I thought the "All In One" part sounds too good to be true, and this product has an interesting name, but the full name of this item is: Petit Terraillon All In One: blender/ food warmer/ food steamer/ bottle warmer/ bottle sterilizer. I came across it on a parenting forum in a thread that discusses about how to provide a baby with food when travelling. The reviews seem to be pretty good and the product is compact enough to bring along when travelling. I guess this will be useful if one has a baby who is drinking from a bottle and/or still eating blended food. You can see it here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Petit-Terraillon-All-one-steriliser/dp/B000HHKKLK
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Checking In Quickly
If any of you are wondering, yes, I'm still committed to finish blogging about our now not-too-recent holiday in New Zealand. It is taking quite a while and I'm only on Day 6, but yes, I want to finish blogging about it...eventually! Haha!
June passed by rather quickly, probably partly due to DS being home half the time instead of at school. Hand, foot and mouth disease is currently above epidemic levels in Singapore (whatever that means!) and unfortunately, three children in DS' preschool came down with it. We therefore kept DS away from school until there was no evidence of further transmission within PMI (DS' preschool).
I've also spent a bit of time changing the layout of my blog. On the right, there is now a section whereby blog posts are organized according to labels. This makes it easier for readers of my blog to read the posts that they are interested in. I've also re-written the "about me" section to, well, talk about me rather than the reason for starting this blog. Readers who wish to follow my blog can now also subscribed via email at the bottom of the page. This means that whenever I publish a new blog post, readers who have subscribed will have this new post delivered to their email account.
OK, that's all from me for now. I'll be writing again very soon!
June passed by rather quickly, probably partly due to DS being home half the time instead of at school. Hand, foot and mouth disease is currently above epidemic levels in Singapore (whatever that means!) and unfortunately, three children in DS' preschool came down with it. We therefore kept DS away from school until there was no evidence of further transmission within PMI (DS' preschool).
I've also spent a bit of time changing the layout of my blog. On the right, there is now a section whereby blog posts are organized according to labels. This makes it easier for readers of my blog to read the posts that they are interested in. I've also re-written the "about me" section to, well, talk about me rather than the reason for starting this blog. Readers who wish to follow my blog can now also subscribed via email at the bottom of the page. This means that whenever I publish a new blog post, readers who have subscribed will have this new post delivered to their email account.
OK, that's all from me for now. I'll be writing again very soon!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
21 Creative Projects with Kids
I came across this great post! Wonderful ideas for things to do with kids at home, especially with the rainy weather that we've had recently!
21 Creative Projects with Kids
21 Creative Projects with Kids
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
NZ Vacation Day 6 (Part I) - Queenstown
We spent the morning at Skyline, taking the gondola all the way to the top of the mountain called Bob's Peak and having lunch at the cafe there. Queenstown's Skyline gondola is supposed to the steepest lift in the Southern Hemisphere (not that there are many countries in the Southern Hemisphere anyway, haha!). At the top, there are also observation decks for visitors to get breathtaking views of the lakes and mountain ranges.
This picture was taken from the cabin of the lift on our way up. See how steep it is!
We were almost at the top of the gondola ride when we spotted a protruding ramp for brave souls to do bungee jumping! The ramp is 400m above ground level and according to the Skyline website, jumpers can even choose to jump off the ramp on a skateboard, bike, snowboard or in-line skates. Unfortunately, we didn't see anybody doing a bungee jump when we were there.
Finally, at the top! The view was simply breathtaking! I think besides Milford Sound (look out for my blog post on Milford Sound later on!), the next nicest scenery was at Queenstown. Unfortunately, we couldn't take more pictures of the beautiful scenery from another angle because the sun was shining right at us.
Grandpa brought a pair of binoculars along but didn't get his turn at using it! The kids were hogging it and taking turns to "admire" the scenery with it. I do wonder what they were looking at through the binoculars.
This picture was taken from the cabin of the lift on our way up. See how steep it is!
We were almost at the top of the gondola ride when we spotted a protruding ramp for brave souls to do bungee jumping! The ramp is 400m above ground level and according to the Skyline website, jumpers can even choose to jump off the ramp on a skateboard, bike, snowboard or in-line skates. Unfortunately, we didn't see anybody doing a bungee jump when we were there.
Finally, at the top! The view was simply breathtaking! I think besides Milford Sound (look out for my blog post on Milford Sound later on!), the next nicest scenery was at Queenstown. Unfortunately, we couldn't take more pictures of the beautiful scenery from another angle because the sun was shining right at us.
Grandpa brought a pair of binoculars along but didn't get his turn at using it! The kids were hogging it and taking turns to "admire" the scenery with it. I do wonder what they were looking at through the binoculars.
Monday, May 31, 2010
The Slide @ T3
We were at our usual hangout (Changi Airport!) over the weekend and chanced upon The Slide @ T3.
Singapore's tallest slide, and the world's tallest slide in an airport opened last week at Terminal 3, Changi Airport. The slide is 4 storeys tall (or 12m high) and one can reach a top speed of 6m/s while sliding down. Members of the public would have to spend $30 in a single receipt at Changi Airport to redeem 2 tokens to ride the slide.
Thankfully, there was a shorter slide, one-and-a-half storey tall, that one can ride for free. DS took DH and I by surprise when, after spending some time observing people whizzing down the slides, he indicated that he would like to have a go at the shorter slide. Now, this may not come as a surprise to parents of playground slide-loving preschoolers, but our DS didn't dare go down a regular-length, playground slide until he was about 2 years old! And our DS is also a generally cautious boy who didn't climb up and down the furniture in the house when he was a toddler.
We gave DS some time to consider if he really wanted to take the slide. After some deliberation, he said that he'll give it a go! Yay! Here's DS waiting in the queue with the entrance to the slide in the background. He thoroughly enjoyed himself and wanted to join the (long!) queue again immediately after the ride! Well, we told him that we'll bring him back on a weekday when there's no queue. :)
Picture showing the starting and ending of the shorter slide.
Picture showing part of the taller slide.
It looks like we'll be back at the airport again very soon, since DS wants to ride the slide again. This time, we might take the kids across to T2 to visit the Changi Aviation Gallery.
Singapore's tallest slide, and the world's tallest slide in an airport opened last week at Terminal 3, Changi Airport. The slide is 4 storeys tall (or 12m high) and one can reach a top speed of 6m/s while sliding down. Members of the public would have to spend $30 in a single receipt at Changi Airport to redeem 2 tokens to ride the slide.
Thankfully, there was a shorter slide, one-and-a-half storey tall, that one can ride for free. DS took DH and I by surprise when, after spending some time observing people whizzing down the slides, he indicated that he would like to have a go at the shorter slide. Now, this may not come as a surprise to parents of playground slide-loving preschoolers, but our DS didn't dare go down a regular-length, playground slide until he was about 2 years old! And our DS is also a generally cautious boy who didn't climb up and down the furniture in the house when he was a toddler.
We gave DS some time to consider if he really wanted to take the slide. After some deliberation, he said that he'll give it a go! Yay! Here's DS waiting in the queue with the entrance to the slide in the background. He thoroughly enjoyed himself and wanted to join the (long!) queue again immediately after the ride! Well, we told him that we'll bring him back on a weekday when there's no queue. :)
Picture showing the starting and ending of the shorter slide.
Picture showing part of the taller slide.
It looks like we'll be back at the airport again very soon, since DS wants to ride the slide again. This time, we might take the kids across to T2 to visit the Changi Aviation Gallery.
More DD Pictures!
I seem to be taking more pictures of DD than DS lately, I think simply because DD is still home with me almost 24/7 while DS is away for half a day at preschool. Although, DD keeps insisting that she's "ready" for preschool. But that's for another blog post. :P
DD is very different from DS. She really enjoys dressing up, preferring to choose her own outfit for the day, with matching shoes. On this day, she insisted on wearing sunglasses to go with her outfit.
She also has this very "stylish" way of tilting her sunglasses down to look you in the eyes if you are talking to her. I have absolutely no idea where she learnt that from since both DH and I do not do that!
We went to the Novena Post Office at Revenue House after dropping DS off at school last week and DD asked me to take a picture of her with this water feature. I'm sure this water feature has something to do with fengshui since it's right in front of Revenue House. :)
DD also loves trying on my clothes and shoes, something that DS has hardly taken an interest in, even when he was younger. DD tells me frequently that when she is bigger, she wants to wear my clothes. I tell her, "Of course you can do that!" but I'm sure that when the time comes, she will not be caught dead wearing her mummy's clothes!!! Haha!
DD is very different from DS. She really enjoys dressing up, preferring to choose her own outfit for the day, with matching shoes. On this day, she insisted on wearing sunglasses to go with her outfit.
She also has this very "stylish" way of tilting her sunglasses down to look you in the eyes if you are talking to her. I have absolutely no idea where she learnt that from since both DH and I do not do that!
We went to the Novena Post Office at Revenue House after dropping DS off at school last week and DD asked me to take a picture of her with this water feature. I'm sure this water feature has something to do with fengshui since it's right in front of Revenue House. :)
DD also loves trying on my clothes and shoes, something that DS has hardly taken an interest in, even when he was younger. DD tells me frequently that when she is bigger, she wants to wear my clothes. I tell her, "Of course you can do that!" but I'm sure that when the time comes, she will not be caught dead wearing her mummy's clothes!!! Haha!
Friday, May 21, 2010
NZ Vacation Day 5 - Queenstown
Today was the day we had all been waiting for - the long journey (330km) into Queenstown. Back in the days of the year 2001BC (Before Children), travelling 330km would have been a piece of cake to us. We toured New Zealand's north island then and could stop whenever we wanted to, or drive on for as long as we liked without stopping if we didn't need to. Now, with young children in the equation, making a long drive would be impossible without strategic planning. Packing enough snacks (and it has to be those that the kids love eating), being able to entertain the kids when they got bored, planning our pee breaks (basically no one is allowed to stop for a pee break unless one of the kids need to go!) and having the driver step on the gas and driving as fast as safely possible to cover as much distance as we can as soon as DD dozes off, are all part of the battle plan.
Here we are, at an unscheduled pit stop. DD was getting annoyed as she was tired but couldn't fall asleep, and couldn't get out of her car seat. When she wasn't interested in snacks or songs anymore, and nothing could distract her from crying, we knew that we had to stop. While I nursed DD, the males got out to enjoy the scenery and to empty their bladders.
Here's the little stream where I presume the boys had a pee. I certainly hope there were no guided tours somewhere downstream with the tour guide encouraging tourists to take a drink from the "pure" mountain spring water.
After coaxing DD back into her car seat, we drove on for about two more hours before finally getting our first view of the beautiful scenery that awaited us as we neared Queenstown. Behind us was probably Lake Hawea, and the next picture, Lake Wanaka. We weren't sure if we were identifying the correct lakes as we drove pass them.
Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka lie beside each other, with a small strip of land called The Neck (1000m wide) separating them both. These two lakes were supposed to have been excavated by huge glaciers more than 10,000 years ago!
It was past lunch time, so we decided to stop at the Puzzle Cafe in Puzzling World, Wanaka, for a quick lunch before heading into Queenstown. Puzzling World in Wanaka is a tourist attraction "specialising in puzzling eccentricity". It has a maze, rooms with optical illutions, "eccentric architecture" and other oddities. The cafe has several puzzles to keep diners occupied during a meal too.
The picture below shows the Leaning Tower of Wanaka, which appears to have been pulled out of the ground, balanced on one corner of the Tower and leaning at an angle of 53 degrees to the ground. Even the Leaning Tower of Pisa only leans at an angle of six degrees to the ground.
Here's a picture of the family using a Roman-style toilet, which were just holes on a "bench" with running water under the seats. Apparently, the Romans used to carry on them a brush as part of their personal toiletries, to be used in place of toilet paper! In the picture, DH was pretending to use his handphone while sitting on the toilet. Oh, and me pretending to have a stomachache.
DH again, this time pretending to be severely constipated!
After lunch, a quick 30-minute drive and we were at Villa Del Lago, where we stayed for 3 nights. This self-contained house, built slim and tall like many houses in Queenstown (it had 3 floors - top floor had one bedroom, middle floor was the main level with kitchen, living and dining area, and a "basement" with 2 bedrooms. As you can imagine, we had lots of exercise during the 4 days we were in Queenstown, especially with chasing the kids up and down the stairs!), had a magnificent view of Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables mountain ranges. The view was so beautiful, and the house was so clean and tidy that we had a very pleasant stay at Villa Del Lago. It was great waking up to beautiful scenery, or coming home after a tiring day out to enjoy the view we had.
The beautiful scenery once again, taken from the balcony.
Here we are, at an unscheduled pit stop. DD was getting annoyed as she was tired but couldn't fall asleep, and couldn't get out of her car seat. When she wasn't interested in snacks or songs anymore, and nothing could distract her from crying, we knew that we had to stop. While I nursed DD, the males got out to enjoy the scenery and to empty their bladders.
Here's the little stream where I presume the boys had a pee. I certainly hope there were no guided tours somewhere downstream with the tour guide encouraging tourists to take a drink from the "pure" mountain spring water.
After coaxing DD back into her car seat, we drove on for about two more hours before finally getting our first view of the beautiful scenery that awaited us as we neared Queenstown. Behind us was probably Lake Hawea, and the next picture, Lake Wanaka. We weren't sure if we were identifying the correct lakes as we drove pass them.
Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka lie beside each other, with a small strip of land called The Neck (1000m wide) separating them both. These two lakes were supposed to have been excavated by huge glaciers more than 10,000 years ago!
It was past lunch time, so we decided to stop at the Puzzle Cafe in Puzzling World, Wanaka, for a quick lunch before heading into Queenstown. Puzzling World in Wanaka is a tourist attraction "specialising in puzzling eccentricity". It has a maze, rooms with optical illutions, "eccentric architecture" and other oddities. The cafe has several puzzles to keep diners occupied during a meal too.
The picture below shows the Leaning Tower of Wanaka, which appears to have been pulled out of the ground, balanced on one corner of the Tower and leaning at an angle of 53 degrees to the ground. Even the Leaning Tower of Pisa only leans at an angle of six degrees to the ground.
Here's a picture of the family using a Roman-style toilet, which were just holes on a "bench" with running water under the seats. Apparently, the Romans used to carry on them a brush as part of their personal toiletries, to be used in place of toilet paper! In the picture, DH was pretending to use his handphone while sitting on the toilet. Oh, and me pretending to have a stomachache.
DH again, this time pretending to be severely constipated!
After lunch, a quick 30-minute drive and we were at Villa Del Lago, where we stayed for 3 nights. This self-contained house, built slim and tall like many houses in Queenstown (it had 3 floors - top floor had one bedroom, middle floor was the main level with kitchen, living and dining area, and a "basement" with 2 bedrooms. As you can imagine, we had lots of exercise during the 4 days we were in Queenstown, especially with chasing the kids up and down the stairs!), had a magnificent view of Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables mountain ranges. The view was so beautiful, and the house was so clean and tidy that we had a very pleasant stay at Villa Del Lago. It was great waking up to beautiful scenery, or coming home after a tiring day out to enjoy the view we had.
The beautiful scenery once again, taken from the balcony.
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