I know it’s a little inappropriate to lump these two topics together. Hardly makes a great title. But I thought it would be good to just sit down and write one post instead of two. They are, in a way linked, as you’d see later.

So some of you have realized that I’ve been pretty quiet. On the blog, on social media.

Is there something wrong?? I’ve been asked.

No, to assure you, there isn’t any. I cut back on posting because I was initially trying to improve my blog, organizing my recipes in both the Recipes for the Family section (Soups, Drinks, One-dish meals and Fish & Seafood tabs are up and running!) and the Food for Kids section so you can navigate through the recipes easily.

But as time went by, I took it slow in the revamping and sometimes I even forgot that I was supposed to be organizing the posts. And in the process of literally stopping to smell the roses, I came to the realization that y’know what, I actually enjoyed taking the time off from blogging, editing photos, watermarking, connecting with people I don’t know or hardly know on social media and reacting to feeds when it doesn’t even concern me.

Not that I’m gonna stop writing. I actually still do enjoy writing about our experiences and sharing them with you, and I will continue to do so.

It’s just that when my little one who was sitting on my lap the other day on the bus spontaneously threw his arms around me and whispered ‘I love you’ to me, it suddenly dawned upon me that I had to live my life right for those moments of tenderness – moments that would be gone in no time. And to be present for people who actually, truly love and appreciate me and my presence. And by being present, I had to be functioning well mentally and physically – not sleep deprived because I needed to rush that blog post out at weird times of the day, not thinking about a blog post or its reach when I was physically present with them, not staring at the screen when my attention should be on the people around me.

If one day I stopped blogging, I know I would not be missed. There are so many other blogs and sites online. No one would miss my posts as their bedtime read. #brutalhonesty

But I know if I’m not present in the lives of those who matter most to me today, I would be the one who would miss the hugs, kisses, words of affirmation and I would never ever be able to turn the clock back.

So I’m gonna be there to read that extra story with them in my arms or on my lap, take the extra effort to make eye contact, give more hugs and be their jukebox (I knew my diploma in piano would come to some great use!). The cold hard truth is that in a few more years to come, when they head to school and have their own circle of friends, I know I’d diminish in importance. They would be reading on their own, hugs would be uncool, kisses unhygienic and no one would be asking me to play ‘Let it go’ or any song for that matter anymore.

I’m so glad I came to realize this without having lost too much time or having to go through something unpleasant. And I’ve been so blessed to be able to spend so much time with my family and to be present in their lives.

This June, I was presented with the wonderful opportunity to spend more time with my family. It was very eventful, but as usual, it went by too fast for my liking.

My top 5 highlights in June

1. Staycation at Festive Hotel and a trip to USS

A staycation at Festive hotel and a trip to USS is a winning combination for an enjoyable holiday. We live on a single income – going overseas is too taxing on our finances so we live within our means. My hubby needs a break after working so hard through the year so we prefer peppering our year with staycations as opposed to having one overseas trip. And actually, the many staycations we take cost less than taking that one overseas trip (and that’s only taking the airfare and accommodation into consideration). Anyway, most importantly, we’re happy being together and a staycation still gives us the needed break and feel of a holiday without bursting our wallet. This time round, with a change in mindset to create new memories, I went on all the thrill rides with my girl (those that she could take), namely Transformers and Enchanted Airways. I’m a scaredy cat, if you don’t know by now, and I super dislike thrill rides. Fortunately, those were very manageable. Can’t say the same when she grows tall enough to take the Revenge of the Mummy ride. Argh.

 

2. Fun at Sentosa

Technically, Festive Hotel and USS are at Sentosa too. But we decided that we should now and then still check out what the rest of Sentosa has to offer besides the RWS.

Luge

You’d probably have seen my photos on either my Instagram or Facebook page and know that we went for the skyride and luge. It was lil boy’s first time on both so it was definitely memorable for us. The last time my hubby and my girl took the luge was when my boy was a couple of months old during our staycation at The Sentosa hotel with my mum and aunt.

We had a blast on the skyride and luge – we went a total of 12 times in 2 evenings! More about the improved luge ride in my review and giveaway post (coming up soon! I promise!)

Wings of Time

We checked out Sentosa’s latest signature night extravaganza, Wings of Time, on one of the evenings when we went to play on the luge. It combines state-of-the-art effects with contemporary story-telling. I say the effects are truly superb, the fireworks spectacular, but the first part of the show where there’s some singing was a little dry. Kinda reminded me of the previous Songs of the Sea. Perhaps it might have sounded a little less dull if they sang in harmony. #myhonestopinionasusual
Fortunately, the rest of the show was good and is still worth checking out.

A short snippet from the show to whet your appetite!:

Premium Seats: $23 / Person
Standard Seats:
$18 (Standard Rates)
$15 (Local Resident Rates*)

 

 

3. Staycation at Village Hotel Katong

We had an awesome staycation at Village Hotel Katong. And we stayed in the room where my girl’s painting is displayed. Memorable? Definitely. In-room bathtub? Yeah, that was just swell! Plus the package came with free activities! Hop over to our staycation post to read more.

 

4. Transformers movie premiere

Why is catching a movie special? Because it’s the FIRST time I’ve been to a movie since I became a mother. Don’t know about you, but that is definitely a milestone for me. #justsaying

 

5. Getting close to nature

I’m really glad we peppered the holiday with lots of encounters with nature and animals. It really does help to have the Zoo and River Safari membership – we can just decide to swing by to take a look at one or two animals, feed a certain animal etc. without the stress of having to cover the places in a day. Bonus is of course that we stay not too far off so it’s so convenient!

Little girl has been talking about feeding giraffes and since we haven’t fed giraffes for a few months since our inquiry-based learning (IBL) endeavour with the Homeschool group ended, that was definitely on the to-do list.

And we finally got to feed the rhinos! It was my first time feeding a rhino too so I was super excited! The previous times that we’d planned to feed the rhinos were always foiled by either the rhinos having been shifted out for the day or I was just too tired after the IBL session.

River Safari membership is a must-have for panda lovers. We’ve found ourselves going mainly for pandas and we love the Amazon flooded forest too. Oh and both our favourite spots are air-conditioned. How nice.

This holiday we checked out Animal Resort.

It was one of the days that things didn’t really go right for us. Our mosquito spray ran out and it felt like mosquito land there. Not sure if it was because of the rain the previous night. We bought the stick-on pads from the counter which turned out to be hardly useful because from what I saw, the packaging had already been opened so they weren’t effective.

Nevertheless, we tried to make the best out of the situation and we fed a variety of animals that day! It was our first time feeding geese and we are still talking about the peckish feeling at home!

After feeding geese, fish and rabbits, we went to try our luck to feed the horse. Eventually we only managed to feed it when we were about to leave when the horse came over to the barrier at the carpark.

The trip to Jurong Frog Farm was quite memorable. I’d pre-arranged for a paid conducted tour for small families ($25 for 15minutes, includes guided tour, hashima sampling and souvenirs). However because they had a new driver that day and he needed directions for his route and delivery, we had someone else take the place of tour guide. Because it had to be conducted in Mandarin which wasn’t our preferred language of communication for the guided tour, the fee was waived.

Anyway, the highlight wasn’t sampling the hashima – which was very good and we bought some back to cook ourselves – it was me agreeing to hold TWO frogs for a photo. It turned out to be neither scary nor gross. Fortunately they didn’t squirm. *phew*

That wraps up the highlights for this June holidays. It was certainly packed with many memorable moments.

So now you know why I blog less and am online less often. But please don’t forget me ok? I’d really appreciate if you would hop by regularly to check out my new posts as well as my old ones which I’m trying to organise and categorise. 🙂

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