Ian's First Concert

So so so proud of my baby boy. He has definitely come a longggggg way; from daily begs of “I don’t wanna go (to) school”, to dancing in his first ever concert!

In his recent parent teacher report card session, his teacher reported that she was very impressed with his development, progress, focus and social skills. Especially since this is his first year in school. Pegang pencil (motor skills) pun macam someone who has been to school for a few years. I have personally witnessed the focus bit a few times as well; sometimes I ask Aiden to do something tapi Aiden masih in lala land so Ian jumped in to immediately do it. *chuckles*

Hence it came as no surprise to me, that he focused and dutifully followed his teacher’s instruction to not tell his parents about his upcoming concert nor show off his steps by practicing at home. (It was meant to be a surprise.) I only found out about it when a fellow mum shared a photo of Ian in concert practice at school. That same afternoon, I asked him about his ‘concert practice’ and his gave me a surprised face; “How did you know! It’s supposed to be a surprise!” *giggles* We tried to coax him into showing off his dance moves, but as expected, he declined!

Of course after his Babang pujuk berkali-kali, he showed off snippets of it. He eventually showed off from start to finish to my helper, who recorded it for us. But up until the actual concert, I never figured out what song he was supposed to dance to. And when I received his outfit a few days before the actual concert day, I became even more flabbergasted. It was a printed sheer top paired with leather pants. Macam gigolo outfit pulak! Ok, definitely not wearing this ever again, baby! *chuckles*

His sheer top outfit, and leather pants. I think the leather pants is probably better suited for Baby AY!

The morning of the concert, we drove to Sri KDU bright and early. It was a new location for Real Kids’ concerts because the old location was closed for renovation. I was quite disappointed though; not only was the hall poorly lighted with flat elevation seats (not tiered), but also because they didn’t allow early birds to enter the hall. By 9am, the entrance of the hall was completely packed with kiasu parents just waiting for the doors to open. No way was this very pregnant lady in any shape and form to battle for good seats! Really frustrating.

Thankfully my helper tagged along (cos Hubby was away in Palestine - save that story for another day), so she managed to get us pretty decent seats a few rows from the front. 

The Greatest Showkids!

It turned out to be a remake of the Greatest Showman. Honestly, I did not watch the movie because Hubby hates musicals, hence memang tak tau head or tail of the story line. (I have since made an effort to watch it, love love love it!) All the songs the kids danced to originated from the movie. The first show was the title song; it was so beautifully done by the six years old, I felt tears spring into my eyes. Such a vibrant and energetic performance!

The opening song. Well done kiddos!

Ian’s show was the third from the end, so I had a lot of time to fiddle with my camera and such. Because of the poor lighting, my camera was producing really horrible photos. In the end I had to depend fully on my iPhone. This heavily preggy mummy actually kneeled on the floor in front of the stage to film the whole thing, and even had troubles standing up afterwards. *chuckles* And without Hubby around, I had to prioritize on taking a video instead of photos, so apologies for the shaky photos below.

Ian performed so well! He did not forget even a single step. Instead he actually prodded a fellow friend to remind him of the next move... twice! Bossy much *chuckles* Since his show was a combination of boys from two classes, I was not happy that his class was chucked at the back. Dah la Ian pendek, but he was constantly at the back of the formation. Nevertheless, he gave it his best and I am a super proud mummy. And, I was pleasantly surprised when he took center stage right at the end! Oh how I wish Hubby was there to witness how Ian has blossomed so much!

Check out that curly hair!

Best shot I could get.

Ian took center stage at the end of the show! #proudmum

They ended the concert by singing the Real Kids song. Ian was in the front line, but crappy pictures, as usual. I miss the old concert grounds! 

Can you spot Ian? Hint - front left.

After the concert, they released the kids and when I found Ian, I gave him a huge hug and kiss. Was so impressed with how the teachers handled his hair do; bed hair messy and even sprayed slightly in pink! *giggles* Actually, I think most of the costumes this year are really beautiful; the girls in his class wore a beautiful purple gown complete with gloves and a sheer stole. 

Posing with Dafiya and Maryam.

Happy faces after the concert.

Well done Ian! We are all so proud of you. Can’t wait to see you blossom even further next year!

Report Card Day

Last weekend both our boys had their dreaded report card day at school. Ian’s session was especially exciting for us, as it was his first ever Parent Teacher meet. Aiden on the other hand has had this numerous times, and truthfully I don’t get much from his class teachers in public school - which is quite frustrating really. For example if the class teacher teaches a particular subject then he or she can dive in on how Aiden can improve, but that’s about it. Very rarely the class teacher knows much about his performance in other subjects, other than from the grades listed in the result slip. I remember back when I was in Seri Puteri, the subject teachers were on standby (in the school hall) to clarify specific concerns. I wonder why they don’t do that anymore.

So anyway, as expected I didn’t get much from Aiden’s class teacher, other than the usual fact that he lacks focus in class and needs to improve on his Malay (what else is new). His results; Alhamdulillah string of A’s for English and Maths, two more marks to an A for Science, and a B for BM Pemahaman (wowwww). Unfortunately his BM Penulisan dragged him down significantly. Which was frustrating for me cos we had practiced the essay “Aku Sebuah Basikal” a couple of times but in the exam he went and embarked on a completely different essay question instead. *pulls hair in frustration*

Kiasu Mummy was first in line. Ian kept me company while Aiden was still at Friday prayers with his Daddy.

Thankfully I bumped into his Malay teacher, and as expected memang Aiden banyak main in class and due to his lack of focus, selalu tak sempat copy things from the whiteboard nor finish his homework. *stress* I guess I can’t really blame him - if he doesn’t understand the language, memang concentration pun akan ke laut lah. Masuk telinga kanan, keluar telinga kiri. *sigh* So, in a nutshell, more BM practice needed for Aiden! But anyhow, I’m still a proud Mummy. Due to the pregnancy I did not prep his as well as I usually did for his past exams, so I still believe his results are quite commendable given the situation.

Next up, Ian! We teased him mercilessly the day before his report card day, asking whether he behaved in class and whether his teacher was going to say good things about him or not. *chuckles* But I shouldn’t have worried at all, because his class teacher gave him an absolutely glowing report! Hubby and I were both quite shocked! Honestly, we know that Ian is quite the opposite of Aiden; he listens to instructions and is a bit more reserved when in the company of others. He even recognized alphabets before we enrolled him in school. But we certainly didn’t expect such great feedback! Ian’s teacher even expressed that she was impressed with his development and progress especially since he wasn't enrolled in any schools prior to this one. Even his motor skills and social skills are at par with those who have been in school since they were 3 or 4. I guess there really wasn’t much harm done by us deciding to refrain from sending him to school too early; my helper’s ‘homeschool’ was just as effective! *giggles*

Cheeky boy decided that he loves all subject, except for music!

Other than that, we received feedback that Ian loves writing, mixes well with others (walaupun dia lambat sikit warm up and he has a certain chosen clique that he plays with) but barely speaks Malay (sebijik macam Aiden). He participates and even volunteers in class (wowwww). His ustazah said that he shared in class about his solat experience whilst his swimming coach said that his confidence level in the water has improved significantly - now dah boleh blow bubbles from the surface but is still hesitant about putting his head underwater.

Super proud of you my boy!

English memang takde masalah lah, especially writing. Interestingly, he loves numbers too! Just like Aiden. (Confirm anak-anak engineer!)

Full marks for "cooperates with teachers"! Well, this one I've never seen with Aiden, ever!

My only request to his class teacher was for her to coax Ian into trying out the food at school. Yer lah, sampai bila nak makan Oreo, ChocoTeddy or KokoKrunch for breakfast kan! Even she agreed that Ian is such a picky eater! But she shared that once, Ian out of nowhere agreed to try porridge and the teacher got so excited about it! *chuckles* If I were in her shoes, I would have been excited too!!! For the record, Ian still doesn’t eat rice or noodles. He lives on biscuit/cookies, bread, cereal, milk, macaroni cheese and his absolute favorite - roti canai. *smacks head in dismay*

That wraps up the boys’ mid year performance. On the same note, I’m scheduled for my own mid year performance review with my boss next week. Wish me luck!

Ian's First Sports Day

My oh my, ever since I announced the pregnancy, this blog has been all about baby AY. I feel like I’ve been neglecting stories about my boys!

So Ian attended his first sports day recently. Back then, I already knew that I was pregnant but did not know the gender, hence had zero interest of blogging about it. Now, I think I owe it to Ian to at least attempt to do so.

The day before the said sports day, we had an early dinner at Citrus in BV2. I needed my share of rice so Citrus was a good choice because it offered a fusion of both local and western dishes. I also ordered a soya bean drink, which is a staple part of all my pregnancies. The drink arrived and upon my first sip, I felt as if the taste was a bit off. Aiden took a sip but claimed that it tasted fine. I did not return it as I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt; perhaps it was just a different brand with a different taste. Aiden then hogged the drink and finished nearly half of the glass, while Ian took one small sip.

Boy oh boy, that soya bean drink really screwed us all. Aiden started feeling sick by the end of dinner and Ian started vomiting nearly immediately after arriving home. Thankfully, Aiden recovered after some paracetamol and vomiting medicine, but Ian just continued vomiting through the night. We honestly thought that we would have to pull him out of his sports day the next day.

The morning of the sports day, we were all zombies from being awake that night; monitoring Ian and cleaning up after his vomiting sessions. But still, we persevered! We cautiously got him ready, lined the car seats with towels, packed a spare set of clothes and a vomiting pail, and off we went to the stadium. Ian’s hands were cold but he refused any form of food/drinks cos he was so worried that he was going to vomit. Poor boy. Texted his teacher to inform her of the situation.

First photo at the stadium. Ian's fingers were dead cold here.

First event was the march past. I was flabbergasted when I couldn’t find Ian in line. Suddenly Hubby (who was outside the hall) sent me a picture. Apparently they kept Ian and a few other unwell kids outside, so they won’t over exert themselves. He eventually joined the rest during the school song dance, but of course nampak lembik lah.

Unwell boys sitting out of the march past.

Finally, it was time for his sports event! Boy oh boy, so proud of my boy! He did so well... siap buat extra than anyone else! The kids were supposed to langkah over two obstacles and then step forward to throw a bean bag towards a target. What did Ian do? He jumped over both, I repeat both obstacles! Dah la the obstacles were close to each other, nasib baik he didn’t trip. Then instead of stepping forward, he maintained his distance at the obstacle, aimed and threw his big bag. Despite the distance, he was quite close to hitting the tin cans but because he was far away, it wasn’t strong enough to topple any of them. But still, good try sayang! Watch the video and see for yourself:

After his event, I thought of picking him up early but his teacher texted saying that he looked fine and even having a hot dog bread as a treat. At the end of the day, they finally released the kids and Ian came bounding out with a huge smile on his face, showing off his shiny gold medal. Alhamdulillah, he survived!

Proudly showing off his medal!

One of the rare occasions that Aiden doesn't have to match with Ian. So he matches with Daddy instead!

Proud of my boy!

Last photo before heading home.

The minute we arrived home, he immediately made his way upstairs. We asked why... rupa rupanya he wanted to go hang his medal with all our running medals and Aiden’s medals. Dah lama dia tunggu to have his own share of glory on that wall. And finally the day arrived! *chuckles* We laughed our heads off at his innocent gesture. Of course, we relented and made space for him to proudly show off his first medal.

Great work, Ian Iskandar! We are so proud of you, as always.

Marching On

I simply must do a recap of March. At the rate I’m neglecting my blog (let’s blame the baby, please); I might as well do a monthly run down instead of forgetting everything completely.

Where should I start? Hmmm... pregnancy? So far so good. I’m in my fourth month now but this night sickness doesn’t look like it’s going to let down anything soon. On some days my nausea is pretty bad, to the point that my tummy berombak-ombak and if I put a finger down my throat I would most probably puke my heart out. I try to stay away from paracetamol (although my boss keeps telling me off for doing that), so on certain days I just give in and douse first one and if needed, a second tablet.

Baby AY at 15 weeks! Simply couldn't resist buying that oh-so-adorable top for her.

Baby AY is growing great. Alhamdulillah she’s approx 100gm now. Which doesn’t explain my nearly 10kg gain but yeah whatever. I only get three licenses in life to binge on food, so heck, I’m enjoying myself. This baby is a baby Melayu just like his brothers, so I’m always game for ayam goreng minyak with rice. Too easy lah baby! If only I can start craving for lobsters or something. Please make it more challenging for Daddy, darling!

I’m due for a complete detailed scan in my next gynae visit. Asked my gynae about her opinion on going for a cesarean so that I can tie my tubes, but she wasn’t really supportive. Said that the operation itself is 10 times riskier than a normal birth, so why do it if not needed. Other than that, I’m also opting to get the Tdap vaccination (between 27-36 weeks gestation) to give the baby some form of antibodies even as a newborn. This is to protect her from the many Antivacs in the community spreading contagious diseases. If you’re pregnant, you should probably consider this too.

Ah if only that ~10kg lumps itself altogether at the tummy. But noooooo... my thighs and butt suffer first. *sigh*

Kids? Aiden got his first semester exam results and as expected, BM terus ke laut. It wasn’t really fair though - the last question in the paper involved the kids reading a long paragraph and spotting punctuation and spelling errors, then rewriting it correctly. Why unfair? Cos it was a whopping 30 marks. Memang if you’re not good in tatabahasa and vocab, you have no chance at all. Aiden got a measly 3 marks from that. That itself pulled his marks all the way down. But all other core papers Alhamdulillah he did well, so I’m a proud Mummy as always. A talent scout recently approached us to cast Aiden as a young talent for a drama mini-series. The first thing I said was “Dia tak pandai cakap Melayu. Susah nak berlakon!” *chuckles* Aiden is also very dependable now. I can just wait in the car while he buys nasi kerabu from our local stall, top up my Touch and Go, pick up a takeaway order at a restaurant... you get the idea. Memang emulating the abang character! Senang kerja Mummy, sejuk perut ibu mengandung. *smiles*

Loves extreme activities! Did laser tag for the first time and excitedly went into that round tube thing that tumbles you all over the place.

"Daddy's into fashion", claims Aiden. Little did he know that he's sporting the same swag!

Ian? Still meratib everyday in the car, “I don’t want to go (to) school.” Less crying but still adamant about his stance. Enrolled him (and Aiden) in Fun Camp over the last school holidays, hoping that it would inculcate a sense of love for school - but even that didn’t work. (Although I must applaud Aiden for diligently taking care of Ian throughout the duration of the program; from comforting Ian, to even suap Ian makan!) Despite Ian’s apparent hate for school, he loves doing ‘homework’. He can spend hours just coloring and writing, ignoring the TV. We’ve even resorted to bringing his small desk and chair down to the living hall so he can have a proper area to continue doing so. Macam langit dengan bumi with Aiden who would rather sprawl himself on the couch watching cartoons. I’m currently teaching Ian to write lowercase alphabets (he’s aced the upper case ones) and I can’t wait for him to improve on his phonics so he can start reading!

This little brown bear can spend hours just scribbling, drawing and colouring away. That's his interpretation of Mummy with baby (that odd round shape on my tummy). I wonder why I have spiked hair... Hmmm...

Happy face from Ian - during one of the rare occasions that I get to pick him up from kindy.

They both recently entered a Trunki Easter Egg hunt in Hamleys OU. It involved them scooting around in a Trunki and finding cardboard cutouts of Easter eggs hidden in the store. That experience certainly showed me the ugly side of parenting. It’s absolutely normal for parents to cheer and ‘help’ their kids by pointing out the location of the eggs from afar. But for a mother to snatch one and run to give it to his son, right in front of me while I was pointing to it but waiting for Aiden to scoot over in his Trunki to get it? That’s just ugly. I could have easily done the same so that we would win, but how is that fair to everyone else playing fair and square, scooting their butts off looking for hidden eggs? What kind of example are you teaching to your kids?

Aiden got number three!

Aiden bagged a lunch bag, while Ian won a consolation price of a cupboard Trunki; Fold-a-Trunki.

I digress. Let’s talk about happier things. Shopping? I’m definitely enjoying myself with this. Everything in pink is sooooo cute! To date, I’ve filled in a whole three drawers worth of clothes, five new born shoes and twenty headbands... and counting. Just the other day I saw this cute tutu assemble but unfortunately it was only available in 12-18 months size. Went to the counter to check on a smaller size only to find out that it was the last piece. After deliberating, I finally decided to get it. The cashier, probably empathizing with me, asked; “Baby tuh sekarang berapa bulan, Kak?”... implying that she thought I wanted to buy it as a gift for someone. I answered, “Baby tuh tak keluar lagi, nie dalam perut lagi”, while pointing to my tummy. Her face was stunned... she was speechless or should I say terkedu? It was so funny!!!

I’m also shopping for home! My eldest brother is returning from the US with a big-ass kontena in tow. Other than a new baby swing plus diaper bag for baby AY, everything else I ordered was for home. From solar lights to a KitchenAid blender. Can’t wait! Just yesterday my KitchenAid toaster arrived (separate kontena) and it looks so sleek and handsome on my kitchen counter. *drool*

I am so domesticated!

Work? As intense as ever. I’m currently looking to fill up a vacancy in my team, so I’m diligently having GTKYs (Get To Know You) with interested candidates. Unfortunately for one of them, that morning before the meet we had not one but two dramatic issues which compounded to the headache that I was already nursing. Hence during the GTKY I didn’t exactly paint a rosy picture about the expectations of the role. Scary stuff came out like repercussions and the need to be on-call at all times. Needless to say, she didn’t apply for the role in the end. *smacks forehead* I’ve also finally announced to the team about my pregnancy, and informed my #2 that he needs to step up into role while I’m away (he’s completely freaked out btw *giggles*) so that part is sorted. Now I can proudly show off my bump in the office (instead of sucking it in to hide it).

Hence that’s the end of March. Let’s continue marching on (pun intended) to April.

Happy New Year 2018!

Thought I should pen this down before I start clocking in to the office. Planning to take this entire week off, but preparing myself in case work calls!

Why a week off? Because the dreaded day has finally arrived; despite his many many pleas of "I don't want school", Ian finally headed for his first day at kindergarten.

Excited face, pre-waterworks.

I tried so many psycho tricks, from taking him shopping for new stationery, getting him to help me with labeling his books, to asking him what food he wants to put in each lunch box. I guess it finally worked because yesterday he proclaimed, "I want to go to school!"

I was ecstatic but really, very wary about the proclamation. Put him to bed early hence he didn't have an issue waking up this morning. He got dressed excitedly and ate his cereal breakfast without a fuss. Got into school and walked him into the classroom. Sat him down, told him that we'll be waiting outside, kissed him goodbye and walked out. Thankfully his class had a glass window by the side so I was able to peer inside to see.

As expected, the waterworks started almost immediately. No wailing or anything like that, but just really sad tears rolling down his cheeks. Sampai tersedu sedu, his head jerking with every sedu motion. OMG my heart broke into a million pieces. Tears welled up into my own eyes!! I felt like scooping him into my arms and running out of the door. #ohthedrama

Hubby was no help. He wanted to get breakfast. Keras hati sungguh! (And people say I'm the garang one hmmpphh) After a while, I saw a teacher holding Ian's hand and walking him and his friends to the sink to wash their hands for morning break. Finally I mustered up the strength to pull myself away from the window and allowed Hubby to drag me to breakfast.

Real Kids mummies, reunited for breakfast!

Sharp at 10am (school ended early the first day), we picked him up. His first words? "Just now I cried but after that I didn't cry!" Phewwww he must have stopped crying then. Lega! Coaxed him to tell us more about his day at school, and even managed to record it on my phone. Interestingly, he ended his story with "I don't want to go to school." *chuckles* Wish me luck with tomorrow!!! Met up with his teacher who reassured us that he stopped crying, made some friends, and even asked his friends to call him Iskandar! Hahaha that last one was quite a shocker!

Well done baby boy, for your first day of school!

Anyway, enough airtime for Ian. Aiden had his first day of school today too. Tapi anak bujang nie memang tak payah worry. He knows his way around school already. Maklum lah, dah jadi senior sessi petang! But since it's our yearly ritual to send him to school on his first day, Hubby and I made it a point to walk him in, and stayed with him in line until it was his turn to walk to class.

Otai sangat senior nie, sampai tie pun tak nak pakai. *giggles*

Standard 3 already! Time certainly flies.

Gave him a kiss on the cheek before he went to sit with his friends, and he actually wiped it off! Ish ish ish. Ok lah, so mum's kisses are no longer allowed in the school compound. You're growing up too fast, Aiden! This year, his class is all the way at the top most floor (yet again), but he specifically requested for a non-trolley bag. I hope he can cope with the weight of his books. *sigh* Other than that, he looked really happy to be back with familiar faces and friends.

Ended the day with a pizza dinner as a reward for an awesome first day at school for the boys.

Phewww Hubby, we survived the first day of school!

Tips for Surviving Kidzania!

So the boys received free admission into Kidzania as part of the NEHA event covered here. It was Aiden's third time, but Ian's first. And I am so glad that we procrastinated Ian's trip to Kidzania because he is now at the age where he understands the concept of going to work to get a job. Of course, he enjoyed the experience mostly with the help of Aiden. Aiden really took care of his brother - making sure that they were always seated together, explaining things that they were going to do, and of course, keeping each other company during the longggg queues. The medium of communication in Kidzania is English, hence the boys understood every word being explained by the Zupervisors. It was definitely an enjoyable outing for the boys.

Anyway, I won't even bother explaining the concept of Kidzania. But I think it is worth noting that they have now implemented a 'sticker' booking system in which kids are allowed to book an activity that they want to do in advance. You can only book ahead for six 'popular' activities namely the fire fighter, policeman, and making chicken burgers at McDonalds (ground floor) and also Air Asia pilot, making Vitagen at the Marigold factory and manufacturing vitamins at Pharmaniaga (upper floor).

I digress. Back to the subject, tips for those who are looking into a trip to Kidzania for the upcoming school holidays:

Weekdays/Weekends
I think this doesn't really make a difference if you're going during the school holidays. Outside of holidays, weekends are packed but weekdays may be just as busy with school trips. However, you get more hours by going on Saturday or public holidays as they close at 7pm (instead of 5pm). Choose wisely!

Registering themselves at the bank. Super funny - the lady gave Ian a piece of paper and pen to write his name, and of course Ian didn't know how. Tapi muka confident scribble scribble bagai sampai the lady pun tunggu dengan penuh sabar. Nasib baik Babang was beside him to save the day *chuckles*

Plan Jobs Ahead
You will really need to plan your day and jobs that you want to do. Get your kids to identify the map ahead of your trip so they can choose the jobs that they really want to do. There are only 5 booking sessions (hiring time) on Saturdays,public/school holidays (4 on other days) for the six popular activities, so really - there is no way that they'll get to do all six in one day. Arrive as early as you can. Kidzania opens at 10am so plan to be at the ticketing counter 30mins before so you can get through the door at 950am - just in time for the 10am hiring time. Also, it is human nature to start from the bottom, so why not start from the upper floor first to beat the crowd?

First job of the day, delivering parcels. Ian followed his big brother everywhere!

They then went to work with the electrical company. Super important job - carrying the monkey ladder around town!

Attempting to fix a broken electrical circuit in front of McDonalds.

Plan Hiring Time Ahead
The hiring times are 9.50am, 11.40am, 1.30pm, 3.20pm (and 5.10pm for Sat,public/school holidays). Booking times are stated on stickers. Only kids are allowed to queue for stickers (no adults are allowed on behalf!!!) and kids are only allowed to have a maximum of two stickers per booking session (if you're lucky enough to score 2 that is!) *chuckles* Also, I'm half minded about advising you to arrive 15 minutes earlier than the hiring times. Why? Well we arrived early for the fire fighter and pilot activity, and in both cases we were assigned the very first slot. Unfortunately with the very first slot it meant that you had to remain in line and wait for the last slot of the prior hiring time to finish, and also sometimes staff take a short break in between hiring times. (Whereas other kids who got later slots were already off doing another job while we were waiting.) However, please do arrive early for the McDonalds hiring time. They actually ran out of numbers five minutes before hiring time even started! And of course, arrive early if you're going during school holidays - period!

Ian insisted on working as a pump attendant at BHP (while Aiden wanted to work as a toll booth operator for Plus Highway). Ian's partner was an equally 'fun' size, so they had extra supervision throughout their job.

Okay Ian, next time Mummy won't bother going down from the car to fill in my fuel. It's quite obvious that you can do that now! *giggles*

Aiden had to wait over 20 minutes, to do his dream job. He loved it!

Since Aiden was still busy waiting in line, Ian decided to work at MBPJ, checking business licenses around town. Thankfully he was accompanied by a lovely little girl who understood what to do! Ian tukang pegang kertas jer!

Managing Kidzos
If you have two (or more!) kids like us, they won't appreciate their Kidzos being mixed together. We brought two named pouches for Aiden and Ian, and in there we stuffed their hard earned Kidzos, ATM card and random stuff they made or collected along the way. If they can manage their own things, try getting a lanyard that is spacious enough for them to stuff their Kidzos and comfortable around the neck.

Firefighters for the day! 

Ian's fire helmet was too big for him and kept falling off. But he just picked it up and plonked it back on his head while continuing to 'fight fire'. So confident!

My handsome firefighter boys.

Walking back into the station after a job well done.

Using Kidzos
Every child will be given 50 Kidzos at the start of their journey. If you opt to join their B.KidZanian program (RM38 per child - one off fee), your child will earn/save an additional 2 Kidzos at every job they do, and a discount of 5 Kidzos at the Kidzania Department Store. We didn't bother doing this.

If you are not planning to come back, encourage your kids to also spend their money at activities which you will need to 'pay' for (reflected as 'negative (-) Kidzos' on the board) and stay away from the Kidzania Department Store at the end. (We learnt the hard way that you can't use real cash to buy top-up Kidzos for Ian's toy of choice!) If you are planning another visit again, you can always opt to pool your Kidzos for a better shopping experience. You can deposit your Kidzos into the bank or bring the paper Kidzos home. Kidzos do not have any expiry date. However, keep in mind that items at the Kidzania Department Store are expensive. A small pack of erasers was 100 Kidzos, a wind up racing snail was 150 Kidzos, a hand grabber was 300 Kidzos and the animal shaped monster truck that Ian wanted was 400 Kidzos! As a guide, Aiden and Ian only managed to do 10 jobs and accumulate ~130 Kidzos each at the end of the day!

Posing for photos as dentists. The last time we were here, Aiden bawled and didn't complete this job. Alhamdulillah, no problems this time around.

Even Ian had a hand at attending to the 'patient'.

Doctor Aiden confidently doing a filling on his 'patient'.

Keeping Your Tummies Full
No outside food are allowed (except for milk powder for babies). They will check your bags. Please please please, get your kids a hearty breakfast in the morning! They will forget about food the minute they step foot into Kidzania. Try to get a lunch time slot for the McDonalds 'make a burger' job - this can be their lunch time treat. Food and snacks are quite pricey, and options are limited. As a guide, a plate of chicken rice is ~RM17, pasta carbonara is ~RM13.

We managed to take a short break at the Parents' Lounge while the kids were in here. Since we couldn't take photos while they were in the cockpit, we had to purchase their handsome pilot photos from Kidzania.

Parents' Survival
Since we couldn't trust Aiden and Ian to roam around unaccompanied, we pretty much followed them everywhere. Hubby and I took turns having lunch, and we only managed to camp in the Parents' Lounge (right beside the AirAsia air simulation terminal) while the kids were safely doing their Pilot job. Do note that no kids are allowed inside the Parents' Lounge. Also, bring an oversized bag with you so you can stuff any leftover food from lunch (I carried half a muffin everywhere *giggles*) and water. Another tip, leave the stroller at home! You will also end up ooh-ing and aah-ing at your adorable kids in their respective jobs, so remember to charge your cameras (mine went dead halfway) and clear the storage in your phones for the hundreds of photos/videos you will eventually be taking.

The very impressive Gleneagles hospital.

Surgeons of the day. Can you see how Aiden is the furthest away from the 'patient'? *chuckles* According to him, the patient's heart was still pumping while they were doing 'surgery'. So realistic!

Waving hi to us.

See how Aiden conveniently pushed his lil' brother to the front? *facepalm*

Comfortable Shoes, Please!!!
My first time at Kidzania, I wore heels. Bad mistake, big time. The upper floor flooring was really uneven so I had to navigate carefully. Also, Hubby and I ended up standing most of the time, escorting Aiden for each job he did. I looked in envy at parents sitting in the Parents' Lounge, having kids old enough to explore Kidzania on their own. So please, adults and kids - stick to sneakers or flats.

So the consensus among the boys was that the fireman and pilot jobs were their top favourites. Ian also enjoyed putting gas (he said gas, not fuel!) in the car, while Aiden loved being a toll booth operator and a postal delivery man. *giggles* Anyway, we're planning another trip soon and hopefully we'll manage to cover the rest of the jobs that we didn't manage to do this time around. Wish us luck with the holiday crowd!!!