Two is better than one

And in a blinking of an eye, the long Chinese New Year holidays are gone, but boy it was such a fun and yet VERY exhausting time with the two boys.

And yes, my name is Sandra and I am a tad obsessed with buying Jay & Xav matching clothes! (& pyjamas… but that’s a whole different support group, methinks. LOL!)

At 10 months, Xav can do a mean leopard crawl but prefers to stand, loves to bite on fingers (his own, his brother’s, his parents… anything goes. He is easy that way), loves to snack on his Gerber’s stars (or anything that Mummy is munching on), and adores his older brother. Any silly noise Jay makes breaks Xav up into peals of laughter. At 4 years, Jay can talk. And talk. And talk. He has a wildly vivid imagination, and his love for dinosaurs has spread to Xav… who now adorably growls “aaaaahhhhh…… aaaaahhhhhh….” at the dinos himself.

The disciplining has also begun for my littlest one. But seriously, it is pretty hard to be stern, the moment he turns his Puss-in-Boots stare at you, grandmas and mummies alike turn to putty. The force is strong with this one.

Jay’s Dinosaur Bash

A good birthday party is made up of two very important ingredients.

A yummy birthday cake. And a party pack.

And to tie it all together… to have a theme. The one theme that binds it all.

The theme took Jay a while to decide. I was all for a Jake & the Neverland Pirates theme! And Jay was agreeable, till he decided a Dinosaur theme would be better. Ah well, the “boss” has decided, so us “minions” had to work a way around it.

Firstly, the cake.

I decided to get some customised cupcakes from one of my favourite shops – Twelve Cupcakes. I requested for dinosaur fondants, and it sure was a good decision!

 

It looked so yummy! Which probably explained why the kids swarmed to the party table once I arrived at the school with the bright pink boxes! “I want this one!” “I want this one!” … the kids all laying claim on “their” cupcakes!

And… the party packs!

I tried to get as much dinosaur-related party favors as I could muster! And placed all these (and much more!) into a dino party bag!

One of Jay’s classmates even asked me, “Are there party packs?” and looked ecstatic when I told her there would be!

Here’s a video of Jay’s classmates singing the birthday song to him! Compared to last year (where he was sulking and whining the entire time, he was basking in the attention this time!)

Happy 4th birthday to my little prince! :)

Giveaway - Art Class!

I was recently invited by Art Sense to attend their upcoming Open House Event! I think every art school really has a distinctive in terms of their philosophy & teaching methods, so I am looking forward to a new experience both for myself & Jay as well. Their program also focuses on 3D art, and on using recyclable materials which is great for developing a kid’s imagination & environmental at the same time.

And the good folks at Art Sense have very kindly extended this invitation to some readers of SANses as well! Woohoo! Come and join Jayvon & I for an afternoon of art & creativity!

The details of the Open House event:

Venue: ArtSense Studio - 318 Tanglin Road, Blk B, #01-37 (Phoenix Park)
Date: 12 February 2012 (Sunday)
Timing: 1pm to 2pm / 2pm to 3pm / 3pm to 4pm

* Per session - 6 children - per age group (3 to 5yrs / 6 to 8yrs / 9 to 12yrs)

If you’d like to attend this, do leave a comment, with your kid’s name, age, and preferred time slot before next Sunday, Jan 29, 2012, 2359 hours.

A Disney Junior idea for your CNY

Chinese New Year’s coming! And this is one of my favourite holidays… cos I hardly do any visitation, so it is a time for some R&R, lounging with the family in front of the TV, and deliciously sinful goodies. I can never resist a juicy mandarin orange or pineapple tarts or love letters…

But once you are married, CNY takes on a whole new dimension… that of the tradition of “ang pow” (or red packet) giving! But… it is more blessed to give than to receive. So since last year was a year of soooo many weddings (about five just in my own cell group alone), this is a chance for my friends to experience this wonderful blessing. ;)

Oh, but I digress.

Let me introduce Disney Junior For Grown Ups. A solution for you who need some ideas for CNY decor to bring a little pizzazz to your home and celebrations! Check out their latest website for some awesome ideas (and step-by-step instructions) on how to …

… Create your own Mickey Mouse red packets

… making your own hanging mobiles

… and even a bag to hold the oranges! (Talk about co-ordinating your theme… these would look so adorable!)

… and even creating your very own lo-hei, the Prosperity Dragon!

You can check out the Disney Junior Asia website for more craft ideas & recipes to spice up your CNY! :)

Three months in Art School

Last November, Jay started his very first term in WOWArt Studios… Looking back, it has been such a fun time! I was looking through some of his created pieces, and decided to put them up here!

I was impressed all over again! Haha! Can hardly believe these pieces came out of Jay’s own hands. I am super proud of my little boy, and happy he has the chance to express his creativity.

He attends ArtPlay, which is catered to 2.5 to 4 year olds. This also means that from this year, he should be “graduating” to ArtStart, which is for the 4 to 12 year olds. What I like about WOWArt is that they do have a pretty clear layout on the progression of the children. And I’ve seen some the artwork produced by the older kids. TOTALLY IMPRESSIVE! Hahaha! One kid showed me her clay creation one day, while I was waiting for Jay. It was a palm-sized piece of a koi. With intricate detailing of its fins and scales.

Well, it’s been three months, and Jay is still enjoying his time there! Looking forward to more lessons, and more art pieces from him. Seeing him engrossed during lesson time, and intently working on his pieces each week never fails to bring a smile to my face!

To find out more about WOWArt, and how the classes can fit your kid, you can hop over to their website or Facebook Page.

WOWArt is located at 200 Upper Thomson Road, Thomson Imperial Court, #01-10 (which is opposite LongHouse – where I happily sip some nice coffee while waiting for Jay!)