and their afternoon nap.. loving this sight!

 

I took a second glance and burst out in laughter..

do you see what I see? the 2 boys in my life, each hugging a toy of mine, according to their sizes.

 

Der was hugging silly, while jerry was hugging x.silly.

 

I swear this wasn't staged! it brought a huge grin to my face. happiness at the simplest things.

 

now, I'm not sure what would be der's reaction when he finds out I posted his sleeping pictures here.  heh.

 

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i have got a new cup holder!

he diligently carried it for the longest time and refused to let go. guess who burst into tears when my mum took the empty can and threw it into the bin?

 

[advertorial]

or rather, the best birthday present for my son, jerry.

in the same week that Jerry celebrated his birthday, 3M sent us the latest 3M^TM Polarizing Light, the BL5100. it's the latest 3M lamp that uses the trademark Polarizing Light Technology which incorporates 3M Innovative Polarizing Filter that helps to reduce glare so it is less straining on the eyes. i can't tell you how excited i am about it!

so is my son...


is this for me???


drooling over it (literally).


yeah, it's mine!

some of you might have read about how i went out and got Jerry a whole bunch of books when he was just 2 months old to kickstart his reading journey. kiasu? yes. but i am very much a book person myself so i would really wish the same on my kid and start him early. his book collection has since grown quite a bit because i kinda went crazy when i went to the states last year but i really do hope he'll become an avid reader like me someday!


i love it when he picks up a book. awwwww...

but the thing about reading is, too much of it could strain the eyes. Coupled with bad lighting/insufficient lights, it's a recipe for bad eyesight, which is not what i want for Jerry. i am often being mistaken for wearing contact lens, just because its pretty much the norm. almost everyone around me has to wears glasses/contacts (ok, minus those who has done lasik) so i really can't blame people when they tell me about contact lens promotion or ask me to co-share the contact lens solution that they want to buy. the truth is, i have normal vision (or what others term as 'perfect eyesight') because i'm really really anal about protecting my eyes!

growing up, my dad had often emphasized the importance of maintaining a good eyesight. he nagged and nagged about my bad reading habits (i love reading lying down), often tells me to take a break every 30mins and stand at the window to check out the trees and surroundings (eye relaxation strategy to focus on items faraway). i remembered i used to mandate myself to consistently stop whatever i was doing, close my eyes and do rotational exercises, look around and focus on items far and near, before going back to what i was doing before. i also ensure that i hold the book at least 30cm away from my eyes and ensuring there is enough light on my reading materials. Having sufficient light is very important because it allows our eyes to see!

so, imagine my excitement when i knew that we are going to receive a reading lamp from 3M - the BL5100, which is a really good table lamp for reading! its a great start to eye protection and its a very practical gift for the kiddo. its never too early to start protecting your kids' eyes!! it pleases mummy me very much, for i am the very anal parent (i can feel the husband nodding in agreement) when it comes to all things jerry.

how then is this lamp different from the ordinary table lamps out in the market? Because of 3M's technology in its Polarizing Filter which effectively reduces direct glare and blocks out UV, it makes reading more comfortable thus provides better protection for the eyes. plus it helps to dissipate heat faster! have you ever experience reading/studying and feeling the heat from the table lamp? especially in our hot, humid environment? I really hated it when i was a student (that was a long time ago) as it gets really very uncomfortable and definitely not a conducive environment. in fact, it can get pretty frustrating. do you also know that glare can cause eye strains, fatigue and headaches? now, it makes me wonder why i am always tired when i study for exams in the past!!! HAHA.

Here's jerry reading with the lamp! I'm pretty impressed! Minimal reflective glare on his book as compared to normal lighting.


mummy, can you read to me?



and reading...





the BL 5100 Lamp also has higher luminance as compared to an ordinary lamp that provides optimal light for reading activities. Do you know that it is equally important to have the room's main lights on as well on top of your table lamp because too much contrast in the lightings will cause the eyes to be more tired.

and did i mention that my boy equally loves chewing the books as well? he tore up & chewed so many magazines of mine (some before i started reading) that i really didn't quite know whether to laugh or cry at his love for 'books'.





I also found out something really alarming. in Singapore, more than 50% of all school-going children are myopic by the time they are 12 years old and the number increases to 75% by the time they are 18. It's scary. When i was 12, kids who wear glasses are the minority in the class but it seems that the numbers are steadily climbing. my guess is that technology is the culprit. We are so reliant on technology these days.. tv watching, computer, ipad/tables, smart phones.. which makes protecting the eyes a lot more important now and its never too early to start! practicing good eye care habits will help protect against and/or slow down the onset of myopia and that includes using a good reading lamp!

now for the exciting part!!

*drum roll*

YOU CAN NOW WIN ONE FOR YOUR KID!! (or yourself)!

3M is giving away 5 (yes, FIVE!) 3M^TM Polarizing Light (BL 5100 Lamp) worth $189!
Simply tell us in a 100 words or less, why you need a 3M Polarizing Light (BL 5100 Lamp)?

Send your answer, name, I/C number, mobile and email address to officebiz@mmm.com by 17 Jun 2012 and indicate which blog you have seen this contest (that's me, cherieladie).

Winners will be announced on the 29th June 2012 via email or call so, what are you waiting for? Open up your mail client and start typing that email now.. and give your kids a good start in eye care!

( Terms and conditions )

could you tell how happy jerry is?

we got featured again on asianparent, alongside with debra and pris. :)

got spotted by my colleague and she promptly told me about it.

warning. this is a picture heavy post!


the cool kid with his new (remote control) car. yes, 'spongebob' branded nonetheless.


hey, is my party starting already?!


here are my elves, in balloon production. my bro's DA BEST!


life-sized spongebob. definitely created an impact at the party.


with der's cousins.


birthday boy admiring the balloons.


customised spongebob balloon.. can you spot "Jerry"?


the birthday boy, complete with a DIY party hat that i made.


instructions here. i find this blog very interesting and useful for pretty DIY stuff!


excuse me, but i find the drool uber cute.


prepping the cabinet of goodies! Ooh, i also had some spongebob face towels (for babies) and pencil case (older kids) to be given away!


done! That's the activity packs on the 3rd shelf.


the ez-card stickers to be given away. i hand drew the spongebob background using color pencils in 15mins (at 430am in the morning on day of party). yes, i was quite anal about the party.


spongebob fun picks on the finger foods


jerry fishing out an angpow..


with the proud daddy.


happy baby


kiss me!


with my dad.


party madness. this is about 3/4 of the function room and it was very unfortunate that i couldn't invite a lot of people as my guests list is bursting. with just family, it was almost a hundred pax so i had to cut down a lot of friends. next year, maybe i'll do separate ones to fit everyone!


the birthday cake.


my little happy family (photo bombed by zachary)


with bestie belle and her daughter, estelle


with wendy and wenmei + zachary


blowing out the candle.


birthday boy cuts the cake!


my parents, aunt and my in-laws


tasting cream for the first time ever.


with der's both set of grandparents


my elves! there's a hidden one behind the lens. :)


the birthday cake had 2 different layers in 2 different flavours. The top was orange zest for the kids and the bottom was lychee martini


the birthday suit!


everyone was complaining about the color staining from the cream, while i found it very useful to catch those who didnt eat the cake!


a rare moment he gets, chilling out with girls his age, estelle and kylie.


another shot with the girls.


and that's it!

Jerry had a separate party with his cousin, Levon whose birthday is the same day but one year older that very same night. shall blog about that another day. meanwhile, i'll go get ready to head out and enjoy the last bit of my weekend. i hope you enjoyed the pictures as much as i did, doing up the blog post.

I woke up to my baby cleaning the house today. patting the sofa with a duster, clambering around in action non stop. 是模式样 (like he really know how).

too cute. everyone laughed on while I snap away.

 

does anyone has any tips for a ultra hyper baby that climbs non stop and runs away all the time? he just keeps climbing. stools, chairs, tables, windows (!!) and anything that potential gives him a view from the top.. I carry him down only to find him up there again in seconds. I can't quite keep up with the energy!

 

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i had almost EVERYONE asked me about the theme.

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?!
e-card invitation created by yours truly

and no, in case you are wondering.. i don't think Jerry has a thing for spongebob squarepants. I chose it because he always grab the same toy when i bring him to my office (i have one on display at my desk). i think its the protruding nose and bright yellow color that catches his attention but since i needed a theme for a party, why not that?!

i know. i know. tom & jerry theme would fit too. another time, perhaps.

i had a lot of fun planning the party, and really really enjoyed it despite the hours i put in, and the logistical nightmare that i went through. thank goodness for my in-laws and brother and cousin who all stayed 1-2 blocks away from me.

I'll share the preparations of the party, then the party pictures! Der & me tried heading to the stores in singapore looking for anything spongebob related, but unfortunately, it isn't easy to find any merchandise at all! so, i turned to google and had loads of inspirations from a couple of websites here, here, and here.

i sorta started a craft frenzy thereafter. The only things we managed to buy that were spongebob related were spongebob biscuits, spongebob bop bags and some ez-link card stickers (about 20pcs). so i figured, i had to create everything else! i printed out some templates that i found on the net and decided these are good/cheap/personalised decorations for the party.


spongebob boxes for decoration around the venue. these were the simplest to make.


a different styled spongebob (complete with outstretched arms and legs) that had me cracking my brains on how to make it stand. i eventually modified the legs and created some mechanism to stabilize it


cube spongebob. a complete nightmare to make with the details. i only had 7 of these.

i was expecting quite a bit of kiddos and had prepped goody bags for the party. I DIY-ed my own goody bag from a template found on the net as well.


from printouts (yes, i used drawing paper)..


to these!

it took more than a month to plan and forking out all the time for handicraft work. my mum helped in cutting up the papers when she had the spare time in the afternoon when jerry goes down for his naps. der & me used every early night/weekend possible to put everything together.

and what's a party without balloons? i tried heading to middle road's party supplies stores and found the price is a killer. ok, maybe not that much of a killer but i wasn't ready to fork out that kind of moolah. i think it was $18 for one small mylar balloon. sure, there were also party suppliers that supplies the balloons according to your theme but i didn't even bother because i had a secret strategy.

i ordered them online.

complete with all the rest of the party items i required. like fun picks (toothpicks), candy pouches, streamers, and activity packs. i couldnt find a picture of the activity pack online anymore so the picture is missing.



I also ordered a mixture of balloons from partycity.com and bargainballoons.com. partycity has loads of party supplies, but bargain balloons have loads of cheap balloons!
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I had all the balloons and ordered a medium helium tank from P&G Party & Gifts to blow everything up! if you are planning the same thing, i suggest you order a bunch of elves and get someone who is experienced. it can be quite hectic if you are rushing against time.

and of cos, the birthday boy needs his 'birthday suit' right? i customized a romper for him for the occasion.



from pixiethreads.net

Oh oh! and the birthday cake. these days, i'm a little unimaginative when it comes to cakes because i would just go for pine gardens. we went there a few times to check out all the designs (more like for me to satisfy my bubur hitam cake cravings) and eventually decided on a sea bed design. I initially wanted to buy cake toppers but my aunt found me this set of toys.



birthday cake picture.


and the spongebob kid. he actually slept through the entire party! nah, just joking.

he was a real gem at the party and this was when everyone else left and he konked out while i was clearing up the place.

super tired now. gotta go sleep. party pictures another day. Oops.

top from joop
shorts & belt from g2000
miu miu napa charm bag
guess wedges

another one of those hastily put together outfit

another colleague left us. there seems to be so many these days!

shufen was the one that helped refer me my job and in a flash, it has been 3.5 years!

lunch at rakuzen, located at ntuc income building at tampines.

the restaurant is not very huge, packed with loads of people during lunch, we had to wait a while for a table but food surprisingly came rather fast right after we placed our order.

the servers were all rather busy and I suggest making a reservations before heading there or get after 1pm as the lunch crowd would thin down by then. the food is yummy! and here's what we had.



avocado salad and chicken kaarage for sharing and we each had a set. I had the saba fish and sashimi set, shufen had the unagi set while both Sharon and xl had the cod fish set. everything is delish, and we had a great time chatting over a good meal.

definitely one place that I'll pop back given the opportunity..  but it's so far from where I live/work so I hope it's soon.

I'm definitely not enjoying the weekly paed visit lately. I can't remember the last Saturday that I slept in.

good news is, he put on the weight that he has lost. woohoo.  this is about the only time a woman would celebrate weight gain.

and my brave little trooper didn't flinch or cry when he had his hepatitis jab today. instead,  he took a biscuit and silently munch gobble down, cookie monster style.

another jab down, next one in a month's time.