CoverGirl TruBlend Whipped Foundation

I always seem to have so much trouble finding the right foundation color. It's always too light or too dark or just doesn't sit right with my skin color. Some would make my face breakout or messes up my make-up. But I like using whipped or liquid foundation as it give it a nice smooth look compared to powder foundation.

Recently, I decided to try CoverGirl Trublend Whipped Foundation. At first, I was a little overwhelmed when I saw that there were 15 different shades to choose from! But Covergirl claims that this foundation matches 97% of skin tones. So, I just chose the one that looks closest to my skin color.

I have been using this foundation for about 2 weeks now and absolutely love it! It leaves my skin looking flawless. I don't even have to use a concealer to cover up my blemishes as the foundation itself does the job pretty well. And it looks and feels good enough to go without powder but I still use a little to give it an even more flawless and matte look. My make-up stays on nice and I can go for hours without doing any touch-up.

I have combination skin and most foundations I've used usually result in breakouts but not this one. This foundation feels really light on my face but yet, it gives me the coverage I need. And you can't beat the price! Plus, there's alway some kind of sale. Definitely a 5-star rating product for me. Highly recommended.

Saving Money On Groceries

Here are some tips that I use when it comes to grocery shopping. I'm sure there are more than what I have listed here. I would love to hear from some of you on how you save money on your groceries.


1. Make a shopping list. I'm such a compulsive shopper and the list helps in making sure I don't over-buy.

2. Never shop hungry. I tend to buy more when I'm hungry just because everything on the shelf looks so good!

3. Buy in bulk. I like buying in bulk for household items that we use on a regular basis like toilet paper, handsoap, etc. to get the extra savings. But the problem is...where am I going to store all these extra stuff I bought??!! So, I have two special closets just for my stockpiling.

4. Coupons. Don't buy something just because you have a coupon. I only use coupons for items I would normally buy regardless of whether I had a coupon or not like wipes, diapers, detergent, etc. I gave up coupon cliping as most of the items on the coupons are not what we usually eat/use around the house and most times, I only need one and not 3 of the items. Having to buy 3 of the same item just to save 25 cents or 50 cents...not worth it.

5. Shop alone if possible. I find that if I shop alone, I'm less distracted. I tend to only get what I have on my shopping list and not all the "extras".

6. Cook from scratch. Packaged meals are convenient but so expensive. It is much cheaper and healthier to cook meals from scratch. I know some people who do once a month cooking and freeze meals.

7. Buy generic brands. I find most of the items work just as well as the branded ones. So, why pay more?

8. Eat non-meat meals 2 or 3 times a week.

9. Check out grocery store sales. The front and back pages of the weekly store flyers are usually where the good deals are.

10. Request price matching. Stores are getting more and more competitive and many are doing price matches.

11. Shop during off-peak hours. As a SAHM, I have the luxury of doing my grocery shopping during the week while most people are at work. I find that I'm more efficient that way and will stick close to my list instead of wandering through the aisles and picking up things I don't need. Same thought goes with shopping on non-pay days.

12. Shop once a week or less. I try to limit my grocery shopping to every 2 weeks. That way, I save on gas and also reduces my impulse shopping.

13. Buy items that are in season. They are much cheaper, fresher and you can always save some for later. For example, I bought LOTS of blueberries and froze them. Now, I have blueberries to last me for months to come.

14. Don't buy non-grocery items at a grocery store. I find that most non-grocery items are more expensive at the grocery store. So, I make a separate list for these items.

15. Eat less junk food. I've noticed a huge difference in our grocery bill by cutting back on junk food, soft drinks and sweets.

Naming A Child

I believe that naming a child is a profound, spiritual matter. I believe that a person's name defines a person's essence. To me, it's a statement of the person's character, his/her identity and his/her uniqueness.

I want my children to have godly names. Names with good meanings. To me, it's a statement of what I hope my child will become and what he/she stands for.

My son's Christian and Chinese names mean "God has heard", "knowledge and righteousness". I want him to know that he is a gift from God, an answer to our prayers and I want him to grow up to be well-adjusted, gifted, knowledgeable, honest, humble and a righteous man of God.

Sometimes you wonder if parents take this responsibility of naming their child seriously....

Like this couple who tried to name their child "@" : http://www.cnn.com/2007/funnynews/08/16/strange.name.reut/

Or all the out-of-this-world celebrity baby names :
Check out Fifi Trixibelle (Bob Geldof's daughter), Seven Sirius (Erykah Badu's son), Moon Unit and Diva Muffin (Frank Zappa's daughter), Sage Moonblood (Sylvester Stallone's daughter), Spec Wildhorse (John Cougar Mallencamp's son) or Pilot Inspektor (Jason Lee's son).

Stay-At-Home Moms vs. Working Moms

A few friends and I were chatting about this particular topic on ComeHereLah (a forum for Malaysians overseas). In the forum, we have a mix of stay-at-home moms and working moms and we all agree that there are advantages and disadvantages to both. However, we also feel that sometimes, as women, we are our own worst enemy. Being a mom is HARD, regardless of whether one stays at home or works outside of the home. And the last thing we need is to be at war with each other. Here's a nice little article I found that talks about the issue.

Author: L. J. Allen
Sometimes it can seem as though stay at home moms and working moms are battling against each other. The truth is, there are lots of women who stay at home with their children, and there are some moms who work. The other truth is, one of them is not better than the other. As moms, we all love our children, and we all want them to be happy. There are many advantages and disadvantages to both staying at home, and working outside of the home.

Staying at home with your children is great because you are able to be with them all day. You are able to bond more with your children, and instill more of your values and what you feel is important into your children. It also gives you a great feeling to be able to be with your children all the time. However, staying home with your children can also make them more dependent on you than most other children are toward their moms. It can make them fear leaving you, whether you're leaving them at school, or with the babysitter for a night off. The disadvantages to you are being on call all the time. It can make you feel like you want to tear your hair out! Also, although you have one of the hardest jobs, you're not actually bringing in an income. Although, today many moms are working over the internet, or with home businesses.

Mothers who work outside the home get their chance to be someone else other than 'mom.' They can concentrate on what they are trying to do much better than a mother who works at home. The only 'kids' they have in their hair are the ones they work with! Also, being away from your children more will foster a greater sense of independence in them. Disadvantages to working outside the home are obvious. You don't get as much time to spend with your children, and this can make you feel guilty or neglectful. Also, you have to know that whoever may be your children's caretakers will have an impact on what your children grow to believe.

Whether we work outside the home, or stay at home with our kids, we are all mothers. We all want the same things for our children. Happiness, opportunities, and we want to give them all we can. Being a mother is hard enough today. We need to stick together as moms, whatever kind of mom we are. Supporting each other in motherhood and in life is what is important. Support each other's decisions and be proud of the decision that you have made. Let's end the war!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/parenting-articles/stay-at-home-moms-vs-working-mom-197098.html

Little Peanut

I had my first appointment at the hospital on Friday. I had to attend a brief orientation with lots of paperwork, followed by my first ultrasound and labwork. For this ultrasound, I had to have a full bladder. Not fun! But seeing my tiny baby on the screen and his/her heartbeat made up for the discomfort.

For the labwork, I had to do a urine test and lots of blood work. They had a hard time finding a vein! They poked me 6 different times and moved the needle around under my skin to locate a vein (ouch!). I don't know who was more happy when we finally did find one and sucked 6 vials of blood out of me! Now, I look like a druggie who had one too many hits! Urrgghh...hate needles.

Anyway, as of today, I'm 9 weeks pregnant. Little peanut has been making me feel really tired and hungry ALL the time. But ain't my peanut cute??!!

Happy Left-Handers Day!

August 13th 2007 is Left-Handers Day. I'm a day late but I just wanted to give a shout-out to all lefties out there. I'm a lefty too. I didn't have many left-handed friends growing up. It felt a little weird to be the odd one out. I remember having trouble learning how to write. I would constantly confuse "b" with "d" and write some of my alphabets in "mirror image". I remember doing that a lot with "c" since my name started with that!

I also struggle with everyday tools that people usually take for granted like a pair of scissors, knife, peeler, pens, etc. It's embarassing as a little Chinese kid trying to use a pair of chopsticks sitting beside someone who is right-handed. So I used to always make sure my mom is the one sitting to my left and she would not mind my chopsticks "fighting" with hers!

One of my aunts from UK sent me a bunch of really cool left-handed items when I was younger. I am still using them till this day. (Aunt Kim, if you are reading this...THANK YOU!!)

But I'm not 100% left-handed though. For example, I use the mouse with my right-hand. I also strum a guitar with my right. But I cannot write, cut or do anything else with my right hand! I found this little test online and decided to try it out myself. Here are the questions and my answers :

How Left-Handed Are You?
Imagine the centre of your back is itching. Which hand do you scratch it with? LEFT
Interlock your fingers. Which thumb is uppermost? LEFT
Imagine you are applauding. Start clapping your hands. Which hand is uppermost? NEITHER
Wink at an imaginary friend straight in front of you. Which eye does the winking? LEFT
Put your hands behind your back, one holding the other. Which hand is doing the holding? LEFT
Someone in front of you is shouting but you cannot hear the words. Cup your ear to hear better. Which ear do you cup? LEFT
Count to three on your fingers, using the forefinger of the other hand. Which forefinger do you use? LEFT
Tilt your head over on to one shoulder. Which shoulder does it touch? LEFT
Fixate a small distant object with your eyes and point directly at it with your forefinger. Now close one eye. Now change eyes. Which eye was open when the fingertip remained in line with the small object? (When the other eye, the non-dominant one, is open and the dominant eye is closed, the finger will appear to move to one side of the object.) RIGHT
Fold your arms. Which forearm is uppermost? RIGHT

But now, I'm a happy left-hander in a right-hand world. Being left-handed is so much a part of me, I cannot imagine living otherwise. And I guess I would not be the same person if I wasn't left-handed.

Crochet and Knit Patterns

I picked up crocheting not too long ago. I just bought myself a kit via Ebay and followed the instructions using the book and hooks in the kit. So far, I've made a few basic items like scarfs, baby blankets, booties and hats. I'm currently working on another baby blanket.

I would like to proceed to more advanced patterns but have yet to find the courage or confidence to do so. Some of the instructions are still so confusing to me. I think it's a little harder when you don't have anyone to show you how to do some of the stitches. But I will not give up! I enjoy crocheting and find it very therapeutic. Not to mention, completely satisfying when I see the end results and the faces of my friends when they receive my gifts.

Here's one of the sites I like to visit to get patterns from :
http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/index.php
This site features both crochet and knit patterns.

If you like knitting, you should check out my friend, Kit Man's site Knit Your Love. She is an awesome knitter and has some really cool patterns.

America's Got Talent 2007

I have a few favourites for this season. Here they are :

CAS HALEY. This guy has talent! I love his raggae style and how he makes every song he sings, his own. Here's his performance from the last show :
http://www.nbc.com/Americas_Got_Talent/video/#mea=140995

BUTTERSCOTCH. She is a powerhouse. This girl can beatbox, sing AND play the piano all at the same time. I love this performance of hers and her version of "My Funny Valentine" :
http://www.nbc.com/Americas_Got_Talent/video/#mea=140993

TERRY FATOR. This guy is an awesome ventriloquist. I just love him :
http://www.nbc.com/Americas_Got_Talent/video/#mea=141006

I hope one of these talents win this season.

Is this how we thank the troops?

I was just reading a really sad but shocking article today about this Baptist church that believes troop deaths are God's judgement against America for tolerating homosexuality. They protest at funerals of these fallen heroes!

The article speaks about how one woman from the church is charged for allowing her 10 year old son to stomp on an American flag outside a soldier's funeral! She then filed a legal challenge stating that the state law to protect the American flag is "unconstitutional" and that it "violates her right to free speech". WHAT??!!! For the full article, click here.

It really saddens me to know that these people exist in America and that my husband is risking his life so that these people can have the freedom to say and do the things they do. They should be ashamed of themselves.

Parents As Teachers Program

I just signed up my son for a great program not too long ago. It's called Parents As Teachers. The focus is on early childhood education and development. If you have a child(ren) between the ages of 0-5, I would encourage you to look into the program. Best of all, this great program is FREE!

Here's a little excerpt from their website about their program :

Parents as Teachers (PAT) is a parent education and family support program serving families throughout pregnancy until their child enters kindergarten, usually age 5.

Parents are supported by PAT-certified parent educators trained to translate scientific information on early brain development into specific when, what, how and why advice for families. By understanding what to expect during each stage of development, parents can easily capture the teachable moments in everyday life to enhance their child's language development, intellectual growth, social development and motor skills.

As a PAT family, you receive:
Personal visits -- during which your parent educator will share age-appropriate child development and parenting information, help you learn to observe your child, and address your parenting concerns.
Parent group meetings -- which are opportunities to share information about parenting issues and child development. Parents learn and support each other, observe their children with other children and practice parenting skills.
Screenings -- to assess your child's overall development as well as health, hearing and vision.
Resource network -- that links your family to other community services.

My son really enjoys the monthly meetings. He loves doing the activities with his Parent Educator and me. And she brings him little gifts of books and toys to encourage him.

This program is available worldwide. Click here to see if this program is available in your area.

Online Baby Showers

I was just reading about online baby showers today. The idea is that you can create an online baby shower site complete with live chat, shower games, birthday bets, guest book, photo album, videos, gift registry, etc. Once the baby is born, you can turn the shower into an online birth announcement. One such site is Web Baby Shower.

I can see the value in such a service where the expecting parents are far from family and friends, like myself and hubby. So, will I be having an online baby shower? I'm not sure. Maybe not. I just don't think I'll have the time to host such a site. But I do think it's a really cute and neat idea :)

Mommies Night Out

Our church just started a new "Mommy and Me" group. We had our first Mommies Night Out last night. It was awesome! I can't remember the last time I had an all-girls night out.

We went to a local restaurant. It was nice to be able to eat unhurried and uninterrupted. No fussy child, no having to tend to someone else. The luxury of being able to focus on just me was really nice. And being able to do this with some friends and have some great conversation and great food.....fabulous.

Apparently, my 2 year old did really well being left alone at home with Daddy. And Daddy survived too. Hmm....I might have to do this more often!

Garbage Truck Camper?

This cool monster here might look like a garbage truck from the outside but it is actually designed as sort of a cross between a mobile home and an off-road vehicle. It's a TerraCross "Home on Wheels".

I wouldn't mind travelling on the road on one of these babies! If you're wondering how come in the pics you can see the windows from the inside but not from the outside...it's because the vehicle has some kind of "lifting roof" that actually rises to let outside light in. How cool is that??!!

I want one!!!!