These little people brightens up my life every time I see them! =D

I feel blessed that I am in a cell group full of parents and kids. Even though our cell group meetings are unlike most cell group meetings (ours is very rowdy with baby cries, children playing in the background etc!), but it feels like family. =) The mothers gather together and talk about their kids & fashion. The dads gather together and talk about work, soccer & gadgets. The children just make a lot of noise generally. But it’s the rowdiness that defines us. =P

 

This is Adrian, one of our cell group members and also my cousin-in-law. He happens to be Joey’s most favourite uncle now! =D

This is one of the 2 new babies who joined us for cell group meeting last week! A cute girl girl with a head full of thick locks!!! =D

My cell group rocks! =D

As some of you may already know, Papa Isaiah recently joined a contest on the Dads For Life website.

HE NEEDS YOUR VOTE!

He basically submitted an article about his experience as a father and as a son, and the article was selected in a weekly draw and he won $500 IKEA voucher! The contest is still on-going, and the top entry with the most number of votes will win the grand prize of $3000 family travel voucher!

You can click on the following direct link and vote for his entry!

http://contest.dadsforlife.sg/Entries/13

I think Papa Isaiah really wrote a very heartfelt and touching piece and it’s worth every vote! Please help, please help, please help! =D

Thanks in advance! =D

Unarguably, the papa is a very important figure in the life of a kid.

Of course, the mama has a tougher time. She cleans, she feeds, she changes, she pats, she comforts, she reads bedtime stories. She does all the dirty jobs, and yet, on truth always stands:

THE GIRLS LOVE THEIR DADDY. They do. Even though he is the main disciplinarian in the house.

Some people say daughters will always prefer their daddies over their mummies. Daddy’s girl. Mummy’s boy. The logic goes like that and is supposed to be fair that way. No matter how much the Papa disciplines them, chides them, or ignores their requests, the Papa always holds a special place in their hearts.

And you know, how people always say that girls look for boyfriends & husbands who possess the same traits as their Daddy. They need to find someone they can respect, idolize and love.

And I am glad that their Papa is indeed someone they can look up to, adore and idolize. In my eyes, he is a wonderful man. A most wonderful one. =)

 

My heart warms up every time I see the girls interact with their Papa. It is a very endearing sight. =)

When Papa is around, everything feels RIGHT! =)

I love my kid. She may complain once in a while about going to Children’s Church (mostly because she wants to stick to me), but most of the time, she enjoys worshipping God and doing the activities in Children’s Church. For me as a mum, I don’t really care at this point whether she remembers anything she learns from church. As long as she is in church every weekend, I’m happy. My wish is for my kids to grow up in the House of God, and that they will discover Jesus for themselves.

And so, when I saw my Joey serving fervently in church last Sunday, I felt so proud of her. :)

This is the huge play gym in church – the favourite place for all the children in our church every weekend. They have a crazy time playing there before and after service (gym is closed during service because all the children go attend Children’s Church services).

See the big ball pool? Our Children’s Church workers faithfully washes and cleans every single ball on Sunday after the last service ends. They have to upkeep a strict level of hygiene and cleanliness because of the many children who play in it every week. But frankly speaking, it’s very hard work!

They have to first scoop out all the balls (hundreds of them!), pour them all into a big pool of water, wash, scrub and wipe dry every ball before storing them in containers. They have many workers who work together to get the job done, and sometimes, some children volunteers as well.

And see who I spotted!

MY JOEY!!!

I stood there watching her as she helped the teachers keep the balls and she was her usual self – Yakking non-stop, calling out her favourite teachers’ names, kept shouting out commands, ‘Pass me the bucket!’, ‘Teacher, here comes the balls!’, ‘Work faster!!!’…

Very amusing. =)

And actually, very heart-warming as I watched, because all the teachers knew her by name, chatting with her, and kept telling me how fun and helpful she was. =) This is truly a family! My daughter is loved by many! =)

Joey taught me that it’s never too young to start serving. A willing and happy heart is all that it takes. She was just giving her best and even though she may be small and not able to work as fast as the adults, she was happy to be able to play a part with whatever she had. That’s a wonderful attitude! Thumbs-up, Joey!!! =D

Are you one of those who always pass by Friven & Co building along Tanglin, but has never stepped into it before? :)

On Sunday, we brought the kids there for lunch after service, because I heard that there was a hidden gem there, called the Tanglin Tree! Read till the end to find out why this place is so special!

Stepping into the restaurant, I was immediately welcomed by the very white, clean and sleek interiors.

You could immediately tell that it was a kids-friendly restaurant because of the stacks and stacks of high-chairs outside the restaurant, and many strollers parked there as well. Obviously, many parents have discovered this place for a perfect Sunday brunch or just a chill-out place for parents and kids to hang out.

On one side of the wall, there’s a full-length shelf displaying toys, storybooks and magazines. Very useful for entertaining the kids while waiting for the food to come. =)

I requested for crayons and paper for Joey, and they promptly brought me some as well.

This place is unique because it’s pretty atas, and usually atas restaurants are not kids-friendly. But this restaurant probably came about because of the many expatriates living in the area. Expect to spend $30 per pax in this place, even for lunch. Kids’ meals are also slightly on the high-end of minimum $10, including a juice.

Still, I had a great time in that place because my kids could make noise playing with the toys they provided, and nobody would take a second look at us. There’re so many other parents and kids around too, that’s why! The very clean and bright environment made the dining a very lovely experience. Good place to chill out, really.

Check out the food we ordered!

Macaroni & Cheese for Joey..  Very rich & creamy.

Joey enjoyed it with her apple juice! 

Ordered a small portion of mashed potatoes for Jayne, but she didn’t really take to it, cos it actually tasted of wasabi! I thought it tasted pretty cool, cos there was a tinge of zing in it. =P But not very suitable for kids obviously.

My tortilla chicken wrap, which was juicy & yummy! Comes with my favourite french fries even, only at $15! I thought mine was pretty worth it. =)

Papa Isaiah’s sirloin steak, which was served all sliced up for him. This one costs $25. Pretty costly for sliced up steak?

The highlight of this place is really not the restaurant itself. It’s the kids’ play area outside known as ‘The Tanglin Treehouse’.

When we reached there, it was right after a heavy downpour, so the kids can’t really play in the playground as it’s one big sand pit transformed into a muddy pit. But since we were already there, Joey went in for a quick walkabout. We can always come back again on another sunny day for some fun! =)

There’re swings at the lower deck of the treehouse.

Going up the stairs to the treehouse itself.. I like it that the whole treehouse is wooden. :)

I can imagine how fun this is for kids. They can run everywhere, slide down and go up again, play with the sand… Too bad it was raining that day!!

Check out the toy trucks at the sand area. They’re kindly prepared by the restaurant, for kids to play with. =)

There is even a very stable dangling bridge in the middle of the treehouse, which Joey very cleverly avoided.

Love the colours of the wooden planks. =)

The treehouse is cool because it can entertain the kids for hours while the adults eat their meals in peace at the alfresco dining area just next to the play area. =)

After checking out the treehouse, we were on our way back to the carpark when we saw that the Halloween mood was building up at the entrance of Friven & Co shop! I love the bright colours so much!!!!

Really nice place! We’ll be back again! =D

The Tanglin Tree
56 Tanglin Road
Spore 247964