One scorching hot morning, I brought the girls to the Woodlands Waterfront Park for a breakfast picnic because Papa Isaiah went out to do something and we were home alone (and bored). I must be crazy to do such a thing because the sun was merciless! Nevertheless, we had fun, so I might repeat this crazy stint again another day.

I brought along a red-checkered to be laid on the grass as a mat, which totally set the mood for a picnic, short of a picnic basket.

Woodlands Waterfront Park was deserted on a Monday morning. Expectedly so, since everyone else should be at work. We were the only souls around except for another elderly man doing his morning walk and a bicycle whose owner is no where in sight.

Well, the plan was to have a nice leisurely breakfast picnic with my girls (We even went to buy breakfast & snacks before that!), but the girls won't follow my script of course. While I was setting up my dreamy picnic spot, they have already sprinted off to the playground. How can breakfast compare to the attractive playground? Doesn't even come close.

After a while, I managed to get the girls to detach themselves away from the playground and sit down on my beautiful picnic mat for a bite. My 'vision' of having a breakfast picnic with my girls came to pass! I must say having breakfast outdoors under the sun on the grass makes the breakfast more delicious. =P Even the tau sa bao that Joey ate tasted exceptionally good. Haahaa.

Barely 10 minutes in the park, Baby Jayne has already fallen down and hurt her knees. Poor gal. Thankfully, there was Ribena to the rescue! =P

It was a nice feeling to do something on a spur out of the usual routine, such as moving our breakfast table to a nice park. Even a simple thing like this can break the monotony of a normal day. =)

We had a relaxing time at the park eating our breakfast and snacks, while chatting about anything and everything. I love simple family time like this. =)

After breakfast, it's playground time part 2. The kids loved playing on the swing. But they were the happiest because Papa Isaiah managed to join us!

Joey also learnt how to swing herself without anyone pushing her! Bravo!

I love the smiles on their faces. =D

The sun was really hot that morning, and I had to settle back on my beloved mat for a rest, while calling the girls back for water parade periodically. If it was not so warm, I would love to spend more time at the park reading a book. That would be so lovely.

Just look at how much Joey was sweating! Good workout in the morning. =)

When we left the park a couple of hours later, it was still just as deserted. =P

Oh what a happy morning we had. =)

Baby Jayne attends the two-year-old Children's Church service every Sunday. She's just turned three, so that means technically, she should move on to the class for three-year-olds. But I've been procrastinating the move because it took her a while to get used to the current class and teachers, and now she speaks fondly of all her teachers in the class. Shifting her out now seems such a bad thing to do! =P

The first part of the service is always free play time, and I watch how she interacts with the teachers in the class, and I know she really likes them. There is an area in the room for parents to sit and watch the main church service happening outside in the main hall with headsets, and she hardly ever disturbs me there. Although she hasn't agreed that I can leave her in the room by herself, but she'd play with the teachers and let me watch the service in peace most of the time.

Yes, by the way, I was coerced into spending $3.60 on this kitty that 8127813789353726123087 other people have as well. It's not even cute. =.= But it's given this little girl a little bit of joy, so I guess it's a small price to pay.

Apparently, many other little girls covet this kitty as well, and some were seen trying to snatch it away from her in class. =P That explains her buay song expression.

Last weekend, the class celebrated May babies' birthdays! Baby Jayne and fellow CG friend, Jovan (along with several others) stood in front as everyone sang birthday song to them. Interestingly, Baby Jayne who always stood right at the front during praise and worship, and music & movement, was so shy that she kept running back to me!

And she even refused to wear the birthday hat! =X

Well, I think the birthday celebration kind of sends a message that it's time to move on to the next class. Although I am apprehensive how Baby Jayne would react in the new class, I have confidence in the teachers that they would do a good job at integrating her and making her feel comfortable and at ease. After all, life is full of transitions and to cross over, we all need to find within us, that courage, isn't it? =)

It's about three weeks to our family vacation, but I can totally smell it already! Pardon my excitement, but the last time we travelled together with the kids was at the beginning of last year to Bali! Now, the kids are older and better able to appreciate holidays, so I seriously can't wait! =P

We'll be going to Gold Coast, Australia and the awesome thing is it's WINTER there now! I've been hoping to go to a country when it's super cold, so my wish's getting granted soon! Of course, Australia's winter is not the typical snowy kind, but the thought of basking in temperatures of 10-15 degree celsius everyday is enough to make me grin silly. Especially with the scorching hot weather we're experiencing in Singapore everyday now, I'm impatiently counting down the days to my holidays.

But of course, going on overseas vacations with or without the kids makes a lot of difference. With the kids tagging along, the preparation and planning increases ten-fold. But with good preparations done, parents can be assured of a good holidays with their kids, without needing another holiday when they come back from one. =P

1. CHOOSE A KIDS-FRIENDLY DESTINATION

I've got a personal experience to share for this one. Last year, I brought my five-year-old daughter to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam as part of her birthday celebration. That destination was chosen because Tiger Airways was having a good promotion, so we thought it would be fun to explore an exotic country like Vietnam. I was naive to think that as long as we were spending time with my daughter, she'd enjoy herself even though there was nothing that could interest her in Vietnam. In the end, her legs ached so much from the long walks on the streets of Vietnam (because there was nothing else to do) and she got traumatised by our visit to the War Memorial Museum. =P I made a mental note never to bring kids to kids-unfriendly countries ever again. Those should be reserved for hubby and my solo photography trips instead.

2. BOOK A SUITABLE ACCOMMODATION

Sleeping and eating are two essential ingredients that determine a kid's happiness level. It is common sense, I'm sure, that if you have kids going on a trip with you, you should always book rooms with attached bathrooms. Opting for cheaper options that come with common bathrooms is akin to suicide. Going one step further, always look for those hotels/motels that has got swimming pools or children play facilities. That would play a big part in helping you entertain your kids. The hotel that I booked for our Gold Coast trip has a heated pool, and children's playground as well. Plus, the beach is literally at the doorstep. =D I got this photo of the 2-bedroom apartment (with ocean view!) I booked at Gold Coast from the internet, and am keeping my fingers crossed that the room would really look like this. =P

3. PACK THE IMPORTANT STUFFS

Though we all like to travel light, but when the kids are going along, it's always better to be well-prepared. Pack the diapers, milk powder, diaper cream, body powder, soap, shampoo, insect repellent, basic medications etc. Always bring along their favourite pillow/blanket so that they can sleep well at night. You wouldn't want to go on a holiday and have to wake up every night because your kids cannot sleep in an unfamiliar environment. Bring loads of entertainment such as books, DVDs, IPAD, toys etc. They may add weight to your luggage, but would definitely save you from a meltdown. Oh yes, their favourite snacks are a must too! A lesson I've learnt is never to think that I could get those supplies from the place we will be travelling to, especially if it's my first time travelling there. I've had experiences where I had to go from shop to shop just to hunt for those stuffs because my kids were screaming for them. Waste of time and energy. Congrats if you are bringing very young babies along. Thank God mine are grown up!

4. PLAN YOUR ITINERARY

Of course, if you want your children to enjoy their holidays, your itinerary has to take into account their needs and likes. If it's a no-kids holiday, my itinerary would be one that's rushing from place to place so that I don't waste precious time. But with kids tagging along, it will definitely be a leisurely and relaxed one, with ample time to rest and relax, interspersed with lots of time at the beach, swimming pool and playgrounds! For my trip to Gold Coast, we will be visiting the Sea World and Paradise Country (lots of animal petting!). We won't be visiting the other worlds like Dreamworld or Movie World because my kids don't really like big mascots, so no point wasting money! =P

5. PREP THE KIDS

The kids will be excited of course, but it is still important to lay down ground rules for the trip before you set off. Being in a foreign country is different from being in on familiar territories like Singapore. We have to prepare the kids that they should stay close to us all the time and never run off to see something else without informing, no matter how interesting it looks. Letting the kids know that there's fun awaiting, but safety rules must still be adhered to strictly, and you will be on your way to a great holiday. =)

Have a great time planning for your overseas vacations, everyone! This is the season to be jolly! =D

Baby Jayne has been bugging us to bring her for her ears to be pierced, and we promised her that we would bring her when she turns three years old. In fact, we went to check out the shop about two weeks ago, and almost did the piercing, if not for the fact that we were mildly shocked by how expensive it was. As she is still young, it is important to use good quality earrings, so the shop recommended 12K or 15K gold earrings, and those would cost between $85 to $400 per pair. We decided that the piercing was too rash an idea, and left the shop thinking that we could possibly make her change her mind.

But Baby Jayne had her mind made up obviously. She has been asking us, 'My birthday is over. How come you have not brought me to get my ears pierced?' Being responsible parents who are determined to keep every promise we've made to our kids, we went down to the shop again yesterday and paid the money (rather unwillingly).

We went back to the shop in Wisma Atrium that promised us Professional Ear Piercing.

There are different earrings of different pricing to choose from. Needless to say, we chose the cheapest pair we could find, but I have to say that was also the most suitable pair because I think little girls don't look good wearing diamond studs. We chose a pair of simple plain round ones for her.

I was half expecting Baby Jayne to back off at the last minute, but she didn't! She was super excited!

The whole piercing process happened way too fast. She was seated down on the chair, and two staff came over to sterilize her ears and sprayed some mild anaesthetic on her ear loops, then marked the position of the holes on both ears.

After checking that the markings are balanced...

Both staff placed the piercing equipment over the ears and pressed at the same time. The piercing is done! =D I think Baby Jayne was a little surprised at how fast it was! She looked shocked when they brought the mirror and showed her the earrings that were already in her ear loops.

I think I have such a brave little girl! No tears, no fear and she behaved like such a confident girl throughout!

My baby looks so girly and pretty with her new earrings! I can't wait for them to heal properly so that we can buy new earrings and change them for her. In the meantime, we have to faithfully apply the lotion on her earholes everyday and keep them dry and clean so that no infection would happen. By the way, we bought two bottles of lotion to apply, each costing $10!

In case you're wondering about whether Joey's getting hers pierced, well she hasn't found the courage yet. =P And seeing how pretty Jayne's earrings were, she's started nagging at us, "Why didn't you bring me for my ear piercing when I am small??? Now I don't dare!" =P

Tip for Ear-Piercing For Kids: For parents who want to bring your kids for their ear-piercing, first and foremost, choose a reputable shop to do it. It will surely be more expensive, but you can be assured of the quality. Kids' skin are sensitive and can be easily inflamed, so choosing pure gold earrings would prevent that. Also, always request that both earholes are pieced at the same time, so as to minimize trauma for the kid. You wouldn't want to be caught in a situation where one ear's pierced, but the kid refused to have the other one pierced because the first experience was painful. It also helps if the staff are friendly and smiley, and works fast so that they get the job done quickly before the kid has time to react!