A Juggling Mom

Bangkok for Kids – KidZania Bangkok, Siam Paragon

February 17, 2016 1 comment

Have you heard the latest news?

KidZania Singapore has finally announced their latest airline partner yesterday and they are scheduled to open in April 2016! We’ve been eagerly anticipating it’s opening for a long time and it’s finally happening soon!

Well in case, you’re not familiar with KidZania,. they are an interactive indoor edutainment centre where kids can experience the world of adults in a kid sized city. Here children get to take on jobs like daddy and mummy and are inspired to pursue their dreams through diverse role-playing activities where they can earn a salary and learn some useful life skills like money management, taking instructions and working with others.

We took Sophie to KidZania in Bangkok last October, so here’s a review of what KidZania offers and what you can expect from Kidzania Singapore too!

KidZania Bangkok

If you’re planning to take your kids to KidZania, do book your tickets online to enjoy a 15% discount. Silly us only found out about the offer a day before our visit and they had at least two days of advance purchase to to enjoy discounts though I don’t see it on their website now. But in any case, this was something I discovered too late so I don’t want you to miss this offer like me.

Since we took Sophie to Babyboss in Taipei before ( yikes, i didn’t even blog about that leg of our Taiwan trip yet!), she still has fond memories of the experience and the concept of it even though it was 3 years ago. This goes to show how much of an impression it left on her and what a great immersion experience it will be for kids when there is hands-on interactive play.

KidZania is located on the 5th level of Siam Paragon, that is connect to the Siam station by BTS. At Siam Paragon, you’lll also find Siam Ocean World , another key attraction if you’re going to Bangkok with kids.

Doors open at 10am on weekdays and 10.30am on weekends and public holidays and I recommend you to go early as it may get crowded especially during weekends, term breaks and of course their local holidays.

Finally here at KidZania, Bangkok in Siam Paragon

Get your boarding passes ready and be prepared for an adventure at KidZania

According to their website, there are more than 80 activities and trades that kids can experience. Before we entered, we tried to set Sophie’s expectation right that we may only be able to cover 5 -6 jobs since we were planning to stay for 5 hours and there was a school excursion the day we went.

We learnt a couple of lessons from our last visit to Babyboss in Taiwan and got Sophie to decisively join the queue once she decided what she wanted to do while one of us went to check out the rest of the city.

But before we got started, we need to visit the bank to cash out her cheque where she received 50 KidZo, which is the currency kids will earn and use to pay for services or buy things in KidZania.

The first stop – the Fire Station!

After putting on their fire fighter uniform, these little fire fighters had to attended a briefing to understand what their duties entailed. Of course, you don’t have to worry about the language barrier as KidZania gets lots of overseas tourists and there’ll always be staff to find out if any kids need translation.

Once the briefing is over, they get to hop on the fire engine that will take them to the site that needs their quick thinking to extinguish the fire. This usually causes a commotion as the fire engine really travels round KidZania operated by a adult and lots of kids will follow behind too.

Well done brave fire fighters!

After the task is accomplished, Sophie got her first KidZo for a job well done!

Along the way, we spotted the cutest construction workers…

and adorable little chefs in the making…

The pilot and flight attendant were really popular jobs and there was always a snaking queue for it! So if your kids are keen on these openings, do make a beeline for them the moment the themepark opens.

On level two, we spotted a few bottling and assembly line for Meiji (our favourite brand of milk), coca cola, some peanuts brand which I forgot.

Since there were already a few boys in the line for the Meiji Milk Factory, I got Sophie to join them so that they can quickly hit 8 kids and start the activity.

To find out if a certain activity is suitable for your child, you can check out the information like recommended age, duration required for the task, amount of KidZo that can be earned and the numbr of kids they take in for the activity.

Looking so cute in her lab coat

The bottling plant is really functional where kids can learn the process of how milk is bottled and the nutritional value it contains. For such a task, the staff emphasized the importance of having clean hands while they carried out their role.

See how proud Sophie was of her very own bottled strawberry milk that she got to take back. And while she gets to earn Kidzo in some other activity, she had to pay 10 Kidzo for this task as she gets to take back her own product.

Along the way, we spotted this amusing scene where the little detectives were trying to find the perpetrator of a crime scene and look how the officer was trying to get the detectives to identify him.

Little Sushi Chefs in the making

The next establishment that caught Sophie’s eye was the vet clinic which she particularly liked as she learnt about the ins and outs of being a vet. The staff was very patient too and gave each child a chance to perform check-ups for the (stuffed) cat according to a simple check-list on a card.

As I peered inside, I noticed how realistic the vet clinic was and they even had an assortment of pets.

Bronze statues of the Mascots of KidZania

They even have a 2-storey hospital that housed the doctors, nurses, surgeons and nannies for babies! Plus parents can observe their children from these spy camera within the hospital.

A very quiet barber shop

We still remembered that Sophie wanted to be a dentist the last time she was in Baby Boss but missed the opportunity so we went looking for it. Frankly, I don’t mind if she decides she wants to be a dentist in the future too 😛

Besides learning about what it takes to be a dentist, kids will also learn about basic dental care, the proper way to brush their teeth, flossing, which I thought made it more interesting as these are knowledge that kids can use everyday.

Open your mouth and say Ahhhh….

The last occupation that Sophie did was a Gas Station attendant, something which she is very familiar as Daddy always has to make a pit stop there for.fuel.

Dining options

If you’re hungry, there are also restaurants and cafes within KidZania like the Amazon Café, McDonalds, Oishi Japanese Shop, City Square Cafeteria, as well as different food carts.

Alternatively, kids can take part in activities where they get to prepare their meals and enjoy them for example at the Oishi Japanese Shop, where they learn to make sushi, treats from the culinary school or Meiji milk that you see above.

Our take on KidZania Bangkok

I feel that the best age to get the most of the KidZania experience is 5 years old and above where the child is able to understand simple instructions and is confident of being on their own since parents are not allowed to accompany them for their activity.

But that said, Sophie did go to Baby Boss when she was younger at 4 years old and she had a blast there! Kids from 2 years old have to buy a ticket but it’s probably better spent at the Safari World.

In all, it was a fun and educational interactive experience for Sophie although she did struggle to understand them due to their Thai accent and we had to cut short our visit as she wasn’t well that afternoon and later even threw up in the night 🙁

Looking forward to KidZania Singapore

Imagine Sophie’s delight when I told her that KidZania is opening in Singapore. And what makes it unique is that out of all the 22 KidZania cities located worldwide, KidZania Singapore will be the only KidZania to showcase the an actual life-size decommissioned Boeing 737 within its City.

Role-playing is a timeless and universal part of everyone’s childhood and that’s really the attraction of KidZania where kids learn by experiencing different professions, how a city works, financial literacy, living in a community and how to work both independently and as a team, as well as actual life skills.

Sophie obviously can’t wait to go to KidZania and even asked if I can plan a playdate for her and her friends so that they can have, in her words, “the best day ever”!

Heading to Bangkok soon? Don’t miss these posts too

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Disney On Ice 2016: Magical Ice Festival {Giveaway for Family Package}

February 5, 2016 Comments: 90

We may be a month away from the 2016 March School holidays but I’m already making plans to make it a fun filled break for Sophie who’s just started Primary School. She had a few suggestions of her own like organizing a get together with her friends from her childcare whom she misses so much, taking her swimming and even coming to my office to intern. But what she’s doesn’t know, is that I’ll be surprising her and taking her to Disney On Ice’s presents Magical Ice Festival when they come to Singapore in March!

Okay, I’ll admit I’m also looking forward to the show myself because it’s DISNEY. Like so excited! *does a happy dance*

And like they say, being a parent now gives me a legit excuses to gush over Disney like a five-year old. So totally no judging if you’re a Disney fan like me too.

I can still remember how excited Sophie was when we took her to Disney On Ice’s Treasure Trove two year ago. She was all dressed up as her favourite Disney Princess Belle and was entralled by the performers who waltzed, skated and danced so gracefully to the various well loved Disney stories.

She may be dressed as Princess Belle but this one lacks her refined grace

Disney on Ice presents Magical Ice Festival

This year’s, Magical Ice Festival, promises to takes you on a another sensational journey with all the well loved Disney characters where you’ll be treated to a medley of Disney movies from The Little Mermaid to Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel as well as special appearances from characters of Frozen, like Queen Elsa, Anna and the adorable Olaf! Who ever said the Frozen fever has died down when the kids are still belting out to Let it Go, Let it Go.

“By pulling together moments from classic Disney stories to the newest feature film sensation Frozen and combining them with elements of comedy and music, we developed a truly unique way to re-tell each fairytale,” says Producer, Juliette Feld.

“In our more than 30 years of producing Disney On Ice shows, Feld Entertainment has been waiting for a film like Frozen,” says Producer, Nicole Feld. “”he most exciting part of bringing characters like Anna and Elsa to the ice for the first time is knowing that they have a powerful and inspiring message that resonates with audiences as the sisters discover the true meaning of love.”

You can call me out for being bias, but I’ve never been disappointed by Disney’s production as I’m always certain that they’ll put up an unforgettable performance. And I bet you, Disney On Ice presents Magical Ice Festival will be an enchanting experience enchanting mix of royalty, where the stories of Disney’s most beloved heroines come to live with energetic choreography that will have audiences singing, dancing and cheering their favourite Disney characters.

(more…)

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Making memories around the dining table

February 2, 2016 Comments: 2

Chinese New Year is round the corner and for most families it’s a time when the family is gathered for the all important reunion dinner. It doesn’t matter how busy your schedule is or how far away you are, when it comes to reunion dinners, both young and old will always makes time for family on this special occasion to usher in the Lunar New Year.

As Asians, my mum would often make a fuss about having our meals together. Besides waiting us to tuck in once she dishes out the food from the kitchen so that we can eat them while it’s hot from the pot, it’s also her way of rounding up the family so that we can share about our day with each other. But as we got older, meals together as family got less frequent everyone got busy with work, friends and basically life just took over.

When we started our family, I always envision us eating at the dining table as a family. It started off well when Sophie had her own high chair and she’ll learn to eat different kinds of food exposed to her. Thankfully, despite being a noob cook, my dear family was patient not to fire me from the kitchen even though I’ve whipped up dishes that will never make it to the kitchen table again.

But over time, the dining table became cluttered with stuff, which I’m guilty of, and we settled for our meals at the coffee table in front of the TV and traded our precious family time for TV time.

Now that my mum cooks on weekdays at my place, we’ve resumed our meals at the dining table and I hope it’s here to stay. More than just a meal with the family, it’s a time when mobile devices are barred and banned and everyone comes together to say grace and feed our bodies and soul at the same time.

Sophie recognises that everyone plays a part and she’s been in charge of wiping and setting the table for dinner. Sharing a meal is the perfect setting to talk about our day where we catch up on how each other’s day went, share our opinions about things around us and make exciting plans for the weekends among other things.

Unknowingly, they can also be valuable time where when we get to impart important lessons to Sophie when she opens up and tells us about incidents that happened in school like a friend who keeps disturbing her or what she should do if a friend doesn’t want to talk to her. As we gave her our suggestions, she’s learning about how to turn to adults for advice, hearing different views and opinions for her to make better choices on her own.

Not surprising, there has been studies on how eating together as a family has multiple benefits from here, here and here. But you and I know that we could all do with more meal time as a family. So let’s not wait till it’s Chinese New Year before we sit together as a family to share a meal.

I love how the Meal Time Movement sums it all up.

The most important thing isn’t what’s on the table. Or even being around a table at all.

Mealtime means taking a moment to enjoy food with humans you care about. And it makes a big difference in how we live and grow.

Meals feed the body. Mealtime feeds the relationship.

Enjoying conversations over food helps form connections, one bite at a time.

A family that eats together, stays together. So beyond the Lunar New Year, let’s make time to always have meals with the ones who matter to us!

This post was inspired by the Real Love Never Stops campaign by AIA Singapore. You can catch the video here. ‪#‎CelebrateRealMoments‬ ‪#‎RealLoveNeverStops‬

Here’s wishing you and your family a very Blessed Lunar New Year too!

Chinese New Year Lunch at Grandma’s

Chinese New Year Lunch with Sophie’s cousins

Hosted CNY dinner for our family last year

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Remembering what matters

January 28, 2016 Comments: 15

A friend asked me the other day if I am still blogging now that Sophie is in Primary One. This has been weighing on my mind since I wanted to simplify as one of my goal’s for this year and one way was to spend less time online and be present with my family.

While I would still like to document the things we do as a family, the places we go as well as Sophie’s growing up years on the blog, I’m also mindful that she’s getting older and may find her mummy’s open documentation of her life intrusive and even embarrassing years down the road.

Of course, a more practical consideration these days is making time to blog. Since the year started, I’ve been busy helping Sophie adjust to Primary One. First, there was the early risings and early nights which we had to get accustomed to as she’s in the morning session. Thankfully, Sophie has been a happy camper so far and would jump out of bed the moment her alarm clock rings… even on weekends so that leaves me with little chance of sleeping in on weekends. *yawn*

When I’m home in the evenings after work, I’ll try to spend time with Sophie to catch up on her day, take her down to the playground or go exercise with me. Now that my mum is over at my place, our tummies are filled with lots of home-cooked goodness and she’s been such a valuable help.

After Sophie goes to sleep, I’ll start planning what to pack for her lunch box at recess time, schedule some revision for Sophie in the afternoons so that she’s kept duly occupied in the afternoons when Grandma is home with her. I’m no tiger mummy and believe that at her age, she ought to have time for play and free time so she gets a pretty balanced timetable.

Then there’s the dreaded chores that I tackle at the end of the day because I pray and hope that they will disappear *wishful thinking*. Plus I’ve been trying… to sleep before midnight so that I’m well rested to start my day early. Still working hard on that one.

Tinkering on the keyboard to learn music with no stress of being graded

So four weeks into it and I musy say I do like this pace of life so much more as I’m

more well rested (no more late nights trying to churn out another post),
healthier and stronger because I’m making time for exercise and workouts and no supper,
more time for my family as we are off our devices and being fully present

And if there’s one thing that I observed is that I’m now truly living the life I desire and not just talking about the life I wished I had. Life is meant to be lived in the present tense and not with regrets as we look back over the years of the missed opportunities with our loved ones to read a bed time story together or to snuggle under the sheets or simply just to be in each other’s company just doing nothing.

So this space may not be updated as frequently as I used to and it even be neglected. But what matters is that I know full well it’s because my family is not 🙂

Anyway, I’ll still be active on Facebook and Instagram for now as I’m not ready to turn my back on social media. So remember what matters most to you and keep sowing into it if you want to reap the fruits of it 🙂

Playground time with Sophie is the best part of the day that she looks forward to

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Motivational Monday – Coming Back Fitter and Stronger

January 18, 2016 Comments: 6

One of the things I’ve set my mind on for 2016 is to get back to a healthier lifestyle. Since my operation in November 2014, I’ve allowed myself to slack on my exercise. I was after all recovering from an operation and had to avoid any form of strenuous exercise – that was my justification and a valid one but not when it went beyond 6 months.

As the months passed, a lack of exercise accompanied by a no holds bar diet saw me steadily gaining weight where my clothes got tighter and tighter. Unfortunately, what made it worse were the back to back vacations last year, where I went to Bangkok, Penang and Hong Kong where it was just eating, eating and more eating. And I further tried to justify that I was on a holiday and it would be such a waste to pass up on all these mouth watering local fare. I know #fatdieme 😛

But what set the alarm bells off was when I realised how unfit I’ve become and would pant so hard when I’m running beside Sophie who’s on her set of wheels. So I made up my mind that it’s time to get serious about my health and started a resolution to get fit and healthy in 2016.

Home Workouts

As a working mum, I used to think, “Who has time for exercise when I have a thousand and one things to do every single day”? But if you changed your mentality and make time for exercise then nothing will stop you and the best bet is to find suitable home exercise.

2 years ago, I did the Insanity workout and while it ramped up my fitness level and made me so much fitter and stronger than I could have imagine, my knees got a beating from the high impact exercise since I don’t wear my shoes at home which helps to minimise the impact from the plyometric exercises.

So this time round, I’m more mindful and have embarked on the Kayla Itsines Workout, where her Bikini Body workout is what shot her to fame with a cult folllowing who swear by it for their transformation. Just check out the hashtag #bbg, and you’ll be inspired by all these women who have worked hard for their awesome bodies.

Image credit Kayla Itsines Instgram

So it was no surprise when a few friend recommended it to me when I asked for suggestions on home exercise. If you’re keen to find out more about the workout, here’s an article. One set back though is that as the weeks progress you’ll need more equipment, like kettle bell and medicine balls, barbells and dumbbells.

But go online and you’ll find that there are plenty of fitness videos, blogs and workouts that you can do at home either with or without any equipment.

Exercising with Sophie

To switch things up, I also go for runs with Sophie as she cycles on her bicycle. Love it that I get to be home earlier these days since I changed my working hours, so I get to spend more time with Sophie and do things together with her.

Last week, I even challenged Sophie to climb the stairs together and she very confidently told me that scaling 30 storeys is not a problem. She had to eat her words after she made it to the 10th floor and I could see defeat written on her face 😛

So our goal is to make it to 30 storeys by the end of February. And stair climbing is something that we can all do plus it’s FREE! But do take the lift down as your knees may hurt from the impact when going down stairs.

Committed to the end

Since I’m going all out with my fitness goal, I also signed up for my gym membership last weekend and will be working out with Alexis while Sophie is at her Saturday gymnastics class . An awesome win win situation, don’t you think?

I’m so so thankful to Alexis who’s been so supportive of my decision to get healthy and he’s also on a healthier lifestyle too. Being healthy is a decision that we have to make for ourselves and there are no shortcuts to it.