A Perfect Summer Activiity~~ Strawberry Picking :)

Salam....

It is Summer, it is sometimes too hot just like in Malaysia, and sometimes it is cold... But not too cold... Just nice I would say ;)

And every Summer, it is a must to go for Strawberry picking!!

Yeah, we went for it two weeks ago, it was a hectic wekend;

On Friday we went to a friend's house to celebrate their kids birthday, got home late at night, then on Saturday early in the morning we'd left for Bonn, for Flohmarkt (something like carboot). 

This time we didn't go there to buy anything, but we just wanted to give Afeef a chance to try something which he had been asking for so long...
He'd always  wanted to sell some of his stuffs in Flohmarkt, and..... well yeah, he made it this time after so long of contemplating on how, when and where should we start...  and he earned 9euro selling his things.. Ok lah, not bad for a beginner.. InsyaAllah when I'm in the mood to write more, I'll share that Flohmarkt story.
Also, we had a little picnic with some friends in Bonn, touched by their effort to meet us, then lepaking at a friend's house until about 9pm, then drove home and reached home late at night haha, then on Sunday we went for strawberry picking! And also Sunflower field hunting again!! It was fun!

This was the Birthday's celebration of the world's cutest kids other than my kids haha!

The next day: Photoshoot at Flohmarkt before we looked for our friends and their spot...

The next day: Sunday, we went hunting for Sunflower field, but unfortunately, it wasn't ready yet....

Kinda frustrated because I kinda looked forward to this one... Really is crazy over Sunflowers... 

And also, Strawberry picking!

Mmmmmm... Nyum nyum nyum...

Ready kids??!!! 

Yihaaaaaaaaa...!!

And lastly...

                          

   When there's lots of Strawberries, it is always a must that I make this...

                            

 Strawberry Shortcake!!

Really is delicious! Maybe the freshly picked Strawberries contributed to the extra delicious taste.

Really easy to make, all you gonna need:

~~ A spongecake. You can bake it yourself or buy the ready made.

~~ 300g Cream Cheese.

~~ 250ml Whipping cream.

~~ 1/2 cup of sugar.

~~ A teaspoon Vanilla essence.

~~ Lots and lots of Strawberries.

Method: 

1: Cut your sponge cake into 3 layers. Put aside.

2: Mix cream cheese ang Sugar thoroughly using a mixer. Add in Vanilla. Mix some more. 

3: Add in Whipping cream and continue mixing until the batter becomes fluffy. 

4: Spread the batter evenly on the first layer of sponge cake, arrange cut strawberries nicely on top of it, then cover with another layer of sponge cake. And repeat procedure until you finish everything!

Done!!!

A perfect dessert for Summer!

Ok, that's all for today.. More stories later, insyaAllah...

Afeef had Karate tournament last Saturday, can't wait to write about that when I have the time..

Till later, Salam...

Something To Share (",)

Salam....

When Afeef was little, he was often so enthusiastic to help me with house chorus, like sweeping the floor, cooking, cleaning the toilet, washing the dishes, preparing his own milk, etc etc and I remember all these distinctly....

But problem was, I had never really let him, because instead of actually helping me, he often ended up leaving a huge mess for me to clean up :D

So, I chosed to just do everything myself because I didn't want the mess...

What a huge mistake!!

When I met my mom last time, mom reminded me again about this. Mom said, 

"Don't do EVERYTHING for the kids.."

"Let them do things themselves!"

Oh so true.... 

There's always something I get every time I meet mom... and thank God I still have a mom who'd constantly reminded me of the right thing to do..

So, my new mission now, to make sure the kids are able to do many things themselves...

Have you ever heard of a saying that goes like this~~

~~It is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings~~~~

How come I've never realized this before???

I keep doing things for them from A-Z when they are actually capable of doing things themselves, like clean the room, make the bed, wash the dishes, etc etc...

But..... it's never too late! 

So, by far, they started washing dishes themselves... I never had to remind them about this again (",)

Fatini always enjoys this task, errrrrr... actually she enjoys all house chorus hehehe...

They helped me in the kitchen, cooking, baking, usually I don't have to ask for help when it comes to baking and cooking, memang berebut nak tolong hehe.. 

Then ada la kejadian yang tak diingini, berebut itu, berebut ini, tepung tumpah, macam2 lagi... mama sabar je.. huhu..

Sometimes, I even wished that nobody noticed that I was baking haha!

Because Fatini and Aleena are sooooo into baking, so Afeef had to give in most of the time letting them do the jobs (",)

mmmmmmmmm..... (",)

Pancake, everyone's favorite!

Some tips: To have a fluffy pancake, use Self Raising Flour. 

Eh tertukar topik hehehe..

Today, little Aleena helped me with 'ikan bilis'....

I didn't ask for her help, she offered to help (",)

If I were still the same old me, I wouldn't have let her you know.. I would tell her to go play her toys!

But with this new mission and motivation, I felt so happy to let her help me with the 'ikan bilis' even though I was a lil bit worried about her mischiefs hehe...

So I let her.....

Though, after a few minutes......

mmmmmmmmm.......

It's ok lah hehehe... if we wait for everything to be perfect, by then, they won't be so excited to help with house chorus anymore...

They are just kids after all, kids are creative..... 

You'll see their creativity in everything they do... so, don't scold them,  just let their creativity grows... encourage them whenever necessary (",)

Yesterday, while I was in the bathroom, they cleaned the whole house without being told to do so... 

Wow, I was impressed!

Errrrr..... 

Rupa2 nya letak semua dalam kemah ni hehehe...

Patutlah pantas haha!

But, it's ok, those effort that matters to me, I still hugged and praised them for what they did hehe..

And, so far they made their bed themselves every morning without fail..

So happy to see this (",)

They remind each other, there was one morning I heard them waking up, they ususally chit chat a little before they got out of the room, and then I heard Fatini said,

"Afeef, kemas katil dulu..." hehehe..

True, kids are special in their own way....

So, to all mommies out there, especially housewives, your children tend to depend so much on you, because you are with them at home 24 7, and you tend to do everything for them too, thinking that you should because that's your job... but actually, it's not....

It's your job to teach them to be able to do everything themselves, to educate them, talk to them, tell them stories, remind them of the right things to do in life, correct them when they're wrong, listen to them when they have something to tell, (even if they talk about Power Rangers ke, Powerpuff girls ke, Luigi's Mansion ke hehe), care for them, love them, hug and kiss them everyday... when they start hiding things from you, that's when you have to bring yourself closer to them...

And you know what, it's quite fun talking to your kids, listen to their stories bout kindergarten, bout school, bout their favorite stories, while folding the clothes, while drinking together.. (",)

It's a moment we should cherish as a mom...

Don't miss every moment of it (",)

Most importantly, praise them, hug and kiss them for everything good they'd done, that way they feel appreciated and they will want to do more (",)

Lastly....

Yesterday, when I fetched Fatini from Kindergarten, she'd excitedly showed me the card she'd made for me (",)

She drew me (see this pic above) in red clothes, I was touched for she's aware of my favorite color...(",)

And later she apologized because she didn't know how to draw me in hijab hehehe...

And she asked,

"Berdosa ke gambar mama tak pakai tudung?"

hehehe... so innocent....

This kind of card perhaps means nothing much to us, but it means a lot to them.. 

Well.....

Every single thing means a lot to them...

Sometimes we were so uncertain about what the kids want, what they need, how they want to be loved? 

We were once a kid too.... what did we want?

Till later, Salam...

(",)

Spring Holiday part2

Salam.....

I have so many things to write and share here but I just have no time...

Don't tell me housewives have lots of time, don't tell me housewives have nothing to do at home!

There are lots and lots of things to do, that I wish I just have more time in one day!!

errrrrr.... hubby always says that we don't actually 'Have no time'.....

It's how we managed the times we have... Agree????

mmmmm.... btol la tu.... hehe

I have to work smart, think smart and waste no time....

So, a little update about my previous entry ~~Spring Holiday.

After we left Izu's house, we went to central London, the Malaysian Embassy specifically... hubby went there to renew his passport. Afterwards, we had our lunch at Hyde Park London, Nasik lemak yang Malaysian habis hehe and mee goreng...

At Hyde Park, London (",)

After that, we went to Malaysian Hall, solat Zuhur and Asar sambil Afeef pekena nasik sepinggan lagi haha!

Then, we went to Tower Bridge...

Glad that we finally made it here, the last time we were in London, we'd made a mistake and ended up in London bridge instead of Tower Bridge.. hehe...

And of course the view at night was even more mesmerizing I supposed (",)

Thank God the kids were all so strong and supportive and energetics... we didn't even have a stroller with us.. We just have each other to keep us stronger and a spirit so huge to meet my mom, my sister, my niece and my new niece!!!!!!

Seriously, I felt like flying straight to my sister's house!!!

Our train to Loughborough UK was due at 10 pm that night, so the plan was to wait at the train station until 10pm and get the kids something ( I bought them magazines and something for them to play with) to keep them awake. Can't afford to let them sleep before we get on the train because we didn't have a stroller with us!!

And 10pm in UK was 11pm in Germany!! Far past their bedtime!! 

But Alhamdulillah, everything went as planned (",)

It was a long day, but they were all so strong... Thank you so much, Afeef, Fatini, Aleena, for making it easy for mama and papa.. (",)

So, the moment we got on the train and settled in our seats, they were all in ~~Lalala Land~~

 hehehe...

Tengok Fatini tu sampai mengalir air liur basi hahahah!

I on the other hand couldn't sleep at all, was so excited to meet mom and adik and new baby, so I spent the time chatting with hubby and reading (",)
Adohai, while writing all these, all the feelings came back to me, mmmmmm...
There this warm feelings inside and excitement I couldn't describe... I long for that feeling again (",)

At about 12am UK time, we reached Louborough UK, where my sister's hubby waited for us. I woke Afeef up, and Hubby had to carry Fatini and I had to carry Aleena, tapi x pe, it was just a short walk before we got on the car.
It was just a few minutes drive.
And then there we were, at my sister's home, they were all still awake and waiting for us even though it's very late!!
Oh..... I miss those moments....


So, lets just make it short, among the few interesting events while we were in UK:

A trip to Manchester, UK.....

First stop, a friend's house in Manchester...

Then, Manchester United Football Club....

Where my mom initially wasn't so interested to go, but......

End up buying most hehehe...

Eh??...

My mom khusyuk memilih hehehe..

Dan jugak makan2 di Manchester, 'Mandi Rice'...

The next day, we went to Stonehenge...

Errrrrrr.....

Rezeki cik Aleena, jumpa Teletubbies kat Carboot dengan harga 50sen hehehe...

I've been searching for Teletubbies for Aleena coz she loves it so much, but never found one in Germany.. kalau ada pun, mesti mahal..

So, memang rezeki dia lah, hepi tak terkata, mama pun hepi jugak hehe..

She carries it it with here anywhere she goes (",)

Then Carboot, my sister and her hubby took us there...

Dan inilah hasil nya...... hahaha!!!

Just imagine ok camne kitorang hangkut bawak balik hehe...

Kuda besar dapat free, kuda kecik 2pound + hadiah buku2... 

Dan ada lagi barang2 dan buku2 from previous Carboot hehehe...

Most books 20pence each, ya Allah Heaven for book lovers!!!

Kalau ikut hati macam2 buku lagi nak beli, tapi tatau camana nak angkut balik German je...

Ade jugak basikal Barbie, cantik!!! Siap dengan carrier kat belakang, dan bag Barbie kat depan, 10pound je!! Tu pun bila kitorang cam x nak beli dia nak offer turun harga lagi!

Rasa cam nak cakap, 

"Oh we definitely think 10pound is cheap enough and we definitely wanna grab it even if you don't reduce the price, but we can't because we don't know how to 'angkut' it" heheheh...

Kalau Flohmarkt sini, basikal cantik camtu mesti at least 30euro!!!

Fatini pun menangis2 nak beli jugak, kalau lah kami memang penduduk UK memang dah beli tau .. tapi apekan daya kan...

Memang nikmat lah dok UK ni.. 

Ape pun, bersyukur dengan ape yang ada... (",)

Alhamdulillah diberi peluang merasa semua ni, dan dapat jugak carik buku English banyak2 for the kids and myself too...

Rezeki Nadrah, kuda2 ni kami tinggal aje (",) 

There's more stories actually, later I'll update insyaAllah...

The kids were having a great time... (",)

Playground only a few steps away from my sister's home. 

***sigh****

I miss those moments.... 

Terribly....

Lastly....

A Piano cover by me, 

This time I dedicate this specially for those who will be getting married soon (",)

~~Impian Kasih, InTeam Sentimental version~~~

Used to love this song so much, and still love it very much...

Lovely (",)

Enjoy!

Till later, Salam....

Spring's Holiday ~~Part 1~~ (",)

Salam...

Wow, feel so long since my last update.. I don't know why but every time I sat infront of my computer to update blog, I ended up doing something else hehe...

Ok, just a quick one before all events became rotten (",)

Esters holiday just started last Wednesday and will last in 2 weeks, and coincidently my sister in UK gave birth to her 2nd child early in March. And what's more, my mother decided to visit them, and help taking care of the newborn, and me????

Of coz I was overly excited!!! Meeting my mom and my sister again!!! And a new niece!!!! Wow!!!

Super duper cool!!

So, we booked a flight ticket to London last Tuesday evening, and our first stop was.........

Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaa......!!!!!!

My long time friends, Izuan Murat and Hisham... Izu is among the first person I met during my early days in IIUM. Something still so fresh in my mind, We sat next to each other the whole of orientation week (",)

Today, masing2 dah ada 3 anak! How time flies... (",)

So our 1st stop was Izu and Hisham's house, not only that Izu insisted we should spend the night there, she also insisted that Hisham pick us all up from the airport! Terharu ok, dah la jauh pulak tu.. When we reached their house, they served us with wonderful and delicious meals!!

Macam2 masak, sedap2, superb hospitality....thank you sooooo much Izu and Hisham... Allah bless you guys (",)

I myself feel like I'm truly blessed with wonderful people around me (",) Alhamdulillah...

Overall, We had a great time at Izu & Hisham's, and unfortunately we had to leave early in the morning, it's not a school holidays just yet in London, The Eins (their two beautiful girls) had to go to school and my hubby had to renew his passport.

So we left about 10.30am, and our train to Loughborough UK was due at 10pm that very same day.. It's a long day, yes... But it was great, we went to Malaysian hall again, Hyde park, and Tower bridge. We didn't have the chance to visit Tower bridge the last time we were in London (",)

I'll continue tomorrow, insyaAllah, or day after tomorrow, or tomorrow tomorrow haha!!

You know, being with your loved ones, other activities seemed like a waste of time!!

Oh, this time around, this Spring's holiday, is by far the best holiday for me.. Can't believe I get to meet my mom again and my sister in just a few months after we'd last get together. Ini pun dikira rezeki kan...? I've never had to ask, He gave, if I asked, He never dissappoint..... 

Thank you Allah!

Till later, salam... (",)

Another Fasching Season (",)

Salam...

This is actually a last Saturday's story, before it gets rotten, I better bring myself to write about this because... 

you know... 

For future reminiscence... (",)

This is something special, which we'll never have in Malaysia, it's a celebration or a carnival season in Germany known as Fasching.

It's a time of festivity and merry making, there's parades, dancing in the streets, people from all ages wearing costumes, you'll get to see so many types of costumes!

It's fun, and the atmosphere were filled with vibrance and merriment!! 

So, there was a Parade held in Mainz last Saturday, so off we went..

It was about 1 and a half hours journey by trains, and the kids were well equipped with entertainment to avoid boredom hehe..

As we were nearing Mainz, the atmosphere inside the train changed tremendously, as more and more people entered the train with costumes, they sang a song, cheered and the air was filled with vibrance!!

And once we've reached Mainz, wow!! We saw more and more people with all kinds of costumes!

Everywhere!

The parade was due to begin at 2.15pm, and we've decided to have our lunch first in a Restaurant which Hubby had searched online. But, while we were on our way to that Restaurant, we've passed by another Restaurant which looked presentable, comfortable, so I told hubby, let's just have our Lunch here.. and hubby insisted on finding the one he had found on the internet..
mmmmmm camtu lah hubby, if he has decided on something, it's very hard to change his mind ^_^

I had to agree though I felt a lil bit dissatisfied hehehe...

So, we finally reached the Restaurant, it was small, not as comfortable looking as the previous one, and it was a lil bit crowded too...

And we had to wait longer for our food and the Parade was going to start soon.. and the previous Restaurant was a little vacant compared to this.. 

And perhaps if we had gone to that Restaurant, we would have enough time to eat, to watch the parade, to find the Mosque for Zuhur and Asar prayer...

So I began expressing my dissatisfaction at hubby's choice hehehe...

But, I shouldn't feel dissatisfied for anything, just make doa for whatever decision we were going to make, let Allah guide us so that we make the best decision even in a small small matter like deciding where to eat.. do you agree?

Yes, there's hidden 'hikmah' for everything that happens, either you see it straight away or you have to wait for a while to see it, or wait longer but eventually you'll see the 'hikmah' and reasons behind it...

So, even though it seemed like a wrong decision, fortunately enough the Parade starting point was just a few steps away, just opposite the Restaurant, we could even watched it from the glass door of the Restaurant. So while waiting for the food, I took Afeef and Fatini outside to watch the parade and collect candies, while Hubby and Aleena stayed inside the Restaurant, and wait for the food.

And later, the Restaurant workers told us that we could perform Solat in their store room which they themselves used as a prayer room.

There were 'sejadah' ready and all...

So sweet... masa solat rasa nak nangis...

You know, I regretted complaining earlier....

How God has made things easy for us, and all we did was find faults.. huhu

My point is, don't complain, don't argue because Allah certainly has plans for us in every single thing we do.. So Trust.. (",)

So..... These were some pictures I took during the Parade....

Paling cute (",) 

Yang berstroller, yang kecik molek, semua ada hehe...

But, the part I enjoyed most was.....

........Watching the bystander..... hehehe

It's cute to watch the whole family dressed in costumes... right?

 (",)

Afeef and Fatini had a great time collecting candies..

Our Lunch... (",)

Hasil Kutipan hehehe...

Banyak buang aje sebab tak halal..

One beautiful view I managed to capture in Mainz (",)

After the Parade, we went to a nearby some sort of a Fun-fare held in conjunction with Fasching season. 

The kids watched the sky-fliers in awe heheh..

Serious scary benda ni huhu..

On the way home, I captured a unique tree plastered against the wall of a building. 

And Aleena with her little teddy, always carry that teddy anywhere she goes, cute kan (",)

Nowadays we rarely bring a stroller along, just to train her, and it worked out well... only hubby had to carry her once in a while, it's ok.... hubby kan nak build muscles hehehe!

On the way home...

 We reached home about 9.00 pm kot, had our dinner and dropped by at the store, but still the kids were all energetics! 

And... 

I felt new all day, I was wearing one of the most beautiful shawl, even more beautiful because it's a gift from a wonderful friend recently (",)

And lastly, Afeef's school celebrated Fasching last Friday, which he wore a Police costume, (I forgot to take a photo of him) and Fatini's kindergarten celebrated it last Monday, and she had on her Rapunzel costume!!

Our last Fasching.... insyaAllah...

(",)