Tag Archives: shopping

Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay

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We’ve been listening to a lot of Christmas music and are in a festive mood. We felt extremely Christmassy on Friday when we visited Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay. The light sculptures were twinkling and it felt like there was magic in the air.

Visiting the Flower Dome made us feel like we were walking through a snowy little Christmas village somewhere in Europe. The cool temperature, the snowman, the reindeer… I wouldn’t have been surprised if someone had suddenly burst out singing, “Let it snow!” You can enjoy 10% off admission rates into the cooled conservatories if you book online at least one day before your visit. You may even meet Miffy there!

Yuletide in the Flower Dome

Yuletide in the Flower Dome

Christmas village

Christmas village

reindeers

reindeers

little snowpeople getting cosy

little snowpeople getting cosy

Christmas is a time to love!

Christmas is a time to love!

charming displays

charming displays

simply stunning!

simply stunning!

Santa Claus is coming to town

Santa Claus is coming to town

candy factory

candy factory

Outside, the Christmas magic continued. Handcrafted by Italian craftsmen, the Luminaire light sculptures are breathtakingly beautiful and truly a sight to behold. The Spalliera is the largest and most impressive at 31 metres wide and 17 metres high. Thrice a day (weather permitting) from now until 21 December, ‘snow’ will fall at 7.30 pm, 8.20 pm, 9.05 pm and 9.45 pm. The kids had such a blast during Blizzard Time.

Another highlight is the Festive Market featuring Christmas merchandise and yummy treats. The spectacular Spiegeltent, a travelling ‘mirror tent’ from The Netherlands, offers an exclusive dining experience and the menu changes every week. Items are priced from $7 and a minimum purchase of a drink is required for entry into the Spiegeltent.

Luminaire arches leading to Supertree Grove

Luminaire arches leading to Supertree Grove

Casa Armonica with the Supertrees in the background

Casa Armonica with the Supertrees in the background

this mini capola will host 12 days of choirs and other performances

this mini capola will host 12 days of choirs and other performances

Geylang Methodist Secondary School choir getting ready to sing

Geylang Methodist Secondary School choir getting ready to sing

Christmas market

Christmas market

sweet treats by Janice Wong

sweet treats by Janice Wong

the spectacular Spiegeltent

the Spiegeltent

the magnificent Spalliera

the magnificent Spalliera

Blizzard Time

Blizzard Time

the snow never bothered her anyway

the snow never bothered her anyway

fun for the whole family

fun for the whole family

stilt-walkers

stilt-walkers

Garden Rhapsody

Garden Rhapsody

There are many activities for children, performances, roving acts and other special events at Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay so do check out the website for details. The kids were quite taken by the fantastical glowing stilt-walkers and had a great time dancing to Christmas tunes during the special Christmas edition of Garden Rhapsody.

I’m simply blown away by Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay and amazed that we get to see and experience a Christmas paradise like this in tropical Singapore. You really cannot miss this and in fact should go more than once because there’s so much happening there.

The Festive Market will run until 21 December, the Luminaire light sculptures will be lit up until 1 January and Yuletide in the Flower Dome will continue until 6 January. Access to Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay is free while admission charges apply to the Flower Dome.

Have a very Merry Christmas at Gardens by the Bay!

The Days Are Just Packed! – Travelling with 3 Kids

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When we go on holidays, I pack for four different people: the three kids and me. The husband cannot be trusted to pack for the kids because he was assigned that role once and totally didn’t bring anything for Anya and we had to buy clothes for her to wear!

And of course, it’s not just a matter of packing clothes. When we travel with the kids, we need to bring diapers, milk powder, toys, books, and so on. And If we are travelling to a cold place, packing becomes a lot more difficult because of the bulky warm clothing we need to bring for each kid.

dreaming of a white Christmas

dreaming of a white Christmas

toasty in their fleece jackets

toasty in their fleece jackets

Fortunately, we are headed to a tropical destination for our holidays this year! Looking forward to the playground, the pool and the beach. So this is how I pack for the three little ones.

packing for three

packing for three

You can fit quite a lot of stuff in a Trunki, surprisingly! Ok, let’s slow things down a little:

take a suitcase

take a suitcase

sweaters for the cold plane

sweaters for the cold plane

comfy dresses for Anya

comfy dresses for Anya

also some tights and shorts

also some tights and shorts

t-shirts to match

t-shirts to match

shorts and tees for Adam

shorts and tees for Adam

some onesies for the baby

some onesies for the baby

and some tees and shorts too

and some tees and shorts too

swimwear for all

swimwear for all

ready to go?

ready to go?

take another suitcase and fill with diapers/ milk powder/ books/ toys!

take another suitcase and fill with diapers/ milk powder/ books/ toys!

We are all ready for our holiday! It’s always comforting to know that if we forget anything or run out of diapers and such, we are in a civilised place and can always pop out and buy more. And dirty clothes can always be laundered. The most important thing is to remember the passports and try not to worry too much about everything else!

Disclaimer: All clothing pictured is sponsored by FOX.

All in the Family

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It’s amazing how different kids can be, even siblings within a family. Anya, Adam and David all have very distinct personalities and habits. Anya is confident, with a domineering personality. She likes things to be done her way and she bosses Adam around. She’s also very friendly and always makes at least one new friend whenever she’s out at the playground. Adam, on the other hand, is a sweet and sensitive boy who is happy to follow along in his sister’s schemes. He is terribly cheeky and mischievous but has the tendency to look out for others. David is a different story altogether but seems to take after his sister more!

FOX FOXFOX

It’s really interesting to observe their different quirks and characters and how they interact with each other. As parents, it’s also a challenge because discipline-wise, what works with one kid may not have any effect whatsoever on another! The kids sort of remind me of Bart, Lisa and Maggie of The Simpsons (except the genders are reversed). I can’t believe I have been watching that show since I was a kid! I used to look out for the things that Bart would write on the blackboard and the funny way the entire family would sit on the sofa right at the end of the intro.

This year is the 25th anniversary of The Simpsons (yes, it’s been THAT long) and Fox Fashion has a special ‘The Simpsons’ collection out in stores and you can see some of the products available on their Facebook page. It’s also a great time to start shopping for what you need for the holidays.

Disclaimer: All clothing sponsored by Fox Fashion Singapore.

FOX Fall/ Winter Collection 2014

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We spend our weekends out and about the entire day, so I generally prefer to dress the kids comfortably enough to take us from a cafe to the park. I’m loving the new FOX Fall/ Winter collection for the casual but stylish pieces featuring some of our favourite Disney characters!

On a recent visit to FOX, we updated the kids’ wardrobe with several items from the collection. David is usually seen in a onesie so to make him more presentable, we got him some T-shirts in fashionably faded tones and berms to match. He looks so much more grown-up in his new outfits!

Anya favours tights and shorts and eagerly picked out some Minnie Mouse tees with sparkly embellishments. Adam values comfort above all and scored a couple of sleeveless tees and colourful character tees featuring Monsters University & Smurfs! We added FOX caps for fun in the sun as well as matching short-sleeved shirts for the boys to wear to more formal occasions.

Amazing Like Dad

Amazing Like Dad

comfortable

lounging about

staying cool in the heat

staying cool in the heat

Disney prints

Disney prints

Check out FOX Fall/ Winter collection 2014 in stores now! Head over to their Facebook page to be kept updated on the latest FOX news and promotions.

Agape Babies – Your Baby Essentials Store

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If you’re planning to go on a short trip during the September holidays and need to stock up on some essential items, you can do so from the comfort of your home by buying everything you need online (with a discount code!) from Agape Babies. They have a multi-store concept and right now, there are two stores – Agape Babies & Sunshine Kids – and they are planning to add on new stores and more exciting products in the near future.

When I first found out about Agape Babies from a fellow mummy, I was like, “Where have you been all my life (as a mother)?” I had spent so much time and energy buying all the things I needed from many different stores (both online and physical shops) when I could have simply purchased them all at one shot from Agape Babies. Some brands and products I love (and cannot do without) that are available from Agape Babies include Philips AVENT, Boba Air Carrier, Ergobaby, Huggies, Rainbow Loom, Skip Hop, and Sophie the Giraffe, !

with my Boba Air carrier and Skip Hop diaper bag

with my Boba Air carrier and Skip Hop diaper bag

Agape Babies offers a HUGE range of products, with over 100 brands and 2000 products. Click on the banner below to see some of these brands! They specialize in California Baby products and also carry diapers and milk formula from brands such as Huggies, Mamypoko, GOO.N, Friso, Similac, Gain IQ, Pediasure and many more. There is free courier delivery with a minimum of $80 spend and a free Disney stationery set every $120 purchase. Items are shipped VERY quickly.

Agape Babies

You can sign up for their newsletter to be kept updated on promotions, contests and giveaways, follow their Instagram and like their Facebook Page!

DISCOUNT CODE! :)

Quote ‘intheweehours‘ to get a 5% discount! The code is valid for 4 weeks (from 26 Aug – 23 Sep) and excludes breast pumps, diapers and milk. Have fun shopping and be prepared for the holidays!

Disclaimer: I received store credit from Agape Babies for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

Kranji Countryside Farmers’ Market

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We made it down to the Kranji Countryside Farmers’ Market today and there was lots to see and buy. This is the first-ever authentic local farmers’ market in Singapore and there are plans to have it every quarter. You can still make your way down tomorrow from 4pm onwards. Here are some photos from our excursion but do excuse the lack of captions; we had a very tiring day!

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D’Kranji Farm Resort, Kranji Countryside
10 Neo Tiew Lane 2
28 & 29 June, 4pm-10pm
Free shuttle bus from Yew Tee MRT Station bus stop at 4pm, 4.45pm, 5.30pm, 6.15pm, 7pm and 7.45pm. The shuttle bus will leave from D’Kranji to Yew Tee MRT Station at approximately 4.20pm, 5.05pm, 5.50pm, 6.35pm, 7.20pm and 8.05pm.

 

The Looming Madness

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Photo 22-4-14 6 56 10 pm

We have been bitten and infected by the Rainbow Loom bug! Symptoms of the afflication are neckache, tired eyes and cramped fingers. Side effects include spending way too much money on little rubber bands and finding yourself looming into the wee hours. There is no cure.

Seriously though, I find it quite therapeutic to hook tiny colourful rubber bands onto other rubber bands. I’m alternating between bracelets and human figures at the moment. Anya enjoys it too and sometimes chooses looming over watching TV and that is kind of a big deal! You can see some of my completed looming projects below and I’ll continue to post pictures on Instagram. Bands and kit are available at Twelve by Elly (online and in-store).

Elsa

Hexafish

Cinderella

Triple Single

Superman