Orchard Parade Hotel Family Staycation

I love me a good staycation, especially one which the whole family is able to enjoy.

A couple of weeks back we had the opportunity to check out (or rather, check-in into) Orchard Parade Hotel to experience their Family Staycation Package on behalf of TheSmartLocal.com and it was a welcome break for all of us. I have a soft spot for this hotel since it was here, albeit in its previous incarnation as Ming Court Hotel, that my parents celebrated their wedding banquet nearly 40 years ago. Considering how constructions is a constant in Singapore, it delights me whenever I am able to find and hold on to a piece of the past. This hotel is one of those pieces of my family history.

Orchard Parade Hotel.

Of course, while the building still stands, the hotel itself is very different. Renovations over the years have kept the hotel current and it continues to draw visitors keen to take advantage of its location at right at the entrance to Orchard Road, our country's most famous shopping street.

 Bright and airy lounge area.

So this hotel might be one of the stalwarts around, but we quickly discovered that one advantage that an older hotel has over some of the newer ones is: Room Size. We were booked into a Family Room and were quite bowled over by the size of it when we first entered. At 50-60sqm, it was HUGE! Even with a king bed and super single, there was still plenty of room for a sitting area and a small dining table. I reckon it's the size of a suite in some of the newer hotels. There was also a balcony (though there wasn't much of a view) and a good sized bathroom with a bathtub and separate shower. It was very comfortable, and the child-friendly touches, from the towel animals on the bed, to the craft packs that the kids received, to the child crockery and utensils were made us feel right at home.

The very large Family Room. There's a balcony beyond the curtains too!

Plastic bowls and cups for the kids

Getting bunny to sit straight...

So happy to see this doggie!

Getting into the craft packs they found waiting for them. I was really pleased to have this table, which sits 4, for the kids to colour and draw at, and eat their snacks.

One of the highlights of our stay was the pottery painting session that is included as part of the Family Staycation Package. In the heat of the mid-afternoon, we were more than happy to be ushered into the air-conditioned activity room, but were even more excited to find that a whole playroom set up for some family fun. The kids were instantly drawn to the cartoons being screened, and balloons and a large version of aeroplane chess to play. And on one side, a table set up for some painting fun. The kids were given a clay cupcake-shaped container and guided to use acrylic paints to design and decorate their own. When they were done, the cupcakes were left out to dry, after which we could bring them home. Mei in particular was very chuffed with her handiwork and has been using the container for her accessory odds and ends.

The playroom!

Balloon hats

Trying out a jumbo sized-aeroplane chess game.

Happy to be painting!

Concentrating on their task.

Painting on the chocolate chips.

The completed cupcakes!

Of course, no hotel stay is complete with a swim, so we had to squeeze that in too.

The pool area.

My water baby!

We had to zip off for Noey's graduation ceremony before returning for the night. I teased Noey that the stay was graduation gift to which he asked why we couldn't stay a further night. Perhaps another time, son!

The article I wrote for TheSmartLocal.com is out -- you can read it here: Orchard Parade Hotel - Gigantic Family Staycation Rooms. Click over for more details and package rates.

Thank you Orchard Parade Hotel for your hospitality and for making our stay a memorable one!

Melbourne 2014: Great Ocean Road

When the husband and I decided to bring the family to Melbourne, we decided that a Great Ocean Road (GOR) road trip was a must. The only problem was that the GOR lay on the west of Melbourne, and everything else we wanted to visit lay on the east. We were fortunate in that we had time, so we were able to fit in a couple of days of driving. And it was well worth it.

Our itinerary for the GOR wasn't intentionally child-friendly, like most of the rest of our holiday was. Instead, this portion of the holiday was for us -- it was us bringing the kids along to see what we wanted to see. So we skipped the farms and what we got were scenic sights as we did a short trek to a waterfall, a lighthouse visit, and visited some awe-inspiring rocks. Not what we usually do with kids in tow but I dare they they enjoyed it. The best part for me was road tripping with my husband next to me as I scrolled through his devices for music that we could all sing or bop along to as we drove. THAT was just like old times. Some of our best holidays were enjoyed on the road when we have the luxury to chat and it was good recapturing some of that on this trip.

Road tripping with my sweetie!

Someone wants is ready to take over the wheel -- I think not, little lady!

It's my turn on petite travellers and I've shared more details about our GOR road trip there, so do hop over to read it if you haven't! Here's the link: Great Ocean Road: A Piece of Victorias Natural Beauty.

In the meantime, here are some more pictures to share.

Erskine Falls.

Obligatory family shot to prove that we made it there!

This way to Teddy's Lookout.

Endless sea on the left of the lookout.

We tried going up the road towards Kennett River to see wild koalas but we encountered were sweet little wild wallabies instead.

Beautiful and serene Cape Otway Lightstation

Some of the treacherous rocks off Cape Otway.

Mei shows me how to work it!

The Twelve Apostles (some of them at least!)

My kiddy models, looking like angels.

All in all, a fun road trip. I hope it will not be another 26 years before I visit the GOR again!

8 Activities for the Weekend

The weekend's near! Have you got any plans yet? 

If you haven't and are looking for some ideas, I'm sharing a list of some of our favourite weekend activities on Yahoo! Parenting this week!

And here's a funny story about this list: I had jotted down some ideas for this article on a piece of paper, and when I came back to it after some time, I was very tickled to see that someone had gone through the list and indicated his approval.

So you know -- this meets Noey's exacting standards! Click here to hop over if you need some inspiration and have a great weekend!

 

Phuket and Langkawi Stopover with Costa Victoria

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the new year, I forgot to share that my post on the adventures that we got up to in Phuket and Langkawi during our 4-night cruise on board the Costa Victoria is up on TheSmartLocal!

We were able to spend nearly a full day in Phuket and half a day in Langkawi, and I think we managed to make the most of it. Our stopover in Phuket was particularly memorable thanks to an elephant trekking tour that we took. Everyone loved it and it was easily the as I had arranged an elephant trekking tour, which we all enjoyed. It was easily the highlight of our trip. For more details, hop on over here: Phuket and Langkawi Stopover with Costa Victoria.

Cruising with Costa

The kids and I recently had a mini-break of a different kind when we hopped aboard a cruise for a 4-night trip, which included stops in Phuket and Langkawi. 

It's really been a while since I've been on a cruise so I was really looking forward to it! I remember going on a couple of cruises to nowhere with my folks, and also once for a friend's 21st birthday. Those were the days when my sister and I would excitedly check out schedules and go join dancing and other sports activities on deck, before slipping off for cocktails. Fun times.

It was the Costa Victoria that we sailed with on this trip, on a media trip on behalf of TheSmartLocal. It was the first time out at sea for my kids, and they loved it. There was nothing they like better than to hangout by the windows and stare out across the water. It was also very cool to wake up in a new place everyday! My husband couldn't come with us but I had the able assistance of my Mum and sister who decided to make a girly holiday of it. I certainly appreciated the help and the opportunity I got to spend some time with them.

I've written up a post on 5 reasons why a cruise is a great option for a family holiday on TheSmart Local, so click on over to read it!

Family Favourite: Chicken Cacciatorre

Like every family, we have our family favourites when it comes to the dinner table. I have shared a number of these recipes here on this blog, but this week, I'm sharing a new dish on A Dollop of Me: Chicken Cacciatorre! 

My friend Corsage is running a 10-week long series on Family Favourites for on her blog, featuring 10 different bloggers who would each be sharing a favourite dish. She's right in the middle of it and it's my turn this week! This chicken dish is a hit with the husband and the kids. Pan-fried chicken cooked in rich tomato sauce -- what's there not to love right? The kids hoover this up every time I make it. Dinner is always quick (or at least relatively so - they are kids after all) when this is served. Do click on over to check it out!

And while you're over at A Dollop of Me, don't forget to check out the rest of Corsage's Kitchen Exploits series, which features lots of easy family-friendly recipes. She's an inspiring mother of two with an eye for beauty and a way with words and I've always found her blog a good read.

As for me, you know where to find me. It's a busy run up to Noey's birthday party this weekend but I hope to be back with more soon.

Two Tots in a Plane + Four Cow Farm Coupon Code

Will you be travelling during the current school term break? If you are, I assure you I'm very jealous!

For the first time in a long while, we'll be staying put the entire time during this year end break. My husband's schedule this year is such that he is only available during the Christmas week, by which time, it's really too late to be going anywhere. We're thinking of doing a staycation after Christmas instead. Or maybe just holding over all plans till next year because the prices for hotel rooms in the lead-up to New Year's Day are just ridiculous!

Anyway.

While I will not be getting on a plane for the rest of the year, I am over at A Juggling Mom today, sharing some thoughts and tips on flying with two young tots. It can be a daunting prospect to get on a plane with your kids, but the good news is that there are some things you can do to make the entire journey more painless for everyone. Hop on over if you want to read more!

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In case you missed it, the winners of our Four Cow Farm Giveaway have been announced on our Facebook Page! Click here to check if you are one of them! All winners have been contacted via e-mail.

For everyone else, the good news is that the Four Cow Farm Pre-Christmas Sale starts today! Get 15% off all items in the Singapore online store with the voucher code FCFXMAS12. Happy shopping!

About Reading and Good Reads

Good books are a commodity in our household.

My little bookworm.

We are always pulling out books to read to the kids. I guess it's because we - DD and I - both love books, and were both avid readers in our childhood.  Yes, I was one of those kids who read under the bedcovers with my torchlight just so I could finish a book when my mother deemed it past my bedtime. I remember getting into trouble quite a bit for that and don't relish having to go through the same thing with my kids! I still love having a book in hand, and when I get started on an interesting one, you'll find me walking around - and doing everything - with my nose in the book the whole day.

I am very glad that Noey has also developed a love for books. From the time he started on solids, DD and I used to read to him over every single meal, because that was the only way we could get him to eat. He was SO HARD to feed, and since we insisted that he sit in his highchair for meals and did not want to stick him in front of a screen, reading to him was the only way we could get him seated and distracted enough to eat his food. He's a much better eater these days, though he still belongs to that category of people who eat to live. Till this day, he still asks to bring a book to the table at mealtimes, though we have cut down on this practice a great deal to encourage him to just eat.

Reading with R at the bookstore. The type of "date" Mummy approves of!

Many people have commented on Noey's reading ability, which is, admittedly, rather advanced. At about 3.5 years, he started really reading, effortlessly reading signs on walls, instruction manuals, and headlines in the newspaper over my shoulder, in addition to his own books. He corrects me when I read a sentence wrongly, and points out lines that I've missed. There's no fooling him now! Folks ask me what we did to get him reading so well, and I tell them honestly that it's really just his love for books that helped him start reading. We did do a little here and there, but he mostly picked it up on his own, with the help of some phonics he learnt in school. I also think that part of the reason he reads so well is because all the books we've read to him have helped expand his vocabulary, so he is able to draw upon that to make a good guess at a word from it's context.

I think as parents, we are all eager to start our kids on their reading journey. I remember feeling the same way when Noey showed no interest in learning his letters. What this experience has taught me is that perhaps the best thing to do is really just to cultivate in the children a love for books. That is where the treasure lies, and it is that love for books that is going to spur them to learn to read, and later, to love to read.

Learning about instruments before bedtime.

What having two kids has taught me, however, is that each child is different, even if they have the same parents!

Naomi has been a different kettle of fish. While Noey took to reading (or at least flipping through) books easily and rather early, she sees books in a different light.

Books are made for munching! In this picture, she is 10 months old, taking her first steps.

She goes for the gimmicks like the light, sound and touch-and-feel, but for a long time, wasn't too interested in what we were reading otherwise. I've learnt to try new things with her, like singing, dancing, and acting out parts, all in a bid to grab her attention. Interestingly, she shows more of an interest in flashcards. We might be exploring something different along this avenue soon, so stay tuned for that.

More interested to go shopping with her "bags" than read!

At least I know that she has her Gor-gor's example to follow. She's finally starting to show some interest and would point out pictures in her books. More often than not though, she only wants to read the pages she's interested in and will toss the book aside thereafter. Still, at least we're making some progress.

Flipping, flipping...

Anyway, the reason for this post is really because I've been asked on several occasions by friends to recommend books and authors we enjoy. I thought it was a good opportunity to start a series of posts on some of the books and writers that we love, to share with everyone, and also as a reminder to myself. I'll be starting this off with some recommendations of Books on Space that are among Noey's favourite, and I hope to write about a different favourite author about once a week. Hopefully this would help you in your quest to find good books for your pre-school kids too.

Akan datang, ok?

Time to Disconnect

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that I've been making some attempts to disconnect. To get off my iPhone and get some real-life interaction instead. 

Today, I'm blogging at the bottomsup blog on my attempts to get over my iPhone addiction, and sharing some tips on things I have found useful while on this journey. It hasn't been easy and I've slipped up many many times. This is still a work in progress for me - more of that over here!

Interestingly, by the time you read this post, I will be on my way on a short vacation with my husband (and his Mum and Sis), SANS KIDS! It's the first time ever that the both of us are taking a trip away from the children. In fact, this is the first time I'm even spending the night without both children. The only other time I spent the night away from Noey was when I was in the hospital after delivering Naomi. So this is a big deal. We had originally intended to bring Noey with us - his air ticket had even been bought - but circumstances are such that we will be leaving both children behind.

Yes, I am worried. There is a possibility that one or both children might wake up and cry for Mummy in the middle of the night, notwithstanding the fact that they are in the capable hands of my parents. However, I have also decided to take this as a gift from God. Some time to allow me to get away - to disconnect from my online life and my kids, and to connect again with my husband and with God. So yes, I am worried, but I am also excited.

This is me, signing off. I'll be seeing you back here in a bit.

Motherhood: Before and After

I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that life B.C (Before Conception) of my children and A.D (After Delivery) are vastly different.

When Jus first asked the question of how motherhood has changed my life, what immediately popped into my mind were pictures, like this one:

I'm guest blogging over at Mum in the Making today, as part of a series of posts on motherhood that Jus is hosting on her site. For two weeks in July and another two weeks in September, different Mum Bloggers will be sharing on how motherhood has changed them. I think pictures are worth a thousand words, and have put together a number of photos, like the one above, that I feel shows you how different my life has been since my two little monsters have come into my life! I must confess, it was a lot of fun re-enacting some scenes, but they are, sadly, as true as can be. Hop on over to check them out and let me know what you think! 

Games: Jurassic Wars

I don't know what it is about little boys and dinosaurs. Noey is no exception. He just loves them.

Why I mention this is because I was recently given the opportunity to try out some boardgames by Pamela, a mum of 3 lovely kids and owner of My First Games. The first box we took home was Jurassic Wars, a card game about - you guessed it - dinosaurs. The objective of the game is to fight and kill your opponents dinosaurs by scoring "hits" against them, determined by throwing some special dice. Wow, fighting dinosaurs! What is there not to love?

I brought Noey along with me to collect the game and he was completely absorbed when Pamela ran through the game with us. And when we got home, he'd barely changed out of his clothes before he grabbed the box and insisted that we play.

Let's play, Mummy!

Checking out the dinosaurs he was dealt.

As I said earlier, the game revolves around fighting other players' dinosaurs and defeating them, such that you remain the last one standing. There is a deck of 20 dinosaur cards which are distributed equally among the players. In the deck are 10 meat-eaters (represented by the red cards and dice) and 10 plant-eaters (represented by the green cards and dice), each of varying strengths. During each turn, a player selects a dinosaur from his hand to play against another player with the objective of defeating them. He does this by rolling more hits on the dice than his opponent. The stronger the dinosaur, the more dice you are allowed to roll during a turn. The players take turns in one-on-one combat, and during each roll, the losing party gets his number of dice reduced by the difference in the number of hits till one party has no more dice left and the other party is declared the winner of the turn. To spice things up, there are also Combat cards which each player can use to change the equation in a bid to get an upper hand. The relevant time period in play also has a bearing on the outcome.

There is much to like about this game. Noey is very taken by the artwork on the cards, which has well-rendered dinosuars which are familiar to him. I think the premise of the game is also easy enough to understand, and combat is just the sort of thing that appeals to boys! I also don't know any child who does not enjoy rolling dice.

Rolling the dice and...

 Score!

I like the fact that while this game is intended for players aged 7 years and above, the basic concept is easy enough for my 3.5 year old to understand. I started off on the game with Noey leaving out the Combat cards and time periods to get him into the game first. I introduced the Combat cards later to try to teach Noey about strategy. My husband even came up with an easy speed round where each player has to draw a card off the top of his deck at every turn and upon throwing the dice, the dinosaur with the most hits wins.

The only thing I don't like about the game is that Noey liked it too much and kept wanting to play this! I'm not such a fan of dinosaurs, and definitely not as much a fan as he is. So my solution has been to ask Papa to play with him instead. Hah.

Since my son is such a fan, I bought a copy of Jurassic Wars from My First Games for him, and also another set for a dino-loving son of a friend of mine. My First Games also offers a laminating service for an additional $5 per set, which I decided to get for our cards since my kids are such destroyers. (Naomi more than Noey, really.)

Jurassic Wars retails at $29.90 and you can get this, and more fun and exciting games, at My First Games. Check it out!


*I was loaned a copy of Jurassic Wars by My First Games for the purposes of this review and received a discount for my purchase. All opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.

Sydney 2011: Australian Reptile Park

On our way back from Umina to Sydney, we made a stop by the Australian Reptile Park. This park was well-rated in the reviews I had read online and it was therefore one of the must-gos on my itinerary.

Unfortunately, the weather was wet and cold on the day we wanted to go. It continued to be wet and rainy for the rest of the time we were in Australia so it was not as if it would have made a difference if we went another day anyway. The sky was grey and it was threatening to pour when we arrived, but we decided to go ahead since we were already there. It started to rain shortly into our visit but we were glad we went. It is a rather well-maintained park with quite a bit to see.

 The keeper, baiting the crocodile out of the water. The croc is Elvis, NSW's largest crocodile, and it was huge! 

Shudder.

 Noey really wasn't keen on going too near. 

 Alligators that lurk below the surface in the big pond they have on-site. We counted at least 6? It was actually quite creepy seeing them glide noiselessly through the water. Sometimes you barely see them till they're up close.

Little sleeping Tasmanian Devil.

 The Tasmanian Devil wondering about the little Singapore version, terrorising her grandfather. 

 Beautiful Dingoes.

 Where to, Little Wombat?

 A Cassowary (they roam free) deciding on lunch.

 Getting up close with a Mama kangaroo and her joey in her pouch.

 A family pic! Might be our only one. In front of the entrance to the Lost World of Reptiles.

When it was pouring, we were glad that there were a number of indoor exhibits for us to visit. The Lost World of Reptiles was particularly impressive, both in its size as well as the type of exhibits they had.

A large and rather scary looking Perentie, Australia's largest lizard.

 Magnificent Tree Frog. Yes, that is actually it's name. I know this is not a reptile, but it was housed together with them! 

There was also Spider World, which featured, yes, spiders. There was a section with a number of huge tarantulas that was really rather freaky. Viewing it was like viewing a train wreck - I couldn't tear my eyes off the sight even as I couldn't bear to look. Noey was scared off by the giant mechanised spider which started speaking when you entered the chamber and refused to stay inside, so we only got a short look at this.

The cold started to get a bit much for the kids so we bundled them back into the car and headed off shortly before lunch. It was too much for Naomi, and she knocked out in the car. Unfortunately I think the rain that day caused her to catch a chill and she started having a pretty bad cold from that day. Sigh. To think we were in Sydney in Summer!

The rain aside, the Australian Reptile Park is quite worth a visit if you're in the Central Coast. There were plenty of live shows and talks where you could get up close and personal with the animals. The picnic grounds also looked like it would be a lovely spot for lunch on a nice day. Maybe we'll be back again the next time we're in Sydney. 

Knocked out!