Birthday Blast 2013 - An unbirthday mad party: Alice in Wonderland Post2

Following the earlier post on the prep work that went into Dumpling's birthday bash, here's the second post on the actual celebration day! Now, initially, when we first started planning this, Dumpling did not have any specific ideas on the activities and the grand-dad went ahead to book a SAFRA chalet. Though we later managed to book the chalet unit, Dumpling decided that she wanted sports / games activities on the actual day.

Thankfully I work in the Early Childhood Education industry and so, I approached the bosses if we can use one of the schools for the party so that we can use a gym for the games as well as the dining room for another activity (shared below).

:: Decor
Decor wise, we centered it around a pink and blue theme where I bought an editable file on buntings on ETSY so that I could edit the letters and print out the message which we want. ETSY is a fantastic site which sells a lot of home made and party stuff too! This is how our bunting turned out :)

Now, riding on the colour theme, we decided on having blue and pink balloons too which we tied to the back of the chairs.

To tie back to the 'Alice in Wonderland' theme, the same file that I bought had signages (shown below) and they were perfect for our activities!

As much as we can, we'd always include balloons in our parties because they do fill up the 'space' and add to the festive mood. Instead of plain balloons, we chose polka dotted ones to add to the whimsical theme but that's not all! We stuck some signages which read "Which Way", "This Way", "That Way" to them too! 

And here's how the activity room look :)

:: Activity 1 - Croquet

While the setting up of activity room was taking place, the kids were in the Croquet Court (gym) having their first activity of the day. We also pasted Flamingos to the Floor Ball sticks to be in-line with the theme! 

The coaches were really good with kids and conducted a few different games with them to warm them up. As you can see, the kids had a great time! 

True to the invite, the kids played an improvised version of the croquet game.

With the last 'obstacle' having to hit the ball down a slide and through a 'hole'.

After burning off their beans, it was time for Activity 2!

:: Activity 2: Planting a Red Garden for the (Red) Queen!
We stumbled upon The Blue Pocket a few months ago while we were out. The team at Blue Pocket was displaying their terrariums and Dumpling crept closer for a look. When she read (on their signages) that they conduct workshops too, she was thrilled and asked to make one too.

After some days of discussion with her and several calls with The Blue Pocket, we were able to include these terrariums as part of the activity for the kiddos at her party too! :)

So, what's in a terrarium?

(Source: The Blue Pocket)

The workshop started with Uncle Vincent explaining what a terrarium is and essentially, what goes on in the glass bottle - how water is recycled, etc. The presentation/intro talk had cute animation and the kids were fully engaged.

They then proceeded to demonstrate how the terrarium should be built and off the kids went! Planting a garden fit for the Red Queen!

 And tada!

:: THE CAKES, THE CAKES!
Now, what about the birthday cake? As what we have done regularly for the past years, we ordered them from Whips Cupcakes which Dumpling's gramps and Uncle helped to pick up that morning too. Ordering from Whips Cupcakes has always been a breeze and I love that they are able to do customization. We had a main cake shaped like a table with tablecloth and a cup plus saucer (from Hatter's tea party scene). The cake was wonderfully yummy as the base was red velvet so that complemented the fondant.

But the star of the day was the dessert stand filled with 2D and 3D mini cupcakes, macarons and more cupcakes (without the fondant for those who prefer them as they are). We had a mix of vanilla and red velvet base mixed with rose and buttercream cream on top.

Check out Cheshire Cat, the cute mushrooms and the tea pots! Taste wise - how good were they? Let's just say that I did not get to sample any because they were TOTALLY GONE before the end of the party!!!!

All in all, it was a blast and the kids have great fun! As for Dumpling, she found it too short and asked if we can "play the whole day next year!" Well, my mummy friends, are you ladies up for an even bigger bash next year? :p 

 Note: None of these items were sponsored in any way; I am sharing the contacts on my own accord so that it gives you mums an additional avenue to hunt for more party contacts! 

Here's part 1 of the Unbirthday Mad Party Post where I shared on the prep work leading into the party. 

This is a continuation of the Birthday Blast! series which I hosted last year! 

If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts, food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram! 

Parenting an emotionally intense kid

This year has been a somewhat trying and challenging period for me as Dumpling learns to exert her independence and tries to manage those BIG feelings. At the start of the year, we received feedback from her teacher at her Chinese classes about Dumpling's tantrums in classes and I was really stressed out by it for a couple of months.

Dumpling is a highly sensitive child and she feels very strongly about certain issues. This coming from a kiddo who cried at 2 while reading an ebook on my phone about how teddy bears may not be real, I guess I should have seen it coming. Often times, the feelings are so big for her that she is unable to express herself why it matters so much and she'd have a complete meltdown. And if she is missing her nap or is somewhat a tad tired that day, wow, the thought is enough to make me tremble a bit.

The irony is that because she is articulate and reads well, people often equate her to being mature. Hence it is a double-edged sword when she does have a meltdown. I am not into labeling so, I have never tagged Dumpling as having gone through terrible twos, etc. I believe that for any parent, it is heartbreaking to hear such comments and for those who are raising an emotionally intense child, it can be doubly hard.

How hard can it be? Have you read about her supermarket scene (look under point 9)? And sometimes, it can even cause mummy-friendships to be somewhat 'broken'. The first major incident this year was where she was invited to one of her good friend's party. She sees the birthday boy very frequently and was looking forward to the party. Once she got there, she was so excited at seeing him that she ran over to hug him. Perhaps it was because the birthday boy was distracted or that he had other friends whom he has not met for some time, let's just say that he was not entirely as excited as Dumpling and he basically pushed her away. Dumpling was shocked but approached him again. He then told her point blank that he does not want to play with her.

Dumpling was devastated. Her lips trembled and big fat tears rolled from her doe-like eyes. The boy's mum was shocked and promptly spoke to Dumpling and told the son to play with her for a while. Well, the thing is with kids, you'd never know what they are gonna say right back and let's just say that the reply was not what Dumpling would like. So, she started losing it. We brought her out of the apartment and tried to calm her down (near her nap time so that did not work in our favour). When we got in, the boy's grandmother decided to step in and told Dumpling that she is "spoiling his party". Dumpling was hurt, felt maligned and started to bawl again and this time, she was inconsolable. Now, try imagining this scene where all 30 other parents are looking you as you are fighting a losing battle with a matriarch of a grandmother staring down your neck. We packed and left. One of the mums whom I speak to frequently (then), turned away from us and I have not heard from her ever since.

We recently had another moment where Dumpling had a complete meltdown (da da da dummmmm) at her birthday party. Last year, the theme of her party was based on Harry Potter. We had a 'sorting hat' ceremony and she sorted out the kids into their houses and gave out party loot. Now, for this year, she has been working up to it, to her party - getting involved in the choosing of favors, the designs of the top wraps as well as the guest lists. She thought that she would get to give out the loot bag but I was unaware that she wanted to do it and I gave them out.

WOW. BIG. HUGE. GINORMOUS MISTAKE. She could not contain her feelings, the utter disappointment, ran off into another room and cried uncontrollably and started asking me in a devastated tone "WHY MAMA, WHYYYYYYYY?!? I REALLY WANTED TO GIVE THEM OUT, GIVE THEM TO MY FRIENDS AND THANK THEM FOR COMING. WHHHHHYYYYY!!!!?!???!" She lost her plot as she continued on and started raising her voice. Frankly, I was horrified because one of the first thought that I had was she was gonna spoil her party and the next (which I am not very proud of) is what would the guests think of her? And of my (lack of) parenting? So we started having an argument.

Now, to those who do not understand, please do not judge so quickly. I am a strict mum and if and when Dumpling is behaving in a bratty manner, punishment will be meted out. But in this post, I would like to speak up for her and for the other emotionally intense children.

To share a different perspective, their perspective. For these children, they are not being dramatic. Trust me, these 3, 4 and 5YOs do not know that much about dramatic flair. Rather, what is unimportant to us (a molehole) is indeed a mountain to them. Often times, these intense children have very set ideas of how things are (and most love routine) and they have very tender feelings too. If the flow of things do not go according to how they see it, they deemed it as 'not nice' and 'flawed' and that's when they cannot accept it. Some may not take to critical comments well too.

How do I know? I asked Dumpling a day after what happened at the party and what it was that she felt so strongly about (she usually makes more sense after she has completely calmed down, lol). She told me "Mama, I worked very hard to pack the items and I really wanted to give them to my friends. And tell them thank you for coming. It is not nice that I cannot do it because that is EXACTLY what we did for my Harry Potter Party."

So for Dumpling, the disappointment was so intense and she felt so strongly about it that she does not know what to do except to let it all out. Just in tears, incoherent words and in (sigh) screaming. Of course, it also seems that she has a perfectionist streak in her as the flow of events did not quite go according to how she'd imagine it to be ~ her being there, smiling and dishing out the loot to her friends and thanking them for coming. Sigh...

Emotionally intense children are just that; they have bigger feelings and bigger reactions towards things because they DO FEEL MORE. So please do not judge them as they are still learning to manage those "big feelings" (as she calls it). There are good days and there are bad days; just that with them, the bad days are like ginormously big (which equates to the size of the meltdowns, sigh). We are working on it as we speak, getting her to regulate her emotions. I do not want to tell her that she cannot get angry / upset / frustrated because that would not be realistic nor would it be healthy for her. I also do not believe in telling her that it is "wrong" to get angry but rather, manage those feelings in a healthier and better way.

For me, I am also learning to control my outbursts in front of her / to stop mad yelling because kids do model behavior (trust me, I learnt it the hard way!) because I do run very short on temper at times. Work, homeschool and a lack of sleep does that to me. What I would do is to talk a lot to close friends and my mum / bro and I ask my close friends to pray for us too as a form of 'release' for me. I also try to calm Dumpling down and react / pick up on it before she reacts to it.

Emotionally intense children are a lot of work but they do not deserve any less of our love or any less patience.

If you are a parent to one of such children, how to you handle them / calm them down? I would love to hear from you.

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GIVEAWAY & Book Review - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Pop-Up Book

While this was one of my favorite titles when I was younger, Dumpling and I first chanced upon this famous Roald Dahl story on DVD. I bought a bundle set of the classic title and the new one starring Johnny Depp. I had thought that it was too whimsical for her but it turns out that she loves the hilarity of it. From the Oompas Loompas to the strange Mr Wonka, and from empathizing with young Charlie Bucket to ogling at all the marvelous candilicious creations, Dumpling was totally entertained.

So that was what started us on a chocolate unit study journey with extension into a chocolate workshop where we then read the book too.

I came across the Pop-Up version recently and I was totally sold! I decided to buy it for Dumpling and this is her first pop-up book. And boy, was it a right choice!

:: Illustrations
The illustrations are the true originals by Quentin Blake. What this version added on was the clever use of cutouts for the popups and usage of special materials and embossing techniques. These made the characters more 3D and the story interesting.

Above: the pop-up from pages 1 & 2

I was also particularly impressed with the pop up from the last 2 pages where the Glass Elevator 'shot' out from the pages as we flipped them. Dumpling went "Wow" and "Wow" it was.

While a 'pop-up' book does just that - pops up from the book, what I really like are the interactive parts of the title. There are fold out flaps... 

and pull out flaps which also feature the Oompa Loompas' Songs on the various golden ticket winners. 

Best of all, we even have our very own GOLDEN TICKET! How cool is that? :D

 :: Storyline
This is, of course, an abridged version of the original story but the beauty is that the main gist of the tale is captured. The storyline is kept straight to the point with the introduction of Charlie Bucket, a boy who loves chocolate. And, Mr. Willy Wonker, the most wondrous inventor in the world, who decided to open the gates of his factory to five lucky winners!

Along the way are the hilarious tales of how each winner meets his/her 'end' which are of course, accompanied by the Oompa Loompas' songs. Entertaining, funny and certainly a beautiful book. This is definitely a keeper and would be great as a gift! Here's a video clip to share

Now, I am pleased to share that The Groovy Giraffe is sponsoring one copy of this title for a giveaway! 

Earn credits using Rafflecopter below by:

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3) Sharing this post with your friends on your FB page! 

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The more credits you earn, the higher your chances! :)

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:: About Groovy Giraffe

Groovy Giraffe is Singapore's first official online remainder bookshop. Its books are new, overprints and are heavily discounted (up to 80%!). Shipping (within Singapore) is free for orders above $60. Visit http://www.thegroovygiraffe.com for more information or a look at the other discounted titles! 

If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts, food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram! 

Birthday Blast 2013 - An unbirthday mad party: Alice in Wonderland

The good thing about Dumpling is that she is decisive. The bad thing about her is that she is too decisive. LOL. Every year, she has very fixed ideas on the birthday themes she'd like and she'll start as early as Feb / March. Last year she was all over Harry Potter while this year, she opted for something a bit more whimsical - Alice in Wonderland.

Perhaps it was because she did a tweaked version of Alice in a Chinese Speech and Drama session then but she decided that she liked the characters (especially after watching the movie where Hatter was played by Johnny Depp) and thereafter, the theme was set in stone!

I will be splitting up the birthday sharing into 2 posts and for this post, I will be sharing more on the pre-prep for the event day.

Alice in Wonderland is a fabulous theme as it is fun and whimsical. We toyed with many ideas for the activities on the party day (sharing in the next post) as well as what do to for the favors + decor. After showing her printouts of the various illustration types (do we use the "cartoon" figures or do we use the original illustrations or even the movie images?) we finally decided on sticking to the original classic illustrations.

This is what went out for the final invitation card, we used a bit of a 'bad English', the 'hatter' way... (Note: we decided to be literal and use the term 'plant' the town red because that's exactly what the kids did on the actual day).

This was then followed by the reminder that went out 3 days before where the party agenda was included so the guests can plan their time better.

Favours wise was a hard thing for us. Primarily because I am not really a candy / chocolate person but after stumbling on some customised favours from Divinefavorz, I went ahead with having a candy snack bag. I have to say that being Type A, it was not easy for me to let go of the entire design process to someone else so lol, I actually put together the design concept and the text I wanted and emailed them in a powerpoint to the vendor :p

This particular vendor has back-to-back orders so if you are anal like me where you need to go through a few versions of design checks, etc., please let her know early. The almost final versions were shown to us about 1+ to 2 weeks prior. You can then PM / email her your comments on any changes.

Here's a look at our customised drawstring loot bag (below pic, background). We also basically customised everything for the "top wraps" - from Kit Kat (check out the "Ingredients" and "Nutrition Facts"!)

To mini Mentos...

And a packet of mini marshmallows! 

It was also around this time that Dumpling and I, while surfing the net, chanced upon some hair clips and I decided to have some made for the girls at the party! Incidentally, at a flea market earlier this year, I met a bow maker and decided to reach out to her to order these bows. Here's what LittleCuty Hairbows made for me - Alice bottle cap bows for the girls at the party!  

Notice how the invitation ecard mentioned a dress code? Well, in true "Mad Hatter" lovers style, we requested for our guests to turn up in unbirthday maddest hats! 

If you have seen my post on my wedding dress, you would have known that I love feathers and tulle. So, I decided to commission LittleCuty Hairbows on making a matching mummy-daughter hair piece with feathers, ribbons and best of all, tulle covering half of our forehead in a "veil-like" manner. I emailed her some links of how I like them and she got them right! 

Do you like it as much as we do? :)

(Photo Credit: DinoMama)

As always, on a yearly basis, books were part of the loot and because we had varied age groups, I hunted for various suitable editions. (I must have gone through at least 30 different versions of this storybook!) With a buddy's help, I had these "read me" tags made to tie back to the theme. :) Thanks Lennie! 

And tada, the prep work for the favours was all done! 

Now, what's the glass jar for and why are there plants in the photo? Stay tuned for the next post! :)

Note: None of these items were sponsored in any way; I am sharing the contacts on my own accord so that it gives you mums an additional avenue to hunt for more party contacts! 

This is a continuation of the Birthday Blast! series which I hosted last year! Next up on the Birthday Blast series is where I will be sharing on Dumpling's party day so stay tuned!

If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts, food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram! 

Once upon a time...

Dear Lu,

Once upon a time, God decided to bless us with you and it has been an amazing journey for the past 5 years. Though I did not exactly start out in this motherhood journey on the best note, having to battle post natal depression, but I believe that everything happened for a reason. And I did find out why.

It has been said that while we try to teach children about the world but it's our children who teach us about life and I cannot agree more. You have taught me so much more about me as a person, as a mum and as an educator, and have fulfilled me more than you ever know. Here's a special dedication to you:

In you, I see a little feisty mini-me attempting to take on the 'world'. :)

In you, I see the values which I try to impart, shaping you slowly but surely. 

In you, I see joy. Joy because you have lit up my life more than you ever know.

In you, I see hope. Hope that you are able to contribute to the world one day in your own little ways. 

In you, I see beauty. Beauty in the wonderment of the simplest things which I have since forgotten till I became your mum.  

And in you, I see love. Love that is unconditional, that is whole; love that challenges yet fulfills me.

Thank you Lu, for being my daughter, for being part of my life and for loving me right back. My life has changed magically because of you and I am deeply honoured that God chose you for me. I love you very much and am tremendously proud of the little person that you are.

Love, Mama Sue

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Birthday Blast 2013 - Hello Kitty Party

I admire crafty mamas, I truly do. Ironically, I do not have the patience for scrapbooking but I love notebooking and journaling with Dumpling. We attended one of Dumpling's good friend's party recently and I love what the mama did for decor - it was a Hello Kitty Pink theme without being over-the-top. The party was cozy and intimate and the highlight was the dessert table and a balloon sculptist for the kids.

Here's sharing some ideas on what the crafty mum did for the decoration! :)

Mini signages were placed at the table and they were all done up in a 'frame-like' manner. From 'dessert table' to...

'Programme' notice, they were done up prettily in pink. Check out the popcorn boxes! Crafty mama die cut and made them on her own! Aren't they cool?!?! :D

And of course, not forgetting the 'birthday girl'!

Something which was a HOT favorite with the mums and kids alike were the mason jars which had the coolest cap covers! The jars were served as 'cups' and were part of the party favors. And check out the cute paper straws!

And of course, it is not called a dessert table without them - it was paradise for the kids!

Now, what about decor? A simple bunting with Hello Kitty at each end was pasted on a glass panel above the dessert table.

But that's not all, Crafty Mama even made these huge rosettes! 

Activity wise, the kids basically had their own agenda - most ran around while some, like Dumpling, was very focused on having a balloon sculpture! LOL

A cool idea was that Crafty Mama also left small pails of necklaces, 'bottlecaps' and epoxy stickers around on the small cocktail rounds, for the children to DIY their own bottlecap neckalces! Here's Dumpling with her Minion necklace :) 

A parting shot of the kiddos looking mightily pleased with their balloons and necklaces! :)

A simple party with really neat DIY decor; hope that it inspires you for your kiddos' do! 

This is a continuation of the Birthday Blast! series which I hosted last year! Next up on the Birthday Blast series is where I will be sharing on Dumpling's do! :)

If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on my Facebook Page where I share my parenting thoughts, food photos (be prepared for tons of them!), early shout outs for giveaways and interact with you, my readers! You can also follow me on Pinterest and Instagram!