Kate's Bubbles and Balloons Party

Yes I am that crazy, I threw Kate a 2nd Birthday Party at home just a week after Anna's 5th Birthday Party.  Having the 2 parties so close actually made some things easier, all the party stuff was out, clean and ready to use and we even recycled some decorations.

This is the left over balloons from Anna's decorated staircase.

And here is the same leftover balloons after I added a pop of colour.  Recycling at its best!

Little 2 cookies,

And Little 2 Fairy Bread.

My favourite find from our local ShopnSave.

Kate samples a 2 cookie.

The Party food

I did say it was a Bubbles and Balloons theme, so here are the Bubbles!  Lots and Lots of Bubbles.

Kate loves her bear, bear so Mum, Aji and I made her a Bear Bear Cake.  She loved it and just kept saying bear bear bear YUM.  My mum made a cake just like this one for me when I was little so it was nice to make it with her for Kate.

See YUM!

 
Here is the little Birthday girl just before the guests arrived.  She really had a great day.

Most of the decorations and decor are either part of my collection or are from the party shops on the corner of Queen St and Middle Road in Bugis, another great little shop along Rocher Rd heading toward the Bugis MRT or Mustafa.

This is not my Island

What did I think of Hong Kong?  Honestly I didn't love it.  I had the best intentions of making this post all sweetness and light, all happy happy just to help a friend who has just moved to Hong Kong feel better.  But  the whole time I was there I just could not stop thinking "This is not my Island."


This is not my Island, there is too much smog crazy (crazier) traffic.

This is not my Island, the streets are too crowded and not as mixed with people from all over the world

This is not my Island, I can't even see this Island.  Smog did I mention the smog.  Mind you Anna did love walking in the 'clouds'.

This is not my Island, the buildings are too dirty.

This is not my  Island the taxi drivers keep trying to rip me off.

This is not my Island the markets are full of bad designer fakes (got myself a fake Jimmy Choo) and more people who want to rip me off.

 

Ahhh look Stella there is a little piece of our Island.

Now don't get me wrong I felt all the charm and wonder of Hong Kong, I did enjoy it but I just like Singapore better.

Never thought I would say this but Singapore is such a lovely little sleepy Island and I love it!  Guess I am just a Singapore snob.

Be Our Guest

 My big girl turned 5 last week, so as requested we had a Belle, Beauty and the Beast Party.  I tried to avoid too much pre-printed Disney stuff, think inspired by Disney.

We had lots of red and yellow - the red rose in the movie and Belle's yellow dress.

Crown cookies and crown fairy bread, because all princesses need a crown.

We had a Lumiere inspired candelabra and a Rose under a glass cloche.  The party bags were sealed with a sticker using some some clip art from Cherry Clipart.  I also used this clip art on the invites and soon to be made thank-you cards.

Mum, Aji and I made a Belle cake, I think she looked AMAZING.  Well done to the head baker Mum!

And of course the Birthday Girl, all the kids went swimming so this is the only non soaked photo of Anna.  Notice my yellow Balloon Banner, so so easy to make and it looked SUPER.  It is just lots of groups of 5 balloons joined together.

Hong Kong Disneyland

I am a child of Disney, I grew up with the Magical World of Disney on TV every Sunday night, must see family viewing.  And now my Kids are Disney Kids, Anna is all about the Princess, Kate loves Mickey Mouse and Stella well she just loves all the singing and colours.  So I loosened the purse strings (a lot of loosening was needed) and treated the girls and my parents to a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland.

Ivan and I thought we had the perfect Disney plan, take Grandma and Pa along to help look after the girls,  making our holiday a little easier and more fun for all.  Great plan right?  RIGHT....  It really was a great plan until, the vomiting, yes people you can get stomach flu, food poisoning, Hong Kong water issues or whatever it was at the happiest place on earth.

My Mum and Anna were the worst affected, they both spent most of the night before Disneyland vomiting.  Anna was fine after a bit of a sleep in, she was running on pure excitement.  My Mum, put on a brave face, she said "I have come all this way, I never thought I would get to go to Disneyland so I am going, no matter how I feel."

So off we went, DISNEYLAND here we come!


The little princess almost burst with excitement when she saw the castle, her Mother was pretty excited too.

The Carousel was a HUGE hit with the whole family.

Toy Story Land, ummmm, dare I say I didn't love it.  A bit noisy for us but a winner for bigger kids I am sure.

Riding the Teacups, I was prepared for massive queues but we just seemed to time our ride choices well.  We had hardly any waiting time at all.

The Carousel again - see I told you it was a winner, even Stella had a ride.

 

And lastly Kate, too cool for school Kate.  She loved seeing all the characters and running through the crowds of people.  But she did not understand why so many strangers kept taking her photo.  Our trip to Disneyland made me realise I would hate being famous.

So what are my top Disney tips, 

1. Don't drink the water and be careful what you eat.  
2. Be prepared for strangers to take photos of and with your kids, sometimes this was ok and other times it crossed my line.
3. Brave the rain, both of the days we went had a few showers it didn't worry us and it kept the crowds way down.
4. It's a Small World is great on the inside and out.
5. The PARADE, make sure you see the parade at least once.
6. Skip the train ride.
7. We had 2 day passes, this gave us plenty of time to see some of the shows (Lion King was great) and  go back and re-do our favourite things.
8. Right by the entrance is the Art of Animation, EVERYONE in our group enjoyed looking at these displays, a great spot for a bit of a time out.
9. Tarzan, a bit different from the other attractions, my girls loved it!

We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, pricey but quaint and very easy to get to and from the park.  We also had Dinner with the Characters, again pricey but worth it for the ease of meeting the Characters.  This meant that we did not have to line up and waste time while in Disneyland. 

Overall, tummy issues aside, we had a great time.  I thought there would be more Characters just wandering about Disneyland but after seeing how some of the other guests acted just to get photos of my kids I don't blame them for keeping poor Mickey behind a velvet rope.

 

Camping, Aloha Changi Style

Time for #2 of the Staycation posts.  This time we went CAMPING.  While not exactly pitch your tent and light a campfire, camping, it was a long way from 5 star.  Have you all seen the folks camping in East Coast Park - crazy kids.

We had a couple of nights at Aloha Changi, we stayed in a 4 bedroom 3 bathroom house on the waterfront. That actually makes it sound quite posh, let me tell you now, it is not posh.  The facilities are basic but that is just what I was looking for, some good simple fun.

 

 

Lovely views, relaxing, quiet and lots and lots of space.  Lots of grass to run about on and lots of Mozzies!

 

The house we stayed in was an open air style.  That is the bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen all had separate doors but the living areas were open to the outdoors.  This is what really gave us that camping feel, that and the Mozzies.  There are more traditional houses but I loved being outside all the time, even in the rain, with the Mozzies.

 

There was a little beach about 100m from our door, perfect for sand play and a paddle.  Yes it was not the cleanest beach but the girls loved it and it got them talking about putting rubbish in the bin.

This staycation is a great option for a family, I just wish we had found Aloha Changi while we lived in the sky.  It was so nice for the girls to experience a non 5 star holiday, even with the Mozzies.

One more thing, did I mention there were lots and lots of mosquitoes?  So the best tip I can give you is Remember the Aerogard and Aveagoodweegend.

Staycation #1 Marina Bay Sands

This is post one of two, two posts about two very different Singapore Staycations, The first happened a few weeks back but it has taken me this long to get back to it - I blame sick kids.  Anyway I hope you enjoy a little snippet of my staycations.

I have just had the most indulgent expat weekend of my life.  My husband and I had a staycation at Marina Bay Sands, sans kids!  I am not really a 5 star hotel type, but I sure did enjoy our weekend.  Not very everyday of me, not even a little bit.  Don't worry though I was quickly thrust back into my reality Sunday morning when the kids joined us.

So if you are thinking of splurging on a weekend staycation at MBS, here are my tips.

BYO, snacks, wine, drinks - think $6 for a coke from the minibar, OUTRAGOUS!  But if you forget to BYO there is a cold storage in the Shoppes (am I the only one that thinks calling it the Shoppes is a bit wanky?)

We paid the bit extra for a city view, so spent a lot of time hanging out in our room getting room service.  Next time (if there is a next time, I will have to save up for that) I would be happy not to have a city view especially if the Gardens by the Bay are open.

Oh and don't worry about getting breakfast from the hotel, it was OK but nothing to rave about especially when there are so many great places in the Shoppes.

If you are keen for a dance make sure you go to Ku De Ta before 9pm as they will charge you cover charge even as a hotel guest.

The pool is really, really, cold.  I mean ICY cold, perhaps pack a wetsuit.  I had long imagined a lazy swim in that pool but the temperature really ruined it for me.  We went for a swim one evening and it was unbearable, even during the day it is still a bit brisk.  Aji bought the girls in for a swim the day we checked out and even they commented that it was a bit chilly.  The Spa - well that is another story, very very nice, ahh the spa.....

So the big question, was it worth it?  Yes and no.  Yes is was lovely, Yes I enjoyed the view and the novelty experience of staying at MBS.  But I think we would have had as good a time at a number of other hotels on the island.

The tooth fairy.

Last week the Tooth Fairy made her first trip of many to our home.  Anna was super excited about the tooth fairy's visit - it was the main focus of the wobbly tooth.  Amazingly a day or two after Anna's tooth became wobbly something special appeared in her room.

A teeny tiny fairy door, just for the Tooth Fairy to come and go as needed.  Anna was AMAZED, she decided to place her very special treasure chest right by the door with her tooth in it all ready.  Anna told me that the Tooth Fairy would take her tooth and leave one gold coin in it's place.  Easy - even Daddy was happy with this.

Want a cute Fairy Door?  Our came all the way from Ireland, from Mudpies and Rainbows you should see their gorgeous Leprechaun Doors!!!.

Teeth Teeth Teeth

Yes there are that many teeth. Lots and lots of teeth. I feel like I am surrounded by teeth. Just this week:

Kate is getting her two year old molars.

Stella is cutting her first teeth.

And

Anna just lost her first tooth!

Easter fun

The Girls and I have been playing at Easter Craft for a few weeks now, but in true Melinda style I keep losing the photos.  Serioulsy I am suffering from over technology, did I use the camera or the phone, did I download from that one to that one or vice versa?  I am sure there is some way to get me more organised but that is just not my style.

Anyway, you are not here to talk about me, you just want some easy Easter craft ideas, so.....

We made these Easter Bunny Masks.  Really, really easy.  

If I am completely honest with you these came about from a bit of a craft fail.  The aim was to make Easter Bunny Ears but Anna got a bit carried away with the cutting.  She cut the ears off the head band part, so add one paper plate, some straws for whiskers and we have Easter Bunny Masks.  A bit rough and ready but the girls loved them not bad for a tired Mum chasing toddler Kate.  The original Easter Bunny Ears template can be found here. 

We have also made these really cool Easter Egg garlands.  So sorry about the crappy photo, the photographer part of my brain has gone AWOL.  I am sure you get the idea.

Print off a few of these Blank Egg Templates from A little delightful, decorate as you and your kids see fit.  We painted ours, painting with Kate is an extreme sport - I love it!

Anna then cut out all the egg shapes and glued them together back to back - making them double sided.  We laminated our shapes and I cut them out again.  Add 2 holes with your hole punch and thread on to some ribbon with straw pieces as a spacer.  Get your super tall Daddy to hang them up and there you go - Easter Egg decorations and bird deter-er in one.

TV Time

My kids watch TV.  Too much TV, probably.  What can I say, I am a fan of TV, I watch it myself and my kids watch it too.  Educational TV, HA sure, but at the moment my favourite type of TV is a little something I call 'Accent TV.'

One dose of Accent TV, keeps the Singlish away.

You can give your kids their dose of 'Accent TV' on the Australia Network, Starhub 447 from 9am and again at 2pm.

Oh what I am really saying is - Do you know that the Wiggles and Playschool are on Singapore TV.

PS I have an Easter craft post coming, but if you are stuck for ideas check out my pins here.

The Sounds of Thunder.

I woke this morning to the sounds of thunder,  I love the morning storms we get here, don't you?  They make the night last longer as it seems to take the day forever to wake up.  If the kids sleep through the thunder you are pretty much guaranteed a sleep in, as the harsh light of morning is hidden behind the clouds and the usual morning sounds are dulled by the falling rain.  This was how I woke this morning, I woke, tired, as usual, but not tired from the baby tired from the toddler!

What is it with almost 2 year olds and waking up!  Come on Kate you have this sleep thing, you can do it so pretty please start sleeping again.  Stella, the dream, slept through, first night, I think?  That is bad, isn't it, bad that I am in such a blur that I am not sure if this is the first night my baby slept through, I guess that is just what happens with #3.

Meanwhile Kate is still sleeping, so at least someone got their sleep in.........

I just re-read this post, who wrote this, this does not sound like me, maybe the rain or lack of sleep has gone to my head.  Oh well must be time for another coffee.

Ilight 2012

We FINALLY made it to Ilight last night, second last night, that is why I am rushing this post. GET OUT THERE!  Go see it TONIGHT.  Take the kids - it was GREAT!


Anna loved the Coral Garden

Ilight Marina Bay!  What a fantastic location!

Kate, Anna and I at The Gate.  Katie was trying to wipe the red lights off me - funny kid.

 

The Art Science Musuem, by far the best part - WOW we all loved this.

We caught the MRT to Raffles Place, followed the signs to exit J and off we went.  My girls were pretty tired by the time we got to the Art Science museum so we missed out on seeing the exhibits along the esplanade but it was still well worth it.

Great thing about Singapore #697

Drink in a bag!

Don't be afraid of the drink in a bag. Anna has mastered it and do can you. No need for fancy in car or on pram drink holders, you can hang these just about anywhere.

Our drink in a bag of choice; lime juice - refreshing and oh so cool.

Sick, but not that Sick

Stella had a follow up appointment with her pediatrician today. A follow up after our little stay in KK hospital. All the girls have been coughing and spluttering so I decided to do a bulk visit and take them all.

The big girls very quickly took over and destroyed the waiting room. The doctor checked them all out, I paid the mammoth bill and we left with what can only be described as a pharmacy of medication.

This photo shows just some of our selection.  Seriously each girl has at least 3 different medications all different doses to be given at different times of the day. I am flat out remembering when they have all been fed how on earth will I keep track of all the medications?

Then I remembered I pinned (you know pinning on pinterest right) a medication chart just the other day, you can find it here - Lovely Living Medication Chart.  I love it when I find a use for something I pin.

Thankfully there is nothing too seriously wrong with any of the girls but we are hoping this will finally get rid of the cough that has been hanging about for a while.  Have a great day, back to nurse duties for me.

The Wiggles in Singapore

Just in case you missed seeing this yesterday 

The Wiggles are coming to Singapore, tickets go on sale TODAY!

Right so that is my morning planned, hope you enjoy your day.

xxx