Tuesday is Fruity Bento & Waterplay Day!!!

Different fruity bentos!
K's customised swimbag

I get busy on Monday nights when I have to think of what to pack in K's fruit bento and her swimbag for the next day. I had customised a swimbag with 3 compartments; the middle compartment is a wetbag, so the teachers can simply throw her wet costume and towel in it without having to put them in a plastic bag and I need not worry about the dry clothes getting damp. Apart from fruits, I like to throw in 3 to 4 cheese cubes too as K loves them, thus an ice cool lunchbag is a must!

More Arts!

Krissa's art journal cover.

Not bad for a 2.5yrs toddler!!
Collage done on 13/03/2010

Happy Chinese New Year & Valentine's Day - 14/01/2010

Gong Hei Fatt Choy & Happy Valentine's!

I so so love K in this outfit from AugustAnna USA!!!

Beautiful bouquet from Dearest Hubs

Must-have activity during Chinese New Year!

Hahhahah!!!!

Gong Xi Fa Cai & Happy Valentine's!!!

This year's Chinese New Year was special as Valentine's Day also falls on the same day! I had thought Hubs will skip the Valentine's Day part and celebrate just the Chinese New Year. Fortunately, I was wrong for he had the florist sent me a big bouquet of flowers 2 days before Chinese New Year :) We didn't do much visiting this year; only visited my parents, mother-in-law, grandparents and a few gatherings. Per the Chinese New Year "traditions", it was a few days of eating, catching up aka gossiping and gambling sessions all rolled into one!

4th Day of School - 13/01/2010

Having fun!

It was the last day for parents to be with their child in class. The children were finally able to use the playground after eyeing it for the past few days! Before going for outdoor play, all the children are to put on their hat and afterwhich, the teachers sprayed insect repellent on them. I really like the idea of putting on hats when playing outdoors especially in a tropical country like ours and I applaud the school for being so considerate when they thought of applying insect repellent on the children.

3rd Day of School - 12/01/2010

K enjoying her fruits and biscuits

Nothing unusual from Day 1 for Day 2, so I shall skip and go to Day 3. Day 3 was the start of the 3 hours school routine.

Every Tuesday is "Fruit Day" for the children and parents are to pack the child's favourite fruit for them to eat during snack time. For the first Fruit Day, I packed an apple and a chinese pear for K. I had put the lunch box in a lunchbag with an ice pack in it so K was able to have the fruits still cold and fresh when it was time to eat. I was glad that K finished everything.

1st Day of School, A Lifetime of Learning - 08/01/2010

K in her uniform
Fun in the classroom
K liked the microwave oven alot!!

K at ease in the classroom

This day marked an important milestone for K. I can't believe how time flies and how much my little pea has grown. Both Daddy and I are way more excited than her! Here are some of the things we have done to get her ready for school: a new haircut, a personalised Stephen Joseph school bag and lunch bag which I had bought a year in advance, labels for her water bottle, uniform etc.

K is to embark on her pre-school education at St James' Church Kindergarten which is a reputable kindergarten with an amazing long waitlist.

I think it helps that we have explained to Krissa what school is going to be like to gear her mentally prepared e.g. there will be no papa/mama/popo, she has to share toys/stationeries with her classmates, she has to listen to the teachers etc. and I think it works on her because she didn't seem to have any separation anxiety!!! The minute we stepped into her classroom which was filled with toys, she broke loose and played by herself. I guess it was the norm as the other children too played by themselves. The teachers were friendly and looked loving.

We were given 3 days to stay in the classroom with the child to help her tide through this period. The 1st day lasted for only an hour and went very smoothly. Both Daddy and I were very proud of K.....hmmm.....I wonder if the 4th day i.e. the 1st day without parents will be equally smooth sailing. Pray, pray....

Malacca, We'll Be Back! - 01/01/2010 - 03/01/2010

1st stop: The infamous chicken rice ball. We decided on Chung Wah,

though less famous than others, but invites ONLY good reviews

on the internet. True enough, the rice ball/chicken/chilli didn't fail us.

Only chicken rice ball is served here unlike the other operators

who also sell other dishes. Krissa loves the rice ball!

Warning: Don't come on an empty stomache; just look at the

crowd outside the shop! I love this vintage clock with

the shop's name printed on it.

Christ Church with Jonker Street just right behind it
A. Famosa
K was in a very good mood!
Our hotel suite and adjacent view from balcony
K was really tired so she plonked herself comfortably on the bedLove this picture of K looking up!
Another view from the balcony and hotel X'mas decor
Need I say more?!

Daddy & K bonding in the pool

A nearby park which can bring us to Jonker Street via
Christ Church from our hotel in about 10 minutes
Playground facilities in the park: Look at the merry-go-round!
It invoked childhood memories in me! How I wish we can find
more merry-go-round in Singapore!! Look at K and one will know this is
an evergreen hit! On the more modern equipment, K hanged on the bar and
did some swings before sliding down.

My monkey K!!!

K enjoyed herself tremendously in a shopping mall!
More makan and grocery shopping before we make our way home.
I like the idea of the "trolley-basket" in Carrefour!
This had indeed been a gastronomical trip for us! During our short stay,
we had stuffed ourselves with many local delicacies
e.g. nonya food from different well-reviewed restaurants, teochew food,
the infamous Jonker Street chendol with their legendary gula melaka and laksa,
street delights from the weekend night market of Jonker Street etc

We have never taken a road trip....come to think of it, this is my first holiday ever since I was found pregnant with Krissa! Having to have the little one in tow really wasn't easy and having a paranoid Daddy made matter worse. Anyhow, I was glad that we made this trip but it wasn't all that plain sailing.

First, due to the New Year, no room was available at Hotel Equatorial after checks with several online agencies BUT my efforts paid off and we were able to secure a room :) However, nearer the date, I realised we had a BIG problem; the furthest we ever drove to was Johor Bahru, so how are we to drive up to Malacca although everybody said it was easy? Luckily my colleagues, chum Kok Peng who kindly lent us his GPS and the internet were ready to help and provided invaluable information. Hence, we were able to get to our destination safe and fast {^-^} Thanks to everyone! *bow* I would like to give credit to Krissa too for being so cooperative and obedient throughout this trip *muacks..muacks*

I had visited Malacca thrice in my younger days and each time, I would tell myself I would never go back because it was very boring but I ended up there thrice! Malacca now is quite different from the past. Mega malls have sprouted over the years and the little town is now bustling with life, ready to take on the world! Perhaps, being a mother now, I have learnt to relax, slow down and take time to smell the flowers. Or simply...age is catching up.....whatever it is, the pace suits me fine now and I appreciate the town more than ever.

Hollywood Dino - 27/12/2009

A disappointing experience

It was very disappointing....the exhibition grounds was very small, not many dinosaur exhibits on display and they were not as impressive as what we had imagined. Luckily I had bought the tickets at a discounted rate. Krissa was scared of the dinosaurs because they were much larger than her and the frightening sound effects didn't help to alleviate her fear.

Sol Sunday - 20/12/2009

Only 1 horse :(
Daddy resigned to his fate that he would have
to feed the horse alone as K would not feed it
K getting her face painted K with her face painted...matched her romper prefectly :)
Play, play, play!!!
Look at Trishelle! Pretty butterfly!!

Both girls enjoyed their horse ride at the zoo so much that Joycelyn suggested we let the girls ride a horse again but at a horse riding school in Turf City instead. We reached the school bright and early with the girls who couldn't contain their excitement. K was so looking forward to riding a horse that she went "horse, horse" repeatedly in the car. Unfortunately, the riding ground was closed as there was no trainer available and the soil was still damp due to the rain the day before. In their website, they should have advised the public to call the school to make sure a trainer was available instead of simply stating the opening hours to the public :( The closest the girls can get to a horse was to visit it in its stable. Why did I use "it" instead of "them"? This is because there was only 1 pathetic horse in the stable. Horse feed is available at $2.00 per packet and both daddies bought a packet each. They coaxed the girls to feed the horse but only Trishelle dared to. Whatever happened to my gutsy K!? Hmm......oh well!! Needless to say, our mood was dampened, so to cheer the girls up, I suggested breakfast/brunch/lunch at Sol Playground Cafe. We used to frequent this cafe almost every Saturday when K finished her lesson at Kids' Loft, so I knew they offer free balloons and face painting to the children every Sunday. So glad that we went to Sol because the girls did enjoy themselves thoroughly! It was a beautiful Sunday afterall :)

Jingle Bells - 12/12/2009

X'mas is just round the corner and we are terribly late in setting up the X'mas tree! K can qualify as one of Santa's little helpers as she was able to listen, understand and execute our instructions. We had purposely gotten a smaller tree this year so that K won't feel overwhelmed when putting up the decor.

25/12/2009 - My siblings came over to celebrate the festival and we had X'mas goodies for dinner. The children had fun unwrapping their presents. Oh no!! I did not take a single picture of our gathering! Goodness....I'm really showing signs of aging! I had better eat more gingko nuts to boost my memory...hahha!! Erm...it should be...Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry X'mas & a Prosperous New Year!!!

Zoo! Zoo! - 06/12/2009

K didn't even want to go near the manatees, let alone feed them!
Daddy was worried that K might not want to ride on the horse but
his worries were unfounded because K enjoyed the ride very much and
requested to ride on a horse for the next few days!

Well done, my girl! We are so proud of you (^-^)

Princess K on her horse :)

Grand finale: Water play!!!
Time to say goodbye

We like to bring K to the zoo every 3-4 months for it is interesting to compare her previous and current reactions towards the same animals which she had seen a few months back. She used to just observe the animals but now she would get very animated when she sees her favourite animals e.g. horse, tiger, penguin etc.

At the very kind invitation of Joycelyn and her family, off we went to the zoo! K used to be very gutsy, doesn't know the meaning of "afraid" but not anymore now...just take a look at the manatee feeding photos and you will know what I mean. Oh no! She had better not take after me in this aspect! I am a coward when it comes to touching animals, jumping off from a height etc. Hahahah!!!

Last Lesson @ Kids' Loft - 05/12/2009

A very pretty water globe with stunning visual when shaked.
The last tea session

Princess K in action!

K's "graduation" ceremony and

Ms Lavina playing with K

Sob...sob....as Krissa will be attending pre-nursery come January 2010 on weekdays, we have no choice but to stop Kids' Loft. A big, big thank you to Ms Lavina for all the wonderful memories and knowledge which you have imparted to the children. Perhaps K will go back to you again.....for your holiday program :)

Goodbye to all my weekly playmates! Hope we will meet again somewhere, someday......

Eric Carle's Today is Monday - 04/12/2009

Warming up the pizzas!

Pizza Craft!

Time flies! We are already at the end of our holiday program. It was indeed an enjoyable experience for both Krissa and I. I hope to sign Krissa up again next year.

Eric Carle's The Grouchy Ladybug - 03/12/2009 & Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? - 03/12/2009

02/12/2009 - I had forgotten to bring my camera, so no pictures for that day. The children made a beautiful ladybug craft out of paper plate.



03/12/2009 - Again I had forgotten to bring my camera but luckily Joycelyn helped me capture this precious shot of Krissa looking through her self-made binoculars! She thoroughly enjoyed looking through the green cellophane paper :)

Eric Carle's The Secret Birthday Message - 01/12/2009

K was happy when she saw Teacher Zai lit up the candle and

eagerly blew it! A far cry from her 2nd birthday when she ran away

once the birthday candles on her cakes were lit.

K wolfing down her cake!
Kids went gaga over the bubbles!

Catch the 2 bubbly girls grooving away to the music!

Holiday Program @ Zoophonics - 30/11/2009 to 04/12/2009

K's own "night sky" and K sponging away

Krissa and Trishelle attended the Zoophonics holiday program at the Bukit Timah branch from 30/11/2009 to 04/12/2009; 1.5hrs daily at a very affordable price of only $120.00!!! The theme of this program is aptly named "The World of Eric Carle" with 1 book of Eric Carle being used per day.

First on the list was "Papa, Please Get The Moon For Me". All the kids loved this story and had a great time touching the "moon" hanging from the ceiling (with a little help from mummy). In lined with the book, the children made their own snack (sandwich) by spreading blackcurrant jam (symbolising the night sky) and honey stars (symbolising the stars in the sky) on their bread. The children were tickled pink when they saw what was in the mystery box and enjoyed the art, singing and dancing taught by Teacher Zai.

"Snow" Castle @ Changi Airport Terminal 3 - 27/11/2009

K having fun at the mini playground. Notice K's shoes? Hahha!!

She enjoyed herself so much that she decided to run around barefooted!
See the long queue to the bouncy castle?
Luckily it was well worth the wait :)

"Terminal-hopping" by means of the Skytrain

Must see! K & T bouncing happily in the castle!!

This video is sure to put a smile on your face!

Daddy & K making their way up to the top of the castle

Daddy & K bouncing their way down

I know I have MANY backlogs :( Everytime when I was about to start blogging, something else would cropped up. Geez...anyway, do allow me some time to clear my backlogs.

I was told by Joycelyn that in conjunction with their Christmas promotions, T3 had this large bouncy castle with snowflakes falling from the top of the castle at interval of 10 minutes. Wow...it sure sounds magical and admission is free, so we made plans to let our girls have a go at it! Actually, snowflakes or not doesn't matter. What matters is the large bouncy castle! Krissa loves bouncy castles but never played in one of this scale. Due to her tender age, all of the castles she was previously permitted to enter were pretty small.

The castle was indeed huge! Both Krissa and Trishelle couldn't wait to enter but the queue was horrendously long! Luckily T3 was thoughtful enough to have arranged a mini playground for the younger kids to entertain themselves whilst waiting for their turn at the bouncy castle. The girls were happy at the mini playground and needless to say, they were even happier in the castle! After the bouncy castle, we took the Skytrain to "terminal-hop" before making our way home.