DIY play dough for babies and toddlers

Last Friday evening I decided to make baby-safe play dough for my girl. At toddler stage, usually all sorts of new stuff they will put into mouth, so it's always good to make an eatable one. I got the recipe online but made a slight modification by using the available ingredients in my kitchen.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups of multi-purpose flour, half cup of salt, 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil, half tablespoon of vinegar, and 1.5 cup of boiling water
*Note: original recipe indicates 2 tablespoon cream of tartar, few drops of glycerine, and food coloring. But as I do not have these at home, I just replace the cream of tartar with vinegar and skip the glycerine and food coloring.

METHOD:
1. Mix the flour, salt, oil and vinegar in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add boiling water into the dry ingredients. (Coloring optional)
3. Stir all ingredients until it becomes a sticky, combined dough.
4. Allow it to cool down then take it out of the bowl and knead it vigorously for a couple of minutes until all stickiness is gone. (This is the most important part of the process so keep till it's perfect consistency!)
5. If the stickiness remains, add a touch more flour until it's just right!

Completed product! Fun time for my little girl.

The papa also joined in and made her some stars...

Counting starsss~~ Her favorite shape all the time.

I keep the dough after play time by wrapping it up with the cling wrap and put into fridge. Can be used up to a few times till today.

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Kyoto-Osaka family trip 2014 京都-大阪 亲子游 2014: Free & easy 自助旅游全攻略

Update! 
Due to a lot of personal messages I received and very limited free time I have for writing down on the details of this trip on both FB and blog, I decided to share our Japan album photo link here in FB (https://www.facebook.com/princesscheryljw/media_set?set=a.10152264507135197&type=3). You may follow the whole chronicles (still in progress of uploading) and hope it'll help you in planning yours~ 

Related post: How to pack light for your baby's day out during travel
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Kansai Family Trip: Kyoto-Osaka - July 2014 7D6N Itinerary
Day1: Penang/Kuala Lumpur (night flight)
Day2: Breakfast on board → Kansai International Airport → JR Haruka → Kyoto Station → lunch at one of the ramen restaurant in Kyoto Station → Higashiyama Area (Sakara Kyoto check-in → Kiyomizu-dera Temple → Sannen-zaka → Ninen-zaka → Yasaka Shrine → Kamo River → Potoncho → dinner at Ryoma Syamonoujo → back to ryokan）
Day3: Kyoto (breakfast bought from Lawson last night → Arashiyama Area (Kameoka Torokko Station → Sagano Romantic Train ride → Hozu River → lunch at Arashiyama Torokko Station rest station → Bamboo Forest walk → passing by Tenryu-ji → Nonomiya Shrine) → The Golden Pavillion/Kinkaku-ji Temple → back to ryokan → dinner 
Day4: Kyoto (breakfast bought from Lawson last night → Fushimi Inari Taisha) → Osaka (Brighton City Osaka Kitahama check-in → lunch bought from Kitahama Plaza Fresco Departmental Store → Shinsaibashi-suji → PABLO cheese tart → dinner at Yoshinoya → Dotombori → back to hotel）
Day5: Osaka (breakfast bought from 7-Eleven opposite hotel → Osaka City Visitor Information Center Namba → Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel → Tempozan Market Place → Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan → Osaka Bay Cruise Santa Maria + high tea → Shinseikai → Tsutenkaku Tower → lunch at 鶴龜家 → Abeno Q's Mall Akachan → back to hotel)
Day6: Osaka (breakfast bought from 7-Eleven opposite hotel → Osaka Castle → Kuromon Market lunch + high tea → Dotombori → Dotombori River Cruise → Shinsaibashi → dinner at Yoshinoya → back to hotel)
Day7: JR Haruka (Tennoji Station) → Kansai International Airport → Kuala Lumpur/Penang

Flight ticket:
AirAsia X：Penang - Kuala Lumpur - Osaka (Fly-Thru) return trip about RM2,800 (2 adults + 1 intant), include 20kg baggage (to) and 30kg baggage (back), and 2x 2 adult meals on board

Accommodation：
Kyoto: Sakara Kyoto (sakarakyoto.com/wp/en/)
Osaka: Brighton City Osaka Kitahama (www.brightonhotels.co.jp/kitahama/index.html)

Transportation：

Kansai International Airport - Kyoto: ICOCA + HARUKA return trip (¥4,060, includes ¥1,500 worth of credit in ICOCA and ¥500 deposit) https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/travel-information/pass/icoca-haruka/

Kyoto: Kyoto Municipal Bus (if you estimate the cost is over ¥500 per day, buy the 1 Day pass, per trip is about ¥210) http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/eng/access/transport.html
Osaka: Osaka Amazing Pass (2day pass), includes free entrance to 28 places of interests and special discount coupons at many outlets (http://www.osaka-info.jp/osp/cht/index.html)

Food：
Breakfast: Can easily find 7-Eleven/Lawson/Family Mart/Fresco everywhere, very convenient to get food. Hotels normally do not include breakfast. Per meal is about ¥700 (food + drinks)
Lunch and dinner: Noodles and rice from ¥500, drinks from ¥100 (may buy from vending machines)
Kyoto MUST-EAT: Soba and cold noodle are nice
Osaka MUST-EAT: Crabs, sashimi, takoyaki, ramen, all kinds of finger food (different choices depending on area you visit, can refer to http://www.osaka-info.jp/en/plan/images/Guidebook_English.pdf）

Japan family trip MUST-BRING items：
1. Camera + smart phone + charger 
2. International adapter
3. Disposable rain coats/umbrella (can get from 7-Eleven or Family Mart), you need it especially in spring or summer where it rains more frequently
4. A light-weight baby stroller + baby carrier, experiences tell us MUST BRING BOTH!! You can carry the baby inside the baby carrier (totally go hands-free), and use the stroller as temporary shopping cart. Else your arms are going to suffer for the rest of the day...
5. Diaper and baby wipes (always spare extra 4 pieces by hand carry, just in case there is flight delay/luggage delay)
6. Additional clothes as spare (for both mom and baby, in case need to change due to unforeseen incidents)
7. Pacifier 2x (still have a spare if one gets dirty/lost) - your baby may need it during take off and landing - the air pressure is different, baby may feel uncomfortable and cry, the use of pacifier is to help the baby on adjusting to this change, it's the same concept like swallowing saliva, or you may breastfeed/bottle feed
8. Garbage bags (for dirty clothes/dirty diapers, or may use as a mat for baby during diaper changing in public toilets)
9. A few of baby's favorite toys, and one or two new items (you can distract them when they started to feel bored or crying)
11. Baby's bathing necessities: towel, bath foam (suggest to bring Lactacid, it is very mild and will not cause allergy), baby powder, nappy rash cream, baby oil, diaper change mat... The packing list is getting longer and longer right?
10. Thermos (you can refill hot water at the convenience stores)
12. Nursing ponco (a wise choice, can be used as jacket for mother, and to cover up baby in case of sudden weather change)
13. Don't forget about the baby bottles and milk/milk powder! I miss the days when I breastfeed, now that my girl is already on milk powder, I need to bring extra bottles and spare hot water
14. Money and credit card
15. Smart phone, to keep in touch with family and find information, you may rent a portable Wi-fi in Japan, and many big cities also provide Free Wi-fi
16. Baby backpack, just dump whatever necessary items into it (it's a skill how to pack light for a whole day long)
17. Baby snacks/finger food (sometimes you just couldn't get the right food for your baby outside, so it's good to spare their favorite food)
18. Medicine (basic spare for fever, flu, and diarrhea) just in case

Our suggestions are based on personal experience, for feeding it depends on the parents' acceptance, some parents will say NO totally to outside food, so you may bring along your own portable mini cooker. I've used that before in some trips, but my girl is the super adventurous type of baby, and definitely she'll give you the "Papa & Mama, I want exactly what you eat!" face when we go travel.
*My baby has been travelling with us since 4 months old, we've had 5 overseas trip and many domestic trips, and we've had all sorts of ride (plane, bus, boat, train), so everything I share here is solely base on our experience.

关西亲子游：京都-大阪 - 2014七月7天6夜关西行程

Day1：槟城/吉隆坡 （夜机）
Day2：早餐@飞机→关西空港→关西机场特快JR Haruka→京都駅→午餐@京都駅一家拉面店→京都东山区（桜香楽本店check-in→清水寺→産寧坂（三年坂）→二年坂→八坂神社/祇园→鸭川→先斗町→晚餐@龍馬 軍鶏農場 京都駅前店→回旅馆）
Day3：京都（早餐@早一晚在Lawson买→岚山区（トロッコ亀岡駅→嵯峨野トロッコ列車→保津川溪谷→午餐@岚山駅休息站→岚山竹林之道→路经天龙寺→野宫神社）→金阁寺→回旅馆→晚餐@
Day4：京都（早餐@早一晚在Lawson买→伏見稻荷大社）→大阪（ホテルブライトンシティ大阪北浜check-in→午餐@Kitahama Plaza的Fresco买→心斎橋→路经PABLO买半熟起司蛋糕→晚餐@吉野家 大阪心斎橋店→道顿窟→回酒店）
Day5：大阪（早餐@酒店对面7-Eleven买→大阪市なんば难波站游客中心→天保山大摩天轮→天保山Market Place→海游馆→帆船型观光船圣玛利亚号+下午茶→新世界→通天阁→晚餐@鶴龜家→阿倍野Q's Mall里的"阿卡將Akachan"婴童用品店→回酒店）
Day6：大阪（早餐@酒店对面7-Eleven买→大阪城&天守閣→黑門市場午餐+下午茶→道頓堀→道頓堀水上观光船→心斎橋→晚餐@吉野家 大阪心斎橋店→回酒店）
Day7：关西机场特快JR Haruka（天王寺站）→关西空港→吉隆坡/槟城

机票:
廉价航班 AirAsia X：Penang - Kuala Lumpur - Osaka (Fly-Thru) 来回约RM2,800（2个大人+1个2岁以下小孩）包括20kg行李（去）30kg行李（回），2人飞机餐 x2餐

住宿：
京都：桜香楽 (sakarakyoto.com/wp/en/)
大阪：ホテルブライトンシティ大阪北浜 (www.brightonhotels.co.jp/kitahama/index.html)

交通：

关西空港 - 京都：ICOCA + HARUKA 双程配套（¥4,060，包括 ¥1,500的充值和 ¥500的抵押金）https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/travel-information/pass/icoca-haruka/

京都：京都市巴士 （如果预算花上超过¥500，建议买1日券，巴士车票每趟大概¥210）http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/eng/access/transport.html
大阪：大阪周遊卡（2日券），包括28个旅游景点免费入场，和许多折扣礼券 http://www.osaka-info.jp/osp/cht/index.html

饮食：
早餐：到处都可以找到7-Eleven/Lawson/Family Mart/Fresco，很方便。酒店通常没包早餐。一顿早餐最低花费（食物+饮料）约¥700。
午餐和晚餐：小吃店普通拉面大概从¥500起跳，饮料一瓶从¥100起跳（可以在街边零售机投币买）。
京都必吃：个人觉得荞麦面和冷面都很不错
大阪必吃：大螃蟹、刺身、章鱼烧、拉面、各种小食（每个地方都有不同的选择，可以参考http://www.osaka-info.jp/en/plan/images/Guidebook_English.pdf）

去日本亲子游必备：
1. 相机 + 手机 + 相机充电器
2. International adapter
3. Disposable雨衣或雨伞（可以在7-11或Family Mart购买），特别是在春夏时期雨量较多
4. 轻便的baby stroller + baby carrier，个人经验觉得一定要带齐两样！！逛街购物用baby carrier的确比较方便，stroller车可以暂时放置逛街战利品，不然手都会断。。
5. 家里带来的纸尿片和baby wipes（extra4片hand carry，以应不时之需 - flight delay/luggage delay）
6. 每天出门spare多一套衣物（妈妈和bb也需要喔，若被屎尿弄脏可随时更换）
7. 奶嘴两个（肮脏了至少还有嘴spare）- 飞机起飞降落时由于气压不同，bb通常会耳痛而哭，吸奶嘴的用意其实就像大人吞口水，可以缓和气压对bb造成的不适；你也可以哺乳／瓶喂
8. 垃圾袋（装脏尿片和脏衣服，或在公共🚽换尿片时给bb铺着比较卫生）
9. 一两样bb平时最喜欢的玩具，和一样新的玩具（可以在飞机上bb哭闹时分散她的注意力）
11. bb的冲凉必备：毛巾、沐浴乳（建议带瓶Lactacid就可以了，决不会过敏）、爽身粉、nappy rash cream、如意油、diaper change mat。。。是不是越看越多东西需要pack呢？
10. 随身携带的热水壶（便利店可以refill）
12. Nursing ponco（很好用的，可以当妈妈的外套，天气转劣可以给宝宝暂时挡风遮雨）
13. 别忘了奶瓶和奶/奶粉！所以说哺乳可以省麻烦，现在宝贝喝奶粉了，出街还要准备热水
14. 钱和信用卡
15. Smart phone，以便随时可以上网查资料，日本可以租借Wi-fi，大城市很多地方有Free Wi-fi
16. Baby背包，把所有出门必须品统统丢进去（如何轻便pack背包是一门学问哦）
17. Baby snacks/finger food（有时候出门没有适当食物或宝宝不喜欢吃的时候，可暂时当一餐）
18. 药物（预备发烧、感冒和腹泻等等）

我们的practice是纯属个人经验之谈，喂食方面有可能某些父母不能接受，就可以自备食物或者自己携带迷你随身电煲。我也有用过，只是我家小姐现在一出门旅行就是一副“爸妈你在吃什么我也要!”的啦。。
*我家小姐4个月大已经跟着我们趴趴走，总共出国5次，本地游也无数次了；旅行时飞机、巴士、船、火车，我们都试过了，所以一切分享都纯粹是我的经验之谈哦。

Hopefully I will have more time to post on the places in details. Stay tune!
X0X0

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Homemade steam cake in 15 minutes

Yum

It's time for some homemade delicacies for my little princess again!

I love the simple to prepare recipes without fuss. Nowadays the little girl seems to run around faster than me, so it's quite tiring for me to keep her out of kitchen...

Tonight I made this super easy steam cake for her, can be served as breakfast tomorrow morning. Done in15 minutes.


Ingredients: 8tbs (scrape off with knife, else 4 tbs full*) self-raising flour, 4 tbs milk/soy milk, 1 tbs caster sugar and 1 tbs Milo powder

Method:

1. Measure the flour, milk and sugar in a bowl then mix well.

2. Add in Milo powder afterwards and stir in circle motion to create marble-like pattern.

3. Pour the mixed ingredients into a medium size bowl then steam for 15 minutes.

4. Check if the cake is done by poking a chopstick into it. If it's not sticky then it's done.

My Milo steam cake!

The texture is medium soft and a bit moist. But the moisture will slowly vaporize after leave it for some time. So it will not become too hard and crusty after exposed in air.

Instead of serving as breakfast she has eaten off quarter of it! Hmm...slightly heavy supper eh?

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Merry-go-round 旋转木马

Just couldn't resist her cuteness and not to post it! 

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Homemade pizza in 5 minutes

Yum

Hungry at home and need a quick meal? Well the kids are running around and need your attention, and you don't have enough time to cook some hot meals while you're bored with eating sandwich. 

Hmm...what about making an instant pizza? Think of the flavorful hot melted cheese... Ooo...

All you need are these ingredients in your kitchen:

Bread, grated cheese, sandwich spread, sausage, spices and mixed herbs. 

And of course you will need your microwave oven or stove.

Method:

1. Apply a layer of sandwich spread over your bread. Then top with a generous amount of cheese - Cheddar/Mozarella/Parmesan. I normally use grated cheese plus Mozarella.

2. Slice the sausage and add on to the cheese. Too up with more cheese to cover the surface. You may add the toppings per own preference - capsicum, mushroom, etc.. Or even replace the sausage with ham, bacon, tuna chunks, sardine, etc..

*Sausage is not a healthy option especially for toddlers, suggest to totally exclude it or replace with other ingredients.

3. Sprinkle with paprika/chilli powder and mixed herbs if you like. 

4. Microwave for 3 minutes. Healthier option for toddlers will be by steaming for 5 minutes or more, until toppings are cooked and cheese melted.

*Depends on the amount of pizza you make. I have also tried just 1 slice and it only needed 30-40 seconds in the microwave.

5. Ready to serve! All done around 5 minutes.

Ooo come and feel the cheese explosion~~ 

For toddlers you may go plain. It's just as good isn't it? Well you may as well exclude the chilli powder. These were for ourselves as supper.

Easy isn't it? No more fuss for a quick but delicious light meal! :)

Well, you may continue to have some 'shaking' fun time with your kids after this making the 5 minutes DIY ice-cream (link: http://www.princesscheryl.com/2014/08/homemade-ice-cream-without-any-machine.html)

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Homemade ice-cream without any machine

Yum

What is the fastest way to get an ice-cream? DIY at home! In just 5 minutes. 

Yes, just 5 minutes! You didn't hear me wrong.

All the while I kept searching for no-churn recipe and still it took me quite some preparation time of at least 30 minutes. And I was tired with all the washing afterwards...

And then, I came across an article days ago, and this method totally blown off my mind. *claps!!*

Only 5 minutes to get a few servings of ice-cream! So here is the recipe, I've successfully made it tonight and we've just finished it.

Ingredients and tools:

Ice cubes, full cream milk/fresh milk, a plastic container with cover, a breast milk storage bag/zip lock bag, 6 teaspoon of salt, some sugar for sweetening

Yes that's all you need!

Method:

1. Fill up the breast milk storage bag or zip lock bag with 200+ml of milk. Add some sugar and slightly stir it. Zip it tight to avoid spillage.

2. Dip the whole bag into the container which has been filled up with ice cubes and the salt. Cover it with more ice cubes.

3. Cover up the container and start shaking up-down-left-right in all directions. Just enjoy shaking it~

4. Shake continuously for 5-10 minutes. The salt will help to further lower the temperature and creating a flash freezing environment. It's amazing! You get to freeze your milk into ice-blended form within 5 minutes.

5. After 5 minutes. Ready to serve!! Have it plain or add toppings.

See how much my little cheeky pie enjoyed it~

The texture is similar to ice-blended smoothie but more solid. Have it a try today!

But make sure you consume it within 5 minutes after served, it melts pretty fast too. :)

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How to choose the right perfume Malaysia for you?

Author: Aini Shah

Selecting the right perfume scent could be quite tricky as you would want the perfect smell to shoe your personality. Besides that, you will want to smell amazing in front of others and receive positive compliments on your perfume selection. The first thing to do before purchasing the perfume which will suit you is by knowing the basics. The basics is the knowledge of the types of scent categories a perfume falls under such as floral, green, oceanic and wood. Women tend to have a hard time sniffing various types of fragrance as people will remember you for it. It is a personal choice which reflects your personality especially on the first encounter.

Floral scent perfumes reveal a flower smell such as rose, lily, jasmine or lavender for women who prefer a light scented fragrance. This type of scent is suitable for the ladies who want to portray a feminine as well as romantic personality. The soft scent will definitely expose an elegant side of you in front of others. Meanwhile, the green scented perfumes are more of an organic smell consisting of fresh grass smell, lemon grass or fruits. The natural organic smells are perfect for the ladies who love simplicity and smelling fresh all day long. While the oceanic scent for women are a bit more masculine and with hints of spices and citrus smells in it.

After you have discovered the right choice of scent which matches with your personality, test the scent by spraying it onto your wrist or better yet the fragrance strips provided on the counter. Leave it on for a while and smell the final scent as it absorbs into your skin. If you have brought a friend along, ask his or her honest opinion before actually purchasing the product. However, if you do not have the time to do your perfume shopping, Zalora is an online store which offers various local and international perfume brands for their customers. Read the description and experiment a new smell for you by shopping online for perfume Malaysia.

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