Child's Play at the National Museum of Singapore {Giveaway}

In addition to Masak Masak, Children's Season at the National Museum of Singapore this year also saw the launch of Play@NMS, the first dedicated area in the museum for young children. Tucked away on Level 3 of the museum, Play@NMS, unlike Masak Masak, is a permanent gallery designed with the purpose of helping children take their first-steps towards museum-going, with interactive exhibits and special activities that encourage learning through play. 

Stepping into the Concourse at level 1 of the museum, you will spy Play@NMS right at the top of a flight of stairs. Take the climb and this is what you'll find:

The EXPLORE gallery is the main play area, and this is divided into four sections, modelled after a home. Immediately past the door you'll find the Living Room, with a huge TV - and you as the star! The few times we visited, my little Miss enjoyed her "on-screen" opportunities, but what really got her attention were the comfy chairs, particularly the little one which was just her size. The big sofa on the other hand is an ideal slouchy spot and a great place to curl up with a book when you need a break from playing.

Not much my Mei loves better than to put on a show. Though she prefers it if no one's watching.

Puppets, to help you tell your own story!

Getting comfortable on a little chair made for little people.

Noey and his friends Dana and Isaac get comfortable.

Another popular area was the Kitchen. I don't know any child who doesn't love masak-masak, or pretend cooking, so as you can imagine, the kids were very happy messing in this area. There are two cooking stations, with one set a little lower for the smaller kids. You can also emboss a picture of a favourite Singapore dish, choosing between ice kachang, roti prata, chill crab and nasi lemak. You can later bring the picture over to another room to colour it. Personally I thought it would be better if they just set up a small table nearby for the kids to colour, that's exactly what they wanted to do once they embossed their pic.

Little T ponders the next dish he is going to whip up.

"Let's make Chilli Crab!" 

Getting familiar with the ingredients for different dishes.

Emboss a picture of your favourite Singapore dish.

The kitchen play area.

Colouring/Drawing on her embossed pic over in a separate room.

Behind the kitchen was Noey favourite area, the Bedroom. It was because of a comfy little tent which you could get into to watch some short films on the ceiling. He always spend a good amount of time in here every visit. In the other part of the Bedroom is a mirror with costume decals that kids can "try on" by positioning themselves accordingly. It was a bit of a letdown if you were expecting real costumes for dress-up. The kids didn't really bother trying them. 

Making themselves comfortable...

The last area is the Garden. It had a big tree and like a shape sorter, it had various flowers, leaves and fruit you could fit into it. Popular with the really little ones, though admittedly Mei's favourite thing to do was to carry the baskets for the shapes around!

Fitting in the leaves and flowers

Apart from the main hall, there is also an outdoor sundeck for kids to run around in and scribble on a giant chalkboard wall. This proved rather popular with our budding artists.

Scribble time!

In the weekends, there are also additional activities in the Create gallery where kids can do some art and craft. Play@NMS is recommended for kids aged 3-7, but I personally think kids 5 and under will enjoy it best. While I wish they had done more to make the play spaces more engaging and perhaps more relevant to the National Museum's positioning as a history museum, I am glad that there is now a dedicated space for kids, as I think this is the right step to getting kids (and parents) into the museum. Museums are in fact one of my favourite places to visit, and the kids and I have had many wonderful experiences in museums in Australia and the UK, and Play@NMS as a step in the right direction to make museums places of interest, fun and learning for kids.

Another way to reach kids is through books and in conjunction with the launch of Play@NMS comes Stacey Goes To The National Museum, a new title by author Lianne Ong. (We also previously reviewed her first book, Maxilla!)

Stacey is a little girl who goes to visit the National Museum with her mummy and ends up going on an unexpected adventure, with the help of a surprising little tour guide. As Stacey journeys through the museum, she encounters some of the Treasures of the National Museum and ends up at Play@NMS. I think it is a good initial introduction to the museum for the little ones, and a good read to pick up just before a museum visit. I particularly love the illustrations by James Tan as he manages to incorporate a wonderful amount of detail into his drawings and yet keep the style of the artwork simple and appealing to children.

This is the first book in an upcoming series -- Stacey and the Museums which will allow children to journey with Stacey through different museums under the purview of the National Heritage Board in Singapore. This sounds like a good idea and we are looking forward to seeing the rest of the series.

If you'd like to meet the author Lianne Ong and find out more about Stacey,  good news! Lianne will be making an appearance at the National Museum of Singapore's open house on National Day (9 Aug). There will be an exciting storytelling session and interactive activities such as a scavenger trail for the little ones in the Singapore History Gallery. Sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon to me!

Stacey Goes To The National Museum is stocked at the gift shop of the National Museum, and is also available online from Armour Publishing at the special web price of $13.64 (15% off the RRP of $16.05).

GIVEAWAY! 

If you'd like a copy of Stacey Goes To The National Museum, here's your chance to grab one because I have ONE COPY to giveaway! To join this giveaway, simply follow the steps of the Rafflecopter widget below. The more steps you complete, the higher our chances of winning.

This giveaway ends on Friday 15 August, 11.59pm, and is open to Singapore residents only. Winners will be picked randomly and contacted by e-mail. Winners have 3 days to respond with their particulars, failing which a new winner will be selected.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

P.S. Hop over to Owls Well to join their giveaway to get another chance at winning a copy of Stacey Goes To The National Museum! Don't miss their cute book trailer too.

Happy Father's Day, Awesome Dads!

Is it just me or does Father's Day seem more low-key than Mother's Day? It is a pity, because it seems to suggest that Mums are more valued than Dads.

But that really shouldn't be the case, because Daddies are important. They matter. And we sure do need them as much as we need our Mums. 

Well, this year, I decided that I couldn't let Father's Day go without celebrating some of the awesome Dads that I know so I roped in some of my Mummy friends to help with a little Instagram tribute on @foxfashionsg. I asked them to contribute a picture corresponding to the photo prompt: "My Dad is an Awesome ______________." My amazing friends responded so well that I had more pictures than I was able to use. So I've decided to post the full list here instead. Here are our (or rather our kids') awesome Dads:

@missustay: My Dad is an Awesome Hugger!

@scissorspaperstoneblog: My Dad is an Awesome Encourager. 

@fanyin_ih: My Dad is an Awesome Sandcastle-Builder.

@olimomok: My Dad is an Awesome Superhero Dad!

@mummydelphine: My Dad is an Awesome Multi-tasker.

@mylollipopdays: My Dad is an Awesome Buddy.

 

@p2me1a: My Dad is an Awesome Storyteller.

@littlebluebottle: My Dad is an Awesome Acrobat!

@adollopofme: My Dad is an Awesome Car Washer

@aisakuraharuka: My Dad is an Awesome source of Support.

@susankoh: My Dad is an Awesome Ice-Cream Eating Companion!

@dottiedotz: My Dad is an Awesome Art Teacher.

@june_yong: My Dad is an Awesome Troubleshooter.

(There, I really felt like putting exclamations at the end of every one of those but felt it might be a bit much.)

And then there's our own Dad, the Daddy who is the an awesome Lego-builder (and supplier) and an awesome dance partner, who is the best playmate, tells the best stories, makes his children laugh with wild abandon. The one who is always up for a tickling match, reads countless books, and lets his children rummage through his awesome Lego collection (under highly supervised conditions). The one who is the firm disciplinarian, who leads family worship, who is the head of our house. the one who points us to Christ.

We had a rather low-key (yes, gasp, I did say low-key) Father's Day celebration as the husband strongly requested that I not make a big song and dance of it. So there were Father's Day greetings, and there was Nando's for lunch and his favourite Chicken Macaroni for dinner. He got to take a nice long uninterrupted nap and otherwise spent the whole day doing lots of fathering. It was just what he wanted.

(If your Dad is less low-key than ours, and if you're looking for ideas to celebrate Father's Day, here are some suggestions. In fact, you don't have to use them only on Father's Day -- use them to celebrate your Dad any day!)

Happy Father's Day to all you awesome Dads! We are blessed to have you.

Get Hooked on Fish & Co's Mother's Day Platter

Here's a friendly public service announcement: In case you haven't yet realised it, Mother's Day is just around the corner!

I must admit that I never truly appreciated all that my Mum did - and is still doing - for me until I became a mum myself. That's the way it is with most kids, isn't it? You just tend to take your parents and the things they do for you for granted. That's definitely something that I'm still working to correct. 

So when Fish & Co recently held an early Mother's Day event, I decided that who I really wanted to bring along was my Mum and not my kids. In fact, I decided to leave the kids at home to spend some proper quality time with my mother, and I asked my sister along to make it a girls' night out. 

It was the first time in a while that I'd been to the Fish & Co outlet at the glass house beside Park Mall, and I'd forgotten what a charming location it is. My mum teased me about how she and my Dad used to bring my siblings and I to this same glass house in its previous incarnation as TGI Friday's and I think she appreciated the fact that it was I who was the one bringing her back there this time for a treat at Fish & Co.

That night, we were treated to Fish & Co's latest addition to the menu just for Mother's Day: the Mom's Platter.

Featuring generous portions of succulent king prawns, juicy scallops, calamari and more regular prawns, all deliciously grilled, the Mom's Platter also includes Fish & Co's very own unique creation of curry butter clams. All these served on a bed of servings of their signature paella rice and chips. If you enjoy their Seafood Platter (like I do), this is definitely an upgraded and upsized version of that. All three of us enjoyed it and I especially liked not having any little hands around to fight me for the chips.

The Mom's Platter filled the three of us nicely and but if you've got a heartier appetite than we do, aside from ordering other side dishes, you can also pick some of Top Ups to add to your dish like Grilled Giant Squid, Crab Cake, Swordfish Collar, or Scallop. 

It was a great evening, as we got to enjoy yummy food and enjoy good uninterrupted conversation for a couple of hours. That we got to dress up for pictures at the Fabfoto photo booth and get a cartoon caricature of ourselves done was a bonus.

Fish & Co's Mom's Platter will be available from 4 May to 11 May 2014, at all Fish & Co outlets. Priced at $65, it is ideal for sharing and is suitable for up to 3 pax. What's more, in appreciation of all mothers, Fish & Co will be offering a complimentary Fish & Co membership with every purchase of a Mom's Platter. Membership perks include 15% points rebate on your spending all year round (20% points rebate in your birthday month), and priority reservations, amongst other things. It sounds pretty good to me! 

From this bunch of zany blogger mums to you, Happy Mother's Day! And thanks Fish & Co for the treat!

 

Easter Thanksgiving

Today I am feeling thankful for...

… friends who willingly step up and pitch in. Who saw a need and filled it with their various talents to make our Easter Egg Hunt a truly collaborative effort.

… for happy faces and egg and spoon races. For games thoughtfully planned and sportingly undertaken.

… for eager little hands that hunted down eggs and filled up their baskets. 

… for moments shared and friendships made and strengthened. For the opportunity for our children to connect and share the same.

… for the one empty egg, that reminded us of that empty tomb, empty because Jesus arose from the dead and is alive forever more.

… for the wonderful redemptive work of Christ, and for God's grace, so unmerited but so richly given.

I had a wonderful Easter break and I hope you did too.

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Cards for Charity

I have been blessed with much. A comfortable life, a loving husband, and healthy kids. There are a couple of charities that I support regularly with cash donations, but I've always wanted to do more.

So I'm particularly excited to be part of a group of blogging (and crafting) mamas who are making and selling cards in support of the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS). MINDS is one of the oldest and largest non-governmental organisations that cater to needs of people with intellectual disabilities in Singapore, running special education schools, employment development centres, training and development centres and homes to serve this purpose. Deborah visited MINDS last December to get a glimpse of the work done by MINDS to give the intellectually disabled the means to participate as fully in society as possible and you can read more about it and the good work that MINDS does here.

If you know me, you'll know that I'm no scrapper. I'm constantly befuddled by the thousands of options and embellishments and it gives me brain freeze! But for this project, and with the advice and encouragement of some of the more seasoned scrappers around me, I've stepped out of my comfort zone and managed to put together some cards which I hope you will like! These can be used as birthday cards, general greeting cards, thank you cards or for Mother's Day, which will be coming up in just over a month.

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Each card measures 6"x6" and comes with fitted envelopes (not pictured). Handmade with love, these can be purchased at the very reasonable price of only $2.50 per card! All proceeds from the sale of these cards will go directly to MINDS. Please do support this worthy cause!

If you have any queries or would like to order a card, do e-mail me at mysmallthings@gmail.com. I will be happy to customise an order (change greetings, use different colours), within reason of course, and subject to the materials I have at hand. I will be uploading pictures of more cards on my Facebook Page soon so do check back for more!

Do also drop by these other pages to see the beautiful cards other mums are selling in support of this project:

1. A Juggling Mom
2. A Pancake Princess
3. Mama Wear Papa Shirt
4. Mum In The Making
5. Owls Well

Five Priorities This Christmas

Now that we're approaching end-November, there's a tingle in the air that, coupled with the wet weather around us, makes it clear that Christmas is coming!

Our tree is up and I'm looking forward to soaking in the festivities, reflecting on the year gone by and celebrating the reason for the season. Christmas is significantly more than just a  festive holiday to us as Christians and I appreciate the opportunity to turn our focus to the great gift we have been given with the birth of the Saviour. With this in mind, here are five words which encapsulate my priorities this Christmas season:

1. Teach

The children are of an age where they are both able to understand and get excited about Christmas, and it's important to me that they are excited about the right reasons, and not just the presents that they are going to get or the goodies that they are going to eat. Teaching the kids the Christmas story is something I'm greatly looking forward to. It's not that they don't know it. We've read the stories many times in their children's bible and Noey has certainly memorised chunks of it, thanks to the fact that his kindy year-end concert was on the nativity. But Christmas is always a good time to re-tell the tale and reinforce some truths. I've come across some good tips on this which I will be sharing next week.

2. Share

Of all the things we are called to share, surely it must be the sharing of the good news of Christ that is the most important. And what better time than this! I admit I often feel a bit hesitant to say anything for fear of imposing, but I've told myself that I must just start talking, for if everyone was like me, no one would hear.

It is also an opportunity to share with the less-fortunate in our midst, and we're looking forward to supporting The Boys' Brigade Share-A-Gift project again this year, as we did last year. They've started collecting donations at various NTUC Fairprice, Xtra and Finest outlets. Not all, so do check out the donation locations on their website and support this worthwhile cause. 

3. Love

All you need is love, they say. I think it'd be more so for me now when I have two children on my hands all day everyday for 6 weeks! More patience and love would go a long way, me thinks. Love too, for our neighbours and those around us. So I'm going to be enlisting the kids to write notes and make little gifts for friends and family, but also to spread a little cheer around to those we know and those we don't, as inspired by this little kindness adventure. I'm quite excited about that -- and the fact that it's a good excuse to get Noey to do some writing practice!

4. Reflect

Reflecting is much overlooked with our constant need - ok, my constant need - to be on the go. I admittedly don't stop to reflect often enough, but the end of the year is a good time to take stock, and be thankful for what we've been blessed with. And one great occasion we've found to do this is 冬至 (i.e. the Winter Solstice). Usually a few days before Christmas, it's a good time to sit down as a family and think about what we have to be thankful for. And yes, eat 汤圆! It's a little tradition we have and I'm looking forward to it again this year.

5. Give

Giving, I think, not just with our money but with our time and effort. Another way in which we will be supporting the Boys' Brigade Share-A-Gift project is by volunteering with friend to deliver the food hampers to the needy. I signed up last year but alas, the kids fell ill before then and we were not able to take part. So we're trying again this year.

We're also going to be participating in #GivingTuesdaySG, happening on December 3! A campaign to create a national day of giving at the start of the annual year-end holiday season, it celebrates and encourages charitable activities that support non-profit organisations. Not heard about it? Read more about it here. There are plenty of campaigns and initiatives by non-profits and corporates we'll be checking out to try to do our part.

And as an extra bonus, as one of my small ways of giving back, I'm also going to be doing a little giving right here in the form of some giveaways. Yes, starting this Tuesday, I'm going to be doing 4 GIVEAWAYS from now till Christmas, one for every week.

Some of these have been kindly sponsored by the wonderful retailers and business owners that I've been working with, but one will be sponsored by yours truly, to thank you all for being such wonderful readers and for supporting this blog. The truth is, I sacrifice a lot of sleep to write, since it's pretty much impossible to write anything meaningful while the kids are awake. But I do it because I genuinely enjoy it. I've always been the journalling kind and this space offers me the perfect outlet. I started out writing just for myself, but I met others and received so much in return. Not just Items and opportunities for my family, which I greatly appreciate, but more than that, friendships, especially with other Mums, both bloggers and readers. It's helped me keep my social circle vibrant even though I'm mostly stuck at home with two children, and I'm thankful for that. Who says you can't make good friends online huh!

So yes, I'm excited to be giving back and I hope you are! Do come back every week to see what we've got in store for you. (It's not huge -- sorry, not big enough a blog for that! -- but I hope to have a little something for everyone.)

And with all that, I think I'm ready for Christmas! 

 

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What's on My Fridge?

The fridge of a family to two young tots is different from our fridge as DINKS (double-income-no-kids). Gone are the ceramic magnets and fiddly souvenirs from our travels, all broken over time by itchy fingers. Instead, what you'll find are these: 

Magnets to play with while Mummy is in the kitchen, and a notepad on which to jot down a grocery list.

Invites! To parties and places. Reminders that put smiles on our faces. 

 Random pieces of art, earnestly and sometimes carelessly made.

Precious memories, stickgram-med.

Cryptic messages from busy little people.

Also timetables and school schedules, flyers for food deliveries and cards for home services.

Numbers to remember, a photo or two of a time long past.

And right up front, where little eyes can see, a note from Mummy to the kids, a virtual hug and a kiss and a promise to be home soon.

That's our fridge. 

(And if you're wondering how I have space for so much stuff on my fridge, it is really because I have two of them! Best decision ever.)

 

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