Meals for kids

I’m thankful that my girls are relatively fuss-free eaters and will chomp down broccoli, spinach and even black pepper and curry, but it sure helps when food is both fun and yummy.

I stumbled on a meal that both girls (& me & the hubby) enjoy, so I thought I’d share it here. I made Pumpkin & Apple soup, served with Baked Teriyaki Salmon and Mash potatoes, & spinach This is considered special & Western cos we tend to eat more rice & Chinese soup at home. So it was a treat when I whipped it up the other day, & was a big hit.

Another ‘gimmick’ to make a meal more enjoyable is to eat it somewhere away from the norm. Because I’m blessed now to be living in a condo, I have ready access to poolside paradise, so we’ve been having breakfast by the pool on those lovely sunshiny days. The kids inevitably end up soaked cos they aren’t able to resist playing with the water! More work for me but at least it’s also a change in routine, some fresh air & vitamin D for all!

Mini pancakes & strawberries

Little Miss Yoghurt face getting herself all wet splashing by the pool

Fun in the sun at Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden

Last Friday, Littlelam had a day off school so I figured I’d plan a outdoor trip for my girls. We woke a little late because, as it always happens before some outing, LittlerLam decided to go a bit bonkers the night before, and refused to sleep from 4-6am! Anyhow, I decided to go ahead with the plan despite being in a bit of a mess. Especially since I had to get the girls to finish their breakfast quickly, while cooking lunch and preparing snacks to bring along.

Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden is actually part of the Singapore Botanic Garden and there’s free entry, if you’re accompanied by a child. Heh. There are opportunities to learn about various plants and the food-making process of plants and sometimes they even hold activities specially for kids.

But on a normal day, the highlight for the kids would be the treehouse, where there is a ladder to climb, and 2 huge, steep slides that give quite an adrenaline rush (I went down a few times myself!). It’s better suited for kids above 3 so I had to sit with LittlerLam in the slide.

After a while it got really hot so we made a beeline for the water play area which mainly consists of several fountains that you can run around under and get wet. Somehow the kids find it very fun. I am not a fan cos of the hassle of having to bring change of clothes etc, and somehow I reckon the water isn’t all too clean. But, I decided to pander to their likes for a change, so we braved the blazing sun for a splash in the fountains. I got awfully wet cos dear LittlerLam was a little to afraid to go on her own, so I had to walk around in the splash, with her stuck to my hip. At the end of the mess, all I can say is I’m glad they enjoyed it and I’m glad that I brought snacks! Bananas, blueberries and biscuits always are great!

The Birds

It was gorgeously sunny out today and LittlerLam had messed up her schedule so much that I found myself free, with both kids awake in the late afternoon. So I decided to take them to the Singapore Botanic Gardens for a walk and to feed the birds.

We discovered to our dismay that they have since put up signs disallowing the public from feeding the fish (and terrapins) in the pond with our regular bread or scraps. Instead, visitors now must purchase fish food for the fish in the pond to ensure they remain healthy. So I guess it’s a good thing for the fish.

Well, a loss for the finned is a gain for the feathered — we ended up feeding bread to the birds! At first it started out with a couple of Eurasian Tree Sparrows. Then within SECONDS, a whole flock of pigeons joined the fray. Then mynahs and even two starlings caught on! I must admit, I got a little scared at some points since they were a little over eager at times! I also made sure they didn’t come TOO near the baby! LittlerLam really loves birds, so she was so excited and squealing in delight as she watched Littlelam throw the bread scraps!

Universal Studios Singapore & Festive Hotel

My family is rather strange in the sense that the second half of the year is always filled with lots of birthdays, celebrations and more holidays than the first half. So after nearly a year (because last year I had just at LittlerLam) of hiatus from all sorts of breaks and holidays, I suddenly was blessed with not just 1, but 2 fabulous staycations in Sentosa. Which is not EXACTLY going overseas, but at least it was literaly over – seas, to the Southern island of Singapore which is now being touted as “Asia’s Favourite Playground”. To give the tagline some credit, I think it HAS to a large extent, transformed itself to a rather exciting ‘playground’ for us living nearby.

The occasion was my 32rd birthday (gosh, that sounds old) and we went as a family (two adults, two kids), using this very good offer by Festive Hotel. The package included a 2 night stay in a family room, 2 adult tickets to Universal Studios, Sentosa monorail tickets and 2 tickets to Voyage De La Vie. Needless to say, we all had a blast, except for maybe poor LittlerLam who was having a running nose, so we had to send her back home to be babysat by her granny for about 3/4 of a day.

Festive Hotel is really a place for families and kids and while it’s not exactly festive in the pure sense of the word, but it was very colourful (sometimes a tad too colourful) in its decor and the loft bed is always the highlight for kids. Because it is linked to the casino Resorts World, of course you do get some non-families coming around, but I think they are more traumatised by the kids than we are bothered by them heh. Being part of the integrated Resorts World, it really really felt like when we walked from hotel to Universal Studios, to the retail malls, the open-air podiums etc.., that it was a different country! So I did have my ‘holiday’ in a sense.

Ok, enough rambling from me, the story is best told in pictures!!

Lovely lanterns at the Festive Hotel lobby

The famous loft bed for the kids!

The bright orange bedroom slippers! Kids got a 'kids pack' with bedroom slippers, a toothbrush, toys and a bath scrub!

Bedsides enjoying the use of the hotel, of course, we spent an entire day at Universal Studios, Singapore. We were so so blessed to go on a day (or rather afternoon) that was so empty! It was a weekday and not a school holiday (oops we let Littlelam cut kindy) and the waiting times for the rides were MAX 20 mins. So we literally went directly from ride to ride to ride without stopping until I had to stop cos I felt too sick!! Littlelam was still just going ‘let’s go for another rollercoaster ride!!”. And I was like ‘Please, no more!”. We even had time to go on some of the rides TWICE! So my advice to those wanting to go to USS, choose a weekday and go after 12 noon because the crowds tend to peak in the late morning and the tours tend to leave by mid-afternoon. We stayed till nearly closing time and it was cooler, and so easy to navigate.

The girls at the entrance

Flying in her own Pterodactyl in Jurrasic Park

Fairy Godmother from Shrek...the potion store with real drinks as potions and a mini-ferris wheel located in store.

Love the detailing of Far, Far Away land

Getting a shot taking with the elusive Puss in Boots!

Penguins of Madagascar performing a street dance! I like to move it move it!

Littlelam sat with Daddy on this ride called the Accelerator (like spinning teacups)... I obviously gave it a miss!

Experiencing the movie effects of a Level 5 Hurricane in the sound stage of 'Lights, Camera, Action'!

The rest of the rides have a dearth of ‘postable’ photos because we were too busy enjoying them or I was too busy being sick, or we were too happily snapping pictures of ourselves! Heh!

If you’re travelling from Asia and in Singapore, I think it is worth a trip to USS, because it is very small and can be completed in half a day, unlike the huge Universal Studios in LA. Of course, you just have to remind yourself that this IS small, humid Singapore, and while we lack in space and cool weather, we always make up in terms of food and variety.

Fun at Pasir Ris Park

Over the weekend, we were blessed with being able to ballot for a beautiful bungalow chalet right opposite Pasir Ris park. We held Littlelam’s 5th birthday celebration there, and the kids had a whale of a time. Poor Littlelam was having a runny nose the entire time though, so the birthday photos were a disaster cos she refused to smile! But at least everyone had fun at the park, even LittlerLam, who, at 10months sat on the swing for the very first time. This is the only place in Singapore I’ve found these type of swings made for babies. In fact, even the kids swings are such a rarity here that everyone just wanted to swing and there was always a little queue of kids at the swings.

More on the birthday party another time when the photos my FIL took are ready.

In the meantime, here are some pics of the kids at the park:

LittlerLam enjoying the swing!

Climbing the iconing Web structure

Littlelam on the Flying Fox

The nearby beach

I’ve been walking on the railroad

Like almost everyone else in Singapore, we took the chance to have a walk along the old KTM railroad tracks before they were dismantled. What’s the big deal about the tracks? Well, I guess that’s where the history lesson here comes in. But for most of us, it was a good chance to see the tracks for the last time and also to let our children experience what an old, traditional railway is like! To them, trains immediately equals MRT!

True to Singaporean form, we only managed to find the time to go on the very last day that the tracks would be open to the public. And obviously, half the population was also there. But we braved a small portion of the tracks- one near King Albert Park that held more memories for me since I used to watch the trains roar by on the bridge overhead. Here are some of the pictures: