Aidan's First Train Ride

Y'all know how much Aidan loves trains rite! So, we decided to take him on a train ride last weekend. We took the KTM Komuter... what seemed like a good idea at first turned out to be well, not quite like we expected... or rather we had forgotten how long it takes to wait for the train and how long and tyring the journey can be especially with a toddler.

But, despite that, Aidan had fun. He enjoyed himself. He was so happy that he finally got to go on a train ride. And, he was talking all the way saying things like "The doors are open. The train cannot move until the doors are closed", and everytime the bell went off for an announcement at the station he'd say "Oh, the train is coming soon".

His eyes were like saucers in most of the pictures coz everything was so new and amazing for him to look at for the first time. It was great.

Aidan & Grandma

Aidan loves meddling in Grandma's room coz she never says anything. He gets away with just about anything in there.

Aidan in the year 2009

Well, 2 years have gone by... Aidan's now 2 yrs. and 4 months. Unbelievable, how fast time flies and how fast he's sprouted. It's great now that he's talking, but, sometimes I'm stunned at what comes out of his mouth... "did washing their mouth out with soap and water work in the old days???", I find myself wondering at times... hmm... He's just picking up really fast on what people say around him... it's hard to constantly have to remind friends and family to watch what they say around him. But, I also make it a point to let him know that it's not okay for him to say certain things and being as stubborn as he is (a very prominently inherrant trait from his parents), his 'timeouts' have increased somewhat considerably... but not everyday is like that... thank heavens.

He's always dreaded going to the barber for a haircut, but, lately he's been expressing himself verbally and saying "No barber uncle. Mummy cut my hair". So, I did. I mean how bad could it be....... well, I accidentally cut off one of his side burns and then just to make it look even on the other side I had to cut off the other one too. So, his new hair-do looks like I'd placed a bowl on his head and cut around it. Some of our friends thought he looked very Vulcan, thanks to the new 'Star Trek' Movie. I took the credit, naturally, no point in letting everyone know it was a 'boo-boo'... oops! guess everyone who reads Aidan's blog knows now....

Aidan's Pasta Sauce

We all love pasta, except for Aidan's grandma (my mom). Aidan likes his pasta topped with a bit of french fries instead of meatballs... *sigh* what can I say, I give it to him, so long as he eats something.

So, to make this oh so yummy sauce, you'll need:

1 large brinjall/aubergine, cut into large chunks
1 large very ripe tomato, quartered
1/2 large onion (or 1 medium onion), quartered
1 large red bell pepper (can use green or yellow instead), quartered
1 clove garlic, skin removed and left whole
1 medium-large carrot (any color), cut into 1inch thick medalions
1-2 tbsp olive oil or any veg. oil
1.5 to 2 cups store bought tomato based pasta sauce or pre-made sauce

1. place all vegetables + garlic in large baking dish and drizzle with olive oil.

2. mix to coat vegetables evenly with the oil.

3. place in a 180'c - 200'c preheated oven for aprox. 20-30mins until vegetables appear golden and smell beautifully roasted. as an indication when checking for doneness, the skins of the bell peppers should be blistered not burnt and the carrots should be cooked through and tender when pierced.

4. place roasted vegetables in a blender with aprox. 2 cups of ready made pasta sauce and puree. taste and season with extra salt & pepper if needed. the outcome is a thick, flavourful sauce that's good enough to eat on it's own.


Note: The red peppers and the ripe tomato help ensure that you end up with a beautiful red sauce and fussy tots, like Aidan, who don't like vegetables won't know they're actually eating vegetables. I also, tend to use store bought tomato-based pasta sauce for this coz it's easier than making my own from scratch... I used to, but any woman with young kids will understand when I say you just don't have that kind of time on your hands to be spending hours in the kitchen standing over a hot stove.

A child's Nutrition... every mom's primary concern.

I know we haven't been updating this page for nearly a year now.... we're sorry. Mohan, Aidan's Appa has been really busy with work, and myself, Aidan's Ma, hasn't been able to get time alone on the computer without Aidan saying, "Carry up. Sit on the lap", and scrambling up onto my lap and taking quick jabs at the keyboard before I can pull him away. I know, I could update this site when he naps... alas, I have been using his naptime to try and come up with nutritious yet 'yummy mum-mums', as Aidan would call it, to try and entice him into eating. My mom always complained that I was a picky eater when I was his age... Aidan has relinquished me of that title. Oh there's a long list of stuff he won't eat. The only things he does eat with no complaints are Ice-cream, cheese, fruits, soups, cake with frosting, french fries (chips) and Pao (steamed buns with sweet fillings). He absolutely will not touch vegetables and consumes very little animal protein (probably why he's still quite small for his age).

I did however replace his fav. treat ice-cream with a healthier home made creamy banana popsicle. And, Aidan loves fresh apple+carrot juice, so I use the left over pulp in my juicer to, occasionally, make a carrot apple cake w. cream cheese frosting. A new problem has recently popped up, he knows how to pick out candy in the store... and why wouldn't he? The candy is very strategically placed at a toddlers' level at the cashiers' counter... we grown-ups need to bend/kneel down to pick what we want. And, you think by carrying him while checking your groceries out at the counter is going to prevent him from picking out any candy from the shelves... he reaches for a lollipop instead, because every counter has a lollipop tree at an adult's eye level, very easily accessible to toddlers in mom/dad's arms. Oh, the nightmare our parents would've gone through when they took us to the store at that age...

Well, I do still add veg purees in the food that he does eat and as long as it isn't green he doesn't know it's there. And, for good measure I give him a good kids' chewable multivitamin, vitamin C and a little soya protein in his milk.