Kids Indoor Rock-Climb @ Climb Central, Kallang Wave Mall

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..

If it isn't working well, please see it on my YouTube channel here.

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! (⌒▽⌒)☆

When you have fun working out, it's not work at all ✌🏻🌸 #sakuraharuka #aifitnessdiary #trngwithb #workouteverywhere #saturyay

A post shared by Ai Sakura  (@aisakuraharuka) on Sep 9, 2017 at 5:13am PDT

Tips:

• 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/

Check out the rest of our Bub & Me activities or list of kid-friendly places in Singapore too. You can also check out the FREE waterplay playground on top of Kallang Wave Mall or dry playground on top of the nearby Sports Hub Library if you are in the area.

*Note: This is not a paid review or advertorial. All opinions are my own.

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Kids Aerial Yoga Workshop @ Trium Fitness, Aperia Mall

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 ♥

Aerial @trium.fitness

A post shared by ドクターダル (@the_tattooed_vet) on Jun 22, 2017 at 2:00am PDT

I'm not sure if they will continue to hold regular kids yoga holiday workshops in the future, but you can check their website for more information. 

Kids Aerial Yoga 3-Day Workshop
Trium Fitness, 12 Kallang Ave, Aperia Mall #03-01/02
Open 7am - 9am {Mon - Fri}, 9am - 5pm {Sat & Sun}, closed PHs
Cost: S$160/kid {includes 1 x complimentary 1hr adult yoga class}
Tel: 8782-8633
Website: http://trium.fitness/

*Note: This is not a paid review or advertorial. Photos taken by Trium Fitness.

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Bub & Me: Bring Your Kids to Work Day! @ Mummy's Office!

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 ♥

Do you bring your kids to work?

How does it benefit you and your kids?

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Disney On Ice Singapore 2017 Opening Night @ Singapore Indoor Stadium

On Wednesday we went for the opening night performance of The Wonderful World of Disney on Ice at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

It is back this year for only 10 performances during the March school holiday and I'm so glad we caught it since I thoroughly enjoyed our experience at last year's Disney On Ice "Magical Ice Festival" as well!

Our true blue Disney Princess 👸🏻 fan literally tried on all her Princess outfits to find the perfect dress to watch Disney On Ice in 😬💕 You know why she chose Snow White even though she's not her fave Princess? "Because her look matches my hairstyle, Mummy!" 🙄 #speechless 😜😜 Close contender was Rapunzel.. @lovelilpumpkin reminded me that she had short brown hair at the end of the movie after it was snipped off haha. Oh my precious fashionista darling! 💖🌸 #sakuraharuka #disneyfan #disneyonice

A post shared by Ai Sakura  (@aisakuraharuka) on Mar 15, 2017 at 8:03pm PDT

Lil Pumpkin was absolutely thrilled when she knew we were going too and spent quite a bit of time deciding what to wear and dolling up... I wonder where she gets that from hehehe.

Led by Mickey, Minnie, Donald & Goofy, Disney On Ice is a skating spectacular featuring an extraordinary lineup of Disney stories coming to life right before our eyes, and celebrating Disney classics that the whole family can enjoy together.

Unlike last year's Disney On Ice performance which focused mainly on the beloved Disney Princess stories, this year's edition has other non-Princess classics to appeal to all types of Disney fans.

You can stomp holedown with Buzz and Woody, prowl the Pride Lands of Africa with Simba, Timon & Pumbaa, and even dive deep into the East Australian waters to help Dory find her family.

There's still the favourite Disney Princess stories though with features from Tangled, Aladdin, Snow White {which is Walt Disney’s first animated feature film by the way!} and of course, the ever-popular Frozen.

Actually ALL the Disney Princesses come up on stage at some points in the show, but it's just the above 4 that have dedicated acts to them.

The performance started at 6.30pm and we arrived about 6pm. I was a tad worried that it'd be hard to find parking lots at that time but thankfully, there was still quite a number left!

Even though there was a queue to get our bags checked before entering the venue, the lines moved pretty smoothly and we had time to check out the various Disney On Ice memorabilia as well.

Lots of pens, t-shirts, soft plushies {Lil Pumpkin already has both Anna & Elsa plushies}, necklaces, caps etc. to choose from.

As usual, the super-cute Frozen slushie cups were calling out to me BUT I RESISTED!!! haha

We did get a souvenir program {S$10} as per our family tradition though. It came with a Beauty & the Beast red rose... although unfortunately, they didn't have a segment by itself. The boy also bought Lil Pumpkin a huge bag of cotton candy {S$18} to munch on and it came with an Olaf styrofoam cap hehe..

This year's Disney On Ice show was even more magical for us because Lil Pumpkin was chosen to be part of the show and help Rapunzel and Flynn light the lanterns!!

Lil Pumpkin was so excited about her little part! Before her segment, we sat by the front rink-side to stand-by and enjoy the performance. Seriously, if you have money to splurge, these are the seats to get!

You are soooo close to the performers, who sometimes come way up to the rink to wave and interact with the audience and after the finale, you can go right up to the rink to meet and take photos with your favourite characters for a while too.

So proud of our little darling who was all smiles and not afraid at all to get up in front of the huge crowd alone.. Well done baby! ( ᐛ )و A number of our friends who were at the show recognised her as well and messaged to tell me how calm and cool she was haha...

I'm thrilled that she had this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I hope she remembers this experience for life too ❤

The boy managed to catch Lil Pumpkin's magical moment on video from our actual VIP seats at section 112. You can watch it on my YouTube channel here if the video above isn't working.

Oh, sorry for the grainy photos.. you aren't allowed to bring in DSLR cameras, but you can bring in point-and-shoot cameras I heard. But we don't have that so just used our mobiles to take photos and videos of the performance inside the venue, which you are allowed to by the way.

I'm using my iPhone 7 while the boy is using his Google Pixel mobile.

However, I guess the best way to enjoy the show is to actually be present and not through your camera lens.

Other than snapping shots / videos of my fave parts {Little Mermaid & Frozen!!} and of Lil Pumpkin's magical moment, of course, I tried to put down my mobile to really just enjoy the moment with my family.

I cheered, I clapped, and I sang along.. oh boy did I sing so loud along to all my favourite Disney songs! #33yearsoldgoingon3

I'm surprised I still remember almost 90% of the lyrics even though I haven't seen the cartoons in such a long time. Sigh.. I think many adults there would agree that Disney On Ice really made you relive your happy, carefree childhood memories and I'm very happy to be making some with Lil Pumpkin there.. (*^▽^*)

**** SPOILER ALERT!! ****

Ok here are some videos of the actual performance.. if you intend to catch Disney On Ice later this week, I suggest that you don't watch them so that you don't spoil the surprise. However if you can't go, please enjoy the videos!

Click on the link below each video to watch on YouTube if it's not playing properly on the blog.

Lion King's Can You Feel The Love Tonight

Intermission: One Day My Prince Will Come

Frozen's Let It Go

Finale: Let it Go

Tips:

• Performance starts on time so do not be late!!
• Room temperature is comfortable but bring a jacket / shawl just in case
• Booster seats for kids are available from the ushers on first-come-first-serve basis
• Outside food and beverages are not allowed. Food at Indoor Stadium kiosks costs $2 - 10, non-alcoholic beverages cost $3 - 5 and S$10 - 18 for alcohols. Disney On Ice themed food sold at their own booths
• Professional cameras/ recording devices, selfie sticks etc. are not allowed
• Venue re-entry is not permitted so make sure your bring in everything you need the first time!
• Strollers are not permitted into the seating areas. They need to be parked in designated areas
• Nearest car parks to show venue are at Car Park K and L. Parking charges are S$0.54/half hour, Monday - Sunday (including public holidays)
• Nearest MRT station is Stadium MRT station on the Circle Line {10 mins walk from Exit A}  
• Alternatively, take MRT to Kallang station on East-West Line {600m away} 
• Come early to see the show souvenirs and visit other facilities at Singapore Sports Hub e.g. Kallang Wave Mall {waterplay at Level 3}, Sports Hub Library {dry, outdoor playground at rooftop} and Singapore Sports Museum

Disney On Ice presents Magical Ice Festival
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Event period: 15 - 19 Mar 2016
Ticket Price {excl. booking fee}: S$25, $45, $65, $95, $120
Show Times: 10.30am, 2.30pm & 6.30pm {Sat & Sun}, 2.30 & 6.30pm {Fri}
Duration: 2 hours {15 mins interval}
Website: https://www.disneyonice.com/sea/en-sea/the-wonderful-world-of-disney-on-ice
*Infants in arms and children under 2 years of age may be admitted free of charge provided they do not occupy a seat (they must be seated on the lap of a parent or guardian). Children aged 2 and above must have tickets.

Check out the rest of our Bub & Me activities or list of kid-friendly places in Singapore too.

P.S. Some have asked how / why was Lil Pumpkin chosen for her part.. honestly, I'm not sure too haha. We didn't apply or audition for anything, and I just received a call last week or so from the organisers to tell us the good news! And I guess it's because they somehow knew that she was such a big Disney fan?! I mean.. this is a girl who will wear out her Mickey Mouse ears or Disney Princess outfits out for no special reason, just because ੧(❛▿❛✿)੭ 

*Disclosure: This is a review for The Wonderful World of Disney On Ice. All opinions are my own. Unless otherwise stated, image credits to Feld Entertainment. 

*Note: This is not a paid review or advertorial. All opinions are my own.

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What's An Appropriate Slumber Party Age for Kids?

This morning during our car-ride to school, Lil Pumpkin asked, "Mummy, can I go to Nat's slumber party?".

I was kind of taken aback as Lil Pumpkin is just 7 years old... do kids this young have slumber parties with friends already??? I mean, Lil Pumpkin has stayed overnight at her grandma's and aunt's homes, and even had an overnight graduation camp for K2 before, but at a friend's home... already??

Instinctively, I replied, "No." and Lil Pumpkin's bright and expectant face immediately frowned. "But everybody is going...." she tried to reason.

Oh dear... #FOMO {fear of missing out} is starting for her already.

To give some context, Nat's is her classmate since P1. Although Lil Pumpkin has been her friend for the past 2 years & been to her birthday party and all, we barely know her parents or family situation. I'm not implying that her friend's home is dangerous, but leaving Lil Pumpkin alone at a drop-off birthday party is one thing, and sending her off for the night to stay-over alone at someone's house is another.

Growing up, I attended a few sleepovers myself and enjoyed myself tremendously. There's nothing like playing games, watching movies, eating junk food and talking with your good friends deep into the night... then waking up to do it all over again in the morning. So. Much. Fun.

But I think I was as teen when my mum first let me attend my first slumber party though.

As much as I would love a child-free night of peace {& extra room on our bed!!} and a chance for Lil Pumpkin to enhance her social skills / independence, I feel she is still too young for slumber parties with her friends and explained as such to her.

As a 7 year old, I think we've instilled in her some pretty solid values and she's able to tell right from wrong most of the time for simple matters. However, there are obviously grey areas and complicated matters where she will not be able to make the correct decision for herself. Also, as paranoid as it may sound, we do not know her friend's family well and what if there's an older sibling or adult in the family or even neighbour that wants to "try something funny"? Even if not, maybe the group of young friends themselves want to play pranks and do something dangerous while the parents aren't looking, and will Lil Pumpkin be able to stand up for herself in that situation and dare to say "no" to her friends?

I don't want to put her in such a dilemma or risky situation at such a tend age and as much as I know how much she wants to have fun and spend more time with her friends, I'm afraid I have to be the strict parent and say no to her.

I did reassure her though that when she was more mature / older and if it was to a family that we were on closer terms & more comfortable with, she would most likely be able to attend a slumber party on her own. But until then, I reckon play dates and day parties are good enough opportunities for her to socialise with her young friends outside of school. 

I'm glad that although Lil Pumpkin was sad about not being able to go, she listened, agreed with what I was saying and didn't think I was a "bad mummy".

Sigh... I tend to feel like one though whenever I have to say "no" to her as I wonder if I am being too harsh or paranoid. Parenting sure is tough!!! (｡•́︿•̀｡)

When do you think kids are ready to go to slumber parties or sleepovers?

What's your criteria for letting them attend one?

Ever hosted a slumber party or sleepover before?

For more of  Lil Pumpkin's Primary School journey:

P1 Registration Experience

School Uniform Shopping @ Bibi & Baba

P1 Orientation Day
First 3 Days of P1
10 Types of Parents in Whatsapp Groups
First Primary School Parent-Teacher Meeting for P1 Sem 1
Short Pixie Bob for School
Ergonomic School Bag Shopping & Tips for Choosing One
JUMPY Plus Kids Smartwatch for School
What's An Appropriate Slumber Party Age for Kids?
3M LED P1610 Polarizing Task Light to Protect Eyes When Studying

For tips on P1 preparation:

Comparison of Popular Maths Enrichment Classes

20 Things to Buy for Kids Entering P1

20 Tips from Other Parents for Kids Entering P1

25 Advice Tips from the School for Kids Entering P1 

20 How to Learn Chinese Tips

 

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Malaysia 2016 | Legoland Hotel & Theme Parks Snapchat Diary

I really liked using Snapchat as a visual diary during our Tokyo,  Japan trip in the June holidays so did the same thing when we went to Legoland Malaysia Resort earlier this week (*^▽^*)

It's so easy to snap, update our family & friends on-the-go and come back to string it all together in the short videos below:


The boy booked us a 4D3N stay in Legoland Hotel itself with 2-day combo tickets for each of us to both Legoland Theme Park {the dry one} and Legoland Water Park.

With the combo tickets, it allowed us multi-entry into both parks on 2 consecutive days.

That was a Godsend, really, because Lil Pumpkin was feeling so sick on our first day at the theme parks! (≧_≦*) She had been looking forward to going to Legoland for oh-so-long and it was such a pity that she fell ill just before the trip!!

So using our combo tickets, we were able to leave Legoland Theme Park after about 2-3 hours of visit, then head back to Legoland Hotel and rest. I went back again a while later with my mum to check out the rest of the park that we missed.

On the second day, Lil Pumpkin felt much better so we were able to leave to Legoland Water Park earlier, spend half a day there, go back to the hotel for lunch and to rest, then head out to Legoland Theme Park for the rest of the rides and attractions she missed the day earlier.

The good thing about Legoland Theme Park and Legoland Water Park is that it is fully geared towards the kids so even at her height of around 120cm, Lil Pumpkin can sit ALL the rides!! Wow!! I think that's the first time she can actually sit all the rides at a theme park hahaha. Her favourite were Technic Twister and The Dragon - both roller coasters!

Unfortunately for me, I'm too big for some of the rides though.. but at least the roller coasters and fast rides were ok ໒( ͡ᵔ ▾ ͡ᵔ )७

If you do head to Legoland Malaysia, I highly recommend staying at Legoland Hotel. It's not that expensive, the rooms are themed & decorated well, it has many super-fun and free kids play areas and our package came with an awesome daily buffet breakfast at the hotel's Brick Restaurant {see pics & vids of it in the videos above}.

But most importantly, it really is so convenient to have the hotel at the theme parks' doorstep {literally just 5 mins walk away from both!} so that you can break up your day at the theme parks and go back to rest. I'm not sure about you, but age is really catching up on me haha and I can't really last a whole day out playing at amusement parks... especially when I'm chasing  Lil Pumpkin around while I'm at it (●⌒∇⌒●)

Anyway add me on Snapchat as @AiSakuraHaruka and if the videos above aren't playing properly, watch directly on my YouTube channel here:

Legoland Malaysia Snapchat Diary {Part 1}

Legoland Malaysia Snapchat Diary {Part 2}

Some of the other theme parks we've visited include Universal Studios Singapore, Asakusa Hanayashiki Tokyo {Japan}, Tokyo One Piece Tower {Japan}, Resorts World Genting {Malaysia}, Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland {Japan}, and Lotte World Seoul {Korea}. 

Hope everyone had a wonderful September school holiday break with the family!! xox

P.S. Do note that if you purchase Day tickets, you are not allowed multi-entry into the theme parks.

P.P.S. There's a Ninjago 4D indoor ride opening in November 2016!! So exciting!! Looks like we've to make a trip back haha

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Hisashi's Summer 2016 Visit

Our dear old friends from Japan visited over the weekend. We met them for dinner at Summer Pavilion, Ritz Carlton. Food and ambience was amazing by the way (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

Every year, without fail, Hisashi-san and his family will come to Singapore during the summer holidays in Japan. I know other people who have annual holidays to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia too..

I never really got why some people liked to visit the same country all the time until I realised that every year or so, we head back to Japan and Thailand as well haha. I guess we have some kind of emotional attachment and crave the familiarity of the same places. It's like "coming home".. and doesn't mean that there's nothing new to discover with each visit.

Actually with each repeat visit you're able to dig deeper into the country and discover other areas you might have missed earlier.

Anyway I remember one of the first few conversations with Hisashi-san was about him teaching his son how to bike, and of his wife complaining about the summer heat since she was pregnant with his daughter (*≧▽≦)

Now, Takahiro is 15 years old and Kaorin is 9 years old!!

Oh goodness, you really have no idea how fast time has passed by until you realise how much the kids have grown.

As we get older, a lot of times we let friendships slip by to take care of our family, our work, our social commitments etc.

In the hierarchy of relationships, friendships are at the bottom. Our partners, parents, children... all these come first. When we are pressed for time, we'd usually choose to put aside meeting with friends than skip a family gathering or work trip.

How many times have we said "let's catch up" to our friends, only for a week.. a month.. a year {or 2??} to go by without seeing each other??!

I'm so guilty as charged but really glad that despite moving back to Singapore and being so far away from each other, we've still maintained our close friendship with the Hisashi family..

Heck, he was even one of the speakers at our wedding!! ♥

We are blessed to have them as our family friends and find it totally awesome our little ones can grow up together as firm friends too ✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧

Do you always travel back to the same places for holidays?

How often do you meet up with your friends?

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