The elder of the church here is passing me all his newspapers now. Hooray! I mentioned to him that I miss reading papers, that it's a kind of daily habit, but I don't wish to subscribe over here. So he will pass me all the papers after he's read it.
So much so that I have a backlog now, cos now that my mom is home in Sg, I am truly having a busy and hectic schedule. It doesn't read much here, but somehow I am worn out by the end of the day. Anyway, that kind of mundane thing won't be blog-worthy, so I'll just always post about the highlights.
Since I am now fairly current with what's happening in Utah, I found out that it's now the Sundance Film Fest here, quite nearby for me.... I remember people like Royston Tan showing his films at such indie film fests... Anyway the locals are excited about this annual event too, cos they get to rub shoulders with Hollywood stars, producers and such who flock to the screenings and previews.
The other thing is, now being ski season, there are a lot of tourists at SLC. So I got to see many more Asians around. My mom spoke to someone from Beijing who's here with her young kids, but they've been in New Jersey for 10yrs already. They come to SLC every yr for skiiing. So many people from all over gather here to ski, snowboard etc that it makes me want to go too, cos it'd be a pity not to, being so near. But, we'll hv to wait for our transport problems to be solved first. The other thing is, I've checked all the 20+ resorts featured in a magazine, the youngest age they allow for skiing is 4yrs. So Justus can't ski... anyway, common sense should have told me so. He can't even jump yet, how to ski??!? HAha. So probably if we go, I'd be minding ds2 while ds1 and dh skis. Most resorts have childcare for infants from 6 weeks old, but they are expensive... Maybe I can toboggan with ds2 lah!
Some pics from our neighbourhood. This mtn range stretches all the way from North UT to SLC and below. Called the Wasatch Front, I think.
By the way, we didn't manage to make another snowman cos the snow is very dry and fluffy so far. We tried a few times but the snowball could not get large and firm, unless I get water outside to firm it? But from what the papers said, this kind of powdery snow is what skiers love and is what makes Utah great for winter sports. Quoted: " Utah's prolific snowfall is due to a process called OROGRAPHICS. The jet stream, laden with storms from the Pacific Coast, dries out over the Nevada desert. It, and the moisture it carries, is cooled over the Great Salt Lake and then slams into Utah's Rocky Mountain Range, releasing a bounty of the driest, fluffiest snow in the World. Hence Utah is known for its Greatest Snow on Earth (R)."
I am now a full time stay at home mom (SAHM). So planning meals has become one of my most impt responsibilities. Yet it is impossible to cook 3 meals a day while still needing to homeschool and spend time with kids, plus wash clothes n such. But we can't eat out or take out often too, as it costs too much.
So I have resorted to cooking in large batches while dh is at home, eg at night or weekends, then freezing smaller amounts. I have scientifically labelled all my containers and placed some of the beef stew or chicken soup in the lower fridge area for eg, then some in the freezer. This will cut down food prep time by a lot, esp if both kids are super clingy just before mealtimes.
My mom also shredded carrots, minced meat and peeled garlics to store in the fridge too, so I can just whip out and cook a veggie dish. So now, rice, or pasta with stew and a veg dish is what makes up almost every meal of mine and kids. Everyday. Except Sun, when we eat out for lunch.
Below, just for interest, the seeds of the banana. Supp to be sterile. Somehow the pattern is beautiful to me, so I took it. ds1 and ds2 love bananas and eat one each everyday. So I buy 2-3 bunches every weekend. And I have to choose them in varying degrees of ripeness, to last out the week.
The other photo shows me making waffles in bulk. Then I freeze part of them too. This is to create some variety of the snacks ds takes. He is still eating 8 pcs of bread a day but I think I'll try and vary that a bit with pancakes, waffles (i rem Lay Hua and Mrs Tham's recipes) and cake (my mom's recipe). The waffles are funny cos the first few I made were all incomplete. Took some time to get the amount of batter to pour in.. And oh, forgot to mention the waffle-maker and slow-cooker crockpot (for stews) were passed to me by someone in church too. Thanks to them we are eating more interesting stuff now.
And I enjoy baking the most. Didn't have an oven that can bake back home, but now I do, given by church member too. The huge oven under the stove was very dirty and smelly. So I used a toaster oven to bake the cakes instead, just have to ensure the cakes are small. ds1 asked for a banana cake so I will bake one this Sunday for him to celebrate his birthday with his Sunday School friends. So fast, he is 4 now... wow.. sounds so big.. hope he can help me out with more chores then! :-)
