MegaKidz at Mid Valley

We went to Megakidz on Saturday to let Hayley experience an indoor playground for once and to let her learn to play with other older kids.

The entrance fee for weekend for 2 years and above is RM25 and for 2 years and below it's RM12.50. For weekday it's RM9.50 and RM19. For parents it's FOC. Both kids and parent will need to wear socks to be in the play area. In case you've forgotten about socks, socks are also available for sale at the counter. We bought ours at RM6 per pair.

Since Hayley just turned 2, we were charge RM12.50 only. We got there around 6pm and thought we could easily get her to spend an hour there before we head for dinner at 7pm. At the Megakidz, they have various play areas dedicated for different age groups.

When Hayley got there, she didn't dare to play anything and just walked around staring at other kids. When she got to the toddler area, she saw some balls and all she did most of the time is to play with the ball (pick it up, toss it and pick it up again). Isn't that great, RM12.50 for her to play with some plastic balls :-(

There were giant air bouncer for kids to bounce on and she was excited and kept bouncing on the ground but refused to bounce on them. At one point, she made friend with a little girl who is slightly older and kept following wherever the little girl is going. Even when the little girl hop onto the bouncer and asked her to join in, she refused.

We left at exactly 7pm and that was because I was bored. She wasn't playing with anything else and I was just tailing her walking here and there to make sure she was safe. Although she didn't want to leave, we managed to coax her to leave with no fuss.

We are definitely not going back there for a while. Here are the pros and cons from our observation:

Pros:

• There is a cafeteria in the premise for parents who would like to get a cup of coffee while waiting for their kids (when the parents got bored)
• Parents can enter with their kids at no cost, you can follow your kid and make sure he/she is safe. If you're tired, there are some small stools at the side for you to rest on.
• Older kids (at least 4 and above) can keep themselves occupied while you shop for a couple of hours as they have the 'drop and shop' programme (at a different cost of course).
• The entrance fee is per entry basis so its value for money as kids can play as long as they like.
• You'll not find some of the facilities there in the normal playground in your neighbourhood.

Cons:

• I think the place is suitable for older kids, at least 4 and above unless if you are planning to stay there with your kid for the entire time. It is definitely not suitable for a 2 year old.
• The staff on duty who are supposed to watch over the kids to make sure they play safely are not really doing their jobs. While I was there for an hour, I could see older kids running around dangerously and banging into other kids. The staff who mostly look like high school students just walk around with their nose in the air and they definitely do not look trained to manage kids.
• Adults and kids are supposed to wear socks in the play area but I could see some parents without socks, some adults with shoes in the compound.
• I dislike the flooring the most. I do not know what material it was but it was slippery especially with socks on. My little girl who likes to run almost fell twice! They should use rubber flooring which would be safer for kids especially if they fall.
• As the kids are free to roam everywhere (parents are suppose to accompany their kids in the play area unless its the drop and shop programme) I could see some of the older kids bullying the younger ones and the parents are not around to guide or defend them.
• Hygiene is also a big issue. I saw some kids with bad runny nose running around the place and i wonder how often the things gets wiped or wash!

And because my camera was in another bag (told you I hate changing bags), I didn't manage to snap any photo of Hayley walking around and having fun at he giant playground (that's what she calls it) :-(

Vocabulary of a 2 year old

Anyone knows what is the standard vocab of a 2 year old?

I have seen 2 year olds who can't communicate at all and still mumbles and rambles. I have seen 2 year olds who can communicate very well and gets the message across clearly. I know every kid will learn at their own pace but what is the standard for a 2 year old?

Mine has very good vocab, I think. She knows a lot of words (she knows most of the things we feed her by name) and can easily get her message across, to me at least :-). Occasionally the papa doesn't know what she is saying and I will convey the message. It is so weird that whatever words coming out from her mouth seems so clear to me and I just don't understand why the papa didn't get it. I guess that is a gift we mothers have :-)

Even my in laws said she is very smart for her age. They kept forgetting that she is only 2 years old because of the words she knows. She surprised them.

Here is a recent conversation between me and her:

Some fireworks in the background during her bedtime

Hayley: what sound?
Me: fireworks
Hayley: fireworks ah? Pretty hor... [after a while] scared.. [making the sad face]
Me: no need to be scared, it's far far away
Hayley: oh, far far away ah, fireworks go far far away
Me: yeah it's far far away so no need to be scared
Hayley: scared.. [still making the sad face]
Me: OK, mummy will beat fireworks ok. [pretending to beat the pillows] Shh... fireworks, keep quite. Hayley is sleeping. Don't be naughty, keep quiet and go away.
Hayley: Mummy beat fireworks hor. [she imitate me pretending to beat the fireworks with her hands] shoo.. go away fireworks. Naughty. Quiet [then there was silcence]. Fireworks no more oredi. Fireworks go far far oredi.
Me: yeah
Hayley: mummy, scared [making the sad face again]. Hold hand [reaching out her hand from the cot]

I held her hand until she feel asleep :-)

Hyperactive or just inquisitive?

I was always asked these questions:

'does she ever get tired?'
'how come she has so much energy, what did you eat when you were carrying her?'
'are you not tired running after her?'
'did you eat a lot of crabs last time?'
'how to send her to school like this? teacher surely scared of her, she won't even sit down for 1 min'

And these remarks:

'aiyoh, she really non stop one hor'
'you are such a drama queen la'
'she's so daring la'
'you better start thinking of what to let her learn to channel all these energies so it won't go to waste'
'you must be dancing too much when carrying her that's why now she is like you, non stop'
'I am so tired just watching her'

All the above are Hayley related. You see, everywhere I take her be it the grandparent's house, my friend's house or my grandma's house and everyone will more or less be asking or saying the above remarks about her.

I am just not sure if this is normal. From the questions and remarks I've got (some from experienced mothers), I am starting to get concerned. Should I get her checked for being hyperactive? Is that a disease and should I be worried? I have no other kids to compare her to. I can compare her to my sister's but the 2 girls are from my limited observation much slower and steadier than Hayley is. In layman terms, they are 'girlie'. They will play a ball for a while and that's typically tossing the ball to each other or kicking very gently once in a while. Or they will sit down for an hour playing with their barbie dolls. As for Hayley, she will dash for the ball, she will run so fast and so clumsily that she looks like she will end up banging herself against the wall or the door and she will even make a dive for the ball which looks like she will knock her head against the floor. She likes to run towards a mattress I leaned against the wall and just bang herself towards it.

The babysitter said she behave exactly like a boy. Is that so? Come to think of it, she likes playing with her remote control car or gadgets.

Papa assured me that she's just being inquisitive and not hyperactive. Every new thing excites her and she's got short focus. Whereas my in laws said she behaved exactly like the father when he was her age. They had to spend a lot of time watching over him just like how we watched over her.

The little Miss Inquisitive likes to ask 'what's this' like a hundred times whenever or wherever. Whatever new food you plan to put into her mouth, she will ask 'what's this' and she will not open until you tell her what it is. If she's happy with your answer she will open her mouth. If not, she will turn her head away. She'll point to a tree or a house or a shop and ask 'what's this' although she knows it's a tree or car or shop cause she will sometimes answer herself when I didn't. Apart from 'what's this', 'what sound' is also as popular. She's a scaredy cat who's terrified of noises especially fireworks. Any small little bangs or knocks or slamming of doors and she will be asking 'what sound' and saying that she's scared the whole night.

Like everything in the world, there are pros and cons. Because of her energy and charm, she's very likeable. She amazes everyone wherever she goes. Once I sang 'boom boom pow' and swayed my my hips a few times and then she imitated me immediately with the singing and the dancing. Everyone just laughed.

When she's not busy asking questions, she likes to explore gadgets. Her favourites are mobile phones, laptops (ours and not hers) and my camera. Below are the 2 photos she took of me using my camera. Not bad for a 2 year old eh?

Hot mamas

Here is a photo my friends and I recently took at a CNY get together. 4 hot mamas and a single hot host with 4 cute little girls. The girls (yes we all had baby girls coincidentally) are 9 mths, 2, 3 and 4 years old. We are old school mates and recently caught up with each other again in Facebook.

Ladies ruled the house :-)

My little missy:
The 2, 3 and 4 year olds:

It was a memorable day, thanks ladies for hosting and organising it :-)

Miss 'I remember it all'

My 2 year old have such good memories that it scares me sometimes.

Scenario 1
She got up and we were walking down the stairs. She suddenly called for her dog (left in the cot) and because I was lazy to go back up to pick up the dog, I told her we will get papa to bring it down when he wake up later.

2 hours later, the papa woke up and the moment he reached the bottom of the stairs, my little girl suddenly ran towards him, grabbed his hand and started walking up the stairs saying 'dog'. It then made me realise the promise I made to her earlier.

All these happened 2 hrs later with no mention of the dog during the 2 hrs.

Scenario 2
I coaxed her to take a nap and promised her honey water when she gets up. An hour or so later after she got up, she pulled my hand towards the kitchen and tried to open the fridge (she knows the honey is in the fridge) and kept saying 'honey water'.

I guess I have to be more careful from now on in the things I promised her to make sure I don't end up breaking a promise and showing her negative teachings.

Legend Water Chalet, Port Dickson

During the long CNY holiday, we visited The Legend Water Chalets in Port Dickson and spent a night in their Executive Water Chalets at RM355++ per night inclusive of 2 breakfast. The room doesn't come with internet but we can get free access at the coffee house or the lobby.

Overall, we love the place and the ambience but the cleanliness and food is not up to the standard. The sheets and towels doesn't look clean. They look worn out (some even have stains) and should be replaced. The bath tub is not clean and the toilet flush doesn't work on the second day! Imagine our agony.

The water from the tap have some kind of a weird taste/smell too.

The check-in was rather slow (probably because it was holiday season so there were lots of people) and the staff weren't exceptionally friendly (probably tired and overworked). However, when we reached our chalet, we were pleased with the view. So was Hayley. She was running around exploring and smiling.

The hotel doesn't come with a beach. You will need to walk to the hotel next door (Glory Beach Resort) to access the beach. However, it was dirty and polluted. You might want to drive further to access nicer beaches.

The hotel does come with equipped facilities such as a gym, a karaoke room, a children playroom, an adult pool, a children pool, a playground, table tennis, bicycles for rent, fishing rod for rent and a mini market. There were plenty of indoor parking too which is ideal for such hot weather.

As for food, we tried food at coffee house (lunch on day 1 and breakfast on day 2) and it was just average. We also tried seafood at a nearby restaurant called Eighty Eight and another called Restaurant Hoi Chiew and I have to say they are very pricey (probably slaughtering non-locals like us) and they were nothing speacial. Food at 88 taste better than at Hoi Chiew but food at Hoi Chiew costs more. RM44 and RM59 for 3 dishes - fish, vege and tofu with chicken/egg with prawns. I believe we could get cheaper and tastier seafood meals here in KL.

Anyway, it was still a great holiday and an excellent breakaway from town.

Here are some snapshots of the happiest guest:

Here are some snapshots of the pool area:

Wash your feet using water from the well before entering the jacuzzi - the traditional way.

One of the jacuzzis, there were 2

The children's pool

The adult pool

Snapshots taken from our balcony and the walkways:

And finally, snapshots of the chalet:

The shower with a retractable rooftop

During low tide all we see is mud, during high tide we even spotted some tiny fishes but the water is definitely brown and not bluish like the photo in their website :-)

If you ask whether we will revisit, the answer is probably no. We will definitely be back but the next time we might stay at Avillion instead cause I think they have better beaches there and so far I have only heard about good compliments from friends or we might try Legends International Water Homes instead as they are newer and would probably be cleaner and better.

You ah!

Scenario 1

On the way back to our hometown, papa overtook a car dangerously and got scolded by mummy. After that,

Hayley: you ah! (finger pointed to her papa with a stern and angry face)

Scenario 2

Papa drove past a bump without knowing and that sent us flying in our seats. Mummy scolded papa for not driving carefully. After that,

Hayley: you ah! (with a stern and angry face and finger making the 'NO' sign towards her papa)

Although it does appear rude for a 2 year old to be saying the 2 words but I am quite happy that she knows how and when to use it and I am not against it at all :-) but I am wondering where and who she learnt it from. Oh well, it could be from me :-)

UPDATED 23 Feb 2010: A smiley version and an angry version of her saying 'you ah' caught on tape :-)

The birthday, the CNY and the V day

GONG XI FA CAI to everyone! Here is wishing everyone a prosperous year of the golden tiger.

We just returned from papa's hometown (there was no internet at home) and have been busy spending time with families that we've not had a chance to blog. So much happened in the last few days. Hayley celebrated her birthday twice, CNY was spent at papa's kampung and V day was celebrated with families.

Hayley's birthday

We celebrated her birthday on 12th February with mummy's side of the family. We had our reunion dinner early and took the opportunity to celebrate her birthday as well. Big yi yi(mummy's elder sister) bought Hayley a nice princess dress, small yi yi bought Hayley the Mickey Mouse jelly cake and popo gave Hayley a big angpow.

Birthday cake from small yi yi, thank you yi yi

The birthday girl grinning from ear to ear when everyone sang her the birthday song.
After a while she became really shy being in the center of attention.

She suddenly looked scared and was about to cry. Thankfully the song finished.
She didn't even want to blow the candles on the cake.

The birthday girl with her papa.

The second celebration was on 13th February at papa's kampung with papa's side of the family. After the reunion dinner, we took out the green tea cake from Bread Story and sang her the birthday song. We have a few February babies in the family, grandma was born on 6th February, ah emr (papa's eldest sis in law) was born on 1st February, Su Lee (cousin sister, ah emr's daughter) was born on 18th February and of course Hayley on 14th February. So we sang the birthday song to everyone but Su Lee ceh ceh blew the candle with Hayley. Thanks to ah emr for the birthday angpow.

The deicious green tea cake from Bread Story, RM35 for 0.5kg

With Su Lee ceh ceh and grandma

Hayley looking extremely happy

This is her birthday present from us. The Vtech genius laptop have various activities but is only suitable for kids from age 4 - 7. We thought we can expose her early to technology but the fact is she really is too young to understand the buttons and the instructions. Anyway, it doesn't matter as we didn't pay for this as we redeemed it using our credit card points :-). Nevertheless she is still extremely happy to have her own laptop and is constantly asking us to 'play' with her.

Chinese New Year

We were back in papa's kampung for reunion dinner and spent 3 days at home with the family. It was nice for Hayley to spend sometime with grandpa and grandma whom she only met once a year. Ah gor (papa's sister), Uncle John and everyone was back home too. Hayley collected lots of angpows and wishes to thank everyone for the generous gestures.

Hayley is extremely friendly with ber chik (papa's youngest brother) because he's got the IPhone.
In this photo, she was busy playing with one of the games.

She likes Uncle John as well because he's got the Ipod :-)

And Elyn ceh ceh (ber chik's girlfriend) is the best cause she's got Minnie, the poodle. When most kids are terrified of dogs, poor Minnie is terrified of Hayley. She's not afraid when Minnie licked her in the face.

Valentine's Day

As the first day of CNY was also Valentine's Day, ah gor (papa's sister) surprised the ladies at home with a Valentine gift. She bought for grandma a pair of pearl earrings, bought for mummy and ah emr a lovely pendant. Thank you ah gor for being so thoughtful and mummy felt so bad that she didn't get anything for anyone.

Mummy's Valentine gift from ah gor

BTW, papa didn't get anything for mummy for Valentine's Day. should he be punished?

The 2 year old

Now that she's 2, she's becoming chattier by the day and could communicate in proper sentences most of the time. She can combine 2 - 3 words and make it into a sentence such as 'papa come here' or 'Sue Vin want to play'. She's also showing lots of expressions and was labelled as the 'drama queen' and 'Duracell battery' at home as she likes to exagerate be it her expression or her laughter or her movements and she never stops running around. She kept everyone at home entertained with her cheekiness and her high level of energy.

The angel

The playful

The pretentious

The devil with her 'I am angry' look