There certainly are days when I feel so tired, beaten and worn. Even now. Especially now?
It's been 8+ years since I became a mother and sometimes just as I feel like I'm getting the hang of this parenting gig, new challenges and struggles appear.
Indeed, parenting is a journey with so much to learn everyday. The saying "Parenting isn't a practice. It's a daily learning experience" certainly holds true!
But, I'm glad that I've the boy by my side as my light, my confidant, my partner in this parenting journey. He keeps me steady, gives me faith and reminds me of the important things that matter when I'm just about to lose it.
And boy, have I been close to losing it recently!! Lil Pumpkin's having school exams for the first time this month so I've been spending more time revising work with her. Maybe I'm stressing over her exams more than I should {c'mon, she's only P2!!}, but coupled with juggling work, gym and other family chores... my patience is low, temper high and overall being a very grumpy mummy.
The boy and I had a chat on Tuesday during breakfast before work and helped me to put things in perspective though. These hard times may be tiring to bear, but as they come, they too will go and there will be a last time for everything. We must cherish the fleeting moments, both good and the bad, and make them count.
I remembered a poem I read sometime back, The Last Time, prayed more, and felt my burden somewhat lighter ❤ I hope that if you're feeling a little tired for whatever reasons in your own parenting journey, you'd be uplifted with the words below too:
*****
From the moment you hold your baby in your arms,
You will never be the same.
You might long for the person you were before,
When you had freedom and time,
And nothing in particular to worry about.
You will know tiredness like you never knew it before,
And days will run into days that are exactly the same,
Full of feeding and burping,
Whining and fighting,
Naps, or lack of naps. It might seem like a never-ending cycle.
But don't forget...
There is a last time for everything.
There will come a time when you will feed your baby
for the very last time.
They will fall asleep on you after a long day
And it will be the last time you ever hold your sleeping child.
One day you will carry them on your hip,
then set them down,
And never pick them up that way again.
You will scrub their hair in the bath one night
And from that day on they will want to bathe alone.
They will hold your hand to cross the road,
Then never reach for it again.
They will creep into your room at midnight for cuddles,
And it will be the last night you ever wake for this.
One afternoon you will sing 'the wheels on the bus'
and do all the actions,
Then you'll never sing that song again.
They will kiss you goodbye at the school gate,
the next day they will ask to walk to the gate alone.
You will read a final bedtime story and wipe your
last dirty face.
They will one day run to you with arms raised,
for the very last time.
The thing is, you won't even know it's the last time
until there are no more times, and even then,
it will take you a while to realise.
So while you are living in these times,
remember there are only so many of them and
when they are gone,
you will yearn for just one more day of them
For one last time.
Lil Pumpkin had her first rock-climbing experience last weekend at Climb Central!
Whenever we are at Kallang Wave Mall, Lil Pumpkin would always ask if she could go rock-climbing since we always pass by Climb Central on the way in. It's really hard to miss it as it's just riiiiiggggggght at the main entrance {good location, guys!!} and there's just no other way around it unless we take a huge round in from the back.
On Saturday, the boy wanted to get another sling for his arm as the one he bought from the hospital after the shoulder surgery was very uncomfortable. Once he told Lil Pumpkin that we were going to Kallang Wave Mall to search for one, she immediately asked if she could go rock-climbing... she actually remembered that it was there!!
Her daddy dearest agreed and she was so excited for the experience! ❤
We reached there about 5.30pm and as expected, Climb Central was packed. That was really the main reason why I wasn't inclined to let Lil Pumpkin try rock-climbing on our earlier visits to Kallang Wave Mall.
I'm not worried that she will be frightened of heights or fall and hurt herself, but more that we are usually always there during peak hours and I think it's a waste of time just hanging around waiting to climb when the place is so crowded.
Anyway, since we already agreed for her to try, we had to keep our word.
Registration took longer than expected even though there was no queue as there was some glitch with the online registration form. I should have researched more into rock-climbing there before we went as we could have actually registered at home to save time.
After registering and making payment for 1 x Adult-Child Entry {includes whole day Adult-Child day pass + 1 equipment set}, we received 2 small membership key cards for Lil Pumpkin and myself then went to collect the rental equipment set {climbing shoes & safety harness} for Lil Pumpkin.
The last step we had to do before we could climb was to attend their compulsory safety briefing. All first-time visitors are required to attend the safety briefing conducted by their staff every 15 minutes. In the short briefing {about 10-15 mins?} they shared some basic safety tips, belaying fundamentals {i.e. how to hold the rope for your partner} and gym orientation.
This was Lil Pumpkin's first time rock-climbing but actually, the boy and I used to do indoor rock-climbing fairly regularly with friends for a period of time during our Uni days. It was our "couple thing" and being at Climb Central brought back fond memories of those days... in fact, the boy was so into it he actually bought his own shoes, chalk bag and I think even harness!
Unfortunately, his rock-climbing equipment set has since been misplaced on our move back to Singapore.. oh well.
I was sharing with a friend that we brought Lil Pumpkin to rock-climb that day and he asked if she could do it. I was quite puzzled as I never thought that Lil Pumpkin could not do it. I never thought that she would be scared to climb up the tall walls, or not be strong enough to pull / push herself up.
But yeah, I guess that's a possibility for anyone thinking of going rock-climbing haha. You really shouldn't be afraid of heights, and should be able to move your own body-weight if you are thinking of trying out this sport.
Climb Central staff shared that their lowest levels start at Level 4, and Lil Pumpkin should try out Levels 4 or 5 as a first-timer. Anything higher than that might be too difficult for her. They also have climbing lanes {identified by the adorable animal/ alphabet wall holds or grips!} just for kids.
At first we went around looking for Level 4 or 5 climbing lanes for Lil Pumpkin to use, but then after her first few climbs, realised that she's not going to keep to wall holds designated for that level's route. Since she will be using any wall hold available to lift herself up, the specified level for the climbing lane didn't really matter.
So after that, we just went around looking for climbing lanes that looked interesting or had big enough wall holds for her to use hehe..
Climb Central is the tallest indoor air-conditioned sport climbing venue in Singapore with approximately 1,000 square meters of climbing wall space.
So even though it looked crowded, in actual fact there was a fair bit of empty lanes and most of the time, Lil Pumpkin could climb up whichever lane she wanted to without waiting at all.
And climb she did!! Lil Pumpkin was a fast learner and didn't seem like she was out of her comfort zone at all haha... I made sure that she understood that the rope had to be tight before she could ascend. If it wasn't taut enough and she fell, she might be seriously injured.
Lil Pumpkin was eager to try out a variety of routes and wall holds {although her fave was one with pink animals on the second floor}.. and although there were many times that she got stuck halfway up, she took her time to look around and really try different ways of getting up.
Sometimes, she managed to work her way through the hurdle, but other times, she had to give up and come back down. In any case, not finishing the climbs didn't get keep her down and she was happy to try it again, or move on to other climbing lanes.
I didn't climb at all that day, although I could if I rented an extra equipment set for S$7. It didn't cross my mind to do it as I thought the pass we bought only allowed the child to climb, while the adult supervised but I was too tired that day to do it anyway.
Next time I will though. Like I mentioned before, being there brought back fond memories of indoor rock-climbing and reignited my interest to do it again ( ᐛ )و
We spent about 1.5hrs there before we headed for dinner and I'm sure that we will be back again soon since Lil Pumpkin had such a ball of a time! (´∇ﾉ｀*)ノ Check out the above video of her reaching the top of the wall for the first time! She's using the auto-belay system {so I don't have to help her with the ropes}, and you can hear the boy and I cheering her on hehe..
This might be our new mother-daughter activity together until the boy's arm heals completely I guess haha... I am already looking for cute chalk-bags to use during our climbs! (⌒▽⌒)☆
To enter the facility, you need to be at least 5 years old, 20kg and 1.1m tall. Kids below 5 years old are not allowed into the climbing area.
At least one supervising adult required for every two children entering the facility.
Everyone entering the facility will need to fill out the Facility Registration form as a participant. Register at home here before you go to save time.
Wear sports attire {knee-length or longer pants advised} and a pair of socks. If you forget, you can buy socks there for S$2/pair for kids and adults.
Water cooler and shower facilities are available on-site. Toilets are located outside Climb Central in the mall itself {nearest one next to Starbucks, Level 1}.
Equipment set includes 1 x climbing shoes + 1 x safety harness. There are kids and adult shoe sizes, and the safety harnesses are adjustable to different body sizes.
Auto-belay systems are available at Climb Central so you can rock-climb even without a partner. The auto belay takes up the slack of the rope as a climber ascends and controls the descent when the climber reaches the top or in the event of a fall. Even kids as young as Lil Pumpkin can use this system, as long as the adult is there to supervise.
If you are not available to join your kid while he/she climbs, Climb Central has a Intro Kids programme where you can drop your kids off and they have 1.5hrs of guided climbing {1 staff to 5 kids max}. Advance booking is required and it's only available every Sun, 1pm - 2.30pm.
Climb Central
#B1-01 Kallang Wave Mall, 1 Stadium Place
Open: 11am - 11pm {Mon - Fri}, 9am - 9pm {Sat, Sun & PHs}
Cost: Starts from S$28. Adult-Child Entry Pass costs S$38.
Tel: 6702 7972
Website: https://climbcentral.sg/
Last weekend the boy joined some of our CrossFit friends to attend a Puma x GuavaPass community yoga event at Bugis+.
This year, Puma tied up with GuavaPass to organise sports activities and events all year long. Every month, there's various fitness activities like yoga, pilates, barre, dance and high intensity interval training {HIIT} that are {usually?} free for Guavapass members and these are held at a range of locations, from the new GuavaLabs studio, to selected Puma stores and other fitness studios.
Ever since the boy's shoulder injury intensified, he joined GuavaPass and has been doing yoga more regularly {about 3-4 times a week} for rehab and to improve his mobility. He's gotten much better in yoga and can do some pretty high level poses too hehe..
Oh ya in case you're not familiar, GuavaPass is like a community platform with monthly membership access to unlimited fitness and health classes at studios across Asia e.g. Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Seoul. You can even use your local GuavaPass in the partner overseas cities at no additional cost! So useful when we're traveling!!
Some of the friends we made at CrossFit also joined GuavaPass but other than yoga, they like to do the pilates and barre classes too.
Whenever they can, they will meet up and join classes together.
On Sunday, we arrived at Bugis+ around 11am as their mass Flow Yoga community class was going to start at 11.30am.
I thought that it would be held on the rooftop where there's an open space in front of Fish@Bugis+ {air-conditioned prawning/fishing shop}, which used to be Chef Daniel's Restaurant where I co-hosted a Canon craft workshop years ago heh, but surprisingly, it was held in front of Uniqlo where there is usually a lot of pedastrian traffic... I guess the event organisers want the exposure so chose such a location. However if I was a yoga participant, I think I'd have preferred somewhere less noisy with less people staring..
I didn't take part in this and was there to just support and help my group to take photos and videos.. but I noticed that there were other strangers/ passer-bys around who didn't know anyone that stopped to not snap a quick shot or two, but went around taking many photos and videos which was quite intrusive and weird.. no??
Anyway there was an extra mat so Lil Pumpkin joined in the fun too! haha.. impromptu decision so that's why she wasn't properly dressed in her exercise gear.
It wasn't all easy for her, but I guess she found some of the yoga moves familiar from her Kids Aerial Yoga workshop that she attended last month.
The 1-hr energised flow yoga class looked pretty fun and although there were mostly girls, there were a handful of guys attending the class too.
Yoga really isn't just for the ladies, but guys can benefit increased focus, flexibility, balance and strengthening of core muscles too. With the boy especially, I find that yoga helps him to build more mindfulness and breath awareness, which of course helps in the mind-body connection that is important during strength training too.
I know that sometimes like me, he "forgets to breathe" or takes too shallow breaths during high reps or metcon workouts, so yoga helps him to overcome this problem I reckon...
I'm really proud of the boy for always being willing to get out of his comfort zone and try new things to better himself (｡♥‿♥｡) ... even yoga that is commonly perceived as a "guniang" or girls' activity.
After the class, the participants were provided with a nutritious Acai smoothie snack and bite-sized Thai {?} food.
I had a cup of the Acai smoothie snack and it was my first time eating Acai actually haha.. I always found the Acai smoothie bowls in the hipster cafes to be too overpriced and never thought of ordering them, especially when they look like something I can make at home for maybe half the price haha.
It was pretty refreshing but the Acai berry taste wasn't very strong {or maybe it's not meant to be?} and other than its superfood status & Instagram-worthy presentation, nothing really to shout about :P
Made a short video of the yoga event and if it's not showing properly, please see it on my YouTube channel here.
I haven't been to CrossFit in agggeeeeees since I hurt my back so it was really nice catching up some of our CrossFit friends that day!! ( ᐛ )و
Mummy has always been a thrill-seeker and it's actually something I'm pretty proud of.
I love love love going on exciting theme park rides {roller coasters are my favourite!} and am usually game for any challenges.. whether it be swimming in the deep end of waterfalls and climbing up the rocks, or getting out of my comfort zone and trekking through deep forests.
I'm usually the one who will nudge people along to try new things and not give in to {senseless} fear. And that's how I try to parent you too, my dear.
During the June holidays, Daddy and I took leave some days to bring you out as a family and one of our outings was to Science Centre Singapore. You've been there before with your preschool but gosh! It's been aaaaaaaaages since I last visited the Science Centre!!! Was it during my primary school days??
Anyway they have a new-ish attraction called KidsStop now, which is an edutainment centre that aims to engage kids from preschool to lower primary levels by exposing them to science in their formative years.
It's housed within the Omni Theatre building and is pretty fun, especially for the young ones like you. There are trained guides to facilitate play and learning in various thematic zones and each exhibit / zones are designed to promote simple science learning through hands-on activities and programmes.
One of the thrilling experiences in KidsStop is the Giant J slide, where participants get to safely experience the sensation of free fall before they slide to safety from as high as 7m! That's about 2-storey high...
When I saw it I immediately asked you to give it a go... as well as ask if adults could try it too haha. Thankfully, they did allow adults to play too! hehe
Kids can decide how high they would like to be lifted up the slide as they challenge themselves and build confidence while having fun. When the staff asked you how high you wanted to go, I told you, " Just go right up to the top dear!! It'll be fun!" You thought for a second then gamely said, "ok!"
So up 7m you went, eyes wide open and nary a cry. And when the staff shouted to let go, you immediately did so without a thought! Oh my brave little girl!!
After that since there wasn't anyone else in the queue except for me, so you went for a few more tries at the various heights.
And then it was MY turn and I went up with my eyes wide open too and saw actually how crazy high it was when I reached the top... it's really much higher than I thought when standing on the ground so I hesitated and fear started creeping #yikes
In the end, Mummy chickened out and only managed to drop from 5m (ﾉ∀＼)
Wow. I really ate humble pie that day when I realised that you, my dear 8-year old daughter, was even more ballsy than me!!
But then, it was also a #proudmamamoment when I realised that my 8-year old kid IS even more ballsy than me... I was proud that you wasn't afraid of trying things for the first time, and also for your mental strength in overcoming adversity. I know you must have been afraid, but you didn't let your fear of heights stop you.
Not wanting to give in to my fears too, I decided to give 7m another shot again and this time once the staff said "let go!", I didn't think twice and just let go of the handle to free-fall down.
My heart nearly flew out of my mouth but it was a really, really good experience and Mummy went a few more times too haha.
Oh baby girl, Mummy and Daddy really think you are so brave and I hope that you will use this quality to your advantage. Bravery is not the lack of fear, but the ability to move forward in spite of fear.
Don't be afraid to take risks and challenge yourself to grow and chase after your dreams. Once you become fearless, life becomes limitless. I pray that we will be by your side to guide you and support you in them too ❤
Love you always,
Mummy
P.S. Mummy thought you were really brave as well when you dared to hang upside down just clinging onto silk ropes in your Kids Aerial Yoga workshop too (*´∀`*)
This June holidays, unless most school holidays, we decided to stay put in Singapore and not go traveling. Well, unless you count that one time we took a day trip into Johor Bahru, Malaysia to bring Lil Pumpkin to Angry Birds Activity Park hehe..
With no more school rush, our days lightened up a bit {although we were both still working} and we made use of our time to relax as a family, clean up our home and also explore some of our local kids' attractions and activities. For the first time, Lil Pumpkin went to Amazonia indoor playground, KidsStop at Science Centre, learnt how to do simple coding and also experienced an exciting 3-days Kids Aerial Yoga Workshop at Trium Fitness in Aperia Mall, near Lavender MRT station.
As the boy's shoulder is currently injured, he has stopped CrossFit for a while too and now concentrates more on his own strength training and yoga. Yup, he's been taking yoga classes regularly to help with his mobility and rehabilitation.
For the past 2 months or so, he's been using the GuavaPass to try out different types of yoga classes at different yoga studios. Although it's not available on GuavaPass, one class he's been going to is the Adults Aerial Yoga class at Trium Fitness.
According to Trium Fitness, Aerial Yoga is described as "suspended off the ground in Cirque Du Soleil style, students in this class will enjoy the benefits of spinal decompression, pain relief and ease in inversions among other physical benefits. Combining yoga and aerial acrobatics with the use of a silk hammock, many poses include added benefits of lengthening and anti-aging."
The boy likes the teacher & class so when he found out that the studio was hosting a workshop for the kids {7-12 years old} too, he immediately signed Lil Pumpkin up!
It was the first time Lil Pumpkin tried any type of yoga o((*^▽^*))o
During the 1.5hrs workshop, the kids were taught how to explore aerial yoga in a fun and relaxed environment. Taught by Ming, who teaches the boy during his adult Aerial Yoga class, and another lady, the workshop was also designed to increase the children's flexibility, strength, stamina, self-confidence, and coordination to promote self-discipline, concentration, and teamwork.
Parents aren't allowed inside the workshop so I can't really review how the classes went, but judging from the photos taken by Trium Fitness and from what Lil Pumpkin says, it seems very hands-on. Lil Pumpkin had a really good time & was literally feeling "uplifted" by the experience! (/^▽^)/ Each day after the workshop, she couldn't wait to tell us what she learnt haha..
And I must say that once again, I am sooooo impressed by Lil Pumpkin's boldness. She isn't scared at all of being suspended off the ground or even flipping upside down, despite not trying anything like this at all before.
I find that as we grow up, we let our past experiences and knowledge of the world limit our ability to try new things. And sometimes, the fear of the unknown or of failure cripples us so that we are afraid of stepping out of our comfort zone.
Most children are like Lil Pumpkin, however. They are naturally curious and fearless.. and aren't afraid to push boundaries to see what they can do and achieve. Of course, fear serves a purpose; it’s a natural human emotion to warn us of possible harm - a call for us to protect ourselves. If this fearlessness is not coupled with common sense, it might prove detrimental to their well-being, but overall I think it's a good thing to be fearless {to a certain extent...}.
As her parents, I hope that we will be able to cultivate and nurture Lil Pumpkin's fearlessness to help her be bold and confident in her pursuits... to be able to to face the world head-on and make the most of every opportunity.
I hope that if she dares to dream it, she will dare to achieve it ₊·*◟(˶╹̆ꇴ╹̆˵)◜‧*･
Anyway, the boy's going to check if Trium Fitness holds regular Kids Aerial Yoga classes or if she can join his adult class. If so, Lil Pumpkin might continue on in this and it will be a fun daddy-daughter activity for the both of them to do together ♥
I'm not a terribly big fan of indoor playgrounds, but if I had to bring Lil Pumpkin to one, Amazonia Family Entertainment Centre at Great World City would definitely be my top few choices.
Let me explain why I'm not usually inclined towards indoor playgrounds first. For one, I think it's quite silly to pay relatively exorbitant prices to play at a playground, when there are so many free and spacious playgrounds easily available in Singapore. Some of the indoor playground admission prices I've seen are even comparable to USS or Adventure Cove theme parks!
Secondly, space is a premium in Singapore and most of the indoor playgrounds are rather small and cramped. I advocate "free play", which yeah means being able to play for free, but also to play and run freely in open, spacious areas... one of the reasons why I prefer outdoor playgrounds to indoor ones.
Thirdly, for some reasons indoor playgrounds seem to be always crowded!! What fun is there in waiting long for slide rides or bumping into people at almost every turn?? Plus the noise... oh goodness, imagine one kid screaming excitedly... now multiply that by at least 20-30 in a confined area!!
So why do I think Amazonia is one of the better indoor playgrounds then?
Well, mainly because it is not just an indoor playground, but Singapore's first fully themed and integrated Family Entertainment Centre where children and families can play and dine together in a 9500 sq ft air-conditioned facility. It's like a mini indoor theme park!!
They have the highest indoor Wave Slides {8m}, a 6-storey {!!!} high Adventure Climbing Maze, a Toddlers Play Area, a Glow-in-the-Dark Mini Golf course, a Glow-in-the-Dark Spaceball Shootout room, an outdoor Crazy Bounce giant trampoline, and their very own AMAZON Bistro which serves quality family meals.
About 2 weeks ago, I went down with Lil Pumpkin, my sis and Lil J for a play-date at Amazonia. It's unlimited playtime on weekdays during the June school holidays and even though there was 40+ preschool kids on an excursion there in the morning, not to mention other customers, it didn't seem that congested at all.
There was plenty of space for the kids {and adults!!} to play and rest #winning
Lil Pumpkin spent most of her time inside the Adventure Climbing Maze. I have no idea where she gets her energy from but thank goodness I train regularly so I could keep up with her. Kinda.. haha.
The Adventure Climbing Maze is fun central with the huuuuge wave slide, mini spiral slides, ball pit, mini trampoline, suspension bridges and tunnels. Recommended for kids aged 3-12 years old, but of course younger kids and those young-at-heart *cough cough* can enter too.
Yup, I really appreciated that adults could freely join the kids in their games and play too. I was half expecting the staff to tell me to get out of the ball pit or don't sit on the slides.. but no such thing hehe.
Even inside the Adventure Climbing Maze, the tunnels, holes, covered slides and walkways etc. were big enough for me to pass through rather comfortably.
Lil J is about 1.5 years old now and she's played inside the Adventure Climbing Maze at times, but mainly stayed around the dedicated Toddlers Play Area with interactive play panels, musical keyboard, ball pit and mini slide.
The Todders Play Area is only for kids 0-3 years old and their parents, and I saw staff ask older kids to leave the area at times for the safety of the young children. However, if the older kid is a family member and there are not many toddlers around, the staff don't mind them playing there too.
Nearer the entrance, there's a small area where kids can play with Lego, wall activity boards and toys for pretend play too.
It may not be as exciting as the games rooms and jungle gym, but is especially appealing to toddlers or for those kids that want to get away from the bustling main play area I reckon.
The Glow-in-the-Dark Mini Golf course, Glow-in-the-Dark Spaceball Shootout room, and Crazy Bounce cost extra for use. The prices stated below are correct as of June 2017.
The Glow-in-the-Dark Mini Golf course costs S$8.60/player for 1 round of 9-holes. Long and short golf clubs are provided and you pay at the Bistro's counter to get 1 golf ball. There's no time limit and I think we spent about 15 mins playing one round inside the glow-in-the-dark room. We've never played mini golf in the dark before so it was quite an interesting experience.
The different golf holes is divided into areas with different motion props & themes like Underwater, Pirates, Dinosaur etc. Lil Pumpkin was a little afraid of the area with the Dinosaurs as there was a moving dino statue too haha.
The ball is "eaten" up at the last hole so I guess if you want to, you can just skip the last hole to go for another round haha.
I think Lil Pumpkin loved Glow-in-the-Dark Spaceball Shootout the most! At S$5.35/player for a game of only 5mins, it is most fun, but also the most expensive activity there.
Players try to out-shoot one another by hitting on electronic scoreboards shot from air cannons. The balls are kinda soft, but you definitely have to be careful not to get hit and I don't recommend babies or toddlers in the room.
It was just Lil Pumpkin and me playing this time round but I think it would be even more fun if we came in a bigger group to really compete with one another haha
For me, other than the long wave slide which I must have gone on at least 10 times.. I enjoyed the outdoor Crazy Bounce trampoline the most. Who doesn't like bouncing and jumping to your hearts' content??! It is just outside the Bistro and costs S$12.86 for 20 mins. There's a capacity limit of 6 pax for players to jump safely.
One thing I found a bit off though was that you're still supposed to wear your indoor socks out to the trampoline (o.O)" I asked the staff if I needed to take off our socks or wear shoes instead, but she said no, just wear our socks.
Hmmm.. This means that you actually walk outside on the ground, to the outside giant trampoline and happily bounce, then walk back inside to the indoor activity areas and continue your play there, if you want. Soooo.. your socks would actually be dirty with all the outside grime and germs, and you would be spreading it all over the indoor activity areas. Won't that defeat the purpose of wearing indoor socks for safety and hygiene when playing??
We didn't eat at the Bistro during lunch but headed out to eat at one of the other restaurants in Great World City. Good thing about being located in such an established mall is that they have lots of food choices available e.g. Kenny Rogers, Poulet, Imperial Treasure Steamboat Restaurant, Bangkok Jam, Kuriya, Mcdonald's etc.
And if you have unlimited play at Amazonia, you can go in and out multiple times. Just remember to get your re-entry chop.
The Bistro serves pastas, salads, sandwiches, cakes, smoothies etc. at reasonable prices though. Might try their food the next time we are there.
Tips:
Bring your own socks. I suggest at least ankle-high and non-slip! If you forget your socks, you can purchase them on-site.
Amazonia will list school excursion dates and number of school children visiting on their website. Check it in advance to plan your visit.
Look out for special deals before you visit. There are currently promotions for UOB Ladies, Standard Chartered, Passion, Citibank and Maybank card holders.
2 party rooms with various themed party packages are available for booking.
No outside food is allowed inside Amazonia, except for milk formula and baby food.
No toilets or nursing room inside Amazonia, so you have to exit and use the mall's facilities. The nearest toilet is on the same floor {Level 3} and baby care rooms are at Level 1 & B1
Amazonia Singapore
Great World City Mall
#03-08, 1 Kim Seng Promenade
Tel: 6235 4522
Mon - Thu: 10am - 9pm
Fri - Sun & PHs: 10am - 9.30pm
Admission: Adults - S$1 {for first 2 adults}, Kids - S$33 {complimentary Spaceball / Mini Golf, Mon-Fri only}, Toddlers - S$22 {complimentary Spaceball / Mini Golf, Mon-Fri only}
Playtime: Unlimited for Mon - Fri and 2hrs for Sat, Sun & PHs
Website: http://www.amazoniafun.com/
On Wednesday Lil Pumpkin followed me to the office for the day. An unofficial "Bring Your Kids to Work Day" of sorts since my organisation doesn't have the culture of hosting such an event. However, thankfully I've an amazing boss who is a family man and values work-life balance, and understands when we have to bring the kids to work sometimes.
This is the first time I've had Lil Pumpkin at work for almost the whole day actually, although she has been to my office a number of times before, and her preschool was actually located at another end of my workplace.
It's the school holidays now in Singapore so Lil Pumpkin doesn't have any classes in her primary school, although she still has her enrichment classes for Maths {see Comparison of Popular Maths Enrichment Classes}, Chinese, gymnastics and CrossFit. When she was younger, my mum used to help take care of her during the hols but now that she's older and easier to care for, Lil Pumpkin follows the boy to the clinic {she's a "Vet for a Day", everyday!! haha} and wherever he goes while I'm at work. It's more convenient since the boy doesn't have to make trips to so many different places and her enrichment classes are near his clinic.
She still goes to my mum's place once in a while though, especially if her cousins are there :)
Wanted to give the boy a break to go for a back massage after his morning shift as he sprained it during aerial yoga {the teacher was too hardcore..} so he dropped Lil Pumpkin and me at the office in the morning.
Lil Pumpkin made good use of my "makeshift bed" {aka thick exercise mat} hehe and actually slept most of the morning away until lunch-time. When she woke up, we went for a sumptuous Western grill lunch and I was pretty surprised that she finished most of her steak!!
Ever since she was a baby... I always loved seeing her eat well and full hehe.
Brought her around a bit and it's nice showing her snippets of what I do, who I work with and why Mummy is away most of the day. It's always hard shaking off the working mum's guilt and nothing much has changed ever since I wrote "What's A FTWM's Worth?" 2 years ago.
Every other day I feel guilty about not spending enough time with Lil
Pumpkin, every other day I worry that I'm missing out on her childhood
milestones.. But yet every other day I feel at peace with my choice
and am grateful to be able to share hubby's burden, help with the
household finances, give Lil Pumpkin some luxuries in life, show her
that women can succeed professionally, and also have a little "me-time"
with stimulating adult conversations.
I always think that I have a rather uninteresting office job but nonetheless, I'm really happy to have shared my day with Lil Pumpkin. She was a really good girl in not disturbing me when I had to concentrate at work by doing her holiday homework, reading and working on her latest craze - crossword puzzles & word searches haha.
Thank you for keeping Mummy company at work that day, my darling! I hope to have more of such days with you again soon ♥
We've read countless books but how amazing is it to be part of a story where you are the main character and hero??! It must be such a magical feeling and Bookboo personalised books helps to bring that magic alive for families and children.
Based in Singapore, they are the first ever book that can be personalised for any family with 1 or 2 children, even twins and single parents. The story takes the kid{s} on a jungle adventure where the kid{s} rescue their own parents from the cruel Evilor. The story is designed to help children enhance their vocabulary and inculcate life values of kindness, love and courage
Last month, hubby and I ordered the Fun Family Bookyboo book
for Lil Pumpkin and her cousin, Lil J. When the book arrived earlier in the week, Lil Pumpkin was really excited to read it to Lil J so we went over to my sister's home yesterday to chill and for the kids to play together..
It's really such a sweet sight to see Lil Pumpkin reading to her little cousin (*^▽^*)
Since young, she always loved being the "big jie jie" and taking care of younger kids whether in the family, in school or at the playground.. I've no doubt that if blessed with the opportunity, she would definitely be a wonderful, caring older sister.
And that opportunity came along with Lil J (/^▽^)/
Although both of them are just cousins, we hope that they will both grow up to be close like real sisters and
go on many adventures through life together. This book will be a
precious reminder of the bond they share with one another and a way for the children to discover the power of a strong family and sibling love!
To order the book, just go to Bookyboo's website and key in some simple details like the kid{s} name{s}, gender{s} and you can even customise the book for twins or those with single parents.
The illustrations, characters and story will differ slightly based on your customisations. For example, if you put in 2 kids' names, there will be 2 kids as heroes in the story. If you put in 1 kid's name, there will be 1 kid and his pet dino who will go on the adventure in the story.
Unfortunately, you are not able to customise the "look" of each character e.g. hairstyle, hair colour, race, outfit etc. and I hope that Bookyboo will have this option available in the future.
There is only 1 storyline too where the heroes go into a jungle to fight the villian. I reckon it would be more fun if there were seasonal stories you can choose from too e.g. going to a winter wonderland during Christmas to fight a snow monster haha and hopefully Bookyboo will look into this too.
However, can I just say how impressed I am with the website? It is so clean, easy-to-use and loads fast. You can even preview the whole book for free before purchase! Here are some examples with the different customisation options,
Fun Family Bookyboo for twins, 1 boy and 1 girl, with both parents
Fun Family Bookybook for brothers of different ages
Fun Family Bookybook for single child and single parent
And if having your name all over the book and being the hero of the story isn't good enough, you also get a printed personalised message on the first page too! ♥ Hubby and I wrote a special, individualised message for each of the girl's book.
The Fun Family Bookyboo is printed on rich, thick, textured paper. Each page opens up to panoramic full-spread illustrations. Designed for the little ones' easy reading and sharing, each bookyboo is A4 landscape size {297mm x 210mm}.
Fun Family Bookyboo is recommended for kids aged 3-9 years old, and is definitely easy enough for a child like Lil Pumpkin {who is turning 8 next month by the way!} to read by herself. The text is in simple English using fun rhymes.
Delivery time is estimated to be 12 to 15 working days from the order date. You can check the exact shipping days at the time of checkout. For more information or to make your own personalised book, go to Bookyboo website or Facebook page.
P.S. Bookyboo also has another book called My Adventure where it is personalised for the letters of the child's name. I ordered that for a friend's newborn baby but it will arrive later. I'll review that when it comes in a few more weeks' time (≧∇≦*)
Promo: 10% OFF on the second book, and 15% OFF on the third book onwards. These books must all be in one order and have a common shipping address {discount will be automatically calculated in your cart}. Overseas shipping available, and free delivery to addresses in India, Malaysia and Singapore.
