SANses

Musings on being a Singapore Mummy Blogger [plus my first Linky Party!]

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Mon, 28 May 2012 01:00:00 +0000

I started blogging in maybe 2005, but it was only with the birth of Jay that I really started blogging in earnest, as a way to record where we’d been and what we’ve been up to as a family.

Often when acquaintances first learn that I have a blog, they usually have one of these reactions:

“Oh? You blog?”
In other words: You’re a narcissist, aren’t you?

“Oh! You blog?”
In other words: Who wants to read about your life?

“Wow! You blog?”
In other words: You must have a lot of time on your hands.

“Wow! You blog?”
In other words: Man… I’ve always wanted to start a blog too… but it’s been two years and I’m still just talking about it.

“Huh? What’s a blog?”
In other words: Time to get out of your lil hole in the ground, my friend.

“Ooh… a blog”
In other words: Ka-ching $$$ !

Well, I am not a narcissist, nor do I harbour any illusions that my life is so addictively engaging. I am also one busy bee with a full-time job AND two kids to juggle. And I don’t make nearly as much money from my blog as some might think. (Not yet anyways… haha!)

The reasons why I blog? Cos I love it! I enjoy the process of taking pretty photos. I may not convert every outing to a blog entry (because… well… I am busy! Haha!) but the process of composing a blog entry and thinking what topic to blog about is fun and relaxing for me! In my job which requires me to do a lot of writing of the more formal kind, my blog allows me to write in a much more ~~long-winded~~ relaxed manner. I also love writing about my two boys, and this is my “scrapbook” for them. Like how my parents used to keep stacks and stacks of Kodak photo albums full of old photos, this is my album for Jay & Xav, complete with Mummy’s ramblings! I am looking forward to the day that Jay (and Xav) will be proficient enough to read this blog and I hope it will entertain them thoroughly. I know my niece reads my blog faithfully (Hi Petrina!) and my sis in law shows the grandparents the latest pics of their precious ones. So while we may be in the same little island, we do not get the chance to meet all the time, so the blog is a good way for them to keep in touch with how we are and how the kids are doing. How knows? God may also open up an opportunity for Nic to do his PhD back in Sydney and this blog may eventually become a tool of communication with our loved ones back in Singapore!

In the last few months, I’ve had the opportunity to meet up with other fellow Singapore Mummy bloggers! It’s like being in some “secret society” – the good kind! Haha! And we all have our stories to tell on how and why we started on this blogging journey. I’ve met so many new and good bloggers through this group, and I find great enjoyment from reading their tales, and knowing that I am neither alone (nor lonely!) in my mummy-hood journey.

And therefore I think it apt… that I start my very first Linky Party in order of other Mummy (and Daddy) bloggers!

Link on up… and share how you got started blogging and why you’re still at it!

Have a great week ahead!

An afternoon at the Stables

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Sat, 26 May 2012 08:31:00 +0000

There are some nice restaurants that I’ve always wanted to bring my kids to. The Marmalade Pantry, for one. Having heard of its yummy desserts, and when I learnt they recently opened a new outlet (Pantry at the Stables), it made it twice as necessary to do so! Pony-riding AND desserts? Double score on the cool-mama scale.

And I was so happy to receive an invite from my friends at FoodNews, inviting me for a food tasting at this restaurant.

And having gone there, I now realise. While there are some restaurants that my kids will enjoy, there are also ~~many~~ times I will enjoy it even more sans kids! Haha… Of course, I recognize this is true for most times, cos eating with kids means… it is either a shovel and gobble or a pick and swallow. You know, when you either have the shovel down the spoonfuls of rice or noodles in between their screams or if the food’s a little trickier, you just kinda pick on it and swallow.

Multi-tasking at its finest.

But back to the restaurant! There is a special Father’s Day menu to be launched, and it looks to appeal to that special man’s stomach!

It is a three-course meal, starting with a simple and hearty Crab Cakes.

The moment I bit into this, I knew … that Jay would adore this, as he is a huge crab-lover! Succulent and you can see the bits of crab meat instead of the usual mush this sort of dish comes in.

There are two choices of the main course: Pan Seared Skirt Steak or the Linguini Aglio Olio with Crispy Pork Belly. We decided to try the linguini cos seriously the crispy pork belly sounds irresistible to us!

Mmm-hmm! As yummy as it looks. The aglio olio was nicely done, and the pork belly was divine. I can imagine Nic finishing this in the drop of a hat!

The dessert is a Bittersweet Chocolate Torte. The best part of this 3-course meal is that it will not break your bank account! It is at a very affordable $49++ per person! If you want to give a father a special treat, I’d definitely recommend making a trip to the Pantry at the Stables. This promotion runs only from 12 to 17 June 2012!

Pantry at the Stables is located at 55 Fairways Drive, Singapore 286846
For reservations, call (65) 6467 7748, or email enquiry.stables@themarmaladepantry.com.sg for more information.

---

And you would think we’d be pretty stuffed after a three-course meal. Of course, we normally would be! But how can we make a trip here without taking a go at its desserts? I mean, especially at the sight of these beauties.

Gor-geous! Our diets postponed, we decided to forgo the dessert of the Father’s Day menu, and we ordered the Afternoon Tea Set for two (at $20 per person).

Just look at the array of desserts! The highlights for me was the buttermilk scones, strawberry preserve and the clotted cream. Oh! Clotted cream… I am a new convert. Love love LOVED this!

The tea set also comes with one of those lovely cupcakes, and after much deliberation, we decided to try the Red Velvet and May’s special cupcake of the month – the Apple Cobbler.

That, with the cup of Earl Grey Gryphon tea, and the company of two girls made the entire afternoon pass by in a jiffy! It may have been the good food or the sweet treats (or both, probably) but it hardly felt like a “formal” media food tasting, and more like three girl-friends out on a date! Haha! As much as the food was good for my soul, the company was even better.

Will I be back for the afternoon high tea? Oh, for sure! So I reckon… my kids will come for the Father’s Day meal. But afternoon tea speaks of leisurely nibbles of cupcakes and clotted creams, and therefore, a good leave-the-kids-with-grandma excuse!

Jurassic (World) War (Right at home)

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I love my games, and once upon a long time ago I used to play Bridge with a group of friends. Of cos, you understand, that I am talking about pre-Jayvonian days here. Like how I used to play Scrabble and Boggle during my University days. And how I love playing Cranium, Saboteur and other games with friends now!

Recently, I had the chance to get a few games for Jay to try out, courtesy of Pamela from My First Games.

Seriously. Jay loves this game, if only for that ferocious T-Rex on the cover of the game! While it was recommended that this game be for 8 year olds and above, the game play was simple enough for Jay (a 4 year old) to grasp, and the fierce-looking dinosaurs (all so familiar to him, courtesy of the Dinosaur Train DVD series he watches religiously).

There are a total of 20 dinosaurs – 10 carnivores and 10 herbivores, and the cards were to be randomly & equally distributed to the players. Jay was busy examining the cards, and “announcing” he wanted to have the T-Rex & Triceratops cards!. Of course, I told him we had to shuffle and distribute the cards equally.

There were also 10 Combat cards – giving an extra boost when played!

The 3 Time Line cards also added another dimension to the game.

We then tried out one round – Daddysaurus vs Jayvonosaurus.

Jayvon selected his favourite T-Rex, and Daddy played his Ankylosaurus card. (Bad shot cos the photographer – Mummynosaurus – was busy reading and refereeing the game!)

The red/green diamond shapes on each card indicates how many of that coloured dice you are allowed to play against your opponent. Maximum of 3 red and 4 green dice.

Each red die has TWO “hit” sides, and each green die has only ONE “hit” side. If the opponents have the same number of hits, they both throw again. If one has more hits than the other, the difference in hits represents the die/dice “lost”… and the winner is determined when the opponent’s dice run out!

First throw: Jay had two hits vs Daddy’s one hit… and by the end of 4 throws, Daddy’s ankylosaurus was defeated!

Jay was so serious, and insisted on throwing each die separately and squealed in delight at every hit, and asked for a rethrow every time he came up blank! Haha… Mummy-referee allowed some rethrows. :P

In the end, it was four straight rounds of Daddy’s dinosaurs being annihilated, before Daddy made some headway.

Any favourite kids’ games you have?

The iPad – Godsent or Bad Nanny?

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

I have had my iPad for about 2 years now. Yes, I managed to snag the first generation from the USA, courtesy of a friend who was residing there. And I think my life has changed ever since then. Haha! It is my go-to parenting tool. I know of friends who at first said that they would not get this for their kids. (I think most of these friends have since iPad-ed up! Haha!)

So is the iPad a Godsent or a Bad Nanny? There are parents on both sides of the camp – but my two cents is that all things brought to an extreme is bad, and the important thing is to have balance.

Since the iPad has come into our household, I’ve made sure to remind (and remind) Jay constantly that the iPad belongs to Mummy, and hence, I have the final say on who should use it and how long. Or rather, I can claim ownership once I feel he’s been on it for too long. Haha!

The iPad is a Godsent when it can occupy the kid for 10, 20 minutes. This seems trivial to some, but not when your head’s splitting and you NEED that 20 minutes to bathe/cook/run to the toilet. It is a Godsent on long car/train/plane trips. But like I said, if taken to the extreme, then of course it isn’t good. The iPad is in no way a replacement for the human touch! Haha! In other words, whether or not the iPad is a godsent or a bad nanny is really a matter of balance. For us, it is an essential parenting tool!

Well, I first put down some of my fave apps for kids really long ago, so I thought it would be good to update it a little. (All the recommendations for the apps below are my personal opinion only.)

Jay’s most-used app is, hands-down, the Youtube app! Haha! As you can see, the video history is full of his faves (dinosaurs, animals, Kungfu Panda…), and he is able to quickly navigate through the various videos out there.

Parenting tip: There ARE videos that you would NOT want your kids to stumble upon, so do remember to set some restrictions. You can set this from the Settings tab, under General, Restrictions.

Other favourite games include:

Kung Fu Food! Similar to Fruit Ninja – but with a cute Panda (great if your kids loves Kungfu Panda).

The Drawing Pad: This is another of Jay’s fave apps – it has a variety of drawing modes (pencil, crayon, markers, paints) in a huge variety of colours, including stickers and all. Check out the deinonychus (which I drew & Jay painstakingly coloured). Costs USD1.99 – but to me, TOTALLY worth it!

I love the eBooks! Most are downloaded FOC, and they are pretty interactive and can hold Jay’s attention for a good 15 minutes or so (in adult-speak, that is like 2 hours!)

To the other parents out there… any thoughts on this? iPad – Godsent or bad nanny? :)

To all the mothers…

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Sat, 12 May 2012 14:29:00 +0000

Valentine’s Days… Birthdays… Anniversaries. And four years ago, I added another important date to my calendar: Mother’s Day.

I must admit that having two kids wasn’t part of my agenda. But after Jay came along, and we kind of got the “hang” of things, we decided having a second one would be a pretty cool idea. And we were blasé about it, and kinda left it in the hands of God whether or not our second would come about.

And X happened.

And while life had settled into some routine after Jay, the arrival of Xav pretty much landed us back in square one. Haha!

Oh, but what a wonderful journey.

Seeing the two boys interact, scream, play, fight, pinch, hug each other (often in quick succession) and then squeal in delight and frustration … how amazing sibling bonding is!

I’ve always joked with my friends who are not parents yet, that when you become a parent, sleep becomes underrated. Haha… Well, being a parent puts more than just sleep on hold. Your social life becomes sparser, your meal times more hurried, movies become a distant memory … and all new awesome memories are forged. I am thankful to God today that I get to mother two awesome boys!

To all the very special Mummies out there…

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Our Zoo day

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Mon, 07 May 2012 00:55:00 +0000

Public holidays used to mean mornings spent sleeping in, leisurely brunches and movie outings. That is before kids come into the picture.

Now… it’s all about going to places to entertain the kiddos! I’ve always heard colleagues and friends lament about the lack of places to go to during the weekends. I think the cure for such boredom is to have a kid. Or two. Or if you’re really adventurous, three or more. There are so many places to bring the kids to, from indoor/outdoor/water playgrounds, art classes, music classes, and of course… the usual touristy stuff like going to the Zoo, Birdpark or Night Safari.

Jay has been to the zoo probably a gazillion times. Alright, maybe not that many, but pretty close. He has a soft spot for animals – even though he has “progressed” to dinosaurs now, there aren’t any “live” dinosaurs he can observe, so the Singapore zoo is a great place to spend the day. And spend the day we did.

We left our place at 8.30 a.m. (I know! It’s as bad as going to work…) and decided to give ourselves a caffeine boost at the Ah Meng’s Kopi!

Here’s X, and it is his FIRST time to the zoo! This is probably a “good” age to bring him, as he is able to recognize the animals, and he’s also watched The Lion King cartoon about 20 times now.

Our two little tour guides for the day poring over the Zoo map to decide where we would go to!

The breakfast was simple and hearty – I especially love the peanut butter and jam bread! Yums…

Thankfully there was a slight drizzle the night before, so the cool-ish air was such a relief – especially with the hot weather these days! We made our way to the “usual” exhibits – the White Tiger, otters, big cats, giraffes, zebras, rhino, and even managed to catch two shows – the Splash Safari & Animal Friends show!

J & the pygmy hippo!

We decided to end off the day by letting the kids loose at the Kidzworld water playground.

Yes, it is Daddy braving the waters with X… Again.

And J quickly went for gingerly getting used to the cool water…

To getting totally soaked!

It was a fun-filled, tiring, bone-aching morning… but really, what other kind of Zoo Days are there? :)

Celebrate Mother’s Day at The Halia Restaurant

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Fri, 04 May 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Together with a few other bloggers, I was recently invited for a food tasting at The Halia Restaurant, located in Botanic Gardens. I’ve passed by this restaurant a few times, and always loved its cosy look. So when I received the invite to try out Halia’s new Mother’s Day offering, I was ecstatic!

When I reached there, a nice cool glass of Ginger Jive was served – the restaurant’s long-running signature drink.

Made of freshly squeezed ginger juice, juice and wild honey, it was a cool refreshing relief from the balmy evening heat – and boded well for the rest of the evening.

The Halia has prepared a special four-course set dinner, exclusively available from 11–13 May 2012, with 2 choices of mains and desserts.

The first dish was capsicum veloute with pan-seared lobster & truffle oil – and I loved the sweetness of the soup, and the crispy lotus root slice.

Next up was the Tian of Crab in garlic aioli, egg white, beetroot petal and chive with mille feuille of buttered brioche and passionfruit puree. What a mouthful! But a mouthful of this dish… was heavenly! The sweetness of the crab made for a yummy experience!

For mains, we had a choice between Pan-fried line-caught sea bass fillet with yuzu orange reduction, siphon of truffle mash potato and lait de soja and Char-grilled Rangers Valley beef tenderloin with puree of butternut squash, cranberry beef jus, soft herb salad in green lime vinaigrette and edible flowers, and I went with the beef!

I loved my choice! The beef was tender and conversation which flowed freely came to a stop as the entire table was busy decimating our dishes! Haha…

A good dessert is literally the icing on the cake (and the straw that breaks the back – or that weighing scale). There are also two choices: Strawberry gazpacho, cocoa streusel, basil sorbet and black peppercorn snap or the milk chocolate bar with orange caramel ice-cream and blood orange gelee. Oh… that chocolate bar. This made the entire meal worthwhile!

The chef also prepared a selection from their brunch menu over the Mother’s Day weekend for us to sample.

There is something about eating brunch that just hits a spot. And while we ooh-ed and aah-ed and thought we’d won’t be able to eat it all, the array of empty plates lie testament to the absolute yummy-ness of the brunch!

Poached eggs on brioche, dill hollandaise, roasted brown mushroom, spinach & tomato with crisp back bacon ($25). One word: HEAVENLY! This was my favourite dish of the night, as the runny eggs and salty bacon and toasty bread paired with the hollandaise sauce was divine.

If you prefer something lighter, this Granny Smith apple salad, grape, yuzu walnut, raisin, parmesan & candied orange twist in honey mustard dressing ($20) may be right up your alley.

Or half a dozen oysters done in two ways (with a spicy sweet pepper, onion, baby radish, parmesan gratin or sautéed baby spinach & garlic, Pernod deglaze, nutmeg, parmesan gratin)?

Or you can try The Halia’s special Mother’s Day creation - Parmesan and basil fregola, tempura of green asparagus and baby nasu, vine-ripened tomato and morel emulsion ($34).

We’d reached the end of our delicious meal, and enjoyed a refreshing cup of Halia Infusion (made of sun-dried ginger and wild honey).

My dinner companions for the night – including the Dominique’s adorable daughter R who entertained us with her antics all night… and see how she has KO-ed for the night? Haha!

All in all, it was one good experience at Halia! All my late nights watching (and salivating) over Masterchef and Junior Masterchef has seemingly come to life, and while I may not cook like them (yet), at least I can TASTE how it should be! Haha!

Thanks once again to FoodNews & The Halia for a wonderful evening!

If you are looking for a nice restaurant to treat your mom or your wife, check out The Halia’s Mother’s Day weekend offerings.

THE HALIA RESTAURANT
1 Cluny Road, Ginger Garden
(enter via Tyersall Avenue)
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Singapore 259569

The Mother’s Day set dinner is only available on 11-13 May, and you can enjoy the brunch on 12-13 May from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The things he thinks of (and says!)

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Jayvon has turned four. And with it, comes the funniest questions and statements his little mind can conjure up!

Here’s a small sampling…

About Jesus and heaven (after our last Good Friday talk…) & Dinosaurs (his favourite topic!)

Jay: When people die, does Jesus die too?
Me: Huh??? What do you mean, Jay?
Jay: Jesus is in our heart, right? So when you die, Jesus drops down?
(I burst out laughing here!)

---

Jay: Is Jesus in the dinosaur’s heart too?

---

Jay: Are there dinosaurs in heaven?
Me: Well, the Bible doesn’t say anything about it, so I don’t really know babe.
Jay: Why you don’t know?
Me: Well, when we get to heaven, you will know ok?

---

Jay: Mummy, do you know why I was laughing so much yesterday before I slept?
Me: Why?
Jay: Because I was thinking about my funny dream! You know what is my funny dream?
Me: What did you dream about?
Jay: I dreamt that Boris (the name of the T-Rex) was eating some plants! Hahahaha… so funny right? Hahahahaaaaaaaaa….
Me: Erm… ok…

---

Jay: Jesus can fly Mummy?
Me: What do you mean?
Jay: You said Jesus went to heaven right? So he can fly? Like the pteranodon? (a large flying dino)
Me: Well, the Bible says Jesus rose to heaven, so it is something like flying but He went higher than any eagle or pteranadon.

Well, I can’t be prouder of my little boy… though there are times he can drive me up (and down and up and down) the walls, he is a smart, confident little man! He never fails to crack me up!

Slow to get onboard, but hey, I’m in now!

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 00:57:00 +0000

It must have been sitting there for four weeks now.

My Happycall Pan, I mean.

But I am SO GLAD I finally came on board the Happycall ship – and I am SOLD on this awesome piece of kitchen appliance.

This was my creation, taking a page off Ellena’s Caramel Chicken & Potato recipe. Cos Jayvon loves to eat chicken drumstick off the bone, I put in 4 chicken thighs (cooking for 3 adults and 1 hungry boy), instead of just 1/2 a chicken.

Oh it was so yummy Jayvon polished off his entire plate of rice! Me? I had to restrain and remind myself of my low-carb diet. Hahaha!

And while I generally don’t enjoy potato (save for fries and chips), the caramelized potato slices here were divine.

And so I am pumped to scour for more easy-to-prepare and fast-to-cook dishes to make with my trusty HCP and brand new oven!

Here’re some of my go-to blogs and webpages for yummy recipes:

Cuisine Paradise
Food For Tots (great resource if you are looking for new recipes to cook for your little ones)
Munch Ministry

I enjoy overseas food bloggers – just that it is sometimes pretty tough to find the ingredients their recipes call for in our local supermarkets. So these local bloggers are perfect for someone who cannot improvise on recipes (I need to go by the book, I tell ya).

Any other cooking tips you can share? :)

A huge thanks!

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 01:00:00 +0000

… to my dear family, colleagues, friends and cell members who showered me with fabulous presents and yummy meals for my birthday.

Just a special post to thank you guys!

First off, my generous hubby – who took pity on my dying blackberry and gave me my advanced pressie – the Samsung Galaxy Note (which I ADORE!).

He also bought me a “mini” present – the latest launch by Urban Decay: Naked 2! I heard so much about the original Naked palette, and when we walked into Sephora, I was taken with this gorgeous new hues!

I also received Capitaland vouchers from my colleagues and zone leaders – and I went on a shopping spree on Monday! I have not been shopping for so long, ION felt… foreign to me! Haha! But it didn’t take me long to warm up and I went away with these gorgeous buys.

Jeans from Skin Couture. Words cannot express how much I love designer jeans. The feel of the denim, the cut, the beautiful handiwork. And at 50% discount, I think I got a real bargain on these! Pair a plain top with a nice pair of well-cut jeans? Ready to go anywhere!

Having an iPad is really a blessing. But having an iPad 1 means… I can’t find ANY nice iPad covers anymore. Also at Skin Couture, I went away with this fierce-looking cover.

Simple white top from Bershka.

Will I wear these beauties every day? Probably not. But I have an inherent weakness for shoes & I have shopped too many times at the online Aldo store. But I love these Steve Madden wedges, and just had to get them!

Top to toe pressies – and this SKII facial treatment essence is courtesy of my sis!

A cute Coach keychain from Wendy!

And a practical gift, to boot! My cell members pooled together… and got me this Samsung microwave oven! Hahaha! If this isn’t a push to get to making more meals at home, I don’t know what is! But I appreciate their effort and love, especially with two kids – a healthy home-cooked meal (that is both delicious and quick to prepare) is a must!

Not forgetting the birthday greetings, lunches, dinners and all that I enjoyed with all… This was a wonderful birthday celebration… and the icing on the cake was that I got to enjoy it with Nic & the kids!

Ahoy maties!

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:24:00 +0000

It was my birthday last Saturday, and I did something I have never done to celebrate this special occasion.

I spent the day baking in the sun. For the sake of my two sons. Hahaha! Oh, the power of the kids… makes me willingly (willingly, I tell you!) not just drag myself but hubby as well to the sunny island of Sentosa.

And no matter what I read or thought… seriously, the Port of Lost Wonder, Sentosa’s very first beach club for the kiddos, took my breath away! Even Jay stared open-mouthed at the huge pirate ship once we entered!

In fact, I think he was a little overwhelmed that when I asked if he’d like to go in to play, he refused at first. I was shocked, truth be told – he loves water playgrounds, right?

Oh, but my worries were unfounded. As soon as we found a shady spot for Mummy to take refuge from the blazing sun, he was ready to go!

Daddy was the ~~sacrificial lamb~~ sporting one, and brought Xavier in as well!

Xavier took to the water like a fish! Haha! His first time in the pool, actually… And erm, I did bring swim wear for Xavier… I blame the heat for forgetting.

While Daddy was busy with the kids, I walked around the club to take more pics!

Jay occupied himself with these two slides – the green and the blue! He had a BLAST, going up and down (and up and down)…

Apart from this totally awesome structure, there was actually MORE going on for the kids! When you register to enter, each kid is given a tiny sack of coins (or curios, as they call them) & a Port Pass to complete tasks and get prizes.

With the coins, the kids can choose to participate in other fun activities like gardening and even a foam party! The “cost” listed refers to the curio cost, so there’s no additional amount to fork out inside!

All in all, it was such a fun morning for me, and most importantly, my two boys! Jay was asking to go back to Sentosa over the weekend again, and we’re looking forward to our next family outing!

Thanks for the good folks at Sentosa for the chance to attend the opening of the newest attraction at Sentosa, and I think it will be a sure hit with the kids!

If you have kids aged 3 to 12, be sure to make a trip down to the Port of Lost Wonder, located at Palawan Beach Sentosa. The opening hours are 10 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. daily (the water play area closes at 6 p.m.)

Prices are pretty affordable, with admission charges for each kid at $8 (for weekdays) and $15 (for weekends), and if you go soon, there is a special 15% discount! No additional charges for the accompanying adult. For all-year free admission, you can also consider getting their annual membership.

My first taste of … homework!

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 01:00:00 +0000

I mean… Jay is in pre-school. Seriously. N2.

Hardly the age that I expect to be doing homework with him.

But on the last school day the last week, I was erm, pleasantly surprised to see a little envelope from the teachers.

And a little homework for Mummy. I mean, Jayvon.

It was a simple exercise but as I am a rookie homework-Mummy, I probably forgot one vital aspect.

Always do homework early. Always.

We started on this project after dinner, and while it went well at first (for the first part – the cutting of the squares, cos Jay always loves using the scissors), when it came to applying the glue and sticking on the parts… it was a matter of whine (his) against will (mine).

After sticking the first 2 squares…

Jay: Mummy, you do for me.

Mummy: You’re supposed to do it, you know.

Jay:I don’t want to do it. I am tired. *cue the fake yawn*

Mummy: But what if teacher asks you tomorrow if you did the work, are you going to say Mummy did it?

Jay: Sigh. Rubs eyes. Looks so tired. Slowly continues the task.

Mummy softens: Alright, I help you with the glue? You tell me which colours to use?

Jay brightens: OK! Green now.

Mummy applies glue.

Jay glares at Mummy: Wrong side Mummy! See! (He wants to stick cut-mark side up)

Mummy inwardly rolls her eyes: Ooops, sorry. Okay, I do properly next time.

Four more squares later…

Jay: Ok, I go watch TV now.

Mummy: HAH? A few more and we’re done, and we can BOTH go and watch TV together.

Jay sighs again, and rubs his eyes.

Slowly but surely, we trudged our way and finally made it to the end!

My first homework with Jay.

*pat on the back for Mummy*

A day with Jay

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 01:00:00 +0000

This is obviously a long overdue post. But during the last day of the March school holidays, I took a day off to spend with my little boy.

The agenda of the day was pretty simple. I just wanted to spend the day with my little chatterbox, and so after dropping off Xavier at the office nursery, we proceeded for some yummy breakfast at Old Town & White Coffee.

Jay has a habit of bringing along a toy whenever we go out, and this time round, the Dinosaur Train flash cards amply entertained him!

I enjoy eating breakfast… especially one that happens leisurely over a cup of coffee!

Being the last day of the March holidays, WowArt offered a free workshop to Jay and one of my readers, Irene and her son Kean! Irene chose the Glass Painting, and I was pretty excited for Jay to go for this, especially since it was some time since his last art lesson. Given the distance, we decided to pull Jay out… and wait for WowArt to open their studio in the east (which I heard… should be soon!)

But this is a familiar place for Jay, and he quickly warmed to the place and got down to creating some gorgeous art-piece!

The kids in the class proudly showing off their finished artwork!

This is a close up of what Jay did, which now has pride of place at Daddy’s workplace!

While Jay was busy … so was I, as I met Nic for a second breakfast. Haha! Near the WowArt studio was this little Bakery House Cafe… a hidden gem of traditional breakfasts!

Entering the shop, the smell of baking bread was yummylicious!

Aah… I love my breakfasts, and the coffee and toast bread at this shop was divine!

Understanding Good Friday, Jayvon-style

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:34:00 +0000

I met one of Jay’s Sunday School teachers, and she was relating to me how he seemed so disinterested when she was telling the class about Good Friday… and all through it, he looked bored and even tried to distract his friends as well!

Sigh.

But then again, without knowing that incident at school happened, Jay brought up the subject of Good Friday casually with me.

Jay: Why did the bad people put Jesus on the cross?

Me: Because they didn’t like what Jesus said and what He taught the people.

Jay: Why?

Me: Because they didn’t understand Him, baby.

Jay: So Jesus died? He is dead now?

Me: Yes He died. But then God made Him come to life again! He isn’t dead now. He is alive.

Jay: HAH?

Me: Amazing, right? No one has ever been resurrected, and God resurrected Jesus.

Jay: So where is Jesus now?

Me: In heaven, baby.

Jay: Hmm... (pauses and considers) Okay.

Some concepts are hard for a kid to understand. And harder for a parent to explain. Haha!

The Dinosaur A to Z, Jayvon-style

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Have you been to a dinosaur museum lately?

I think I can start charging a entrance fee, to allow people into J’s little dinosaur museum! He adores the fierce-looking dinosaurs, but he is also obsessed with the a little cartoon series known as the Dinosaur Train.

Check out his collection…

I enjoy the Dinosaur Train, as they teach kids all the fun facts of dinosaurs in each episode. In fact, I can memorise the ENTIRE opening sequence. And so can Jay. In fact, he trumps me here.

I love how he does W, X, Y & Z! Hahaha!

Twelve months on

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:29:00 +0000

Happy birthday to my little prince!

To my no-more-a-baby baby. Pass me some tissue, someone…

I’ve been so busy with work, I hardly had time to throw a party for my boy (and I must admit, the thought of NOT throwing a party did cross my mind), but I am all for equality and game for a party anytime, so I managed to throw not just one but two parties for him! Also, I blog and I would like Xav to read in a few years time how much we love him too! Hahaha! It’s not ONLY about Kor Kor, ya know!

Shall try to blog about the parties soon!

Night-night time

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:44:00 +0000

One of my favourite Mummy moments is bed-time with the kids. Those last-minute hugs & kisses. Listening to Jayvon relate hilarious snippets of his day at school or the interesting dinosaur fact he dug up earlier. Hearing Jayvon pray the funniest things that only such a young mind can conjure up. Watching as Xavier starts "zoning out" minutes before falling asleep. Tickled by how my two boys attempt to play peek-a-boo over the mountain that is Mummy, and how they make each other squeal in laughter over through tiniest burp and hiccup. Watching over my two princes as they finally succumb to their fatigue... And praying for them to grow up healthy and happy, and to love & serve God.

One of my dreaded Mummy moments is bed-time with the kids. The never-ending cheeky one-liners. The stern look I have to give them that oozes, "You'd better be asleep in 10 minutes buddy or else..." The constant reminders to stop fidgeting. And to stop talking. And that peek-a-boo thing's fun... For the first 5 minutes. And then I remember the work waiting for me to do AFTER they turn in for the night... And it ain't as fun anymore.

Parenting is one wild ride, to say the least!

My almost one-year-old

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Xavier is approaching that “ripe old age” of one years old, at the end of this month.

And even as I write that sentence, I know I must have entered some time warp. For it was just yesterday that I blogged on this. I am having a hard time with this… as much as I am looking forward to Xavier finally taking those first few unassisted steps (he has made a few tentative attempts so far…), and finally calling me “Mummy” (he calls me “Ma Ma” which I don’t fancy…), I am also SO going to miss my BABY. Where did my BABY go to???

I think Jayvon was about this age that I had thoughts about having another baby to well, baby.

Then I take a look at my two little adorable Energizer-bunny boys… and promptly remove that thought! Hahaha!

To end, here’s a photo of the birthday prince to-be, enjoying his Heinz biscotti!

Of dinosaurs and pasta

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:00:00 +0000

I first saw an ad of this restaurant… and the moment I laid eyes on it, I KNEW that I simply had to bring the kids over one day!

Any kid-friendly restaurant, in my books, is an awesome place to go to. Over the weekend, we managed to make our way over to PizItalia for lunch. And we were greeted with this sight when we reached…

A moving, roaring T-Rex!

My little boy was ecstatic, to say the least.

Oh, but this isn’t the best part of this place. This is.

A two-storey playground within the restaurant! Woohoo!

We ordered some chow, and then let Jay loose inside the playground.

Here’s the yummylicious food.

My seafood marinara pasta – chockful of fresh seafood! Loved it. Mild enough for Jayvon too (I always thought Marinara meant spicy? Oops… My bad then…)

Nic ordered the Creamy Mushroom which he loved (no pictures though, cos he wolfed it down before I could whip out my camera). We also order the Butter Prawn Pizza, which was pretty enjoyable as well.

Unfortunately, the one thing that marred this entire experience… the airconditioning was spoilt! And in the humid afternoon sizzling heat… I was busy trying to fan my two boys with the drinks menu!

Well, this is a pretty new restaurant, and I think teething problems are expected. Hopefully they manage to clear up these technical issues, cos the food and the fun is a sure draw-back for me.

Check out PizItalia at:

East Coast Seafood Centre
1204 East Coast Parkway
#01-06 Singapore 449882

Opening Hours:
5pm - Midnight on Weekdays
12pm - Midnight on Weekends
http://www.pizitalia.sg/

(I am looking forward to trying their Italian Chilli Crab! Sounds and looks so yummy…)

Oh, and in case you haven’t heard, there’s also a brand new water playground in town! Haha! Pop over to Tampines 1 this Saturday (March 10) and there will be special activities every weekend in March! I always love water playgrounds, so this would be another one on my to-go list!

An excavation expedition

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Nic and I have this unspoken rule, that we’d generally try to get Jayvon a toy or souvenir whenever we bring him to a new and interesting place. So he has got knick-knacks from our overseas trips – and seeing the animal magnets on the fridge also helps him remember those outings. We’ve bought Daddy & Mummy Elephant cups from the Singapore Zoo, a toucan plushie from the Bird Park… you get the idea!

And when it comes to the Science Centre, I mean, dinosaurs and earthquakes and all the button-pushing and knob-turning’s fun, but Jay adores the Gift Shop! So when I last went to the Science Centre, I was swayed by my little boy to get him another toy. For my palaeontologist-in-training.

Just to be clear… Jay ADORES this toy. Almost as much as his Daddy dreads it! Haha!

See? Mr. Stegosaurus had a predecessor in our house. Meet Mr. Brachiosaurus – who also looked on at the proceedings of the excavation.

Daddy toiled for an hour that time, supervised by Jay who told Daddy to “continue” after he was tired. After five minutes. Which is the reason why Daddy was so enthusiastic about the Stegosaurus.

See that pinkish block?

That is Mr. Stegosaurus. The “excavation tools” Jay uses is a mini-hammer cum knife and a tiny paintbrush to slowly brush away the sawdust to reveal the gem within.

Jay soon got to work!

He was busy sawing, brushing, sawing, hammering, brushing away! Does Daddy to need to help? Nope! (Not yet, anyway…)

After just 10 minutes, check out the sawdust generated!

And Jay was still going strong! The entire excavation expedition took an hour to complete… and this is how the unformed Stegosaurus looked like, encased within the block…

The dinosaur, like a real expedition, comes in different parts, and once uncovered, you can fix them together like a simple 3D jigsaw. And ta-da! Meet Mr. Stegosaurus!

Jay is looking forward to our next trip to the Science Centre because… yes, you got it! He has his eye on the Triceratops. And all Nic can say is… “Thank God there’s only FIVE dinosaurs in this series!” Hahaha…

How about you? Any toys that are uber-fun for your kids and more than a tad torturous for the parents?

Earth – our Untamed Planet

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Courtesy of the Science Centre, Jay & I were invited to the brand new permanent exhibit that will be in the Singapore Science Centre, named Earth – our Untamed Planet. The Science Centre has a special place in Jay’s heart, as it was here that he first discovered the wonderful world of dinosaurs! In fact, he now goes around proclaiming his ambition when he grows up is to be a palaeontologist! Haha!

When we reached the Science Centre, we were first treated to a special media briefing to introduce this exhibition, a collaboration between the Science Centre & the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

Built from scratch, this exhibit aims to bring visitors on an informative and interactive tour of the earth’s natural forces of destruction, so you can expect to learn about volcanoes, earthquakes, tsumanis and more!

But words and powerpoint can only do so much, and it was time for us to actually go on the tour! The exhibit is split into seven different zones – and once you walk in, you are greeted by this gorgeous wall, that literally aims to bring you on a walk through time!

And once you get to the end… Earth awaits!

I was impressed already! Walking through the crack, you get to observe the various layers of the earth and learn how the dynamism beneath the surface contributes to the dynamism you see above the surface!

But kids being kids, Jay was more interested in seeing if there was anything beyond the core…

The mirror on the floor gave a pretty cool effect that there was really “more” under our feet, which kept the kiddos gingerly checking it out!

We continued on our Journey with Kim, the tour guide for the day…

Kim illustrating how the continents used to be joined together, and having a mini jigsaw puzzle for the kids to try it out.

And while she probably did a smashing job for the rest of the time, unfortunately kids and standing around listening don’t really go together, and Jay was more interested in just getting it on. Pressing some buttons. Seeing things move. Stuff like that.

Jay was checking out some rock samples. Like a pro.

This is another exhibit that kept the kids’ going back over and over again. It is a tsunami simulator, and showcasing the three different ways a tsunami occurs, and once you select the option, you can see how the wave would look like in the miniature tank.

Very cool.

A volcano simulator, which also tests your judgement call on when to call for an evacuation!

One of the key exhibits is an earthquake simulator… in the form of a living room!

The interesting thing about this exhibit was that it showcased the various “shaking” effect you would experience if you experienced a quake while in a house built on solid ground, soft ground (which reminded me of a Bible parable… haha!) as well as if you were in a high-rise.

For Jay, he enjoyed the shaking! Haha!

Aaah… but the one exhibit that Jay LOVED? And which he expended quite a lot of energy on?

See? He’s a fast blur here!

It is a seismic indicator, and the more movement on this exhibit, the higher the needle would jump. Needless to say, it brought out the very competitive nature in Jay. Haha!

Before you leave, don’t forget to pen down a note to appreciate the team for their very hard work in this special board…

I know Jay sure had fun with this too!

Thanks once again to the Science Centre for this Preview, and I’d be looking forward to our next trip to the Science Centre!

If you’d like to visit this exhibit, come by the Science Centre from 1 March 2012 onwards. Earth – Our Untamed Planet is at Hall B, and will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the usual Science Centre admission rates applying.

Almost one!

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:30:00 +0000

I attended a good friend’s princess’ one-year birthday party over the weekend, and it got me thinking…

It’s almost my own prince’s one year mark too!

Seriously. I cannot believe it’s going to be one year already!

To my little prince, happy almost-birthday, darling!

(Now, to plan for his party!)

Sucking it up

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Jay learnt how to sip from a straw at 10 months. And it was the kind of straw adults use, not some inflated Pigeon or Avent version.

And so when Xav turned 10 months, I was wondering why he was taking so long to take to cutesy sippy cup I bought for him. Was it the water? Maybe he doesn’t enjoy drinking water? Or should I get “simpler” sippy cups for him?

With Jay it was water chestnut drink that got him to suck it up.

With Xav…

The McDonald’s ice milo drink has that honour. At about 10 months and 3 weeks old… Xav has got it!

Of course, he was trying to BLOW into the straw more than actively sucking, but after each blow, he’d take a breath in… and taste some of that yummy Milo! Hahaha!

I love this pic Nic took with his iPhone – a classic Xav shot with those innocent eyes (even while smack in the middle of doing something michievous) and pouty mouth!

( Okay, and you can calm down… he only had maybe 2-3 sips of the milo… :D )

First Mums' & Dads' Congress 2012

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:18:00 +0000

The thing about parenting is that somewhere in the middle of a 3AM night feed and halfway through changing YET another soiled diaper is that you need to to take a deep breath, and keep your head screwed on right. I have a second baby, and I must say it sure doesn’t get easier. Sure, I now KNOW what’s ahead for Xav, and what to expect as part of the growing up pangs (and if my memory fails me, I know I can always refer back to this blog!) but knowledge is really power, and if you are a Mummy or Daddy, good news is here!

For all mums, dads, and parents-to-be, this would be a good resource place to seek clarifications and answers if you’re wanting to know more about pregnancy and handling new babies. Doctors and healthcare experts will be speaking on topics such as…

Nutrition for a brighter child
Eating well for mothers, the TCM way
Truths & myths about baby’s arrival

Pique your interest yet?

The Congress will be on 26 February 2012 (Sunday), from 12.15 p.m. – 4.15 p.m. at the Fairmont Ballroom (Level 4, Raffles City Convention Centre).

You can get your tickets from SISTIC, and all attendees will receive a goodie bag worth S$180!

Good news for you…

SANses has TWO free tickets to the Congress to giveaway to you guys – my awesome blog readers! If you’d like to get this ticket (and also the $180 goodie bag), the mechanics are:

Like the SANses Facebook Page (if you haven’t already done so)
Leave a comment in this blog post, or you can also drop me an email at sanses@hotmail.sg.

That’s it! The 2 winners will be picked using a random number generator, and giveaway ends on Wednesday (22 February) midnight.

My Greenwich V Experience (Part Deux)

noreply@blogger.com (San) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0000

I hope you enjoyed reading about my Amazing Race event at Greenwich V. These are the 2 shops that left a big impression on me!

Empire State Restaurant

I loved this cosy restaurant, with its bright red leather sofas and cutesy wallpaper!

But hey, one hardly goes to a restaurant for its wallpaper. The chow is the main draw. And for this, Empire State scores big in my book too!

The Giant Burger was a huge hit with both the adults and the children! Check out Jay’s very excited face! Haha!

The fries was light and fluffy, and our table was the only one to finish all the fries – a feat accomplished only because of the non-calorie-counting children that were in our team! Haha!

We then sampled their pizza, and the sweet teriyaki chick pizza was divine! Yet another dish totally polished off!

Oh, and just when we were feebly protesting our carbo-filled tummies, the gorgeous meatbal spaghetti was wheeled out… and completely finished as well! Hahaha! The tangy tomato sauce and juicy huge meatball was too yummy to resist!

And so maybe it was apt that our first stop in the Race was Berrylite, which offered 100% FAT FREE yoghurt.

Berrylite

The kids were waiting (im)patiently for the goodies to be doled out!

And boy oh boy, we had a chance to savour all of the flavours!

I pointed out the mint flavour to Jay, and he soon “claimed” that for himself. Solely.

Yummy and healthy? SCORE! :)

Greenwich V
1 Seletar Road, Singapore 807011

There are also shuttle bus services available so do check it out at their website: http://greenwichv.com.sg/index.aspx?key=shuttlebus