Havaianas for the Little Ones: Disney Princesses & Cars!

Anya got her very first pair of Havaianas when she was about 16 months old. They were a very tiny plain white pair that I’d bought from Brazil and were the smallest possible size. Can’t believe her feet used to be so teensy weensy!

her first Havaianas

Havaianas now come in so many interesting and adorable designs for children. I wish that some of the kiddy designs came in grown-up sizes too! The kids were each given a pair of Havaianas from the Disney series recently. Anya chose a Cinderella pair and Adam picked a blue pair from the Baby Cars range.

They wore them to the pool the other day and were happily stomping around in the comfortable slippers for the rest of the day. Anya couldn’t stop admiring her Cinderella flip-flops and Adam was just so chuffed to have slippers like his sister’s.

Cinderella and Cars

perfect for a pool day

with his first pair of Havaianas

Anya tries to wear her Havaianas everywhere, even if they don’t match her outfit, and we usually let her unless we’re going to a place requiring something a little more formal than flip-flops. Adam loves his Havaianas too and tries to wear them every single day.

she loves wearing them everywhere

The Disney Princess, Kids Minnie and Baby cars collections are available at motherswork and Mothercare (except Causeway Point) at $29.90 for Disney Princess and Minnie, and $26.90 for Baby Cars. Here are some of the other designs in the Disney series!

GIVEAWAY! :)

I have one pair of Havaianas from the Disney series to give away! To qualify, simply do the following by 1 JUNE 2013, 2359H:

1. Like the ‘In the Wee Hours’ Facebook page.
2. If you are a Twitter user, follow Havaianas Singapore on Twitter.
3. Leave a comment here answering the following question, “If you could be a Disney character for a day, who would you be and why?”

Looking forward to reading all the comments! :)

Disclaimer: I was given two pairs of Havaianas for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

A Very Pink Princess Party

We celebrated Anya’s cousin’s 3rd birthday at The Tiara Society last week and it was a very girly affair. I don’t think I’ve ever been to such a pink place in my entire life! It’s a pretty place and although the space is not very big, the area is used in quite an efficient manner for maximum princess-ness.

the kids loved climbing up and down this carriage

Anya and Adam

little reading corner

tea table and baby doll corner

something for the non-princessy type

the mice from Cinderella made an appearance

The birthday girl got to dress up before everyone else and she was absolutely adorable in an Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) gown. She even got her nails and make-up done and she was beaming away. I guess little girls really do like dressing up.

Princess H holding court

getting her nails done

having tea

hanging out in the carriage

They played some games before having a little banquet and, for once in her life, Anya actually took part in a party game and she didn’t throw a fit or burst into tears! I was pleasantly surprised. You can see that her fingers are in her mouth in the photo and she does that whenever she’s feeling very self-conscious and a bit unsure. But at least she tried!

game of Musical Tiaras

be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test!

sometimes they look alike!

princess banquet

food for the adults

After the banquet, the kids got to dress up! I think it was the moment that they had all been waiting for. Anya was very excited and she hung around waiting to ensure that she would be the first in the dress-up area so she could get the Cinderella costume. Cinderella is the only Disney princess she knows about because I’ve deliberately not exposed her to any of that until very recently.

She was ridiculously happy to dress up as Cinderella and she just lit up from inside when she looked at herself in the mirror. Adam got to dress up too but there were much fewer options for the boys. The sleeves were way too long so I rolled them up and he kept running to me with his arms flapping whenever they rolled back down. Managed to find him something in a colour that matched his sister’s gown so he looked like her footman or something.

dress-up time!

my Cinderella

there was a feathered cap he refused to wear

brave knights

attempted a cousins photo

birthday song time

a group photo

There was a princess dance session after the singing of the birthday song and cutting of the cake. Anya went quite mad spinning around and jumping up and down to tunes like ‘Moves like Jagger’. Adam attempted to dance as well in his own little head-bobbing way.

posing for a photo before the dance

Princess H dancing with her daddy

It was a fun party and the birthday girl looked really happy, but I think she was ready to collapse at the end! I’m just glad the six cousins got to hang out. Here’s hoping that Anya doesn’t ask to have her next birthday party at the same place because her party guest list is mainly made up of boys!

managed to get all six in one shot!

Volkswagen Family Weekend – Fun for the Kids!

We went to the Volkswagen Family Weekend before our Mother’s Day lunch and it was so much fun for the kids!

VW Family Weekend

The first thing we tried to do was take a human-powered photo at the Photobox. We didn’t manage to take one so I think Adrian wasn’t powerful enough! I love that Anya was sitting patiently in there with her arm around her brother though.

trying to take a human-powered photo

The kids were instantly attracted by the display of colourful Smart Trikes. Anya’s currently in a phase where she thinks only purple and pink are ‘girl’ colours so she made a beeline for the bright pink trike instead of her usual favourite green. Adam insisted on having the shade down while Adrian pushed him around on the trike. He’s not so good at working the pedals yet. Despite having clearly-marked lanes and traffic signs, there was an accident!

checking out the trikes

dangerous rider on the phone

knocked over a pedestrian!

There was a food art corner by Nutriville and Anya spent quite a bit of time there stamping with vegetables, painting with coffee and moulding some dough. I love the art ideas and will try to do something fun with vegetables during the holidays so she won’t hate them so much.

stamping with vegetables

painting with coffee

making something with dough

I think Adam’s favourite part of the day was the food. There were chicken mini burgers, roasted potatoes and, most importantly, ice-cream! I don’t even like chicken but I thought the burgers were yummy and Adam liked them too! Anya was too busy with her mango ice-cream to bother about the rest of the food.

enjoying his chicken burger and potatoes

ice-cream with sprinkles

We test-drove the VW Sharan as well. It’s a spacious 7-seater that offers a really smooth ride. Adrian and I were quite amazed at how much quieter it is inside the Sharan than our current set of wheels. Adam looked a bit confused that we were driving around in a strange car but the kids enjoyed the ride.

I like the glass roof which our car also has, but the one in the Sharan opens up to serve as a sun-roof as well. And I appreciate the fact that the air-conditioner can be set at different temperatures for each side. I’m always too cold in the car! The husband likes that the car is powerful and feels good to drive.

the Sharan

hard to get lost

told the husband to suck in his tummy

the kids in the back

It was a really enjoyable morning for all of us. I bet the kids wish we could have as much fun every time we test drive a car!

Giveaway: GV Mums & Babies Promotion

I love watching movies and used to watch tons of them before the kids came along. Now the husband and I sneak off for the occasional movie date about once a month. We try to take the kids to shows that are appropriate for them now and then but Adam hasn’t quite learnt to sit still so I spend a lot of time trying to stop him from running around and also apologising to people when he tries to steal their popcorn or touch the back of their head!

I think mums with babies definitely find it hard to catch a decent movie. If you’re still dealing with diapers for example, a diaper change in the middle of a movie means having to hunt down a toilet with the necessary facilities and missing a substantial chunk of the movie! One of the best things about the GV Mums & Babies promotion is the provision of diaper tables with wet wipes in the cinema hall. And since everyone else there is watching the movie with a baby or young kid, you don’t have to worry about having dirty looks directed at you when your baby fusses.

GIVEAWAY! :)

GV invited me to their Mums & Babies screening next Tuesday but since I’m a FTWM and can’t make it, I’m giving away 3 tickets to the mums who can make it. I haven’t seen Wreck-It Ralph but I heard it’s good and it was nominated for Best Animated Film in the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.

Date: Tuesday, 28 May 2013
Time: 12pm
Movie: Wreck-It Ralph
Venue: GV City Square

The participation period for this giveaway will be shorter than my usual ones because the movie’s next Tuesday and I will need time to collect the info from the winners and pass the info along to GV. Please note that each winner will get one ticket. Children below 90cm get free admission, so if your kid is more than 90cm, you’ll need to purchase another ticket.

To qualify, simply do the following by 25 May 2013, 2359H:

1. Like the ‘In the Wee Hours’ Facebook page.
2. Share the GV Mums & Babies post (on my Facebook page).
3. Leave a comment here telling me what you like about the GV Mums & Babies promotions!

Mother’s Day: Reality Check

Reality Check

There are articles about Pinterest making mothers feel depressed and inadequate and Instagram portraying unrealistic rosy versions of life and I’m guilty as charged. Guilty not just of putting up picture-perfect artistically-filtered humorously-captioned photographs of my kids but guilty also of being on the receiving end, where looking at pictures of other families/ holidays/ projects on various social media sites make me feel like I need to play catch-up.

So I present a not-so-pretty glimpse into my life with the kids. It’s Mother’s Day and I’m expecting to feel special, to be showered with love and appreciation, to be given adorable handmade cards scrawled in childish handwriting, and to have beautiful photos taken with my colour-coordinated kids. Did any of that happen?

Not really. I still had to run after the kids, take care of all their usual needs and carry out all my motherly duties. At one point of time, I was the only one watching the kids as they ran and played outside, while Adrian and my in-laws were still sitting in the restaurant relaxing after lunch. Then Anya refused to smile for a family photo and made silly excuses about her arm hurting. I was fuming and I never felt so unappreciated in my life. All I wanted was a decent photo and I couldn’t even get that.

To top it off, her class teachers forgot to get the kids to make a mother’s day card in school and she only brought one home the day after Mother’s Day. By the time I got to see it in the evening, however, she had scribbled all over it with a ballpoint pen. Nice. I complained bitterly to Adrian about his children taking me for granted and he reminded me about the other card that Anya had made for me with his help. She wanted the card to be perfect and made three different cards before finally deciding that one was good enough to give to me.

My life as a mother is far from flawless and my kids are as imperfect as they come. I know sometimes I make it seem otherwise. But Mother’s Day was such a reality check for me to stop thinking about composing Kodak moments to capture and present to the rest of the world, and to really focus on living life in the moment with my family whom I love dearly and fiercely with all its imperfections.

Giveaway for Fisher-Price Joy of Learning Workshop!

Like all kids, Anya and Adam love to play! And I love playing with them and watching them play together. The best thing about play is that it’s great for healthy brain development. And playing also helps kids to build relationships and develop life skills.

For those who want to help their kids learn through play, there is the Fisher-Price Joy of Learning Workshop. This hands-on and interactive workshop will help parents to learn about age-appropriate activities for their kids.

The topics that will be covered at this workshop:

1. The Roles and Responsibilities of Parenting
2. Understanding Development Milestones
3. How Children Learn Best
4. Age Appropriate Play-based Ideas for Growth and Development

Details of the workshop:

Date: Sunday, 9 June 2013
Time: 9am – 2pm
Venue: Raffles City Convention Centre
Cost: $50 per person (includes light refreshments)

Each participant will receive a goody bag worth more than $100 and a chance to win lucky draw prizes. Please note that the workshop is open to parents with children up to 5 years old and expectant mothers only. Registration closes 31 May 2013. To register, please email fisherprice@asiaprwerkz.com

GIVEAWAY! :)

I have 3 pairs of tickets to the Fisher-Price Joy of Learning Workshop to give away! Each pair of tickets is worth $100. To qualify, simply do the following by 25 May 2013, 2359H:

1. Like the ‘In the Wee Hours’ Facebook page.
2. Like the ‘Fisher-Price’ Facebook page.
3. Leave a comment here telling me what you love about playing with your kids!

Playful Elves at West Coast Plaza

I visited Playful Elves for the first time on Saturday with Ling Siew and her boys. Anya really enjoys playing with Nathan so we’ve been trying to find opportunities to hang out every now and then. It wasn’t crowded that Saturday morning so the kids could run around freely.

Playful Elves is pretty near my mum’s place so the location is actually very convenient for us. The play area is compact and suitable for the younger ones. It’s easy to keep an eye on the kids without having to follow them around the entire time.

Playful Elves

Playful Elves

In the Magical Play Forest, there are obstacles for the kids to navigate around and lots of foam balls that can be shot from the ball shooters. I personally had fun making the balls float on the ball blower! There are also slides, bumpy steps and a bridge to cross. The two older ones spent quite a bit of time here.

collecting ammo

shoot-out

from the other side

sliding down steps

one way..

..or another

The race track is something I don’t see at other indoor playgrounds. There are a few Little Tikes cars for the kids to zoom around in and chase each other. We have one of these cars at home but it’s so much more fun when a few kids can zip around at the same time!

Anya thought the traffic signs were cute and I was ‘forced’ to be a pedestrian many times over at the pedestrian crossing marked out by the sign! I can’t remember how many times I crossed the little zebra crossing!

little cars

racing around the track

pursued by police car

ma’am, I’m gonna need you to step out of your vehicle

competing for the same parking lot?

In a corner of the play ground is a bouncy castle! It’s so cushy and comfortable! I tried to sneak in there for a short nap while the kids were chasing each other on the race track, but they spotted me and stormed the castle! So much for trying to have a quick snooze.

Anya doesn’t usually like bouncy castles because she hates to jostle with other kids, but she and Nathan had the bouncy castle to themselves that day so she was happy to play on it and could jump to her heart’s content.

care and share!

whee!

jumping for joy

bounce

little Noah

playing house

Anya was there for more than 2 hours and it was hard trying to get her to leave. I foresee that we’ll be back at Playful Elves again during the upcoming holidays!

Disclaimer: This review is written based on a play session I was invited to. All opinions are my own.