To the Mum whose kid we met at the playground yesterday.

Posted in Letters, Our Thoughts, Parenting decisions, Uncategorized by jahbella

Dear Mum whose kid we met at the playground yesterday,

We met your 10 year old son at the playground yesterday. He is an exceptionally articulate and compassionate young man. He saw that my son was apprehensive about scaling the netted tower (he attempted it two weeks back and never made it to 2nd tier) and your son encouraged him. He showed him how to do it and he put his fears to rest. He didn’t pressure him or make fun of him when he was too scared to attempt the subsequent tiers. My son made it to the 2nd tier on his first try that morning, thanks to your son.

Oh don’t get me wrong, I too encouraged my son . I too told him that he can do it. And I sure tried to show him how to do it (although that proved to be alittle challenging for me). I made up for that by trying to give him a little physical boost to the 2nd tier. It didn’t work. The fear crippled him. Your son did what I could not do. Sometimes they just need to hear it from someone else other than their parents. And that morning, your son was the perfect someone else.

The older brother. The role model. The competition. The ally. All rolled into one. Your son spent the next hour playing with my boy. They scaled towers. They skate scooted around the park. They played ball. They laughed, joked and fought. But through all this, your son was kind, patient, respectful and understanding.

Through that hour, I realised that your son was on his own and I got the sense that he is alone a lot. No before you think that I am going to get judge-y here, I’m not. I just want you to know that whatever the reason, whatever the circumstances, you seem to be doing something right. He is the most well-adjusted and independent 10 year old I have ever met. He has a level of situational awareness and maturity that would put many adults to shame.

To the mum whose kid we met at the playground yesterday, thank you.

Thank you for raising a kid who saw beyond my son’s age and size and wanted to be his friend despite my son being half his age.

Thank you for raising a kid whom through his example, allowed me to teach my kid certain life lessons. Lessons on determination, kindness, friendship and what it means to be a big brother.

Thank you for letting your kid play at the playground yesterday. 🙂

JahBella’s Mummy

28Feb2016

To the mum whose kid we met at the playground yesterday.

Posted in Letters, Our Thoughts, Parenting decisions, Uncategorized by jahbella

Dear Mum whose kid we met at the playground yesterday,

To the mum whose kid we met at the playground yesterday, thank you.

Thank you for raising a kid who saw beyond my son’s age and size and wanted to be his friend despite my son being half his age.

Thank you for raising a kid whom through his example, allowed me to teach my kid certain life lessons. Lessons on determination, kindness, friendship and what it means to be a big brother.

Thank you for letting your kid play at the playground yesterday. 🙂

JahBella’s Mummy

11Feb2016

Disney On Ice 2016 presents Magical Ice Festival [Media Invite]

Posted in Media Invite, Plays/ Theatre, Uncategorized, Weekend activities with kids by jahbella

So after a CNY long weekend and all the massive feasting, it’s about time that we round up our festive mood and get back to the grind right? Wrong!

In fact if you ask me or JahBella, its time for us to look forward to the next holiday…the March School Holidays! 🙂 And there is no better reason to look forward to the March School Holidays then the fact that Disney on Ice will be back in Singapore!!!!

We brought Jah to Disney on Ice two years back and he was completely enthralled by the smooth skating, larger than life Disney characters. This year is going to be that much more exciting since both kiddos will be able to catch the Magical Ice Festival together and finally meet some of their favourite characters.

In fact Bella is totally thrilled that she will finally be able to meet Elsa and Anna from Disney’s Frozen! (I really should have recorded her screaming “my favourite”!!!! when I told her about meeting them :p).

And in case you are wondering how interesting can ice-skating princesses be, for the boys. Well Jah is really looking forward to seeing the “Beast” from Beauty and the Beast in action and some “crabby” and “floundering” moves from Sebastian and Flounder from The Little Mermaid.

Come on! Its Disney after all which means there is something for everyone! Trust me…even for the adults 😉

With an extraordinary line-up of hit songs, memorable scenes and never-before-seen characters to look forward to, here are 10 magical moments behind Disney On Ice to get you all geared up for the show.

Disney On Ice was founded in 1981 and has since travelled to over 75 countries and 6 continents
The average size of the ice skating surface is 140ft [42m] x 70ft [21m]
There are approximately 180 costumes presented at one Disney On Ice show
And more than 100 people work on these costumes
It takes 18 trucks to transport all production equipment for set-up
And it takes between 12-15 hours to set up one Disney On Ice show
But just about 4 hours to tear down the entire production
Over 80 different colours of paint are used on the 183 props for this production
The youngest performer on this year’s show is 19-years-old and the oldest is 44-years-old
Each performer may change up to 8 costumes in one show

Oh and while we are at it..here are some Disney trivia to test your Disney knowledge 🙂 How did you fare?

1 . Who helped Young Anna recover from being hit by Elsa’s powers?

Answer: Grand Pabbie.

2. What phrase does Elsa repeat when trying to control her powers?

Answer: “Conceal it…don’t feel it…don’t let it show.”

3. How many sisters does Ariel have?

Answer: Six , Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista, Andrina

4. What is the object that Ariel’s friend Scuttle calls a dinglehopper?

Answer: A fork

5. What is Flynn Rider’s real name?

Answer: Eugene Fitzherbert

6. What weapon does Rapunzel use against Flynn when he climbs into the tower

Answer: A frying pan

7. Name at least three of the enchanted characters that live in the Beast’s castle.

Answer: The Beast, Mrs. Potts, Chip, The Featherduster, Cogsworth, Lumiere, The Wardrobe, Stove (Chef Bouche)

8. What does the Beast give Belle to always remember him by?

Answer: A magic mirror

Disney on Ice presents Magical Ice Festival will be taking from 11 March 2016 to 20 March 2016 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tickets can be purchased online via www.sportshubtix.sg.

To learn more about Disney on Ice presents Magical Ice Festival, please visit http://www.disneyonice-asia.com/magical-ice-festival/

JahBella’s Mummy

Be Kind to your Kids’ Teachers

I read an article that was shared on Facebook today and I thought it was a really good reminder. It reminded me that there are certain things that needed to be said, said to parents with school going children and especially to parents with childcare going children. The article link is here if you would like a read too.

As an educator and a parent to 2 young child-care going children, I think I am one of the fortunate few.

Fortunate because as an educator, my students are well past the stage of needing to be potty trained, needing to be fed, needing to coaxed to take their naps (in fact I think my students would be quite willing to take naps if asked :p) and needing to be showered and cleaned up after, just to list a few.

Fortunate because as a parent to 2 young child-care going children, I have an awesome dedicated team of pre-school teachers whom I can rely on to take care of my kids and I can go to work with peace of mind.

However not every educator has it as ‘easy’ as me. Therefore, really, parents be kind to your kids’ teachers.

Be kind because it really takes a lot of dedication, love and commitment for them to be there for your kids every single day. No, they do not get paid a lot and I believe they get through each day because of the sheer love that they have for the little ones they teach and care for.

Be kind because as much as we are tired at the end of each working day and have to deal with our kids and family, these teachers have families and kids that they have to go home to as well. Yes, while we had to deal with adults or adults who act like kids all day, they had to deal with at least 20 screaming kids at some point in the day and perhaps more than once. They are tired. They are drained. But they will be back at school again tomorrow, just because.

Never ever back mouth your kids’ teacher to them. Never ever question their actions in front of your kids or to your kids. Kids pick up quickly and if you question their teachers’ authority or disrespect them, how will your kids learn to trust and respect their teachers?

Please don’t fret the small stuff and stress the teacher out. Please do not harass your kids’ teacher over a missing hanky/ towel/ milk canister..please feel free to fill in the blanks here… Yes, you may be ‘paying good money’ to have your kids taken care of and to have them taught and educated. But do you know how tough it is to keep 1 child or 2 children in check and in line and keep track of their belongings when you go out? Well multiply that by 20. Things go missing, deal with it. Look at the big picture. Cut the teacher some slack..please…

Last but not least, be an ally to your kids’ teachers. Reinforce their teachings. Teach your children to love and respect them. They do not work for you. Work with them.

Be kind to your kids’ teachers.

JahBella’s Mummy

1Feb2016

D’Elegance Shapewear Review

Posted in Media Invite, Reviews, Uncategorized by jahbella

I shared about my personal consultation experience with local shapewear company, D’Elegance last week. After a week of putting their shapewear through the ‘rigourous’ task of daily wear under work dresses, casual jeans and tops and formal dresses for weddings. I now have a review of what works as well as my personal recommendations.

So during my personal consultation last week, I was fortunate enough to try most of their products including their wonderful corset which could work in both strap and strapless situation. However because I needed something that would take me through the daily grind rather than a cocktail party, I opted to take home the more versatile pieces like their absolutely divine brassiere and panties as well as their body suit, long girdle and waist slimmer.

As mentioned before, all their pieces could either be worn individually or all together! Yes trust me, it works even better when they are worn all at the same time and truly doesn’t add bulk.

Brassiere and Panties

Before I talk about the actual shapewear per se, I need to introduce D’Elegance’s Brassiere and Panties to everyone! I cannot say this enough but I absolutely love these pieces. Most women are actually wearing the wrong size when it comes to their bras, yes me included! And this causes a lot of problems and ultimately leads to long term issues like arm pit or back fats because the fats from the chest have moved to the wrong places and out of habit intend to stay in the wrong places.

I love that the D’Elegance bras provide fantastic support with a cup that doesn’t neglect the sides of the chest. I have often seen too many bras that provide insufficient support and barely cover enough. Of course, the personal consultation with D’Elegance also helped a great deal in getting me the right bra size and teaching me the right technique to wear a bra. Trust me, it’s not just about bending forward to fill the cup before hooking the clasp.

The panties are silky and super comfortable. Yes I know they look like ‘granny’ panties because of the high waist but they are the furthest things from unattractive granny panties. The lace on the panties are soft and non-scratchy and most importantly, it provides good coverage. Why must you have good coverage for your underwear you ask? Well so that you don’t find yourself with waist band marks that have dug so deep into your skin that they have pretty much become permanent and have shifted your fats into the wrong positions and cause fat folds to form and stay at part of your lower body. Definitely 1 product that I am going to be stocking up on!

Body Suit

I absolutely love the body suit because it can be worn with my favourite D’Elegance bra and panties. It provides me with excellent posture support and I found myself constantly going to this particular piece every day of the week because I loved that it helped me maintain an upright posture throughout the day. I have noticed recently that a slouch has become part and parcel of my posture and the body suit helped to keep me upright without being uncomfortable. The only downside for me is the fact that I can’t wear it with every top as its lace straps are alittle thicker than some of the straps of my tops. The body suit is a really comfortable piece and I actually wore it on a week where I was outdoors a lot and I didn’t feel the heat even with a body suit and long girdle on.

Long Girdle

My go to piece when I needed a flatter tummy and a perkier butt than what the body suit can give me. You will notice that the long girdle comes with a 3D butt area. This means that unlike regular shape wear which flattens your butt and makes it looks like a flat wide piece. The D’Elegance long girdle allows your butt to fill up the 3D space in its material and the result? A butt that is not flatten but rather, is shaped into a regular, toned butt. The panels around the abdomen areas are also ‘thicker’ than the body suit which means it is better used for addressing issues around the abdomen.

The 3D-ness

Waist Slimmer

The waist slimmer is as its name suggest, a binder which you can use to slim your waist. For those who have given birth before and use a Velcro binder to bind your tummies, this is somewhat similar except that it uses mini clasps to secure itself. Almost like a corset but just for the waist. This piece I have to say, is extremely effective!!!! I managed to fit into a dress that I had recently bought and had not been able to wear because it was a size too small! It not only slimmed my waist but also contained my hips so that I could fit into that dress nicely. Pure happiness when I realized I didn’t have to chuck that new purchase to the back of my cupboard!

One thing to note about the D’elegance pieces is the fact that different parts/ panels of each piece are made from slightly different materials or may be slightly thicker/ thinner than other parts. Which is the beauty of their product if you ask me. Unlike other brands which are made from 1 material only or come in 1 thickness throughout, the D’Elegance range ensures that there is flexibility and mouldability to its products, depending on the problem areas that each product is supposed to address.

So there we have it, my personal experiences with the D’Elegance pieces.

If you are looking to check out some of their pieces, do make an appointment for your own exclusive personal consultation. Quote JahBella for a waiver of the S$100 personal consultation fee and receive a discount of 5% off your first purchase.

D’Elegance is also having a 1 for 1 promotion (until 29 Feb 2016) for my favourite brassieres and panites!

Check out some of the info on D’Elegance’s products and packages below as well.

D’Elegance

10 Anson Road

International Plaza #03-15/16

Singapore 079903

Tel: 6226-3013

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delegance.shapewear

JahBella’s Mummy

Disclaimer: I was invited for a free personalized consultation with D’Elegance and given products for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was received and all opinions are my own.