i Light Marina Bay 2014: Fun for the Family!

(Daddy blogs)

Combine a light art Festival and an energy-saving campaign, coupled with a riot of colours and what do you have? i Light Marina Bay 2014, that's what. Into its third edition this year, the bi-annual sustainable light art Festival will be held from 7 to 30 March 2014, featuring a host of creative light art installations dotting the perimeter of the Marina Bay waterfront.

The three-week Festival is all about creating unique, happy and heart-felt installations to delight the audience while raising awareness on environmental sustainability issues through the theme ‘Light+HeART’.

And this year, i Light Marina Bay 2014 will showcase a mix of art and light installations from the region and afar, including collaborations between Singapore and international artists. Fanning the entire Marina Bay area, there will be over 25 stunning large-scale outdoor installations by artists from 11 countries. Oh, and have I mentioned that the Festival is FREE for all?

To increase the interactive nature of the Festival, the public will be able to interact with many of the installations, or even be part of the art in some of them... much like this LiveLight installation by Oz Collective, a partnership between Alexandre Pachiaudi from Paris and Quck Zhong Yi from Singapore - both graduates of the prestigious architecture school in Paris, Ecole Spéciale d'Architecture.

Their large interactive installation invites the public to use light from their mobile devices to paint and draw on a projected canvas, creating mesmerising displays. Expect this to be a hit with my monkies.

I also previewed The Guardian Angels, an installation by French artists Maro Avrabou and Dimitri Xenakis which pays tribute to gardens, plants, and the protection of the environment with a beautiful set of brightly-lit watering-lanterns.

Grab a sneak peek at the other light installations HERE. But apart from the blindingly beautiful light installations, visitors can also indulge in a bevy of programmes and activities that will no doubt liven the experience. Be enticed with mouth-watering offerings such as the annual food festival Savour 2014 - taking place at the Promontory at Marina Bay - and delight one's senses with the fine selection of fresh organic produce from PasarBella,who will be setting up a food market at Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza.

Families can look forward to Skating & Walking around Marina Bay, camping outdoors in the heart of the city, and even spending a fun day out with pets! All of these, on top of the free guided tours, bazaars, and educational talks and workshops happening throughout the three weeks. See HERE for a full listing of events and programmes.

One major event that will be held in tandem with i Light Marina Bay is Earth Hour 2014 on 29 March 2014. And for this year's Earth Hour, it will be a tad special... all because Spider-Man is the first superhero ambassador for Earth Hour!

And it has just been announced that Spider-Man will be coming to Singapore for Earth Hour 2014! The cast of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 including Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx and director Marc Webb will be at The Float@Marina Bay on Saturday, March 29 at 8.30pm. So if you have kids who idolise Spider-Man, you know what to do!

Want to know more? Then be sure to check back often as we are honoured to be appointed as one of the Official Bloggers for i Light Marina Bay 2014. So rest assured that you will be reading more about the various installations and events as the Festival inches closer!

Useful Information

i Light Marina Bay 2014
7 - 30 March 2014
Marina Bay Waterfront
7.30pm - 11pm daily
FREE Admission
www.ilightmarinabay.sg

Eight Ways to Drive your Parents Insane

(Daddy blogs)

Before I got married, someone once told me that when children are little they walk all over your feet, but when they get older they walk all over your heart. I have absolutely no idea what that meant until I had children (all three of them!) of my own. Now don't get me wrong, all in all, the monkies are good around the house, pretty responsible and somewhat helpful. But there are some little things they do that drive me absolutely bananas because after all, one of the most personal gifts a child can ever give their parent is the possibility of a nervous breakdown.

So take heed if you are a child reading this, for here is a list of things you can do to drive your parents nutty. All tried and tested, just for you.

1. Ask your parents the same silly questions over and over again. This is one surefire way of driving them batty and it usually culminates with them shrieking, “Can you just stop asking the same question already??!!” It tends to work well in trying to get what you want by pestering them until they give in or give up, whichever comes first.

2. When dining outside, suck on your straw hard enough so that it makes noise. Then yank it out of the glass quickly and let the drink drip onto the table. Straw gets confiscated? Then just pout and declare that you are NOT hungry at all and then immediately beg for dessert.

3. It is a well-known fact that parents hate sleep. So do your duty as a child and wake up extremely early on weekend mornings. Make tons of noise while you are at it too, rendering it almost impossible for your parents to sleep in.

4. In fact, sleep deprivation need not be solely confined to the weekends. Feel free to get creative to ensure that your parents get as little sleep as possible, like asking for company to go to the bathroom, requesting multiple glasses of water or just wanting to chat at 3am.

5. One of the best ways to drive your parents up the wall - and this is my personal fave - is to answer your parent's question with a question. Just repeat the question Dad or Mum just asked you, like “Do you have to bring your English Workbook to school tomorrow?” and answer back with “Do I have to bring your English Workbook to school tomorrow? I don’t know.”

6. Complain that you are bored. All the time. Take no notice of the toys, books or computer games in the house. Just go on with the “I’m Bored, What Can I Do” chant and watch that strand of black hair turn white before your very eyes. Or if you are really lucky, a bald patch is the definitive gold standard.

7. Watch the same cartoons over and over, so much until your parents will be singing the theme songs of the cartoons in their minds. And because they will not be able to stand those shows anymore, they will make themselves scarce the next time the same cartoon comes on. Which leaves you to probably watch anything you want.

8. Final point, and this applies more to the boys. When changing out of your clothes, ensure that your underwear that is inside out is still attached to your pants, that are also inside out. For maximum effect, leave them smack in the middle of the room. Downright nasty, and it gets to the parents every single time.

So there you go, eight ways to drive your parents to the brink. Of course there are still more ways to drive your parents crazy, like seeking reinforcements in the form of your Grandparents or irritating your siblings to no end, but these will suffice. For now.

Jo Lauren Baby Skin Care And Bath: Safe Enough to EAT!

Product Review

(Daddy washes)

When it comes to children's skin, less is always best! Their skin are often the most sensitive to chemical and synthetics included in commercial soaps and lotion.  Even companies that tout themselves as organic or specialising in babies' and toddlers' products have ingredients that contain known irritants such as laurates, phthalates, sulfates and parabens.

So imagine our joy when Jo Lauren sent a couple of their bath products over for the monkies to try.  Not only are they organic - Parents World Magazine Singapore awarded them the “Best Organic Baby Skincare 2014” award - they are the first 100% food grade ingredients baby skincare and bath collection!

What this means is that the ingredients used are totally ingestible!  If it is safe enough to eat, I’m sure it is wholesome enough for the skin.  And not to forget those harrowing moments when baby thinks that the foam bath is cotton candy and candidly took a bite from it… no joke, all three monkies did it! But no worries for Jo Lauren products, it is food grade remember?

Luckily for us, all three monkies have no flaring issues with sensitive skin. Then why would we want to use food grade product for them? Because our skin can absorb 60% of what we apply on it. We would definitely want to minimise the monkies’ exposure to chemicals and toxins.

Yes, I know what you are you are thinking - good stuff sure to be expensive! Surprisingly, the products are all affordably priced, with each item costing less than $20.

All well and good, but the toughest test has got to come in the form of the Diva. This Diva of mine is famed for procrastinating when it comes to bath time.  There is always something more fun than bath: colouring, LEGO-building, playing make-believe with her cooking set.

But the day she used the Baby Castile Wash (S$16.90), she was hooked.  

Castile soap is a top quality soap with origins from the Castile region of Spain, and is made by mixing olive oil with a lye. It is considered the mildest soap because glycerin, a by product of the process which prevents skin dryness with its moisturizing properties, is retained in the product. Besides glycerin, the Baby Castile Wash is infused with oils of coconut, olive and jojoba as well as organic aloe vera to soothe babies' sensitive skin.

Of course Ale does not know all of these. For her, she likes the novelty of seeing the foam being dispensed from the pump.  She will mould it to different forms, imagining them to be rabbits and snowman before rubbing them on her body.  I for one, like it for the fact that the pump dispenses just the right amount of foam and not use more soap than is required for the skin.

Just a point to note though, castile soap do not contain numbing agents and so is not tear-free. So it is not recommended that the baby castile wash be used on the face, especially around the eyes. Instead, that is where the Baby Colloidal Oatmeal Bath Bag (S$19.90 for 15 bags) comes in.

Colloidal oatmeal is produced by finely grinding oat and boiling it to extract the colloidal material. It has been used for centuries as a soothing agent to relieve itch and irritation. Jo Lauren had packed the colloidal oatmeal into individual bath bags for convenient usage, which contains nothing but USDA Certified Organic Oatmeal. Great news for sensitive skin babies then as there is only one food grade ingredient in this product.

For best results, dip a Baby Colloidal Oatmeal Bath Bag into the warm water and gently massage over the child's problem areas.

As much as the monkies' skin felt smoother after just one wash, I have to say that the wifey is the biggest beneficiary! She has dry patches on her skin and after using the bath bags for a few days, there is marked improvement with no more complaints of itchy legs. Yay to that, and even the monkies agree!

But if your child is suffering from a bad bout of eczema, then perhaps the Baby Miracle Balm (S$13.90) might just be the best product ever for him/her. That is because the balm is specially formulated by the founder of Jo Lauren, and is created especially for baby rashes. 

Jo Lauren's founder, Jolene was in the skin care industry before her daughter, Lauren came along. Her daughter's eczema condition got so bad that it spurred her to find a natural, no-steroid solution for her. And that was how Jo Lauren (Jolene. Lauren. Jo Lauren...geddit?) was born. 

Today, Jolene's daughter boasts lovely, fair and smooth skin which you can read in further detail here. The good thing about the balm is that it can be used as a daily moisturizer as well as for dry, itchy skin, baby rashes and eczema. In fact, it is also great for bug bites, scratches, cuts, stings, bruises and whole lot of other boo-boos!

So it seems like the young and adult residents of the Cheekiemonkies household give a big thumbs up to Jo Lauren's products. We really liked them, they were kind to our skin, and most of all they made bath time fun!

PROMOTION

From now to 31st March 2014, make any purchase at www.jolauren.com and leave a review to stand a chance to win a Calvin Klein Baby Girl 2-pc 12M spunky outfit worth SGD$56! Visit HERE for more information.

BONUS!

Our readers get 5% off Jo Lauren's products! Just quote 'monkies' upon checkout to enjoy the discount. Code is valid until 5 March 2014. 

Disney On Ice: Treasure Trove skates into the malls

Media Invite

(Daddy blogs)

Three more weeks to the March School Holidays and gosh, I can hardly wait. Though it means the luxury of waking up slightly later for only one miserable week, I will gladly take it. For the monkies on the other hand, the thing that they will look forward in anticipation the most will undoubtedly be the moment when Disney On Ice: Treasure Trove skates into town from 19 to 23 March 2014!

The amazing thing about Disney on Ice shows is that a brand new production of the show is created EACH YEAR. So for this year's installment, get ready to bring the children on a journey through Disney’s amazing collection of stories featuring 50 of Disney’s beloved characters! 

Drawing upon old favourites like Disney’s first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to new ones like Disney’s 50th animated feature, Tangled, expect to see Peter Pan and Captain Hook battle it out, Woody, Jessie and Buzz Lightyear on an adventure, Simba, Nala, Pumbaa and Timon trek across the Pride Lands and follow Alice and the Mad Hatter as they march with the Queen of Hearts’ Army Of Cards.

And if you cannot wait for the action to get going, pop down one the shopping malls listed at the end of this post over the next three weekends for some early Disney on Ice FUN!

Grab a Treasure Map at the roadshow and task your children to complete three challenges in return for a Disney gift! For starters, play Jolly Jumble and match familiar Disney characters with their friends!

Next, spin the wheel of destiny and do the Dare or answer the trivia question.

Lastly, feed the hungry Pumbaa by throwing rubber bugs into his mouth before time runs out!

And be sure to collect each corresponding stamp on the treasure map as each game is completed.

Check out the funny magic mirrors too, where kids can grow fat, short, tall or thin in an instant.

Seemed like Snow White has found her eighth dwarf! LOL.

Oh, there are also prizes to be won at the roadshows too by taking part in a colouring contest!

We attended the first roadshow last weekend at JEM, and you can probably tell Ale enjoyed herself tremendously.

The one at JEM has since ended and the subsequent roadshows will be at the following locations:

• 28 Feb - 2 Mar 2014: Forum the Shopping Mall
• 7 - 9 Mar2014: West Coast Plaza
• 14 - 16 Mar 2014: Square2

More details in the poster below.

Useful Infomation

Disney on Ice: Treasure Trove
19 - 23 March 2014
Various Timings
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Tickets: $20, $40, $60, $95 & $110
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit HERE.

Sailing to the Extreme

Media Invite

(Daddy races)

The Extreme Sailing Series is back at Marina Bay this weekend, making it the first time that Singapore is hosting the opening leg - there are 8 legs in 8 countries in all - of the 2014 Series.

Never heard of it? It doesn't matter. All you have to know is that this is no ordinary sailing competition where sailors take hours and hours to complete one course. Far from it actually. In fact, the series prides itself in bringing the action to the spectators with Stadium Sailing where boats race ever so close to the audience!

So expect to see professional sailing teams pit against each other on identical Extreme 40 catamarans, on challenging, short yet tactical courses and close to shore to provide spectacular entertainment for the public.

So if you planning to bring the children down for a day out at Marina Bay, you will be glad to know that each race is only approximately 10 to 15 minutes long hence keeping the races compact, exciting and fun to watch!

Last year, I had the chance to experience the thrill of racing by joining in as a guest sailor on one of the Extreme 40 catamarans and it was such a stupendous experience. Having had a first-hand look at how the sailors deftly maneuvered the catamaran while constantly switching positions, I can tell you it is no easy feat to steer, let alone race, one of this babies.

The Extreme Sailing Series starts today, and last all the way to this Sunday (23 Feb 2014). Best of all, it is FREE to watch!

The free to enter public Race Village is located at The Promontory@Marina bay and will provide a host of entertainment throughout the day including live music, public bar and food stalls, a resident DJ, live commentary throughout the racing as well as a Kids Zone for children.

Yup, a Kids Zone just for children! It will feature activities for children including educational exhibits that explain the science of sailing. Children will also be able to learn how to tie various knots and find out more about the different parts of boats. There will be sampling stations throughout the Happy World of Haribo, which will also include a bouncy castle, paddle boat pool, face-painting booth and game stalls for a day of fun.

Here is a detailed schedule of activities to take note, with the real action of Stadium Racing highlighted in red:

Friday 21st February 2014
10.00 Public Race Village opens
10.00-12.30 Haribo Cup Youth Race & Haribo Try sailing followed by prize giving
13.00-14.00 49fxer exhibition
14.30-17.30 Extreme 40 racing window
17.30-19.00 The Aberdeen Challenge
19.00-19.30 The Aberdeen prize giving ceremony

Saturday 22nd February 2014
10.00 Public Race Village opens
10.00-12.30 Haribo Cup Youth Race & Haribo Try sailing followed by prize giving
12.30-13.00 2000m Dragon Boat racing
13.00-14.00 49fxer exhibition
14.20-14.30 Dragon Boat vs Team Aberdeen Singapore drag race
14.30-19.00 Extreme 40 racing window

Sunday 23rd February 2014
10.00 Public Race Village opens
10.00-12.30 Haribo Cup Youth Race & Haribo Try sailing followed by prize giving
13.00-14.00 49fxer exhibition
14.30-17.30 Extreme 40 racing window
18.00 49fxer sailors prize giving ceremony
18.15 Act 1, Singapore official prize giving ceremony

Useful Details:

Extreme Sailing Series 
Date: 21 - 23 February 2014 (Friday – Sunday)
Venue: The Promontory@Marina Bay
Time: Race Village opens from 10am, racing commences from 2.30pm
Website: http://www.extremesailingseries.com/
FREE Admission

Fun in a Box

Product Review

(Daddy reviews)

Remember the Intellibox that Ale previewed last year? It has officially been launched in January this year, and the Diva received her first box earlier this month!

The Intellibox is offered by ThinkersBox, a cognitive training centre that prides itself in helping children develop and build their thinking skills for effective learning. And as for the box itself, it counts as Singapore's first subscription-based 'Intellectual Development Kit' which is to be delivered right to the doorsteps of parents and is designed to be a monthly kit filled with mini brain-based games, puzzles, worksheets as well as reading notes for parents.

Simply put, it is filled with chock-ful of activities targeted at pre-schoolers aged 4 to 7 years old. And let's be honest - how often have we scratched our heads (and tearing out strands of hair even) when it came to planning and thinking of learning-based activities for our children at home on a consistent basis?

With the Intellibox, it will plan EVERYTHING on your behalf... for one whole month!

The monthly subscription kit will provide materials for 20 days, encouraging parents to spend 5 to 10 minutes each day engaging their child in brain-stimulating activities. So all parents have to do is to check the corresponding activity on on each day and voila, stress-free activity planning for our children has never been easier.

Each activity has been designed and reviewed by a panel of Early Childhood Educators, Psychologists and Professors, and strives to train different skills such as reasoning, memory, creativity, and spatial reasoning capacity in a child.

And at the completion of each month's worth of activities, the child gets to earn a badge for all his/her hard work!

There are a total of 4 different activities in our box, with each alternating throughout the 20 days. And as I expected, Ale could not wait to get started the moment she laid her hands on the box.

The first activity had her tasking to draw something using the circular shapes in the Brain Book. It is a very simple activity, but it certainly piqued even the interest of her older brother.

And this was what she had to show for after 5 minutes.

The second activity of the day involved her arranging coloured ice cream sticks in sequences, and then being instructed to move them around - 3 spaces to the left, 2 places to the right, you get the idea.

There is also a stacking Sea Otter activity kit, which aims to impart skills in differentiating different shapes & colours, stacking and balancing.

Ale enjoyed the activities so much that she wanted to do MORE than the stipulated daily activities. Every. Single. Time.

And the wifey and I need not worry that we forget to complete a particular day's worth of activities. She makes sure that she reminds us too. Every. Single. Day.

So far, we are into Day 9 of the Intellibox schedule, and I have to say it has been thoroughly useful in keeping her occupied every night and of course, instrumental in having the opportunity of bonding with her by doing the activities together.

The Intellibox subscription rates starts from as low as $1.50 per day and plans range between 3 and 9 months: 3 months: $145, 6 months: $255 and 9 months: $345.

Visit www.thinkersbox.com/ourprogrammes/intellibox-4-7-years-old to find out more!

And just for our readers, get $10 off subscriptions rates when you subscribe! You have to send in your subscription via email to enquiries@thinkersbox.com  and quote the promo code of CM2014 in order to enjoy the promotion.

Melt Hearts with Swensen's Disney Princess Ice Cream Cakes

Product Review

(Daddy slices)

There is simply no escaping Disney Princesses these days and if you have a daughter like I do, you will know that there is really nothing like a Disney Princess book, cup or plate or bag to make her day. I think it has everything to do with being girls being born with pixie dust in their veins. And if you are fretting over what kind of cake to get for your own little princess on her birthday, look no further than these royally cute cakes from Swensen's.

In fact, check out the full range of 21 different designs that Swensen's has to offer!

It is enough to make any girl squeal in delight.

Sure enough, Ale did the exact same thing when I collected our Princess cake from Swensen's on Valentine's Day. And this must have been one one of the rarest moments ever that I did not have to prompt her to pose for the camera!

In contrast, anything pink and/or princessy is a huge turnoff for the boys so they were of course less than enthusiastic about the cake. Or were they?

Well, it certainly helped that the cake was an ICE CREAM cake... which always works for children. But the icing on the cake - figuratively, not literally - was when they found out that the ice cream cake flavours were that of Vanilla and Milo!

And the result? They loved it!

Pretty rainbow sprinkles adorned all around, thick & creamy ice cream cake, and edible printed princess designs - ingredients guaranteed to light up any little girl's Birthday Party! My only gripe? How come there isn't any Princess Leia design???

Just kidding.

To order, call Swensen’s Cooline at 6788 8128 or visit www.swensens.com.sg to select your favorite Disney Princess Cake design. Choose from over 24 ice cream flavors, including all-time-favorites such as Sticky Chewy Chocolate, Frosted Chocolate Malt, Thin Mint, Strawberry Sherbet, Rocky Road, Pistachio Almond and Macadamia Nut.

Self-Collection of the Disney Princess Ice cream cakes is available from any Swensen’s outlet, with each cake priced at S$47 per kg. Home Delivery is available for cakes 1.5kg and above, and is priced at S$52 per kg. Prices are before GST.

GIVEAWAY (Closed)

We are giving away one 1kg Disney Princess ice cream cake from Swensen's to one lucky reader! And you get to pick the design and flavour too!

To participate, all you have to do is leave a comment declaring which is your (or your child's) favourite Disney Princess in either this blog post or the corresponding Facebook post HERE. Princess Leia answers are valid too, since she is a Disney Princess after all. Heh.

Giveaway ends on 25 February 2014, 2359 hours.

Congratulations to CLARICE TAN, who has won a 1kg Disney Princess ice cream cake from Swensen's! Kindly email me at kelvin(at)cheekiemonkie.net with regards to your prize collection.