tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60912758995572515452024-03-14T15:45:08.734+08:00Across 2 Cultures - Cross-Culture Parenting and Lifestyle BlogWalking through our lives in different continents and being parents to our children in a mixed culture marriage.
A chronicles of our lives starting from when we conceived our first child to the arrival of baby number 2. We have moved across three different continents and the journey will continue. We know that as long as we remain together as a family, and with God on our side, we are ready for any adventure! Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.comBlogger418125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-83063149484754326172018-09-24T11:29:00.000+08:002018-09-24T11:29:12.632+08:00PSLE reflection<div class="MsoNormal">
Reflecting on PSLE, as a parent.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">So, PSLE is happening this week. Together
with two other mothers, I was interviewed on the topic of PSLE. My takeaway
from that session, and from listening to the children in their interview
segment, is this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The PSLE is an important examination,
however, how much importance or stress is associated with it varies widely. The
mothers and the children were asked rather similar questions. How do you feel
about the PSLE? If you could remove the PSLE or not take the PSLE, would you?
Are grades important? Who would be more disappointed if you do not meet the
goal you set? And of course the answers were varied. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My personal take, our roles as parents is
not to remove the stress nor to add unnecessary pressure to the children. Our
role is to support our child through the process. If PSLE, or any examination
is inevitable, as is many challenges in life, we need to teach our children how
to navigate through them. We need to understand our children, their academic
capacity, resilience, character and work with them to help them build capacity
in a meaningful and helpful manner. What does that mean?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As a mum, I need to know the realistic
amount of revision my child can reasonably complete without impeding on her sleep
and recreation time. And yes, sleep and recreation is still important during
exams. Every person, child or adult needs adequate sleep and down time. A
twelve-year-old child should have TEN hours of sleep for the brains to rest, aid
concentration and knowledge acquisition. Recreation or down time is essential
to a child’s mental and emotional well-being. Taking all that into
consideration, I plan with my child a reasonable amount of time for studying. We
spend time talking, and I explain why it is important to be putting in all these
efforts for an examination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">For our family, the value of hard work,
doing your best and integrity to self are important. I work with my child on a
reasonable amount of time to study and determine a reasonable attainable score
and she sets her goal. And I moderate her expectations or mine and we manage it
from there. Now, what if the child does not achieve what he or she had set
forth. Well, there may be disappointment, and it is normal! Disappointment and
sadness are okay. And they should be acknowledged but, it is not the definitive
moment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">My daughter’s goals are way higher than
mine. But, even if her score falls below my “expectation”, she knows that if I
am disappointed, it is with the result, and not with her. That is because I know
how much work went into preparing for the exams and what her capabilities are.
BUT many things could happen during the exams. And in her own words, if that
happens, she will be sad for a few days and then get over it. And that is part
of growing up, learning to deal with disappointment, but never giving up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-33175386317930749682016-06-10T20:48:00.001+08:002016-06-10T20:49:00.947+08:00Dance Competitions<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">A little reflection about today and the girl's ballet competition. </span></div><div><br></div><div>Today, the girl participated in the Get the Beat Singapore Round. She had been practicing the routine for the last three months and had worked hard on it. </div><div><br></div><div>This morning was a crazy rush, I spent 25 mins just fixing her hair. It was beautifully done if I may say. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TTsKlBrRUgk/V1q3DnbdSvI/AAAAAAAAGkE/5qf49oy9kK8/s640/blogger-image--1963559552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TTsKlBrRUgk/V1q3DnbdSvI/AAAAAAAAGkE/5qf49oy9kK8/s640/blogger-image--1963559552.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>I also applied some light make up on her but her dance teacher/principal helped to touch up her eyes. And boy did her eyes sparkle. </div><div><br></div><div>Here's the girl with her costume.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rJcu3tewvLg/V1q3E079JqI/AAAAAAAAGkM/gs11frCsqCg/s640/blogger-image-1063394041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rJcu3tewvLg/V1q3E079JqI/AAAAAAAAGkM/gs11frCsqCg/s640/blogger-image-1063394041.jpg"></a></div><br></div>She did the Giselle peasant variation. She did well on stage however she did not win anything. And to be truthful, I was a little disappointed. But what is more important is that I <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">am truly thankful to God that I have a daughter who is resilient and self confident. </span></div></div></div><div><br></div><div>After the results were announced, I texted the husband. Both of us were a little worried that she would be quite disappointed and sad that she did not win in the competition but when I saw her right after, she was not upset. I thought, oh well, she is putting on a strong front. </div><div><br></div><div>As we were going home, I was reading out loud a short email I was writing to her dance teacher and I said in the email that we are a little disappointed. She immediately asked me, "Mummy, are you disappointed"? I said "Yes, I am a little disappointed" because I know she had worked hard. She turned around and told me that she was not disappointed because she felt that she did well during her routine. She did not "make a fool of herself" and she's happy with her performance! Wow! It amazed me how she is able to assess herself and was not defined by whether she had won but by the fact that she had done well by her standards. She is a self motivated child and sometimes I worry that she pushes herself too much but this showed me that she has a well-balanced attitude. </div><div><br></div><div>I'm one proud mummy!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-raIe4LCCTUA/V1q3BVkskcI/AAAAAAAAGkA/IENcLuL7Jks/s640/blogger-image--927452334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-raIe4LCCTUA/V1q3BVkskcI/AAAAAAAAGkA/IENcLuL7Jks/s640/blogger-image--927452334.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-73652230846455015272016-04-04T23:25:00.000+08:002016-04-04T23:25:04.586+08:00Bringing Back the Romance in a Marriage after ChildrenThe last year had been hectic. We made a number of big changes to our lives and one of the most significantly lifestyle changing decision was to stop having a live-in domestic helper.<br />
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Since then, one of the setbacks was the difficulty for the hubby and I to have an afternoon or two by ourselves. We used to do weekly date nights and obviously that was no longer easily done. I would have to ask one of my nieces or my mum to come and babysit the children if we wanted to go out. I avoided doing that too often as my mum would come over once a week to help with the children when I go off for my evening classes (I'm doing a part time course at the moment). <br />
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Finally after a few months, hubby and I realised that we both missed spending quality time with one another. So, this new plan evolved. The husband will take one day off every other month so that we can have a good part of the day together, from the time the kids go to school around 7:30am to the time they get home, around 4:15pm! And so, today was it..... and it was perfect! <br />
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The husband woke up early to get the kids ready for school but came back into bed so we managed to sleep in a little together. It was lovely waking up gently without the kids barging into the bedroom. After getting ready, we went out for breakfast and I managed to show him a nice little cafe, <a href="http://www.bakerandcook.biz/" target="_blank">Baker and Cook</a>, that is close by to us. We never went together prior as weekends are usually crazy and I know the cafe would be busy and I do not like my mornings to be hassled! <br />
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After a nice little breakfast, we went into town and tried to do some shopping but was sort of unsuccessful. However, that did not get us down. The highlight of the day was spending almost two hours having lunch at <a href="http://www.lesamis.com.sg/" target="_blank">Les Amis</a>. The lunch was good but it was simply the experience of enjoying each others' company that made it all the more special. We did not have to look at the time wondering if it was time to go. It was as if time had stopped for us. Our conversation was casual, there was no urgent to-be-discussed topics that we had to settle as we frequently do at home, having to consult each other on decisions to be made. It was just us, having a light-hearted conversation and purely enjoying each others' company and realising that we really like to spend time with each other.<br />
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Both of us enjoying our lunch and being with each other.</div>
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Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-24120134433665376242016-03-12T22:55:00.000+08:002016-04-04T22:58:50.731+08:00Skiing in the French AlpsWe just came back from a two weeks trip to France and the highlight of this trip was the week long ski experience.<br />
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Normally, we plan trips back to France during the children's vacation. For the last one year, the boy has been asking to go skiing. He reasoned that his sister first went skiing when she was four and at the age of six, he never had the privilege of going skiing. <br />
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Being the doting mummy, more than nine months ago, around June 2015, I started looking at the possibility of going skiing during winter. I started checking out Japan and Korea first. The girl and I had <a href="http://www.across2cultures.com/2013/01/tokyo-with-laetitia-and-my-girl-pal.html" target="_blank">a great time skiing in Yuzawa, Japan</a> in 2013 during one of our girlie trips. I thought that Japan is closer to Singapore and therefore taking into consideration flights and all, it would probably be cheaper. Some of the shortlisted destination included club med Saporo or one of the ski resorts in Niseko. <br />
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Low and behold, we came across a fantastic flight promotion to Europe on Lufthansa end of July and I thought, maybe we could go back for a holiday and spend a week skiing at the same time. The hubby needed little convincing and before I know it, the flights were booked for February 2016! And yes, we do plan our trips very early, usually three to six months in advance!<br />
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Once the flight was booked, we went about shortlisting the resort. We hesitated between <a href="http://winter.isola2000.com/" target="_blank">Isola 2000</a> and <a href="http://www.valberg.com/" target="_blank">Valberg</a> before eventually deciding on the latter as it was a small and more family friendly resort. As it was the boy's first ski experience, we thought that we should not overwhelm him. Once the resort was decided, we looked into accommodation and ski lessons. It was relatively simple to get those settled. <a href="http://www.valberg.com/" target="_blank">Valberg</a> has a great website for planning the trip. We decided on Chalet Suisse in Valberg as they had one of the best reviews but unfortunately, even though we tried to book in August, six months ahead of the trip, the hotel was full! We did manage to get one of the apartments that they owned as well. It turned out as great as the hotel since it was only 30m from the ski slopes (instead of barely 10m from the entrance of the hotel). It actually worked out better for us as we were able to cook in the apartment and had a private garden where the kids could build snowman and had some snowball fight.<br />
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We also booked the kids with the ski school. We signed them up for daily lessons in the morning. And the kids took to skiing like fish in water! Before I know it, on the second day, the hubby was taking the girl down the red slopes while the boy was stuck with me on green and blues but on the fourth day, the boy went with them on the red!!! Yikes. The little ones were getting ahead of me!<br />
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The boy on the second day with me, going on the green and blue.</div>
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All of us skiing together in the afternoons</div>
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Eventually, on the last two days, I went for refresher lessons as well. Oh well. I better catch up with the kids.</div>
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For the uninitiated, if you want to try skiing in the French Alps, I would totally recommend Valberg. You could navigate through all the reservations easily without speaking much French and it's easy to get to. You fly into Nice Airport in the south of France and there are direct bus transfer to Valberg for only EUR8 for a return journey! The bus can be reserved on <a href="http://www.lignesdazur.com/reservation/?rub_code=139&btn=resa" target="_blank">Lignes d'azur</a>. Accommodations can be booked with <a href="http://www.chaletsuisse.fr/" target="_blank">Chalet Suisse</a> or on the <a href="http://www.valberg.com/lien_centrale_reservation_en_ligne_hiver.html" target="_blank">Valberg Central Reservation site</a>. Ski lessons can be booked via <a href="http://www.esf-valberg.com/" target="_blank">ESF Valberg </a>(French ski school). They do have some English speaking instructors too. And finally, ski equipments could be booked through numerous sports shop but we used <a href="http://www.skiset.co.uk/" target="_blank">Skiset</a>. Do note that in France, ski clothes cannot be hired so do bring your own! And have lots of fun! The little ones cannot wait to go skiing again!</div>
<br />Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-43840093377789026782016-02-16T12:16:00.001+08:002016-04-04T23:28:46.135+08:00Laetitia and her journey to becoming a ballerinaIf there is anything that the girl is hugely passionate about, it is dance.<br />
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She has been increasing her dance hours in the recent years. She started around the age of five with an hour of dance a week, it increased to two hours per week when she took her first Royal Academy of Dance exam. She was six going on seven then and was preparing for her Primary exams which she scored a distinction. <br />
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In September of 2013, I switched her from The Ballet and Music Company to <a href="http://singaporeballetacademy.com.sg/" target="_blank">Singapore Ballet Academy</a> and she started two hours a week of lesson regularly before it increased to 3 1/2 hours a week by January 2014. Even then, she kept asking for more dance classes. Eventually in January of 2015, we decided to let her try jazz as well with another dance school, <a href="http://www.aqdance.com.sg/" target="_blank">AQ Dance</a>. That added another hour of dance for her and she absolutely loved the energy of this dance genre.<br />
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After attending AQ Dance for a couple of months, she was invited to audition for their scholarship programme which would add another 1 1/2 hrs a week! By middle of 2015, she was dancing a total of 7 hours a week without taking into consideration any additional rehearsals or practice! Yet, she seemed to be at her element. Her school work never suffered and she had enough self motivation to keep going at both her<br />
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Recently, she auditioned for the <a href="https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/artists/ballet-school/summer-internship" target="_blank">Opera de Paris Ballet School Summer Intensive</a>. Opera de Paris is but one of the top three ballet schools in the world, some might say the best. Laetitia has dreams of being an etoile at the Opera de Paris company. There's a long road to go but at least, now she has the chance of being coached for a week by the best of the best. I wonder if she would actually meet Aurelie Dupont and possibly receive a pointer or two by the lady herself! I think that will be the cherry on top of the cake.<br />
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Anyway, here's the audition video she sent through for the audition.<br />
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And this was the one she sent last year for American Ballet Theatre which she was successful but was offered the Orange County session which unfortunately clash with her school term.<br />
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<br />Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-52336935147142249352016-01-24T21:00:00.000+08:002016-04-04T22:22:57.634+08:00My little Champion<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Many months back, in September, the boy started a new sport, Judo. He joined </span><a href="http://www.thedojo.com.sg/" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Dojo</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> at Siglap South CC and really enjoyed it.</span></div>
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And in December, we were informed of a competition that was being held, initially I wondered if he was too new to the sport to be joining the competition but the coach told me that it would be good exposure for him and the children will be grouped according to their skill levels and age. So we signed him up since he was very excited about it.<br />
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Fast forward to today, the day of the competition. Well, the boy surprised me but winning his category against some little children who were slightly more advanced than him! So proud of my little man!<br />
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<br />Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-41999327374763226502014-12-25T00:58:00.001+08:002014-12-25T00:59:39.332+08:00Starting our first family Christmas traditionThis year, we decided that we would spend Christmas in Singapore. More importantly, we decided that it is time to start our own family traditions. In years passed, we usually spend Christmas in France with my in laws. However, we feel that maybe it would make better sense for us to travel b<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">ack to France when we do have longer breaks like in summer. </span><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">So this year, we planned for a Christmas at home! To be honest, I am really looking forward to it! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">As part of our Christmas, we decided to do a little family mission trip (I will post about this separately) which we did last weekend. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">For the actual Christmas event, for the French, Christmas Eve is really a family bonding time. So planning for Christmas Eve was exciting as it is the significant celebration. Following the years of what we had enjoyed, I planned a whole list food items which I thought would be great but the husband reminded me that it was too much for our little family. I finally scaled it down to these main items for our aperitif. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6og1qA-ithw/VJrwleGb_zI/AAAAAAAAGTU/GkkdnOODwcc/s640/blogger-image--1046398369.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6og1qA-ithw/VJrwleGb_zI/AAAAAAAAGTU/GkkdnOODwcc/s640/blogger-image--1046398369.jpg"></a></div>There were foie gras on toaste with walnut, smoked salmon on jalapeño hummus, saucisson and comte cheese. On the sides were some cheesy sticks and crackers. We served the kids sparkling juice and champagne for the adults. This is very much what we would eat in France too. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Dinner was a simple roast chicken with potatoes and a side of buttered asparagus with baby corn. We finished the meal with a log cake and chocolate fondue for the little ones. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">After dinner, we commence a new tradition for the family whereby we all cozy up and watched a Christmas movie. For our inaugural family Christmas movie, we chose ELF after watching the trailers of a few options. It was a nice movie to finish off the night. And since it was such a feel good movie, the boy was all eager to prep for Santa's visit!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">So we worked to put aside some cookies (which I happened to baked just this afternoon) and milk. He wrote a note to let Santa know those were for him. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HpLe3kPPIfk/VJrwjhL-gjI/AAAAAAAAGTM/tUrqPy0kolU/s640/blogger-image--1049353799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HpLe3kPPIfk/VJrwjhL-gjI/AAAAAAAAGTM/tUrqPy0kolU/s640/blogger-image--1049353799.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Finally we managed to put the kids to bed and realized that Santa came by, ate some cookies and left presents for the kids! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GsMiL_GtVkA/VJrwhj0g6GI/AAAAAAAAGTE/0UnytQUIdzk/s640/blogger-image-1447051546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GsMiL_GtVkA/VJrwhj0g6GI/AAAAAAAAGTE/0UnytQUIdzk/s640/blogger-image-1447051546.jpg"></a></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jhEFVUYBSOU/VJrwnvzaenI/AAAAAAAAGTc/gCGCcPGaJ2U/s640/blogger-image--815334938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jhEFVUYBSOU/VJrwnvzaenI/AAAAAAAAGTc/gCGCcPGaJ2U/s640/blogger-image--815334938.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">So excited to see my two darling when they woke up on Christmas morning! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-27843717194903089372014-12-23T14:17:00.001+08:002014-12-23T14:17:53.445+08:00Jingle Bell Rock by the little boy!We are definitely getting into the spirit of Christmas.<br />
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The little boy just finished his school's Christmas Choral Concert last week and came home singing and singing. Since he was in such a good spirit, I got him to sing a song for everyone!<br />
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Sorry about the whooshing sounds made by the fan.... I didn't even realise it until it was up!</div>
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Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-5139438269383527292014-12-16T19:07:00.000+08:002014-12-17T11:48:49.032+08:00Baking baking and more baking!In an effort to make healthier snacks for the children, I finally attempted bread making! I do not have a bread maker but I do have a Kitchen Aid mixer. After someone on a particular facebook group I'm in posted a picture of the bread she made, I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try. I was recommended recipes from <a href="http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2010/03/japanese-style-bacon-and-cheese-bread.html?m=1">http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2010/03/japanese-style-bacon-and-cheese-bread.html?m=1</a> using the tangzhong method.<br />
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The recipe seems easy enough so after buying all the necessary ingredients, I set off to work! </div>
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And that<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> was when I learnt how long it takes to make bread! The finished product was ready only FOUR hours after I started!!! But what a sense of achievement taking the bread come out of the oven.</span></div>
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This was the end result, three loaves of ham and cheese bread for the children's tea time. All ready for them when they got home from school. </div>
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I'll admit that break making is not as easy as cake making. It took a lot of time and yielded very little. I only had three small loaves of the above bread and two small little brioche to show after all that effort. </div>
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Thankfully, while I was waiting for the bread to proof (about 40 minutes), I decided to make a chocolate chocolate chip sponge cake at the same time! </div>
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However as I was juggling between two different things, my sponge cake ended up being a little flat. It tasted great though and my little ones loved it, especially the boy. </div>
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So, it was considered a rather productive day in The Across 2 Cultures bakery ! :) </div>
Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-85621264646863220682014-12-03T19:33:00.000+08:002014-12-24T10:40:02.438+08:00Ballet Barre Exercises at Singapore Ballet AcademyThe girl has been attending the Junior Youth Performing Group (JYPG) classes at Singapore Ballet Academy for the entire year and finally the parents are allowed into one of the classes (the last class of the year) to see what the girls are up to week after week. It was the last class of 2014 and we caught a glimpse of the hard work the girls go through week after week.<br />
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The JYPG class is different from the twice weekly RAD grade classes where the students learn fixed exercises and character dances in preparation for the yearly exam. In the JYPG sessions, the girls get exposed to more types of exercises and steps that would increase their knowledge of ballet moves and stage presence. </div>
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Most of the 90 mins lesson is spent at the barre doing exercises, some totally new to them.</div>
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Here's a short clip of one of the exercises. </div>
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I am really impressed with all the young girls. They had worked very hard during the year to bring themselves to a higher standard. Looking forward to the girl's involvement with the JYPG next year and seeing her take her passion to greater heights! I just have to remind her to relax and smile a little more when she is dancing. :)</div>
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Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-44350913820825039522014-11-27T15:04:00.003+08:002014-11-27T15:04:36.439+08:00Drums Lessons at Thunder Rock SchoolAs previously posted, the little boy is currently <a href="http://www.across2cultures.com/2014/06/the-boy-first-piano-performance.html" target="_blank">learning piano from Forte Musicademy</a>. He had also been asking about drums lesson and finally after procrastinating for almost half a year, I finally took him to <a href="http://www.thunderrockschool.com/" target="_blank">Thunder Rock School</a> at East Coast for a trial lesson and the boy just loved it! He had such a great time and we signed up for lessons immediately.<br />
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The school is located at 43 East Coast Road and is on the second floor. It is run by a group of extremely talented young musicians, in fact, a number of the teachers in the school are part of the local band <a href="http://www.deontheband.com/#!biography/c10fk" target="_blank">DEON</a>. They are passionate about music and the school "<span style="font-family: 'kelly slab', fantasy; font-size: 16px;">is a place where fun is injected into music lessons, learning and creation. By placing a strong emphasis on music creativity and infusing that with the latest and proper music techniques, students are guided and provided with the skill that will enable them to forge out a hobby beyond the confines of the bedroom or a possible musical career."</span>. <br />
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This is a small set up but they have lessons for piano, keyboard, guitar, song writing, vocals and even dj'ing on top of drums! Here's a <a href="http://www.thunderrockschool.com/#!courses/cjg9" target="_blank">link</a> on all the different classes offered in the school.<br />
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The boy's drum teacher is a great guy who loves kids too. What seals it for us is that he is also passionate about God. So, the boy is going to learn to groove to contemporary praise and worship music! What an awesome combination!<br />
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The boy had his first lesson yesterday after attending the trial session last week and he basically ran into the classroom and got himself ready. He had been waiting impatiently for the whole week to go for his drums class.<br />
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Here's the boy and the teacher grooving to some praise and worship music. <br />
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The school works with the students' choice of music to help encourage and cultivate the continuous interest. In the case of our family, as we do not listen to much secular music, it is wonderful that we have been blessed with a musician/teacher who is also into Christian pop. <br />
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So, if you are keen on drums or piano, keyboard, song writing etc for your kids, do check out Thunder Rock School. They have two branches, one in East Coast and another in Thomson.<br />
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The girl also tried out the non classical piano class yesterday. I will post more about it after she has her first lesson. <br />
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<br />Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-84904003340864672482014-11-19T10:51:00.001+08:002014-11-19T10:51:02.246+08:00Family Holiday to Krabi, Thailand Part 2<div>
We recently went to Krabi, Thailand and I wrote about the first half of our holiday <a href="http://www.across2cultures.com/2014/11/family-holiday-to-krabi-thailand-part-1.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I had broken up our holiday into two parts with stays in two different hotels. <br />
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After 5 days in our first hotel, we moved on to <a href="http://www.ihg.com/holidayinnresorts/hotels/us/en/krabi/kbvan/hoteldetail" target="_blank">Holiday Inn Resort Krabi</a> which was along Ao Nang Beach.<br />
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We had a wonderful time in the first five days and on hindsight, I have to admit that moving from an awesome five star hotel to a good four star hotel is not sometime I would do in future. Maybe a move from four to five would be a better way to manage the holiday. The hotel itself is not bad, in fact, I have to compliment the staff who were amazing! The kids club was a real treat! It was definitely more engaging and exciting for the kids. The swimming pools were great as well with four different slides. On top of that, kids eat and stay for free! That meant that when we ate at the main restaurant for dinner, which we did on the first night, it was free for the kids. So I would say that Holiday Inn Resort Krabi is a terrific value for money option. It is a great four star hotel. The downside is that being a family oriented hotel, it can be a bit noisy and crowded.<br />
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Here we are, enjoying the pool and the boy is having his mango smoothie while the girl pretends to make a face!<br />
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The beautiful grounds featuring the swimming pool. This is taken from the hotel's restaurant where we had our breakfast. </div>
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Kids having a fabulous time with the staff of the kids club for Halloween.<br />
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Getting ready to explore a little of Ao Nang on a tuk tuk. The kids loved going on the tuk tuk.</div>
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Along the road, we noticed that one could even rent a tuk tuk and drive around by ourselves.</div>
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On of the favourite part of the trip for the girl was getting her hair braids done. It took an awfully long time though. All in all, about 90 mins for 30-40 braids. And during this 90 mins, the girl was chatting non-stop! </div>
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And that takes us to the end of our trip. We took the budget airline, Tigerair, back to Singapore as they had a flight that leaves Krabi in the afternoon. It works out perfectly as we could check out at 12pm and arrange for a taxi to pick us up from the hotel and send us to the airport at around 1pm. <br />
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Would I recommend going to Krabi? Definitely! Depending on what your preference is, I would say that both hotels are wonderful in their own ways. If you like nature and more peaceful, chill and relax type of a holiday, I would recommend Centara Grand Resort and Villas Krabi. It is a little pricey but worth the money. If you like to be in the bustle of activities, visit the town itself and walk around exploring the area, then Holiday Inn Resort Krabi would be a great option. It is easier on the pocket, in a great location and easily accessible. </div>
Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-56114643845983300282014-11-10T10:59:00.003+08:002014-11-10T10:59:31.218+08:00Family Holiday to Krabi, Thailand Part 1The kids had their mid term school holidays during the last two weeks of October and we decided to take them to Krabi. They had a very good time the previous year when we went off to Phuket to escape the haze in Singapore and so we thought another beach holiday would be nice.<br />
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We decided on Krabi since it is not too far away and we could easily get cheap budget flights there. We took AirAsia there as the timing was good, we departed on a Saturday at 3pm and arrived there at 3:30pm due to the time difference of an hour. <br />
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The flight was uneventful and quick, just 90 mins to get to our destination. It was bearable and within expectations of a budget airline. I would compare it pretty much to taking a standard public transport ride.<br />
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Just before landing!<br />
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I had booked a taxi service on <a href="http://www.krabitaxi.com/" target="_blank">Krabitaxi</a> before leaving Singapore and there was a lady holding a sign with my name as we exited the arrival hall. As we were four, I had booked a "private luxury sedan" which was a simple car that would take the four of us comfortably. Nothing fancy but sufficient. We waited about 10 mins after being received before the driver arrived. The lady had some problems calling the driver but once he was there, everything went smoothly. He sent us to the pier where we had to get a speed boat to our hotel, <a href="http://www.centarahotelsresorts.com/centaragrand/ckbr/" target="_blank">Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas Krabi</a>. I had researched on the hotels in Krabi and decided on Centrara Grand because it was private, the only way in was through the speed boat or walking about 20mins on a Monkey Trail (which was said to be a little daunting for little ones or when it rains/storms). I kindly of like the idea that we are isolated, but I also booked another hotel for the second part of the holiday where they seemed more kids focused and along the main Ao Nang stretch for the children.<br />
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Here, we are, approaching the hotel in the speed boat! It looked like a nice little paradise!<br />
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We checked in very quickly and were shown to our room. It was better than I expected. Very tastefully done.<br />
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For the first evening, we rested and then went to check out the restaurant for dinner. The hotel had four restaurants and we tried three of them and they were quite good. We skipped the Japanese since in Singapore, we have much better options for Japanese food with the prices that they were charging. For Krabi's standard, the prices at the resort are quite steep, but it is in accordance with what one would pay at a normal five star hotel. On average, we would spend around S$70-$90 per meal for the four of us. Thankfully breakfast was included in our stay! :)<br />
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On the second day, we decided to spend most of the time by the pool. It was just SO RELAXING!</div>
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And we ate by the pool as well! </div>
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The children had a fun time playing.</div>
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The kids club was also a blessing. Almost all the time that we brought the little ones, they were the only children. So they had the attention of the carers and was able to participate in the craft activities with undivided attention from the staff. During our five days, they managed to make a piggy bank and a photo frame as well as learn how to speak Thai!<br />
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One of the mornings, hubby took the girl and the boy on an excursion trip to visit the Four Islands for snorkeling as I needed some quiet time to complete an assignment I had due. They came back with amazing photos! The water was so clear! They totally enjoyed themselves and said that this is definitely a highlight of the trip for them.<br />
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This is just beautiful! Crystal clear water.<br />
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And hubby and I enjoyed some romantic moments when the children were in the kids' club. We were able to have drinks by the beach, had some couple time and relaxed. <br />
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All in all, We all had a great time at Centara Grand and there was enough activities or space to do things as a family, as a couple and even individually as well (Both hubby and I went for our 90mins massages separately too). Centara hotel group has a cash bonanza promotion where if you deposit a minimum of 10,000 baht, they would give an additional 30% (or more) bahts in the account. Which meant that you would enjoy some discount off the food and spa bill at the end of the stay making it a bit more affordable to spend within the hotel. <br />
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After four nights in Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas Krabi, we moved to on to our next hotel. The post will continue in Part 2. </div>
Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-21133523442548740672014-10-13T16:03:00.000+08:002014-10-13T16:09:00.124+08:00Dealing with a new diagnosis, AsthmaMy little boy had been complaining a month back that he cannot breath very well at night. At first, I attributed it to the stuffy nose he had. To help him breath better, I used some nasal stripes on him and it seemed to work. Then the husband started commenting that the boy would take deep and long breath during bedtime reading. Finally, after procrastinating for many weeks, I got my act together and tried to book the little one an appointment with a respiratory specialist.<br />
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It was not straight forward getting an appointment. I called <a href="http://www.kkh.com.sg/Pages/Home.aspx" target="_blank">KK Women's and Children's Hospital</a> initially and was told that the earliest appoint they had was almost two months away in late November! Yes, they are the best paediatric hospital in Singapore but errr, no thanks. I spent a couple of moments googling and found <a href="http://www.sbcc.sg/ourdoctors/dr-jennytang/" target="_blank">Dr. Jenny Tang of SBCC</a>. She seemed to be highly recognised in the field of paediatric respiratory health having held the position of Head and Senior Consultant of Respiratory Medicine Service in KK previously. Being in private practice meant that the wait could be shorter and since I had delayed for about a month and the little boy did not seem to get better, I thought I had better get him checked out sooner rather than later. I was fortunate that the next available appointment was only 3 business days later, in less than a week. The only thing was that I had to take the boy out of school. Oh well, health is definitely more important. And I am glad I made that choice.</div>
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We waited for some time before managing to see Dr. Jenny on the appointment day as the clinic was busy. However, she was very patient and efficient in taking in the details and asking the important questions. After verifying our family medical history, she decided to send the boy for some test. He was required to take a Standard Panel Allergy Test and two Respiratory Function Test.</div>
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The Allergy Prick Test</h3>
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The lab to do the test is within the clinic itself. For the Standard Allergy Test, instead of the arm which is the commonly pricked location (which Laetitia had once in Paris and once in Singapore), they do it on the back. They explained that the back is actually more accurate. <br />
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Here's the boy right after the 10 different pricks, before the reaction started. The boy was very brave and calm, he did not even flinch once when he was pricked 10 times.<br />
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After that, we had to wait about 15 mins for the reaction to show up.</div>
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Going through the Lungs Function Test</h3>
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The boy also went through two different lung function tests, namely a Exhaled Nitric Oxide Test to see if the airway is inflammed and a <a href="http://www.niaid.nih.gov/LabsAndResources/labs/aboutlabs/lad/mastCellBiologySection/Pages/ImpulseOscillometry.aspx" target="_blank">Impulse Oscillometry test</a>. </div>
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Diagnosed with Asthma</h3>
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Unfortunately, the test did not come back very well. Although there was no inflammation in his airways, his breathing capacity with and without medication was indicative of asthma. The difference was significant enough to indicated that his airway is not fully opened up. And so, he was prescribed with various medication including Ventolin. Thankfully, the Ventolin does not need to be used unless he was a wheezing spell. It was more a medication for emergency. However, he would need Singular that is supposed to help open up the airways and was given some medication for his allergy rhinitis as well. </div>
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Moving forward, I am working on reducing the dustmites in our house, especially in his bedroom and also increasing the use of Essential oil and TCM to help build up his respiratory health. I would like to decrease the use of pharmaceutical drugs and go more natural for his body but I also want to make sure I do it without risking his health. <br />
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I will share more on our journey to deal with this diagnosis naturally.<br />
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I would also be interested to hear from other parents who have dealt with asthma naturally. It would be great to share information. :-)</div>
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Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-39581116131454251072014-10-07T15:25:00.000+08:002014-10-10T10:24:03.976+08:00Looming for Club Rainbow - Charity DriveThe children (and on some occasions, mummy too) have been going through a rainbow looming craze for many months now. Recently a good friend who is also blogs on <a href="http://www.mummyweeblog.com/">www.mummyweeblog.com</a>, joined a group of blogging mums in a charity drive to Looming for <a href="http://www.clubrainbow.org/" target="_blank">Club Rainbow</a> and I thought it is a wonderful opportunity to do something good with all those rainbow looms bands and bracelets that we have!<br />
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I spoke to the children about it and they were quite excited. The girl was initially unwilling to part with some of the more difficult pieces, especially the hamster however, after some explanation about how giving those up could help the children beneficiaries of Club Rainbow, she opened up her heart and told us she would like to give those to be sold for the charity but also would like to make more for the charity drive.<br />
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Here's what Club Rainbow is about, taken from their website.<br />
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"Established in 1992, Club Rainbow (Singapore) is a registered charity committed to helping children and youths suffering from a range of chronic and potentially life-threatening illnesses.</div>
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The charity currently supports more than 600 children, youths and their families"</div>
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And so, it looks like we are set to participate! And to make sure that the bands are safe, I am making sure that all the bands used are original Rainbow Loom bands. </div>
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The girl looming away at a fun class for kids some time back.</div>
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The boy all excited to start looming for Club Rainbow! </div>
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And so, after sorting through the bands, these are what we would make for sale. For all designs, it will be custom made orders whereby we would create the bracelets according to the colours you prefer. </div>
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My personal favourites are the starburst (which I noticed we did not have any samples as I had given those away!), triple link chain (which is below in the assorted bracelet in the last photo) and the tidal wave. You can make request for specific types of bracelets too. I will of course check with the children if they are able to make it. :)</div>
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<b>Rainbow Loom Bracelets and Charms for sale. </b></h3>
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All proceeds will go to Club Rainbow. Material cost will be entirely sponsored by us too.</div>
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To order, comment here directly on the blog or on our facebook post. We could either mail it to you (free postage) or I might even be able to drop it off. Do support the children and also do a little part for Club Rainbow.<br />
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Here are some other mummy bloggers supporting this drive. Do visit their blogs to see what they have available too!<br />
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1) <a href="http://www.mummyweeblog.com/2014/09/looming-for-good-cause-club-rainbow.html" target="_blank">Mummy Wee</a><br />
2) <a href="http://www.sakuraharuka.com/2014/10/looming-for-charity-club-rainbow.html" target="_blank">Sakura Haruka</a><br />
3) <a href="http://ajugglingmom.com/motivational-mondays-looming-cause/" target="_blank">A Juggling Mum</a><br />
4) <a href="http://www.lilbluebottle.com/looming-for-club-rainbow/" target="_blank">Lil Blue Bottle</a></div>
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Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-85286947459836889932014-10-05T17:10:00.001+08:002014-10-06T10:08:54.993+08:00Performing in Gardens by the Bay with Singapore Ballet AcademyThis children's day was exceptionally important for the girl as she was performing at the Gardens by the Bay together with the <a href="http://singaporeballetacademy.com.sg/" target="_blank">Singapore Ballet Academy</a> (SBA). The ballet school was invited to perform a piece at the <a href="http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/en/the-gardens/attractions/childrens-garden.html" target="_blank">Gardens by the Bay Children's Garden</a> for children's day and being part of the the Junior Youth Performing Group (YPG), she was one of the young dancers involved in the dance piece.<br>
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The girl has been training with SBA for just about a year now. She started sometime in September last year after I switched her from another ballet school. Since then, I have been very happy with her progress and although we spend three days a week at the school, I can see how her passion is being developed and enriched.<br>
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She is currently in grade 2 and at the same time, is part of the YPG. SBA started the specialized group sometime at the start of 2014 and it "is a newly added initiative aimed at refining and
nurturing potential young talents into fine artists of Contemporary and Ballet genres.
The program forms an intensive training ground for aspiring dancers to cultivate their
body, mind and soul towards a capacity that expresses top-notch performance quality.
As the dancers progress further along the program from Junior group (Grade 1) to
Senior group (Intermediate to Advance), future opportunities will be in the form of
exchange programs with overseas academies and dance schools, introduction to
Classical Ballet techniques, Contemporary and Classical Pas de Deux, Classical
repertoires and newly created works that can be featured in local and overseas
performance, as well as participation in dance competitions."<br>
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This is the first performance for the Junior YPG group and it is supported by some of the older girls from the Senior Group who were dancing the roles of the mermaids. The little dancers trained very hard over the last three months for the performance. They were personally taught by the principal of the school, Mr. Jeffrey Tan, "one of Singapore's most prolific and established dancer, choreographer and educator". <br>
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The group performed first in the morning for the VIPs and then in the afternoon, they danced a second time in the late afternoon for the public and of course, the parents of the dancers came out in full force. We quickly put together a video of the performance to share how proud we are of our little girl. She is one of the fish in the red and blue costume.<br>
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In addition, they were mentioned in the local media too!<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture from Today Online</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/children-bloom" target="_blank">From Today Online.</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/over-200-children-enjoy/1397060.html" target="_blank">From Channel News Asia</a></div>
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Such an awesome experience for my little ballerina. I am sure she is looking forward to more possibilities and exposure. And as a parent, I am fully supporting her in the realization of her dream. </div>
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Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-46929973338776870542014-10-03T10:21:00.000+08:002014-10-03T10:43:49.444+08:00Therapeutic hugs in the morningThe little boy recently learnt this French children's song, "Des Câlins", meaning "The Hugs" in school. He had been singing it a lot and it soon became a huge part of his life. <br />
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The song talks about how much he would like hugs in the morning, lots and lots of it. It goes on to say that when he has lots of hugs in the morning, his day would start well, he would laugh and have fun. And if he doesn't get hugs in the morning, he would not want anything and would ache everywhere.<br />
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The song "Des Calins"</h3>
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The lyrics goes like this:-<br />
Des câlins, le matin<br />
J'en veux plein, plein, plein, plein, plein<br />
Des câlins, le matin<br />
J'en veux plein, plein, plein.<br />
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Quand j'ai plein de câlins<br />
La journée commence bien<br />
Je cours dans la cuisine<br />
J'avale trois quatre tartines<br />
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Refrain<br />
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Quand j'ai plein de câlins<br />
Je rigole pour un rien<br />
J'invente un' p'tite chanson<br />
J'suis gai comme un pinson<br />
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Mais si j' n'ai pas de câlins<br />
Moi j'ai envie de rien<br />
J'ai mal un peu partout<br />
Au ventre puis au cou.<br />
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Refrain<br />
(taken from <a href="http://comptines.tv/des_calins">http://comptines.tv/des_calins</a>)<br />
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The importance of hugs</h3>
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Last Sunday night, while I was putting him to bed, he suddenly said that he had a bad day. I was rather defensive and felt upset because I thought we had such great fun that day. I explained that we did many things together from church in the morning to a yummy gourmet burger lunch followed by some activities at home and we finished off the day with some enjoyable moments at the swimming pool, doing silly things like making human bombs (jumping into the pool making as big a splash as possible). However, he reminded me about the song and sort of complained that we did not hug him that morning! Opps!</div>
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Every weekday morning, hubby makes it a point to give both kids big hugs before sending them off on the school bus (while I snooze away). On Saturday, it happened that I was the one leaving home for classes so I gave the kids a good squeeze before I stepped out. The sad thing was, on Sunday we were all together and though we kissed the kids before they went for their respective Sunday School class, we missed out on the hugs. And I did not realise how significant that one hug in the morning was to setting the pace for the rest of the day! </div>
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Giving a good hug at the start of the day meant a lot to the little boy. And for the girl as well. </div>
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Research has shown that what the song states is true. A good hug releases oxytocins, the commonly called "feel good hormones" or the bonding/love hormones. More oxytocins in the body will help to reduce stress and anxiety. There are many benefits to having oxytocins in the body. Medically, it is supposed to decrease risk of heart disease and depression, increase immunity, fight fatigue and infections and many more. </div>
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Starting the day with a good hug</h3>
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More importantly, we learnt as well that physical touch and in this case, a nice cuddle, is going to start the day well for our children. It not only gives them the warm and fuzzy feeling, but it also imply that we love them, that they are important to us and we are here for them. There are many challenges that our little ones face when we send them out to the world, to school. There could be bullies in school, mean classmates, teachers who may unintentionally hurt their self esteem or adults who are overwhelmed with other the other children around and become less kind with words. We cannot shelter them forever and we should not either. However, <b><i>we can and we definitely should send them out confident and secured in our love</i></b>. We can send them out as loving beings who will be ready to give another kid a hug when needed too. We can send them out as empathetic little angels who are able to give others some love because they are full of it and it overflows.</div>
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In the last couple of weeks, whenever I come home tired or stressed, the first thing the boy does when I slump into the sofa was to run over to put his arms around me. He sometimes add a good few pats on my back as if to tell me, "it is okay mama, you are home and we love you!". You have no idea how much better I usually feel right after that. That, is the amazing healing power of a good hug. Do try it, make it a part of your morning ritual with the family, and I'm sure the entire family will benefit from it. </div>
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Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-40683163490298508152014-09-22T23:19:00.000+08:002014-09-22T23:19:18.540+08:00Singapore F1 Thursday Rev Up Pit Lane Experience<div>
The highlight of last week in Singapore was the Singapore Airline Formula One Night Race Event. The entire city was buzzing with all things related to the F1.</div>
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The little boy, being not so little anymore at the age of five, had been very excited about the race because his friends in school were talking about it. Some of them were going to be watching the race. He had asked about going last year but thinking that he was too young to really enjoy it, we were quite hesitant to spend the money getting the tickets since neither of his parents are keen. This year, being the doting mum, I was still thinking that maybe one of us could just bring him for one of the nights. The husband, however, disagreed. So, one afternoon I was surfing on the Singapore GP website and came across the<a href="http://www.singaporegp.sg/rev-up-singapore/thursday-pit-lane-experience" target="_blank"> Thursday Pit Lane Experience</a> page. Now, one of our concerns with bringing the boy to the race is that the noise is really loud and that it could cause permanent damage to the ears. It does not help that the organisers make parents sign a <a href="https://www.singaporegp.sg/ticket/pdf/IndemnityFormforChildrenbelow7.pdf" target="_blank">disclaimer</a> that states they are not responsible for hearing damage etc. So, the Thursday Pit Lane Experience sounds like an awesome idea and there was a ballot on the page for two of the tickets to the event. I quickly submitted hubby and my name for the ballot. Lo and behold, we both won the tickets! What are the chances?!</div>
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With that, even though normally the children's bed time is at 8pm, we decided that we should make an exception for this special experience! The Pit Lane walk was going to start only at 9:20pm but what an awesome fun it would be for the kids. <br />
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The Singapore F1 Pit Lane Experience</h3>
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On Thursday (18 Sept), I made sure that the boy had a nap after coming back home from school. We left home around 7:30pm and parked the car at the stadium and took the mrt for one stop to Nicoll Highway station and walked for about 10 minutes to the Marina Bay Circuit Gate 1. There were some food stands in the village but they were not exactly interesting nor yummy. Oh well, we were not there for the food. There were also some activities. The boy managed to try changing the wheels of a F1 car! </div>
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After hanging around for an hour, we noticed that a queue was forming to get into the circuit. By the time we managed to walk to the queue, it had stretch to possibly 400m long! After waiting for another 30 minutes, we finally managed to get onto the pit lane and that was when the real fun started!<br />
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The kids on the Pit Lane</h4>
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The highlight of going onto the Pit Lane experience was visiting the various teams garages to see the race cars. All the garages had simple temporary barricades to prevent the visitors from getting too near. We were, however, very blessed in that at the Caterham Team garage, a very nice gentleman saw how the little boy was looking intensely at what the mechanics were doing and opened the barricade to allow us in! The closest we got to a racing F1 car!</div>
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Inside the Caterham F1 Team garage</h4>
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Checking out the Ferrari Garage of Fernando Alonso!</h4>
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A closer shot of the Ferrari mechanics working on Alonso's car</h4>
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A funny thing happened just as we were at the Ferrari garage, a young man standing next to me commented, "If you can get in here as well, I would be your son too! I can be 5 years old!" Hahahah. Guess he saw us at the Caterham garage. That really showed how privileged we were to have the chance to get so close inside.</div>
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And after a long walk past all the various teams, we finally got to the end and were going to walk back out when we kept hearing loud noises which I did not know what made it. I am really quite clueless when it comes to the Formula One race. We then saw a crowd watching one of the teams and realized that it was the sound of wheels being changed. The team from Scuderia Toro Rosso was practising their wheels changing sequence. The papa took the boy on his shoulders so that he could look at what was happening. The boy really enjoyed watching how the wheels would be changed in a split second and it was a wonderful finale for him. </div>
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By then, at almost 10.30pm, we can finally start to head home! </div>
Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-70440827218283286262014-09-18T17:10:00.000+08:002014-10-10T10:24:28.162+08:00I love my husband more than my kidsYes, you read that right. I love my husband more than my kids!<br />
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Recently I read an article, "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephanie-jankowski/why-i-put-my-husband-before-our-kids_b_5618395.html?utm_hp_ref=parents&ir=Parents&utm_source=popsugar.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pubexchange_facebook" target="_blank">Why I put my Husband before my kids</a>" discussing about the very same thing and that resounds with me. It sets me thinking about how this comes about and that is the starting point for this post. <br />
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The baby was the Priority</h3>
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I do want to state that I agree with the writer however, initially it was not like that. It was the opposite when I had my first child. After my daughter was born, she was the main focus of my life. During the first six months of her life, everything I was doing pretty much revolve around her and her schedule. I was breastfeeding exclusively and focusing almost all my attention on making sure that all her needs are met and more. I stopped going to Church because the timing was not suitable for her naps and it was hard to breastfeed her as we were in a small church without a separate room or area for me to nurse her. And that period was also the hardest for my husband. He was definitely neglected. <br />
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Up till today, I thank God for for my husband's patience and immense love for me. And aside from my husband who was being neglected, someone else was being pushed aside as well, and that person was ME. I was slowly ignoring my personal needs and desires. <br />
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Biblical Hierarchy of Relationships</h3>
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However, as I mature as a parent, I realized how important God's truth is. In the biblical hierarchy of relationship, God is first, followed by the spouse and then the children. The rest of the family is next. I learnt the personal truth of how allowing God's will into our family helps to preserve and unite us.<br />
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Putting my husband first is not about neglecting my children. It is about making parenting a joint effort. Allowing my husband to take his role as the head of the household means letting him take responsibility for the coverage of our family. When my husband takes on his role, it means that he will also become involved in the children's life in more ways than I can imagine. When I make him a priority, it makes us a team, we become parents who are both involved in our children's lives. I'm not the only one following our children's growth or development, he is 100% involved too. For example, when it came time to sleep train our children and night wean them, he was in it with me. As I could not bear the cries of the little ones, he would be the one to carry them for two to three hours in the night to help them get back to sleep. And I empowered him to manage the kids and not undermine his capabilities as a father and as the head of the household. I know many mums who would not think their husband capable nor willing to do that. Sometimes, i figured it is also because as mothers, we always feel that we can do it better but we need to let that go and empower the fathers so that they can also be more involved in the process. <br />
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More importantly, when my spouse realises that he is the most important person to me, after God, it strengthens our relationship. With a strong marriage and love between us, we become better a example of what a happy and united family looks like to our children. We also support each other when parenting gets tough. We have each others back. It is much easier to face challenges in life when we have someone who is on our side.<br />
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As children, my little ones would sometimes ask who do I love the most, hoping the answer would be them. However, whenever that question comes up, I would gently tell them that in our (the parents) lives, we love God first, then papa/mummy, then them followed by our larger family and then friends. Initially our elder girl found it hard to come to terms that she is not the most important or most loved in our lives. We had to explain to her why and also that even for them, the little ones, they have to love God before us, their parents. And for us, their parents, how we love each other and treat each other with respect is how the children will learn a marriage is supposed to be.<br />
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My children has no doubts in their hearts that we (the parents) love them immensely. I consider myself a very hands-on and involved parent but I believe maintaining a good balance. Now, I would rather be 100% focused on each activity then try to multi-task on numerous. Being involved in my children's lives does not mean being there 24/7. It means knowing when to be a 100% there and when to let go. It also means knowing when to take the time off for the other things in life.<br />
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Taking time for myself</h3>
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In all that, I have also learnt not to lose myself into my roles as a mother or a wife but to take time off to care for my unique person. I recently shared about this too in my post "<a href="http://www.across2cultures.com/2014/08/mummy-personal-time-off.html" target="_blank">Mummy personal time off</a>"</div>
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Ready to be Relegated!</h3>
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We believe that it is an essential part of our household to teach the children that God should take first place in our lives, our individual lives. I know one day, both my little darlings would probably find their own partners and form their own families. Maybe it would become hard for us at that time to become displaced from second place to some lower importance but I firmly believe that it is the way it would be. When I become an in-law, I pray that I would be a kind and understand mum and mum-in-law to my children and their spouses respectively. And for now, I will start to pray to God that He would bless them with a Godly, loving, caring person.</div>
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Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-67582852912122811022014-09-09T16:58:00.001+08:002014-09-09T16:58:09.838+08:00Human Body Experience at Singapore Science CentreLast Tuesday was the last day of school for the children and so I decided maybe we should take a little field trip to the <a href="http://www.science.edu.sg/Pages/SCBHome.aspx" target="_blank">Singapore Science Centre</a>. A few months ago they opened a new exhibition called The Human Body Experience. This exhibit will be housed in hall 2 of the Science Centre for about two years. A friend went with her children and quite enjoyed in and I thought it would be an interesting learning experience especially since both my kids are of the age to better understand how the human body works .<br />
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And after about a thirty minutes drive from home, we live in the east and the Science Centre is in the western part of Singapore, we finally arrived. We were greeted by the dinosaurs at the entrance! <br />
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I paid for the tickets, which were $20 per adult and $15 per child (3-12 years old) and we happily went in.<br />
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The Human Body Experience</h3>
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Hall B where the Human Body Experience is located is easy to find using the map that was provided at the cashier.</div>
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Once we got to Hall B, you can hardly miss the larger than life entrance of the human body. Yes, you get into the body from the mouth. It was a little daunting at first as it looks dark inside and the steps up the tongue is not smooth. Even the older girl was telling me she was scared. The little boy obviously wanted me to keep close and hold his hands! </div>
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Once we enter into the mouth, there's a little slide down to the larynx or more commonly known as the voice box. We could push along the vocal chords which will make noises.<br />
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There are many different parts of the body that we would go through including the ribcage which protects the lungs, the cardiovascular system where we see the heart and be bombarded with loud pumping music/sounds that mimics the heart, the stomach which has soft and unstable walls/floors to replicate how ours would feel like. And the fun part of the exit? Coming out of the butt! It made the little ones laugh.<br />
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With the tickets, you could enter into the Human Body twice.<br />
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After we finished the Human Body Experience, we went on to discover the rest of the Science Centre. It was then that I realised I had never been here with the children! And it was full of fun things to learn and discover.<br />
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The kids stop at one of the activities stations to learn how to build a stable structure. <br />
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They also had fun inside the Sound Exhibition in Hall C. They tried out the Echo Tube, played a ringing sound game to test the accuracy of their sense of hearing and checked out all the various exhibit stations. <br />
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We definitely enjoyed ourselves especially since we were there on a rather quiet weekday. Towards the later part of the afternoon, there were groups of school children who swarmed the place. The Human Body Exhibition had a long line of more than 30 children in school uniforms! I guess there were some school field trips being organised on that day as well. Thankfully, we missed the crowd as we had arrived earlier. Would we recommend going? YEAH!</div>
Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-79627134920929495622014-09-04T12:08:00.002+08:002014-09-22T19:42:19.782+08:00Fire Station Open House Visit<meta content='across two 2 cultures, fire station open house, activities for children, paya lebar fire station, scdf open house' name='keywords'/>
<meta content='Sandra Lastennet' name='author'/>
The little one, like most boys, love all things fireman, policeman etc. I happened to find out by chance that every Saturday morning, from 9-11am, most of the fire stations in Singapore are opened to visitors! The moment I was told me about the open house, I made plans to bring the little boy to one of the fire stations. As I was going to be busy for the next couple of Saturdays, I had to rely on the hubby for this little field trip. I managed to convince him into bringing the little one on the day that the elder sister was away for a sleepover.<br />
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And so, off they went early last Saturday morning. The little one even had his fireman costume/jacket on for the trip! He had wanted to bring his siren and fire extinguisher as well but we convinced him not to.</div>
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The Visit of Paya Lebar Fire Station</h3>
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They arrived at about 9:30am and there was a small group of visitors being shown around. A very kind fireman came over to hubby and son and offered to bring them around. The tour started with a show of the different types of vehicles that the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) uses for fire fighting. </div>
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Fire Fighting Vehicles</h4>
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The fire engine! The boy looking smart with his Melissa and Doug Fireman costume sitting on the front of the truck.</div>
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The boy going into the fire engine truck and even onto the driver's seat after. He was very excited to check out the fireman's accessories and equipment in the truck.</div>
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Next up is the Fire Bike.</div>
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Learning to be a Fireman</h3>
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After the tour of the vehicles, the boy got a demonstration of how to use the hose for putting out fires. He was even given a chance to try it out. I understood from hubby that he was the only one during that time who had the chance to use the water hose. Just look at how proud he looks! The little fireman told me that the hose was really heavy and it was not easy maneuvering it. </div>
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After that, the firemen also demonstrated how to get down the fireman's pole. The boy was eager to try that but it would have been a tad too difficult for him. Nonetheless, hubby let him checked it out by carrying him higher up the pole and letting him slide down. It was definitely not from the second story of the building! </div>
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And finally, after about 45-60mins, the tour has ended and here is an obligatory photo of the boy and the real firemen! The boy very seriously told me that he was invited to "work" with the firemen to put out fire with them since now, he knows how to use the equipment and could go on the fire trucks. <br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A big thank you to the very friendly fire fighters who kindly made my son's day that Saturday morning!</span><br />
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Fire Stations You Can Visit</h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The fire stations that are open for the open house includes the following:-</span><br />
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Alexandra Fire Station</div>
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Ang Mo Kio Fire Station</div>
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Bishan Fire Station</div>
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Bukit Batok Fire Station</div>
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Central Fire Station</div>
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Changi Fire Station</div>
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Clementi Fire Station</div>
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Jurong Fire Station</div>
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Paya Lebar Fire Station</div>
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Sengkang Fire Station</div>
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Tuas Fire Station</div>
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Woodlands Fire Station</div>
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Yishun Fire Station</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I understand that the Central Fire Station is very popular however, if you would like more personalised attention, I believe the smaller stations would provide a more intimate setting. In our case, the boy was attended to by one of the firemen who literally took him by the hand around the station, patiently explaining each and every feature of the tour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you have a free Saturday morning, I </span>definitely<span style="font-family: inherit;"> recommend checking out the Fire Station Open House. It's fun and it's free. </span></div>
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</div>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-87825449418836775522014-08-31T00:01:00.000+08:002014-09-04T13:02:17.401+08:00Project kids' houseAfter my <a href="http://across2cultures.blogspot.sg/2014/06/project-paint-doll-house.html" target="_blank">project doll house</a> with the kids, recently, hubby and the boy worked on project kids' house.<br />
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We had some carton boxes left over from our move and things that we bought. Instead of throwing the boxes away, the hubby has been diligently saving aside pieces that he felt would be useful in making crafts with the children. He has big plans for building houses, boats etc! <br />
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So last Sunday afternoon, the boy and the husband decided to work on building a little kids' house. They had a rather grand plan to build something that both the boy and the girl could fit into! And so, the work began.<br />
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They took out all the necessary tools and a some proper planning was done. They cut out some panels of the carton box for the walls and even had a window built with clear sheets to resemble glass.<br />
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And after three hours of hard work, the house was finally finished! The kids added a door bell using one of the girl's toy which makes music. And they also created a sort of chimney. </div>
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Here's the final product. </div>
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The kids have been spending lots of time inside the house. They even brought some of their toys to store in the house and created a "store room" just outside of it.</div>
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I am sure the kids are going to have fun with the house for a few weeks at the least. </div>
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This is a fun project that you can definitely try with some spare carton boxes that you might have. </div>
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</div>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-63671493259959889992014-08-27T23:37:00.000+08:002014-09-04T13:03:32.190+08:00Mummy's Personal Time OffMummies; we are always putting the needs of our children first, buzzing and fussing over them. It is not uncommon to hear mummies complain about how they have lost themselves in their roles as mother and wife and how their individual identify and needs are placed on the back burner. In France and Canada where I used to live, I heard of mummy friends who sometimes, on certain crazy days, do not even get a moment to shower themselves! That is the extend of the devotion we give to our children.<br>
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Finding a balance in our roles</h3>
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I am a huge advocate of regular me time for mummies. I firmly believe that it is important for us, mothers, to maintain a balance in the roles we play, as a mother, a wife, a daughter, a friend, an employee etc. And more importantly, we must not neglect ourselves. It is essential that we celebrate and give time to our unique person. As with any other jobs, we would find ourselves short tempered, stressed and on the verge of burnt-out if we are overworked. Similarly, if we consistently suppress our own needs by sacrificing all our time and energy in the name of being a better or more involved mother, we will face exhaustion. We ask for work life balance when it comes to the corporate world but we often forget to apply this balance when we are mothers, whether we are a stay-at-home mum or taking on a professional career at the same time. </div>
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Step back and Evaluate</h3>
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In allowing ourselves me-time, we give ourselves a chance to step back and evaluate. This can be so refreshing to our mind and soul. We could use this time to look back at how we are doing, plan ahead in how we want to parent our children and allow ourselves to be more intentional rather than reactive in our interactions with our children. At the same time, we can also allow our inner self to breathe and take stock of where we are in life. Have you ever stopped to think if this is where you had planned for yourself five or ten years ago before getting married? Are you happy with your current life? How can you make it better and more meaningful for yourself and your family? These reflective thoughts probably could only take place when we are not overwhelmed with the day to day constant demands of our children and family. I believe that, sometimes, we need to be selfish to take a short period away from everything, to become more effective in caring and loving the spouse and children. </div>
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So recently, I took two weeks away from the family and went to the US. I started this tradition about 7 years ago when we lived in France and I took three days away to Rome by myself. It was utterly amazing to not have to answer to anyone for three days. Three days to just be myself and give me the liberty to put myself first. I did not have to worry about rushing home, what to cook, plan activities for the children or anything like that. In those three days, I could do whatever I wished and had the quietness and calm to look into how I see my life ahead. I make conscious decisions about the future of our family and was able to see things in a clearer perspective. <br>
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Taking a moment to take in the beauty of God's creation.<br>
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From that experience on, I went on to take a solo trip of two to five days every other year. At the same time, I would also take a trip with one or two girlfriends in the alternate years. These trips has helped me recharge and provided clarity on my life on an on-going basis. I also feel that it has helped me not only as an individual, it propelled me forward as a mother. During these quiet reflective moments, I am able to evaluate myself as a mum. Am I doing well? Have I been parenting the way I said I will? Have I lost control of myself or allowed my stress level to accumulate to a point where I am less tolerant and am impatient with my little ones? Have I been a good role model at home and in public? Are my expectations of my children realistic? And I can take the time to slowly answer my own questions instead of just brushing them off in the hustle and bustle of each day.<br>
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So yes, I do recommend parents take some time off, maybe once every two years. Even if it's just a two days one night trip away. I had taken two days off to a small resort in Batam to just quieten my mind and it was refreshing. The break from everything can renew your spirit and bring about a good breather from our sometimes crazily busy life as a mummy. As it is, our work is never ending right? :) </div>
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<br></div>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-76600899279321415982014-08-22T23:15:00.000+08:002014-09-04T12:13:24.620+08:00Spending time with the children individuallyWhen we have more than one child in the family, it is normal that we do things together with all the kids. I personally find it very important to also spend time individually with each child to give him or her our undivided attention.<br />
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Five years ago, I started doing that after the birth of the little boy as I was worried that the elder girl would feel left out or displaced. She was going from being an only child to having a demanding little baby brother in the house. To help her to slowly adjust to not having all the attention, I used to <a href="http://across2cultures.blogspot.sg/2009/04/saturday-outings-with-laetitia.html" target="_blank">spend Saturday mornings taking the girl</a> out soon after her brother turned one month old! At that time, we were living in Paris and had no extra help. Most of my day was spent with the boy when his sister was in school however, the girl had very little focused and undivided attention so I made the effort to co-ordinate with my hubby to care for the little baby when I took the girl out for two hours (the intervals between the time the boy needed to be breastfed). And since then, life has become a lot easier when we moved to Singapore and have a live-in helper.<br />
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After we moved here, I could even take individual holidays with them. I took the boy to Perth when he was coming to two years old, and then to <a href="http://across2cultures.blogspot.sg/2014/03/a-trip-to-sydney-with-only-boy.html" target="_blank">Sydney</a> recently at the age of 5. The girl and I went to <a href="http://across2cultures.blogspot.sg/2013/01/tokyo-with-laetitia-and-my-girl-pal.html" target="_blank">Tokyo</a> and Nice together.<br />
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Now, I take the children out separately for meals at least a couple of times a month. These moments are precious to me as I believe I am building a string of positive emotions and character in them.<br />
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Knowing that they are loved</h3>
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One of the most crucial reason I continue to spend one-on-one time with my children is because it is a way for me to reaffirm them and let them know I love them. I tell them "I love you" all the time but what better way to express it than to give them undivided attention. I also have to make a conscious effort to put away my smartphone when we sit down at the table. It is, as much as possible, a no distraction, dedicated time for them. I want them to feel that they matter to me and are worthy of my time. I want them to know that I care about what is happening in their lives and spending quality with them is important to me, that they are important little people in my life.<br />
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Building values into their lives</h3>
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When we spend a meal together, this is a time when we are chatting, catching up on what is going on in school, with their friends, or even using those time to reinforce certain values that I want to build into their lives. I want them to know that I am willing to listen and listen attentively. I want them to know that I am someone they can look to when they need moral guidance. Before we share the meal, we always say a prayer and during these one-on-one time, I also pray for our conversation to be truthful and full of love. As parents, we can speak life into situations and build up their character, teach them resilience etc. Sometimes, I am the one sharing about things that happen in my life and about how I am dealing or have dealt with it.<br />
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So here are some of the one-on-one times that I spent with the kids.<br />
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Took the boy to Marina Bay Sands. We tried out the sampan ride and then enjoyed a sandwich together. </div>
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Another time when we went to the Podi for dinner together.</div>
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Took him to &made when he wanted a burger.</div>
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The girl and I spending three days in Nice, just the two of us.</div>
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Having breakfast, just the girl and I. She is growing up too fast!</div>
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There are many good benefits to spending time individually with the child including building into their memory bank, bonding with them, creating a great habit of keeping communications open and honestly just enjoying each other's company. I totally encourage all parents to do this, even if it is once every other month. Try it! Let me know about your one-on-one time. </div>
Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6091275899557251545.post-16960103396369909192014-08-16T19:58:00.002+08:002014-09-22T19:41:06.328+08:00DC Comics SuperHeros exhibits at Singapore Philatelic Museum<meta content='DC Comics, Superheros, Singapore Philatelic Museum, activities for children, Across 2 two cultures' name='keywords'/>
<meta content='Sandra Lastennet' name='author'/>
Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, the girl has ballet lessons and as and when possible, I'll take the boy out with me when I send her for her class so that I can spend some one-on-one time with him. Last Thursday was no exception. I was running out of ideas on where to go when I remembered that a friend had pointed out the <a href="https://www.spm.org.sg/SPMPortal/Exhibitions/Current&Upcoming?_afrLoop=2070142050391160&_afrWindowMode=0&_afrWindowId=null" target="_blank">DC Comics SuperHeros' exhibit at the Singapore Philatelic Museum</a> to me. Since we were not too far away, I decided to head over to the museum in Coleman Street.<br />
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The place is easy to find and parking can be found just next to the Peranakan Museum (which is another interesting museum to visit for both tourist and locals) or further up the road on Fort Canning. <br />
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So here we are, right by the museum.</div>
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When we entered the museum, I realised that entry is free for Singaporeans! YAY! What a nice surprise! Since it is a DC Comics SuperHero Exhibit going on, some SuperHero apparels were also on sale.</div>
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I was a little disappointed that the exhibition room for the DC Hero was rather small, but for the little boy, it was enough to keep him entertained and interested.<br />
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Checking out Batman.<br />
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His favourite part of the exhibits, the Bat Mobiles.</div>
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Various characters.<br />
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Learning a little more about the superheros and their names.</div>
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The exhibit area was kind of small, just the size of a room. There are other exhibits to look at as well but all in all, we spent about 30 to 40 mins there. It was great timing since the girl's ballet is an hour so we managed to go grab a quick snack before heading back to pick her up.</div>
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The exhibit is on until 30 November 2014 so if your child is a fan of the Super Heros, definitely check out the museum. </div>
</div>Sandrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09532474020684713911noreply@blogger.com0