Baking cakes & cookies with the kids

We are constantly looking for new things to do with the kids, and with the success of the last bake out with the kids, we decided to something along those lines again.

The picture is really enticing – and the moment I picked it off the shelves at the supermarket, Nicole was super-duper excited! She was jumping up and down the trolley!

Upon reaching home, the kids were more than ready to bake their Oreo Cake.

Advice for parents

The kids actually love getting involved in the whole process of getting the cake done.

Here are some pictures of the kids getting the cake done:

Little Nadine was fighting to get involved as well. U can see her peeping from the the bottom of the table top! :)

At the end of the day, making the cake was more fun than eating it…as we did not even manage to finish eating the cake.

But mummy and the kids certainly had fun in the kitchen!

Technorati Tags: Advice for Parenting,Cake Baking,Children in the kitchen,Cooking with the Kids,Baking with the Kids

Building Strong Families

What makes a family?

I believe a family is a unit that spends time together.

The children are a real blessing and we really had a fun time together as a family in Melaka.

Auntie Weng (Our Domestic Helper) has gone for about 2 weeks, but the children are getting used to having her not around. We just spent loads of time with them after she left. It just proves that we really need to spend time with the kids, as they do not seem to have very long memories when they are young (Aside: it is no wonder how young Christians seem to forget God very easily).

But this extra time with the family seems to have gone a long way with little Nadine!

Just a couple of days ago, my 1year 6 month old daughter allowed Daddy to bring her out alone, and we went to visit a friend together. (In the past, we noticed that she didn’t like to be carried by Daddy!) What a change in our relationship! She was very easy and did not make much of a fuss, when we spent some time together.

The most difficult part about having 3 kids, is that you need to spend personal time with each of them. This is something that I am still learning today!

Before I go, here are also some interesting places that you can see in Melaka:

There is an Observatory Tower that gives you a picturesque view of the old Melaka city.

At just $20 ringget/adult, you will get a real good view of the city.

The Pirate Ship pictured above is also a museum which the kids can visit. Inside, there are various exhibits which will give you a history of Malacca.

Malacca also has it’s own version of the Singapore Flyer.

It is called the “Eye on Malaysia”

This gigantic ferris wheel is much smaller than the one found in Singapore, and at $20 ringget, you will get to go about 4 rounds on this big ferris wheel.

The capsules are much smaller than the ones found in Singapore, and it actually feels as spacious as a Sentosa Cable car.

The ferris wheel actually goes quite fast, so don’t expect the slow rides that u get on the “Singapore Flyer” or on the “London Eye”.

If I have money for just 1 ride, which ride would I go for?

The Observatory tower wins hands down!

Firstly, it is higher than the “Eye on Malaysia” and it also offers a better view. The “Eye” is located too far away from the main city to give a good view of city!

One sad thing that I noticed was that – the machines were not well maintained. Despite being less than 2 years old, the parts were already rusting! I’m not sure if these machines can last long at this rate! 

However, the kids enjoyed every moment of the ride!

Technorati Tags: Building strong families,Quality time with the family,Melaka Observation Tower,Eye on Malaysia,Things to do in Melaka

Positive Parenting: Hopefully…

Nathan has been going to Julia Gabriel for the last 6 months, and recently, he just finished his term. We have been deciding on whether we should send the kids to baby school, and we felt that we were going to make this semester his last!

Well, on the last day…besides the shorter lesson…there was a party as well.

Nathan was really brave and decided to become a Tiger!

The Julia Gabriel Chinese teacher was really good at her artwork…and Daddy thought he looked Really “FIERCE” when I first saw him as well!

Actually, our little boy is a little bit of a cowardly “lion” and we hope that he will become braver, when he joins Nicole in school in 2009.

Btw, we tried 2 Julia Gabriel centres in Singapore (Evans Road and Forum Galleria) and in terms of facilities – Evans Road is much better, as they have an outdoor playground and water play. But, Forum Galleria has better teachers, and previously, Nathan had this teacher called Gerri! She is really good and very entertaining!

School is really expensive…and hopefully, the exposure will do him good!

We will see the answers in a few years time!

Technorati Tags: Positive Parenting,Schools for toddlers,Julia Gabriel

Celebrating Grandpa’s Birthday!

Last week was Grandpa’s birthday, and the kids went to the family’s favourite Cantonese restaurant at Tanjong Pagar.

It was Grandpa’s 72th birthday, and we are so glad to celebrate his birthday together with him!

It was also extra significant, as this is Dad’s first birthday as a Christian! He was so excited when his Cell group celebrated his bdae for him a few days earlier. He even asked me to make sure that I get him to cg early…(He doesn’t make many requests, so to get one, is already not the norm)

As usual, the kids loved the celebrations even more, especially when there were cakes and candles included.

Nathan and Nicole fought over the blowing of candles and the cake cutting! (Look at Nathan stretching his hands over his sister, so as to cut the cake!)

The kids loved the celebration and even Nadine enjoyed her moments with grandma!

We had great fun and we are looking forward to Grandpa’s next birthday!

Technorati Tags: Birthday celebrations with the family

Riders Cafe at Bukit Timah

Just recently, the children's cousin Shauna, celebrated her Birthday and the kids were invited to her party.

We were invited to the Bukit Timah Saddle Club for high tea and they were all excited about our little excursion.

We were also looking forward to it, as I have read many reviews about this place, and I was looking forward to see it for myself.

As I entered the club, I was attracted by signs such as this…

Frankly, where do u see road signs such as this, especially in Urban Singapore, where u get buildings after buildings!

High tea was at the Rider’s Cafe, and the cafe was situated right in the centre of the ranch.

Shauna was excited to see them…and Nadine was at her best behaviour, up and about beginning to walk very well, while Shauna was fellowshipping with everyone around her :)

The kids were of course very excited, as they saw the horses walking by.

This is the view from the windows next to our table…

Later on, we managed to walk around outside and we had a close-up encounter with the horses.

The kids were a little apprehensive about seeing the horses up close, but after a while…they enjoyed catching the animals upclose as well.

Parenting Advice:

Bring your kids out as much as possible. The exposure will do them wonders! If u have a car, this is a great place to explore with the kids, especially in land scarce Singapore. The food is priced at normal cafe prices.

Technorati Tags: Horses in Singapore,Bukit Timah Saddle Club

The Puzzle of Life!

We all have a tendency to give up too easily!

Nathan loves his puzzles, and he is excellent with them!

He talks to himself when he makes them too.

Whenever he finds a piece that cannot fit…he will say NO!… and he will throw it nonchalantly over his shoulder!

Kind of “How Lian” (Local term for Proud), if u ask me…The action seems to be done as well, so as to demonstrate that he knows what he is doing.

Nicole struggles with her puzzles…and she will not even want to attempt one…

She will just say “It’s too hard, Daddy!”

Recently, Daddy decided to help her through her puzzle, and i guided her along as we made a 36 piece floor puzzle together.

From a lack-lustre attitude, she seemed to gain much confidence as we managed to complete the puzzle together.

At the end of the day, there was a big Smile on her face, as she put in the last piece!

In life, isn’t it great that we have a friend to walk along with us?

We tend to up too easy…but if we are just more patient, we might find the pieces of life fitting together as well!  :)

Technorati Tags: Jigsaw Puzzles for children

National Day Performance at Preschool

Last week, as part of the National Day Celebrations, Nicole had a concert performance at her school.

Nicole was all “pumped up” for the performance, as it was already postponed for one week due to a suspected H1N1 outbreak among her classmates.

Here are some photos to capture her performance:

The school also put up a mini carnival for the kids after the performance.

The kids loved the many booths set up and the free food as well :)

Nathan and Nadine loved the party and the food as well! :)

A BIG thank you for all the teachers for making every carnival in school so FUN!

Before I go, here is a video of Nicole’s Performance. Btw, she loves watching videos of herself…It keeps her entertained, when Daddy has work to do!

Nicole on National Day 2009 from Edmund tay on Vimeo.

Parents: A Video Cam and a Camera are GREAT INVESTMENTS!

Technorati Tags: National Day Performance,Preschool Performance,Children Dancing

Kidz Amaze – Childrens’ Playground

Have you guys been to the Biggest Playground in Singapore?

Recently, we went with our friends to Kidz Amaze at SAFRA Jurong!

It is the Biggest Playground in Singapore with a 3 storey Maze and equipped with fun slides as well!

The kids loved it and the maze is super tiring.

What made it more tiring for me was Nathan did not want to do it alone! I had to climb through the various obstacles and go up and down the ramps together with him.

This maze is similar to the ones founds at Go Go Bambini or in City Harvest Church – except over here, we have 3 storeys of it!

Here are some photos of the place (Sorry, but did not bring my Camera with me, and these shots are taken with my Blackberry)

The last shot is taken from the 3rd floor of the structure.

The structure is actually quite immense, and I was frankly quite blown away with its size when i entered the playground.

The maze is also filled with a lot of Air powered Guns which shoots out balls. However,the sounds of the guns were a bit intimidating when I first entered the place.

Overall, the kids really enjoyed themselves, and the Daddies liked it too – as the 3 storey slides are really fun, and scary even for a adult!

Technorati Tags: Kidz Amaze,Children's playground,Fun things to do with your kids

Nathan and his Guitar!

Nathan really loves his Guitar!

Every morning, he will get us to turn on the DVD player, and he will put in the church DVD.

As the music starts, he will take out his violin, and pretend it’s a guitar, and Sing “Breakaway…” along with the DVD.

Besides being in love with his guitar, he also makes use of Daddy’s guitar rack as well.

Just recently, as I picked up my guitar for some practice, the guitar rack was empty.

Little Nathan jumped at the “OPPORTUNITY!”

He quickly put his violin in the rack and smiled at me!!!

  I hope the picture fully explains what I mean!

Before I go, check out the video of Nathan the worship leader!!!

He leads with hands in the air, and even gets his sisters to sing along! :P

Children Dancing to Breakaway from Edmund tay on Vimeo.

Btw, this is also my 1st project using Windows Movie Maker…it’s really very simple to use!

And don’t forget to VOTE for the Canon Ixus 95, if u have not done so!!!

Technorati Tags: violin,guitar,nathan

Canon Ixus 95 & Canon Selphy 780

We were so EXCITED!!!

As one of the selected Bloggers in a promotion organised by Canon Singapore and OMY.sg, the whole family went on a trip to Jurong Bird Park.

This was the first time the kids were stepping into the Bird Park, and they were looking forward to the BIG DAY!

We assembled at the Bird Park at 2pm on a really bright and sunny day. Our spirits were not dampened by the heat, as the whole family was there in full force, with Grandma as well!

Nicole made the best of the heat, with the help of Grandma’s brolly..

There were many NEW things to explore at the park, but there was one gadget that really IMPRESSED both Daddy and Nicole!

Our kind friends from Canon Singapore has kindly given us the chance to try out the latest Canon Ixus 95. (In fact, all the photos taken here, are from the Canon Ixus 95) I was really thrilled to be given this opportunity, as I also currently own a Canon Ixus 65. I was definitely looking forward to trying out the latest little gizmo that Canon was offering. I heard that it was the most INTELLIGENT camera around!

Nicole loved playing with the camera. It was in Bright Pink, handy sized and really light! It was a hit with the kids and with Daddy, as it fitted snugly into my front jeans pocket! :)

Nicole had no problems using it. The camera has a large 2.5 inch High Resolution LCD monitor which makes the camera so simple to use…Just Press and Shoot!

For me, I felt the best thing about the Canon Ixus 95 is its Smart Auto Mode.

Smart Auto Mode uses Canon’s latest Scene Detection Technology to determine the subject’s brightness, contrast and distance. I don’t have to select a Day or Night mode as the camera detects this automatically. (All the photos below show how INTELLIGENT the Canon Ixus 95 is!)

With a family of hyper-energetic kids, I could take excellent shots of them. The in-built Face Detection technology ensures that every face is in perfect focus, every time! Thumbs Up Canon!

Look at how the Canon Ixus 95 capture outdoor shots!

See my hand? I took these shots myself! With the Canon Ixus 95’s 3x Zoom and Image Stabilizer, I managed to get closer to the birds than ever possible! (All these with ONE hand!)

 

And of course, we took pictures with Pinky the Penguin. Many of us were thrilled to come up close and personal with Pinky. In fact, this was the first time that Daddy gets to stand so close to a Penguin.

Without changing the AUTO setting, I took these shots in the dimly lit enclosure. Not bad, eh? Very good for parents who just want to POINT & SHOOT!

What is the perfect companion to the Canon Ixus 95?

Many times after a great outing, i leave the photos in my hard disk with the rest of my memories. Can you believe it? No hard copy photos of my family!

This is because I find it too much a hassle to send the pictures to a photo shop for printing.

However, Canon has come up with a great way to solve this problem.

One clever Canon invention that I got to try is the portable printer—Canon Selphy 780. This is definitely  a place where style meets substance!

The Canon Selphy 780 makes the Canon Ixus 95 complete. What’s more, it comes in Bright Pink as well! :D

With printing cost as low as 30 cents a photo, I can print out my favourite photos in the comfort of my home. It even has the ability to print without a PC!

All I need to do is to insert my SD card, and use the inbuilt monitor to facilitate my printing!

Wait! There is more!!!

With its super friendly interface, I can modify my pictures by adding in picture frames…

and colourful captions to my photos as well!

And at the press of a button… the photos are printed!

This is truly what every family needs!

Well, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the Bird Park, and we made many new friends as well.

Presenting to you…the six lucky Bloggers and their family members with the truly user-friendly Canon Ixus 95!

You guys really made our day!

Technorati Tags: Canon ixus 95,Canon Selphy CP780,Jurong Bird Park,OMYsg