Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Swensens' birthday treat



It maybe a well known secret but some of my friends are still kept in the dark about this...so thot this is indeed a good lobang to share. Apparently , Swensons have this promo for quite a while already.

So, what's the big deal ? The deal is that swensen's will give the birthday person a firehouse ice cream worth $7.50 anytime and anyday (3 scoops of ice cream and u can choose the flavor) if u show the birthcert or IC before ordering. The catch is : it must be on the exact birth day and no purchase is required..though the terminal 2 outlet wanted a min. purchase...so I ordered a coke to go along with the ice cream - cheapo rite.

Other branches, dont need any purchases but sometimes, we still order some other stuff to go along with it.....cos pai seh.

Happy celebrating and feasting !! : )

Monday, May 25, 2009

Simply Sofa Hunt


A bonding opportunity for the whole family - fun local version of the "Amazing Race" in search of sofas only.Take a family photo and submit to win the grand prize.
I have already sign up ! See u there.

Review of the Singapore Museum - Children's Seasons 20009






Learning the High School Musical grooves









Rock painting, sand painting, face painting, making giant bubbles - we liked them all











Sticking wires, pipes is not a difficult feat for us !














Using seeds, leaves and twigs to make a puppet - economical, simple and fun !



Brought the two eldest for the family carnival at the opening of the Children's Seasons 2009 yesterday since I have listed in one of the earlier post as one of the children's activities for June. This is the 2nd yr running that we were there...but this year was our 1st yr attending the opening carnival.

FUN is the agenda of the day !

There were different stations to do the activities eg face painting, sand painting, balloon sculpturing, carcricature, stick puppet making, other drop in actitivies for them to do free play, movies, story-telling, dance clinic,free popcorns. All these for free.
The smiley faces of the kids tells you all....

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Crocs sales- review

Went to crocs sales early in the morning with my bro and sis-in-law. We reached there at 9.20am and already there was a queue forming in the next hall. According to my brother who was there last Nov, there are more organised now - queueing in another hall rather than queuing outside the corridor.

Verdict - I would rate it 3 stars out of 5. Good to go if you have the time and dont mind older models.

Each pair on average about $20-$25. Limited designs for each size... Need to go early in the morning to get the right size. I saw alot of boxes labelled as 1st day, 2nd day etc...so I believe that if you go early on the next 2 days..u may still get some real bargains.

No clothing this year. Besides shoes, they are selling Jibbitz's twin pack for $5 (each pack has 2 designs). They have collectibles like thomas, cars, batman etc..

5 jibbitz with the mounting board for $10. HP pouches for $10.

They were also giving free Jibbitz when you fill up the survey forms with your particulars for their customer database. On top of that , they are giving free gifts with purchases of $200 and above in a single receipt.

Overall, I am satisfied with the sale cos I didn't manage to go last yr..and I managed to grab some footwear for myself : )

Happy shopping !!

Friday, May 15, 2009

Therapeutic and Good family bonding - Building Sand Castles

Do u build sandcastles only in the air thinking it is impossible to build nice sandcastles that u always see on books ?

Years ago, my brother actually bought a set of sandcastles tools when my nephews and niece were very young. They seldom played with it or rather they weren't taught how to use the tools...after so many years, my sister actually passed down the pretty well maintained and clean tools to my kids (though with some missing parts). We didnt really get to use it partly because my kids were much younger then...so we only let them play with the tools at home minus the sand.

Last year, I happened to borrow a book by a local author Alvin Lee, the mastermind behind the company - Castle Beach who created the sandcastle tools and marketed to an American firm which helped him to mass produce for worldwide distribution. Coincidentally I found out from a parents magazine few mths later that his company actually conducts a weekly demonstration and team-building workshops (for corporations etc) at the East Coast beach to teach people how to build beautiful sandcastles using his tools.

Late last year, I brought my family and headed down to East Coast beach with the old tools that we have..after the demo we were so inspired by the simplicity of use of the tools that we bought another set from them to complete our half-dysfunctional set.

Since that day, building sandcastle is one of my family's favourite activitiy at the beach - it is a cheap and fun activity ...and it allows for creativity for the kids too !! Kids will gain confidence from this activity and your heart will melt seeing them so happy and proud of their worksmanship.

Details of the company and the weekend demonstrations and sale of the tools are as below :
http://www.castlebeach.org/ (see the gallery for the photos).

Free sandcastle building classes for public is on every Sat, Sun from 3pm to 7pm.

Location is at East Coast Parkway carpark E2 (near to the food centre) .Walk down to the beach front and you will see a concrete sandcastle (make of grey bricks - that's their office). The set of tools is S$30 but you don't have to purchase it to watch the demonstrations.

Here are some of photos of my humble family's creation and my kids at work :












It is really simple enjoyment and pleasures in life...to be able to do that admist the hustle and bustle of urban leaving. I hope that you and your family can enjoy this too..

*but do remember to spray insect repellent because I got a very bad episode of beach flies bites at the beach and need to be on medication for nearly 2 weeks*




Latest posted on 5th June * Coupon to get 20% Off castle Beach - sandbuilding set *

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Celebrate as a family this coming holiday

Starting 29th May being the "Eat with your Family Day", the National Family council is starting a calendar of events that really is exciting and promises loads of opportunities for you to bond with your family. This will run from 29th May to 28th June 09

There is also a contest for you to participate and win tickets to local tourist attractions.

Be sure to check out the upcoming events under the calendar of events..Happy bonding this June holidays : ). I am kinda of interested in the simply sofa hunt listed in the events calendar.


http://www.nationalfamilycelebrations.sg/

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Parties ideas, locations, stockist etc etc


One parent wrote to me asking me for suggestions for any ideal party locations,where to get stuff etc. Thanks for suggesting that. I have listed it below, as per request. For the rest of the readers , if you have any questions or topics of interest, do write to me, will love to hear from you and get to know you better.

Do drop me some comments under the comments tab if you find the recommendations useful or not so good. I have not tried the services for most of the companies listed here, so can't comment much. Do assess the services and cost of each of these carefully before making an order.

Parties supplies :


1. Online stores


http://www.partybundles.com/#

http://www.balloonsrus.sg/

http://www.ebay.com/ - Alot of varieties and designs but you need to pay for overseas postage. Generally prices are much lower than Singapore after the exchange rate.



2. Shops that sells birthday supplies, pinatas


a. Parkway parade outside Mothercare. Party Joy - They have services for entertainers as well, magician, princesses etc.

http://www.harvestwell.com.sg/party.htm


b. Centrepoint 5th floor


c. Any Toys R Us shops


Parties Entertainers & activities :


1. http://www.themagicavenue.com/explorerjoe.html



2. http://www.singaporeforkids.com/kidscorner/entertainers.php


Parties Locations :



1. ExploreKid at Pasir Ris


For ExploreKid at Pasir Ris, my daugther was invited by her classmates and my son was invited as well. I went it with them and I can see their excitment and the fun they had ...I find it very fun and interesting. The whole place is very child friendly and children can just run around with minimal parents supervision. Recommended for kids 3 and above.


The price is about S$25 per head and gives the child unlimited play at the explorekids where they have obstacle course kind of maze. Highly recommended if you not on a tight budget for your kid's birthday


http://www.explorerkid.com/bdaytrips/bdaytrips_partypackages.aspx


2. Mcdonalds and KFCs - if you don't mind junk food


3. Build a bear workshop Party

http://www.buildabear.com.sg/party


4. For the younger kids - The little gym and Kindermusik

http://www.thelittlegym.com.sg/parties.htm

http://www.kindermusik.com.sg/birthday.htm


Cake and food suppliers :


1. Agar Agar cute characters design


Highly recommended ! I ordered this for my daugther's birthday celebration in her kindergarten last year and everyone (including the teachers) love the pretty designs. Service is great too ! However do note that for this agar agar, they put in coconut milk so some kids dont really like it..though the designs are en



1. Agar Agar supplier with very cute and nice designs to complement your theme. Is called the Mrs Chan Jelly. Pls call to check out the prices for the different designs. Catalog is uploaded in this link

http://parentslobang.bravehost.com/Mrs%20Chan



Details of the contact :


Mrs Chan’s Jelly
H/P: 96350758 / 97887807
E-mail: j88chan2000@yahoo.com


2. Creative Cake Design

http://www.ecreative.com.sg/index.asp


Designs are nice and creative but taste so-so not fantastic. If u are looking for novelty...


3. If you like something chocolaty.... then buy your kid's favourite toy (eg thomas train or princess figurine) and put in on top of the cake. The toy can put to good use after the birthday.


http://www.awfullychocolate.com/



If you have any more suggestions to add, do email or add in the comments.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Sales , Sales and more sales


The sales that I have been anticipating - The CROCS Sale! I missed that last year and I heard that it was very very good..is about $20-$25 a pair. I went on the last day after church since my church's services are held at Expo. The queue was super duper long and the security guard has to control the no. of people going in. In the end, I didnt want to squeeze in, with all my kids, stroller, bags and everything.

Hope that this year, things will be better..should be there on the 1st day !

Popular Sales at Tampines Mall

For members there is a 25% storewide at Tampines Mall only....good for those intending to buy stationary, books, assesments books for the exams and the new term in July.


https://www.popular.com.sg/jsp/homepage/html/EN/promo/tampines-Promo.jsp



Sunday, May 3, 2009

Happy Mother's Day ! A mother's job never ends...

This video is dedicated to all wonderful moms out there....makes one wonder if we do talk or nag so much in a day.