Any Mommies in mid-late 30s or over 40 with small children?

Joy,

Its a norm for the tour agency to fix the tipping. That amt is the minimum you need to pay for tips.
For me, if the guide provides very good service, will tip them more, else will just stick to the amt fixed by agency.
 


Hi aa,

Yes, I agreed with u.But, i thought tipping in japan is an insult to them as per their culture.That is why am wondering where the tipping goes.

cheers
Joy
 
Hi Joy,

Its a norm that we tip the tour leader, local guide and driver in a grouped tour. The tour agency will let you know how much tips to prepare.

During our recent trip to Twn, the tour guide told us that the tips we pay goes back to their agency (only the driver gets his portion). So, I guess different country got different tipping arrangement.

You will have to pay for the optional tours (not included in the tour pkg) they organise if you choose to join in. This is made usually made known to you upfront during booking/ tour briefing.
 
Hi Stylo,

If you're not fussy and just want sushi-looking rolls - use seaweed wrap and normal rice will do. Just as nice. Can use pork floss, unagi, surimi, fried egg or strips of sausage as filling. That's what we do when we are short of ingredients
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sharon,
I suggest that you get Audiobooks on CD for her, like this one :
http://www.amazon.com/Roald-Dahl-Audio-Collection-Fantastic/dp/0061214965/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291873433&sr=1-3

There are many wonderful children's classics on audio CDs. Your girl will listen to good books that she does not want to read on her own, and best of all, she can learn to speak perfect English
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Don't deprive her of books.
I used to look at stars at night, to rest my eyes after reading long novels.

Fairyprincess,
My suggestions for kids with short attention span :
1. Make it a routine to study everyday. Fixed a time and a duration. Start with 15 mins a day, then slowly stretch to 20 mins, 25 mins, 30 mins, etc.

2. Find things that interest the child. My boy can spend many hours reading the Children's encyclopedia, and he can spend hours building with his Lego, ZOOB, Knex toys, or folding origami which are excellent ways of developing his fine motor skills.

3. Find effective methods to teach. For example, many parents think that kids should practice writing a word many times in order to remember the spelling. My boy has a very strong foundation in phonics, and he is able to spell most words using phonics techniques, without the need to practice writing at all. I almost never ask him to practice writing, but now at 6 years old, his handwriting is very neat, that is because his fine motor skills are well developed by folding origami and playing with good toys.
It is not true that young kids must spend many hours a day in order to learn. With effective techniques, kids can study for less than 30 mins a day and still do very well.

4. Give the child the skills to learn on her own. This means the ability to read very well, in both English and Chinese. The fact is that my attention span is only about 15 mins, even as an adult. When in school, when I often missed what the teacher said because I was thinking of something else. I just read the textbook and taught myself, even when I was studying high level maths like Calculus.
 
muffin,
I saw you ordering FitFlop in the spree section
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How much do you save by joining the spree ? A pair of FitFlop costs $119 in Singapore, right ? It costs USD59.90 online, so I am not sure if there is a lot of savings.
 
tamarind,
hehe, saw u posted in her spree liao. Collate order till $250 get $75 off, thats 30% off. Assuming shipping cost is all taken up by the discount, each pair would cost abt 59.9*1.37=$82.8? Abt $36 saving? But shipping shd not be that ex.
 
Hi StyloBB,

I use rice cooker to cook sushi rice and add the sushi rice vinegar when its cooked. Very easy. For Ingredients, you can use simple ingredients like ham & cheese (shredded)/ crabstick/ fishcake/ pork floss/ grilled unagi(cooked ones available from supermarkets), line with some mayo and its nice for kids
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muffin,
OIC. The pair I am getting is clearance price already, no discount. But I cannot find it in Singapore, so it is OK.
 
Hi All,

Just to share a new supermart called Shine Korea with all of you. Very reasonably-priced Korean goods as well as Singapore-made food products. I found my mango pudding mix (and ice-jelly etc too) at $1.30 a box (Mustafa $1.25 and $1.55 everywhere else). Very wide range of snacks too they have samples for most so you won't buy the wrong thing for your kids. Their Lotte chocolate sticks (Korean version of Pocky) is only 50 cents. I was pretty surprised to find such great pricing at Marina Square. Other outlets are at Keypoint and Burlington. Bulgogi sauce is the cheapest ever $2.20. You can imagine how crazy I went in the shop
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Some pics and prices:
http://mumusings.blogspot.com/2010/12/shine-korea-supermarket-great-pricing.html
 
Bloom
I was think maybe get her some assessment to do that all ( not many words)limit to 30min

Stylobb
ya think get her some Vic too.

tamarind
that is very good idea..hmmm u do any spree from amazon ?
or anyone order frm them ? can i tap along.

I intend to let her stay out of the house ..
but very sad,, Sabrina's always told me she got a lot of knowledge frm books..
now she can't read ... today we whole day out fm house .. morning swimming then go new shopping NEX at serangoon ( go for winnie the pooh show) but only start tomorrow.
back home to slp now... she said kind of boring life for her.Zzzzz
She really enjoy reading books
 
Hello mummies!

Thanks Tam- your advice makes a lot of sense- Its about being consistent to work with her...I am most concerned that she reads fluently before P1...otherwise...very tough to survive P1 =(

Am in Taipei now- temp very nice about 18 deg in day and 15 at night...already ate lots of street food e.g. ah zhong mian xian, fried oysters, goose bee hoon, sausages, snacks etc...snowball- the honey bittergourd juice is really very nice and refreshing- not bitter at all!!!

Sharon- the tanglin mall snowfall is always a treat for kids! Sabrina does not wear spectacles? If her myopia is high, she may not see clearly?

Stylobb- I used to use Loreal or Garnier colour to highlight at home, but the colour tends to run for a few weeks- very troublesome...and I feel the colour is not as strong as those done in professional salons...
 
Fairyprincess
can not let her wear spectacles because she alway play very rush way later drop it difficult to find better not ! and the foam go into spec very difficult to see too.
 
mommies

Back from bintan. Stayed at Bintan Lagoon 4D3N.
Hubby went for 3 round of golf at its adjacent golf courses.
Supposed to be quite relaxing but somehow no time for afternoon nap,
tagged along my kids to kid's club, babysit them at the poolside.
Resort is much nicer after renovation, compared to our previous stay before renovation
 
tam, thanks for the recommendation. my sis is FTWM, no maid 2 kids hb always not at home.. so she has alot of time constraints and am thinking of 'outsourcing' (think both she and i have the same problem. our kids are not scared of us .a.ahahah)

styloBB, but its fun to window shop all the same right (at least to me though i dont buy, i find it nice to be 'in touch' with whats in the market)... and no kids ahahah

speaking of sunblock..any recommendation on sunblock (not those that comes with moisturiser?) now i am using hada labo moisturiser which does not have sunblock...

joy, have not gone on pkg tour for a long time.. but last time i rem they fixed the tip for the tour guide too (ken-air) which makes us very unahppy cos the tour guide was not good (he move on witout noticing tat 2 gals have not returned!)

sharon, the HPB advert always say rest ur eyes after every 30min, so perhaps try tat instead of all day outside? cos no matter what, she still need to read her music score (and next time attend school) etc right? cool abt tanglin mall, maybe i will bring my gal there!
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any mommies with kids in pri school far away from their homes (eg, parents /in laws pl but do not stay overnight). is it tiring to rush from that place back to ur own home at night? no time to do homework (if any) or revision? sighh..dilemma... cos there is a good school (not very good kind like tao nan/st nic) near my mom's pl..while the schools around my pl is all average or below average... all requires PV too (my pl cos of huge influx of foreign talent with young kids). Dilemma dilemma...
 
Hi Bloom,

THe SKII sunblock is expensive but so good that I left the beach with a fair face and shoulders once - and burnt everywhere else
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What happened was I dispensed too much for my face and so applied on my face, neck, shoulders and back. Hahaha... so arms and legs all burnt 'cos I used a normal sunblock.
 
Tamarind
Thank you! will go Kinokuniya to take a look.

Bloom
Yup, She still need to practise piano at home.
now she got more time.. she was helping me folded up e clothes
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haha
 
Hi Bloom,

You can try Avene SPF50 Sunblock (in creme form) -Its also suitable for kids' use. So far so good. Wait for Robinsons/ JL/ Guardian Pharmacy got 20% sale. Price reasonable - about $50+ after 20% disc.

School for kids - My personnal opinion is that its better for the child to study near home as its less tiring for both child and parents. Nowadays kids need to stay in school almost 3/4 day somemore....if travel long way, its very tiring one.

Hi Sharon - The snow foam play looks nice so is your Genting trip....Is the strawberry farm near Genting? We've been to the temple before during our last trip there about 5 yrs ago.

Hi Tamarind,

I'll go browse thro' Amazon website and join in the spree...thanks for the headsup.

Are you also organising one for dang dang for Chinese books? I need to get book 3 & 4 of 四五快读.
 
mommies

Have you been to bookfest?

I went bookfest yesterday. Finally bought 1 assessment book for my dd2. Her 1st.
She's happily doing it now. Hopefully her novelty doesn't wear off too quickly, haha!
 
bloom

I'm using neutrogena SPF30. There's another version SPF50

Who would be sending/fetching your kids to/from school?
If you're relying solely on grandparents' help to send/fetch then kinda make sense to enrol in a school near your parents' home
 
mummusings, u r right.. SKII is very exp...

Tam, yes, pls let me know too if u r ordering from dangdang again.. i showed my ex colleague the si wu kuai du on saturday and she is very impressed and wanted to get for her boy too.

yawn, intending to go bookfest on friday... must take leave cos most prob weekend will be super crowded.. anything interesting to look out for?

sharon..ahaha..good sabrina (to help mommy in folding clothes). btw, see ur genting pics.. is it that cold (i see ear muffs and winter clothing) ??? i went cameron recently and its warm (like mid 20s) so wana go genting if its colder..but seems that my gal wont be able to enjoy alot of the rides as she is only 97cm now.

snowball, yawn, the 'stuck' issue is that if i put her at the school near my home, there is no one to fetch at the end of schoolday cos I wont be able to reach there on time and BASC do not take back Pm session students (still double session for both schools) which means hiring a nanny again....

Hahah.. to summarise (so sorry! I am obessed with this topic!)

* put near my home
- average/below average schools
- sent to BASC before school (for PM session)
- no in house student care so duno what will happen if got CCA next time (student care nearby refuse to entertain me at this moment)
- no one to pick after PM dismissal, got to hire nanny
- got to dabao/cook dinner myself

* put near parents
- no guarantee my parents health are still OK in 3 years time
- average/above average school
- no in house student care but parent should be able to fetch her if there is CCA
- will still put her at BASC so that parents dont have to wake up at 7am daily.
- home cooked food
- will reach home late everyday. Tired? No time for homework (grandparents cant coach and cannot stay overnight. Hb also dunwana move)

Mommies pls share ur thoughts. My colleague ask me to do PV for both then think when the time comes..but its 100 hours of PV (60hrs + 40 hrs)

Sigh! Resigning is out of question and so far I am unable to find a job nearer to either my pl or parents pl.
 
Bloom
This year not that cold, only that is bad weather
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Last year we went on 22 Dec is was raining season outdoor very cold and strong wind ( last year we brought not enough jacket for S)
but This year I prepared but not cold.
 
bloom

The most time saving measures is of course place in school/student care near your home and tingkat dinner. Minimum travelling time. Evening can still spare a little time to coach your dd
Don't worry about CCA yet, think not compulsory at lower primary? at least so far no communication from my dd's school that it's compulsory. You can call up the schools you've shortlisted to enquire when would CCA become compulsory

By the way, school near your place is how near? walking distance or need school bus? If taking school bus will take a while to reach your house anyway, can factor in that 'extra' time, you may be able to make it to fetch your dd. If still can't make it, then engage a trustworthy neighbour to help you pick up?
 
Bloom,

For me, I will put near parents with a helper if parents not so healthy. I will keep a notebook with what is required to be done for homework and instruct the kid to do those that mummy marked. In the meantime, I will actively look for a job near the parents pl. I will also NAG at my hubby to shift house till he agree. hahaha, thats me. I think its impt to put in an above average school, the classmates that kids mix with is important.
 
snowball, bloom,
You can email me your orders for dangdang, I should be ordering again in the last week of December.

yawn,
OK I will let you know if I am ordering from drugstore. I am not sure whether I have time to do it by this week.

muffin,
I agree with you about shifting house. It is important to minimize the traveling time. Kids will have more time to study and they will not feel so tired. In fact, I am staying about 0.7km from my kids' school, and I am still thinking of moving even closer !
 
Hi Tam,
Any reccomendations for Chinese Cartoon DVDs? Looking for my kids 2-5. I think they watch too much english cartoons and not enough mandarin.
 
Hi Bloom,

Change Job - There is no g'tee that the company you shift to do not shift in the near future. So, I agree with Muffin - Nag at your hb until he agree to shift. Shift somewhere near to your DD's caregiver and your pblm solved.


Hi Tam - I will just need book 3 & 4 of 四五快读. Will buy more Chinese storybooks for my DD1 to read when she can read more Chinese words. She is enjoying listening to me reading to her those books your bought for me the last time
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Hi Muffin - Besides 喜羊羊与灰太狼,my DDs also watch 小叮当 (I find not bad as it teach them to be imginative) and some Japanese Cartoon DVDs (like Ponyo) (have option to switch language to Mandarin). My kids can watch these DVDs over and over again. They also learn their Mandarin thro' watch these DVDs.
 
Joy,
Enjoy yourself in Hokkaido !
It has been raining these few days, quite cooling here.

muffin,
My recommendations are the same as snowball's.
Also, I highly recommend all movies by Miyazaki, who made Ponyo. We just watched Howl's moving castle and it is fantastic !
 
Hi Muffin,

My hb buy those DVDs from DVD shops like TS when we go shopping. 小叮当 is suitable for young kids. The plots are quite imaginative acutally. It comes in series (similar to those telecast on Ch 8 on Sun mornings) or on movie series. Recently, I hb bought a set of 小叮当 DVDs (Jap version) which my kids enjoy a lot.
 
Hi Tamarind,

Recently, I watched a Jap Cartoon named 再见莹火虫. Very touching. I cried while watching. My DD1 also captivated by the storyline.
 
aa,
Have a good trip to Japan !

muffin,
Snowball is right about 小叮当. I don't have the DVDs, but my kids enjoy watching it on TV every weekend. You can also look for those Disney DVDs, I think most of them have Chinese dialogue.

snowball,
I was also very touched when I watched 再见莹火虫. I did not dare to watch it again, I will cry non-stop.
Other works of Miyazaki like Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's delivery service are also excellent.
 
Hello mummies!

Am back from Taiwan and Hong Kong- 2 places I would recommend F&E with kids:

Taiwan- Sun Moon Lake
- easy to get there by bus (4 hours direct) or high speed train followed by local bus (2.5 hours)
- great view and weather during winter and nice boat rides to temples and old street with many snack foods
- managed to wake up early ~6am to enjoy the serenity of the vast lake and watch the sunrise- very nice!
- We stayed at a small ryokan which includes dinner and breakfast just on the main street next to the pier- if any mums need the contact, I can PM you...

Hong Kong- Ngong Ping Cable Car at Lantau island
- just 10 min from airport by taxi or bus- can leave luggages at Left Baggage section of airport and spend the day doing this, before heading to hotel
- current promotion- kids go free with adults- very worth it!
- opt for the "crystal cabin" where the bottom of the cable car is a full glass floor- 25min one way all the way through 6 mini mountains to the great budda statue- there is an old street at the summit which is entertaining for kids
- can have dinner/ shopping at Citigate Outlet mall after the cable car...very convenient!

Ocean Park- I also brought kids there, cos price is about 50-70% that of Disneyland
- again- cable car ride extremely thrilling due to height and next to shoreline...
- aquarium very large and fascinating, jellyfish display very nice, and watched the seal/ dolphin show
- did not go on many rides- quite ordinary
- an interesting day for kids, as an alternative to Disneyland...

Joy/ AA- enjoy the snow in Hokkaido!!
 
Hi Fairyprincess,

Twn - Sun Moon Lake

We only did a touch and go at Sun Moon Lake area with the tour group. We also wanted to re-visit this place if we do go Twn again. Will check with you for the details of the plc of accomodation if we are going again.

Hi Tam - My kids scared of some of the scenes in Spirited Away...mayb they are too young to under this cartoon movie. Yes, agree that works of Miyazaki are very good
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Hello ALL
Thanks for the well wishes.Boy is enjoying snow very much and driving me up the wall, cos everywhere he goes, wanna make snow ball.snow ball.

Tomolo will be in ski resort.

This is a recharged trip for me....After that, will have to take the next challenge...

cheers
 
muffin,
amazon has a promotion, 25% off $75, very cheap !
Each pair work out to as low as USD29.99 if we order 2 pairs of more.
 



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