Doing the touristy thing: Sentosa's Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom

Sure, I wish there are more green spaces, child-friendly parks, and a lot more mountains to go trekking in Singapore. I also can't do anything about the hot and humid weather, which makes people just want to stay in the air-conditioned comfort of their home or the mall. But I have two boys to raise, and they need to RUN, explore, be silly. How do you do that in a city-state like Singapore?

Both husband and I are constantly finding things to do in Singapore to entertain our boys, and we have found places we enjoy and like. I recently brought the boys to Sentosa's Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom, which I think most Singaporeans will think is lame, touristy, not to mention expensive (S$16 for adult; S$10 for child aged 3-12 years old). But seriously, it is very entertaining and it is easily a half-day trip that'll leave your kids tired and easy to put down for the afternoon nap. Perfect plan.

First, take the cable car to Sentosa from Mount Faber's The Jewel Box, which is novelty by itself for children. (There is now a family promotion: return cable car ride at S$42 for a family of three comprising two adults and one child aged 12 and below. For NTUC card members, be sure to bring your card along for a discount on the ride.) The ride will end at Sentosa's Imbiah lookout, which is where the park is located.

We have also been to the Butterfly Lodge that allows us to get up close to the butterflies. But the butterflies at the Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom are A LOT friendlier. Most butterflies in the park will stay still long enough for you to touch them, and some fly so close that you can feel the wind as their wings flutter through the air. Kai was brave enough this time, and touched a few butterflies that stayed as still as statues.

Stick insect 

What I found really interesting is the "Insect Kingdom" part of the park, which also allows you to get up close to the creepy crawlies living inside! It was especially fun for Kai, who got to see insects like scorpions and rhino beetles in real life, rather than from pictures or the Internet.

Rhino beetle

Leaf insect. It felt... well, like a leaf.

The park can really do with some upgrading as the facility is looking old but little children wouldn't know any better. I could tell that both boys really enjoyed themselves that day.

Rediscovering HortPark

Yo! Watsup?

Being a mother of two boys means I am out and about most of the time when the boys are out of school, finding places for them to run around, explore, get dirty and muddy, or just simply horse around in! I find myself going back to HortPark more frequently now despite Singapore's hot, balmy weather. It really is a lot of fun.

There is a pond right out in front where you can feed fishes. (They sell fish feeds in tiny capsules for S$1, but I bring my own big packet which we had bought from a fish farm.)

There are a few playgrounds inside the park that are suitable for both older and younger kids.

Then there's the lawn where the boys love kicking football in.

The lawn's really great to just roll around in too! :) There is also a Butterfly Garden in the park, which is a caged habitat for butterflies. Visitors are allowed to enter the Butterfly Garden from 9am to 12pm every last Saturday of each month. We were there on a weekday but still the boys could see the butterflies from the outside.

HortPark
33 Hyderabad Road, off Alexandra Road

Our home entertainment 'system': The balcony

Yes! I am school-free the whole week because of HFMD! Hurray!

Before I could cheer at the good news that Kit does not have HFMD a second time round, Kai started running a fever over the weekend. On Tuesday, I checked him for the usual blisters and spots on the palms, feet, and throat; he was all clear. So I packed him off to school only to receive a call just before lunch that Kai has blisters in his mouth.

Hello HFMD.

Thankfully, Kai has a pretty mild case of HFMD. In fact, he is thrilled to be excused from school the rest of the week but boo for mummy who has to entertain two rascals for 12 hours over the next five days at home. (I decided to keep Kit at home too.)

Now, taking care of two active boys at home without a good entertainment plan is a sure road to disaster. There'll be fighting, cries of attention, rough housing, complaints about who did what to whom and how. I think I am pretty good at entertaining kids but for five days?! At home?

Well, it so happens that we have a big balcony, and this allows me to get creative. Waterplay is always a winner with the kids.

Then, one can also make bubbles and watch them fly into the sky!

Ah yes... next thing I know, the sun is setting and soon I can put the boys to bed! Woohoo!

Kit checks out the skate park on his butt

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HFMD (or not?) update

Father and son sitting by Bali's Beratan Lake where Ulun Danu Temple is located

Kit woke up with fever this morning but no blisters have presented. Dear husband says we will wait and observe one more day before confirming whether or not Kit has HFMD.

All's well otherwise. The boy is happy, cheerful, and ate his breakfast. In fact he's laughing at silly Bugs Bunny right now.

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This picture (above) is one of my favorite pictures of father and son. We had just traveled an hour or more to arrive at the serene Ulun Danu Temple, which is built on Beratan Lake (a volcano lake). Both boys are pretty seasoned road trippers by now but Kit, being hyperactive, still gets very edgy from being cooped in the car for long hours. Instead of jumping into the lake after being 'released' from the confines of the car, he just sat and watched the waves lick the shores.

The Indonesians try to make it fun for children visiting the temple. There are statues to climb on.

Some scary.

Some not so scary.

There are paddle boats for family rides on the lake too.

Then the adults get to take in the scenery and history of the place. Definitely well worth a road trip. And I was surprised that Kai wrote about this temple in his school journal assignment!

HFMD. Hello again?

I had plans to write a post about the top places to eat in Bali coupled with delish pictures of the food. Sorry folks, that'd have to wait.

Kit's teacher called me late afternoon yesterday to say that he was running a fever. When I picked him up, the teacher showed me the red spots that had appeared at the back of his throat. Nothing blistery looking, but she warned that many kids in school with symptoms like this were immediately diagnosed with HFMD.

Oh boy.

When dear husband inspected Kit in the evening, he was quite sure it would be HFMD.

Here we go again.... Kit had HFMD last July. I just hope it would be a mild case this time.

Splash!

My angel before he fell into the pool.

(The previous blog entry was posted on my Facebook, so I thought I'd share a new nugget of a story with everyone, to be fair. :) )

We stayed in Le Jardin Boutique Village, which came highly recommended by Tripadvisor. One of our biggest fears was the personal villa pool. The paranoid, pessimistic part of me envisioned Kit falling into the pool and drowning once our backs were turned.

On the morning of the second day, I was minding Kit who just woke up and who was sitting like an angel at the side of the pool. Kai and Terence joined us, and my 5yo started asking us for permission to sit on the opposite side of the pool by himself. By the time we looked to where he was pointing and looked back down to where Kit was sitting, my 2.5yo had fallen in!

The pool was what... 1.2m deep, and I could see Kit, his eyes wide open, paddling desperately to get back up. One second passed. Two seconds. Three seconds. Four seconds. Well, ok, he's not going to be able to swim back up. (Who am I kidding right?) So I tried grabbing him from the side of the pool, thinking he's near enough.

Next thing I know, I was in the pool in my PJs, hauling Kit back up. He wasn't spitting out water or coughing. That rascal held his breath after he fell in!

Terence turned to me and said, "OK, next time it'd be my turn."

It'd better be!

Where was I?

I am on Facebook so eventually, due to time constraints, I just found it easier to update my thoughts and share my life via my Facebook account. But after my dear husband's reminder on why I created this blog in the first place, I've come meekly back (with a sorry look on my face) to update this blog.

So yes.... we were in beautiful Bali recently.

It's a jungle out there

I see a different side of my boys every family holiday. Here they are, making their way through the roots of this holy tree in Gua Gajah (Elephant Cave) in Bali. It's a tricky balancing act.

I am glad Kai is old enough now to understand some of the culture and history of the places we've visited. Gua Gajah was built in the 9th century and it served as a sanctuary for monks. Just walking through our first historic site in Bali brought back memories of backpacking in indochina before we had kids!

A fine balancing act

We let the boys push the boundary of their comfort zone although I admit sometimes my heart is in my throat when I watch them. I half expected Kit to trip and smash his face into the roots, but he did pretty well for a 2.5yo.

Letting our children explore their personal limits is a balancing act. When do you let go, when do you jump in to help, when do you say no?

Between the candi bentar (split gate)

When you enter a temple in Bali, you bring the good and bad side of your being with you. When you leave, you hope the good overcomes the bad.

Better late than never

We have been traveling...

Firstly, I'll like to say a BIG SORRY to everyone who's been following my blog and to fellow bloggers who have dropped me questions about my Angry Birds pinata. Many of you may not even know I've posted this (sorry, sorry, sorry!), and I don't blame you.

It was dear husband who gave me a kick in butt yesterday for not updating or checking my blog for the past six months. I've missed out six months of chronicling my boys' life, which is why I created the blog in the first place -- as a legacy for them. The blog is something they can read when they grow up so that they will never forget their childhood.

Before I give an update of we have been up to, I'll just like to reply:
- MackMomma who asked me where I bought my Pentel poster paints for the Angry Birds pinata: Pentel paints can be bought from any regular stationery shop, at least in Singapore. I am not sure where you are from (and I think my reply might be too late... :( ), but why not check out any stationery or art supply store near you.


- Hani from Craftionary who has been so wonderful by featuring my pinata on her site. Thank you! :)

- d.marie who asked how I attached the beak to the pinata:
I folded in the yellow cardboard paper, cut grooves in them, and stuck them to the pinata with double-sided tape.

- Crystal who asked where I bought the Angry Birds thermos:
I bought them from a shop in Singapore but they have since closed down. I am sorry I can't help you there. I hope you found the cups or something else that you liked eventually....