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Travel

Goodbye, 2013!

December 31, 2013 / News, Singapore / 2 Comments

2013 will always be a special year for Brunch With My Baby Singapore, because… we launched! We’ve been live since 1 October 2013, though it feels like a lot longer than that.

We’ve written 85 (!!!!) posts since we started in October – a mere 3 months.

We’ve hosted 15 fun weekly giveaways for you.

We’ve had the privilege of having 2 guest writers (Debra and Delphine), with many more to come in the year ahead.

We’ve also had to battle weight gain, thanks to the daily brunching-out. But hey, it’s all part of the job right?!

So what’s in store for 2014?

Expect lots more food reviews on fun and kid-friendly places to dine. Many more guest reviewers (if you fancy yourself quite the writer, please contact us to be a guest reviewer!). And, of course, our weekly giveaways for fabulous stuff.

As always, thank you for dropping by. To way waaay waaaaaay more eating in 2014!!

(pssssst! Stay tuned to our updates on our Facebook page.)

The Plight of the SAHM vs FTWM

December 29, 2013 / Articles, Singapore / 0 comment

My Mum was a serious career high-flyer at a French bank, before she quit her job to….. look after me. For most of my life, I’d always thought it was such a silly decision, and that when I grew up, *I’d* never sacrifice all that money/career-glory just for my kid.

Now, being a SAHM and having made the same decision Mum made all those years ago, I truly understand and appreciate the sacrifice she made. This article I wrote for Material World is dedicated to her.

It is also dedicated to my mummy girl friends, and to anyone who is a mum and reading this. Because we’ve all made our own choices. We’ll never be sure if we made the right one, but we sure as hell hope it is!

The Plight of the SAHM vs FTWM, written for Material World.

Hope you enjoy the read 🙂

GIVEAWAY: One ‘My First Pack’ of 156 stickers from Stickerkid (worth $55)!

December 26, 2013 / Giveaways, Singapore / 56 Comments

(psssst! Read on for a discount code to Sickerkid)

Both my kids start their unaccompanied playgroup in the new year!

They’ll be attending 3x a week, for 3 hours each time. HELLOOOOOO kid-free mornings for me, for three glorious days a week!! Seriously, I won’t know what to do with myself.

Because of their close age gap (18 months apart), they’ll be in the same classroom. There’ll be just 6-8 kids in the class (including them) with 2 teachers

Despite the small class, the teachers told me to make sure they have all their belongings labeled, or they risk getting their stuff mixed up with other kids.

I’ve never purchased labeling-things before, because I’ve been dubious. Kid things go through a LOT of rough handling and a LOT of washing – how can something so simple as a sticker that you slap on last through all that??

Turns out, they really do last.

My kids’ stickers are by a Swiss company called Stickerkid, that make personalised stickers and labels. They are Swiss-made and ridiculously durable. As in, they last so well that it can’t even be normal. Key example? The stickers on their waterbottles are in PERFECT condition – with no nicks or peeling bits – despite the waterbottles being washed and scrubbed daily. They’ve been stuck on for 6 weeks now (I wanted to give it time to make sure Stickerkid labels really do work!), and they are still PERFECTLY stuck on. Freaky!!

Stickerkid are giving away one ‘My First Pack‘ of 156 stickers (worth $55), shipped worldwide.

My First Pack contains:
– 32 large stickers
– 14 shoe stickers
– 60 small stickers
– 50 clothes stickers

a Brunch With My Baby giveaway

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

Giveaway will run from 27 Dec 2013 to 2 Jan 2014 inclusive.
Winner’s entry(s) will be verified according to the entry criteria(s).
Any person from any country may participate – Stickerkid will ship worldwide!

And for those of you that want to order RIGHT NOW, before the new school year starts…

Stickerkid are offering a 10% STOREWIDE DISCOUNT with code: brunchwithmybaby

Valid until 31 March 2014.
Discount is valid on all merchandise storewide, but excludes shipping cost.

So these are my kids’ stickers, that arrived swiftly in the mail. I did spend ages trying to decide on the pictures, because they are so many option sto choose from! Stickerkid also have just launched the option to upload your own photo – coolness!! The stickers come on various sheets and with accompanying instructions (though it’s kind of a no brainer).

The stickers aren’t made of paper, but some sort of vinyl(?) material… that makes the stickers extremely flexible and durable. They feel good.

This is the back of the Shoe Stickers:

The Shoe Stickers fit nicely in kids shoes, and don’t peel off or come loose, to annoy little ones. My kids are pretty amused whenever they see their favourite animals stuck inside their shoes when they’re putting them on.

Incredibly, I stuck on a sticker (NOT the iron-on label) on the back of Hunter’s hat.. and it’s been through a bunch of washes… but the sticker is still there!! In perfect condition.

And as I mentioned before, the stickers on their water bottles have lasted 6 weeks of daily washing and rough daily use. Zero peeling edges, zero nicks, zero colour fade.

I regressed into a kid and went on a sticker slapping frenzy! Popped them on all their belongings, including their Buono desks. I figure it’s a good way to get them to recognise and read their own names, right??

And also on Hunter’s Y Velo bike. Because the green is identical and looked too cool!

These babies are really, freakily, durable. They last through so much – both physical man-handling, and washing. I’m also impressed with their thin-ness (so it doesn’t annoy and get in the way) as well as their flexibility (they wrap around odd-shapes very well with no bubbles or peeling).

This is what Stickerkid is proud to offer in their stickers:

Thanks Stickerkid!

Merry Christmas, from us to you.

December 24, 2013 / News, Singapore / 0 comment

Wishing all of you a blessed and merry Christmas, with quality time spent with your family and friends.

CHARLY T’s: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Katong, Singapore

December 23, 2013 / Food Reviews, Katong, Singapore / 0 comment

I very rarely order roast chicken when we go out – for the simple reason that, more often than not, the chicken comes out pretty dry and tasteless. Actually in general, I never order chicken in restaurants.

So I was really interested when I heard that Charly T’s specialised in rotisserie chicken!

I was really surprised to discover that it’s not just rotisserie chicken that they serve, but a whole variety of dishes from around the world. It kind of makes it hard to decide what to get 😉

The interior of Charly T’s is welcoming and family-friendly, with lots of high chairs and an outdoor patio area with a large TV screen. But the calling card is the play corner.

My kids made a BEELINE straight for it!

On one Sunday a month, Charly T’s hosts a full-blown kids event with an instructor…. FOR FREE. Kids are eligible when accompanied with dining adults. Not trying to sound stingy or anything here.. but any place that keeps my kids occupied for a good our for free is tops in my books!!

This month, the activity was “instrument making”.

It was a really simple concept and used simple craft materials, but was such a good idea and one that I’d never thought of before. The kids happily decorated the backs of 2 paper plates, stapled them together so they formed a drum/tambourine, and threaded through large bells to make them jingle-jangle. What a hit it was!

Chris was a champion and guided both kids through the craft making – though if your kids are a bit older, they can just be left there whilst you eat in peace.

After that, we relaxed with an Iced Latte and Iced Lemon Tea.. whilst the kids played around the area for a bit and shared a freshly-squeezed Green Flash juice – Green Apple, Orange, Pineapple ($7).

Of course, we had to try the Rotisserie Chicken with 2 side dishes ($14.50)! We were told that they pride themselves on chilled, never frozen, chickens that are marinated for over 12 hours before they are slow-cooked Rotisserie-style. Mmmmmmm……..

The meat was plump and tender, and I liked how crisp and smoky the skin was. But most of all, I thought the sesame (I think?) dipping sauce it came with was excellent. The kids loved it smothered all over their chicken! Speaking of which, both kids pretty much ate half the chicken each. I was kinda impressed.

Our two side dishes was the Garlic Rice, which was full of flavour and a total must order, and the Macaroni and Cheese, which I liked but wasn’t kid-friendly for my kids as it has a mild peppery flavour due to the red peppers in the sauce. It’s a healthy version of mac and cheese, by the way, which uses less cheese and incorporates cauliflower into the sauce, but is still very tasty.

I insisted on the Kansas City BBQ Pork Ribs($22) because saying “no” to pork ribs when they’re on the menu is criminal. They were meaty and tender, but still had ‘bite’. The meat was mostly lean, which I appreciated, and the BBQ sauce wasn’t too rich or sweet. I swapped my Vegetables side dish for German Potato Salad, and I’m so glad I did, because the warm potato salad was delicious because it came with lots of bacon bits studded through it.

The Kalua Pork ($20) was described as… uh… Kalua Pork on the menu, with no other description. I wouldn’t have ordered it if I hadn’t been told that it’s actually slow-roasted pork belly. I repeat: THIS IS SLOW-ROASTED PORK BELLY PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And thus, this was our star dish of the meal. It doesn’t look very attractive in the photo, but believe me, this is one of the best pork dishes I’ve ever had. The pork was so juicy and tender and silky it was absolutely sublime. I normally don’t like the fatty bits, but I ate up the thin slivers of fat inbetween the layers and felt it added to the silkiness of the texture of the dish. I didn’t even bother with the accompanying sauces – the pork was perfection eaten on it’s own.

I flipped to their little menu board that describes their dishes, and saw this “the pork belly is marinated in ti leaves for 48 hours and slow-cooked to perfection – fork-tender and moist.” Now it all makes sense.

A total must order! I would go back for this dish alone.

So there’s this outside patio area that’s totally enclosed by railings so it’s safe for young children to run about in. And since no one was dining there, and since we have a kid that cannot sit still in his high chair after eating *stares at Carter*, we chucked him out there!

He was kept pretty entertained and we could eat whilst watching him (we were seated next to the glass doors/windows) overlooking the patio).

We opted for the cryptically named (to me!) Kaiserchmarrn ($16). I was keen on it after being told it was “cut up pancakes in a bowl with ice cream“. You can’t go wrong with THAT! And true enough, fluffy warm pancakes studded with raisns arrived at our table, all chopped up and served with a scoop of ice cream. Awesome comfort food. The kids went nuts over this one….

I was already lusting over the Homemade Ice Cream Sandwich ($8) since I’d first eyeballed the menu when we arrived, so of course I ordered it pronto. I realised when it arrived that it was actually quite similar to the Kaiserchmarrn dessert we ordered! Both had vanilla ice cream, and both had sweet carbs with raisins. So silly of me.

I’d recommend ordering either one, but not both at the same time!

Charly T’s are doing a 3-Course Christmas Set Menu (until 31st December), but we went a la carte when we were there. They also have a Festive Bundle (until 1st January) as well as a Chinese New Year Prosperity Bundle (from 1st January to 30th January).

The next kids activity event is being held on 19 January 1-2PM, and is a Chinese New Year Fish Making class! Fab for bringing along their handiwork when you go round visiting relatives 😉

Plus, on the way out, I spotted a sign with this on it: “Facebook LIKErs get 15% off when paying with Mastercard”. It’s a good deal 🙂

Last Bite: Charly T’s is a HUGE hit with their free instructor-led kids activity event each month. It’s an excellent way to keep the kids occupied whilst you enjoy a tasty lunch. The Kalua Pork is a must order!

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: Yes (in the mall)
Kids’ menu: Yes

Charly T’s
112 Katong Mall $03-15
112 East Coast Road
Singapore 428802)
Phone: 6636 4701
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon – Fri: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm, Sat – Sun: 9:00 am – 11:00 pm

GIVEAWAY: Win one of five BabySafe Kid Pillows (worth $48.80 each)!

December 19, 2013 / Giveaways, Product Reviews, Singapore / 78 Comments

Chris and I splurged on really nice latex pillows and mattress when we moved to Singapore 2+ years ago. We aren’t alone – most people I know are willing to splurge on really comfortable bedding, rationalizing that we are lying on them at least 6-7 hours a day, even more so than sitting on a couch!

Yet, for some reason, I haven’t seen many quality baby/kid bedding around. They are either just stuffed, or made with foam. And kids sleep on their pillow and mattress for 12 hours a night… not even including their nap times!

Hunter has always used the BabySafe latex mattress and pillow, since birth. The firm and breathable latex provides excellent support and safety for a baby, and I couldn’t find any other bedding that was superior.

When Carter was born, I gave him Hunter’s BabySafe latex mattress and pillow, and got Hunter a regular pillow and cheap foam mattress *ahem*. He used this for a couple of months, and I always felt bad whenever I changed his sheets and saw the poor/crappy quality of the foam! So I was really delighted to finally transition him (back) to the BabySafe mattress and pillow a few weeks ago.

BabySafe latex range is hypoallergenic, and provides firm orthopaedic support for spinal alignment and adjusts comfortably to the contours of the baby’s body. Aside from preventing allergies, it is naturally mold and mildew resistant, inhibiting dust-mite infestation. Being natural, it contains no toxic substance and unlike synthetic materials, does not emit fumes. It is also self-ventilating, reducing the risk of suffocation.

I am super happy that BabySafe are being brilliant and want to offer a giveaway!

BabySafe are giving away 5 Kid Pillows (worth $48.80 each)!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Giveaway will run from 20 Dec to 26 Dec 2013 inclusive.
Winner’s entry(s) will be verified according to the entry criteria(s).
Winners may pick up the BabySafe pillow at the Spring Maternity (Hoi Hup) showroom.

You’ll see below that there are a variety of pillows for babies and kids. Hunter (at 2+ years old) currently uses the BabySafe Kid Pillow and I love how it is molded. My own pillow is a molded latex pillow, so I know how comfortable this is!

Below is the BabySafe Kid Pillow and the BabySafe mattress. The mattresses come in a variety of sizes to suit almost all cots. I like how both come with a soft 100% cotton cover, so they can be whipped off and washed easily.

Here’s a peek at the latex mattress uncovered. Latex holds its shape beautifully, and doesn’t attract dust mites and bed bugs – a huge plus in my book. It’s also a very heavy mattress, which I like because it doesn’t feel flimsy like regular cheap foam mattresses.

BabySafe include one set of sheets when you purchase their products, but I usually go out and get extras. Made of 100% sateen cotton, they are really smooth and soft and come in cute prints. Below you will see the BabySafe mattress, BabySafe Kid Pillow, BabySafe bolster… all in Hunters bed from Mothercare (I believe BabySafe mattresses will fit any Mothercare bed).

Hunter is bizzarely HUGELY fascinated with the latex mattress, and insisted I put it on the ground for him and Carter to lie on. And they did, for ages!! When I tried to cover it up with sheets and put it back in his bed, he had Meltdown Central. Go figure.

Here he is inspecting his new bedding, after he finally allowed me to put it all back in his bed.

He then wanted to hop on in and test it out…

“OK I nap now, Mama!”

REALLY???? Well, go right ahead…..!

Thanks BabySafe!

NADAMAN @ SHANGRI-LA HOTEL: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Orchard Road, Singapore

December 19, 2013 / Food Reviews, Orchard Road, Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore / 0 comment

(photo credit: Shangri-La)

I’ve been to Nadaman at the Shangri-La a couple of times now, but have never managed to take photos and/or review the restaurant. I finally did this time, but only managed a few photos, and ZERO photos of the Kaiseki… whoops. I blame it on being distracted by both kids – either trying to get one to nap or one or both to eat, etc, etc. I regret it, because the presentation of their dishes (especially in our Kaiseki) is beautiful!!

The kids appreciate the place because it’s quiet (we always go for weekday lunch) and the service is top-notch. They are extremely attentive, very patient with children, and give an all-round pleasant experience.

Nadaman started in Osaka, Japan, 180+ years ago. The restaurant here, too, boasts refined Japanese cuisine that will delight any Japanese-food lover.

Obviously, their Kaiseki is top-notch and what I always get. Their Seasonal Kaiseki menu ($60) includes an appetiser, soup, sashimi, grilled dish, simmered dish, rice, pickles, miso soup and dessert.

However, this time, I decided to do something different and get the Bara Chirashi (diced raw seafood on sushi rice, with appetiser, deep-fried bean curd, salad and miso soup). At $50, you get a huge amount of sashimi that’s disproportionate to the amount of rice. What can I say? It’s a sashimi lover’s delight!! You won’t be disappointed nor will you leave hungry.

This is the deep fried beancurd that comes with my Bara Chirashi. It’s silky and delicious, and is a hot favourite with my kid (though they eat just the inside tofu and not the deep fried exterior).

We got the kids a set lunch each, of Grilled cod fish (Gindara Teriyaki) ($35). They can polish off a whole set each by themselves!! I discovered I can dip the sashimi into the piping hot miso soup, and it lightly cooks it, resulting in a gorgeously poached slice of fish… yummmm. And that cod fish? Delectable. Silky. Smooth. The perfect kids food.

Last Bite: Nadaman’s refined and elegant ambiance, coupled with delicious food, is a must for any Japanese cuisine lover. Get their lunch sets or kaiseki!

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: Yes (in the hotel)
Kids’ menu: No

Nadaman
Shangri-La Hotel
22 Orange Grove Road
Phone: 62134571
Prices: $$$$
Hours: Daily: 12:00 – 14:30, 18:30 – 22:30

WILD HONEY: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Orchard Road, Singapore

December 17, 2013 / Food Reviews, Orchard Road, Scotts Square, Singapore / 0 comment

Just a quick and cheerful post today, on an oldie but a goodie – Wild Honey at Scotts Square.

If you’re a brunching mum, you’ll probably be well acquainted with Wild Honey. It seems to be the place to be for mums with bubs in tow! It’s not hard to see why – with an all-day brunch menu and a casual ambience, it’s very popular at lunchtime among mums and also the working crowd.

Me? I’m a fan of their hearty portion sizes and how kid-friendly the food is!

Wild Honey do a decent iced latte, but what transfixes me is the cool duo-coloured straw (see below)! I know these straws don’t come cheap, so I was pretty impressed they popped them into each of our drinks. A simple touch but I was adamant it made my coffee taste extra nice 😉

It’s the little details that count!

The Boulevard St Michel was Savoury French toast with double baked cheese & spinach soufflé, parmesan crumbed poached egg, slowroasted tomatoes, grilled back bacon & spicy tomato chutney. Whew, what a mouthful!

It was a HIT with Hunter, and he ate half of the dish. In particular, he loved the double baked cheese & spinach souffle, which had a mousse-like texture. I was personally impressed with the parmesan crumbed poached egg, which oozed molten egg yolk when cut open. Nice!!

The Spanish Hash sounded tasty but salty, as it was Diced Chorizo, house corned beef & potato, two poached eggs & Hollandaise Sauce with grilled ciabatta. Oddly, it was very bland! To the point where it tasted like we were eating…. nothing.

The eggs were perfectly poached (a huge plus), but the tumble of corned beef and potatoes was largely tasteless. It was odd considering I’d expected corned beef to be pretty salty. It was also rather tough and chewy, and largely uninteresting.

Last Bite: Wild Honey’s relaxed ambiance and all-day brunch is their calling card, and we give them thumbs up for their well-sized portions and interesting dishes.

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: Yes (in the mall)
Kids’ menu: No

Wild Honey
#03-01/02 Scott’s Square
6 Scott’s Road
Singapore 238897
Phone: 6636 1816
Prices: $$$
Hours: Mon – Sun: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm

BWMB RECOMMENDS: Elly CNY 2014 ‘The Horse Parade’ launches today!

December 16, 2013 / BWMB Recommends, Singapore / 1 Comment

Elly, the popular childrens boutique, officially launches their Chinese New Year 2014 collection TODAY!

Titled “The Horse Parade”, it’s a total eye-candy extravaganza. It’s cute. REALLY cute. It also made me wonder where my invisible daughter is.. because OH MAN THE GIRLS STUFF IS SERIOUSLY CUTE. If you have a daughter, be warned – you’ll be stumped as to how to stop at just one piece. If you have a son, take comfort that there’s still cute boys stuff (especially their shorts!), albeit less designs.

We got a little preview of the clothes in real life, and did a mini photoshoot right there and then after a hearty brunch at GRUB!

The kids are wearing as follows:

Carter (16 months) wears Bermudas in White Horses, in a sz 2. It fits him perfectly around the waist (he wears a diaper), but you’ll see that the shorts go below his knees. I love this size because I’m sure I’ll get at least a year’s wear out of this!
Hunter (2 years) wears Bermudas in Red Horses, also in a sz 2. It’s interesting to see how the same size shorts look different on both kids! On Hunter, it fits around his waist (because he wears underwear), but looks more like fitted shorts on him.

Made of soft but durable cotton, these shorts are easy-wearing and comfy. The kids didn’t fuss in them and I like how the shorts will keep them cool when we’re not in air conditioning.

In particular I LOVE how these are appropriate for Chinese New Year, yet perfectly wearable year-round. They have that cool preppy vibe and I intend to send Hunter to his play school in them.

There are MANY more designs for the boys – in both shorts and shirts. Check out the full range (and buy online with free shipping) at the Elly online boutique.

And the girls? Oh man, oh man. So many pretty prints and colours, you’ll wish they came in larger sizes for yourself 😉 Here we have pictured the Girls Cheongsam and Boys Shirt in the ‘White Horses’ print.

And a photo of the clothes we were going craaazzzzyyyy over!!

The boys went to a birthday party after that, and I changed their tops to give them a sailor look. You’ll see here how the shorts are versatile and how they can be worn with ‘regular’ clothing.

Bummer they don’t do mens sizes in the shorts. I would totally force my husband into a pair to go matchy-match with the boys – teehee!!!!

Elly’s CNY 2014 launches today (16 Dec 2013) in their boutique and online. Hundreds of pieces have been snapped up for reservation already, so get yourself in there quick!

Holiday in Paradise: Mayakoba, Mexico

December 16, 2013 / Cheese, Family, Mexico, Travel / 1 Comment

It’s been a long time since we’ve been on a holiday – not a trip, where our purpose is to see family, but a vacation where our only intention is relaxation.

We booked a stay at the Rosewood Mayakoba in the Riviera Maya, following a recommendation from our close friends who vacation there frequently. Sunning ourselves in the warm Mexican sun by a pool and doing nothing else sounded exactly what we needed.

It was the first time in Mexico for all of us. I usually prefer traveling where I see a lot of the local culture and history, but this time, with a very energetic two-year-old, all I wanted to do was relax and swim.

Mission accomplished at the Rosewood Mayakoba, where we spent four blissful days doing absolutely nothing. Our routine: wake up in the morning, take a dip in our personal plunge pool, then stuff ourselves at the buffet breakfast (there were CRONUTS every day!). After lunch, stroll on down to the beach and spend the afternoon having lunch, playing with Eloise in the Rosebuds playroom if the sun was too hot, then playing on the beach and swimming in the pool.

We booked a babysitter three nights out of five so we could have some together time, and enjoyed some amazing meals around the resort and at the neighboring Banyan Tree (Saffron Restaurant was amazing). Our last night we had room service, which I actually thought was the best meal we had all trip.

We’ve stayed at a lot of hotels and resorts in our years of travel, but this trip to Mayakoba was special. The Rosewood is set up to pamper guests, and help them fulfill their every need. Every staff member went above and beyond to take care of us, remembering our names, that I was vegetarian (!), and continually trying to make our stay the best it could be. The end result – we had never felt so relaxed, welcomed, valued and pampered.

At a fancy resort, you expect that little kids might not be welcome. The Rosewood however also went above and beyond to make Cheese feel special (if a spoiled toddler can possibly feel even more special, that is!).

Kiddie pack (also included a beach ball). Robe and slippers for loan.

A sweet kids’ kit on arrival, a clean and well-stocked playroom, constant effort by the staff to make sure she was catered for – milk in our room, kiddie cups everywhere we dined, staff remembering her name and greeting her all throughout the resort, and fun activities like a special eco tour of the lagoon by boat, just for kids. By making Cheese welcome, we all felt comfortable and welcome.

At such a relaxing resort, it was impossible to resist the siren call of the spa, where I had a massage and a pedicure like no other. I was reclined backwards in a zero gravity chair, with a weighted mask over my eyes and my feet pampered. I was so relaxed I think I might have fallen asleep.

Alec and I both agreed that our Mayakoba vacation was possibly the best trip we’ve had, and can’t wait to visit again next year.