…..and probably the last, till many months or even many years later as a punishment…..
The boys remembered the 5 golden rules I laid down when they went for their very first movie. Unfortunately, they broke rule number 5 this time….
Remember my 4 free movie passes I received after the event with the Health Promotion Board? Yes, we put them to good use today for the earliest show of “UP“ in AMK HUB this morning.
Keatkeat didn’t join his class for the trip to the zoo today so he had ‘holiday’. We explained to him that he had been there a couple of times this year and had so much fun because of the long hours spent there. Whereas the class is going there for just 2+hours and most importantly, they were NOT going to the WaterPlay area. So Keatkeat was no longer interested.
So instead of practising ‘joining-the-dots’ in school today, Binbin was with us enjoying the movie at 11am. They love it and so did we. Its really cool to be in a cinema when there are hardly anyone around, because of the time of the show > TOO EARLY!! *giggle*
And for buying the set of popcorn + drink, we kept the cup and got this beautiful ‘shaker‘, as souvenir.
The boys kept turning it upside down and back just to see the colourful ‘balloons’ fall like snow…*smile*
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The final list posts of my 2nd Hospitalisation in my personal blog:-
Whoo-Hoo! Long weekends are really cool! All thanks to National Day falling on Sunday, hence Monday becomes ‘in lieu of National Day’. *wink*
My long weekend started on Friday, since the boys only had an hour of fun in school. We were out and about, or rather it was the kids who were everywhere else except home.
Saturday 8th August, my sis and her bf brought the boys to Sentosa again. They went by cable car as usual, but much cheaper this time, because of National Day too. *wink* Since I was not there, I shall let the photos do the talking:
Sunday 9th August
We thought we were ‘clever’ to celebrate National Day at Marina Barrage. The kids can pass time playing with water till the fireworks start at 8pm+ and the adults could enjoy the live telecast over a big projector there…..
We were so wrong! *sulk*
The 3 gigantic building of the upcoming casino blocked the view of the fireworks! *faint*
Luckily the buildings were NOT joined together, or else we would really have missed all the splendor. So lesson learned. Next year, we would be back at the ‘Merlion‘ to catch the awesome fireworks. *Humph*
Nevertheless, the kids had lots of fun….and I had a great time ‘eating’ my MIL’s yummies too….
So after enjoying the discounted meal at Swensen’s, we head down to Singapore Science Centre.
Honestly, this trip was more for me than the kids. *laugh* I haven’t been to Science Centre after I left secondary school and I missed it so much. Now that the kids are bigger and can appreciate exhibits better, I thought it was time to visit one of favourite hangouts during my school days.
I could have took hundreds of pictures there, but I didn’t, ‘cos I was too busy playing the exhibits myself…. *giggle*
Singapore Science Centre is a place where you CAN…….
Among the above, the ‘disappearing act’ below the table was the most popular. There was actually a Queue!
The kids played with the following two exhibits for the longest time.
Exhibit one: Pictures start forming when you place the rope, the spoon, the plate and bowl on the board. One photo was taken with flash, the other without (right). The place was really dark.
Exhibit two: A huge glass box with balls moving from one corner to another. Just by following the balls’ movement, one can really burn time unknowingly. My boys were more interested in the hands-on part on the right.
They turned the wheel to lift the hammer, of which would slam down once the wheel runs out of track. Hit onto a metal plate and send a ball off flying into the air. The aim is to get the ball into the spiral. Over and over again…the little ones just refused to leave…
Before we left, we found a VERY GOOD CHILDREN TAMER….
*Laugh*
Have A Great Weekend, everyone!
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Managed to do 3 of 7 posts for my 2nd Hospitalisation in my personal blog:
Just before I was hospitalised, for the 2nd time, in the afternoon, kids and I had great fun at Go Go Bambini in the late morning.
A lovely team from Edelman Singapore put together a mini-blogger-gathering there, with the hope to spread the anti-smoking campaign held by the Health Promotion Board (HPB)
“Stop Smoking Before Your Child Starts” is a new campaign launched by HPB that focuses on the influence that parental behaviour have on children. The campaign was developed based on a study done by Dartmouth college.
Research studies have shown that children are highly attentive to their
parents’ smoking habits, and are more likely to regard smoking as
appropriate and normal behaviour in social settings, thus resulting in a higher likelihood of them picking up the habit later on in life.
And this is the ‘umpteen’ times I’m talking about how parents should watch their behaviour and speech when they are with their kids, ‘cos the young ones are always watching their ‘idols’ in action.
The sweet representative from HPB first showed us a video which I was way too familiar with, because I did a post on that video too, back in April 3, 2008: Children See Children Do.
This year’s anti-smoking campaign is no longer geared towards the possible health hazards which smoking brings along, but the impact of it on our children. With that, the birth of this new television commercial :
To get the ball rolling the kids were ‘put to the test’. *giggle* They get to shop for things that ‘Daddy and Mommy’ would like. An activity which reflects how much the kids observed their parents during shopping time. Luckily none of them took the packets of cigarettes on the shelf, anyway Allan and I are non-smokers.
However, in the end, my boys took what they like, instead of what Allan and I would like! *Laugh*
These were what the boys took from their short shopping. According to Keatkeat, the bar of Mars was taken specially for me. Thank you baby. As for the honest Binbin, everything was for himself, except for the can of Coke, which he ‘allows’ us to share with him. *laugh*
Thereafter, the kids were brought to the 3 storey massive play area while the adults stayed on, in the cozy room for more ’serious’ talk with Dr Daniel Fung, Chief of Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Institute of Mental Health who shared about the impact of parental behaviour and tips on how to deal with them.
Dr Fung mentioned that our children are very much like us, because of Biological reasons. So if you (parents) are a smoker, you may have passed down some ‘cigar-craving-genes’ down to your little one too, causing him/her to have a higher chance of picking up the cigarette.
But all is not lost, if parents could correct that through close bonding and stubbing that butt once and for all when their children are still young or unborn. Through actions, through examples, the kids learn, the kids remember.
Another key point noted was a mother has a big influence in the children early development and father in later years beginning from teenage. So everyone has a role to play at different stages of the kid’s life.
He also discourage using force or cane as punishment. He suggested that what’s used as a reward can be a punishment too. For example, if the child misbehaves, instead of using the wooden stick to hit on the flesh, you can choose “No TV for the rest of day.” With that mindset in mind, a reward can be a removal of a chore which the kid does not like, instead of giving something the kid likes.
So IN MY OPINION, if your kid do pick up smoking, I think a proper punishment would be to bring him or her to the professionals to help kick the habit before it sinks too deep.
Note, the word I used is ‘Habit’. Like the famous Chinese saying, it takes 3 days to pick up a bad habit and 3 years to break it. So DON’T even risk it. Build a closer bond with your children right from the start. Behave as you would want your little ones to behave. Do it when they are young and babbling in those kiddish language and not wait till your daily actions sink deep into their brain.
When the speech from Dr Fung was over, Allan and I joined the kids and found them happily munching away their lunch. We were sitting together with Leonny. To meet her and her family was such a pleasure. *smile* Seriously, the team that put up this event are really good ‘baby sitters’. Thank you ladies, you were great!
We left the fun-filled place with hands filled with goodies. They kids get to keep what they had ’shopped’ for earlier and on top of that, they received these:
My boys literally went crazy!!! Because they are going to watch “UP” in the cinema for sure now!!! *laugh*
Because of my increasing abdomen pain during the event, I didn’t snap much photos, but the professional photographer of the team did. He posted many pictures over here. Hop over to leave a
My boys love the very first Ice Age. They saw snippets of the movie on those TV screens in DVD shops.
When Blessed Mum said how much her kids loved Ice Age 3. I was tempted.
My sis gave me a free movie ticket. I decided.
For years, I REFUSED to bring the boys to the cinema. You can say I have little faith in them, or you can say I know them too well. Whichever way, I was not ready to invest $14-$16 on them.
What I predicted Would happen while watching the movie:
They will not sit still
They will be asking alot of questions
They will be requesting to go to the toilet
Keatkeat will be sneezing like crazy
Binbin will want to end the movie early, asking to leave
But since I decided to give it a try yesterday. I laid down 5 golden rules BEFORE going to the cinema:
I do not like to tell my children what to do, I like to make them think what they should do. The words in blue were their answers to my incomplete sentences.
“Children, the cinema is very cold, so you have to…?”“Wear Jacket, cannot take out.”
“Children, the cinema is very dark, so you have to…?”“Stay close and not run around.”
“Children, if you need to shh-shh (pass urine) in the middle of the show, you will…?” “Miss the show, so must go toilet BEFORE we go in.”
“Children, the chairs are joined to each other, so if you jump or keep moving around on your chair, other people sitting on the same row as you will…?”“Be irritated. So must sit down and cannot jump or keep moving here and there.”
“Children, everyone is there to watch the movie, they want to enjoy and does not like to be disturbed, so you must…?”“Be quiet. So they can concentrate.”
The kids were reciting the 5 golden rules over and over again as if it was a song, on the way to the cinema. *laugh* Completely free willed, not my orders, alright?
Grab their POT of popcorn and a huge WIZARD cup of sprite, wearing their very first pair of jeans and very first jackets, they were ready to go……
We sat on the last row, to the extreme right. And this was what happened DURING the movie yesterday:
Keatkeat:
He had his jacket over a T-shirt that was so thick, I wonder if they were actually meant for kids staying in sunny Singapore. Obviously, I didn’t buy that T-shirt, it was a gift. I had to go to such extend, ‘cos if he starts to sneeze, Allan would want to go home. Luckily, my effort paid off.
Whenever Allan leave his seat to answer a phone call, Keatkeat will follow him out. In and out, over and over again….
Other than that, Keatkeat sat still in the big cushion chair; in the most comfortable slouching position, munching his popcorn.
Binbin:
REFUSED to sit on the chair.
He sat on the floor! Peeked through the gap between the seats.
Standing occasionally with half body leaning over the seats infront of us. We were lucky to have an empty row infront of us.
An hour into the show, he said, “Mommy, I don’t want to watch already. Can we go home now?”
The only thing he truly enjoyed was the popcorn and the huge cup of sprite.
So conclusion:
Keatkeat showed that he deserves to have another treat to the big screen, but Binbin is not ready yet….
Allan and I enjoyed the show, there were moments I think I laughed too loudly…Binbin had to turn to me with his index finger on his lips. *laugh*
Kids’ response?
Keatkeat: “Very nice. Very funny.”
Binbin: “I don’t like, very scary and my tears come down from my eyes.” Me: “Huh? How come? When? Which part of the show made you cry?”
Binbin: “The ‘Mommy’ going to drop down from the rocks…” *frown* tears welding up again….
We went for a sumptuous lunch before heading down to the Singapore Science Centre.
I really wished I had posted this on that day itself, just in case some of you did not know about the promotion and would like to go. It had already ended on 30th June.
We ordered Salmon and Mushroom Pasta, Clam Chowder Soup, Fish n Chips and Hot U.S. Fries and Dips.
Seriously I have not stepped into Swensen’s for ages! Let me think could it have been 10years? or longer than that? I can’t even remember!!!
It could have been the overwhelming crowd, or the standard of Swensen’s had really deteriorated, or my expectations of good food has been raised, or it could be just the branch in IMM….
The taste of the food was a disappointment. Luckily the ice-cream were still as yummy as before. I ordered my favourite Sticky Chewy Chocolate for myself and a single scoop of Chocolate ice-cream just for Keatkeat.
Binbin is NOT crazy over ice-cream. Remember my post on the Ben and Jerry Free Cone Day? Binbin’s unbelievable response? “My knee very pain because I eat too much ice-cream!”
What Binbin really likes to do is dip his spoon into the ice-cream, pull it out (NOTE: NOT scoop) and lick the spoon clean. But he was glued to my huge glass because of the choco fudge! So he was basically eating the fudge instead of the ice-cream. Luckily every scoop of his is but 1/20 of the spoon head. *faint* Its really for tasting purposes…..I guess…
But Keatkeat almost SWALLOWED THE GLASS! He would have licked it clean if he had a tongue like a frog! *laugh*
On top of the one for one promotion, we have to thank my sis for giving us 4 pieces of this $2.00 voucher, which can be used with any promotion. Don’t ask me how she got it, she is the lobang queen remember? *wink*
So we enjoyed an extra $8.00 discount on top of everything! Whoo-hoo! Thank you sis!
Oh my! Now I’m in a dilemma, should I post those backdated posts that were supposed to be up in June or should I write posts on what’s happening currently. Only 2nd day of school and so many events have happened….
I can’t do both (or can I?), meaning there will be 2 posts a day? Hmmmm…..nahhh… too many. Ok, go with my feelings then…. today will be a backdated post.
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This happened on 25th June:
We decided to end the June school holidays with a loud ‘Quack’. The all-out-to-make-you-two-rascals-happy day began with a bus ride on the double-decker bus, upper deck, front seat.
These boys don’t really know how lucky they are. With car ride almost 99.9% of the time to wherever they want to go, a bus ride which so many kids dread, becomes a pleasure to my boys.
Allan had a meeting to attend to, hence we went to Suntec City separately. While waiting for him to come, the kids had fun at the Koi Garden. Binbin was so excited, he joined the fishes in the pool (accidentally)!!!!
So instead of waiting at a lovely place, with my butt glued on the bench, I was up in the open SUNNING his socks and shoes!
As the sun were setting, I had to ’shift’ the kids from one bench to another, so as to get as little sunlight on them as possible. ‘cos if they get all sweaty and sticky, they ‘transformed’ into cranky little monsters.
The displeased brother and the happy little problem-maker…..Hmmm…
The footwear were still not completely dry after an hour. We had no choice but to leave or we would not be able to catch the last ‘Duck’ at 6pm.
Luckily we made reservations earlier, it was a full ‘Duck’. After the tickets were collected, the kids proudly wore the duck stickers on their chest.
We watched a short video briefing of the safety measures (which I could recite effortlessly 4 years ago, when my retail counter was next to the Ducktour’s counter. Listening to it for more than a year is more than enough to ‘eat’ into my brain).
It was so full, we had to sit separately. The kids with me, while Allan sat infront of us.
He came over for a brief moment just for the photo shoot.
Yes, our boys were little ducklings. Those mouth pieces, which they onced received as a free gift from one of my customers 4 years ago, which they had lost over the years, are purchasable at $3.50/piece.
So they were over the moon, when we agreed to let them rekindle their lost love by allowing them to pay for what-we think-would-be-lost-again-in-no-time.Its been proven over that when they pay for something, they treasure it more.
It gives the ‘Quack Quack‘ sound when you blow into it. Pretty cool eh? *wink*
If you were wondering if its safe enough for kids, here’s a view of them in the ‘Duck’. Keatkeat was kneeling on the seat while Binbin was standing on the floor. They are around 1.2m tall. To me, that handrail is ‘high’ enough to prevent them from falling over.
We were pretty lucky to see some dragonboats having their practises shortly after we ‘waddled’ into the sea.
My rewards from the ride: These angles of the Singapore Flyer and the Merlion could NEVER be captured if one is on land.
So will I recommend? Yes, for the kids. As for the adults, I will leave you with these 2 signboards…..
After yesterday’s Transformer show, we went straight to Parkway Parade for the Disney Hoopla Workshop, where all their favourite Playhouse Disney Channel characters were gathered. Yesterday was practically a ‘Janice’s lobang’ day. *laugh* Thank you once again.
Its located at the basement of Parkway Parade. A total of 6 sections. Upon entering each section, every kid will be given a stamp collection card. Stamps were NOT given in the 1st and last sections. They need to complete all the tasks in the 4 other sections before they will get their prize.
1st Section was colouring….
2nd Section was Handy Manny section, where the real fun began….
1st they were asked to name ALL the tools, they breezed through it without a blink. Then they were tested on which tool should be used for which job; again, no sweat at all.
3rd Section was Little Einsteins…..
It began with matching the musical notes. That was too simple for Keatkeat but too tough for Binbin to handle.
Next, they were told to pick a musical instrument. The lady beat a rhythm with her hands and wanted the boys to follow. 3 different rhythms were given. Difficulty increased as she went.
The 3rd level was way too complicated, both boys failed! They completed it by receiving lots of hints from the nice lady, who eventually still give their cards a stamp. *wink*
4th Section was Pooh and Friends….
This was super easy. Ride the tricycle by following the orange path and raise the flag at the end.
5th and final Workshop section was Mickey Mouse Clubhouse…
Fixing 4 pieces of the big puzzle was the first assignment. Next, they were required to dig deep into the pool of balls to find the right shapes to paste on the wall.
Again this was completed in seconds!
And so they had the card completed with stamps.
As you can see (above picture), this did not come without spending. But buying their milk powder at Giant helped us hit that minimum easily. *wink*
What was their prize after all the ‘hard work’, a disappointing EMPTY eco-friendly bag with Handy Manny and Tools’ picture on it.
The kids ‘filled‘ up the space with their unfinished colouring paper. Though the ‘bag’ was disappointing to the adults, who were expecting at least a pencil or ruler to come along with the bag, the KIDS held them around their neck proudly all the way home!
*huge grin*
Final section was TV….
At the end of it all, kids had big nice comfy cushions to sit on while watching their favourite Playhouse Disney Cartoons. No time constraint, they were allowed to sit there for as long as they want. *wink*
Angeline is my name. Friends call me kids-crazy. Children grow up so fast. Blogging helps to record down the many events and emotions shared with children who come along the way, before such moments are forgotten.
Leave a Comment before you go. Too shy to say it out loud? Email me at angeline@allaboutyourchild.com.
…..and probably the last, till many months or even many years later as a punishment…..
And for buying the set of popcorn + drink, we kept the cup and got this beautiful ‘shaker‘, as souvenir.
So after enjoying the discounted meal at 
Just before 
To get the ball rolling the kids were ‘put to the test’. *giggle* They get to shop for things that ‘Daddy and Mommy’ would like. An activity which reflects how much the kids observed their parents during shopping time. Luckily none of them took the packets of cigarettes on the shelf, anyway Allan and I are non-smokers.
Thereafter, the kids were brought to the 3 storey massive play area while the adults stayed on, in the cozy room for more ’serious’ talk with Dr Daniel Fung, Chief of Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Institute of Mental Health who shared about the impact of parental behaviour and tips on how to deal with them.
My boys love the very first Ice Age. They saw snippets of the movie on those TV screens in DVD shops.
It was so full, we had to sit separately. The kids with me, while Allan sat infront of us.
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