Kidsstop Again

We missed church on Sunday bcos it was combined service at 8am and there was no Sunday school. We headed for Maths class and decided to go to Kidsstop in the afternoon. It had been a while since the last visit bcos it isn't too big and the kids get bored after a while.

The kids opted for Starbucks for lunch and gladly posed for me.

Then busied discussing about the kidsstop's map.

We bought tickets for the 2pm session and it was finally time to enter after a long wait. The kids had been wanting to take the mega slide. Lil Shauna went 1st and opted for the 4m challenge.

It was Lil Isaac's 1st ever attempt on the slide and he asked to go up to 5m. He looked quite bewildered when he let go to slide down. Too funny.

He asked to go again and this time, took the 6m challenge, 1m short of the maximum height. Again, he looked bewildered when he slided down. Haha. Why torture himself?

The kids went on to explore other sections. While Lil Isaac was engrossed in the ball play, Lil Shauna built herself an armchair. I am quite impressed.

We spent a good 3 hours in Kidsstop. The kids were still very energetic; my feet and back were killing me. I was busy with looking for somewhere to sit whenever the kids stop at any of the stations. Even fake tree roots work fine for me.

Daddy Lim came to pick us but didn't enter Kidsstop; I don't want to pay for his tickets and to fight over limited sitting places with him.  Lol.

Overall, it wasn't too bad. However, Kidsstop is probably designed for younger kids and mine are definitely outgrowing it. Some of the stations and equipment are falling apart too.

We had dinner with my brother's family thereafter. The kids always look forward to meeting the 3Fs.

Mummy Lim

One Last Practice

Lil Shauna and I hit the ice for a last practice on Saturday before her classes resumed in April.

It didn't start well. She was sluggish and complained big time about her skates. It was painful here and there, too tight then too loose. Regardless of what I do, she didn't feel good and was lousy on ice.

We didn't do anything much, she practiced her waltz jump and tried to swing her leg to jump higher. She tried so many times and  just couldn't land properly until I noticed that her arms weren't in a straight line when she landed. She tried to correct that and voila! Instantly, she was transformed!

Next, we went on to her salchow jump. She had to do a 3-turn before the jump and hasn't been swinging her leg enough to get the right jump. Something suddenly ticks and she made a fantastic 3-turn right before her salchow and her salchow jump turned out so well. I was wowed! The subsequent salchow jumps were all nicely done, the best since she started learning the jump.

We didn't stay too long. She was tired and I didn't want to push her.  We made 2 realisations from the practice. Firstly, the importance of precision and the little tweaks; such small tweaks have such great results. However, it is usually difficult to notice what is wrong. Secondly, with the boost of the nice jumps, Lil Shauna's skate issues suddenly all dissolved. Lol.

Mummy Lim

Lost But Found

Going to showflat is actually quite enjoyable. It is like window shopping and we get to see pretty decor. Quite theraptic if you asked me. Lol.

It must have been at least 1 year back. Lil Shauna was in her phonics class. While waiting, Daddy Lim and I brought the little boy and his toy tiger to the new showflat beside JCube to burn some time. The showflat was crowded and after we left, we realised that tiger was left behind. Oopsy daisy but too bad.

I went back to the showflat with the kids recently. On the way, I was telling the kids the story of the lost tiger. Lil Isaac couldn't remember much about it. 

As I was happily touring the showflat, the kids were happily running around from "room" to "room". Suddenly, they ran back and whispered that they found tiger! Tiger had apparently became part of the showflat decor, along with others probably also lost toys. Haha.

We didn't buy anything of course but we claimed tiger and brought him home. Lil Isaac is super pleased. Hehe.

Mummy Lim

Science Center

On days that mummy is lazy, Science Center is a gem; it is a couple of MRT stops away. It became even more precious when the government slashed the entrance fees for Singaporeans.

Daddy Lim was on full day duty yday. We thought about heading to USS but was mindful of the freaking hot weather. I am glad that we opted to hide in the air-conditioned Science Center. It was really freaking hot; we sweat buckets simply by traveling from our home to Science Center by MRT. Scary.

We only had 1 hour to burn before Lil Isaac's Chinese class. We went ahead when it only cost the 3 of us $14. We didn't get to see a lot. There is Lil Isaac's spooky man. He is uber scared of this climbing man.

We caught the fire tornado show too.

The kids squeezed right in front and it was actually very hot.

I could even feel the heat when I stood behind the crowd and had to cool myself off with an ice cream... quietly. Lol.

Ok, I am not that evil. The kids came out before the end of the show perspiring and I did buy theme ice cream too.

Yeah for Science Center!

Mummy Lim

Piggy Pork

Lil Shauna saw the advertisementime on the truck and exclaimed, "Piggy! So cute!".

I have to gently tell her that the advertisement bascially says that the pigs would be killed to make pork.

She went, "Eeeeewwwwww... Oh, sorry piggies."

Haha.

Mummy Lim

Burn Time

We had a jam packed Sunday, moving from class to class. It was the usual Maths class starting at 9am before heading to church. Lil Isaac had to makeup for his TKD class in the late afternnon that we missed last week while in Batam. We had 3 hours to burn in between church and TKD. Daddy Lim was on afternoon shift. Bad combination.

I contemplated mall crawling but we are all sick and tired of the malls in Jurong. The lazy bone in me refused to let go anywhere beyond Commonwealth, where church is. The best way to burn 3 hours? I threw the kids in the ice skating rink. Muahahahaha.

I didn't have to worry about Lil Shauna. The 12.45pm to 2.45pm slot was lovely, usually the less crowded on weekends. At least I didn't have to worry so much about Lil Isaac knocking into somebody or vice versa. I didn't go into the rink; Lil Shauna was tasked to look after Didi. Muahahahaha.

It wasn't too bad in the beginning.

Lil Shauna performed her role very well until she started to practice a little on her own and then got distracted bcos her favourite C jiejie was in the rink. Lil Isaac then complained that he was bored.

Still, nobody got killed. We didn't stay very long, slightly over an hour and everybody was happy... for a while. We were all tired from the jam packed Sunday, perfect for brewing tantrums. Still, nobody got killed on the last school holiday.

Mummy Lim

Almost Back to Normalcy

In a blink, the school holiday is almost over. The classes routine came back yday. After missing 2 weeks of ice, we were back for practice. We have no classes this month bcos e rink was closed for event 1 week and Teacher Raymond is away for the other 3.

We woke up and got out early to try to avoid the tiger.

It didn't seem that the 2 weeks away from ice had any huge impact on Lil Shauna. She quickly got used and her skates didn't kill her too. We took 2 breaks in between to rest her feet. I hope this means that they are finally ran in. Her jumps are getting better, we still have a long way to go for her spins. We tried the toe loop jump and she could manage a slow motion version. Lol.

In the afternoon, Lil Isaac had his TKD class. His grading test result came out last week but we missed class. He was worried that he wouldn't get to have his belt changed. Of course he did and he was so super proud.

I am quite sure that you can tell his Master David is super not camera shy. Lol. At the end of the class, Master Alvin told me that Lil Isaac did super well in class today, remembering all the footwork. The new green tip belt must have powered him up. Hehe.

We got to spend the evening with some of the SHSS girls' kids at the Chan's family. A little last bit of fun before school starts.

This morning, the kids were pack off to Maths class.

We have a busy Sunday ahead.

Mummy Lim

SHSS Batam Day 3

Time always seems to fly by when having fun. We had come to the end of our holiday and it was time to go home.

The kids didn't wake up until almost 8am even though Lil Shauna climbed to bed at 8.30pm the night before. It wasn't a fantastic sleep though; the bed was too squeezey for the 4 of us, the fire alarm went off in the middle of the night. We called the lobby and understood that some guest set it off by smoking in the room. We always meet fire alarm while on holiday. This is the 3rd time already!

We joined the rest for bfast and had to squeeze in a last swim before we set off for home.

The daddies had the all important job of making sure 9 kids go into the pool, 9 kids got out safely. Once out of the pool, everything went in a swift and we met in the lobby with all the luggage.

A group photo proved too tough but we had one of the mummies... and a not very happy little boy. I have no idea what was he doing there.

The hotel provided a complimentary shuttle to the ferry terminal however, they gave us a 9 seater for 17 of us?! They provided another car and some of the kids sat with their mummy. The mini van came with a huge trunk and we chose to sit in the trunk with the luggage instead.

It was definitely an experience for our pampered kids. I was reminded of my childhood, the days where we would sit in my dad's pickup or van. The others were worried that it was uncomfortable or unsafe for us. It wasn't too bad and I don't think they were any safer than us in their seatbelt-less seats. The ferry terminal wasn't very far away.

We had over an hour to burn. The kids happily self entertained playing catching while the adults tried not to draw the kids' attention to ourselves. Haha.

The ferry ride home was bumpier but nobody puke. Heng ah! The boys wanted to go outdoor and then Lil Shauna wanted to stay outdoor. I like outdoor.

Overall, it was a great trip. The duration was just nice for such a huge group. The destination and activities suit us as well. Daddy Lim and I agreed that Lil Isaac is usually better behaved when we are in our own. Nevertheless, we look forward to more of such trips in the future. Hehe. When is the next one?

Mummy Lim

SHSS Batam Day 2

I had reminded the kids to not wake up so early. I wouldnt appreciate waking up before 8am and Lil Isaac had to wake up at 6.30am Batam time. Zzzz.. Soon, jiejie was awoken by the little boy. Double Zzzzzz..

We weren’t the only family with early birds. The rest of the families were just as early. Play must be in the kids’ mind and stopping sleep from doing its work. We agreed that we would do bfast own time, own target but were all in the restaurant at about the same time. The kids must have colluded to torture the parents and denied them of sleep.

What do we do after bfast? Throw the kids in the pool so that no adults get killed. It was another round of swimming before we took the complimentary shuttle to Nogoya at 1pm. This time, we hit the deep pool. The daddies had the role to protect the flock.

The kids had fun running around the lobby while waiting for the bus. I cannot help but wonder where did they get their energy from. Did they secretly plug themselves to charge up while the adults took their shower? It was a marvelous feat to get all the kids to sit down for a picture.

We had A&W for lunch. Yes, it is the Singaporeans must eat A&W when they see A&W overseas symptoms. It wasn't actually that fantastic but the food street where most of the food nested in Nagoya is not air-conditioned and we needed to order fast, eat fast and go. We were eating and sweating at the same time.

After a sauna lunch, the kids were treated to 2 hours of arcade. The kids were in heaven. We were initially worried that the kids would get bored in Nogoya since the shuttle would only pick up 5.45pm. Apparently, there is no space for boredom when you are in an arcade. Lil Isaac wasn't the best-behaved though. He threw tantrum and got punished. Then he went to the toilet with Daddy Lim and attempted to leave the toilet on his own when he was told to wait and could have gotten lost if Auntie S didn't bump into him on her way to the toilet. He got punished again.

We had dinner back in the hotel and I almost wanted to allow a night swim for the kids but Daddy Lim thought I was crazy. Haha. The kids were all beat. Lil Shauna crawled into bed at 8.30pm. Lil Isaac survived better as he had a long nap on the way to Nogoya. We visited the other kids in Auntie J’s room but it was obvious that we were dead tired. It wasn't long before we rushed the kids to bed.

Mummy Lim

SHSS Batam Day 1

Finally, we are embarking on another group trip with the girls. The last trip was a few years back to Desaru. Then, the tiger boys were still in diapers! This time, it is the same 5 families. We are 17 people strong, making up of 9 adults (J considered as adult already) and 8 kids. It would be insane to try to plan a long trip with so many kids, big and small. We decided on 3D2N Batam and envisioned a lot of swimming. Swimming can't be wrong. Haha.

We planned to meet at Haborfront Mac at 8am - waking up bright and early and kids lugging their own luggage. I am impressed that the kids were largely responsible for their luggage this trip and nagging was at the minimal for potential luggage lost.

My new sunglasses are finally put to work. Happy!

It was a mad rush upon arrival. The whole world had also chosen to go to Batam on the same day. Habourfront was mad crowded. There wasn't much time to idle after bfast and we packed off to the immigration shortly. The ferry to Batam was smooth. The 2 tiger boys posed for picture. Sorry ER, auntie did a lousy job.

The complimentary shuttle was waiting for us upon arrival. Sweet! We had a whole mini van to ourselves. The younger kids had to share seats but no sweat. We were too excited to be bothered by such small issues.

We stayed in Holiday Inn. It wasn't superbly expensive but their service was excellent! I signed up as their member while booking the rooms and they gave us 1 hr of complimentary KTV! Two of the 5 rooms were ready when we arrived and we waited in the room’s comfort before we go in search of lunch. Right after, we just had to swim; the pool was calling.

The rest of the day was spent playing in somebody’s room or basically ANYWHERE. The kids’ playground was everywhere. We utilised the 1 hour of complimentary KTV but I heard that the songs were lousy. They didn't even have Bruno Mars!

The games in the games room were all free. Lil Isaac was intrigued with the darts. Luckily nobody got killed in the process. He almost got a bull's eye!

There were 3 pool tables free for hotel guests to use. I love that.

After dinner, we gathered at Auntie J's room and the kids spent the rest of the night playing and playing.

Bedtime was super easy after a long day of immersing in the water and running and more running. I barely made it out of the showers and there was Lil Isaac, sound asleep. Lil Shauna needed little help too. Yawn..

Mummy Lim