You have reached the Parenting, Lifestyle and Travel blog of a daddy of FIVE, Steven Teo. Parenting, because that’s what I NEED to do, have a peek at my LIFE (style got or not, you decide) and our Travels via bus and MRT, plus the occasional cheap overseas trip!
Get your tickets from the ticketing booth here! That is if you had not purchased them online yet.
With Halloween just round the corner, there were plenty of activities for the kiddos at every conceivable place. The kiddos were invited to Spooky Jr. "Heros Unite" party at Port Of Lost Wonder by our wonderful friends from Sentosa last Sat evening and despite my wife having to work on that day, I decided that fun shouldn't wait for the kiddos!
See how happy they were right from the start, when they received their welcome sweets!
Look who Leroy spotted?
And how can they miss a photo with the superheroes?
The kiddos were thrilled to be back at POLW but unfortunately for them, I reckoned that it is going to be too tricky to let them have water play (which was available during the event) and having to keep my eyes on them, plus having to deal with all 3 of their costumes, bathing and meals etc without my wife. Hee hee... But there were lots of fringe activities and challenges for the kids to take part!
Kids will have to navigate their way on their own through this "Tricky Maze"!
Here happy Leroy and a not so happy Stacci at the end of the maze!
At the "Slime Fight" and Leroy is showing his prowess here!
Leroy shooting down the monsters while Stacci needed a little help.
Here's Leroy trying out the "Monster Range", with help of course.
Stacci didn't miss the action too, although the bow and arrow were larger than her!
Cheeky Leroy photo-bombing Stacci!
Stand to win attractive prizes worth over $3,000 in total with your most creative costumes, and there are both individual and family categories. It was the highlight of the event and there were superheroes of all sizes at practically every nook and cranny in POLW and everyone wanted a piece of them (in their photos).
Leroy with his same-sized (well almost) superhero allies! Cute kiddos of Mother Kao
Steffi and Leroy with Wolverine, another one of their favourites!
Here's my "Rocket Boy" Leroy the Rocketeer in full costume, hoping to earn his place in the heroes league.
Stacci the "Batgirl" was too tired to last through the night. But the batteries in the other two were still running high!
It must be the sugar that kept them "high" and here's more candy floss!
Wow, they even had elixir at the party!
The kids had fun mixing up their own concoction with their "Kor Kor", son of Dinomama!
And they get to try out their own creation at the end of the play! Yummy drinks!
I cannot help but laugh at their funny photos taken at the photo booth!
Leroy was really into character and he continued flying even as we made our way out of Sentosa
The kids enjoyed defending the port from the invading monsters and meeting up with all the other kiddos from fellow blogging parents like the Sengkangbabies and the J Babies! Well, there’s still time if you and your kids want to join in the fun! For there is one last session from 6.30pm - 10pm on this coming Sat, 01 Nov 2014! Tickets are available at $39.90 (kid) and $10 (adult). Get your tickets here.
We were invited to a media preview when Thermos launched their new Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Sports Bottles - FFG sport series in September and Leroy and Stacci tagged along.
During that media preview, Leroy held a black and red colored thermos sports bottle briefly but kept asking if he could have it. Of course I told him that it was for display only.
The Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Sports Bottles - FFG comes in both pink pastel and black with red designs, presumably for girls and boys respectively.
Leroy couldn't keep his hands off the bottle then.
Stacci also asked, "Daddy can I have the pink bottle too?"
However 2 weeks back, the folks from Thermos couriered one bottle for Leroy, and in time for his birthday as well! He was extremely happy to get his new bottle, but I can't say the same for his 2 other siblings who were feeling really jealous!
Anyway Leroy is the only one among my kids (besides little Louie) who likes lukewarm plain water. The others loved their drinks cold, or prefers soft drinks. So the great thing about his new thermos flask is its ability to maintain his drinks at his preferred temperature.
Happy Leroy do not even mind carrying his new bottle everywhere now!
He would get warm water in school, while on our day out at play, it would contain ice cold Ribena drinks for the rest of his siblings as well.
The bottle itself fits snugly into the insulation bag that comes with it and Leroy loves carrying it around as the colors and patterns actually reminded him of Spider-man.
I realized his bottle was a giant compared to his classmates' when I visited his childcare recently. He has grown up already.
There is also a safely lock that prevents accidental leaks and he has no problem handling it too.
So now instead of the usual kiddo water bottle with a flexible plastic straw that he bring to school, Leroy had progressed to a sports bottle with a drinking spout now. It was extremely hard to ensure cleanliness of the plastic drinking straw of his old bottles but it is really easy to clean the stainless steel interior of his new sports bottle. And most important of all, Leroy approves it!
The outer insulation can be removed for easy cleaning of the bottle.
There is a safety lock that prevents accidental opening of the bottle.
The bottle top can be opened and it is really easy to clean the stainless steel interior.
We visited Sentosa island for the twice last week alone, for there were simply too many activities to be enjoyed in "The State of Fun" and one day is surely not enough! During the recent Deepavali holiday last week, we went to -
Skyline Luge - “Race to 10 Million”
The kids had great company this time round!
There hasn't been a better time to try Luge again, other than the month of Oct to Nov. Why? Because they are looking for the actual 10th million rider and if you are the lucky one, you will stand to win a 8 Days 7 Nights adventure for two to New Zealand worth S$13,000! You may really want to check out the details of the promotion over here.
This is the box, the lucky box!!! Get a lucky draw form with every 10 luge and skyride ticket purchased in a single receipt!
Maybe you may think that's difficult, so there's another way to win the same prize, and that's by taking part in the lucky draw when you purchase 10 Luge and Skyride tickets in a single receipt. (terms and conditions applies). So that's two ways for you to win that wonderful trip! I was imagining myself racing down the slope and being welcomed by two rows of Skyline staff on both sides but yours truly (and the whole family) failed to be the 10th million rider 2 weeks back. I think we might just give it a try again come mid-Nov!
Friendly staff are on hand to help you with the kids, if you brought any along. No worries!
Happy Leroy on the skyride. Do note that it is really kind of scary looking down when on the skyride. One can often hear screams!
Steffi enjoys the ride very much too!
Look at Stacci's smiling face! Kids below 6 years of age or below 110cm would need to ride tandem with an adult.
Thank you to Skyline Luge for extending the invite to the family again! The kids says you guys rock and I think so too!
Wings Of Time
Wings Of Time is only a few steps away from the Luge station.
We are damn S.L.O.W. when it comes to watching the latest shows etc but we managed to fit in an evening show for the Wings of Time after our Luge rides, courtesy of Sentosa Corporation.
This is one of the photo spots for taking selfies and group photos. Near the entrance for the premium ticket holders.
Well, we were actually just expecting some laser shows and fireworks but never thought that there would actually be an avian show to keep the early crowd entertained. The performers also did manage to get the show going and the viewers engaged at the start and they got the kids singing along too.
Stacci was getting excited while waiting for the show to start. We were obviously quite early.
We even had time to pose and take numerous selfies or groupies.
You can hear wows when the Shahbaz appeared! It was magnificent!
The lights and water jets complimented each other visually.
And of course there were also awesome laser display that lit up the sky as well.
Albeit the fireworks were really short, it did brought about the wow factor in the grand finale.
When the projection came on and Shahbaz (the bird thingy) came alive, you can hear the gasps and wows from kids and adults alike. We were then taken on a magically journey of two teenagers through time and space. The visual effects were spectacular, and the combined use of water, fire and laser were simply splendid. In short, it was a visual feast and kids would love it for sure! Mine did!
Useful Information
There are only two shows daily, at 7.40pm and 8.40pm respectively and each session lasts approximately 30 minutes. Premium seat costs $23, while standard seats ticket costs $18 but locals get to purchase standard seats at $15.
You can find more information and also book the tickets directly online here.
I had wanted to blog about my temple visits in Siem Reap with the kids after blogging about missing our flight, but there always seem to be lots of activities for the family and I had procrastinated till now. Many had wondered how it’s like bringing 3 kids to the UNESCO site so I am happy to share my experience with you!
Cutie Stacci at Angkor Wat Temple.
The sun was bright and great for photography, but not so great for the kids.
Almost losing it already... Leroy almost had enough...
Here he is, happiest under the shade!
Can even act cool, well... it is definitely much cooler here.
Steffi took this couple photo for us!
My trusty model, Steffi!
Happy kids! Can you see that their faces are already red?
Steffi with one of the locals at the temple.
Leroy had to take this photo for us!
Just one of the many flights of stairs we had to take.
Well, my 3 kids were rather well-behaved throughout the trip and they were truly intrigued by the stories that the guides told while they listened intently, as freeloaders. They were awed by the majestic-looking temples, and would ask for their photos to be taken too. The hot and dry weather posed no problem as well, as they carried their own water bottles and walked on by themselves. Sounds too good to be true? Well, I wished it was true but that wasn’t what happened!
My funny kiddos!
With their many poses!
Looking pretty here.
Look how puny the kids are!
The truth is, indeed the kids were rather excited when we reached the first temple, the famous Ang Kor Wat and they enjoyed exploring and posing for great photos. But that was short-lived for soon the kids got a little cranky under the hot sun and demanded to stay in the shade. My bottles of cold drink in my backpack came in handy, but there’s only that much water I can carry comfortable. Tip: There are many vendors selling ice-cold canned drinks for USD$1 each, do bargain and you can probably get 3 cans for USD$2.
Besides resting under shades, the kids also enjoys the cool tuk tuk rides for they need not walk!
Stopped at the gate for a family photo!
Found a nice spot by the side of the road and stopped for a quick photo!
One should get the 3-day past to visit the temples at a leisurely pace for it is much cheaper. A 1-day pass costs USD$20 while a 3-day pass costs USD$40. Kids below the age of 12 gets in free! Try to plan for a sunrise visit and a sunset visit at the temples for a different experience. The 3-day pass would allow you to visit the temples for half a day, and plan for other activities for the kids for the other half. Otherwise, the kids may dread the mention or sight of TEMPLES like mine did.
A place where nature reclaimed the land. Giant trees with roots intertwined with man-made structures.
More poses!
Now, that is a really huge tree!
Most of the tuk tuk drivers would advise you accordingly on the different temple circuits offered, and price negotiation is definitely welcomed. If I remembered correctly, my 3-day temple circuit cost less than USD$50 and we were out for about 8hrs daily. We spent probably 9 hours at the temples on our first day, and we started our day later on the second. On the third, we not only started later, but we went back to our resort earlier too! The kids looked forward more to their swims and leisure time at the wonderful resort we stayed in rather then boring temples.
Rare family photo.
Another helpful tourist snapped this for us.
You would meet lots of local kids in the temple grounds, selling trinkets and souvenirs but I had researched and was also advised against purchasing anything from them. These kids should be getting an education but were instead used by adults to gain sympathy from visitors to sell stuff. Thus we prepared ourselves mentally and simply tuned off when approached, but I still can’t help it but feel sad for the young kids.
Hopefully this is not vandalism. But he is really light by the way.
Love the contrast between the ruin and the blue sky.
Love the feel of this photo and Steffi was really cooperative.
But wacky photos are totally fine too!
I had wanted to take photos of the kiddos at the ruins, before anything happens to the temples and the place gets closed to public in the future. But this UNESCO site should only be a by-the-way visit for families with young kids. I had to carry the kids on many occasions for they threw tantrums under the harsh weather conditions. Prams would be of no use to due to the uneven grounds and the many stairs. But looking on the bright side, one do get good exercise.
Steffi standing in one of the huge dead trees.
A nice tourist took this nice photo for me when she saw me taking photos for the family.
Steffi took this well-timed photo of us. Funny right???
Cheeky Stacci with her favorite pacifier!
Cannot trust Leroy in taking a decent photo. He must spoil it every time. Grr...
My pretty Steffi.
Ok, this type of photo, Leroy is best at!
Cover page model wannabe!
We had no regrets bringing the kids there, and would even do it all over again, maybe after I hone my photography skills. Of course, we would plan for lots more fun activities for the kids next time round so that they do not get “temple-overdose”, and maybe Louie gets to tag along too! Meanwhile, hope you enjoyed the photos we took.
I found Stacci's expression really funny!
My pretty model at work.
Leroy meeting his Chinese zodiac animal in person.
Wau, she knows how to pose wor!
And then she reverts to herself again.
Love the kiddos!
At one of the last few temples we visited.
Playing the fools!
Steffi got framed!
A different perspective.
Cute Steffi posing, and letting sleeping cat sleep.
I swear I could almost hear kitty snore...
Stacci have had enough with taking photos!
So was Steffi!
She already can't smile much, so I ask her to do whatever she wanted.
A jump shot!
I LOVE this photo taken by my wife! Everyone is looking so happy!
Spot the kiddos among the ruins!
We were trying jump shots everywhere!
The kiddos decided to try out their own version too!
Lastly, find out the unflattering truth on how I got the kiddos to pose for the photos and how cheeky they are in the video clip done by my wife! Find out who took the following photo for me too!
Check out the video below to find out how and who took this photo of me!
.jpg)
