gingerbread man | JahBella

Bella attended her first play (The Gingerbread Man by iTheatre) over the weekend with her big brother Jah and us in tow. :p Well it was technically her second exposure to the world of theatre (her first was with her school last month). But we all know how differently kids behave in school and with their parents.

I was extremely apprehensive about taking her with us, given that she is often little Miss Ants-in-her-pants. However I have to say I was alittle surprised at her level of understanding and enthusiasm.

As usual we arrived about 45 minutes ahead of time which gave both Jah and Bella time to settle down and Bella was more than happy to follow her brother around for the ‘mandatory’ photo-taking. Jah was also extremely happy to have his little sister around to ‘show off to’.

Before even purchasing the tickets, Joel and I had agreed that we would divide and conquer. We decided that Joel would take Bella outside when she starts to misbehave/ cry. Note I said when and not if because we didn’t expect her to last the entire show at all!

Yes this is how we divide and conquer

But not only did she last through the entire show, she also looked like she enjoyed herself quite abit. The catchy tunes from the show definitely helped! While she was definitely still Miss Ants-in-her-pants, moving from Joel’s lap to her chair more than 10 times in that 50 mins, she was also quite transfixed by what was happening on-stage and was bobbing along to the music at various points of the show. 🙂

The serious theatre goers

The jolly theatre goers

I probably had the better end of the deal because I was in charge of Mr I’m a Big Boy and I can use my indoor voice (Jah) but I was very glad that he was not thrown off by his sister’s constant fidgeting.

Nah..we are happy theatre goers

I love the fact that the show had so much audience interaction that it was perfectly acceptable and fun to watch Jah and Bella shout out responses to the cast. The audience was a boisterous bunch and the storyline made it fun for them.

The show is targeted at children 3 years and up but given that Bella is just shy of 2 years old and we made it through ‘unscathed’, I’ll say it would work perfectly fine for a 2 year old as well. That being said, while it was all fun to hear kids shouting out responses and the cast being ever so game to entertain and interact, I fully appreciate and thank the ushers for stepping forward to request that crying babies be soothed at the back or outside the theatre.

We are totally looking forward to bringing Bella with us on all future plays! (in fact we already have 3 of those lined up! 🙂 ) At the end of the day, there is no crying that can’t be soothed by quickly stepping out of the theatre (if and when it happens) and the ability to let both siblings spend a day out at the theaters together far outweighs everything else. 🙂

One of our next few adventures 🙂

My theatre boy and theatre girl

Theatre Boy and Theatre Girl’s Mummy

The June School Holidays are right round the corner and although Jah and Bella are not old enough to ‘enjoy’ a month long of school holidays (haha they wish!!!) but they will definitely get to enjoy the array of activities that is available out there because of the school holidays.

So if you are wondering what to do or where to bring your kids over the next couple of weeks..here are some of the activity line-ups.

29 May – 28 Jun 2015 – Barney’s Jukebox Party @ City Square Mall

Get set for a rollercoaster of fun and excitement with plenty of activities related to the affable Barney, BJ and Baby Bop. For the third year running, the lovable purple dinosaur will take the stage at City Square Mall with a first ever retro-themed performance – Barney’s Jukebox Party.

The fun continues at City Green park as it transforms into a venue for fun and laughter with the “Good Ole Fun In The Park” retro carnival. Families can look forward to old school carnival games and rides such as the Pirate Ship, Carousel, Bumper Car, Tea Cup and more.

CSM06-04-15 GSS 2015 Barney Pre-Pub EDM A5 R9.indd

29 May – 28 Jun 2015 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Dojo Experience @ Downtown East Events Square

An interactive event that is set in the Dojo training grounds of the Turtles, families and kids can explore the training grounds and participate in a series of secret ninja activities for an added dose of healthy fun. Taking place on weekdays (including Vesak Day) 1pm to 8pm as well as weekends from 11am to 8pm. Entry passes for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Dojo Experience will be given to patrons with a spend of $20*

This event will feature the following activities:

• Games and activity stations for kids from age six where they have the opportunity to test their courage, teamwork, accuracy and agility through a variety of Turtles-themed games (Ninja Zipline, Tag Team Ninjas, Villains Takedown and Epic String Maze.

• Meet-and-Greet Sessions on the weekends with the different Turtles

6 & 7 June 2015 – Nickelodeon Slime Cup 2015 @ Downtown East

The fun family weekend Nickelodeon Slime Cup 2015 event will take place from 11am to 7pm and admission is free. The event will feature:

• Opening / Closing Ceremony: Nickelodeon Slime Cup 2015 will kick off with an Opening Ceremony featuring all your favourite Nickelodeon characters, followed by a fun dance and sing along session for everyone to participate. The Closing Ceremony will include a prize presentation of the final Soccer Showdown challenge with the ultimate sliming of the winner!

· Meet-and-Greet Sessions: Have your camera ready to get up close and personal with your favourite Nickelodeon friends at Meet-and-Greet sessions during the event!

· Mini SEA games in Nickster style: Get excited for the upcoming SEA Games with fun activities and challenges inspired by various sports at the event

· Slime Throne: Capture the surprised expressions of your kids as they get to experience slime all over their body and look out for our instant photo giveaways!

· Main Challenge – Soccer Showdown: In each 2 to 2.5-hour session your kids get to participate in different soccer challenges. The challenge is open to all individuals and no pre-registration is required. There will be 3 sessions daily with 3 winners per session.