All About Your Child

On Wednesday (13th), my sweet sister and her boyfriend gave me a couple of hours of me-time by bringing the kids to the ONLY Disney Theme Restaurant situated OUT of Disneyland in Singapore Anchorpoint Shopping Mall. So whatever that is written here is what my sis and my boys narrated to me after the experience.

The entrance. There is a projected screen showing ‘The Incredibles’ the movie cartoon.

There are Disney soft-toys sitting on the top parapet and a small screen showing the restaurants’ Daily Specials.

They ordered a pizza for the 4 of them. Kids ate the ‘Ears’ and the adults ate the ‘Face’.

Cheese Macaroni for Binbin.

As usual, he gobbled down all the pineapples from the pizza and almost finished his big plate of Cheese Macaroni.

Then he took one sip on his strawberry shake and regretted at the very same moment.

Keatkeat ordered the Chicken Stew and loved the sauce, but he couldn’t finished his apple juice.

Then both of them gobbled down one banana each.

What kept them completely entertained were the PC. They get to play their favourite games which is similar to their favourite website http://www.disneychannel-asia.com. My sis chose a seat right next to the PC, so it superb for the kids.

See the Green Button (on top of Keatkeat’s head on his right-side)? Pressing it will release water from the glove to wash your hands and at the same time make the ‘black-stripes’ on the mickey glove change colours.

Here, little Binbin was helping himself to a balloon from the  balloon decorations and wanted to get one more for his elder brother but didn’t succeed…

So my sis went to the staff to request for one for his big brother, Keatkeat, before monkey see - monkey do.

And there you have it - 2 completely happy children!

Review of the Restaurant: -

Though the kids love the place, my sis was rather disappointed with the whole experience. Here’s what she has to say:

- The whole place was not kids-oriented.

- The sofas are quite far away from the table and hence Keatkeat had to stand in order to reach his food.

- The staff were not as children-friendly as compared to the staff at Hong Kong Disneyland, who are super friendly whenever a child comes near, but she hardly see the staff at this restaurant doing that.

- The food portions are NOT in children sizes. Everything were in adult portion.

- There are no kiddy utensils, so it was really tough if you have kids who would like to feed themselves but have problem holding the heavy metals in their tiny fingers.

- The food is consider expensive with regards to its portion and the taste. The four of them spent $50++ just for a meal there.

- Lastly, if you are driving, please note that a 2 hour parking could cost you around S$6.00!

So you decide if you wanna give it a try! But my kids gave a definite “YES” to going back there again!

These photos were taken over the weekend when I was at the Chalet, but with my lousy camera-phone. The big difference between this chalet and the previous one we had for Weidong’s Birthday was I was there...hee hee hee….I wasn’t sick like the other time so I went for the sleep-over party.

My look-like-me niece, ZengYee and my 2 boys woke up earlier than the rest. So with me, the big kid around, no time should be no-fun time. So got them washed up and brought the 3 of them for a McDonald Breakfast and then went straight to bowling! Not for me, its for them!

Orchid Bowl @ E!Hub.

Located at Downtown East, the nerve-centre of bustling activities. This 32-lane bowling centre comes with the first-in-Singapore Miniature Bowling for the Kids!

Here the kids were observing how the adults do it while I was changing my S$10 note into S$1.00 coins.

Each game of 6 frames cost S$2.00. I know how addictive bowling can be so my idea was for them to have just 5 games.

They took turns, not on each game, that would be too long for them to wait. So they took turns on each throw. Super fun for them to play and for me to watch! *laugh*

The lanes are about 3/4 the length of the normal adult bowling alley. So even if your kid is as young as mine, their small push should be strong enough to roll the ball to the end of the lane.

The GOOD thing about these 2 mini-bowling alleys is the Gutter-Preventer (that’s what I call it).

There is a lower chance of having a disappointed kid, whose bowling ball kept going into the gutter.

The Gutter-Preventer (see the luminous yellow strips at the sides) will help the ball to stay in lane to at least hit a pin or two.

It stretches over 9/10 of the lane, so there is still a chance that the ball will drop into the gutter at the very last minute before it touches the pins.

If you have a kid who is pretty good at bowling, you could PUSH DOWN the Gutter-Preventer to make it more challenging for him/her too. Yes, it’s optional to pull-up the Gutter-Preventer.

The BALL comes in one weight with NO finger-holes, which I think is good, to prevent finger-fracture for the small-fingers. So its really pick up and throw, oops! I mean roll! There are 5 balls shared by the 2 lanes.

But there was something that kept spoiling the fun. If you bring kids that are young like my boys, 3 and 4 years old, you may encounter this :

Sometimes when their ball’s motion is too zig-zag and it dropped into the gutter just before it touches the pins…there is a high chance that it may stopped rolling and stay in the gutter. (See photo on left)

In this case, you got to either throw another ball by the gutter to push down the ’stuck’ ball, which result in a foul, because 2 balls are sensed by the sensor; or you got to throw another ball at the pins, in this case, the ball that is ’stuck’ remained ’stuck’ there, till you use a long umbrella to push it down, which was what we kept doing towards the end, where the kids’ strength was decreasing significantly after so many throws. *Laugh*

The mini-bowling alley doesn’t have a ’sweeper’ like the ones in the adult’s alley, so there is no way the ’stucked’ bowling ball could be swept away.

The pins are on strings. After every throw, all the pins, be it dropped or not, will be raised and then the sensor will put down the un-dropped pins captured from the previous throw.

Though there are imperfection, I still think its a great idea to have the kids in mind when the bowling alley was built for the adults.

Oh, there’s another good thing, the toilet is just beside the mini-alley, so if you’ve got a kid who is half-way through his bowling game and needed the toilet, Never Fear - ‘cos the Toilet is Near! *Laugh*

 We were at Bishan Junction 8 looking at the exhibits of garden creatures.

Though they make my hair stand, especially the gigantic hairy spider and the huge praying mantis, but these crawlies definitely caught the attention of the kids.

We saw similar exhibits at IMM a few days ago too.

There was also an activity area for the kids, either to create insect handicraft or play with 3D insect puzzles.

There were showcases of all types of garden creatures, from worms to beetles to beautiful butterflies in small glass showcases, but the people in charge don’t allow me to take photograph of them….hmmmm…I wonder why…

That’s why I went to the second floor and took photos of the entire roadshow from top-view. (Left to Right) Activity Area. Gigantic Hairy Spider and Huge Praying Mantis.

  When we got home, we found a peeping Tom in our bathroom. Can’t see him? Ya, that is why I said he was attempting to peep us bathing. He was camouflaging! Let’s take a closer look.

It was on my towel!!!

If my luck is this good! I can’t imagine if I had went to a reptile exhibition instead of a Garden Crawlies Exhibition! LOL!

This happened on Sunday, 25th May 2008. To mark the start of the 1 month school holidays, my MIL initiated something out of the ordinary-routine-family-gathering-at-her-house-on-EVERY-Sunday : Picnic at West Coast Park.

I love having picnic with my MIL. She often dished out yummies you seldom see on normal picnics. She is a talented cook. Without any hint, you could give her any dish, all she needs to do is take one bite and she could cook the exact same (or even tastier) dish without knowing the recipe.

Hence, it isn’t surprising at all to see long queues in front of her hawker stall all the time during her almost 30 years of hawker life.

I missed those days when I help her out at her stall, oooohhhh I was only Allan’s girlfriend then, not even fiancée yet…it was fun to serve non-stop till all the food was gone…only then the sore from shoulders to toes start to sink in.

Ache and pain were at every joint….but there I was back again, weekend after weekend…longing to have pain fun again.

So this time she prepared yao-mei-fan (Cantonese Language) - its rice steamed with chicken, pork strips, salted fish and preserved pork (larp-chiog). There was fried vermicelli too. Not forgetting the picnic-must-have - Sandwiches. There were sardines sandwiches and egg mayo sandwiches. Last but not least - Fruits: Juicy pineapples, sweet honeydews and tempting grapes.

It’s really a treasure to have 3 generations going out together, breathing fresh air, having fun and building a closer bond. This definitely beats staying in the four-walls on every Sunday.

This post will be a less-word, more-photos post, simply because I WAS NOT THERE….*wink*

These beautiful pictures of fun were taken by my sister and her boyfriend at Sentosa, Singapore’s one-and-only fun-filled island, when they gave me my me-time on last saturday.

Kids’ very first Cable Car Ride:

Water Fun:

LugeRide (their main purpose of going Sentosa):

Skyride:

Other Shots of Joy:

Although Sentosa Island is only 500-hectare in size, to fully enjoy the place you really need 2 days, from morning till night….I’m glad all 4 of them had a great time even though they spent only about 4 hours there, it’s the companions that matter, afterall, isn’t it?

I still can’t believe how lucky I was. 3 weeks ago, my eldest sis-in-law gave me 4 tickets to Escape Theme Park. She gave it to me because eldest bro-in-law wasn’t interested in going there.

It was quite an awkward moment last weekend, when her eldest daughter, ZengYee saw the photos (not uploaded yet) in our digital camera and bugged her father to bring her there.

This happened on the 4th of May, Sunday. We reached there at about 2pm, a time that we would usually be in my in-laws house, lazing around, digesting the lunch. She was a-little-teeny-weeny upset that we made other plans on Sunday, which she has already conditioned in her mind that Sunday is Family Day at her house.

So to make her less unhappy, we promise to go there for dinner, which we did, even though we were so sticky and smelly.

The Entrance of Escape Theme Park in Pasir Ris

This was the very first time the boys are in such theme parks, they have never experience rides like these before. So when we first stepped in they were rather nervous and frightened, probably too overwhelmed by the screams heard everywhere.

So we started them off with the kiddy Ferris Wheel.

Next we tried the kiddy planes. Every ride has a height indication for kids. If the child is below the required height for that ride, they are either not allowed to ride it or they must be accompanied by an adult. So we were sitting on EVERY kiddy rides available in that fun-packed place.

Flying high in the air elevated their mood. The mini roller-coaster was just next to the planes. Binbin was too afraid to get his bum on that, so only the daring Keatkeat and Mommy went for it.

Although Keatkeat kept saying, “Wah, very scary, very scary…” at the end of the ride, he was pointing to all the other scarier rides that even Daddy and Mommy dare not even try.

Of cos’ those were rides for adults only. “Keatkeat, eat more and you’ll grow taller, when you are tall enough, you’ll be able to sit on any rides you want.”

We did rest for awhile on the bench and bought some popcorn, spicy noodles and a drink at the only food stall in the vicinity. It was the spoiler of the day.

Before Allan could even step away from the cashier, some teenagers were pushing around and one of them knocked onto his right hand causing the cup of mango drink flying out of his grip.

Allan stared at them without saying anything and walked towards us. The teenager insisted on paying for the drink, but Allan’s reply was, “Control your behavior; don’t fool around at a place like this, when there are so many people holding food and drinks in their hands. I don’t want your money. Just remember what I told you.”

Anyhow, Allan is a person who doesn’t let unhappy thoughts stay in his head for too long. Right after the short break, I went to the super clean toilet. When I came out, this was what I saw.

They were having a water battle with the people in the pool. Obviously all three of them were wet, but not as bad as those sitting on the floating tub; who were completely soaked through….*laugh* Haven’t I mentioned before? I have 3 kids, not 2.

What better way to dry my 3 boys then to put them on the Superman ride, where they fly high and fast. We couldn’t take photos for each other because we were lying on our tummy. The photo was taken after we got off.

Then we went for Go-Kart. Something that the kids were willing to wait for half an hour standing in the queue, just for the 15mins of excitement.

They were asking for more, but the queue was much longer than before, so we persuaded them to give it up. Anyone who just joined the queue for Go-Kart could easily wait up to an hour!

We knew we had to find a substitute for it. What better alternative is there than let them drive on their own!

There were only 3 mini cars available, so after their 10mins was over, other kids rushed in. We knew they wanted to get their hands on the steering wheel again. While we wait, we went for the train ride.

Now their spirits were so high, they ride on the train all by themselves.

In total, the kids sat on the Ferries Wheel 3 times, the plane 2 times, the train 2 times, the kiddy car 3 times and the rest once each.

Seriously, if it wasn’t for the free tickets, I would not have gone there, because it would cost $42.80 for the 4 of us though it’s unlimited rides.

There was one thing we were very pleased with-The Service. As the sign says, ‘Ring The Bell To Show We Have Served You Well’
and Keatkeat was more than happy to ring the bell.

Here’s a link to Escape Theme Park, if you are interested to find out what are the other rides which the kids were not allowed to ride.

Had an enjoyable day at Great World City and this would not have been possible if its not for Cendrine from Snippets of Joy.

I have not been to Great World City for more than 2 years now. I used to be the ‘regular’ there from 2003-2005, not as a shopper, but as a vendor renting the pushcarts to sell my handmade accessories. Whenever I think of Great World City, their unusually decorated toilets come to mind straight away.

On the ground floor, you can find yourself shitting in Spain with the Bulls…

and the African animals…

Moving up to the 2nd floor, you are sitting on a bed of tulips in Holland…

and peeing in Venice….

Going to the top floor of the 3-storey building, you meet up with the Cowboys…

and land yourself in authentic Japan….

Lastly, the only toilet that is tailored for the kids, with those mini-toliet bowls and washing basins, you can find them here in Eygpt…which was right next to the Foodcourt, so its really convenient….especially if you have a kid like my Keatkeat, who needs to discharge, almost immediately, almost all the time, whatever he had just stuffed into his mouth….

It was through Cendrine, I came to know about the big revamp they did to the Foodcourt. They are kids-friendly now. This was our discovery…There were small tables, tall tables but accompanied with high chairs everywhere, in the slightly bigger than half the size of a badminton court.

There were kids-rockers around to keep children entertained while Papa-Dearest go get their food.

Ever had trouble deciding what yummy to order for your child? They have this whole list of kiddy set meals painted on the wall, indicating which stall you can get it from. Its a wide selection for you or rather your child to choose from…

After food, its burning calories at the arcade. You know how car-crazy my boys are. They sat here for more than half-an-hour, unmoved, except for their hands and eyes, totally sucked into the video displays of cars zooming around. Of cos’ no $$$ was involved for such indulgence….

I think its in the genes, Allan used to ride bikes when I first met him almost a decade ago. Keatkeat has always wanted to sit on one. Now that Allan no longer owns any bikes, this was the only way to fulfill the young boy’s dream earlier.

But as a biker himself in the past, Allan seriously hope that the boys wouldn’t choose this vehicle as he knows the vulnerability and potentially more dangerous for man-over-vehicle than vehicle-covering-man…So he has already started physco-ing them on the matter ever since they know how to mouth the word ‘motorbike’.

Ever had concerns about what you wish your children wouldn’t do when they grow up? Its never too early to start getting the point into their young brains when they are still so dependent on Mommy and Daddy. Because at this stage of their lives, parents are their idols, isn’t it true?

Finally, its not raining! Just want to get out of the house to get some fresh air after 4 days of cold and rainy weather. Got the kids to bathe, get dress….when kids know that they are going shopping, they just become sooooo obedient and do exactly what you say in fast speed….*wink*

So in less than an hour, we got out of the house. Yeah! Waited for about half an hour for the free shuttle service to IMM from the bus interchange and in less than 10mins, we are there.

IMM was so full of Christmas decorations. So we took the chance and take photos…

Didn’t look too excited. So I gave each of them a Santa Hat to get them in higher spirit.

That’s Better!

Then we shop….

then they saw the kiddy ride…$2 for 10mins…because they were younger than 7 years old. The assistant said I had to be on it too, so what a bargain! All 3 of us in the kiddy ride together for $2! So 3 of us drove around the 100+sq foot of empty space on the furry elephant.

and we played and played….

and they spotted the water playground!

Sorry boys…not today…

dark clouds start covering the sky again…have a drink before we go…

on the way home, Keatkeat spotted these on the floor….

the kids only managed to observe for a few seconds and the rain started…what a waste!

Its great fun to shop with the kids when you know how to handle them. Children normally become extra active when they are outdoors, parents must understand that its the way children express their excitement.

Its so often that you hear parents shouting, “stay still”, “don’t run”, “keep quiet” when they are shopping with their kids. Kids are not robots, they have feelings, let them have the freedom to express it.

Do you enjoy shopping with your kids?