Making Home Fun For The Kids

Assalamualaikum!


I love taking my kids outside, exploring something new and visiting new places.
But since Isaac dah start walking (away from me), i dah penat nak bawak diorang jalan jalan. Unless my husby is around, then that's a different story la. Hehe..

Did you know that there are people out there yang buat children's play group? And they do like proper stuff too, like having sand pit la, ada some bubble area, ice area, paints and some random and cool stuff, all for developing sensory skills! I have been invited to some play groups, tapi they're always either far away or clashes with our plan. Too bad..

Maybe someday i could take the kids, inshaAllah.

But because of these play groups, i realised that i could do some of the activities at home! So i did some artsy stuff with Nadrah, and we made a mess. It was ok, but when Isaac came, and he starts eating up those small pieces of papers, and even playdoh, i just stopped doing it. It wasn't fun anymore. Just hazardous! Hahaha!

So no more artsy stuff (ada la sikit sikit), but we got some other stuff that's more safe and still super fun! Like this ball pit!

Even this huge fake flowers is good way for kids to learn about texture, colour, smell and shapes.

This tunnel thing pun ya Allah, punya la the kids suka main kejar kejar in it! It heightens their sense of space.

Of course, SAND! Beach holiday always means sand time and extra sensory time!

I remember how nadrah used to be geli with the sand haha!

Isaac chill je. I bet he'd swim in it if he could! =p

Most of the time, at home, i let them have fun during Bath Time!
I let them bring some toys (that's meant to be for water la) and play while showering.
It's super cute to see how Isaac is learning to see which toy sinks, and which toys float! Nadrah now likes to see how water flows down, so she build like an obstacle course to see the water flow direction.
And their favourite: BUBBLES!

Lots and lots of bubbles sampai licin lantai! Hahaha!

Ever since the kids were babies, i like to put some soap in their bathtub to create bubbles. And we play with the bubbles together until their fingers wrinkled up! Putting some bubbles on their hands, on their cheeks, hair, and then put bubbles on me pulak so that they can try to slap it off. Eventhough it's all play, but seriously, they are learning! It's all sensory stuff!

I like how Cetaphil Baby Moisturing Bath & Wash ni makes their skin soft even after they play with it for a long time. Since my kids have dry skin, that's definitely something i appreciate! Pastu tambah ngan the the Daily Lotion, their soft skin is kept soft!

Easy to clean fun is the best! For kids and for me bahahaha =p

I love that they are super gomol-friendly after mandi too. Wangi tak tahannnn!!

So i hope this somehow inspire you new moms, or moms trying to "spice up" your kids' learning activities, that playlearning happens at home too and it doesn't have to cost a bomb! =D

To have creative kids, we have to be creative as well hehee!

Have fun mommies! <3

Unique Holiday On A Cruise!

Want a holiday that's unique and memorable?

I bet a cruise holiday had never been on that list of "things to do before ..." kan because it's very rare in Malaysia.

Well now, put it on that list! Because it is now possible!

Costa Victoria is coming to our side of the world and they're promising loads of fun stuff to do on board!

I think it'll be cool to travel from one point to another in a cruise rather than by other means of transportation. Unique kan?

And then, on board, there are live show entertainments, dancing and cooking classes, and even play activities for the kids!

Oh ya, did i mention that kids under 13 years old can go on for FREE?

I know right!!

There are many destinations you can choose from too!

Just go to their website, link is >> here<<.

And in case you're wondering, the cruise is muslim friendly! Which ultimately means, halal food!! Woooohooot!

Being on the cruise, passengers will feel the italian aura because it's themed "Italy at the Sea". So expect italian cuisine! 

They are starting sail this November, so please do check our their website and book a cruising holiday for you and your family =D

Holiday on a Cruise!

Have you ever been on a cruise?
Seems like fun kan?

I haven't but i just recently discovered COSTA VICTORIA CRUISE, which is actually a leading cruise company in Europe and are now operating in Asia!
Best part?
They're muslim friendly!

How amazingly awesome is that?!

Without further ado, allow me to entice you even further with this 'cruising' holiday.

Like i mentioned earlier, they're from Europe kan. Italy, to be exact. So they are providing passengers with authentic italian flavour, "Italy at Sea". Mammamia!
Imagine having fettuccine beef aglio olip (which is halal) on board Costa Victoria with the family... Wait, did i mention that... KIDS UNDER 13 CAN GET ON BOARD FOR FREE?!?
(Let's shriek together, moms!)
So anyway, imagine having fettuccine beef aglio olio with the family, overlooking the majestic sea.
Sounds so breezy and a unique experience, wouldn't you agree?

There are many activities that can be done while spending your holiday on the cruise too because they have all sorts of facilities, like gymnasium, Spa, Saunas & Turkish baths, and of course they have onboard entertainments and live shows, like acrobatics show. AND, they also have italian cooking class! Kids can also enjoy dance class and play treasure hunts, so yeah, they'll be quite occupied =)

They have a night called Carnival of Venice, and that sounds fun!

I remember when i was in Venice, my family & i missed the carnival because we were too tired from all the baggage-carrying-searching-for-halal-food-and-cranky-nadrah-sebab-jet-lagged.. *sob*
I bet experiencing the carnival on the cruise will be super fun because tak penat. Hehe!

So there are holiday packages for 3 nights, 4 nights and so on. You can actually check out their itineraries here, where you can see the package destinations and cost!
Like this for example:

http://www.costaasia.com/itineraries/

You can see they move from one place to another. We all can go off board and go explore in the cities, and then come back on the cruise.
Cool~

The cruise holiday will start in November, so better start planning!!

Since sharing is caring, here's a list of travel agents to contact for booking:

Best Experience Tours	60 3 62015177
Chan Chee Kheong & Brothers Travel	60 5 254 1244
Hwajing Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd	60 3 9200 2929
Jebsen Travel & Tours Services Sdn Bhd	60 3 2148 5583
Reliance Shipping & Travel Agencies	60 3 7726 4488
TLC Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd	60 7 2362667
AF Travel Sdn Bhd	60 7 300 8081

Ehem.
You are most welcome! =p

SMECTA ubat diarrhea suitable for our children!

Assalamualaikum!


I used to remember how my brother and i got diarrhea when we went to Genting looooooonnnggg time ago because we had some bad seafood. My brother diarrhea sampai demam panas. Kesian dia bahahahaaa! (sape suruh asyik buli adik =p)

Anyway, due to that, i always try to be careful when eating seafood, especially on holidays where we're not in the comfort of our home.
Nadrah is turning 3 soon and she's already starting to eat seafood, other than fish la, like prawns and crabs. She likes them, but as a mom, i have to sorok sorok kopek and gaul in her nasi before giving it to her. Dia macam geli kot tengok the weird prawns and crab shells.

So because of my diarrhea experience during holiday was traumatic, it's a good thing there's this ubat that TREATS diarrhea instead of just stopping it. Most importantly, it's appropriate for kids! Even 1 month old baby can take it.

See! SMECTA treats diarrhea and clears toxin, protects intestinal mucosa layer form the harmful bacteria/viruses attack when our kids have diarrhea.

There are 30 sachets in this 1 box. So for Nadrah, she'll need 4 sachets a day, and if us parents pun dapat diarrhea, we'll need 6 sachets a day. Best thing is, can mix in their milk or juice drink. It has some kind of orange-vanilla taste, so if mix with orange juice or some citrus-y drinks would be ok kot.

I have blogged about First Aid kit to pack for kids when we went to Chiang Mai, but here's an update of that list!

1. Nasal spray - in case stuffy nose

2. Voltaren - in case demam panas. Note that this is just a pain killer, so it's not meant to cure their fever, but just lower their temp for a while. this can give you time to see a doc.

3. Cool fever

4. Plasters

5. Thermometer

6. Bear-rub (sort of like vicks) 

7. Diaper rash ointment

8. Insect repellent - we all don't want our child to get dengue in a foreign country kan...

9. Minyak gamat

10. SMECTA - in case of diarrhea

Good thing the sachet pun kecik kecik je. So takdelah bulky sangat first aid bag budak.

 

Nadrah's already in love with this cute bumblebee bag. If you want one, all you have to do is participate in the survey k and stand a chance to win one k! Link here 

Ececehhh! Posing kemain!

Hope you find this useful! For more info, visit www.smecta.com.my!

Better be prepared than suffer (like how we did...).

Peace!

Ajar anak melayu folk song balik =')

Assalamualaikum!

So, nadrah ni kan english speaking kid, and i intended it that way. But now she's starting to want to learn malay, which is good! Coz i pun intentionally speak malay with her a lot nowadays.

Good thing there's this book with all the malay folk songs! Haaaaaaaaaaa~ kan, kan, biasa kita jumpa yang english songs je kan! Ni first ever push button song book in Bahasa!!

All the wajib songs are in there like Rasa Sayang, Burung Kakak Tua, Gelang Sipaku Gelang, Chan Mali Chan. It was sort of like a refresh moment when we first played the songs =') lamaaa tak nyanyi those songs.

But when i learnt the songs as a kid, i didn't know the lyrics and i don't even remember where and when i learnt them....

At school? I think kat kindy kot =') That was sooo loooooonnggg ago!

Anyway! I think it's great that the book has lyrics and even have the english translated ones so that we can explain to our kids in simpler terms. 

Nadrah's already loving the book.

The bright colours and illustrations got her very curious and inquisitive =D

When we first 'unbox'ed it, Nadrah was so excited! She immediately wanted me to read her the book.

It's very straightforward.

Just press the button on the sides, following the icons next to the song titles. Nadrah got it instantly, so that was good (and kept her occupied for a while. Sempat nak masak kejap). Hehee..

So here's the thing:

This book allows us to record our voice or our kids' voice, and play it back! 

From left, the buttons are the song, record, playback and power.

Here's how =)

Senang je. 

The built-in songs have good instruments playing anyway, like the seruling, gamelan, etc. Best dengar! If your voice sedap and maybe your child wants your voice to serenade them to sleep, just record la and then pepandai dia dengar sendiri sampai tido. =p

Here's an instruction video to explain better =)

Nadrah's been keeping herself occupied with the book.

So far she likes Burung Kakak Tua because she likes that gigi nenek tinggal dua, Gelang Sipaku Gelang because of the school illustrations and of course, Rasa Sayang.

Nadrah's already learning the songs tapi kelakar dengar pelat dia!

"Raseh saiyang hey, raseh saiyang hey, raseh saiyang" - repeat sepuluh kali.

Haha!

 =p

If you want to purchase one for you and your kid, go here to get it! You can get 10% discount by using coupon code "mariaelena"which will be valid for 1 week tau!

Cepat cepat beli k!

Jom hidupkan folk malay songs =')

It has been passed down from generation to generation, and instead of "Daddy finger, daddy finger, where are you?", it'd be nice to hear Lenggang Kangkung too. Hehe!

Bonding time with mah dotahhhh! =)