Bali Holiday (March 2015) – Villa Bali Blue

Posted in Bali, Holidays, Travel with Kids by jahbella

We were finally off for our long awaited Bali holiday with JahBella and some of JahBella’s uncles and aunties. (yes mummy has many siblings so we had to pick our favourite aunties and uncles to join us for the trip :p just kidding!).

Which favourite uncles and aunties got to go on a holiday? :p

Bella learning to sit still (not quite) in her own seat at 1 year 10 months..lets hope she does better on the next trip (for Papa Joel’s sake)

“Mummy you don’t bother me, I do my own thing and you do your own thing. You fill up your forms.” – True Story!

The advantage of travelling in such a big group (7 adults and 2 kids) is that you get to rent a huge awesome villa and have so much crazy fun in your own private pool.

Our villa (Villa Bali Blue) in Jimbaran was an approximate 20 minutes car ride from the airport which was perfect for kids who can’t endure long car rides. The villa is located on a pretty secluded uphill area which meant that we had to depend on our villa manager and the villa transport when we wanted to leave or return to the villa. But for S$50 a day (12 hours use of the car) for the 9 of us, I’m not complaining. Having to coordinate two cabs back and forth may have cost us more money and/or stress.

The moment we entered the villa, I felt like we were transported to another world. 2 levels, 4 bedrooms, 1 entertainment room, a pool overlooking the ocean front, a pool table and kids toys. The villa manager and his housekeeping team were on hand to assist with any request or questions we had. I will let the photos do the talking.

Given that we arrived in Bali on the eve of Nyepi (Day of Silence), I am really quite relieved that we stayed at Villa Bali Blue. Staying there meant that we were pretty self-sufficient and the kids had enough to keep them occupied even though we were not allowed to go out.

Locals all dressed up on Nyepi Eve while we were in search for any food place that was opened..

Bella enjoying your breakfast and the sunrise…this girl knows how to enjoy…

Simple dinner while the sun sets on Nyepi

Sunset view from our villa

From repeatedly coming down the pool slide (Bella) to going skinny dipping (Jah), the pool was our family’s favourite hang out place and any reason was a good reason to take a quick dip in the pool. In fact the kids gained so much water confidence during the trip, it was really quite amazing to watch them. 🙂

Next Up….Pandawan Beach and Pirates Bay…Stay Tuned! 🙂

JahBella’s Mummy

7Apr2015

Looking back on the past 11 years and moving on

Posted in Our Thoughts by jahbella

The last couple of weeks have been pretty huge for me and it has also brought on a lot of memories from the past 10 odd years. For starters, I’m leaving my first job (well first ‘real’ job) and it is a job which I have been doing for the last 11 years. Leaving a world I am so familiar with, is truly scary stuff. It is also the job that has seen me through so many milestones in my life, from my long distance relationship, to my marriage and then through my pregnancies and motherhood. While I don’t usually blog about my work. I felt that it is only right that I mention and pay a little tribute to one of the things that has shaped my life in the last decade. I honestly wouldn’t be who I am or where I am today without the mentors who have taught me so much in my last 11 years at the job. Without them, I would also not be able to progress and embark into the next milestone of my career and for that I’m thankful.

While packing my last 11 work years in a box, I also discovered some personal treasures. Couple photos from before marriage (I told you the job has seen me through tons of milestones! Haha)

First couple pic

Which brings me to my next huge ‘thing’. Do u remember the feeling u had when u had just gotten married and received your keys to your first house? I do. I remember feeling super pumped but at the same time alittle like an imposter. Or at the very least I felt like a couple playing masak masak/ house. As our family grew and we became parents, having our own little house and family started to feel alittle more ‘real’ and we found our rhythm and foothold.

We sold our first family home a week ago. As we embark on our next milestone/ journey as a family, the feeling is bittersweet. It is both exciting and stressful. While we are super excited to finally start a new home from scratch, with our kids in mind. We are also a little stressed up over all the logistics and ‘adult decisions’ we are making because they now do not just impact that young couple ‘playing masak masak’ but our young family.

Nevertheless, I think a few quote accurately sums up the last couple of weeks for me/ us and paves the way/ serves as a reminder every single time I start to worry or get scared again.

The last couple of weeks have been huge for me. It has brought on a lot of memories and I’m excited to make more awesome memories..

JahBella’s Mummy

3Apr2015

Cold Storage Kids Run + Discount Code for JahBella’s readers

Posted in Media Invite, Weekend activities with kids by jahbella

With two extremely active kids (ok 1 extremely active and 1 extremely hungry kid :p ), we have been contemplating bringing Jah and Bella for their first race/ run for some time now. However our main concerns have also been whether they will be able to cope with the length of the run, whether they will be able to cope with the crowd of adult and kids runners and of course safety especially when the run takes us to the road.

I was very excited when I heard about the Cold Storage Kids Run which is back for its 8^th consecutive year, because it is designed specifically with the kids in minds! With 13 categories consisting of competitive (sprint) to non-competitive (family fun) races and ranging from 800m to 1.6km, kids from 6 months to 12 years old will be able to participate.

The fact that the run is a kids-focused running event (Asia’s first and Singapore’s only!) that is conducted within the ground of Gardens By the Bay, addresses a lot of my concerns.

Jah and Bella will be participating in the Family Fun Category which allows for 1 parent to accompany 1 child and they will be attempting 800m under the Jolly Kiwi Category for 2-4 years old. Super duper excited that we will be able to run in the same category as a family (perks of having kids close in age 😉 )

This year, the Cold Storage Kids Run will also be introducing a new 3Gen Family Run category to promote inter-generation fitness and bonding so those who want to include grandpas and grandmas can also do so.

See the chart below for more details on the race categories.

Race Categories

Categories

Kids’ Ages (yrs)

Distance

Sprint (Individual, Boys / Girls)

Speedy Orange

Sporty Apple

Boogey Banana

11 & 12

9 & 10

7 & 8

1.6km

800m

Family Fun (1 Parent + 1 Child)

Happy Grapes

Merry Berry

Jolly Kiwi

Stroller

11 & 12

9 & 10

7 & 8

5 & 6

2 – 4

6 – 23 mths

800m

3Gen Family Fun

(1 Grandparent + 1 Parent + 1 Child)

4 – 12

800m

When I told Jah a few days ago that we will be participating in his first run and he will get his own little race t-shirt (which has green – his favourite colour) and a medal if he finishes the run, he was ectastic! I’m confident that this will be an awesome introduction to the world of running for Jah and Bella! So if you are looking to introduce your kids to a race/ run as well or a fun and healthy way for them to burn some energy, sign up for the Cold Storage Kids Run now!

Do note that this year’s run is limited to the first 5,000 registered participants so do register early. Running Clinics and Dynakids Classes will also be held every Saturday in the month of April and slots are running low for these fun fitness classes so check out this link – http://www.kidsrun.com.sg/fun-camps and register fast!

Oh yes and before I forgot! All readers of Jahbella.net will be entitled to a 10% discount on top of the early bird rates (before 9 April) and off regular rates (after 9 April). Just quote G3TACTIV3JAhB311A when registering for the race! 🙂

Scroll down for more details or visit the official website at www.kidsrun.com.sg for more information.

Happy Running!

JahBella’s Mummy

Race Day Details

Date: 17 May 2015 (Sunday)

Location: The Meadow @ Gardens by the Bay

Time: 7am – 12pm

Registration period: 19 March – 16 April at www.kidsrun.com.sg

(Early bird discounts available if you register before 9th April)

Activities on race day include a sports-themed carnival, running clinics, sports introductory classes and more.

Registration Fees

Category	Early Bird	Normal
Sprint	$32	$35
Family Fun (including 3Gen Family Fun)	$40	$44

Race Pack Collection Details (Fun Fest)

Date: 2 & 3 May (Sat & Sun)

Location: F1 Pit Building

Time: 11am – 8pm daily

Activities include stage games, mascot appearances and more.

31Mar2015

Embracing Motherhood – The Type of Mother I am

Posted in Blog Train, Our Thoughts, Parenting decisions by jahbella

When Dominique of Dominque’s Desk proposed that we did a blog train on Embracing Motherhood, I immediately knew I wanted to write something but I really didn’t quite know what I was going to write about. So boarding the blog train from where Estella of Sooddlydreamlike left off….I will attempt to tell you more about myself as a mother…

I struggle a lot with motherhood. Well to be more exact, I struggle a lot with motherhood as a full-time working mother. Some of us choose to be full-time working mothers (FTWM) while others choose to be stay home mothers (SAHM) and others manage to find something in between. Is there really a right answer to this or a balance between being a mother and being in the workforce?

My kids both started going to infant care at the earliest possible age that any infant care centre would accept them (2-3 months old). I had a lot of mummy guilt over this. I admit that it gets better especially when I know my kids are enjoying school and love being around their friends. While I don’t regret putting my kids in childcare, I think they have gained a lot out of it (another conversation for another time 🙂 ) But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel horrible when my kids are the last to be picked up.

Jah’s first day at Infant care

Bella’s first day at Playgroup and learning to self-feed

Wishing me Happy Mother’s Day outside school

There are days where I just wish that I could stay home with my kids, bring them out for a weekday movie or just bring them wherever they want and just spend some quality time with them. These are the days that really get me down.

There are also days where I question my choice of being a full-time working mother and then I pinch myself. :p Because as much as all the mummy guilt kills me and as much as I want to want to spend time with my kids (especially on their good days 😉 ). I am also fully aware of the ‘type’ of mother I am.

I am the ‘type’ of mother who is not naturally good at the arts and crafts. I am the ‘type’ of mother who will find it really challenging to think of creative ways to teach English and Math to my kids. I am also the ‘type’ of mother who will occasionally need a break from my kids (which I currently get when I’m at work). I hope this doesn’t label me as a bad mother but hopefully just an honest one? 🙂

I am the ‘type’ of mother who loves to plan holidays for my family. I am the ‘type’ of mother who loves to imagine how much fun my kids will have and how much they can learn during our family travels and then try to create those moments for them. And to be honest again, my husband and I will not be able to provide those moments if we were not full-time working parents.

First time agreeing to take a photo without mummy or papa

Family pic!

Enjoying and exploring the green green grass in Perth

Learning to be brave..braver than mummy :p

So the occasional mummy guilt aside, I am this ‘type’ of mother therefore I have chosen to be a full-time working mother. There is really no perfect answer for this. Perhaps one day my approach, experience and skills may change and I will learn and become a different ‘type’ of mother. Until then I am embracing motherhood the way I know how and I think we will be just fine for now. 🙂

Bottomline is I’m the ‘type’ of mother they love and I love being their mother.

This is part of a blog train titled “Embracing Motherhood” and what our individual journey means to us. Click on the badge below to find out what motherhood means to 25 other blogger moms!

Up next is Yanxiang

By day, Yanxiang is a civil servant who has taught English in a secondary school, and am now working on policies within the larger civil service. Her work allows her to constantly consider the people around her, and society in which she live, and how to better the lives of her fellow citizens.

She recently embarked on the remarkable journey of parenting a little boy named Isaac. Read about her life as a parent and how it involves twice the laughter, twice the tears, twice the excitement, twice the challenges and an abundance of love at thelittlestandusmakesthree.wordpress.com

JahBella’s Mummy

18Mar2015

The Things I Miss about having a baby and the Things I Can’t Wait to do when they Grow Up

Posted in Our Thoughts by jahbella

You know how we all talk about how life changes once you have kids and how you will no longer be able to do all the couple stuff that you used to do. We parents also talk about how we can’t wait for our kids to grow up alittle so that we can finally ‘pick up where we left off’ and do and enjoy all the things we did pre-kids.

While I talk about those stuff and occasionally miss doing the pre-kid stuff or think and look forward to doing the pre-kid stuff once they grow up. There are also times where I think back to the baby stage and miss having a baby around.

I absolutely miss….

Babywearing my kids (I absolutely love baby wearing, in fact I might even have a baby just so I can ‘wear’ them! 😀 But…. of course I change my mind once I remember the late night feeds, the colic and the clean-ups ;p)

Photo Source: https://www.pinterest.com/glancyevans/babywearing/

Having a baby that can sleep anytime and anywhere as well as extended hours a day.
Not having to negotiate when I need to shower/ change a child

You will notice that this list is relatively short for me :p (Yes so I’m sorry Jah but I will not be having my 3rd baby anytime soon..maybe ever).

The list that is significantly longer for me, is the list of things I can’t wait to do when the kids grow up. Ironically though they are not the list of things I would like to finally do alone or enjoy with the hubby.

They are a list of things that I can’t wait to do with Jah and Bella and I can tell you that this list is ever-growing…

I really can’t wait…

To bring my theatre boy (and hopefully theatre girl) to a proper play or musical..no not kids theatre but the real thing!
To travel extensively with the kids. Plane rides where I don’t have to stay one step ahead of them and we can all just enjoy our inflight entertainment. Oh yes and itineraries need not revolve around naptimes and bedtimes. 🙂 Night markets here we come!

To be able to enjoy a spa day with my little girl. The boys are welcomed to join too if they want.
To have nice restaurant dinners with the kids. One that doesn’t require me to feed them first and then speed eat myself. We can all enjoy our steaks/ omakase at a leisurely pace.
To catch family movies (cartoons and non-cartoon ones). We are almost there…:)
For the kids to pick up golf and for us to play as a family…perfect flight!

Yes so while I’m pretty sure there are some stuff that I might want to finally do alone or enjoy with the hubby when the kids grow up..I am also pretty sure that both the hubby and I are on the same page when it comes to the things that we really absolutely can’t wait to do WITH the kids when they grow up…its going to be loads of fun!!!

What are some of the things that you miss about having a baby or can’t wait to do alone or with your kids when they grow up?

JahBella’s Mummy