Top 13 Blog Posts in 2013

(Daddy reflects)

You know something? I still haven't figured out this little concept known as Time. It just seemed slightly more than a day ago that I was happily compiling the blog posts that mattered dearly to me for Year 2012, and now I have to do it all over again for 2013??? How on earth did we get here so fast?!?!

So if there one thing constant in life, it is that Time is not constant and never will. So the only thing we can do is to live our lives to the fullest, spend every possible moment with our loved ones and look ahead to the brand new year of 2014.

Here are 13 memories over the course of the year that had helped to shape our 2013.

13. Ayd's first week in Primary 1 and Ale goes to School

The beginning of the year saw the start of new school experiences - Primary School for Ayd and Nursery for Ale - for the monkies. And it turned out to be rather eventful. Ayd fell asleep on his first day at school while Ale practically cried herself hoarse for the first three days of school. One year on, they have adapted well to school life and I suspect they will be looking forward to the new school term. Minus the waking up early part, that is.

12. Channel U's 100% Singapore (百分百新加坡)

Thanks to our hunt for the old playgrounds around Singapore, we got ourselves featured on the first episode of '100% Singapore', an eight-part series on Channel U which will take viewers to the heart and soul of what the Singaporean identity is all about and explore what really constitutes the sense of "Singaporean-ness".

If you have missed the show, check out our segment in the video below!

11. Ayd's First Blog Post

One of the milestones for our blog this year has got be Ayd's first blog post. From the snapping, editing, cropping and uploading of the photos to the typing of the text, he accomplished every step on his own. Sure-fire way to improve one's composition writing skills I say!

10. Homemade Shrinky Dinks

In my only art & craft-related post of the year, the boys discovered the joy in making their own shrinky dinks as Teacher's Day gifts. And they love it so much that they still clamour to make some every now and then!

And speaking of Teacher's Day presents, who can forget Ale's absolute piece of gem back then: I asked Ale for her N1 Chinese teacher's name as I needed to label the Teacher's Day gifts. And she replied, "Her name is 午安老师!" I almost died.

9. Panel Speaker at Social Media Week Singapore

As part of Social Media Week Singapore 2013, a panel discussion session titled 'Growing Up on Facebook' was conducted and I was honoured to be invited as one of the panel speakers for the discussion forum. It was my first time fielding questions as a panelist and I have to admit I was rather nervous initially. But I'm glad that everything turned out fine in the end, and this probably had a hand in leading up to an newspaper article which was published in The Sunday Times. Which in turn led to another stint as a guest panelist at a Breastfeeding Seminar organised by Philips AVENT.

8. 10 Highlights of our Sydney Trip

During the June School Holidays, we were very blessed to have the opportunity to collaborate with Scoot and Destination New South Wales, with the latter planning a kick-ass itinerary for our family. To say that we had the time of our lives would be understating the level of fun we had. 

It was also during this trip that Ayd took over our Instagram account for the entire duration of our holiday, with him snapping photos and conjuring up captions for them. And I have to say they were very well-received!

7. LEGOLAND Water Park and Hotel

With LEGOLAND Malaysia Water Park and LEGOLAND Hotel Malaysia opening in 2013, we were extremely fortunate to have the chance to soak up all the fun at the 2 newest properties in LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort. Let's just say the monkies will find every excuse imaginable to request for a trip up north from now on.

6. 7 Phrases my Kids say that make me go Nuts

My personal fave blog post of 2013? There are quite a number of them, with a close contender being the post on 20 Things I Learned from my Kids. But if i had to pick one, it will have to be this '7 Phrases' one, mainly because I was amazed by how much it struck a chord with many parents when I first published it.

5. Hong Kong Disneyland Magic

Some special magic fairy dust arrived all the way from Hong Kong Disneyland during the September School Holidays, which made the school break even more special.

We checked out its newest three theme areas - Toy Story Land, Grizzly Gulch and Mystic Point - and Ash & Ayd even penned reviews for them. Nothing like working to pay for one's vacation, no?

4. Heaven is a Place on Earth @ Montigo Resorts

I had the most kick-ass Birthday celebration, all thanks to Montigo Resorts Nongsa who had so graciously put us up in one of their absolutely gorgeous villas. Our three-storey villa came with our very own infinity pool, with the monkies falling in love with the humongous Kids Club as well. Frankly, one night was all too short for us as this has to rank as one of the best holiday experiences that our family has had all these while. 

3. Singapore’s Best Outdoor Parks for Kids

The monkies and I are always on the prowl for playgrounds and parks in Singapore so it was an absolute joy to share this article with our readers. One unexpected find of the year was the Alexandra Canal Linear Park, which hides 5 playgrounds along the entire stretch! But my fave outdoor park of the lot has got to the Battleship Playground at Sembawang Park. Pure awesome-ness.

2. 10 Great Child-Friendly Restaurants in Singapore

With more than 100,000 views for 2013, this post has the honour of being the Most Popular Blog Post of 2013. Which goes to show that parents are always on the constant lookout for restaurants that satisfy both their palate and their children's, complete with ample activities within the restaurants to keep them occupied.

And while you are at it, I have came up with a list of 8 Waiting Games to Play with Kids in a Restaurant too. Check them out HERE.

1. 10 years with You

The wifey & I celebrated 10 years of union back in March by ditching the monkies and heading up to Melaka for a one-night couple getaway. We shopped, dined and basked in the enjoyment of each other's exclusive company. Sweet.

And to top everything off, I was extremely chuffed at being named as one of the Top 10 Lifestyle Bloggers in Singapore  by The New Paper back in July. So as we welcome 2014, we would like to say a big Thank You to you, our dear readers for your support all these while.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, and here's wishing you and your loved ones a mega fantastic 2014!