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If you’ve been around Raffles Place area last week, you might have seen the Philips’ Take Care installation. It’s part of The ‘+’ Project initiative by Philips that encourages people to improve their health and well-being.

Together with the artists of the Organisation of Illustrators Council, they came up with 7 really cute magnet designs that featured different themes to be given out to passers-by. The 3 I really liked were the Taking Care of Work Life Balance, Taking Care of Eyes and Taking Care of Young Children ones.

Because your views matter most, they have designed a survey to find out what are the key areas affecting Singaporeans’ health and well-being. It’s a quick 5-minute survey (maybe 2 if you’ve got lightning fingers) where you get to vote for your favorite initiatives. The initiative with the most votes gets funded by Philips and you also get a chance to win $10,000 in prizes.

I’ve voted for mine (Healthier School, Brighter Kids – no surprise there) and I’m really looking forward to seeing it happen.

Go check it out here.

If you’re a child of the 90’s, you’ll remember the original Furby, the toy that every kid wanted to lay their hands on. It’s a gremlin-lookalike animatronic toy that sings, dances, eats, sleeps, wiggles and chatters in a language called Furbish. It’s like having a supercool pet, one that  didn’t poop and could talk back to you.

I was in Secondary School when Furby version 1 came out and I remember thinking it was kind of cool. Ok, yes, I totally wanted one.

Fast forward almost 15 years and Furby is back looking all shiny and new, this time with improved techy features. It’s got LED-eyes that fill up with little hearts when it’s happy and turns into flames when it’s upset. It’s smartphone compatible and comes with its own Furby app on the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad. It’s also got a mind of its own and will develop a personality depending on how it’s treated. So you can end up with a Furby that’s all sunshine and rainbows or a psychotic evil Furby, it’s all up to you.

Hasbro sent over a Furby for the kids and it’s like Christmas came early for them. They absolutely LOVE this little red furball.

I mean, I can see why it’s every toddler’s dream. It’s like a schizophrenic robot animal on speed – it doesn’t sit still, talks gibberish non stop, makes strange grunting sounds, giggles like a little girl and those beady LED eyes are darting everywhere all the time. Also, it changes its personality and voice at will. One moment it’s singing in a high-pitched girly voice and next thing you know, it goes “I’M CHANGING”, has a seizure, then turns into Darth Maul.

The kids think it’s hilarious. It’s also driving me insane.

One of them will hold Furby while the other one uses the Furby app on my iPhone to talk to it, make it dance and feed it moldy sandwiches. There are like a hundred different kinds of food to choose from but for some reason, they’ll assemble this burger, feed it to Furby and yell out MOLDY SANDWICHES before breaking out in uncontrollable giggles. Maybe it’s a sign of age but I seriously don’t get it.

Other times, they’ll hug it, tickle it, dangle it upside down while it alternates between squawks, coos and screeches. This Furby’s favorite song is now Gangnam Style and the kids will play it 20,000 times on loop just to see it do its crazy dance.

Me, I like Furby best when it’s sleeping, which it does if you ignore it long enough. It’ll be all like “TALK TO ME…OOH EY NAH GOO AHHHH KEETAY BOOOOO” and I’m like OMG JUST BE QUIET AND GO TO SLEEP ALREADY. And did I mention that there’s no OFF switch? The only way to make it stop is stuff your fingers in your ears, hope for the best and wait for it to get tired.

It’s exactly like having kids, except I can stuff Furby under a blanket to drown out the noise when it gets too annoying.

Now that I think about it, maybe that’s why they love it so much. They’ll all huddle together and whisper “ok let’s go drive momma crazy muahahahahahha…”

If you’re thinking of getting a Furby, it’s available in six colors and four more colours will be available by year-end.  Furby retails at $119.90 and it’s available at Toys “R” Us, major department stores and selected electronic stores such as EpiCentre, EpiLife, I-Studio, Infinite and nübox.

Your kids will love it to bits but do it at your own peril. You’ve been warned.

I do a lot of online shopping, which is exactly like actual shopping except less tiring and I can do it with one finger.

Especially since so much of my time is now taken up by breastfeeding and expressing milk, I multitask by getting some retail therapy in the process. Every feeding session, I spend like the first 3 minutes making googly eyes at Finn and when he goes all milk comatose on me, I spend the next 25 minutes using my spare hand to do a bit of shopping.

I typically shop for kids’ stuff, adult stuff (no, not that kind of adult stuff), home stuff – basically everything from bags to book to bra extender hooks (yes, it’s a thing). Well, everything except for groceries because there just isn’t an online grocery store that’s compelling enough.

Until now, at least.

I just made my first purchase at RedMart and I’m really quite pleased with how convenient and fuss-free it is. Which makes me wonder why I haven’t been doing this sooner. The range is extensive (with over 4,000 items in stock) and all the items are conveniently categorized for easy browsing. I like how clean the interface is, so all I need to do is add to cart –> checkout –> pay and I’m done with several clicks.

And making payment doesn’t get any more convenient. You can pay via credit card or PayPal on site or by cash, cheque or credit card swipe upon delivery. That pretty much covers all the possible payment options, maybe except barter trade, which people don’t do much of these days. They should though. I’d be all “good sir, I’ll offer 2 chickens in exchange for a bottle of that fine dishwashing liquid and that pack of gum.”

How about the prices, you ask? It’s very competitive and I know because I take my bargain hunting very seriously. I’ve got auntie superpowers when it comes to grocery shopping – I cross check all the prices and make the husband detour to a different supermarket because the toilet paper is $0.75 cheaper. There’s even a RedDealz section with all the latest promotions, which is where I recommend you start your browsing. You’re welcome.

So after you’re done shopping, you can arrange to have everything delivered to your doorstep within the same day (if you order before 10am). Delivery is free with a minimum spend of $75 and when you have a house full of hungry kids, hitting $75 on groceries is easy peasy. Free shipping means I no longer have to struggle with bags of groceries while herding the kids like a crazy person. Just click and everything appears at my house like magic.

I could totally get used to this.

Alright, since we haven’t had a giveaway for a while, let’s have a good one. There’s a $75 credit (free shipping, yay!) at RedMart up for grabs and all you need to do is list down the 3 items you’d definitely get from the store.

Here’s mine:

Leave a comment with your answer below and a winner will be randomly selected. Remember to fill in your email address so I can contact you. Contest closes on 5 October (Friday) 2359hrs. *Open to Singapore residents only.

And because we are all winners, everyone gets 10% off your entire purchase at RedMart (first time orders, not applicable to baby formula). Just key in the code  “motherinc” upon checkout to enjoy the discount.

Happy shopping!

*UPDATED: Congrats to Jaslyn, winner of the $75 Redmart store credit. An email is heading your way, do get back to me with your details to claim your prize. And thanks to everyone for joining the contest. Till next time!

Advertorial

I’m not very handy in the kitchen so I have to rely on handy kitchen aids to make my culinary escapades a lot less painful.

Actually, it’s not the cooking itself that’s annoying but the chopping, cutting and prep work, which can easily take 30-60 minutes per meal. Now, I can come up with many other more productive ways to use my 60 minutes, and standing around chopping chicken does not rank high on my list of fun things to do. Throw in the fact that I’m not very skilled at slicing raw meat so the process is a time-consuming and frustrating one.

Thanks to the 3M folks, I recently tried the Scotch 3M Kitchen Scissors and it is now one of my favorite kitchen tools. When it comes to kitchen scissors, I’m not particular about fancy schmancy functions. I only have one requirement, which is to be as sharp as possible, so I can cut through stuff quickly and easily.

The last time I tried cutting a raw chicken with a pair of scissors, it wasn’t a pleasant experience at all. It just wouldn’t cut through the meat cleanly and I had to use both hands (and a lot of force) to press down on the scissors and even then, it was a struggle. And I really don’t like struggling with a dead chicken. 30 minutes in, I could feel the chicken mocking me, like “hah, not so easy to eat me now, is it?”

So naturally, I did the chicken test with the 3M scissors.

The verdict is that this is one badass pair of scissors because it cuts through raw meat like paper. With a little bit of extra force, it even cuts through bone. Just let me say that the next dead chicken that thinks it can put up a fight ain’t going to be having the last laugh.

Besides being tough enough to cut through meat, it’s also delicate enough to cut through any kind of food item you can think of. Bread? Easy peasy. Boiled eggs? No problem. Vegetables? I could do it blindfolded while carrying a kid. Ok, you probably don’t want to try the blindfold bit but I’m just saying that it can be done.

If you’re the sort who’s into the frills, you’d be happy to know that the scissors are detachable, which makes them easy to wash and also kind of cool because it’s not just 1 pair of scissors but hey look, now it’s 2 separate blades! Also, it’s corrosion-resistant and reduces bacteria breeding.

*3M is having a contest to give away 10 pairs of Scotch™ Premium Kitchen Scissors. All you have to do to take part is answer the following question.

“Scotch™ Premium Kitchen Scissors helps to reduce bacteria breeding for better food safety. True or False?”

Send your answer (along with your full name, NRIC, mobile number and email address) with the subject title “Mother Inc: Scotch™ Premium Kitchen Scissors Contest” to officebiz@mmm.com by 27 August 2012.

If you don’t know the answer, let me give you a hint: Read the post. y’all!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of 3M. All opinions and text are my own.

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.