Play Learning Tuesday: Cardboard Farm

It’s been quite a while since we last shared on Play Learning Tuesday. But today, we’re back again, and we hope to share more of our fun play learning activities.

Today, we’re sharing a cardboard project that we did, in line with the farm theme at EV’s pre-school. It was a rather big project, and need the help of AA too, though I don’t think he minded.

Materials needed

Cardboard box

Green and blue paint

Felt in various colours

Ice cream sticks

Cotton wool for the clouds

Blue foam for the pond

Egg cartons

Scissors

Glue

Firstly, I got EV and AA to paint the outside of the box green. For the inside, they painted the top half blue for the sky, and the rest green for the grass.

Decorating and adding details inside is really easy. There are no specific details as to what to add. I basically let EV take the lead and decide what she wanted in her farm. She decided she wanted a barn, which AA helped to make as well, using ice cream sticks. 

 

Then she wanted an apple tree, so we made one using green, brown and red felt.

Finally, she wanted a pond for the ducks. She even made her own ducks out of white felt, added cotton wool for the clouds, and even gave the pigs their own feeding trough made out of egg cartons.

The kids then made their toy farm animals move house, from the toy box to the newly created cardboard farm. The animals look like they are liking their new home.

There are quite a number of learning possibilities besides the creativity, such as:

- Literacy - describe the farm, the farm animals, what they are doing, how they are feeling, focus on words associated with ‘farm'

- Numeracy - count the animals, simple addition and subtraction as the animals move into the barn to rest

- Science - discuss the body parts of the farm animals: webbed feet, hoofs, beaks etc

So there, an easy-to-made cardboard farm. There are a few steps to making it, but the bonding with the kids is just great.

What cardboard creations are you making today? Do share!

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Thank you for reading. If you like this post, please do connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, so I can share our fun adventures, thoughts and exploits with you. 

Yes, I miss my dinner dates

Just the other day, a friend asked me: Do I miss it? We were having dinner and drinks, and I thought she was asking whether I missed such dinner dates with friends as a result of my career change. I told her that I didn’t. I mean, such dinner dates mean more money spent and money is something that I need to be careful with.

Returning home, I gave her question a deeper thought. Do I miss it? And then I realise, I do. 

I miss being able to meet friends after work and have a leisurely meal and chat? I miss being able to go for movies whenever I want. I miss being able to exercise regularly without worrying about the need to rush home. I miss being able to enjoy me-time whenever I want.

In a nutshell, I miss being single. Or rather, I miss life before kids.

Yes I do. I won’t deny that. If people say that your life won’t change after having kids, they’re lying. Life will change once kids arrive. There are so much more things to consider, like do they have someone to look after them? 

Going out is no longer a spur of the moment. Lots of planning have to be done to ensure that the kids have a babysitter. You need to let the hubby know, the helper know, the in-laws know. Heck, you even need to plan exactly what time you go out so that the kids won’t see you and prevent you from leaving the house. Then if you’re the one responsible for bringing the kids for enrichment classes, meeting friends on those days are a absolute no-no.

So yes, I do miss being able to meet friends, have a drink or two, and share a salad and a platter of ribs and sausages. And when I do meet them, I enjoy myself. Who wouldn’t?

But a mother is a mother. Barely minutes into the dinner, and you’re checking your mobile to make sure that you don’t have any missed calls. When the dinner conversation turns to your kids, your excitement is obvious.

Because nothing beats having the tiny loves of your life hugging you and smothering you with kisses. Nothing beats wrestling with them on the bed, reading, painting and doing silly things with them.

I may miss those dinner dates, but I miss my kids, my hubby more. You are my everything.

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Thank you for reading. If you like this post, please do connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, so I can share our fun adventures, thoughts and exploits with you. 

Edamame and Pork Pasta

Finally, the doc said yes. I can swim!!! It’s not difficult to imagine my joy. I mean, after being stuck at home for three months (one month of which was spent mostly in bed), going mostly only to the doctor and physiotherapist, and doing mostly gentle physiotherapist, it’s exciting to finally go into the water again. I felt delirious, to the point I think my kids thought I was crazy. It felt so good to be swimming with them again, to carry them and walk in the water. Yes, I can only do that in the water. 

Because we usually have swimming sessions in the mornings, there’s the big question of lunch. What can we have that’s simple and quick to prepare? Like EV likes to say lately, easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Ah ha.. a eureka moment for me. Edamame and Pork Pasta!

Edamame and Pork Pasta

Serves 5

Ingredients

300g pasta of your choice, cooked

1 cup edamame beans, cooked and removed from the shell

200g pork, sliced

1 carrot, shredded

2 teaspoons light soya sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

½ teaspoon corn starch

Pepper

Butter or margarine

Olive oil

Instructions

1. The night before, cook and prepare the pasta and edamame beans. Marinate the pork with light soya sauce, sesame oil, corn starch and pepper. Leave the cooked pasta, edamame beans and marinated pork in the fridge overnight.

2. The next day, remove the pasta, edamame and pork from the fridge 10 to 15 minutes before cooking. Wash and shred the carrot.

3. In a pan, melt the butter or margarine. 

4. Fry the pork until half cooked, then put in the edamame and carrot. Put in the pasta and toss until well combined.

5. Add a dash of olive oil and the pasta is ready.

Quick, easy, and most importantly, it’s healthy. A delightfully light dish to have after a refreshing swim!

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Thank you for reading. If you like this post, please do connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, so I can share our fun adventures, thoughts and exploits with you. 

Review + Giveaway: Mummy-daughter fashion by Hush Puppies Apparel

{Sponsored review} 

I know Hush Puppies for their shoes, but apparel? I recently discovered that they do have a decent collection of apparel. Not only leather accessories such as wallets, belts and clutches (after all, they have leather shoes), but also clothes for men, women and kids.

We were invited to check out their Spring Collection 2015. The whole collection is largely inspired by the works of American abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko, a post World War II artist who is known for his style of using large colour blocks and minimalist hues. Hush Puppies’ Spring Collection 2015 adopts this, creating a collection that is clean and fresh, with vibrant colours of spring such as blue, orange, yellow and red.

We were quite happy to find out that the new collection has matching designs for parents and kids, even babies aged between 6 and 24 months. How do we know? Because each matching design has a tag that tells you so. That’s quite a nice touch, we feel.

We couldn’t resist getting a matching set for EV and me. We tried on quite a couple of sets, and it was quite hard to find one that looked nice on us. Either it looked good on EV and terrible on me, or vice versa. Finally, we settled on a set of white dresses (in polyester for me, and polyester/spandex for EV) with unique contrasting red and grey prints. Personally, this is a colour that’s out of my comfort zone - I usually choose black. But the design has such a playful vibe, so we had to choose it.

So how? Fun right? Can’t wait to dress in matchy matchy clothes with my little mini-me this coming Chinese New Year! It's going to be busy, filled with visiting, but these dresses should tide us through the day comfortably.

The matching designs aren't just for mummies and their mini-mes. Daddies are included too. And depending on the designs, there are even matching designs for siblings. That makes dressing up so fun!

Photo: Hush Puppies Apparel

Photo: Hush Puppies Apparel

How about the price? Not too bad, depending on what you get. The Spring Collection is priced between $19.90 to $95.90 for both men’s and ladies’ range, between $16.90 to $63.90 for the boys’ and girls’ range and between $15.90 to $39.90 for the babies’ range.

Giveaway!!!

Hush Puppies Apparel is giving away THREE sets of Hush Puppies gift bags to THREE winners. Each set consists of one Hush Puppies magnet featuring the iconic Basset Hound dog and one Hush Puppies Apparel 2-in-1 mesh bag, worth $52.80.

Just follow the Rafflecopter instructions below. Most are optional, but they do give you more chances to win. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and conditions:

- Entries that do not fulfill the requirements stated will be disqualified without notice.

- This giveaway is open to Singapore residents only.

- This giveaway starts on 9 February and ends on 18 February (inclusive) at midnight

.- The winner(s) will be chosen from a random draw of entries received in accordance with these Terms and conditions.

- The winner(s) will be announced on this post by 23 February.

- The winner(s) will be notified directly via email by the sponsor regarding collection of the prize(s).

- Toddly Mummy's responsibility will end once the winner's details are passed to the sponsor.

- Only one winner per household is allowed.

- The organisers accept no responsibility for entries that are lost, delayed, incomplete or cannot be delivered or entered for any technical or other reason.

- Entrants into the giveaway shall be deemed to have accepted these Terms and Conditions.

- Terms and conditions are subject to change without notice, at the organisers' sole discretion.

- This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook.

- Participants are providing information to Toddly Mummy and the sponsor(s) of this giveaway and not to Facebook.

For more information, visit Hush Puppies Apparel's website.

Disclaimer:  We received a mother-child dress set, and three accessories set worth $52.80 each for the purpose of this review and giveaway. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions and images are my own, unless otherwise indicated.

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Thank you for reading. If you like this post, please do connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, so I can share our fun adventures, thoughts and exploits with you. 

Thank you for a blessed life adventure

This was how our wedding invitation began. Time passes so extremely fast, when we made a vow, a decision to love each other and look after each other, come what may, six years ago. 

What an exciting life adventure we have had so far. We became parents very quickly, exactly one day after our first wedding anniversary. Yups, I spent my first wedding anniversary in pain and screaming my head off. But nothing could beat the feeling of holding our first born EV in our arms. AA quickly came two years later.

It's been an eventful adventure with ups and downs. We didn't just have to look after ourselves, our relationship, but also our kids, our family and our home. We spent days agonising whenever EV or AA fell ill, and that period when AA was admitted into hospital several times, that was tough. We witnessed our little baby go through a series of tests, from MRI to lumbar puncture, trying to figure out what is the trigger. It was painful watching his tiny body hooked up to machines. But we went through it, together, and came out stronger.

This adventure wouldn't be the same without DaddySay. It's because of him that the adventure is what it is. I'm eternally grateful for this man, my pillar of strength, my soulmate. Someone whom I've known for more than half my life.

Especially in the last three months. It has been an extremely difficult time for me. On the surface, I seemed fine. I face my kids with a smile, I take extra effort to teach the kids since I couldn’t get out at all, I blog as normal. My supposing chirpiness is enough to fool everyone that everything is fine and dandy. Because well, I have to be strong for her kids, family and relatives. The only person who has any idea of just how depressed I was feeling is DaddySay. He's the only one who has seen my tears.

The first life changing event that happened to me was the freak accident, which I shared here. I still do ask why it happened to me, and I'm still afraid of going to bus stops, especially that particular bus stop. But overall, it's slowly getting better. Or so I hoped.

Just when I thought things were looking up a bit, another devastating totally unexpected event happened. My beloved grandmummy suffered a stroke on January 10 (exactly four weeks ago), a very serious one that required me to rush back to Hong Kong despite my ‘bai kar’ (or ‘injured leg’). Ok, so I had preferential, priority treatment at the airport, being wheeled direct from the check-in counter to the plane. but this was not the way I wanted to go back to Hong Kong. I wouldn’t travel this way if I had a choice. But I had to go back, had to go back to visit 嫲嫲, before it was too late. 

I stepped into the flat that she had been staying alone in for the past 25 years or so since granddaddy passed away (she has always been a strong and independent woman), and I spied the photo that me, DaddySay and the kids took with her when we went back in 2012. Tears welled up, but I stopped myself from crying, because my mum and sister and brother were there. In fact, for the next few days, I kept my tears to myself, never allowing anyone to see them whenever they fell as I stood next to my grandmummy’s hospital bed. I am the oldest of my generation, and I needed to be strong for my parents, siblings and relatives. I wanted so much to have DaddySay by my side, to hug and to hold. He wasn't there physically, but was there in spirit as he sent me encouraging messages and pictures of the kids. He sprung into action to be both daddy and mummy during this period and I'm grateful.

I left Hong Kong feeling sad, but comforted that I at least saw my grandmummy, held her hand and massaged her. Then at the Hong Kong airport waiting for the flight back, I received another shocking news. A secondary school junior had passed away the day before, after being admitted into hospital three days prior, leaving behind three young children. It was a utter shock. We were not close, but we do have some similarities, like how we were both in public relations, and how her two younger kids are the same age as mine. It made it so much more depressing. What if it were me? Would I be ready to go? How would my family handle it?

Receiving two sudden and tragic news within the span of a week was enough to get me emotionally off track. Depressed, devastated, the thoughts that went through my head were of how life is so fragile and unpredictable, why must things happen this way, why must loved ones be taken away so suddenly, without warning? Even if one tries to live life to the fullest, a sudden illness or passing of a loved one can render one so extremely helpless, and feeling hopeless too. 

Then thoughts turn to my accident and I’ll ask again, why me? Why was it me who got hit? Why couldn’t the wheel just roll by and mind its own business instead of homing in on me? Why must I go through the extremely painful experience (worse than giving birth) of the A&E doctor pulling my leg straight to try and set the bone. Why must I spend agonising months to learn how to walk again?

Then I remember, oh gosh, I am so blessed. If the wheel had hit anywhere else, I might not be here, typing this. Something sudden and unexpected did happen to me, but I’m here. Hobbling with crutches, yes, but blessed to be hobbling around. Blessed to be able to hold DaddySay and tell him how much I love him. Blessed to be able to hold my kids close, to love them, play with them and laugh with them. 

I’m so blessed to be alive. I'm so blessed to have DaddySay right beside me during this difficult part of our life adventure.

I know the next few months will not be easy either, as long as grandmummy remains in a coma. The doctor says that on a range of 1 to 10, her recovery chances are absolutely slim, at 1. I’m fearful of receiving a Whatsapp message or a phone call, because I’m scared of the news it will bring. I so want to go back and see her again.

I know I have to be strong, because life will always be fragile and unpredictable.

That’s why I have to treasure the people around me even more. I’m so blessed to be alive and be showered by their love.

Thank you DaddySay, for all your love and support. I love you.

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Thank you for reading. If you like this post, please do connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, so I can share our fun adventures, thoughts and exploits with you. 

Book Box Thursday: Books about Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is just around the corner. It's one of the most exciting seasons for the kids, other than Christmas and their birthdays. They get to help out in the spring cleaning, cooking, shopping, eating and of course, receiving red packets. But why do we do all these? 

Besides just sitting EV and AA down and telling them all about the customs of Chinese New Year, the knowledge of which is better than half baked in my case, I looked around for alternative ways to engage them. Specifically, I looked for Chinese books that told the tale of Lunar New Year. I searched around, but couldn't find any. Until I found four affordable priced ones at Flip For Joy, and immediately bought two of them. 

Books on Chinese New Year from Flip For Joy

Inside pages of 春节是红色的

春节是红色的 ($6.90)

The title literally means red is the colour of the Lunar New Year. What I like about this is that it doesn't just cover Lunar New Year, but seven other important Chinese festivals such as Qing Ming Festival, Dumpling Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival. Some of these may sound unfamiliar because they are generally celebrated by few in Singapore, but it's good to read about the traditional practices and the meaning behind each festival. Different colours and beautiful illustrations are used to represent each festival. This title is good for ages 3 and above, and is great to children to the rich Chinese culture and heritage.

Insides pages of 绘本中华故事 - 春节

绘本中华故事 - 春节 ($7.90)

I love the illustrations in this book, which reminds me of traditional Chinese painting. It stretches a kid's imagination with a tale about Chinese mythology involving the legendary beast Nian, and also teaches about traditions and cultural practices such as decorating the house with red couplets, and celebrating with firecrackers. It's a good book to accompany the festive occasion, and is suitable for kids aged 3 and above.

There are two other books about Chinese New Year that Flip For Joy offers.

Photo: Flip For Joy

过节啦 – 春节 ($8.90)

This is a sticker story book with lively illustrations and hands-on activities based on the Lunar New Year. Children will learn about Nian, the Chinese mythological beast and understand the meanings behind traditional practices such as spring cleaning, decorating the house with red couplets, and handing out red packets. A good way to expose the little ones to the Chinese culture during this season, for kids ages 3 onwards.

Photo: Flip For Joy

换装娃娃变变变系列（5册）($24.90)

This is a creative series from France featuring beautiful dolls from five countries: China, Japan, India, Africa and Tahiti. It takes little ones literally on a trip around these countries to learn more about each country's geographical location, flag, greetings, food, fashion, festivals, music and animals. They can get hands-on decorating the 70 doll templates using the stickers and stencil provided, as well as colouring them. Recommended for those aged 3 and above, this series helps children develop a global outlook and an understanding of diverse cultures. 

We enjoyed reading 春节是红色的 and 绘本中华故事 - 春节. We hope you will too!

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. We purchased 春节是红色的 and 绘本中华故事 - 春节 for our own reading and enjoyment.

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Thank you for reading. If you like this post, please do connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, so I can share our fun adventures, thoughts and exploits with you. 

Review + Giveaway: Restaurant Hoshigaoka

{Sponsored review}

I still remember lining up with my family, waiting for our turn to get into Restaurant Hoshigaoka at Shaw Centre. It was a memorable time, when things were so much simpler, when there were fewer Japanese restaurant chains. Restaurant Hoshigaoka was the go to place for decent Japanese cuisine for the family.

And I'm glad that Restaurant Hoshigaoka has managed to retain its cosy family atmosphere till this day. We were invited to the SAFRA Toa Payoh outlet to try out the new refreshed menu. We were the first to arrive, and for a while, it seemed quiet on a Monday evening, but soon, we saw many families, local and foreign, come to have their dinner there. Restaurant Hoshigaoka has clearly not lost its family charm.

Decor wise, light brown wood is the main highlight, and together with Japanese embellishments like sake caskets, masks and Japanese characters on dark wood, it's hard not to distinguish this as a Japanese restaurant. It gives a sense of tradition to a restaurant that was first opened in 1972.

The main focus though, has to be the food. After 40 years, how does the food fare?

We had four mains and two kids' meals that day. The mains were: Mentai Potato Salad, Kurobuta Shabu Shabu, Goma Beef Houba Yaki and Hoshigaoka Zen. The kids' menu ($9.90 per set) is new.

Both EV and AA chose the same kids' meal: Set D, which included a mini udon, omelette, deep fried prawn, cucumber roll and French fries. I think they chose it more for the aeroplane tableware. Though I was secretly hoping they would choose one of the other three as well, their choice was a good one, because they finished everything, including the jelly, Yakult and Hello Panda snack. You can imagine my happiness seeing them happily slurping their udon and biting into the ebi fry. I generally don't let them eat snacks, but just for that night, I made an exception.

While the kids were being satisfied, the two adults were also gleefully digging into the mains. I personally liked the Mentai Potato Salad ($7.90). I mean, it's a salad right? So it must be healthy. Well, it is, with a generous serving of greens. But the potato salad topped with spicy cod roe mayonnaise and served with sesame dressing is quite a tasty combination and it's easy to keep having it over and over again. I think I suffered from too much calories that night. :)

Sukiyaki, shabu shabu. Name it, I like it. The Kurobuta Shabu Shabu ($17.90) was great for that cool evening. Besides the flavourful broth made with shoyu, mirin, sake and fish stock, what gave the thin black pork slices that extra oomph was the dipping sauce. Its tangy, citrusy and mild spiciness comes from ponzu, spicy radish and spring onion slices. What I like about it is it comes with quite a lot of vegetables, toufu and mushroom, which is great with the soup, even after finishing the pork.

Now one mustn't take too long to dig into the Goma Beef Houba Yaki ($16.90), which is slices of 30-day aged New Zealand Ribeye Beef grilled on a Japanese magnolia 'houba' leaf and marinated with sesame sauce and garlic. The beef must be eaten as soon as it is served for it to be extremely tender. Leave it to grill for too long (like what we did) and the meat will become overcooked, a shame to the beef as well as the flavourful marinate.

The Hoshigaoka Zen ($32.00) is almost as old as Restaurant Hoshigaoka itself. It's a combination set of all the highlights of the restaurant, in mini sizes. This includes cold tofu with sesame sauce, sashimi, salmon sashimi salad, tempura, gindara teriyaki, beef misoyaki, rice, miso soup, chawanmushi and matcha ice cream. So if one really can't decide what to order, this well-balanced set should settle it. Though we might not be that satisfied with the sashimi; we wish there was more. Still, the tempura was done to the right crispness, and we were surprised by the tenderness of the beef misoyaki. The chawamushi was also cooked well, with little bubbles on the surface and just the right sweetness. No wonder the kids couldn't stop fighting over it. Even the matcha ice cream with red bean was a hit, with me and AA. DaddySay and EV both kept an arm's length from it. More for me and AA, I say.

While eating, we also checked out the other items on the menu, and found the prices quite reasonable. Coming back for another cosy dinner is something we look forward to. Perhaps, without the kids? :)

Giveaway!!!

Here's a chance for ONE winner to win ONE set of dining vouchers (for 2 set meals and 1 kids' meal) worth $43, thanks to Restaurant Hoshigaoka. Just follow the Rafflecopter instructions below. Remember, most are optional, but they do give you more chances to win. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway Terms and conditions:
- Entries that do not fulfill the requirements stated will be disqualified without notice.
- This giveaway is open to Singapore residents only.
- This giveaway starts on 4 February and ends on 13 February (inclusive) at midnight.
- The winner(s) will be chosen from a random draw of entries received in accordance with these Terms and conditions.
- The winner(s) will be announced on this post by 16 February.
- The winner(s) will be notified directly via email by the sponsor regarding collection of the prize(s).
- Toddly Mummy's responsibility will end once the winner's details are passed to the sponsor.
- Only one winner per household is allowed.
- The organisers accept no responsibility for entries that are lost, delayed, incomplete or cannot be delivered or entered for any technical or other reason.
- Entrants into the giveaway shall be deemed to have accepted these Terms and Conditions.
- Terms and conditions are subject to change without notice, at the organisers' sole discretion.
- This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook.
- Participants are providing information to Toddly Mummy and the sponsor(s) of this giveaway and not to Facebook.

For more information, visit Restaurant Hoshigaoka's website.

Disclaimer: We received a meal sponsorship (for two adults and two children) from Restaurant Hoshigaoka for the purpose of this review. We also received a set of dining vouchers worth $43 for giveaway purposes. No monetary compensation was received. All images and opinions are my own, based on my family's experience.

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Thank you for reading. If you like this post, please do connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, so I can share our fun adventures, thoughts and exploits with you.