If Music Be The Food of Love, Play On…

Posted on May 22, 2014 by The Giddy Tigress

 

Beauty.

Grandeur.

Passion.

Poise.

Elegance.

Simply magical.

Here’s to beautiful music and many splendid musical years ahead… â™¥

Posted in Close to Heart & Home | Leave a comment

Caramel Macadamia Brittle Cheesecake

Posted on April 30, 2014 by The Giddy Tigress

Needs and Wants.  It is often very easy to distinguish between the two.  A Need is something you require to sustain your life on this planet.  A Want is something you wished you could have to make your life easier or more fun.  A Need is necessary for survival whereas a Want is not, and almost always something that can be termed “nice to have”.

However, with something like the Caramel Macadamia Brittle Cheesecake, how does one draw the line between a Need and a Want?

I know, right?

To me, that LINE is simply non-existent.  It ceased to exist when I first tried a slice of this heavenly cheesecake in one of the restaurants in Penang.  So a couple of weeks ago, I decided that I needed to have a slice and I wanted one…so I needed to find myself the recipe and time to bake it 🙂

It was my maiden attempt at baking this sinfully delicious dessert, and it was also my first attempt at making caramel!  However, because I constantly am at the beck and call of my kids, my baking adventure had to be broken into several “sessions”.

Session 1: Prepare biscuit crumbs for cheesecake crust.  Temporarily interrupted by lighting guy who came to fix broken wall lamp.  Continued with biscuit crust and left in fridge to set while I took kids to a playdate nearby.

Session 2: Same day, at night, when kids were all asleep.  Prepared cheesecake proper and baked, then left to cool on kitchen island overnight.

Session 3: Next day, morning.  Toasted macadamia nuts to make the brittle and got started on caramel.  First batch of caramel was a disaster because the color wasn’t “amber” enough.  I made a second batch, which tasted like “cookie dough”, according to my daughter.

Continue reading →

Posted in Drooling & Cooking | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Challenges of a Homeschooling Parent

Posted on April 15, 2014 by The Giddy Tigress

It has been about eight months now that we have been homeschooling.  It has been an eye-opening experience and I have learnt a lot along the way.  In addition to learning and exploring new things with my child, I have also learnt a lot about myself.  I have learnt that I can be creative when I want to, but then again, I am ashamed to say that I have had to yank myself out of that miserable corner on some days too. I’m only human, after all.

With that being said, I am sure I speak for all homeschoolers out there when I say that homeschooling is definitely a choice that one makes consciously, and while there may be ups and downs, the experience does result in a better person ultimately, for the homeschooler and for the educator. I’ve only had a few months of experience homeschooling, but I know there are countless challenges faced by every homeschooling parent.  This one goes out to everyone I know who is homeschooling their child or who intends to in the future.

So next time when you hear of someone homeschooling their child, do remember the following points.

Some Words Hurt

It hurts when we hear people utter phrases such as, “Don’t deprive him of an education.” or “Are you sure homeschooling will be *enough* for him?”  I’ve heard people saying these and similar-sounding phrases when they learnt we were homeschooling and it cuts like a knife.  My skin has grown thicker as a result though, but it still hurts nonetheless.

As a parent, depriving our kid of an education is the last thing on our minds.  We certainly want only the best for our child, and when all other options are exhausted, we, out of love, do what we know and feel is best, which is to provide our child with an education filled with love, patience and understanding.

Are we good enough teachers?  Well, we certainly try our best, and we’re sure that is way better than some teachers in school.  We learn together and research together, spending precious time with each other, building a bond and relationship that is stronger than anything in the world.  Nothing could beat that.

So, please do not imply we are depriving our child of an education.  It really really hurts.  As a homeschooling parent, we do initially experience self-doubt, but that soon passes when we see with our own eyes, how our child is growing in every aspect..  An exam is usually how a child is assessed but that is not the one and only way.  It may be the only way most people are brought up to believe, but it is not THE only way.

Monotony and Boredom

Just like doing anything in the world, we are faced with boredom sometimes too.  Doing the same thing over and over again does render one bored, so it’s a challenge to make homeschooling as exciting and as interesting as possible.

When I run out of ideas, my child sometimes offers his inputs to make things interesting and I am thankful for that.  So if you ever do homeschool, please be assured that it’s not going to be a bed of roses every day.  Then again, it never is a bed of roses all the time wherever we are.

Making Friends

As homeschoolers, we crave the socializing aspect of childhood that is somewhat lacking, some would say.  We try to bridge this gap by having playgroups, and taking part in activities that interest us, and it does help somewhat.  It’s not 100% the same as seeing friends day in and out in school the whole day long, but we do what we can and it does work to a certain extent.

We realize that this does not substitute friendships formed in school, but we know that the ability to make friends this way is also a success and learned skill in every form.  Homeschoolers are nurtured with love and gain confidence the natural way.

**********

With that being said, I still and always maintain that ultimately it is the happiness and wellbeing of the child that we are concerned about.  I’ve always maintained a very open communication with my child, and so when he expressed a desire to try out regular school, we obliged.  He will still have our full support and I would homeschool again if I ever had the opportunity to.

Posted in Close to Heart & Home, Parenting & Motherhood, Thoughts & Scribblings | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Tesco Online: Shopping Just Got That Much Simpler

Posted on April 9, 2014 by The Giddy Tigress

I don’t know about you but I am a sucker for online shopping.  I’ve purchased virtually everything online before: from clothes and lingerie, to electrical items, to kitchen appliances; toys and fabric, and of course books.

Therefore, I was very happy when I heard about Tesco Online.  Grocery shopping online?  Definitely a win:win for me!

Conventional grocery shopping for me would mean pushing a shopping cart while wearing my year-old baby; and then with two other kids in tow fighting for rights to push the cart.  All these plus the need to check and recheck my grocery list to make sure I have everything I need AND ensure that I get the best of all deals.  Oh, and let’s not forget the drive to the store, battling the jam and the weather, plus ensuring all kids are safely loaded into the car.

However, if I were to shop online for groceries, my kids can play all they want at home, and I can take my time to shop for my stuff online.  I can shop at any time of the day, even in the wee hours of the night/morning, however way you want to look at it.  I can compare prices and find out what the promotional items are, AND I can add and remove items from my “shopping cart” as and when I need to.  For example, with conventional shopping, if I had taken 2 cartons of milk and a few minutes later, several aisles further down I realise that I need another carton of milk; I’d need to go back to the milk aisle to get it.  But with online shopping, all I need to do is click on the + button to add 1 more carton to my cart.

If you’re worried about the cost of shipping associated with Tesco online, it’s virtually zero.  Let me paint you a scenario.  I am charged a minimal fee of RM10 per order when I shop online at Tesco.  This is a small fee to pay considering I don’t have to drive to Tesco (in the hot sun or wet rain), park the car and load and unload groceries.  All this is done for me when Tesco delivers to my doorstep, and psst…I’ve even scored e-coupons sometimes where there’s free delivery to be had!  Bliss!

Payments for my online shopping escapades at Tesco are all done at my doorstep, C.O.D.- style, so to say….except I don’t pay by cash, but with credit card.  Once the items have been delivered, I do a quick check-through and if everything is accurate and satisfactory, my credit card is swiped on the spot.  So there’s no risk of credit card fraud.

To ensure someone is around when the delivery truck comes around, I book a delivery slot of 2 hours, for example 10:00a.m. – 12:00noon.  Thus far, the truck has kept to their slots and on some occasions, if they wanted to come earlier than the slot I had chosen, the driver would call first.  Little thoughtful things like these definitely get additional brownie points in my book.

I’ve ordered everything from fresh fruit to butter and cheese, cookies, milk, ice cream and even stationery, and everything has arrived in great condition.  They have a chiller and freezer on the delivery truck so items requiring them will stay in tip-top shape.

Of course there are some downsides in Tesco online shopping too; some items like a few of the organic stuff are not available online, so my order is basically limited to those items listed online only.  Also, certain items ordered might not be available at the time your order is picked, so the Tesco staff will usually substitute it with another item which they feel is similar.  You may reject these substitutes if you prefer, and they will be taken off your order total.

All in all, I’ve had pleasant experiences with Tesco online shopping, and I would shop again and again via this channel, for the convenience as well as for the value it gives.  If you’ve not tried it, why not start now?  It will save you that trip to the grocery store and it will give new meaning to “the groceries coming to you”.

[stextbox id=”black”]

What I love about Tesco Online Shopping:

  • Shopping at my fingertips in the comfort of my home, 24/7.
  • Coupons and vouchers offered periodically, sometimes with free shipping and sometimes those that even take RM10-20 off your order total!
  • Payment by credit card at your doorstep resulting in zero incidents of fraud.
  • Did I say everything gets delivered to the doorstep without the need to drive out?
  • I can add/remove/modify my submitted shopping cart up to 11:00p.m. the day before the delivery is scheduled to arrive.  (Yes, sometimes I will suddenly remember that I need to get that packet of tamarind at 9:30p.m. at night)

What could be improved about Tesco Online Shopping:

  • More variety of items could be offered, for instance more organic items made available.
  • Sometimes vegetables and fruits selected might not meet our own “standards”, but it’s a small price to pay for convenience.

[/stextbox]

[stextbox id=”info”]

Some Tips to Note:

  • To save more while doing your Tesco online shopping, wait for promotional coupons like Free Delivery, or e-cash vouchers.  That’s stretching your savings, yo!
  • To make the ordering process speedier, you can access your Favorites tab which lists all the items you had previously ordered.  You can then simply select to order them again, while checking out if there are any promotions for those items.
  • Create a shopping list by adding items to a list you can create and name yourself.  For instance, you can create a list for this week and one for next week and simply add the items in those lists accordingly.  When the time comes to order them, just access the relevant shopping list and order away!
  • Items are periodically on promotional offers and discounts.  Choose wisely and make sure your order is submitted for delivery before the deadline of the promotion period.

[/stextbox]

Oh by the way, I am in no way compensated for my opinions in this post, though it would be awesome if I was! 🙂

Posted in Close to Heart & Home, Thoughts & Scribblings | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Five Minute Friday: Willing

Posted on March 9, 2014 by The Giddy Tigress

We often pray to God to answer our prayers, whether it is to give us something we want or to make something happen in our lives.  Often, we wait with great anticipation on whether He will grant us our deepest wishes.

We wait…for a sign, …for a symbol….

For someone to say something to us.

For that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Sometimes we see the answer, and sometimes our eyes are blinded.

But the important thing is, are we willing to accept God’s answer, whether it is a Yes or a No?  We sometimes choose to ignore something if we don’t like it, or we run away from something if the prospect of it all is too daunting for us.

Are we willing to accept anything and everything that God throws our way?  Are we willing to surrender all to Him and tell Him to lead us in His ways, no matter what?

It’s easy to say we will but when the time comes, it is sometimes harder than we think.

It takes a lot of strength, both physically, emotionally and spiritually, to be willing to accept the will of God.

Lord, grant me the courage to accept your will and to be willing to allow you to mould me and lead me in your ways.  Make me your willing servant and use me in anything and everything to glorify you.

Five Minute Friday

[stextbox id=”info”]This post is written and inspired by Lisa-Jo Baker’s Five Minute Friday.  Every Friday, people all over the internet write for five minutes flat on a prompt revealed by Lisa-Jo.  For five minutes, we write about anything at all based on the given prompt/word.  Today, I am joining in this focused writing exercise.  I hope you will join me too.[/stextbox]

Posted in Blogging, Christianity, Thoughts & Scribblings | Tagged | 1 Comment