Baby Boyd Blog

Hong Kong Disneyland!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 20:27:00 +0000

we've just got back from our first ever family vacation to hong kong disneyland! it was a short three day trip dedicated entirely to disneyland for our little man, drayden. it was a magical trip! drayden met most of his favorite characters, and we were treated to the most wonderful of service by the people of disneyland - both at the hotel and the park.

we stayed at the disneyland hotel, and was given priority treatment at the disneyland park. we didn't have to queue at all for the shows or any of the rides, and even got front-row VIP seating at the parades and all the shows! we couldn't have asked for any better treatment than this!

our first day at disneyland was a hot and sweaty one! the sun was unbearable, but we still had a great time. we headed for lunch the minute we landed at hong kong, and went straight into disneyland thereafter! we only retired to our hotel room after dinner and enjoying the fireworks show, which was way past nine.

day two at disneyland was a wet and gloomy one. it rained a huge part of the day, and we were quite dismayed that the Lightning McQueen "LIVE!" show was cancelled due to the bad weather. it was to be the highlight of our holiday, considering how crazy dray is about Cars! but thankfully, day three was sunnier, and we managed to get up close and personal with Lightning McQueen!

having all three days of our trip dedicated solely to disneyland meant we had little time to venture out of the resort. we could only venture out as far as Tung Chung (which was just a stop away from the disneyland station) and checked out the Citygate Outlet Mall. food at the food republic was delicious and cheap! we managed to squeeze in some shopping too! noel and i bought a few kicks at the adidas and puma outlet stores, and of course, i treated myself to a couple of goodies at the kate spade store there!

here are some of the photos we took during our disneyland holiday....

more photos can be found on my facebook page!

well, i have to thank the people at Disney for making our trip a truly special and memorable one. i will never forget how kind the staff of Disneyland were towards Drayden. they all seemed to love him! and one thing's for sure, we'll have to go back to HK again soon, and this time we'll explore more than just disneyland!

Top 10 Reasons to Tell Your Kids Stories

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:42:00 +0000

As part of its efforts to encourage the young to read, the National Library Board (NLB) organised the 10,000 & More Fathers Reading! initiative for the fifth time, starting on Saturday 4 June 2011. This event was aimed at encouraging fathers to be more involved in their children's literacy development by reading to them.

The reality is, in today’s busy world, many fathers have lost the art of telling their stories to their kids. Thus, in the spirit of this recent event, and also the upcoming Fathers' Day, I feel the time is perfect to highlight the wonders and benefits of reading and telling stories, and hopefully encourage more daddies to start reading and tell stories to their little ones! Reading doesn't have to involve books, you can read interesting pieces of news from the newspaper, articles in a magazine, and you can also tell stories of your own creation!

1. Use them to teach lessons about life.

Stories will stimulate conversations with your kids more easily then lecturing can. There are a lot of issues happening with kids these days, and stories give them a chance to reflect on them.

2. Stories connect your kids with previous generations.

In a society that seems to have families spread out all over, some in other countries, it is vitally important to have ways to have your kids feel connected to their extended families.

3. Stories stimulate your kids' imagination.

One of the best ways to prepare your kids for the world is to engage them in vivid stories that stir their imagination. Kids who are exposed to these kinds of stories will be the creative problem-solvers of the future.

4. Kids who are exposed to stories will continue the tradition with their own families.

Knowing that your family traditions and stories will be carried on by the future generations is very comforting!

5. Stories can encourage your kids when they are feeling discouraged.

Childhood can get pretty discouraging at times. Kids are encouraged by knowing that Mom and Dad have gone through the same kinds of things and have survived.

6. Telling your stories have you remembering your own childhood.

Telling your kids about your childhood is a great way for you to remember and reflect on what was important about your younger years.

7. Telling stories help to create depth and soul in your kids.

In today's TV and gadget crazy culture, telling stories can capture your kids' attention and convey real meaning.

8. Telling stories to your kids tell them "you're worth the time".

Is there anything more important than conveying to your kids that you want to spend intimate time with them?

9. Telling stories is a great chance to convey your values.

Your kids will be getting quite a few messages from their friends and from popular culture. Stories are a great opportunity to sneak in a few cherished values for your kids to hear.

10. Well-crafted stories create a wonderful mindset for your kids before they fall asleep.

Kids will fall asleep faster and with healthier images when you tell them your stories.

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10,000 & More Fathers Reading! 2011 will run till September 2011. For more details on upcoming programmes, members of the public can visit 10000fathers.nlb.gov.sg

bye, bye buzz...hello volo!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Sun, 15 May 2011 08:35:00 +0000

i'm mighty pleased with myself for persevering with my search for a lightweight stroller. it has finally paid off! yesterday i collected the pre-loved maclaren volo i had stumbled upon on eBay. it was a fantabulous buy! it's still in excellent condition, and is in a color that's quite hard to find now - black and beige. and i paid only $90 for it!

what's even better, drayden loves it!

we've been needing a lightweight stroller for the longest time and i'm relieved my search has come to an end. i looked at all the stroller choices in stores and my heart was set on the volo because for one, it's soooooper light at only 3.2kg, and two, it has a carry-on strap.

we needed a lightweight stroller badly, one that we can take on the bus with us. when noel brings dray to class, and they take the bus, they will alight at far east plaza, and that is quite a walk to forum especially on days drayden insists on being carried. when i pick him up after school, i sometimes need to shop for my orders, and after school drayden is usually tired, and shopping while carrying a sleeping child is not fun!

so a lightweight stroller is just what we needed. plus, we're going on holiday in june, and we need one that we can easily bring overseas as well!

Children Little Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Sun, 08 May 2011 13:19:00 +0000

nestled somewhere in the arab street area, is a quaint little shop called the "Children Little Museum". as its name suggests, it is a museum housing really old school goodies and traditional games...from our time, and even our parents'. its a great place to bring the little ones to show them what we played with when we were children, unlike the iPods, xboxes, playstations, PSPs, and Wiis they have now!

most display items are from the 1950s to 1970s, and it will definitely give each of us a lot of good old memories from when we were young. in fact, to be able to remember the good old days and allow children of this generation to see and understand toys and things from the past, was the precise reason the Children Little Museum was brought about.

somewhere in the Children Little Museum you could probably buy an old school bottled Coca Cola drink, a toy or two, or just find a place to reminiscence. this is perhaps one of the must-visit spots for the children, because how else can one really know what the good old days were like?

image courtesy of travelerfolio.com

image courtesy of slouchingsomewhere.wordpress.com

image courtesy of yebber.com

address: 40 Kandahar Street Singapore 198895

tel: +65 81960138 (SMS Only) (Alan) or +65 96580290 (Patrick)

email: evolution.studios@yahoo.com

admission fees: S$2.00

Opening Hours:
Mon to Fri 11am – 2pm, 5.30pm – 8.30pm
Sat & Sun 11am – 6pm

our apartment!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Sun, 01 May 2011 11:59:00 +0000

on the way to yesterday's play date, we stopped by our future flat and apartment which was just two blocks away! we haven't gotten the keys yet, so we could only take pictures of the exterior...but just being there touching my mailbox and house gate was thrilling enough!

the next few months is gonna be busy for us!

here's our flat!

find our apartment! =)

our mailbox!

and our gate!

pool play date

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Sun, 01 May 2011 11:37:00 +0000

yesterday we brought the little one to a play date with two other of his friends, and boy did they have fun! we brought along his Disney Cars scooter that he got from his teacher friends at school - Elisa, Constance and Juli - and i'm pretty amazed he's doing so well mastering the skill considering it's only his first time on the scooter!

of course, the rule is, he can't go on the scooter without his helmet and safety gear (which we bought separately with the tons of Toys R Us vouchers we got from friends and colleagues!)...and he looked so adorable!

rainbow dreams

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 07:36:00 +0000

i'm in the midst of reading a really awesome book called "Rainbow Dreams" and i thought i'd share it with you. "Rainbow Dreams" would be especially handy if you are a parent of a special needs child, or if you are an early childhood professional working with special needs children. for me, i found it a very interesting read because it helps me to understand the common medical conditions and developmental delays, such as autism, asperger syndrome, dyslexia, speech delays...and many more...a lot better. it doesn't hurt to have this knowledge, especially since i am working with children.

it's a very detailed read, not only on the medical conditions, but also on the history of special needs education in singapore. it gives me a better understanding of the community and a deeper appreciation of the people that work closely with them. it has also given rise to this interest to work with special needs children. i think not enough is being done for them, and they are so quick to be judged and ostracized...and if i could i would do my part towards helping them being accepted as equal among us. well...we'll see where it brings me after i complete my early childhood course.

get this paperback for only S$23 at Times, Kinokuniya, Popular and Tan Tock Seng Hospital Pharmacy. it is also available at Rainbow Centre at $20 per copy. all proceeds from the sale of this book will support Rainbow Centre Training & Consultancy. for more information, click here,

dray's class party!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:39:00 +0000

wednesday was dray's actual birthday and we had a small party with his classmates with more birthday cake!

drayden is THREE!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 07:22:00 +0000

we've just got back from our annual 'do: drayden's birthday party! it's become a tradition to hold it at Aloha Changi, and this year the party was held at Seafront Chalet D. we had wanted Changi Cottage like last year, but unfortunately, the place was not available. and more importantly, we had wanted to hold the party on a saturday, instead of a sunday, but funnily, all chalets resort-wide were not available on saturday. sooooooo....we settled for seafront chalet D on a sunday.

the worst thing that could possibly happen at an event, happened. it rained. no, scratch that, it was a storm!! i was so, so, so disappointed because all my decor plans had to be abandoned! and not to mention the money i had spent getting them that went to waste. i had elaborate plans for the outdoor area that all went to waste thanks to the rain. and my poor, poor party guests...that had to arrive in such threatening weather!

we had rented tables and chairs (that cost us well over $200, mind you!) that went unused! they sat in the rain, all 16 square tables and 60 chairs. we had a CARS themed party this year, so i even had black and white checkered table cloths (that cost $11 EACH!!!!!!) that were not put to their intended use. and table centerpieces, table arrangement ideas...argh!!!

in our frazzled state of mind, we forgot a few things. we left the laptop - that contained the CARS soundtrack - and also the DVDs "Cars" and "Maters' Tall Tales" at home. we even forgot to put Dray in his CARS t-shirt! to make it worse, my laminating machine broke down at 5.37 in the friggin' morning while i was laminating favor tags in my sleepy stupor. i had to frantically enlist a girlfriend (my savior!) to get me a new machine, and were hurriedly laminating the remainder at the chalet even though guests were already arriving!

in hindsight, i realised why this year's party was a lot more stressful than the two years before, and why i started the party preparations late. the first two years, drayden didn't have a mind of his own, so we could decide what the party theme was to be, and start getting it ready early. but this year, we let him decide what he wanted, and thus, just to be REALLY sure, and so that he doesn't change his mind at the last minute, we only started planning this year's party in february. that's right! in only TWO months prior!

but well, i think in all, my son had a blast with his friends at his 3rd birthday party!
we had activities for the children, such as a "body art" table of CARS temporary tattoos, coloring, CARS keychain making, CARS mosaic art, CARS dominos, Mater's tyre game, and more!

well, here are some photos of my boy's special day!
let's start with the party invites that i made...and favors i put together for the kids that came!

favors for baby boys

favors for baby girls

favors for the older girls - since girls don't really fancy CARS!

the piston cup!

labels are self-designed

stickers for the boys!

notepads for some of the older boys

CARS bouncy balls for the boys

CARS pull-back toy with jelly beans inside!

all packed in a CARS toolbox!

construction cone cups i just HAD to get!

self-designed tags

the tool boxes with self-designed tags

CARS soap made by a girlfriend for the adults!

putting up the CARS scene setters

it took us an hour to put it up! and it made for a nice backdrop for photo-taking!

our Lightning McQueen standee! it's nearly 2metres long!

cupcakes on a race car track!

fill 'em up! =)

drayden's Lightning McQueen pinata!

his CARS birthday cake! with CARS candles!

beaming with his presents!

station signs i never got to use!

more photos will be uploaded in my facebook soon!

a visit to the fire station!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 05:41:00 +0000

i have two weeks off school (which began last week) and this means i have two saturdays off! we have always wanted to bring dray for a fire station visit, and because their open houses are only on saturdays from 9am to 11am, this was the perfect opportunity for us to finally bring dray. i usually have classes saturday mornings from 9am to 1pm. last week we couldn't make it because we all woke up late (haha!) so yesterday was the final chance - else we will have to wait again till my next school break.

thankfully we made it yesterday...to Central Fire Station! dray was all excited about going to a fire station. he has a DVD of elmo visiting a fire station which he watches all the time, so he certainly understands what it means to visit one. he's been telling everyone since last week that he's going to a fire station, so i'm relieved we made it happen! i had wanted to put him in his fireman rain boots though, but the weather was just too hot!

when we reached the fire station, however, he was suddenly grumpy - refused to explore the ambulance, didn't want to sit on the fire bike, only got into a fire truck after much coaxing, and didn't want to walk around on his own. he didn't even want to try the hydraulic platform!

we arrived a tad late, too, so we missed the earlier part of the tour, where all the good bits happen - like watching a firefighter slide down the fireman pole, trying on a fireman's jacket, and handling the water hose, and all that, as described on the SCDF website. oh well, we don't plan to make this our one and only visit anyway, so the next time we visit one, we'll make sure we're there bright and early! and hopefully, the little monster will be in a better mood, too!

here are some pictures of our day at the fire station!

the hydraulic platform

in the fire engine

he looked like he doesn't want to be on the pole! but seconds before we took this picture, HE was the one that asked me to put him there! blame his roller coaster mood!

i love spiral staircases!

walking over to the heritage museum

the Central Fire Station also has an awesome heritage museum, which we popped by after the station visit, and we met one of the nicest and friendliest guys ever - WO Segar, from whom we learned a great deal about firefighters and the functions of SCDF. i've always respected and love firefighters (can't say the same about the army and police, haha!) so i definitely enjoyed our chat, and of course our entire visit!

i can't wait for the next visit, which i think will have to be in May!

disney on ice

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 15:12:00 +0000

drayden received possibly one of the bestest (early) birthday presents this year, from a dear friend of mine and her family. i am so touched by their gesture!

drayden received three tickets to Disney on Ice during the march holidays! not one, but three! so of course, he brought noel and i! lol! drayden has never been to a Disney on Ice show before, and this one's very special since it has a Cars segment. for me, the last i watched a Disney on Ice show was the snow white one. or was it beauty and the beast? i can't remember, but it definitely was one of the disney princesses, many many many years ago.

anyway, we wanted to enjoy the show as much as we could, so we barely took any pictures. that, and because a balding guy was sitting in front of us, so all our pictures had his shiny bald head at the bottom corner! i grew frustrated and gave up taking pictures! oh, don't get me wrong, we had AWESOME seats, but if only the guy wasn't so prominent in front of us. or wasn't that badly balding!

but here are a few from Drayden's favorite Disney movie, CARS!

we just wished the Cars segment would be longer, but then again, there's nothing much they can do with the big cars except just drive around - unlike the skaters that can perform various stunts. still, it was an awesome show, and thank you so much to Roz and family for such an awesome birthday present! drayden definitely enjoyed himself!

chinese new year in school!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:27:00 +0000

here are some photos of us decked in our Chinese New Year best to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit at school! (well, work for me, heh!)

week four

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:25:00 +0000

it's been a mad three and a half weeks settling in into 2011.

i found it so hard adjusting to working (ie. waking up early), schooling (read: only making my way home at 9.30pm and reaching home at nearly eleven) and still playing mom and wife. i was so exhausted before week one ended that i fell terribly, terribly ill. i was not used to juggling it all, and needing so much energy to get pass each day.

tuesdays and thursdays are my loooooongest days. i'm up at 6.30am in order to leave home by quarter past seven. my work starts at 9am when doors open for my first class. after work ends at 5.30pm, i have school at 6.30pm all the way to 9.30pm. by the time i reach home, it's nearly eleven. and because i now aim to hit the sack by midnight on a work night, it's a mad rush attending to my son who hasn't really seen me the entire day, to get my self settled after a long day, and also prepare for the next day.

and though saturdays and sundays are my off days, my saturdays are usually half gone because i still have to rise early for my school at 9am. by the time my school ends at 1pm, half of my saturday is already gone. so in essence, i only have one off day.

it's very, very exhausting.
but it's getting better, as i begin to get used to the swing of things. i love my kids. they're adorable and just light up my work day everyday. they're such a joy to be around.

as for drayden, it took him a while to get used to independent school, too. a looooong while, in fact. the first two days of school, he was perfectly happy and seemed like he enjoyed school so much, coming home with lots of stories to tell. but i guess his was a case of delayed reaction, and by day three i suppose it finally hit him that this was a permanent arrangement, that he began to dread school. there were lots of tears at the door, and plenty of struggles as noel tries to pry away and leave him in the hands of Hasanah and 老師 (Lǎoshī).

for three weeks, he was crying everyday, throughout the entire class. some days it seemed better, with him only sobbing and at least agreeing to participate in class activities. other days, he was absolutely uncooperative and preferred instead to bawl and call out for his daddy. when we pick him up at the end of the class, he's always running out in tears. there was nothing we could do, but hope it would improve and he would begin to enjoy school.

and improved it did.

last thursday we went through class with no tears at all. noel and i were so relieved. Hasanah sent me an MMS of him laughing and fooling around in class, and for the first time in weeks, he walked out of class at the end of the day, smiling and full of stories to tell about how his day went. today he saw me during outdoor play (i have been avoiding running into him along the school corridors or washroom, for fear of triggering a bawl fest), and he simply waved at me, said "bye bye mommy, see you later!" and ran off to play with his classmates.

it's such a relief.
i'm glad things are finally settling for me and drayden. but i do have one lament. two of my bestest friends gee and jude were here for a holiday from australia, and i did not get to spend time with them as much as i did last year at all. i only saw jude for a few hours a day before new years eve, and then at the airport for a few minutes before they left for home in Sydney.

i did not get to see gee at all. AT ALL. i am so heartbroken and depressed! this was how busy i had been. i cannot believe i did not see one of my long-time girlfriends at all, never mind spending time with her. sigh... this means i really need to make the trip up to perth!

and i have not seen my girl, D, since new years' day! good god, i have not seen her for three weeks! my social life is crapadoodles now that i am a FTWM.

well, i'm looking forward to the long weekend next week, thanks to chinese new year! and i'm also in the midst of excitedly planning for dray's third birthday! it's gonna be an awesome one this year!

i will do my best to update this blog as frequently as i used to. i've been awful the past few weeks! thanks for bearing with me, everyone!

a year for change

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:46:00 +0000

hard to believe that the last time i wrote it was Christmas. twenty-eleven (and the few days prior) have been very busy and eventful for me. let's just say it's filled with major life-changing events. but let's start from where we left off.

post Christmas, new years' eve was spent with Gerry's family once again. we are as good as changing our surnames to Nervas! after which we had two days to recover before the year started getting busy for us. well, for me, at least. drayden starts PlayNursery, my studies resume, and also....it's not something i've spoken or revealed much about, but i suppose now is the most fitting time as it can ever be to say i've gone back to work full-time! as of third january, i am back at julia gabriel, as a teacher-in-training. i'm now a full-time working mom!

i guess the fact that i am taking my diploma in early childhood (despite already having a dip and BArts in Communications) should have provided some clues! but nobody knows i've actually been "working" since the middle of last year. in actuality, i have been part-timing at the center since Term 3 of 2010!

why did i decide to go back to work? two major reasons, actually: the house, and drayden's education. and early childhood is something i've always known i'd return to. this year is the most perfect, and also the most crucial time for me to rejoin the industry for also the two afore-mentioned reasons.

the house.
i need the "full-time" employment status, and vice versa, the job guarantees our capability to afford our future home.
drayden's education.
the fact that he's now in independent program enables me to work full-time, and likewise, vice versa the job enables me to finance his education.

it's a two-way thing.

so now the question i'm sure is on everyone's mind: what about StubbornSnails?
well, business still goes on, though i won't be able to drown myself with the number of orders i am so used to in a week. before, i may be able to commit to up to twelve orders a week. now, i will have to limit myself to only three or four.

before, i am more than willing to accommodate rushed orders, and am able to put something together in under three days. now, i will require a minimum of a week's notice. i am determined not to have any late nights working on orders as i have been doing for the past three years.

it's not gonna be easy. juggling full-time work, StubbornSnails AND my studies. but it's possible. perhaps soon i'll share how i'm coping so far.

yet to come, Drayden's first day in PlayNursery today. he did awesome today and did noel and i proud! all these i'll share the next time i'm able to have a breather.

meanwhile, i hope 2011 has been kind and given you a good start, and here's wishing you a blessed year ahead! 2011 is a year of change for me indeed, and there is nothing but excitement and positivity for me so far!

our very merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 18:55:00 +0000

we had a wonderful Christmas eve spent with the people closest and dearest to us, and Christmas day was celebrated with our new family, the Nervas. it was a very merry Christmas indeed! our annual Christmas Eve BBQ was even more memorable this year, thanks to all that came and the gift exchange we decided to add to the festivities. it sure drew loads of laughs!

i loved all the presents we bought for everyone, and it was very heartwarming to see everyone going home happy, and then reading all the wonderful "thank-yous" on Facebook! i can't wait to do it again next year!

you can view photos of our Annual Christmas Eve BBQ here!

the party we attended on Christmas day meant i could dress up, and i LOVE being able to dress up! lol! and as usual, parties with the Nervas never fail to entertain!

here are a few photos i managed to capture from the Christmas party.

i hope your Christmas was just as eventful, and here's wishing you a Blessed New Year! just five more days to 2011!

merry christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 07:18:00 +0000

hello! we'll be having our annual christmas eve BBQ at the beach today with friends and loved ones, and tomorrow, we'll be spending a very merry christmas with Gerry and her wonderful family, who has kindly invited us and made us feel part of their awesome close-knit family. there is no where else i'd rather be!

when we "come back" next week, i promise lots of pictures!
meanwhile, have a MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone, and here's wishing you a Blessed New Year!

the walking dead

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 07:39:00 +0000

sitting in the taxi waiting for the lights to change, i was gripped with fear. the human traffic was SCARY! i said to the taxi driver: i don't know why i came here tonight. he just laughed.

you know what it felt like?
like i was in the scene of The Walking Dead, and all the people on the streets are zombies! and this is what i am getting out of the taxi into!

this is one spirit of Christmas i would never want to be a part of. if not for my diaper cake orders, i would never want to be here. i hate orchard road on weekends, especially holiday weekends. there are walking deads everywhere! and i don't exaggerate. they walk at their own leisurely pace, they stop as and when they please with no warning, they stand in the middle of nowhere having discussions...it just fills you with more and more rage as you weave through.

but there's an important thing you need to know about the walking dead, though. they seem to gravitate towards window displays and christmas trees, and love posing in front of these. so there's your chance to quickly get pass or even bump them out of your way.

but, getting out. oh man...it's impossible.
the taxi queue everywhere will be at least 200 meters long, and you might as well give up calling for one. even if you have your own vehicle, be prepared to be sitting in traffic.

well, at least something good came out of yesterday's scary shopping experience.
not only did Dray get THREE new Cars toys, he also got a new Cars trolley bag for him to lug all his Cars collection around on his own now. he was so filled with joy and pride, he insisted on dragging it from Paragon to Ngee Ann City to Wisma Atria to ION.

all through the walking dead.

the three new Cars we welcomed to the family yesterday

drayden's (growing) Cars collection

there's another red Lightning McQueen, but only God knows where Drayden chucked him. i've turned the room upside down but i still can't find it. poor Lightning McQueen! stuck in a dark, dusty corner, hoping to be found!

getting ready for the new year

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 08:44:00 +0000

for the first time in a long time, i'm actually free on a weekend. never been so relieved. i mentioned on the stubbornsnails' facebook page that my business will be taking a different direction next year on, and i'll be updating everyone very soon. there'll be a lot of (major) changes with the coming new year, and i'll have to make a few sacrifices and adjustments accordingly.

i've been busy getting things prepared for drayden's new school year! sorting through his clothes and putting aside the ones he can't wear anymore (i hear YOU, roz! i'll pass them to you soon! lol!) as well as taking out all the big clothes i've put away before. drayden is not built according to his age, heh, so all the 2T clothes we received for his birthday were still too big back then, so i've put them away for later use. now, it's time to take them all out! i'm glad cos that means there'll be lesser clothes that i need to buy!

i haven't started toilet-training Drayden yet. i don't see the rush and why i need to subject myself to the stress. he'll do it when he's ready, and i don't think i should be pushing him for the sake of my convenience or cash savings. of course, after he turns three, we can discuss the issue again.

i'm excited about the new module i'll be learning in school next year, too, in my early childhood course! our first module was on academic writing, something i already learned in poly, so it was not very exciting. the module ended on 7 december, with a little exam, and now we're on a three-week break until classes resume on 4 january. finally, we learn early childhood related matters, so i can't wait get started! the whole of january in nine lessons, we will cover Principles and Practices in Early Childhood Care and Education, followed by Human Growth and Developement (0-8 Years) for the two whole months of february and march.

this also means things are finally getting serious and heavy! i hope i can handle motherhood, working and studying all at once without going mental. i still have three more years to go! drayden will be in primary one when i finish my course! when you look at it that way, it sure seems like a darn long time!

drayden's chrismas present

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:55:00 +0000

if you know me well enough, you'll know i'm horrible at keeping surprises. surprises on presents, that is! i cannot buy birthday, christmas or anniversary presents in advance - or presents for any occasions for that matter. once i have a present in my possession, i CANNOT wait! i must, i must, i must give it immediately!

it's simply because i always go out of my way to find the prefect present for my loved ones, and i just cannot wait to give it to them and witness their jubilation. when we had to buy a small present for dray for the end-of-term school party, gerry had to force me to leave the wrapped present in the teachers' room, just to ensure that i don't give it to dray before the party! you have no idea how painful it was waiting four days for the party day to arrive.

and when i bought noel the DSLR camera, fathers' day came a week early for him! though i think, recently, i did pretty well for his birthday. i managed to keep it all a surprise!

not too good for drayden's christmas present, but. lol! i got it on tuesday and i gave it to him immediately! i don't think i would have survived two and a half weeks waiting for christmas to arrive.

yep, i got him an iPod Touch - but only the 8GB one, nothing too fancy - just so he'd leave my iPhone alone from now on. i've packed it with all his favorite apps and games (and finally am able to delete them off my phone!) and he's been enjoying it since!

noel's envious Dray got such an exciting and early christmas present. and i tell you, the man is a conniving kotek! if you know Dray, everytime you ask him "how much?" his answer will always be "four dollars!" and whatever you ask him, he will repeat.

so i'm sure you can guess what happened.

noel: drayden, drayden, can you sell daddy this (holding the iPod Touch)? how much you want to sell daddy, drayden? (and with much emphasis) HOW MUCH?

drayden: FOUR DOLLARS!

me: you b****rd! LOL!!! drayden NOOOOO!!!

noel: waaaaaah, so cheap drayden! nevermind, daddy will give you FIVE dollars. (with emphasis) you sell daddy okay? sell daddy okay?

drayden: sell daddy okay!

noel: HOW MUCH you want to sell? HOW MUCH?

drayden: FOUR DOLLARS!

noel: okay thank you drayden for the awesome deal!

by this time, i was already on the floor, tummy too painful from laughing too hard and calling noel all kinds of names i could think of. my poor son, not the slightest clue what he's been tricked into!

happy holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 15:27:00 +0000

in keeping with the holiday season and long school break, i've shared a few topics of discussion over on the Drypers Facebook page that might be of relevance and interest to you, be it if you are going on holiday abroad or staying in the country.

if you're going on a family vacation, there are tips on how you can keep your children safe while overseas, as well as how to teach them to be smart about strangers. it's such a delicate issue, because while we have to teach them to NOT talk to strangers, who else BUT strangers can they approach should they be lost or require help?

i've shared tips during the recent June holidays on how you can keep the little ones occupied while on an airplane. thus, this time round, i've shared some road-trip boredom busters should you be planning a short getaway to our neighbouring countries and will be traveling by car or bus.

but don't fret if you're not going anywhere these holidays! i've also posted some ideas on all the fun and enjoyable stuff you can do with your children to make the long school break more meaningful for your family!

vacations aside, december is also the season for giving, what with christmas approaching and the end of the horrible school exams, which means you have to honour whatever promises of rewards you have made to your children if they did well! so there are also tips on how we can make the holidays less materialistic, as well as some reminders about toy safety when buying presents for the little ones.

do have a read if any of the topics interest you!

1. Keeping your child safe while on a holiday

2. How Can I Teach Kids to Be Smart About Strangers?

3. Don't forget Toy Safety when buying Gifts for our Kids this Holiday!

4. Presents vs Presence: Making the Holidays Less Materialistic

5. Things to do with your kids this holiday break!

6. Staying Healthy While You Travel

7. Roadtrip Boredom Busters

noel's 32nd

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 09:11:00 +0000

after a veeeeeeerrry long time - i think it was like a six or seven month hiatus! - we finally found time to visit Timbre to catch the Goodfellas two thursday nights ago. that is, because i had to collect noel's 32nd birthday present and Timbre was the most convenient point. it's very belated, but hey, better late than never!

i wish i had brought the camera so i'd have captured some decent pics. but well, i was from class, and already had three thousand things with me, so the SLR would have been too much to handle. anyway, here are pics we took many days later!

love the red rims!

and of course, gotta love the seat!

side view mirrors on both sides!

website photo of the bike

we also had a dinner celebration on the day of his birthday at a location of his choice. he had wanted a BBQ buffet, and a BBQ buffet was what we had! about twelve of us were together that night, over a very delicious and value-for-money barbeque buffet at Chong Pang 2-in-1 BBQ Buffet at Turf City. food was awesome! and i can't say enough about the company! it was really a wonderful night. we didn't let the rain dampen our spirits!

we arrived first, and waited for the rest to arrive

keeping busy with his toy cars

from awfully chocolate
once we started barbecuing and eating, we were too busy to snap pictures!
here are a few dina took!

noel's prank present from alexis and patrick!

it comes with a pink hair brush and pink shower cap, too!
anyway, chong pang bbq buffet was such a nice place and the staff are still as awesome as we remember them to be from marina south. we've been there two more times since noel's birthday!

now that noel has a bike already, i'm more pressured to get my own soon!

drayden says the darnest things...again!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 17:39:00 +0000

so y'all know how chuffed and relieved we are with drayden securing a spot in Hasanah's PlayNursery next year. only thing is, it comes with quite a hefty price tag. $2833.50 a term to be exact! but well, a price well worth it, because i know he is in excellent hands with Hasanah.

i jokingly said to drayden (well, actually, come to think of it, i'm pretty serious and i hope he gets it that i mean business!) that he'd better be a doctor, a lawyer or a pilot when he grows up...what with the cost of education we're having to meet! twelve grand a year on NURSERY education only is no joke, i tell you!

me: Drayden! when you grow up you better be a doctor or pilot or lawyer, i tell you! don't become PSP helper and all, i warn you ah!

and guess what his reply was?

"No. i want be ROBOT!"

*slapsforehead* yes, Dray. grow up and become a robot.

yes. *shakeshead*

sigh......

daddy says the darnest things!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:01:00 +0000

which kid doesn't love ice-cream? so as a treat for finishing up his pasta, noel brought up the tub of ice-cream he had bought earlier today. drayden of course got so excited he could have had a heart attack!

drayden: OH WOW!!!!! waaaaaahhhh... AIIIIIIIIIS KREEEEEEEEEM!!! *jumping up and down*

me: okay, okay, drayden sit down nicely and we can eat the ice-cream.

drayden: oh wow! *pointing to the tub, and then in his super shrill voice* Daddy you buy???

noel: no, drayden, i BORROWED. so the deal is, we're just gonna look at it, and then tomorrow i have to return to shop & save, okay?

me: wahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahaaaa!

holiday program, holiday plans

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 06:09:00 +0000

i can't wait for noel to complete his in-camp training (reservist) this year. he's got three more days to go! good thing is, he gets to come home everyday, but it still sucks not to have him around during the day. yesterday and tomorrow i have my early childhood classes in the evenings, and since noel won't be home in time to take over taking care of drayden, i'm leaving him in the care of Gerry. you may wonder why i don't seem to ever put him in the care of family members. well, i have my reasons, and let's just say, i am more comfortable with drayden being with Gerry and our circle of friends, because they're a more positive influence. and i like them. lol.

now that school is out for drayden, i'm constantly finding ways to occupy him. i'm thinking of putting him in the holiday programme at julia gabriel, maybe in the last week cos it sounds like fun. they're going to the children's gym!

i do have a holiday assignment for myself, though. to sieve through all of drayden's playclub artwork for the year and decide which to keep and which to throw out. and i need to organise them neatly. maybe i'll even take pictures of his artwork and post them here. it's been a while since i did that anyway!

you know, there's actually a lot i want to get off my chest, really unhappy stuff thanks to a certain someone who never fails to irritate me, and who i cannot stop hating with all my being. but for the sake of my husband and to not consume myself with hatred - because it's just so not worth it - i shall restrain myself. i need to find a mountain top and scream my lungs out. lol. or maybe just punch the life out of my pillow!

argh. happy thoughts. i need to think happy thoughts. oh yes! have i told you we're having a barbeque this christmas? with our family (read: our really-tight-like-super-glue close friends and of course, my sister). it's gonna be awesome! i can't wait for it!

and right after, we're gonna have to start thinking about drayden's third birthday party. i'm slacking a bit this time, i think! this time last year i've already covered some extensive groundwork! now i haven't even started yet! well, we've got the venue out of the way - noel still wants the Changi Cottage as we did last year - but we haven't even decided on the theme yet!

we thought we'd let Drayden decide for himself, but knowing him, we cannot trust him! one minute its balls, then it's toy story, the next minute it's robots (he means construction vehicles, don't ask me why!) and later its CARS. so i don't know what theme to have his party in!

whatever it is, we'll make sure it'll be fun and memorable for him. the first two years it didn't matter if it was the adults that had more fun, heh, because he was too young to know anything! but now, we've got to make sure our little man has his fun. last year, i was extremely happy throughout the party because the people i didn't like self -uninvited themselves. hallelujah! lol! sure made it easy for us.

anyway, what are YOUR plans these holidays? going on holiday? staying put?
do share!

end of term four

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Aludra Boyd) — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 06:49:00 +0000

hello, everyone! happy holidays!
term four closed on a happy note for us, but i'll get to it later! first, we celebrated deepavali in class in week nine, and to get with the festivities, everyone has to come dressed in an indian outfit, so we were at mustaffa just two nights prior looking for an outfit for Dray and i. i shopped in the kids' department, too! lol! i managed to fit into a punjabi suit (size 32!) and i found for Dray something in his size, too!

it was a miracle he even agreed to be dressed in it, but alas, it didn't last long! the minute we walked into class and everyone started gushing over how cute he looked, he wanted it off! and try as i might, i couldn't get a decent picture cos he simply wouldn't pose for it!

with Gerry

the following class we celebrated the color silver, and after wrecking my brains what-goddamned-silver-thing i can put him in, this is as silver as i can get! though, i was very close to making him a robot outfit from one of my many empty boxes - wrapped in aluminum foil!

silver glitter nail polish! can lah, right?!
he was quite pleased with his silver nails, too, showing off to everyone who would listen! he actually walked around like a zombie half the time that day, haha, with his fingers spread out in front off him, showing his silver nails off!

and then in week ten it was party week, to celebrate the end of term as well as the coming christmas, and besides bringing in food and goodies for the party, we also had to bring to class a present for our own child! santa popped by the class and handed out the presents to each of the children, while Gerry played christmas carols on the keyboard. it was very festive!

Drayden got the biggest present of all, but ONLY because i couldn't find a suitable box and had just nicked the copier paper carton box (it's huge!) from the school's office! lol! and then i just wrapped it in recyclable paper and stuck a bow on it.

i'll see if i can upload a video of him unwrapping the present soon, but meanwhile here are his pre-Christmas presents!

more CARS to add to his collection! this boy loves CARS - and these i was sure would make him the happiest child on thursday 18 november 2010. heh!

well, as mentioned, term four ended on a happy note for us, and i'm gonna tell you why now! we got a spot in Hasanah's PlayNursery for next term! yey! *happydance*

i couldn't be more relieved - especially after the wee bit of a mix-up we had. i had put dray's name down in the waiting list for PlayNursery, term one of oh-eleven at the start of this year's term four, and we were told that we will be updated of the outcome in november. however, when i checked on the status on the last day of school, i was told his name wasn't even on the wait list!

i had been prepared for bad news, like we didn't get a spot, but this i was not prepared for! but well, after a little chat here and a little chat there, we eventually managed to get a spot! you have no idea how relieved i was! one, because drayden is very ready to advance from Playclub already, and two, him going to an everyday independent programme - well, rather monday to friday - will mean all my oh-eleven plans will fall into place nicely.

and i really wanted hasanah's afternoon class because most importantly, drayden is very familiar with her, so it will make the separation a lot less painful (PlayNursery is an independent program, whereas PlayClub as we have attended this entire year is an accompanied one), plus i have the highest confidence and the utmost faith in her teaching skills. also, dray's classmate Matthijs from Playclub will be in the same class with him!

i'm very excited about him starting PlayNursey (though i can't say the same about the fees!), and i can't wait to get him a schoolbag and a lunchbox! lol! so exciting right!

but noel and i still have to make arrangements around his school hours, and see how our oh-eleven plans will work. as gerry and the gang would say: slow by slow!

i'm just relieved we got the spot, because otherwise i wouldn't know what to do. he's "bored" with PlayClub already cos he's ready for more challenging stuff, and i'm not keen on Chiltern House at this age. my only back-up was to continue PlayClub for one more term, and add on EduDrama classes for him. but thankfully we needn't go down that road! but now that his Nursery is settled, i gotta worry about Kindergarten 1 on oh-twelve next! i't'll be Chiltern House, of course, but with the crazy wait list Chiltern House always get, i'd better put his name down by january!

isn't it just crazy how we stress over our child's education these days even BEFORE they enter primary school? it's madness!

anyway, i had my early childhood class yesterday morning, and noel had an early event, so we dropped him off at Alexis' place for Abasah (as dray fondly refers to Alexis!) to babysit him. noel dropped him off, as i was in class by nine am, and according to noel it was with a very heavy heart he did so. i don't think i'd be able to go through it! but according to Alexis he was absolutely fine, and when i came by after my class, about an hour later, he was happily playing with Alexis!

he's such a big boy now, speaking in complete sentences (and making more sense now, heh!) and using big words when we least expect it! he's saying things like:

"mommy, shall we go pay?" - after he's picked up the first toy he sees the first thing we walk into a store!
"i'm sorry, mommy, are you okay?" - when any of his toys that he just loves to throw around hits me on the face!
"mommy, mommy, how much is it?" - each time he picks something up at the store
"oh! what's that sound?" - whenever he wants to be a big kaypoh!

...and many more that i can't remember now. his favorite pastime now is to be on noel's laptop, either watching CARS videos on YouTube, or playing games on sites like Sesame Street and Bob the Builder. YES! he already knows how to work the track pad, and maneuver around these sites!

thank god he has MY brains. haha! ok, i'm off to play Fruit Ninja now! =)