Our Family: Kidz Amaze

I've recently started to chat abit with an ex 'neighbour' and she invited us to her son and daughter's birthday party @Kidz Amaze today. We don't know each other very well but they've been such nice and sweet people during the few days we shared the same ward - they even bought Renee gifts on the day of our discharge! For that, we exchanged addresses as I wanted to return the favor when her daughter's born. We did correspond for a while but there after, everyone got busy with life and we lost touch.

Surprisingly hubby needn't much persuasion to go to this party and Renee, after I've related to her on how we got to befriend 'this aunty' and show her the pictures on the web of the place we've been invited to, she was excited to both meeting them and going to the place. However, as she was hving a little fever last night and runny nose, I contemplated if to bring her there but she was sooo afraid that she couldn't go, so it's a good thing she woke up feeling better this morning...

Free play at the maze playground began at 2pm but we were late, and being unsure of its exact location, we wasted further time in search of it. It was already past 3pm by the time we got to the party room and the facilitators were beginning to gather the kids for some games, so Renee had to join the group before she get to eat(good thing I've cooked her porridge at home earlier). Even we had to rush through our food 'cos I felt that Renee, being new to everyone, might do with me being around at the games area(papa has to go over to the temple first) @level 2.

At the games area, the children were made to wait for nothing whilst the facilitators took their time to discuss on the rules and after a while, not just myself, I saw that some parents had gotten alittle impatient as well. It was a simple enough game(though I had to wait til Renee ran to my side and tell her the rules 'cos they were soo soft and most kids couldn't hear them at all, some even tried to catch the ball! lolz) and Renee could partake in the running around, avoiding being hit by the ball thrown by the facilitators, despite not knowing anyone there. When this game ended, the children were made to go back to the party room at level 3, just to have a drink of water. Again, instructions not clear enough and when I asked if they'd be going back downstairs again, the female facilitator I've approached did not reply me in a very nice way, geez.

Children were asked to hold hands and walked in circles, whilst the facilitators(2nd pic) stood aside, discussing the rules of games - ???

When they finally went down again, they didn't tell the parents which level they'd be going to and when I asked 1 of them if it's back to level 2, the guy told me curtly that it's level 1. They're bringing the kids to the playground itself - is this supposed to be part of the birthday party games when it's free play at the playground before and even after the celebration...? Anyway, this multi-level playground appeared to me a better/fun place for older kids and as our Renee's not that bold a girl to try all these high climbing stuffs, I decided that I should go along with her but I was stopped for not putting my socks on. I quickly went aside, put on my socks and was stopped again - cannot bring my bag in, aiyoh! It's sooo troublesome and I thought maybe I should just watch from the fenced-out area but when I realised that they're going to let the kids on their own(even though they're being 'released' group by group') at the playground, I quickly beckoned to Renee to come over to me, as I want to know if she'd like to go back to the party room. This time, our gesturing communication didn't work and she must have thought that I was encouraging her to go up the playground and she shaked her head and waved for me to go to her. Having no choice, I quickly get a locker for my bag and stuffs but, by the time I got to her, she quickly told me that she's afraid to go up there and down the multi level slide. Geez, that had looked abit scary to me, let alone a kid like her. I quickly took her out of the group and the same earlier female facilitator gave me a 'go lor, who cares' look.

I was rather annoyed with the whole thing and so I told Renee that she should have just come over to me when I beckoned her to, and this poor girl was quite scared. She must have already been worrying that I'd just leave her there to try those 'scary stuffs' on her own, so I calmly told her it's ok, just that I had wanted to bring her back up when I beckoned her over and she should have just came over to avoid this 'miscommunication'(it's not like she's at a strict rule school/place that she's not allowed to leave the group).

Errmmm, what were they waiting for?

Although this is where they were being 'released' to the maze playground,...

(my camera din capture e full pic, it's much higher, and u can see it's qte dangerous for young kids to go up on their own)

But it's this 'spiral slide' that frightened Renee

These pics would show how high this maze playground is

Earlier, before I realised that they're letting the kids play at the maze, there had been 'no reaction' again for awhile and I've text-ed hubby that we'd like to go over soon. So when he replied that he could pick us up earlier but Renee, whom felt 'safer' at the party room, had already began playing with the kiddy rides, lolz. I asked her if she's ok that papa come to pick us earlier and surprisingly, she's ok.

She and her kiddy ride

Upon returning to the party room again, I managed to have a brief chat with my friend and I saw that Renee had started playing ball with the birthday girl. When I was about to leave, I quickly text Papa telling him to come up when I saw that they're preparing for the cake cutting session. It was a short meetup/party for us but it's nice meeting up with an nice 'old friend' after so long...

The goodie bag

It's the busy season of the year for the temple at Jurong and as hubby's volunteering services were needed again today, we went over with him. We waited til the ceremony/procession ended at past 7:30pm but unable to find proper seating area, we decided to skip the free but rather good dinner there and head over to the rest at my mom's(which we went only last night!) for our dinner instead. We ordered the exact same dishes as last evening's and needless to say, Renee happily ate the fish head again tonight, lolz.

Playing with the hand-held maze game from the goodie pack whilst waiting for papa