sponge him and check his temperature. Thankfully the fever subsided the next day. However, on Day 12, a sudden rash surfaced. It was then i realised he was having Roseola. Roseola is a fairly mild and common viral illness that usually strikes
children between 6 months and 3 years of age. It's caused by a kind of
herpes virus, although not the type that's sexually transmitted. roseola usually starts with a sudden, relatively high fever. The
fever typically lasts three to five days and may end abruptly, followed
by the telltale rash. The rash may last for days or only hours. The
rash is pink and may have small flat spots or raised bumps. These spots
may have a lighter "halo" around them and will turn white if you press
on them. The rash isn't itchy or uncomfortable, and contact with
the rash itself doesn't spread the illness. It usually shows up on the
trunk and neck, but can extend to the arms, legs, and face. My poor baby was a grouch and coupled with a whiny three year old, oh boy!!!
Anyhoots, here's a quick round up of Chinese New Year for us this year. It's special this year coz I've a new arm candy and I was really gearing myself up in terms of their clothings.
The day before Chinese New Year.
Reunion outfit:
On Me: Top from Love Bonito; Skorts from a Korean supplier
On Big K: "I'm a mini" tshirt from MiniRodini & Right Left tights from Hello Merch
On Small K: "daddy's little dude" romper from Carters & Socks from BabyStyleIcon
Day One
On Me: top and bottom from Zalora which incidentally has amazing service! I bought the wrong size and accidentally clicked on two for the same item but I was able to return them and exchange for the right size! No questions asked! I just had to pop by the post office and return. Postage borne by Zalora!; Shoes from Taobao
On Big K: Elmo Pillowcase dress from Etsy
On Small K: Dragon Romper from Taobao
Day Two. I decided to play matchy matchy.
On Me: Top from Tracyeinny; Skinny Jeans which failed to make me skinny, from Uniqlo
On Big & Small K: Outfits from Elly. Shoes from Pediped and PUMA respectively. I've resisted on buying a cheongsam for Big K since birth. reason being, it's mostly worn only on special occasions. Mileage isn't too high. The cost of one isn't cheap too, but i caved in this year simply because it's too cute!
Check out the boy's new bib! Sud bo? It's one of his Chinese character by the way. Really hope this boy will be happy everyday. He's been bringing me so much joy every day. A very smiley baby whom I'm really thankful for. A miracle child who I can't wait to hug after work everyday.
I just had to play matchy matchy again!
Tops and rompers from Hello Merch
Small K's dinosaur pants from Babystyleicon
Having two in tow this year is really different on all fronts. I used to be way ahead in decorations and crafting but this year, the above was all I did. A first DIY attempt at making paper pom poms and fans. Not bad eh? The decals were from Taobao. Bought it way in advance but pasted only the night before CNY! On crafting with Big K, I really did close to nothing. If you consider colouring an activity, then ok, I did heaps!
Check out the many designs for red packets! The evolution is amazing. No wonder collecting red packets (sans the money that is), has been in vogue in the recent years.
Was excused for cooking on days one and two. but come day 3, I had to get something together lest the family starves. So the hubs and I decided on some unhealthy but delish noodles! A luxurious treat if I might add.
Day 4
The kitchen was in full gear and I tried making Har Cheong Gai. Recipe taken off The Domestic Goddess Wannabe. I attempted to use the air fryer however, I failed miserably as the flour was still visible. Ultimately, I heated up some oil and shallow fried. The result, YUMMEH!
Day 5
Braised mushroom with dried oyster. A must-have in my family during Chinese New Year. This year, Empress Dowager made things difficult and decided not to cook reunion lunch, so we didn't have this. I decided to cook for my family instead. It's really a very simple dish to whip up.
My recipe:
- 12 Dried mushroom soaked for an hour (i soaked overnight though)
- Moss (Fa Cai which is suppose to represent prosperity)
- 4-5 dried oysters
- 1 dried conch
- a few Smashed garlic
- Water/ Broth enough to cover the mushrooms
- Seasonings:
- 2 tablespoon of abalone sauce (oyster sauce also possible but i ran out of it)
- 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
- if you want the colour to be darker, you may add dark soya sauce. But taste to ensure it's not too salty
Method:
- fry the garlic till it's fragrant, then add the mushroom
- after stir frying for a bit, add the abalone sauce
- add broth/ water + conch and boil
- transfer to a slow cooker and add the light soya sauce.
- You may use the regular pot to cook if you are not cooking overnight in a slow cooker like I did.
- This dish somehow tasted better overnight.
- Approximately half and hour to an hour before you serve, add in the moss. If you like, you may add cornstarch solution to thicken the gravy.
Lastly, we managed to have our annual brunch with the Mahjong Kahki. Ok technically, only a few of them play mahjong. I, for one, am not. I guess I'm so over with that game after spending nights after nights losing at the table during my University days instead of studying! Am feeling very blessed for this bunch of friends. Many who were from my Secondary school and some whom I've known for 2 decades! The longest standing one, however, has to be the hubs whom I've known (but was absolutely disgusted with back then) since Secondary two! It's really quite a sight when we have to take the annual group photo. Terribly difficult to coordinate this year with the kiddos running around! Soon to come, we probably should have a shot separate for the kids! And a table for them at lunch as well! Wow! this family sure is growing!
So how was your Chinese New Year? Hope it had been a Meh-ry one!
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