Visits: Lost World of Tambun

We also had free tickets (included in our Banjaran Hotsprings package) to the neighbouring Lost World of Tambun, which is part of the Sunway Group.

It was a very quiet on the weekday, which made for a lovely morning stroll for mummy and daddy (sans kids).

Entrance to the petting zoo from the resort's side

Educational exhibits showcasing Ipoh's tin-mining history

Time to "mendulang"?

Cool breeze through limestone hills

Holidays: Cuti-cuti Ipoh

Even mummies and daddies need a break from the kiddos. So off we went to the lovely town of Ipoh for a short getaway.

Why I loved this little holiday ... besides the fact that it was with my BFF ...

• It's so near (just an hour's drive away) — no need to hop on to the plane
• It has lovely natural caves and hot springs
• It has a mixture of old and new buildings
• Good food and everything conveniently nearby

We booked our stay at the relaxing and exclusive Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat by the Sunway Group. And it was everything we had hoped for ... and more. It was relatively pricey, by Ipoh standards, but sure beats going all the way to Bali for some villa luxury.

Courtyard

Picturesque pool that we didn't get to use

Buggy to bring us around

Homeschool: Art and Craft

Boy #2 starts his gap year with Teacher Mummy.

But am just enjoying seeing him be able to express his creativity through drawing and assembling stuff.

A gallery of his recent works:

Writing about his family

A TQ card to grandparents

To inifinity and beyond

Transformers ... More than meets the eye

A double-barrel automatic machine gun

Le-it-go, Le-it-go ...

New Year. New Look.

Boy #1 is starting school in the morning session now. Thankfully he can wake up and get ready for school in the wee hours of the morning without too much drama. And yes, he is prefect for the year!

In his prefect uniform, eating breakfast.

He also added a new accessory — glasses. Various ones commented that he seemed to squint every now and then. And he said he sometimes has trouble reading the black board as he sits right at the back. So we went for a test at Y. K. Leong Optometry.

Power is mild. Partly hereditary, the optometrist said. I was tempted to hold off on the glasses, but Boy seemed excited to get a pair. And he's been so good with using them. I think he feels a bit lost when he doesn't wear them.

Hopefully his power doesn't increase, and the other kids take after Mummy's 20/20 eyesight :-p

Experiences: Feeding & Giving

We usually practise a no-gift policy for holidays and birthdays because the kiddos have a LOT!

And part of the life lessons we try to impart is learning to give and to bless others with all we've been blessed with.

Last Chinese New Year, we decided to take part in street feeding for the homeless with Need to Feed the Need.

Kiddos contributed part of their ang pow money to buy "mini paus" to supplement the menu of the night.

Yummy at good price too!

It was the second night of CNY, so after dinner, we headed over to Chow Kit dressed in our festive clothing.