A Happy Mum | Singapore Parenting Blog

Birthdays, to me, are worth celebrating. That is why I like to make my kids feel special on the day they arrived in this world. After all, they only happen once a year and these little ones grow up just too fast.

I've never failed to host a themed party for the kids on their birthdays, even if they are mostly intimate and cosy gatherings held at home. Besides having a party with their close friends, we also gather with the extended family to celebrate. So taking into account the number of kids and number of years we've done this, it's actually quite a feat.

Let's see, Asher has had a Football Party, Finding Dory party, an Arcade Party, a Batman Party and a Magic Party so far. They have all been filled with great fun and precious memories and I wouldn't trade what we have done for anything else. However, in recent years, I have to say that the pandemic has not only thwarted plans but changed our mindsets when it comes to birthdays.

With the restrictions on house visits, the desire to be socially responsible, the anxiety among friends, family and even ourselves when the cases skyrocketed, it became tough to organise parties and invite guests over. Through everything, I also slowly realised that parties can be kept small and within the family but still be enjoyable and memorable. The most important thing is to pay attention to the birthday boy/girl, let him/her be heard and feel extra loved. Last year end, restrictions were slowly lifted and instead of staying in, we decided to venture out. Yup, for their birthdays last year, the kids each got to choose a place to visit.

It was kept solely as a family affair which might turn out to be a good thing after all because we got to bond as a family and spend some quality time together. Asher turned six in late December right after he graduated from preschool so it was a double celebration for him. We soared high and dived deep in one day. Read on to find out more!

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The moment he woke, he was greeted with hugs and kisses and presented with handmade cards from us. Yup, the siblings always make cards for one another and it's sweet, lovely habit that I hope will always stay even when they grow old.

SOARING HIGH

This boy has always been fond of cable cars since he was little. However, due to the pandemic, we mostly avoided going to tourist attractions in the past couple of years and stuck to parks and nature reserves instead. The high cost is a factor too but this time round, with advice from friends, I was glad I managed to make use of a Sentosa Fun Pass promotion to snag the tickets at below half price. Yay! Every little bit of savings helps.

Since the maximum number of people in each cabin is five and my family exceeds that, we decided that I would bring the four kids on the ride myself while the hubby met us directly in Sentosa. Woohoo! Should I cheer for that? I think so! Haha. To be frank, I was thrilled to be able to ride the cable car too after so long!

Watch our video at the end to see the squeals of delight from the kids, how we had a wafer biscuit 'ceremony' and all their happy smiles. It's never easy trying to get a nice photo of everyone but I kept trying and also took videos everywhere we went - with a baby snug in my chest - so that I could compile them as a gift for this little prince of mine who loves watching our videos.

For lunch, we made our way to the Malaysian Food Street where we convened with the hubby and as a result, needed to sit at two separate tables. Haha. Yup, the rule of five isn't very friendly to families with four kids or more but we'll make it work till the day we can reunite at one table.

The birthday boy loves to eat chicken rice so he was very happy to tuck into his plate of rice and didn't need an expensive treat from us. We did think of going to Ding Tai Fung but that would be way more costly judging by how my kids all love xiao long bao. Anyway, we were all happy with lunch and thereafter, we made our way to our second destination of the day.

DIVING DEEP

Yes, we were gonna visit the S.E.A Aquarium! It's also been years since we last came and a first for the baby, so that made it a memorable trip. Asher is always fascinated with animals and loves to ask all sorts of questions so this was the perfect place to spend his birthday afternoon.

We saw that there were some interactive Baby Shark activities and this cute photo spot and since it is Baby Ansel's favourite song for now, he was amused and happy too. No prizes in guessing the theme for his first birthday!

We went from tank to tank to read about each of the underwater creatures, spot them in their hiding places, admire every fascinating detail and be in awe of how amazing marine life truly is. Documentaries might be great but nothing beats seeing them swimming right in front of our eyes.

One of the highlights is being able to touch the sea stars and those couple of minutes were very interesting and precious for the kids. Hands-on activities are always the best!

You know, I love that we could just sit in front of the giant tank to admire the fishes and stay there for a long time. The navy hubby would identify the different species, teach the kids a thing or two and we like to just take things slow and at a leisurely pace, breathing in all the wonders and beauty surrounding us. 放慢脚步，享受人生的美好。

TEA BREAK

It was still daylight when we left the aquarium and since we were craving for a bite and I was hoping to catch the sunset in the cable car later, we made a spontaneous decision to have a tea break at Hard Rock Cafe.

We ended up having Mac N Cheese, chicken tenders, fries, calamari and ice cream brownie. Yummy! It was an expensive meal and a rare treat for us. Thanks to the staff, the birthday boy also enjoyed a complimentary sundae too, yippee!

I asked for a candle on the sundae and we sang the birthday song quietly so he could make a wish. This boy was so sweet as to plant a kiss on each of us before he blew out the candle. Awww. I hope you made a wish and may all your birthday wishes come true, my love.

When dusk fell, we took the cable car, made an extra round to fully utilise our one-day passes, and even sang karaoke in the comfort of our capsule as we enjoyed the mesmerising aerial views.

FAMILY IS EVERYTHING

In addition to the fun day out, we also had a birthday celebration at home with our parents. Family is the most important thing to us and it is something that I hope the kids will always remember and hold dear.

We didn't need to eat a lavish meal at a fancy restaurant because it wouldn't have been half as good as a home cooked meal. Thanks to the chef hubby and my father-in-law, we have this secret ingredient in our home cooked dishes that can't be conjured in other kitchens - Love.

It was a joint celebration for both Asher and Ariel whose birthdays are just two days apart. Yup, my middle children, I hope they will always be able to protect, rely on and love each other.

That marks the celebration of Asher's 6th birthday and it was definitely an exciting and enjoyable one. I know you had great fun too, my dear, please know that 大姐，二姐, Papa, Mama and 弟弟 all love you lots. Our love for you is deeper than the ocean and higher than the mountain, even the cable car. Hee.