Tame your inner chocoholic...NOT!!

Yes, am also a chocoholic (well...a rather tamed one as compared to previously hee..). In the past, just the mention of chocolate will instantly open my eyes, put a smile on my face and eliminate the feeling of bored, mad, sad etc. As I get older and probably after eating tones of choc coupled with the need to reduce my faithful FATS, I have better control or rather forced to control myself from indulging too much on those super yummylicious and sinful food. However, once in a while I do crave for it and that's when you see me picking small bars from the shops after lunch at work ;p (and I wonder why my fats stay ever so faithful to me!!? ;p) BUT, I have been good you know...hubby was away in Labuan for some offshore work a few weeks ago and brought home mind you not 1 or 2 but  7 big bars of chocs just for me!! I still have about 4 bars in the fridge...so bravo to me hehehe...15 or more years ago those bars would have been gone in just maximum 3 days!! I can finish a whole big bar within an hour then!!

Anyway, am sure most of you especially those choc craze lot knows about Loacker wafer - see picture below..this and other flavour of the same range are easily available in the local shops...

Photo 'borrowed' from here.

Well, I am a faithful fan of those delicious wafer choc too BUT never did I know about Creme Noisette also by Loacker from the Gran Pasticceria range until Dawny has generously bought for me and Neneth from her Labuan trip. It looks so tempting that I opened up the package though we just had our heavy breakfast yesterday. So we ate and we savoured the rich, creamy and fine milk choc with the crispy wafer and crunchy nuts to our hearts content... And yes we finished the whole box!! IF you wonder what I'm talking about...this is it

Image from Loacker

YESSS...I'm in lurve with Loacker's Creme Noisette...so the next time hubby goes to Labuan and maybe even to Brunei...this will definitely be in my shopping list for hubby and maybe the only item but with a BIG number to indicate how many boxes I want!! ;p So if you haven't tasted this, you should and if you have don't you just love it!!! I know I do :)

Cheap homemade beauty tip

Neneth shared with me her homemade beauty tip to clear blackheads and whiteheads...after seeing the pictures she took yesterday I was instantly convinced!! So without much delay I tried it just a few minutes ago and...

walaaa...kapish you stubborn white/blackheads! ;p

So folks this is one super cheap beauty tip...will only cost you around RM0.40! And greater news is that it is so easy to do!

What you need:

1. Just an egg
2. A few facial cotton.

How to do it:

• Take out only the egg white onto a small bowl/ container
• Peel the facial cotton into thin layers
• Put the facial cotton on your face especially areas with white/blackheads i.e. nose, around nose area, between eyebrow area etc
• Dap the egg white on the cotton til it is wet
• Let it dry where you can feel your skin tighten
• Remove it and along with the dry and hardened facial cotton are those unwanted white/blackheads! :)

Happy me will make this as a once in a fortnight beauty regime from now on! Thanks Neneth!! :)

Children see...children do..

Celine shared this video on FB  - scary but good as a wake up call or reminder not only for parents but those who look after children too...

Mercury poisoning part II

For the benefit of those who would like to know a little bit more about mercury poisoning, I would like to share with you  thanks to Gloria who has researched and compiled (and pinned it on her refrigerator as a reminder of which you can do so too hehe..) on the same topic for your reference :) Happy reading !! And oh thanks Glo for letting me share this useful info ;p

Should I give my baby fish?

Fish is a major source of omega-3 fatty acids (specifically DHA and EPA), which are important for a child's brain and eye development. It's also low in saturated fat and high in protein, vitamin D, and other important nutrients. Fish is too good a nutritional choice – especially during early childhood – to give up, and most experts agree that the benefits of eating fish usually outweigh the risks.

Almost all fish and shellfish contain some mercury, but large predator fish accumulate the most. That's because predator fish eat other fish – fish that have absorbed mercury themselves. And the bigger the predator fish, the more fish it eats. Larger fish also tend to live longer than smaller fish, so there's simply more time for mercury to build up in their bodies.

Experts are still debating exactly how much mercury is harmful, but most agree it's a good idea to avoid feeding your children fish that are high in mercury and to limit (but not eliminate) other fish in their diet.

Fish to avoid

Some types of fish contain contaminants such as mercury. In high doses, this metal is harmful to a child's developing brain and nervous system. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that you avoid feeding your child shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish – large predatory fish that contain the highest levels of mercury.

Purdue toxicologist Santerre recommends that children between the ages of 2 and 6 not be served fresh or frozen tuna, striped bass, bluefish, Chilean sea bass, golden snapper, marlin, orange roughy, amberjack, Crevalle jack, Spanish mackerel from the Gulf of Mexico, and walleye from the Great Lakes.

So which fish – and how much – can I safely serve my child?

The FDA/EPA advisory says it's okay to serve your child two child-size servings a week of any fish and shellfish, other than the four you shouldn't serve at all: shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish. (See special restrictions on canned tuna below.) A child-size serving is 1 ounce of fish for 1- and 2-year-olds; 1.5 ounces for children ages 3 to 6; and 2 ounces for a child over age 6.

By the way, fish sticks aren't part of this equation because they're generally low in mercury. But they're also not a good source of omega-3s.

Fish that are both low in mercury and high in healthy fats: Herring, Mackerel (Atlantic, jack, chub), Rainbow trout (farm raised), Salmon (wild or farm raised), Sardines, Whitefish, Anchovy.

Very sorry as I am unable to give you the exact links of these info but Glo assured that they are from various reliable sources :)

I've also extracted this from the net for easy reading

Extracted from Tuberose.com

My mum has always reminded me not to buy big fishes for the boys...reason being the amount of mercury content on bigger fishes which means older fishes may be more than the smaller/ younger fishes. Honestly speaking, I never check the facts but I assumed my mum is right as it does sound logic. Besides my  mum normally reads or pays attention to such info. So I always trust her advice ;p Anyway, back to the title, here's an informative personal experience about mercury poisoning for the sharing.

Mercury poisoning

31 August 2009

Taken from Paren Thots

My son is 18 months old now. We started feeding our son cod fish, and occasionally salmon since he was six months old until one year old.

We found out that he was suffering from mercury poisoning during a routine checkup when he was one.

There were no signs or symptoms of mercury poisoning. We casually asked the doctor whether it's okay to feed him cod fish (chilean sea bass) every day since we read that it contains high mercury content.

The doctor said he was not sure, but if we were worried, he could do a mercury test for my son. We found out that my son's mercury level was nearly nine times higher than the allowed level, which is less than 75. His was 622.

After a dose of DMSA (the treatment for mercury poisoning) and a few months of natural healing, his mercury level is now back to the normal range, that is 48.3.

A lot of Malaysian parents are not aware of the danger of mercury poisoning. We were very lucky to discover this even before the symptoms showed. Just imagine if your child is poisoned and you finally find out, say 10 years later when his mental and physical health have been damaged by this poisonous substance.

I strongly recommend parents take their children for a mercury test if they have been feeding their children with cod fish or any deep sea big fish which may have high mercury content.

Early detection and treatment are effective damage control for our precious children. After all, we feed them with expensive fish because we believe it is good for their brain development, right?

A concerned mom

Fish is served on alternate days for the boys (same reason as the Concerned Mom i.e. for brain development) and normally I will buy Tenggiri (Spanish mackerel) if not the black or white pompfret fish and occasionally red snapper...but last Sunday I got to know another type of fish that is good for babies/young children recommended by one of the lady fishmongers. Since the few left Tenggiri fish seemed rather 'old' I decided to try the newly introduced fish. I can't recall the name as it sounded very Chinese to me but it does sound something like "nguyen" fish... I'll have to go back to her again to ask for the actual name as the fish meat is really nice with fine and soft texture..especially good for babies who just started on solid :)

Japan, my hat off to you

It didn't register in my head how calm and civilize the Japanese are while on the road to recovery (let's pray that there'll be no repeat of a massive earthquake and Tsunami there..) until I read this article entitled "In tragedy, Japanese impress world"  this morning. Hubby and I were watching the CNN on the situation in Japan particularly on the currently seems oh so fragile nuclear plant last night. But what caught my eyes was how the houses, cars, and even aeroplanes were swept away by the huge waves as though they were of your children toys. I didn't want to watch any of the videos nor the pictures earlier on as I know it'll be too heartbreaking..and after seeing the footages last night, it confirmed my unease in watching them.. Indeed the footage moves me and my heart goes to all the people over there who have lost their loved ones and homes. May more people be rescued and that those who are wounded will have sufficient medical attention. And may those who have somehow got separated during the misfortune be reunited again especially the children and their parents...

Back to my initial thought, as the tv screen shows the aftermath tragedy especially on how the people are coping and reacting...I remembered how a lady who although was 'stucked' at her 'drown' home didn't panic when she saw the rescue team...in fact, she just wave a white cloth to inform she is there and that she is alright...another scene showed an elderly couple being helped onto a rescue boat - both of them were calm and steady..no screaming, no crying ..they just quietly and calmly got on the boat and sit down and wait for the team to rescue the other survivors...as the boat sailed away their face though sad and seem to have lots on their mind were still calm...another scene showed a mother reunited with her daughter...although both of them were hugging each other so tightly and in tears of I supposed mixture of happiness and sadness..their reaction I would say still composed..none of those screaming and yelling or dramatic scenes...after remembering these, yes, I totally agree with the article when it says "Japanese showing calm as they search for loved ones or wait for basic necessities. There is not a hint of looting or violence, even as residents line up at half-empty stores."

I have to say the Japanese absolutely impress me with their calm, cool, unruffled and composed behaviour despite the shocking and heartbreaking disaster. My hat off to all of you over there and and like the article pointed out, I hope and pray that with such fine manner, you will win more voluntary aids to help you 'rebuild' you and your country in no time. I honestly hope and pray that you will get through this day and that you'll have more strength to 'rebuild' your superb country again... I will remember you in my prayer and may God bless all of you..