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MotherKao

(Self) Examination Reviews The real supermom

Self care is best care [ft. Eu Yan Sang health products]

December 3, 2018

*In collaboration with Eu Yan Sang*

As I get older, I find myself being very tardy in terms of taking care of my internal health. In my 20s, I would buy an array of vitamins and supplements, do research on all sorts of health products, go a little mad on essential oils and insist on drinking good filtered water.

Now in my 30s approaching 40, all these “best practices” have been thrown out of the window. Maybe I got busier. Maybe I feel it doesn’t really matter anymore. Heck, if I am thirsty, I am actually ok just drinking from the tap, hurhurhur.

Until I broke my foot recently and life forced me to slow down and think about my health in a whole new way.

My bone health was the first I was alarmed by. I probably lack calcium due to too much coffee, like 2-3 cups every day.

My internal well-being was the next I was a little worried about. I was getting lethargic easily even with intermittent fasting and yoga, and I clearly have a lot of toxins to purge. My internal organs, I believe, was also working extremely hard.

~~~

Goodies galore for me and the kids; review for the kids’ supplements to be up soon 🙂

So when Eu Yan Sang sent me some health and personal care supplements, I was determined to get my self care in place while recovering from the fracture.

First up, a bottle of Eu Yan Sang’s Essence of Chicken (with Dang Gui and Pearl) every morning. 23.3mg of calcium in one serving, 25kcal of energy, 0 cholesterol and total fat, plus pearl powder and dang gui for “youthful appearance” (so says the box) and it’s one bottle of goodness daily which I need.

Eu Yan Sang Essence of Chicken with Dang Gui & Pearl – I love the neon pink that makes downing ji-jing cool!

Ask my coworkers: I down one a day or when my energy hit an all-time low

Taste is not that bad (honest!) and I am heartened to know that Eu Yan Sang’s chicken essence is extracted from fresh premium-graded chickens produced from Good Animal Husbandry Practice-certified and accredited farms in Malaysia. Plus, it’s 100% natural and contains no caramel colouring!

Next, I’ll down a bottle of Eu Yan Sang’s Bird Nest with Pearl Powder and Collagen after a weekly facial mask unwind session – a luxury for a time-pressed mom like me – usually on a Thursday or Sunday evening. The last time I went for a two-hour facial was in May and I am finding it hard to squeeze in time for this. So a home facial and a bottle of Bird’s Nest will do for now. Bird’s Nest expensive lah, hurhurhur, once a week is good enough.

This has become my weekly routine now.

The third that’s incorporated now in my self-care routine includes swallowing 2 kinds of capsules that taste pretty funky but I am doing it nonetheless without complaints. For a long while now, my mother has been nagging about taking cordyceps in place of caffeine to boost my energy and taking Bak Foong pills once a month.

Cordyceps in capsule form is not a big problem. It’s pretty easily done. I do that at least twice a week, following the instructions at the back of the supplement bottle.

Did you know you can also add the capsules to your soup? How is that for convenience?

Now, Bak Foong pills are the most challenging. They are so tiny and plentiful and they don’t exactly taste fantastic. BUT I will go as far to say, I am reaping the benefits of it gradually with a bottle a month.

Eu Yan Sang Gold Label Bak Foong Pills

What benefits? <Warning: the next paragraph contains details of the gross kind>

My heavy flow is regulated now (it’s not ridiculously heavy on the second day), there’s lesser clotting and my cramping has reduced, which is really great. On a scale of ten, where I used to be at 10, it’s now 7-8 and much more bearable.

True story.

Mama is always right, I guess. She’s told me about Bak Foong since my teenage years and I only believe her NOW.

Each bottle contains thousands of little bead-like pills that take some time to ingest and I usually take the course of half a day to finish the whole bottle, with some tea or water!

~~~

I am hoping I am on the right track to taking care of myself now. Those initial days of me being in a cast made me realise that burdening the family is not cool at all, and my kids need me. Glad that TCM is so easily accessible and non-invasive, and all I need to do is to ingest and reap the benefits for my internal health. En-route to better self-care and recovery for the broken foot!

Disclosure: This is the first out of two posts in collaboration with Eu Yan Sang, my go-to brand for my TCM needs. All opinions here are my own. 

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Food, glorious food! Invites & Tryouts Motherkao loves... Reviews

Sweet treats are made of these – ft. family-friendly casual dining at Brunetti

October 27, 2018

If you’re looking for a family-friendly and waist-line friendly place to eat in town this festive season (and don’t wanna think about ERP charges at the same time), you need to head down to Brunetti.

Because here’s a PSA for all of us who are conscious about the desserts we are ingesting so as to NOT HAVE to make new year resolutions for next year we probably can’t keep: Brunetti’s just launched their range of vegan, eggless, gluten-free cakes.

My family and I were there for dinner a while ago and I have to say, we went to dessert heaven and back!

Clockwise: Tre Gusti (gluten-free): flourless sponge layered with 3 layers of dark, milk and white choc mousse; Vegan Strawberry Cake: strawberry cake layered with strawberry cream & fresh strawberries; Vegan Chocolate Brownie: 75% dark choc brownie covered with roasted hazelnut; and Vegan Peanut Butter Cake: PB cake with PB sauce & crushed peanuts

The cake on the left: Eggless Banana Pecan Nut and it’s layered with caramelised banana on the inside. I am so gonna be trying that the next time.

These cakes make for perfect indulgence for a birthday or any occasion that calls for cake. I couldn’t stop eating the Tre Gusti, for one. We had the whole cake and while 2 slices were cut and shared on the spot, the rest of the cake was finished in 3 days.

Yes, I finished the entire cake all by myself and didn’t share it with the kids.

The flourless cake was great to ease any sense of guilt and it brought pigging out to a whole new level.

I kid you not: I finished the whole of this triple-layered choc flourless cake in 3 days all by myself. It is soooo good.

My kids pigged out on gelato, macarons, profiteroles and popsicles that evening.

A word on the pistachio gelato – you absolutely need to try it.

They opted for popsicles first! The one in the middle is not the 4th Kao kid but our friend’s 3-year-old!

Love that this is the promise of their desserts!

Gelato scoop – one for each kid !

Of macarons, profiteroles and chocolate cakes

The pistachio gelato was so good, I finished it all

And just in case you thought I fed my family desserts for dinner at Brunetti, we had a hearty meal of pastas, risotto and pizzas but I would tell you at Brunetti, dessert was our main course.

The carbs were mainly our “appetisers” which we cleverly shared. Thank God we did, if not no space to eat desserts!

Clockwise: Proscuitto & rocket pizza, mac&cheese, carbonara, pan-seared seabass, seafood aglio olio and squid ink risotto

Brunetti brings together all the good stuff in Italian cooking – a Gelateria, Cioccolateria, Pasticceria and more. If you’re looking for a place to bring the family or go on a dessert date with friends, it’s got ample seating and lots of choices for food and all kinds of desserts.

Writing this is making me want to take the family back for cakes and gelato already, and I am guessing I might want to spoil them bad this coming holiday season.

But hey, with the vegan, eggless, flourless cake options and the sugar-free gelato options, it may look like we can minimise the sugar and carb overload this festive season!

The kids took home gingerbread cookie in their fave animals! They were yummy and not cloyingly sweet, by the way.

More details:

Brunetti is located at #01-35 Tanglin Mall. Browse their menu for food and cakes in the links. Contact them here to order or make reservations. They’ve also just open the doors to ONE MORE new outlet at 13 North Canal, #01-01!

Disclosure: We were invited to dine at Brunetti. All opinions here are my own. I’ve sampled my fill of desserts that night and didn’t see the waistline expand so you can go for the diet-friendly options with confidence. You’re welcome.

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Becks Kao Milestones and growing up Reviews

Seeing well with Zeiss MyoVision Pro lenses at W Optics

October 10, 2018

Not all spectacles are made equal.

I would know. I wore them for most of my childhood, teenage years, all through adulthood till I became a mother. I went for Lasik only when Ben smashed my glasses being the curious baby he was.

And I wished spectacles that could control my myopia were readily accessible to me back in the days when my vision got worse with every yearly health checkup. My lenses just got thicker and uglier.

Yes, there is such a thing called myopia control lenses, and just by wearing it, your myopia gets some form of control.

And who else knows it better – that myopia needs to be controlled in childhood – than me. I have lived through it and I do not want my kids to experience uncontrolled childhood myopia.

Becks gets to reap the benefit of technology, specifically an innovation from ZEISS. And thanks the folks at W Optics, she got fitted with a pair after a routine eye checkup to ascertain her eye health.

At the very spacious and welcoming W Optics at Great World City, Becks was introduced to a friendly optometrist who took her through a series of tests in the rooms with the “machines”. Though initially shy, she soon warmed up when the experienced optometrist made small talk by asking her questions about her lifestyle, which was essential in understanding her habits and routine. Of course, a parent needs to be present at all times, and I happily chipped in by echoing her bad habits and how she loves to lie down on her stomach to draw on the floor.

Which became a perfect opportunity for the expert to share tips on maintaining good eye health with good habits: being mindful of the distance when she does near-work, getting enough outdoors to get Vitamin D, eating well and taking regular vision breaks from the screen.

She also did a comprehensive eye checkup that consisted of evaluating the state of her eye pressure, binocular vision, visual acuity, visual function, colour vision and corneal and retinal examinations. These checks were brief and didn’t take long.

The assessment findings, save for a slight increase of power in her right eye, came back normal and assuring. We were then introduced to the ZEISS Myopia Management solutions for children. They comprised two solutions: ZEISS MyoVision Pro Lenses and ZEISS MyoKids Lenses.

These solutions are both customised for myopic children and optimised for their lifestyle.

We were recommended the ZEISS MyoVision Pro Lenses for Becks after her assessment.

ZEISS MyoVision lenses follow the principles of “Peripheral Defocus Management” by the correcting the peripheral “hyperopic shift” affecting myopic eyes and sending a signal to the eye to reduce the progression of eye elongation, which can result in the reduction of myopia progression.

This means that power isn’t equally spread out in each lenses, in layman speak. This translates to the image projecting on the retina centrally, and the peripheral image being shifted  forward instead of backwards as compared to standard lenses, in the long run reducing the chances of her eyes elongating. We all know that shortsightedness happens when that happens.

Becks also picked out a from Swissflex which was light, bendable and flexible. Comparatively speaking, the frames felt weightless to the one she is wearing on now.

Initially she wasn’t too used to her new spectacles but I am glad to report she is liking her spectacles more with continual wear.

A visit in 6 months is due next March to assess if the myopia treatment is working and that her shortsightedness doesn’t deteriorate and remains stable. If so, it is unlikely she needs another change of glasses (yippee!). Afterall, we’ve gotten a pair of very good spectacles that controls her myopia when her eyes move to see near and far, comes with the ZEISS UVProtect Technology, as well as the ZEISS DuraVision BlueProtect coating that blocks light from digital devices.

With technology, we can prevent and protect. And free up our time to do more important things.

 

 

***

Disclosure: We were invited by W Optics to try out ZEISS Myopia Management. All opinions here are our own.

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Holidays! Motherkao loves... The Kao Kids

It’s Seoul Good (II): Doing Seoul with 3 Kids – Jjimjilbang at Siloam

September 19, 2018

If there’s anywhere I needed to visit in Seoul with my kids, it had to be a JJIMJILBANG.

Because?

Because this:

Photo credit: https://Aminoapps.com

I needed a reason to put on a sauna “uniform” and wrap my head up in a ‘Princess Leia’ towel bun.

And because watching so many kdramas and k-variety over the years have reinforced this message: you ain’t been to Korea if you’ve not stepped into a jjimjilbang. A jjimjilbang is a korean sauna and an integral part of korean culture. In this huge expanse of space, you would find public baths, pools that rid your body of toxins, grooming and face-care services, entertainment zones, gym, ‘fomentation’ rooms of varying temperatures, and places to sleep and even spend the night.

And so to one we went. The 3 kids, fatherkao and I spent an entire day at Siloam Sauna.

Of course, before we headed there, I did some research on this particular sauna which was a stone’s throw from where we stayed (literally we see the building from Seoul Station), so as to brief the family as to what to expect. That Backpacker has an entire guide to this place (plus an awesome video), and I made tons of notes from just that one blogpost, so you absolutely need to check her post out. (Thank you, Audrey!)

We went in the day, after a light breakfast of Paris Baguette buns, and opted for both access to the bathhouse AND the other floors. We were given a locker key, a set of clothes to change into, minimal instructions in korean about how males and females need to be separated, and in a hurry, we parted ways and forgot to state exactly what time we should meet on the 2nd floor. I just said, “See you later”, and not knowing what to do (the boys were lost!), we kinda only regrouped after some time and searching for one another on the various floors. So much for making notes!

So the sauna is HUGE. It’s an entire building. There are 6 floors in all including a basement. You pay and enter into the changing area on the 1st floor, get completely undressed in a gender-specific area, walk down the stairs to enter the public bath (take everything off; the only thing allowed is a towel). You need to take a bath first before entering the different pools of varying temperatures with various health benefits. There’s also a steam room and a jacuzzi. Becks and I tried every pool except the one with the freezing water. I enjoyed soaking in the warm mugwort one (can’t remember, think it was maybe 60 deg C?) and it smelled medicinally beneficial. Only beware of standing up suddenly because like being in the onsen, sudden movements can result in fainting spells. True story.

We had a good mummy and daughter time together

While waiting for the boys, we found these hot stones to put our feet in!

When we finally regrouped, we checked out Level 4 as a family. Called the fomentation rooms, there are rooms in varying temperatures from sub zero to almost boiling point laden with good stuff like jade and crystal and salt and mud. There are cave-like pods to sleep in for privacy and mats for resting and I couldn’t last more than 5 minutes in any room because the kids were zipping in and out and I had to mind them for fear of disturbing the people who needed their fomentation therapies.

Nat and I lying in the charcoal room

The kids and fatherkao in the ice room

My husband decided to challenge this room that’s 86 deg C! He worked out a good sweat!

Lunch was on Level 2 and I had the best soondubu jiggae (spicy tofu soup) that Seoul trip. The bibimbap (rice with mixed vegetables) was lovely and so were the mandoos (dumplings). My kids ran in and out of the eatery to play at the adjoining kids playroom and watch korean cartoons.

After a short rest, fatherkao headed for a body massage while the kids and I checked out Level 3. There was an arcade and a table tennis room. No surprises there what the kids did.

Ben teaching Nat how to hold a bat

We met 2 teen boys from Singapore a while later and the kids became quick friends sparring in good fun while I just lay on the straw mat right outside the games room and caught some sleep.

Becks wasn’t too interested in being with the boys so she checked out the karaoke room and hung out with me.

Checking out the noraebang, although we can’t sing any song !

She hung out with free wifi while I rested

Fatherkao joined in the table tennis fun

Baduk, anyone?

There is an arcade room too! Guess who was happiest.

The boys played table tennis for a long time and by the time we were done, it was time for dinner. We agreed to spend some time in the bathhouse floor and to soak in the pools for one last time before meeting on the first floor.

When we regrouped again for dinner, our kids’ conversations were all about what they saw in the bathhouse basement. The details were hilarious and I loved it that this experience was something they wouldn’t forget for a long time. Siloam Sauna’s a great place to add to your itinerary if you have even half a day to spare. I love it that we hung out and the kids could explore the place freely. It would have been best if they were interested in taking naps but I got some shuteye and fatherkao got a massage and that was a good bargain already!

Got my towel bun fix!

Made the hubs join me :p

The kids enjoyed the sauna experience on our 2nd day!

~~~

IT’S SEOUL GOOD: Read more on our Seoul Adventures here as the SG Running Man team!

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Holidays! Motherkao loves... The Kao Kids

It’s Seoul Good (I): Doing Seoul with 3 kids – Running Man Thematic Experience Center

September 14, 2018

Many people expressed how they never imagined there would be so much to explore and experience in Seoul for 16 days with 3 kids. So I thought I’d start this ‘It’s Seoul Good’ series because Seoul has been so good to us. We pretty much covered our planned itinerary (and more) when we were there in June.

And YES!!!!! there is much to do because Seoul has a place for kids too.

For my mission-loving, Running Man-crazed family, that is.

If your family is like ours and loves Running Man – the long standing variety show (we were fans since Episode 1) – and are old enough to try Running Man-style missions, you absolutely need to form a team and head to Insadong.

A pity we didn’t wear our Running Man t-shirts complete with our name tags like crazy fans.

At Running Man Thematic Experience Center at Jongno-gu, Insadong 5-gil, 종로 1.2.3.4 가동 (it’s at B1/F of SM Duty Free Shop/ Hana Building), you have up to ONE hour to complete all the missions in the place, earn as many R-coins as you can to score a badge. There are 6 experience zones where you can attempt it individually…

As a pair…

Or cheat a little like us if it gets difficult – and tap on team work!

Kwangsoo would be proud.

If you have it planned in your itinerary, get a headstart with discounts from Klook or Trazy or kkday. If not, it’s straightforward to purchase tickets from the folks at the counter. Ask if they speak English and there would be someone who would be able to explain how it works to you.

What was our experience like? To be honest, I knew about it but didn’t think this was something worth our time and money – because ‘is it BO LIAO or not to do this on our holiday???‘ (loosely translated, bo liao is ‘doing something silly’ in Singlish). I had going to this experience center parked at the back of my mind as a back up if we’ve done all that we wanted to do – our cultural tours, our street eats, our NANTA show, our day trip to Nami, our zoos and whatnots, etc etc etc – and it would be one of the last things we might do/ can do if we really ran out of things to do.

So I didn’t tell the fam about it for our day out at Insadong.

Turns out, we serendipitiously chanced upon it while looking for a toilet on the way back from checking out Poo Cafe and Ssamzegil and well, I think we can all guess what happened.

Like what do you mean you didn’t wanna tell us till we run out of things to do?

What were you thinking to not come here on our very first family trip to Seoul?

Hey, we love Running Man, shouldn’t we do this?

C’mon, mama, let’s go, we want to do this now!

Please, it’s gotta be Running Man. Even if it’s bo-liao.

My husband was the one that found me most ridiculous to stash it for like, Day 16.

DUH, no brainer, we are here. Let’s go.

And so, on our 3rd day in Seoul, we had one of the best times of our lives.

Makes us all wanna watch re-runs of Running Man again and again!

This experience just makes me realise that it was a good thing I did not plan for Lotte World or Everland. My kids would not go on rides and coasters but give them Running Man, they will do it again and again.

~~~

IT’S SEOUL GOOD: Read more on our Seoul Adventures here at the jimjilbang!

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Becks Kao Happy days Invites & Tryouts Milestones and growing up Reviews The Kao Kids

Birthday fun for young (and old) ones at Timezone

August 25, 2018

If you know the Kao kids well, you would know that they’ve grown to love games. Any kinds of games from team sports and Running Man missions to candy crushing and arcade gaming.

Their father even has an arcade console with joysticks hooked to the tv at home for the kids to redeem their screen time with.

So imagine how much of a celebration took place when my kids learned that we could have a party to celebrate Becks turning 8 at Timezone Vivocity – the largest of Timezones in Singapore – and that it would come tagged with three hours of non stop arcade play.

The boys were the ones who had a party before the party first, I tell you.

While the birthday girl carefully pondered who the 15 kids that made up the invite list were, shopped meticulously for her cake, and desserts online, and scrutinised my design for her invitation card.

That’s THAT difference between having boys and raising girls, and what the reactions are about having a party. Just sayin’.

On the day of the party, we were introduced to our party host from Timezone who very warmly made sure we were all settled in to the party room, which we had exclusive use of for 3 hours. The room came complete with a refrigerator, microwave and a sink for washing. It also had ample seating for a party of 10-20 guests, a projector screen, laptop and speakers.

Party host trying to interest the two girls who were the earliest with some colouring

The cherry on the cake for me was this awesome, awesome view looking into tranquility.

My view before madness (children) entered

 

Which…. was not at all enjoyed by the kids (well, at least the adults did!) because no one was found in the party room the moment all the guests have arrived. The party host explained some basic rules for using the complimentary Timezone cards provided for each guest and the kids, well, they were soon off and nowhere near the party room!

These 8-, 9-, 10-year-olds were in game wonderland, why would they waste a minute?

Paying attention to the party host explaining how the cards work for the card readers

Queuing up orderly to get the Timezone cards that come complimentary for them as party guests

Rush is setting in! Getting their ticket buckets

Ready, set, go!

Each guest gets a card that lets them play X number of times in the arcade depending on the colour of the card readers. The yellow card reader games has unlimited number of game plays which included the car racing, the dancing machines and the motorbike races.

Have you seen a whole row of girls in full focus? Here’s some girl power for you.

6-year-old Nat racing with 13-year-old Godsis

The blue, green or red card reader games are for up to 32 tries and those games were lots of fun too, and what I felt most of Becks’ girlfriends and the boys enjoyed. They included carnival games like hoop throwing, shooting, fishing and ticket jackpots. These games let players win tickets, which then can be exchanged for items from the Timezone store! Talk about motivation for tapping and trying all day long!

This was like at the 15th minute mark of play, omg

This game lets the player think and work on precision to win real prizes including sought-after gadget; no surprises why I found Ben here

BFFs fishing away

The rainbow card reader games were best enjoyed as a group. Only 5 taps of the card were allowed for these – which included the mini bowling, bumper car rides and VR rides and roller coasters.

This is the Rabbids VR coaster which her friends dared to try but not the birthday girl

These, unlike bumper cars of days old, cushions the bumping impact with the foam and makes it completely safe for kids to go MADDDDD

A friend commented that she’s never seen this side of Becks: chatty, cheery and smiling non stop

I love watching my little girl play with her friends. These girls can be squealy one moment and feisty another!

My birthday girl and her friends went in throngs to play the bumper cars all those 5 tries they were allowed on their cards. It was a whole new world hearing how loud and shrill 10 girls screaming at the same time sounded like.

What I liked most about hosting a party in an arcade was the fact that I could see how my kids, especially Becks, interacted with her friends. They travelled in packs to choose a game together, learned the tricks of scoring and doing well for each game together and had so much wholesome fun.

Groups of girls squealing at a corner. Boys guffawing at misses and hits. Adults getting excited while games are at play. There was so much laughter, it was truly satisfying to hear.

What I loved above all else about having a party at Timezone was that the adults – from parents to grandparents – can join in the fun at this party. At the ages at my kids are at most of their parties revolve around climbing, laser tagging, indoor playground cray-craying. It was nice that for a change, the gramps could join in the fun. Like when the birthday girl, her friends and Grandma were at the fishing table trying to reel a fish in! That was truly precious to watch.

For that matter, most of Becks’ party guests’ parents also joined in the fun instead of dropping them off. It was a lovely morning and afternoon spent on fun and games, and family bonding.

Grandma reeling in her catch

Grandpa looking on and giving advice

These 2 had a great time catching plushies – love it that there’s something for a 3-year-old too

It was a really no-stress, all-fun kinda party that Saturday morning. I think the only source of stress came from herding the children back in to get some lunch and to sing the birthday song. I know the kids didn’t mind at all one bit not having lunch or cake; even the birthday girl dashed out the moment the cake cutting was over.

Not many left at the table :p

Happy 8th birthday, my big baby!

She loved the cake and topper although she didn’t eat them at the party!

The lovely Timezone folks also brought her to the Timezone store to choose a birthday gift. This came as a surprise to her (I knew!) and she was thrilled to befriend Gudetama.

After the party was over, all the kids made a mad rush to count their tickets and shopped at the store for their tickets’ worth. Some went home with bouncy balls while others lugged back some sweet and memorabilia. Now the boys tell me they’re wishing that they would have their parties for their next birthdays here. I’m rolling my eyes because I know 3 hours ain’t gonna be enough at all for them.

At least I have till next year to decide.

YAY, all birthdays done, and my little girl turned 8 having a blast at the arcade with her best friends and family! Thank you, Timezone Vivocity, for the awesome party!

For more details of Timezone flagship store’s Party Package details, check out what you get for 3 hours of non stop fun here.

Disclosure: We were invited to experience the Timezone Birthday Party Package. All opinions here including squealing girls and the mayhem produced by mad kids are our own.

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Ben Kao Milestones and growing up Nat Kao

To my Kao boys

August 7, 2018

Dear Ben and Nat,

You boys turn 9 and 6 respectively this year. How time flies.

You have now become best friends to each other. You need each other every day. I see that. I see that you have need for each other in the form of conversations and play time all the time. You boys talk about everything you love under the sun from Smashers and Avengers to Beyblade and Pokemon. You make silly boy jokes and invent silly boy sounds.

And you fart and burp with such finesse ON DEMAND.

Sometimes I think you boys are the grossest ever. Your hair stinks. You brush your teeth for a total of 5 seconds. You are perpetually sweaty.

I sometimes wonder if I could raise gentlemen out of the both of you.

Beyond the dirt, booger and clamminess, I know you boys are incredibly kind-hearted souls. For one, you love and take care of each other. You protect your sister. You stand up for justice. You fight on reasonable grounds. You knock sense into one another when the time calls for it. You take care of the house. You help with the strength that you now have.

You catch lizards. You kill bugs. You shield mama from things she is afraid of.

And every single day, you would show Mama how much you love her, by saying ‘I love you’ and hugging her.

By the way, Ben, you’re already as tall as my shoulder. Soon you will be towering over me. I know that will happen sooner than later.

May you always use your strength to show kindness. When you become strong, remember to help the weak.

And may you both be brothers in life and in love. May you both always find solace and strength in this brotherhood.

And may you both always keep this view in my sight, as long as I live. Let me always see your hand on your brother’s shoulder.

Love, Mama.

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Food, glorious food! Invites & Tryouts Reviews The Kao Kids

The kind of steamboating this family likes [Review: Beauty in the Pot at OneKM]

August 4, 2018

I love hotpots and steamboating so much that my husband has started making his own collagen broth for my cravings and beauty needs (a woman needs her collagen!) but that’s another story for another time.

My kids love a hearty hotpot meal too, if and only IF they didn’t need to sit around the table, listen to adult chatter, wait for food to cook and then have this on repeat mode over the entire course of the meal.

Imagine how excited I was when Beauty in the Pot invited us to check out their new Children’s Playground at the OneKM outlet – THIS is the kind of steamboating that will satisfy everyone in the family.

Because playground.

We hear it’s called ‘Angela’s Playground’ cos it’s named after the owner’s daughter. How sweet!

We came for lunch so it was hot. That didn’t stop the kids though.

And I kinda wished I came for dinner instead because with a playground like this, my kids can definitely play for a long time in the cool of the evening and I can eat for rounds on end.

This place is now officially on my list of must-go family-friendly dining venues.

A 4-seater see-saw that entertained the Kao kids while food was being prepared!

And a trampoline too!

Think of how long the adults can eat and talk while the kids play. The playground adjoined to the restaurant is for Beauty in the Pot’s guests only and that definitely gives any parent a peace of mind knowing that the entrance and exit is via the restaurant and there is only one door by which the kids can enter and leave by.

But to make it to that list also means that one important criteria needs to be fulfilled: the food needs to be good.

And I don’t think there is any doubt about that; everything here from the broths and fresh ingredients to the interiors for dining comfort and service is excellent. And I am not just saying it just because I was invited. Try dining there and watch how every single wait staff attentively tends to your broths (topping up and removing the scum), your drinks, your well-being PLUS do a more-than-ninety bow just about every time they have completed serving your every need.

You’ll be blown away by how much attention they will give you.

If that’s not enough, try having four pots at a go in a place so pretty in pink and you will be blown away.

We were, for sure.

Check out the pink couch, the frosted pink backdrop and I am glad I also came (pretty) in pink 🙂

Four broths to savour (clockwise): Vitaminc C Tomato Sweet Corn Broth, Cooling Coconut Broth, Herbal Drunken Chicken Broth & Signature Beauty Collagen Broth

My favouritest thing ever in steamboat: fried beancurd skin

This was the most unique ever: fishies swimming in broth! These homemade fish tofu follow a secret recipe of yellowtail fish, soya bean and egg white and they melted in our mouths. The Kao kids love this most.

I don’t know about you but my kids and I get very excited about our sauces & dips. And what a spread it is here.

I have to say their Ebiko Prawn Paste (bottom right) is the most delicious paste I have tasted because it has such natural sweetness. And their handmade meatballs.. are just too good!

Besides the freshness of the ingredients, the huge variety of food items you can match seamlessly with soups of four kinds and the promptness of the service, I particularly enjoyed the little touches in this place that makes it unrivalled as the restaurant to dine with the family.

Things like these are very important for a mother dining out with her kids:

Tissues within reach, supplied unlimitlessly – a very important thing you need when having steamboat if you’re OCD like me. I like to keep the table, and my children’s mouths, clean.

Getting disposable aprons like this that are splash-resistant so that clothes get protected. And I am not just referring to mine but all three of my kids who sometimes eat like they cannot put food properly in their mouths.

Having someone constantly look at the soup to top it up or remove the scum that’s floating – I am particular about this and I am glad that the wait staff is too 🙂

Giving us a refreshing yuzu drink to cleanse our palates

So, I am not a food blogger and I write from a mother’s perspective always. I’ve read reviews about the food being compared to this place and that, in addition to the service being a little over the top with all the bowing. From a mom’s lens, I have completely no issues with that because it’s a great teachable moment to show the kids that in some places, people are trained to serve with a smile and to bow, and it’s equally important to reciprocate in kind and thank them in return. In fact, after some time, because the wait staff was soooooo friendly, the kids could boldly ask them for balloons to play with!

I love it that with the Kao kids, everything can be a learning opportunity.

I’d definitely recommend this place for that occasional splurging on the family for a lavish treat and celebration of any kind.

Because collagen steamboat + playground + excellent service = what’s not to like?

Disclosure: We were very kindly invited to have lunch on a lovely Sunday (Becks’ actual birthday!) at Beauty in the Pot at OneKM #03-38. We loved what we were served and all opinions are our own. We hear that they are open till 3am and things go at 20% off after 10.30pm, so here’s to possibly more suppers with the kids since it will be so cool to play at the playground!

 

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Invites & Tryouts Reviews The Kao Kids

Raising spider-people [Review of The Little Climbing Room]

July 21, 2018

So a long while ago, we checked out The Little Climbing Room, an indoor climbing playground tucked deep in the Serangoon Charlton Estate area. It was started out of pure desperation by a parent who found indoor climbing playgrounds severely lacking for young children (most of them cater to older kids) and wanted to invite kids even younger than 3 years old to experience wall climbing.

I suspect the founder also knew that many of us were raising spiders back in our homes and needed this place, too. Spidergirls and spiderboys, that is.

Well, with kids aged 9, 8 and 6 it’s not difficult to understand The Climbing Room‘s appeal – for both me as a parent, and for my aspiring spider-people. I’m not sure if you’ve met my Nat but he aspires to be Spiderman since he was three. Did you read about his fracture?

Ok, the time is now and the place is here. Please fulfill all your deepest and darkest dreams of having that super-power to stick on walls, guys!

This nondescript place is tucked at Promenade @ Pelikat 183 Jalan Pelikat #B1-101 S(537643)

The Number Wall, Obstacle Wall and Augmented Reality Wall were the Kao kids’ favourites in the small climbing playground. They love to do the challenges posed to them as a trio and I am not complaining about my spiderpeople doing teamwork.

Especially great for confidence builing are the 4-metre high walls with varying degrees of inclination and difficulty. Every kid challenging this would need to be harnessed and supervised by an adult to conquer this.

Although a relatively small space, it offers huge opportunities for kids to expend their energy. It’s safe and every wall climb attempt is supervised, and I like that dreams of being Spiderman are being realised here.

A place where superheroes’ fantasies come true, maybe, with more and more practice. We signed up for a package, and would be back every time I have kids bouncing off the walls at home.

More details:

Climbing hours from Tuesdays to Fridays are from 2-7.30pm and weekends and Public Hols from 10am to 7.30pm.

Book your climbing session here: https://mylittleclimbingroom.com/booking/

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Ben Kao Thunderstorm days

Damn you, bee

May 26, 2018

It’s never a dull day as a mother. Since I became one 9 years ago, I’ve received all sorts of calls from school ranging from kids running a temperature (haha no big deal now) and vomiting (this one I dread) to my son having a concussion after being knocked by someone at the canteen and this one recently:

“Hi Ben’s mum. We wanted you to know your son was stung by a bee,” the admin lady from the General Office said.

She then went on to assure me that the sting was taken out in the morning but had to do her due diligence to inform me that his finger where the bee stung him was swelling 5 hours after she did so.

Right. My trooper actually continued life in school for 5 hours before feeling discomfort and needed more medical help and went back to the General Office again.

This happened on 30th April and after school, I brought Ben to the GP. He got checked, some cream and oral medication, and things were pretty much under control. He did feel weak and ran a fever on Day 1 but by Day 5 he said he felt ok.

But at Day 7 his finger swelled a little too ridiculously and looked so out of proportion we had to rush him to the A&E.

See his right middle finger?

After a 3-hour wait at the emergency, what the doctor diagnosed was that he probably needed another dose of antibiotics.

And that was when the nightmare began.

By the third day of this new second round of antibiotics which he started, he began having hives from neck down to every single bit of his body from back and groin to arms and belly. The poor boy missed two papers for his mid year exam, lost sleep and was tortured every single minute by an unbearable itch, and he could only conclude, as I would:

“Dang it, you stupid bee! Why the heck did you sting me!”

And this was only the front view. There’s the back, arm, groin and leg view too!

Believe you me, I have never seen my son so upset. He is usually a pretty chill child but he was really, really bummed to have such a severe allergic reaction to we-don’t-even-know-what-because-we-were-back-at-A&E-two-more-times-after — and every doctor we saw friggin’ refused to even conclude he was allergic to the medication.

It is not suggestive, they say. If it was the medication, his hives would stop when you stop taking it.

But it went on for helluva weeks and this poor boy had only just managed to recover after THREE WEEKS.

So, do I have any advice for having been there done that?

Yes, for sure! For one, please make sure if your child’s been stung by a bee to check that the sting is taken out. Ben’s sting was, and he watched the bee die. Hurhurhur.

Second, please have a doctor check the site of the sting and monitor it for swelling and secondary infection.

Third, if your child requires any steroids or antibiotics medication, stop the moment you see any signs of rash. Our mistake was to only check his swelling and ignored his comments of “I have some heat rash coming up” only to realise that it was full blown hives and not heat rash.

Lastly, I would think on hindsight we should have prepped his body better to handle the venom, the secondary infection, the new medication as much as we could by loading on the probiotics and vitamin C. I had completely forgotten about that – giving him probiotics – and for that I’m sure his gut must have been overworked with all the antibiotics the doctor were making him take (it was 4 times daily for 7 days, CCCCRRRAAZZZZYYYYY).

I am glad that the episode is almost over – Ben still has some itch here and there to handle – but we are quite certain now we are not fans of BEE + HIVES. Kinda like a bad joke you pulled on us, Bee, but RIP.

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