Cerita rojak rojak

Salam Maulidur Rasul....

A very special day indeed today...

I wish i am able to read Quran or fast today...but since it is impossible...i can only listen with jelousy as a few moms of Hatice's classmates were telling me of their plans today...and tonite...

Things had been hectic eversince last tea visit (see my previous entry)...

I had attended another 2 teas at 2 different places with just a day gap in between each! (3 in total eversince thursday)

My weight challenge is down in the drain...and even today... was out of the home ever since this morning jumping from one place to another... crossing one continent to another...even got the chance to visit places with great de javu...him being the perfect gentleman for today...Alhamdulillah.... adding a few kilos is worth the price of happiness i feel right now...

Remember the national anthem i practically went crazy trying to teach baddin...?? It turned out that..for the competiton baddin was to enter (in his class)... he was actually supposed to memorize the national anthem and presented it as a poem!! and to think we worked hard....in song form!!!Oh no! me n my turkish incompentecy!

And at the ground floor of the school.....for Çanakkale Zaferi...(a celebration celebrating the success of the turkish army from stopping the invasion of outside forces(british etc) in history)..

my daughter's pic was/is among the pics being hang at the ground floor of theschool! Bravo kiddo!

Not bad eh for a first grader??

and just look at this pide (from our unplanned ada trip)
and this lahmacun
(also from the unplanned ada trip)

Alhamdulillah..i am blessed with the existence of these three special people..

Ah...look at my beloved...isnt he just cute (neck up only! hahaha)

May u both grow up to be good people, in n out...

and be blessed with good spouses...

But let us nbot forget the trip at the zoo....!!

safa n baddin..

urs truly..i am even shorter than this pony!!! arghhhhhhh

Allah ayırmasın insyaAllah...

cousins at the zoo playground...

tiger tiger burning bright..in the middle of the nite...

watching with full concentration hehehe

it says there...*do not feed the animals*..

of course..these two were feeding the animals! hahaha

i must bring them to zoo in Malaysia... they simply love this one trip...!

p.s...if i am unable to blog hop..that is because my socializing this week (till the weekend) is far from over!!

bear with me! :0)

Thank You for hopping by...Hope to see u again the next time..

Mumblings of a mom

My dearests,

How i have missed you all. Where have you been? Where r u hiding??? i cant seem to find you! I know that i had put u all in a bag...i remember putting u all somewhere...but now that i need u all..i cant find u!!! It is not that i havent turn the whole apartment upside down looking for u..i did!! i searched high n low for u!! What u r nowhere to be found!!

Hatice abla and Baddin abi need u all... Halil needs u all...the cold weather is here... .. and ur presence is sorely missed.... i just cant believe how i still cant find you!! I know i am waaaayyy slack in home tidiness... like i said. i had actually turn the place down looking for u..tidying what needed to be tidying...but u r still not here...please reappear in my dewy sight....

We had snow last week...but hatice, baddin n halil could not feel the warmth of ur entities. They had to make do with the new sets of u all in order to keep their necks, fingers and head warm. They r missing ur wooly presence... so my dear dear dear beloved winter gloves, wooly hats and wooly shawls.....pleaseee... pleeeeaseee... i beg of u to return home... i promise that i will look after you with more loving tender care the next time....

Someone who needs you....

Simah

***********

Oh yeah.... i cant believe that i could *lose* the whole winter gloves, shawls n hats all together!! hahahah i am soooo disorganised!! i have checked everywhere....it is somewhere but

WHERE??

Oh boy. i am in soooo much trouble!!! *grins*

I hope it is not too late to wish you all ...

Salam Maal Hijrah..

a very happy New Year for the islamic Calender...

Nowadays... i find myself under more stress. Hatice is finally able to write and read (see www.haticeveokul.blogspot.com ) it means that...her homework no longer centers around reading and writing. Nowadays, the focus is more on maths. ....Being a mom with quite limited Turkish (and who hates maths!!)... i find myself having difficulties understanding the more complex words...and technical terms.... that means..if hatice doesnt understand some words or instructions... if i am on the same boat as her..i will have to call somebody in the family to ask for the explanation...i can see how tough homework time will be for me in the near future!!!

hatice this morning before going to school

baddin this morning with the gel on his hair.... they will have class photography session hehehe

he loves to look at himself these days..konon konon hensem la tuu..perasannnnn

as for baddin.... he is getting more social...( see www.baddinveokul.blogspot.com)... but he is getting much much more naughtier too... !!! He is still the good kid i know but i have to repeat myself a few times nowadays before he listens!! arghhhhhhhh...he just love to run...n i mean run.....reallly runnig in the living room...along the corridor...in between each spoon during mealtime!!! The rule...sit..finish ur meal n go doesnt apply to him... HelP!!

What i discover so far is.... having setting up sets of rules at the beginning of the school year works for us.....sort of....

For example... on school days, the kids will wake up at 6.30am. Eat their breakfasts ....which normally consist of egg, cheese,fresh sliced tomatoes. toasted bread with peanut butter and jam...and 2 glasses of fresh milk definitely...

After they come back from school, the first thing they will do when they enter home is to wash their hands....eat their dinner (at 4.45pm)....do their homework.....and later...bath time and free time...n finally bedtime at approx 8.30..of course before the bed time, they have to eat their fruity yogurt n drink 2 glasses of fresh milk... n a dose of yaasin listening for each of them (hatice has so far memorised the first page of yaasin n baddin a few lines).....weekends homework of course to be done on Friday so that saturdays and sundays will be exclusively for whatever it is they wish to do...

Having rules and guidelines to follow i think is important for me to manage my kids properly (despite how disorganised i am hehehe)

And what i am happy most is that both my kids... even though they r not a fan of some food...they eat what i serve them... they finish them up coz their anne says so... even the spinach n cauliflower..This is a great achievement for me coz baddin especially... he used to eat only rice and köfte (meatball).. lunchtime in school i think...and the discipline at home is paying off...i am happy on that account....and so our life adventures continue... i am learning along with my kids ... and we all agree that homework time is the least favourite time for us all.. but we did it coz we had to... :0)

How lucky they are actually... to have their mom next to them during their homework.. i remember when i was a kid... my mom never ask me whether i have any homework or not. To do or not to do he homework was entirely my own responsibility.. i was taught to be independent... contrastively...my kids.... i set the rules... they do their homework with me next to them... going *crazy* over the homework together with them...

And my kids... i think they are so lucky...never in my life had i imagined going to school with a pool...they even have swimming lessons as part of their physical education!...They have a computer lab for computer lessons ..(i learned using a computer when i was in high school!)..they have chess lessons (i dont even know how to play chess at all..but my kids..even baddin know the rules already..n they have big chess at home)...a nurse in school in case somebody gets sick (mcm kak elle punya kerja soon ...)..a comfortable school uniform (t-shirt n skirt for hatice)... a computer with internet connection for the teacher in the classroom...the white screen for the kids to watch cds (for educational purposes) in class...they even have a mini cinema as part of the school structure!! a good school in general.. i just hope my kids will be able to appreciate the benefits they r reaping from learning from that school....they just dont know how lucky they r...

Thank You for hopping by...Hope to see u again the next time..

Köfte recipe -Simah's style

I love to eat..so i cook..I am no professional cook... though i have created a recipe blog..i am guilty for not updating it for a long long time too.... (summer la.. mana ada lekat rumah heheh)....will start updating the zaimladies recipe book blog after summer is over...including this köfte recipe with pic...

but for now... wahhhhhhhhhh ramainyaaa yg interested in the making of the köfte... here is my own recipe... the köfte that i always make.. the köfte that hatice n baddin love to eat...they have no choice but to say sedapppppppp sebab kalau tak anne dia muncung hahahahahah

Ingredients

-minced meat (as fatty as possible)
-Big onions (3-4) *blended or grated*diblend halus atau disagat (orang turki suka sagat..saya malas saya blend ajer)
-bread crumbs let say half a glass for 500 g of minced meat?(orang turki guna crumbs dari roti biasa.. the bread must be at least a day old)..kalau roti fresh tak leh pakai or u can use the ready made breadcrumbs sold in supermarkets..
-olive oil (utk senang uli)..or u can use water.. but olive oil gives it a better taste definitely
-1 egg (i usually use one egg yolk)
-salt
-black pepper
-2/3 tablespoon of the kofte spice (the magical works of the msg hehehe--- for better tasting)- u can opt this out if u dont wanna use msg at all... original recipe mana pakai köfte spice pun..
-baking powder (supaya dia nampak tak flat...:0)
optional things: u can also add cummin, dried oregano n dried mint as well...

Steps

-Mix all the ingredients...since i do not use specific measurement, i usually add in the wet stuffs last... (ie-olive oil, egg n bawang kisar) .. u dont want the minced meat mixture to be soggy kan... -knead the mixture for 7-10 minutes.
-give ur meatball the shape that u want.. (round, oval, long etc)
-put inside the fridge to rest for at least half an hour...
-Then grill it or fry on a pan... preferably teflon pan coz u need only use very little oil..

am in a hurry... so the spelling etc.. semua tunggang langgang.. lepas cuti summer i masukkan balik this recipe properly inside my recipe blog ok? Good luck!


Thank You for hopping by...Hope to see u again the next time..

life as it is..

"A friend in need is a friend indeed"

This is such a common phrase about friendship..and such a true phrase it is.... I was in need of a friend today and that friend, despite the lack of time n too many things to do on that person's life, this one friend still took some time off to listen to my incoherent mumblings... U know who u r... Thank u dear friend... i owe u one :0) i think i am back to my senses n somehow logics (as if i got one hahaha)... :0) Alhamdulillah..i am lucky to have such a friend...


As i am sitting here typing....my kids r playing with each other... hatice with the fairy wings attached to her, her one holding a wand... hatice locking baddin with her legs n baddin trying to get away from his sister... so cute..so sweet masyaAllah...

I am also reminded of that day... a normal daily family life... It was after dinner... The kids were in the living room. Halil was on the bed reading the newspapers. I was in the kitchen, tidying up the kitchen after dinner. ... I was fasting that day... while waiting for my iftar time (break fast)...I decided to squeeze the fruit juice.. One for Hatice... one for Baddin and one for Halil... Fresh fruit juice should be drunk immediately.... Hatice... no problem... she could finish her juice without difficulty in less than 2 minutes.... baddin... he needed some coaxing... Halil? i saw his juice still on the table next to the bed... I went to baddin in the living room....and instructed in turkish...*baddin.. drink ur juice!*... "tamam anne" (ok anne) he replied.... then i went into the bedroom to check out on Halil..." tem...drink ur juice"...the same answer as baddin..he was still immersed in his newspaper reading..... .... baddin? he drank his juice..slowly .....halil? the third time i went into the bedroom... i deliberately made as much noise as possible... upon hearing my footsteps.. i heard the sound of the newspaper being closed n halil smilingly looked at me in a sweet naughty boy face who knew he was gonna be scolded and said... *içiyorum işte* (i am drinking) hahahahahahaha...

i apparently have 3 kids in this house... not just two...

but then.. as Mehveş once told Merve... (in turkish)

"if u wanna find someone to be ur life partner, find someone who is like ur halil dayı...someone who knows how to have fun and yet knows how to live seriously"

hehehehe kembangggggg halil kejap hahahah

And till Friday..instead of sweet dreams... i will be dreaming asam dreams hahahahahah... my asam stock from kak elle is finished but the next batch is already here residing in hilton right now.... cant wait to get my hands on my mo far kor very very very soon... yum yum... :0)

stories n pictures of my asam incorporated next week... this week is a happening week definitely!

Thank You for hopping by...Hope to see u again the next time..

Late entry..

Apologies for missing for quite some time...Rad.. Kak Queen.. i am still alive ..sayang jugak u kat i yek? :0)

Things have been hectic ever since last week... this week is no different...and who says a housewife is always free, eh?

It was yesterday when i recieved a sms from my bestbuddyever...

" I got this from my 2002 form 5...my buddy said... Sungguhlah terharu...she added... The message was like this...

*Happy Teacher's Day! Thank you because most of my happiest times were those spent in your class**

It was then i was reminded that most of my friends r celebrating the Teacher's Day with their students yesterday... True.. whenever i sms them... they r busy busy busy... true.. most of them r overburdened by other responsibilities next to their teaching job... true.. quite many r burnt out.. but to be able to recieve a message like this from a student (present or ex student)... u feel as if u have achieved something at least... something that will help u to carry on during those difficult times of dealing with ur duties as an educator.....to make a difference... that feels good! My bestbuddyever must be smiling non stop the whole day i presume!

I do not have a chance like that.. i am just a simple housewife.. But i feel so happy for my friends for at least trying to make a difference in a child's life by persuing this noble profession..

To all those teachers out there...

HAPPY BELATED TEACHER'S DAY!

on another note.... It was also yesterday, Halil and I had crossed the bridge to the other side of the continent.. to settle this never ending matter...

The first time we went there ... we went quite late (10am)... the que was far too long... we left without even achieving a single thing that day...

3 weeks later...

The second time, we learnt our lesson... we left the kids at Meşe at 6am... reached that place very early..and were the 3rd inque.. did we settle anything? Nope.. they had changed the policy where they demanded us to have our evlilik cuzdan as well...I couldnt describe my feelings then...

Only 3 weeks after that, Halil found the time to get our evlilik cuzdan ready...

2 weeks more waiting...

This third time...we left the kids at Mahture Yenge.. n later mıstık....Again.. we were the third in line... and guess what? They accepted all our papers.. and told us that the police would be coming to our house to take our statements....interviews etc..etc...

Well.. i told u what happened when the police guy came in one of my entries heheh.. i was scared as hell... Among the questions asked were....

1. Who usually come to ur house... my answer was -this zaim.. that zaim..this zaim..that zaim...zaim zaim zaim...hehehe

2. what is ur hubby's job? answer : educator...
3. What r his siblings' jobs? answer: educator educator educator hehehehehehehe

They called halil to the police staton later for answering the same questions... he went on the 25th of April..

and almost 3 weeks after that ... yesterday... we tried our luck again... ques after ques...counters after counters...finally the guy accepted the papers... we paid the fine n fees (1 301 YTL)... and later went to that one counter for the last submission..

After the countless trips...u would pray that that would be the last time that u would need to go there right? Wishful thinking of course... YUP... We will have to go there AGAİN to collect my renewed Permanent residentship book... until then..i am still an illegal resident hehehehheeheheheh

I will try to blog hop whenever possible..at least till i can breathe...

p.s.. am fasting these days.. posa ganti.. iftar (bukak puasa) is at 8.23pm.. like Rad said..*sapa suruh tak posa masa winterrrrrrr?* huwaaaaa padan muka sendiri heheh

Thank You for hopping by...Hope to see u again the next time..

Lazy vs Occupied...n an announcement

It is 2pm right here in istanbul.. just got off the phone.. our blogger friend Mr. Idham called to inform me that he is here in istanbul..enjoying the beauty of istanbul n the turkish good food in joy (next to the meetings he is supposed to attend all the time) hehehe ..insyaAllah tomorrow my family and i will meet him at the hotel where he is staying.....till we meet for real...enjoy ur meetings Mr Id! :0)

P.s. Anggerik Merah.. it was u chasing the ducks.. now it is our Mr. Idham's time to enjoy the ducks at his hotel heheheh

now back to me...---------------------------------------------

True..i was n am lazy to blog these days.. but that may be because i just have sooo many things to do these days (dunno when i can blog hop)..the work just never stop.. this n that n this n that... n good news to me... again halil got his beloved sore throat (so as his elder bro selim)..not as bad as the last time.. but enough to make him stay at home yesterday.. baddin got fever as well (ekrem too)....like mona has asked me many times.. *how come ur family is always sick?* hehehe beats me if i know..getmiş olsun herkese..

i squeeze them fruit juice esp in winter almost everyday... n on top of it all.. guess what happened? yesterday, our fruit juices decided to end its life! i dunno when mıstık will send t to the fixer to get it fixed... i got so depressed...but i needed to squeeze some juice...:0(

mona n my tesl friends...remember we used to chat about Maggic bullet... my dream machine?nope..tak beli lagipun.. i dont think halil would buy me anyway heheheh so yesterday.. still depressed.. after visiting the pharmacy for some medicine yesterday..i went to endi.. saw this box...

Well.. it has the same function as maggic bullet.. maggic bullet is like 100YTL plus (cant remember the exact price)..just a different brand name.. cant compare the quality too coz idont know maggic bullet..but this one..at the spur of the moment..i bought this for 40YTL hehehe can u imagine me carrying that box with all the shopping i made at endi (yogurt, carbonated drinks..etc..etc) n carrying that box in both hands.. am i weird or what? well..

U bet halil was shocked to see me with my *box* heheh he would have gotten angry but after treating him nice wihle he was/is sick these days...n after all the hard work of packing his books into these boxes...

i think he refrained himself from saying anything heheheheh that is like 12 boxes of books n papers.. n there is at least another 4 or 5 more boxes to go.. all..i did them myself..so u can imagine the mess in my small apartment with these books around huh? that is the life of an academician... cant escape from books huh?

I just hope the shelves will come soon n i can once again reconstruct..reschuffle the rooms..the things in it..my personal hope is that...my beloved place will be better n more tidier within a month's time.. i am actually sick of living in a messy place...hopefully soon everyone will be staying in the space where they belong...having private space of their own..though i can understand halil's feeling.. it is not easy to move from his spacious messy study room he is used to for years...into a smaller space.....to say goodbye to his beloved study room..

here r some pictures i snapped last week...

Grandpa n grandson... 2 Sabahaddin playing ball in the living room..
2 sblings doing the animal project

Hatice's animal farm

Sabahaddin's animal farm

Cousins eating Mc D..keremcan finished 2 and a quater burger, chips n fries. ..zeynep n hatice had one and a quater burger with coke n fries, baddin had a bit of burger n fries n coke.. while elo just had fries..

baddin n elo playing monopoly for kids

hatice, zeynep n keremcan played monopoly for adults in the bedroom (pls excuse the mess)

p.s - the sinbo blender n mixer gave a fruit juicer as well but it is not as good as the broken fruit juicer.. i really hope mıstık will send it to the fixer soon..

Thank You for hopping by...Hope to see u again the next time..