This Mama Loves the Singapore Toy Club

The Singapore Toy Club is a store that stocks bouncy castles, battery operated ride-on vehicles, manual operated ride-on vehicles and many other toys that kids love. These are available for rent and perfect for birthday parties, kids get-togethers, carnivals and the like.

I first heard of the Singapore Toy Club when my sister rented a bouncy castle for my niece's birthday party. It was a bouncy castle complete with a water slide and ball pit. A water paradise indeed! Nothing I've ever seen before... Needless to say, the kids had a great time at the birthday party! Perfect way to cool down on a hot sunny day!

Setting up was swift... the guys came with the bouncy castle, the air pump and ground sheets, and got the castle setup real quickly. After 3 hours of bouncy fun... they came, wiped down the entire castle with towels, before packing it up. 

Singapore Toy Club organises Kids' Club on a regular basis, and I brought my kids to the last one held in August. For a small entrance fee, the kids were free to play with all the bouncy castles and ride-on vehicles they had brought out for the event at Brewerkz. I found the bouncy castle area pretty rowdy, and not all that suitable for Noah. Nathan was big enough to brave the crowds under our watchful eyes. Noah was happy riding the vehicles outside, where it was less crowded. The battery-operated vehicles only ran at specific time slots. The yellow one that Noah is riding is actually remote controlled by me! He's still too small to reach the pedal and steer the vehicle by himself.

After the event, we had the option of having dining at Brewerkz at a discounted price.

And guess what? There's a Kids' Club coming up this weekend! It will be held at Brewerkz Riverside Point on 28 Oct 2012 (Sunday). There are two session 12 to 2pm or 3 to 5pm. Ticket at $15 per child can be purchased online. 

And if you are planning a party or kids' get-together this November, just mention "The View from Mama's Desk" to get a 10% discount off your bouncy castle rentals. Have fun!

I want to be an office man

We were reading Dr Maisy before bedtime today...

Me: Nathan, do you want to be a doctor when you grow up?
Nathan: No. I want to be an office man.
Me: An office man? You mean you want to be like daddy... Work in an office?
Nathan: No. Daddy is an IBM man. I want to be an office man.

I was quite puzzled about what he thought an 'office man' was.

Me: So, what will you be doing as an office man?
Nathan: I will be giving out hats!
Me: Hats? Why?
Nathan: Yes. I will give everyone a hat...

Now, I am more puzzled than before...

Me: Where did you see that? Where did you see an office man giving out hats?
Nathan: In my school!

Then it dawned upon me that several months back, I had taken him to his school's General Office to buy a school hat, and the lady at the office had given him one after I had paid for it. I have no idea why that visit that lasted less than 5 minutes left an impression on him... And caused him to decide that he like would like to be an office man when he grows up. He had talked about being an office man for a while, and all along, I thought he was just thinking about being like daddy. Looks like he has other ideas.

This Mama Loves Manduca Baby Carriers

Every Friday, we will be sharing products / gadgets / websites / books & other cool stuff that mamas love. These things have made parenting a teeny bit easier in some way or other. Check back every week to see what fellow mums have to recommend... from one mama to another. :)

This week, Leonny who blogs at Our Everyday Things shares with us her love for Manduca Baby Carriers. Leonny is a happy mommy of three: a big girl named Anya, a big boy named Val, and a baby named Brie.

~~~~~~~

As we all know, there are quite a few carriers available in the market, but there are only a handful of good and of high quality ones. This, in my opinion, is one I can happily recommend to others =)

Manduca Baby Carrier

Here's more about it : 

 - It can be used from birth 

 - Baby can be carried on your back, side or front! I tried carrying Brie on my back and my front so far! =) 

When I was checking out different booths at a recent event (and I very well knew Brie was alert and was not at all sleepy), I carried her on my back so I had a 'free front' allowing me to chat with people more conveniently (and I moved her to my front when she's sleepy). 

 - It has an extendable head support and also a sunshade, which is easier than trying to keep a hat on your the baby 

 - The weight of the baby is supported by the waist, not much strain on the back

Note: When carrying Brie on my back, it does feel like carrying a backpack =) And if I'm going off hiking or something, I'm definitely carrying Brie on my back with this carrier, ie. free up my hands and my 'frontal view' too. 

 - The straps around the waist and back can be adjusted easily to fit small and large framed adults 

 - The buckle around the waist has an added security where you don't just undo the buckle, but you also need to 'press' one part of the buckle at the same time to release the clasp. (note: at first it took me quite a while to get the hip buckle off. By now, 70% of the time I can do it with just one hand *yay*) 

 - Not bulky! I can easily 'fold' the carrier and put it under my pram. More convenient to bring out and use when I'm alone with just the 3 kids. 

 ... 

The features that I hope can be better : 

 - The clip. When I'm putting the carrier on, so far I still need someone's help to put the clip on (in the photo where I carried Brie on my front, there's a clip on my back that connects the two shoulder straps). May be I'm just not used to putting it on all on my own like other moms yet =) 

 - I do hope there's a small pocket somewhere so I can put my keys or something, just for that extra convenience when traveling light with a baby =) 

 ... 

More info on Manduca baby Carrier: 

 - Can be used to accommodate babies from 3.5kg to 20kg. 

- 100% certified organic cotton against baby’s skin, with outer layer organic cotton/hemp mix, and is known as Germany’s number one baby carrier. 

 - The back and neck has a support that can be extended as baby grows 

 - Choice of colours in standard models (organic cotton/hemp mix) ... like mine! 

 - Designer Limited Edition prints in 100% organic cotton

 ... 

TO PURCHASE MANDUCA BABY CARRIERS: Manduca Baby Carriers are available for sale at Mama Shoppe. And here's the good news: $30 store credit for all Our Everyday Things readers! It can be spent on any purchase above $200 (with the exception of fixed price items) at Mama Shoppe. Expires 7 November 2012. Just enter 'leo30off' at checkout! ... 

This review is jointly sponsored by Manduca Baby Carrier Singapore and Mama Shoppe.

This Mama Loves the Canopy Playground @ Changi Airport T1

We chanced upon the Canopy Playground when we went to Changi Airport for dinner a few weeks back. It is great for kids from 18 months old to 12 years old. I like how it is small enough for the parents to watch the kiddos, and yet big enough for the kids to run around and tire themselves out. At $6 per half hour, it is cheaper than most other indoor playgrounds. And if you are having dinner or shopping at the airport, show your receipts to claim for free play! Spend $50 for 1 free entrance. If you are a Changi Rewards member, you just need to spend $30 to get 1 free entrance. On days that they are not crowded, they are not all that strict about the 30 minutes... and even on a Saturday evening, we were pleasantly surprised that it was quite empty. After dinner and shopping at the airport, we managed to get free play for both kids. :) 

Changi Airport has become one of our favorite places for dinner cos of the many fringe activities available... watching planes take off, riding the sky train, playing at the indoor playgrounds, shopping... 

Will you marry me?

How did you boyfriend ask you to marry him? Did he spring a surprise on you? Or was it something you quite expected? Did you burst out laughing, or were you so touched that you cried? Following the love stories linky, I thought it'd be nice to share how your special someone asked you to marry him. For me, I'm penning this down for Nathan & Noah... both of whom will be keen to know how daddy proposed to mommy when they start dating themselves. 

It was our 7th anniversary. Dean came to pick me up after work, and he drove us to Telok Blangah Hill Park. That was where we had our first date. It being our anniversary, I didn't quite think that this was out of the ordinary, and wasn't expecting him to propose to me then. I presented him with a present I had gotten him for the occasion in the car, just as we reached Telok Blangah Hill Park. He had just started work, so I got him a tie which he could wear to work. He didn't give me anything in return... which is pretty normal... he hardly gets presents for me. :(

While we were walking to the top of the hill, he told me that he had tried making dinner reservations at Alkaff Mansion, but the phone line was engaged. Unknown to him, the restaurant had undergone a change in management, and had been closed for several months already.

I can't remember the details of what we spoke about between the time we got out of the car, and our walk up the hill... it was probably about work... how I was busy, and how his training at work was going on... we continued chatting on top of the hill, seated on a stone bench. Suddenly, he turned around, put his hand in his camera bag which he had beside him, and presented a little blue box! Then he said... "will you marry me". I was taken aback. I think I said something along the lines of... "are you serious"? Then I proceeded to open the box. It had gotten quite dark by then, and when I opened the blue box, I didn't see anything inside... so I thought he was playing a trick on me... subsequently, I realised that there was another black box inside the blue box... and inside that black box, was the shiniest diamond ring I've even seen. I cried tears of joy, we hugged, we prayed, and we took a few pictures to mark the moment. The pictures captured my red teary eyes, and is probably sitting in the recesses of his computer harddisk somewhere.

And since Alkaff Mansion was closed, we had dinner at Raffles City Preggos instead. There, we talked about the wedding, when it will likely be, possible wedding venues...

So there! My story of how he proposed... no elaborate planning from him, though he did spend a lot of time and effort choosing the ring, and also paid a lot for it... but going back to where it all began, and then sealing the promise in a prayer made the engagement extra special for me. So glad that I get to grow old with the one who's loved me ever since we were teenagers.

<div align="center"> <a href="http://blog.mamashoppe.com/2012/10/will-you-marry-me.html" title="Will you marry me?"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8312/8073247312_5a29823455_t.jpg" alt="Will you marry me?" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Elly's Lantern Carnival

We scored an invite to Elly's Lantern Carnival last weekend and the boys had such a great time! The games were all sized for the kids, and even Noah, who is usually too small to play the games at funfairs got to play!

It is nice to see so many kids decked in their favourite Elly outfit. Cuteness overload! Both my boys wore their Red Starfish Little Man's shirt which we also used during our 5th wedding anniversary photoshoot a few months back.

Mommy, hurry up!

The kids were given old-school coupons which they could use to get a turn at the game stations. There were different prizes at each station and I soon found out that Nathan was choosing which game to play based on the prizes that were available at that station. I didn't expect him to be so 'scheming' at 3 years old.

In addition to games, there were tattoo stations as well. Nathan didn't want his washed off that evening... so we let him keep it for one more day. :P

The ice-cream man was a nice touch... and I'm glad that Nathan & Noah got to try some old-school ice-cream.

All smiles - like father, like son

The evening ended with a the traditional lantern walk around the estate. 

A big thank you to Elly for organising this carnival. We had so much fun!

The Elly Store 
501 Bukit Timah Road
#02-29 Cluny Court
Singapore 259760
(Next to the Botanic Gardens MRT station)

T: +65 6466 8718
E: enquiries@ellyloves.com

Opening Hours 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily

Cardboard Car

Nathan and I made a car out of cardboard a few days ago... 

With a cardboard box, construction paper, lots of glue and scotch tape, a rafia string... some inspiration, and some creativity, here's our final product.

With the driver... the helmet is Nathan's idea... he was watching the F1 races on TV, and learnt that F1 drivers wear helmets... so he insisted that I helped him put on his bicycle helmet.

The car tilts forward no matter how I adjust it because it is front heavy. There's even a steering wheel which I made from the cover of a milk powder tin!

And this morning, he drove himself to school...

Have you heard of Caine's Arcade? A 9 year old boy actually made a whole arcade out of cardboard. Very impressive! I haven't showed Nathan the cardboard arcade just yet... not till he's older and can do most of the construction himself. :)