Food tasting of a different kind

The kids' food bowls were on the dining table waiting to be served. I'm always saying that my kids diet is so much better than mine. Ever wondered what a 6-fish flavoured kibbles of the below, taste like? Well, it reads so healthy...so much that I could have replace my main meal with it and get my complete nutrient for a cup of this.

Fresh salmon (includes chinook. coho and sockeye species), salmon meal, russet potato, herring meal, fresh lake whitefish, sweet potato, fresh lake trout, fresh Northern walleye, freshwater cod, fresh herring, sunflower oil, salmon oil (preserved with mixed tocopherals, a natural source of vitamin E), sun-cured alfalfa, dried sea vegetables (brown kelp, Irish moss, dulse and bladder wrack), leeks, psyllium, crab shell, rosemary, lecithin, apples, black currants..

TONIC HERBS AND BOTANICALS
Chicory root (FOS), licorice root, fennel seed, zea mays, peppermint leaf, marigold flowers, chamomile flowers, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, rosehips.

ORGANIC MINERALS
Iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate.

PROBIOTIC MICROORGANISMS
Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Enterococcus faecium fermentation product..

PREMIUM VITAMINS
Mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E), choline chloride, vitamin A, vitamin D3, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12, folic acid, biotin, pyridoxine (source of vitamin B6).


So, we decided to take a nimble. One word - FISHY. It tasted like uncooked fish crackers. Well, two words - FISHY and SALTY. I'm surprised it was so darn salty. Sis pops 6 more into her mouth. Yeew...

This morning, I sampled the other mix-meat flavour kibble. Less salty. This is seriously making me think of going on b.a.C.f (bones and cooked food) diet a few days a week.

My baby girl is 18 months this week

How time flies...

She's still very much a baby...but, I don't mind...as long as she's toilet-trained!

Uh-Oh we're in trouble

Yesterday, Riko shredded some tissues along our driveway. As usual, when she heard "WHO DID THIS?"... she conveniently left the scene of the crime to god-knows-where. This morning, I found the tissues on the driveway... the same old bits that I swept into the outdoor dustbin. As usual, I said "WHO DID THIS?". Girl left the scene. Boy came over to begin his investigation. He picked up the bits and shaking about as if wondering who could have done this. Then, he got on to shredding them into smaller bits...perhaps, in an attempt to lose the evidence.

Normally, the girl will run out to the backyard to hide until the coast is clear. But, since I fenced of the back garden temporarily, she has made used of my baby frangipani tree as cover. That was until the tree grew taller and she had to find a new cover.

So, this is her new hiding place... at first, she kept very still...I didn't notice her camouflaged against the window.

until the boy came over to busy-body..

Sketchbook Project 2012 is on!

I'm so excited that my annual sketchbook project is starting. Hope to crank up the old artsy engine and get my creative juices going.

So, those who are interested anywhere around the world, you can sign in here. This year's project will have planned stops in London and Melbourne in 2012. Must.really.plan.London.and.New York.2012.trip.now. Will.ask.force.friends.to.view.my.books.in.Melbourne.


Meanwhile, my current books are on tour in the U.S. Here are the books being packed up for their next destination. Let's see...they are in Washington D.C this week and in Seattle on June 10-11.


So far, four kind souls have borrowed my books to have a look. You see, we get an email notification each time the book is borrowed. So cool!



I didn't expect any views...so, I thought I have to go visit them myself next year. Look at the competition....


What are the chances of your books getting pick from the sea of books here?


Getting picked

Checking out the books for a closer look. Just look at some of the gorgeous covers.

The overwhelming creativity in one place sometimes makes me want to crawl into a hole and hide...but, I'm back this year to take up the challenge again.

hehehe...four views are definitely better than none!

Gunshot wounds, slash scars and bite marks

The blog silence is killing me. My dearly beloved home modem had recently died and gone to heaven. The new modem has been acting up. So, pardon the dust on my blog.

Meanwhile, the kids are well...maybe, playing a little to hard lately.

I've been finding all kinds of injury on them. The first one from Mariko looked like someone's tooth sunk into it...and when the scab fell, it looked like a gunshot wound.


This is Riko's first gunshot wound.



Then, it was Ruki turn. The injury was difficult to detect due to his thick fur. I remember one night, there were blood stains on the floor where he laid. I did a full body check ... mainly on the paws because I thought he may have stepped on glass during our walk. Nothing. Then, a couple of days later, I noticed some fur at the top of his body was out of place. When I was combing it back, I found a loose Julienne slice of his furry scalp sticking out... like he was slashed by someone.

When that wound healed, Ruki developed a hardened skin on the tip of ear. Fears ranged from mites to some flesh-eating disease. So, off to the vet. It turned out to be bitten. Looks like my girl may have been chewing on his ear!!

Then again, the boy chews on her ear too!!



This week, I discover a julienne-sliced wound on Riko. Now, I'm totally cool about it and treating them as routine cuts-and-scrapes on my kids.