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If this is not amazing, I don’t know what is.

This canvas painting of the kids (Yes you got it – It’s a canvas painting) looks so much like a photograph, don’t you think?

 

Recently, I was introduced to this website - ‘Paint Me Real’ that allowed me to easily upload a photo of my choice for it to be hand-painted into a beautiful oil canvas painting. With prices starting from USD80, this is certainly very affordable. And looking at the quality of the paintings, I think it’s value-for-money as well! It might well be the perfect gift this Christmas for your loved ones. :)

 

To have your photo painted into an oil canvas painting, all you need to do is to follow the 3 instructions on the website. Best of all, they do WORLDWIDE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING right to your doorstep!

Step 1: Upload Photo
Choose a clear and sharp front view photo and upload it, then select the number of faces in the photo (Currently, you are able to select up to 4 faces from the options. If you would like to paint more, you are able to request for a customized painting by email - ). Ensure that you have selected the options correctly, as the prices change according to the size of canvas and number of faces in the painting.

Step 2: Select Your Canvas Size

Step 3: Fill Up Shipping & Billing Information

 

Normal shipping is absolutely free-of-charge, and delivery is possible worldwide internationally! This Christmas, surprise someone with a unique gift just like this – Your loved ones will be thrilled! :)

DISCOUNT CODE!

For all of you dear readers, simply key in Christmas during checkout to receive a 10% discount off your purchases on http://www.paintmereal.com/.

GIVEAWAY!

Thanks to the folks at Paint Me Real, I have ONE complimentary personal portrait (A4 size) to give away to one of you! All you need to do is to complete the following step to qualify for the giveaway:

Leave me a comment on this blog post telling me one Christmas wish you have this year!
(Please include your email address so that I can contact you if you are the winner)

Not mandatory, but for a double chance for the giveaway, you may also complete the following:

1) Like The J Babies FB page
2) Like & share this post on your FB wall (Tag Klessis Lee so that I may know)

Giveaway ends on Fri, 6 Dec 2013!

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[This giveaway is officially closed. Winner has been notified by email. Thanks for participating!]

Sponsored Review

I’ve been eyeing an AirFryer since it first appeared in the market. You can hardly blame it – It sounds too good to be true. I can cook my favorite fried food at home without using oil and it produces some of the yummiest fried food many levels healthier. Plus, the AirFryer is so easy to use and clean, it’s hard not to love it.

Philips launched their Viva Collection AirFryer in 2011, and in the midst of very good reviews, consumers have requested for an improved version of the AirFryer with greater capacity, versatility and performance. The Philips Avance XL AirFryer is the perfect answer to this call, and you can expect to find them in major stores from December onwards. Not only is the Philips Avance AirFryer 50% bigger in capacity, it also allows more family favorites with up to 80 percent less fat for healthier
eating options. Best of all, with the Rapid Air Technology, aside from frying, you can also grill, roast, gratinate and bake a variety of dishes that are tasty, quick and simple – all from the same appliance. Sounds like a perfect appliance? I put it to the test over the weekend, and managed to whip up different snacks and dishes for my family. I was really amazed (and convinced)!

This thing is a black beauty. How important are aesthetics nowadays? It makes cooking that much happier.

I am a busy mom and I don’t have a lot of time to do the preparations. So everything I tried cooking with the AirFryer was simple and easy. First up, POPIAH!

Simple ingredients include carrots, radish and mushrooms. You can also add prawns or chicken if you like a fuller snack.

Popiah skin can be found from most supermarkets. Just wrap a little of the ingredients with the skin and put it into the AirFryer for 7 minutes on 200 degrees C. A simple and healthy snack ready to be devoured! Jayne LOVES it so much, she ate four at one go.

I love CHICKEN WINGS and I love almonds, so I thought why not make some almond chicken? It was such an ingenious idea, I should get an award for that. All I did was to marinate the chicken wings with light & dark soya sauce, sesame oil and ginger. Then sprinkle the almonds all over the wings before sending them into the AirFryer.

I fried my wings at 200 degrees C for 10 minutes, and they came out looking perfect and yummy like these. I couldn’t have asked for more.

I had to try the AirFryer with my favorite seafood of course. Marinated these PRAWNS with white wine, garlic and some salt & pepper before popping them into the AirFryer. Just 7 minutes in 200 degrees C, they were all done and super delicious! We’ll think about the calories another day.

They go best with some soya sauce & cut chilis. Love it!

And I would like to end off with what I thought was the BEST DISH I made with the AirFryer. It was so good the kids kept pestering me to make that for them again. It was so simple and fuss-free, I totally wouldn’t mind. I might just make it again this weekend!

Ingredients:

Salmon slab
1 Egg
2 slices of Soda Biscuits crushed
A squeeze of Lemon (optional)

I don’t usually like to use breadcrumbs to make my crusted salmon. Instead, I prefer soda biscuits which gives the dish a better fragrance. Plus, the crunch is good.

I had a really fresh and pretty slab of salmon. :)

Dip the salmon completely in the beaten egg, then toss it into a plate of crushed soda biscuits to completely coat it.

Then put it into the AirFryer and cook it on 200 degrees C for 10 minutes. And a yummy dish of salmon is ready! :)

What I really love about the AirFryer is that it not only makes the exterior crispy and well done, the natural juices of the dish are still preserved within the flesh. The frying technology managed to cook the dishes and yet not dry them up - How perfect! I do love my Philips AirFryer! It makes me life so much easier, yummier and healthier all at the same time!

SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR READERS OF THE J BABIES
Cook with Air today! Quote [The J Babies] and buy the Philips Viva Digital Airfryer at $399 (Usual price: $459), FREE $50 SHOPPING VOUCHER and Philips Avance XL Airfryer at $479 (Usual price: $539), FREE $50 SHOPPING VOUCHER at the PHILIPS EXPERIENCE SHOWROOM. This promotion is valid from 1^st December till 31^st January 2014.

Limited to 1 Airfryer per person. NRIC must be produced.
PHILIPS EXPERIENCE SHOWROOM
Address: 620A Lorong 1 Toa Payoh Building TP4 Level 1 S(319762)
Tel: 6882 5800

Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 9.00 am – 7.00 pm Saturday: 9.00 am – 1.00 pm. Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays.

The Philips Viva Digital Airfryer and Philips Avance XL Airfryer are also available at regular prices in leading electronics stores, department stores and supermarkets island-wide.

P/S: The J Babies received complimentary unit of the Philips Avance XL AirFryer for purpose of review, as well as monetary compensation to use and review the unit. All opinions and photographs are my own. I won’t be held responsible for your drooling after seeing the photos.

Media Invite

Christmas is a month away, but it already feels like Christmas on the blog! Here is another giveaway this week, and this time round, you can walk away with one of two $50 dining vouchers at Modesto’s Pizzeria!

We were invited to try out the food at the newly reopened Modesto’s Pizzeria at Vivo City over the weekend. The new outlet is now located on Level 3 of Vivo City, on the boardwalk, and so it now has an alfresco dining area, which I love.

The kids ordered the Junior’s Set Menu at $12.90++ each, and each set comes with apple/orange juice, main course and an ice-cream sundae. The moment we were seated down, the kids were promptly presented with coloring sheet & color pencils, much to their delight.

The restaurant is simply furnished and gives a very cosy and comfortable feeling for dining. Service was great and we felt that our needs were very well taken care of.

The alfresco dining area looks out to the sea and Sentosa Island, giving one a very resort and relaxed feel. It’s probably a great place to have a drink and snacks on a cool evening. :)

 

If you prefer indoors, they also have a bar counter where you can grab a cocktail or drink after work.

Food was served very quickly even though it was right smack during lunch hour. First up, hot & crispy calamari was served with tar tar sauce and a slab of lemon. I like it that it’s light and very appetizing, and portion’s good for 4 people to share.

 

Caesar’s salad with chicken was nice with generous portion of chicken slices, bacon bits and croutons.

The kids had Bolognaise and Carbonara pasta – Portions were just nice for the kids.

 

For the adults, we ordered a pizza in 2 flavours (Seafood & Portobello Mushrooms) and Aglio Olio pasta to share. Both were yummy! Love the thin crust of the pizza and how fragrant the pasta was done. Perfecto!

The kids’ ice-cream at the end of the meal was enticing too, complete with strawberries and biscuits.

 

GIVEAWAY!

Thanks to the kind folks at Modesto’s, I have two $50 vouchers to give away! Complete the following steps to qualify:

1. Like The J Babies FB page if you have not.
2. Like and share this blog post on FB (Tag Klessis Lee so that I know)
3. Leave me a comment on this blog post: “I would love to try Modesto’s!”

Closing date for giveaway is next Thurs, 5 Dec.

P/S: The J Babies received $70 dining credits to offset cost of the meal. All opinions and photographs are my own.

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[This giveaway is officially closed. Winners have been notified by email. Thanks for participating!]

Sponsored Review

Have I mentioned that I love the new season at Pumpkin Patch? The colors are lovely and the designs very sweet! Speaking of which, the girls are getting experts at modeling, methinks!

Love this pink flare skirt with black dots. The elastic waistline makes it really comfortable to wear, and the skirt bounces as she walks, which thrilled her to no end. The black top is the model’s own. This might be her Christmas look for this year! :)

The necklace & bracelet set can really dress-up a plain top. Little girls love pretty accessories. :)

 

Blue long-sleeved top with purple-trimmed neckline. Matched with a pink pair of slacks.

 

Matched the blue top with another purple tunic dress and it’s another total different look. The purple dress is comfortable to wear though a little thick for the hot weather in Singapore – Best to wear in air-conditioned indoors. The ribbon details at the pockets are really pretty!

Joey’s blue floral dress is flowy, comfortable and suitable for formal events such as a wedding luncheon. It’s easy to put on, and looks dressy without need for too much accessorizing. Still, Joey could not resist putting on the necklace & bracelet set too. :P

I chose matching shoes for the girls too – It’s my personal favorite too! Baby pink with glittering stars and ribbon shoelaces – Too pretty to be resisted!

By the way, if you spend more than S$100, you are entitled to sign up for a lifelong membership with Pumpkin Patch and receive a pretty bag as free welcome gift. :)

 

Christmas is coming – Shop at Pumpkin Patch today! :)

Media Invite

It was probably the coolest staycation we’ve ever had. That night, we roamed the SEA Aquarium and fell asleep to fishes and manta rays swimming before our eyes. It was nothing short of magical.

We’ve visited the SEA Aquarium at RWS before, but it’s always during the daytime. Being there at night was certainly a unique experience on its own.  We were invited to try SEA Aquarium’s ‘Ocean Dreams’ experience, which is their overnight program that allows families to stay over to learn more about marine life and fun facts about the sea. The best part is of course the opportunity to stay overnight inside the SEA Aquarium, right in front of the Open Ocean Habitat, which by the way, is the largest viewing gallery of this sort in the world.

I didn’t know what to expect before going for the program. But having gone through it now, I can immediately think of 5 GOOD REASONS why this program is worth going for.

GOOD REASON #1: YOU CAN HAVE A TASTE OF CAMPING, IN LUXURY TERMS.

The last camp I’ve attended complete with ice-breakers and cheers should be at least  14-15 years ago. After we registered our attendance for Ocean Dreams, we were brought to a hall to meet our Team Captain and other team mates. We played simple ice-breakers to get to know each other and even devised a little cheer for our team – SEA JELLIES! Though it felt a little awkward at the beginning, it all became rather fun as the Captains and Camp Commandant were all very sporting and energetic!

Unlike the camps I used to attend where I have to attend where I had to rough it out, Ocean Dreams is a well-planned program with all the meals provided for that 2 day, 1 night camp, and you get to sleep in the comfortable air-conditioned hall at night. All you need to do is to go with an open mind to learn new information and fun facts about the ocean, and you will have a great time!

After the ice-breakers and short briefing, we set off for the first program of the evening to check out the Museum. Along the way, our Team Captain led us through little games to enforce the learning. Pretty interesting!

 

Then it’s dinner time at The Fish Shack!  Complete meal with apple juice, mushroom soup, bento & fruit cup! By dinner time, the Aquarium was near to closing time, so we had a really nice and quiet dinner. Really nice!

  

After dinner, we were brought to catch a 4D Typhoon show. Amazingly, without putting on 3D glasses, the whole show looked really 3D because it was a rounded screen and with the entire seating platform moving and shaking along with what’s happening in the show, and water splashing onto our faces and wind blowing hard at us, we felt like we were in the middle of a typhoon! This is a good show to catch if you are visiting the Aquarium (additional charges apply).

GOOD REASON #2: YOU GET A PRIVATE TOUR INSIDE THE AQUARIUM AFTER  CLOSING HOURS!

The SEA Aquarium closes to the public at 7pm. So after it’s closed, the Ocean Dreamers start exploring! That’s one of the best reasons in my opinion, why Ocean Dreams is worth the money paid. We were brought on a private tour in the aquarium, with explanations about the sea animals along the way. It was so informative and I learnt so much from the guided tour, as compared to touring on my own. It felt like we owned the whole aquarium – SO SHIOK!!!

 

And yes, so the kids had the touch-and-feel pool all to themselves too, without having to fight and squeeze with other visitors. We spent quite a fair bit of time here because it was such a rare chance. :)

 

The kids asked many questions during the tour, which I thought was very good. That’s what makes the whole tour educational and informative. I also felt that I didn’t need to rush through viewing all the sea animals because we were the only ones there anyway!

   

We were mesmerized by the beautiful and vibrant colors. :)

 

GOOD REASON #3: YOU DRIFT OFF TO DREAMLAND WITH THE FISHES!

After the tour through the aquarium, we collected our sleeping bags and blankets and headed to the Open Ocean Habitat to set up our sleeping area. It was my very first sleeping bag experience!!!!! Thankfully, the floors are carpeted, so there’s some form of cushion. :P Other than the floor being harder than my bed, everything else was great! And with such a view, I really have nothing to complain about. :)

If you’ve been to SEA Aquarium, you might remember that at the Open Ocean Habitat, a soothing and mystical music is being played all the time. It’s such a wonderful feeling sitting in front of the viewing gallery, watching the fishes and manta rays, with the music playing in the background – Very calming. :)

Before lights out, we were served night snack of Milo and cookies for a sweet ending to a wonderful first day at Ocean Dreams. =)

I was worried that the kids would not sleep well, but they did thankfully! We woke up close to 7am the next morning, and again – the beautiful view in front of us was surreal. :)

After a quick wash-up, we were served a light morning snack before a quick visit to see the dolphins. They were so playful and cute! The dolphins have a huge habitat at SEA Aquarium, and we were all so glad to meet them early in the morning. Thereafter, we were brought back to the Open Ocean Habitat again because there was a surprise waiting for us.

All of a sudden, we spotted two divers swimming towards us and they held up a banner that says, “Good morning, Ocean Dreamers!” – Haha! That got everyone really excited, and we all went to take group photos with the lovely backdrop. :)

“We are the Sea Jellies!”

And this was the big group photo of everyone who attended Ocean Dreams that weekend. :)

Before proceeding to the final part of Ocean Dreams, we went to have our breakfast inside Adventure Cove. Lovely American breakfast. And yes, there was coffee. :)

 

GOOD REASON #4: YOU GET ACCESS TO BACK ROOM AREA WHICH IS OUT-OF-BOUNDS TO VISITORS.

The final part of Ocean Dream was a visit to the Back Room, which is the place the manta rays are fed. This area is actually the top portion of the Open Ocean Habitat, where we spent the night at. As it was a restricted area, we were not allowed to take photographs. We witnessed how the staff fed the manta rays – Skills totally needed. Very interesting experience and something you would not be able to see unless you are on the Ocean Dreams program.

GOOD REASON #5: SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR SUCH AN EDUCATIONAL AND UNIQUE PROGRAM.

For families who are not planning to travel overseas for their vacations this year-end, this is certainly a program worth considering. Not only does it offer a unique learning experience, it is also a great way for the family to bond. At night, there are no televisions or laptops, so all you can do is to snuggle up in front of the Open Ocean Habitat and enjoy some quality family time together with a perfect view. Considering how expensive some local staycations are nowadays, this program is certainly value-for-money, in my opinion.

If you are interested to sign up for Ocean Dreams, do take note that the next available dates in December are:
6-7 Dec & 14-15 Dec 2013. [Time: 5pm - 11am (Following Day)]

Price:
Adult (13 – 59 years old) - Non-members $158 | Members* $138
Child (6 – 12 years old) - Non-members $138 | Members* $118
Senior (60 years old & above) - Non-members $138 | Members* $118
Family Package (2 Adults + 2 Children) - Non-members $548 | Members* $468

*Only applicable to S.E.A. Aquarium and Adventure Cove Waterpark Annual Pass holders as well as RWS Invites® members. RWS Invites members will enjoy 3% rebate on the purchase.

Price includes: Admission to S.E.A. Aquarium within the stipulated hours of the programme, dinner, evening snack, morning snack, breakfast and GST. Sleeping bags, blankets and towels will be provided to all participants.

Participants can purchase discounted tickets to Adventure Cove Waterpark if they wish to continue their visit in the park after the Ocean Dreams programme.

Reservation Period: Reservations must be confirmed two weeks prior to scheduled event.
Reservations: Call +65 6577 7515 or email
Website: http://www.rwsentosa.com/language/en-US/Homepage/Attractions/MarineLifePark/SEAAquarium/OceanDreams

Terms & Conditions:
▸ Minimum age of participation is 6 years old.
▸ Participants below 21 years old must be accompanied by at least one adult.
▸ Bookings for participation in S.E.A Aquarium Ocean Dreams (“Programme”) are to be made at least 2 weeks in advance with full payment.
▸ Other terms and conditions may apply.

P/S: Thanks to RWS for the invitation to be part of the Ocean Dreams program. Jayne is under-aged for the program but organisers kindly allowed her to follow us. No other monetary compensation is received, and all opinions and photographs are mine.