2015 - an emotional life adventure

2015 has been extremely emotional for me. I don’t remember being on such a roller coaster, even when pregnant. Yet, at the same time, it has showed me that I’m so blessed. I guess that’s the irony of life.

While still reeling from the freak accident I had last year,, my dear paternal grandmother had a life endangering stroke. I hobbled to Hong Kong to see her. It was an emotional trip - if I hadn't had the accident, I could have visited her in December, and chat with her the way we used to. I could have heard her call me by my nickname again.

Still, I was glad I got to see her, though she was in a coma. I knew she knew I was there, massaging her and talking to her. I was comforted that I managed to do that for her.

Then I found out that a secondary school friend, a year younger than me, died suddenly, leaving behind three young kids. I see her sometimes now, at the columbarium where my maternal grandparents are, and I say hi. And I'm reminded, life is so fragile; one can go when one least expects it.

Then my paternal grandmother passed away, and while back in Hong Kong to attend her funeral, an accident similar to mine happened. The lady victim died. And I realised: I could have died that fateful night in October.

Again, I'm reminded, just how lucky I am to be able to hold my little darlings every day. Nothing is more important than your loved ones. 

Those few months were difficult, physically as well as emotional. Physically because I had to get back on my feet again. Emotionally because of the shock and grief I had to go through. Psychologically too because I still keep away from trucks and avoid bus stops.

But I’m slowly healing. 

Mostly, I’m grateful.

Grateful for a supportive family, who stood by me and watched out for me when it was nearing the one year anniversary of my accident. They made sure I was fine.

Grateful for my pillar of strength, my husband. Without him, I don’t think I could have gone through this myself. 

Grateful that, while the leg still hurts, especially during rainy days (not sure if this is a coincidence), and gets stiff when I sit too long, and may never be what it was before, I can still walk and bring my little two darlings out and about.

Grateful for being alive. 

In 2016, I hope that everyone I love and care for will be happy and healthy.

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Media Invite: Canon Christmas Party

Recently, we were invited to Canon’s new office at Galaxis at one-north for a food styling and photography Christmas party. We were brought on a tour of the one month old office, feasting our eyes on a shelf full of cameras from the past, and on the Canon Imaging Academy facilities.

It is interesting to note that besides photo and video classes, the studio at the Canon office is also for rent for keen photographers, at $25 per hour - much cheaper than market rate, we hear.

Following this, we were brought to the really huge pantry for the event proper. Nugene Chiang, resident Canon photographer, brought us through the tips and tricks of food styling and photography. 

He focused on picture taking at buffets, and how to make buffet food look appetizing on camera. 

The trick, he said, is to focus on one, or the most two, items on your overflowing plate of food, rather than the whole plate. Not enough lighting? Use your camera flash, but shine on the food from the side, he says. 

Even food at the buffet table can look good. Just focus on a small portion of the whole tray, making use of the garnishing or decorations that is already around the table to add additional elements to the photo.

Everyone had a chance to loan a camera for the night and I had my hands on the Powershot G3 X. First impressions? Folks after stylish form factor can move on as the boxy G3X doesn't have much of it. To me, it's for those slightly more advanced amateur photographers who want to dabble more into the capabilities of a camera.

Here are some of the photos I took. Not too bad eh?

Thanks to Canon for the invite.

Disclaimer:  We received a media invite to the Canon Christmas Party. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions and images are my own, unless otherwise indicated.

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Review + Giveaway: Jon Klassen books

This is probably going to be our last book review of the year, and it’s nice to end the festive period with books illustrated and authored by Jon Klassen. These titles are Extra Yarn, House Held by Trees and I Want My Hat Back.

Extra Yarn

This is a delightful heartwarming story about a little girl who has so much extra brightly coloured yarn that she is able to spread warmth and joy to everyone living in her cold, grey town. Upon discovering a box of yarn, little Annabelle begins knitting a jumper for herself, only to find that she still has some yarn left. She knits a jumper for her dog and still more yarn remains. The supply of yarn seems magically endless, such that she’s able to knit warm and cosy stuff for everyone in her town. Why is she able to do this? It’s because her kind innocent heart still believes in magic, and when the evil Archduke sets his eyes on the box of yarn, it doesn’t quite work for him.

The story is a simple, warm and cosy reminder of the importance of being good, and of a child’s ability to do magical and wonderful things if only he or she believes. The story may be by Mac Barnett, but it’s Jon Klassen’s beautiful yet simple illustration strokes that make the story come alive. I like how the yarn is drawn in subtly in bright colours, and yet it is balanced with how little Annabelle and her fellow town folks are drawn in grey. Some of the town folk’s facial expressions are rather funny too, wondering why this little girl keeps knitting and knitting. Jon Klassen’s illustrations are already very distinctive in this title, and he was awarded a Caldecott Honor award for his work. One will also see the appearance of a familiar-looking bear, which is the star in his debut picture book I Want My Hat Back. 

House Held by Trees

This is a touching, moving story about change, the passage of time, how children grow up and move on with their lives, but the house which they lived in remains. Again, Jon Klassen’s signature illustrations fill the pages, and I like the way his illustrations seem to put us, the readers, as the observers as the story progresses. We are observing from behind some young bushes, hiding in the secret place, as we see the happenings of the house. We are observing from above, as we see the house without a single tree to give shade to the young family. As time passes, the lawn without a tree remains that way, as the family clear their lawn of any plants that might grow. Then the children grew up and moved away, and eventually, so did the father. Empty and without any human being to remove them, seeds settle and plants grow. Jon Klassen brings our attention to the plants as they slowly grow bigger and bigger and nature begins to take over, so much so that the house becomes ‘held’ by the trees. Together with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Ted Kooser, they tell a story about the power of nature, simply told and illustrated. This is such a powerful collaboration that the title is the first ever to win both the Kate Greenaway and Caldecott Medal award.

I Want My Hat Back

The keen observant reader will notice the familiar bear that appeared in Extra Yarn. The bear makes an appearance in Jon Klassen’s debut picture book, in an endearing way as he goes on a search for his missing hat. He does so patiently and politely, asking each and every animal he meets if they have seen it. Each animal replies in their own unique way that they have not, and this is where the lesson of empathy and understanding that every individual is unique can be taught. More importantly is the lesson of perseverance and determination. As the bear begins to lose hope and lies on his back in despair, a question asked by a certain animal triggers him, and he resumes his search with a renewed determination. It shows that when one gets frustrated searching for something, sometimes it is good to relax instead of being caught up in the frustration, because something will always trigger one’s thoughts to help in the search. It also shows, through a simple lost-and-found story, that as long as one perseveres, one will be able to succeed in the end.

Giveaway!!!

Pansing is sponsoring ONE set of three titles Extra Yarn, House Held by Trees and I Want My Hat Back for ONE winner. 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 3 December and ends on 9 December (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 11 December.
- 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.

Disclaimer:  We received two sets of three titles Extra Yarn, House Held by Trees and I Want My Hat Back 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. 

Review + Giveaway: Original Sprout hair products

Last year, while killing time waiting for my doctor appointment, I chanced upon a shop selling kids’ daily necessities such as shampoo and cream on the second floor of Square 2. There, I discovered the Original Sprout Miracle Detangler (118ml, S$16.90). The salesgirls explained that it's designed to instantly remove the knots in hair when combing. Sure, it could very well have been a sales talk, but since EV has very long hair, and sometimes her hair does get into knots especially after waking up, I thought I'd give it a try.

Two words describe my experience with it - extremely effective. Just a few spritz on EV’s hair makes the tangles disappear, and her hair so much easier to comb. Smoothing out tangles has become a much easier process for both of us. It also comes in useful when we go swimming and her hair is more prone to tangles due to the drying effect of the chlorine.

I was very delighted when the folks at Original Sprout decided to send me a few products to try out. They are: Hair & Body Baby Wash, Natural Shampoo, Deep Conditioner, Scrumptious Baby Cream and of course the Miracle Detangler. 

A close look at the product packaging and I'm comforted by the fact that the product (and all other Original Sprout products) doesn't contain any parabens, petroleum oils, irritants like titanium dioxide and sulphate, which can be harmful to young skin. They can potentially irritate skin and also strip hair of its natural oils, causing hair to feel dry and frizzy, sometimes leading to split ends. Individuals who are sensitive to soy, gluten, honey, peanut and dairy will also have no worries, as all Original Sprout products come without these. Products are also biodegradable - great for EV, as she’s now rather environmentally friendly, thanks to her kindergarten and much to my delight.

The Hair & Body Baby Wash is a convenient head to toe wash that comes in a clear gel. I find that it lathers rather easily into a foam as other more commercialised brands that we’ve used. I like that besides this small 354ml bottle (S$25), it also comes in a really big 975ml bottle to last a long time. I mean, with two kids using it, it doesn't take long for the small bottle to be finished. The big bottle is not exactly cheap (about three times that of the small bottle), but take advantage of promotions at places like Watsons to get a better deal. I also think that the fact that it doesn't contain those potentially harmful ingredients I mentioned previously makes it a worthwhile buy. It puts my mind at ease knowing that my kids are using a safe product with a gentle pH of between 4.5 to 5.5. Plus, this all-in-one wash helps me save time, helpful especially when the kids are in a cranky mood. 

We have used the Natural Shampoo (354ml, S$25) a couple of times, in between using the Hair & Body Baby Wash, and this sulphate free shampoo is really not too bad. Its organic conditioning ingredients means that you don’t really have to put a separate conditioner. EV’s hair is easy to comb, and hydrated, so I do like this convenience. But you know, at the rate EV has been going swimming, the hydrating effects of the Natural Shampoo is just not enough.

So we use the Deep Conditioner (118ml, S$16.90). This creamy concoction is as the name suggests, deeply hydrating, so it really takes the tangles and frizziness out of EV’s hair, and combat the drying effects of chlorine. I also put this on AA’s hair to reduce the drying. Again it has a gentle pH, so really, it’s designed for everyone, even adults. Yup, this mummy does use a bit of this from time to time.

Lastly, the Scrumptious Baby Cream (118ml, S$16.90). This has come in so handy for us. Even though EV and AA are young, and their skin are still quite supple. High exposure to chlorine can still make their skin dry. Natural zinc in the Baby Cream helps to protect against the environment while rosemary soothes skin. I usually put this on the kids after their swim and shower, so that their skin can be rehydrated with a protective layer.

Giveaway!!!

Original Sprout has kindly sponsored THREE sets of Hair & Body Baby Wash and Scrumptious Baby Cream for THREE winners. 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 1 December and ends on 7 December  (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 10 December.

- 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.

Disclaimer:  We received Hair & Body Baby Wash, Natural Shampoo, Deep Conditioner, Scrumptious Baby Cream and the Miracle Detangler and three sets of Hair & Body Baby Wash and Scrumptious Baby Cream 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.