(2006/01) Jan 2006 MTBs


CL,
going to spend at least 2 weekends there. It is a small town. I still duno what to do there. Hopefully my host will arrange something nice for me.
 
BP,
Take it as a break for yourself. My fren jus went Germany this year with her guy fren and they came home as a couple. Hahahahaha!

Aileen,
Shopping!!!!! I actually wanted my frens to join me and go Osaka and Kyoto as well. Hubby can join me, but he will have to bring Meg and she's not very good at adapting to new sleeping places and cold weather. And we dun have the heart to leave her behind.
 
mummies, what's a good book to read for teaching the kids to listen... the 3-going-4-yr-old continues to refuse to listen to me n I'm getting forever so angry with him ... nothing works with him, not rewards, not timeout, not logic, not ignore him.

.ky.
 
BP,
yah... the GP told me that she has seen a significant no. of cases of stomach flu. Isaac just about recovered from it. Took him about a week. Damian admitted due to dehydration?

Tracie,
Macau is nice... so much less frentic and it still has cobblestone streets. Still has that Portugese flavour. I wouldn't mind going back there again.

ky,
Maybe it's the 3yr old syndrome? My Isaac also very naughty nowadays. So difficult to get him to listen. Throwing tantrums too!
Wah, you boys actually liked HK? Other than Disneyland, HK does not appeal to Isaac at all!

SY,
For hotel in HK, I recommend Langham Place hotel at Mongkok. It's more a business hotel but it has really big King Bed (which is actually 2 supper single combined) or 2 twin beds. Good if you and HB wants to co-sleep with the kids. And it's connected to a very decent shopping mall with eateries, supermarket and shops.
 
queen

i love macau too! Much more than HK.
happy.gif
The pace feels much slower and not so crowded.
 
hi mummies...a week without maid and we are still surviving! haha...
i am gg to submit the registration forms later for my sons' enrolment to carpe diem starting next yr. Woohooo!

queen - yes wrong timing that you headed to HK. now is really hot and heard typhoon too. i am heading in oct...heard the weather is slightly better but i have no choice as C cannot adapt well to cold weather. so we rather brave in the heat than have him sick during holidays which we encountered in Perth. scary esp the medical bill!

BP - wow you travel a fair bit har. so who care for your tots when ya away? I kinda missed those days when hb travels so freq for work and i will always tag along but seriously now with 2 kids, abit hard to tag along too. so in a way, good that he dun travel so much now.
 
Aileen,
I saw him in clementi MRT.

Queen,
Yes damien was admitted due to dehydration. This time is really bad for him..lost so much of weight.

SSF,
My mum will be helping me to take care of them...actually both of them has grown up..not so much of work.
 
actually we were planning macau but they say boring so switch to HK. hope it's a good choice.

queen
my dad is booking his corporate hotel at causeway bay i think. i heard of that hotel Langham but quite ex right?
 
Queen ... I know each kid is different, but my #1 is never this difficult n so this is totally new to me.

yes, they love HK. We expected the walking n stuff n they did too. Maybe coz they stayed in one hotel n they were happy with it.... of course Disneyland which is 1/3 of iterinary is their fav. I too think Macau is too boring for kids ... went for day-visit before. If I do have more time, I'll bring them out to the islands ... Not Lantau but CheungChau. That used to be my fav place ... once we are out in the islands, the air is so fresh ... or will venture to far away places like yuenlong coz the setting there is very different from the central HK that one sees.... but I don't think young kids would appreciate that yuenlong...

SY, we stayed in Novotel (r u asking for hotel recommendations?)... it has a king-sized bed + 1 free roll-away bed, so 4 of us need not squeeze.

.ky.
 
ky
Hmmmm, I'm not sure if you are a cane advocate but so far, my caning incidences with Daren is very little nowadays...all I need is to count to three. I will tell Daren (when he refuses to budge and listen or misbehaving) that I will count to three and if things are not done accordingly, by "three", I will just get up and walk to the cane. Usually by "Two" he will stop what he is doing, especially misbehaving. Very effective method for me...I don't have to cane him much as he knows I mean business... now my hb is also adopting this method.

I go by the "Spare the rod and spoil the child" teaching... in fact I was listening to a church sermon that happened to touch on the topic of child-rearing. It's funny but practical... and more importantly it works.

I won't say my boy is the most well-behaved but generally, he is really easy to handle when it comes to disciplining...nowadays I have adopted to try to talk and ask him questions on the matter at hand and get him to tell me yes or no, right or wrong. If he goes beyond reason and keeps on throwing tantrums to get his way, then I would use the count-to-three method.

I find that by doing so, I don't get as angry as I used to... right now at this age, I personally find that he is still not rational enough to think logically on what I'm trying to tell him. His rational is that if he is in the wrong, he will get caned for it if he doesn't wise up and stop what he is doing, especially when Mommy sounds the warning and he doesn't respond.


Hong Kong
Wow! So many pre-schoolers have travlled to HK!
My hb was telling me via MSN last night that the it was Typhoon Level 8! So much so that they have to leave work early and head back to the hotel.
 
Aileen,
Actually, I feel the Yen has always been around 1.5 to 1.6. It's only not too long ago that it dropped to 1.2 and that's really rare. Some stuff like Fancl, Meiji collagen etc is still cheaper there even with the strong Yen
happy.gif
And some stuff that you can't get in Singapore like burberry blue label, Adidas etc etc.
 
mamachan
i used the 'count to 3' method for a period of time. it's really effective, but i stopped it 'cos i find that i am like threatening my gal to behave well though i have nothing in mind on what to do next if she really didn't follow instruction after I counted 3. haha.. And, after using the method, she had been behaving quite well till recently.
Probably i should use it again. lately, she has been ignoring all the instructions ...

ladies
i am bring the kids to perth end of this month for a short trip. Any good place to recommend for short trip?
 
sunny
How many days exactly will you have in Perth? Caversham Wildlife Park would be good for the children. You can go into the goats/sheep enclosure to feed the goats and they have a shed to feed the farm animals. They also have the kangaroo enclosure where you can go up close to the kangaroos. They have the Koala enclosure but you can only gently stroke them but no chance to carry them. They have an interesting farm show and afterwhich, you can take turns to milk the cow!

On the way back from Caversham you can turn in to the Margaret River Chocolate factory (in Swan Valley) and sometimes along the drive along Swan Valley you'll see some road signs up selling fruits that's in season. Or there are some organic farms to look at if you are keen.

Then there's Fremantle. If you are going over the weekend, they have the weekend E-Shed markets selling fresh fruits/dried fruits, nougats, etc etc. It's like a harbour town and is interesting to walk around, have a picnic at their Esplanade park.

For shopping for good bargains, you can try HarbourTown in Perth City.

If you want more sight-seeing and want to self-drive can opt for those farm-stay south of Perth...can try Busselton area/Bunbury area (4-5 hours drive) or if you have enough time, drive down towards Margaret River. Considering that you have 2 young children, farm-stay could be fun and more free and easy. There's also the Valleys of the Giant tree-top walk which is driving distance from Margaret River. Margaret River has lots of wineries/organic farms and the original Margaret River Chocolate Factory. Ideally you can spend 2 nights at Margaret River, I think they do have Farmstay.

Then on your way back you can stop at Busselton fore the magnificient view of the Busselton Jetty...since it's the start of spring, you can venture walking out to the end of the jetty where there is a walk down to look at the coral/reef life (payable - I have no chance to go there as it was too hot to walk and it's a really long walk!!)

If you want the car rental contact, PM me and I will email you the contact (provided by my uncle who stays in perth). My friends used them and are surprised that they are really affordable. Australia law is very strict that young children needs car-seats so do ask the car rental company if they can provide car seats for you.
 
mamachan
wow, you can be the tour guide already. my last trip to perth was about 10 yrs ago, i think there should be a lot of changes since then. really missed the place there.

we should be there for 4 days. is there any other farm or place that allow us to carry the koala? my gal is quite excited that she has chance to see koalabear soon.
 
sunny
to carry the koala? I've heard of Gold Coast one of the 3 world's that has the wildlife park in it does allow visitors to carry them but that was like 14 years ago for me! I'm not too sure about now. But you can actually stand beside them and take a close up picture... I heard the koala's claws are really sharp...so might not be a good idea for you to carry?

for 4 days trip, you can consider staying one night in Busselton area, it's a lovely town actually. But if it's too rush for you and your family, then maybe just concentrate on exploring Perth area.

King's park is a lovely place to go to...especially at night! The view is lovely! If you are going say Thursday - Monday or something...Thursday is late night shopping day (shop closes at 9pm instead of 5pm). So you can hang out at the shops a little later and then head to King's Park for the night view.

I like Caversham Wildlife Park, my boy enjoyed himself there too...coz can really see the animals up close and feed them too! Then drive around Swan Valley (or maybe it's called Swan River)- to visit MR Chocolate Factory, organic farms, vineyards, wineries. You can leave Saturday or Sunday to visit Fremantle, hang out at the E-Shed markets or the Fremantle Markets, and explore the place. I think there's a maritime museum or something like that.

Can skip Rottnest Island... it's expensive and can be abit boring unless you plan to hang out by the sand and the sea (I would think the waters would be really cold!) or rent a chalet and stay the night!
 
hi ladies

organising a drugstore spree, so if you're interested, pm me. I'm getting the calendula creams on volume discount at US$9.99, so let me know too if u want any.
 
Haha just feel my pot very ugly cannot show my fil. Ha ha anyone knows the secret to scrub those stubborn stain with baking soda ?
 
CL, I use green wool with Jif and just use strength to scrub. Did that once with my thermal pot which I almost nearly want to throw away after my maid didn't care for it but after that it became very clean. hm, baking soda for clearing clogged sink, no?

.ky.
 
KY
It is very jia lat one because that small pot turned black because I left on stove when I steam sometime and forgotten all about it. Anyway, I decided not to waste my effort. Just threw away liao. At least I still have 4 out of the 5.

Well one of my fren share with me on facebook. 2 tablespoon of baking powder then add water till where the stain is. Next boil it. When it cools down, clean with usual detergent and sponge. Completed my washing and it works. Note only for stainless steel pots not for non stick pan.


Baking soda can do wonders. Can put in fridge to absorb the odour. Can also use to clean the fridge.
 
Anyone knows of any good childcare in Yishun? near polyclinic or Safra? My cousin's cc going to close down in Nov & she is panicking.

Chicken Little,
My ahma always use VIM or JIF to scrub the pots n pans too.
 
Chicken little - how about vinegar? soak it overnight and try scrubbing. some said can make pots shining..

mamachan - haha u really know Perth inside out ya and frm ur postings, you sounded that you are missing Perth. hee...but i doubt ur hb is! haha..
 
CL
i also use baking soda for cleaning stains! i read before it says put baking soda on the stains, spray with water to make a paste and leave it overnight. then next day wash. i think can help to get rid of the stains a bit
 
Hi mommies,
how is eveyone doing? Haven't had time to come in much...

Mamachan,
wow, your postings on Perth are so detailed, reading about it makes ME miss it! Heehee...

Sunny,
What little I know about Perth I wrote on my blog when we travelled there with Shannon in 2006, we did go busselton and stayed a couple of days as per Mamachan's suggestion, you can take a read if it offers any help ... http://shannonho.blogspot.com/2006/10/chronicles-of-shannon-perth-trip-7-oct.html

Sunny
 
SSF
hehehe, he doesn't mind Perth but not in the summer! I love the weather in Apr/May where it's Autumn and it's cooling and NO flies! probably we can consider visiting it in Spring time which is around September/October period. Which is lovely I heard...but my cousins get hay fever (Allergies) as flowers are blooming.

I definitely miss the drive down to Albany which we did not get to do when we were there last year Dec as the accommodations were all fully booked out like 6 months in advance! I definitely would want another drive down south (especially where I can get to drive this time round)

If we can have a longer holiday, we can consider taking domestic flights to Melbourne and/or Sydney!

But more importantly, I always enjoy and look forward to the shopping in Australia/USA! hahaha, probably I can find clothes in my sizing :p
 
sleepingdeer
How have you been? it's been a long while since you came in and chat! yah, my uncle and aunt are bugging me and my hb if we wanna migrate there or something... maybe can consider going there for retirement...

What's fun being with relatives is that we will get to do things like fishing and crabbing, not the norm for tourists...
happy.gif
so I kinda miss being there...especially my aunt's cooking!
 
Yeah, Spring in Aust is lovely. Flowers in full bloom
happy.gif
Weather is cool too!

My turn to hit HK next week! C is so excited he keeps asking "Are we going today?" for the past week :p
 
sysac- oh enjoy! let me know abt the weather as i will be gg there too in mid oct. let me know if there is any nice places for the kids as well as shopping areas and sales if any.

mamachan - yes i heard abt the hay fever. my aunt from adelaide was telling us that now is not the right time to go. i also love the states and aussie as i find them very child friendly as compared to asian countries like thailand, taiwan, jpn, hk, korea etc.

sleepingdeer - hi! hi! havent been hearing from you ...what have you been busy with?
 
Hi mommies,

Mamachan,
I know what you mean, I love Perth too! I have been missing the cherries there like crazy, I saw Tiger having good deals on perth, $350, so have been thinking of going next year to get some cherries! I love the weather in Sep/oct too, and April and May is fanastic too.. have been dreaming of mirgrating there, my friend keeps bugging me to start the process going, haha!

Yes! You are right about doing the non touristy thing, everytime we go there, we always do a lunch bbq in the park, and just chill... and shopping for clothes are great there, my hb and me love to buy, knowing we get only the S and M sizes there where in SG I cant even get my size sometimes! Ohh, n and corn on a stick at fero, the sweetest and juicest ones I ever had... drooling now liao.... and english tea in rose garden and flea markets, the best!

Hi SSF,
busy being a slave to the two kids now, sleep is like a pricless commodity now, especially since the youngest one wakes up like every two hours still! How are you and the boys?

Sysac,
so cool, enjoy your holiday... I always envy when I hear people going for trips
happy.gif
 
sleepingdeer
Hmmmm, I conceived D when I was in Perth with my hb for the first time during Apr/May period... maybe can consider going there to relax and to TTC. LOL...by then I think we might end up with a Jan 2011 baby instead of targetted 2010 baby. That will make my #1 and future #2 5 years difference!!! Goodness!
 
Thanks gals....will definitely enjoy! I am there to shop, eat, shop, eat, etc.

Maybe target Perth next year. Not been there yet
happy.gif
Yes, love their spring when the weather is cool and enjoyable to be outdoors!
 
sleepingdeer
i finally found a match!!! jx stll wakes up a lot thought she is already 15 months...she still wakes like every 2-3 hours at night..how are u going to train your gal?
 
Hi SY,
oh dear you too? So terrible right? I really dun know, Im quite at a loss, I think this gal probably have to go through cold turkey to break the habit. With S, she was on the pacificer, so it was fairly easy, I just stopped bfeeding at night and she stopped waking up for milk after 3 days. For the 2nd gal, she uses me as a pacificer so she wakes up every 3 hours and the only way I can put her back to sleep again is to feed her... and the 2nd gal has a terrble temper, no joke... so I guess we will cross that bridge when we get there, maybe I'll try when I start weaning her off breast milk? Like maybe when she's 18th months? 8 months more to go! Can't wait to finally be able to sleep through the night!
 
sleepingdeer
they sound totally alike! jx has a terrible temper too compared to jh. the fastest way to get her to sleep is to latch her. and she has pattern one...i MUST lie down to latch her. other positions are refused at night. hee i keep telling hb he must train her and he must sleep with her then the habit can be broken but so far it hadn't worked. if hb sleeps with her, he will pass her back to me when she wakes the 2nd time...terrible right....
 
Just dropping by to say hi after my house moving event last weekend.

Ha ha it is a terrible experience as I try to pack my stuff into fil's place and the warehouse storage. Good thing I planned to move 1 week ahead of handing over keys. I still have small small items everywhere in the house.

So advice to Tracie and Mamachan, start early. Dun dilly dally like me. I thot I only left my sb stash and kitchen to clear last week. So I just took 2 days leave before the move. Guess what. That 2 days is only good for me to clear the kitchen.
 
Oh gosh, SY!
Yup, L too, she loves to lie down and latch, I use that as a last resort if I cant get her to sleep using the normal latch on cradle method. my hb will just turn to me with resigned eyes and say, 'she wants you', and pass her back to me, same same same same same...
 
Oh gosh, SY!
Yup, L too, she loves to lie down and latch, I use that as a last resort if I cant get her to sleep using the normal latch on cradle method. my hb will just turn to me with resigned eyes and say, 'she wants you', and pass her back to me, same same same same same...
 
Sleepingdeer
Me was trying to move near you but cannot find a good place yet. Now moved near to your mum's place where my fil stays. haha.
 
CL,
that is a good place too, I am still getting used to this place after 5 years! After the convenience of my mum's place, its tough... Go try the roast chicken rice stall with the fanastic chilli at the coffee shop near the MRT station, its great and well known with the locals...
 
Sleepingdeer
ha ha I have been eating that chix rice since I was young. They used to be at the corner coffee shop where botak jones is then their brother's dim sum at the other end coffeeshop. The Chix rice store stopped for years and My husband was so happy that they open beside the 4D shop. The chilli is realli good.

Ha ha I oso like the claypot rice at 328. Dun worry I know all the good food. The Lor Mee previously at 328 is now moved to central opposite the Li Ming Bridal shop. That one is nice too.

Ha ha You make it sound like hillview is not a good option.
 
CL
oh man...your experience sounds scary!!! I'm already starting to pack out my boy's room cupboards and packed out the bb clothes le. When my mom goes to Perth for 3 weeks in Oct, I'll have the van to slowly put things into my MIL's place first. I'm also targetting to move out 2 weeks prior to handing over of keys to my buyer. I have to start now coz not much leave left for house-moving!
 
CL,
I'm moving to my mum's place for the time being too until we find THE house. I'm so glad he agreed to move to my mum's instead of his sis's place cos my mum has two spare rooms and I can even bring my bed, sofa etc over. I'm now bringing the kids' toys over bit by bit. Only big items that I can't bring over are my dining table and chairs and the fridge.
 


Tracie
Oh wow...your mom has got 2 spare rooms? That's good! You save much on needing those self-storage warehouse space! Children's toys are definitely a headache! I've already packed those brand new, unopened toys into carton boxes le...gonna store them at my MIL's place for the time being too.

Chic Lil/Tracy
Maybe good time to wait and see the housing market... coz my agent is telling me now during this period of time, everywhere is asking high COV!

I think now my seller must be feeling "dui" that he sold his flat to us for 15k below valuation! And he still have to give us 1.5k as "rent" as he only mentioned that he can move out 31st Dec 2009, 1 week after we signed the OTP when the agreed completion, handing over keys date was 7 Dec!
 

Back
Top