I'm a full-time mummy

I know, I know... it is weird. I mean, how often do you hear parents saying they read news articles instead of storybooks for their kiddos' bedtime stories right? So let me be the weird one to tell you that. Yes, I read news articles to our kiddos before their bedtime.

I can't even remember how we get to this point. I think probably one of those nights when the kiddos refused to sleep (btw, we all co-sleep on 2 huge mattresses) and I was so tired that I just turned on my iPhone and started browsing through my usual newsfeed channels searching for interesting stuff to read. And then our oldest kiddo asked me what was I reading and I explained and told him about the news I was reading. One thing lead to another, I started reading news article for their bedtime stories. I like that I don't need to turn on the room's light and hold up a book to read to all 3 kiddos LOL

So much that every night the standard statement from our 6 year old boy was 'Mummy, after this we brush teeth then get ready for sleep but before that you read news okay?' Okayyyyy...

Of course, I filter the heavy more serious type of news (politics for example), so those that I normally share with our kiddos are news like below:

I also shared the same articles on my FB page as well from time to time. I believe that knowledge is key and never harm anyone if we read up more and know more. And since I am reading out loud to our kiddos, I hope they can learn to listen the proper pronounciation apart from learning about things around them.

I was happy when I came across this article on what reading aloud to your children does to their brain. Excerpt from article below:

"When parents read to their children the difference shows in children's behavior and academic performance. And according to a new study, the difference also shows in their brain activity.

Researchers looked at children ages 3 to 5 who underwent brain scans called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while listening to a pre-recorded story. The parents answered questions about how much they read to, and communicated with, their children.

The researchers saw that, when the young children were being told a story, a number of regions in the left part of the brain became active. These are the areas involved in understanding the meaning of words and concepts and also in memory. These same brain regions have been found to be active when older children listen to stories or read. 

The brain develops rapidly from zero to six years of age, and the more exposure, the more you enrich and nurture these brain networks that are related to social and academic ability, the more the kid will gain the future."

There are benefits of parents reading to their children beyond the child's performance, too. "It's one of the most pleasurable activities that you do with your child -- there's physical closeness but it's probably the most unhurried time that children have with their parent and it is focused on them."

** Note: I have disabled the commenting feature on my blog engine thanks to all the spammers who happily spam my blog every day. If you wish to ask me any questions, you can find me at my Facebook page (I'm there almost everyday) or just drop me an email if you wish to maintain some anonymity.

I have been cutting down on doing product reviews since 2014 and only accepted those that I feel will definitely fit into our family dynamics (especially books on parenting or homeschooling stuff, family products, something along those genre)

Few months ago, I received an offer to review Corelle’s latest dinnerware line. Wow, I would be crazy to turn down this opportunity for my whole family to try out new products right? Anyway, let's continue with my review below...

About the product:

"In celebration of Corelle’s 45th anniversary, World Kitchen introduces a brand new collection Rosabelle. In line with World Kitchen’s commitment to provide and innovate to meet the world’s evolving needs in homes, the kitchenware world leader has produced a new collection available in both dinnerware and cookware.

Inspired by the French language, Rosa means rose and Belle means beautiful. Rosabelle is available under both of World Kitchen’s Corelle and Corningware brands. Chip-resistant, stain-free, durable, easy to clean and fashionably designed, Corelle Rosabelle is ideal for home use, for the busy yet innovative Malaysian home cooks. It is a favourite among households for its revolutionary material that is comprised of a special three layer glass laminate called Vitrelle® glass. This material is responsible for Rosabelle’s exceptional lightweight and durability. Under its cookware line, Corningware Rosabelle acts as a uniquely versatile cookware that allows you to cook and serve beautiful dishes with just 1 pot."

Those of you who followed my blog will know that I've only started buckling up and cooking for the family since this beginning of 2014 (prior to that, my mum-in law cooked for us mostly) and I do feel that the look and feel of the dinnerware plays an important part in building up the excitement of the dishes I whipped up every weekdays LOL.

I received 5 pieces of Corelle Rosabelle dinnerware and 1 Corningware casserole for my review. The moment I received the items, I was already plotting and planning for opportunities on how I should use these dinnerware.

FYI, Corelle dinnerware is made out of Vitrelle®, a unique three-layered laminated glass for superior strength and durability. The Vitrelle® makes its dinnerware resistant to breakage and chipping. I took a while admiring the beautiful designs, love love love the pastel colors of the flowers. I also tried to scratch and chip off the designs to no avail LOL.

One thing that impressed me the most is how light and thin the dinnerware are. Everytime I hold one of the dinnerware, I have to remind myself not to get too excited as it is just so so so light! It also stacks up easily and takes up lesser space compared to my other dinnerware.

I love it so much! I looked forward to using them during mealtimes!

Btw, Corelle dinnerware is also oven and microwave safe, I've tested this out haha..

Now back to how I used these dinnerware...

I used them for my famous ayam masak merah dish.

I used them for my stir-fry chicken in ginger and scallions, Sweet & sour pork, curry chicken,

Spinach in anchovy soup...

Stir-fry sweet potato leaves with Japanese tofu and fishballs...

And...

Yes, even durians. I don't know how, I can't explain it, that piece of durian just looks so gorgeous on the plate!

Apparently the Corningware cookware can be used straight from the freezer, to the stovetop or oven, and onto the dining table for fuss-free yet stylish serving, I have yet to try this out due to being tied up these recent 2 months with GST, year end closing and auditing queries for hubby's company. Possibly will do so one of this days with my other famous dish, braised pork.

Overall feedback, I'm very happy we get to review these products!

Definitely will be using them again and again and again!

The Corelle Rosabelle 16 piece set is priced at RM729 and the Corningware Rosabelle 6 piece Casserole Set (1L, 1.5L & 3L) is priced at RM629.

Both are available in leading departmental stores.

For more info such as product updates, promos, and tips on cooking and kitchenware care, do check out World Kitchen Facebook page.

Do note that I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the products in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.

** Note: I have disabled the commenting feature on my blog engine thanks to all the spammers who happily spam my blog every day. If you wish to ask me any questions, you can find me at my Facebook page (I'm there almost everyday) or just drop me an email if you wish to maintain some anonymity.

Ever since I started kindergarten at 6 years old, I have been attending public schools (main language is Bahasa Malaysia) and during my earlier years, I mixed around with a lot of Malay friends and even spoke Bahasa with my elder brother at home (he also attends public schools), even to this day. So Bahasa Malaysia used to be my main language other than Cantonese and later on English (brushed up more when I met my hubby then boyfriend through snail mails, I had to practise and brush up my English as he doesn't speak Cantonese) Anyway, I think it is fun to be able to practise back and sharing what I know with those of you who are interested.

And so, here goes our next lesson: Keep The Change...

For those of you who are more often on Facebook, you can also find the tutorials on my Facebook fan page. I have created a "Let's Learn Bahasa & Cantonese!" album to store the phrases. Enjoy learning!

 ** Note: I have disabled the commenting feature on my blog engine thanks to all the spammers who happily spam my blog every day. If you wish to ask me any questions, you can find me at my Facebook page (I'm there almost everyday) or just drop me an email if you wish to maintain some anonymity.