ho ho ho!

Wishing you a wonderful day with your loved ones!

Fe xo 

homemade salted caramel sauce

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

½ cup water

1 cup coconut sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1 vanilla pod, seeds only

1 teaspoon himalaya/ sea salt

Add the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil, swirl the pan to ensure the mixture caramelises evenly.

Turn off the heat and pour in the heavy cream slowly, stirring until it's all combined before adding the vanilla bean and salt. 

Pour the caramel sauce into your favourite heat proof jar. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, although it may disappear long before that! 

mika is three!

My gorgeous niece, Mika is three! 

Happy Birthday cutie pie! We Iove you very much. xo

gift

I know you will always protect each other and it is the greatest gift that Baba and Mama could leave you. When you stand shoulder to shoulder, you can conquer anything!

little rooster

Marlon at three months old

This little darling rooster will be five months old soon. It has definitely been challenging being a mama of three kids and two fur babes. A curious few have asked us why we would want a third child when it is perfect that we had a girl and boy already. Some thought we were mad to have three kids under five. We were even asked how did that happen? The list goes on. 

The world would be such a boring place if we all wanted the same thing right?! My husband and I had both wondered recently what our life was like before kids. I think it involved a lot of time watching reality shows on the box, cinemas, more holidays abroad, etc. I would be lying if if I said if I didn't miss the me time, the exotic vacations where we could stay up as late as we like and simply just be spontaneous with what we would do. 

There has been many obstacles in having a big family but it also makes our life more interesting, fulfilling and spicy. Over the years, I have learnt to embrace chaos and the absurd, things don't always go the way I want them and spotless house is a myth. However, seeing each one of them learning a new thing, the smile on their faces, caring for their siblings and pets on a daily basis; it is the most rewarding and amazing thing that I would do in this lifetime. No matter how much they drive me crazy sometimes, I still love my weird little family. They are perfect!

you are...

you are kind . you are strong . you are brave

princess is eight!

Taken on 22.07.17 at the Rickmansworth Aquadrome

My sweet lil girl turned eight today! She is still as special as the first day we brought her home. Thank you for choosing us! 

We love you, P! Mama and Papa xoxo

happy daddy's day

You are funny, kind, strong, handsome and we are nuts about you! xo

milestone

Marlon Firth Miles

4.47am | 11.05.2017 | 7lb 9oz | 55cm

Picture taken at 7 hours new

Please join us to celebrate another milestone and welcome the newest member to our tribe, baby brother Marlon. We are so lucky that he chose us to be his family. 

Welcome to the world, Marlon! Mama + Baba xoxo

adventure . bye for now

That's all from our three weeks adventure in Malaysia, a quick stopover in Hong Kong before the amazing New Zealand.  

adventure . secret language

Who needs words when they have perfected their secret language of eye rolls,  gasps, sighs, smiles and winks. 

adventure . little

I hope to see you a little more before you are not little anymore!

adventure . special talent

Marceau's special talent is being passionately curious with everything he comes across.

adventure . we are going on a beer hunt

We're going on a bear hunt 
We're going to catch a big one 
What a beautiful day!

We're not scared

adventure . alive

Go where you feel most alive.

adventure . animal whisperer

Milou has the desire to pat and speak to every animal she meets.

adventure . twinkle

twinkle, twinkle little star

do you know how loved you are

adventure . freeze your mind

The anticipation and sensation of an ice cream freezing your mind!

adventure . time

Time spent with my babies is never wasted, especially when you see the smiles on their face.

adventure . majestic

The majestic Mount Kinabalu rising from the mist. It is probably the most magnificent sight of Borneo. I was so proud when I fulfilled one of my bucket list at sixteen to climb Mount Kinabalu and can't wait to do it all over again.

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adventure . sunset

The sunsets in Kota Kinabalu never fail to impress. It doesn't matter what kind of day I have had but a great sunset makes the day ends beautifully.

adventure . full

My heart is full watching him play at the very same beach, where I spent many Sundays as a kid. 

adventure . free

bare feet, salty hair and as free as the ocean

adventure . mind

A child's mind is truly wonderful

It doesn't have to make sense to you

Let them be free to create, explore and have fun

adventure . cirque du soleil

My little cirque du soleil performer never fails to impress. 

adventure . beauty

There is a lot of beauty in ordinary things.

birthday boy

Happy Birthday Darling/ Daddy/ Papa!

We want to tell you how extra special you are to us

We wouldn't trade you for anything in the world

You are our superhero

We love you forever and ever

Wifey, Milou, Marceau, Princess + Duke xoxoxo

adventure . memories

Our journey to Malaysia last Summer had a bitter sweet memory as we also attended my grandma's funeral. She passed away just days before we left London. 

I took my little family to see where I used to spend a lot of my weekends growing up. My grandparents owned the grocery store with the purple gates for most of their lives. I loved visiting them even though the car journey is one and half hours from where we lived. I would play on those steps or paddling in a little dinghy 'sampan' whenever there was a flood. 

My grandad would get up before five in the morning to do some exercise at the nearby field. I used to join him then help with opening the shop for business at half past five. I think we were always the first! By the time we finished setting up, grandma would be back from the local market with my favourite breakfasts and some amazing local produce for dinner that night. She would always make sure she went to the market early so my favourite locally made tofu wouldn't be sold out. 

My grandma is in a better place now with my grandad but it still makes me sad when I think of them. I miss you, Gung Gung and Poh Poh. 

adventure . heat

The heat and humidity weren't her best friend.

adventure . hey birdie

Father and daughter team as the bird whisperers.

adventure . locals

It's a must to visit the friendly locals - Orang Utans when you are in Borneo.

adventure . cheeky

Cheeky monkey on the loose!

adventure . baby joe

A dream came true for Milou during our trip to Malaysia. Milou met an elephant named baby Joe at the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park in Sabah. She had been telling everyone that she was going to see elephants in Malaysia and penguins in New Zealand ever since we told her the destinations of our Summer trip.

adventure . pleasure

Her pleasure is my pleasure.

adventure . confetti

Throwing his cheekiness around like confetti.

adventure . smile

Be the reason someone smiles today.

adventure . forte

Staying still is definitely not Marceau's forte.

happy mother's day

As I have got older and became a mother myself, I realised you are never too old to need your mama. My mummy simply makes things calmer, kinder and warmer. Out of all the mamas in the world, I am so glad you are mine!

我愛妳, 媽咪！xo

adventure . mylo

I love this lil guy so much that I could squish him!

adventure . memories

Creating memories and having fun!

adventure . explore

Naps are overrated! Let's explore Poh Poh's make up bag instead.

adventure . sweet

I could spend hours looking at her sweet little face. 

adventure . three words

Three words to describe these two cousins: "partners in crime!"

adventure . mika

After months on FaceTime and Skype, we finally met my gorgeous little niece, Mika for the very first time during our time in Kota Kinabalu. Technology is so wonderful, it allows family and friends to keep in touch on a regular basis even though they live thousand of miles away. The cousins had a great time playing together as if they have known each other since birth. 

adventure . good day

You know it's a good day when you see that smile on her face.

adventure . little things

She always finds joy from little things in life.

adventure . rain

Nothing better than the sound of a heavy rain while falling asleep.

adventure . improvisation

When there are no toys in the house, you improvise and play in a giant tub!

adventure . king of fruit

The king of fruit, durian is on my list of fruits that I must have when I visit Malaysia. I have heard people described the smell as a pair of dirty gym socks or rotten meat; the strong aroma can be detected from metres away and repulsed a lot of people. However, durian to me is like the daintiest French delicacy, it smells like heaven and is so creamy, rich and sweet in flavour. Unfortunately you won't know until you try it, what the worse can happen? You either love it or hate it. 

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adventure . childhood

The magic of childhood is enjoying a snack topless and having no agenda.