Posted on

Tikes N Bikes – Kinderbike Balance Bike

It’s so exciting to receive a delivery! This time it’s for the littlest member of our family. Kate was sponsored a cool looking balance bike from Tikes N Bikes. The Kinderbike has been rated ‘the best’ in quality and value by the New York Times 4 years in a row. Wow, Kate sure is lucky.

With my 5 older kids, they all learnt how to cycle the traditional way. They had those bicycles with the trainer wheels at the back. When they were around 5 or 6, we figured it was time they learnt to ride a proper 2-wheeled bike and had to teach them how to do it. That involved holding on to their bike and running alongside until they got the hang of it and we could release the handlebar. Let me tell you, it was pretty back-breaking work! Thankfully, #1 managed to master it within 1 or 2 hours. #2 and #3 took longer, and after going through that with the first 3 kids, I delegated the job of teaching the younger ones to their older siblings.

 In the recent few years, I started seeing little expatriate kids in our condo on these 2-wheeled balance bikes. Initially we thought it was really strange and my kids called them the bicycles with no pedals. But as I spoke to the mums, they told me that their children naturally learnt how to balance on the bike and the transition was smooth. The child has total control of his progress and you don’t need to try and figure out when he’s ready to have the trainer wheels removed. Once he’s ‘cruising’ (able to travel some distance with both feet up), it’s evident that he can move on to a proper bike with pedals. That sounded fabulous to me. Wish we had those when the kids were young.

“My first set of wheels!”

I can’t wait for Kate to hang out with her bike and learn to cycle all on her own. With the Kinderbike E series, what’s fantastic about this particular balance bike is that both the seat and handlebars are easily adjustable, with a snap and quick release fixture. Kate is not yet 2 and she has already started using it. The frame is light and can be carried by a child as well – 5.9 pounds to be exact, which is the lightest balance bike in the market.

Kinderbike E series $109

Sane tip: This bike can take a maximum weight of 34kg, so it easily grows with your child. Age suitability is from as young as 18 months to 5 years. It is far lighter and smaller to carry around than a regular bike and fits in any boot.

 Save tip: {GIVEAWAY} I’m pleased to announce that Tikes N Bikes has generously agreed to give away ONE Kinderbike E series to one of my lucky readers!

All you have to do is:

  •  Enter the GIVEAWAY below
  •  Like Mummy Wee’s Facebook page
  • Like Kinderbike Singapore’s Facebook page
  • Share this post on Facebook with the caption “Cool balance bike to be won!” and tag Mummy Wee
  •  Leave a comment on Mummy Wee’s Facebook post stating which colour you would like to win: Red, Blue or Green.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Details:
  • 1 winner will be chosen at random
  • Open to Singapore residents only
  • Ends 14 September 2014
  • Winner will be announced on Mummy Wee’s Facebook page on 16 September 2014
  • Winner will be contacted by Tikes N Bikes
List of authorised retailers of the Kinderbike.

Disclaimer: Kinderbike sponsored our E series balance bike and the giveaway. All opinions are my own.

~ www.mummyweeblog.com – a blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore ~
Posted on

Food for Thought @ Singapore Botanic Gardens

It was a rare opportunity that I had my oldest and youngest home with me on a school morning. #1 had a day off from school as she wasn’t taking certain subjects for her ‘O’ levels prelims. Instead of my daily jaunt with Kate at the playgrounds, I decided to take them for a leisurely breakfast. We needed a cafe that was open early and where Kate could roam for a bit after breakfast. Food for Thought nestled in our beautiful Botanic Gardens was a perfect choice.

Ample seating

This eco-conscious cafe is very kid-friendly and has several configurations of seatings to accommodate groups of different sizes. It is very spacious (no problems with strollers), and has a playground right outside.

Grilled Ham & Cheese $9

We ordered the Ham & cheese and the mixed berries pancakes. All their pancakes are served with fresh cream and gula melaka syrup. Kate loved the pancakes and helped me finish half of it!

Mixed Berries pancakes $11

After she had her fill, she went off to play by herself in the little playground outside. It’s great that the outdoor area is separated by glass walls so we could keep an eye on her while we finished up our breakfast. Even though the playground is outdoors, it is pretty much shaded by trees so it wasn’t that hot.

Deep in thought

This signage cracked the both of us up! Check out rule #2. Hmm, are adults so deprived of fun? Perhaps they also need to run around and de-stress.

Small but fun playground

Right above Food for Thought, there is a little koi pond and Kate was mesmerised by the fishes. We spent some time just hanging around enjoying the lush greenery. What a perfect morning. Lovely. Just lovely.

Sane tip: Bring some wheelies along and let the kids loose in the beautiful gardens. Will do that when I take the whole bunch of them here the next time! Parking is right outside Food for Thought.

Save tip: Early bird special (8-10am) – Chicken laksa or Mee rebus @ $5, add coffee/tea for an extra $1

Food for Thought
Botanic Gardens
1 Cluny Road (Tanglin Gate)
#B1-00
Singapore 259569
Tel: 64791080

Opening hours:
Daily: 8am – 9pm

~ www.mummyweeblog.com – a blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore ~
Posted on

Jurong East Swimming Complex

Jurong East Swimming Complex is probably the most comprehensive public pool in Singapore. They have a play structure for the little ones, a wave pool, a lazy river, big slides, a jacuzzi, and a competitive pool. 

Kate having fun jumping in and out of the water
She’s pampered by her siblings who would prop her up to touch everything she points to.
She loves sprays of water

Lazy river (in the foreground) and the wave pool (background). Every once in a while, there is a huge spray over the wave pool. Be prepared to get drenched!

For the older kids there are 3 water slides. 2 of the slides require the use of the float.

The older kids went off to try the slides while Kate played happily by herself.

“Ain’t it fun?”

We arrived at 4.30pm on a weekday during the school holidays and they ran out of floats to rent. It costs $2 for 2 hours of rental, plus you need to place a $3 deposit which will be refunded.

The only food available inside is Pastamania. What happened to the good ol’ days where they sold fish balls on sticks and fried bee hoon? I needed a cup of hot milo and it costs about $4! Will remember to bring a whole flask of it the next time.

The decor at the background is just a facade

I walked one big round to look for the entrance to Pastamania, and it is just a windowed counter at the far right end.

After about 2 hours, Kate had enough and she sat and had her snacks while waiting for the older ones to enjoy themselves without having to take care of her.

Contented with her fill of play
Sane tip: Do note that it’s closed on Monday, to avoid disappointment. The last school holiday, the kids were all prepped to go and alas, it was a Monday and the gates were closed. We ended up in Jurong West Swimming Complex instead. Be prepared for a huge crowd during the school holidays and weekends.

Save tip: It can’t get any cheaper than this for a ton of water fun! Pack your own picnic and you can easily spend half a day there.

Jurong East Swimming Complex
21 Jurong East Street 31
Singapore 609517


~ www.mummyweeblog.com – a blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore ~
Posted on

Luge – Sentosa (Imbiah Lookout)

One of the activities which my kids have enjoyed for many, many years and still have not grown out of is the Skyline Luge at Sentosa. When they were younger, they had fun just going down the hill. Now that they are older, they loved it even more as they raced one another down the slope. After the first round, they wanted to have a go at the other route as well.

Ready, get set, Go!

The 4 older kids were gone in a flash while I took it slow and easy as it was Kate’s first time on the Luge. Initially when I placed her in front of me she wanted to get out. It was only after I told her that she would have to stay with the auntie and wait here for me that she relented. #4 stayed behind to accompany us and we went down side by side. After the first ride we asked Kate if she wanted to go again and she shouted “Yes!” Uh-oh, an adventure junkie in the making.

Choosing the right size

After purchasing the tickets, the kids went to grab their helmets. They have different sizes and green is the tiniest. The straps were still too long for Kate so I tied a few knots to shorten it.

“This is too big for me”

Be prepared for a long queue during the school holidays. The ride itself is only a couple of minutes, but the wait could be up to half an hour.

Snaking queue

Once is definitely not enough so we bought the family package of 10 rides. If you’re going more than once, hang on to your helmet as you’ll need it again. At the bottom, we hopped on to the Skyride to get back up. Yup, it doesn’t stop, so you literally have to hop on to it quickly.

Skyride back up

Just before we went up the Skyride, I got the older kids to buy a snack for Kate. Thank goodness for my quick thinking (haha) as she was kept occupied and stayed seated throughout.

Popcorn to the rescue

The ride lasted almost 10 minutes and near the end, she kept asking to go down. We distracted her by asking her to spot birds (none to be found) and aeroplanes (also none to be found).

View not good enough?
After they had their fill of fun, we adjourned to Starz Restaurant at Hard Rock Hotel (at Resorts World Sentosa) to fill their bellies with a yummilicious buffet.
~ mummy wee – a blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore ~
Posted on

Westgate Wonderland

Took the kids to the newly opened Westgate Wonderland playground at Jurong’s newest mall. They have been eyeing this cool playground as it has one of the most impressive looking treehouse they have ever seen, which sits atop a huge play structure like those you find at indoor playgrounds.

Treehouse playground on Level 4

There’s even a mini rock climbing wall which is suitable for those around 3-7 years of age.

Wide enough for many little climbers

In one corner, there’s a separate area for the little ones, which makes it a little safer for the tots during the crowded weekends.

Musical flowers

A bright orange capsule swing which goes round and round. Kate didn’t seem to like this one, although her cousin clearly did!

“Can I get off?”

See-saw fit for 5!

Great for practicing balancing
Kate’s favourite part of the playground was this little segmented caterpillar. The colourful parts of the body is broken up into little ‘stools’. 
“Just the right size for me”

Kate enjoyed getting up and down on each one of them.

“This one’s slightly bigger..”

#5 was trying to cajole her into playing somewhere more interesting instead of simply sitting on a stool! Seems like Kate is not easily persuaded.

“No can do, gor gor, I like it here”
Sane tip: This playground on Level 4 is quite shady and very windy when we were there at 5pm. And there was enough to entertain the kids of all ages. There’s a separate Kids club soon to be opened on Level 5. A minimum spend of $60 entitles your child to be dropped off to enjoy the activities at the supervised clubhouse.

Save tip: This impressive playground is absolutely free!
Westgate
3 Gateway Drive
Singapore 608532
~ www.mummyweeblog.com – a blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore ~
Posted on

Our first time out with just the 2 younger ones

The hubs missed the kids so much that he decided we should take them out for some fun. I had my lovely massage and felt ready to tackle a full day out. I suggested LEGOLAND in Malaysia as #5 has been wanting to go there since it opened last year. It would be a good time to go as it was a weekday and the school holidays had not commenced. #5 had been such a good boy in taking care of Kate that he deserves this treat.

As it turned out, it became a special day just for the 2 younger ones as the 4 older kids already had plans. #1 was at band practice and was going to meet her grandma for lunch and an afternoon of shopping. #2 had invited her friends over for their music project. #3 was in Indonesia on a school trip. #4 had a friend coming over for a sleep-over. So it was just the 4 of us.

Our first time at LEGOLAND Malaysia

We are so used to taking the whole bunch out that suddenly it felt really relaxing just having one chid to one adult. Which turned out to be quite necessary as most of the rides that #5 wanted to go on were not accessible to Kate. 

Daddy hung out with her at DUPLO playtown
#5 was so excited to watch the 4D Legends of Chima. He came out saying it was just “awesome”! Yup, I thought it was awesome too… the aircon respite, I mean.
Lego Studios @ Imagination

We passed some basketball hoops and #5 really wanted daddy to win him a minion. It didn’t look too difficult, but in the end, the hubs realised the hoops were oval instead of round and nope, they didn’t walk off with the giant minion. 

#5 cheering daddy on

I was really glad that the park was not crowded and we didn’t have to queue for most rides. The longest queue was at the driving school and that was about a 10-minute wait. I can’t imagine coming on a weekend or during the school holidays. The heat was really quite unbearable even though we had caps on. Should have brought umbrellas too!

Lego City – City Airport

#5 said that driving the Lego car was his 2nd favourite ride of all. 

Lego City – Driving School

And his favourite? Steering the boat!

Lego City – Boating School

We were there for almost 4 hours and were thoroughly exhausted. I must say that #5 had a swell time, but I wouldn’t recommend this theme park to kids under 3. Most of the rides have height restrictions and it’s really too hot for the little ones.

He slumped onto the car seat on entering the car

Sane tip: Before we left home, we thought of taking the rest of the kids here during the school holidays. However, I don’t think I can brave this sweltering heat any time soon and I would much prefer taking them to the LEGOLAND Water Park again instead.

 Save tip: Pre-book online one week in advance to save 20% off tickets.


~ www.mummyweeblog.com – a blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore ~
Posted on

LEGOLAND Water Park

The kids had such a special treat yesterday. We went for the LEGOLAND Malaysia Water Park media preview. It is in fact the largest LEGOLAND Water Park in the World, and the only one in Asia. It is targeting kids between the ages of 2-12. I took the 4 middle kids along (they are currently aged between 7-13) and they all had a blast! 

The first thing that greeted us was the Lazy river. It was bright and cheerful with giant Lego blocks floating all around. The kids immediately grabbed their floats and hopped on. As they floated along, they picked up the soft blocks and customized their raft.

Build-A-Raft-River

Kids under 107cm have to be accompanied by an adult. There are both single and double rafts. It is a really long lazy river so you can just lie back and relax. You enter and exit the river from the same place. The building in the background is the LEGOLAND Hotel which is scheduled to be open early next year.

It was lunch time so I told the girls to hit the slides as there were hardly any queues. This was their favourite slide among all as it was thrilling and they could all slide down together. You have to bring a blue mat up and then slide down on your tummy. This slide looks scarier than it really is. #5 was initially afraid to try it but after the girls persuaded him to join them, he loved it and kept on going.

Slide racer: min height of 107cm
This slide is suitable for the younger kids as it is quite gentle.
Twin Chasers: min height 102cm
Red Rush
There are a few slides where you can slide down together on a tube. There are the 2-seater tubes and also the round tubes which can fit 3 or 4 people.
Splash and Swirl: it spins you around, don’t get dizzy!

They found this red and yellow striped slide to be the scariest ride in the whole park. But it was still manageable for #2 and #3, although #5 didn’t dare to ride it.

Brick Blaster

There are shoe racks at every ride where people placed their slippers, spectacles, t-shirts etc while they went up the ride. Very useful.

The kids took a break to have lunch at 2.30pm and by then the lunch queues were much shorter. Heard from a lady that they queued for more than an hour to get their food during the lunch hour! There are only 2 F&B outlets. The Beach ‘n’ Brick Grill serves a mix of Asian and Western main meals. It is right next to the Wave Pool.

Their sets are priced at RM25 and you have a choice of Nasi Lemak rice (which is not very lemak) with roasted chicken, Roasted chicken leg with fries, Hot dog with fries, Salmon fingers with fries or Burger (chicken or beef) with fries. The sets comes with a cup of cut fruits and a soda (choice of Fanta, sprite, coke, iced-lemon tea, or mineral water). They also have kids meals like sausages or nuggets with fries.

The kids relaxed in the wave pool while I queued for lunch. They found the waves much too mild. It is more suitable for the younger kids. We could take Kate here the next time!

We managed to get a table but during the peak lunch hour, there were not enough tables. The food was decent, enough to fill their hungry tummies! They were more keen on quickly finishing up their lunch to return to the slides.

Nasi Lemak with roasted chicken, Salmon fingers with fries, Fruit cup

There are ample seating around the park, but it was hot, hot hot! Wish we had a cabana to ourselves. They are for rent at RM300 per day which comes with towels, some drinks (in a fridge), and a safe. But the best of all, a ceiling fan! I even saw some people having a snooze inside.

The popular ones were right where the action was, by the wave pool. You can rent them from the Guest services counter at the entrance. Max: 4 pax

For the toddlers, they have a shallow pool with slides and larger-than-life DUPLO animals. There’s a bit of shade over the shallow pool, which was very thoughtful.

They also have interactive stations where kids can build structures and shoot jets of water at it to make them spin.

The kids were going to start on the play structure but it started to drizzle and there was lightning so they suspended all play areas. This interactive play structure allows the kids to aim water cannons at one another. And of course, perched right on top is the perennial favourite of the giant water bucket. This bucket is really huge as it pours 350 gallons of water each time!

Joaker Soaker

We decided to grab a snack to wait out the rain. After all that climbing to get to the top of the slides, they were hungry again, so we ordered some sides from the Brick Bay Café. They have Cheesy potato wedges (RM5), Curly fries (RM5), Fried chicken wings (RM15), and hot and cold drinks. They also have sandwich combos for RM25.

#4 and #5 entertained themselves by building lego structures as it continued to drizzle. The lifeguard was very friendly. He was even helping #4 to hold up her structure as she fixed it, as her base was not stable.

There are lockers for rental at RM20 (small) and RM40 (large) for the whole day. We couldn’t find the shower facilities as there were no clear signs, and after asking the staff, we realised that you have to enter the locker room near the entrance of the park before you can see the shower area.

What an awesome day they had! LEGOLAND Water Park will be open to public from tomorrow, 21 October 2013.

Tickets
Adult:                  RM105
Child/Senior:        RM85
Toddler: (0-2yrs): RM10

For Combo Admission of Theme park and Water park, and Annual Pass ticket information, click here.

Transport
Parking is at RM7 for the whole day.
There is also a coach service from Singapore Flyer which arrives in LEGOLAND in less than an hour. It costs $20 for a return journey. The great thing about taking the coach is that they have a separate lane and you don’t have to be caught in the causeway jam!

Sane tip: Go against the grain. Lunch time is the best time for them to play the slides as the queue is the shortest. Besides, lunch time is the worst time to queue for food.

Save tip: Tickets purchased online at least a week in advanced entitles you to 20%.



Thank you, the kind people behind LEGOLAND for our awesome day out!



~  mummywee – parenting 6 kids in Singapore without going mad or broke  ~

Posted on

Jurong West Swimming Complex

It’s the start of a one week school holiday (again). This time, it’s a 4-day break for PSLE marking with one public holiday, which means I have 9 days of having the 4 younger kids at home with me! We’re going to start our week off with a trip to the swimming pool. We actually intended to go to the Jurong East Swimming Complex as #4 went there last week with her school and she enjoyed herself very much. However, when we reached there, we were so disappointed to find that it was closed! They close for cleaning on Mondays. So do note that. The next nearest alternative was Jurong West Swimming Complex (do note that they close on Tuesdays for cleaning).

Although smaller than Jurong East Swimming Complex, it was not too bad for a public pool. They have a central play structure for the younger kids, a long slide for the older kids, and a shallow pool for the babies. Kate did not dare to play at the play structure as there was a lot of water falling from everywhere. So her siblings decided to take her to play in the Lazy River. You can rent one of those yellow round float for the kids to sit in and relax while they get pushed along the river. Personal floats are not allowed in the river. Each float costs $2 for a 2 hour rental period. You also have to put a deposit of $3 per float. I rented 2 for the 5 of them to share.

The floats are rented from this Guest Services counter at the entrance

#3 brought along a friend with her. She came over to study with #3 as this week is supposed to be a study week for the children as the exams are next week (they are in P5). I told them to take a break from studying to go have some fun at the swimming complex without the crowds.

They can all handle Kate beautifully

They went a couple of rounds around the Lazy river. There are parts in the river where some water falls on you while you drift along. Kate was unprepared for that and she didn’t like it. She had enough and wanted to get out.

They tried taking her to the very shallow baby pool to play with the water but she kept shaking her head and refused to go in. She had had enough of the water!

The shallow pool is just by the side of the play structure

Since she didn’t want to play anymore, they returned her to me and went off to enjoy on their own. The weather was perfect, slightly overcast so it was not hot.

I gave her a snack and she’s all good now!

Her usual cheery self, with a lot to say…


Sane tip: Do rent the float. It’s pretty relaxing to just float along… All your problems can wait… Oh, and keep the entry card for your exit. I threw them into one of the many bags we had and we had to dig everywhere to find them.

Save tip: Less than $10 for an afternoon of fun for everybody is sure a good deal!


Jurong West Swimming Complex
20 Jurong West Street 93
Singapore 648965

Operating Hours:
8am – 9.30pm
(closed every Tuesday)

Adults: Weekdays $1.50 Weekends $2.00
Child/Senior: Weekdays $0.80 Weekends $1.00

~ www.mummyweeblog.com – a blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore  ~