The Kao Kids Archives - Page 19 of 36

Becks Kao Ben Kao Family life as we know it Happy days Milestones and growing up The Kao Kids

What Easter means to us

April 22, 2014

Is it me or did I see more eggs everywhere this year? Chocolates eggs were aplenty in stores, and Cold Storage’s even selling those bunny-ears-nose fix-on for cars, much like those reindeer antlers we’ve seen during Christmas.

Easter has been commercially packaged as an occasion for eggs and cute little bunnies.

Back at home, we did take the opportunity to organise an egg hunt for the Kao kids, much to their delight. And that was ONLY because we ran out of almonds and walnuts to hide, and there were too many pretty eggs we couldn’t resist at the supermarkets.

This time round, the treasure they must find are chocolate eggs that would get to eat! (Don’t ask me why Becks is walking around with a bolster in her singlet.)

We even went for an Egg Fiesta at Sentosa. There was some serious egg hunting and walking on eggs there at the Emerald Pavilion at Siloso Beach, complete with some little chicks a-dancing.

We were at the Egg Fiesta 2014 at Sentosa on Good Friday for some eggy fun!

Not related to eggs completely but there was this cool mobile human table and colourful snacks that I just needed to snap a picture of

We had fun this Easter, yes, we did.

But the kids never once linked rabbits, chicks and eggs to the reason for Easter. Ask them if Easter is about egg hunting, and Ben and Becks will tell you no.

Instead, they will tell you Easter is about this:

Craft work Ben did in school to celebrate Easter

And this:

“This means Jesus died on the cross, He was in the grave then He rose from the dead.” – Artist: Becks Kao

So yes, we’ve done a couple of egg hunts, painted some egg shells, ate our fill of egg-shaped chocos and Kinder Bueno and even walked on eggs (and then Becks cracked some, hurhurhur).

But the kids know this: Easter is about Jesus Christ who died on the cross and who rose again from the dead; and that to them – and me – is the reason why we celebrate.

They did ask me how that happened though – how Jesus rose from the dead.

My answer?

“Don’t ask me how. Ask me why.”

Ben: Why, Mama? Why must Jesus rise from the dead?

Me: Because if He only died on the cross, we would only be forgiven. But because He rose from the dead, we are justified forever.

Ben: What is ‘justified’, Mama?

Me: It means we are right with God and He will never be angry with us again. Ever.

Ben: So now God loves us forever, is it?

Me: Yes.

Becks: It’s the power divine. Jesus died, for three days He was in the grave, and He rose again.

Whoa.

And suddenly I’m reminded of this verse in Isaiah 54:13

“And all your children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be their peace.”

Amazing how a mere mortal like this frazzled mother drops a seed into these babes, and His Word blossoms in their hearts.

Hope you celebrated His resurrection with much joy like I did!

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

Prata flipping fun at Casuarina Curry Restaurant

April 21, 2014

Before I start this post, can I say for the record that I’m not saying all these because Casuarina Curry Restaurant invited us?

I’m a huge fan of their crispy pratas, teh tahrik and chicken masala, have been a regular there since forever, and it is my favourite place for roti prata EVER.

Ok, just need to get that out first.

Now you can imagine how stoked I was when they got us to attend their prata-making workshop.

Don’t play play, ok. Prata restaurants like them have blogger relations and can also make prata experts out of you.

My kids were equally thrilled, having also tasted their crispy plain pratas, egg pratas, plaster pratas and tissue pratas on many a breakfast outing with the husband and me. And they couldn’t wait to get their hands on the dough and learn how to flip them!

And so to the restaurant at Upper Thomson we went.

Before we began, we met our Master Teacher, Uncle Babu, had our hands all scrubbed and cleaned, and watched a demo by the Master himself…

First, a demo by the Master

Then we proceeded to oil the dough and knead it with the ball of our palms…

Ben kneading

And now it’s Becks’ turn to knead

And learned the really tricky technique of flipping the prata dough!

Flipping our dough! (ft. Becks, Ben, Mom-in-law, Motherkao with Uncle Babu)

It looks easy but I assure it is nothing like what it looks. Apparently, the prata dough must be flipped only with the wrist of the left hand while the right hand does not move; and it must be done swiftly and deftly.

And clearly, our DNA would have none of such talent.

The kids know it, and they ended up making Zorro masks with huge holes.

And then there were holes !

And we all had a good laugh!

Not experts, but a photo with the expert

When we were finally done, we were presented with a certificate. Then it was time to eat! We sat down for a hearty meal of pratas, masalas and teh tahriks.

We did a better job eating than flipping, that’s for sure.

We are, afterall, CERTIFIED (not)!

Our very delish food

What a feast it was indeed!

Prata for dinner!

To the folks at Casuarina Curry Restaurant: all you prata masters rock! I love your food and the fact that everything you serve is made with so much pride at such affordable prices. Thank you for having us on such a crazily busy Saturday evening!

The ever-entertaining Prata Masters behind the glass window

To Uncle Babu who impressed us with your skills of flipping pratas, the kids had a wonderful time and first experience that evening. This is a drawing from Becks the day after, and it’s specially dedicated to you.

Becks and Uncle Babu: Her prata has many holes, as you can see!

For $15, you can attend a 2-hour prata making workshop and enjoy an all-you-can-eat prata-buffet (plain pratas only) with one free drink. Top up an additional $5 and you can enjoy an all-you-can-eat prata-buffet of assorted pratas with one free drink. I say, this is a must-try for prata lovers and young children, and a good place to bring our foreigner friends should they come for a visit!

And because I shared this with you, if you can’t finish what you ordered at your all-you-can-eat-prata buffet after the workshop, you know who to call!

Disclosure: We were invited to Casuarina Curry Restaurant for their Prata-Making Workshop. The kind folks at Casuarina picked up the tab and no monetary compensation was received. All opinions here are Motherkao’s own.

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Family life as we know it Milestones and growing up The darndest kid quotes and antics The Kao Kids

Sound bytes of our lives: the darnest things we say (IV)

April 16, 2014

Bitten by the wanderlust bug!

Wanderlust’s been taking over the Kao kids these days and they’ve been asking again and again when they can be on the aeroplane. We’ve only been to Hongkong once last year and the kids have tremendously fond memories of that trip. Speaking of planes, we’ve been sighting at least three flying above us every day. I guess one of the perks of living near Seletar Airbase is that the kids get to revisit that memory of being on a plane every day hearing those planes zoom past.

Ben: Can you bring us to Europe, Mama? Can we go to Italy? Or America? Or Japan?

Becks: Can we go to Hongkong again?

Ben: Can we go to Disneyland, please?

Ben & Becks: Puuleeeazzze, Mama? Please?

Me: Guys, we need to make time, and we need to have money. All these need planning, you know.

Becks: Mama, do you know Navin has a plan? He’s already in Australia.

Me: *cue rofl laughter*

(FYI: Navin is Becks’ classmate who’s emigrated to Perth recently. He’s been telling her that he would be living in Australia and she’s ENVIOUS.)

***

Ben: What’s going to happen if you need to sleep on the airplane?

Me: You just sleep lor.

Ben: Then your pillow?

Me: There’s one on the plane.

Becks: How about bolster?

Me: I guess you gotta bring your own. Like you did bringing your Penguin Bolster.

Nat: HOW ABOUT BED????

I know, I know, somebody’s thinking of first class already.

***

The Kao kids and their fond memories on the plane

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Going Out! Invites & Tryouts The Kao Kids

A day out at Changi Naval Base, and dashing the kids’ dream of being bucaneers

April 11, 2014

Sometime ago, we were invited to a fun day out at Changi Naval Base and to attend the sending-off ceremony of the RSS Tenacious which would be deployed to the Gulf of Aden as part of Singapore’s commitment to international counter-piracy efforts.

Now I don’t know about you, but I am super eager to have my kids meet some real soldiers and learn about the mean stuff real pirates do and how our soldiers help protect us from them. I mean, every mother – and I say this with respect – with boys need to teach their kids that pirates ARE NOT GOOD GUYS and Jake, Cubby and Izzy in Jake and the Neverland Pirates will never ever be seen in real life.

So off we went to Changi Naval Base where I was really looking forward to burst that ‘Ahoy-Matey-Yo-Ho-Ho’ bubble.

We were first taken on a guided tour at the Navy Museum, and what an enlightening experience it was. We learned about the various missions in which the Navy provided relief and assistance for, the equipment and weapons the Navy use to safeguard maritime security, as well as how the Singapore Navy became the modern and integrated maritime fighting force we know today.

The kids were excited to be looking at big guns and model vessels…

As well as try on mini-sized Navy uniforms… (pity there was no extra extra small for Nat!)

I just had to get my children to learn how to salute after they put on those uniforms. Here’s a salute to all of you out there keeping our shores and seas safe. Thank you for doing a great job!

After staying a while at the Navy Museum, we headed to the Naval Base itself (we’ve gotten security clearance for that) where we witnessed the sending off ceremony of the RSS Tenacious. The RSS Tenacious (a formidable-class multi-role stealth frigate), together with a Republic of Singapore Air Force Sikorsky S-70B Seahawk naval helicopter and a 151-strong task force were off to counter piracy in the Gulf of Aden for three months.

These are men and women with families and loved ones, and they rock big time, putting their lives on the line. These are sons, fathers, brothers, daughters and sisters volunteering to go and rising beyond their call of duty so we can have safer seas, not pirate-infested ones. And while we waited to wave our goodbyes – and I knew it would be so much harder for that little girl who stood next to us waving goodbye to her daddy – I said a prayer thanking God for these men and women that are doing Singapore proud. I don’t know how these people do it; I had no one I knew onboard and yet my heart ached so much just to know that peace comes at such a sacrifice and these people are saying goodbye to the people they love who would be gone for three whole months on a potentially dangerous mission.

I also took the chance to tell Ben and Becks, who were piqued with so much curiosity as to why we have to say goodbye to these men in blue uniforms – that piracy is no joke, that there’s no such thing as a good pirate these days, and that we need brave people like them who would safeguard the seas so we can all sleep in peace. Even Captain Hook who is nice enough to sometimes return Jake and his friends their treasures isn’t a real representation of these baddies who would attack oil tankers and merchant vessels with big guns and sophisticated weapons.

“So pirates are not good guys, Mama?” Ben asked after I explained. “Awww…”

Yep, bubble’s burst. Not cartoon series, not movie here eh. We’re talking about real dangers, hello?

After the farewell, we proceeded with a windshield tour of the Naval Base to check out more vessels and submarines, which was way too cool for common folks like you and me to grasp. Unless you were with the Navy, you never would be seeing this…

A submarine!

And this…

A US Vessel docking at Changi Naval Base

And this…

The Swift Rescue, which was recently deployed to search for the missing MH370

Awesome much, don’t you think?

It was a really meaningful day out for our family, and we were so touched by the hospitality and friendliness of our hosts who are proud and passionate people who believe in what they do. We’re really privileged to get this opportunity, and I really have the good people from the Republic of Singapore Navy to thank.

Photo credit: Deborah from owlswellblog.wordpress.com

The Navy Museum at Changi Naval Base is open to the public and admission is free. It’s open from 9am to 5pm from Mondays to Fridays and 9am to 3pm on Saturdays. For more information, visit the Museum’s website. Guided tours are available for 10 people or more.

If you would like send your support to the 151 people onboard the RSS Tenacious and give them a virtual pat of their backs, you can leave messages of encouragement and love at the Singapore Navy’s Sea of Support page. Connect with the Republic of Singapore Navy on their facebook page for updates on their latest events and missions.

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Ben Kao Everyday fun! Family life as we know it Milestones and growing up The Kao Kids The real supermom

Of drawings and homework for Mom

April 9, 2014

My kids are finally drawing things that make sense.

And labelling them so that we know what they are, just in case we can’t make out what they are drawing.

I’m glad I was one of those parents that allowed them to draw and draw (on paper, that is) when they were ready to start and held my tongue when I could make no sense of what they did. And boy am I also glad I refrained from giving too much feedback and making too many adult comments because gone are the days of colour globs and splashes, human beings with no limbs and animals that look like extraterrestrial creatures.

I can’t get these days – and drawings – back anymore.

Ben’s drawings of animals at 4 years old

Becks’ art: I always wondered what they were

More things that leave me wondering

While those former days were cute, these days I’m seeing even cuter things.

Now Becks is drawing more recognisable stick people…

… Me on a bad day

… And me on a good day – ain’t I pretty?

Little Nat can also draw many basketballs (his favourite!)

And this is Ben’s version of me, which has evolved (the one above was drawn a year earlier)!

More recognisable zoo animals now, as compared to half a year ago

I even get homework from my eldest, who thinks it’s absolute fun to be designing worksheets for me to do. He leaves them on my desk with “instructions” by blending each word he cannot spell by heart and writing them on the worksheet. Since then, I’ve done a couple of Chinese characters, navigated through mazes he designed and even had to “grow” people in boxes.

He leaves me notes to read…

This is for me to guess. G for…?

So one day I came home and found that I needed to do 习字 !!!

Plus navigate these mazes to get animals out of trouble

And this is the one I’m supposed to grow people in boxes. Ben meant ‘draw’ actually!

So on top of doing school runs, enrichment runs, grocery runs and hospital runs, I come home now to a pile of worksheets needing to be completed. The day my little girl and the littlest follow their older brother (to give me worksheets, that is), I tell you, I’m so going to be one exhausted mother.

Am not complaining, actually, because these kids entertain me tremendously with what they are drawing. Motherhood just got better.

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Becks Kao Ben Kao Invites & Tryouts Motherkao loves...

Connecting with Canon & scrapping for a special someone

April 3, 2014

You all know by now I hardly allow craft at home. The moment the kids start painting / cutting / scrapping / peeling / glueing / sticking, I start cleaning up.

So I almost never say no to any opportunity to craft outside of home. And when Canon Singapore invited us to connect with them at EatPlayLove Cafe, we were raring to go. It would be our second time there. The first time we went, the kids had so much crafting with the free flow of art and craft materials from egg trays and pasta shells to ribbons and stickers. They remember the experience, and were more than thrilled to be going again.

This was last June!

Last Friday, we were invited by Canon to create photo art using the latest Canon Selphy 910, as well as their latest cameras. And have a yummy buffet feast and connecting with other mom bloggers while at that! So while I was doing that – chatting with mom blogger friends and eating my basil rice, that is – my kids swallowed their dinner quickly and were found at the craft corner getting all creative:

Can’t wait to start crafting – these are deprived children, I tell you

And we’ve not even received instructions on our “task” yet!

Our “task” that evening was simple: bring an SD card filled with beautifully-captured family moments and print them on the latest Canon Selphy 910. Then grab a canvas and scrap away with all the craft materials available to make something for keeps.

I got started while Ben and Becks were busy playing with papers, stickers and glue and had fun printing our family pictures with the Canon Selphy, which also allows users to print wirelessly from their mobile devices.

Printing fun!

I especially loved the idea of having the printer shuffle my pictures and churn out a collage! This was what it did, and I’m definitely going to be framing this:

You can get the Selphy to churn out a collage for you too!

Ben, Becks and I got going that night with the canvas to make something for their grandfather (my dad) who’s recovering from a stroke. We’ve been wanting to give him something to lift his spirits, and so we had a couple of pictures printed, grabbed some stickers and washi tape and scrapped away.

After a while of arranging, cutting, glueing and pasting…

…we have this to present to him!

We had ourselves a meaningful time that evening indeed, and we now have more happy pictures of our family to frame and a handmade gift for Grandpa. What a great way to be spending our Friday evening! And the best part ever for me – no prizes for guessing right – NO NEED TO CLEAN UP! YAY!

Thank you, Canon Singapore for inviting us to connect with you; and EatPlayLove Cafe, for cleaning up after us!

Disclosure: We were invited to connect with Canon Singapore at EatPlayLove Cafe. No monetary compensation was received for this post.

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Becks Kao Ben Kao Enrichment Happy days Learning fun! Milestones and growing up The Kao Kids

It’s the sound of music!

March 31, 2014

It’s time to start the kids on their music journey. We’ve been waiting for Ben and Becks to turn 5 and 4 respectively, and since it’s going to be happening this year, we thought we’d begin.

A family friend gave Ben a recorder on his birthday and taught him how to blow some notes. It’s been noisy ever since, since the others also think it’s the longest whistle they can ever blow!

I haven’t see a recorder since my primary school days!

And someone thinks it’s a whistle!

A good friend also lent us her piano, and I’ve started the kids on piano lessons at home. I initially had grand plans to teach my own kids (c’mon, Mama started learning at 5!), but gave up that ambitious idea because I really didn’t know how to scaffold their learning to help them understand the theory of music. I don’t even remember how I learned when I started; and all I am left with right now is a bunch of knowledge all jumbled up and rolled together in my head. It’s a challenge for me to teach the kids what I know because I no longer am able to relearn and break it down into easy-to-understand lingo for my completely clueless kids.

Hence the decision to get a teacher.

I must say, I really like the interesting ways their piano teacher is teaching them to identify the keys on the piano, as well as the engaging ways in which she gets them to understand the theory part through clapping, tracing and colouring. Check out how she places a little cat on the C key, a dog on the D and an elephant on the E with a dog house covering them all, so the kids recognise a pattern.

These little fingers are playing the piano, and I am really excited for them

Here’s Ben learning the ‘Good Morning’ song

And Becks is learning ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’

We also bought a set of drums but that would have to wait while we get going with their piano lessons for a while more.

Hopefully by Christmas, we can have a live band performing.

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” – Plato

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(Self) Examination Milestones and growing up The Kao Kids

A post to say I love you, and thank you

March 26, 2014

My ability to cope with stress is amazing.

Amazingly non-existent, that is.

I hyperventilate on a daily basis and I think my blood pressure shoots up by a few notches whenever I do that. I yell and fluster whenever I feel that I have lost control. I have an incessant need to be in control all the time.

Which is why I think it’s a pretty tough thing being my kid. It’s really not easy living with Mama who’s pretty much all flailing arms and high-screechy-pitched mad on any given day.

And I think my kids are doing an amazing job loving and accepting me as mom despite some of the terrible things I subject them too, like SO MUCH hollering, threatening and explosive outbursts. They love me with no questions, no judgement and no conditions. Every day – whether a good one or bad – they still want me and would unconditionally forgive me and love me for who I am.

I’m a blessed mother because of these children in my life, I tell you. I am grateful to be experiencing kindness and goodness in its purest from these people every day.

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Food, glorious food! Going Out! Happy days Invites & Tryouts The Kao Kids

The Kao kids on the loose (and reined) at Candy Empire

March 25, 2014

I’m the kind of mother that throws away sweets in my kids’ goodie bags and ration M&M’s. It’s usually 10 M&M’s for Ben, 10 for Becks and 5 for Nat, and they can only have chocs twice or thrice a week. Most of the time, the Kao kids are given raisins, fruits, yoghurt and nuts to snack on instead. And it’s an absolute no with any kind of fizzy drinks. To date, they have not had a sip of Coke.

Yes, go ahead. You can call them deprived.

I’ve been reprimanded by older folks and other parents for depriving my children of a childhood, for being so strict on sweet treats, flavoured drinks and candies, in particular. But I’d rather be doing this than battling problems of tooth decay, poor appetite and indigestion. I’d rather have people throw stones at me than have my kids turn around one day and say, “Why didn’t you control my intake when you are the adult here, hello? Now, no thanks to you, I have _________ (insert problem).”

So, when Candy Empire sent us an invitation for a private tasting session to celebrate their opening at The Star Vista, I wrote back to explain that I am a strict mother and wouldn’t want to let my children loose at a candy store.

And I thought that was that, until they replied me and assured me that they were inviting us to an exclusive ‘Sunday Spread’ of healthy confectionery, and at Candy Empire, they don’t just sell candies and chocolates – they also feature premium cookies, spreads, macarons and shortbread.

Already quite impressed, and having been so busy these days that there’s just no time to be baking and churning out homemade cookies and cake, I accepted the invitation and brought the kids to Candy Empire.

And they went wild, of course – just by looking at all the things in the huge store that Mama’s been keeping them away from.

At the children’s corner specially set up for kids, they grabbed the jellybeans and marshmallows, and started gobbling them down like there was no tomorrow.

By golly, it did look like they were indeed deprived kids, thanks to me.

Fatherkao and I watched – and let them – until they were done with the frenzy. Then, my dear husband sat the kids down and taught the kids an important lesson about choosing right:

“There’s so much to see and taste at a candy store,” he said. “And you’re excited. But you don’t have to gobble the first thing you see. Look around you. There’s other good stuff too.”

And look around they did. And when the kids tasted the chocolates, cookies and fruits dipped in Ovomaltine, there was no looking back.

Now Ben would say, “Jellybean is nice but cookies and white chocolates are nicer.” And Becks would say tell you she prefers dark chocolates to white ones. Our family had a good time sampling an array of sweet, healthy treats for tea from bisquini cookies to crunchy cream-dipped fruits, and a wonderful afternoon of quality time together.

Best of all, our kids learned something about self-control that afternoon, and that to me, was the most precious takeaway from this. Thank you, Candy Empire, for the kind invitation!

Candy Empire constantly brings in novel products all year round, including seasonal treats! Besides chocolates and candies, Candy Empire also has a delectable selection of spreads, cookies and biscuits. Spot an interesting product in the shop and want to find out more before purchasing? Drop by Candy Empire’s blog, World of Candies, to check out confectionery product reviews and the latest confectionery trends!

Disclosure: We were invited to Candy Empire’s private Sunday Spread tasting at The Star Vista. No monetary compensation was received. We did get a huge bag of confectionery and specially packed goodie bags for the kids!

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Becks Kao Going Out! Happy days Invites & Tryouts Milestones and growing up

Hello! Hello Kitty!

March 22, 2014

She’s probably the most famous cat in the world, and one with the fattest bank account, with product range extending from stationery and accessories to toasters and home appliances. She’s entered every possible market from jewellery to aircraft to themed restaurants and more recently, a maternity hospital.

We’re talking about the Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow that has no mouth – yea, the one that’s swept many off their feet almost like a demi-god to worship.

I’m not a fan and never was, but it’s apparently a different story with the little girl, who adores Hello Kitty because – erm, I don’t even know why.

Which was why she was extremely stoked when I told her we were invited to front row seats at The Hello Kitty Live Show at City Square Mall.

Which also explains why this is the first live show I see her actually participating in, like standing up to dance, answering the host’s questions and clapping like there’s no tomorrow.

Yup, that’s the Hello Kitty fan there, yea, that one wearing the purple Hello Kitty dress.

She was a little disappointed that it was Hello Kitty’s childhood friend, Dear Daniel that held her hand at the Meet and Greet, and wished she was standing where Ben stood instead.

Check out that grumpy Hello-I-am-a-Hello-Kitty-fan-not-Dear-Daniel-fan face.

But oh well, I know she’s still happy to have watched her dance and sing, and even happier that Mama’s brought her out this holiday to meet someone really special to her.

More details:

School’s out! Celebrate with Hello Kitty, Dear Daniel and My Melody as they entertain you with song and dance live on stage only at City Square Mal – tomorrow’s the last day to do so at 1pm, 4pm and 7pm!

Redeem a Meet & Greet pass 45 mins prior to each show with $50 spent. (Limited to 50 passes per show, redeemable at L1 stage area) Purrfect for a photo for keepsake for all Hello Kitty fans out there!

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