Those aren’t really my favorite things but they happen to be the favorite things of Bert, Cookie Monster and Oscar. And I know this because those guys just sang a really cute song about it during the press conference at Universal Studios Singapore yesterday.

Here, I even managed to catch it on video for you guys.

You know what this means right?

Uh huh. Sesame Street has landed in USS.

Starting next Monday, the characters from Sesame Street will be performing live shows like these along the streets of New York in USS. On top of that, there will also be character breakfasts as well as meet and greets so you can get up close with your favorite character.

During the preview breakfast yesterday, we got to meet Oscar, Cookie, Bert and Ernie.

This looks like a picture of calm but it took several tries to get it because the first time we attempted to take a group photo, Kirsten went ballistic when Oscar reached out to hug her. In between shrieks, she was all “I DON’T LIKE THE GREEN ONE, HE’S VERY DIRTY…” And we were like “Um yeah, that’s kind of the appeal. He is living in a trash can, sweetheart.”

On that note, I have to say that the costumes are done really well. I mean, Oscar (who’s my favorite, btw) even has a real trash can attached to his legs so he can park and hide in it whenever he’s tired. That’s just brilliant.

And a couple more shots of the breakfast. Yes, cake does count as breakfast.

In other news, there will also be a Sesame Street ride that will be unveiled towards the end of the year, so stay tuned for that.

With toddlers, bedtime can be the best of times or the worst of times.

Sometimes, like last night, it can be a little bit of both.

Time check: 10.20. It was 45 minutes since I attempted to put Kirsten to bed and she was still a bundle of energy, climbing everywhere in the complete darkness of her room. Stories had been read, songs had been sung, kisses exchanged and I was starting to get a little edgy thinking of all the work I had to do after she falls asleep.

“Lie down and close your eyes, princess.”

“Momma…” she whispered.

It was turning out to be one of those nights. I could just feel it.

“No more talking. One more sound from you and I’m going out, daddy will come take over.”

“Momma…” she whispered again, this time even softer.

“WHAT, baby? You’ve already peed, pooped, drank milk, drank water and peed again. What else could you possibly want that’s so urgent?”

She was quiet for a moment, unsure of whether to go on.

“I love you, momma. G’night.” With that, she planted a light peck on my cheek and climbed back into bed.

Motherhood. Makes you feel like a complete arse sometimes.

Advertorial

When I was a kid, I didn’t really pay much attention to protecting my eyes. I always figured that they’d be fine and the worst thing that could happen was myopia, which sort of wasn’t a big deal because we have things called spectacles and contact lenses these days.

Looking back, I broke practically every eye-protecting rule in the book. I would hide under the covers with a torch to read late into the night, have the book far too close to my eyes and watch TV excessively. My mom used to tell me to read under a proper reading light but I hated it because the glare would be too distracting, so I’d end up reading in a variety of positions and under all kinds of bad lighting.

Which pretty much explains why I’m now practically blind without my glasses. This one time I broke my specs when Kirsten was a month old and I had to jab contact lenses into my eyes several times throughout the night to get through the night feeds.

After discovering first hand how annoying it is to have bad eyesight, I’m doing what I can to not abuse my eyes further.

And with my own kids, I find myself becoming very particular about protecting their eyes, just so that they don’t become as myopic as I am. I’m now like an Eye Nazi, barking orders like “no watching the iPad while lying down” and “turn on the reading light guys, you’re going to go blind”.

So I was actually quite pleased to find out that 3M now has a range of 3M^TM Polarizing Lights and even more pleased that they sent over a set to try.

What’s a Polarizing Light, you say?

It’s basically a reading light with a Polarizing Filter that illuminates better, reduces the glare and absorbs UV rays, thereby protecting the eyes. It got a very cool On/Off touch pad instead of a regular switch and it swivels easily so I can change reading positions and swivel the light accordingly. I know that’s a lot of geek talk but my inner geek is feeling a lot of love for it.

The kids are also taking very well to it, so much so that they’ve staked claim to it for their reading corner.

3M is now giving away 5 pieces of 3M Polarizing Light (BL 5100 Lamp) worth $189 each. To join the contest, all you need to do is tell us in 100 words or less, why you need a 3M Polarizing Light (BL 5100 Lamp). Send your answer, name, I/C number, mobile and email address with the title “3M Polarizing Light Contest – Mother, Inc” to officebiz@mmm.com by 17 June 2012 and winners will be announced on 29 Jun 2012.

*Open to Singapore citizens and PRs only.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of 3M. All opinions and text are my own.

Brought the kids for their first run yesterday. Wait, they’ve obviously ran before and they do it all the time at home but I’m referring to the kind of run with lots of people and cool T-shirts and a proper number tag and medals and all that.

The husband has done several of these sorts of runs but I’ve never been inclined to join him because I generally start to feel faint after running about a hundred metres.

So when we heard about the Cold Storage Kids Run, I didn’t particularly fancy the idea of running with hundreds of other parents in the sweltering heat but he somehow managed to talk me into joining the parent-child 800m Fun Run. It was “for the kids” apparently.

It was so cute that the kids were really excited, especially Truett, who’s in this competitive phase right now. The moment the race started, he took off and sprinted down the track without even looking back.

Good thing the husband was his tag-team partner because Kirsten and I took our own sweet time and did the leisurely walk that pregnant women and small babies are entitled to. Halfway through the race, baby girl started looking all exhausted and miserable but I was so proud that she powered on and shuffled her way to the finish line.

Here’s my little champ looking mighty pleased with his first medal ever. Never mind that it was only for participation and shaped like a fruit. He loved it so much that he couldn’t stop admiring it for the rest of the day, beaming every time he looked at it and showing it off to everyone who who would listen.

I guess I’m still not a fan of running but looking at how much they enjoyed it, we’ll probably be doing this a lot more. The next round, we might even try swapping run partners.

Among all the battles I’ve had with the kids, none has been as epic as the one we’ve had with food. And I’m not referring to food fights, although there have been some.

For people that are so small, they seem to have big ideas on nutrition. Most of the time, all they need to do is look at the food before deciding what is allowed into their mouths and what’s not. At first, it all seemed random and arbitrary but after observing their eating patterns for a while, I’ve narrowed down their criteria in determining whether food is edible.

1. Texture

As a rule of thumb, anything that’s crispy is sure to be a hit. Whenever Truett is introduced new food he hasn’t tasted before, he’ll peer at it for a moment and then ask the question: “Is it crispy or not?” If it is, it goes straight into his mouth.

If it isn’t, it will be subjected to the following tests.

2. Color

You’d think that being kids, the brighter the color, the more likely they are to eat it. Unfortunately, the contrary seems to be true. Earthy colors have a higher chance of being eaten, like beige, chocolate and golden brown.

Generally, the brighter the color, the more suspicious they get, with green leading the pack on the list of banned food. Purple, red and orange are approved on a case by case basis, mostly depending on whether they are M&Ms.

3. Temperature

This is pretty much a no brainer, i.e. the colder the better.

In summary, this.

One of the best parts of the second trimester is this activity I like to call Watching The Baby Move, also known as Let’s See Who Can Stare At My Pregnant Belly The Longest.

I do that a lot these days, because Finn seems to be having a party inside all the time. And also because it’s fun on so many levels – I get to lie down and do absolutely nothing except stare at my stomach. Even when he’s not moving, it’s extremely therapeutic and when he does move, it’s like “woah chill out in there, little guy” but also “that’s unbelievably cool” all at the same time.

Having done this twice before, it still fascinates me whenever the baby kicks or moves or flips a somersault. You know that chest-bursting scene in Alien where the alien thing struggles to pop out of the dude’s chest? Like that, except far less creepy and actually kind of sweet.

Well, ok, the husband says it’s nothing like that scene at all but I’ll qualify that by saying that I’ve never actually watched the full scene, only the first 3 seconds where there’s visible movement in the guy’s abdominal region before I end up closing my eyes and stuffing my fingers in my ears while singing “I Will Survive” loud enough to drown out the sound.

Anyhow, I like to get everyone engaged in this stomach-watching activity because it’s great for family bonding and all that. So every night before bed, I’ll make the husband and kids gather to stare at my belly.

The husband would pretend to be interested while fiddling with his iPad but at least the kids would stare intently, waiting for any sign of movement. But then Finn would get a bout of performance anxiety and refuse to move. 30 seconds in, they’ll be like “this is so boring why is he not moving?” and I’ll be all “you guys need to be patient, just wait for it.” After another 5 seconds, they’ll realize that they have better things to do with their time and run off, which is usually the point Finn starts to move. Then I’ll yell at them to come back because they’re missing out on witnessing a potentially life-changing event. But obviously by the time they get back, the moving would have stopped and Kirsten be all exasperated, like “I come back but baby Finn never move what. BABY FINNNNN!! Are you there? I think he cannot hear me.”

Till this day, they think that I’m making this up so I’m going to make one of those time-lapse videos of me lying down for 24 hours just so I can prove it to them.

Now if only I can find 24 hours to lie down without moving.

It’s totally for research, you guys. Or science. Or art. One of those.

Yesterday morning, I woke up to a barrage of baby kisses.

I smiled and said, “Awww thanks kids, was that for Mother’s Day?”

They looked at me like ok, what is this Mother’s Day you speak of?

“Um, so what’s all the kisses for?”

“Because I just love you lah.”

And then my heart exploded into a thousand tiny pieces. Who needs Mother’s Day when I get smothered with baby kisses just because.

Although that didn’t stop me from milking the most out of my Mother’s Day. It does only happen once a year after all.

Hope you had a smashing one too!

“I need space,” he said as he gently shoved me aside with the back of his little hand, eyes still glued to the TV.

This was new. He’s needed a lot of things in the past almost 4 years but space has never been one of them. I didn’t even know that he knew what space was, much less needed it. Even when he was watching TV, he’d want me to sit next to him with my laptop just so I could be close by. He would smile and let me tousle his hair or play with his toes or smother him with kisses. He’d even reach out to hold my hand every so often.

“I’m not taking away your space, I just wanted to give you a small kiss.”

“Not now. Later when I’m done, ok?” Still not even throwing me a glance.

“Would you like me to sit with you while you watch?”

“No need. You go out to do your work. Go, go, go.”

“Fine, but just one kiss before I go? When you were a baby, you used to let me kiss you anytime I wanted, remember.”

He finally looked up for a brief moment. I thought he would reach in for a quick kiss but he didn’t.

“I’m not a baby anymore, I’m a big boy.”

So he was. He used to need me but now he needs space. Away from me.

I knew this day would come and I remember telling myself that when it happened, I’d let him take the lead in pulling away. I’d hang around in the distance just close enough that when he needed me, I could come sprinting back. I’d give him the space he needed for as long as he needed it. I’d learn to be ok with it.

***

“I want you to sit with me.”

I checked the clock and it was barely 15 minutes since he chased me out of the room. I was doing a victory fist pump in my head but I played it cool.

“You’re done with TV? You want mommy to spend time with you now?”

He nodded.

“Sure, sweetheart, anytime.”

Today, it was just 15 minutes of space that he needed and I felt like I was losing my baby. Maybe I was overreacting. I usually look forward to the pockets of time I could steal to check my emails or get some work done but I guess the difference was that I always did it on my terms, knowing that they still needed me.

How do moms do this? Let go, I mean. One day they’re helpless and needy and clingy and I turn my entire world upside down to be there for them. Then just when I’m used to being needed, they decide to grow up. Next thing I know, they’ll be running off with friends, hiding secrets, blocking me on Facebook and having all kinds of crazy adventures without me.

I should probably just enjoy it while it lasts. That and have more babies.

In view of the big 3-0, the husband put together a surprise party on Sunday evening.

I’m not typically one for big parties and I’ve always thought it to be overly self-indulgent to be celebrating my birthday past the age of 12. Besides, I was pretty bummed to finally be on the wrong side of 30 and I was secretly hoping the day would come and go quietly so I wouldn’t have to pay much attention to it.

But of course the husband knew better so he gathered a couple of good friends and planned the most amazing party a girl could ask for.

It was extra special because I know he doesn’t like to sing in public but he took the mic and belted out the sweetest rendition of U2′s All I Want Is You I’ve ever heard. And then he added a couple of verses to the poem he wrote 7 years ago when he proposed. I cried the first time I heard it and this time, I was totally crying on the inside.

Here’s a big thank you to everyone who took the time off your Sunday evening to be there, you guys really made it special. An extra mention has to go out to JQ and Pearlyn for the wonderful place, to Feng from After Hours for the music and to Sean Lee for the photos.

Seriously, I couldn’t think of a better way to turn 30.

30. I’ve always figured that’s one of life’s milestones, just not the kind you look forward to. Sort of like having your wisdom teeth extracted or going for your first colorectal examination.

In fact, I spent most of my twenties trying not to think about it because 30 just seemed so…old. Or at least, it was the gateway to being old, from which there was no return.

People like to say that 30 is the new 20, but having been both, I’m convinced that it really isn’t.

At 20, I was young. Idealistic. A little naive even. I felt unstoppable, like I could do anything I put my mind to. I was hard on others and harder on myself. I made lists of the things I wanted in life – all the awesome things I would do and the places I would go. My modus operandi at 20 was to have fun and carpe as many diems as I could, sometimes a little recklessly.

At 30, I’m older and hopefully a little wiser. Still idealistic, but it’s the kind of idealism that’s tempered with a healthy dose of reality after picking up a couple of battle scars along the way. Painfully aware of the fact that willpower and hard work (though important) aren’t the only factors for success. But on the bright side, along with that realization came a measure of grace and understanding that I was able to extend to others and myself.

Some of the things I so badly wanted in life when I was 20 turned out to be kind of meh, while others became far more important than I ever thought they’d be.

Instead of doing stuff and going places, I find myself wanting to be with people. I’m increasingly thankful for every single one who has been around for us the last 10 years because when I look back, those are the moments I remember with the greatest clarity and fondness.

My twenties are officially over and even though I feel a little wistful thinking of all the things I should have done when I had youth on my side, I’m excited about my thirties.

So there are several more fine lines to deal with. The weight seems harder to shake off. The boobs need a little more help defying gravity. My body feels tired and less cooperative.

But what the heck, I’m embracing it because 30 is where the magic happens.