Inline Skating for Kids

Vio had been telling us (read: pestering) that he wants to learn inline skating for weeks now.

The first time he mentioned it was when he was still taking swimming lesson. That time, we told him that once he can swim, we will enroll him to a inline skating course.

But since then, he has stopped taking swimming lessons as he said "it's too tiring" as he always swim and swim and swim..

So one day, we decided to buy him a new pair of inline skates (using JEM vouchers that we need to finish soon!). So you can imagine how excited he was that time! And just so happen that in the CC (Community Center) nearby, there's a holiday programme for Basic Beginner Inline Skating (only for a few days). So we decided to enroll him.

The first lesson was about how to stand up, how to sit down, and how to fall. At first it was rather tricky to learn standing up, and I was really worried that Vio would be injured or something, as he's only 5 years old! But well, children are actually more robust than we think. That's one thing I need to imprint in my mind (though it's proven to be difficult at times).

The second lesson? Vio suddenly said that he didn't want to go... Grrrrr... I must admit that I was rather upset at that time as he was the one that kept asking for the lesson, and he gave up so easily. However he promised that he would go for the next lessons.

Luckily he kept his promise, and by the end of the four lesson, he can go forward with his skate (more or less)..

Not surprisingly, he wanted to continue the lesson! So we sign him up for another 4 lesson of Advanced Basic Inline Skating..

The first lesson... we missed it... LOL... Apparently there was some kind of miscommunications... The lesson timing was changed to 2 pm, but somehow we were not aware, so we came at the previous timing which was 4 pm. So by the time we reached there, the lesson was over...

Vio quite enjoyed the next 3 lessons.. He learned how to turn left & right, and how to swizzle. All in all, he can do basic inline skating, though at times he likes to move by "walking" instead of sliding. This may be because we miss the first lesson of the Advanced Basic. But he know (more or less) how to turn, stop, and move forward. So well, not too bad.

Here is a video of him in action on the last lesson..

Hello Kitty Meet & Greet @ Westgate

Yet another new mall has opened in Jurong East early this month: Westgate! Now Jurong East really feels like city centre with it's many malls. We have IMM, JCube, JEM, and now Westgate. (and BigBox will join the party quite soon, I suppose).

Oh well of course, we are one of the first patrons to visit Westgate (since we're staying quite close to the area). The first week, they had Hello Kitty Meet & Greet! Vio and Cait were very excited to see Hello Kitty up close (though Vio was secretly wishing that the boy version Hello Kitty would also be there).

But before we can meet Hello Kitty, we must purchase something from Sanrio fair at Westgate B1. Fair enough, I think. They have so many cute items to choose! Initially we wanted to buy cute Hello Kitty bolster for Cait, as she didn't have any bolster and she has been asking for one. However, she didn't seem awfully interested in the bolster, and set her eye on a Hello Kitty water bottle instead (that apparently has awful quality as water often leaks from the bottle. Yikes!)

So, while waiting for the Meet & Greet session, we saw this real cute Tea Party with Hello Kitty..

The kids excitedly started sitting down and had a Tea Party with plenty of Hello Kitty (awwww... it's real cute, I must say!) and we were happily snapping photos away, when we realized that on the sofa, there was a notice: "Please do not sit". Ooopsie!

Then it was finally time for the Meet & Greet. The kids waited patiently in line (which luckily is not too long). And Cait was so happy to see Hello Kitty! Hello Kitty "played" with her for a while before finally saying bye-bye.

As far as I know, this is the first Hello Kitty Meet & Greet session available in Singapore. Hope Westgate will bring in Hello Kitty again next year! (and for a longer period please.. 2 days are totally too short!)

And continuing the story about Hello Kitty bolster that we didn't buy... Last night, Cait suddenly asked for the Hello Kitty bolster before she went to sleep, and was really sad that she didn't have it. Oh well, she didn't mention it at all for the last 3 weeks, and suddenly she remembered it last night! Maybe 2+ years old have a good memory after all :)

Crust Pizza & Our 6th Anniversary!

We have just celebrated our 6th Wedding Anniversary! (ahem... to be exact, it was exactly 1 month ago. Now you know how lag I am at updating this blog. Haha!)

We had a good lunch at Crust Pizza at Holland Village, which has very good review in HungryGoWhere according to DH.

What we order:
Half-Half pizza for the best of both worlds! >>> I really love that they have this option!
The flavour we chose was Peri-Peri Chicken (coz it's voted fan's favorite) and Mexican (coz it's served with avocado salsa & sour cream).

What we think:
The pizza was actually very nice when it just arrived on our table, still piping hot. The Peri-Peri Chicken was a bit spicy (and we love spicy things), and the Mexican is rather unique taste. But I like that it comes with a dip. Whoever heard of pizzas served with dips??

However, the pizza became a bit soggy rather fast. On the last slices of pizza, it's no longer as crunchy as before, and even a bit hard to eat. But still, it's yummylicious ;)


After eating to our heart's content, we went to watch movie. Initially we wanted to watch About Time (which I really wanted to watch but didn't really have time as we're feeling kinda guilty to leave the kids on weekend to watch movies), but sadly that movie was just over.. sigh.. So in the end we watched Thor The Dark World, which is actually better than our expectation :p

Marigold UHT Milk Moustache Photo Contest WINNER!

I almost can't believe what I saw when I open my email one day... Vio had won the Marigold UHT Milk Moustache Photo Contest!

Now honestly, we seldom win anything. BUT that's also mostly because we seldom take a part in anything. We have given up filling in forms for lucky draws (because after all these years we've never win even one!). And contests are not exactly something you can find often in Singapore.

So when I saw that Vio brought home this flyer from school about this contest, I decided to just give it a try, without putting high hopes on winning.

Vio was super proud when he knew that he win something! And I've collected the prize from Marigold office (which is apparently together with the factory). And we won quite a fair bit! We got 10 litres worth of Marigold UHT Milk, a soft toy that we can "decorate" and wash again, and many knick-knacks from Marigold: bowls, lollipop maker, cups, bottles, etc.

But the most important thing? It's how happy Vio was when he got the prize!

Watching Movie at Cinema with Kids

When do you start bringing your kids to watch movie in cinemas?

Well honestly, Vio at 5 years old have never been to a cinema before, though he was really interested to. And Cait at 2.5 years old, obviously haven't been to one either. We were always telling Vio that we will go to cinema when Cait is a bit older.

However, we are one of the lucky ones who has plenty of Cathay @ JEM vouchers to spend (all because of our "hardwork" of queueing up at JEM early in the mornings to get the vouchers!).

So, we decided to give it a try. The only available movie that's suitable for kids was Frozen.

The two kids are SO excited that they're going to cinema to watch movies. And we bought pop corn too, which is one of their favorite treat (and mine too, for that matter).

Before we went it, I have told them multiple (oh ok, maybe zillion times) that inside the cinema is very dark, loud, and cold. Just to pre-empt then so that they're not surprised to see the real thing.

Going inside, they took the new surroundings very well, and were very engrossed eating popcorn and enjoying the movie. Cait even hugged the popcorn box tightly and kept on putting popcorn inside her mouth.

... That was until there was 1 part where a (bit) scary monster comes out. I have told her multiple (ok, zillion times again) that it's all only movie, it's not real, so there's nothing she should be afraid of. Still, she still look a little bit afraid but she was coping well.

.... And then comes the sad part... which is when some of the characters were sad... Cait kept asking "Why so sad, mommy? Cait also very sad..." then she started tearing up.. Ah yes, maybe I need to mention that she's a very emotional girl. When she sees the character was sad, she was also feeling sad..

And going out of the cinema (when the movie ended), Cait suddenly cried loudly. As in really LOUD. She was saying that she wanted "five little monkeys foam art" (which really has no relation to the movie), and she wanna watch another movie, and that the monster was scary. What we think is that she's just too tired from watching the movie.

So what's our take for bringing kids to cinema? 2.5 years old might be too early, but 5 years old? Definitely can ;)