Life Is In The Small Things

KidsFest 2014: What The Ladybird Heard

by 1 Comment

We are big fans of Julia Donaldson and her books in this house. Ever since I first read The Gruffalo, I've steadily collected more of her titles for our shelves. I love that the stories are simple and easy to follow, written in rhyming verse, and contains sufficient repetition to appeal to kids and yet not drive me mad when reading the books for the umpteenth time! The illustrations too are quite delightful. What the Ladybird Heard is one of these gems. The story is simple but clever: The ... read more

Trekking Through Nature with the National Geographic Channel Young Explorer’s Programme

by 7 Comments

Both Noey and I bounced out of bed bright and early on Saturday morning for an adventure which was a contrast to our sometimes slow Saturday mornings: a trek through Bukit Timah Nature Reserve with the National Geographic Channel.Ready to hike the nature reserve!Living in highly urban Singapore, I've often lamented the lack of opportunities for children to get out and get into nature. This is the gap that the National Geographic Channel Singapore hopes to bridge with its Young Explorer ... read more

Soaking In The Festivities at Chinatown

by 2 Comments

Just last year, I started what I hope to be a tradition of bringing the kids to go soak up the atmosphere at Chinatown in the run-up to Chinese New Year.It's not actually somewhere which I'm familiar with, Chinatown. My parents were not the sort of frequent the place. Or at least, if they did go, they rarely did bring me along. But I think as I've grown older, I've certainly become more nostalgic about my roots. I find myself more interested in customs and traditions and more keen to participate ... read more

A Straddle Injury

by 15 Comments

We had another first recently, but not one that I was looking forward to: our first trip to the Emergency Room for the year.It's bad enough when your child gets injured but it's extra terrible when you're not around when it happens. I was actually out that night having quite a delightful dinner (steamboat! with my first yu sheng of the year!) with a dear friend and was driving home when I got a terse phone call. It was my husband telling me that Meips had cut herself and we needed to go to KKH ... read more

Far East Organisation Children’s Garden at Gardens by the Bay

by 5 Comments

We're always on the look out for playgrounds when we are out and about. Not being mall-going people, you'll more often than not find us roaming outdoor parks and spaces, with playgrounds being a welcome sight for both parent and child. Fun for the young ones and a bit of respite for the adults!Well, we've found the mother of all playgrounds. It's got wet water play areas and dry forest adventure areas. It's got a toddler play area for 1-to-5s and tree houses and an adventure trail for 6-to-12s. ... read more

The End of Co-Sleeping

by 4 Comments

2014 is turning out to be a milestone year. And this is probably the biggest thing to happen this year, thus far:Ladies and gentlemen, my kids are FINALLY SLEEPING IN THEIR OWN BEDS!!So yes, now you know our rather embarrassing little secret, which is that right up to the start of this year, we were still co-sleeping with our kids. Actually, scratch that. I was co-sleeping with the kids while my husband gratefully escaped onto the mattress on the floor that was meant for Noey. Unsurprisingly, he ... read more

Reads :: Back To School Books

by 4 Comments

In the lead-up to Meips' big first day, we, like all parents, tried to ease the transition for her by doing various things. She was already somewhat familiar with the environment, having gone with me on numerous occasions to pick Noey up, so that was certainly a plus. We also spoke to her about her teachers and what she would be doing in school, and of course, read a number of books about starting school. I'm a firm believer of using books to help the kids articulate their thoughts and fears so ... read more

Ice Skating at The Rink

by 2 Comments

We have had a really FULL December holiday. I don't know how it happened -- and sometimes I don't know why I do it to myself -- but it did. So full that I never got round to writing about it.Well, on Friday, Noey came home from school and told me that they were all asked to share what they did during the school holidays with the class, and that he told everyone about going ice-skating with his friend D. Since it made such an impact, I think it's a bit of a pity if I didn't record it for ... read more

Elly’s The Horse Parade CNY Collection {Giveaway}

by 53 Comments

Christmas and New Year's Day are behind us, but there's still no time to rest because we are speeding on to Chinese New Year!As the shops did their quick change over to take all the Christmas music off their playlist and replace it with the dreaded dong-dong-chiang music, we are immediately faced with the two most important questions for the season: What are we going to EAT? And what are we going to WEAR? (Also, how am I going to manage our usually manic CNY schedule, though that's a totally ... read more