Through her eyes #4 - BA NAH NAH!

We were leaving Jacob Ballas Children's Garden when Dumpling suddenly stopped and said "Mama, look!" I turned and saw her pointing to a rock on the floor and mumbled noncommittally "yes yes, banana."

She repeated herself and said emphatically "no MAMA, LOOK AGAIN!"

Then I saw it...

Did you spot it too? :) A banana lover! LOL

In case you are not aware, these little yellow 'men' love bananas!

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Polliwogs @ VivoCity!

Our Saturdays are kept fairly free and wide open this year as I really want to 'slow down' and enjoy Dumpling as much as I can and spend as much time as I can with her. Usually we would head to the gardens / play dates / catch a movie or a play or head to the play ground. Last Saturday however, she was in for a little surprise! I did not tell her that we were heading to Polliwogs till the morning itself! 

Now, if you have not heard, Polliwogs has a new outlet at VivoCity! It is located on level 3 (near Marche) towards the direction of the link bridge to HarbourFront. Dumpling was clearly excited as she was raring to burn her beans. :)

She had a great time there and basically hung around only at her favorites spots. Here's sharing her top 5 picks!

:: 1. Toddler's corner
Well, it is not technically named as that I'm sure but this is where I saw most toddlers hanging out at. This part of the gym spots the popular carousel and ball pit in addition to mini tea cup rides.

:: 2. Flying Fox

Dumpling loves thrilling rides so not surprisingly, this is still one of her top favorite activities at Polliwogs. She'd giggle and kick her legs in glee as she 'flew' from one end to the next. 

:: 3. Spider Maze

I am not sure if this is the official name but that's what Dumpling calls it. Along with her close gor gor friend DinoBoy, they spent almost 3/4 of their time there! This is basically a 2-layer grid like strips with a trampoline below. So how do the kids get across without falling into the 'pit' and be eaten up by the 'spider' Aragog (yes, we watch too much of Harry Potter, I know...)? Here, Dumpling and DinoBoy show you the steps:

Step 1: 

Enter into the web slowly. The idea is not to fall through but stepping onto the purple layer...

Step 2: 

Hold onto the first layer (pink) and use that as a support and walk through slowly

Step 3: 

Step onto the blue padded edge and use it as a step to crawl up

And of course, finish off the obstacle course with a Kodak moment shot!

:: 4. 'Rock' climbing

Now, if I were to be perfectly honest, I was itching to give that wall a go... Took me a while to convince Dumpling to try but Z was great at giving her a hand leg (in this case...)

 

And this is where I could wait no more and... 

Tada! Scaled the wall! So, you parents will be happy and relieved to know that the wall withstood the weight test and didn't even budge despite having the not-so-lightweight me on it!

Am happy to say that after my demo, Dumpling caught on and managed to scale all the way to the top!

:: 5. The Swing!
Though Dumpling did not hang around here for a long while, each time she passes it, she will swing on it for some time. And swing and spin she'd go... Even leaning as farrrrrrr back as she can... Maybe she has the right idea, perhaps it is good to have a different perspective, a different angle at times!

And as always, a parting shot from us! :) It was a good morning of FUN FUN FUN!

The Polliwogs at VivoCity 

1 Harbourfront Walk

#03-12 VivoCity

Singapore 098585

Tel: 6376 8097

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepolliwogs

Entrance fee:

Children below 2 years old

Weekdays: $13 PER ENTRY

Weekends and Public holidays: $13 for 2 hours. Subsequent half hour $5

 

Children aged 2 to 12 years old

Weekdays: $20 PER ENTRY

Weekends and Public holidays: $25 for 2 hours. Subsequent half hour $5

 

Free admission for TWO Adults with every paying child. Subsequent adult pays $5 per pax.

Chinese New Year promo! (Till 14 Feb 2014)

1-FOR-1 ENTRY (for fans of The Polliwogs FB page)

Terms and Conditions:

- Free entry applies for the lower of the entrance fees charged to the customer.

- Valid until 14^th Feb 2014

- Not valid on weekends, gazetted school holidays and Public Holidays

- Not valid with VPP or other promotions

- Cannot be exchanged for cash, credit or in kind

Disclosure: We were invited to Polliwogs @ VivoCity for the purpose of sharing my experience. No monetary compensation was received though Dumpling got to play with her close gor gor friend DinoBoy while mum here got to yak a bit with some blogger friends. Photos of the flying fox and rock climbing are taken by good friend, DinoMama. For the record, I would like to add on that none of the photos was edited in anyway. I am eternally grateful to DinoMama for ensuring that the shots of my rear are smaller than that of a bus.

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Counting down to Lunar New Year #1 - Chinese New Year Books!

Chinese New Year is a fairly big celebration here in Singapore and since Dumpling attends daily Chinese lessons, we read up on many of these Chinese celebrations and festivities. Here are some of our picks: great as a read-aloud or for your child to read independently. 

:: 1. Chelsea's Chinese New Year

What first drew me to this title was how 'Charlie and Lola like' the drawings and characters are, except well, Chelsea is an Asian. :) After a bit of research, I realised that the illustrator has also illustrated many children's books bearing similar cherubic faces. :D

The story is simple, narrated by Chelsea on how her family celebrates Chinese New Year and the common practices the family has.  

The story is presented in a simple manner and provides some good basic information on this celebration. The title also has 'blurbs' of useful information (in purple boxes below).

Number of pages: 24
Author: Lisa Bullard 
Illustrator: Katie Saunders

:: The Runaway Rice Cake
The Runaway Rice Cake is like the Asian version of Gingerbread Man, with a twist. The Changs are celebrating Chinese New Year and all they have left is just enough flour to make one rice cake 年糕. However, something miraculous happened - the Rice Cake came alive and ran off.

The Changs gave chase and the rice cake runs into an old woman... What happened to the rice cake and did the Changs have enough to eat?

Number of pages: 40
Author: Ying Chang Compestine
Illustrator: Tungwai Chau

:: Hiss! Pop! Boom! 
If you are looking for a informational title, Hiss! Pop! Boom! is a good choice. It talks about the various traditional practices presented with gorgeous Chinese ink painting. I was actually reminded of the meaning of some of the things we eat and do after reading this book! :)

Number of pages: 32
Author: Tricia Morrissey
Illustrator: Kong Lee

:: Chun Jie
I really like this series of Chinese titles (a series of 6 titles) which is on traditional Chinese festivities. This story shares how some Chinese New Year practices came to be e.g. 'firecrackers' and 'red couplets' came about, and how they were used to frighten the monster Nian.

The title is also not too wordy with about 5 sentences per page mostly. The illustration is cute and the colours are bright too.

:: TaoShu
Everyone's favourite siblings - Tao Shu and Ling Ling learn more about Nian in this short and funny story. Created and published locally, this bilingual title is an easy and entertaining read for preschoolers. Tao Shu (the warrior boy) was told to get some cabbage from their garden. However, he and Ling Ling discovered that someone has eaten all their cabbages. Who can it be? That marks the start of the siblings' investigations.

Number of pages: 32

Author: Andy Logam Tan 

I hope that these give you some ideas on what books you can borrow from the library to read with your preschoolers in getting them to understand and enjoy Chinese New Year more!

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Through her eyes #3 - My Instrument, My Choice

Some time ago, I briefly mentioned that Dumpling has taken on a new instrument but I did not elaborate because frankly I have no idea how long she will stick with it and I am also not entirely sure if I have the tenacity and perseverance to continue to plow on with her.

Simply put, I have a 'love-hate' relationship with this instrument. I play a keyboard instrument and it was a shock to the system when Dumpling first attended the class and I realised how hard it was. I was totally lost and unprepared for the intensity of this small string instrument. As I was not sure how long Dumpling will stay with this (she chose the instrument, not me and she asked for lessons after hearing it) we picked a basic model for her very first violin.

She has since outgrown the earlier model and I was advised by her teacher to get a new one for her. And so, off to violin shopping we did over the weekend! 

The sale person brought down about 5 violins of her size (from various ranges) and played for her to hear so that she can make a choice. 

When he played it a second round, Dumpling was curious and asked "Shouldn't I be playing it? I need to hear it right? So I should be playing it to see which I like? Why are you playing for me? Can I have it please? I would like to try it on my own - to bow it, feel it, to hear it."

The. Salesperson. Was. Stumped. (And I was looking for a place to hide my face.)

Did I mention that my kid is just a tad over 5YO?

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Privi-Kids: our choice! Review + a giveaway!

I am pretty sure that the idea of online shopping came from a female. And perhaps a mum at that. I could never lug a kid around in crowded malls. The number of times I have been out to the malls since I had Dumpling is definitely less than 10 times a year (the neighhourhood one not withstanding since the library is in the mall and yes, am a dork). So where do I buy our stuff from? I prowl on the internet for online shops. From groceries to books to learning resources to clothes, online shops are my best friends.

:: Range of sizes

I chanced upon Privi-Kids last year as I was looking for a gift for a girlfriend who was having her second child, to add to a gift 'basket' I was making. I wanted to look for a matching dress for the firstborn and the infant and I was really glad to find it here. Sizes at the shop usually start from size 1 or 2 and go to size 7 or 8. This would be great for parents with same gender kiddos who want to wear the same design!

:: Clean design, easy navigation

I have to admit that what draws me to the site is that the design and background colors are kept clean and simple. I have come across sites which are hard to navigate and has a really busy background which I personally find distracting (ok, am anal) as I like items with print. At times, I find it hard to choose because the background of the webpage clashes with the prints!

Navigation tabs on Privi-Kids are kept simple with clear drop-down menus too. 

:: Checkout 

Checkout is as simple as 4 steps and the best part is, because it is a local shop, it allows for 'bank transfer' as a payment option! How convenient is that?!?

:: Spoilt for choices

With Chinese New Year around the corner, I have been shopping online again and here are my picks for Dumpling for this  Chinese New Year!

For something dressy... 

There's something about this piece that Dumpling really likes. It could be the nice soft jade colour or it could be the soft silky feel of this long dress but upon receiving it, she immediately chose to wear this for a reunion luncheon with my folks.

This piece features simple girly details like faux pearl buttons and 'drawstrings' at the shoulder area to create soft ripples, giving it a romantic look :)

For playdates...

For outdoor casual play dates, we love spaghetti dresses and tops. You can do no wrong with this simple yet cheery sundress. And in red too, how apt! You can choose to dress it up with a fancy hairclip (like below) or a simple necklace (yes, my kiddo has necklaces)!

(While Dumpling was waiting for me to test my camera and lighting, she started practising various expressions and angles... She will probably hate me for sharing these shots in future but... :p)

From the exaggerated expression...

To a serious poser...

To an angelic shot, this dress clearly takes you places (and faces too I must say!) :p

For something that has a bit of 'Cheeky Fun'

I am not big on petticoats / poofy skirts but I am BIG on tulle, layering and texture. Dumpling has loads of simple tops at home and I am always on the lookout for nice shorts and skirts. When I saw this 'Fairy Skirt' I added it to my cart IMMEDIATELY...

This skirt has a pink under-layer and an almost turquoise blue tulle over it. Coupled with a silver waistband and a pink bow, it is every girl's 'fairy' dream. :) 

I had originally brought Dumpling's violin down as a prop for the shoot but she started playing on it and I could 'see' how beautiful this skirt would be in a black and white photo too because of the layering and textured effect. I'd  let you be the judge!

As always, I have good 'lobangs' to share! Just for Beanie N Us readers, here's a 10% discount code! 

Simply key in BEANIENUS10 at the checkout!

I am also pleased to share that 1 lucky winner gets to select 1 outfit from Privi-Kids!

Here's how to win:

Earn credits using Rafflecopter below by:

1) Clicking 'Like' on my Blog Facebook page

2) Clicking 'Like' on Privikids Facebook page 

3) Leaving a comment on the comment section on "Which outfit you like and why?" 

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

(For Singapore residents only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Disclosure: I was invited to shop at PriviKids for the purpose of sharing my experience. No monetary compensation was received though Dumpling got to keep those really cool dresses and skirt after the shoot! All outfits featured are from PriviKids (except the white top paired with the Fairy Skirt). Shoes, hairclip and violin are model's own. Stylist, hairstylist, personal shopper and photographer - model's talented mum. :D

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!