Christy @ Kidsrsimple, Author at Kids 'R' Simple

2015 reflections and thoughts

2015 is coming to an end and each year end, I view it as an important time to reflect on what I had done right and what I had done wrong in the past one year. I like it to be a recap of the happy times we had in the one whole year too. Unhappy times are history. We want to welcome the brand new year with a brand new start.

Work and Blogging

I had a busy year juggling work and family as well as blogging.

Work was super busy and it got busier towards the second part of the year. It took up lots of my family time which I hated but not able to do much about it. I even contemplated quitting without the readiness of being a SAHM. Of course, the SAHM thought will always be on my mind till the day I fulfil this long awaited wish. Hopefully come 2016, this wish will not be too far away.

Blogging has been a good hobby for me as it is therapeutic and a good avenue to sort out my thoughts and plans. However, with the kids growing up so fast, I need to take care of their feelings when I post pictures and their nit bits of life with permission. Many times, I find myself in a dilemma of whether to continue blogging or not and also now and then hit by blog envy. But blogging is really giving me and my family Continue reading “2015 reflections and thoughts”

Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour – great price, great food, great location

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If you are looking for an alternative to staying in Legoland Hotel, and simply want to stay near Legoland, Sanrio Hello Kitty Town or The Little Big Club, then Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour is a top recommendation for you.

Legoland is about a 5 min drive away from the hotel, and next to Hotel Jen are Hello Kitty Town and The Little Big Club.

With its proximity to Singapore, Hotel Jen is a 15-minute drive from the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link , i.e., without JAM!

Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour, being a 4 star hotel with good standard hotel rooms and great hotel facilities, plus an impressive breakfast spread, the price of Malaysian Ringgit $455 per night for a Deluxe Harbour View room (SGD150++) is super affordable! Continue reading “Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour – great price, great food, great location”

What Christmas means to me…

December is my favourite month in the whole year. First of all, it is one of the coolest month in the year and the wintry snowy image always comes to mind. Secondly, it is the last month of the year, and it means that a new year and new beginning is approaching. Thirdly, I receive my bonus in this month and usually I indulge myself and my family a little more by spending that little more. Lastly, December has Dongzhi Festival or Winter Solstice Festival (冬至) and Christmas Day, which are 2 great occasions for my family to get together.

We are not a Christian nor Catholic family, but we love to celebrate Christmas in our own happy ways. I always respect how Christmas is celebrated in churches, and how my Christian and Catholic friends celebrated in their traditional ways.

It probably started with the childhood TVC jingle “Metro Christmas Magic…” which I can still hum out the song at a snap of the fingers. And it also gets associated with my childhood memories of a rare Christmas period visit to a Metro store full of white Teddies. My parents hardly bought us any presents as we were from humble background. But on that particular day during Christmas to the Metro store, they bought us a set of UNO cards to play.

Childhood memories last forever, especially if they are beautiful ones. My parents gave me a memorable childhood in simple ways. I was brought up in a strong foundation of love and this guided me on how I would want to give my own children their memorable childhood and a contented one.

Our first Christmas tree was set up in our house when Missy was only 1 yo. From then on, this Christmas tree has stayed with us year after year till today. It still looks as good.

Christmas tree at home

This was bought for the kids and they decorated by putting in pompoms, stars and glitter.

For the kids, setting up the Christmas tree has become a tradition and something to look forward to as a family bonding activity. Continue reading “What Christmas means to me…”

Our family 5D4N HongKong-Macau Recommended Places To Go

We had an enjoyable time in HongKong and Macau in June this year. We always try to bring our parents to a holiday trip out of Singapore every year ever since we have kids. For as long as we can afford and our parents can walk the trip with us, we will strive to bring them to at least one country for holiday. This time round, we went on a 5D4N trip with 2 nights in HK and 2 nights in Macau. And there are some absolutely places that we think are worth staying, going and dining! Also, check out where I got cheap tickets to these attractions 🙂

HongKong Itinerary – Recommended places to stay, places to go and places to eat

Where to Stay – Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong

Address: 1 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

Phone:+852 2802 8888

Website: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/hkghv-renaissance-hong-kong-harbour-view-hotel/

This hotel is in Wanchai and near the Harbour. We can go to Hong Kong island by ferry which takes around 5 minutes, faster than MRT.

Boat trip from Kowloon to Hongkong

We had an adjoining room with 2 grandparents and the room was big enough to accomodate the 5 of us. On one evening, we saw a platter of fruits plus macaroons in our room and that pleased my girl so much that she rated this hotel as the best that she had ever stayed. Just because of the macaroons. Kids are so easy to please 🙂 The hotel rooftop pool was also our kids’ favourite.

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Rennaisance pool

One plus point about this hotel is that it is pretty near to many tourist spots. It is not so far from The Peak too.

Where to go – 1) The Peak and Madam Tussauds

Address: Victoria Peak, click on this link to see how you can get here

Phone: (852) 2522 0922

Website: https://www.thepeak.com.hk/en/

Before the trip, we bought the tickets to Madam Tussauds online which had a 40% discount!! That is pretty steep discount. So, please buy the tickets before you travel to HK. Continue reading “Our family 5D4N HongKong-Macau Recommended Places To Go”

No Longer A Laidback Mum in Academics

Being a mum is a constant learning journey.

Each child is different and I have to craft my mothering skills differently on each child, be it nurturing his/her character or be involved in his/her academics.

I used to think that I will be a Laid Back Mum in Academics for as long as I like and my children will turn out fine studying by themselves, just like how I did it myself. How wrong I was.

After my girl failed her P3 Math exam last year, it was a kind of wake up call that my child may need me to be involved in her studies to some extent. I will not hold her hand forever and still will not load her with tuition and endless helicoptering over her studies such that she will be turned off by me. But I will guide her along when she needs my help or if I see that she NEEDS my help. Children may not know and may not always be so initiative when it comes to academics. I need to be more aware of their signals for help.

Imagine my elation when she came back to tell me she had scored 84/100 for her P4 SA2 Math exam!

This was from a “F” in P3 SA2 Math to a pass of 54 marks in P4 SA1 Math exam to an Ace (in my own mummy ranking) in P4 SA2 Math exam!

Not only that, she scored well across all subjects this time round and her friend actually told her that she should get the BEST IMPROVEMENT award 🙂

Best part is Missy 10 said this one evening when I was at the dining table: Continue reading “No Longer A Laidback Mum in Academics”