Those Nanoblock Fascinators and the Singapore Blog Awards 2014

It isn't everyday that you get to wear Lego on your head, but if you're going to do it, I guess it'd better be for a special occasion. In this case, it was the Singapore Blog Awards 2014!

(Ok, it wasn't really Lego but nanoblocks that made their way into my headpiece but you get the drift!)

It all started when the petite travellers received the honour of being one of the  finalists for the Best New Blog at this year's blog awards. The event had a derby theme, so we knew there were going to be hats all around. But we also wanted to incorporate our travel theme, with a look that was distinct yet cohesive amongst the few of us attending.

With that in mind, we brainstormed over many days as we considered hats with city skylines, hats with 3D cardboard structures and hats with our emblematic red suitcase on them. We even when as far as considering wearing the red suitcase as a hat! Time was ticking down and we had no workable idea. Then, just three days before the ceremony, Jas came across a 3D cardboard structure that she thought might work, except that we were not sure we were going to be able to find five more different cardboard structures. But while I was fiddling with a 3D puzzle set of Sydney Harbour Bridge to see if it could be used, an image of nanoblock landmarks suddenly came into my head, and I thought: maybe we should use nanoblocks?

As we discussed it, it sounded more and more plausible. It helped that the structures looked good and were not heavy, and best of all, were readily available. As my husband and son told me when I asked, you can buy nanoblocks "everywhere". We got some sets and settled on a fascinator style, which Jas, Corsage and Pam proceeded to test out. And when they sent us some pics, I knew: This was it. Just in the nick of time too! 

It was hard work putting the structures together -- nano bricks are so tiny! Our biggest fear was that the brick structures will coming crashing down as we wore them (and mine did, many times during construction), so GLUE was essential. Each stress point was tested then UHU-ed in place.

You would think my Lego-loving husband would have been supportive, but he just gave me incredulous looks when I told him that the Eiffel tower structure he was admiring was going to go on my head. "It's just so… impractical!" he said repeatedly.

But whaddya know, the nanoblocks held together and collectively, I thought the group of us looked great. There's nothing like doing something kooky with friends! It would have been more awesome if all nine of us could have attended!

The different landmarks we wore, clockwise from top left: Big Ben (London), Eiffel Tower (Paris), The Great Pyramid (Egypt), Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany), and St Basil's Cathedral (Russia).

We didn't win the Best New Blog award by the way, in case you were wondering. I personally didn't expect us to, since we were up against some strong contenders. So the award ceremony was really a time to check out the scene, put some faces to names I'd only seen online and hang out with friends. We were familiar with the mummy-blogger crowd of course, many of whom were nominees for Best Parenting Blog, and it was great to have the opportunity to catch up.

Five of us from petite travellers with the lovely mums from Growing with the Tans, PruneNurture, A Pancake Princess, MummyWee, The Gingerbread Mum, and A Juggling Mom!

I think we were all running on adrenaline because I was so tired at the end of it, and ready to crash! Didn't help that it was a standing event and the first time I was wearing closed-toe pumps in months!

The whole process of starting petite travellers, entering the Singapore Blog Awards, qualifying as a finalist, and attending the award ceremony was quite an experience, made all the better by the fact that I was doing it, and going through it all with friends. Blogging, writing, even being a Mummy can be very lonely pursuits, and it helps to have folks you can call on for support, to ask for advice, for prayers, to share in your joys, to bounce ideas off, and yes, to wear nanoblocks together. I thought I was past the age where one makes meaningful friendships but you know what? I was wrong and God has served up a blessing in these lovely ladies. And I sure am grateful for that! 

(P.S. Click here to read the petite travellers' account of the event!)

Linking up with:

OMy, it's Ice Cream for Petite Travellers!

Remember petite travellers?

Well, at the end of last week we received some great news: petite travellers has been shortlisted as one of 10 finalists for Best New Blog at the Singapore Blog Awards 2014!

The team felt we had to celebrate, but how were 9 busy mums with different schedules and many commitments (and kids) going to celebrate together at short notice? With a virtual party, of course. It was ice-creams all round for all of us.

Our sweet treat was made all the more awesome when others started joining in our #icecreamforpetitetravellers party too! (You can check out all the yummy cones with the hashtag on instagram!)

petite travellers was born out of a desire to provide a repository of useful travel suggestions, itineraries, tips and other recommendations for parents, just like ourselves, who enjoy exploring the world with our kids, and this recognition has been an added bonus. Having been a SAHM for the past 2.5 years (!!!), it's been a while since I've worked with a team, and I'm enjoying it. I guess that's also because the 9 of us are friends first, then collaborators.

A special thank you too, to all of you for have liked the petite travellers Facebook Page, shared, commented on or liked our posts, followed us on instagram, expressed an interest to contribute to our site, and of course, joined our #icecreamforpetitetravellers party! It means a lot that you are excited about what we are doing. If you would like to support petite travellers for the Singapore Blog Awards, do hop over here to cast your vote for us in the Best New Blog category: http://sgblogawards.omy.sg/2014/vote/editors-judges-choice.html. You can vote once a day and voting accounts for 30% of the total score.

But more than voting, I would love it if you read our blog and help us grow petite travellers into a truly useful resource with your suggestions and comments. I know we would love to hear from you. We've only just begun -- do come join us for the ride.

Behind The Scenes: Writing Process Blog Hop

Today, I'm going to be introducing you to what goes on behind-the-scenes (or in-front-of-the-screen, really) on this blog as part of a little blog hop that I'm participating in. I was supposed to post this a few weeks ago, but I figured it's better late than never!

I was introduced to this blog hop by my friend Lyn, a Mum with two lovely girls who blogs at Little Blue Bottle. Lyn and I first connected over the fact that our first-borns are born within days of each other. We then came to realise that we attended the same secondary school and had a number of common friends. Our kids have been growing up together since they were a few months old and it's been amazing seeing them grow from wee bubs to the little ladies and little men that they are now. You can read Lyn's Writing Process Blog Hop post here.

I haven't done a blog hop in a while, and that's mainly because I've been too bogged down to volunteer for them! Indeed, I'm way behind schedule on this one too, but I was attracted to this because it asked some questions that I've been asking of myself recently too. Plus I thought it might be interesting to show you what I do, considering how blogging has become a big part of my life.

Here is where most of my work gets done:

I sadly don't have a proper workspace, so my laptop is truly on my lap most times as I camp on this couch in a corner of my bedroom. I alternate between sitting in this corner and on my bed as I try to put my thoughts to paper. The truth is, it's been twice as hard to blog since I've stopped working in an office. I don't have a desk and computer to sit at where I can periodically jot down my thoughts uninterrupted. And this uninterruption is key! I now usually write at the end of the day, and needless to say, I sacrifice a lot of sleep to blog. It isn't always easy, but I continue doing it because I love it -- for the friends I've made and for more recently, for the opportunities it's given me. I guess I should be thankful that I've always considered sleep negotiable! (And I wonder why my kids feel the same way…)

1. What am I working on?

It always feels like I'm working on a million drafts at the same time. So right now, I'm working on clearing some of my outstanding commitments and updating on some of our recent activities and parenting stories on the blog. I also have a blog anniversary post and giveaway which is in the works that I'm pretty excited about. Other than this blog, I've also got several stories for Yahoo Parenting on my schedule too. And recently, some friends and I have started Petite Travellers, a new collaborative family travel blog which we hope to grow into a resource for family-friendly holidays. It's been exciting working together and it's been a great ride so far. (Yes, I have a lot on my plate!)

2. How does my work differ from others in its genre?

That is a good question, and one that I've been asking myself as well. I think much of what I write is similar to what you get on other mummy blogs. Much as I dislike the classification, that's what this blog has grown to become, no thanks to my full-time employment at home. I think I bring my own perspective to the table. I try to choose things to write about which I have a personal connection with, or a personal story to tell, so my blog is very much an extension of me. People who read me have often commented upon meeting me that I'm exactly what they expected. So my blog is different in the way that I am different as a person, and I like to think that my writing reflects who I am. WYSIWYG.

3. Why do I write what I do?

I started out writing this blog for myself and my most faithful reader, my husband. Along the way, the kids came along, the audience grew, and my focus changed. But it has always been for the same reason that I write -- to celebrate the big events and small moments. This blog has been a precious record of things that matter to me, over the past 8 years that I've been writing. I think I lost my focus a bit recently and I've come to realise that I no longer have the luxury of time to write what I have to and what I want to. Often, what I want to write about gets sacrificed as I try to meet my writing commitments. I've therefore promised myself that going forward, I'm going to focus more on what I love -- recipes, books, and stories. I'm looking forward to that.

4. How does my writing process work?

Hmm, I don't think I have one single process. But always, photos form a key component. Sometimes it is the picture that inspires the writing, sometimes I'm inspired by an idea and go in search of the perfect picture to accompany the thought. I turn many ideas over in my head in the day and I try to scribble them down, either in a draft or in notes on my phone. I need to be in the right frame of mind for the words to flow, so sometimes it just doesn't happen. But if there's one thing I've learnt from my previous job as a lawyer, it is to just keep putting the words down. I write, then refine, rephrase and restructure as I go along. And it helps to have a deadline!

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Next up in this blog hop is Adeline from Growing with the Tans. Adeline is a mum to a lovely little boy who, like my son, is also named Noah. Do visit her next Monday to find out more about her blogging process.

Growing with the Tans

Travelling with Petite Travellers

We've mostly been grounded this June school holidays. Save for a short trip up north to Malaysia for our annual church camp (and Legoland thereafter!), we've mostly been hanging around Singapore and keeping very busy. My husband thinks I'm incapable of taking it slow and sometimes I think he's right.

But whilst we have not been travelling much, travel has very much been on our minds, and today, I'm excited to be able to share something that a group of my friends and I have been working on. Presenting… Petite Travellers! A collaborative travel blog about family-friendly holidays for discerning little people, Petite Travellers sprung out of our passion for travel, even with kids in tow. It's been fun getting this new blog off the ground and we hope to grow Petite Travellers into a useful reference for parents travelling with their littles.

We've all contributed posts to kick this off and I decided to write about Sydney, one of our regular travel destinations. We've spent quite a bit of time visiting different attractions in and around Sydney from which I've distilled out our favourite ones. Hop on over to read my recommendations for family-friendly attractions for little ones near the heart of Sydney!

Sydney: Recommended city attractions for Under-6s.

We'll be updating regularly so I do hope you'll visit and bookmark the site. Do also visit Petite Travellers' Facebook Page and like us for more updates. Looking forward to bringing you more travel news!