Our favourite scenes from Disney on Ice Treasure Trove

The kids were super duper excited yesterday to be able to meet their favourite Disney characters.

For JJ, that’s Mickey and Minnie.

He also likes Peter Pan.

Vera of course was looking out for her favourite princesses - Belle and Snow White. (Unfortunately Belle only made a short appearance in the finale…Thankfully the Snow White segment was pretty long.)

I enjoyed the scenes from Lion King and the upbeat performance of The Little Mermaid.

Also Aladdin.

The grand finale…

Even baby Josh enjoyed the performance! (When he wasn’t fast asleep in the baby carrier that is…Hee)

Psst…Tickets are still available for Disney on Ice: Treasure Trove this weekend! Check it out if you haven’t already bought yours. Have a good weekend, everyone!

A date with dinosaurs at ArtScience Museum

For the first time ever, ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands introduces Dinosnores, A sleepover with Dinos.

We were invited to a media preview of Dinosnores, and decided that daddy would bring Vera on a special daddy date!

Here’s how the programme went.

7pm Interactive guided tour

The guided tour was helpful as the guides provided insight into the many dinosaur fossil exhibits as well as the three main theories of how all the dinosaurs became extinct.
7.45pm Dinner

8.15pm Workshop: stop motion / time lapse video

Here, kids were guided on how to make a time lapse video using an iPod. Vera was curious at first but she got distracted halfway and decided to doodle instead.

She drew a picture of an unhappy looking man in front of three lava and ash-spewing volcanoes. And what looked like dinosaur footprints in the ground. It’s interesting that she drew her own interpretation of what she learnt during the guided tour, i.e., that the dinosaurs could have been exterminated by volcanic activity. But instead of drawing a dino, she used a person to symbolise the unhappiness and danger that a volcano can bring. This tells me that she was listening to the guide during the tour. 🙂

9.15pm Prepare sleeping area

Hmm, centuries old dino bones make for a pretty dramatic bedside companion.

As Vera usually sleeps pretty early, the duo missed the Night at the museum film screening. Here they are on the foldable bed daddy brought along.

9.45pm Film screening: Night at the museum

Midnight: Lights out

Next day…

7.30am Breakfast & Workshop: Shadow puppets alive!

8.30am Workshop: A day in the life of a paleontologist

9.15am Free and easy, photo op

10am Home, sweet, home

So…what’s the verdict?

Daddy gives it the two thumbs up for fun and novelty. As for comfort, he gives it one thumb. (Partially because the foldable bed he brought for himself and Vera was a bit squeezy for two.)

Tickets for Dinosnores are still available for this Friday the 21st! It costs $120 per child (only for children aged 6 to 12 years), and accompanying adults get to go for free. (Maximum four children per adult. The number of adults must not exceed the number of children per booking.) To book, please call +65 6688 8826 or visit any Marina Bay Sands box office.

If you do make it, remember to bring along:
1) A thick jacket as it can get quite cold at night.
2) An inflatable mattress (if you have one).

All in all, snoozing with the dinos makes a memorable date night adventure with dad! PS. Plus it does mean that mummy gets the whole bed to herself for one night…well almost, if not for baby josh. 😉

Children’s Garden at Gardens by the Bay

We visited the new Far East Organization children’s garden at Gardens by the Bay during the CNY school holidays. The first major attraction of the place was of course the water play area. It was a huge water wonderland, both for kids and adults.

Kids of all ages were running amok and everyone was having a big splash.

Ironically, Vera and JJ didn’t quite like the water playground. I think they thought the water fountains were a tad too huge and fast for them. They were quite content playing at the toddler playground and the sand play area.

A fish fountain area that looked pretty interesting. Unfortunately it’s not in operation yet.

After the kids had their fun, we headed to the Cloud Forest Dome. The first thing that greeted us was this huge waterfall. The cool temperature was a nice touch too.

Pretty flowers were littered all over, and many nature photography enthusiasts were spotted with their huge cameras.

The aerial view from level four. (I’ll get dizzy if I look down for too long.)

Check out the mist!

And beautifully landscaped pond and garden areas.

As we brought baby J with us, I had to nurse him while the kids explored the dome with daddy. I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice nursing room on the ground floor of the dome (conveniently situated next to the lifts). It was well equipped with a hot and cold water dispenser, a diaper change station, sink, and a separate area for nursing, which can accommodate one mum and baby at a time. (Would have preferred to see a curtain for added privacy though, but thankfully the nursing bench is deeply nestled in one corner, so it’s not so intrusive.)

We ended the day with dinner at Satay by the bay, which was a nice 15 minutes walk away, along the bay. The weather was nice and breezy by 6pm.

When the kids are older, we’ll probably head back to the water playground. Hopefully by then they’ll be more comfortable to get wet and wild. 😉

A quiet brunch at La Ristrettos

I decided to have a quiet brunch on my own at La Ristrettos last week, after a visit to my gynae. Hidden on the 8th floor of Novena Medical Centre, I was almost surprised to find it when I was looking around at all the medical-looking suites and entrances. Even the directory at the lift didn’t list the cafe.

I sat outside as they happened to be having a private event. Thankfully it was pleasantly cool that morning.

My mushroom fritatta made me smile.

I was having a thankful kind of morning.

All was well with baby’s development, and my gynae also gave me the assurance that my placenta had moved up (initially it was low-lying).

So the delicious breakfast, ooh and coffee, set amidst greenery and solitude, aptly added to my mood.

In between devouring delicious morsels of mushroom, egg, tomato, and spinach, on buttered bread, I read Why Your Children Love You and took mental notes.

La Ristrettos, I’m adding you to my list of favourite cafes. You’re perfect for a weekend brunch. Or a quiet weekday breakfast and coffee retreat.

Yum is the word.

Happy weekend, folks!

Mummy dates: The Fabulous Baker Boy

After drooling over images of its cakes online, I finally hauled the kids over to get a taste of The Fabulous Baker Boy ourselves. Nestled at The Foothills of Fort Canning Park, it was a nice and relaxing trot to the cafe, through greenery and flora.

The cafe itself is simply decorated and spacious, with comfortable lounge chairs decking its outdoor space.

We walked into the cafe and ordered ourselves a Red Velvet. I wanted to try the sandwiches but alas, we had already missed the lunch hours…

JJ was enthralled by the tiny heart sprinkles, and ready to pounce with his fork.

They could barely hold their forks and mouths back. I was like “wait, wait, WAIT! Mummy take a photo first!” LOL

The plate was clean within like 2 minutes?? JJ was busy cleaning up the crumbs, and licking his fork.

The owner of the cafe was really nice. I wanted my iced-coffee decaf, but they didn’t have decaf, so I asked for the coffee to be weak. He served me the espresso in a cup separately and said it’s probably better for me to pour it in myself, so I can control the coffee strength. He also said lots of preggie mamas do the same, and they only add in a little. (Hee, the things we do to kid ourselves…)

In terms of cushy-level of cafe furnishings and seating, Vera gives the all-thumbs. 😉

Since we walloped the cake so fast, the kids were soon off and about exploring the area. Vera was happily picking frangipani flowers off the ground.

Little brother joined her for a while, then decided to clamber atop this sculpture.

On our way out to the bus-stop, we found a small tree with interesting leaves; we plucked some and ended up doing leaf prints with crayon and paint.

All in all, the kids had fun, and mummy enjoyed herself too. Now I just have to figure out how to slow down the pace of their cake-eating so that it’s not so competitive and I can enjoy each bite more! (LOL)

I’m relishing our mummy dates, and hope I have the energy and determination to bring them for more.

How do you mummies like to date your child?

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