Adventure, baby!

Month: May 2014

Mother's Day Traditions to Inspire You

Rejoice! It is almost Mother’s Day! The Brunch With My Baby team hopes that you’ll be spoiled rotten by your family, and get to enjoy some quality time with your loved ones.

Haven’t decided on where to go yet? We asked some of our favorite blogger friends for their Mother’s Day plans to give you some last-minute ideas.

#mothersday #traditions via brunchwithmybaby.com

Kristin Strange of My Strange Family
This year I will be celebrating my 4th Mothers Day.  Every year, my Mother’s Day is divided between “me” time and “family” time. We always have a nice brunch at The Harrison restaurant in Tribeca (which we originally picked because it is my son’s name). After brunch we make our way tonearby Washington Market Park for some running-out-the-crazies and slide time. During nap-time on Mother’s Day, I usually sneak out of the house and have a nice spa afternoon at the Langham Place Spa in Midtown. It is a perfect mix of activities for a perfect day of celebrating me as a mom. (The photo is from last year at Washington Market Park, when Kristin was 8+ months pregnant!)

#mothersday #traditions via brunchwithmybaby.com

Allison Cooper of Project Motherhood

For our family, Mother’s Day (and Father’s Day!) have become days that we always spend together as a family, but the rule is that my husband and son are in charge of planning something they know I will enjoy (we do the same for Father’s Day, but with me as the planner). Last year, we spent a wonderfully sunny day at Prospect Park Zoo, which we love because it’s so intimate and friendly. We also do small gifts, which is always fun to look forward to. As my son gets older, many of the gifts become homemade treasures that I value more than anything!
An Interview with #Brianne Manz from #strollerinthecity - brunchwithmybaby.com

Brianne Manz of Stroller In The City
My absolutely favorite thing to do in NYC on Mothers Day is to go to a wonderful brunch with my family! It’s so important to me to spend the day with my 3 children and husband. This year we are actually heading to Langham Place for a fun, family-friendly sing along. I think the kids (and us parents) will have an absolute blast!
#mothersday #traditions via brunchwithmybaby.com

Jory Lieber of Teeny Tiny Foodie

For Mother’s Day, I like to go out for a nice meal with my husband and daughter and enjoy time outside if the weather permits. The restaurants we like (with the perk of outdoor seating) are Du Jour Bakery and Stone Park Cafe. However, I also like to celebrate by taking a little time for myself and getting a manicure and pedicure too! We love the JJ Byrne Playground in Park Slope for outdoor fun, and we also like to go to the Prospect Park Zoo or just for a neighborhood walk.
#mothersday #traditions from @foodballfoodandmotherhood via brunchwithmybaby.com
Stephanie Barnhart of Football Food and Motherhood
It’s become tradition for us to go to Freeport in Long Island for Mother’s Day — they have the nautical mile which is lined with outdoor ocean/seafood restaurants. You can sit outside on the harbor and have a cold beer and fresh seafood. This year however, we are opting against it since Maximo is so wild and will probably fall off the dock. Stay tuned to see how that plays out! Typically we eat at Otto’s Sea Grill or Rachel’s Waterside Grill. (Check out Stephanie and Maximo last Mother’s Day  at Freeport in the pic above!). The Freeport area was significantly damaged during 2012’s hurricane and only re-opened late last year, so the businesses would love your support!
#mothersday #traditions to inspire you via brunchwithmybaby.com
Serena Norr, Managing Editor of Momtrends and The Shopping Mama
With all of the busyness in my life, I love Mother’s Day as a time to spend time with family. Since I grew up in Bay Ridge Brooklyn, we usually go there to meet my mom and my sister for an early dinner and to visit to the local parks afterward. I also love waking up to the sweet and precious handmade cards that my girls usually make me. There is nothing better (to me) on Mother’s Day then the simplicity of shutting off, eating great food and being with my family.
If these ideas don’t inspire you, here are some of our fave restaurant and outing picks:
Lunch at DUMBO’s Superfine and something sweet from Jacques Torres
Fancy SoHo lunch at Mercer Kitchen
People-watching while dining al fresco at Isabella’s on the Upper West Side
A walk around Union Square and lunch at the Blue Water Grill
Playing in Washington Market and brunch at Sarabeth’s
A day trip to Blue Hill Farm
Touring the gardens at The Cloisters and lunch at New Leaf Restaurant
Enjoy!!!

GIVEAWAY: Win one of two $50 vouchers at BabyAtt (+15% off for everyone)!

GIVEAWAY: Win one of two $50 vouchers at BabyAtt (+15% off for everyone)!

It’s rare to find a clothing brand that offers quality materials AND a lot of fine detail in their clothing. So I was squealing with pleasure when I saw the stuff BabyAtt stocks in real life!

BabyAtt are all about childrens apparel with a quirky twist. Inspired by stories, fueled by imagination.

Basically, they are REALLY. FREAKIN’ CUTE.

Check out the BabyAtt dress shirts for boys below! (psstttt… they also have the girls versions. Prepare to have your mind blown with cuteness overload).

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The materials used in BabyAtt clothing are eco-friendly and pure organic. The details are all hand-sewn. The clothing is incredibly durable, due to a stringent 4-stitch sewing technique instead of the usual 2-or 3-stitch.

In real life, the quality and attention to detail is top notch.

For kids, the clothes are a real magnet because the details and bits and bobs on the clothing means the kids are excited putting on the tees – it’s very novel for them. When they’re in the shirts, other kids will go up to them to have a look, and other parents have also asked where we got the shirts from.

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BabyAtt are giving away two $50 vouchers!

a BWMB giveaway

You can submit some of the entries more than once a day, so come back tomorrow to get more entries in the draw.

Giveaways will run from 2-8 May 2014 inclusive.
Winner’s entry(s) will be verified according to the entry criteria(s).

 

Use code BWMB to receive 15% off storewide at BabyAtt!

 
Code valid from 2 May – 2 June.

 

Just to point out, both my kids are wearing the 24M size. They are 20 months old and 3 years old, both weighing 14KG.

Here’s a closeup of the BabyAtt ‘cloudy apple’ shirt that Carter is wearing. Made with 100% organic cotton, it looks really different because of the slanted row of wooden buttons. I love this detail! 3 clouds are also tightly sewn on and provide cuteness and texture to the shirt.

Carter’s wearing it with denim jeans, but I reckon it’d also look fab with crisp white shorts for a smart-casual summertime look!

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Here’s Hunter in the BabyAtt ‘fly me to the moon’ shirt, also featuring 100% organic cotton. This one looks a tad more formal to me, because of the white base colour. It’s like a cute version of Daddy’s work shirt, so Hunter finds this quite amusing!

Check out those BALLOONS!! I can’t stand how cute they are. Various fabric cutouts form the balloons, with strings dangling from them (don’t worry, they are very securely fastened down).

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I’m really happy with these BabyAtt shirts because both kids are comfortable in them. They are roomy enough to move around in, yet not overly baggy. And, I’m delighted with how the one size can fit a 20 month old and a 3 year old – it means I”ll get HEAPS of wear out of them!

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Thanks BabyAtt!

 

DEPARTMENT OF CAFFEINE: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Tanjong Pagar, Singapore

DEPARTMENT OF CAFFEINE: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Tanjong Pagar, Singapore

 

Department Of Caffeine is lies behind an innocuous door along Duxton Road, so much so that it’s pretty easy to walk straight past without realising that there’s a cafe there.

DEPARTMENT OF CAFFEINE: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Tanjong Pagar, Singapore

 

I wasn’t impressed with their service. This makes or breaks an F&B joint, in my book.

My girl friend and I arrived just after 10AM, and they open at 10:30AM. Fair enough. They were setting up, and since she’s pregnant and can’t stand for long, I poked my head in and asked if they would mind if we sneak a chair and sit down until they open.

The young man there was having none of it. Zero smile, zero apologetic note in his voice. He abruptly just said “No. We open at 10:30” and turned his back on us. That’s a real shame, because it gave me a very bad opinion of the cafe almost immediately. Normally, I’d have told him off for his rude behaviour and never return, but I didn’t want to drag my pregnant gf around to hunt for another place, so we actually did wait until they opened.

DEPARTMENT OF CAFFEINE: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Tanjong Pagar, Singapore

 

Some of the pre-made food is on display in the glass counter near the cashier. It’s a great idea because I love being able to see what I’m about to order.

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I decided on a Soy latte ($5.60) and regretted that decision when it arrived. It looked miserable, with no coffee art (I know this is not a necessity, but it is nice and shows pride in a barista’s work). Perhaps it’s because it was soy milk, which can’t make coffee art? It was my first time ordering soy milk, so I can’t be sure if that was the reason, or if the barista was just lazy.

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The Orange, fresh mint, elderflower ($5.50) drink fared much better. It was bang on AWESOME! Refreshing and fizzy, this really hit the spot on a hot day.

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The Crispy chicken fingers with house made tangy spiced mayo ($7.50) were recommended by my cousin, and I’m glad we got this. The chicken was tender and moist, encased in a crunchy batter. The dipping sauce was the perfect accompaniment. Only downside was the pool of oil at the bottom of the bowl, as the chicken was not drained well.

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Their Breakfast quiche comes in a pleasingly large portion, served with a scattering of salad greens.I didn’t try this, so I can’t comment on how good it was.

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The Poached salmon with dill and mint sauce with two side salads ($15) is precooked, yet is absolute PERFECTION. The salmon isn’t fishy, but meltingly tender and creamy. It was delicious with the sauce, and was an exquisite, healthy meal.

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Special shout out for their roasted butternut squash, which is one of the side salad choices. The squash was cut in thick fingers, and they were sweet as well as beautifully tender.

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I was SO eager to try the Sundried tomato & herb waffles with streaky bacon, scrambled eggs and maple bacon jam ($17), which sounded amazing. But, I was horrified when I realised the scrambled eggs were BADLY over-salted. So bad that the eggs were completely inedible, and left behind on the plate (no one asked how the food was, or why the eggs were uneaten).

The bacon was okay – I cannot think of any other descriptive word here.

The waffles were delicious though, cooked well and with a lovely savory flavour.

The bacon jam we were promised on the menu was either invisible, or omitted. Instead, we got a pot of syrup. And no explanation as to why the bacon jam was missing.

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Last Bite: Department Of Caffeine has some hit and miss dishes, but offers a cozy and relaxed atmosphere. Just don’t expect excellent service here!

Highchairs: No
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: No
Kids’ menu: No

Department Of Caffeine
15 Duxton Road
Singapore 089481
Phone: 6223 3426
Prices: $$
Hours:
Mon – Tue: 10:30 am – 7:30 pm
Thu – Fri: 10:30 am – 10:30 pm
Sat – Sun: 9:30 am – 7:30 pm