Hilary’s Boat Harbour – Perth (March 2014)

Posted in Holidays, Perth, Travel with Kids by jahbella

The last day of our Perth Holiday 2014 was spent at Hilary’s Boat Harbour. It was quite a drive out from where we were staying (approx 45 minutes) and I would have given it a pass, if not for the fact that I had to collect our photoshoot pics. But I’m so glad that we were ‘forced’ to make that trip and quite sad that we didn’t do this earlier in our trip.

We were spoilt for choice when it came to food options but we settled for The Sorrento Beach Shack because of its very apparent child friendly facilities. Jah was more than happy to explore their dedicated play area and he would have gone home with a few of those toys if he had any say in the matter.

Close by to the restaurants, was a little inlet with very shallow waters and a nice sandy ‘beach. Thanks to our photographer’s advice, we came prepared with swimming gear and a nice picnic mat. The weather was nice and warm and Jah had tons of fun trying to catch little fishes with his sand bucket. To be honest, Joel and I had lots of fun trying to catch them too. :p Bella entertained herself with ‘sand eating’ on the beach and well making new friends. 🙂

There was also a little playground on the beach but that area got a little hot towards mid-day.

I wished we could have spent the entire day at Hilary’s! There were attractions like a Marine Discovery Centre or ferries to take you to Rottnest Island. There was even a water theme park situated right next to where we were. I think the kids would enjoy it if they were a lot older. And there was definitely no shortage of food and drinks options to keep everyone full and happy for a whole day.

This brings me to the final instalment of our Perth Holiday 2014! It also just made me realize that since we only scrap the surface with this trip and fully intend to revisit most of these places, our to-do list for future Perth trips just got longer!

Recap of our Perth 2014 Itinerary

Day 1: Four Seasons House

Day 2: Swan Valley Caversham Wildlife Park and Margaret River Chocolate Factory

Day 3: The Maze, Chinese Food and San Churros @ Northbridge

Day 4: Penguin Island

Day 5: Trigg Beach Family Photo Shoot

Day 5 (Part 2): Lansdale Farm School

Day 6: Kings Park Lotterywest Family Park

Day 7: Swan Valley Cuddly Animal Farm

Day 8: Adventure World

Also check out our Perth/ Margaret River, Western Australia Trip (Auguest 2016)

So yes, if anyone thinks Perth is too boring and has nothing fun to offer the kids and adults, think again! 🙂

JahBella’s Mummy

12Dec2014

The Chuggington Winter Snow Party – City Square Mall (Meet & Greet Dec 2014)

Posted in Media Invite, Reviews, Weekend activities with kids by jahbella

JahBella’s first encounter with a mall’s Live Show/ Meet & Greet was almost a year ago. My then wide-eyed babies were thrilled at meeting a ‘live’ cartoon character that they recognized from TV however the experience itself was somewhat underwhelming, with the live show being only 10 minutes long. Safe to say, I have been very hesistant since then to bring them for any Live Shows/ Meet & Greet.

After almost a year since their first rather disappointing encounter, we finally mustered enough courage to brave the crowds and take a ‘leap of faith’ :p We were invited to attend City Square Mall’s The Chuggington Winter Snow Party and I have to say it was awesome fun! There was song and dance, playful banter, a light-up and even a snowy finale! Both Jah and Bella were in their own little world and while Jah is still pretty shy when it comes to following the dance moves, he was really transfixed on the show. What I really liked about the show was the fact that the cast came on stage to engage restless kids, 10 minutes before the actual showtime. Consider it a pre-quel but it was very helpful for kids who have been waiting for almost 45 minutes to an hour. A useful tip which I just ‘discovered’ yesterday, is to provide your kid with your own pre-quel. We let Jah watch an episode of Chuggington on Joel’s handphone and he was able to be kept entertained. He only switched it off when Lorie appeared on stage during the pre-show warm up.

Waiting for showtime!

Its showtime!!

Live shows are not just for the big kids! 🙂

This is his focus face, not angry face 😉

Meet & Greet Photo time!

Lots of Chuggington photo ops in the mall

I also have to say that City Square Mall probably has one of the better Christmas experiences this year. Apart from the Live Show/ Meet & Greet that other malls may also do, City Square Mall has a host of fringe activities which is happening outside on the City Green (just outside the mall). The activities include Kiddy Carnival Rides, Christmas Light Show and Snow Playtime and the Choo-Choo City Express. We were fortunate that the rain settled down while we were watching the live show and ended just in time for JahBella to enjoy the Choo-Choo City Express and the Snow Playtime. JahBella really enjoyed their train ride and while I didn’t think much of it at first, I could see why the kids were so taken by it. The train with a real driver and not just a kiddy train ride on little tracks, would take you round the entire City Green (3 times!) and JahBella were happily taking in the sights and people-watching, even I enjoyed it! While I didn’t allow Jah to play in the ‘snow’/foam (sorry mummy is a bit of a control freak with these things) but I saw tons of kids enjoying the ‘snow’ and Jah was equally happy and contented to have me carry him and get ‘snow’ on our hair, face and eyelashes. 🙂

Baby its cold outside!

Lights and Snow Play time

A real driver? Wow!

Say cheese!

Taking in the lovely sights!

Event Details

The Chuggington Winter Snow Party will run from 6 December to 21 December (daily except Monday) at City Square Mall. Fans can also get up close and snap a family photo with their favourite characters by redeeming a Meet & Greet Pass with $50 spent in the mall (terms and conditions apply).

Chugg-ful of Fun At The Park will be on from 14 November to 28 December at the City Green(Park).

Kiddy Carnival Rides

Time: Weekdays from 6pm to 10pm; Weekends from 12pm to 10pm

Christmas Light Show & Snow Playtime

Time: 8pm & 9pm (Daily)

Ride The Choo-Choo City Express

Time: 12pm to 10pm (Daily)

Interested to cuddle up with a Koko, Wilson or Brewster cushion? You can redeem an exclusive

Chuggington cushion with $200* ($250* if inclusive of NTUC FairPrice receipts) spent!

Insisting on hugging his Koko cushion and even for bedtime…zzzz

JahBella’s Mummy

10Dec2014

The Perfect Age – 3 years old

Posted in Our Thoughts by jahbella

We often hear about the terrible 2s, terrible 3s and yes even terrible 4s but we seldom hear about the ‘perfect age’. Perhaps parents are afraid to jinx themselves if they were to talk about how good their children have been. I know I used to steer clear of talking about Jah finally sleeping through or Bella finishing her milk feeds without refluxing because yes then the tides turn. But you know what, I am going to go out on a limb this time and talk about what I feel is the perfect age. Just so that I can soak in this moment…:)

This past weekend/ very long weekend that started from Thursday, I think I finally saw a glimpse of the perfect age. I think we have been so fixated with getting our little ones to grow up, fuss less, reason more, follow the rules that every age until they reach that ‘grown up’ stage is bound to be terrible. Ok no wait, I agree that the terrible 2s are really terrible (we are going through it with Bella all over again, hearing no! at every turn is really quite frustrating).

But this weekend, Jah has shown me that your child turning 3 might just be the perfect age! Ok I admit I don’t know what’s in store at 4 and yes perhaps 4 may even be better, who knows, but for now I would like to savour 3 before its gone.

Why is 3 the perfect age (for us at least)? 🙂

3 years old is about the time I can finally have proper full-on conversations with Jah and it is also peppered with real humour. No, not just little giggles because I made a funny face but real belly-ful of laughter because he cracked a joke or watching him hold back laughter because he was about to play a trick on us.

The start of reason…while I’m sure he will get better at listening to reason (I hope) and while he still fusses when he doesn’t get what he wants. He is getting really good at acceptance and listening to me reason with him. He walks away from toys when we say no or walks up to the toys and declares that we can’t buy this today but we will get it for Christmas. :Z He is able to accept that he can have just one toy and he has to make a choice between two awesome ones. When he fusses (and yes he still does, he is 3), he is able to quieten down and listen to my reason and ‘get’ that big boys do not behave this way.

Independence – He tries very hard to feed himself and even though it may still get alittle messy, he really wants to do it well. He is potty trained in the day (need I say more? 🙂 ) I found out today that he cries when going into class because he doesn’t want the teachers to help with his bag. Today he gave me a hug and said “I love you mummy, I’m going to school” and walked straight into class with his trolley bag.

Social skills – He is starting to enjoy the company of his friends and is able to talk to them and not through us. He is also able to enjoy the quiet or well not so quiet imaginative play with us or on his own. It was an eye-opener for us to see that he no longer needed us to be by his side at every play session and he was comfortable enough to play and talk to whoever else was there.

He talks about the old days. Yes this is abit strange but he talks about himself as a baby and ask us questions that start with “mummy when I was a baby…..” This is really comical because some of the occasions he is referring to, only happened a couple of months ago. But this gives us the perfect opening to say “yes you did that when you were a baby but now you are a big boy right? And what do big boys do?” It’s awesome that even he realizes that things are different at 3 years old 🙂

Now I know what you might say, well all the above points are just going to get better as he hits 4 or 5 or 6…which brings me to my final point on why this is the perfect age. 🙂 It is the perfect age because while all of the above is happening and gives me my talkative, humorous, socialable, independent, reasonable older boy. He still needs mummy to make his milk and put him to bed. He still needs mummy to give him hugs, cuddles and kisses and he gives drool filled kisses back! He still wants mummy all to himself. Despite everything that he is fast becoming and more, it is the perfect age because my 3 year old still needs me. 🙂

Jahbella’s Mummy

8Dec2014

GIVEAWAY and Review – Christmas Bakes from Berries & Batter

Posted in Food, Giveaway by jahbella

We chanced upon Berries & Batter on Instagram last Christmas and were super wowed by how yummy their home baked treats were.

This Christmas, Berries & Batter will be bringing us 12 items from their Christmas Menu! Some are good old favourites of ours while some are new treats that we can’t wait to try.

They were also very kind to put together a simple taster for us to do a taste test and review for our readers. 🙂

White Chocolate Matcha Blondies with Macadamia, White chocolate bits and Cranberries

This is my absolute favourite!!! What are blondies I asked Joel and then after some thought he said “I think it’s the opposite of brownies!” :p For me, these blondies are the perfect combination of a chewy brownie and a gooey cookie. For those who are concerned about the Matcha/ Green Tea taste, I didn’t quite know it was there. But the nutty crunch from the macadamia and the fruity taste of cranberries were there in almost every bite! These blondies come in cube sized portions which makes it perfect for sharing with a loved one or eating all on your own (like I did) 😉

Blackforest Tart: Chocolate Crust, Chocolate Pastry Cream, Cream and Cherries

I am not really a fan of blackforest and definitely not a fan of cherries but I didn’t read the description before eating this tart and I’m glad I didn’t. This tart has to be eaten chilled because the chocolate is just the right consistency when eaten fresh from the fridge unless you prefer it alittle warmer and runnier. The blackforest and cream lends it just the right amount of fruitiness and creaminess. It was also a good balance of sweet and chocolate ‘bitterness’, perfect!

Salted Caramel Tart: Salted Caramel Mascarpone Cream and Salted Caramel Sauce

For those of you who love the taste of burnt caramel, this will be your tart. It is totally different from the blackforest tart I had just before tasting this, but still just as good. I would also recommend eating this chilled because the salted caramel sauce tends to liquidized. Perfect size for sharing between 2 or 3 people especially if you are intending to try more than one flavor of tart. 🙂

Speculoos Cupcake: Vanilla Cupcake with Speculoos Spread Crumble and Speculoos Swiss Meringue Buttercream

I’ll be honest here, I only ate one spoonful of this cupcake because Jah insisted on having everything else!!! He ate two whole cupcakes and while this boy is a cupcake lover or he likes the idea of a cupcake, he never finishes more than ¾. Oh and before you discount the cupcake because the review was done by a 3 year old, let me tell you that this boy has a pretty good palette 🙂 and he was exclaiming yummy! This is good! with every mouthful he took. Oh and for a fan of chocolate cakes/ cupcakes, he has now declared that he will only have vanilla cupcakes in future. Thanks Berries & Batter! 😉

Here is the full 12 item Christmas Menu from Berries & Batter

1.Traditional fruit cake (6″-$30, 8″-$45)
2. Strawberry white chocolate cupcakes ($18/6 cupcakes)
3. Orange-cranberry loaf ($13.50)
4. Nutella bread pudding w crushed hazelnuts ($19)
5. Matcha blondie w macadamia, cranberries and white chocolate chunks ($15/8 pieces)
6. Speculoos cupcakes ($18/6 cupcakes)
7. Granola ($15/500g)
8. Raspberry red velvet in a jar ($12/jar)
9. Black forest tart ($21/3 small, $40 large)
10. Salted caramel mascarpone tart ($21/3 small, $40 large)
11. White chocolate, cranberries and orange bread pudding ($19)
12. Cranberry white chocolate cookie recipe in a jar ($15/jar)

Some of our old favourites include their Raspberry Red Velvet in a jar and the Cranberry White Chocolate Cookie in a jar! Yummy!

GIVEAWAY

Berries & Batter has also very kindly agreed to give away a White Chocolate Cranberry and Orange Bread Pudding to 1 lucky reader. Simply because bread puddings are great for Christmas gatherings!

To join the giveaway, just complete all the steps on below.

Be a Berries & Batter Facebook Page fan
Be a Growing up with Jahbella Facebook page fan
Follow Berries&Batter on Instagram (if you are on Instagram)
Share the Facebook Post and Tag A Friend. Make sure your post is public!
Like and comment on the Facebook post so that I can note your participation

The giveaway will end on 17 December 2014 2359hrs.

Terms and Conditions: Collection of prize has to be done by 31^st Dec 2014 and collection date to be confirmed at least 2 days in advance with Berries&Batter. We reserve the right to select another winner if the selected winner does not reply within 24 hours.

Happy feasting!

JahBella’s Mummy

7Dec2014

Jah’s Mini Rock Concert

Posted in Birthdays, Videos of JahBella by jahbella

Jah got home after his birthday staycation and immediately wanted to play with his new drum set. What he did next, surprised me and the entire family. Instead of just hitting the drums like he did the day before at the party, he decided that he would sing too!! Given that he usually is quite shy about singing in front of people, I was shocked that he was super into the whole thing.

I say super because he went on to sing several songs, much like a mini Jah rock concert :p and even asked me to help him think of more songs..

So allow me to indulge while I post videos of all the songs he did that morning 🙂 My personal favourites are Five little speckled frog and the wheels on the bus

JahBella’s Mummy