ABA Productions: There's a Monster in Your Show

By now, every reader probably knows what a huge fan we are of ABA Productions. The latest one - There's a Monster in your Show once again impresses. Among all their shows we have went to, I found this the most engaging. Even before the show starts, the cast would be all around, speaking to the children, letting them know when applause would be nice. 

One of the things I really like about all their shows is how much effort and thought they put into the props and backdrops. They never fail to surprise me, how they change the scene with very little disruptions. We got corner CAT 1 seats this time round and it was super near the stage. It was great because there was space at the side for the children to gyrate along to the catchy music. 

Both my kids grew up watching ABA Productions (literally). And they have learned to enjoy the live shows. It tickles me to see them blossom to seasoned "patrons of the art" and they just instinctively take booster seats to their chairs. Just imagine, my 2YO dragging her little booster chair and putting it back right after the show. 

After the first show, it is quite effortless on my part. I can now bring them alone as they don't need much egging to prepare themselves because they are eager for it. The darkness of the theatre is also something they got got used to. I personally prefer the weekday shows sometimes because you get better rates and bang for your bucks. If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, here's some discounts you can use. 

	Promo Type	Details	Redemption
1	10% discount	Applicable to all ticket categories Only applicable for weekend shows	Use promo code “SHOW10” at checkout
2	15% discount	Applicable to all ticket categories Only applicable for shows on Thursday and Friday	Use promo code “MONSTER15” at checkout

By the way, The Very Hungry Caterpillar is coming back again next year (you can read our review here), and it is a great production to start them on. You can keep a lookout for Kids Fest for all their other productions if you have caught this one already!

Pinkmas at Plaza Singapura

One of our favourite celebrations is Christmas because there is always so much things going on and the kids calendar gets packed. This year, Plaza Singapura collaborated with Museum of Ice Cream (you can read our review here) for a Pinkmas Celebration. My daughter's favourite colour is pink so she is beyond thrilled. 

All the Christmas magic happens in a wintery igloo. Within, you will find a giant globe which you can pose and take beautiful photos. But nothing was really more exciting than the sprinkler pool for the toddlers. You can definitely join in to capture pretty photos if you are an adult, but you probably won't be able to jump in like the children. Hehe. 

Apart from the sprinkle pool, there is also the Dessert Squishy Painting Workshop for $15 pax. My kids work don't look the best, but I did some adults with very gorgeous creations. Please put aside some time if you intend to give this a go because work of art usually take a bit of time. Apart from that, there is also ice-cream with exclusive flavours such as Brown Butter Ice Cream with Pecan, Double Chocolate Ice Cream with Chocolate Fudge and Marshmallow, Peppermint Chocolate Chip and Strawberry Sorbet with Gold Glitters

There is a light show that takes place from every Friday to Sunday from 22nd Nov to 15th Dec at 7.30pm, 8.30pm and 9.30pm. If you are game for some free ice-cream, post your sweet memories on social media and the first 50 redemption after each light show will get a cup of free ice cream. Because you read to the end, use the code "GIFTNGLEE" on the CapitaStar app to get a $5 eVoucher.

Novotel @ Stevens Staycation Part 1 - Room and Facilities

If you have toddlers like me, and really need a recharge, I would say a staycation would do the deed. I always feel a lot more fresh and less stress after one. This time round we went to Novotel @ Stevens! We always go past it a few times and was always curious. I am glad we made the visit because we were so blown away by the design and the hospitality. 

Our room came with a toilet with glass walls. A blind could be lowered for privacy. For parents, this room worked really well cos we could keep an eye on the other children while showering one. And the kid left in the bedroom didn't feel too left out, so there were no fusses. However, if you are staying with a friend of an opposite gender, you must have a lot of trust. Otherwise, you might want to pick something which provides more privacy. 

We had the Premier Room which came with access to the exclusive Novotel Premier Lounge service at L’Apéritif Lobby Bar with cocktail and light bites from 6:00pm to 7:30pm and also complimentary access to the fridge in my room. If you are on business travel, the lounge is great because there are meeting rooms and printers available. 

As the first day was very gloomy, we ended up checking out the Kid's Room at Level 2. It is not really a drop-off place. The kids were tickled when the staff allowed us to bring some orange juice (in takeaway cups) from the Lounge. They felt so much like little adults. 

The facilities were also pretty awesome. I thought it was cool that the place held a tennis court and foosball table. As I didn't bring my sportswear, I didn't had a go at their gym but I loved the fact that the treadmill had a great view of the busy roads. We spent quite a good amount of time at the pool. There was a lap pool, infinity pool and baby pool. The kids adored just splashing around independently at the shallow baby pool. As the infinity pool had such a pretty view, we couldn't resist taking a dip there as well. 

The place also came with a laundromat. I took a peek at the prices and found it pretty affordable. I have so much photos and things to share that I would need to split this post into parts, LOL. In any case, I spent 3D2N there and this is our itinerary.

Day 1: Check In at 3pm

• Checking out the Lounge and Kid's Room 
• Free Shuttle Bus to Orchard to check out the X'mas Lights and Christmas Village (Read post here!)
• Dining and Shopping at Orchard because there is a lot to eat and shop there!

Day 2: Full Day of Fun

• Breakfast at Food Exchange (Read our post of food here!)
• Picnic at Botanical Gardens  (Read our post  of the experience here!)
• Swimming at the pool
• Dinner at Smiths Fish and Chips (Read our post of food here!)

Day 3: Late Check Out

• Breakfast at Food Exchange (Read our post of food here!)
• One last Swim because the kids loved it!

You can book a stay with Klook here! Or direct from their website to enjoy exclusive promotions!

** Use the discount code "BABYNFAMKLOOK" for 5% Discount For All Klook Activities with min. spend of SGD50. Discount capped at SGD15.

Gallop Stable at D'Resort

Given how much the kids love animals, we just had to visit Gallop Stable at D'Resort (You can read about our experience at the Pasir Ris Park's Stable here). Generally, the horse-related activities are similar apart from the stable visits which the kids got to groom the horse. If your kids has never seen or been into a stable, purchasing feeds for $5 each would allow you to enter. We did noticed that the feeds given were a lot more here and the kids could feed a lot more horses. 

As there will always be horse groomers around the stable, the adults had the opportunity to ask horse-rearing related questions. My parents went along and it was quite cute to see how excited my father was. Feeding is not just a kids' activity as you can see. Haha. 

The children were not very sure what was grooming, but they were initially very excited about "combing the horse's hair". As my son could quite effectively understand instructions, he was allowed to groom the horse on his own. I joined my daughter and it was pretty fun. Both of us liked it, but my son wished he had picked horse-riding instead. Haha. 

The groomer at the side was also very informative. He does speak pretty loudly so my introverted son felt a little intimidated. Overall, I still thought it was a pretty good experience and you get to be up-close with the horses. Would really recommend this for the young and old given that it is not really expensive. 

D'Resort Leisure Review

A while ago back, we spent a 2D1N at D'Resort @ Downtown East. It has been a while since I went there so it was pretty exciting. By the end of it, I was quite bummed because there was quite a lot to do internally and even more to do, should you be travelling out (you can refer to this post if you need to find things to do). I definitely will be going back soon. 

The room was really nice and spacious, but a bit poor on lighting at the table. So I couldn't really work at night. It is definitely nothing like a hotel in terms of its amenities, but it was clean enough and we don't really spend much time indoors. There were also a lot of BBQ pits. By evening, you could smell the aromatic grilled food.  For the price of less than S$200 a night, depending on what promo is on, it was really value for money. 

I think it would have been way better if it had been a 3D2N. Here's how we would have planned for a 3D2N.

Day 1 (Check in at 3pm): 

• Gallop Stable 
• BBQ at night (wish we had done that)

Day 2: Full Day at Wild Wild Wet (can tap in and out)

• Meals at Downtown East Shopping Mall 

Day 3: Check out at 12noon

•  Cycling Trail

The hard truths about Long Kang Fishing

 

We have always read how fun Longkang Fishing was and how great it was as a family bonding activity. So this had always been in our "to-do-list" as a family. A family friend told us about Bloop Bloop from People Up, but unfortunately it was no longer operating, so we went to Nature Kindred (Jurong outlet) instead.

The outlet we went to was not the main outlet so it was basically a pond with guppies and goldfishes. For $18, we were given a net and a pail to fish for an hour and you could only bring home 4 fishes. We topped up for another $12 more for the Lego fish tank and some lightings. It was really pretty, but note of caution it is way too small to be a permanent home for the fishes. 

Initially, I felt the 1 hour was insufficient, especially when the fishes could swim really fast. It was seemingly hard to catch. But the truth was the kids got bored within 30 mins. I managed to get the hang of the the technique and was soon catching buckets of fishes. To be quite fair, it was really fun but my wise son told me "there was no need to catch more than needed and it was cruel to put them into unnecessary stress". 

From an education perspective, because I was so bad at it initially, I think it made a good case of "practice and you will achieve". I tried to use this to let the children know that nobody was born skilled and we just need to put in effort to excel. And it was great when the mother was a living testament to it, LOL!

What we wished everyone could be more truthful about was that these creatures don't really live well in captive. Within a day, half of our fishes died in its tiny tank. Initially, we wanted to slowly introduce them to the new water in the bigger tank. But, we didn't really have the luxury to do that. The emotional trauma that I went through was real. The kids were a bit cooler telling me they would breed, but I did have doubts that they could survive till then. 

I was later told by other fish lovers that such fishes tend to be under a lot of stress and require the bacteria in the pond to survive. For the Longkang fishing place we went, there was the option to release back. And I wished we had picked that option. Fortunately, we managed to keep the remaining 3 alive. But to be frank, they still behave very differently from our reared fishes. They prefer scouting for food at the bottom and display signs of anxiety. To be quite frank, this might be the last time we do this activity. 

DBS Spark Personality Test

As you can tell by now, I am hooked on personality test. The personality test by Spark DBS popped up on my IG and I clicked it almost at once. To be honest, this is probably the worse in terms of its accuracy - I am definitely not a timekeeper. My freinds were all sneering and mocking at me for the results. 

I am always late for almost everything. Most would call me a teleporter who does not set aside time for transport. Apart from that, I thought the storyline was considerably engaging and still interesting enough to complete. Plus, the visuals are very pretty. I don't think it will take off like the rest, but it is still fun to give a go. 

CALI: One Night Only Special International Buffet Dinner

My Pop and I went a for a One Night Only Special International Buffet Dinner at CALI. I have been to the other restaurants of CALI before and I have always found them to provide great food and service at affordable price. The Buffet Dinner that night cost only S$38++ per pax and included free flow of alcoholic drinks. No wonder the place was packed! 

It was my first time at this outlet and I love their mini touches of the famous musicians. My Pop couldn't stop taking photos. The food was awesome (as usual) and felt more Indian than International. I am not complaining because most of the selection was something I have not tasted at other places. We had some "hot favourites" (no pun intended) and took double servings for those. 

As this was an one-day event, there was a lot going on. Internationally-acclaims and award-winning culinary masters were within the room tasting and giving critiques to our local flavours. At the other side of the room, there was a 2-men band serenading the rest of the guests. The ambience was pretty good with a nice mix of boisterous festivity yet enough quiet spots for us to have private conversations. It is not everyday my Pop and I have time to ourselves and only us 2. 

I would love to recommend all of you to join, but sadly this is only a one day thing. But you can still enjoy the "Culinary World Tour" menu from 11am onwards at CALI @Novotel Singapore. Separately, there is also a super value-for-money promotion that will be running at all CALI outlets!

From now till 15 January 2025, CALI is offering a "Complete Meal" offer. All 4 CALI outlets. With every main course ordered from the a la carte menu, you will receive a complimentary soup, dessert, and a glass of sparkling wine . No prior reservation is required, though there is a secret code for this one, just tell a staff to "Complete my Meal" :D

Oktoberfest at Edge - Tastes of Germany

To many of our readers, I am sure you guys know how much we love the Buffet at Edge. We love that they always serve the all-time favourites and have seasonal add-ons which give a fresh new take on things. This time round in view of the Oktoberfest, Edge offered guests the "Taste of Germany".

They say food taste best when shared and we can't agree more. So, I asked the kids if they wanted to show their grands around this time round. And my son took up the challenge. He assured me he knew the place very well and would make sure my parents enjoyed themselves. Also, I thought it would be a great bonding session for them.  

The place transformed into a gorgeous blue and gold, which I thought really brought out the Ocktoberfest vibes. The German favourites were all in full glory - Sausages, Pork Knuckles and Pretzels. And not to forget the beer (which is not included in the price). Not to boast how much I know the family, I knew they would go wild about the cooked oysters! (You can read my comments here if you missed it previously, haha.)

The kids basically knew what they liked so it made my parents' life very easy. They peacefully ate their pizzas, steamed fish and pasta. This time round, they also got to try Spezi - a popular German soft drink with cola and orange soda and enjoyed the variety of sausages. We haven't been too courageous when it comes to travelling but I am glad we kinda brought Germany to them :D

My parents only have good things to say about Edge and they actually can't stop talking about it. I read somewhere that relationship grows stronger because of shared experiences and I can kinda of see how true that statement it. My parents would share with me stories of how the kids know precisely where the ice-cream were and that yes I was right, the lobsters were absolutely yummy!

If you have any family/ corporate functions, I would suggest Edge because it provides a really good variety of premium quality. If you have younger kids, then the brunch would be more ideal because of the play area. We are nearing the tail-end, but if you want to try out the "Tastes of Germany”, it is until 26 October 2024. It is priced at is priced at $128 per adult and $64 per child (6 – 12 years

old).

Pasir Ris Mall - Wan To Play

We are not entirely unfamiliar with Wan To Play indoor playgrounds. Guess what, we committed to a pass. For those who were not with them from the start, they used to have a cheaper rate for weekdays, but guess what they scraped it. So if you were playing on a weekday, it is so not worth it! We ended up signing up for a pass because after doing some maths, it seems to be more worth it. 

And it was a great choice because they are great businessman. Apart from giving the kids a goodie bag to bring back (which pleased them greatly), we were allowed to bring an additional adult. So my mother got to experience her first indoor playground, which she concluded was great fun! 

The children spent only an hour, but it was jam-packed. It has the usual delights - kinetic sand, ball pits and slides, dress-up as well as masak masak stations. One of the main difference was that this playground at Pasir Ris Mall had the inflatable giant bubble. The giant husband and I had a go bumping each other in it. It was surprisingly fun as we bounced around and struggled to get up. We only saw one, but it would have been great if there were 2. 

For those who are not familiar with indoor playgrounds, most of the slides etc. can support the weight of adults. My mother had a go and it was quite a heart-warming sight to the children show their grandmother "how to play". Now that the kids were older, I managed to get a bit of me-time to myself exerting eye power, after going one round at every play thing. 

Although this is a familiar model, the children had tons of fun and with the package, you can also book parties at a much discounted price. Because of the packages, we have decided to make Wan to Play as our default indoor playground since they have quite a few outlets which we foresee ourselves to go in the future. 

Hope this review works! After our experience here, I am starting to understand why parents would buy a annual pass/ bulk entrances of an indoor playground!

Gallop Stable - Pasir Ris Park

Call me suaku (Mountain Tortise), but I really didn't know that Singapore had horse-riding facilities. Sometimes, I find ourselves silly. We would go overseas to do things that we could do right on our every doorstep. I was really pleased when the husband found the Gallop Stable because this meant we could actually learn horse riding too. 

For the toddlers, as long as you are 3 years old and above, you can go for a horse joy-ride. Each ride is S$10 and involves a short stroll around the area. I thought it was pretty reasonably priced. For our older child, this was his first ride on the horse and you could see he was visibly nervous. He described the ride as "comfy and slow" and couldn't stop telling us about it. 

For our younger child, we opted the horse feeding which we ended up doing 2 sessions of 2 packets. Each food packet cost $5 each, but I guess I wanted to do a bit of feeding myself, LOL! It was not their first feeding experience, but the first with a horse so they were pretty excited. There was only one old (and greedy) horse around which would cajole the children to feed him more. 

Apart from horses, there were rabbit and wild chickens. Lots of them in fact, the kids had fun chasing after them.  The overall experience took about half an hour. The Gallop Stable offered stable visits but we thought the kids might be too young to appreciate it at this point so we decided to explore the rest of Paris Ris Park which was more rustic and had abit of mozzies. (Check out the Bird Watching Tower if you are there.) Definitely worth a trip there if your kids are into animals. 

Food Tour 50: More Yummy Food

Some of the yummy food we had over this period that is worth having a huge shout-out. Side note, some of these places might have been mentioned before in previous Food Tour post. But since they had an updated menu, I thought it was worth, re-sharing lest you guys are interested. 

1. Chen's Mapo Tofu

This is not the first time I am raving about it. You can read about my other reviews here. The thing about me is that because of its name...I have never ventured beyond the Mapo Tofu. (There is a reason why it is named like this right?) But I have heard how good their other food were, so this time I finally gave their seasonal specials a try. And you know what, it was truly good. Yumz! Till now, this chain outlets is one of my favourite. Love it!

2. Stinky

If you are a fan of durians, you would really need to drop this place a visit. Generally, I am no fan of durian by-products. But this one actually hit my standards. There is always a long queue. Go to the place too late, and the mousse is sold out. You must try the following while you are there: Stinky Bowl, Stinky Bomb, Stinky Roll, and Stinky Chendol. To be quite fair, I have only tried this 4 and I am recommending these 4. You know how much I really love this already. Hahaha! Not all can be taken away, so it is really worth making a trip there!

3. Miam Miam

I think Miam Miam has up its game for sure. I went there once before with some friends and honestly it didn't struck me as anything memorable. But this time round, I went back with my kid and I thought wow the food was really good. We had the breakfast set by the way. Their fluffy pancakes were awesome. Just posting about this is making me drool all over again. Maybe I should give their mains a try too, but now all I want is their breakfast set. Yumz! 

Corporate Jungle Personality Test

Here's another personality test for those who is obsessed. Although the visuals are amazing, but it lacks humour and relatability. Felt like I was going through the motion more than anything. Not the most fun to be honest. But guess we can never expect too much from public service campaigns. So PC! Hahaha

New Exhibition at Science Centre - The Copernican Principle

It has been a while since I last stepped into the Science Centre (I think I go to KidsSTOP more often). With the launch of the roving exhibition on The Copernican Principle, I thought it was a good time to drop by. To be quite frank, I would think the Copernican Principle is quite a complex concept to grapple and Mr Jan Świerkowski, founder of Instytut B61, a science artist did put good effort to curate retro games that were engaging and fun. 

Copernican basically modelled a universe which place Sun rather than our Earth in the center (very revolutionary in his time). The exhibition explored more philosophical elements of the principle though its games - to stop centering around ourselves and start thinking about how our actions can impact the greater universe. 

The exhibition of the The Copernican Principle is not huge but rather impactful. Maybe because they were arcade games, the exhibition was very relatable and popular with the teens. My kid and I had to hang around a bit before we got to play it :) But not to worry, Science Centre is pretty huge and filled with other thoughtful exhibitions. I was quite impressed with how the educators managed to simplify science and make it engaging. 

While we were there, we also explored other exhibitions - such as the active ageing, the concept of fear and oil distillation. I think the older kids would enjoy the fear exhibition. But I chickened out with my kid because I don't handle darkness, clowns well. Some of the exhibitions was quite difficult to explain to my toddler, but it did spark innate curiosity in him along with endless questions. And I think that is a good first step to explorational learning. 

Not all the exhibitions hit me on the right spot. Personally, I am quite freaked out by creepy crawlies (a whole tank of stick insects, somebody spare me please), and AI as human companionship. Much as it was a learning journey for the kids, it was also one for the adults. The world is revolving and I really need to keep up my pace on its development. Science Centre is complimentary on weekdays (non-peak), I guess this gives me a good excuse to come back more and re-learn. 

For those with toddlers, you can check out the waterworks exhibition. I am not sure how much scientific learning is embedded within, but one thing I can guarantee, the toddlers enjoy it. No photos this time round cos time was scarce, but the younger one went once and was wild about it. :)

Staycation at The Bus Collective

If you are into novel travels or parents whose kids love "The Wheels on the Bus", this is a "hotel" you should not missed. It is quite new so it is relatively unknown, but somehow the husband spotted this and I found a good deal on Klook. Currently Klook offers the lowest price. With the discount code "Babynfamklook",  I managed to get it at a more reasonable price of "below S$300 a night", so off we were. 

We have read a few reviews ahead, so we kinda of had some expectations. We knew there will be frequent planes flying ahead (but no, the soundproofing was pretty good at night), we expected the ants/ bugs (so we brought our own mozzie patch, insecticide spray) and we anticipated the poor ventilation (just on the aircon throughout noon to keep your bus cool). To be honest, none of these were deal-breakers or even much of a big deal. 

We took a 4-bedder bus so we could squeeze more people in it (more value for money). :P Mandatory thing we did was to do our check-in photos! Whether in the day or night, the kids were clamoring over the bus seat. Although the bus was no longer functioning, most of the buttons could still be jabbed on and the steering wheel could still be turned. Even at night the photos turned out great!

We were assigned the bus closest to the restaurant area. It was not the most private bus but we suspected that the discounted Klook buses were a reserved few, that were not as premium in their location . Not that it was a problem because there were not many who patronised the inside dining area. Given that we had a stroller, the less aesthetic cement path was easier to navigate instead of a pebbled path. And we always had a clear view of the sky at our outdoor deck when the planes flew by. 

If you have checked on their location, you will know how isolated this place is. True enough, there is nothing much within walking distance in that area. Within half day, we knew we have exhausted the "things to do" around there. We did a 3D2N and basically, we still found enough things to do, just that most were day activities. There was a playground right at the doorstep but it was pretty worn. The one at the Pier is way better. 

Because I think we have quite a solid plan, I am going to share our itinerary here:

Day 1:

- Lunch at Smith Marine Floating Restaurant (Singapore's only kelong)

- Check in at The Bus Collective

- Prepare for BBQ in the afternoon

Day 2  - Realised Pulau Ubin was not very suitable for the kids and replaced with horse riding at Gallop Stable (read or review here) instead.

- Explore Changi Village Hawker Centre

- Explore Pulau Ubin and the pier area

- Dinner at Cosford Container Park 

Day 3

- Breakfast at Changi Village Hawker Centre

- Check out at 11am

** Use the discount code "BABYNFAMKLOOK" for 5% Discount For All Klook Activities with min. spend of SGD50. Discount capped at SGD15.

As for the playground, there is one right at the doorstep of The Bus Collective. However, I found it a bit old. The playground at the pier was definitely worth a walk to. As for the BBQ, you should opt for it if you don't intend to go out. Most reviews were not very informative on this. Basically, you could either bring your own food/supplies or purchase from the restaurant within or  the BBQ store at the Changi Village. 

The staff will not help you to set up the pit (not electric by the way) whether or not you purchase from their restaurant. The items sold within are quite limited though very reasonably priced, so consolidate a list and purchase from the BBQ to prevent multiple times there (My husband went there 3 times LOL!)

Generally, our staycay to The Bus Collective was a good recharge as it felt like we went overseas without the over-zealous packing. I would describe it as an atas chalet which also came with a novelty factor. I think we might actually go again, but with a few years break in-between. To note, there can be quite a bit of ants because it is quite an outdoorsy thing and  especially if you bring food/ milk (like us). It was still bearable but you just need to remind yourself not to leave food out in the open. 

Another thing I did was to toss food waste (and diapers) into our outdoor bin instead of our indoor bin and that helps greatly. And for those who wonder, every night I would collapse the stroller and park it within the bus. Lotsa space! Hope this review helps those who are planning a trip there!

Food Tour 49 - Around the World

Guess I have been really adventurous in my food choices lately, because I can actually do a post on the different cuisines. All these cuisines are rather distinct in taste on their own, so they should really bring your tongue on a world tour!

1. Kapitan

This was a recommendation from my bestie. Apparently, the owner's son is pretty popular in the social media space, for good reasons too since he is pretty cute. Dumpling is not very uncommon in our Chinese culture but I have never tried Russian/ Ukraine dumplings. The place is decorated with curiosities, but what really impressed me was their thoughtful services. We came in a pair and the owner quickly topped up one of the dishes when she realised the dumplings served was an odd number. <3

Food-wise, it was an interesting twist to our versions of  dumpling and was delicious. Not sure how authentic they are yet, but I know a Russian so I will ask. It is definitely not cheap, but given the ingredients and novelty, I would still make another trip down. :D

2. Kafe Utu

I always felt I was a pretty easy-going person when it comes to food. Guess what, I don't like African food. This place is awesome in terms of ambience and given the queue, I am pretty sure I am an abnormality. The flowers and plants deco at their waiting area would just blow your mind away. I just don't really like non-spicy curry-looking stews and their spices just hit me in the wrong way. Even their desserts were interesting but didn't leave me as deep as an impression. It is more of an one-time novelty for me. I probably wouldn't initiate any meet-up there given the price is not the most affordable. 

3. Sofra

Turkish food is apparently a hot favourite in my family. Even my kids love it. Just a caveat, I love lamb so if you are not into gamey meat, you probably won't share the same taste as me. Turkish food is apparently also pretty diabetic-friendly. This was one of my go-to place when I had gestational diabetes. Price-point, it is also very affordable. Plus point for being located in one of the more kids-friendly mall - Marina Square <3

To more reviews next month, all this food-eating is making me hungry!

The BEST buffet for parents - Edge

Truly, you never know what you miss out until you experience it. Edge recently introduced a Kids Play Area and it is such a game changer. Just to caveat, my kids are pretty manageable in the grand spectrum so I always got the better deal. I felt I could really enjoy a meal. I have always been full of praise for Edge  (read my reviews here), but with the play area, the husband and I finally had some we-time and the food never tasted better. 

What's special about this play area is its own little dessert table that was catered to their height. The kids could scoop the candies themselves and also enjoy the chocolate fondue. Literally every child came out with "brown chocolatety lips". There was also a talented face paint artist who could draw whatever the kids want. 

Some tips on how to make your meal at Edge absolutely enjoyable, first of all, you need to request for the seats near the play area. You can either make sure they finish their meal first before releasing them into the play area or let them go "free-and-easy". I did the latter and it didn't work out too bad. They would binge themselves crazy but would come out patiently to enjoy the nutritious meals we scooped for them. 

The kids spent a good deal of time in the room, which was very child-friendly and sufficiently entertaining. For the olders kids, they would gather the cushions and watch a movie playing in the background. I just had to exert eye-power, instead of chasing them around. We spent a total of 3 hours at the buffet (unprecedented) and for the first time in my life, the husband and I could have proper conversation over a meal. 

Because it was such a relaxing meal, I was even in the mood to beautify my drinks - I took some fruits from the station to make mocktails. The state of the mind does make a difference, I was more observant of the deco, architecture and variety of food (which my husband told me was nothing new and has always been there.) Guess my vision was always too focused on parenting the kids, I have missed out "the finer things in life" literally!

After our delightful meal, I couldn't help but broadcast to my friends, coworkers and mummy communities how wonderful this place was. It is perfect for birthday celebrations or just an anniversary meal. The kids could tag along without stressing the other attendees. Everyone could just have a good time and enjoy the food. <3

My new Fitbit - Versa 3

I am a person who is really quite adverse to change when it comes to gadget. When my Versa 2 started showing signs of slowing, I was slowly getting a panic attack. But, I also realise the inevitable was drawing near and I upgraded myself to Versa 3. And it is wayyyyyy better. I concluded I just don't like the setting up process. But once, things are in order, I usually love the new gadget. 

Quick notes on what I like to help those who are contemplating a purchase:

• The charging wire was better designed. To be quite frank, I have already went through 2 charging wires in a span of 3+ years for my Versa 2. And it was in what we called unsafe condition, somehow the rubbers at the edge would always fray. 
• The belt is uniquely designed and surprisingly comfy. My old loop broke, but mainly due to wear and tear. But this design doesn't even have a loop. 
• The interface remains the same. But the button at the side disappeared. Took me a while to adjust to it, but I love how sleek it has become. There is also a new sleep mode, which is more intuitive in brightness adjustment etc.
• I can now receive calls on my fitbit. How cool is that? Haha. 

9.9 Shopee LOTD Winner

Those who know will know that I love investing in my children's outfits. (It is like playing with real life dolls.) I guess my good taste in style  is being acknowledged. So proud of this girl, her orange LOTD snagged her a winner title from Shopee. I have to say lately she really found new love in posing for photographs and hogging the IG. To more modelling opportunities, meanwhile I guess she earn her "diaper money". Maybe we will get her something  nice with it. :)

Dress is from Little Kooma. 

 

McDonalds Baby Shark Bouncy Castle

 

School holidays are here and we really need to find things to do for the kids. McDonalds organised the Baby Shark Bouncy Castle (somewhat free) at Marina Square. We went on a weekend and the crowd was crazy. Personally, I thought the event was not very well organised because the first slot we were given was 2 hours later. It definitely messed up our plans. A parent before me complaint and I could fully emphatise. 

To get the free tickets, you could either spent $16 or redeem with 500MYM Rewards Points. We did one of each because we had 2 toddlers and I honestly couldn't imagine myself eating $32 of Mcdonalds. It was so crowded that most deals and sets ran out. We basically ordered whatever that was left. (Was pretty pleased I still managed to get a happy meal cos I really wanted the crocs keychain, super cute by the way).

Funny story (and you will probably know how disorganised they were), I ended up with the wrong order and probably had $32 of McDonalds' given the tons of hash browns I received. I swear I am off McDonalds for a while. We ended up changing our plans and got another slot later in the day so that the kids will get to play. They had so much anticipation. If I had told them we were going elsewhere and giving this place a pass, they would be absolutely crushed. 

As adults we got to accompany for free (yeah!), I slided down once and screamed my hearts out (it was scary). Adults get to legitimately play. Although each slot was only 30 mins, the kids were quite tired by the time we reached so 30 mins was more than enough for them to have fun and exhaust their energy fully. You still have to watch over the younger toddlers because they will be flung around cos their light weight.  Next stop they will be going to One Punggol, I still think it is worth a visit. By then, I believe they would have ironed out their logistics issues. 

Most Scenic Afternoon Tea - Pacific Emporium

 

Check out their atrium of Pan Pacific, can you believe it - we had our afternoon tea at the floating pods. This must be the biggest secret of afternoon tea history. The 2 toddlers joined and called the pods the spaceship. :P They spent a good deal of time walking across the bridge and coming back to the mothership for their beverage or snacks.

As a parent, sometimes I do get affected when others give us "the glare" when the children misbehave. The beauty of these pods was that it provided a private space. Also, sound don't really travel from one pod to another.  You can have good conversations without fear of disturbance - either from others or to others. 

Like other tea sets, each set comes with 3 tiered. If you have been following my tea journey, you would know that I prefer tea sets are less surfeiting. In terms of aesthetics, the set at  Pacific Emporium was delicately made, each worthy of a photo of its own. You will be pleased to hear that each piece is as tasty as it looks. I love all but was particularly impressed with the Singapore Chilli Crab Meat in Egg Custard with Mini Bun and Coconut Bandung with Chendol.

As we went on the weekday, we had the exclusive Raspberry Sakura Red Velvet and Pulut Hitam Brûlée Mousse. Weekday sets are cheaper priced at $68++ per person. However, if you are into a more "buffet-like" tea session, you may want to consider going on a weekend. For an extra $10 per pax, you can get to enjoy 5 live stations serving our local favourites, such as prawn noodle, assam laksa, rojak etc. 

Not because we are self-obsessed but because of the gorgeous ambience, we ended up taking a lot of photos as well. I am baffled why this isn't the top place to enjoy afternoon tea because this place just top my charts. The floating pod is definitely one-of-a-kind and the food was really good. As we couldn't finish all, we ended up bringing some back to share with the rest of the family. The food still maintained its standards. Even the pickiest in our household gave the affirmation nod. 

If you like local food and is looking for some fusion or a twist, do try this out. For tea, it is quite reasonably priced. And with the floating pod experience, it is an absolute bang for your bucks. I don't usually say this but you must check it out!