Dragon & Phoenix

Animal Bags

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000

Boon has done it again with the new range of beanie bags called Animal Bags. I love how practical they are that not only do they hold stuffed toys but these also serve as the kids seats when they are taking books off their book shelves. Another use is that the kids use this as a landing pad as they jump from the sofa to the floor.

It was not easy ordering these though and getting shipped to Shanghai. But the whole effort was worth it.

Posh Baby Room

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 11:52:00 +0000

On our recent Christmas vacation in Hong Kong, we decided to check out the new mall in Kowloon called Elements.

Mall seems with lots of high-end retail shops of known brand names. The 'highlight' was getting into this baby changing room which felt like a hotel bathroom! There was a bench, a marble changing table with sink and faucet, nice pictures on the wall, another private room for breastfeeding moms, fresh flowers, and clean towels!

It is the poshest changing room we've been in ever!

Magna-Tiles on the plane

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 06:10:00 +0000

Magna-Tiles on the plane
Originally uploaded by arlyna

These magna-tiles are really great to keep kids occupied. I tested these with the kids before our flight to HK and they spent a lot of time building stuff. These kept them occupied not just during the flights but also in the hotel room!

The downside is that they're a bit pricey.

Homemade Play Dough

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 11:41:00 +0000

Came across this small article on the latest issue of Craft magazine (Issue 3) about making homemade play dough. I thought it was cool to try this recipe out and see if the kids would be interested in playing with this before actually splurging to buy the real Playdoh. The kids were curious onlookers but of course they also wanted to 'help'. I let them put some ingredients into the pot. The recipe/instructions called for mixing the food colouring in after which was tricky trying to knead the colour in while at the same time trying to add more. Except for missing the cream of tartar from the recipe, it turned out alright.

I let the kids use my cookie cutters, pasta cutter and other cooking tools I could find. It was great to see that the kids enjoyed playing with the doughs. It kept them quiet and busy for a while. So now we're planning on getting the real one... the doughs I made did not last until the following day. Still trying to figure out what went wrong...

Another similar recipe I found only yesterday was from the Nick Jr. website. Same ingredients but with a slightly different cooking instructions. Maybe I will also try this one to compare which is better...

Coolest frog

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 18:41:00 +0000

When I saw this pod, I thought the whole concept was really cool. It took awhile before I actually went all out and ordered one from Sparkability.com.

When I got my package, this was bigger than what I had somewhat imagined. Anyways, first thing I did when I got home was install the attachment to the bathroom wall. The set came with the adhesive backed panel. Followed the instructions carefully but after a couple hours, the whole pod fell! The adhesive was not strong enough to hold the pod alone. Tried even using my own 'strong' double-sided adhesive tape but still not had luck.

Just when I thought I'd have to put this into storage and writing this off as a disappointment, I found out from the Boon site that they now also offer a suction cup attachment instead of the adhesive-backed one (of course I cannot use the screw option as we're only renting the apartment). Immediately contacted Boon and they replied within a couple days! They offered to send me this suction cup attachment without any cost and their manufacturer in Taiwan was immediately in contact with me that same day! I was very impressed with the service and speed of response esp. after getting the attachment via courier within a few days later.

So now I am a proud owner of the coolest frog in Shanghai! Holds a lot of the small toys the kids play with in the bath and keeps a few other items dry.

Potty Training Time

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 18:19:00 +0000

It's that time when the kids have to start potty training and for this, I went all out and bought the Potty Bench from Boon. Actually I've been eyeing this online at Sparkability.com for some time before going ahead and buying it.

The design is really cool with the 2 storage compartments on the side and being able to use this also as a step. I'm still trying to convince to get the kids to use this for potty...

My First Homemade Boardbook

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 11:16:00 +0000

A while ago, I came across a blog entry on DaddyTypes.com about making your own homemade boardbook. And since then, I've been planning on making one for the kids but never found the time to do anything about this plan.

So a couple months ago, when we had a bit of 'quiet' time at the office, I started thinking about this again. While 'researching' on some TV characters that the kids like, I came across some downloadable colouring book files that can be found on the Nick Jr. site. And this gave me the idea for how to start my own homemade boardbook.

Printed all the printables from Kipper the Dog into PDFs then used Photoshop to colour in the 10 pictures. Using InDesign CS2, I did my own layout by having big numbers side-by-side to the coloured in pictures. For the cover, I printed to PDF one of the other files available. Once all has been done, sent it to the printer to get it printed onto a 300gsm weight paper stock.

Putting the book together took some time. Did not really follow the instructions on DaddyTypes.com to a 'T' but used this as a basis esp. with the way the pages are put together, folded, and glued. I did add some laminating film on top to give it some more protection. Unfortunately, I had a bit of a slip-up when I stuck the cover on the wrong side hence you will see a 'cracked' strip near the cover's edge (after I pulled this apart). This happens when you are putting something like this together at 3am!

After I finished putting everything, the feeling of having made something for the kids is simply rewarding, and esp. after seeing their reaction to the book. Unfortunately, I had to do a lot of persuasion to share the book. Both wanted to hold the book!

I'm planning on v2 which is a book about the ABCs of Dora the Explorer possibly with a slight approach and a few improvements... so stay tuned.

Warm spring day

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 16:43:00 +0000

Warm spring day
Originally uploaded by arlyna.

Spring is finally here. It's great to be seeing more greens and wearing less layers of clothes. The kids are enjoying being at the Ruijin Guesthouse even more now that there are a lot things to explore. Audrey loves picking the wild flowers growing everywhere. Samuel enjoys collecting the dead leaves that has fallen on the ground.

Shanghai Ocean Aquarium

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:58:00 +0000

Shanghai Ocean Aquarium
Originally uploaded by arlyna.

After trying for almost 6 months to convince Simon to checkout the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium with the kids, out-of-the-blue, he suggested we go on this cold and rainy Sunday.

Both Simon and I expected this place to be a bit tacky and crowded. We were both very impressed with the whole place. Very well done. Some tanks had open top so you were really 'up close and personal' with the fishes. Both kids seemed quite amazed with the huge fishes swimming near them.

There was even a petting zone for baby sharks. We did not get to try it this time but definitely we will do the next time we go. And yes, it is definitely the place to visit again when we have ran out of places to go with the kids.

Eczema

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 07:21:00 +0000

We've finally found the product that is very gentle and solves our twins' eczema problems.

When the kids were born, we used Mustela products as these seem to be the best one we can find in Shanghai. Mustela has stopped selling their products in Shanghai for unknown reasons. Avent has also slowly faded from the Shanghai shelves. We tried Johnson's & Johnson's but they are too harsh and has these heavy scents.

On a trip to Hong Kong some time ago, I managed to get a couple of the California Baby Calming Cream from the only distributor in Asia. Since then, we've been hooked especially after noticing the improvements on the twins' sensitive and eczema-prone skin. The nappy cream is also the best from the ones we've tried. Importantly we can order these from their online store and get shipped to us within a week from ordering!

Combi Mugs

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 14:10:00 +0000

When the kids started on training cups, we had Avent ones which were Christmas presents. They seemed to know right away how to use them. After a few months, they started getting tired of it and would just toss them away. We tried other alternatives such as replacing drinking spouts on existing feeding bottles as well as Gerber ones (which were also gifts). All had some leaking issues in spite of being tauted as spill-proof.

Eventually, I found this cool drinking mug from Combi. This is part of a series of drinking mugs suitable for each weaning stage. We got the Stage 3 which has a silicone straw. Interestingly, the kids seem to also know how to drink from their mugs right away. After a couple weeks, I got a couple more! Wish they had these in different colours...

Birthday twins

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 15:55:00 +0000

Birthday twins
Originally uploaded by arlyna.

Samuel and Audrey's first birthday... We celebrated with a small gathering of friends and family at the Ruijin Guesthouse's coffee shop. We chose the place as they had a very big grassy lawn, big enough for the kids to walk about. They are now at the stage of trying out their independence. They love to walk around.

The day turned out perfectly with the sun shining though not too hot. It seems like only Simon and me and the kids enjoyed sitting under the sun as the other guests tried hiding behind some shady spots!

Everyone had fun and I think above all, the kids enjoyed being the center of everyone's attention.

The day did not end right though with Samuel coming down with some sort of virus which made him really sick that night up until a few days after. Then Audrey caught it, too.

Cheap toys

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 14:31:00 +0000

One of the perks of living in China is being able to buy some cheap toys. Got these cool yoyo like silicone material which are very bouncy and light up when they are touched then turns off after a minutes.

Another one we got were a couple tops that also lit up when it was twirling. Changes patterns everytime.

Wall decals

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 15:09:00 +0000

I've been eyeing these wall decals from Wall Candy Arts for months now. They look so cool and would be interesting to have these on the wall of the kids' bedroom. Have just hesitated as we don't have any white wall in the kids' room and not sure this will look great against a beige-y wall. Maybe I may just buy a set one of these days...

Tripp Trapp Look-A-Like

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 15:23:00 +0000

We were planning on getting the Stokke Tripp Trapp high chairs for the kids so they can start learning how to eat on their own. Making them sit on their Stokke Xplory while eating was becoming more and more a hassle, having to wipe down the cushions and everywhere else where food ended up.

While checking out the Chinese 'eBay' called Taobao, found these high chairs called 'Combi Mini' which looks almost like the Stokke Tripp Trapp except for 2 things: (1) comes with a detachable/adjustable table, and (2) another chair leg. Tried finding this product online but cannot seem to find any that says about this particular Combi high chair. These chairs are great as they're easier to clean and adjusts or converts to an adult chair just like the Tripp Trapp. And the more we use these, the more I am glad we bought these instead of the real Tripp Trapps because of the additional table.

Drawback that I can think of is that, this do not come with shoulder straps to keep the baby in [if you see on the photo, already my son likes standing up]. Otherwise it is a perfect product at only U$32 each!

Custom-made feeding bottle

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 13:54:00 +0000

Business Week have this article about the latest baby products--Baby Products Meet Smart Design.

I couldn't agree more with the article, that indeed there is a boom in the infant-related products! We didn't even realize this until a few weeks before our twins' arrival. We now see a lot of interesting products which are nicely designed. What I would love is this concept of a custom-made nipple on a feeding bottle by Continuum. A pity there's no plan yet to put this into production. This would help solve the problem I have with my son who refuses to drink bottled breast milk as he tends to associate bottle with formula and breast milk with me.

Cool trousers

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 13:12:00 +0000

Happened onto this from another site. Dying to give this a try with my or Simon's old shirts. Looks easy to do for a novice like me. Check out:

Big playpen

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 06:18:00 +0000

Big playpen
Originally uploaded by arlyna.

Perfect playpen we ever came across. We were desperately to find one when the carpenter changed his mind about making one for us. I was on the verge to spending US$200 for one playpen that was too small for 2 when I happened across this one on the local eBay called Taobao. All other playpens we found were for only 1 kid which would be great but none for 2, and this one was just perfect!

We customized this to the shaped/size of available space we had in the living room. Now the kids are free to 'roam' around.

Each set comes with a door with spring lock, panels, and one panel with some sort of activity for the kids.

Breakfast on Stokkes

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 17:03:00 +0000

Best pram/stroller? Definitely the Stokke Xplory. When we laid eyes on the Stokke Xplory in Hong Kong after having seen several brands and types of prams, we knew this was the one we want.

We bought one each for our twins and it has been worth every penny spent. They've used it since birth with the additional 'baby bag' as sort of bassinet, sleeping in it during the day.

Breakfast,
originally uploaded by arlyna.

Now that they've outgrown the 'baby bag' we're using the prams also as temporary high chairs at home, feeding the babies their breakfasts, lunches and dinners (as you can see from the photo). When we go out to restaurants, they also stay in their prams as they easily can 'sit' with us at the table.

Owning the only Stokkes in Shanghai (or probably even whole of China), we stop people in their tracks whenever we go out with them. And to top it off, we have twins, which elicits more oohhs and aahhs!

One of the interesting remarks we overheard someone say about the Stokkes here in Shanghai: they're the BMW of strollers. I wouldn't disagree. These strollers are just smooth and so easy to push around in Shanghai. (Sorry: I'm not paid by Stokke for this testimonial.)

Check out the site: Stokke

Updated design

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 16:35:00 +0000

Finally managed to get the new design all loaded up. Ended up spending countless hours (while kids were asleep) trying to get the design 'right'. So now will be able to upload new posts.

'Pool incident'

noreply@blogger.com (Arlyna's Blog) — Fri, 05 May 2006 12:41:00 +0000

I thought perfect start to this blog (after a few months of delay) would be to share our pool 'incident' this morning.

Took the twins to the pool at our health club this morning. After a few minutes, Simon, who was holding Samuel, gave out a holler. It seems he's found himself in a situation. He asked me what he needs to do -- there were a couple 'floaties' in the water!!! Managed to catch one before it sunk to the bottom. It was so hilarious! We were fortunate it was just us at the pool and the 'lifeguard' was fast asleep!

Simon decided to dive for the 'floaties' that has sunk to see if he can retrieve them but they have somehow disintegrated. In the meantime that Simon was diving for the 'floaties', we found that Audrey also was on the verge of having an 'accident'!

We all just cracked up with our very first pool 'incident'.