I introduced Alex to oil pastels for the very first time through this fun and impressive project. He likes the oil pastels better than the crayons because they produce such bold colors. However, I think he still prefers watercolor over anything else right now; maybe because it’s a quicker way to color and also, he […]
Author: Chris
Our Chinese New Year Eve Dinner
When I was growing up, Chinese New Year (CNY) Eve dinner was always an elaborate affair – whether it was a reunion dinner at my grandparents’ home with all my aunts, uncles, and cousins or just a dinner within my own family – there was always a wide selection of dishes in large quantities. So […]
Making Cookies
Last Thursday, I decided to take a break from our regular homeschooling lessons and had a “Home Economics” class instead. Alex was absolutely happy about this because he got to do one of his favorite things – baking, while learning at the same time. We managed to incorporate reading, measurement, and math in our baking […]
Filled Strawberries
We got these strawberries from Sam’s Club last Friday. Aren’t they gorgeous? I think we got lucky for once. Sam’s probably got its shipment in that same day and was putting the strawberries out when we saw them. I haven’t seen strawberries this beautiful in a long time, not even when we fresh-picked them […]
Golden Fruitcake
When I was growing up, my mom used to make fruitcake (among other yummy goodies) every Chinese New Year. I wasn’t too fond of it then, but now I find myself yearning for a taste of fruitcake at least once a year. This year for Christmas, I tried a recipe from the King Arthur Flour […]
Pictures from Christmas
Hello everyone! Below are a few pictures from Christmas. Most of them are of Alex opening his presents. When Alex was younger, up to when he was three and a half, he did not like opening presents at all and would in fact refuse to open them. Now, his eyes light up with excitement when […]
A Healthy Start to the New Year
A very Happy New Year to everyone. New Year here started off with a beautiful, sunny day, which was a treat for those of us who live in Northeast Ohio. For a refreshing change of pace, we opted for salad for dinner today. We had fresh, tender spring mix greens topped with slices of sweet […]
Chicken Satay and Spicy Peanut Sauce
Satay, a dish of grilled slices of meat or chicken on bamboo skewers, is a popular hawker-style snack (or a meal by itself) back home. Satay is traditionally served with a spicy peanut sauce, with accompaniments such as slices of cucumber, shallots, and cubed ketupat. This recipe is adapted from a satay recipe found in […]
Christmas Greetings
Hello Everyone! Warmest greetings from Ohio. This year, instead of regular mail, we decided to send our Christmas wishes through our blog. A quick wrap-up of the year – Alex is now five and a half years old. We are homeschooling him for kindergarten this year. Over this past year, Alex has progressed tremendously with […]
Oatmeal and Dried Cranberry Cookies
I saw these wonderful cookies on Martha’s Favorite Cookies DVD. I’m normally not a fan of chewy cookies but boy, they sure made these cookies look enticingly scrumptious on the show. I guess if you watched the show enough times, everything would look enticing sooner or later. :D These cookies were indeed delicious, up to the […]