Sentosa Island for my birthday!

Warning!  This post has too many pictures!!  I really narrowed it down too...  Sorry.  

Today, we went to Sentosa Island!  According to the website, it is Asia's favorite playground.  It was our first time there.  We wanted to go to the beach and just check it out.  There are several amusement parks...  A Universal Studios, Animal and Bird encounters, A Nature Center, Underwater World, Butterfly and Insect Kingdom, and the list goes on.  There are tons of resorts.  You probably get the idea, but if you want to know more about what is on Sentosa, check out the link above.  We just wanted to go to see how to get there and where it is, and to check out the beach.

From our condo, it takes about 40 minutes to get to Harbor Front MRT, which is the transfer place to Sentosa Island.  Pretty much anywhere in Singapore is about 40 minutes by MRT/bus or about 15 to 20 minutes by taxi.  We took the MRT today.  Once at Harbor Front, we decided to take the cable car over to Sentosa.  You can walk across the bridge, take a train or bus or taxi or the cable car.

Here is our cable car approaching our loading zone!

And we're in!  I have to admit it was a little scary!  It's really high up and we're over the water.  The views were amazing, and it was pretty quick.

That's the city skyline in the background.  It was a hot morning and the haze is from the steam. 

That's where we came from.

Sentosa Island!  

This is the Hard Rock Hotel (can you see the little sign?).

Our cable car is heading into that white building.

Just a view along the street.  It's very lush and green.  It feels very tropical.

Have I mentioned how they drive on the left side of the road?  I'm getting more used to it, but every time we cross the street I look the wrong way first.  

From where we arrived on the island, it was a little bit to the beach.  There is a free bus service that goes all over, so we took a bus part of the way and then took a cab the rest of the way.  We could have taken the bus, but we were too excited to wait for the next bus to come.

There are three beaches on Sentosa.  One is geared to families and kids, it's called Palawan Beach.  That's where we went.  One is for sports, like sand volley ball and other activities, Siloso Beach.  And the third beach is Tanjong Beach, it is for relaxation and tranquility.  

We crossed the big rope bridge!  It was very narrow and really moved a lot with all of the people on it.  It was fun!

Over the bridge is the southern most point of continental Asia.

The map shows where we are.  The big yellow is Singapore and the little red tip at the bottom is Sentosa and the orange label is pointing to our spot.  I'm sure you can't see it!

The water was just the right temperature to be refreshing but not cold.  The sand was so soft!  The girls found little shells and seaweed and made a pile of their collection.  The beach was busy, but not too crowded.  Delightful.

I didn't manage all of the letters... 

This one needs some explaining...  There are 2 things that just don't happen here.  There are never any napkins served with meals.  Sometimes, they put out a little box of Kleenex.  No napkins.  Also, there are never any paper towels in the bathroom.  Sometimes they have the little hand dryers, but  not always.  Never towels.  I think they probably reduce paper waste by tons every day.  So, it's a good thing.

Today, we were surprised to find napkins served at our lunch!  Wow.  I had to take a picture.

This is Scott, at our beach restaurant enjoying a Singapore Sling.  If you come visit us, you will have one too.  They are delicious!

A pirate showed up at the beach just after we had lunch!  They were teaching a pirates dance to the kids.  Who do you think joined right in without a moments hesitation?!

Madeline of course!  Here she is doing some kind of growl or something.  There was a fun little splash park on this part of the beach.  This evening at bedtime Madeline told Scott:  "Dad, I met a real pirate today!  She was so nice and taught me a dance!"  (she meant the girl helper to the costumed Captain Palawan).

Waves!

We met a lovely Norwegian family on the beach today.  The kids worked together to dig a hole (Scott too, obviously).

Then they made a mountain.

After our time in the sand, we headed over to the showers and got all of the sand and salt off.  It was time to start our journey back home.

We took the bus and the cable cars back over to mainland Singapore.  Once there, we stopped for dinner before boarding the MRT to our home.

We had conveyor belt sushi!!  We sat in a booth and the inside of the booth had a little conveyor belt that traveled along next to us.  Little plates of sushi went by and if we saw something we liked, we picked it up.  So fun!

Back at our local mall The Nex, we had to stop at the Icing room!  A birthday must have birthday cake!  I saw this place, the first time I was at The Nex and I knew it would be a favorite with my kids.  They have beautifully decorated cakes and treats for sale, or you can decorate your own!  So, of course, I needed my kids to make me my birthday cake.  

We ordered a plain white chocolate/cherry cake and plate of frosting and decorations to put on ourselves!

My family and their masterpiece!

Birthday time!

The cake was delicious!

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Yesterday was terrible.  Really terrible.  It was one of those bad parenting days that makes me question all of my discipline methods.  I've watched Super Nanny and read lots of parenting books.  I know that children behavior problems are a product of the parents modeled behavior and discipline plan.  So, it's really my fault.  How could I have let it come to this?  Really?  These can't be MY kids?

But, first, let me back up and tell the whole story...

Friday was great!  Book week ended with a dress up day.  Lily decided to go as Fancy Nancy, but not the Christmas one as I had thought.  She wanted to be Fancy Nancy from the Bonjour Butterfly.  Here's her picture just before we left for school.

She had a great day.  There were plenty of other Fancy Nancy's there too, which made her feel good.  One of her good friends was Fancy Nancy from the Posh Puppy book.  So cute.

We picked up a couple of books from the book fair.  The Little Girl and the Tiny Doll is a very sweet book and just perfect for Lily's reading level.  It's not a chapter book, but it looks like one and is rather long.

There are pictures on every page.

Friday after school we swam and played with some of the friends from our condo at the pool.  We had a good time.  It's actually a little cool here.  I don't feel like swimming.  It's warm, but only 80 to 85 degrees F, so not too hot.  When it's overcast and breezy, I can feel a little cool.  The kids want to swim no matter the weather.  It was even raining a little on Friday, but I think that makes swimming all the more fun (no lightning, so no worries).

Saturday morning, the Steelers were playing!  Scott knew the game was starting and he was feeling kinda sad about not being able to watch it.  So, he checked and through NFL.com, if you live outside of the US, you can subscribe to ALL of the games!  He was very excited.  He subscribed and put the game on, with headphones in.  Happy Scott!

The game was over by 9:30 am and so we decided to go to IKEA to finish our home set up shopping.  Our first trip there, we got beds and kitchen dishes, etc.  The things we could think of that we would need every day.  This trip was more about home organization.  I needed somewhere to keep the toys.  We needed a shoe organizer for the front door.  Hand towels.  A book shelf for the kids books.  Things like that.  The kids LOVE play land so, they were happy to agree to go.

However, things did not go as planned.  Last time, we were the 2nd people in the door at IKEA.  This time, we got there about 1 1/2 hours after it opened.  Big mistake.  We took a number for checking the kids in at SmaLand....  They were serving number 68, we were number 145.  UGH.  

We thought we'd go eat lunch and then see where the numbers were.  We got our food, and then there were no tables available.  So, we stood around our food trolley and ate lunch.  Checked the number at SmaLand, they were now serving number 75.  Sigh.  This isn't going to go well....

We headed into the store, kids in tow...  I have to say they did great!  We checked SmaLand a couple of times while we were shopping and they were not even approaching our number.  Scott checked one last time just before we got to the self-serve bulky items.  We thought it would be great if the kids were there playing while we got the big stuff, checked out and arranged for delivery.  They were only at 130 and in the 10 minutes of waiting only got to 131.  So, Scott gave our number to a sweet family that had just arrived and had number 238 and we continued on our journey.  The kids were pretty good.

We took a taxi home and then rested up.  We had evening plans!

We had plans to meet up with Wes Graff and his wife Kristen and their two kids.  Wes and Kristen have been in Singapore for 5 years.  Their boys, Wyatt and Vaughn are almost exactly the same ages as Madeline and (my) Wyatt.  We had such a nice visit with them.  The kids were very well behaved.  They all got along great.  They watched movies.  We enjoyed ourselves very much.  Wes and Kristen had tons of wonderful advice for us.  We stayed late!  It was almost 10 pm when we got home.  The kids were up so late!  We texted for a taxi and it was there within 3 minutes and then we went straight to bed.  Exhausted.

So, now it's Sunday morning.  The kids are up at their usual time (hint... not enough sleep = terrible kids).  The morning started with whining, hitting, taking, not sharing, cries and fits.  Delightful!  We were totally out of milk and fruit and bread.  We could get bread downstairs... but not milk and fruit.  We ate a little of what we had and then got ready to go to the grocery store.  

Meanwhile... I tried to do Lily's hair.  We were in my bathroom, where there is a step so that Wyatt and Madeline could reach the counter to brush their teeth.  Lily stepped up on the step, me "Lily, get down, I can't see the top of your head when you are up there", Lily does not get down.  Me, "Lily, get down."  Lily does not get down.  Me, "LILY!"  Lily, gets up on tippy toes.  UGH!  CHILD!!  

Brilliantly, we decided that Wyatt needed to start potty training today.  So, Scott talked him into wearing big boy pants to the grocery store.  Hmmm...  Well, at least I'm not doing it alone.  Better bring a diaper and a change of shorts, just in case.  We head out the door.  There are intermittent whines and cries and pushing and not listening all the way to the train station.  We get there.  The kids run ahead once we are underground.  They run so far ahead and turn the corner that we can't see them (this is not allowed!).  We catch up.  Wyatt is standing in a puddle.  Of course.  The train is coming in 3 minutes.  Scott and I take Wyatt aside and change his clothes.  The girls are very aware of the coming train.  It comes and goes and we have a constant running commentary on the happenings of the train.  sigh.  Please just be quiet! 

We go down to the train platform and now we have 7 minutes to wait for the next train.  I think it was the longest 7 minutes ever.  Scott and I look at each other.  Are these our kids?  Ugh.  This is not a fun day.  So, I say, let me take them home.  This is only going to get worse.  Can you do the shopping?  Just be sure to get milk, nothing else matters that much.  He agrees.  Just as the train is arriving, I leave with the kids.

The walk back is stressful and frustrating.  Wyatt will NOT hold my hand.  Lily keeps giving me dirty looks!  I declare:  You will all go to bed when we get back.  You will all nap.  Surprisingly, the girls don't fight it.  Wyatt will NOT agree.  But, he's 3.  Three year olds never agree.  The girls go to their beds as soon as we return and after a little convincing, Wyatt does too.  Finally, peace and quiet.  

Scott gets back a little while later.  He brought me sushi!!  We enjoy a sushi lunch together while the kids sleep.  It was a wonderful break.  Peace.

The kids are up a little while later.  The complaining and whining and fighting and not listening continued until bedtime.  Scott and I felt completely used up by the end of the day.  

I remember feeling that way almost every day.  It used to be that I had to count the moments that were not that way.  Now, it's a remarkable thing when I have a day like this.  Does it mean that I'm winning overall?  I certainly felt like that kids won this one.  I have to remind myself that the goal is to not let them get me upset.  I need to control my reaction.  Kids are going to test boundaries and my patience.  It's their job.  Mine is to let them, but remain firm and calm. 

It's a new day.  I have a new sense of purpose.  Today will be a better day!

Did you know that Waldo's name in the UK and Australia is Wally? 

Book Week

This week is book week for Lily at school.  She's been having a lot of fun.  It is the book fair, so of course we got a little magazine of books that we can purchase.  I was very amused because I didn't recognize a single book in the little magazine.  I consider myself fairly well educated on the matter of children's books.  At least the ones for little kids, up to age 5 or 6.  But, I have never heard of "The Wombat and the Grand Poohjam" or "Horrid Henry" or "The Little Girl and the Tiny Doll".  I had to stop myself from buying all of the award winning books.  I'm really excited about the introduction to Australian and British children's books.

So, in addition to the new books available for purchase, there is also a used book table set up.  All the proceeds from the used books will go to charity.  Also, every day, the teachers are visiting other classrooms and reading their favorite books to the children.  So, Lily's class has been visited by new teachers every day and getting to hear lots of different books.  Tomorrow (Friday) the children are invited to dress up as their favorite book character and to bring that book to school to share.

I'm not sure what Lily is going to dress up as...  We did bring some dress up clothes.  I thought it would be fun to dress up in her Ballet Folklorico dress because it is culturally something very different here.  But, I don't have a book to go with it.  Lily wants to dress up as Fancy Nancy.  I know I have a fancy Christmas dress here, so I thought maybe she could take the Fancy Nancy Christmas book to school and wear the fancy Christmas dress.  We'll make the final decision when Lily gets home from school.  I'll be sure to post pictures...

Today, I'm heading out with the little ones to join the local library.  There is a children's series that I want to find.  The moms at school have recommended a series called The Faraway Trees.  The kids are all reading it at home, so I want to read it to Lily too.  It's a classic British series for children.  The author is Enid Blyton.  I'd never heard of her before, but apparently she is very well known.  The books were written between 1939 and 1951.  Let me know if any of you decide to read these books with your kids too!  I'd love to hear what you think!

I've been reading "The Year of the Flood" by Margret Atwood.  I finished it a couple of days ago.  I really enjoyed it.  I just picked up "Eat, Pray, Love".  I don't know why I haven't already read it.  Many friends have told me that I would love the book and it's true.  I love it!  I can really identify with the author in her love for traveling.  I've always loved traveling.  I've only just started it, so I'll write more about it once I've finished reading it.

I love reading.  Sometimes, I have to force myself to put my book down, so that my children can eat and so that we don't all drown in the mess that happens when I stop paying attention.  Sigh...

I took some pictures of the pool and playground from our condo.  We've been spending a lot of time out there and thought you would like to see this piece of our life:

This is what we see once we step out of the door to our elevator room.  It is a Koi pond at the base of the pillars and then the swimming pool is out to the left.

Our friend the turtle.  We should name him.  There's big turtle (this one) and a smaller turtle that live in the koi pond.  We have to find the turtles every time we either leave or return to our home.  I think the children think of them as their pets.

A view across the large pool.  There are 3 pools in all.  This one is the largest and deepest.  I think it's 1.7 meters deep (we're all metric now...).

Some of the fish.  So pretty!

My bread machine.

The large pool again.

This is the medium pool.  This is the one that we swim in mostly.  It is 1 meter deep.  It's deep enough that the kids can swim in it, but shallow enough that Lily can touch the bottom.  Madeline can touch too, but only on her tippy toes with her head looking up.

The steps into the medium pool.

I have visions of lounging here with my book while the children play....

Looking back at the building from across the large pool.

The small pool.  On the right side, there is a waterfall from the large pool into this one.

The shower.  We mostly use it to wash the sand off of our feet after playing on the playground.

This is the bench next to the playground.  I sit here to watch the kids play.  The building on the other side of the bushes is Lily's school.  We're so close!

The grassy area between the pools and the playground. 

The playground!

This circle spins!  The kids love to lay on it and have an adult spin them around.  I can do it pretty fast with just my kids, but when there are a bunch of kids, it takes the dads and maybe even 2 of them.

A basketball court.

Madeline is a monkey!  She loves to climb to the very top!

Our building as seen from the playground.

Not pictured...  tennis courts, outside grills available for reservation, party room available for reservation, exercise room, guards gate (24 hour guards posted at the street).  I read in our book there is also a steam room, but I haven't found it yet.  The building is 23 stories tall with an average of 6 units per floor.  We are on the second floor and there are only 3 units on our floor.  The top floor has only 1 unit.  Our complex is only this 1 building.  There are 2 floors of parking underground.

We are heading into a 4 day weekend!  Monday is a holiday because of the Singapore voting day and Tuesday (my birthday) is a holiday because it is Hari Raya Puasa.  I don't know what that is, but I'm going to learn about it before Tuesday!