A Morning of Fun with Kanten Clay! (sponsored review and giveaway)

I love letting Kenan try all kinds of craft work (despite how uncreative a mommy I am!) and a few weeks ago, I was still thinking if there's an alternative to playdough that I can get for my boy (coz I'm not sure if playdoh is toxic-free). Someone out there must have read my mind because Sophie & Friends has just sent me two jars of Kanten Clay!

No. 2: To Have or Not to Have?

I'm feeling torn. The hubby and I have been discussing if we should have a second kid and I find myself vacilating ever so often between "Yes, it will be great for Kenan to have a sibling" and "No, I seriously don't think I can cope with another one".

Looking after Kenan has been a huge challenge, especially during the early months where unlike many of my friends, I don't have mom, mom-in-law or siblings to turn to for help (well, the mom-in-law did for a very short while until we had some misunderstandings and I decided that I'll not risk further unhappiness).

My Peranakan Spice Box - Good Value for Money Nyonya Fare

We were in Toa Payoh running some errands last weekend and after things were done, we decided to buy dinner home. We walked around and chanced upon a new shop call My Peranakan Spice Box. Always on the hunt for new places to eat, we couldn't miss the chance of trying this one out, and it turned out to be a right decision.

Home Organising: How to Organise Earrings

I'm currently on a decluttering and home reorganising project. I've delayed this for a long while. Besides the lack of time, the thought about all the stuff that needs to be cleared was just a little overwhelming.

Then recently, I picked up from the library a book titled 'Shed Your Stuff, Change Your Life: A Four-Step Guide to Getting Unstuck'. It's written by the renowned organising and time management expert Julie Morgenstern. After reading just a few chapters, I was totally inspired and found the much needed motivation to embark on the decluttering project. To date, I've sold some home appliances I wasn't using anymore and feel so good about the extra space in the store room. Even the air in there feels different now. At the same time, I'm beginning to reorganise things at home, having done a bit of work in Kenan's cupboard. I've also just moved on to some of my own stuff and one thing I did was with earrings:

Early Start of the 'Terrible Twos'?

Kenan is now 17 months old.

As a baby, Kenan was almost an angel. He started sleeping through the night since he was about 10 weeks old and had been a sweet little darling that was relatively easy to handle. 

But in recent months, he seems to have morphed into a toddler bent on getting his way. Like how he refuses to sit in the baby car seat and would cry and arch his back so we can't buckle him up. Or the way he screams murder in the highchair when we try to put a bib on him. Or when we are at the restaurant and he has to eat his own porridge, he would sometimes spit the food out and attempts to go on a hunger strike.

What to Do with Clothes You Don't Wear

According to fashion experts, most of us wear only about 20% of the clothes in our wardrobe. That leaves 80% of our clothes never seeing the light of day! But why is that so? Here are some common reasons:

• You went on retail therapy and bought the item on impulse
• The item doesn't really fit or no longer fits
• The style doesn't match the rest of your wardrobe
• The item is out of style/fashion
• You receive it as a gift but you don't like it

If you can't bear to throw or give the clothes away, here's one idea you can try.

Finger Art

After having tried veggie printing, Kenan recently got to do a new art and craft project. This is another idea inspired by the very artistic MamaJ.

Getting the materials ready

Father's Day Staycation, Part 2: The Activities

While it was to be a Father's Day celebration, we also wanted Kenan to really enjoy himself and experience something new during our stay in Sentosa. Out of so many attractions available on the island, we most wanted to bring Kenan to the Underwater World, because the little boy likes animals a lot and we believe he would really have fun there. Honestly, I was quite excited too because the last time I had been to Sentosa was about 10 years ago and I've never step foot inside the Underwater World. Can you imagine that!

Underwater World

By the time we arrived, it was already close to 5pm and just buying the tickets alone took us at least 15 minutes (there was a long queue). We spotted one poster about a promotion: When you now purchase an adult ticket (S$25.90, which is the usual price anyway), you will be entitled to a free cable car ride (two-way). However, this is not valid with any other promotions e.g. credit card (and I heard someone mentioned about having discount with her Passion Card). So we took the promotional package and added one more item to our itinerary.

Father's Day Staycation, Part 1: The Hotel (Movenpick Heritage Hotel)

Last year's Father's Day, I was still struggling as a first-time mom and didn't have the energy and time to do anything special for the husband. So this year, to make up for it, I planned a staycation at Sentosa. I had wanted to stay at Resorts World but to my disappointment, all the rooms in the RWS hotels were fully booked. Lesson learnt: book hotel room way in advance during school holidays. So I opted for the next best option, location wise - the Movenpick Heritage Hotel.

A Leisurely Afternoon at Sentosa Boardwalk

It was a weekday afternoon and hubby was on leave. We decided to head out somewhere and ended up at the Sentosa Boardwalk.

As the broadwalk took a reprieve from the weekend crowd, we were happy to bask in the unusual peace and quiet it offered. Especially for Kenan, who got to roam freely in the vast open space.

Ever since hubby changed his job (to have more work life balance), we have been able to enjoy pockets of family time during weekdays and I really appreciate these moments. I feel especially touched seeing the husband and Kenan playing together and bonding as father and son.

Things Kenan Do At Home - Part 2

Recently, Kenan has learnt how to climb up the dining chairs. Since then, he's been climbing up the chair alot whenever I work at the dining table (hey, maybe I'll let him try rock climbing!). He seems to think that I'm having some fun and wants to join in, so now I really need to find another spot in the house where I can work undisturbed.

Mommy can sit here for hours staring at this thing - it must be something fun!

Things Kenan Do at Home - Part 1

After trying mommy's home-made playdough and veggie printing, Kenan has found a new medium to work with.

Few days ago, when the helper and I were both busy, the little boy went into the toilet, helped himself to the toilet roll and with a burst of creative inspiration, began creating an installation art work titled 'Free Play with Toilet Roll'. See the budding artist at work:

Bye Playhouse Disney, Hello Disney Junior!

Moms and dads, have you heard the news yet? Come 11 July, kids will get a brand new Disney channel! Playhouse Disney, now 10 years old, will be rebranded and replaced by Disney Junior, a new 24-hour channel dedicated to a wider audience of children ages 2-7 years old (previously 2-5 years old).

 

Copyrighted © Disney

Thanks to the invitation from the wonderful people from Disney, I got a sneak peek of Disney Junior at an event hosted for mom and dad bloggers last week and I’m really excited with the line up(and what better place to reveal what Disney is hatching than at Hatched restaurant).

When Daddy is in the Fitting Room....

 What does our little one do to keep himself occupied when dad is trying on clothes in the fitting room?

1. Check out the clothes in the store

2. Run around and enjoy the space

3. Check self out in the mirror

4. See why is dad taking so long....

5. Hey dad! I can see you!