Yearly Archives

2012

events

UPDATED: New diapers for old

August 6, 2012

Went to the Drypers Best Ever Swap event at United Square atrium yesterday and the place was unbelievably packed. But totally understandable, given that everyone who brought a used diaper wrapper could exchange it for a new pack of Drypers Wee Wee Dry or Drypantz. It was brilliant – get new diapers for an old, empty packaging.

Sort of like Aladdin’s lamp, except without the sorcerer and way more fun.

For starters, there was Bippy and Dippy, the Drypers mascots. If you haven’t seen the new Drypers designs, these are the 2 characters adorning all the diapers.

And then there was a balloon sculptor and a roving magician to keep kids occupied while the parents were queuing for their diapers. As well as popcorn and candy floss stations, which the kids obviously enjoyed.

I even did an interview in Mandarin with YES 933 DJs Jiafa and Peifen. Yes, in Mandarin. The husband was skeptical, like “Do you even know enough Chinese words to last 30 seconds?” and turns out, I haven’t forgotten all my years of Chinese classes. Ok, I cheated with some English words but 90% of the conversation was held in Mandarin so that’s quite an achievement. Hopefully they understood what I was saying but then Jiafa and Peifen were nodding the whole time so I take it that they got me. Either that or they’re just really nice.

Kirsten though, just looked at me like “What are you saying, mommy? Why you never talk ang moh?“

Girl’s gotta go for some Chinese lessons pronto.

*UPDATED: Great news, if you didn’t manage to head down to United Square to do your Drypers Swap on Sunday, you’ll have another chance to do it because it is back by popular demand. Due to the overwhelming response, the Drypers team will be extending the Drypers Swap and better yet, brining it to a neighborhood near you. Roving trucks will be deployed across the island from 9-12 August so all you need to do is spot the trucks do the swap.

9 August: Sengkang, Bedok, Jurong East

10 August: Punggol, Bedok, Jurong East

11 August: Sembawang, Tampines, Jurong West

12 August: Sembawang, Tampines, Jurong West

Get updates on the locations via the Drypers Page.

This is part 5 of a series of sponsored conversations on behalf of Drypers Singapore. All opinions and text are my own.

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coolest kids ever

I spy with my little eye

August 3, 2012

Truett has been complaining about some discomfort in his eyes so we brought him for an eye-check at the doctor’s yesterday just to be safe. As part of the procedure, the doctor got him to put on the special eye-patch glasses (where 1 eye gets covered at a time) to test his eyesight.

It looks like he’s got slight myopia because when the doctor got to the last row of numbers, he started squinting and couldn’t really make out what they were.

Doctor: Can you tell me what this number is?

Truett: *squinting and tilting his head in various directions to get a clearer view

There was a long pause as Tru was trying to figure out the number on the screen, then a voice quipped from next to him. “It’s 6, kor kor. Number 6!”

Obviously, I had to shush the little one so she wouldn’t interfere with the test results.

Me: Kirsten, no helping. Kor kor is supposed to do this himself.

Kirsten: Ok ok fine.

Doctor: How about this number? What number is this?

Truett: *pause

Kirsten: 3! Number 3!!

Me: Hey, shhhhh, no helping!

Doctor: Truett, how about this one?

Truett: *pause

I gave Kirsten my stern mommy look to make sure she kept quiet, which sort of worked because even though she kept fidgeting and inching closer to her brother, she didn’t say a word. Until finally, she couldn’t help it and she whispered to Tru: “9. Just say 9.”

I had to physically restrain her to stop her from talking but it was also quite sweet that she went to such lengths to help him. I guess that’s what siblings are for.

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giveaways reviews ads

Travel Packing Tips

August 1, 2012

Advertorial

When you’re traveling with  kids, you realize that the packing process is actually really important.

On the one hand, you don’t want overpack and end up lugging around all that unnecessary weight in a ginormous suitcase while having to herd 2 hyperactive kids. But on the other hand, running out of supplies at night in a foreign land isn’t exactly one of those precious memories you want to have of the trip.

In other words, efficiency is the key.

Here are a couple of packing tips if you’re planning to travel with kids.

1. Milk Powder Sachets

Instead of bringing along a whole tin of milk powder, get those that come in handy little travel sachets. It’s easier to compress and you only need to open one pack each time.

2. Vacuum Travel Bags

There are several varieties but the most common ones come with a ziploc seal and a valve to let out the air. If you haven’t tried them, you really should because these babies are quite amazing in saving you space in the luggage.

3. Drypers DRYPantz Diapers

Unlike in Singapore, there isn’t always the luxury of a clean and pretty babies room so instead of struggling with tape diapers, go for the much more convenient pull-up pants version so diaper changes can be done on the fly.

Even with kids who are toilet trained, DRYPantz comes in really handy in situations where there’s no usable toilet in sight. Like have you ever noticed that on a long haul flight, the plane toilets are decent for the first 2-3 hours before it becomes completely unusable? I don’t know if it’s the air pressure or the stress of being cooped up that long that makes people misfire all over the toilet but as the flight progresses, the toilets are usually in varying states of grossness and passengers start to turn a little green from having to hold it in.

Also, you know how kids tend to forget that they need to pee whenever they’re having too much fun? This needs some research but I’m fairly certain that the level of fun they are having is directly proportionate to the likelihood that they are going to pee in their pants. To prevent this sort of accident from happening, DRYPantz them up just in case (and yes, I just used DRYPantz as a verb).

That way, they can still pull it down easily when they remember to pee and if not, well, crisis averted.

During our recent trip to Gold Coast, we brought along a whole pack of the all new Best Ever Drypers DRYPantz, which turned out to be a real lifesaver. We used to pack 3 different types of diapers on every trip (tape diapers for the day, pants diapers and night diapers), which was kind of ridiculous because the diapers alone would take up half a luggage. I like how the new DRYPantz is absorbent enough to last the night, so we could use it day or night.

It also now comes in XXL size for a better fit if you happen to have kids with a larger bottom. If they have it any bigger, I’d totally wear it because this baby is squishing my bladder to the point where I’m having to run to the toilet every 20 minutes. During one of the drives, we were stuck in a jam when I badly needed to pee and the husband was all “just wear a diaper, I won’t judge you.”

Turns out that I couldn’t fit but if I could, I would have done it in a diaper. I’ve been pregnant enough times to know that pregnancy leaves you very little room for modesty. Just sayin’.

*If you haven’t tried the new Best Ever Drypers DRYPantz, you’ll be happy to know that Drypers will be having a “Best Ever Drypers Swap” on 5 August at United Square shopping mall’s atrium from 10am to 8pm. Just bring down an old diaper wrapper to exchange for a brand new pack of the Best Ever Drypers Wee Wee DRY or Drypers DRYPantz  absolutely free. More details here.

This is part 4 of a series of sponsored conversations on behalf of Drypers Singapore. All opinions and text are my own.

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pregnancy

Birth Plans

July 31, 2012

Lately, all my dreams have been about giving birth.

Just 2 nights ago, I dreamt that I needed to go in for an emergency c-section and the gynae started brandishing a cleaver like Daniel “The Butcher” Day-Lewis in Gangs of New York. I was still calmly asking him if it was necessary to use a knife that big and he was all “we’re out of scalpels but don’t worry, everything is under control” while twirling his moustache. And the most disconcerting thing about the whole dream? I was less concerned about the cleaver and more about the fact that my gynae doesn’t even have a moustache. I just saw him last week and the guy was clean shaven, then a week later, he’s got facial hair long enough to twirl.

Then last night, I dreamt that I was in labor. Like actual screamy, panic-inducing, BABY’S COMING NOW kind of labor. My dreams don’t usually translate into real pain but last night’s dream had my stomach all up in knots. It turned out to be a particularly bad case of middle-of-the-night-diarrhea but the point is that my brain managed to conjure up a whole dream scenario to give some context to the pain.

I’m no expert on interpreting dreams because they usually never mean what I think it means but I see a theme here and I’m going out on a limb to say that I’m about ready to pop.

So I figured I might as well be productive and come up with a proper birth plan. For the previous 2 kids, my entire plan was to arrive at the hospital and start yelling for an epidural. But after some serious consideration, I’m going to attempt a medication-free labor. I have to at least try this once and see how far I can go without having to stick a needle up my spine.

To make the process easier (or at least provide some distraction from the pain), I’ve come up with a list of things I’ll need in the delivery ward.

1. Music – Chariots of Fire by Vangelis (on repeat), followed by Deshi Basara (the epic Bane chant from the Dark Knight Rises) during the pushing phase.

2. Movies/Dramas – Every episode of Game of Thrones from the past 2 seasons. Now’s not the time to be watching namby pamby characters whining about their romantic interests (I’m looking at you, Ted Mosby). It’s time to go for some Ned Stark level of brutal medieval action.

3. Mobility – The good thing about not having epidural is that I won’t have to be confined to the bed. I’m going to try every yoga position possible to see if it helps with the pain management. If I have to squat to deliver the baby, I’m going to do it.

The husband says that this time, he’s going to film the entire birth process and make it into a snazzy video and I made him a promise that if he so much as brings any image capturing device near my birth-giving parts, I will personally get off the delivery table and beat him unconscious with said device.

If you have any birth plan recommendations, do share!

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Disney•Pixar’s Brave

July 29, 2012

So last weekend, we were given tickets to attend the Gala Premiere of Disney•Pixar’s latest movie, Brave @ The Cathay.

I was really looking forward to it the whole week because a) I’m a huge Disney•Pixar fan and b) I’ve seen the trailer and I was 98% sure Kirsten was going to LOVE it.

Before I go any further, just two words: nailed it.

Without giving anything away, the movie does feel more Disney-esque as compared to the usual Pixar offerings. There’s Merida, the (admittedly feisty) Princess, the shackles of family obligation, and the quest to break free in order to live your dream. Well, she does turn her mother into a bear with a magic spell in the process but hey, we’ve all been there. Your mom is being unreasonable, no problem – just feed her a cake to turn her into a grizzly so she stops nagging.

I, for one, am going to be very careful about eating stuff my kids feed me when they’re upset.

That aside, the movie is pretty much an epic adventure that’s full of heart, memorable characters (love the triplets) and the signature Pixar humor that appeals to both kids and adults alike. The animation is stellar as usual and the scripting is tight and well-delivered.

With the movie set in the Highlands of Scotland, you can be sure that there’ll be lots of bagpipes, men running around in plaid skirts and that cute Scottish accent. In short, you’ll definitely be in for a blast.

During the premiere event, there was also a Brave Games activity area set up outside The Cathay, complete with redheads and a dude playing a bagpipe.

On the way home, Kirsten turned to me and said, “I want my hair to be red and curly like the princess.”

Um, we’ll just have to see about that.

*The film opens in Singapore theaters on 8 August 2012, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™

For more details, you can subscribe to the Youtube channel, follow on Twitter and go like the Facebook page, where you’ll be able to do cool stuff like create your own Brave Family Tree.

And if you haven’t had a chance to watch the trailer, here you go.

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Kidspeak, pregnancy

Fact: Kids make you fat.

July 27, 2012

For my mid afternoon snack yesterday, I made myself a grilled cheese with tomato sandwich. I usually have several slices of bacon with my grilled cheese in lieu of anything resembling a vegetable, but during my gynae appointment on Monday, I was told that my weight gain is getting “alarmingly rapid”.

After keeping my weight gain to just 8 kg in 32 weeks, I’ve put on another 3 kg in the last month alone, of which only 200 grams belong to the baby.

I guess that counts as alarming.

Also, I hate you, last trimester hormones.

So I was sitting at the kitchen table trying to enjoy my vegetable sandwich and not think about bacon when the kids came sauntering in.

Tru: What are you having, mommy?

Me: A sandwich. Want some?

Both: Me, me, I want!

Kirsten took a bite and immediately started making gagging faces before letting the whole gooey lump fall out of her mouth.

Kirsten: That’s not a sandwich. It’s gross.

Me: What do you mean it’s not a sandwich? It’s a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich. And it’s not gross.

Ok, it was totally gross but if I was going to endure a vegetable sandwich, they were going to suffer together with me.

Kirsten: Sandwich is not s’posed to have tomato…where’s the bacon?

Me: Guys, we’re not going to have bacon for a while because mommy’s on a diet. It’s vegetables for everyone yay!!

Tru: What’s a diet?

Me: A diet is when mommy needs to eat less to lose weight, and I’m not allowed to have bacon.

Tru: Because you’re becoming fat?

Me: Hey, I’m pregnant, there’s a difference. And it’s because of you guys that I’m even in this predicament.

Tru: But Truett and mei mei are not fat what. We can have bacon, you eat the vegetables.

If you must know, they got their bacon sandwich and I might have snuck one or two slices into mine as well.

For the record, if I get really fat, it’s definitely the kids’ fault. All 3 of them.

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picture perfect

Street Fighter

July 25, 2012

I can’t quite make up my mind about Thai boxing.

It’s a tad too brutal for my liking and there’s no way I’m ever going to send my kids for boxing lessons to have them come home with a bloody lip or missing a tooth.

But it’s so cool though. I mean, Ong Bak?

When we saw this pair of boxing shorts during our last trip to Bangkok, I just couldn’t resist.

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