My BIG Birthday Weekend!

I had a ball of a time on the weekend of my birthday and thank you so much to those of you who posted on my FB and left me such wonderful wishes. 

It is sort of hard to recap the activities we did but I basically visited the Harry Potter exhibition (a "must visit" for Dumpling and I before it is gone) and we had a great lunch at Triple Three. 

The Harry Potter Exhibition is a must-visit for us because we enjoyed the movies and for me, the series a lot. It was just surreal to see the artifacts here that were in the movies. Additionally, for Dumpling, she decided (yes, it was HER who decided and requested for it), that she will have a Harry Potter themed birthday this year. So the visit was also for me to get a bit of inspiration for her party too. :)

Unfortunately the exhibition did NOT allow for photography. Seriously, all these no photography rules are getting to me - first it was the Titanic and now Harry Potter. Grrrrrrr... 'Cos some of the artifacts there were just awesome! 

Anyhow, Dumpling being a Harry Potter fan was dressed very appropriately for the occasion:

Here are some more shots while we were queuing to get in 

And one of from the wizard's chess which was absolutely gorgeous!

And of course our parting shot in front of Hogwarts! :)

On the next day, we went for a very yummy luncheon at Triple 3. I am not sure if you have been to Triple 3 before but that's amongst one of our favourite places for buffets. In fact, spread is so good that I will be blogging about it separately. :) 

But on the day we were there, it was Children's Day weekend and so, there were activities for the kiddos. 

Which included face painting! Dumpling wanted to try but was a little unsure so what's a mama gotta do...

Except to join in the fun! :p 

There was also a balloon sculptor for the celebration as well as a DIY cupcake making workshop! Dumpling made a cupcake for me as I was eating (and she was away with her grandaunt) but I decided to suss out the place once I was done with my food. 

I was impressed with what they had for the workshop - it was very comprehensive! There was buttercream in very pretty colours as well as a wide choice of sugar and chocolate toppings!!!! 

Dumpling decided that she wanted a go at the decoration and this time in "dots and confetti design". LOL

The team that Mandarin Orchard selected for the activities was well chosen. Apparently, they are interns but they were so patient with the kids and were really helpful. :) 2 thumbs up!

And just as we were about to go, we were told to head for a raffle so I got Dumpling to go for it. Guess what we'd won?

SWEET!!! Something fun for the kiddo and Mama Sue!!! 

Yep - my 3Xth birthday weekend was a blast and I could not be happier! 

Wikki Stix - Twistable, Stickable, Buildable, Playable One-of-a-kind Creatables!

Sponsored review

In our household, I always try to look for ways to encourage / invite free play. While one would think play is play but after taking into consideration things such as product safety, "flexibility" etc., it sometimes narrows our choices.

When Dumpling and I were invited to review Wikki Stix, I thought 'why not? Especially when I am trying to look for safe materials / resources where I can leave her to it while I potter around with my chores. Importantly, it must be something which is flexible (pun not intended!) to allow her to imagine and create!

So over 3 afternoons and in short sessions, I left them lying around for Dumpling to explore and create. Create she did!

Dumpling is at a stage where she is very sensitive to words and is reading long stories independently and is starting to write her own short sentences too. So I was not surprised at all to see her forming words with Wikki Stix.

One of the things I want Dumpling to work on is her fine motor skills. With the Wikki Stix, Dumpling tries her hand at twisting and knotting them. If we had use any other materials, this would have been much more challenging as ropes and yarn would have flopped down. With Wikki Stix, it was just the right material for us to work on this.

I then left it to Dumpling to create the pieces that she want with Wikki Stix as after all, it is meant to be twistable, 

stickable (even on glass - no glue needed and cleaning is a breeze with just a swipe using a wet cloth), 

buildable and playable one-of-a-kind creatables!

Additionally, you may be pleased to know that Wikki Stixis also Non Toxic (yay!), Gluten Free (great for those with allergies!) and 100% made in the USA. 

Keen to try your hands at it? Here's where you can find out more information: www.wikkistixasia.com and Facebook/WikkiStixAsia

Wikki Stix is available at the following stores in Singapore:

Abrakadoodle Art Studio – East Coast  
902 East Coast Parkway Blk B #02-05B
Playground @ Big Splash
Singapore 449874
Tel: 65 62477288
http://www.abrakadoodle.com.sg/

Campus Crusade Mass Media Ministry
15 Playfair Road
#02-01 FGA@Playfair
Singapore 367987 (near Tai Seng MRT)
Tel: (65) 6356 6063
http://www.ccalmm.com/

Rysel Toys
Trivex Building
8 Burn Rd, #05-06
Singapore 369977
Tel: 65 63394219
http://ryseltoys.com.sg/

Smart Alley Centrepoint Branch
176 Orchard Road #04-03
Singapore 238843
Tel: 65 67378226
http://www.smartalley.com.sg/

Times Bookstores

• Centrepoint
• Tampines One
• Marina Square
• Paragon
• JCube
• Jelita

Importantly, quote BLOG1012 to enjoy a special 10% discount.  This code is only valid for online purchases on www.wikkistixasia.com

All you need to do is just to enter this coupon code upon check out from your shopping cart.  Free delivery is offered worldwide with no minimum purchase.

Disclaimer: I received a packet of Wikki Stix for review. All opinions are 100% my own. 

Wordless Wednesdays - A little bit of Potter in the bag

Custom party favors need not be direly expensive. All you need is just a healthy dose of fun, some imagination and a dash of creativity!

Linking up:

Wet, Lather and Rinse!

Sponsored Post:

I have been sponsoring a child for more than 5 years. One of my greatest moments was when he was finally able to write me a letter. It feels good that I am able to make a difference in someone's life. 

M, my sponsored child, lives in Honduras. Honduras is one of the countries that participated in the Global Handwashing Day (GHD), an initiative by Lifebuoy. Celebrated on 15th October, each year, GHD is celebrated in more than 100 countries where activities are held to support, educate and encourage the habit of handwashing. 

Did you know that:

• Every year, more than 2 million children don't live to see their 5th birthday?
• At least 3000 kids die each day as they succumb to diarrhoea?
• Most of these can be prevented by something as simple as handwashing which is often overlooked?

Having a preschooler means that I am very careful with such practices because they do become life habits. So, from the homefront, I read various articles on the internet with Dumpling on the importance of handwashing as well as this title below :

Source: http://www.chinasprout.com/shop/BSE170 

And while we were at it, I asked if she would like to make a poster to remind herself on the 3 simple steps of: Wet, Lather and Rinse based on the GHD logo below. 

GHD logo

It turned out to be a fun activity for us. :) 

Dumpling decided that she wanted to do a show and tell! So, off she went to create / draw her own monster germs...

Left Germ: Hi, I am germ 1!

...You can run but you cannot hide!!!

Dialogue:

Dumpling: OH NO!!! HELLLLP!!!! 

I had a very good laugh as she went on for a good few minutes re-enacting her 'play'. LOL

So, what can we do to eliminate the germs? 

3 Simple Steps:

1) WET!

2) LATHER!

3) RINSE! (And a "Hi-5" for a job well done! ;p )

This year, I am proud to be part of this awareness drive. Help a child reach 5! 

Make a pledge on  LIFEBUOY's Facebook page. With every pledge, LIFEBUOY will commit to teach a child hygiene education through PSI, a Unilever Foundation Partner to help them reach the age of 5.

Chok with Yu Sheng

In Singapore, you know that you have stumbled upon a "treasure" when you see people queueing for food at a stall in a relatively quiet food centre.

Located just 5mins from IKEA Alexandra, I was introduced to the place by my parents many many years ago (yes, I am that old :p) where we would visit this place on Saturday mornings. 

The prices at this stall has stayed relatively flat over these years and this is good news for someone like me who can wallop the entire large plate of Yu Sheng (as Eustace said in Narnia - Prince Caspian, "I have a strong constitution" and in my case, for raw food :p). 

The chok (porridge) here is a tad grainy so it is not as smooth as the typical cantonese porridge but it is good for those who like theirs a bit textured. I had pork porridge which has about 7 - 8 minced pork balls in it. The pork balls are marinated and is flavourful albeit a tad too salty for me though the cornflour added a silky smoothness texture to it.

And believe it or not, there is a designated person at this stall who does nothing but slices fish. :p

Now, let's talk about my love.  I love raw food - Mekajiki, Salmon, Ebi, Oysters, Cockles and one of my favourite breakfast is Chok in the morning with Yu Sheng (raw fish salad). Just give me a bowl of plain porridge with pepper, sesame oil, soya sauce, spring onion and shallots on a BIG plate Yu Sheng and I am one. happy. girl. 

For $3, the portion is generous and the mix of condiments was perfect for me. The fish is fresh and slices are thin so it soaks up the soya sauce and oil perfectly. 

Just look at the translucent quality of the fish! YUMMMMZZZZ

Rui Ji Porridge

Alexandra Village Food Centre, Singapore
Closed on every Monday. 
Opening hours: 730am to 10am (unless sold out earlier)

(If you were to enter from under the signage - see pic above, it is along the second row of shops)

Linking up with Jennifer: