When I asked Angel how she would like to celebrate her 16th birthday, she didn't give an exact reply. She did mention some of her friends are throwing parties as 16th is supposedly a big milestone, but she didn't want hers to be a lavish or fanciful one.
As always, I just wanted it to be a tad more special when it comes to my kids' birthdays so I planned a 4D3N family getaway for us. The good thing is that her birthday falls during the start of the year end school holidays so the kids are usually free by then.
This year, it also marked the end of 'O' Levels examinations for the big girl so you have no idea how huge a milestone this was, considering it had been a seriously tough couple of years in her upper secondary. So yes, we had every reason to celebrate and since this was a special occasion, I booked for us a special themed apartment that came equipped with a slide, rock wall, rope swings and loft beds.
Avengers, assemble! Woohoo!
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We usually stay in cheap airbnb apartments when we visit Johor, I'm talking about those that cost about $80 a night and has at least 2 rooms so it can fit all six of us comfortably. Yeap, so we don't splurge on hotels or costly apartments just because we prefer to save up on accommodation and use the budget on food or entertainment instead.
But this time, we booked a better one because I wanted the kids to try something new and it was after all a birthday celebration. So we stayed in an Avengers themed loft for six at Sunway GRID and it was pretty awesome. See the house tour here.
The kids loved swinging from rope to rope, they scaled the rock wall and they kept sliding down just cos' we've never had this kind of tunnel slide in our past holidays. Whhheeee!
On the first day after we checked in, the younger ones decided to jump into the pool for a dip since the water looked too inviting and the infinity pool had a gorgeous view. Angel and I decided to skip it since she doesn't like swimming and I've learnt to accept that my kids have differing likes and dislikes and it's okay to split up when we are on holiday so that we can cater to different needs and preferences.
At night, we hopped over to Sunway Big Box and had Kenny Rogers for dinner, played arcade games at Fun Max and went for an impromptu movie where we watched "Now you see me: Now you don't" and everyone loved it because we like the four horsemen in the previous two films.
We usually don't have a fixed itinerary when we go on holiday even though I might have listed some suggested activities or places of interest to visit. It's usually a play by ear affair and I like to let the kids have the opportunity to vote and decide too. Yeap, democracy rules in our family - until they decide to have split opinions, start quarrelling and drive me up the wall. Haha.
While the sisters shared the same loft bed, this was the first time Ansel was willing to share a bed with Korkor without me by his side. And to fellow mums who practise co-sleeping, you will know how big of a deal that is. Well, he did ask me to stay by his side till he fell asleep but it was still a milestone for this 4-year-old who is growing up fast.
On the second day, we visited one of our favourite places in Malaysia and that is..... Legoland, of course! We must have been here at least two dozen times already since it opened in 2012, I mean, look at my eldest, she is already turning 16! I guess that is the beauty of having younger siblings and since Ansel is only four, I think we will still be making trips here quite often.
The good thing is Ansel is now tall enough for all of the rides, woohoo! Well, he still needs parent accompany but at least we can now go for rides together - yes, all six of us! - instead of having to separate due to height limits.
So we went for ride after ride and it was heartwarming to see that the girls were still happy to play together in this kiddy land even though they are almost 13 and 16. They still enjoy the more thrilling rides like Dragon Roller coaster and VR ride, and they are happy to accompany the little one too.
In the evening, we made our way to Snow Land which is located within Medini Mall. The kids always like visiting Snow City so I figured they would love this too.
It was freezing cold and the younger ones had to exit a couple of times before re-entering as they are really not used to the sub zero temperatures. But, we enjoyed whizzing down the icy slides and even tried to have a snowball fight too.
Since it was Angel's actual birthday, the hubby brought us to a Korean restaurant so she could have her favourite army stew. The food was pretty good and we all enjoyed it!
Back at the apartment, of course we had to have a cake cutting ceremony for the big girl. The siblings presented their handwritten cards to 大姐 and I also gave her a card filled with her childhood photos, one from each year of her growing up.
Well, as always, things are never as they seem on social media and right before this, I had to deal with terrible tantrums, quibbles and backtalking before we managed to get everyone to get together for this family shot.
The next day, we made our way to Johor Zoo since the kids love animals and I thought it would be a good and meaningful way to spend our day. Even though the place was small, we still saw quite a handful of animals and spent a good two hours observing and admiring them.
One of the highlights took place on the third night and that was visiting EnergX Park! This was an indoor adventure and trampoline park and we had been looking forward to it for some time. It was our first time visiting and I love that we get to experience so many firsts together as a family whenever we go on holidays.
EnerG X provided lots of fun and we enjoyed the tower slide where we had to sit in a tube and slide down at a fast speed before flying up and heading straight onto a giant inflatable, the trampolines where we played dodge ball and tried to hit each other, the zipline which was very fun as we flew across, the futsal area where we played 3-on-3 and were amazed by how bad we can be at kicking balls, and the four-level obstacle course which freaked Ansel out but was very fun for the rest of the kids.
In fact, the kids had lots of fun and decided to go for a quick dinner before returning to the park to play more before its closing time.
In this second round, we spent much of our time at the trampoline area and while Ansel was happy to keep climbing up an inflatable and jumping down, the other siblinges challenged themslves to scale a high wall.
The wall was really high and none of us could reach it by jumping on our own. We could barely grab the ledge no matter how high we jumped, so seeing how they really wanted to get up, I offered to let the girls stand on my shoulder as I pushed them up. Haha, yup, it's totally the kind of thing I would do for my kids, even if it hurt a little. But guess what, they did it and though no one would understand what we went through to get that photo of all the four kids up on the wall, it is something only my kids and I will know and I kind of like that fact.
Three nights flew past in a flash on on our fourth day, it was time to check out already. The kids usually get to sleep in as while the hubby goes to get breakfast, I would be the one doing the packing and would let the kids sleep till it was really time to get up or we would be charged a late checkout fee.
So we made our way to Sunway Big Box once more and with a stroke of luck, the kids had the chance to feed rabbits, llamas, observe lots of reptiles, and even get up close with iguanas, geckos, skinks and a giant python.
Guess what Angel's fsvourite animal is? Well, it's SNAKE so I think it was destined and we were lucky to be able to get this family shot on our last day.
As the hubby wanted to avoid the peak hours, we ended up staying till late at night and I do mean after midnight so that gave us another day to play.
So we made our way to Chow Cute 2.0 cafe as the kids really like the dogs here and would spend a long time cuddling them and feeding them.
Then we went for a spontaneous family karaoke session since we had time to spare and it's always nice to sing together. I can safely say that our whole family loves to sing, woohoo, so I do love going for karaoke with them and it's a good way to get to learn new English pop songs from the kids while introducing classic Mandopop songs to them, haha.
We ended off the trip with a hearty supper at Dai Tao Lala Hotpot which is one of our favourite eateries at Mount Austin. Yes, even the kids love it too and the fire is always a thrill to watch. It's a good thing we came so late too so there wasn't a queue, woohoo, and we could tuck into the yummy food right away.
So that marks the end of our road trip and Angel's 16th birthday celebration. As always, here's a video to showcase the highlights so that we can always reminisce and remember these happy times. )Yes, the kids still love watching and re-watching our own family videos.)
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Dear Angel,
Happy turning 16, my dear! Wow, 16, that is quite amazing and what a journey you've had so far from Sweden to now.
Over the years, we've had our fair share of ups and downs, fights and struggles, laughters and tears. It's never easy being the firstborn because while you learn, I learn too and as you know, teenhood is never a easy path to navigate. That said, I still hope you are happy to have three younger siblings who can be really noisy and irritating at times, but also bring about unparalleled sweetness and joy.
Congratulations on graduating from secondary school and completing your 'O' Levels! I mean, there were many times when we thought we wouldn't make it here and the struggles were real. But here we are, and I hope you are as proud of yourself as I am of you, and that you like the surprise DIY pipe cleaner bouquet and Stray Kids PuppyM plushie (original one, okay) I got for you.
Happy birthday and hope you enjoyed this short but fun-filled Johor getaway too. We love you to the moon and back!
Well, if you are a Mayday fan, then you will definitely recognise that these are the lyrics to the song “干杯”, which is one of our favourite songs because of how meaningful and catchy it is.
I like the word “干杯” because it feels very uplifting and reminds me to toast to the occasion, to celebrate achievements and to look on the bright side of life even when things may look a little gloomy.
So many things in life are worth commemorating, not just birthdays and graduations, and in this "Happiness is..." post, I share about the little milestones in our lives that are worth remembering and celebrating.
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We always try to show our support for Navy@Vivo because it is a way for us to tell the hubby know how proud we are of him for being a submariner who helps to protect our seas and keep our people safe.
Seeing the two boys wearing the navy uniform, it makes me beam with pride yet also reminds me of the day when they will have to go serve our nation. I know I will miss them dearly yet I will also be a proud mum who will cheer my heart out at their passing out parades.
The youngest performed at his annual school concert and it was so amazing! The theme was "Colours of the World" and the kids had to dress up in different ethnic costumes. Ansel had a total of three outfits - Chinese, Malay, Indian and he did so many different dances that I was just blown away by how these kids could remember so many choreographies. More to share in a separate post soon.
Back at home, life might be simple and mundane but I think it's an achievement just to put home cooked food in the table and have everyone gathered together. Yeap, when you have teens at home, you will realise how rare this phenomenon has become.
But, we also eat out at times because we like to venture out on adventures and sometimes, I'm just too tired or lazy to cook after doing chores. It might seem like a norm to have four kids out with me but it's really not, because sometimes one or two of them are out with friends or just refuse to go out with us and it's a decision I have to learn to accept and respect now that they have a mind of their own.
Well, so when we do gather to eat our favourite food like sushi or ramen, I count that as a win and a moment worth remembering.
With the teens growing up fast, it isn't often that they are still willing to attend any media events with us. So when they do, of course it's an occasion worth taking pictures and remembering. We were at Changi Airport for a Disney event and took pictures with the pretty backdrops and adorable mascots. Well, there were tantrums in between that I don't always go into details but overall, it was a fun and enjoyable night which ended in Canopy Park in Jewel.
The hubby also hopped over to join us for a late dinner at Hot Tomato and it's a good thing he works in Changi Naval Base which is pretty close to the airport. With his busy work schedule, weekend family dinners are extremely rare so I deeply cherished it too. Definitely worth a toast.
Whenever I get any one-on-one time with the kids, it's not something I take for granted because we know how precious these sessions can be. On her HBL days, Ariel and I had the opportunity to go for spinning class and also hang out for breakfast together. This girl has made lots of close friends in secondary school which I'm very happy and thankful, but it also reminds me that our time together is getting lesser and lesser which makes it invaluable.
As for the boys, we still get to go on plenty of mum-and-sons dates. They still love bouncy castles, indoor playgrounds, theme parks and like to attend events together. So we do get ample time together and it's blessing that they have each other to play with and hang out with.
Korkor also went for his first wushu performance and it is really hard-earned for him as he doesn't have any outside training and is not chosen to be in the school team. He did wish he had tried badminton or basketball as a CCA instead but we told him the same scenario might have happened where you get benched or sidelined so the important thing is to grit your teeth and keep going when the going gets tough.
Well, he did display tenacity when he went for his Swimsafer Gold assessment. There was a part that terrified him and it was having to dive underwater and swim though two hula hoops placed 10m apart. He had failed a few times during practice and in the actual test day, he also failed on the first try. However, he plucked up courage to try again, stayed calm and cool, and passed on his second attempt. Yay, awesome job, Asher!
We also made our way to Sentosa and tried the new ride, Chaos in Wonderland, at 4D Virtualand. All the kids made time to go for this together and they had fun on every of the rides. I don't think we will still do this when the girls are in their 20s so these few years left are very important for me.
Barbeques are always something we look forward to so we still like to host gatherings and invite the extended family over. The younger kids would swim and play together while the teens and adults will chit chat, tuck into the yummy hot food and just catch up on each other's lives.
My friends have always commented on how it is quite incredibly amazing that my parents and in-laws can get along well, go out for meals and karaoke sessions, and just bond over beer at every of our gatherings. For that, I am truly grately.
This month, we celebrated the special days of two November babies - my mum and my firstborn. Yeap, but we got two different cakes just to make it more personalised, a chocolate ice cream cake for the teenager and a fruity sponge cake for 婆婆. I made DIY flowers in a vase for my mum and also crocheted a snake for her since she is born in the Year of the Snake. As for the big girl, I already made her two snakes and also gave her a crocheted beanie which is my first ever attempt at doing one (yes, it took me weeks).
On her actual day, I brought the kids out to have a meal at Gyu-Kaku because yeah, we just can't have enough of BBQ food. Haha. We also ordered an ice cream and added a candle to let her make a wish. I always make it a point to celebrate their actual birthdays and let them have a candle blowing ceremony. It's my way of loving them and celebrating their milestones for them.
Back at home, we have a new addition to our living room and that is our super huge and comfy beanbag from Yogibo. The kids love lying on it and it's come in handy for our fondue and movie sessions too. Yay!
Another place we visited this month was Curiosity Cove at Mandai Wildlife Reserve. While the boys were excited to play tag, explore and run around, the girls were happier to sit down, chat and use phones. Well, at least they made an effort to join us and were nice to take photos too. Nowadays, I keep on reminding myself to accept the fact that kids grow up, that preferences, habits and pastimes evolve over time, and that I also have to adapt to their changing needs and wants.
Oh wait, we are not done celebrating the big girl's birthday because I had also planned a special 4D3N getaway to Johor to celebrate her sweet 16th. I will share more about this trip in the next post so stay tuned to see the highlights, including a very cool Avengers themed apartment that we stayed in that includes a slide and rock wall.
There are so many things worth celebrating life, not jus the big milestones but the small and seemingly insignificant moments deserve our attention too. So yeap, I wanna always remind myself to 干杯 and toast to every small achievement, every special occasion and every moment that filled my heart with joy and love.
Even a seeing a sunset as gorgeous as this is something to be thankful for. Thankful to be living, thankful to be healthy, thankful for family and friends
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