Renting toys are just as fun!

We eyed a few toys at Toy R Us for a few years. First, it was the Sunshine playhouse. At its cheapest, it was less than $200, then the Step 2 Swing and slide playground. Without fail, the gals will ask to swing on the display set when we are at Toy R us. Finally those impressive kitchen playsets with swing door fridge, microwave etc. All these toys are very bulky, so if we buy them, there will not be much space left in our little 5 room flat.

Also, they may get bored with these toys and it will be troublesome for me to sell it off after that. I think renting these expensive toys is a better way cos it will help them appreciate the toys more. Since they know it is only on loan, they can't spoil it and they have to return it. So they will tend to play more with it and not take it for granted.

Since RA is starting P1 next Jan and I doubt she will have as much playtime since there will be homework so I decided to rent these big toys for them now. Got them from toyrentalworld cos rates were reasonable. Free delivery as long as your order is minimum $40. Only catch is that you must start rent on a weekday and min of 7 days rent.

Let the gals choose the toys and the first time they chose was Sweetheart Playhouse. I am not surprised cos it is pink and looks so girly. Haha. When it finally arrived today, the gals were so excited. RA even wanted to sleep inside the playhouse but in the end she decided it was too warm inside and her bed is more comfortable. RL was sulking a bit cos she wanted the waterplay table and swing set too. Yes, one at a time since I only rented the playhouse for 1 week. Lol.

Hong Kong Trip - 18 - 21 Mar 2014

Raelynn has been asking me to bring her to Disneyland the whole of last year. It started after her classmate came back from Hong Kong Disneyland. Actually RL went in 2011 when she was 1.5 years old but she only remembers the cotton candy and Flying Dumbo from that trip. So I decided to bring them there again making use of the Tiger air promotion for NTUC members last year. Air tics costs just $818 for family of 4.

Day 1
It was an early morning flight at 820am so we reached airport at 7am. I was worried about whining kids cos I got to wake them so early. But they were very cooperative. Maybe because this has been the trip they were waiting for. The flight from Tiger was smooth especially during take off and landing. I was impressed. Maybe I have been flying Airasia too often. The gals were bored after 1 hr so I had to keep them entertained with the Note 8 where I had already dl cartoons in advance. haha.

When we reached Disneyland hotel, it was too early to check in. The weather was hot & sunny though March was supposed to be quite cold so the first thing we did was to get the kids to change out of their fleece pullovers and into their T shirts. We went to Fantasyland straight since the gals were not interested in taking any photos with the characters at all. First, the carousel, then Flying Dumbo then the teacups. Then we had lunch and went for the Mickey 3d show, and Winnie the Pooh adventure ride.


Then RL got v sleepy and insisted on going back to Hotel room. So we went back, let the gals soak in the bathtub. Wanted to have dinner at Disneyland Hotel before returning to Disneyland for the fireworks. But the wantan mee at the Chinese restaurant costs almost SGD20. I was shocked so we just ate our leftover pizza from lunch and went back to Disneyland for dinner instead. At the corner café, RL fell asleep. Managed to wake her so she was just in time to see the fireworks. It was the first time we saw fireworks though we have been to Hong Kong Disneyland 3 times because the kids were younger and we were always back to hotel by nightfall. It was truly a magical experience. Highly recommended! When we returned to the hotel, the gals got to listen to the bedtime story at the Storytelling room.




Day 2
After a quick breakfast of bread that we bought from Disneyland bakery the night before, we checked out of the hotel. Left our luggage with the concierge and went to Disneyland again. This time, we went straight for the outdoor boat ride to Tarzan Treehouse. Cos RA remembered it from our last trip. Then back to Fantasyland where we went to It's a small world indoor boat ride. It was our first time and RA loves it. Then we went for the Golden Mickeys Musical. Our first time too but probably our last one cos the host spoke in Cantonese so the kids didn't really understand. There were 'subtitles' in English and Chinese but they can't read yet.

We met our cousin for lunch as she is also in Disneyland with her gal. Then the gals insisted on carousel ride again, then RL went for Flying Dumbo while RA went for It's a Small World with Daddy twice! Then we went to Toystory land as I wanted to ride on the slinky dog ride. We finally left Disneyland at 6pm so I had no chance to shop at Citigate factory outlet recommended by my friends.



Collected our luggage and took a cab straight to Royal Plaza Hotel near Mongkok East MTR. The gals napped in the cab. The hotel had 2 queen beds and was newly renovated so that's why I chose it. There was a shopping mall attached so we went for dinner at a Shanghainese restaurant "Shanghai - Xiao Nan Guo" cos RA wanted xiaolongbao. But weekday dinner at 730pm was impossible. We queued until 830pm before we finally got a table. Food was good though so at least we were appeased. No chance to shop again as the shops have closed by the time we left the restaurant. The gals had another nice long soak at their bubble bath before we called it a night.


Day 3
We woke up late and brought the gals to Pet street near the hotel. The gals wanted to bring every cute fish, puppy, cat, terrapin etc home but too bad we can't bring live animals on board the flight. Then we had brunch at a nearby chachanteng. Finally, my truly authentic Hk brekkie. We ordered youtiao, che zai mian, polo bun, wantan mee and deep fried pork intestines. Yes, we ordered too much. Lol.

After lunch, since we were already near to Mongkok MTR, decided to take the train to TST and bring the gals to Harbour city where the big toy r us is. We went to Harbour city in 2008 when RA was just 11 months old. Bought them a princess dress at SGD45 each since it was half price compared to Disneyland prices. Then we had a nice afternoon view overlooking the harbour at a nearby café. Left the place at 5pm as the kids were tired. We had a long trek from Mongkok MTR to our hotel so halfway we stopped for dinner at MacD for the sake of the air con and convenience. Too lazy and tired to think. While the gals rested in the room with Daddy, I popped down to the shopping mall next door and grabbed stuff from Sasa and Uniqlo. Last min shopping.

Day 4
We had BF at macdonalds cos we truly wanted to taste the pork sausage mcmuffin. Can only get the halal version in Sg. And was pleasantly surprised to see that McD serve macaroni soup in the mornings. After BF, we quickly checked out of our hotel and rushed to the airport for our 1pm flight. Grabbed some mandatory lao po bing from Kee Wah at Terminal 2 before checking in and transferring to Terminal 1 for our flight. The flight was delayed and we finally flew off at 2pm. Not so impressed this time. But at least the pilot made up for lost time so we landed only half an hour late. The gals were sad to leave Hong Kong but luckily they had lots of toys and souvenirs to play with.

Raelynn's drawings

I realised that I have not been blogging about RL's drawings for a long time and she has really improved a lot. Got to admit that my baby gal has grown up so much.

She drew herself, Olaf (my fav frozen character) and Daddy. And lots of swings cos she loves to 荡秋千. But somehow all the HDB playgrounds do not have swings. Hiaz...

Horse riding at Changi City Point

We went to CCP cos wanted to get a pair of Nike shoes for RA using the voucher I got 2 months ago. But in the end, it was Daddy who bought shoes cos they have a very limited kids shoes section. If we wanted to buy something for RA and RL, they had essentially one and only design to choose from cos they were only left with mainly baby sizes for toddlers 1 yr old.

But at least CCP had a horse riding promotion with Gallop Stables. It was just a 2 mins ride cos we redeemed the Free Horse ride with min $38 receipt but it was good. Cos RL didn't dare to ride on the horse when she was almost 2 years old in Sept 11 when we went to Gallop Stables at Pasir Ris. Now she was not scared of the horse at all. They got to feed the horses with hay and even had free photo taking. Kudos to CCP!

First time to Gardens by the Bay and Children's Garden

Today is childcare holiday since CNY chu2 falls on a Sat. Decided to take leave since it is also a school holiday for hubby. Let RA choose between LEGOLAND and Gardens by the bay and surprisingly, she chose GBTB. Maybe it's because she has never been there before. Bought tics from an online seller at a discount in advance. But I was so busy trying to teach RA her spelling that we left the house almost 11am.

Then the GPS didn't know about MCE and directed us the wrong way so by the time we reached GBTB, it was almost 12noon. Luckily one of my friends directed me to park at Satay by the Bay. The nearest carpark from the new Children's garden playground. So we had lunch first. A lot of stalls were not open due to CNY hols so we had toast bread and bak ku teh.

Then we had a hard time trying to find Children's garden cos we had no map and the signages were incomplete at a fork so we didn't know which direction to take. It was 1+pm by the time we found the children's playground. Much too warm for the kids to play in the midday sun so we decided to head to the observatories to cool off in the air con first.

We went to the Cloud Dome first then the Flower Dome. Lots of walking for the kids but they were energized in the cool mist and didn't complain much. There were lots of 年花 to be seen at Flower Dome so MIL enjoyed it. Maybe it was CNY period but food selection was really bad. We wanted to go to Pollen café at Flower Dome but we stood there for a good 5 mins before the waitress told us they were full unless we had reservations. Well, they should have at least put up a signage then. Zzz...

By 315pm, RL was restless and kept asking to go to the kiddy playground. So, we walked back to the Children's garden. The sky was a bit cloudy by then, so the sun played hide and seek. The children cafe also had no food. Just drinks cos they said their food supplies will not resume until Wed or Thurs.

The gals spent about 15 mins at the mini playground. Only two swings (1 small and the other so small and close to the ground that it was a joke) and a very small slide. Not big enough for a crowd so kids kept on queuing for and jumping queue for the only 'taller' swings. But even the taller swing were so low that their feet brushed the floor when they were swinging. The playground is meant for kids aged 1-5 years old and RL is only 4 yrs old and about 96cm tall. So they definitely builts slides and swings meant for 1-3 yrs old.

I was getting tired of watching the stiff competition at the dry playground so I decided to let the gals go to the waterplay area. We are resisting the idea initially since RL just got better from their cough/cold. It was a big waterplay area but the set up was very basic. No slides, no water shooting guns, so trickling tiered drains like those found at the zoo. Maybe it's because it was sponsored by Far East. But it was fun for the gals who were busy trying to catch some water.

But by 4pm, RA complained that she was very hungry and her eyes are painful from the strong sun. Since there was no food sold at the Children's cafe, we rinsed them off quickly at the kids open shower area and headed back to Satay by the Bay for an early dinner. At 5pm. Lol! The kids were starving by then so they ate the yummy fried noodles, fried bee hoon by Marina View BBQ Seafood at record time. The city satay was good too. Though expensive at $0.70 per stick. MIL ordered rojak and kueh pie ti so we really had a feast.

We spent about 5 hrs at GBTB and parking was $8+. Better than expected. It was a much smoother ride from MCE all the way to KPE (TPE) then back to Tampines. On the way back, RL tried hard to keep her eyes open. Blasting frozen songs all the way helped cos they were singing to the tunes.

All in all, GBTB was fun for a first timer. The air con observatories were a nice touch and there were many varieties of flowers for nature lovers. But with pre-primary kids, the children's playground and waterplay is too small for us to revisit anytime soon.

Happy 6th Birthday RaeAnne!!!

RaeAnne has turned 6 years old today. She has been excitedly waiting for this day. Being her last year in Elfa, we also decided to splurge a bit so I got her a Magician to do a magic show and balloonist. Danny, the Magic Prince was recommended by my friend Joyce and I had personally seen him in action at Joyce's daughter Charis's birthday party two years ago.

And he is still as good today. Besides the usual magic tricks, he had a really cute platypus puppet and he is a ventriloquist and he made the platypus come to life. He also had two doves which he used in his magic tricks, doves which he trained himself and are set free at his garden to walk and fly once he reaches home.

He usually has 2 assistants but today only one came cos the other is on reservist. His rates aren't cheap but he is really is good at entertaining and managing the rowdy K2 kids. Even the principal asked me to leave his contact behind. Haha.

After her birthday party in school, hubby has to go back to work so I brought RaeAnne to Tampines Mall to choose her birthday present. She went to Toy R us and chose a Barbie electronic pet dog with a vet kit using ang pow $ from Yeye and Nai Nai.

RaeAnne and I are both feeling a bit wistful about this last birthday party in Elfa because this is her graduation year and her next birthday will be at a new school without her classmates. She already asked me today whether for her next year's birthday, can she don't go to school? But I told her no. I already let her ponten school for the last 4 years. Some of her classmates still attend a full day at cc even if it's their birthday cos their parents can't get away from work so she is already considered lucky.

A kids free dinner

Today is our 9th customary wedding anniversary. We wanted to have dinner without the gals to get some couple time. Unfortunately, the car's air con is spoilt again so we cannot go to any far flung places for romantic dinner.

Went to Ngee Ann city instead since I got errands to run. Went to Angus restaurant cos it was just outside the taka toys dept. Yes we still can't help thinking of the kids. Lol.

Dinner was good. For once, hb likes his steak cos he likes the grilled hot plate steak not the soft drowning in gravy type of steak like Lawry's. We did not see a single kid at Augus so it was indeed a good choice for couple time. Hope we can go again. Lol.

Art class at RC

I saw a poster at the lift lobby recently advertising Art class at the nearby RC on Tues nights at 730pm - 9pm. 8 lessons for just $80. Quite affordable and it's near home so I thought maybe I can get the gals to try it out together since it is just at the block in front of us and they accepts kids from 4 years old so both RA and RL can go together. Best of all, hb and I can get 1 hr of me time for jogging maybe. haha.

RL was a bit whining and crying initially but the teacher bribed her with a sweet and she was fine after that. We peeked in at 845pm and the gals were hard at work, painting. Thought the horses they drawn and coloured were not bad though RL's horse had some help from the teacher for the back and the legs portion.

Carrot soup!

The gals borrowed this book "Carrot Soup" from Tampines Library a few weeks ago. A cute story of a rabbit who was trying to make carrot soup but all the carrots that the painstakingly planted disappeared from his garden. The gals loved the story but it was due so we had to return it a few days ago. After I returned the book to the bookdrop, RA told me Mummy I am very sad. Why, I asked. She said because you promise (to follow the recipe on the storybook) to make carrot soup for me. But you returned the book without making the soup.

Guilty as charged. I thought she would have forgotten what I said. But never mind, it was easy to remedy. I told her it's ok, mummy will google for recipe and make the carrot soup for her as promised. All thanks to Jamie Oliver's online recipe, I adapted from there, omitted the nutmeg and ground coriander and substituted the vegetable stock with chicken stock.

I made carrot soup this morning. It was easy to make. If including cutting the carrots into slices (the step that took the most time, after I discovered my food slicer, it was much faster), it was about half an hour of prep and cooking time. Much easier than making mushroom soup in fact cos I don't need milk or cream. I made enough for 4 adults and I brought some extras to my bro and mum to try. RL usually doesn't eat carrots when I cook in ABC chinese soup or stir fry. She prefers cucumbers, cai xin and lettuces. But the small pot of carrot soup has 5 carrots worth of fibre. She definitely took a lot of carrot today. Haha.

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy birthday to the gals' dearest Daddy and my dearest Dada. Poor Daddy had to start his reservist training today so we could not go out for dinner. Only fish head curry and home cooked food at ILs tonight and a simple Kenny Rogers lunch yesterday with the kids. Since they had ballet, we couldn't dump them and go anyway on our own.

Well, hopefully 2015, you would have graduated so no more reservist and we can go for a nice celebration. Happy Birthday again and may all your wishes come true! :)