Aesop’s Fables – An upcoming production by iTheatre

Posted in Plays/ Theatre by jahbella

Do you have a favourite fairy tale or fable as a kid? A story so ingrained in your memory that you find yourself repeating them to your kids even without the help of a story book.

I recently realized that Jah really loves hearing the ‘traditional’ stories that we used to hear of as a little kids. The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood and the Frog Prince are just some of his favourites. Amidst all the new cartoon storylines with fancy songs and dance steps, we have seemingly neglected to tell the age old fables teaching good morals and values.

That’s why I am really looking forward to iTheatre’s new production, Aesop’s Fables which will be opening on 26 February 2015. As the name suggest, it is a theatre play showcasing some of Aesop’s famous stories, using marvelous mask, puppetry and live song and dance.

A perfect combination of theatre, fables and music for my theatre boy!

So if you are looking to introduce your child to some of Aesop’s Fables, check out the poster below for details on the show and how to book your tickets. 🙂

Oh and I wonder how Jah will react when he finds out that there is actually a story that revolves around the Gingerbread Man! Coming soon in an iTheatre production in May!

Stay tuned for our review on iTheatre’s Aesop’s Fables! 🙂

Photo credits – iTheatre

JahBella’s Mummy

29Jan2015

Royal Caribbean – Mariner of the Seas – JahBella Part 4 (Ice-Skating and a Parenting lesson for me)

Posted in Cruise, Parenting decisions by jahbella

I have to say that I was super proud of Jah during this cruise trip. Not only was he a lot nicer to his sister and really attempted to take care of her. He had even at some point during the trip, asked that they take a professional photo together and said that he would hold her hand. (That shot was almost successful until the photographer asked them to step back alittle and then his sister fell backwards into the backdrop :x)

That aside, Jah made his first attempt at ice-skating! Well ok mummy and daddy also made their first attempt at it and honestly it was a mean feat for 3 people with no experience in ice-skating to hold onto each other while ‘skating’ around the edge of the rink. Jah showed us his determination and perseverance in wanting to do more rounds despite it being a pretty scary and difficult first try around the rink. We could tell he was giving his best even though his legs were all jelly by the time he got through round 2.

First session of the morning (there were 3 one-hour sessions in all)

Skaters getting fitted out for their session

Waiting for our session to start (can barely contain his glee!)

Jah’s first attempt at ice-skating also taught me a very important lesson in parenting. The first thing he said to me at the end of the session was “mummy? I’m not very good at ice-skating.” That statement shocked me at first and then my heart broke alittle. I didn’t quite know how to respond immediately. I realized that somehow along the way, my 3 year old was starting to feel the pressures of today’s society, to perform and excel at everything he does even if it was the first time he was attempting something. Trying hard was not good enough. He had to be very good at it.

I was thankful for this insight in his thoughts. I almost instinctively replied no, you are awesome at ice-skating which he would definitely have figured for a lie. Instead I told him that yes, just like him, mummy and papa were not very good at ice-skating too but it was our first try. The most important thing was the fact that we tried our best and maybe next time we will be better at it or maybe we won’t be. He is good at a lot of other things and as long as he enjoyed himself earlier, it really doesn’t matter.

I could see the relief written all over his face after that and he perked up and said that he wanted to try ice-skating again next time. 🙂 Phew for mummy too!

A point to note for those who would like to attempt ice-skating onboard the ship, do remember to bring socks and be dressed in long pants. Helmets, ice-skates and knee guards will be provided. Oh yes and a sweater especially for the kids would be helpful (it was freezing!).

Pirate Photo shoot opportunity after our breakfast

More photos with the Pirate to occupy the 1 hour waiting time outside the skating rink

Little sister not as impressed as the brother..

Next Up…Johnny Rockets and the Madagascar Parade

JahBella’s Mummy

24Jan2015

Kidsfest 2015 – The Gruffalo and Our First Play of 2015

Posted in Plays/ Theatre, Reviews by jahbella

Jah and I attended our first Kidsfest show and our first play of 2015 today (definitely more to come!!) We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and I think I just might have found my permanent theatre companion. 🙂

Goofing around before the show

We caught the Gruffalo at Kidsfest 2015 and if there is one story which Jah and I know like the back of our hands, it’s the Gruffalo (lots of kids and parents knew the stories by hard too!) We have watched the movie and read the book so it was only right that we also caught the play.

For those who are familiar with the story (book or movie) and the tone at which it is told (often in a whisper or calm tone), you would expect that the play was also going to be ‘level toned’ if you get what I mean. But the play was quite the opposite and totally hilarious!

The first thing Jah asked when we entered, was “mummy are we in the deep dark woods?” so kudos to the props team!

The deep dark woods….

The actors also hit it out of the park from the start of the show. We had kids and parents laughing non stop from the beginning even Jah who is ever-serious at plays, was extremely tickled and totally mesmerized by what was on stage.

Totally comfortable…totally captivated..

I’m having lunch with a Gruffalo…

There were jokes weaved in that the kids got and there were jokes weaved in that only the parents got. The play had whimsical and nonsensical moments (in a good way) and it was awesome fun!

We or at least Jah also enjoyed the wide range of merchandise available for sale at the foyer. Yes my little theatre-going shopper of a son came home with quite a loot and to be fair, mummy also really liked the stuff.

A new school bag anyone?

Some toys too perhaps?

Bella and Joel joined us after the show for a family pic. The organizers had arranged for a photo opportunity wall and we could have our photos taken and sent to us via email. A wonderful souvenir photo for families!

Family pic!

I love how this little boy is slowly and truly starting to enjoy theatre plays and musicals. Of course it also helps that the kids theatre scene in Singapore is getting a whole lot more interesting and vibrant. I can’t wait to start cultivating the same interest and love for theatre in Bella. 🙂

JahBella’s Mummy

18Dec2014

Hokey Pokey – Seletar Mall

Posted in Weekend activities with kids by jahbella

JahBella have been to several indoor playgrounds before but they have never visited Hokey Pokey. So when we found out that they had open an outlet near to us and even nearer to our upcoming new place, we were keen to find out if it could become one of our regular spots.

We arrived at the newly opened Seletar Mall at 10am and there was no lack of parking space (although I heard from my sister that the parking gets very full towards the evening). Hokey Pokey is an indoor playground for babies from 6 months old to young kids up to 6 years old. None of the tedious climbing and crawling through tunnels for us old bones but I was worried that the activity level would be too mild for my active 3 year old.

The entry fee on weekends are $26 for 2 hours of play and upon a quick survey of their environment and facilities, we decided to ‘invest’ in a member’s package. The annual package cost $58 and it consists of 2 free sessions (day of purchase and during birthday month). It also included 1 free soft drink per visit (perfect for the thirsty parent) and discounted rates of $16 on weekends for 2 hours of play. We were also given a sibling discount for our 2^nd package at $38! As we signed up during their Christmas promo, we bagged an additional session + a free Christmas goodie bag and a nice box of cupcake and Christmas cookie. It was a really really nice gesture!

JahBella were the first kids there and they were blown away by the variety of toys there! There was a section with huge trucks, cars and Starwars characters which Jah could not tear himself away from. He alternated between that corner and another section with cars and ramps. Bella, on the other hand was all over the place, from the ball pit to the princess corner, from Thomas the train ride on a ramp to the kitchen corner. She played with everything!

Not a huge space but the variety was huge and the toys were so new!

Jah’s favourite area – he picked an orange Porsche from there and it never left his sight until we left

A wonderland of car ramps

His own Star Wars Battle

Boys can play with doll houses too 🙂

Whee!!

Where’s the baby?

Spoilt for choice

There were so many rides available – personally I find this Crayola ride super cute!

For the hungry parent or kids, there is a small café with a few tables and bar counter that overlooked the play area so you are never too far off from your child.

The two hours past really quickly and while the kids were not totally exhausted and thank goodness neither we were, they really enjoyed themselves. The ‘mild’ activity level was not a concerned because they were kept so occupied. The only problem would be prying them away from their newfound favourite toy or finding a way to say no to their request to buy a certain toy.

Jah declared that he would like to come back soon and yes I am pretty sure we will be.

JahBella’s Mummy

9Nov2014

Kings Park Lotterywest Family Park – Perth (March 2014)

Posted in Holidays, Perth, Travel with Kids by jahbella

We have been to Kings Park many times over the years but we never quite explored it from a parent/ child’s point of view until now. I have to say that it is an awesome place to spend the morning with the kids! We also intentionally planned our trip to Kings Park Lotterywest Family Park on a Tuesday morning, in hopes of avoiding any weekend family crowd.

We came prepared for a ‘picnic’ with picnic mats and sand toys. The food issue was settled at the Stickybeaks Café which was located within the Kings Park Lotterywest Family Park area. We ordered fries, muffins and pies (yum yum!) and set up shop on the grass. Come early and take your pick of any spot in the park!