This year is the Year of the Ox and Lunar New Year officially runs from February 12-26. Amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and living in a small regional town there are no public events to attend, however we still brought in the New Year with style!

On LNY Eve, we had a reunion dinner with our small family of four. For dinner, I made Yu Sheng/Yee Sang (Prosperity Toss) salad and Siu Yuk (Chinese Roast Pork Belly). It was my first time holding a reunion dinner and making those dishes! The salad was fresh, light and the perfect accompaniment to the fatty, crispy pork.

Now that I have my own kids, it’s important for me to impart our culture and traditions and an easy way I’ve found to do this is storytelling through food. Food is so important in Chinese culture and I hope that the kids will have fond memories of tossing the Yu Sheng and snacking on delicacies throughout Lunar New Year.

On the first weekend of LNY, we had a small hotpot with a small selection of vegetables, tofu, seafood and meat. With my time and energy busy with Mr M these days, we kept things simple and used a pre-made chicken soup stock with some vegetables as the base. No fancy sauces this time but a simple oyster and sesame sauce mix did the trick.

Although it was simple, it was lovely to sit down and share a special meal with my own little family during LNY. Of course we were missing extended family and not being able to see the grandparents during this time was sad. Here’s hoping that things will look up this year and we can see our families in the near future!

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous year of the ox!

Marie xo

For the last few years, I’ve chosen a word as a way to shape how I’d like the upcoming year to be. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was going to choose a word this year as life with 2 kids has been a bit overwhelming. However, the word FOCUS has come to mind and is the perfect word to guide me through this year.

Focusing on making memories with my family.
Focusing on taking care of myself.
Focusing on our bilingual journey.
Focusing on growing my weaving business.

What’s your word for 2020?

Marie xo

Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had a safe and festive holiday period. Although the start of a new year doesn’t magically change anything, I’m still happy to put the chaos of 2020 behind me and look forward to what 2021 may bring.

I’m now the proud mother of two little ones and look forward to seeing my two babies grow up together, learn new things, and play together. The focus of this blog will change somewhat as I hope to share a part of our lives with you, along with the occasional crafty, memory keeping and beauty post!

Wherever you are, thanks for reading.

Marie xo

At 37 weeks, this will be my final regular post for a while. I had originally intended to continue posting for at least another week or so but now want to spend what little time and energy I have left with my family.

This will be the last few weeks of us being a family of 3 and the last time I’ll be spending time with Miss K one-on-one. It’s a bittersweet feeling as I look forward to welcoming another bean into our fold.

In the past year I’ve really enjoyed blogging more regularly and I hope that I’ll be able to post more frequently after I’ve survived the 4th trimester! In the meantime, I’ll be posting on an adhoc basis, so please do check back here from time to time!

Wherever you are, takecare and stay safe!

Marie xo

Being stuck at home lately means that I’ve been focusing on my skincare routine. I don’t think that my skin has ever looked this good! While I still have too many products in my makeup collection, I’ve almost managed to whittle my skincare products down to a single product per category.

Here’s my current skincare routine:

• Olay Complete UV Protection Lotion SPF15 (Sensitive Skin) – even though I rarely go out nowadays, I always wear an SPF face lotion. I’m currently using Olay at the moment. I’m not a big fan of the smell but I like the way it feels on my face and it’s not oily. While I like this face lotion enough, I’d be open to trying other SPF face lotions.
• Missha Time Revolution The first Treatment Essence – I first came across this when I was doing research on Korean skincare products before my trip to South Korea many years ago. I’ve never tried SKII but I’ve heard that it’s similar if not superior as it contains more active ingredients. The price is certainly superior! I pat this on my face at night before applying anything else and pat the excess on my neck and the back of my hands. After using this essence I quickly noticed that my skin cleared up and seems brighter.
• Sukin Enriching Night Cream in Rosehip – while I love Skukin’s night creams, I haven’t fallen in love with their scents. The last one I used had a lavender scent and this one has a light rose scent. While the rose scent is okay, I’m still on the hunt for my go to night face cream.
• Laneige Water Sleeping Mask – although this product has been around for a long while, I recently decided to try it out. It’s an intensive night moisturiser that I use once a week. I love using this on nights that I’m feeling lazy and just want to get to bed!
• Fresh Vitamin Nectar Vibrancy-Boosting Face Mask – I first bought the smaller jar to sample about a year ago and this is now my go to face mask. I love it so much I splurged and bought the full sized jar!
• Encare Bio Nourishing Face Oil (Evening Blend) – a few months ago my talented sister released her very first face oil. It has a combination of different oils that has a lovely lavender and lemongrass scent. I gently pat 2-3 drops on my face and neck once a week before going to bed and it’s helped keep my skin soft and supple when I wake up!
• Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in Strawberry – I reviewed this lip mask a few months ago but in short, I love using this before going to bed. My lips get really dry, particularly during colder weather so this has been a godsend. I was so impressed that I bought the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask Mini Travel Set while on holiday! In addition to Strawberry, there are 3 other scents – Grapefruit, Apple Lime and Mint Choco. After I finish the strawberry, I’m keen to try out the other scents!
• Aesop Rind Concentrate Body Balm – This lotion has pink grapefruit, orange rind and lemon rind, and it smells absolutely divine! Rather than a body lotion, I use this as my hand lotion. It moisturises beautifully and leaves a lovely scent afterwards.
• Redwin Sorbolene Moisturiser – as you can probably guess by now, I have extremely dry skin and I’ve been using my trusty sorbolene moisturiser since I was little. It sinks in well, doesn’t leave an oily residue, and has no scent. Although I’ve been using this for years and absolutely love this product, I’m thinking of making the switch to Dermaveen. My daughter has unfortunately inherited my dry skin and we were recommended Dermaveen by her GP, so it would be helpful to streamline our moisturisers and buy in bulk.
• Palmers Stretch Mark Massage Lotion – I used this for my last pregnancy and am using it again for this one. The branding and scent is different (previously cocoa) but am loving this new version. I use this daily over my stomach, chest and bottom – all the parts that are growing larger everyday! I love how silky and smooth it feels on the skin.

What’s your current favourite skincare products? I would love to know in the comments below!

Marie xo

Around here the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder. Miss K is almost 18 months old and she’s at such a fun age! She amazes me everyday. Every morning she’ll call out “mum!” and is so happy to see me.

We’ve been spending more time at home as a family. My husband has been so hands on and helpful. Being at home with a toddler all day can be exhausting.

Some of the restrictions in our state have started to ease and I’m looking forward to coffee catchups and playdates in the near future. I’m very thankful that we’re all happy and healthy.

I’ve recently discovered the wonderful world of Grimms and Grapat. I’m in love with our first purchases. Be warned, it’s an addiction!

I’m trying to focus on things that I can control and not worry about the future too much. I hope that things get better worldwide soon. I’m not sure if things will ever return back to how they were before and that’s okay.

Marie xo

Mother’s Day is coming up in Australia, so I’ve put together a fun round up of ideas to get the special woman in your life … dad’s, this includes you!

1. Portobello Knit

2. Laneige Hydration-to-Go! Normal to Dry Skin Set

3. Petite Pretty Native Flower Bouquet

Miss Macaron Mother’s Day Pack

5. Peach and Black Tea Candle

6. Becoming Michelle Obama

7. Sweety Fruity Treat Flower Bouquet

Marie xo

This year marks the 3rd anniversary of my dad’s death. It simultaneously feels like it happened yesterday and forever ago.

I usually go to our local Church and light a candle for him but with everything that’s going on at the moment I stayed at home. Now that Miss K is a little bit older I thought it would be nice to keep his memory alive by showing her pictures of her Ah Gong and telling her about him.

It makes me so sad that he missed out on meeting her and being able to be a grandfather. I know he would’ve made a fantastic Ah Gong!

Despite the sadness this day brings it’s also a cause for celebration as my niece was also born on this day. Coincidence? Maybe. But I like to think that my dad had some part to play in it.

Til we meet again.

Marie xo

My niece’s 1 year old birthday is coming up, so I thought I’d put together a fun gift guide for 1 year old’s! Turning one is such an important milestone (particularly for the parents!) but I also believe that there’s no need to go overboard with gifts as they’ll love anything you get for them. I’m pretty sure my 1 year old would have been overjoyed to receive a tissue box!

In no particular order, here are some fun items you can get for a 1 year old!

1. EverEarth Building Blocks – 50pc
2. Schleich Farm World Starter Set
3. EverEarth Pop Up Bunny Toy
4. My First Spot Lift the Flap Library of 10 Board Books
5. Grimm’s Medium Rainbow 6 Pieces
6. Kmart Wooden School Bus Playset
7. Pantone Colors Board Book
8. Kmart Wooden Shopping Trolley Toy

Marie xo

We’ve been living in Albury for over a year now and I have to say that life is good. I’m not going to lie – the first 6 months or so was pretty tough. My husband’s working hours were crazy and at times I felt like a single mum. An unexpected family issue popped up that caused a lot of strain and stress on our new little family. Thankfully, things resolved themselves and we’re in a much better place now.

My husband’s colleagues have been so welcoming and I’ve made a few mum friends in town. What was unfamiliar is now familiar. As I’ve mentioned before, Albury is a small town but it has everything that we need. We’re simple people and enjoy the quiet life.

The cafe and coffee scene here is incredible. Now that Miss K is a bit older I’ve been enjoying taking her out on mummy and me coffee dates. She loves people watching and will wave to anyone and everything with a comically solemn face. Everyone that comes across her adores her and I’ve enjoyed making memories with her in Albury.

When I do get itchy feet and intense cravings for Asian food, we’re fortunate to live a short 3.5 hour drive away from Melbourne. We’re also close to Canberra and other smaller towns, which are on our list to visit and explore.

Of course, it’s been difficult living so far away from close friends and family. Photo’s and video calls just aren’t the same. I’ve always been independent but having a child changes things. However, it does make trips back and visits so much more special.

There are no regrets with the move though and I’m excited to see where the next few years takes us!

Marie xo