These days (with more free time on my hands obviously) being able to spend lots of time with my son again and realizing how fast he’s growing, I often get all excited thinking of the stuff we could do together in (the very near) future.

Like going to the zoo to check out the animals from one of his favourite books – Dear Zoo. Or watching a play together like The Magic Jungle. Growing a plant or two perhaps (do growing green beans in plastic cups a la science lessons days in primary school count?) And definitely planning of family holiday (without needing to worry about food/sterilizing/heavy pram logistics) to child friendly destinations together (hello Disneyland! And it’ll be because Liam wants it and not mommy & daddy :x). Maybe we could throw in some indoor playground excursions on a once-a-month basis too?

But what about home based activities together? I’ve always admired moms who’ve had talent & creativity to make anything from anything and sometimes wished that I had a bit of that in me. Growing up, the best I’ve ever done is make a Lunar New Year paper lantern out of toilet rolls & red packets and I stuck to it only because it was a school assignment…and probably a plasticine city of Singapore in the 70s because it was part of Social Studies examination (I scored a distinction in that btw!).

So when I discovered the existence of LolliBox recently, I was thrilled. A little disappointed that the recommended age starts about 2.5 yr old but hey, that’s just 1 year and 7 months away right…and we all know how fast time flies.

The concept:  instead of brainstorming for craft/discovery/educational themes and needing to plan it all out amidst other ongoing activities, and running between Artfriend, Popular and other crafty knick knack stores just to ensure that I have the exact items required before getting started; everything is packed & delivered to me in a neat nice box right to my doorstep! There are even themes that are properly planned out  so all you have to do is just concentrate on the fun part of doing the activity together with your kid in the comfort of your home. Ain’t that so cool for moments when we just can’t think of anything for our kid(s) to do apart from passing them the iPad or TV remote or mobile phone but yet want to engage/occupy them and expend some of that energy!

I can’t wait till Liam gets his first LolliBox. I reckon I’d be the more excited one and might potentially try to take over doing everything for Liam instead

*Note to self: patience patience patience*

Till then, LolliBox will on my gift list to toddlers. It’s bound to stand out among the many toys & clothes that they already have with more parent-child bonding time and personal handiwork achievements to boot!

P/s: Forest Friends received a LolliBox which was given away to one lucky toddler at the Enchanted Christmas Party.

The above are my personal thoughts & opinions on LolliBox. I was not compensated in any way.

When I started getting inspiration to shop for the chungkin’s wardrobe during my final trimester,  I never thought I would ever be able to afford any of the cool togs ‘em Hollywood celebrity babies & kiddos were sporting. Com’on, we all know how fat their parents’ paychecks are.

Not that being able to afford any of those stylish, sophisticated celebrity-endorsed togs would have made me a better mom, but if I could afford a stylo outfit or two which I absolutely adore on a page of a magazine without bursting my allowance (= within my means) for the rare occasion, why not?

So when I first chanced upon Trumpette socks which were fast gaining a foothold among celebrity moms such as Gwen Stefani, Jessica Alba, Ashlee Simpson, Britney Spears – I thought those socks were simply toooooo cute and a brilliant idea to boot!

{Jennifer Garner dressing up Seraphina Affleck in  Trumpette Mary Jane Socks}

Plus since infants are too young to actually wear proper shoes (so we were told during antenatal classes time & again that it affects the moulding of their feet) and we were advised to keep their feet warm & toasty at all times, I loved that these trumpette socks actually looked like baby shoes! They actually had real laces attached on for the boys series (such as Johnny & Buffalo checks) and not drawn on too!

When a fellow mama dressed her twins in Trumpette socks during one of the first few playdates, I knew I had to ask where she got them from. And thankfully  it wasn’t as exorbitant as I thought (a box retails for about $45 for 6 pairs in assorted colors vs. $18 for a pair of boring, lower quality socks with drawn on patterns which the Bo purchased initially when I mentioned Liam could no longer fit into booties).

I ended up purchasing 2 boxes (just in case I forget to wash them fast enough since Liam has his walks everyday) at a special rate and since then I’ve been using them almost every day. They’ve not frayed, nor gone out of shape nor have the colors fade. And I can easily match any of the 6 colors they come in (a box) with what Liam’s wearing, or not. These socks are practically oozing with a personality of their own anyway!

And for paranoid moms like myself, the  socks come with anti-skid bottoms too for when the little ones start walking. Double yay!

Oh and because they come in such prettily packaged boxes, me thinks they make a fab idea for  a baby shower gift too! At least they will come in handier and last longer than the run of the mill baby sets.

If you’re keen to check Trumpette socks out, Haus de Bebe is offering an additional 5% off if you quote “Chungkin” for any purchases in the month of Oct.

{my little chungkin in his trumpette}

Who knew babies’ feet could be cuter than they already are?

[ah soh /soh, səʊ/ n. & a.]  A n. A middle-aged or elderly woman, esp. one perceived to be of a low class.  B a. Of or pertaining to a middle-aged or elderly woman: old-fashioned, gossipy, complaining] and enjoys watching sappy HongKong, Korean & Taiwanese dramas religiously. 

{welcome to the ‘ah soh’ club}

I knew my days of becoming ah-soh would come soon once I embraced the role of being a mom. But what I didn’t anticipate was how fast & furious and subconscious it would suddenly hit me.

Last night, we had our 2nd mommies’ night out (a monthly affair), and golly was it so much fun!

When Ni-mama saw that one of her favourite TW dramas – 犀利人妻 -  was coming to the big screen, she knew that she had to watch it, with her favourite mommas in tow. We were gamed. Dinner & a movie it was. And even that felt short – signs you’re having such a blast.

It wasn’t till the husband kept asking me what movie we were going to catch (envy, much?) that I realized that I had no idea what it was about. All I wanted was a good night out with the girls and to take a little breather from mommy duties.

The lovely ladies offered to fill me in over dinner – ahh so the movie was sort of a definitive closure / ending to the cliffhanger in the drama – and before the start of the movie I kind of knew who to be looking out for / rooting for.

We even spied a bunch of older ‘ah-sohs’ in their late 50s sitting behind us, all eager to catch the movie too – talk about being in the same crowd. Sheesh.

My thoughts on the movie? Didn’t think much of the leading lady initially (her hair style perhaps) but she grew on me very quickly as the scenes went by. I’m such a fan of quirky characters (i.e.: Alice in Twilight, New Girl etc.)

‘Mr. Blue’ was very suave indeed *swoons* and the little daughter got on my nerves occasionally.

I even let out a tear or two towards the end of the movie, which is very very very unlike me. Weepy ah-soh maybe?

When the husband came to pick me (he was also all eager to know if I enjoyed the movie) later on, I practically went on and on about the movie… that it spurred him to want to watch the TV drama as well!

Seems like I ain’t the only ah-soh around in this house.

If there’s one thing Coach has finally done right in the recent years  - the revival of the  legacy collection is probably it.

I first fell in love with Coach more than a decade back when I was introduced to their leather duffle. It was simple, unassuming and elegant – with a simple Coach label affixed on. The way I like my leather bags to be. No gaudy prints susceptible to fading. No needing to try too hard. Just the accessory I could complement my first work outfits with as I transitioned from teenager to young adult. And still being able to chuck in a whole load of ‘barang barang’ (a colloquial Malay term for personal belongings) without anyone needing to know what was really inside (*coughs*gummy sweets & plasters & 3 different types of lip floss *coughs*).

What I didn’t fancy though were the newer designs that started appearing in varied styles of monogram & prints, whatever happened to the simplicity of a luxury leather bag? Why wasn’t it kept as a classic range amidst the newfangled collections? Couldn’t they have attempted on making the leather range lighter for everyday use instead of shadowing other whimsical brands? Plus, I didn’t have a good impression of the quality of fabric bags as few of my ex-colls owned them and some gave way within a few times of use.

Anyway.

Being the momma that I am now, often dressed in black these days as I work on losing the remaining stubborn 10kg (I doubt it’s ever going to go away), I was stopped in my tracks last weekend when we walked past the Coach paragon store, surprised to be greeted by the cheerful hues of pop colors displayed. (p/s: somehow when a kid comes along, you’re just that much more incline to add on pops of bright shades to your outfit. Or at least that’s me). The Legacy collection was back with a vengeance – with tastefully hued colors to boot!

And as I exclaimed to the husband “the good ole Coach that I fell in love with is back”, he couldn’t agree more how lovely the mens Legacy range were too.

So here are some of my favorites pieces. Not that I’ll be getting my hands on any soon since the diaper bag will probably be my IT bag for a long while to come…

But isn’t walking into a store with things you fancy always a treat? :p

Source | Coach

Here’s my first attempt at starting a visual diary for days/posts when I’ve nothing much to say except to post photos just so you know that I’m still alive and kicking (just saying) ;p

{Having Korean BBQ dinner with my IJ darlings before I go into confinement mode within the month}

{2 of the darlings – Fi & Margie who made sure they took good care of us 2 preggers in the group}

{primary & secondary school classmates, now moms-to-be and both expecting dragon boys}

{cookies & creme milkshake for a quick perk-me-up, which baby chungkin enjoyed}

{group shot}

{all-time favorite snack & recent craving, tu tu kueh}

{my nth time of bubble tea throughout entire pregnancy, first time trying milk tea and its so good!}

Korean BBQ dinner was at:

Jang Shou Korean Charcoal BBQ (East Coast)

86 East Coast Road

#02-11/20, Blk B Katong Village,Singapore

Get reviews here & yes, be prepared to smell like a BBQ pit after that too :)

I think I might have just outdid my own expectations again. *beams*

One thing I’ve been unable to live without since the pregnancy has been the computer internet (esp. online shopping for baby items which is very addictive btw) and it has proven to be a good thing *double beam*

Apart from the usual information overload re. pregnancy & beyond, I’ve made new acquaintances-turned-good mommy friends, re-established relationships with other friends-turned-mommies, rediscovered myself and my passions, kept some of the longest email threads going with some of the dearest & loveliest people around and today…while on the search for more mommy blogs to draw inspiration, admiration and parenting tips from, (especially localized ones/context although I’m still a huge fan of some fantastic overseas ones), I stumbled on not one or two but a whole list full via Singapore Mom Bloggers Group.

Suffice to say, this delighted me big time. If you’re interested to read more about these mom bloggers, do click on to the above link to join the page and gain access.

For a start, here’s a few to pique your interest:

the bottomsup blog

our everyday things

misustay

Life Live Love Life

Hope you enjoy reading about their parenting experiences and do share more mommy blog links with me if you’ve any.

They say being pregnant can sometimes relegate one to looking like a Cinderella (no, not the part where she transforms into a gorgeous princess) and make you look all haggard with little regard for dressing up. I mean, when you’ve got so much going on inside of you, not to mention morning sickness, nausea amongst others, dolling up takes a back seat.

I’ve been blessed in this aspect that except for days when I feel totally down from being ill, I still take little joys in putting on the gloss, the mascara & the blush. Happy to say that I enjoy doing so, and it does lift my spirits up considering that I can’t fit into many of my pre-pregnancy clothes any longer and maternity-like clothes haven’t been all that exciting to wear.

Recently, I’ve been into the whole earrings phase. Not sure what triggered the interest since I’ve always had ultra-sensitive ears which meant that I couldn’t just wear anything I caught a fancy to (unless I wanted to suffer from a nasty infection for a few days). But lately, I’ve been on the look-out for pretty, girly ones – nickel free of course!

I chanced upon this pair at a really attractive steal yesterday and couldn’t take my mind off it since.

Needless to say, I ended up purchasing it and am looking forward to wearing them!

You can participate in this steal too by clicking here: http://reserve.refinery29.com/offer/244/melinda-maria

Fun Fact: Nicknamed ‘Hollywood’s Bling Queen’, Melina Maria carries a range of beautiful accessories – necklaces, stunning earrings, rings & bracelets which Emma Stone, Kate Beckinsale, Megan Fox, Emily Blunt, Vanessa Hudgens, Shenae Grimes, Elizabeth Olsen, Claire Danes, Emmy Rossum, Minka Kelly, Olivia Wilde, Madonna have been spotted wearing. :D