Nathan's 6th birthday ....

Nathan celebrated his 6th birthday last October 3, 2008. It was a fun day for everyone. His main celebration was held at his kindergarten school. The kids had face painting and balloon sculpturing. We hired the services of a clown/magician - Mr. Tricky Patrick. I can see that the children including had a blast that day, well, even the teachers.

Here are some of our pics:

This is me with my hunky Nathan. Or is he batman disguised as Nathan? Oh dear!






The handsome fellow is my husband. And the little guy in yellow shirt is Zuthokai, Nathan's best buddy ... I love this picture! I'm so glad that I captured this moment. Priceless isn't it?





This are his fellow Kindergarten 2 classmates.
The big superhero boys!
They've been together since 2005, when they were still in
Nursery 2.







With his pretty Kindergarten 2 classmates.
The big fairy princesses! Oh my, how they'd grown.
I'm sure they're gonna miss each other as this is their last year
together.








That was with Tricky Patrick, he was more of a clown than a magician. LOL!
Center image is so cute, isn't it? Best Bud!
Of course, the 3rd pic is divine!
It was indeed a fun-filled day for everyone.

On economic budget but still live a fabulous life!

Economic meltdown keeps on squeezing in as an uninvited guest in our home, and there's nothing I can do as a mother but to accommodate it and reorganize my household planning.

We used to go out every weekend for our usual family outdoor fun and then eat at our favorite restaurants afterwards, but now, it seems that we have to limit such indulgences. Thankfully, we have this membership with Downtown East's Wild Wild Wet Resort so we don't really have to just stay at home on weekends. We can come and go every time as we please, as membership fees are paid once a year, in our case, every April.

We used to buy groceries at Carrefour, but now I prefer to buy either at FairPrice or Sheng Shong Supermarket. I can see extra savings accumulated since I started two months ago.

But, what do you know; it’s not really all bad after all. I am beginning to appreciate the value of money and how to really spend it wisely. I was forced to look for alternatives, so that my family fun won’t be bitterly affected by this. And what I have found so far is not so bad.

Take vacation getaways as an example. It’s so surprising to know that around Singapore, there are cheap but heavenly vacation spots like Bintan and Genting. With their vacation packages, room rates, I can plan vacation getaways and still smile as it won’t burn our bank account as much as our previous vacations before.

Its just a little crush!

Every mom dreads the idea of their child being bullied by their peers at school. Sometimes, it would really just melt your heart when you hear the words " I don't want to go to school anymore Mom." But we always have to remember there's always a reason behind the bullying.

Yes, to answer your question, my "unico hijo" has been bullied so many times in school, especially by girls. At first of course, I don't like the sound of it. I somehow taught him how to stand-up against bullies. (Hey, I don't want my son to be a push-over!) LOL!

But, on the contrary, what we're really trying to instill into his being is to be a thinker, not to be a mindless attacker. We can see the difference every time he is with other kids. He always observes. Whenever there are kids fighting, he would look at them and then to us. There's always a look of questioning on his face.

Anyway, I taught him how to stand-up against bullies (its not a violent approach, don't worry) but there's one thing I always neglect to do before that. I didn't asked him about the situation. So finally, after months and months of blubbering about those bullies - by the way he gets really irritated - he would say "Mama, its really irritating already! - , last Saturday, we (this time Harold was with us) finally asked the right question to solve the problem - "Why? What happened? What were you guys doing?" Then he told us the most unexpected reason why those girls keep on bugging him - the reason was because he doesn't want to play with them but still, the girls keeps on following him (by the way, the girls are "Anastasia, Stephanie and Andrea") - then Anastasia said. "Because you're handsome what! And you're my boyfriend!" Guess how old that little girl is ... 5 years - as his age! I was like laughing so hard after that ... the fact that I felt furious every time he tell stories about the bullying.

Now, the case was solved finally. We just told him to be friendly with those girls because they like him. As we all know, boys at his age doesn't really like playing with little girls.

So parents, please do try to talk to your little ones. They are packed with surprises that will surely make your day. :D

Boy, as I look at my husband after that - "it looks like we're going to have major problems when he reach his adolescent stage" ... (hmmmm - worried Mom!)

Saturday of Fun for Families

Harold, myself and Nathan had a different kind of weekend-fun last Saturday. We've attended this pro-family gathering at the Big Splash playground in the East Coast Park (ECP). It was our first time to attend to such kind of get-together especially when we do not know everybody else but as it turned-out, we've had one of those great moments together as a family. Nathan had a blast! He had to ride on those mini-water boats with pedals. The mini-F1 car was also a treat for him. We were so thrilled watching him ride that toy car. He would do his car tricks just like what he always do whenever he play his PS3 games.

The day ended with the movie screening of Ratatouille by the beach. You can bet that almost all of the people had already seen the movie including us but the fun is just the same. The real thought of the gathering is family togetherness.

It was indeed a lovely day ended by a spectacular fireworks display!

TSM's One Indulgence

If you're gonna ask me of one of the indulgences I couldn't resist in this life of mine, well apart from my dear husband and adorable son ... its the Japanese cuisine! Ah! The food is oh sooooo good! I really love every bite. Yeah, even Nathan is hooked already because Mom and Dad are sushi addicts. Hahahaha ...

There's one Japanese restaurant we regularly dine-in to ... Sakae Sushi. Dont be surprised if I tell you we are one of its VIP card holders, of course, we are loyal customers!

I know there are lots of Japanese restaurants here but for me their menu is superb and really affordable. Their Hana Maki and Sashimi are heavenly, Ah! The Ebi Fry and Soft Shell Crab hand rolls are irresistible. Those are just a few of what is in their menu.

Try and savor for yourself.