Blogs Blah

As you can gather from the title, there is nothing of interest that I can think that is worth blogging about. Besides the fact that I laid Cael in his crib for a nap yesterday and when I went to check on him, found him eating some baby lotion that he somehow managed to grab a hold of from his crib. I tried to make him gag but nothing came out. I was quite worried but his father said he might just get a tummy upset. Anyways, I was on high alert yesterday watching him but he seemed alright. Then I remember how when I was young, I used to eat baby powder. So, oh well. Oh yeah, he had bright green poop yesterday. I thought he had some kind of weird diarrhea as I can't think of anything I have fed him that is sooooo green. Checked online and found out it was because I gave him a kid's yogurt called Trix that is red and blue in color, and for odd reasons, when you eat that, the poop comes out green. Anyways...I am not sure I like giving Cael such a colorful food (all the coloring must not be good for him) so that is the last time I will buy him kid's yogurt. He has been doing fine eating adult's yogurt. Oh yeah I weaned him off his morning and afternoon bottles so he hardly gets any milk since he refuses to drink it from a sippy cup. I know, very odd child. He will drink water and juice but he refuses to drink milk that way. So I have been trying all kinds of ways to make sure he gets enough calcium. I still give him his bedtime bottle just so I am not so worried about him not getting enough calcium.

Chinese New Year

This is the 7th year I will miss Chinese New Year. I think the thing I miss most is the family reunion dinner. Otherwise I can't say I really miss it much. Well of course, the one week holiday we get most of the time. And the ang-pows..hehe...but that was when we were kids. Now, if I go back home I will have to give out ang-pows. So better to just avoid Chinese New Year! HAHAHA! But then again, Cael will get to collect ang-pows so we might break even! What I really crave is the Yee-Sang which no one (Chinese) I have asked here has heard about. Very odd indeed. Must be a local celebration.
Well, here's to wishing you all a Happy and Healthy Chinese New Year!

How To Eat Cheese

Being Asian, cheese is not a part of our staple. At least, not where I come from. But I have learnt to enjoy the different kinds of cheeses. It was always a fascination to me why the western people are so into it. I remember once many years ago, a friend of mine from London brought back to Malaysia a platter filled with different kinds of cheeses. After a few bites, I began to savor the subtle flavor on my palate. I especially liked Brie.
I say all this to say that recently I caved in to the temptation of buying a (brick? section?) of Brie. Brie is not cheap, I mean I can cook a whole meal with the kind of money I blew on this tiny triangle to cheese. And I came home and couldn't wait to eat it. To my HUGE disappointment, it was not soft in the middle like I remembered and there was hardly any taste. So I left it in my fridge to rot (haha!) But I was curious to find out if one was supposed to eat the white coating surrounding it. So I went online to check and came across a wealth of information. The most important being that Brie should be eaten close to the manufacturer's due date. That is when is has appropriately aged. Well, well, well, imagine my delight. And true enough, it gets better and better everytime I go and get a nibble. And yes, the white coating can be eaten. I am going to try Camembert next.

Filed Our Tax Return

Every year I sort of have a love/hate relationship with filing our tax returns. Love because I know we will get some refund from Uncle Sam. Hate because I have to collect all those pieces of papers and make sure I enter all the correct amount in those tiny boxes. This year TaxCut is my preferred tax software because I can file my federal tax for free since we qualify. I just have to pay to file the state return. Which is a total bummer. Still, for 25 bucks.. much cheaper than hiring any accountant. And can I ask why I get taxed for a refund from IRS when it is THEY who took MY money TAX-FREE for a whole year? I hope someone can explain this to me.
Now that we no longer own a home I hope we will break even next year with Uncle Sam. Well, we have Cael, hopefully he is good for a little refund haha!!
I have included a link for those who want to see if they qualify for a free e-file. Click on the buttons next to the title.