Let's Eat Veggies!

This menu is a fusion of Turkish and Indian cuisine. The flat bread recipe was shared by a friend from Chennai, India who won my Vanity Kit Giveaway. The carrot recipe was shared to me by a friend from Izmir, Turkey which she calls "fasulye" in Turkish or simply Carrots and Green Beans in Tomato Sauce.


*fasulye + paratha = a very healthy meal


I served these to my hubby and brother-in-law the other day. Girl, they enjoyed their bowls of Carrots and Green Beans in Tomato Sauce Served with Spinach-Parsley Flat Bread a lot. Hubby only requested for a creamier soup and plain flat bread next time. I mean, they liked the Indian Vegetarian Paratha, but they also miss the Turkish Pita. Oh well, there is always next time.





*My husband corrected my spelling.

PS. Noticed the missing link to my Turkish blog? It is currently hidden that's why I am posting this here. I want to focus on both Pink MagaLine and U.T.O.T.M.O.P.I.N.K. so I hope my readers of Living the Turkish Life understand. I will bring it back sometime in the future so please just stick around.

Just Another Day at the Playground

My daughter goes to the podium playground twice a day. She meets her playmates for some morning chat around 8 o'clock, then for an afternoon fun around 5 o'clock.



watermelon top and skirt, Dora rubber slippers, Disney cellphone, and santan flowers all in pink..


Her uncle who arrived from Istanbul last month gave her cash as a gift. I used the said money to buy her new clothes, including the one she's wearing in the picture, and toys, like that pink cellphone. I also bought more hair clips and a lovely pair of Dora sandals. She likes the sandals a lot, though. It turned to be her current favorite because they are tall and embellished beautifully. I'm planning to make a separate post of that.. so later.






*This is my 33rd entry for the "I ♥ PINK" meme. To be a part of the pink fever, click the button shown at the sidebar.

Teaching a Preschooler

My daughter is already considered a preschooler. I started buying study materials for her like flash cards, alphabet poster, number books, pens, crayons, and so on.



she likes writing..


Thanks to Sis Bambie for her idea of a "freedom wall". It works perfectly for my daughter. I posted a couple of construction paper on the wall and let her draw or write on them. To avoid crayon and markers on the painted wall, I should instruct her not to go beyond the boarder every time she uses them. Reminding a kid of a task or lesson is always important. At first, they might fail to follow, but they learn in time by repetition and recognition.





her study corner at home..


Aşkim used to attend an English class in the morning. She stopped for a couple of weeks after getting sick. Last week, hubby and I pushed her to attend the program again, so she can have interaction with other kids. Besides, the lessons are free courtesy of some family friends who own the school. Plus, the teacher simply relies on basic things like ABC, numbers, colors and shapes, singing and playing.

Currently, my daughter is attending the 1 PM to 3 PM session from Monday to Friday together with two classmates, ages 3 and 4. Being the youngest in the group, she tends to be more playful and less serious. Imagine her go under the chair while making a dog sound as her teacher shows a picture of a puppy. I know it's funny, but she learns from both her teacher and classmates pretty well. For example, she lines up with her classmates when the teacher asks them to go out the room one by one. Not to mention, she went home the other day showing to me the "Michael Jackson move" that she copied from her classmate. Haha.

At home, in the morning before cooking lunch, I teach my daughter a single lesson from the chart or book. Teaching her doesn't last more than half an hour. Toddlers of her age are naturally playful. They can't focus for a long time, so 10 to 20 minutes is enough and the rest is play. Associating learning with play is the key.

Learning for toddlers is not limited at home or at school. Learning comes wherever they go. A perfect example was our trip out of town last weekend. While on the road to our place in Bulacan, we spotted lots of cows along the fields. When we saw a couple of cows very near the highway, we stopped and opened the windows for Aşkim to clearly see them. I tell you, she was very happy observing the cows as they munch on some green grass. "COOOOWWWWWW!" she screamed loudly at them.

Off again..

So sorry girls. I don't have internet again. Just mobile blogging now. Hope you don't miss my Victoria Secret giveaway. If you already joined, please invite your friends to enter too. It's up until the 13th next month. Check pinkmagaline.com for more details. Happy weekend everyone. Kisses.

I won COSMO'S SEX AND THE CITY 2 Promo!

Last week, Cosmo.ph announced the winners of the Sex And The City 2 Promo and I was one of them! They gave three trivia questions about the movie, then chose ten lucky members of their site who answered them right.



I picked up my prize from SUMMIT MEDIA this afternoon. After like 10 minutes of waiting at the office lobby, I was able to take home this super cool Sex And The City 2 shirt and purse valet.

See the shirt's print? Yes, that's Carrie Bradshaw's gold sunglasses which we saw in the movie. Very nice. I swear, wearing it feels like a sexy chick in the city. Haha.

The purse valet is a must-have too. From now on, I will worry no more about my bags getting dirty. The purse valet will allow me to hang my bag on a table conveniently.

Thank you so much Cosmo.ph! Hope to win again next time. Haha.

Pink MagaLine's Victoria's Secret Giveaway

Enter for a chance to win this Victoria's Secret from the Pink Collection.



Just like my previous giveaways, joining is pretty easy. Just follow Pink MagaLine, drop a comment by answering one of the questions and you're in.

Deadline to enter is August 13, 2010. The winner will be chosen through random.org and announced the same day.

This giveaway is open internationally.

Click HERE for more details.

Helping My Child Overcome Her Fear of Doctors

My daughter doesn't feel comfortable around her pediatrician esp. if it's already injection time. She usually cries while struggling to to hold me tight everytime the doctor starts the examination. I know such reaction from children is common. They mostly suffer from fear of doctors. They are afraid of needles or things unknown to them.



Aşkim, her pink syringe and the Hello Kitty nurse kit.

For the hope of my daughter being able to overcome her fear, I bought this Hello Kitty Nurse Kit from Toy Kingdom a month ago. I don't want to always force her to take syrup or immunization whenever needed. I believe doing the same thing over and again may become traumatic to her. Instead, I want her to slowly learn that taking medication is normal for a sick person and doctors are friendly people.

When I was a kid, I also suffered from fear of injections. I remember hiding under my chair when the nurse visited our classroom in 1st grade. Before recess, she was able to vaccinate all of my classmates, both boys and girls, except me. Anyway, I was able to manage my fear when I became sickly from 4th grade to high school, so at this age, I already have a high tolerance for pain.

Going back to my daughter, I purchased the Hello Kitty toy, thinking of playing nurse with her and hoping it will make her feel comfortable around medical practitioners. At home, she started pretending to be checking on Baba and I, giving us syrup and injection. She sometimes even practice playing nurse on her dolls alone.






*This is my 32nd entry for the "I ♥ PINK" meme. To be a part of the pink fever, click the button shown at the sidebar.

Kool Fever

Have you seen the new packaging of Kool Fever yet? It used to be blue. Now, it's already PINK! I wonder why they changed the color. They also added cute characters on the gel sheets. Hmmm, does this mean more girls are getting sick of fever than boys? Haha. Whatever. I just like the new Kool Fever.



I love this product of PHILUSA. Aside from paracetamol, I also use Kool Fever Cooling Gel Sheets in treating my daughter whenever she has fever. It helps me lower her high temperature for some period of time, so I don't have to wipe her with wet cloth everytime.

Kool Fever has a refreshing effect. It's constant cooling action lasts up to 4 hours. It is ready to use. Just peel off the plastic and stick on your baby's forehead. It stays in place even the baby moves a lot.

Adult Kool Fever Cooling Gel Sheets is available at your local drugstore or grocery.




*This is my 31st entry for the "I ♥ PINK" meme. To be a part of the pink fever, click the button shown at the sidebar.